OBJECTIVES: Controversial arguments exists on both the case for and against on the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletion in association to tissue and age. The debate continues as to whether this mutation is a major contributor to the phenotypic expression of aging and common degenerative diseases or simply a clinical insignificant epiphenomenon. The objective of this study was to determine whether the accumulation of mtDNA deletion is correlated with age-related and tissue-specific variation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty-seven tissues from blood, ovary, uterine muscle, and abdominal muscle were obtained from patients ranging in age from 31~60 years. After reviewing the clinical reports, patients with mitochondrial disorder were excluded from this study. The tissues were obtained at gynecological surgeries with the consent of the patient. Total DNA isolated from blood, ovary, uterine muscle, and abdominal muscle was amplified by two rounds of PCR using two pairs of primers corresponding to positions 8225-8247 (sense), 13551-13574 (antisense) for the area around deleted mtDNA and 8421-8440 (sense), 13520-13501 (antisense) for nested PCR product. A statistical analysis was performed by c2-test. RESULTS: About 0% of blood, 94.8% of ovary, 71.4% of uterine muscle, and 86.1% abdominal muscle harbored mtDNA deletion. When we examined the proportion of deleted mtDNA according to age deletion rate was 90% of ovary, 63.6% of uterine muscle, 77.7% of abdominal muscle in thirties and 100% of all tissue in fifties. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that the mtDNA deletion is varied in tissue-specific pattern and increases with aging.
Abdominal Muscles ; Aging ; Animals ; DNA ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Humans ; Mice ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Myometrium ; Ovary ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy(AFLP) is rare, potentially fatal disorder developing in the third trimester of pregnancy. It is characterized by nausea, vomiting, jaundice and malaise. Initially the disease is often mistaken for preeclampsia, HELLP(hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low blood platelet count)syndrome, fulminant hepatitis and cholestasis of pregnancy. But acute fatty liver of pregnancy has clinical manifestations, biochemical findings and complications clearly distinguished of HELLP syndrome, fulminant hepatitis and cholestasis of pregnancy. We report a case of pregnancy complicated with fatty liver with brief review of the common causes of acute hepatic failure associated with pregnancy.
Blood Platelets ; Cholestasis ; Fatty Liver* ; Female ; HELLP Syndrome ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Liver ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Nausea ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy* ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: Prevalence of food allergy and perceptions on food allergen labeling in school foodservice among elementary, middle, and high school students were investigated in Korea. METHODS: A total of 1,000 elementary, middle, and high schools were selected in 16 cities and provinces of Korea and students attending the schools were surveyed using a questionnaire modified from the Korean International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire in July 2012. Responses from 27,679 students were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The ratio of the students who had experienced food allergy was 12.6%; 7.6% of the responding students had food allergy reactions last 12 months and 6.8% of the students had been diagnosed for food allergy by doctors. Eggs, milk, peach, and crabs were the most frequent allergenic foods for the elementary school 1st graders, 5th graders, middle, and high school students, respectively, who had experienced food allergy last 12 months. The students with food allergy read menus more frequently and were more interest in food allergen labeling in school foodservice than their counterparts. Both of the student groups with and without food allergy perceived food allergen labeling important for the students with food allergy and their parents. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of food allergy and major allergenic foods varied by school years. The Korean students had positive perception on allergic food labeling in school foodservice. An effective food allergen labeling system for school foodservice should be developed and implemented that reflects prevalence, symptoms, and food allergens among Korean students.
Allergens ; Asthma ; Eggs ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Food Labeling ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Milk ; Ovum ; Prevalence ; Prunus persica ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Mice deficient in the toll-like receptor (TLR) or the myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) are resistant to acute liver failure (ALF) with sudden death of hepatocytes. Chalcone derivatives from medicinal plants protect from hepatic damages including ALF, but their mechanisms remain to be clarified. Here, we focused on molecular basis of piperidylmethyloxychalcone (PMOC) in the treatment of TLR/MyD88-associated ALF. C57BL/6J mice were sensitized with D-galactosamine (GalN) and challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS, TLR4 agonist) or oligodeoxynucleotide containing unmethylated CpG motif (CpG ODN, TLR9 agonist) for induction of ALF. Post treatment with PMOC sequentially ameliorated hepatic inflammation, apoptosis of hepatocytes, severe liver injury and shock-mediated death in ALF-induced mice. As a mechanism, PMOC inhibited the catalytic activity of TGF-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) in a competitive manner with respect to ATP, displaced fluorescent ATP probe from the complex with TAK1, and docked at the ATP-binding active site on the crystal structure of TAK1. Moreover, PMOC inhibited TAK1 auto-phosphorylation, which is an axis in the activating pathways of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) or activating protein 1 (AP1), in the liver with ALF in vivo or in primary liver cells stimulated with TLR agonists in vitro. PMOC consequently suppressed TAK1-inducible NF-κB or AP1 activity in the inflammatory injury, an early pathogenesis leading to ALF. The results suggested that PMOC could contribute to the treatment of TLR/MyD88-associated ALF with the ATP-binding site of TAK1 as a potential therapeutic target.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Catalytic Domain ; Chalcone ; Death, Sudden ; Escherichia coli ; Hepatocytes ; In Vitro Techniques ; Inflammation ; Liver ; Liver Failure, Acute* ; Mice ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 ; Phosphotransferases ; Plants, Medicinal ; Toll-Like Receptors

