Comparative effects of soy protein concentrate,enzyme‑treated soybean meal,and fermented soybean meal replacing animal protein supplements in feeds on growth performance and intestinal health of nursery pigs

Background Soy protein supplements,with high crude protein and less antinutritional factors,are produced from soybean meal by different processes.This study evaluated the comparative effects of various soy protein supplements replacing animal protein supplements in feeds on the intestinal immune status,intestinal oxidative stress,mucosaassociated microbiota,and growth performance of nursery pigs.Methods Sixty nursery pigs(6.6±0.5 kg BW)were allotted to five treatments in a randomized complete block design with initial BW and sex as blocks.Pigs were fed for 39 d in 3 phases(P1,P2,and P3).Treatments were:Control(CON),basal diet with fish meal 4%,2%,and 1%,poultry meal 10%,8%,and 4%,and blood plasma 4%,2%,and 1%for P1,P2,and P3,respectively;basal diet with soy protein concentrate(SPC),enzyme-treated soybean meal(ESB),fermented soybean meal with Lactobacillus(FSBL),and fermented soybean meal with Bacillus(FSBB),replacing 1/3,2/3,and 3/3 of animal protein supplements for P1,P2,and P3,respectively.Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS 9.4.Results The SPC did not affect the BW,ADG,and G:F,whereas it tended to reduce(P=0.094)the ADFI and tended to increase(P=0.091)crypt cell proliferation.The ESM did not affect BW,ADG,ADFI,and G:F,whereas tended to decrease(P=0.098)protein carbonyl in jejunal mucosa.The FSBL decreased(P<0.05)BW and ADG,increased(P<0.05)TNF-α,and Klebsiella and tended to increase MDA(P=0.065)and IgG(P=0.089)in jejunal mucosa.The FSBB tended to increase(P=0.073)TNF-α,increased(P<0.05)Clostridium and decreased(P<0.05)Achromobacter and alpha diversity of microbiota in jejunal mucosa.Conclusions Soy protein concentrate,enzyme-treated soybean meal,and fermented soybean meal with Bacillus could reduce the use of animal protein supplements up to 33%until 7 kg body weight,up to 67%from 7 to 11 kg body weight,and entirely from 11 kg body weight without affecting the intestinal health and the growth performance of nursery pigs.Fermented soybean meal with Lactobacillus,however,increased the immune reaction and oxidative stress in the intestine consequently reducing the growth performance.

Functional interaction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and hepatitis B virus in the pathogenesis of liver diseases

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) is a non-cytopathic virus that causes acute and chronic inflammatory liver diseases,often leading to the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Although many studies for the roles of HBV on pathogenesis of the liver diseases,such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),hepatic inflammation,cirrhosis,and HCC,have been reported,the mechanisms are not fully understood. Endoplasmic reticulum(ER) and mitochondria have the protective mechanisms to restore their damaged function by intrinsic or extrinsic stresses,but their chronic dysfunctions are associated with the pathogenesis of the various diseases. Furthermore,HBV can affect intraor extracellular homeostasis through induction of ER and mitochondrial dysfunctions,leading to liver injury. Therefore,the mechanism by which HBV induces ER or mitochondrial stresses may be a therapeutic target for treatment of liver diseases.

Improvement of diabetes and hypertension after gastrectomy: A nationwide cohort study

AIM: To evaluate the effect of gastrectomy on diabetes mellitus(DM) and hypertension(HTN) in non-obese gastric cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 100000 patients, diagnosed with either type 2 DM or HTN, were randomly selected from the 2004 Korean National Health Insurance System claims. Among them, 360 diabetes and 351 hypertensive patients with gastric cancer who had been regularly treated without chemotherapy from January 2005 to December 2010 were selected. They were divided into three groups according to their treatment methods: total gastrectomy(TG), subtotal gastrectomy(STG) and endoscopic resection(ER). RESULTS: The drug discontinuation rate of antidiabetic and anti-hypertensive agents after gastric cancer treatment was 9.7% and 11.1% respectively. DM appeared to be improved more frequently(22.8%) and earlier(mean ± SE 28.6 ± 1.8 mo) in TG group than in the two other groups [improved in 9.5% of ER group(37.4 ± 1.1 mo) and 6.4% of STG group(47.0 ± 0.8 mo)]. The proportion of patients treated with multiple drugs decreased more notably in TG group compared to others(P = 0.001 in DM, and P = 0.035 in HTN). In TG group, adjusted hazard ratio for theimprovement of DM was 2.87(95%CI: 1.15-7.17) in a multi-variate analysis and better control of DM was observed with survival analysis(P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: TG was found to decrease the need for anti-diabetic medications which can be reflective of improved glycemic control, to a greater extent than either ER or STG in non-obese diabetic patients.

