BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: According to the correlation between hearing injury and McBride disability rating presented by previous studies, there are over/underestimated cases particularly in the 40 dB hearing range compared to other ranges. In this study, we reviewed the overestimated and underestimated data and propose a complementation scheme for a disability rating system by using the linear regression analysis. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: For the past 14 years, we have provided legal advisory for 121 cases of hearing injury, for which disability had to be rated. We reviewed all but excluded 11 cases for the aggravation of disability. A regression equation was produced from a linear regression analysis that used the percent of hearing handicap (AAO-HNS/AMA-1979 formula) as an independent variable (x) and McBride disability rating (%) as a dependent variable (y), following the Pearson correlation test. Iterative calculation was performed for overestimated (18) and underestimated (8) cases. RESULTS: Appropriate disability ratings were 14% for the cases overestimated to 20% and 11% for those underestimated to 5%. Appropriate disability ratings for the 20% of overestimated cases were changed to 14%, and for the 5% of the underestimated cases, the disability ratinb 11%. Iterative calculation showed that the Pearson correlation index was improved from 0.8866 to 0.9065 and the determination coefficient of regression analysis (adjusted R-square) was improved from 0.784 to 0.8202. CONCLUSION: The common range of hearing injury, which falls between 30-40 dB corresponds to the percentage of hearing handicap of 7.5-22.5%. A fairer assessment of ability rating would be possible by complementing some parts of this hearing range.
Complement System Proteins* ; Disability Evaluation ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing* ; Jurisprudence ; Linear Models* ; Regression Analysis*

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Complement System Proteins ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; analysis ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; immunology

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis is the most common leukocytoclastic small-vessel vasculitis in children and mainly involves the small vessels in the skin, joints, digestive tract, and kidneys. Its pathogenesis is still unclear. Currently, it is believed that environmental factors can cause autoimmune dysfunction and lead to the deposition of IgA-containing immune complexes on the wall of arterioles on the basis of genetic factors. This article reviews the research advances in the role of immune factors in the pathogenesis of IgA vasculitis.
Autoantibodies ; analysis ; Complement System Proteins ; physiology ; Cytokines ; physiology ; Glycosylation ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; analysis ; Immunoglobulin E ; metabolism ; Vasculitis ; etiology ; immunology

The purpose of this study was to confirm the exactitude of in vitro nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMRS) and to complement the defect of in vivo NMRS. It has been difficult to understand the metabolism of a cerebellum using in vivo NMRS owing to the generated inhomogeneity of magnetic fields (B0 and B1 field) by the complexity of the cerebellum structure. Thus, this study tried to more exactly analyze the metabolism of a canine cerebellum using the cell extraction and high resolution NMRS. In order to conduct the absolute metabolic quantification in a canine cerebellum, the spectrum of our phantom included in various brain metabolites (i.e., NAA, Cr, Cho, Ins, Lac, GABA, Glu, Gln, Tau and Ala) was obtained. The canine cerebellum tissue was extracted using the methanol-chloroform water extraction (M/C extraction) and one group was filtered and the other group was not under extract processing. Finally, NMRS of a phantom solution and two extract solution (90% D2O) was progressed using a 500MHz (11.4 T) NMR machine. Filtering a solution of the tissue extract increased the signal to noise ratio (SNR). The metabolic concentrations of a canine cerebellum were more close to rat's metabolic concentration than human's metabolic concentration. The present study demonstrates the absolute quantification technique in vitro high resolution NMRS with tissue extraction as the method to accurately measure metabolite concentration.
Brain ; Cerebellum ; Complement System Proteins ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Magnetic Fields ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Protons ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Spectrum Analysis ; Water

