Genetic deletion of the Histone Deacetylase 6 exacerbates selected behavioral deficits in the R6/1 mouse model for Huntington's disease.

Introduction: The inhibition of the Histone Deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) increases tubulin acetylation, thus stimulating intracellular vesicle trafficking and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release, that is, cellular processes markedly reduced in Huntington's disease (HD).

Methods: We therefore tested that reducing HDAC6 levels by genetic manipulation would attenuate early cognitive and behavioral deficits in R6/1 mice, a mouse model which develops progressive HD-related phenotypes.

Results: In contrast to our initial hypothesis, the genetic deletion of HDAC6 did not reduce the weight loss or the deficits in cognitive abilities and nest-building behavior shown by R6/1 mice, and even worsened their social impairments, hypolocomotion in the Y-maze, and reduced ultrasonic vocalizations.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-DNA adducts and breast cancer: modification by gene promoter methylation in a population-based study.

Purpose: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-DNA adducts have been associated with breast cancer incidence. Aberrant changes in DNA methylation may be an early event in carcinogenesis. However, possible relations between PAH-DNA adducts, methylation, and breast cancer are unknown.

MicroRNA response of inhalation exposure to hexanal in lung tissues from Fischer 344 rats.

In previous studies, we have investigated the relationships between environmental chemicals and health risk based on omics analysis and identified significant biomarkers. Our current findings indicate that hexanal may be an important toxicant of the pulmonary system in epigenetic insights. MicroRNA (miRNA) is an important indicator of biomedical risk assessment and target identification.

Trends in Antiepileptic Drug Prescriptions for Childhood Epilepsy at a Tertiary Children's Hospital in Korea, 2001-2012.

Objectives: Longitudinal prescription patterns of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have not been described to date in Korea. Here we aimed to describe AED prescribing trends over a 12-year period and assess age differences in AED prescribing patterns in a pediatric epilepsy population.

Methods: We retrieved and analyzed all AED prescribing and dispensing data in 2001-2012 in patients aged 0-18 years with an established diagnosis of epilepsy at the largest tertiary children's hospital in Korea.

Economic Evaluation of Recombinant Human Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Stimulation vs. Thyroid Hormone Withdrawal Prior to Radioiodine Ablation for Thyroid Cancer: The Korean Perspective.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone (rhTSH) stimulation is an acceptable alternative to thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) when radioiodine remnant ablation is planned for thyroid cancer treatment, based on superior short-term quality of life with non-inferior remnant ablation efficacy. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of radioiodine remnant ablation using rhTSH, compared with the traditional preparation method which renders patients hypothyroid by THW, in Korean perspective.

Methods: This economic evaluation considered the costs and benefits to the Korean public healthcare system.

Altered hippocampal information coding and network synchrony in APP-PS1 mice.

β-amyloid is hypothesized to harm neural function and cognitive abilities by perturbing synaptic transmission and plasticity in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To assess the impact of this pathology on hippocampal neurons' ability to encode flexibly environmental information across learning, we performed electrophysiological recordings of CA1 hippocampal unit activity in AD transgenic mice as they acquired an action-reward association in a spatially defined environment; the behavioral task enabled the precise timing of discrete and intentional behaviors of the animal. We found that the proportion of behavioral task-sensitive cells in wild-type (WT) mice typically increased, whereas the proportion of place cells decreased with learning.

Alterations in DNA methylation corresponding with lung inflammation and as a biomarker for disease development after MWCNT exposure.

Use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is growing which increases occupational exposures to these materials. Their toxic potential makes it important to have an in-depth understanding of the inflammation and disease that develops due to exposure. Epigenetics is one area of interest that has been quickly developing to assess disease processes due to its ability to change gene expression and thus the lung environment after exposure.

Promoter Hypermethylation in White Blood Cell DNA and Breast Cancer Risk.

The role of gene-specific methylation in white blood cells (WBC) as a marker of breast cancer risk is currently unclear. We determined whether promoter hypermethylation in blood DNA of candidate tumor suppressor genes frequently methylated in breast tumors can be used as a surrogate biomarker for breast cancer risk. Promoter methylation of BRCA1, CDH1 and RARβ was analyzed in WBC DNA from a population-based sample of 1,021 breast cancer patients and 1,036 controls by the MethyLight assay.

Weight Changes in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma during Postoperative Long-Term Follow-up under Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Suppression.

Background: There are limited data about whether patients who receive initial treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) gain or lose weight during long-term follow-up under thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression. This study was aimed to evaluate whether DTC patients under TSH suppression experience long-term weight gain after initial treatment. We also examined the impact of the radioactive iodine ablation therapy (RAIT) preparation method on changes of weight, comparing thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) and recombinant human TSH (rhTSH).

Development and validation of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of plasma metanephrines for differential diagnosis of adrenal incidentaloma.

High-resolution imaging techniques have increased the detection rate of adrenal incidentaloma. We developed a method of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for detection of plasma free metanephrine (MN) and normetanephrine (NMN) and evaluated its analytical performance and clinical efficacy in differential diagnosis of adrenal incidentaloma. After solid-phase extraction, chromatographic isolation of the analytes and internal standard was achieved by column elution in the LC-MS/MS system.

