Conversion of mouse epiblast stem cells to an earlier pluripotency state by small molecules.

Epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are pluripotent cells derived from post-implantation late epiblasts in vitro. EpiSCs are incapable of contributing to chimerism, indicating that EpiSCs are less pluripotent and represent a later developmental pluripotency state compared with inner cell mass stage murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Using a chemical approach, we found that blockage of the TGFβ pathway or inhibition of histone demethylase LSD1 with small molecule inhibitors induced dramatic morphological changes in EpiSCs toward mESC phenotypes with simultaneous activation of inner cell mass-specific gene expression.

Synthesis of aryl-heteroaryl ureas (AHUs) based on 4-aminoquinoline and their evaluation against the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R).

The insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) involved in all stages of the development and propagation of breast and other cancers. The inhibition of IGF-1R by small molecules remains a promising strategy to treat cancer. Herein, we explore SAR around previously characterized lead compound (1), which is an aryl-heteroaryl urea (AHU) consisting of 4-aminoquinaldine and a substituted aromatic ring system.

Capsule endoscopy in small bowel tumors: a multicenter Korean study.

Background And Aim: Capsule endoscopy (CE) has proven to be highly effective at detecting small bowel lesions in a variety of clinical conditions, but studies concerning the practical impact of CE on small bowel tumors are still scarce, especially in the Asian population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of CE in the field of small bowel tumors.

Methods: CE records consecutively pooled from the beginning of use of CE in Korea, October 2001 until April 2008, in 14 centers throughout Korea were reviewed.

An analytical method for prohexadione in Chinese cabbage and apple.

A residual determination method as a regulatory residue method was developed using HPLC-UVD for prohexadione residues in Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis) and apple (Malus domestica). The developed method consisted of solid-liquid extraction with acidic acetonitrile and ion-suppression liquid-liquid partitioning, followed by anion exchange cartridge cleanup. The limits of detection and quantitation for the method were 0.

A case of recurrent pancreatitis induced by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole re-exposure.

A 32-year-old man presented with epigastric pain. He had a previous episode of acute pancreatitis of undetermined cause 2 years earlier. The patient had taken trimethoprim (80 mg) and sulfamethoxazole (400 mg) twice daily because of acute urethritis 3 days prior to admission.

Efficient derivation of pluripotent stem cells from siRNA-mediated Cdx2-deficient mouse embryos.

In the early mammalian embryo, lineage separation of and subsequent crosstalk between the trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) are required to support further development. Previous studies have shown that the homeobox transcription factor Cdx2 is required for TE differentiation and that lack of Cdx2 expression causes death of embryos at the peri-implantation stage. In this study, we effectively eliminated Cdx2 transcripts by microinjection of siRNA into embryos and evaluated the effect on efficiency of deriving embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

Psychosocial Aspects of Acne Vulgaris: A Community-based Study with Korean Adolescents.

Background: Acne vulgaris is a distressing condition that affects the majority of adolescents, but the impact of acne vulgaris on the psychological aspects in this age group is poorly understood.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of acne, and the level of emotional, social, and functional impairments among Korean adolescents with acne.

Methods: Five hundred four middle school students (13~16 years) participated.

Angiomyofibroblastoma-like tumor of the scrotum.

Various tumors can occur in the scrotum. Of them, angiomyofibroblastoma-like tumors are very rare mesenchymal tumors. Angiomyofibroblastoma-like tumors cannot be easily differentially diagnosed from other malignant tumors invading the male genital tract on the basis of clinical characteristics and imaging study.

The Frequency and Risk Factors of Colorectal Adenoma in Health-Check-up Subjects in South Korea: Relationship to Abdominal Obesity and Age.

Background/aims: Obesity is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. However, there is a lack of information about the relationship between obesity and colorectal adenoma. We investigated whether general and abdominal obesity are risk factors for colorectal adenoma.

Bowel preparation for capsule endoscopy: a prospective randomized multicenter study.

Background/aims: The ability to visualize the small bowel mucosa by capsule endoscopy is limited. Moreover, studies involving small-bowel preparation with purgative drugs have failed to establish which preparations produce better images and higher diagnostic yields. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacies and diagnostic yields of different bowel preparations.

Frovatriptan is Effective and Well Tolerated in Korean Migraineurs: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background And Purpose: Frovatriptan is a selective 5-HT(1B/1D) agonist with a long duration of action and a low incidence of side effects. Although several placebo-controlled trials have documented the clinical efficacy and safety of frovatriptan in adults with migraine, this drug has not previously been studied in Asian including Korean patients.

