Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.

Ischemic stroke is a significant global health problem associated with mortality and disability. Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is a leading cause of stroke and contributes to recurrent stroke, especially in Asian population. Because of the different pathophysiology and mechanisms of ICAS resulting in ischemic stroke compared to extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ECAS), treatment strategies for secondary prevention would be different.

Improving Medication Adherence in Isolated Patients With Cognitive Impairment Using Automated Telephone Reminders.

Background And Purpose: Medication adherence is essential for effective medical treatment. However, it is challenging for cognitively impaired patients. We investigated whether an automated telephone reminder service improves medication adherence and reduces the decline of cognitive function in isolated patients with cognitive impairment.

Clinical Outcomes Following Letrozole Treatment according to Estrogen Receptor Expression in Postmenopausal Women: LETTER Study (KBCSG-006).

Purpose: In this trial, we investigated the efficacy and safety of adjuvant letrozole for hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer. Here, we report the clinical outcome in postmenopausal women with HR-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant letrozole according to estrogen receptor (ER) expression levels.

Methods: In this multi-institutional, open-label, observational study, postmenopausal patients with HR-positive breast cancer received adjuvant letrozole (2.

Clinical Significance of Receptor-Interacting Protein 3 and Parkin, Essential Molecules for Necroptosis, in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3) is the main initiator of necroptosis. Parkin prevents the formation of the RIP1-RIP3 complex by promoting polyubiquitination of RIP3. However, the mechanism by which necroptosis affects the clinical features of breast cancer and prognosis is not known.

Continuous cropping of endangered therapeutic plants via electron beam soil-treatment and neutron tomography.

Various medicinal plants are threatened with extinction owing to their over-exploitation and the prevalence of soil borne pathogens. In this study, soils infected with root-rot pathogens, which prevent continuous-cropping, were treated with an electron beam. The level of soil-borne fungus was reduced to ≤0.

A novel, multiplexed, probe-based quantitative PCR assay for the soybean root- and stem-rot pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, utilizes its transposable element.

Phytophthora root rot of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is caused by the oomycete Phytophthora sojae (Kaufm.

Biological Control of Bacterial Fruit Blotch of Watermelon Pathogen () with Rhizosphere Associated Bacteria.

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), which is caused by , is a serious threat to watermelon growers around the world. The present study was conducted to screen effective rhizobacterial isolates against 35 different isolates and determine their efficacy on BFB and growth parameters of watermelon. Two rhizobacterial isolates viz.

Characteristics of quantitative perfusion parameters on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in mammographically occult breast cancer.

The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of quantitative per-fusion parameters obtained from dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with mammographically occult (MO) breast cancers and those with mammographically visible (MV) breast cancers. Quantitative parameters (AUC, Ktrans, kep, ve, vp, and wi) from 13 MO breast cancers and 16 MV breast cancers were mapped after the DCE-MRI data were acquired. Various prog-nostic factors, including axillary nodal status, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Ki-67, p53, E-cadherin, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) were obtained in each group.

Seborrheic dermatitis treatment with stellate ganglion block: a case report.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disorder presumed to be caused by increased sebaceous gland secretion, metabolic changes in the cutaneous microflora, and changes in the host immune function. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is known to increase the blood flow rate without altering the blood pressure, heart rate, or cardiac output, to stabilize hypertonic conditions of the sympathetic nerves, and to affect the endocrine and immune systems. It is used in the differential diagnosis and treatment of autonomic nervous system disorders of the head, neck, and upper limbs.

Comparison between Glidescope and Lightwand for tracheal intubation in patients with a simulated difficult airway.

Background: Although Lightwand and Glidescope have both shown high success rates for intubation, there has been no confirmation as to which device is most effective for difficult endotracheal intubation. We compared the Glidescope and Lightwand devices in terms of duration of intubation and success rate at the first attempt in a simulated difficult airway situation.

Methods: Fifty-eight patients were randomized to undergo tracheal intubation with either the Glidescope (Glidescope group, n = 29) or the Lightwand (Lightwand group, n = 29).

Genetic Diversity and Pathogenicity of Cylindrocarpon destructans Isolates Obtained from Korean Panax ginseng.

We analyzed the genetic diversity of Cylindrocarpon destructans isolates obtained from Korean ginseng (i.e., Panax ginseng) roots by performing virulence tests and nuclear ribosomal gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mt SSU) rDNA sequence analysis.

Double inversion recovery MR imaging of the breast: efficacy in detection of breast cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of the double inversion recovery sequence (DIR) in breast cancer detection.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-six patients with biopsy-proven breast cancers underwent preoperative breast MRI, including sagittal DIR and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (CE-T1WI). Twenty-four of the 56 patients additionally underwent sagittal T1WI and T2WI.

Highly selective response of bipyridyl-incorporated acetyelene dye for zinc acetate.

