We have noticed an inadvertent error in our article.

OBJECTIVES: Endodontically treated teeth with insufficient tooth structure are often restored with esthetic restorations. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity and biological effects of yttria partially stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) blocks in combination with several dental cements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pairs of zirconia cylinders with medium alone or cemented with three types of dental cement including RelyX U200 (3M ESPE), FujiCEM 2 (GC), and Panavia F 2.0 (Kuraray) were incubated in medium for 14 days. The cytotoxicity of each supernatant was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays on L929 fibroblasts and MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA were evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and IL-6 protein was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The MTT assays showed that MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts were more susceptible to dental cements than L929 fibroblasts. The resin based dental cements increased IL-6 expression in L929 cells, but reduced IL-6 expression in MC3T3-E1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Zirconia alone or blocks cemented with dental cement showed acceptable biocompatibilities. The results showed resin-modified glass-ionomer based cement less produced inflammatory cytokines than other self-adhesive resin-based cements. Furthermore, osteoblasts were more susceptible than fibroblasts to the biological effects of dental cement.
Cytokines ; Dental Cements* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblasts ; Interleukin-6 ; Osteoblasts ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Resin Cements ; Reverse Transcription ; RNA, Messenger ; Tooth

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate continuously on how a short-term family psychoeducation program for schizophrenia would change the emotional stress and the knowledge of the family members. METHODS: Subjects were the family members who participated in the short-term family psychoeducation program for schizophrenia. The participants were asked to fill out self-reporting forms for 3 times-before commencing the 6-week family education, immediately after completing the program, and 3 months after completing the program respectively. RESULTS: A total of 46 subjects participated, and 20 of them responded to all questionnaires. Three months after the completion of psychoeducation, depression and anxiety subscale score among the General Health Questionnaire-28 decreased by 2.60 (p=0.04) and 2.20 (p=0.04) respectively. In caregiver burden criterion, the score decreased by 9.45 (p=0.04) in 3 months after completing the education. In knowledge about schizophrenia test, the score increased by 2.60 score (p<0.001), and this result was maintained after 3 months. CONCLUSION: It was found that a short-term family education program for schizophrenia was effective not only in improving the knowledge on the disease but also in reducing anxiety and depression, and this effect was maintained immediately after the psychoeducation and so was it as time passed as well.
Anxiety ; Caregivers ; Depression ; Education ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia* ; Stress, Psychological

BACKGROUND: Harassment means systemic and repeated unethical acts. Research on workplace harassment have been conducted widely and the NAQ-R has been widely used for the researches. But this tool, however the limitations in revealing differended in sub-factors depending on the culture and in reflecting that unique characteristics of the Koren society. So, The workplace harassment questionnaire for Korean finace and service workers has been developed to assess the level of personal harassment at work. This study aims to develop a tool to assess the level of personal harassment at work and to test its validity and reliability while examining specific characteristics of workplace harassment against finance and service workers in Korea. METHODS: The framework of survey was established based on literature review, focused-group interview for the Korean finance and service workers. To verify its reliability, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated; and to verify its validity, items and factors of the tool were analyzed. The correlation matrix analysis was examined to verify the tool’s convergent validity and discriminant validity. Structural validity was verified by checking statistical significance in relation to the BDI-K. RESULTS: Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of this survey was 0.93, which indicates a quite high level of reliability. To verify the appropriateness of this survey tool, its construct validity was examined through factor analysis. As a result of the factor analysis, 3 factors were extracted, explaining 56.5 % of the total variance. The loading values and communalities of the 20 items were 0.85 to 0.48 and 0.71 to 0.46. The convergent validity and discriminant validity were analyzed and rate of item discriminant validity was 100 %. Finally, for the concurrent validity, We examined the relationship between the WHI-KFSW and pschosocial stress by examining the correlation with the BDI-K. The results of chi-square test and multiple logistic analysis indicated that the correlation with the BDI-K was satatisctically significant. CONCLUSION: Workplace harassment in actual workplaces were investigated based on interviews, and the statistical analysis contributed to systematizing the types of actual workplace harassment. By statistical method, we developed the questionare, 20 items of 3 categories.
Humans ; Korea ; Methods ; Reproducibility of Results*

