Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) hold high nutritional and medicinal value as they con tain an abundance of health-promoting compounds. However, the effect of long-term post harvest storage on the variation in the levels of health-promoting compounds has not been extensively studied. In this study, we investigated the changes in the levels of phenolic com pounds, antioxidants, eritadenine, and ergothioneine in shiitake mushrooms stored at three different temperatures (1, 3, and 5℃ C) for 4 weeks. Compared to mushrooms stored at lower temperatures, those stored at 5℃ C exhibited a higher level of total phenolics in their pileus after 2 weeks of storage; however, storage at 5℃ C also increased the deterioration of the fruiting body of these mushrooms. In mushrooms stored at all temperatures, the eritadenine content in the pilei tended to increase up to 2 weeks of storage. In contrast, the ergothio neine content in the pileus decreased during storage, with a significantly lower level detected in mushrooms stored at 5℃ C for 4 weeks. Together, these results suggest that the mechanisms underlying the accumulation of phenolics and eritadenine may be related to mushroom deterioration during storage. Our findings indicate that the levels of health-pro moting compounds in shiitake mushrooms are influenced by storage temperature, suggest ing the potential to control adjustments of specific bioactive compounds by regulating storage conditions

PURPOSE: In order to elicit efficient and effective operation of the Korean Emergency Medical Service System, we observed patients brought in by way of the Emergency Center by 119 ambulances and analyzed the appropriateness of the transport and the level of emergency care provided. METHODS: For the month of August 2002, patients who visited a university hospital emergency unit in Seoul were separated and evaluated according to the study protocols. The appropriateness of the 119 transport was based on a patient questionnaire and an evaluation of medical records and was categorized as follows; 1) need for emergency care or urgency/emergency transport by 119 ambulance, 2) need for emergency care or urgency/emergency transport by non 119 ambulance, 3) no need for emergency care or subemergency/nonemergency transport by 119 ambulance, 4) no needs for emergency care or subemergency/ nonemergency transport by non 119 ambulance. Of these, category 1 is viewed as the appropriate level of transport to the hospital emergency unit by 119 rescuers whereas category 3 is considered inappropriate transportation by 119 rescuers. The analysis of the appropriateness of the level of emergency care was based on sorting patients into 5 service categories; 1) emergency care required - appropriate operation, 2) emergency care required - no operation, 3)emergency care required - inappropriate operation, 4) no emergency care required - operation, 5) no emergency care required - no operation. Within these, categories 1 and 5 are considered appropriate and categories 2, 3 and 4 as inappropriate. RESULTS: Over the course of the study, 1,376 out of 1,451 patients transported to the hospital emergency unit qualified to be included under study protocols. Among them, the proportion of patients who needed emergency care or urgency/emergency transport was 22.8% (314 patients), and the proportion of those who received appropriate transport by the 119 emergency team was 62.6% (196 patients). Among the 282 patients who were transported by 119 emergency teams, in 195 patients (69.1%), emergency care was indicated while only 81 of the 195 patients (41.5%) received operations with an emergency or critical level of care. Of these 81, 47 patients (58.0%) received the appropriate operation. Therefore, the overall appropriateness of emergency care was 45.0% (127 patients), including emergency care required - appropriate operation (47 patients) and no emergency care required - no operation (80 patients). CONCLUSION: From this study, the appropriateness of transport by 119 rescuers is 62.6% but if subemergency cases are included, the appropriateness of transport increases to 95.2%. However, the appropriateness of care is only 45.0%, implying a need for continuing training for 119 emergency medical technicians and further organization of the medical control system.
Ambulances ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Transportation

PURPOSE: To report a case of nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy diagnosed using serum anti-retinal autoantibodies. CASE SUMMARY: A 60-year-old female complained of progressive visual loss in both eyes over 3 months. Her best corrected visual acuity was hand motion in the right eye, 0.9 (decimal) in the left eye, and no definite abnormal findings were identified on fundus examinations. Automated visual field test revealed severely depressed visual fields in both eyes. Standard full-field electroretinogram (ERG) revealed nearly extinguished scotopic b-waves and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed subtle obscuration and interruption of the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction of the photoreceptors. Using Western blotting with human retinal proteins and the patient's serum, we diagnosed nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy and performed posterior subtenon steroid injection in the right eye, systemic corticosteroids, and oral mycophenolate mofetil. Full-field ERG after treatment showed slightly increased amplitude but there was no subjective visual improvement. OCT after treatment did not reveal significant changes in the photoreceptor layer. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first reported case of nonparaneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy in Korea diagnosed using Western blotting with anti-retinal autoantibodies. Autoimmune retinopathy should be considered in patients with visual field and ERG impairment without definite fundus abnormalities.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Autoantibodies ; Blotting, Western ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Retinaldehyde ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Field Tests ; Visual Fields