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with various manifestations, while its autoantibodies and immune reactions involve multiple organs. Neuropsychiatric involvement in SLE is known to be common, however, peripheral neuropathy is relatively rare. Guillain-Barre syndrome is clinically defined as an acute demyelinating peripheral neuropathy causing weakness and numbness in the legs and arms. We describe a case of Guillain-Barre syndrome with antiphospholipid syndrome and lupus nephritis. The patient was admitted with fever and diarrhea. He developed progressive weakness of the upper and lower extremities and dysarthria with characteristic nerve conduction patterns compatible with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He also had proteinuria and gangrene of the hand and toe with antiphospholipid antibody. He received intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis for progressive neuropathy, intravenous high dose steroid to control activity of SLE, and anticoagulation for antiphospholipid syndrome. Neuropsychiatric manifestation of SLE is related to lupus activity closely, so it is important to control lupus activity.
Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Arm ; Autoantibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Diarrhea ; Dysarthria ; Fever ; Gangrene ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Immunoglobulins ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis ; Neural Conduction ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Plasmapheresis ; Proteinuria ; Toes

BACKGROUND: Henoch-Shnlein purpura is a systemic disease and has characteristic features of purpuric skin rash, abdominal pain, arthralgia and abnormal urinary findings and characterized by immunoglobulin A deposits in the involved organ. Renal involvement is the most important prognostic factor in Henoch-Shnlein purpura. METHODS: I retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 48 patients with Henoch-Shoenlein purpura and 10 biopsy-proven Henoch-Schoenlein nephritis examined at Pusan National University Hospital. RESULTS: 23 cases were males and 25 cases females. Male to female ratio was 1:1.08. The peak of seasonal incidence was seen in spring (41.7%) and winter (27.1%) At presentation, skin purpura was present in 100% of patients, arthralgia was reported in 52.1% and gastrointestinal involvement in 70.8%. 75% of the patients showed renal involvement and pulmonary hemorrhage observed in 2 cases. Common types of skin rash were petechiae, purpura and erythematous maculopapular lesion on the lower extremities. The most common gastrointestinal symptom was abdominal pain (82.3%). Frequently involved joints were knee and ankle (48.0%). Renal involvement were microscopic hematuria (50.0%), proteinuria (50.0%), gross hematuria (29.2%). 25% of patients reached renal insufficiency (GFR<70 mL/min) and 4 cases (8.3%) reached acute renal failure (GFR<30 mL/min and anuria) and 3 patients of them experienced hemodialysis. All renal biopsies showed predominant IgA mesangial deposition. There were 2 cases of grade II, 6 cases of grade III and 2 cases of grade IV by classification of Meadow. Steroids were given in 16 patients (33.3%). Methylprednisolone pulse treatements were given in 4 patients for severe nephritis. 10 patients received angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. Clinical remission of extrarenal symptoms was achieved in 83.3% but relapses of purpura were observed in 27.1%. Clinical remissions of nephritis defined as the absence of proteinuria, hematuria and normal renal function was achieved in only 8.3%, Abnormal urinary finding continued in 37.8%. 8.3% of patients expired. CONCLUSION: Although it has been well known that Henoch-Shnlein purpura has benign courses, we experienced 4 case of deaths and The cause of death was acute renal faliure, pulmonary hemorrhage, adult respiratory distress syndrome, massive gastrointestinal bleeding, peritonitis due to bowel perforation.
Abdominal Pain ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult* ; Ankle ; Arthralgia ; Biopsy ; Busan ; Cause of Death ; Classification ; Exanthema ; Female ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Incidence ; Joints ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; Nephritis ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Peritonitis ; Proteinuria ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch* ; Recurrence ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Skin ; Steroids

