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This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association of various aspects of physical activity, including intensity, duration, type, and purpose, with the phase angle (PhA), an objective indicator of health, in Korean adults after stratification by sex. Data from the 2022 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationwide, representative, population-based survey, were used. In total, 3996 participants were included in the study. Participants self-reported their weekly intensity, frequency, duration of engagement in physical activity. PhA was categorized into two groups on the basis of sex-specific averages. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between physical activity and PhA, and proportional odds logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between physical activity and different subclasses of PhA. A positive association was found between sufficiently active aerobic physical activity and PhA compared with inactive physical activity (sufficiently active, male: odds ratio = 1.952, 95% confidence interval = 1.373–2.776; female: odds ratio = 1.333, 95% confidence interval = 1.019–1.745). This association was further strengthened when aerobic physical activity was accompanied by muscle-strengthening activity (sufficiently active with muscle-strengthening activity, male: aOR = 2.318, 95% CI = 1.512–3.554; female: aOR = 1.762, 95% CI = 1.215–2.556) and vigorous-intensity activities (sufficiently active with sufficient vigorous-intensity activity, male: aOR = 2.785, 95% CI = 1.647–4.709; female: aOR = 2.505, 95% CI = 1.441–4.356) and when there was more leisure-time physical activity than occupational physical activity (sufficiently active with more leisure-time physical activity, male: aOR = 2.158, 95% CI = 1.483–3.140; female: aOR = 1.457, 95% CI = 1.078–1.969). Furthermore, the inclusion of muscle-strengthening activity made a significant difference in the values of PhA for males with insufficiently active physical activity (aOR = 2.679, 95% CI = 1.560–4.602). For females with highly active physical activity (aOR = 1.521, 95% CI = 1.068–2.166), the inclusion of muscle-strengthening and vigorous-intensity activities were significantly associated with higher values for PhA. This study can be utilized to provide specific suggestions for better health programs and can change perception that only occupational physical activity is enough. This study also indicated that PhA can be used for personalized health assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of major skin inflammatory diseases characterized by excessive Th2-mediated immune responses. Recent evidence provides that interlukin-13 (IL-13) plays the role of a key Th2 cytokine that drives the inflammation underlining AD. Due to adverse effects of commercially available synthetic drugs, the need for treatments based on natural products is gaining much attention. Sargassum horneri is an edible brown algae known for beneficial bioactivities including anti-inflammation. We investigated if polyphenol-rich S. horneri extracts (SHE) could suppress AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice and if that involved inhibition of the infiltration of Th2-mediated cytokine IL-13. We observed markedly increased infiltration of IL-13 positive cells in AD-like skin lesions of mice but SHE treatments decreased it. Also, the dermal expression of IL-13 was sufficient to cause inflammatory responses in mice skin resembling human AD. SHE suppressed the dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells where IL-13 plays a crucial role in skin tissues and in the recruitment of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, it was confirmed that SHE reduced T cell, dendritic cell, and macrophage populations in spleen. Moreover, SHE decreased the collagen deposition in skin and ear dermis resulting in reduced fibrosis that occurs in AD due to excessive collagen. Taken together, our results reveal that SHE suppressed the infiltration of inflammatory cells into skin dermis by decreasing the infiltration of IL-13 positive cells. Therefore, SHE could be taken as a useful therapeutic agent to alleviate AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain injury from stroke is typically considered an event exclusive to the CNS, but injury progression and repair processes are profoundly influenced by peripheral immunity. Stroke stimulates an acute inflammatory response that results in a massive infiltration of peripheral immune cells into the ischemic area. While these cells contribute to the development of brain injury, their recruitment has been considered as a key step for tissue repair. The paradoxical role of inflammatory monocytes in stroke raises the possibility that the manipulation of peripheral immune cells before infiltration into the brain could influence stroke outcome. One such manipulation is remote ischemic limb conditioning (RLC), which triggers an endogenous tolerance mechanism. We observed that mice subjected to poststroke RLC shifted circulating monocytes to a CCR2 + proinflammatory monocyte subset and had reduced acute brain injury, swelling, and improved motor/gait function in chronic stroke. The RLC benefits were observed regardless of injury severity, with a greater shift to a CCR2 1 subset in severe stroke. Adoptive transfer of CCR2-deficient monocytes abolished RLC-mediated protection. The study demonstrates the importance of RLC-induced shift of monocytes to a CCR2 + proinflammatory subset in attenuating acute injury and promoting functional recovery in chronic stroke. The defined immune-mediated mechanism underlying RLC benefits allows for an evidence-based framework for the development of immune-based therapeutic strategies for stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discoba (Excavata) is an evolutionarily important group of eukaryotes that includes Jakobida, with the most bacterial-likemitochondrial genomes known, and Euglenozoa, many of which have extensively fragmented mitochondrial genomes. However, little is known about the mitochondrial genomes of Heterolobosea, the third main group of Discoba. Here, we studied two heteroloboseids--an undescribed amoeba "BB2" and Pharyngomonas kirbyi. