Therapeutic effect of anti-C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) antibody on C protein-induced myositis mouse.

Introduction: C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) is a chemokine that plays a critical role in the infiltration of T cells in autoimmune diseases and is reported to be expressed in muscle tissue of polymyositis. To determine the therapeutic efficacy of CXCL10 blockade, we investigated the role of CXCL10 and the effect of anti-CXCL10 antibody treatment in C protein-induced myositis (CIM), an animal model of polymyositis.

Methods: CIM was induced with human skeletal muscle C protein fragment in female C57BL/6 mice.

Phenotype difference between familial and sporadic ankylosing spondylitis in Korean patients.

Clustered occurrences of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in family have been noticed. We evaluated patients with AS confirmed by the modified New York criteria for familial history of AS (one or more first to third degree relatives). The clinical characteristics and the recurrence risks (number of AS patients/number of familial members) of the familial AS compared to sporadic AS were investigated.

[Effects of open or closed suctioning on lung dynamics and hypoxemia in mechanically ventilated patients].

Purpose: This study was conducted to compare effects of open and closed suctioning methods on lung dynamics (dynamic compliance, tidal volume, and airway resistance) and hypoxemia (oxygen saturation and heart rate) in mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods: This study was a cross-over repeated design. Participants were 21 adult patients being treated with endotracheal intubation using a pressure-controlled ventilator below Fraction of Inspired Oxygen (FiO₂) 60% and PEEP 8 cmH₂O.

CD70-expressing CD4 T cells produce IFN-γ and IL-17 in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: CD70-expressing CD4 T cells are enriched in RA and promote autoimmunity via co-stimulatory CD70-CD27 interaction. This study aimed to explore the phenotype and cytokine production of CD70(+) CD4 T cells in RA.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 32 RA patients were isolated and frequencies of CD70(+) cells within different CD4 T subsets were analysed using flow cytometry.

Evaluation of propidium monoazide real-time PCR for early detection of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical respiratory specimens.

Background: Conventional acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining cannot differentiate viable from dead cells. Propidium monoazide (PMA) is a photoreactive DNA-binding dye that inhibits PCR amplification by DNA modification. We evaluated whether PMA real-time PCR is suitable for the early detection of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in clinical respiratory specimens.

The instability of commercial control materials in quality control of mean corpuscular volume.

Background: Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of stabilized whole blood used for quality control (QC) of hematology analyzers exhibits a tendency to increase during storage. The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent of biases over time with 3 most widely used control materials and to map out a strategy to overcome the data shift of MCV on daily QC practice.

Methods: QC results of TESTPoint tested by ADVIA 2120i, e-CHEK tested by XE 2100, and 6C Cell Control tested by DxH 800 were analyzed.

Analysis of 22 Y chromosomal STR haplotypes and Y haplogroup distribution in Pathans of Pakistan.

We analyzed haplotypes for 22 Y chromosomal STRs (Y-STRs), including 17 Yfiler loci (DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DY438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635 and Y-GATA-H4) and five additional STRs (DYS388, DYS446, DYS447, DYS449 and DYS464), and Y chromosomal haplogroup distribution in 270 unrelated individuals from the Pathans residing in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan using in-house multiplex PCR systems. Each Y-STR showed diversities ranging from 0.2506 to 0.

Taurine alleviates the progression of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic rat model.

The overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. In this study, the protective effects of taurine on diabetic nephropathy along with its underlying mechanism were investigated. Experimental animals were divided into three groups: LETO rats as normal group (n = 10), OLETF rats as diabetic control group (n = 10), and OLETF rats treated with taurine group (n = 10).

Comparison of prothrombin time derived from CoaguChek XS and laboratory test according to fibrinogen level.

Background: CoaguChek XS is one of the most widely used point-of-care (POC) devices to evaluate prothrombin time for monitoring oral anticoagulant therapy. Unlike laboratory methods, it detects electrical signals produced by thrombin activity to derive the international normalized ratio (INR). Therefore, we hypothesized that laboratory methods and CoaguChek XS could produce different results according to fibrinogen level.

Anti-obesity effects of KR-66195, a synthetic DPP-IV inhibitor, in diet-induced obese mice and obese-diabetic ob/ob mice.

Objective: We investigated whether KR-66195, a new synthetic dipeptidyl dipeptidase IV inhibitor, could prevent weight gain, as well as improving glycemic control in diet-induced obese (DIO) and ob/ob mice.

Materials/methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: chow diet, high-fat diet, and high-fat diet with KR-66195. After KR-66195 treatment for eight weeks, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests were performed.

Comparison of radioimmunoprecipitation versus antigen-specific assays for identification of myositis-specific autoantibodies in dermatomyositis patients.

Background: To confirm the antigen specificities of autoantibodies that precipitate 140-kDa (anti-p140) or 155/140-kDa polypeptides (anti-p155/140) previously identified by radioimmunoprecipitation in Korean patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and to look into the relationship between each MSA and clinical features of DM.

Methods: Seventeen serum samples of classic DM patients who had been found to have either anti-p140 antibodies (n = 9) or anti-p155/140 (n = 8) antibodies in our previous study were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (for anti-MDA5 antibodies) and immunoblotting (for anti-MJ/NXP-2 and anti-TIF-1γ antibodies).

Results: Seven out of nine anti-p140 antibody positive patients were found to have anti-MDA5 antibodies.

