Background: Ultraviolet radiation causes skin damage due to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory intermediates and direct attack of DNA of skin cells. Astaxanthin is a reddish pigment that belongs to a group of chemicals called carotenoids and has protective effects as an antioxidant. Objective: To determine the beneficial effects of astaxanthin on damaged human skin after exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Methods: Normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) were pre-treated with astaxanthin for 24 hours and exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. After 24 hours, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay measured cell viability, ROS assay and flow cytometry analysis assessed apoptosis, and western blotting was performed to determine expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Results: Astaxanthin significantly inhibited UVB-induced NHEKs cytotoxicity. Pretreatment of NHEKs with astaxanthin reduced UVB-induced ROS production. Astaxanthin caused significant inhibition of UVB-induced apoptosis, as evidenced by flow cytometry analysis and western blotting. Conclusion These results suggest that astaxanthine has a beneficial effect of reducing damage caused by UVB by effectively inhibiting cell death and reducing ROS production in keratinocytes.

Background: Hot springs have been traditionally used as an alternative treatment for a wide range of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, diabetes, hypertension, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. However, the clinical effects and therapeutic mechanisms associated with hot springs remain poorly defined. Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the different effects of hot springs on cellular viability and secretion of inflammatory cytokines on keratinocyte in two geographically representative types of hot springs: NaHCO3 -type and NaCl-type, which are the most common types in South Korea. Methods: We performed WST-1, BrdU measurements, human inflammatory cytokine arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in HaCaT cells stimulated with toll-like receptor 3 by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid. Results: The interaction effects of cell viability and cell proliferation were not significantly different regardless of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation and cultured hot springs type. Cytokine array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed increased expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation, with expression levels differing according to hot springs hydrochemical composition. Cytokine reduction was not significant. Conclusion The effects and mechanisms of hot springs treatment in keratinocytes were partially elucidated.

Background: Hot springs have been traditionally used as an alternative treatment for a wide range of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, diabetes, hypertension, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. However, the clinical effects and therapeutic mechanisms associated with hot springs remain poorly defined. Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the different effects of hot springs on cellular viability and secretion of inflammatory cytokines on keratinocyte in two geographically representative types of hot springs: NaHCO3 -type and NaCl-type, which are the most common types in South Korea. Methods: We performed WST-1, BrdU measurements, human inflammatory cytokine arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in HaCaT cells stimulated with toll-like receptor 3 by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid. Results: The interaction effects of cell viability and cell proliferation were not significantly different regardless of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation and cultured hot springs type. Cytokine array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed increased expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation, with expression levels differing according to hot springs hydrochemical composition. Cytokine reduction was not significant. Conclusion The effects and mechanisms of hot springs treatment in keratinocytes were partially elucidated.