Silymarin from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been reported to show an anti-cancer activity. In previous study, we reported that silymarin induces cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation through NF-κB-mediated threonine-286 phosphorylation. However, mechanism for the inhibition of Wnt signaling by silymarin still remains unanswered. Thus, we investigated whether silymarin affects Wnt signaling in human colorectal cancer cells to elucidate the additional anti-cancer mechanism of silymarin. Transient transfection with a TOP and FOP FLASH luciferase construct indicated that silymarin suppressed the transcriptional activity of β-catenin/TCF. Silymarin treatment resulted in a decrease of intracellular β-catenin protein but not mRNA. The inhibition of proteasome by MG132 and GSK3β inhibition by SB216763 blocked silymarin-mediated downregulation of β-catenin. In addition, silymarin increased phosphorylation of β-catenin and a point mutation of S33Y attenuated silymarin-mediated β-catenin downregulation. In addition, silymarin decreased TCF4 and increased Axin expression in both protein and mRNA level. From these results, we suggest that silymarin-mediated downregulation of β-catenin and TCF4 may result in the inhibition of Wnt signaling in human colorectal cancer cells.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Cyclin D1 ; Down-Regulation ; Humans* ; Luciferases ; Milk Thistle ; Phosphorylation ; Point Mutation ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex ; RNA, Messenger ; Silymarin* ; Transfection

Naringenin (NAR) as one of the flavonoids observed in grapefruit has been reported to exhibit an anti-cancer activity. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is associated with apoptosis in human colon cancer cells. This study was performed to investigate the molecular mechanism by which NAR stimulates ATF3 expression and apoptosis in human colon cancer cells. NAR reduced the cell viability and induced an apoptosis in human colon cancer cells. ATF3 overexpression increased NAR-mediated cleaved PARP, while ATF3 knockdown attenuated the cleavage of PARP by NAR. NAR increased ATF3 expression in both protein and mRNA level, and increased the luciferase activity of ATF3 promoter in a dose-dependent manner. The responsible region for ATF3 transcriptional activation by NAR is located between -317 and -148 of ATF3 promoter. p38 inhibition blocked NAR-mediated ATF3 expression, its promoter activation and apoptosis. The results suggest that NAR induces apoptosis through p38-dependent ATF3 activation in human colon cancer cells.
Activating Transcription Factor 3 ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Survival ; Citrus paradisi ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Flavonoids ; Humans* ; Luciferases ; RNA, Messenger ; Transcriptional Activation

Curriculum ; Female ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Head ; Humans ; Mammaplasty ; Mouth ; Neck ; Scalp ; Shoulder ; Skin ; Surgery, Oral ; Surgical Flaps ; Tissue Donors

Some retinal neurons, including intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells have their dendrites stratified in sublamina a of the inner plexiform (IPL), the OFF sublayer, but paradoxically show light-driven ON electrophysiological responses. In order to understand the mechanism on this paradoxical response, by using immunoelectron microscopy with a specific antibody against calbindin, we examined the synaptic connections of the calbindin-immunoreactive ON cone bipolar cell of the rabbit retina, which is thought to make the ribbon synapse in sublamina a of the IPL. The ribbon synapses in sublamina a by calbindin-immunoreactive ON cone bipolar cells were mainly found at the border between the inner nuclear layer and the IPL. Interestingly, the output targets at these ribbon synapses turned out as monads, and multiple synaptic ribbons were engaged in each synapse. These findings were different from those at the conventional ribbon synapse formed by calbindin-immunoreactive ON cone bipolar axon terminals. Thus, these findings may be the characteristics of the calbindin-immunoreactive ON cone bipolar ribbon synapse in sublamina a and can be used to classify the synapse in the retinal circuit research.
Axons ; Calcium-Binding Protein, Vitamin D-Dependent ; Dendrites ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Presynaptic Terminals ; Retina ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; Retinal Neurons ; Retinaldehyde ; Synapses

