BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Lutein, a dietary carotenoid, plays a crucial role in protecting eye health as an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant. Green leafy vegetables constitute a major source of lutein; however, comparative studies on different consumption methods are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the bioavailability of lutein from lutein-rich foods, namely, raw vegetables and raw vegetable juice. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this study, 18 adults were recruited. They were randomly divided into three groups: commercial lutein supplement (LUT, 20 mg), raw vegetable (RV), and raw vegetable juice (RVJ) groups. Blood was collected at 0-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 12-, 24-, and 30-h intervals after the consumption of each test meal. Participants’ serum lutein levels were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Considering lutein’s wellestablished anti-inflammatory properties, changes in inflammatory status were assessed by measuring serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Furthermore, urinary metabolomic profiling was conducted using 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to evaluate metabolic alterations. RESULTS: After consuming each lutein-rich food, participants’ blood lutein levels were analyzed, and the serum concentration peaked at 12 h (0.37 ± 0.13 μg/mL), 24 h (0.61 ± 0.18 μg/mL), and 30 h (0.42 ± 0.16 μg/mL) after RV, LUT, and RVJ consumption, respectively.Additionally, hs-CRP levels decreased following lutein-rich food consumption. Twelve hours after consumption, hs-CRP levels decreased to 0.81 and 0.83 mg/L in the RV and RVJ groups, respectively. Twenty-four hours after consumption, they further decreased to 0.68 and 0.74 mg/L in the LUT and RVJ groups, respectively. Thirty hours after consumption, a reduction to 0.61 mg/L was observed in the RVJ group. Furthermore, after consuming each luteinrich food, N-acetyl glycoprotein levels decreased at 24 h, reflecting metabolic alterations potentially associated with lutein metabolism. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the short-term consumption of lutein-rich foods, regardless of their type or source, potentially yields health benefits.

Background: Obesity is a well-known risk factor for chronic kidney disease and its progression. However, the impact of obesity on the renal function of the elderly population is uncertain. We investigated the association between obesity and renal outcomes in the elderly. Methods: We analyzed 130,504 participants from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Senior cohort. Obesity was classified according to body mass index (BMI), sex-specific waist circumference (WC), and the presence of metabolic syndrome. The primary outcome was renal function decline, defined as a decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 50% from baseline or new-onset end-stage renal disease. Results: During a follow-up period of 559,531.1 person-years (median, 4.3 years), 2,486 participants (19.0%; incidence rate of 4.44 per 1,000 person-years) showed renal function decline. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model revealed that BMI/WC was not associated with renal function decline. However, the group with metabolic syndrome had a significantly increased risk of renal function decline compared to the group without metabolic syndrome (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–1.36). Compared with the non-metabolic syndrome group, the adjusted HRs (95% CI) for participants with one through five components were 0.96 (0.84–1.11), 1.10 (0.96–1.27), 1.24 (1.06–1.45), 1.37 (1.12–1.66), and 1.99 (1.42–2.79), respectively (p for trend < 0.001). Conclusion In elderly Korean adults, metabolic syndrome and the number of its components were associated with a higher risk of renal function decline, but BMI or WC was not significant.

Early mortality following hemodialysis initiation hinders survival improvement in older patients. This study aimed to develop a clinical risk model for predicting 6-month mortality after dialysis initiation in older Korean hemodialysis patients. Methods: We analyzed data from incident hemodialysis patients aged >70 years from the Korean Society of Geriatric Nephrology (KSGN) database. A prediction model was developed using multivariate logistic regression analysis and externally validated with independent datasets. Results: Among 1,751 incident hemodialysis patients, the 6-month mortality rate was 15.5%. Using multivariate logistic analysis, we constructed the KSGN score as an independent risk factor for 6-month mortality, and its components and score are as follows: old age at dialysis initiation (≥85 years, score 2); hypertension and renovascular disease as a primary etiology of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) (score 1); malignancy history (yes, score 1); low serum albumin (<3.5 g/dL, score 1); hypertension treatment (yes, score –1); prepared vascular access on maintenance dialysis (arteriovenous fistula/arteriovenous graft, score –3). In the development cohort, the area under the curve (AUC) for the KSGN score was significantly higher than the Alberta Wick’s score (0.707 vs. 0.683, p = 0.001). In the validation cohort, the KSGN score’s performance was comparable to existing models. Conclusion: The KSGN score may be a valuable tool for predicting early mortality after dialysis initiation in older patients with ESKD, aiding in decision-making and management regarding dialysis initiation.

