PURPOSE: To determine whether insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) affects transforming growth factor (TGF-beta)- mediated fibronectin accumulation in human lens epithelial cell line (HLE B-3) cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HLE B-3 cells were incubated for 24 hours with TGF-beta (10ng/ mL), IGF-1 (10ng/mL), or both. Expression of the fibronectin gene was determined using a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fibronectin levels were examined using western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Expression of the fibronectin gene was not different between the TGF-beta/IGF-1 treated group and the TGF-beta treated group (p= 0.116). However, western blot analysis demonstrated decreased fibronectin levels in human lens epithelial cells treated with TGF-beta and IGF-1 compared to those treated with TGF-beta only (p < 0.01). Immunofluorescence staining disclosed inhibition of TGF-beta-induced fibronectin in the presence of IGF-1. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that IGF-1 counteracts TGF-beta-mediated fibronectin accumulation in human lens epithelial cells.
Cell Line ; Epithelial Cells/cytology/*drug effects/metabolism ; Fibronectins/*genetics/metabolism ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/*pharmacology ; Lens, Crystalline/cytology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/*pharmacology

BACKGROUND: Severe dehydration decreases renal perfusion. However, it is unclear whether sub-morbid dehydration affects kidney function similarly. Although there have been numerous animal and human studies that have suggested mild dehydration is associated with glomerular hyperfiltration, it has not been confirmed on a large-scale in the general population. Therefore, we aimed to identify the relationship between hydration status and kidney function. METHODS: We reviewed the data of 28,342 adults who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Urine specific gravity unit (SGU) was the primary variable that indicated hydration status, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used as the primary outcome. RESULTS: Multivariate linear regression analysis showed urine SGU was positively associated with eGFR, which was J-shaped in the multivariate generalized additive model plot. In the penalized spline curve analysis, the odds ratio for high eGFR was steadily increased. Although increased urine SGU was associated with decreased blood pressure and pulse rate, it had no effect on increased fasting glucose and total cholesterol, suggesting conflicting cardio-metabolic dehydration effects. CONCLUSION: Dehydration, presumably sub-morbid in an ambulatory community-dwelling general population, is associated with higher kidney function. The clinical significance of sub-morbid dehydration-associated glomerular hyperfiltration needs further investigation.
Adult ; Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Dehydration ; Fasting ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Glucose ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Kidney ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Odds Ratio ; Perfusion ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Specific Gravity

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the characteristics of victim and sexual abuse on posttraumatic psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents with a history of sexual abuse. METHODS: A total of 137 children and adolescents were recruited from the Seoul Sunflower Children Center, a nation-funded sexual violence victim protection center, from January 2009 to December 2013. We collected the demographic data of the victims and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) from victims. We hypothesized victims' age, sex, and intelligence quotient, and the characteristics of sexual abuse as the affecting factors of posttraumatic psychiatric symptoms. Descriptive analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were performed for analysis of demographic data, TSCC scores, and psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: The victims' age and the characteristics of sexual abuse were significantly related to the traumatic distress of sexual abuse. R-square was 23% for anxiety, 39% for depression, 21% for posttraumatic stress, and 37% for dissociation on TSCC. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that victims' age, type, frequency and duration of exposure, and disclosure of sexual abuse are significant affecting factors on posttraumatic psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents. Exploration of psychiatric symptoms other than posttraumatic symptoms, and relations between pretraumatic and posttraumatic psychiatric symptoms is needed through collection of larger samples.
Adolescent* ; Anxiety ; Checklist ; Child Abuse, Sexual ; Child* ; Depression ; Disclosure ; Helianthus ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Psychopathology ; Seoul ; Sex Offenses*

