OBJECTIVES: Blood culture is a one of the most important procedure for diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease, but distribution of pathogenic species and the antimicrobial susceptibility can be vary from pathogen, individual trait, regional or environmental features. In this study, we investigated the changes in frequency of occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of blood isolates from 2005 to 2014. METHODS: Data of blood isolates from Kosin Gospel Hospital during 2005 to 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Blood isolates were cultured for 5 days using BACTEC Plus Aerobic/F and BACTEC lytic/10 Anaerobic/F. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using VITEK 1 system, VITEK 2 XL, PHOENIX 100 and conventional method. RESULTS: 9,847 isolates were identified during 10 years. Among the isolates aerobic or falcutative anaerobic bacteria were isolated in 99.5% specimens, anaerobic were 0.1%, and fugi were 0.4%. Most commonly isolated bacteria were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) followed by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Candida parapsilosis were most frequently isolated among fungi. The proportion of S. aureus, A. baumannii and E. faecium were increased, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae decreased over decennium. Imipenem resistant K. pneumoniae were identified. Vancomycin resistant E. faecium and imipenem resistant A. baumannii were increased (7.1% in 2005 to 12.3% in 2014, 0% in 2005 to 55.6% in 2014, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Over the last 10 year, CoNS were the most frequently isolated pathogen. Imipenem resistant K. pneumoniae was emerged. Vancomycin resistant E. faecium and imipenem resistant A. baumannii increased during this period.
Bacteremia ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; Candida ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Escherichia coli ; Fungi ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Imipenem ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Methods ; Pneumonia ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Vancomycin

The efficacy and side effects associated with anticancer drugs have attracted an extensive research focus. Onconephrology is an evolving field of nephrology that deals with the study of kidney diseases in cancer patients. Most renal diseases in cancer patients are unique, and management of renal disease can be challenging especially in the presence of continuing use of the nephrotoxic drugs. Cisplatin is one of the most important chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of various malignancies, such as head, neck, ovarian, and cervical cancers. The major limitation in the clinical use of cisplatin is its tendency to induce adverse effects, such as nephrotoxicity. Recently, plant-derived phytochemicals have emerged as novel agents providing protection against cisplatin-induced renal cytotoxicity. Owing to the diversity of phytochemicals, they cover a wide spectrum of therapeutic indications in cancer and inflammation and have been a productive source of lead compounds for the development of novel medications. Of these agents, the effectiveness of triterpenoids, isolated from various medicinal plants, against cisplatin-induced renal cytotoxicity has been reported most frequently compared to other phytochemicals. Triterpenes are one of the most numerous and diverse groups of plant natural products. Triterpenes ameliorate cisplatin-induced renal damage through multiple pathways by inhibiting reactive oxygen species, inflammation, down-regulation of the MAPK, apoptosis, and NF-κB signaling pathways and upregulation of Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense mechanisms. Here, we reviewed recent findings on the natural compounds with protective potential in cisplatin-induced renal cytotoxicity, provided an overview of the protective effects and mechanisms that have been identified to date, and discussed strategies to reduce renal cytotoxicity induced by anticancer drugs.

Ovarian cancer usually metastasizes from the ovary to adjacent organs through direct invasion with blood vessels formed by endothelial cells. Targeting apoptosis of ovarian cancer and angiogenesis is promising for anticancer therapy. Leaves of Ipomoea sp. have reportedly shown promise in treating ovarian cancer. Here, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing and anti-angiogenic effects of compounds isolated from Ipomoea batatas vines (IBV). Phytochemical examination of IBV led to the isolation and verification of eight compounds (1-8): chlorogenic acid (1), 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid (2), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3), 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (4), 1,3,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (5), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (6), scopoletin (7), and esculetin (8). Of these, 1,3,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (5) showed the highest cytotoxicity in A2780 human ovarian cancer cells, inducing apoptotic death in more than 37% cells and decreasing viability to less than 25% at 100 μM. Compound 5 increased the levels of cleaved caspase-8, Bax, cleaved PARP, and caspase-3/9, and decreased the levels of cleaved Bcl-2. Further, 5 inhibited tubule formation in HUVECs.VEGFR2, ERK, PI3K, Akt, and mTOR protein expression was also suppressed by 5. Then, a simple, rapid, and reliable LC-MS/ MS method was developed to determine the contents of the isolated compounds from IBV. Overall, 5 has potential for treating ovarian cancer as it induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells and inhibits tube formation.

