BACKGROUND: Chronic neuropathic pain is often associated with altered immune function and the modulated immune cell response play a role in neuropathic pain by experimental nerve injury. In order to assess the possible changes in lymphocytes function following peripheral mononeuropathy, this study examined the lymphocyte subpopulation of the spleen using the monoclonal antibodies against the membrane surface markers in neuropathic BALB/c mice by a partial transection of sciatic nerve (PST). METHODS: After confirming tactile allodynia by paw withdrawal threshold, the splenic lymphocytes were stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-mouse CD45R/B220 (B cell) and CD4 (helper/inducer T cell) or with phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated anti-mouse CD90.2 (total T cell) and CD8 (suppressor/cytotoxic T cell). The proportions of subsets were analyzed using a FACScan laser flow cytometry system on postoperative day 5 and day 18 respectively. RESULTS: PST induced a mechanical allodynia as verified by the von Frey test at both 5 and 8 days postoperatively compared to pre-surgery (P < 0.05). Lymphocyte subpopulation was affected by PST. The proportion of CD4+ subset was significantly larger in the PST group than in the sham operated group on day 5, while the proportion of CD8+ subset was larger on day 18. In the PST group, there were significantchanges in the proportion of CD4+ on day 5 and in the proportion of CD8+ on day 18 (P < 0.05) compared to pre-surgery. There were no significant fluctuations in the proportion of total splenic T cell and B cell subsets of PST group compared to sham operated group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that development of mononeuropathy is responsible for the proportional changes in splenic lymphocyte subsets in mice.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; B-Lymphocyte Subsets ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescein ; Hyperalgesia ; Lymphocyte Subsets* ; Lymphocytes* ; Membranes ; Mice* ; Mononeuropathies ; Neuralgia ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries* ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Phycoerythrin ; Sciatic Nerve ; Spleen*

For the past two decades, a huge number of genetic studies have been conducted to identify the genetic variants responsible for asthma risk. Several types of genetic and genomic approaches, including linkage analysis, candidate gene single nucleotide polymorphism studies, and whole genome-wide association studies have been applied. However, the genetic impacts of these studies are minimal because asthma is a complex syndrome affected by interaction with many environmental factors mediated by epigenetics. Epigenetics is alteration of genetic expression without changes of DNA sequence. Three major forms of epigenetic is DNA methylation, histone modfications and specific microRNA expression that are known to have vast effects on gene expression. However, knowledge regarding the epigenetic effect on the development of asthma and its traits is limited up to date. Recently, new data on epigenetics have been brought up to explain the phenotypic alterations of asthma. In this review, we present general concept of epigenetics, environmental factors inducting epigenetic changes and the background mechanisms in epigenetics behind development asthma and epigenetic therapy.
Asthma ; Base Sequence ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenomics ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genome ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Histones ; MicroRNAs ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ozone is an environmentally reactive oxidant, and pycnogenol is a mixture of flavonoid compounds extracted from pine tree bark that have antioxidant activity. We investigated the effects of pycnogenol on reactive nitrogen species, antioxidant responses, and airway responsiveness in BALB/c mice exposed to ozone. METHODS: Antioxidant levels were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Nitric oxide (NO) metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from BALB/c mice in filtered air and 2 ppm ozone with pycnogenol pretreatment before ozone exposure (n = 6) were quantified colorimetrically using the Griess reaction. RESULTS: Uric acid and ascorbic acid concentrations were significantly higher in BAL fluid following pretreatment with pycnogenol, whereas gamma-tocopherol concentrations were higher in the ozone exposed group but were similar in the ozone and pycnogenol pretreatment groups. Retinol and gamma-tocopherol concentrations tended to increase in the ozone exposure group but were similar in the ozone and pycnogenol pretreatment groups following ozone exposure. Malonylaldehyde concentrations increased in the ozone exposure group but were similar in the ozone and pycnogenol plus ozone groups. The nitrite and total NO metabolite concentrations in BAL fluid, which parallel the in vivo generation of NO in the airways, were significantly greater in the ozone exposed group than the group exposed to filtered air, but decreased with pycnogenol pretreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Pycnogenol may increase levels of antioxidant enzymes and decrease levels of nitrogen species, suggesting that antioxidants minimize the effects of acute ozone exposure via a protective mechanism.
Animals ; Antioxidants/*pharmacology ; Ascorbic Acid/metabolism ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/chemically induced/metabolism/*prevention & control ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/chemistry ; Bronchoconstriction/drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Flavonoids/*pharmacology ; Inhalation Exposure ; Lung/*drug effects/enzymology/physiopathology ; Malondialdehyde/metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism ; Oxidative Stress/*drug effects ; *Ozone ; Uric Acid/metabolism ; Vitamin A/metabolism ; alpha-Tocopherol/metabolism

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is rare in healthy children. We report a case of PLA in an immunocompetent 12-year-old boy. Percutaneous catheter drainage was performed for the abscess. In addition, parenteral antibiotics were administered for 3 weeks. Klebsiella pneumoniae was detected in the culture of blood and drained fluid. Here, we present this case and a brief review of the literature on this subject.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Catheters ; Child* ; Drainage ; Humans ; Klebsiella pneumoniae* ; Klebsiella* ; Liver Abscess* ; Liver Abscess, Pyogenic ; Liver* ; Male*

Odontogenic myxoma of the jaws is a rare benign odontogenic tumor. In this case, a 61-year-old male patient had a chief complaint about maxillary anterior gingival mass and excisional biopsy result confirmed odontogenic myxoma. The clear acrylic resin custom tray was designed to minimize displacement of flabby tissue which remained after the surgery. Neutral zone and external impression technique could provide satisfactory result in terms of denture stability and retention during jaw relation record and wax denture try-in procedure. This clinical report describes fabrication of complete dentures for a patient with odontogenic myxoma in regard to flabby tissue and neutral zone.
Biopsy ; Denture Retention ; Denture, Complete ; Dentures ; Humans ; Jaw ; Jaw Relation Record ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myxoma ; Odontogenic Tumors