Colorectal cancer developed during pregnancy is extremely rare condition associated with a poor prognosis. Pregnant women usually present with more advanced stage at diagnosis than their non-pregnant counterparts. There are several possible reasons for this disparity as follows. The first one is delay in making the diagnosis due to similarity between the early symptoms of colon cancer and the gastrointestinal complains of pregnancy, the second is proliferation and decreased apoptosis of tumor cells due to the effects of various cytokines and hormonal environmental stimuli related to the state of pregnancy, and the third is an increased opportunity for tumor spread due to the immunosuppressed state of pregnancy and increased perfusion of all the organs. Thus, it is important not to underestimate the patient's symptoms because the early diagnosis is essential for better prognosis. We report a 27-year-old primigravida with advanced stage adenocarcinoma of the left colon diagnosed after cesarean delivery with a brief review of literature.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adult ; Apoptosis ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Cytokines ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Perfusion ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated the clinical features and prognosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in Korea. METHODS: Clinical data of patients diagnosed as PBC between 1997 and 2008 at eight referral hospitals were analyzed retrospectively. PBC was diagnosed based on liver function tests, presence of serum antimitochondrial antibody (AMA), and histopathological findings. RESULTS: In total, 251 patients (218 females, 33 males; mean age 54 years) were enrolled, and the mean follow-up duration was 33.5 months. At the diagnosis, 61% of the patients were asymptomatic, 12% had decompensated liver cirrhosis, and 98% were positive for AMA. The serum alkaline phosphate (ALP) level was 2.6 times the upper limit of normal, aspartate aminotransferase was 105 U/L, and bilirubin was 2.0 mg/dL. The mean Mayo risk score was 5.5, and the Child-Pugh class was A, B, and C in 79%, 19%, and 2% of the patients, respectively. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was used for treatment in 88% of the patients, among which 70% exhibited biochemical responses defined as normalization or a >40% decrease in ALP at 6 months. Eight deaths occurred during the follow-up; the causes were variceal bleeding, hepatic failure, and sepsis. The overall 5-year survival rate was 95%. The poor prognostic factors were being older than 60 years, high bilirubin, low albumin, ascites, high Mayo risk score, Child-Pugh class C, and initial presence of hepatic decompensation. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients diagnosed as PBC were asymptomatic, and these patients had a favorable short-term prognosis. The prognosis of PBC was dependent on the initial severity of liver disease.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Autoantibodies/metabolism ; Bacterial Proteins/blood ; Endopeptidases/blood ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/*diagnosis/drug therapy/mortality ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Rate ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid/therapeutic use

In order to develop a structured and objective diagnostic instrument, authors completed: (1) the translation and back translation of the Korean version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and (2) the examination of its validity and reliability of the K-SADS-PL-Korean version (K-SADS- PL) when used with Korean children. A total of 91 study subjects were recruited from child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinics. Clinical diagnoses were used as a gold standard for the examination of validity of K-SADS-PL-K. Consensual validity of threshold and sub-threshold diagnoses were good to excellent for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fair for tic and oppositional defiant disorders, and poor to fair for anxiety and depressive disorders. Inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities were fair to excellent for ADHD and tic disorder. The significant correlations between the K-SADS-PL-K and Korean Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) were found, which provided additional support for the concurrent validity of the K-SADS-PL-K. Sensitivities varied according to the diagnostic categories, but specificities remained high over all diagnoses, suggesting that the K-SADS-PL-K is a desirable confirmatory diagnostic tool. The results of this study suggest that the K-SADS-PL-K is an effective instrument for diagnosing major child psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, behavioral disorders and tic disorders in Korean children. Future studies will examine the validity and reliability of the K-SADS-PL-K in larger samples, including adolescents and community samples on a variety of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.
Adolescent ; Child ; Human ; Korea ; Mood Disorders/*diagnosis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; *Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Reproducibility of Results ; Schizophrenia/*diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Translations

Twelve strains of V. vulnificus isolated from clinical specimens in 2002~2004 in Jeollado province were determined for their biologic groups, serotypes, presence of vvhA (hemolysin/cytolysin) gene, DNA sequence, and PFGE patterns of NotI-restricted genomic DNA. The following results were obtained. All 12 isolates were biogroup 1, and API 20E profiles were: 5146105 for 5 (41.7%) isolates, and 5148125 for 2 isolates with sucrose fermentation. Ten (83.3%) of the 12 isolates was V. vulnificus serotype O4A, and two sucrose-fermenting isolates belonged to serotype O2. Alleles of cytolysin-hemolysin gene were detected in all 12 isolates. The nucleotide sequences of vvhA genes from strains WKHC 212 and WKHC 221 showed 94~97% similarity compared with those from previously reported 7 strains, YJ016, CMCP6, L-180, CDC B3547, IF Vv10, CIP 75.4T and CNRVC 970121. PFGE of NotI-restricted genomic DNA from the 12 isolates showed approximately 48.5 to 873-kb fragments and they were clustered to five (A to E) patterns. Two sucrose-fermenting isolates belonged to pattern D with 95% similarity with each other. Two strains isolated from two different patients had two identical patterns C and D. It is concluded that sucrose-fermenting strains also exist among clinical isolates of V. vulnificus in Korea, and they can be identified by using API 20E system, and by detecting vvhA gene. DNA sequences and PFGE pattern of NotI-restricted genomic DNA suggested that the two sucrose-fermenting isolates belonged to an identical clone, and two strains each isolated from two different patients belonged to two identical clones.
Alleles ; Base Sequence ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Clone Cells ; DNA ; Fermentation ; Humans ; Korea ; Sucrose ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

