PURPOSE: Defensins are important components of innate immune system. These peptides have antimicrobial activity against a wise variety of pathogens that associated with burn wound infection. In particular, human beta-defensins are expressed in normal epidermal region and showed differential expression of some skin disease. We investigated that expression of human beta-defensin by in vitro and ex-vivo by thermal condition. METHODS: To investigate the expression of human beta-defensins in acute burn condition, we cultured keratinocytes and used to rat's skin at this experiment. After thermal condition, we showed the expression of beta-defensins-2 (hBD-2), -3 (hBD-3), keratins, keratinocyte differentiation and junction protein levels by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: HBD-2 & involucrin were down-regulated from 1 hr to 8 hrs in mRNA level. But others were not changed in mRNA level. In protein level, hBD-3 was decreased but pan-cytokeratin and beta-catenin were not changed. CONCLUSION: HBD-2 was down-regulated in thermal injury. Because thermal injury could induce the influence of keratinocyte differentiation and the decrease of skin protection ability. Our results suggested that human beta-defensins plays an important role in protection by several injury.
beta Catenin ; beta-Defensins ; Burns ; Defensins ; Humans ; Immune System ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratinocytes ; Keratins ; Peptides ; Protein Precursors ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Adenoma* ; Colorectal Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: Burn injury cause pruritis, pain, psychological and functional sequelae. The one of burn injury sequelae is the hypertrophic scar. It is difficult to control devastating fibrotic condition for hypertrophic scar. The objective of this study was to investigated the therapeutic effect on burn hypertrophic scar and wound healing for sequelae of burn injury by Porcine placenta extract (PPE). METHODS: To investigate the effect of PPE, we performed in vitro cell cytotoxity test (MTT assay), antioxidant activity assay (SOD like activity), melanin content assay, cell migration asssay and RT-PCR. RESULTS: As a result of cell cytotoxity test (MTT assay), PPE showed above 80% cell viability. From Antioxidant activity assay (SOD like activity), this effect was similar to vitamin C. In the melanin content assay, melanin synthesis was inhibited 23% on PPE treatment than control. PPE enhanced cell migration on human fibroblast and decreased the expression of hypertropic scar related gene (a-SMA and P311). CONCLUSION: Our data showed anti-oxidant effect, diminution of melanin and decrease of the expression of hypertropic scar related gene on the treatment of PPE. These results may provide the insight into the potential use of porcine placenta extract as support to control skin fibrosis related to burn hypertrophic scar and alternative medicine for burn sequelae.
Antioxidants ; Ascorbic Acid ; Burns ; Cell Migration Assays ; Cell Movement ; Cell Survival ; Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Complementary Therapies ; Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Melanins ; Placenta ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Wound Healing

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Lip* ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar*

