Objective To investigate the change of (NZB?NZW) F1 mice (BWF1) with ? 2 microglobulin deficiency and explore the role of ? 2 microglobulin in murine lupus.Methods ? 2 microglobulin knockout BWF1 mice were made according to the reference.The IgG type anti phospholipid antibodies.IgG type and anti dsDNA antibodies,rheumatoid factor,IgG and IgG3 were detected using ELISA.The survival rate,autoantibodies,IgG and IgG3 were compared between knockout mice (? 2m -/- ),wild type mice (? 2m +/+ ) and heterozygous mice (? 2m +/- ).Results ? 2m deficiency did not affect the survival rate of BWF1 mice.But the mortality of male BWF1 mice was lower than that of famale BWF1 mice.Antiphospholipid antibodies in ? 2m -/- BWF1 mice were lower than the wild type group and heterozygous group at month 4.Anti dsDNA antibodies had no difference between the three groups.RF was lower in ? 2m -/- BWF1 mice than ? 2m +/- and ? 2m +/+ BWF1 mice at month 4 and then elevated.At month 9 was higher than ? 2m +/- and ? 2m +/+ BWF1 mice significantly.As for the IgG,it was lower in ? 2m -/- BWF1 group than in ? 2m +/- and ? 2m +/+ BWF1 mice at months 4 and 6,and had no differnce between three groups.It minght be due to the severe proteinuria,ascites and hypoproteinemia.IgG3 was lower in ? 2m -/- BWF1 mice than in other groups,which only occur at month 6.Conclusion ? 2m knockout affects the murine lupus BWF1 in many ways,but not the survival rate.It affects the generation of autoantibodies mainly the antiphospholipid antibodies and RF.? 2m deficiency affects the function of neonatal FcR and results in IgG decreased because of difficult absorbent of IgG from gut and increased catabolism.

A granular cell tumor (GCT) is an uncommon mesenchymal lesion that rarely occurs in the colon and the rectum. We describe the case of 51-year-old man with a 2-cm-sized rectal GCT 10 cm above the anal verge that was incidentally detected after a screening colonoscopy. Preoperative radiologic studies demonstrated a suspicious submucosal rectal mass with mesorectal fat infiltration, but without circumferential resection margin threatening, extramural vessel invasion, and regional lymph-node enlargement. The tumor was resected by using a transanal endoscopic operation (TEO) without immediate postoperative complications. The final pathology revealed that the tumor consisted of a GCT that had invaded the subserosa with clear margins. It had no other risk factors for malignancy according to Fanburg-Smith criteria. We systematically reviewed the English literature by using PubMed and Google Scholar. This report may be the first documented case in the literature to describe a TEO for a GCT that had invaded the subserosa in the rectum.
Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Granular Cell Tumor* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Pathology ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectum* ; Risk Factors

Background: Few studies have investigated unspecified or idiopathic pain associated with COIVD-19. This study aimed to provide the incidence rates of unspecified pain and idiopathic pain in patients with COVID-19 for 90 days after COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods: A propensity score matched cohort was used, including all patients with COVID-19 in South Korea, and analyzed their electronic medical records. The control group consisted of those who had not had tests for COVID-19 at all. Unspecified pain diagnoses consisted of diagnoses related to pain included in the ICD-10 Chapter XVIII. Idiopathic pain disorders included fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorders, headaches, chronic prostatitis, complex regional pain syndrome, atypical facial pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. Results: After matching, the number of participants in each group was 7,911. For most unspecified pain, the incidences were higher in the COVID-19 group (11.7%;95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0–12.5) than in the control group (6.5%; 95% CI, 6.0–7.1). For idiopathic pain, only the headaches had a significantly higher in-cidence in the COVID-19 group (6.6%; 95% CI, 6.1–7.2) than in the control group (3.7%; 95% CI, 3.3–4.1). However, using a different control group that included only patients who visited a hospital at least once for any reasons, the incidences of most unspecified and idiopathic pain were higher in the control group than in the COVID-19 group. Conclusions Patients with COVID-19 might be at a higher risk of experiencing unspecified pain in the acute phase or after recovery compared with individuals who had not had tests for COVID-19.