For the past three decades, more than a thousand of genetic studies have been performed to find out the genetic variants responsible for the risk of asthma. Until now, all of the discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms have explained genetic effects less than initially expected. Thus, clarification of environmental factors has been brought up to overcome the ‘missing’ heritability. The most exciting solution is epigenesis because it intervenes at the junction between the genome and the environment. Epigenesis is an alteration of genetic expression without changes of DNA sequence caused by environmental factors such as nutrients, allergens, cigarette smoke, air pollutants, use of drugs and infectious agents during pre- and post-natal periods and even in adulthood. Three major forms of epigenesis are composed of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and specific microRNA. Recently, several studies have been published on epigenesis in asthma and allergy as a powerful tool for research of genetic heritability in asthma albeit epigenetic changes are at the starting point to obtain the data on specific phenotypes of asthma. In this presentation, we mainly review the potential role of DNA CpG methylation in the risk of asthma and its sub-phenotypes including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory exacerbated respiratory diseases.

Air Pollutants ; Allergens ; Aspirin ; Asthma ; Base Sequence ; DNA Methylation ; DNA ; Epigenomics ; Genome ; Histone Code ; Hypersensitivity ; Methylation ; MicroRNAs ; Phenotype ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Smoke ; Tobacco Products

For the past three decades, more than a thousand of genetic studies have been performed to find out the genetic variants responsible for the risk of asthma. Until now, all of the discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms have explained genetic effects less than initially expected. Thus, clarification of environmental factors has been brought up to overcome the ‘missing’ heritability. The most exciting solution is epigenesis because it intervenes at the junction between the genome and the environment. Epigenesis is an alteration of genetic expression without changes of DNA sequence caused by environmental factors such as nutrients, allergens, cigarette smoke, air pollutants, use of drugs and infectious agents during pre- and post-natal periods and even in adulthood. Three major forms of epigenesis are composed of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and specific microRNA. Recently, several studies have been published on epigenesis in asthma and allergy as a powerful tool for research of genetic heritability in asthma albeit epigenetic changes are at the starting point to obtain the data on specific phenotypes of asthma. In this presentation, we mainly review the potential role of DNA CpG methylation in the risk of asthma and its sub-phenotypes including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory exacerbated respiratory diseases.

PURPOSE: In this study, we compared the risk of cardiovascular complications between diabetic retinopathy (DR) groups based on the Framingham Risk Score. METHODS: Subjects 40 years of age or older were enrolled in the present study from September 2008 to September 2009. Five scales were used to evaluate the severity of DR for the most severely affected eye in each patient: no DR, mild nonproliferative DR (NPDR), moderate NPDR, severe NPDR and proliferative DR (PDR). The first group included no DR patients and the second group included mild NPDR patients. The third group included moderate NPDR, severe NPDR and PDR patients. The Framingham Risk Score was analyzed among the groups to determine whether a difference in score existed. RESULTS: DR was found in 126 subjects. The first group included 403 subjects, the second group 22 subjects and the third group 104 subjects. The average Framingham Risk Score that appeared with increasing severity of DR was 10.89 ± 7.98 in the first group, 12.25 ± 10.84 in the second group and 13.25 ± 10.66 in the third group. The average difference between the first and third groups was statistically significant (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the Framingham Risk Score increased significantly with more severe DR (p = 0.042). Our results are useful when considering the easily accessible identification of DR and that cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death worldwide. However, confirming the exact causal relationship based on our results is difficult because the study design was cross-sectional and additional studies are necessary.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cause of Death ; Diabetic Retinopathy* ; Humans ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether less invasive endometrial (EM) aspiration biopsy is adequately accurate for evaluating treatment outcomes compared to the dilatation and curettage (D&C) biopsy in early-stage endometrial cancer (EC) patients treated with high dose oral progestin and levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study with patients younger than 40 years who were diagnosed with clinical stage IA, The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics grade 1 or 2 endometrioid adenocarcinoma and sought to maintain their fertility. The patients were treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate 500 mg/day and LNG-IUS. Treatment responses were evaluated every 3 months. EM aspiration biopsy was conducted after LNG-IUS removal followed D&C. The tissue samples were histologically compared. The diagnostic concordance rate of the two tests was examined with κ statistics. RESULTS: Twenty-eight pairs of EM samples were obtained from five patients. The diagnostic concordance rate of D&C and EM aspiration biopsy was 39.3% (κ value=0.26). Of the seven samples diagnosed as normal with D&C, three (42.8%) were diagnosed as normal by using EM aspiration biopsy. Of the eight samples diagnosed with endometrioid adenocarcinoma by using D&C, three (37.5%) were diagnosed with endometrioid adenocarcinoma by using EM aspiration biopsy. Of the 13 complex EM hyperplasia samples diagnosed with the D&C, five (38.5%) were diagnosed with EM hyperplasia by using EM aspiration biopsy. Of the samples obtained through EM aspiration, 46.4% were insufficient for histological evaluation. CONCLUSION: To evaluate the treatment responses of patients with early-stage EC treated with high dose oral progestin and LNG-IUS, D&C should be conducted after LNG-IUS removal.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle* ; Carcinoma, Endometrioid ; Dilatation and Curettage* ; Dilatation* ; Endometrial Neoplasms* ; Female ; Fertility ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Levonorgestrel* ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate ; Observational Study ; Obstetrics ; Progesterone ; Prospective Studies