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019.In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×102 PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×102 PFU-virusinfected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×105 PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×105PFU; however, 1×102 PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) infections are being increasingly reported globally, and cause severe central nervous system (CNS) and multiorgan infections even in immunocompetent individuals. The recent emergence of hvKp antibiotic resistance has generated escalating concern about effective infection control for this potentially neuroinvasive pathogen. Herein, we report two cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae-related CNS infection, including one patient with antimicrobial-resistant hvKp, confirmed by string test that demonstrated a hypermucoviscous phenotype.

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disease characterized by spiking fever, arthralgia, skin rashes, and hyperferritinemia. The rash is usually salmon-colored, non-itchy, accompanied by fever, and disappears with an improvement of fever. However, in some cases, the rash persisted regardless of fever. Here, we present a case of AOSD with an atypical persistent rash that showed histological findings resembling those of neutrophilic urticarial dermatosis. The patient was a 60-year-old woman with high fever, arthralgia, and a persistent flagellated skin rash. Despite systemic steroid treatment, the patient developed a serious complication: macrophage activation syndrome. Since this case presented with an atypical persistent rash with histological resemblance to neutrophilic urticarial dermatosis, we report its contribution to the further study of AOSD.

Background: Various treatment modalities are used to treat keloids. However, a comprehensive assessment comparing the effectiveness of these modalities in terms of patient-reported outcomes is warranted. Objective: To assess and compare the effectiveness of various treatment modalities for keloids. Methods: We assessed treatment outcomes in a cohort of 250 patients diagnosed with keloids.The patients were categorized into four treatment groups: triamcinolone acetonide (TA), TA + cryotherapy, TA + pulsed dye laser (PDL), and TA + cryotherapy + PDL. The Vancouver Scar Scale was used to evaluate the keloid severity before and after treatment. Results: Significant differences were noted in the Vancouver Scale scores among the treatment groups (p=0.023). Notably, the TA + cryotherapy + PDL group exhibited the most substantial improvement in the Vancouver Scale scores, whereas the TA + PDL group showed the least difference. Pliability was the most significantly improved in the TA + cryotherapy + PDL group (p=0.039). Male patients experienced a greater reduction in pigmentation scores than female patients (p=0.037). Conclusion Our findings highlight the effectiveness of combined therapies, particularly TA + cryotherapy + PDL, in improving keloid-related parameters. These results offer valuable insights for clinicians in tailoring keloid treatment strategies and support the implementation of combination therapies for enhanced outcomes. This study underscores the importance of comprehensively assessing treatment modalities for keloid management. Combination therapies such as TA + cryotherapy + PDL irradiation have demonstrated significant promise in improving keloid characteristics.

Background: Dapsone has been used for a long time to treat skin diseases. Although various drug-related side effects and adverse reactions to dapsone have been reported, most studies have addressed only one or two specific reactions to dapsone. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the overall adverse reactions to dapsone in Koreans and their relationship with patient demographics. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted by reviewing the electronic medical records from 2005 to 2020. The association between adverse drug reactions and dapsone use was assessed using the Naranjo scale. Correlations between variables and adverse reactions were analyzed using univariate and logistic regression analyses. Results: The overall incidence of adverse drug reactions to dapsone was 7.7% (41 of 533 patients). The incidence was significantly higher in female than in male, and predictable adverse reactions were significantly higher (6.8%, 36 of 533 patients) than in unpredictable cases (0.9%, 5 of 533 patients). The most common adverse event was methemoglobinemia/anemia (3.0%, 16 of 533 patients), and the least common was hypersensitivity syndrome, which occurred in only one case (0.2%, 1 of 533 patients). With the exception of hypersensitivity syndrome, which is a severe drug-related side effects and adverse reactions, most patients recovered after drug discontinuation. Conclusion Dapsone can be used relatively safely for various chronic diseases if medical personnel are aware of its adverse reactions.