PURPOSE: To develop a patient self-completed questionnaire from the items of the Brief Core Set Questionnaire for Breast Cancer (BCSQ-BC) and to investigate the prevalence of specific dysfunctions throughout the course of cancer and treatments. METHODS: From January 2010 to February 2011, 96 breast cancer patients were evaluated with BCSQ-BC developed for clinical application of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Quality of life and upper limb dysfunction using disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) were assessed. Content validity was evaluated using correlations between BCSQ-BC and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ and DASH scores. Construct validity was computed using exploratory factor analysis. Kappa statistics were computed for agreement between test-retest ICF data. The level of significance and odds ratios were reported for individuals with early post-acute and long-term context and with total mastectomy and breast conservative surgery. RESULTS: There was consistently good test-retest agreement in patient-completed questionnaires (kappa value, 0.76). Body function, activity and participation subscales are significantly related with EORTC QLQ and DASH. Problems with activity and participation were strongly associated with physical functional domains of EORTC QLQ (r=-0.708, p<0.001) and DASH (r=0.761, p<0.001). The prevalence of dysfunctions varied with type of surgery and time after cancer. Immobility of joint (15% vs. 7%) and lymphatic dysfunction (17% vs. 3%) were indexed more frequently in extensive surgery cases than in conservative surgery. Muscle power (16% vs. 8%), exercise tolerance functions (12% vs. 4%) and looking after one's health (10% vs. 2%) were impaired within 1 year after surgery, while sleep dysfunction (8% vs. 14%) was a major problem over 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSION: The BCSQ-BC identifies the problems comprehensively in functioning of patients with breast cancer. We revealed the interaction with the ICF framework adopting a multifactor understanding of function and disability.
Arm ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Exercise Tolerance ; Hand ; Humans ; Joints ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Muscles ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Shoulder ; Survivors ; Upper Extremity ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To develop a patient self-completed questionnaire from the items of the Brief Core Set Questionnaire for Breast Cancer (BCSQ-BC) and to investigate the prevalence of specific dysfunctions throughout the course of cancer and treatments. METHODS: From January 2010 to February 2011, 96 breast cancer patients were evaluated with BCSQ-BC developed for clinical application of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Quality of life and upper limb dysfunction using disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) were assessed. Content validity was evaluated using correlations between BCSQ-BC and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ and DASH scores. Construct validity was computed using exploratory factor analysis. Kappa statistics were computed for agreement between test-retest ICF data. The level of significance and odds ratios were reported for individuals with early post-acute and long-term context and with total mastectomy and breast conservative surgery. RESULTS: There was consistently good test-retest agreement in patient-completed questionnaires (kappa value, 0.76). Body function, activity and participation subscales are significantly related with EORTC QLQ and DASH. Problems with activity and participation were strongly associated with physical functional domains of EORTC QLQ (r=-0.708, p<0.001) and DASH (r=0.761, p<0.001). The prevalence of dysfunctions varied with type of surgery and time after cancer. Immobility of joint (15% vs. 7%) and lymphatic dysfunction (17% vs. 3%) were indexed more frequently in extensive surgery cases than in conservative surgery. Muscle power (16% vs. 8%), exercise tolerance functions (12% vs. 4%) and looking after one's health (10% vs. 2%) were impaired within 1 year after surgery, while sleep dysfunction (8% vs. 14%) was a major problem over 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSION: The BCSQ-BC identifies the problems comprehensively in functioning of patients with breast cancer. We revealed the interaction with the ICF framework adopting a multifactor understanding of function and disability.
Arm ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Exercise Tolerance ; Hand ; Humans ; Joints ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Muscles ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Shoulder ; Survivors ; Upper Extremity ; Surveys and Questionnaires

There are numerous studies about the transformation of renal pathology during lupus nephritis progression. A number of researchers suggest that patients with previous proliferative glomerulonephritis may not need to repeat renal biopsy in relation to treatment strategies. However, the pathology of renal biopsy could offer important information to clinicians about the progression of disease. Here, we report a rare case of the convertion of ISN/RPS classification from a proliferative lesion to a wholly non-proliferative lesion. A 40-year-old female was admitted complaining of generalized edema for 1 month. At the age of 33 she had been diagnosed as SLE with proliferative lupus nephritis. The renal remission was induced with corticosteroid pulse therapy and 12 cycles of intravenous cyclophosphamide treatment. The repeated renal biopsy revealed class V lupus nephritis compared with referential biopsy of class IV-G. A better prognosis is expected with lower activity and a lower chronicity index. Repeat renal biopsy may give useful information relating to the prognosis of nephritis.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Edema ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Lupus Nephritis ; Nephritis ; Prognosis