The authors of the present study report the prenatal detection of a chromosomal abnormality with additional satellites on the distal short arm of chromosome 8. A 35-year-old woman was referred for amniocentesis because of her advanced maternal age and positive result for maternal serum screening test. Cytogenetic analysis of cultured amniocytes showed a satellite 8p chromosome. The satellite 8p chromosome was positive for nucleolus organizer region (NOR) staining. The parents' karyotypes were normal. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study for metaphases of fetal amniocytes revealed a cryptic translocation of chromosomes 8p and 22p. The fetal karyotype was described as 46,XY,8ps.ish t(8;22)(p23.3;p11.2) (D8S504-;D8S504+)dn. The parents decided to continue the pregnancy and a phenotypically normal boy was born at 38 weeks of gestation. In case of de novo terminal NORs detected prenatally, more accurate cytogenetic and molecular analysis should be performed in order to rule out cryptic chromosomal rearrangement among other chromosomes.
Adult ; Amniocentesis ; Arm ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics ; Female ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Karyotype ; Mass Screening ; Maternal Age ; Metaphase ; Nucleolus Organizer Region ; Parents ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a widely consumed vegetable, but rarely causes allergic reactions. Spinach contains plenty of histamine derivatives, so it is sometimes difficult to distinguish food allergy from pharmacologic effect of histamine itself in susceptible individuals. Latex exhibits strong cross reactivity with proteins from different fruits, vegetables, and grains, which is called as latex fruit syndrome. A 27 year old female visited emergency room with hives, facial swelling, dyspnea and palpitation immediately after meal. She had been suffering from latex allergy and had experienced an episode of anaphylaxis after eating eggplant 5 months earlier. Skin prick test with spinach extract was positive. Specific IgE to spinach antigens was detected by ELISA. ELISA inhibition test revealed that there is cross reactivity between latex and spinach. Two IgE binding components were detected between 22kD and 36kD, and another two between 16kD and 22kD on IgE-immunoblot analysis.
Adult ; Anaphylaxis ; Edible Grain ; Dyspnea ; Eating ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit* ; Histamine ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Latex Hypersensitivity ; Latex* ; Meals ; Skin ; Solanum melongena* ; Spinacia oleracea* ; Urticaria ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold in tube (QFT-IT) assays have been studied primarily for the use of diagnosing active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or latent TB. The clinical usefulness of these assays for the detection of active extrapulmonary (EP) TB has not been fully defined. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of these two interferon-gamma assays for EP-TB. METHODS: From June 2007 to August 2010, we evaluated the usefulness of QFT-G (n = 56) and QFT-IT (n = 48) in patients (n = 104) with suspected EP-TB. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, postive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of QFT-G and QFT-IT, and the cut-off value of QFT-IT were analyzed. RESULTS: EP-TB was diagnosed in 55 (53%) patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the QFT-IT assay were 96%, 42%, 62%, and 91%, respectively, and those of the QFT-G test were 81%, 52%, 68%, and 68%, respectively. In subgroup analyses according to infection site, the sensitivity and NPV of QFT-IT were higher than those of QFT-G. Analysis confirmed that the manufacturer's recommended test cut-off value fell within our cut-off value range (0.30-0.45 IU/mL; 95.8% sensitivity, 41.7% specificity). CONCLUSIONS: The QFT-IT assay showed superior sensitivity and NPV, and equivalent specificity, as comparison with the QFT-G test for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The logistic benefits of the QFT-IT test format should facilitate the diagnosis of EP-TB.
Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; Lymphadenitis ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spondylitis ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND: Although the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis has progressively decreased all over the world, drug-resistant tuberculosis is major obstacle in treating tuberculosis. This study was performed to examine the current prevalence and risk factors of drug resistant tuberculosis in a single tertiary hospital in Busan, Korea. METHODS: We enrolled 367 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis on a retrospective basis who had undergone mycobacterium culture and drug sensitivity tests between January 2005 and December 2009. We analyzed all clinical and radiographic parameters to find predictors related to drug resistant tuberculosis. RESULTS: At least one incident of drug resistance was found in 75 (20.4%) patients. Isoniazid (18.8%) was the most frequent resistant drug, followed by rifampin (10.9%), ethambutol (7.1%), streptomycin (4.9%), and fluoroquinolone (2.7%). Resistance to second-line drugs was found in 37 (10.1%) patients. Multidrug resistance and extensively drug resistance was evident in 39 (10.6%) and 4 (1.1%) patients, respectively. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, history of previous treatment including relapse (odd ratio [OR], 11.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.92~26.08; p<0.01), treatment failure (OR, 24.1; 95% CI, 5.65~102.79; p<0.01) and an age of below 46 years-old (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.62~8.65; p<0.01) were found to be independent predictors of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: We found that the prevalence of drug resistant tuberculosis was considerably high. A careful consideration for possible drug resistant tuberculosis is warranted in patients with a history of previous treatment or for younger patients.
Drug Resistance ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Ethambutol ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Logistic Models ; Mycobacterium ; Prevalence ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Rifampin ; Risk Factors ; Streptomycin ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Treatment Failure ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND: The proper use of inhaler drugs is critical in the management of chronic asthma. In this study, we investigated the inhalation performance of asthmatic patients and effectiveness of the regular education of inhalation technique. METHODS: The 145 asthmatic patients who had been educated the inhaler technique for more than 3 times were enrolled. The inhalation performance of each patient was scored using a checklist form (9 items for metered dose inhaler [MDI], 4 items for dry powder inhaler [DPI]) whenever they visited the clinic. Clinical characteristics affecting inhalation performance were evaluated in the groups using each type of inhaler. RESULT: In MDI, the mean initial performance score was significantly low when the patients were female sex, aged patients (>65 years old), or had lower educational backgrounds. Some items of the checklist, which include tilting head back, placing the mouthpiece with a distance from lips, continuing deep inspiration, and holding breath after inhalation for 10 seconds, were improperly performed in about 25% of the MDI users. No significant change was observed in the final performance scores assessed after intensive repeated education for proper inhalation technique of MDI. In DPI, the mean initial performance score was significantly low in the patients with old age (>65 years old) or lower educational backgrounds. The final performance scores were significantly improved after the repeated education for proper use of DPI inhalation in contrast to MDI. CONCLUSION: For the effective management of asthma, it may be important to choose proper type of inhaler with consideration of individual characteristics of the patients. The evaluation of inhalation performance and regular education of inhalation technique could be useful to maintain and improve the effective use of inhaler, especially in DPI.
Asthma* ; Checklist ; Dry Powder Inhalers ; Education ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Inhalation* ; Lip ; Metered Dose Inhalers ; Nebulizers and Vaporizers