OBJECTIVE: Autophagy contributes to the clearance and recycling of macromolecules and organelles in response to stress. We previously reported that vitrified mouse oocytes show acute increases in autophagy during warming. Herein, we investigate the potential role of Atg7 in oocyte vitrification by using an oocyte-specific deletion model of the Atg7 gene, a crucial upstream gene in the autophagic pathway. METHODS: Oocyte-specific Atg7 deficient mice were generated by crossing Atg7 floxed mice and Zp3-Cre transgenic mice. The oocytes were vitrified-warmed and then subjected to in vitro fertilization and development. The rates of survival, fertilization, and development were assessed in the Atg7 deficient oocytes in comparison with the wildtype oocytes. Light chain 3 (LC3) immunofluorescence staining was performed to determine whether this method effectively evaluates the autophagy status of oocytes. RESULTS: The survival rate of vitrified-warmed Atg7(f/f);Zp3-Cre (Atg7(d/d)) metaphase II (MII) oocytes was not significantly different from that of the wildtype (Atg7(f/f)) oocytes. Fertilization and development in the Atg7(d/d) oocytes were significantly lower than the Atg7(f/f) oocytes, comparable to the Atg5d/d oocytes previously described. Notably, the developmental rate improved slightly in vitrified-warmed Atg7(d/d) MII oocytes when compared to fresh Atg7(d/d) oocytes. LC3 immunofluorescence staining showed that this method can be reliably used to assess autophagic activation in oocytes. CONCLUSION: We confirmed that the LC3-positive signal is nearly absent in Atg7(d/d) oocytes. While autophagy is induced during the warming process after vitrification of MII oocytes, the Atg7 gene is not essential for survival of vitrified-warmed oocytes. Thus, induction of autophagy during warming of vitrified MII oocytes seems to be a natural response to manage cold or other cellular stresses.
Animals ; Autophagy ; Fertilization ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Genes, vif ; Metaphase ; Mice* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Oocytes* ; Organelles ; Recycling ; Survival Rate ; Vitrification*

OBJECTIVE: Under estrogen deficiency, blastocysts cannot initiate implantation and enter dormancy. Dormant blastocysts live longer in utero than normal blastocysts, and autophagy has been suggested as a mechanism underlying the sustained survival of dormant blastocysts during delayed implantation. Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway and a central component of the integrated stress response. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced within cells during normal metabolism, but their levels increase dramatically under stressful conditions. We investigated whether heightened autophagy in dormant blastocysts is associated with the increased oxidative stress under the unfavorable condition of delayed implantation. METHODS: To visualize ROS production, day 8 (short-term dormancy) and day 20 (long-term dormancy) dormant blastocysts were loaded with 1-microM 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2', 7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, acetyl ester (CM-H2DCFDA). To block autophagic activation, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and wortmannin were used in vivo and in vitro, respectively. RESULTS: We observed that ROS production was not significantly affected by the status of dormancy; in other words, both dormant and activated blastocysts showed high levels of ROS. However, ROS production was higher in the dormant blastocysts of the long-term dormancy group than in those of the short-term group. The addition of wortmannin to dormant blastocysts in vitro and 3-MA injection in vivo significantly increased ROS production in the short-term dormant blastocysts. In the long-term dormant blastocysts, ROS levels were not significantly affected by the treatment of the autophagy inhibitor. CONCLUSION: During delayed implantation, heightened autophagy in dormant blastocysts may be operative as a potential mechanism to reduce oxidative stress. Further, ROS may be one of the potential causes of compromised developmental competence of long-term dormant blastocysts after implantation.
Animals ; Autophagy* ; Blastocyst* ; Estrogens ; Mental Competency ; Metabolism ; Mice* ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species*

PURPOSE: c-myc and HER2 have been reported be amplified in 20% to 30% of clinical breast cancers and appears to be related with poor clinical outcome. The relationship between amplification of c-myc and HER2 and other clinical and biological characteristics of the breast cancers, including clinical outcome, are described. METHODS: c-myc and HER2 amplification were analyzed on 225 consecutive non-selected breast cancers by fluorescence in situ hybridization using tissue microarray technology. RESULTS: c-myc was amplified in 33 cases (15.4%) and HER2 was amplified in 49 cases (23.3%). c-myc amplification was significantly increased with HER2 amplification (p<0.001) and closely linked with cell proliferative activity measured by Ki67 labeling index (p=0.010). In univariate survival analysis, lymph node status, tumor size, and histologic grade of the tumors were significant prognostic factors. However, lymph node status was the only significant prognostic factor for predicting patient survival in multivariate analysis. Patient survival was not different according to c-myc amplification status and c-myc amplification showed no significant correlation with clinco-pathologic parameters of the tumors. CONCLUSION: A strong correlation between c-myc and HER2 amplifications, and cell proliferative activity indicate a biologic link between c-myc and HER2 in breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Population Characteristics