The Korean urban rural elderly cohort study: study design and protocol.

Background: Korea is one of the fastest aging countries and is expected to become a super-aged society within 12 years. The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) study was developed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics and establish the prevention and management of major disorders of the elderly in Korea.

Methods/design: The KURE study is a community-based prospective cohort study on health, aging, and common geriatric disorders of Korean elderly persons aged at least 65 years.

Dimethyl carbonate-mediated lipid extraction and lipase-catalyzed in situ transesterification for simultaneous preparation of fatty acid methyl esters and glycerol carbonate from Chlorella sp. KR-1 biomass.

Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and glycerol carbonate were simultaneously prepared from Chlorella sp. KR-1 containing 40.9% (w/w) lipid using a reactive extraction method with dimethyl carbonate (DMC).

CXCR3 polymorphism is associated with male gender and pleuritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease involving multiple organs. Chemokines and their receptors play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE. Lymphocytes expressing CXCR3, chemokine receptors of CXCL4, 9, 10, and 11, increase in patients with SLE and animal models, particularly in those with skin manifestations and nephritis.

PHLPP is a negative regulator of RAF1, which reduces colorectal cancer cell motility and prevents tumor progression in mice.

Background & Aims: Hyperactivation of the RAS-RAF signaling pathway in colorectal tumors is associated with metastasis and poor outcomes of patients. Little is known about how RAS-RAF signaling is turned off once activated. We investigated how the pH domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatases (PHLPPs) control RAS-RAF signaling and colorectal cancer (CRC) development.

Cancer cell-associated fatty acid synthase activates endothelial cells and promotes angiogenesis in colorectal cancer.

Upregulation of fatty acid synthase (FASN), a key enzyme of de novo lipogenesis, is associated with metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanisms of regulation are unknown. Since angiogenesis is crucial for metastasis, we investigated the role of FASN in the neovascularization of CRC.

Application of variable threshold intensity to segmentation for white matter hyperintensities in fluid attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images.

Introduction: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are regions of abnormally high intensity on T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate and reproducible automatic segmentation of WMHs is important since WMHs are often seen in the elderly and are associated with various geriatric and psychiatric disorders.

Methods: We developed a fully automated monospectral segmentation method for WMHs using FLAIR MRIs.

Comparison of two creatinine-based equations for predicting decline in renal function in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy in a korean population.

Aim. To compare two creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations, the chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI) and the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD), for predicting the risk of CKD progression in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. Methods.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL-10-mediated signalling pathways in Korean patients with Behçet's disease.

Objectives: Previous genome-wide association studies have demonstrated an association between the IL-10 region and Behçet's disease (BD) in Turkish and Japanese populations. Our aim was to fully examine the relationship between IL-10 and BD, the associations between BD and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-10-mediated signalling pathways (JAK1, TYK2, and STAT3) were examined in Korean patients with BD.

Methods: DNA samples were obtained from 223 patients who met the international study group criteria for BD and from 222 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Early detection of mycobacteria using a novel hydrogel culture method.

Background: Early laboratory detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is crucial for controlling tuberculosis. We developed a hydrogel mycobacterial culture method that retains the advantages of both solid and liquid methods in terms of speed, cost, and efficiency.

Methods: Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) suspensions and 200 acid-fast bacilli (AFB)-positive clinical specimens were inoculated in Middlebrook 7H9 liquid media (Becton-Dickinson and Company, USA) and mixed with 75 µL of 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-Phe-Phe-OH hydrogel stock solution in an Eppendorf tube just before culture incubation.

Sequential accumulation of iron in glial cells during chicken cerebellar development.

Iron is an essential, but potentially harmful, metal in the brain. In normal brain, iron has been reported to accumulate mainly in glial cells and occasionally in neurons in some particular nuclei. However, the majority of investigations have targeted the adult brain.

Head-to-head comparison of udenafil vs amlodipine in the treatment of secondary Raynaud's phenomenon: a double-blind, randomized, cross-over study.

Objective: RP is a reversible vasoconstriction of digital arteries that causes pain and skin discoloration. This study compared the efficacy of the new phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor udenafil with that of the calcium channel blocker amlodipine in the treatment of secondary RP.

Methods: A total of 29 patients with secondary RP associated with connective tissue diseases were enrolled in this double-blind, randomized, cross-over study.

Upregulation of mitochondrial Nox4 mediates TGF-β-induced apoptosis in cultured mouse podocytes.

Injury to podocytes leads to the onset of chronic renal diseases characterized by proteinuria. Elevated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in kidney tissue is associated with podocyte damage that ultimately results in apoptosis and detachment. We investigated the proapoptotic mechanism of TGF-β in immortalized mouse podocytes.

Comparison of methylation profiling in cancerous and their corresponding normal tissues from korean patients with breast cancer.

Background: Aberrant DNA hypermethylation plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis and disease progression; therefore, accurate measurement of differential gene methylation patterns among many genes is likely to reveal biomarkers for improved risk assessment. We evaluated the gene hypermethylation profiles of primary breast tumors and their corresponding normal tissues and investigated the association between major clinicopathological features and gene hypermethylation.

Methods: A single reaction using methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was used to analyze the DNA methylation status of 24 tumor suppressor genes in 60 cancerous tissues and their corresponding normal tissues from patients with primary breast cancer.