Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious viral infection affecting young children during the spring to fall seasons. Recently, serious outbreaks of HFMD were reported frequently in the Asia-Pacific region, including China and Korea. The symptoms of HFMD are usually mild, comprising fever, loss of appetite, and a rash with blisters, which do not need specific treatment. However, there are uncommon neurological or cardiac complications such as meningitis and acute flaccid paralysis that can be fatal. HFMD is most commonly caused by infection with coxsackievirus A16, and secondly by enterovirus 71 (EV71). Many other strains of coxsackievirus and enterovirus can also cause HFMD. Importantly, HFMD caused by EV71 tends to be associated with fatal complications. Therefore, there is an urgent need to protect against EV71 infection. Development of vaccines against EV71 would be the most effective approach to prevent EV71 outbreaks. Here, we summarize EV71 infection and development of vaccines, focusing on current scientific and clinical progress.
Animals ; Appetite ; Blister ; Child ; China ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enterovirus* ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease ; Hand ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; Humans ; Korea ; Meningitis ; Models, Animal ; Paralysis ; Seasons ; Vaccines*

This study evaluated the surgical outcome and complications of phacoemulsification and the implantation of an acryl foldable intraocular lens (IOL) with a squared edge in dogs with cataracts. Thirty-two eyes from 26 dogs were examined. The mean follow up period was 75.9 days ranging from 23 to 226 days. The complications after phacoemulsification were posterior capsular opacity (PCO) around the IOL (n = 11), ocular hypertension (n = 4), focal posterior synechia (n = 4), hyphema (n = 3) and corneal ulcer (n = 2). The complications associated with the IOL were decenteration of the optic (n = 2) and ventral haptic displacement (n = 1). Most cases of PCO were found only around the margin of the IOL, and all eyes had vision during the observation period. In conclusion, the implantation of an acryl-foldable lens with a squared edge at the time of phacoemulsification is an effective method for preserving the central visual field of dogs with cataract.
Animals ; Cataract/*veterinary ; Dog Diseases/*surgery ; Dogs/*surgery ; Female ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/adverse effects/*veterinary ; Male ; Phacoemulsification/adverse effects/*veterinary ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a potent immunosuppressive agent, and it has been used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and to treat autoimmune diseases. Many side effects of CsA, including various types of endothelial dysfunction, have been reported. Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor that is used for the treatment of peripheral vascular diseases. METHODS: We investigated the effect of CsA on collagen synthesis and clarified whether PTX has protective effects against CsA-induced arterial vasculopathy using calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells. This study was carried out using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot analysis, nitric oxide (NO) detection, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: CsA treatment significantly increased the expression of collagen type I mRNA and protein and decreased the production of NO and cGMP. However, pre-treatment with PTX exerted anticollagen effect by suppressing the CsA-induced formation of collagen, but this effect of PTX was not modulated by NO and cGMP. CONCLUSION: Based on the present results, it is expected that PTX may have a protective effect against CsA-induced arterial vasculopathy, although the mechanism of PTX needs to be clarified in future studies.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Blotting, Western ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Cyclic GMP ; Cyclosporine ; Endothelial Cells ; Guanosine Monophosphate ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Nitric Oxide ; Pentoxifylline ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rejection (Psychology) ; RNA, Messenger ; Tetrazolium Salts ; Thiazoles ; Transplants

PURPOSE: This study aims to access the usefulness of indirect computed tomographic venography (CTV) after performing computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) to detect deep venous thrombosis. METHODS: Eighty six patients who were diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) were retrospectively enrolled in this study. All the patients had CTPA & CTV performed within 24 hours after Doppler ultrasound (US). The CTV was compared with Doppler US for their ability to diagnose DVT. Pulmonary embolism (PE) and other findings that were detected by CTPA & CTV were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 86 patients, 83 had thrombi detected by Doppler US. CTV did not detect DVT in 11 of the 83 patients. Among the 11 patients, 8 had below the knee thrombosis, which was not in the scan area of CTV. In 2 patients, their Doppler US results could not be guaranteed. One case was a false positive result on Doppler US. The results for determining the thrombi level between Doppler US and CTV were roughly concordant. In addition to DVT or PE, 32 new lesions in 27 patients were incidentally detected by CTPA & CTV. CONCLUSION: Compared with Doppler US, CTPA & CTV are not inferior to detect DVT of the lower extremities and these modalities can also provide information about incidental disease, as well as pulmonary embolism.
Angiography ; Benzoates ; Heterocyclic Compounds ; Humans ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Phlebography ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonics ; Venous Thrombosis