In this paper, we prepared bpy-modified acetylene dye 2 that contains 2,2'-bipyridine moiety in the center with symmetrically substituted flexible derivatives at both ends. Upon exposure toward various metal salts, 2 revealed a highly selective optical response to Zn(2+) with AcO(-) as a counteranion, which is evidenced by large red shift and significant enhancement in emission intensity. Such a peculiar response to single zinc compound, as far as we are aware, has not been reported elsewhere.

A missense polymorphism (rs11895564, Ala380Thr) of integrin alpha 6 is associated with the development and progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma in Korean population.

Purpose: Integrins play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The aim of this study was to investigate whether two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2141698, -1687A/G; rs11895564, Ala380Thr) of the integrin alpha 6 (ITGA6) gene are associated with the development and clinicopathologic characteristics of PTC such as the size (<1 cm and ≥1 cm), number (unifocality and multifocality), location (one lobe and both lobes), extrathyroid invasion, and cervical lymph node metastasis.

Methods: We enrolled 104 PTC patients and 318 control subjects.

Associations between promoter polymorphism -106A/G of interleukin-11 receptor alpha and papillary thyroid cancer in Korean population.

Background: The interleukin11 (IL11) and IL11 receptor alpha (IL11RA) are involved in cellular growth, differentiation, invasiveness, and tumor progression in several tumors. We investigated whether coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (cSNPs) of IL11 and promoter SNP IL11RA would contribute to the development of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). We also assessed the relationships between IL11 and IL11RA SNPs and the clinicopathologic characteristics of PTC.

Overexpression of MMP-9 and HIF-1α in Breast Cancer Cells under Hypoxic Conditions.

Purpose: Hypoxia, which is a loss of oxygen in tissues, is a common condition in solid tumors due to the tumor outgrowing existing vasculature. Under hypoxic conditions, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α rapidly accumulates and transactivates hundreds of genes, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs contribute to invasion and metastasis of tumor cells by degrading the surrounding basement membrane and extracellular matrix barriers, which enables the easy migration and spread of cancer cells.

Regulatory role of p53 in cancer metabolism via SCO2 and TIGAR in human breast cancer.

Cancer cells show a higher rate of anaerobic respiration than normal cells. The exact mechanisms for this higher glycolysis rate in cancer cells remain to be elucidated. The results of recent studies have indicated that p53, the most commonly mutated tumor suppressor gene, may have important functions in the regulation of energy-generating metabolic pathways that switch from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis via the synthesis of cytochrome c oxidase 2 (SCO2), p53-transactivated TP53-induced glycolysis (TIGAR), and apoptosis regulator.

Direct Detection of Cylindrocarpon destructans, Root Rot Pathogen of Ginseng by Nested PCR from Soil Samples.

We have successfully applied the nested PCR to detect Cylindrocarpon destructans, a major pathogen causing root rot disease from ginseng seedlings in our former study. The PCR assay, in this study, was used to detect the pathogen from soils. The nested PCR using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1, 4 primer set and Dest 1, 4 primer set maintained the specificity in soils containing various microorganisms.

Gene expression profile of acupuncture treatment in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinson's disease model.

Objectives: To find new biomarkers by stimulating acupuncture point GB34 (Yangneungcheon) which has neuroprotective effect on the mouse model of Parkinson's disease, analysis of cDNA microarray on mRNAs of the substantia nigra was performed.

Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into two groups: 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-treated mice (MPTP group, n=3); 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and acupuncture (GB34)-treated mice (MPTP + ACU group, n=3). The mice received an intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (30 mg/kg) once daily for 3 consecutive days.

Effect by acupuncture on hypothalamic expression of maternally separated rats: proteomic approach.

Objectives: Early stressors can influence the development of biological and neurological systems. Maternal separation (social isolation) in early life may increase vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders over the lifespan. To identify new proteins on acupuncture effects in maternally separated rats, an animal model for study of early environmental insults, proteomic approach on the expression of the hypothalamic proteins was performed.

Increase of NADPH-diaphorase expression in hypothalamus of stat4 knockout mice.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4), a STAT family member, mediates interleukin 12 (IL12) signal transduction. IL12 is known to be related to calorie-restricted status. In the central nervous system, IL12 also enhances the production of nitric oxide (NO), which regulates food intake.

Naringin Protects against Rotenone-induced Apoptosis in Human Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells.

Rotenone, a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor, can induce the pathological features of Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, naringin, a grapefruit flavonoid, inhibited rotenone-induced cell death in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. We assessed cell death and apoptosis by measuring mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and caspase (CASPs) activities and by performing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining.

Clinicopathologic correlation of beclin-1 and bcl-2 expression in human breast cancer.

The human beclin-1 gene, located on chromosome 17q21, has been identified as the mammalian orthologue of Atg6 (autophagy-related gene) and may be a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor gene. The function and expression of beclin-1 in human breast cancer are largely unknown. We investigated the expression of beclin-1 and bcl-2 in human breast cancer.