Primary malignant melanoma of the vagina is a very rare disease with incidence of 0.026 per 100,000 women. The opinion of several types of treatment is suggested but the prognosis is extremely poor. Although malignant melanoma is generally regarded as a radioresistant tumor, recent reports show that definitive irradiation with high-dose fractionation regimen demonstrates high response rates in primary and metastatic lesions. A case of primary malignant melanoma of the vagina which was treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy is presented with a brief review of concerned literature.
Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Melanoma* ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Vagina

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of customer experience management on nursing service satisfaction of cancer patients and their intent to revisit the hospital and also to identify empathy ability of oncology nurses. METHODS: Participants were 376 cancer patients and 190 oncology nurses from a tertiary hospital in Korea. Cancer patients' satisfaction with nursing care and intent to continue using the hospital were measured and empathy of oncology nurses was measured using Empathy Construct Rating Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ² test, t-test, one-way ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Patient satisfaction with nursing care and intent to continue using the hospital were higher in patients who received the customer experience management program than those who did not. Oncology nurses' ability to empathize was high. Clinical career, participate in customer experience management and education level together explained 20% of variance in empathy ability of oncology nurses. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study confirm that customer experience management affects patient satisfaction with nursing service and intent to continue using the hospital. Further research is necessary to reaffirm the empathy ability of the oncology nurses and to identify the related various factors.
Education ; Empathy ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Services ; Patient Satisfaction ; Tertiary Care Centers

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the roots of Asarum sieboldii led to the isolation of the six compounds methylkakuol (1), sesamin (2), asarinin (3), xanthoxylol (4), and (2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z)-N-(2-methylpropyl) dodeca-2,4,8,10-tetraenamide (5/6). Among the isolates, xanthoxylol (4) exhibited significant cytotoxicity against human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in vitro with IC₅₀ values of 9.15 and 13.95 µM, respectively.
Asarum ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques

Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplification or sensitive muta-tions initially respond to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, however, the treatment becomes less effective over time by resis-tance mechanism including mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) overexpression. A therapeutic strategy targeting MET and EGFR may be a means to overcoming resistance to gefitinib. In the present study, we found that picropodophyllotoxin (PPT), derived from the roots of Podophyllum hexandrum, inhibited both EGFR and MET in NSCLC cells. The antitumor efficacy of PPT in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells (HCC827GR), was confirmed by suppression of cell proliferation and anchorage-independent colony growth. In the targeting of EGFR and MET, PPT bound with EGFR and MET, ex vivo, and blocked both kinases activity. The binding sites between PPT and EGFR or MET in the computational docking model were predicted at Gly772/Met769 and Arg1086/Tyr1230 of each ATP-binding pocket, respectively. PPT treatment of HCC827GR cells increased the number of annexin V-positive and subG1 cells. PPT also caused G2/M cell-cycle arrest together with related protein regulation. The inhibition of EGFR and MET by PPT treatment led to decreases in the phosphorylation of the downstream-proteins, AKT and ERK. In addition, PPT induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and GRP78, CHOP, DR5, and DR4 expression, mitochondrial dysfunc-tion, and regulated involving signal-proteins. Taken together, PPT alleviated gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cell growth and induced apoptosis by reducing EGFR and MET activity. Therefore, our results suggest that PPT can be a promising therapeutic agent for gefitinib-resistant NSCLC.