Discovery of novel HCV polymerase inhibitors using pharmacophore-based virtual screening.

We report the use of pharmacophore-based virtual screening as an efficient tool for the discovery of novel HCV polymerase inhibitors. A three-dimensional pharmacophore model for the HCV-796 binding site, NNI site IV inhibitor, to the enzyme was built by means of the structure-based focusing module in Cerius2 program. Using these models as a query for virtual screening, we produced a successful example of using pharmacophore-based virtual screening to identify novel compounds with HCV replicon assay through inhibition of HCV polymerization.

The prevalence of shoulder osteoarthritis in the elderly Korean population: association with risk factors and function.

Background: The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of shoulder osteoarthritis (OA) in the elderly population in South Korea, to determine the risk factors for shoulder OA, and to evaluate the relationship with function.

Materials And Methods: This project was part of a population-based prospective cohort study of health, aging, and common geriatric diseases in the elderly population of the authors' area of Seongnam. A total of 1118 residents were randomly invited, and 679 participated.

Downregulation of erythropoietin receptor by overexpression of phospholipase C-gamma 1 is critical for decrease on focal adhesion in transformed cells.

Background: Phospholipase C-γl (PLC-γl) is known to play a critical role in cell adhesion and migration and is highly expressed in metastatic tumors. In the current study, we found that cells transformed by PLC overexpression (PLC-γl cells) exhibited a marked decrease in expression of the Epo receptor (EpoR). Here, we assessed the role of EpoR-dependent signaling pathways in PLC-γl-dependent regulation of cell adhesion and migration.

Combined expression of miR-122a, miR-1, and miR-200b can differentiate degraded RNA samples from liver, pancreas, and stomach.

The effect of RNA degradation on the diagnostic utility of microRNA has not been systematically evaluated in clinical samples. We asked if the microRNA profile is preserved in degraded RNA samples derived from mouse and human tissue. We selected tissue-specific microRNA candidates from published human microarray data, and validated them using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRTPCR) analyses on flash-frozen, normal mouse liver, pancreas, and stomach tissue samples.

Partial recovery after intraarterial pharmacomechanical thrombolysis in ophthalmic artery occlusion following nasal autologous fat injection.

Although autologous fat injection into the face is a widely used procedure in aesthetic surgery, heed must be taken because it may cause severe complications related to inadvertent arterial embolization, including stroke and vision loss. Vision loss may originate from ophthalmic artery occlusion, and no therapeutic options have yet been reported for this condition. Herein, the authors report a case of ophthalmic artery occlusion following nasal autologous fat injection.

Isolated pancreatic metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor and extrahepatic metastasis is not rare. The most common organ of HCC metastasis is lung, followed by bone and adrenal gland. To the best of our knowledge, isolated pancreatic metastasis of HCC that developed after curative resection has not been described previously.

In vivo stability and clinical comparison of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using low or high femoral tunnel positions.

Background: Several biomechanical studies have supported placing the femoral tunnel at a low position (10 or 2 o'clock) to achieve anterior and rotational knee stabilities after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, no firm consensus has been reached regarding the merits and demerits of ACL reconstruction using a low femoral tunnel versus a high femoral tunnel (11 or 1 o'clock).

Hypothesis: A low femoral tunnel position during ACL reconstruction provides better intraoperative stability (especially, rotational stability) and clinical outcomes than does a high femoral tunnel position.

Clostridium difficile toxin A decreases acetylation of tubulin, leading to microtubule depolymerization through activation of histone deacetylase 6, and this mediates acute inflammation.

Clostridium difficile toxin A is known to cause actin disaggregation through the enzymatic inactivation of intracellular Rho proteins. Based on the rapid and severe cell rounding of toxin A-exposed cells, we speculated that toxin A may be involved in post-translational modification of tubulin, leading to microtubule instability. In the current study, we observed that toxin A strongly reduced α-tubulin acetylation in human colonocytes and mouse intestine.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: quantitative and visual ventilation pattern analysis at xenon ventilation CT performed by using a dual-energy technique.

Purpose: To evaluate the potential of xenon ventilation computed tomography (CT) in the quantitative and visual analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Materials And Methods: This study was approved by the institutional review board. After informed consent was obtained, 32 patients with COPD underwent CT performed before the administration of xenon, two-phase xenon ventilation CT with wash-in (WI) and wash-out (WO) periods, and pulmonary function testing (PFT).

Atypical manifestations of hepatitis A infection: a prospective, multicenter study in Korea.

The clinical outcome of symptomatic hepatitis A and the incidence and clinical characteristics of atypical presentation of hepatitis A were studied using prospective, multicenter design. The atypical presentation included delayed anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) seroconversion defined as positive anti-HAV IgM on the repeated test within 7 days of hospital admission after the initially negative result, prolonged cholestasis, and acute kidney injury (AKI). A total of 595 patients with symptomatic hepatitis A requiring hospital admission were enrolled prospectively from September 2006 to August 2008 in four major hospitals in a Korean city with a population of approximately 1 million.

MRP1 polymorphisms associated with citalopram response in patients with major depression.

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1, ABCC1) transports antidepressive agents in the endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, polymorphisms in the MRP1 gene may affect the treatment response of antidepressants. This study was aimed to identify the association between genetic variations in MRP1/ABCC1 and the therapeutic response to the antidepressant citalopram.

Better treatment strategies for patients with acute cholecystitis and American Society of Anesthesiologists classification 3 or greater.

