Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) is one of the most common human parasitic helminths, and children are the most susceptible group. Some behavioral and environmental factors may facilitate pinworm infection. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the status of pinworm infections among children remains unknown. In Majuro City, there are 14 kindergartens with a total of 635 preschool children (PSC) whose age range of 5~6 years. The present investigation attempted to determine the pinworm prevalence and associated risk factors as well as investigate whether eggs contaminated the clothes of PSC or the ground and tables in classrooms of 14 kindergartens. Informed consent form and a self-administered questionnaire were given to parents prior to pinworm screening. Perianal specimens were collected by an adhesive scotch tape method, and clothing of belly and hip sites and the ground and tables of the classrooms were inspected using a cellophane tape method to detect any eggs contamination. In total, 392 PSC (5.28 ± 0.56 yrs. old) participated in this project. The overall prevalence of pinworm infection was 22.4% (88/392). Boys (24.5%) had higher prevalence than girls (20.31%) (p = 0.32). PSC aged > 5 years (32.77%) showed a significantly higher prevalence than those aged ≤5 years (17.95%) (p = 0.01). A univariate analysis indicated that PSC who lived in urban areas (22.95%) had a higher prevalence than those who lived in rural areas (20.69%) (p = 0.69). The employment status of the parents showed no association with the pinworm infection rate (p > 0.05). A logistic regression analysis indicated that “having an older sister” produced a higher risk of acquiring pinworm infection for PSC compared to those who did not have an older sister (OR = 2.02; 95%CI = 1.05~3.88; p = 0.04). No significant association between various other risk factors and pinworm infection was found (p > 0.05). Also, no eggs contamination was found on the clothes of the belly and hip sites or on the ground and tables in the 14 kindergartens. Mass screening and treatment of infected PSC are important measures in pinworm control in the RMI.

Purpose: In congenital aniridia, not only limbal epithelial cells but also limbal stromal cells may contribute to the development of aniridia associated keratopathy (AAK). Secondary glaucoma affects 50–75% of patients with congenital aniridia, and prostaglandin analogs are commonly used for conservative treatment. This study aimed to explore the effect of travoprost on corneal limbal stromal cells from healthy (LSCs) and congenital aniridia subjects (AN-LSCs), in vitro. Materials and methods: Cells were extracted from aniridia (AN-LSCs) (n=7) and healthy donors (LSCs) (n=7). In culture, the cells were treated with travoprost at concentrations ranging from 0.039–40 μg/mL for 20 minutes. Cell viability, proliferation and migration were determined to assess the effect of travoprost on AN-LSCs and LSCs. Analysis of inflammation-, retinoic acid signaling-, and apoptosis-related genes and proteins was performed using qPCR, Western blot, and ELISA. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze cell viability and proliferation. The Mann–Whitney test was applied to compare between-group differences, while the Friedman test was used to assess within-group differences. Results: Both in LSCs and AN-LSCs, travoprost treatment at 0.078 μg/mL and higher concentrations significantly reduced cell viability (p≤0.033; p<0.001) and proliferation decreased both in LSCs and AN-LSCs at 40 μg/mL travoprost concentration (p=0.006; p=0.002). At 6 and 12 hours, 0.313 μg/mL travoprost significantly increased the migration rate of AN-LSCs (p=0.021; p=0.021). AN-LSCs displayed lower PAX6 and JNK (MAPK8) mRNA (p<0.001) but higher MMP-3, MMP-9, ADH7, FABP5 and VEGFA mRNA levels (p≤0.037) than LSCs. PTGFR and JNK mRNA levels, MMP9 and ADH7 protein levels increased significantly in AN-LSCs after 0.313 μg/mL travoprost treatment (p≤0.039), while NF-κB and ADH7 protein levels decreased significantly in LSCs using 0.313 μg/mL travoprost (p=0.039; p<0.001). Conclusions: Travoprost may affect viability, proliferation, and migration of both LSCs and AN-LSCs, with AN-LSCs exhibiting greater sensitivity than LSCs. Additionally, travoprost may regulate MMP-9 expression in AN-LSCs via the JNK signaling pathway. Furthermore, in AN-LSCs, travoprost treatment does not lead to a decrease in NF-κB and ADH7 protein levels.

