OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychological characteristics of the patients with bruxism by Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory(MMPI). METHODS: MMPI was administered to 87 patients(46 bruxism group and 41 control group) who had visited a local dental clinic from January to August 1998. RESULTS: The bruxism group had a higher score than control group in Masculinity-Femininity(Mf) scale. There were no differences between bruxism group and control group on the distribution of Depression(D), Psychopatic Deviate(Pd), Paranoia(Pa), Psychasthenia(Pt) scales. The bruxism group with the family history showed higher score than the bruxism group without family history in Pd scale. Male bruxism group had a higher score than female bruxism group in Defensiveness(K) scale and female bruxism group had higher score than male bruxism group in Pa scale. The bruxism group of clenching type had higher score than the bruxism group of mixed type in Social Introversion(Si) scale. There were no differences in MMPI score between those who had and did not have symptoms such as masticatory musle pain, neck pain and headache. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that individualized approach may be effective to the evaluation of psychological disturbances which might be related to sex, family history and, type of bruxism, while we did not find significant differences in personality charateristics between the bruxism and control groups.
Bruxism* ; Dental Clinics ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Male ; Minnesota ; MMPI* ; Neck Pain ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: It has become generally accepted that cigarette smoking contributes to accelerated coronary and peripheral vascular disease, pulmonary fibrosis and periodontal disease. Moreover, it has been postulated that cigarette smoking causes skin-aging. Many of cutaneous manifestations of nicotine which is a major component of the particulate phase of tobacco smoke are related to its vasoconstrictive and thrombotic effects on the peripheral vascular system. How-ever, direct effect of nicotine on extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including collagens is not well established. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of nicotine on type I collagen gene expression in cultured human skin fibroblasts. METHODS: After exposure to different doses of nicotine on cultured human skin fibroblasts, we examined the expressions of α1(I) procollagen gene and fibronectin gene by Northern blot analysis and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay with CAT construct containing the 3.5 kb COL1A2 promoter. RESULTS: In Northern blot hybridization, steady-state levels of α1(I) procollagen mRNA were decreased 0.8-fold at 1 µg/mL of nicotine, 0.5-fold at 10 µg/mL and 0.2-fold at 100 µg/mL, compared to untreated control. Those of fibronectin mRNA were decreased 0.9-fold, 0.7-fold, and 0.3-fold, respectively. In CAT assay, the relative COL1A2 CAT activity was 1.0 in the untreated control, 0.7 at a concentration of 1 µg/mL of nicotine, 0.5 at 10 µg/mL, and 0.3 at 100 µg/mL. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that nicotine is a down-regulator of collagen gene expression at transcriptional level in vitro. We speculate that nicotine may contribute to the skin-aging by modulation of extracellular matrix gene expression including collagen as well as by its vasoconstrictive and thrombotic effects.
Animals ; Blotting, Northern ; Cats ; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts* ; Fibronectins ; Gene Expression ; Humans* ; Nicotine* ; Periodontal Diseases ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Procollagen ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco

No abstract available.
Depression, Postpartum* ; Female ; Postpartum Period*

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a chronically relapsing disease and has various biological etiologies. Neither genetics nor neurobiology explains the pathogenesis of AD exclusively. AD is a multifactorial disease. This article reviews the genetic and biological aspects of AD. Many candidate genes and neurotransmitters play important roles in AD. Further studies are needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms of AD. Also the treatment of AD should be individualized according to the patients's biological characteristics.
Alcoholism* ; Biology* ; Genetics ; Neurobiology ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Population Characteristics

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is the most prevalent T-cell-mediated inflammatory skin disease in humans. Numerous cytokines and adhesion molecules are expressed in the skin lesion of psoriasis such as TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1. All of them contain at least one binding site for the transcription factor NF-κB. TNF-α activates NF-κB and many other transcription factors. Thus, transcription and expression of many genes involved in the inflammatory process may be influenced by TNF-α. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to study the effect of synthetic double-stranded DNA with high affinity for the NF-κB binding site on the TNF-α induced proinflammatory cytokines and ICAM-1 gene expression in the HaCaT cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined whether inhibition of NF-κB activity by oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) decoy for NF-κB blocks TNF-α induced cytokines such as IL-la, IL-1 a, IL-6 and ICAM-1 expression with electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: In EMSA, TNF-α treatment (10 ng/ml) induced the activation of NF-κB. The NF-κB binding activity in the TNF-α treated HaCaT cells increased 5.0-fold compared to non-treated group. Next, we examined the effect of liposome mediated NF-κB decoy oligonucleotides (ODN) transfection. After transfection of the NF-κB decoy ODN, TNF-α increased NF-κB binding activity to 1.9-fold of non-treated group. Accordingly the transfection of NF-κB decoy ODN inhibited the TNF-α induced NF-κB binding activity up to 63%. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the transfection of NF-κB decoy ODN inhibited TNF-α induced cytokines and ICAM-1 mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results suggest the potential utility of NF-κB decoy technique for biologic therapy of psoriasis.
Binding Sites ; Biological Therapy ; Cytokines ; DNA ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1* ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-6 ; Liposomes ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides ; Oligonucleotides ; Psoriasis ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Transcription Factors* ; Transfection ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