Purpose: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the best treatment choice for acute cholecystitis. However, it still carries high conversion and mortality rates. The purpose of this study was to find out better treatment strategies for high surgical risk patients with acute cholecystitis.

The complete genome sequence and molecular analysis of human hepatitis E virus genotype IV identified from a Korean patient.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was originally identified as the etiological agent of non-HAV enterically transmitted hepatitis. One HEV strain (FJ763142) was identified from an acute viral hepatitis E patient with IgM anti-HEV in Korea. The complete genome sequence consisted of 7,238 nucleotides (nt) plus a 22-nt poly(A) tail.

Nanoemulsion-eicosapentaenoic acid enhanced alkaline phosphatase, calcium contents, and surface molecules expression during osteogenesis using mouse multipotent bone marrow stromal cells.

Long-chain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is found mainly in marine oils, and has wide ranging biological effects. In this study, we evaluated the effect of nanoemulsion-EPA on the osteogenic differentiation of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (D1 cells). D1 cells were cultured in osteogenic differentiation medium (ODM) for 6 days and treated with nanoemulsion-EPA for 2 days and then subjected to various tests; MTT assays, alizarin red S staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity determinations, calcium contents analysis, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), confocal microscopy, and flow cytometric analysis.

Percutaneous intervention in axillary loop-configured arteriovenous grafts for chronic hemodialysis patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fistulographic features of malfunctioning axillary loop-configured arteriovenous grafts and the efficacy of percutaneous interventions in failed axillary loop-configured arteriovenous grafts.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients with axillary loop-configured arteriovenous grafts were referred for evaluation of graft patency or upper arm swelling. Fistulography and percutaneous intervention, including thrombolysis, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement, were performed.

Morphologic photoreceptor abnormality in occult macular dystrophy on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE. To investigate morphologic photoreceptor layer abnormalities and their correlation with visual function in occult macular dystrophy (OMD), by using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). METHODS.

Achievement of targeted posterior slope in the medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy: a mathematical approach.

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis is preferred in the activity patient since it allows patients to return to sports and recreational activities similar to the preoperative level. The purpose of this study was to mathematically formulate medial and anteromedial opening gaps in the medial opening wedge HTO to achieve a targeted tibial posterior slope. The change of posterior slope angle was mathematically derived in terms of the medial and anteromedial opening gaps, and the medial opening angles.

Stereoscopic imaging and display for a 3-D mobile phone.

There is growing interest in imaging and display of stereoscopic images on a mobile phone. Mobile phone users can capture a stereo image pair by taking two pictures, one after another, with a single camera at the left and right eye positions. Such a handheld setup makes it difficult to take the stereo image pair at the exact positions.

Severe hypoxemia and hypotension during general anesthesia of a patient with an anterior mediastinal mass: A case report.

Mediastinal masses may cause compression of vital structures such as major airways, the superior vena cava and, rarely, the pulmonary artery. The latter could cause cardiorespiratory compromise during or after induction of general anesthesia. We observed a case of a 45-year-old woman with an anterior mediastinal mass that caused severe hypoxemia and hypotension during sternotomy for mass resection, probably by pulmonary artery compression.

A clinical comparison of screw and suture fixation of anterior cruciate ligament tibial avulsion fractures.

Background: Screw and suture fixations are the most commonly used methods of fixation in treatment of anterior cruciate ligament tibial avulsion fractures. Even though a few biomechanical studies have compared the stability of the 2 fixation techniques, a clinical comparison has not yet been reported.

Hypothesis: The authors hypothesized that both fixations would be identical in all studied clinical outcome measures at a minimum 2-year follow-up.

Sinus bradycardia following saline irrigation of the pleural cavity during a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: A case report.

A 43-year-old man underwent lipoma excision operation with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Upon completion of the surgery, 20degrees C cold saline irrigation was performed to clean the surgical field. During this procedure, a sudden sinus bradycardia (33 beats/min) occurred.

Primary sebaceous carcinoma of the corneaoscleral limbus with pagetoid recurrence.

We report a sebaceous carcinoma confined to the corneoscleral limbus without involvement of the eyelid. A 60-year-old man, who showed multiple masses on the corneaoscleral limbus and limbal ulceration but with normal eyelids, underwent surgical en-bloc excision of the masses. Histopathologic examination revealed a sebaceous carcinoma.

Comparison of the incidences and risk factors for pulmonary complications after primary and revision total hip arthroplasty.

Background: Risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complication (PPC) after total hip arthroplasty (THA) are poorly studied. In addition, the risk factors associated with revision THA may differ from those associated with primary THA. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidences of PPC after revision THA with those observed after primary THA, and to evaluate the risk factors.

Mesoporous NiO-Samaria doped ceria fuel cell materials.

The mesoporous NiO-SDC was synthesized using a cationic surfactant (cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide; CTAB) for obtaining wide triple-phase boundary (TPB) in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The microstructure of mesoporous NiO-SDC was characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, and HRTEM and the results showed that the mesoporous NiO-SDC with 6.3 nm pores could be obtained.

Fluoroscopy-guided endovenous foam sclerotherapy using a microcatheter in varicose tributaries followed by endovenous laser treatment of incompetent saphenous veins: technical feasibility and early results.

Objectives: To evaluate the technical feasibility and preliminary results of endovenous foam sclerotherapy using a microcatheter in varicose tributaries followed by endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) of incompetent saphenous veins.

Materials And Methods: From July 2005 to August 2006, 312 patients (M:F=139:173, mean age 45.8) who presented with varicose veins with reflux in the saphenofemoral, saphenopopliteal junction or tributaries were enrolled.