Estimated prevalence and trends in smoking among adolescents in South Korea,2005-2021:a nationwide serial study

Background Although smoking is classified as a risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes,there is a scarcity of studies on prevalence of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic.Thus,this study aims to analyze the trends of prevalence of smoking in adolescents over the COVID-19 pandemic period.Methods The present study used data from middle to high school adolescents between 2005 and 2021 who participated in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey(KYRBS).We evaluated the smoking prevalence(ever or daily)by year groups and estimated the slope in smoking prevalence before and during the pandemic.Results A total of 1,137,823 adolescents participated in the study[mean age,15.04 years[95%confidence interval(CI)15.03-15.06];and male,52.4%(95%CI 51.7-53.1)].The prevalence of ever smokers was 27.7%(95%CI 27.3-28.1)between 2005 and 2008 but decreased to 9.8%(95%CI 9.3-10.3)in 2021.A consistent trend was found in daily smokers,as the estimates decreased from 5.4%(95%CI 5.2-5.6)between 2005 and 2008 to 2.3%(95%CI 2.1-2.5)in 2021.However,the downward slope in the overall prevalence of ever smokers and daily smokers became less pronounced in the COVID-19 pandemic period than in the pre-pandemic period.In the subgroup with substance use,the decreasing slope in daily smokers was significantly more pronounced during the pandemic than during the pre-pandemic period.Conclusions The proportion of ever smokers and daily smokers showed a less pronounced decreasing trend during the pandemic.The findings of our study provide an overall understanding of the pandemic's impact on smoking prevalence in adolescents.

Sorafenib suppresses hepatitis B virus gene expression viainhibiting JNK pathway

Aim:Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is a major cause of chronic liver diseases.Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor and an approved anti-liver cancer drug.Here we demonstrated the antiviral effect of sorafenib on HBV gene expression.Methods:To investigate the effect of sorafenib on HBV gene expression,a luciferase assay was performed with×1.3 Cp-luciferase HBV construct and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(PCR),real-time PCR,and Western blotting analyses were performed using HepG2 cells derived from hepatocellular carcinoma and Chang liver cells derived from a normal liver tissue.Results:Sorafenib suppressed HBV gene expression via inhibiting the JNK pathway.In this process,the farnesoid X receptor(FXR),a transcription factor that has been reported to increase HBV replication and gene expression,was under control of the JNK pathway.Notably,JNK activation increased FXR protein levels,not mRNA levels.Conclusion:Sorafenib suppressed HBV gene expression via inhibiting the JNK pathway,which regulates FXR activity.

National trends in alcohol and substance use among adolescents from 2005 to 2021:a Korean serial cross‑sectional study of one million adolescents

Background Although previous studies have provided data on early pandemic periods of alcohol and substance use in adolescents,more adequate studies are needed to predict the trends of alcohol and substance use during recent periods,including the mid-pandemic period.This study investigated the changes in alcohol and substance use,except tobacco use,throughout the pre-,early-,and mid-pandemic periods in adolescents using a nationwide serial cross-sectional survey from South Korea.Methods Data on 1,109,776 Korean adolescents aged 13–18 years from 2005 to 2021 were obtained in a survey operated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.We evaluated adolescents’alcohol and substance consumption prevalence and compared the slope of alcohol and substance prevalence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to see the trend changes.We define the pre-COVID-19 period as consisting of four groups of consecutive years(2005–2008,2009–2012,2013–2015,and 2016–2019).The COVID-19 pandemic period is composed of 2020(early-pandemic era)and 2021(midpandemic era).Results More than a million adolescents successfully met the inclusion criteria.The weighted prevalence of current alcohol use was 26.8%[95%confidence interval(CI)26.4–27.1]from 2005 to 2008 and 10.5%(95%CI 10.1–11.0)in 2020 and 2021.The weighted prevalence of substance use was 1.1%(95%CI 1.1–1.2)from 2005 to 2008 and 0.7%(95%CI 0.6–0.7)between 2020 and 2021.From 2005 to 2021,the overall trend of use of both alcohol and drugs was found to decrease,but the decline has slowed since COVID-19 epidemic(current alcohol use:βdiff 0.167;95%CI 0.150–0.184;substance use:βdiff 0.152;95%CI 0.110–0.194).The changes in the slope of current alcohol and substance use showed a consistent slowdown with regard to sex,grade,residence area,and smoking status from 2005 to 2021.Conclusion The overall prevalence of alcohol consumption and substance use among over one million Korean adolescents from the early and mid-stage(2020–2021)of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a slower decline than expected given the increase during the prepandemic period(2005–2019).