Local delivery of alendronate eluting chitosan scaffold can effectively increase osteoblast functions and inhibit osteoclast differentiation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alendronate released from chitosan scaffolds on enhancement of osteoblast functions and inhibition of osteoclast differentiation in vitro. The surface and cell morphologies of chitosan scaffolds and alendronate-loaded chitosan scaffolds were characterized by variable pressure field emission scanning electron microscope (VP-FE-SEM). Alendronate was released in a sustained manner.

Increased serum interleukin-17 in Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-17 and T helper 17 (Th17) cells are reported to be involved in many autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the involvement of IL-17 in the pathogenesis and disease activity of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO).

Methods: Sixty-two GO patients and 19 healthy controls were recruited.

The effect of fimasartan, an angiotensin receptor type 1 blocker, on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in healthy Korean male volunteers: a one-sequence, two-period crossover clinical trial.

Background: Fimasartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used to treat hypertension.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fimasartan on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of warfarin in healthy volunteers to meet regulatory requirements for drug marketing and labeling in Korea.

Methods: An open-label, 1-sequence, 2-treatment, 2-period crossover study was conducted in healthy male volunteers.

Transparent-cap-fitted colonoscopy shows higher performance with cecal intubation time in difficult cases.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of cap-fitted colonoscopy (CFC) with regard to cecal intubation time.

Methods: Two hundred and ninety-five patients undergoing screening colonoscopy at Gospel Hospital, Kosin University College of Medicine were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial between January and December 2010. Colonoscopies were conducted by a single endoscopist.

Crude extracts of Caenorhabditis elegans suppress airway inflammation in a murine model of allergic asthma.

Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse relationship between helminth infections and allergic disease, and several helminth-derived products have been shown to suppress allergic responses in animals. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a crude extract of Caenorhabditis elegans on allergic airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma. Allergic airway inflammation was induced in BALB/c mice by sensitization with ovalbumin.

An elderly case of acute cerebellitis after alleged vaccination.

Acute cerebellitis (AC) is a benign and self-limiting inflammatory disease. It typically occurs as a primary infectious or postinfectious disorder. Although AC mostly presents in early childhood, it can appear in adult.

Monitoring of horizontal gene transfer from agricultural microorganisms to soil bacteria and analysis of microbial community in soils.

To investigate the possibility of horizontal gene transfer between agricultural microorganisms and soil microorganisms in the environment, Bacillus subtilis KB producing iturin and the PGPR recombinant strain Pseudomonas fluorescens MX1 were used as model microorganisms. The soil samples of cucumber or tomato plants cultivated in pots and the greenhouse for a six month period were investigated by PCR, real-time PCR, Southern hybridization, and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) fingerprinting. Our data from Southern blotting and TRFLP patterns suggest that the model bacteria do not give significant impacts on the other bacteria in the pots and greenhouse during cultivation.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of HD203, a biosimilar of etanercept, with marketed etanercept (Enbrel®): a double-blind, single-dose, crossover study in healthy volunteers.

Objective: HD203 is a biosimilar of etanercept, a fusion protein of the ligand-binding portion of the human tumor necrosis factor receptor II linked to the Fc portion of human immunoglobulin G1. Since HD203 is under clinical development, this study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetics of HD203 with Enbrel®, the first marketed etanercept.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized, single-dose, two-period, two-sequence, crossover study was conducted in 37 healthy volunteers.

Relationship of HLA-DRB1 alleles with hepatocellular carcinoma development in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Goals: We intended to analyze the relationship between specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 alleles and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Study: A database of 468 consecutive CHB patients who received lamivudine for more than 12 months between July 1996 and February 2011 was retrospectively analyzed. Sera and buffy coats samples were obtained between April 2008 and April 2010.

Pharmacokinetics of lacosamide in healthy korean male volunteers.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of single and repeated doses of lacosamide in healthy male Korean volunteers and to compare the PK profile of lacosamide in Korean and Caucasian populations.

Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-escalation trial, 16 volunteers received a single dose (50 mg) of lacosamide or placebo, and 32 volunteers were administered single/repeated twice-daily doses (100 or 200 mg) of lacosamide or placebo.

Results: For multiple doses of 100 and 200 mg twice daily, the geometric means C(max,ss) were 6.

Piezo proteins are pore-forming subunits of mechanically activated channels.

Mechanotransduction has an important role in physiology. Biological processes including sensing touch and sound waves require as-yet-unidentified cation channels that detect pressure. Mouse Piezo1 (MmPiezo1) and MmPiezo2 (also called Fam38a and Fam38b, respectively) induce mechanically activated cationic currents in cells; however, it is unknown whether Piezo proteins are pore-forming ion channels or modulate ion channels.

The role of Drosophila Piezo in mechanical nociception.

Transduction of mechanical stimuli by receptor cells is essential for senses such as hearing, touch and pain. Ion channels have a role in neuronal mechanotransduction in invertebrates; however, functional conservation of these ion channels in mammalian mechanotransduction is not observed. For example, no mechanoreceptor potential C (NOMPC), a member of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel family, acts as a mechanotransducer in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans; however, it has no orthologues in mammals.

Gentamicin and bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2)-delivering heparinized-titanium implant with enhanced antibacterial activity and osteointegration.

Insufficient bonding of implants to bone tissues and bacterial infections lead to the failure of titanium (Ti)-based orthopedic and dental implants. The aim of this study is to develop novel Ti implants that enhance osteoblast functions, while simultaneously decreasing bacterial infections. First, the surface of pristine Ti was functionalized with heparin-dopamine by mimicking a mussel adhesion mechanism.

