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Cachexia is associated with various diseases, such as heart disease, infectious disease, and cancer. In particular, cancer‐associated cachexia (CAC) accounts for more than 20% of mortality in cancer patients worldwide. Adipose tissue in CAC is characterized by adipocyte atrophy, mainly due to excessively increased lipolysis and impairment of adipogenesis. CAC is well known for the loss of skeletal muscle mass and/or fat mass. CAC induces severe metabolic alterations, including protein, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of bee wax (Apis mellifera L. 1758) (BW) extract on adipogenesis, lipolysis, and mitochondrial oxygen consumption through white adipocytes, 3T3‐L1. To achieve this study, cancer‐associated cachexia condition was established by incubation of 3T3‐L1 with colon cancer cell line CT26 cultured media. BW extract recovered the reduced adipogenesis under cachectic conditions in CT26 media. Treatment of BW showed increasing lipid accumulation as well as adipogenic gene expression and its target gene during adipogenesis. The administration of BW to adipocytes could decrease lipolysis. Also, BW could significantly downregulated the mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation‐related genes, oxygen consumption rate, and extracellular acidification rate. Our results suggest that BW could improve metabolic disorders such as CAC through the activation of adipogenesis and inhibition of lipolysis in adipocytes, although we need further validation in vivo CAC model to check the effects of BW extract. Therefore, BW extract supplements could be useful as an alternative medicine to reverse energy imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint inflammatory disease characterized by progressive destruction of the articular cartilage, bone remodeling, and excessive chronic pain. Most therapeutic approaches do not rescue the progression of OA effectively or provide relief of symptoms. Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larva (PBSL), which is attracting attention, is an edible insect with very high nutritional value and herbal medicine for the treatment of blood stasis, hepatic disease, and various inflammatory diseases. However, the effect of PBSL on OA has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to demonstrate the effects of PBSL water extract on the progression of OA using monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)‐induced mice and SW1353 chondrocytes or murine macrophages. We injected MIA into the intraarticular area of mice following pretreatment with either saline or PBSL (200 mg/kg) for 2 weeks, and then locomotor activity, microcomputed tomography and histopathological analysis, quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction analysis, and western blot analysis were performed. To determine the molecular effects of PBSL, we used interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β)‐induced SW1353 chondrosarcoma or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated macrophages. Pretreatment with PBSL diminished the symptoms of OA. Physical activity, articular cartilage damage, and the generation of microfractures were rescued by pretreatment with PBSL in the mouse model. Pretreatment with PBSL suppressed the progress of OA through the regulation of articular cartilage degradation genes and inflammation in both in vivo and in vitro models. Our results demonstrated that PBSL has value as edible insect that can be used in the development of functional foods for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death in South Korea (hereafter 'Korea'), and there is evidence that body weight and perceived weight affecting suicide have a significant effect on suicidal behavior in adolescence. This study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI), perceived weight, and suicide attempts in adolescents. Methods: We included nationally representative data for a total of 106,320 students in our final analysis. We calculated and stratified BMI (underweight, normal weight, overweight) to determine the correlation between BMI and suicide attempts. We stratified the participants into three groups (perceived as underweight, normal weight, and overweight) for subjective body weight perception to analyze the relationship between subjective body weight perception and suicide attempts. We further analyzed the combination of BMI and subjective body weight perception to determine the relationship between suicide attempts and distorted subjective weight perception. Results: Compared with perceiving oneself as having a normal weight, the odds ratios (ORs) for suicide attempts were significantly increased in the group perceiving themselves as overweight. In addition, those who perceived themselves as overweight but were underweight according to their BMI were at significantly increased risk of suicide attempts relative to those who perceived themselves as about the right weight. Conclusions: There was a significant association with suicide attempts in the underweight and perceived overweight group. This shows the importance of combining BMI and perceived weight when examining the relationship between weight and suicide attempts in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the sensitivity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to ambient concentrations of fine particles (PM2.5) in the representative industrial city of Ulsan, Korea. For the calculation of sensitivity coefficients between VOCs and PM2.5 (SVOCs-PM2.5), PM2.5 data were obtained from an air quality monitoring station, and their corresponding 6-h average concentrations of VOCs (alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, and total VOCs) were measured at the Yeongnam intensive air monitoring station. The air monitoring period was divided into the warm-hot season (May–October 2020) and the cold season (November 2020–January 2021). The sensitivity coefficients in the low pollution period of PM2.5 (5 < PM2.5 ≤ 15 μg/m3) were higher and much higher than those in the medium pollution period (15 < PM2.5 ≤ 35 μg/m3) and high pollution period (35 < PM2.5 ≤ 50 μg/m3), respectively. This result indicates that the change ratios of PM2.5 concentrations to the background (PM2.5 ≤ 5 μg/m3) per unit concentration change of VOCs (particularly alkenes) in the high PM2.5 pollution period were much higher than those in the low pollution period. This also indicates that PM2.5 concentrations above 35 μg/m3 were more easily affected by the unit concentration change of VOCs (particularly alkenes) than those below 15 μg/m3. The average sensitivity coefficients during the cold season increased in a range of 23–125% as compared to those during the warm-hot season, except the alkenes-PM2.5 sensitivity with a decrease of 7%. It means that the impact of VOCs (except alkenes) on PM2.5 concentrations was relatively low in the cold season. However, in the cold season, the alkenes might contribute more to PM2.5 formation, particularly over the high pollution period, having PM2.5 > 35 μg/m3, than other VOC groups. The result of this study can be a basis for establishing PM2.5 management plans in industrial cities with large VOC emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the nutritional components, isoflavones, and antioxidant activities by solid-sate fermentation of Apios americana Medikus (AAM) with seven different fungi. The total fatty acid contents increased from 120.5 mg/100 g (unfermented AAM, UFAAM) to 242.0 to 3167.5 mg/100 g (fermented AAM, FAAM) with all fungi. In particular, the values of total fatty acids were highest (26.3-fold increase) in the FAAM with Monascus purpureus. The amount of total free amino acids increased from 591.69 mg/100 g (UFAAM) to 664.38 to 1603.07 mg/100 g after fermentation except for Monascus pilosus and Lentinula edodes. The total mineral contents increased evidently after fermentation with M. purpureus, F. velutipes, and Tricholoma matsutake (347.36 → 588.29, 576.59, and 453.32 mg/100 g, respectively). The UFAAM predominated isoflavone glycosides, whereas glycoside forms were converted into aglycone forms after fermentation by fungi. The bioconversion rates of glycoside to aglycone were excellent in the FAAM with M. pilosus , M. purpureus , F. velutipes , and T. matsutake (0.01 → 0.69, 0.50, 0.27, and 0.31 mg/g, respectively). Furthermore, the total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activities by the abovementioned FAAM were high except for L. edodes. This FAAM can be used as a potential food and pharmaceutical materials. [Display omitted] • Apios (Apios americana Medikus) was solid-state fermented with seven different fungi. • The total fatty acid contents of AAM were increased after fermentation. • Among amino acids, the content of glutamic acid was increased after fermentation with fungi. • Monascus pilosus in AAM greatly converted isoflavone glycosides into aglycones. • The FAAM with Monascus purpureus had the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]