Naringenin (NAR) as one of the flavonoids observed in grapefruit has been reported to exhibit an anti-cancer activity. However, more detailed mechanism by which NAR exerts anti-cancer properties still remains unanswered. Thus, in this study, we have shown that NAR down-regulates the level of cyclin D1 in human colorectal cancer cell lines, HCT116 and SW480. NAR inhibited the cell proliferation in HCT116 and SW480 cells and decreased the level of cyclin D1 protein. Inhibition of proteasomal degradation by MG132 blocked NAR-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation and the half-life of cyclin D1 was decreased in the cells treated with NAR. In addition, NAR increased the phosphorylation of cyclin D1 at threonine-286 and a point mutation of threonine-286 to alanine blocked cyclin D1 downregulation by NAR. p38 inactivation attenuated cyclin D1 downregulation by NAR. From these results, we suggest that NAR-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation may result from proteasomal degradation through p38 activation. The current study provides new mechanistic link between NAR, cyclin D1 downregulation and cell growth in human colorectal cancer cells.
Alanine ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Citrus paradisi ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Cyclin D1* ; Down-Regulation* ; Flavonoids ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Phosphorylation ; Point Mutation

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to evaluate the MR findings for differentiating between necrotizing fasciitis (NF) and pyomyositis (PM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MR images of 19 patients with surgically confirmed NF (n = 11) and pathologically confirmed PM (n = 8) were retrospectively reviewed with regard to the presence or absence of any MRI finding criteria that could differentiate between them. RESULTS: The patients with NF had a significantly greater prevalence of the following MR findings (p < 0.05): a peripheral band-like hyperintense signal in muscles on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images (73% of the patients with NF vs. 0% of the patients with PM), peripheral band-like contrast enhancement (CE) of muscles (82% vs. 0%, respectively) and thin smooth enhancement of the deep fascia (82% vs. 13%, respectively). The patients with PM had a significantly greater prevalence of the following MRI findings (p < 0.05): a diffuse hyperintense signal in muscles on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images (27% of the patients with NF vs. 100% in the patients with PM), diffuse CE of muscles (18% vs. 100%, respectively), thick irregular enhancement of the deep fascia (0% vs. 75%, respectively) and intramuscular abscess (0% vs. 88%, respectively). For all patients with NF and PM, the superficial fascia and muscle showed hyperintense signals on T2-weighted images and CE was seen on fat-suppressed CE T1-weighted images. The subcutaneous tissue and deep fascia showed hyperintense signals on T2-weighted images and CE was seen in all the patients with NF and in seven (88%) of the eight patients with PM, respectively. CONCLUSION: MR imaging is helpful for differentiating between NF and PM.
Abscess/pathology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fascia/pathology ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Skeletal/pathology ; Pyomyositis/*pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Vitiligo is a pigmentary disorder induced by a loss of melanocytes. In addition to replacement of pure melanocytes, cocultures of melanocytes with keratinocytes have been used to improve the repigmentation outcome in vitiligo treatment. We previously identified by in vitro studies, that adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) could be a potential substitute for keratinocytes in cocultures with melanocytes. In this study, the efficacy of pigmentation including durability of grafted melanocytes and short-term safety was examined in the nude mouse and Sprague-Dawley rat after grafting of primary cultured human melanocytes, with or without different ratios of primary cultured human ADSCs. Simultaneous grafting of melanocytes and ADSCs, which were separately cultured and mixed on grafting at the ratios of 1:1, 1:2, or 1:3, showed better efficacy than that of pure melanocytes. Grafting of melanocytes cocultured with ADSCs resulted in a similar outcome as the grafting of cell mixtures. Skin pigmentation by melanocytes : ADSCs at the ratios of 1:1 and 1:2 was better than at 1:3. No significant difference was observed between the 1-week and 2-week durations in coculturing. Time-course microscopic examination showed that the grafted melanocytes remained a little longer than 6-week post-grafting. No inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in the grafted skin and no melanocytes were detectable in other organs. Collectively, grafting of melanocytes and ADSCs was equally safe and more effective than grafting of melanocytes alone. Despite the absence of significant differences in efficacy between the group of 1:1 and that of 1:2 ratio, 1:2 ratio for 1-week coculturing may be better for clinical use from the cost-benefit viewpoint.
Animals ; Coculture Techniques ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Melanocytes* ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Pigmentation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin Pigmentation ; Skin* ; Stem Cells* ; Transplants ; Vitiligo