Plasma-Activated Media Produced by a Microwave-Excited Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Is Effective against Cisplatin-Resistant Human Bladder Cancer Cells In Vitro.

Media exposed to atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), with hydrogen peroxide (HO), nitrite (NO), and nitrate (NO) being among the most detected species due to their relatively long lifetime. In this study, a standardized microwave-excited (ME) APP jet (APPJ) source was employed to produce gaseous RONS to treat liquid samples. The source was a commercially available plasma jet, which generated argon plasma utilizing a coaxial transmission line resonator at the operating frequency of 2.

Differential Sensitivity of Melanoma Cells and Their Non-Cancerous Counterpart to Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Induced Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species.

Despite continuous progress in therapy, melanoma is one of the most aggressive and malignant human tumors, often relapsing and metastasizing to almost all organs. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel anticancer tool that utilizes abundant reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) being deposited on the target cells and tissues. CAP-induced differential effects between non-cancerous and cancer cells were comparatively examined.

Plasma activated medium prepared by a bipolar microsecond-pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jet array induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells.

Plasma activated medium (PAM) was prepared by a bipolar microsecond-pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) array source and was utilized for cancer cell treatment. APPJ array-produced plasma were characterized. APPJ array treatment of three different solutions (deionized water (DW), HBSS (serum-free Hanks' balanced salt solution), and DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium) + 10% FBS (fetal bovine serum)) were performed to induce the changes in the concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) as functions of the operating parameters.

Effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on pulmonary function impairment in Korea: the 2007-2017 Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between pulmonary function and air pollution using 2007-2017 data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationwide cross-sectional representative survey.

Methods: A total of 27,378 participants that had sampling weights from a complex sample survey were included in this study. Using the data for forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity, the participants with pulmonary function impairment were classified according to the criteria of restrictive lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Severe hematuria in a hematopoietic cell transplant recipient caused by Ureaplasma urealyticum not by BK virus or adenovirus infection.

A 17-year-old male with acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed severe hematuria and scrotal swelling after haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Urine culture was negative. BK virus and adenovirus were negative.

Functional antagonism of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 prevents cuprizone-induced demyelination.

Recent evidence suggests that the oral drug Fingolimod (FTY720) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) may act directly on the central nervous system (CNS) and modulate disease pathogenesis and progression in experimental models of MS. However, the specific subtype of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors that mediates the effect of FTY720 on the CNS cells has not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that S1P receptor 1 (S1PR1) is elevated in reactive astrocytes in an autoimmunity independent mouse model of MS and that selective S1PR1 modulation is sufficient to ameliorate the loss of oligodendrocytes and demyelination.

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle phenotype by cross-regulation of krüppel-like factors.

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype plays an essential role in many cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we provide evidence that krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) is essential for tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-induced phenotypic conversion of VSMC obtained from thoracic aorta from 4-week-old SD rats. Stimulation of the contractile phenotype of VSMCs with TNFα significantly reduced the VSMC marker gene expression and KLF8.

Regulation of retinal angiogenesis by phospholipase C-β3 signaling pathway.

Angiogenesis has an essential role in many pathophysiologies. Here, we show that phospholipase C-β3 (PLC-β3) isoform regulates endothelial cell function and retinal angiogenesis. Silencing of PLC-β3 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) significantly delayed proliferation, migration and capillary-like tube formation.

Uncoordinated 51-like kinase 2 signaling pathway regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition in A549 lung cancer cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical response during cancer cell metastasis. In this study, we provide evidence that uncoordinated 51-like kinase 2 (ULK2) regulates EMT. Induction of autophagy by inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) or by disruption of mTORC1 by silencing raptor significantly enhanced EMT, however, disruption of mTORC2 by silencing rictor had no effect.

Activation of oligodendroglial Stat3 is required for efficient remyelination.

Multiple sclerosis is the most prevalent demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and is histologically characterized by perivascular demyelination as well as neurodegeneration. While the degree of axonal damage is correlated with clinical disability, it is believed that remyelination can protect axons from degeneration and slow disease progression. Therefore, understanding the intricacies associated with myelination and remyelination may lead to therapeutics that can enhance the remyelination process and slow axon degeneration and loss of function.