Chitosan, hydroxycitrate and L-carnitine have been known to be antiobesity components. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of chitosan, hydroxycitrate and L-carnitine mixture as a potential antiobesity supplement in overweight women. Pre-menopausal healthy females who were overweight (percent ideal body weight >110) were included in this study. Forty-nine subjects randomly received a placebo (n=25) or antiobesity-supplement (n=24), which was a mixture of chitosan, hydroxycitrate, and L-carnitine. Before and after the eight-week experimental period, anthropometric parameters, blood components and computerized tomography were measured. At baseline, the two groups were well matched in terms of age, body mass index and lipid profile. After the eight weeks of potential antiobesity supplementation, the subjects' body fat percent had decreased significantly (p<0.001) by 5.6% (39.1+/-1 vs 36.9+/-1%) while lean body mass increased (p<0.01). Vsceral fat area at the L4 vertebra decreased significantly (p<0.01) by 8.6% in the supplemented group and the total fat area at the L4 vertebra showed a tendency to decrease (p=0.051) by 2.4%. Also, in the group given the antiobesity-supplement rather than the placebo, the fasting triglyceride level decreased significantly (p<0.05) by 10.0%. In addition, serum total cholesterol levels in the antiobesity-supplement group showed a tendency to decrease (p=0.159) by 2.7% (194+/-6 vs 189+/-6 mg/dl). No side effects were found in either group during the intervention. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that taking a mixture of chitosan, hydroxycitrate, and L-carnitine as a potential antiobesity supplement for eight weeks produced advantageous changes in the weight and visceral fat accumulation of overweight women without any side effects.
Adipose Tissue ; Body Mass Index ; Carnitine ; Chitosan ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Intra-Abdominal Fat* ; Overweight* ; Spine ; Triglycerides ; Weight Loss*

PURPOSE: A high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is reported for HIV-infected individuals. While a link between abacavir and CVD risk is suggested, an association between abacavir and hypertension remains unclear. This study evaluated hypertension risk with abacavir use in comparison to non-abacavir antiretroviral treatment (ART). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From a nationwide cohort of HIV-infected individuals on their initial ART, 6493 who were free of hypertension at baseline were analyzed. The use of ART was treated as a time-varying covariate measured as a daily unit. Incidence rate of hypertension was calculated, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of incident hypertension overall and among subgroups. RESULTS: From the 6493 participants, 24072 person-years (PY) of follow-up were contributed during 2008–2016. The incidence rates of hypertension were 4.6 and 3.6 per 100 PY for abacavir and non-abacavir ART users, respectively. The population attributable fraction of abacavir use on hypertension was 12%. Abacavir exposure did not elevate the risk of hypertension among overall study population [HR, 1.2 (95% CI, 1.0–1.4), p=0.061]. However, those with poor ART adherence, defined as a medication possession ratio < 50% [HR, 1.9 (95% CI, 1.5–2.4), p < 0.0001] or requiring prophylactic antibiotics [HR, 1.2 (95% CI, 1.0–1.3), p=0.023], were at risk of hypertension induced by abacavir, as were men, individuals aged ≥40 years, and patients visiting tertiary hospitals in urban areas. CONCLUSION: When present, poor ART adherence, requiring prophylactic antibiotics, male sex, and older age may warrant additional concern for hypertension in patients treated with abacavir.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cohort Studies* ; Epidemiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; HIV ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Incidence ; Male ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Tertiary Care Centers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting communication ability of nursing students.METHODS: The participants were 140 students in nursing college at the G city. The data were collected using online-questionnaires from July 4 to July 10 2018 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis with SPSS 20.0 program.RESULTS: The results show that communication ability was statistically significant according to self-awareness, other-awareness, empathy. Multiple regression analysis found that the factors influencing communication ability of nursing students were empathy(β=.540), self-awareness(β=.429), other-awareness(β=.375). These variable factors explained community ability as 46.3%.CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that empathy, self-awareness, other-awareness are significant factors of communication ability of nursing students. Therefore, strategies to improve communication ability of nursing students should be developed with consideration for empathy, self-awareness, other-awareness.
Communication ; Empathy ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Nursing ; Residence Characteristics ; Students, Nursing

The human papillomavirus (HPV)-18 E7 (E7) oncoprotein is a major transforming protein that is thought to be involved in the development of cervical cancer. It is well-known that E7 stimulates tumour development by inactivating pRb. However, this alone cannot explain the various characteristics acquired by HPV infection. Therefore, we examined other molecules that could help explain the acquired cancer properties during E7-induced cancer development. Using the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) method, we found that the Elk-1 factor, which is crucial for cell proliferation, invasion, cell survival, anti-apoptotic activity, and cancer development, binds to the E7. By determining which part of E7 binds to which domain of Elk-1 using the Y2H method, it was found that CR2 and CR3 of the E7 and parts 1–206, including the ETS-DNA domain of Elk-1, interact with each other. As a result of their interaction, the transcriptional activity of Elk-1 was increased, thereby increasing the expression of target genes EGR-1, c-fos, and E2F. Additionally, the colony forming assay revealed that overexpression of Elk-1 and E7 promotes C33A cell proliferation. We expect that the discovery of a novel E7 function as an Elk-1 activator could help explain whether the E7 has novel oncogenic activities in addition to p53 inactivation. We also expect that it will offer new methods for developing improved strategies for cervical cancer treatment.