The Association of LINE-1 Hypomethylation with Age and Centromere Positive Micronuclei in Human Lymphocytes.

Global hypomethylation in white blood cell (WBC) DNA has recently been proposed as a potential biomarker for determining cancer risk through genomic instability. However, the amplitude of the changes associated with age and the impacts of environmental factors on DNA methylation are unclear. In this study, we investigated the association of genomic hypomethylation with age, cigarette use, drinking status and the presence of centromere positive micronuclei (MNC+)-a biomarker for age-dependent genomic instability.

Does Zoledronate Prevent Femoral Head Collapse from Osteonecrosis? A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Multicenter Study.

Background: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head frequently leads to collapse of the necrotic portion and subsequent degenerative joint disease of the hip, which is the most common diagnosis leading to total hip arthroplasty in young adults. Bisphosphonate therapy has been reported to potentially retard the collapse. We conducted a two-year prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter study to determine whether zoledronate prevents the collapse and reduces the need for total hip arthroplasty.

Increased Risk of Leukemia After Radioactive Iodine Therapy in Patients with Thyroid Cancer: A Nationwide, Population-Based Study in Korea.

Background: The use of radioactive iodine therapy (RAIT) is increasing in thyroid cancer management. The association between RAIT at high doses and leukemia is well known, but studies of this association in a large population are lacking. This study aims to investigate the association between RAIT and leukemia in the context of current practice.

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant Korean women: the first trimester and the winter season as risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.

We investigated the vitamin D status of Korean women during pregnancy and assessed the effects of vitamin D deficiency on two pregnancy outcomes; preterm births and the births of small for gestational age. We measured the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 220 pregnant Korean women who were recruited prospectively and compared these levels with those of 500 healthy non-pregnant women. We analyzed vitamin D status according to patient demographics, season, and obstetrical characteristics; moreover, we also assessed pregnancy outcomes.

Sleep Physiology Alterations Precede Plethoric Phenotypic Changes in R6/1 Huntington's Disease Mice.

In hereditary neurodegenerative Huntington's disease (HD), there exists a growing consideration that sleep and circadian dysregulations may be important symptoms. It is not known, however, whether sleep abnormalities contribute to other behavioral deficits in HD patients and mouse models. To determine the precise chronology for sleep physiology alterations and other sensory, motor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms of HD, the same R6/1 HD transgenics and their wild-type littermates were recorded monthly for sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) together with a wide range of behavioral tests according to a longitudinal plan.

Excessive iodine intake does not increase the recurrence rate of graves' disease after withdrawal of the antithyroid drug in an iodine-replete area.

Background And Objectives: The relationship between iodine intake and effects of antithyroid drugs (ATD) for Graves' disease, especially in iodine-deficient areas, has been demonstrated in many studies. However, it was not clear how chronic high iodine intake influenced the effectiveness of ATD in an iodine-replete area. This study aimed to clarify the effect of iodine intake on clinical outcomes of Graves' disease after discontinuation of ATD in Korea, an iodine-replete area.

Improvement of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease With Carnitine-Orotate Complex in Type 2 Diabetes (CORONA): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effects of carnitine-orotate complex in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Eight hospitals in Korea participated in this randomized, controlled, double-blind trial of patients with diabetes and NAFLD. Seventy-eight patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive carnitine-orotate complex (824 mg, three times daily) or matching placebo.

Dysfunctional Dopaminergic Neurones in Mouse Models of Huntington's Disease: A Role for SK3 Channels.

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a late-onset fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the gene coding for the protein huntingtin and is characterised by progressive motor, psychiatric and cognitive decline. We previously demonstrated that normal synaptic function in HD could be restored by application of dopamine receptor agonists, suggesting that changes in the release or bioavailability of dopamine may be a contributing factor to the disease process.

Objective: In the present study, we examined the properties of midbrain dopaminergic neurones and dopamine release in presymptomatic and symptomatic transgenic HD mice.

Olfactory receptor Olfr544 responding to azelaic acid regulates glucagon secretion in α-cells of mouse pancreatic islets.

Olfactory receptors (ORs) are extensively expressed in olfactory as well as non-olfactory tissues. Although many OR transcripts are expressed in non-olfactory tissues, only a few studies demonstrate the functional role of ORs. Here, we verified that mouse pancreatic α-cells express potential OR-mediated downstream effectors.

Tat-antioxidant 1 protects against stress-induced hippocampal HT-22 cells death and attenuate ischaemic insult in animal model.

Oxidative stress-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for various neuronal diseases. Antioxidant 1 (Atox1) regulates copper homoeostasis and promotes cellular antioxidant defence against toxins generated by ROS. The roles of Atox1 protein in ischaemia, however, remain unclear.

Iodine status in healthy pregnant women in Korea: a first report.

Purpose: Proper iodine intake is important during pregnancy for both fetal neurodevelopment and maternal thyroid function. Korea is known as a high iodine intake area. However, there are no data regarding iodine status in pregnant Korean women.

The Relation Between Injury of the Spinothalamocortical Tract and Central Pain in Chronic Patients With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objectives: Little is known about the pathogenetic etiology of central pain in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We investigated the relation between injury of the spinothalamocortical tract (STT) and chronic central pain in patients with mild TBI.

Design: Retrospective survey.