BACKGROUND: This study is intended to propose not only to introduce and evaluate the 2 years Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) professional on-the-job training program that has been implemented in Samsung Medical Center on September of 2009, but also to develop the CRC future education program. METHODS: It is surveyed with self-report type for the 53 trainees, 18 non-trainees, and 17 investigators, the participants worked in Samsung Medical Center, and the major contents of the survey were general characteristics, training program evaluations, CRC qualification evaluation, and job satisfaction. The collected data was analyzed at the 0.05 level of significance by using SAS 9.1 version. RESULTS: The training program is conducted as 4 phases, each phase assessed separately. The Professional A course got the highest satisfaction, and it was deal with quality control (Mean=4.11 ~ 4.33). Most of the investigators answered that the trainees have high priority to be hired in the future (very much=82.45). The non-trainees answered that the training program would be helpful to improve the job competency and qualification (very much=22.2 %, somewhat=55.6 %) and 88.9 % of them answered that they have intention to participate in the training program. Finally, compared to non-trainees, the trainees have more job attachment (P=0.0036) and intention to continue CRC (P=0.0045). CONCLUSION: The CRC professional training program in Samsung Medical Center, as on the job training for 2 years, satisfies the investigators and trainees with positive effect on CRC job satisfaction and job stability. Based on this study, the education program with good quality should be developed considering the characteristics for each institution and close research field.
Humans ; Inservice Training ; Intention ; Job Satisfaction ; Korea ; Phenothiazines ; Quality Control ; Research Personnel

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic relapsing eczematous dermatosis, which usually starts in childhood, and various causes are intricately associated with the development of the disease. Recently, various abnormalities in barrier function have been identified as the cause of atopic dermatitis. Loss-of-function mutation of filaggrin, a significant constituent of skin barrier, has been revealed as a cause for atopic dermatitis, and factors like enhanced protease activity, and decreased synthesis of the lipid lamellae especially ceramides also plays an important role in barrier dysfunction. Not only these genetic causes but also environmental factors are associated in barrier dysfunction, such as soap or detergents which increases skin pH, or proteases of dust mites or cockroaches which enhances epidermal barrier breakdown. Lately, skin barrier dysfunction is also thought to play an important role in the early stage of other allergic diseases such as asthma. Therefore, comprehension of the function of skin barrier can provide help in understanding various allergic diseases.
Asthma ; Ceramides ; Cockroaches ; Comprehension ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Detergents ; Dust ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; Mites ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Soaps

OBJECTIVES: Recently, comparison of drug responses on gene expression has been a major approach to identifying the functional similarity of drugs. Previous studies have mostly focused on a single feature, the expression differences of individual genes. We provide a more robust and accurate method to compare the functional similarity of drugs by diversifying the features of comparison in gene expression and considering the sample dependent variations. METHODS: For differentially expressed gene measurement, we modified the conventional t-test to normalize variations in diverse experimental conditions of individual samples. To extract significant differentially co-expressed gene modules, we searched maximal cliques among the co-expressed gene network. Finally, we calculated a combined similarity score by averaging the two scaled scores from the above two measurements. RESULTS: This method shows significant performance improvement in comparison to other approaches in the test with Connectivity Map data. In the test to find the drugs based on their own expression profiles with leave-one-out cross validation, the proposed method showed an area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.99, which is much higher than scores obtained with previous methods, ranging from 0.71 to 0.93. In the drug networks, we could find well clustered drugs having the same target proteins and novel relations among drugs implying the possibility of drug repurposing. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusion of the features of a co-expressed module provides more implications to infer drug action. We propose that this method be used to find collaborative cellular mechanisms associated with drug action and to simply identify drugs having similar responses.
Biomarkers, Pharmacological ; Drug Repositioning ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Gene Expression* ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Methods ; Transcriptome*