PURPOSE: We sought to develop a matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF)-based, ovarian cancer (OVC), low-mass-ion discriminant equation (LOME) and to evaluate a possible supportive role for triple-TOF mass analysis in identifying metabolic biomarkers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 114 serum samples from patients with OVC and benign ovarian tumors were subjected to MALDI-TOF analysis and a total of 137 serum samples from healthy female individuals and patients with OVC, colorectal cancer, hepatobiliary cancer, and pancreatic cancer were subjected to triple-TOF analysis. An OVC LOME was constructed by reference to the peak intensity ratios of discriminatory low-mass ion (LMI) pairs. Triple-TOF analysiswas used to select and identify metabolic biomarkers for OVC screening. RESULTS: Three OVC LOMEs were finally constructed using discriminatory LMI pairs (137.1690 and 84.4119 m/z; 496.5022 and 709.7642 m/z; and 524.5614 and 709.7642 m/z); all afforded accuracies of > 90%. The LMIs at 496.5022 m/z and 524.5614 m/z were those of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 16:0 and LPC 18:0. Triple-TOF analysis selected seven discriminative LMIs; each LMI had a specificity > 90%. Of the seven LMIs, fourwith a 137.0455 m/z ion atretention times of 2.04-3.14 minuteswere upregulated in sera from OVC patients; the ion was identified as that derived from hypoxanthine. CONCLUSION: MALDI-TOF–based OVC LOMEs combined with triple-TOF–based OVC metabolic biomarkers allow reliable OVC screening; the techniques are mutually complementary both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Biomarkers ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoxanthine ; Lysophosphatidylcholines ; Mass Screening ; Mass Spectrometry* ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Sensitivity and Specificity

(E)-3-Phenyl-1-(2-pyrrolyl)-2-propenone (PPP) is a pyrrole derivative of chalcone, in which the B-ring of chalcone linked to β-carbon is replaced by pyrrole group. While pyrrole has been studied for possible Src inhibition activity, chalcone, especially the substituents on the B-ring, has shown pharmaceutical, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties via inhibition of NF-κB activity. Our study is aimed to investigate whether this novel synthetic compound retains or enhances the pharmaceutically beneficial activities from the both structures. For this purpose, inflammatory responses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW264.7 cells were analyzed. Nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA expression, and the intracellular inflammatory signaling cascade were measured. Interestingly, PPP strongly inhibited NO release in a dose-dependent manner. To further investigate this anti-inflammatory activity, we identified molecular pathways by immunoblot analyses of nuclear fractions and whole cell lysates prepared from LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with or without PPP pretreatment. The nuclear levels of p50, c-Jun, and c-Fos were significantly inhibited when cells were exposed to PPP. Moreover, according to the luciferase reporter gene assay after cotransfection with either TRIF or MyD88 in HEK293 cells, NF-κB-mediated luciferase activity dose-dependently diminished. Additionally, it was confirmed that PPP dampens the upstream signaling cascade of NF-κB and AP-1 activation. Thus, PPP inhibited Syk, Src, and TAK1 activities induced by LPS or induced by overexpression of these genes. Therefore, our results suggest that PPP displays anti-inflammatory activity via inhibition of Syk, Src, and TAK1 activity, which may be developed as a novel anti-inflammatory drug.
Chalcone* ; Genes, Reporter ; HEK293 Cells ; Luciferases ; Macrophages ; Necrosis ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Phosphotransferases* ; RNA, Messenger ; Transcription Factor AP-1