Outcomes of 4-snip punctoplasty for severe punctal stenosis: measurement of tear meniscus height by optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To investigate the surgical outcome of rectangular 4-snip punctoplasty, a modification of rectangular 3-snip procedures, using objective measurements.

Design: Noncomparative case series.

Methods: The medical charts of patients who underwent rectangular 4-snip punctoplasty for severe punctal stenosis with at least 6 months follow-up were reviewed.

Short-term efficacy and safety of zonisamide as adjunctive treatment for refractory partial seizures: a multicenter open-label single-arm trial in Korean patients.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive zonisamide (ZNS) therapy in Korean adults with uncontrolled partial epilepsy.

Methods: Study patients had an average of at least one seizure per 4-week (averaged over a 12-week historical baseline) despite the use of one to three antiepileptic drugs. The starting dose of ZNS was 100mg/day, and was increased to 200mg/day after 2weeks.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction as a predictor of rapid decline of residual renal function in patients with peritoneal dialysis.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether diastolic dysfunction at the start of dialysis could influence renal and cardiovascular survival rates in 82 patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Methods: Diastolic dysfunction was determined using left ventricular hypertrophy, the ratio of early peak transmitral inflow velocity to peak diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/E'), and left atrial volume index (LAVI). Residual renal function (RRF) was measured with 24-hour urine collections at baseline (within 1 month of beginning peritoneal dialysis) and thereafter at 6-month intervals for 2 years.

Evaluation of the pharmacokinetic interaction between the dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor LC15-0444 and pioglitazone in healthy volunteers.

Objective: LC15-0444, a newly developed selective dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor, has the potential to be administered with other antihyperglycemic agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between LC15-0444 and pioglitazone by comparing the pharmacokinetics of both compounds and their metabolites.

Methods: A randomized, open-label, multiple dosing, three-sequence, three-period, three-treatment crossover study was performed in healthy volunteers.

HLA-DRB1*010101 allele is closely associated with poor virological response to lamivudine therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background/aims: We intended to evaluate the association between specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 gene polymorphism and antiviral response to lamivudine (LAM) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods: Six-digit HLA-DRB1 genotypes were determined using sequence-based typing in 334 CHB patients initially treated with LAM for at least 12 months. Antiviral response was evaluated every 3-6 months during LAM therapy.

Calcinosis cutis at the tarsus of the upper eyelid.

Calcinosis cutis involves the inappropriate deposition of calcium within the dermis layer of the skin, and is often associated with rheumatoid disease. A 42-year-old woman presented for evaluation of a hard palpable mass on the left upper eyelid. After everting the eyelid, a large papillomatous mass with a broad base was identified on the superior area of the tarsus.

Pharmacokinetic comparison of a new sustained-release formulation of glimepiride/metformin 1/500 mg combination tablet and a sustained-release formulation of glimepiride/metformin 2/500 mg combination tablet in healthy Korean male volunteers: a randomized, 2-sequence, 2-period, 2-treatment crossover study.

Background: The combination of glimepiride and metformin is used for glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus. A fixed-dose combination of glimepiride/metformin 2/500 mg slow-release (SR) formulation was developed to improve compliance in polymedicated patients. To accommodate the various dosing regimens of glimepiride, a glimepiride/metformin 1/500 mg SR tablet was also developed.

Autophagy machinery mediates macroendocytic processing and entotic cell death by targeting single membranes.

Autophagy normally involves the formation of double-membrane autophagosomes that mediate bulk cytoplasmic and organelle degradation. Here we report the modification of single-membrane vacuoles in cells by autophagy proteins. LC3 (Light chain 3) a component of autophagosomes, is recruited to single-membrane entotic vacuoles, macropinosomes and phagosomes harbouring apoptotic cells, in a manner dependent on the lipidation machinery including ATG5 and ATG7, and the class III phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase VPS34.

Impact of fibroblast growth factor-binding protein-1 expression on angiogenesis and wound healing.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) participate in embryonic development, in maintenance of tissue homeostasis in the adult, and in various diseases. FGF-binding proteins (FGFBP) are secreted proteins that chaperone FGFs stored in the extracellular matrix to their receptor, and can thus modulate FGF signaling. FGFBP1 (alias BP1, FGF-BP1, or HBp17) expression is required for embryonic survival, can modulate FGF-dependent vascular permeability in embryos, and is an angiogenic switch in human cancers.

Clinical significance of microbial growth on the surfaces of silicone tubes removed from dacryocystorhinostomy patients.

Purpose: To investigate the bacterial infection of silicone tubes removed from patients who underwent dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and assess the correlation between the culture results and postoperative clinical features.

Design: Retrospective observational case series.

Methods: Consecutive epiphora patients who underwent external or endoscopic DCR surgery were reviewed.

Effect of heparin and alendronate coating on titanium surfaces on inhibition of osteoclast and enhancement of osteoblast function.

The failure of orthopedic and dental implants has been attributed mainly to loosening of the implant from host bone, which may be due to weak bonding of the implant material to bone tissue. Titanium (Ti) is used in the field of orthopedic and dental implants because of its excellent biocompatibility and outstanding mechanical properties. Therefore, in the field of materials science and tissue engineering, there has been extensive research to immobilize bioactive molecules on the surface of implant materials in order to provide the implants with improved adhesion to the host bone tissue.

Simvastatin inhibits osteoclast differentiation by scavenging reactive oxygen species.

Osteoclasts, together with osteoblasts, control the amount of bone tissue and regulate bone remodeling. Osteoclast differentiation is an important factor related to the pathogenesis of bone-loss related diseases. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) acts as a signal mediator in osteoclast differentiation.