Longitudinal Assessment of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Ganglion Cell Complex Thicknesses in Patients With Large Optic Disc Cups and Normal Intraocular Pressure and Visual Fields.

Prcis: The thicknesses of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) did not change during 5 years in physiological large disc cupping.

Purpose: We evaluated longitudinal changes in the thicknesses of the cpRNFL and GCC in large disc cupping with a normal intraocular pressure (IOP) (<21 mm Hg) and visual field.

Methods: This retrospective, consecutive case series study included 269 eyes of 269 patients with large disc cupping and normal IOP.

Effects of cigarette smoke on Haemophilus influenzae-induced otitis media in a rat model.

Exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) is a factor that could delay or worsen the recovery of otitis media (OM) by causing inflammatory swelling of the Eustachian tube (ET). However, despite the suggested relationship, little is known about the association between OM and CS. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of CS on the development, progression, and recovery of OM, as well as the histological and molecular changes caused by CS exposure, by using a rat model of OM infected with non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi).

Beekeeping Genetic Resources and Retrieval of Honey Bee L. Stock in the Russian Federation: A Review.

The loss of honey bees has drawn a large amount of attention in various countries. Therefore, the development of efficient methods for recovering honey bee populations has been a priority for beekeepers. Here we present an extended literature review and report on personal communications relating to the characterization of the local and bred stock of honey bees in the Russian Federation.

Effects of the methanol fraction of modified Seonghyangjeongki-san water extract on transient ischaemic brain injury in mice.

Context: Recently in Korean medicine, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Seonghyangjeongki-san (SHJKS) were reported. However, studies on the specific mechanisms of action of SHJKS for the treatment of ischaemic stroke are still lacking.

Objective: This study investigates the mechanism of action of the water extract methanol fraction of modified SHJKS (SHJKSmex) on cerebral ischaemic injury.

Prognostic implication of elevated cardiac troponin I in patients visiting emergency department without diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Objectives: Elevated cardiac troponin is not uncommon in patients visiting emergency department (ED) even without coronary artery disease, but its prognostic implication is not well understood in such patients.

Methods: In this retrospective single-center registry, we investigated clinical outcome of patients visiting ED without documented coronary artery disease. Patients were categorized according to the maximal value of Siemens ADVIA Centaur TnI-Ultra assay (TnI) within 24 h after visit.

Effect of Watch-Type Haptic Metronome on the Quality of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Simulation Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the applicability of haptic feedback using a smartwatch to the delivery of cardiac compression (CC) by professional healthcare providers.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled, case-crossover, standardized simulation study of 20 medical professionals was conducted. The participants were randomly assigned into haptic-first and non-haptic-first groups.

Pregnenolone as a potential candidate for hormone therapy for female reproductive disorders targeting ERβ.

Many steroid hormones such as estrogen (E2) bind to their receptors for the regulation of biological processes. Pregnenolone (P5) is the precursor form of almost all steroid hormones and is often used to treat skin disorders and neurological complications. However, the mechanism and physiological function of P5 in reproductive organs are not well established.

Risk factors related to unnecessary emergency medical services transport for pediatric patients.

Objectives: This study evaluated unnecessary emergency medical services (EMS) transport for pediatric patients depending on whether they received emergency department (ED) treatment after EMS transport.

Methods: Pediatric patients were divided into two groups according to whether they received treatment at the ED (ED treatment) or did not receive treatment at the ED (non-ED treatment).

Results: The non-ED treatment group comprised 65 of the total 794 patients.

Combinatorial effects of an epigenetic inhibitor and ionizing radiation contribute to targeted elimination of pancreatic cancer stem cell.

Pancreatic cancer is associated with a high mortality rate, owing to de novo and acquired drug resistance, thereby leading to highly invasive and metastatic pancreatic cancer cells. Therefore, targeting pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs) may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Here, we combined a DNA methylation inhibitor (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine; 5-aza-dC) and ionizing radiation (IR) to improve anti-cancer effects by inhibiting growth and proliferation and promoting apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells and .

Epigenetically altered miR-1247 functions as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer.

Altered expression of microRNAs has been strongly implicated in human cancers, and growing evidence is emerging that a number of miRNAs are downregulated in cancer associated with CpG island hypermethylation. Although pancreatic cancer is one of the most malignant human cancers, the roles of miRNAs underlying the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer are still poorly understood. In the present study, we explored the molecular functional role of microRNA-1247 as tumor suppressor associated with epigenetic alteration in pancreatic cancer.

