No abstract available.
Seoul*

OBJECTIVES: To identify dentists' perceptions regarding the possible introduction of private health insurance plans, thereby providing basic data to improve the existing dental health insurance system. METHODS: A self-report survey was conducted with a total of 126 dentists in Jeollabuk-do Province. The survey was designed to gather information on the dentists' positions, perceptions and attitudes toward on a proposed introduction of privately run insurance schemes. RESULTS: A negative general consensus was found for the privately run scheme. Also it appeared that an overall review was required. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the high percentage of negative responses in the present study, it seems necessary to pro-actively reflect and complement potential issues in the current system before implementing privately run schemes in efforts to establish a solid foundation for operating dental insurance plans best suitable to the needs and characteristics of premium payers.
Complement System Proteins ; Consensus ; Dentists ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance, Dental ; Insurance, Health

No abstract available.
Animals ; Mice* ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic*

A 22-year old female visited CNUH due to palpable neck mass. Cytologic examination of a fine needle aspiration was performed and the result was Pap class II. Routine chest x-ray shows solitary pulmonary nodule. For rule-out malignancy, FNA at neck mass was repeated and pathologic finding was dysplasia. She was admitted to MI department for evaluation of solitary pulmonary nodule and percutaneous needle aspiration was done. Pathologic diagnosis was adenoid cystic carcinoma. Thereafter, the lesions were treated by excisional biopsy of submandibular gland mass with left supraomohyoid neck dissection and wedge resection of right lower lobe at ENT department and thoracic and cardiovascular surgery department, respectively Final diagnosis was adenoid cystic carcinoma arising in submandibular gland with solitary lung metastasis. According to TMN staging system, surgical staging is stage IV of T2N0M1. Clinical follow-up to postoperative 13 months in this case showed that she is alive and well without evidence of recrrence.
Adenoids* ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung* ; Neck ; Neck Dissection ; Needles ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Salivary Glands* ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; Submandibular Gland ; Thorax

Purpose: Zinc is known to be associated with osteoblast proliferation and differentiation.Osterix as zinc-finger transcription factor is also related to osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether zinc modulates osterix gene and protein expression in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Methods: MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in zinc-dependent concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, 5, or 15 µM Zn), along with osteogenic control (normal osteogenic medium) for 1 and 3 days. The gene and protein expression levels of osterix were analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Results: Zinc increased osteoblast proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner at day 1 and 3. Similarly, zinc increased the activity of osteoblast marker enzyme alkaline phosphatase in cells and media in a zinc concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, our results showed that the pattern of osterix gene expression by zinc was down-regulated within the low levels of zinc treatments (0.5–1 µM) at day 1, but it was up-regulated after extended culture period at day 3. Osterix protein expression by zinc showed the similar pattern of gene expression, which down-regulated by low zinc levels at day 1 and up-regulated back at day 3 as the early stage of osteoblast differentiation. Conclusion Our results suggest that zinc modulates osterix gene and protein expression in osteoblasts, particularly in low level of zinc at early stage of osteoblast differentiation period.

BACKGROUND: Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) are associated with oxidative stress, and antioxidants including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) have been tried as potential therapeutic regimens of an experimental model of ND. We performed this study to determine the neuroprotective role of EGCG on up stream and down stream signals in oxidative-stress-injured PC12 cells by exposing them to H2O2. METHODS: Following 100 microM H2O2 exposure, the viability of PC12 cells (not pretreated vs EGCG or z-VAD-fmk pretreated) was evaluated by using a MTT assay. Immunoreactivity (IR) of cytochrome c, caspase-3, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), PI3K/Akt and GSK-3 was examined by using a Western blot. RESULTS: EGCG or z-VAD-fmk pretreated PC12 cells showed increased viability. Dose-dependent inhibition of caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage was demonstrated by the pretreatment of both agents. However, the inhibition of cytochrome c release was only detected in EGCG pretreated cells. On the pathway through PI3K/Akt and GSK-3, however, the result of a western blot in EGCG pretreated cells showed decreased IR of Akt and GSK-3 and increased IR of p85a PI3K, phosphorylated Akt and GSK-3, and contrasted with that in z-VAD-fmk pretreated cells showing no changes. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that EGCG affects apoptotic pathways through upstream signals including PI3K/Akt and GSK-3 pathways as well as downstream signals including cytochrome c and caspase-3 pathways. Therefore, these results suggest that EGCG mediated activation of PI3K/Akt and inhibition GSK-3 could be a new protective mechanism on the pathogenesis of ND.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; Cytochromes c ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 ; Glycogen Synthase* ; Glycogen* ; Models, Theoretical ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Oxidative Stress ; PC12 Cells* ; Rivers