Methods: In this double-blind multicenter trial, 229 patients with migraine were randomized to receive frovatriptan 2.

Rodlike fluorescent pi-conjugated 3,3'-bipyridazine ligand: optical, electronic, and complexation properties.

We report on the design and synthesis of a new quadrupolar pi-conjugated 3,3'-bipyridazine D-A-D ligand. Its electronic and optical properties were investigated. Besides high fluorescence and pronounced solvatochromism, it exhibits an inherent electroactivity exploited to build an organic green light emitting device.

Cell fusion-induced reprogramming.

Genomic reprogramming can be accomplished by five different types of methods: nuclear transfer, cell fusion, in vitro culture, introduction of egg extract, and transduction of transcription factors. We have shown that fusion-induced reprogramming is an efficient method for reprogramming differentiated somatic cells to a pluripotential state (pluripotential reprogramming)--Oct4 gene reactivation occurs within 1-2 days postfusion of somatic cells with pluripotent stem cells. Reactivation of Oct4 can be monitored by detection of the GFP signal from the Oct4-GFP transgene of somatic cells.

The systems approach to the prespore-specific activation of sigma factor SigF in Bacillus subtilis.

The prespore-specific activation of sigma factor SigF (sigma(F)) in Bacillus subtilis has been explained mainly by two factors, i.e., the transient genetic asymmetry and the volume difference between the mother cell and the prespore.

A rationally designed fluorescence turn-on probe for the gold(III) ion.

A latent fluorophore (1) was rationally designed to give rise to strong fluorescence through a selective gold ion-mediated hydroarylation reaction by a catalytic amount of the gold(III) ion. It is a highly selective and sensitive fluorescence turn-on probe for gold(III) ions and is operative even in protic solvents.

Impact of systemic and local peritoneal inflammation on peritoneal solute transport rate in new peritoneal dialysis patients: a 1-year prospective study.

Background: The association between peritoneal solute transport rates (PSTRs) and inflammatory markers in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) is still under investigation. We aimed to elucidate their relationship during the first year on PD.

Methods: We performed a prospective observational study with 187 incident PD patients who were treated with either biocompatible solution (BCS) or conventional solution (CS).

An integrated disposable device for DNA extraction and helicase dependent amplification.

Here we report the demonstration of an integrated microfluidic chip that performs helicase dependent amplification (HDA) on samples containing live bacteria. Combined chip-based sample preparation and isothermal amplification are attractive for world health applications, since the need for instrumentation to control flow rate and temperature changes are reduced or eliminated. Bacteria lysis, nucleic acid extraction, and DNA amplification with a fluorescent reporter are incorporated into a disposable polymer cartridge format.

Cutting edge: spontaneous development of IL-17-producing gamma delta T cells in the thymus occurs via a TGF-beta 1-dependent mechanism.

In naive animals, gammadelta T cells are innate sources of IL-17, a potent proinflammatory cytokine mediating bacterial clearance as well as autoimmunity. However, mechanisms underlying the generation of these cells in vivo remain unclear. In this study, we show that TGF-beta1 plays a key role in the generation of IL-17(+) gammadelta T cells and that it mainly occurs in the thymus particularly during the postnatal period.

The receptor SIGIRR suppresses Th17 cell proliferation via inhibition of the interleukin-1 receptor pathway and mTOR kinase activation.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1)-mediated signaling in T cells is essential for T helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation. We showed here that SIGIRR, a negative regulator of IL-1 receptor and Toll-like receptor signaling, was induced during Th17 cell lineage commitment and governed Th17 cell differentiation and expansion through its inhibitory effects on IL-1 signaling. The absence of SIGIRR in T cells resulted in increased Th17 cell polarization in vivo upon myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG(35-55)) peptide immunization.

Methyl 6-dimethyl-amino-4-hy-droxy-2-naphtho-ate.

In the title compound, C(14)H(15)NO(3), the ester group is oriented so that the carbonyl group points in the opposite direction to the hy-droxy group. The mol-ecule as a whole is almost planar (the r.m.

Kinetics of reprogramming in cell fusion hybrids.

Somatic cells can obtain pluripotency by fusion with pluripotent stem cells. The resulting fusion hybrids display pluripotential characteristics, such as inactivation of tissue-specific genes, differentiation potential to all three germ layers, and a specific epigenetic state corresponding to the pluripotent cells. However, the fusion hybrid cells are not identical to the pluripotent fusion partner cells although they are similar to the pluripotent cells.