OBJECTIVE: Considerable recurrence rates have been reported for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) following surgical evacuation. The aim of this study was to determine the independent factors and features of CSDH that are associated with postoperative recurrence. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 136 consecutive patients diagnosed with CSDH who were surgically treated from September 2005 to December 2011 was performed. The demographic data, clinical characteristics, radiologic features were analyzed to clarify the correlation between independent variables and postoperative recurrence of CSDH. RESULTS: CSDH was resolved within 1 month following surgery in 51 patients (37.5%), between 1 to 3 months in 59 patients (43.4%), and past 3 months in 14 patients (10.3%). A total of 12 patients (8.8%) experienced recurrence of CSDH, and reoperation was performed in all recurred cases. The average duration between initial surgery and reoperation was 20.1 days. Delayed resolution and recurrence were more commonly presented in bilateral CSDH, but this data was not statistically significant. Large hematomas with maximum thickness over 20 mm were significantly correlated with higher recurrence rates of CSDH (p=0.032). In addition, the incidence of recurrence was significantly higher in the cases with high-density and mixed-density hematomas according to brain computed tomography (CT) findings (p=0.0026). CONCLUSION: The thickness and density of the hematoma is significantly correlated with higher recurrence rates of CSDH. Discerning these risk factors could be beneficial in predicting the postoperative recurrence of CSDH.
Brain ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic ; Humans ; Incidence ; Recurrence ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Despite the recent increase in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among the general population and patients, little is known about Korean physicians' attitudes about and interest in CAM. We conducted a web-based survey of knowledge, attitude, and experience in CAM among primary care physicians (PCPs) and academic physicians (APs) in Korea. A total of 826 physicians (341 PCPs and 485 APs) responded. Respondents in both groups felt that they were not sufficiently knowledgeable about CAM. PCPs, however, had a significantly higher composite index score in CAM knowledge than that of APs. Although APs were more skeptical about the scientific evidence of CAM than PCPs, both groups had a positive attitude toward CAM. The level of experience in utilizing CAM in their practice was 23.2% among PCPs, which was much higher than that among APs (2.7%). Experience rates of referring patients to CAM were 11.7% in PCPs and 4.5% in APs (P<0.001). Despite the discrepant rates in CAM education between the two groups (58.7% in PCPs and 26.0% in APs, P<0.001), the majority of doctors in both groups (85.0% in PCPs and 70.0% in APs) expressed an intention to participate in authorized CAM coursework. In conclusion, despite the lack of scientific evidence, both PCPs and APs have an interest in incorporating CAM into their conventional medical practices. To meet physicians' increasing needs for CAM the Korean medical societies should promote education and research about CAM in the conventional medical system.
Complementary Therapies ; Humans ; Intention ; Korea ; Physicians, Primary Care ; Primary Health Care ; Societies, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: A critical shortage of donor organs has necessitated an investigation of new strategies to increase the availability of additional organs available for human transplantation. We investigated the amount of apoptosis and expression of GADD45beta in two groups, a GADD45beta-transfected group and untransfected group. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The experimental groups consist of a control group (normal H9C2 cell line) and GADD45beta-transfected group. After injury of the each group, we evaluated the expression of GADD45beta and the level of apoptosis in each group. RESULT: There was a significant increase in the expression of GADD45beta in the GADD45beta-transfected group at 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after stimuli as compared with the control group. The amount of cardiac myoblast cell line apoptosis was significantly lower in the GADD45beta-transfected group as compared with the control group. The concentration of annexin in the GADD45beta-transfected group was significantly lower than that of the control group after cell injury. CONCLUSION: Transfection of a rat myoblast cell line with the GADD45beta gene results in decreased susceptibility to cell injury of human serum.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Myoblasts ; Myoblasts, Cardiac ; Rats ; Tissue Donors ; Transfection ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Transplants

Type 1 diabetes is considered as Th1 cell mediated autoimmune disease and the suppression of Th1 cells or the activation of Th2 cells has been regarded as a plausible immunologic intervention for the prevention of type 1 diabetogenesis in a rodent model. CpG ODN is an immunostimulatory sequence primarily present in bacterial DNA, viral DNA and BCG. CpG ODN is conventionally classified as a Th1 cell activator, which has been clinically applied to cancer, allergy and infectious disease. Recently, there was a promising report of that CpG ODN administration suppressed the development of type 1 diabetes in NOD mice by inducing Th2 cell mediated cytokine. However, the antidiabetogenic effect of CpG ODN on NOD mice is controversial. Thus, two studies were serially undertaken with various kinds of CpG motif to find a more optimal sequence and administration method. In the first study, CpG ODN was vaccinated four times and pancreatic inflammation and the quantity of serum insulin subsequently evaluated. In the second study, the amounts of IFN gamma and IL-4 in sera were measured as representative cytokines of Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. As a result, vaccination or continuous injection of CpG ODN failed to show a preventive effect on type 1 diabetogenesis in NOD mice. Structural differences of CpG ODN also had no affect on the result. CpG ODN also consistently showed affect on the pancreatic pathology. The productions of IFN gamma and IL-4 were detected only in the K and D type CpG ODN administration groups. Comparison of the two cytokines leads to the conclusion that CpG ODN generated a Th1-weighted response in both study groups. It was assumed that CpG ODN failed to produce Th2-weighted cytokine milieu, which can overcome the genetically determined phenotype of NOD mice. Given these results, it was concluded that the immunotherapeutic application of CpG ODN on Type 1 diabetes had clear limitations.
Animals ; DNA/*pharmacology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/*immunology/*prevention & control ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Th1 Cells/*immunology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Despite of increasing numbers of reports on intraductal papillary mucinous tumor (IPMT), there is still difficulty in its' diagnosis, treatment and prediction of prognosis. The purpose of this multicenter study was to evaluate the clinico-pathological features of IPMT in Korea and suggest the prediction criteria of malignancy in IPMT. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinico-pathological data of 208 patients who underwent operations with IPMT between 1993 and 2002 at 28 institutes in Korea. RESULTS: Of the 208 patients with a mean age of 60.5+/-9.7 years, 147 were men and 61 were women. 124 patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy, 42 distal pancreatectomy, 17 total pancreatectomy, 25 limited pancreas resection. Benign cases were 128 (adenoma (n=62), borderline (n=66)) and malignant cases were 80 (non-invasive (n=29), invasive (n=51)). A significant difference in 5-year survival was observed between benign and malignant group (92.6% vs. 65.3%; p=0.006). Of the 6 factors (age, location, duct dilatation, tumor appearance, main duct type, and tumor size) that showed the statistical difference in univariate analysis between benign and malignant group, we found three significant factors (tumor appearance (p=0.009), tumor size (p=0.023), and dilated duct size (p=0.010)) by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Although overall prognosis of IPMT is superior to ordinary pancreatic cancer, more curative surgery is recommended in malignant IPMT. Tumor appearance (papillary), tumor size (> or =30 mm) and dilated duct size (> or = 12 mm) can be used as preoperative indicators of malig-nancy in IPMT.
Academies and Institutes ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Mucins* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