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of dental anxiety with oral health behavior and dental caries experience among adolescents. METHODS: The subjects were 469 teenagers (238 middle school students and 231 high school students) in 15 different schools located in 7 regions of Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province, Daejeon, and others. A survey and interviews were conducted to evaluate subjects' oral health behavior and dental anxiety. Dental anxiety was additionally assessed by Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale. The caries experience of subjects was examined. RESULTS: There were no regional differences in dental anxiety. Girls felt more dental anxiety than boys did. Adolescents who did not receive treatment even when they needed it felt more dental anxiety than those who did receive treatment. There were also statistically significant differences in dental anxiety according to the type of treatment received. Adolescents who received extraction treatment or underwent oral surgery experienced more dental anxiety than those who received orthodontic or aesthetic treatment. Those who had a toothache or who experienced gingival bleeding felt more dental anxiety than those who did not have those conditions. Subjects with poor perceived oral health also had more dental anxiety. The number of decayed teeth and filled teeth was significantly correlated with dental anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: In adolescents, dental anxiety is related to their oral health behavior, the type of conditions they present with, the treatment received, and dental caries experience. Therefore, the kind of systematic programs that could relieve adolescents of dental anxiety should be prepared.
Adolescent* ; Dental Anxiety* ; Dental Caries* ; DMF Index ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Oral Health* ; Surgery, Oral ; Tooth ; Toothache

No abstract available.
Atherosclerosis* ; Periodontitis*

Hamamelis japonica (Hamamelidaceae), widely known as Japanese witch hazel, is a deciduous flowering shrub that produces compact clumps of yellow or orange-red flowers with long and thin petals. As a part of our ongoing search for phenolic constituents from this plant, eleven phenolic constituents including six flavonol glycosides, a chalcone glycoside, two coumaroyl flavonol glycosides and two galloylated compounds were isolated from the flowers. Their structures were elucidated as methyl gallate (1), myricitrin (2), hyperoside (3), isoquercitrin (4), quercitrin (5), spiraeoside (6), kaempferol 4'-O-beta-glucopyranoside (7), chalcononaringenin 2'-O-beta-glucopyranoside (8), trans-tiliroside (9), cis-tiliroside (10), and pentagalloyl-O-beta-D-glucose (11), respectively. These structures of the compounds were identified on the basis of spectroscopic studies including the on-line LCNMR- MS and conventional NMR techniques. Particularly, directly coupled LC-NMR-MS afforded sufficient structural information rapidly to identify three flavonol glycosides (2 - 4) with the same molecular weight in an extract of Hamamelis japonica flowers without laborious fractionation and purification step. Cytotoxic effects of all the isolated phenolic compounds were evaluated on HCT116 human colon cancer cells, and pentagalloyl-O-beta-D-glucose (11) was found to be significantly potent in inhibiting cancer cell growth.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Chalcone ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Flowers* ; Glycosides ; Hamamelis* ; Humans ; Molecular Weight ; Phenol* ; Plants

PURPOSE: This study assessed the results of the cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation (CPCR) performed by advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) teams on cardiac-arrest patients in pundang - jeseang general hospital by using the in hospital Utstein style. METHODS: From march 1999 to February 2001, we collected data based on a formatted protocol by using the in hospital utstein style. The subjects were adult patients over the age of 20 years who had not experienced trauma and who had been resusciated in the hospital (the emergency department (ED), the ward, and intensive care unit, etc.) by an ACLS team. We studied three groups: group I (ED), group II (general ward), and group III (ICU). RESULTS: among 100,552 patients who were admitted, we resuscitated 152 patients (23 in group I, 83 group II, 46 group III). The number of male patient was higher than the number of female (78%/22%, 57%/43% and 53%/47%). For group I, II, and III, respectively patients between 50 and 70 years of age were predominant, and in all groups, the most witness of the cardiac arrest was the nurse. Performed CPCR methods were complex (87%, 80% and 100%), compression only (4%, 0%, 0%), defibrillation only (9%, 17% and 0%) and ventilation only (0%, 3% and 0%). Initial EKG rhythms were VT/VF (9pts 39%, 44pts 53% and 22pts 48%), PEA (9pts 39% , 23pts 28% and 19pts41%) and asystol (5pts 22%, 16pts 19% and 5pts 11%). The average intervals (minutes) from arrest to CPCR were 0.4+/-0.4, 3.1+/-2.2, 1.0+/-0.6, from arrest to initial defibrillation were 2.7+/-1.3, 4.0+/-3.2 , 3.0+/-1.1, from arrest to intubation were 0.5+/-0.4, 3.8+/-1.3 and 1.1+/-1.0 and from arrest to initial epinephrine were 1.4+/-0.7, 3.0+/-4.4, 1.5+/-1.1 The durations of resuscitation minutes were 23.1+/-22.1, 29.6+/-13.8, 19.4 +/-14.6 The rates of return of spontaneous circulation were 70% (16/23), 55% (46/83), 77% (34/46). The number of discharged patinets were 3 (13%), 8 (9.6%), 9 (45%). The number of patients alive after 1year were 2 (8.7%), 2 (3.4%), 7 (15.2%). CONCLUSION: The rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and the number of patinets after 1 year were higher when the resuscitation was performed quickly, and the ACLS team played a great role in this result. Thus, the resuscitation education and training of nurses are very important and should be pursued continously.
Adult ; Education ; Electrocardiography ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epinephrine ; Female ; Heart Arrest ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Male ; Peas ; Resuscitation ; Ventilation