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The position and length of cantilever influence on the stress distribution of implants, superstructure and bone. In edentulous mandible, implant-supported cantilever prostheses that based 4 or 6 implants between mental foramens has been attempted. Excessive bite force loaded at cantilever prosthesis causes bone resorption and breakage of superstructure prosthesis around posterior implants. To complement the cantilever length of conventional prosthesis, In 1992, (McCartney) introduced "cantilever - rest - implant" and Malo reported "All-on-Four" in 2003. PURPOSE: Analyze and compare the stress distribution of conventional cantilever prostheses with rest implant and Allon-Four(TM) implant prostheses. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The external loads (300 N vertically, 75 N horizontally) are applied to first molar area. The stress value, stress distribution and aspect of stress dispersion are analyzed by three-dimensional finite element analysis program, ANSYS ver. 10.0. RESULTS: 1. The rest implant and "All-on-Four" implant system are superior to conventional cantilever prostheses to reduce stress on the bone and the superstructure around implants. 2. The rest implant was of the greatest advantage to stress distribution on bone, implant and superstructure. 3. With same number of implants, distally tilted implants are preferred to conventional cantilever prostheses for reducing the length of cantilever.
Bite Force ; Bone Resorption ; Complement System Proteins ; Finite Element Analysis ; Imidazoles ; Mandible ; Molar ; Nitro Compounds ; Prostheses and Implants

PURPOSE: Local activation of the complement system plays a role in target organ damage. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of cyclosporine (CsA)- induced renal injury on the complement system in the kidney. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice fed a low salt (0.01%) diet were treated with vehicle (VH, olive oil, 1mL/kg/day) or CsA (30mg/kg/day) for one or four weeks. Induction of chronic CsA nephrotoxicity was evaluated with renal function and histomorphology. Activation of the complement system was assessed through analysis of the expression of C3, C4d, and membrane attack complex (MAC), and the regulatory proteins, CD46 and CD55. CsA treatment induced renal dysfunction and typical morphology (tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis) at four weeks. RESULTS: CsA-induced renal injury was associated with increased the expression of C3, C4d, and MAC (C9 and upregulation of complement regulatory proteins (CD 46 and CD55). Immunohistochemistry revealed that the activated complement components were mainly confined to the injured tubulointerstitium. CONCLUSION: CsA-induced renal injury is associated with activation of the intrarenal complement system.
Animals ; Antigens, CD45/analysis ; Antigens, CD46/analysis ; Antigens, CD55/analysis ; Complement C3/analysis ; Complement C4b/analysis ; Complement Membrane Attack Complex/analysis ; Complement System Proteins/*analysis ; Cyclosporine/*toxicity ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunity, Innate/drug effects ; Immunoblotting ; Immunohistochemistry ; Immunosuppressive Agents/toxicity ; Kidney/*drug effects/immunology/pathology ; Kidney Diseases/*chemically induced/immunology ; Mice ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Peptide Fragments/analysis

BACKGROUND: Despite considerable efforts made in recent years, the industrial accident rate and the fatality rate in the Republic of Korea are much higher than those in most developed countries in Europe and North America. Industrial safety policies and safety regulations are also known to be ineffective and inefficient in some cases. METHODS: This study focuses on the quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of direct safety regulations such as safety certification, self-declaration of conformity, and safety inspection of industrial machines in the Republic of Korea. Implications on safety policies to restructure the industrial safety system associated with industrial machines are also explored. RESULTS: Analysis of causes in industrial accidents associated with industrial machines confirms that technical causes need to be resolved to reduce both the frequency and the severity of such industrial accidents. Statistical analysis also confirms that the indirect effects of safety device regulation on users are limited for a variety of reasons. Safety device regulation needs to be shifted to complement safety certification and self-declaration of conformity for more balanced direct regulations on manufacturers and users. An example of cost-benefit analysis on conveyor justifies such a transition. CONCLUSION: Industrial safety policies and regulations associated with industrial machines must be directed towards eliminating the sources of danger at the stage of danger creation, thereby securing the safe industrial machines. Safety inspection further secures the safety of workers at the stage of danger use. The overall balance between such safety regulations is achieved by proper distribution of industrial machines subject to such regulations and the intensity of each regulation. Rearrangement of industrial machines subject to safety certification and self-declaration of conformity to include more movable industrial machines and other industrial machines with a high level of danger is also suggested.
Accidents, Occupational ; Certification ; Complement System Proteins ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Developed Countries ; Europe ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; North America ; Protective Devices ; Republic of Korea* ; Social Control, Formal*

OBJECTIVETo detect the variations in peripheral blood levels of autoantibodies, immunoglobulilns and complements in patients with non-lactational mastitis and investigate whether non-lactational mastitis is an autoimmune disease with immune dysfunction.