Cold atmospheric plasma jet-generated RONS and their selective effects on normal and carcinoma cells.

Cold atmospheric helium plasma jets were fabricated and utilized for plasma-cell interactions. The effect of operating parameters and jet design on the generation of specific reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) within cells and cellular response were investigated. It was found that plasma treatment induced the overproduction of RONS in various cancer cell lines selectively.

Essential role of krüppel-like factor 5 during tumor necrosis factor α-induced phenotypic conversion of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) plays an essential role in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype. In the present study, we provide evidence that krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) plays an essential role in TNFα-induced phenotypic conversion of VSMCs. Ectopic expression of KLF5 completely blocked phenotypic conversion of VSMCs from synthetic to contractile type.

Epidemiology of scrub typhus and the eschars patterns in South Korea from 2008 to 2012.

In South Korea, scrub typhus is the most common acute febrile illness in autumn. We analyzed scrub typhus cases reported from 2008 to 2012 to describe the epidemiology of scrub typhus as well as eschar patterns. A total of 30,478 cases were reported from 2008 to 2012; the incidence rates were higher in the southern and western regions of South Korea.

Effect of additive oxygen gas on cellular response of lung cancer cells induced by atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet.

The atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet driven by pulsed dc voltage was utilized to treat human lung cancer cells in vitro. The properties of plasma plume were adjusted by the injection type and flow rate of additive oxygen gas in atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet. The plasma characteristics such as plume length, electric current and optical emission spectra (OES) were measured at different flow rates of additive oxygen to helium.

Ginsenosides: prospective for sustainable biotechnological production.

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (ginseng) is a well-known medicinal plant that has been traditionally used in the oriental countries for centuries.

Food ingestion factors of the Korean exposure factors handbook.

The purpose of this study was to establish food ingestion factors needed to assess exposure to contaminants through food ingestion. The study reclassified the raw data of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2001 into 12 subcategories including grain products, meat products, fish and shellfish, and vegetables for international comparability of exposure evaluation. The criteria for food intake calculation were unified according to the characteristics of food groups, and recommended values for food ingestion factors were calculated through moisture correction and recategorization of cooked, processed, and mixed foods for each group.

General factors of the Korean exposure factors handbook.

Risk assessment considers the situations and characteristics of the exposure environment and host. Various physiological variables of the human body reflects the characteristics of the population that can directly influence risk exposure. Therefore, identification of exposure factors based on the Korean population is required for appropriate risk assessment.

The Long and Short Incubation Periods of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Korea: The Characteristics and Relating Factors.

Background: The cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Korea are mixed with long and short incubation periods. This study aims to define clinico-epidemiologic chracteristcs of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Korea.

Materials And Methods: We selected the civilian cases infected with P.

Trends in the incidence of scrub typhus: the fastest growing vector-borne disease in Korea.

Scrub typhus, also called tsutsugamushi disease, is classified as a Group 3 disease in Korea according to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance Systems. It is an infectious disease transmitted to humans through the bite of mites that are infected with an intracellular parasite called Orientia tsutsugamushi (Family: Rickettsiaceae). This study aims to identify the demographic characteristics of the infected cases according to profession, region, gender, and onset period and provide a basic data for prevention and control of the disease in the infected patients.

Asan medical information system for healthcare quality improvement.

Objectives: This purpose of this paper is to introduce the status of the Asan Medical Center (AMC) medical information system with respect to healthcare quality improvement.

Methods: Asan Medical Information System (AMIS) is projected to become a completely electronic and digital information hospital. AMIS has played a role in improving the health care quality based on the following measures: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, privacy, and security.

Aberrant upregulation of astroglial ceramide potentiates oligodendrocyte injury.

Oligodendroglial injury is a pathological hallmark of many human white matter diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). Critical regulatory mechanisms of oligodendroglia destruction, however, remain incompletely understood. Ceramide, a bioactive sphingolipid pivotal to sphingolipid metabolism pathways, regulates cell death in response to diverse stimuli and has been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders.