Search

Corals and their associated fauna are extremely diverse in tropical waters and form major reefs. In the high-latitude temperate zone, corals living near their distribution limit are considered marginal communities because they are particularly extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes. In this study, we examined the diversity and host usage of coral-associated barnacles on Jeju Island, Korea, the northern coral distribution limit in the East China Sea. In this study, only three coral-associated barnacles—from two genera in two subfamilies—were collected. The Pyrgomatinid barnacles Cantellius arcuatus and Cantellius cf. euspinulosum were found only on the corals Montipora millepora and Alveopora japonica, respectively. The Megatrematinid barnacle Pyrgomina oulastreae, relatively a generalist, was found on Psammocora spp. (both profundacella and albopicta) and Oulastrea crispata corals. The host usage of these three barnacles does not overlap. DNA barcode sequences of the C. arcuatus specimens collected in the present study matched those collected in Kochi in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, suggesting that this species has a wide geographical distribution. C. arcuatus covers a wider host range in Taiwan waters, inhabiting Montipora spp. and Porites spp., which suggests that the host specificity of coral-associated barnacles varies with host availability. C. cf. euspinulosum probably has a very narrow distribution and host usage. The sequences of C. cf. euspinulosum on Jeju Island do not match those of any known sequences of Cantellius barnacles in the Indo-Pacific region. P. oulastreae probably prefers cold water because it has been reported in temperate regions. Coral-associated barnacles in marginal communities have considerably lower diversity than their subtropical and tropical counterparts. When host availability is limited, marginal coral-associated barnacles exhibit higher host specificity than those in subtropical and tropical reef systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a common and important chronic liver disease worldwide. Previous studies have indicated that NAFLD has an adverse effect on the quality of life, but information is lacking about the impact of NAFLD on female sexual dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine the association between NAFLD and female sexual dysfunction in premenopausal women. Methods: This retrospective study consisted of premenopausal women who were sexually active and visited the outpatient clinic for a routine health check-up between January 2010 and December 2011. Based on the examination of the liver ultrasound scan, the study population was divided into 2 groups: cases with NAFLD and normal controls (cases without NAFLD). The female sexual function was compared between the two groups of cases. For the assessment of sexual function, a female sexual function index (FSFI) questionnaire was used. Results: Four hundred seventy women were included, and the prevalence of NAFLD and female sexual dysfunction were 67/470 (14.3%) and 238/470 (50.6%), respectively. Cases with NAFLD had a lower total FSFI score and higher rate of female sexual dysfunction than the normal control [median score of total FSFI (interquartile range): 24.7 (21.9–27.8) in NAFLD vs. 26.7 (23.7–29.8) in normal control, p<0.005; the female sexual dysfunction: 64.2% in NAFLD vs. 48.4% in normal control, p<0.05]. This difference in female sexual dysfunction between the two groups remained significant after adjustment. Conclusion: NAFLD is associated with female sexual dysfunction in premenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been reported as a marker for chronic inflammation, associated with poor prognosis in ischemic stroke patients, but there has been no study that investigated its association with ischemic stroke risk. This study was conducted to investigate elevated NLR as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke incidence. Our retrospective cohort study included 24,708 generally healthy subjects aged 30–75 who received self-referred health screening at Seoul National University Hospital. Data on ischemic stroke incidence was retrieved from national medical claims registry. Median follow-up time was 5.9 years (interquartile range 4.2 years). Adjusted for major cardiovascular risk factors, compared to subjects with NLR<1.5, subjects with 2.5≤NLR<3.0, 3.0≤NLR<3.5, and NLR≥3.5 had elevated risk for ischemic stroke incidence with aHR (95% CI) of 1.76 (1.09–2.84), 2.21 (1.21–4.04), and 2.96 (1.57–5.58), respectively. NLR showed significant improvement in discrimination for ischemic stroke incidence compared to traditional cardiovascular risk factors (C-index 0.748 vs. 0.739, P = 0.025). There was significant net improvement in reclassification in Framingham risk for ischemic stroke incidence after addition of NLR, with IDI 0.0035 (P<0.0001), and NRI 6.02% (P = 0.0015). This reclassification for ischemic stroke incidence by NLR was markedly pronounced among subjects with atrial fibrillation with CHA2DS2-VASc<2 (NRI 42.41%, P = 0.056). Our study suggests elevated NLR to be an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke incidence in generally healthy adults. Future studies are needed to validate our results and further assess how subjects with elevated NLR should be managed within current guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cerebral microbleed (CMB) is a potent risk factor for overt cerebrovascular disease. Although some studies indicated the possible role of renal dysfunction as a risk factor of CMB, the findings could not be generalized. This study aimed to investigate the association between renal dysfunction and cerebral microbleed (CMB) in neurologically healthy adults. Materials and methods: A total of 2,518 subjects who underwent brain MRI as part of health screening were involved in the study. CMBs were defined as well-demarcated focal areas of low signal intensity with associated blooming on the T2-weighted MRI measuring less than 5mm in diameter. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. Kidney function was classified as normal (≥90), mild (60 to 89.9), moderate (30 to 59.9), and severe (<30 mL/min/1.73 m2) renal dysfunction according to the GFR. Results: The mean age of the participants was 57.5 ± 8.3 years (ranged 40 to 79), and 1,367 subjects (54.3%) were male. The mean GFR level was 81.5 ± 15.5, and the prevalence of CMB was 4.1% (n = 103). Subjects with CMB demonstrated a higher proportion of moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction than those without CMB (15.5% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction showed a significant association with CMB (adjusted odd ratio = 2.63; p = 0.008). Furthermore, a decrease in the GFR level was associated with an increasing trend of the presence of CMB (p for trend = 0.031) and number of CMB lesions (p for trend = 0.003). Conclusions: Renal dysfunction was significantly associated with the presence of CMB in neurologically healthy adults. More studies are needed to evaluate if treatment of kidney disease and risk factor modification may prevent further progress of CMB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glomerular hyperfiltration is recognized as an early marker of progressive kidney dysfunction in the obese population. This study aimed to identify the relationship between glomerular hyperfiltration and body fat distribution measured by computed tomography (CT) in healthy Korean adults. The study population included individuals aged 20–64 years who went a routine health check-up including an abdominal CT scan. We selected 4,378 individuals without diabetes and hypertension. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated using the CKD-EPI equation, and glomerular hyperfiltration was defined as the highest quintile of glomerular filtration rate. Abdominal adipose tissue areas were measured at the level of the umbilicus using a 16-detector CT scanner, and the cross-sectional area was calculated using Rapidia 2.8 CT software. The prevalence of glomerular hyperfiltration increased significantly according to the subcutaneous adipose tissue area in men (OR = 1.74 (1.16–2.61), P for trend 0.016, for the comparisons of lowest vs. highest quartile) and visceral adipose tissue area in women (OR = 2.34 (1.46–3.75), P for trend < 0.001) in multivariate analysis. After stratification by body mass index (normal < 23 kg/m2, overweight ≥ 23 kg/m2), male subjects with greater subcutaneous adipose tissue, even those in the normal BMI group, had a higher prevalence of glomerular hyperfiltration (OR = 2.11 (1.17–3.80), P for trend = 0.009). Among women, the significance of visceral adipose tissue area on glomerular hyperfiltration resulted from the normal BMI group (OR = 2.14 (1.31–3.49), P for trend = 0.002). After menopause, the odds ratio of the association of glomerular hyperfiltration with subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue increased (OR = 2.96 (1.21–7.25), P for trend = 0.013). Subcutaneous adipose tissue areas and visceral adipose tissue areas are positively associated with glomerular hyperfiltration in healthy Korean adult men and women, respectively. In post-menopausal women, visceral adipose tissue area shows significant positive association with glomerular hyperfiltration as in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central adiposity, rather than body mass index (BMI), is a key pathophysiological feature of the development of obesity-related diseases. Although genetic studies by anthropometric measures such as waist circumference have been widely conducted, genetic studies for abdominal fat deposition measured by computed tomography (CT) have been rarely performed. A total of 1,243 participants who were recruited from two health check-up centers were included in this study. We selected four and three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NGEF and RGS6, respectively, and analyzed the associations between the seven SNPs and central adiposity measured by CT using an additive, dominant, or recessive model. The participants were generally healthy middle-aged men (50.7 ± 5.3 years). In the additive model, the rs11678490 A allele of NGEF was significantly associated with total adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (all P < 0.05). The AA genotype of this SNP in the recessive model showed a more significant association with all adiposity traits, and its association with VAT remained significant even after adjustment for BMI (P = 0.005). In the overall or visceral obesity group analysis, the AA genotype of rs11678490 showed no association with overall obesity (P = 0.148), whereas it was significantly associated with visceral obesity both before (P = 0.010) and after (P = 0.029) adjustment for BMI. In particular, an AA genotype effect was conspicuous between lower and upper groups with 5% extreme VAT phenotypes (OR = 9.59, 95% CI = 1.50–61.31). However, we found no significant association between SNPs of RGS6 and central adiposity. We identified a visceral-fat-associated SNP, rs11678490 of NGEF, in Korean men. This study suggests that the genetic background of central adiposity and BMI is different, and that additional efforts should be made to find the unique genetic architecture of intra-abdominal fat accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male sexual behavior (MSB) is modulated by gonadal steroids, yet this relationship is highly variable across species and between individuals. A significant percentage (∼30%) of B6D2F1 hybrid male mice demonstrate MSB after long-term orchidectomy (herein after referred to as “maters”), providing an opportunity to examine the mechanisms that underlie individual differences in steroidal regulation of MSB. Use of gene expression arrays comparing maters and non-maters has provided a first pass look at the genetic underpinnings of steroid-independent MSB. Surprisingly, of the ∼500 genes in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) that differed between maters and non-maters, no steroid hormone or receptor genes were differentially expressed between the two groups. Interestingly, best known for their association with Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) were elevated in maters. Increased levels of their protein products (APP and tau) in their non-pathological states have been implicated in cell survival, neuroprotection, and supporting synaptic integrity. Here we tested transgenic mice that overexpress tau and found facilitated mounting and intromission behavior after long-term orchidectomy relative to littermate controls. In addition, levels of synaptophysin and spinophilin, proteins generally enriched in synapses and dendritic spines respectively, were elevated in the MPOA of maters. Dendritic morphology was also assessed in Golgi-impregnated brains of orchidectomized B6D2F1 males, and hybrid maters exhibited greater dendritic spine density in MPOA neurons. In sum, we show for the first time that retention of MSB in the absence of steroids is correlated with morphological differences in neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]