Background: Actinomyces odontolyticus is not commonly recognized as a causative microbe of liver abscess. The detection and identification of A. odontolyticus in laboratories and its recognition as a pathogen in clinical settings can be challenging. However, in the past decades, knowledge on the clinical relevance of A. odontolyticus is gradually increasing. A. odontolyticus is the dominant oropharyngeal flora observed during infancy [Li et al. in Biomed Res Int 2018:3820215, 2018]. Herein we report a case of severe infection caused by A. odontolyticus in an immunocompromised patient with disruption of the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa. Case presentation: We present a unique case of a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection who was admitted due to liver abscess and was subsequently diagnosed as having coinfection of A. odontolyticus, Streptococcus constellatus, and Candida albicans during the hospital course. The empirical antibiotics metronidazole and ceftriaxone were replaced with the intravenous administration of fluconazole and ampicillin. However, the patient’s condition deteriorated, and he died 3 weeks later. Conclusion: This report is one of the first to highlight GI tract perforation and its clinical relevance with A. odontolyticus infection. A. odontolyticus infection should be diagnosed early in high-risk patients, and increased attention should be paid to commensal flora infection in immunocompromised individuals.

Purpose: In the present study, we evaluate gene and protein expression levels in an in vitro siRNA-mediated PAX6 knockdown limbal epithelial cell (LEC) model after RA treatment. This study aims to investigate the direct effects of active RA products and their association with key regulators of the RA signaling pathway in siRNA PAX6 knockdown LECs, providing further insights into the potential role of RA signaling in AAK pathogenesis. Methods: Primary human limbal epithelial cells (LECs) were subjected to siRNA-mediated PAX6 knockdown to mimic PAX6 deletion in congenital aniridia (n = 8). Following knockdown, 0 µM, 1 µM, and 5 µM all-trans retinoic acid (RA) treatments were applied to both the siRNA PAX6 control and knockdown groups. After 48 hours of incubation, the mRNA expression levels of paired box 6 (PAX6), alcohol dehydrogenase 7 (ADH7), retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10), aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (ALDH1A1), cytochrome P450 family 26 subfamily A member 1 (CYP26A1), retinol-binding protein 1 (RBP1), cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 (CRABP2), fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5), retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA), retinoid X receptor beta (RXRB), retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA), retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) were analyzed using qPCR. Protein expression levels were assessed using ELISA or Western blot, while cell proliferation rates were measured using the BrdU assay. Results: PAX6, ADH7, ALDH1A1, FABP5 mRNA levels and PAX6, ADH7, ALDH1A1, FABP5, PPARG2, RARB protein levels were significantly lower in the PAX6 knockdown group, than in controls (p ≤ 0.018). PPARG mRNA level was significantly higher in the PAX6 knockdown group than in controls (p = 0.012). ALDH1A1 mRNA expression was significantly downregulated using 5 µM RA treatment in the control group (p = 0.038). CYP26A1 mRNA expression was upregulated using 1 µM and 5 µM RA treatment in both the PAX6 control (p < 0.001; p < 0.001) and the PAX6 knockdown group (p = 0.001; p = 0.002). CRABP2 mRNA expression in the PAX6 knockdown group (p = 0.02) and CRABP2 protein expression in both groups were downregulated using 5 µM RA concentration (p = 0.003; p = 0.02). Protein expression of RXRA was downregulated to 5 µM RA treatment in the controls (p = 0.007). mRNA expression of RARA in the PAX6 knockdown groups (p = 0.023) and mRNA expression of RARB in both groups (p = 0.007, p < 0.001) were downregulated to 5 µM RA treatment. RARB protein expression was downregulated to 1 µM and 5 µM RA treatment (p = 0.02, p = 0.004) in the controls. VEGFA mRNA expression in PAX6 controls was upregulated using 5 µM RA (p = 0.041). Cell proliferation rate was downregulated in PAX6 knockdown groups compared to the controls and downregulated using 5 µM RA concentration only in the controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.025). Conclusions: Our results reveal a reduced proliferation rate in PAX6 knockdown LECs, along with a less pronounced downregulation of proliferation in response to increased RA concentration. Additionally, the study highlights altered expression of key regulators in the RA signaling pathway, influenced by both PAX6 activity and RA treatment. These findings suggest a potential disruption in RA-mediated cellular regulation in PAX6-deficient LECs.

