Molecular MR imaging for visualizing ICAM-1 expression in the inflamed synovium of collagen-induced arthritic mice.

Objective: To determine the utility of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 antibody-conjugated gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA-anti-ICAM-1) as a targeted contrast agent for the molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

Materials And Methods: THREE GROUPS OF MICE WERE USED: non-arthritic normal, CIA mice in both the early inflammatory and chronic destructive phases. The MR images of knee joints were obtained before and after injection of Gd-DTPA-anti-ICAM-1, Gd-DTPA, and Gd-DTPA-Immunoglobulin G (Ig G) and were analyzed quantitatively.

A case of HME obstruction by distilled water from incidentally mounted heated wire circuit kit: A case report.

Heat-moisture exchanger (HME) is an inexpensive and effective device used to prevent respiratory complications that can be caused by endotracheal tube insertion during general anesthesia. But, HME can increase airway resistance and be occluded by the patient's secretions. Whether a HME could be occluded by clear fluids such as condensate in the airway circuit is not certain yet.

Anesthetic experience of aortic valve replacement, tricuspid valvuloplasty and VSD closure in a patient with Child-Pugh class B liver cirrhosis : A case report.

Open heart surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients with liver cirrhosis is prone to the development of various complications associated with high mortality rates. According to recent studies, patients with advanced cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class B or C cirrhosis) have a significantly higher mortality rate (50-100%) after open heart surgery under CPB. We report the anesthetic management of cardiac surgery using CPB of 61-year-old man with aortic valve regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation and ventricular septal defect (VSD) who had complicated by liver cirrhosis of Child-Pugh class B.

Antihyperglycemic effects of fruits of privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats fed a high fat diet.

The protective effects of freeze-dried privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) fruits (PFs) were observed in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats on a high fat diet by measuring levels of blood glucose, serum insulin, fructosamine, and hepatic reactive oxygen species generating and scavenging enzyme activities. A PF-supplemented diet was prepared by mixing an AIN-76 diet with powdered PF (final concentration, 1% or 2%). It was fed to STZ-induced diabetic rats on a high fat diet for 6 weeks.

Adrenomedullin inhibits MAPK pathway-dependent rheumatoid synovial fibroblast-mediated osteoclastogenesis by IL-1 and TNF-alpha.

The objective of this study is to determine the effects of adrenomedullin (AM) on IL-1- and TNF-alpha-induced rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts (RASFs)-mediated osteoclastogenesis. The formation of osteoclasts in co-cultures of RASFs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells was evaluated by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and resorption pit formation assay. The expression of RANKL, OPG, p-ERK, p-p38, and p-JNK was examined by immunoblotting and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

[The decline of health-related quality of life associated with some diseases in Korean adults].

Objectives: This study was conducted to measure the decline in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with some diseases in South Korean adults.

Methods: The EQ-5D health states in the 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) and the Korean EQ-5D valuation set were used to obtain the EQ-5D indexes of the study subjects. Each disease group was defined when the subjects reported to the NHNES that they were diagnosed with the corresponding disease during the previous 1 year by physicians.

Effect of the range of the potential on two-dimensional melting.

Insights into the melting of two-dimensional simple atomic systems are presented from investigation of the effect of the range of the interatomic potentials on the existence of hexatic phase, using molecular-dynamics simulations under isobaric-isothermal as well as isochoric-isothermal conditions. We find that longer-ranged interatomic potentials are important for the formation of stable hexatic phases. A schematic plot of the phase diagrams with a hexatic regime is presented capturing the overall shape of the phase boundaries and the behavior of the system.

Antihyperglycemic effect of Fomitopsis pinicola extracts in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The antihyperglycemic effect of a water extract (WE) and an alkali extract (AE) of the Fomitopsis pinicola fruit body was studied in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The STZ-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) control group lost a significant amount of body weight, whereas the normal control group (NC) gained weight; however, the DM-AE group gained a significant amount of weight, with weight gain approaching normal. Feed intake by the DM-AE group was also similar to the NC group.

Molecular scintigraphic imaging using 99mTc-transferrin is useful for early detection of synovial inflammation of collagen-induced arthritis mouse.

Transferrin receptor (TfR) is highly expressed on rapidly dividing inflammatory cells, but not in nonproliferating cells. We investigated whether scintigraphic imaging using 99mTechnetium-radiolabeled transferrin (99mTc-Tf) is useful for early detection of synovial inflammation of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse. 99mTc-Tf conjugate was synthesized to target the TfR in inflamed synovium.

The clinical efficacy of GOCA scoring system in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

To explore the following hypotheses: 1) Gas exchange, Organ failure, Cause, Associated disease (GOCA) score, which reflects both general health and the severity of lung injury, would be a better mortality predictor of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) than acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) or simplified acute physiology score (SAPS II), which are not specific to lung injury, and lung injury score (LIS) that focuses on the lung injury; 2) the performance of APACHE II and SAPS II will be improved when reinforced by LIS, we retrospectively analyzed ARDS patients (N=158) admitted to a medical intensive care unit for five years. The overall mortality of the ARDS patients was 53.2%.

Treatment of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation: should lobectomy always be performed?

Background: Although parenchyma-saving resection makes it possible to preserve the lung parenchyma, most surgeons are reluctant to perform it for congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) because it could also result in recurrent pulmonary infection or residual lesion. This study compared the early and late postoperative outcomes according to the extent of resection in CCAM patients to determine if the extent of resection would influence the short- and long-term results.