Garlic(Allium sativum) is recognized as a sensitizing agent responsible for allergic contact dermatitis with food handlers and housewives. Lymphomatoid contact dermatitis, which is a type of allergic contact dermatitis, shows similar histologic features to Mycosis Fungoides. We report a 66-year-old male, who had applied garlic extract to both lower extremities and the trunk for 8 months for relieving his symptoms of arthralgia and generalized pruritis. He had complained of variable sized multiple erythematous pruritic papules on both lower extremities and the trunk and lymphadenopathy of both inguinal and axillary area. Skin biopsy was performed and the histological exam presented microscopically abnormal lymphocyte infiltration in the upper dermis. T-cell marker studies revealed strong CD3 positivity and increased CD4/CD8 ratio. The results of PCR-heteroduplex analysis showed negative for T-cell receptor- gene rearrangement and abscence of T-cell monoclonality. We could diagnose his skin lesion and generalized lymphadenopathy as lymphomatoid contact dermatitis which represented as a T-cell pseudolymphoma histologically. He was treated with local steroid injection and phototherapy and the skin lesion were improved without recurrence.
Aged ; Arthralgia ; Biopsy ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Dermis ; Garlic* ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Mycosis Fungoides ; Phototherapy ; Pruritus ; Pseudolymphoma ; Recurrence ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes

Hyperthyroidism is diagnosed when a patient is presented with typical symptoms, such as weight loss, palpitation, and hand tremor. However, early diagnosis is difficult in elders, because they have no typical symptoms, but only cardiovascular or muscular symptoms. In hyperthyroidism, there are often with neurologic changes, leading to various neurologic symptoms. Generalized or focal seizures are rarely reported in thyrotoxicosis and thyrotoxic crisis. Further, cases of hyperthyroidism presented as generalized seizure attack are extremely rare. We report a case of hyperthyroidism. A patient is presented at the hospital with mental change, as well as generalized seizure, who was finally diagnosed to have Graves' disease. A 56-year-old male was admitted to the hospital because of mental change with generalized seizure attack. Initial neurologic evaluations, including a brain magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalogram proved to be normal. But, thyroid function test showed abnormal results. We diagnosed him as Graves' disease and prescribed anti-thyroid drug. Thereafter, there has been no recurrence of neurologic symptoms for 12 months.
Brain ; Early Diagnosis ; Electroencephalography ; Graves Disease ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Recurrence ; Seizures ; Thyroid Crisis ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyrotoxicosis ; Tremor ; Weight Loss