MicroRNA-204-5p (miR-204-5p) is a critical regulator of differentiation, structural maintenance, and inflammation in limbal epithelial cells (LECs). This study examined the role of miR-204-5p in modulating the gene expression related to transcription factors, cell structure, extracellular matrix remodeling, and retinoic acid signaling under normal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory conditions. Using qPCR, we analyzed the mRNA levels of FOSL2, FOXC1, Meis2, PPARγ, ABCG2, PTGES2, IL-1β, IL-6, KRT3, KRT12, MMP2, MMP9, RARA, RARB, RXRA, RXRB, CRABP2, RBP1, RDH10, ADH7, ADH1A1, FABP5, CYP1B1, and CYP26A1, while changes in protein levels were assessed via Western blot or ELISA. Our data revealed that the overexpression of miR-204-5p reduced the mRNA levels of FOXC1, KRT12, and RDH10 under normal and inflammatory conditions (p ≤ 0.039). Additionally, it decreased FOSL2 and RXRA mRNA under normal conditions (p = 0.006, p = 0.011) and KRT3 and FABP5 mRNA under inflammatory conditions (p = 0.010, p = 0.001). The IL-6 mRNA expression was significantly increased following the LPS treatment in cells overexpressing miR-204-5p (p = 0.029). A protein analysis revealed significant reductions in FOXC1 and KRT3 in the miR-204-5p-transfected cells during LPS-induced inflammation (p = 0.020, p = 0.030). These findings suggest that miR-204-5p modulates genes critical to the differentiation, migration, and inflammatory response of LECs. The modulation of FOXC1 and KRT3 by miR-204-5p highlights these proteins as novel targets under inflammatory conditions.

Emerging and re-emerging parasitic diseases can cause significant economic burdens at national and global levels. However, governments often underestimate or ignore these diseases, especially in developed countries. This retrospective, case-oriented study analyzed parasitic diseases reported in Taiwan between 2001 and 2018. One hundred and thirty-two eligible clinical profiles of Taiwanese patients obtained from the NCBI, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases and local journals according to age, sex, source of infection, symptoms, risk factors, and geographical regions were analyzed. The analysis results showed that the number/frequency of cases caused by nematodes (46.97%) or protozoa (37.88%) was significantly higher than that of trematodes (9.85%) or cestodes (5.30%) (p < 0.0001). Northern Taiwan (46.97%) had a significantly higher rate than Southern Taiwan (33.33%), Central Taiwan (8.33%), and Eastern Taiwan (5.30%) (p < 0.05). The 15–65 age group (68.94%) had a significantly higher rate than the 65–90 age group (22.73%) and the 0–15 age group (8.33%) (p < 0.0001). Males (70.46%) had a significantly higher number/frequency of cases than females (29.54%) (p < 0.0001). People who acquired the infection through the food/soil route (32.58%) or who had a low immune status (32.58%) had a higher rate than travel-related infections (15.15%) (p < 0.001). The present study showed that emerging/reemerging parasitic infections continue to be of great concern to the lives and health of Taiwanese citizens and, if ignored, will threaten the health of the Taiwanese people; therefore, the delineation of preventive measures by health authorities is urgently warranted.