Decreased Serum Epinephrine in Children With Positive Skin Prick Test.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between catecholamine levels and skin prick test results among children.

Methods: Two hundred eight first grade children from one elementary school were invited to participate in this study. Skin prick test (SPT) for six allergens (2 house dust mites, cat, dog, mugwort, and pollen mixture) was performed, and patient demographic information was recorded.

Long-term Subjective and Objective Outcomes of Adenotonsillectomy in Korean Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Objectives: Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is the most common etiology in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), and adenotonsillectomy is the mainstay of treatment modalities. This study evaluates the long-term effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy in children with OSAS.

Methods: Subjective symptoms evaluated with a 7-point Likert scale and objective respiratory disturbances evaluated by polysomnography were compared before and after adenotonsillectomy.

HM71224, a novel Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suppresses B cell and monocyte activation and ameliorates arthritis in a mouse model: a potential drug for rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is critical for activation of B cells and myeloid cells. This study aimed to characterize the effects of HM71224, a novel Btk inhibitor, both in vitro and in a mouse model of experimental arthritis.

Methods: The kinase inhibition profile of HM71224 was analyzed.

TNF α mediated IL-6 secretion is regulated by JAK/STAT pathway but not by MEK phosphorylation and AKT phosphorylation in U266 multiple myeloma cells.

IL-6 and TNF α were significantly increased in the bone marrow aspirate samples of patients with active multiple myeloma (MM) compared to those of normal controls. Furthermore, MM patients with advanced aggressive disease had significantly higher levels of IL-6 and TNF α than those with MM in plateau phase. TNF α increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) production from MM cells.

Optimal level of continuous positive airway pressure: auto-adjusting titration versus titration with a predictive equation.

Objectives: The aims of the present study were twofold. We sought to compare two methods of titrating the level of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) - auto-adjusting titration and titration using a predictive equation - with full-night manual titration used as the benchmark. We also investigated the reliability of the two methods in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

PKCδ promotes etoposide-induced cell death by phosphorylating Hsp27 in HeLa cells.

We investigated the regulation of Hsp27 phosphorylation by protein kinase C δ (PKCδ) during etoposide-induced apoptosis. The phosphorylation of Hsp27 at Ser78 was temporally correlated with the proteolytic activation of PKCδ during apoptosis. Hsp27 phosphorylation was dependent on the activity of PKCδ since treatment with rottlerin, a chemical inhibitor of PKCδ, or overexpression of a PKCδ dominant negative mutant abolished the phosphorylation.

A technique for concurrent procedure of mastoid obliteration and meatoplasty after canal wall down mastoidectomy.

Objective: To present a simple technique for concurrent procedure of mastoid obliteration and meatoplasty after canal wall down mastoidectomy, and to assess the efficacy and the surgical results of this technique.

Methods: Retrospective clinical study of a consecutive series of procedures from 2004 to 2008. One hundred thirteen patients undergone canal wall down mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty and concurrent procedure of mastoid obliteration and meatoplasty that uses an anteriorly based musculoperiosteal flap and a horizontal skin incision on the concha were included.

Efficacy and feasibility of laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis.

Backgrounds/aims: For patients with acute cholecystitis, conversion from laparoscopic cholecystectomy to open surgery is not uncommon due to possibilities of serious hemorrhage at the liver bed and bile duct injury. Recent studies reported successful laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and feasibility of such an operation based on the experience of surgeons at our facility.

Pattern of cervical lymph node metastasis in tonsil cancer: predictive factor analysis of contralateral and retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of cervical lymph node metastasis in tonsil cancer including the retropharyngeal (RPLN) nodal metastasis. Seventy-six tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent surgery-based treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Most patients had advanced stage (stages III and IV: 81.

PKCdelta modulates p21WAF1/CIP1 ability to bind to Cdk2 during TNFalpha-induced apoptosis.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) activity is thought to be involved in cell death-associated chromatin condensation and other manifestations of apoptotic death. Here we show that during TNFalpha-induced apoptosis, PKCdelta is activated in a caspase-3-dependent manner and phosphorylates p21(WAF1/CIP1), a specific cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, on (146)Ser. This residue is located near a cyclin-binding motif (Cy2) that plays an important role in the interaction between p21(WAF1/CIP1) and Cdk2, and its phosphorylation modulates the ability of p21(WAF1/CIP1) to associate with Cdk2.

Caspase-3-dependent protein kinase C delta activity is required for the progression of Ginsenoside-Rh2-induced apoptosis in SK-HEP-1 cells.

Ginsenoside-Rh2 (G-Rh2) has been shown to induce apoptosis in a variety of cell types. In this study, we show that G-Rh2-induced apoptosis is accompanied by the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and activation of caspase-3 in the human hepatoma cell line, SK-HEP-1. Furthermore, protein kinase C delta (PKCdelta) activity was markedly up-regulated in a lipid activator-independent manner with kinetics similar to those of PKCdelta and PARP cleavages during the apoptotic progression.