Ovarian cancer usually metastasizes from the ovary to adjacent organs through direct invasion with blood vessels formed by endothelial cells. Targeting apoptosis of ovarian cancer and angiogenesis is promising for anticancer therapy. Leaves of Ipomoea sp. have reportedly shown promise in treating ovarian cancer. Here, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing and anti-angiogenic effects of compounds isolated from Ipomoea batatas vines (IBV). Phytochemical examination of IBV led to the isolation and verification of eight compounds (1-8): chlorogenic acid (1), 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid (2), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3), 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (4), 1,3,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (5), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (6), scopoletin (7), and esculetin (8). Of these, 1,3,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (5) showed the highest cytotoxicity in A2780 human ovarian cancer cells, inducing apoptotic death in more than 37% cells and decreasing viability to less than 25% at 100 μM. Compound 5 increased the levels of cleaved caspase-8, Bax, cleaved PARP, and caspase-3/9, and decreased the levels of cleaved Bcl-2. Further, 5 inhibited tubule formation in HUVECs.VEGFR2, ERK, PI3K, Akt, and mTOR protein expression was also suppressed by 5. Then, a simple, rapid, and reliable LC-MS/ MS method was developed to determine the contents of the isolated compounds from IBV. Overall, 5 has potential for treating ovarian cancer as it induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells and inhibits tube formation.

Ovarian cancer usually metastasizes from the ovary to adjacent organs through direct invasion with blood vessels formed by endothelial cells. Targeting apoptosis of ovarian cancer and angiogenesis is promising for anticancer therapy. Leaves of Ipomoea sp. have reportedly shown promise in treating ovarian cancer. Here, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing and anti-angiogenic effects of compounds isolated from Ipomoea batatas vines (IBV). Phytochemical examination of IBV led to the isolation and verification of eight compounds (1-8): chlorogenic acid (1), 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid (2), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3), 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (4), 1,3,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (5), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (6), scopoletin (7), and esculetin (8). Of these, 1,3,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (5) showed the highest cytotoxicity in A2780 human ovarian cancer cells, inducing apoptotic death in more than 37% cells and decreasing viability to less than 25% at 100 μM. Compound 5 increased the levels of cleaved caspase-8, Bax, cleaved PARP, and caspase-3/9, and decreased the levels of cleaved Bcl-2. Further, 5 inhibited tubule formation in HUVECs.VEGFR2, ERK, PI3K, Akt, and mTOR protein expression was also suppressed by 5. Then, a simple, rapid, and reliable LC-MS/ MS method was developed to determine the contents of the isolated compounds from IBV. Overall, 5 has potential for treating ovarian cancer as it induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells and inhibits tube formation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of this study is to clarify perceptual and acoustic analysis for the patients with hypothyroidism after thyroidectomy especially focused on the characteristics of speech articulation with special reference to the consonant production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of the research were 40 male and female adults (males : 5, females : 35). They were all received radioactive iodine treatment which after total thyroidectomy. Voice samples were collected during the three stages of after surgery, pre-radioisotope treatment (RIT), and post-RIT. The acoustic analysis was conducted by using Pratt (ver.5.2.21) after measuring voice onset time (VOT). The subjective evaluation of the voices used CAPE-V. RESULTS: A significant decrease in overall severity was displayed in the CAPE-V following RIT. It may be conjectured that this is connected to the change in voice following RIT. The loudness of the sound displayed a significant decrease in the CAPE-V following RIT. It is conjectured that this is connected to the decrease in vocal intensity following RIT. No statistically significant results were revealed for the comparative analysis on the voice onset time (VOT) in all plosives during the three periods. CONCLUSION: Perceptually, the overall severity of the voice with hypothyroidism was changed significantly before and after RIT. Eventhough VOT were not significantly changed, it tended to decrease VOT in patients with hypothyroidism.
Acoustics ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism* ; Iodine ; Male ; Thyroidectomy ; Voice*