Methods: Between 1995 and 2006, 45 patients underwent surgical resection for CCAM.

An anatomic study of the superficial peroneal nerve accessory artery and its perforators, and clinical application of superficial peroneal nerve accessory artery perforator flaps.

In the 1990s, skin island flaps supplied by the vascular axis of sensitive superficial nerves, like the sural and saphenous nerves, were introduced. Flaps supplied by the superficial peroneal nerve accessory artery (SPNAA), however, are still not commonly used. The aim of this study is to understand the anatomic structure of the SPNAA and its perforators in the anterior intermuscular septum and to use SPNAA perforator flaps in the clinic.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses TNF-alpha -induced production of MMP-1 and -3 in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts produce matrix metaloproteinases (MMPs), which destroy cartilage and bone in RA joint. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is one of the most important mediator leading to MMP production in RA synovial fibroblasts. Here we show that epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) suppresses TNF-alpha-induced production of MMP-1 and MMP-3 in RA synovial fibroblasts, which was accompanied by inhibition of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) pathways.

Estimating quality weights for EQ-5D health states with the time trade-off method in South Korea.

Objective: To estimate quality weights of EQ-5D health states with the time trade-off (TTO) method in the general population of South Korea.

Methods: A total of 500 respondents valued 42 hypothetical EQ-5D health states using the TTO and visual analog scale. The quality weights for all EQ-5D health states were estimated by a random effects model and compared with those from studies in other countries.

Statistical analysis of surgical dog-ear regression.

Background: Several methods have been developed to prevent or correct dog-ears. Most of these methods, however, result in prolonged scars and operative times.

Objective: We observed dog-ears without correction to examine the regression of dog-ears with time.

The effects of tungstate on skin lesions caused by PPD in rats.

P-phenylenediamine (PPD) has been used as one of the ingredients in hair dye. The purpose of this study is to investigate the skin toxicity of PPD application in a tungstate-induced xanthine oxidase (XO) deficient animal model. PPD (2.

Effect of green tea and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on ethanol-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells.

Despite the continuing reports supporting the hepatoprotective effects of green tea against ethanol intoxication, there remain controversies regarding the active compound(s) and molecular mechanism. These issues were addressed in the present study using cultured HepG2 cells exposed to a lethal dose of ethanol. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was chosen as a marker of ethanol toxicity because it is widely used in clinics.

The diagnostic accuracy of power Doppler ultrasonography for differentiating secondary from primary Raynaud's phenomenon in undifferentiated connective tissue disease.

This study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of power Doppler ultrasonography (PDU) for differentiating secondary from primary Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), and also compared PDU with nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) for the assessment of microvascularity in undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) patients with RP. Microvascularity in the nailfold and finger tip was evaluated using PDU with cold challenge, and the findings of PDU were classified according to the qualitative grading system before and after cold challenge. NFC was performed at the same day in all persons.

The evaluation of relevant factors influencing skin graft changes in color over time.

Background: Objective studies evaluating the relevant factors that affect skin graft changes in color over time have yet to be published.

Objective: Therefore, the patterns of the grafted skin's color changes and the presence of relevant factors were analyzed statistically.

Materials And Methods: The study included 107 skin grafts in 107 subjects.

Public release of institutional Cesarean section rates in South Korea: which women were aware of the information?

Objective: Public media reports of institutional Cesarean section rates have been used as a tool to reduce unnecessary surgical births. We examined women's awareness of the public release of this information according to socio-demographic characteristics in South Korea.

Methods: The public release of institutional Cesarean section rates occurred on July 7, 2000.

Relationship between physician characteristics and their injection use in Korea.

Objective: To determine the relationships among physicians' knowledge and beliefs, perceived patient demand and treatment with injection drugs in Korean primary care settings.

Design: A cross-sectional, nationwide survey.

Setting: A total of 644 clinics were selected from the 9660 clinics with more than 1000 patient visits from April 1 to June 30, 2004, among four specialties (general practice, internal medicine, otorhinolaryngology, family medicine) that dealt mainly with acute upper respiratory infections in primary care settings.

Serum testing of genetically modified soybeans with special emphasis on potential allergenicity of the heterologous protein CP4 EPSPS.

Roundup Ready soy contains the CP4-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4 EPSPS) protein. Serum IgE from two distinct populations of soy-allergic patients were recruited to determine their IgE-binding specificity. One population consisted of 10 adult patients from Europe, whose primary diagnosis was soy food allergy with some also having mite allergy.

The development of eosinophilic colitis after liver transplantation in children.

Tacrolimus-based immunosuppression in pediatric liver transplant recipients is known to be associated with EGID. Our goal was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and characteristics of EGID in our pediatric liver transplantation program. This study was a retrospective analysis of 38 pediatric liver transplant recipients.

Measuring the burden of disease in Korea.

This paper provides an overview of the Korean Burden of Disease (KBoD) study, which was the first such study to assess the national burden of disease using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in an advanced Asian country. The KBoD study generally followed the approach utilized in the original Global Burden of Disease study (GBD), with the exception of the disease classification and epidemiological data estimation methods used, and the relative weightings of disabilities. The results of the present study reveal that the burden of disease per 100,000 of the Korean population originates primarily from; cancer (1,525 Person Years, PYs), cardiovascular disease (1,492 PYs), digestive disease (1,140 PYs), diabetes mellitus (990 PYs), and certain neuro-psychiatric conditions (883 PYs).