Cushing disease in children and adolescents, especially with multiple pituitary adenomas (MPAs), is very rare. We report 17-year-old boy with MPAs. He presented with a vertebral compression fracture, weight gain, short stature, headache, and hypertension. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), only a left pituitary microadenoma was found. After surgery, transient clinical improvement was observed but headache and hypertension were observed again after 3 months later. Follow-up MRI showed a newly developed right pituitary microadenoma 6 months after the surgery. The need for careful clinical and radiographic follow-up should be emphasized in the search for potential MPAs in patients with persistent Cushing disease.
Adolescent* ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Compression* ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion* ; Pituitary Neoplasms* ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify usefulness of simple oral and gastric pH measurement using pH paper on detection of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux in neonates. METHODS: This prospective study included a total of 66 neonates born at Konyang University Hospital from June 2004 to June 2005. Each neonate's oral and gastric pH levels measured with pH paper at 6 hourly intervals. Suspected gastroesophageal refluex neonates were studied 24-hr lower esophageal pH monitoring or upper GI series and confirmed. We compared oral and gastric pH between symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux (GER) group and asymptomatic (control) group. RESULTS: GER group consist of 12 neonates and control group consist of 54 neonates. Oral and gastric pH were 5.4+/-0.6, 2.9+/-0.5 in GER group, 6.0+/-0.3, 3.9+/-0.9 in control group, the differences between two groups were significant (P<0.05). All neonates of GER group were corfirmed gastroesophageal reflux by 24-hr lower esophageal pH monitoring or upper GI series studies. Our data indicate as a predictor for significantly symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux, at oral pH 5.75, has a sensitivity 92%, specificity 89%, positive predictive value of 65%, and negative predictive value of 98%. The difference between oral and gastric pH (oral pH-gastric pH) was not significant in each group. CONCLUSION: In neonates with symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux oral and gastric pH were significantly lower than asymptomatic neonates. Oral and gastric pH were related with clinically significant symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux. We suggest that pH measurement could be a possible simple screening test of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux.
Esophageal pH Monitoring ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Infant, Newborn* ; Mass Screening ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes of gait patterns during crossing obstacles of different heights in hemiplegic stroke patients and to compare gait characteristics with those of healthy control subjects. METHOD: Subjects were 13 hemiplegic stroke patients and 9 age-matched healthy adults. Subjects stepped over obstacles with each height of 3, 8 and 13 cm. The three- dimensional gait analysis was performed. Temporospatial, kinematic and kinetic parameters were measured in both lead and trail limb. The pre- and post-obstacle distance, pre- and post-obstacle swing time and toe clearance were also measured. RESULTS: With increase in height of obstacles, ratio of single limb support time, angle of hip, knee flexion in swing phase and hip extensor moment increased in both lead and trail limbs. In the lead limb, post-obstacle distance and toe clearance also increased (p<0.05). Compared with control groups, the angle of knee flexion, hip extensor and hip flexor moment and pre- and post-obstacle distance decreased significantly in the lead limb of hemiplegic patients (p<0.05). In the trail limb of hemiplegic patients, the angle of hip flexion, hip flexor moment and post-obstacle distance decreased (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Understanding strategies for adequate control and coordination of the swing limb during crossing obstacles may be the basis for the safe training of obstacle crossing in hemiplegic stroke patients.
Adult ; Extremities ; Gait ; Hip ; Humans ; Knee ; Stroke ; Toes

We performed in vitro tests, experiments on rabbits and clinical trials to treat dermatologic and ocular irritation using mascaras with different ratios of components. Two kinds of mascaras with high concentration of polymers caused moderately severe vascular constriction in the chorioallantoic membrane(CAM) vascular assay and showed significant conjunctival injection and eye discharge following instillation on rabbits' eyes compared to low concentration of polymers. There was no significant difference in the skin reactions caused by mascara with a low concentration of polymers of which safety was confirmed by using above tests and repeat insult patch test involving 20 adult females. Hypoallergenic mascara with a low concentration of polymers showed no subjective symptoms but mild rashes on lids appeared in 1 case, conjunctival injection in 3 cases and corneal erosions in 4 cases among the 40 female adult subjects including 8 contact lens wearers. However the cases improved spontaneously without any treatment. There was no statistically significant change of tear break-up time(BUT) between contact lens wearers and non wearers for both before and after mascara use(P>0.05). In this study, it has been confirmed that the new mascara is safe in animal experiments for ocular irritation and CAM vascular assay as well as human patch test for contact allergy revealed the safety as a ocular cosmetic.
Adult ; Animal Experimentation ; Constriction ; Exanthema ; Female ; Humans* ; Hypersensitivity ; Patch Tests ; Polymers ; Rabbits ; Skin ; Tears

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a deep learning algorithm for the automated detection of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) on anteroposterior (AP) radiographs. Materials and Methods: Of 2601 hip AP radiographs, 5076 cropped unilateral hip joint images were used to construct a dataset that was further divided into training (80%), validation (10%), or test sets (10%). Three radiologists were asked to label the hip images as normal or DDH. To investigate the diagnostic performance of the deep learning algorithm, we calculated the receiver operating characteristics (ROC), precision-recall curve (PRC) plots, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) and compared them with the performance of radiologists with different levels of experience. Results: The area under the ROC plot generated by the deep learning algorithm and radiologists was 0.988 and 0.988–0.919, respectively. The area under the PRC plot generated by the deep learning algorithm and radiologists was 0.973 and 0.618– 0.958, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the proposed deep learning algorithm were 98.0, 98.1, 84.5, and 99.8%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the diagnosis of DDH by the algorithm and the radiologist with experience in pediatric radiology (p = 0.180). However, the proposed model showed higher sensitivity, specificity, and PPV, compared to the radiologist without experience in pediatric radiology (p < 0.001). Conclusion The proposed deep learning algorithm provided an accurate diagnosis of DDH on hip radiographs, which was comparable to the diagnosis by an experienced radiologist.