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that they form a clade that is a sister group to all other Heterolobosea. We characterized the mitochondrial genomes of BB2 and P. kirbyi, which encoded 44 and 48 putative protein-coding genes respectively. Their gene contents were similar to that of Naegleria. In BB2, mitochondrially encoded RNAs were heavily edited, with ~500 mononucleotide insertion events, mostly guanosines. These insertions always have the same identity as an adjacent nucleotide. Editing occurs in all ribosomal RNAs and protein-coding transcripts except one, and half of the transfer RNAs. Analysis of Illumina deep-sequencing data suggested that this RNA editing is very accurate and efficient, and most likely co-transcriptional. The dissimilarity of this editing process to other RNA editing phenomena in discobids, as well as its apparent absence in P. kirbyi, suggest that this remarkably extensive system of insertional editing evolved independently in the BB2 lineage, after its divergence from the P. kirbyi lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammation are associated with various age-related chronic diseases. The fruits and roots of Rosa multiflora Thunb. have been used in medicine for the treatment of edema and inflammatory diseases in Eastern Asia. Dried Rosa multiflora Thunb. flowers (RMF) are consumed as a tea in Korea, but reports on the biological activity of RMF are lacking. We evaluated the in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of an ethanol extract from RMF as well as various solvent fractions from the extract. Methods: The ethanol extract (Et) of RMP was fractionated sequentially by hexane (Hx), dichloromethane (DM), ethyl acetate (EA), n-Butanol (Bt), and water (DW). Total phenolic and flavonoid contents, scavenging activities of the 2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl radical, 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power were measured. Anti-inflammatory effects in terms of levels of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PG) E2, and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages were measured. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 were measured by the Western blot analysis. Results: EA demonstrated the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents and strongest antioxidant activity, followed by Bt and Et. Treatment with Et, Hx, DM, EA, Bt, and DW significantly suppressed (p<0.05) NO production in a dose-dependent manner in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages via reduction of expression of iNOS protein. Treatment with Et, DM, and EA significantly suppressed (p<0.05) PGE2 production induced by LPS treatment; however, only Bt treatment significantly reduced (p<0.05) the expression of COX-2 protein. Treatment with EA and Bt suppressed IL-6 production significantly (p<0.05) in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Treatment with Et, DM, EA, and Bt suppressed TNF-α production significantly (p<0.05). Conclusion: These data suggest that the ethanol extract of Rosa multiflora Thunb. Flowers and its dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-Butanol fractions have potent antioxidant and/or antiinflammatory activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IκB kinase (IKK) complex is a central component in the classic activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. It has been reported to function in physiologic responses, including cell death and inflammation. We have shown that IKK is regulated by oxidative status after transient focal cerebral ischemia (tFCI) in mice. However, the mechanism by which oxidative stress influences IKKs after tFCI is largely unknown. Nuclear accumulation and phosphorylation of IKKα (pIKKα) were observed 1 h after 30 mins of tFCI in mice. In copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase knockout mice, levels of NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) (an upstream kinase of IKKα), pIKKα, and phosphorylation of histone H3 (pH3) on Ser10 were increased after tFCI and were higher than in wild-type mice. Immunohistochemistry showed nuclear accumulation and pIKKα in mouse brain endothelial cells after tFCI. Nuclear factor-κB-inducing kinase was increased, and it enhanced pH3 by inducing pIKKα after oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) in mouse brain endothelial cells. Both NIK and pH3 interactions with IKKα were confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation. Treatment with IKKα small interfering RNA significantly reduced cell death after OGD. These results suggest that augmentation of NIK, IKKα, and pH3 in response to oxidative stress is involved in cell death after cerebral ischemia (or stroke). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]