Tacrolimus is one of the effective immunosuppressive drugs used after an organ transplant procedure. However, due to its narrow therapeutic range, its usefulness in preventing transplant rejection and minimizing nephrotoxicity is dependent on the monitoring of whole blood trough levels of tacrolimus. A 49-year-old kidney transplant recipient presenting with cough and general weakness was admitted to the hospital. Due to the patient's deeply compromised clinical condition, an immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued. Tacrolimus concentrations in the patient's whole blood samples were measured, using an automated chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) instrument. Interference was suspected because tacrolimus concentrations after the discontinuation of tacrolimus dose were 20.9 and 18.2 ng/mL at day 2 and 3, respectively. Tacrolimus concentrations were 11.1 and 12.6 ng/mL, respectively, when re-tested using an antibody-conjugated magnetic immunoassay (ACMIA). We evaluated the relationship between the CMIA and ACMIA results, and calculated the expected values from the regression equation. Residuals were –8.4 and –4 ng/mL, respectively. There have been several cases with false detection of elevated tacrolimus concentrations using ACMIA; however, such falsely detected elevations using CMIA have rarely been reported. When unexpectedly high concentrations of tacrolimus are detected by CMIA in transplant patients, an immediate re-test using another technique might be necessary to rule out falsely elevated results.
Cough ; Graft Rejection ; Humans ; Immunoassay* ; Kidney Transplantation ; Kidney* ; Luminescence* ; Middle Aged ; Tacrolimus* ; Transplant Recipients ; Transplants

A 42-yr-old man with hepatitis B virus associated liver cirrhosis was admitted to the emergency room because of multiple seizures, a history of chills and myalgia over the previous 2 weeks, and 3 days of melena. He was febrile with a temperature of 38.0degrees C. There were no symptoms and signs related to the genitourinary system, skin, or joints. Three sets of blood cultures were obtained and oxidase-positive, gram-negative diplococci were detected after 25.9-26.9 hr of incubation in all aerobic vials. The organism was positive for catalase and oxidase, and was identified as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, using a Vitek Neisseria-Haemophilus Identification card (bioMerieux Vitek, Inc., USA). Further, 16S rRNA sequencing of this isolate revealed a 99.9% homology with the published sequence of N. gonorrhoeae strain NCTC 83785 (GenBank Accession No. NR_026079.1). Acute bleeding by variceal rupture seems to be a likely route of introduction of N. gonorrhoeae from the mucosa into the blood. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of gonococcal bacteremia in Korea.
Adult ; Bacteremia/complications/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Catalase/metabolism ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/complications/*diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*etiology ; Gonorrhea/complications/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Humans ; Ligation ; Liver Cirrhosis/diagnosis ; Male ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Oxidoreductases/metabolism ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/chemistry/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

No abstract available.
Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects ; Bone Marrow Cells/cytology/pathology ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/*genetics ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Leukemia/*diagnosis/etiology ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/*drug therapy ; Phenotype ; Rituximab/administration & dosage

A popular approach for the study of estrogen receptor α inhibition is to investigate the protein-protein interaction between the estrogen receptor (ER) and the coactivator surface. In our study, we investigated phytochemicals from Rubus coreanus that were able to disrupt ERα and coactivator interaction with an ERα antagonist. The E-screen assay and molecular docking analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of the estrogenic activity of R. coreanus extract and its constituents on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. At 100 µg/mL, R. coreanus extract significantly stimulated cell proliferation (574.57 ± 8.56%). Sanguiin H6, which was isolated from R. coreanus, demonstrated the strongest affinity for the ERα coactivator-binding site in molecular docking analysis, with a binding energy of
Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Phytochemicals ; Rubus