The venous thrombosis is the most common vascular event in Behcet's disease. Among the thrombotic complications of Behcet's disease, thrombosis in superior vena cava is rare, but once it happens, it may be life-threatening. In this report, we describe a case of 45-year-old female with Behcet's disease complicated by the superior vena cava thrombosis, which was treated successfully with the operation and then endovascular stenting. This case shows that endovascular stent may be one of good strategies for the management of vascular complication in Behcet's disease.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Stents* ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome* ; Thrombosis ; Vena Cava, Superior* ; Venous Thrombosis

BACKGROUND: Nonobstertic surgery during pregnancy needs special considerations by the surgeon in relation to the maternal and the fetal outcomes. Although there are many studies about appendicitis in pregnant women, nonobstetric surgery, in general, during pregnancy has not been sufficiently analyzed. In this clinical study, we reviewed the incidences of nonobstetric surgical diseases during pregnancy and observed the maternal and the fetal outcomes of surgery, including the effects of anesthesia and antibiotics. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 80 patients who were pregnant at the time of operation and who had undergone operations during an 11-year period from March 1986 to April 1997 at Shinchon- and Inchon-Severance Hospital. The distributions of age, disease, and delivery history were analyzed, and the diagnostic characteristics, and the fetal and the maternal outcomes were observed with respect to anesthesia and antibiotic usage. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 32, and 53% of the patients were over 30. The numbers of patients in the first, the second, and the third trimester were 24 (30%), 36 (45%) and 20 (25%), respectively. The most frequent surgical disease was appendicitis with 52 patients (65%). The average duration of hospitalization was 14.4 days. Twenty-two patients (27.5%) had postoperative preterm labor and were successfully managed with tocolytic agents except for one preterm delivery. The total number of preterm deliveries was 10 (12.5%), and still birth occurred in 3 cases (3.8%). The cases of still birth involved severe original diseases, such as rectal carcinomas, pancreatic carcinomas, and sepsis. Among the antibiotics that were used during surgical care, monotherapy with ampicillin was the most frequently used mode. The incidence frequencies of delivery complications according to the used antibiotics were not significantly different from each other. General endotracheal anesthesia was used in 40 cases, spinal and epidural anesthesia was inducted in 25 and 13 cases, respectively. The incidences of fetal complications according to the methods of was administering anesthesia were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal and the fetal risks of nonobstetric surgery during pregnancy depend on the risk of the original surgical disease of the patient. Modes of anesthesia or antibiotic usage do not increase the incidences of obstetric complications.
Ampicillin ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Appendicitis ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Parturition ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Tocolytic Agents

PURPOSE: To obtain the actual dose distribution from measured data by deconvolution method using the measured ion chamber response function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chamber response functions for 2 ionization chambers (diameter 5mm, 6.4mm) were measured, and dose profiles were measured for 10X20cm2 field size using two different detectors. The deconvolution of chamber response function from the measured data were performed for these profiles. The same procedures were repeated for 4MV, 6MV and 15MV photon energies. RESULTS: Different dose profiles were obtained for the same field with the chambers which have the different response functions. Nearly the same results could be obtained with deconvolution for the profiles from various detectors. CONCLUSION: The effect of the chamber response function can be extracted by deconvolution method. Deconvolved dose profile using various ionization chambers gave better dose distributions. Technical improvements are needed for practical application.