METHODSSeven-eight patients with non-lactational mastitis treated in our hospital between September 2013 and May 2015 and 88 healthy women (control) were examined for peripheral blood levels of antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-histone antibody (AHA), immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG) and complements (C3, C4, and total complements).

RESULTSs Of the 78 patients with non-lactational mastitis, 50 (64.10%) were positive of ANA showing mainly the granular and cytoplasmic granular fluorescence patterns, and the positivity rate was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.000). Twenty-eight (36.00%) of the patients were positive of AHA, a rate significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.000). The levels of IgA, IgM, C4, and total complements levels were all significantly elevated in the patients compared with those in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPatients with non-lactational mastitis have abnormal changes in peripheral blood levels of immunoglobulins and complements with high positivity rates for ANA and AHA, indicating that non-lactational mastitis is an autoimmune disease with immune dysfunction.

Antibodies, Antinuclear ; blood ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Autoimmune Diseases ; blood ; diagnosis ; Case-Control Studies ; Complement System Proteins ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Mastitis ; blood ; diagnosis

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a non-enveloped virus that has a single-stranded RNA genome. CVB3 induces myocarditis, and ultimately, dilated cardiomyopathy. A myocarditis variant of CVB3 (CVB3 H3) and its antibody-escape mutant (CVB3 10A1) were studied previously; H3 was found to induce myocarditis and 10A1 was found to be attenuated in infected mice. Although amino acid residue 165, located in a puff region of VP2, was found to be altered (i.e., the H3 asparagine was altered to aspartate in 10A1), the detailed mechanism of attenuation was not clearly elucidated. Here, DNA microarray technology was used to monitor changes in mRNA levels of infected mouse hearts after CVB3 H3 and 10A1 infection. This tool was used to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of viral infection by understanding virus-host interactions. We identified several genes, including protein tyrosine kinases, Ddr2 and Ptk2, as well as Clqb and Crry, involved in complement reactions, which may be involved in these viral processes. Thus, gene profiling can provide an opportunity to understand host immune responses to viral infection for gene therapy and may contribute to the identification of the target gene that is modified during treatment of viral myocarditis.
Animals ; Asparagine ; Aspartic Acid ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Complement System Proteins ; Genetic Therapy ; Genome ; Heart* ; Mice* ; Myocarditis ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger

Diagnosis of mycobacterial infection is dependent upon the isolation and identification of causative agents. The procedures involved are time consuming and technically demanding. To improve the laborious identification process mycobacterial systematics supported by gene analysis is feasible, being particularly useful for slowly growing or uncultivable mycobacteria. To complement genetic analysis for the differentiation and identification of mycobacterial species, an alternative marker gene, rpoB encoding the B subunit of RNA polymerase, was investigated. rpoB DNAs (342 bp) were amplified from 52 reference strains of mycobacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (ATCC 27294) and clinical isolates by the PCR. The nucleotide sequences were directly determined (306 bp) and aligned using the multiple alignment algorithm in the MegAlign package (DNASTAR) and MEGA program. A phylogenetic tree was constructed with a neighborhood joining method. Comparative sequence analysis of rpoB DNA provided the basis for species differentiation. By being grouped into species-specific clusters with low sequence divergence among strains belonging to same species, all the clinical isolates could be easily identified. Furthermore RFLP analysis enabled rapid identification of clinical isolates.
Base Sequence ; Classification ; Complement System Proteins ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length* ; Residence Characteristics ; Sequence Analysis*