PURPOSE: The template-guided implant surgery offers several advantages over the traditional approach. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of coordinate synchronization procedure with 5-axis milling machine for surgical template fabrication by means of reverse engineering through universal CAD software. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed on ten edentulous models with imbedded gutta percha stoppings which were hidden under silicon gingival form. The platform for synchordination was formed on the bottom side of models and these casts were imaged in Cone beam CT. Vectors of stoppings were extracted and transferred to those of planned implant on virtual planning software. Depth of milling process was set to the level of one half of stoppings and the coordinate of the data was synchronized to the model image. Synchronization of milling coordinate was done by the conversion process for the platform for the synchordination located on the bottom of the model. The models were fixed on the synchordination plate of 5-axis milling machine and drilling was done as the planned vector and depth based on the synchronized data with twist drill of the same diameter as GP stopping. For the 3D rendering and image merging, the impression tray was set on the conbeam CT and pre- and post-CT acquiring was done with the model fixed on the impression body. The accuracy analysis was done with Solidworks (Dassault systems, Concord, USA) by measuring vector of stopping's top and bottom centers of experimental model through merging and reverse engineering the planned and post-drilling CT image. Correlations among the parameters were tested by means of Pearson correlation coefficient and calculated with SPSS (release 14.0, SPSS Inc. Chicago, USA) (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Due to the declination, GP remnant on upper half of stoppings was observed for every drilled bores. The deviation between planned image and drilled bore that was reverse engineered was 0.31 (0.15 - 0.42) mm at the entrance, 0.36 (0.24 - 0.51) mm at the apex, and angular deviation was 1.62 (0.54 - 2.27)degrees. There was positive correlation between the deviation at the entrance and that at the apex (Pearson Correlation Coefficient = 0.904, P = .013). CONCLUSION: The coordinate synchronization 5-axis milling procedure has adequate accuracy for the production of the guided surgical template.
Chicago ; Collodion ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Gutta-Percha ; Mandrillus ; Models, Theoretical ; Silicones

Ionizing radiation has long been used in medicine since the discovery of X-rays. Diagnostic imaging using synchrotron radiation has been under investigation since Rubenstein et al. reported dual-energy iodine-K-edge subtraction coronary angiography. Recently, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have provided better quality results than conventional radiology, providing important information on human internal structures. However, such techniques are unable to detect fine micron sized structures for the early diagnosis of tumors, vascular diseases and other medical objectives. Third generation synchrotron X-rays are well known for their superiority in coherence and energy tunability with respect to conventional X-rays. Consequently, new contrast mechanisms with a superior spatial resolution are becoming available. Here we present the extremely fine details of live animal internal structures using unmonochromatized synchrotron X-rays (white beam) and a simple detector system. Natural movements of the internal organs are also shown. The results indicate that this imaging technique can be applied to investigating microstructures and evaluating the function of the internal organs. Furthermore, this imaging system may be applied to humans as the next tool beyond CT and MRI.
Animal ; *Diagnostic Imaging ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred HRS ; *Synchrotrons

Objectives: . Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine tumor, with rapidly increasing incidence worldwide. However, its transcriptomic characteristics associated with immunological signatures, driver fusions, and recurrence markers remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the transcriptomic characteristics of advanced papillary thyroid cancer. Methods: . This study included 282 papillary thyroid cancer tumor samples and 155 normal samples from Chungnam National University Hospital and Seoul National University Hospital. Transcriptomic quantification was determined by high-throughput RNA sequencing. We investigated the associations of clinical parameters and molecular signatures using RNA sequencing. We validated predictive biomarkers using the Cancer Genome Atlas database. Results: . Through a comparison of differentially expressed genes, gene sets, and pathways in papillary thyroid cancer compared to normal tumor-adjacent tissue, we found increased immune signaling associated with cytokines or T cells and decreased thyroid hormone synthetic pathways. In addition, patients with recurrence presented increased CD8+ T-cell and Th1-cell signatures. Interestingly, we found differentially overexpressed genes related to immune-escape signaling such as CTLA4, IDO1, LAG3, and PDCD1 in advanced papillary thyroid cancer with a low thyroid differentiation score. Fusion analysis showed that the PI3K and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were regulated differently according to the RET fusion partner genes (CCDC6 or NCOA4). Finally, we identified HOXD9 as a novel molecular biomarker that predicts the recurrence of thyroid cancer in addition to known risk factors (tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and extrathyroidal extension). Conclusion . We identified a high association with immune-escape signaling in the immune-hot group with aggressive clinical characteristics among Korean thyroid cancer patients. Moreover, RET fusion differentially regulated PI3K and MAPK signaling depending on the partner gene of RET, and HOXD9 was found to be a recurrence marker for advanced papillary thyroid cancer.

This study was aimed to investigate the changes of orexin-A (OXA) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) expression in the hypothalamus of the fasted and high-fat diet fed rats. For the experiments, the male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used as the model of high-fat diet-induced obesity. The mean loss of body weight (MLBW) did not show the linear pattern during the fasting; from 24 h to 84 h of fastings, the MLBW was not significantly changed. The numbers of OXA-immunoreactive (IR) neurons were decreased at 84 h of fasting compared with those in other five fasting subgroups. The NPY immunoreactivities in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) observed at 84 h of fasting were higher than that observed at 24 h of fasting. The number of OXA-IR neurons of the LHA (lateral hypothalamic area) in the high-fat (HF) diet fed group was more increased than that of the same area in the normal-fat (NF) diet fed group. The NPY immunoreactivities of the ARC and the SCN were higher in HF group than those observed in the same areas of NF group. Based on these results, it is noteworthy that the decrease of the body weight during the fast was not proportionate to the time-course, implicating a possible adaptation of the body for survival against starvation. The HF diet might activate the OXA and the NPY in the LHA to enhance food intake.
Adaptation, Physiological/physiology ; Animals ; Arcuate Nucleus/metabolism ; Dietary Fats ; Eating ; Fasting/*physiology ; Hypothalamic Area, Lateral/metabolism ; Hypothalamus/*metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry/veterinary ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/*metabolism ; Male ; Neuropeptide Y/*metabolism ; Neuropeptides/*metabolism ; Obesity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley/physiology ; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus/metabolism

The optimal dark adaptation time of electroretinograms (ERG's) performed on conscious dogs were determined using a commercially available ERG unit with a contact lens electrode and a built-in light source (LED-electrode). The ERG recordings were performed on nine healthy Miniature Schnauzer dogs. The bilateral ERG's at seven different dark adaptation times at an intensity of 2.5 cd.s/m2 was performed. Signal averaging (4 flashes of light stimuli) was adopted to reduce electrophysiologic noise. As the dark adaptation time increased, a significant increase in the mean a-wave amplitudes was observed in comparison to base-line levels up to 10 min (p > 0.05). Thereafter, no significant differences in amplitude occured over the dark adaptation time. Moreover, at this time the mean amplitude was 60.30 +/- 18.47 microV. However, no significant changes were observed for the implicit times of the a-wave. The implicit times and amplitude of the b-wave increased significantly up to 20 min of dark adaptation (p > 0.05). Beyond this time, the mean b-wave amplitudes was 132.92 +/- 17.79 microV. The results of the present study demonstrate that, the optimal dark adaptation time when performing ERG's, should be at least 20 min in conscious Miniature Schnauzer dogs.
Animals ; Dark Adaptation/*physiology ; Dogs/*physiology ; Electroretinography/*veterinary ; Male ; Retina/*physiology ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of monitored anesthesia care (MAC) using dexmedetomidine for its sedative and analgesic effect during varicose vein surgery. METHODS: Forty-two patients, who underwent varicose vein surgery, were divided into the MAC group (n = 20) or the spinal anesthesia group (n = 22) for randomized clinical trial. In the MAC group, dexmedetomidine was administered by a loading dose of 1 microg/kg for 10 minutes, followed by a maintenance infusion of 0.2-1.0 microg/kg/hr. Ketamine was used for intermittent injection. In the spinal anesthesia group, midazolam was used for sedation. Intraoperative vital signs, the number of adverse events, and the satisfaction of patients and surgeons concerning the anesthetic condition were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure was intraoperatively significantly different over time between the two groups. The groups had statistical differences in the change in heart rate with regard to time. In the postanesthetic care unit, patients and surgeons in the MAC group had a lower satisfaction score, compared to patients and surgeons in the spinal anesthesia group. However, in the recovery period, patients had a positive perception concerning MAC anesthesia. In addition, without significant adverse events, the MAC group had a shorter time to possible ambulation, which indicated an early recovery. CONCLUSION: We believe that MAC using dexmedetomidine in combination with ketamine may be an alternative anesthetic technique for varicose vein surgery with regard to a patient's preference and medical condition.
Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Blood Pressure ; Dexmedetomidine* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Ketamine ; Midazolam ; Varicose Veins* ; Vital Signs ; Walking