Pregnenolone sulfate regulates prolactin production in the rat pituitary.

Pregnenolone sulfate (PS) is a neuroactive steroid hormone produced in the brain. In this study, the effects of PS on synthesis and secretion of rat pituitary prolactin (PRL) were examined. To accomplish this, GH3 rat pituitary adenoma cells were treated with PS, which showed significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of PRL compared with the control.

Risk factors in the progression of BK virus-associated nephropathy in renal transplant recipients.

Background/aims: BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVAN) is an important cause of allograft dysfunction in kidney transplant recipients. It has an unfavorable clinical course, and no definite treatment guidelines have yet been established. Here, we report our center's experience with biopsy-proven BKVAN and investigate factors associated with its progression.

Immunologic and non-immunologic complications of a third kidney transplantation.

Background/aims: Patients who undergo repeat kidney transplantations (KTs) are considered at high risk for experiencing immunologic and non-immunologic complications. In this study, we investigated the clinical outcomes, including medical and surgical complications, of patients who underwent a third KT at our center.

Methods: Between March 1969 and December 2012, a total of 2,110 KTs were performed at the Seoul St.

The effects of vitamin D3 on lipogenesis in the liver and adipose tissue of pregnant rats.

Obesity is a worldwide individual and public health issue, and contributes to the development of numerous chronic diseases. In particular, maternal obesity has harmful effects on both the mother and child during and after pregnancy. The digestion and metabolism of food are controlled by endocrine factors, including insulin, glucagon and estrogen.

The adverse effect of 4-tert-octylphenol on fat metabolism in pregnant rats via regulation of lipogenic proteins.

Alkylphenols such as 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), nonylphenol, and bisphenol A are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Digestion and metabolism of food are controlled by many endocrine factors, including insulin, glucagon, and estrogen. These factors are differentially regulated during pregnancy.

Psoriatic arthritis: latest treatments and their place in therapy.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease that may affect peripheral and axial joints, entheses, skin and nails, and other organs. Treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs had been the backbone of traditional management of PsA for many years. However, improvement in our understanding of immunopathogenesis of PsA has led to new immunomodulatory therapies.

Adverse effects of 4-tert-octylphenol on the production of oxytocin and hCG in pregnant rats.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that alter the structure or function of the endocrine system. 4-Tert-octylphenol (OP) is one of the most representative EDCs and has estrogenic effects. In this study, we examined the effects of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and OP on the pituitary gland, placenta, and uterus of pregnant rats.

Usefulness of serum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein as a disease activity biomarker in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Our study aimed to investigate whether serum leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein (LRG) levels are elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, we assessed their correlation with disease activity parameters and pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Our study included 69 patients with RA and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Transcription factor Sox4 is required for PUMA-mediated apoptosis induced by histone deacetylase inhibitor, TSA.

PUMA is a crucial regulator of apoptotic cell death mediated by p53-dependent and p53-independent mechanisms. In many cancer cells, PUMA expression is induced in response to DNA-damaging reagent in a p53-dependent manner. However, few studies have investigated transcription factors that lead to the induction of PUMA expression via p53-independent apoptotic signaling.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies dysgalactiae infection after total knee arthroplasty: a case report.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies dysgalactiae (SDSD), Lancefield group C streptococcus, is an animal pathogen which often causes pyogenic infection in domestic animals. Human infection by SDSD has been reported as a cellulitis on the upper arm, but a prosthetic joint infection caused by SDSD after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not yet been reported in the literature demonstrating that its clinical manifestation and management have not been well established. In this case report, we aimed to present a case of SDSD prosthetic joint infection after TKA, which was successfully treated by two-stage re-implantation with an application of antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer.

Levels of plasma-soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) are correlated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To determine whether levels of plasma-soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) are elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether levels are correlated with disease activity and other variables.

Methods: Our study included 71 patients with RA and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Clinical characteristics and laboratory measures, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) were assessed.

New molecular bridge between RelA/p65 and NF-κB target genes via histone acetyltransferase TIP60 cofactor.

The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) family is involved in the expressions of numerous genes, in development, apoptosis, inflammatory responses, and oncogenesis. In this study we identified four NF-κB target genes that are modulated by TIP60. We also found that TIP60 interacts with the NF-κB RelA/p65 subunit and increases its transcriptional activity through protein-protein interaction.