BACKGROUND: Autophagy is an important adaptive mechanism in normal development and in response to changing environmental stimuli in cancer. Previous papers have reported that different types of cancer underwent autophagy to obtain amino acids as energy source of dying cells in nutrient-deprived conditions. However, whether or not autophagy in the process of lung cancer causes death or survival is controversial. Therefore in this study, we investigated whether nutrient deprivation induces autophagy in human H460 lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460, lung cancer cells were incubated in RPMI 1640 medium, and the starved media, which are BME and RPMI media without serum, including 2-deoxyl-D-glucose according to time dependence. To evaluate the viability and find out the mechanism of cell death under nutrient-deprived conditions, the MTT assay and flow cytometry were done and analyzed the apoptotic and autophagic related proteins. It is also measured the development of acidic vascular organelles by acridine orange. RESULTS: The nutrient-deprived cancer cell is relatively sensitive to cell death rather than normal nutrition. Massive cytoplasmic vacuolization was seen under nutrient-deprived conditions. Autophagic vacuoles were visible at approximately 12 h and as time ran out, vacuoles became larger and denser with the increasing number of vacuoles. In addition, the proportion of acridine orange stain-positive cells increased according to time dependence. Localization of GFP-LC3 in cytoplasm and expression of LC-3II and Beclin 1 were increased according to time dependence on nutrient-deprived cells. CONCLUSION: Nutrient deprivation induces cell death through autophagy in H460 lung cancer cells.
Acridine Orange ; Amino Acids ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Cytoplasm ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Malnutrition ; Organelles ; Proteins ; Vacuoles

BACKGROUND: Most lung cancer patients receive systemic chemotherapy at an advanced stage disease. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the main regimen for treating advanced lung cancer. Recently, autophagy has become an important mechanism of cellular adaptation under starvation or cell oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not autophagy can occurred in cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460 cells were incubated with RPMI 1640 and treated in 5 micrometer or 20 micrometer cisplatin concentrations at specific time intervals. Cells surviving cisplatin treatment were measured and compared using an MTT cell viability assay to cells that underwent apoptosis with autophagy by nuclear staining, apoptotic or autophagic related proteins, and autophagic vacuoles. The development of acidic vascular organelles was using acridine orange staining and fluorescent expression of GFP-LC3 protein in its transfected cells was observed to evaluate autophagy. RESULTS: Lung cancer cells treated with 5 micrometer cisplatin-treated were less sensitive to cell death than 20 micrometer cisplatin-treated cells in a time-dependent manner. Nuclear fragmentation at 5 micrometer was not detected, even though it was discovered at 20 micrometer. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavages were not detected in 5 micrometer within 24 hours. Massive vacuolization in the cytoplasm of 5 micrometer treated cells were observed. Acridine orange stain-positive cells was increased according in time-dependence manner. The autophagosome-incorporated LC3 II protein expression was increased in 5 micrometer treated cells, but was not detected in 20 micrometer treated cells. The expression of GFP-LC3 were increased in 5 micrometer treated cells in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The induction of autophagy occurred in 5 micrometer dose of cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells.
Acridine Orange ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cisplatin ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Organelles ; Oxidative Stress ; Proteins ; Starvation ; Vacuoles

BACKGROUND: Most lung cancer patients receive systemic chemotherapy at an advanced stage disease. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the main regimen for treating advanced lung cancer. Recently, autophagy has become an important mechanism of cellular adaptation under starvation or cell oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not autophagy can occurred in cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460 cells were incubated with RPMI 1640 and treated in 5 micrometer or 20 micrometer cisplatin concentrations at specific time intervals. Cells surviving cisplatin treatment were measured and compared using an MTT cell viability assay to cells that underwent apoptosis with autophagy by nuclear staining, apoptotic or autophagic related proteins, and autophagic vacuoles. The development of acidic vascular organelles was using acridine orange staining and fluorescent expression of GFP-LC3 protein in its transfected cells was observed to evaluate autophagy. RESULTS: Lung cancer cells treated with 5 micrometer cisplatin-treated were less sensitive to cell death than 20 micrometer cisplatin-treated cells in a time-dependent manner. Nuclear fragmentation at 5 micrometer was not detected, even though it was discovered at 20 micrometer. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavages were not detected in 5 micrometer within 24 hours. Massive vacuolization in the cytoplasm of 5 micrometer treated cells were observed. Acridine orange stain-positive cells was increased according in time-dependence manner. The autophagosome-incorporated LC3 II protein expression was increased in 5 micrometer treated cells, but was not detected in 20 micrometer treated cells. The expression of GFP-LC3 were increased in 5 micrometer treated cells in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The induction of autophagy occurred in 5 micrometer dose of cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells.
Acridine Orange ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cisplatin ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Organelles ; Oxidative Stress ; Proteins ; Starvation ; Vacuoles