With the structural and functional neuroimaging studies on alcohol use disorders, the neurobiology of alcohol use disorder can now be directly measured in vivo. This article reviews the findings of structural and functional neuroimaging studies related to alcohol use disorder. Issues about intoxication, dependence, withdrawal, abstinence, organic change induced by chronic alcohol use, neurochemistry and craving are discussed and its clinical implications and future direction of neuroimaging studies are also suggested.
Functional Neuroimaging ; Neurobiology ; Neurochemistry ; Neuroimaging*

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disease in children. It involves bone and joint, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system. The main cause of these involvement is high level of PTH in serum, resulting in hypercalcemia.An 11 years old male patient who had complained of limping gait since last 18 months, showed typical laboratory and radiological findings of primary hyperparathyroidism. At the ultrasonography, computed tomography and radionuclide scanning, a well defined mass(10 X 15mm) was found on the posterior aspect of the right thyroid lobe. The mass was confirmed histologically as adenoma of parathyroid gland. The patient was successfully treated with subtotal parathyroidectomy and temporal administration of calcium and vitamin D.We report this case of primary hyperparathyroidism with brief review of the literatures.
Adenoma ; Calcium ; Cardiovascular System ; Child ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Gait ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary ; Joints ; Male ; Parathyroid Glands ; Parathyroidectomy ; Thyroid Gland ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVE: Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are pluripotential, and are therefore used to construct gene knock-out mice and to study cell differentiation and early developmental processes in mice. This study was designated to examine apoptotic processes in ES cells according to culture conditions and to study roles of extracellular matrix on the process. METHODS: Apoptosis was determined by DNA fragmentation and kinase activity during apoptotic process was measured. RESULTS: The apoptosis of mouse ES cells was induced when the cells were dispersed as single cells, whereas this process was suppressed when they proliferated in aggregates. Single cell suspension culture did not affect expression of bcl-2 and bax mRNA. Single cell suspension culture activated stress-activated protein kinase/c-jun-N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK), but not p38 kinase. The apoptosis of ES cells was repressed when the cells were cultured on feeders prepared from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF), or on the petri dishes coated with fibronectin or laminin, but not with collagen or poly-L-lysine. Culture supernatants from MEF cells did not block the apoptosis of ES cells, which suggests that a direct interaction between ES cells and MEF cells is required for the suppression of apoptosis. Activation of SAPK/JNK by single cell suspension was protected by interaction of cells with laminin or fibronectin, but not with collagen or poly-L-lysine. CONCLUSION: The suspension of ES cells as single cells causes serious damage and induces apoptosis, and the apoptotic process is mediated by the activation of SAPK/JNK and is inhibited by the interaction of ES cells with extracellular matrix.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Differentiation ; Collagen ; DNA Fragmentation ; Embryonic Stem Cells* ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts ; Fibronectins ; Laminin ; Mice* ; Mice, Knockout ; Phosphotransferases ; RNA, Messenger

A case of Moya-Moya disease with AVM is reported. It is well known that Moya-Moya disease sometimes is accompanied by cerebral aneurysm. However, only four case of Moya-Moya disease with AVM have previously been published in the world. A 36-year-old women suffered from sudden onset of mental deterioration & left hemiparesis, Brain CT scan showed intraventricular hemorrage in both lateral & 3rd ventricle. Enhanced CT scan revealed irregular enhancing area in the right posterior parietal cortex. Cerebral angiography showed an arteriovenous malformation fed by basal Moya-Moya vessels & posterior meningeal artery. Emergeny external ventricular drainge was done. 2 weeks later, the patient had operation for excision of AVM & encephalomyosynangiosis.
Adult ; Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Brain ; Cerebral Angiography ; Female ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Meningeal Arteries ; Moyamoya Disease* ; Paresis ; Rabeprazole ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed