BACKGROUND: Fraxetin (7,8-dihydroxy-6-methoxy coumarin), a coumarin derivative, has been reported to possess antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. A number of recent observations suggest that the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inhibits inflammation and tumorigenesis. In the present study, we determined the effect of fraxetin on HO-1 expression in HaCaT human keratinocytes and investigated its underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: Reverse transcriptase-PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to detect HO-1 mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Cell viability was measured by the MTS test. The induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fraxetin was evaluated by 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate staining. RESULTS: Fraxetin upregulated mRNA and protein expression of HO-1. Incubation with fraxetin induced the localization of nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) in the nucleus and increased the antioxidant response element-reporter gene activity. Fraxetin also induced the phosphorylation of Akt and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α and diminished the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog, a negative regulator of Akt. Pharmacological inhibition of Akt and AMPKα abrogated fraxetin-induced expression of HO-1 and nuclear localization of Nrf2. Furthermore, fraxetin generated ROS in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Fraxetin induces HO-1 expression through activation of Akt/Nrf2 or AMPKα/Nrf2 pathway in HaCaT cells.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases* ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Survival ; Heme Oxygenase-1* ; Heme* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Keratinocytes ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Phosphorylation ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger

PURPOSE: In this study, the retrospective radiographic study is executed to evaluate amount of bone loss of various conditions in patients using customized abutment for 4 years of follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of this study were implant fixed dental prosthesis using CAD/CAM customized abutments. CAD/CAM customized abutment and fixed dental prosthesis were manufactured by the Prosthodontics Department of Chosun University Dental Hospital from August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012. Radiological assessments were performed on the patients who were treated by the fixed prosthodontics. After each treatment, a retrospective study was performed for a total of 4 years at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years. RESULTS: As a result of the study, the customized abutment using CAD/CAM showed less bone loss than the results of existing research. There was no statistically significant differences at alveolar bone loss between splinting group and non-splinting group (respectively 0.27 mm, 0.5 mm). Also, there were statistically significant differences at alveolar bone loss in mx. anterior, mx. posterior, mn. anterior and mn. posterior part (respectively 1.37 mm, 0.39 mm, 0.00 mm, 0.30 mm). CONCLUSION: The customized abutment using CAD/CAM showed less bone loss than the results of existing research, there were statistically significant differences at alveolar bone loss in implant positions.
Alveolar Bone Loss ; Dental Prosthesis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prosthodontics ; Retrospective Studies ; Splints

Intussusception can develop at any age but about 95% of patients are children under 2 years-old. Adult intussusception is a rare condition. Unlike children, nearly all adults with intussusception have a lead point such as benign or malignant small bowel tumors, intestinal tuberculosis, or Meckel's diverticulum. First case is a 48-year-old male who was admitted with 2 days of diffuse abdominal cramping pain and no other associated gastrointestinal symptoms. Barium enema revealed ileocolic intussusception with a round cecal mass after barium reduction. An ileocecectomy was performed electively. The pathologic report was cecal cyst, which was an intraluminal structure with an epithelial lining of colonic mucosa. The second case, a 53-year-old male, was admitted with 1 week of diffuse abdominal cramping pain and watery diarrhea. Barium enema revealed ileocecal intussusception. Emergency surgery (ileocecectomy), revealed a polypoid small bowel mass. The pathologic report was lipoma. Recently, we experienced two cases of adult intussusception and report these cases with a brief review of the literature.
Adult* ; Barium ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Colic ; Colon ; Diarrhea ; Emergencies ; Enema ; Humans ; Intussusception* ; Lipoma ; Male ; Meckel Diverticulum ; Middle Aged ; Mucous Membrane ; Tuberculosis

Objective: To identify, for the first time, the prevalence and impact of Boosepivirus (BooV) on calf diarrhea in the ROK. Methods: Here, the unknown cause of calf diarrhea was determined using metagenomics We then explored the prevalence of certain pathogens, including BooV, that cause NCD. Seventy diarrheal fecal samples from Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) calves were analyzed using reverse transcriptase and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for pathogen detection and BooV isolate sequencing. Results: The complete genome of BooV was detected from unknown causes of calf diarrhea.And also, BooV was the most frequently detected pathogen (35.7%) among 8 pathogens in 70 diarrheic feces from Hanwoo calves. Co-infection analyses indicated that most BooV-positive samples were solely infected with BooV, indicating its significance in NCD in the ROK. All isolates were classified as BooV B in phylogenetic analysis. Conclusions and Relevance: This is the first study to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of BooV in calf diarrhea in the ROK, highlighting the potential importance of BooV as a causative agent of calf diarrhea and highlighting the need for further research on its epidemiology and pathogenicity.

The increased use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has increased the frequency of diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma, but its presentation of an epidural lesion with foraminal extension without intramedullary involvement is very rare. We describe a 31-year-old woman admitted to our department with pain in the left side of her neck and shoulder. Gadolinium enhanced cervical MRI revealed a brightly enhanced, extradural mass (112 cm sized) with widened neural foramen; after surgical excision, it was histologically confirmed as a cavernous hemangioma. Postoperatively, the patient has no neurological deficit or specific complication. Although this lesion mimicked an epidural- neurogenic tumor, its enhancement pattern indicated a cavernous hemangioma. Accurate preoperative diagnosis is necessary for treatment planning. Cavernous hemangioma must be included in the differential diagnosis of a brightly enhanced, extradural tumors.
Adult ; Caves ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gadolinium ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck ; Shoulder

Cleft lip and palate is congenital deformity in oral and maxillofacial area. Normal soft palate has velopharyngeal closure action by connecting oral cavity and nasal cavity at rest and moving upward at swallowing and specific pronunciation. Cleft palate patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency have difficulty in mastication, swallowing and pronunciation because velopharyngeal closure is incomplete. At this time, a prosthetic device used to cover palate defects is called a palatal obturator. A palatal obturator separates oral cavity and nasal cavity and recovers pronunciation, mastication, swallowing and esthetic function. The purpose of this case study is to report the results because it reaches a satisfactory result in functional and esthetic aspects through functional impression procedures using modeling compound and tissue conditioner for restoration of a cleft palate patient with velopharyngeal insufficiency.
Cleft Lip ; Cleft Palate* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Deglutition ; Humans ; Mastication ; Mouth ; Nasal Cavity ; Palatal Obturators* ; Palate ; Palate, Soft ; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency*

PURPOSE: The object of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of induction chemotherapy followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy in locoregional esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between December 1992 and December 1999, 43 patients with locoregional esophageal cancer were enrolled in this phase II trial. Patients were treated with 2-cycles of induction chemotherapy followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy. F-P chemotherapy consists of 1,000 mg/m2/Day of 5-FU as continuous infusion on day 1~5 and 80 mg/m2 of cisplatin as an intravenous bolus on day 1 and was repeated every 3~4 weeks. All patients received 60 Gy of external beam radiation concomitantly with F-P chemotherapy; intraluminal brachytherapy was added in 12 patients. A total of 4 cycles of chemotherapy were delivered. No further treatment was planned in patients who achieved complete remission after completion of the treatment. RESULTS: Among the 43 patients entered, 35 patients completed the protocol. Of the 35 evaluable patients, 12 patients (34%) achieved complete response and 13 patients (37%) achieved partial response. In 26 of 33 patients, dysphagia was improved. At a median follow-up of 22 months, the 2-year and 5-year survival rates were 39% and 19%, respectively. The median survival duration of the complete responder group was 69 months (4~100 months) and the 2-year survival rate of the complete responder group was 82%. Toxicities were tolerable, comprised of mucositis and cytopenia. CONCLUSION: Induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locoregional esophageal cancer is well tolerated and effective.
Brachytherapy ; Chemoradiotherapy* ; Cisplatin ; Deglutition Disorders ; Drug Therapy ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy* ; Mucositis ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To identify the risk factors for metachronous gastric neoplasms in patients who underwent an endoscopic resection of a gastric neoplasm. METHODS: We prospectively collected clinicopathologic data and measured the methylation levels of HAND1, THBD, APC, and MOS in the gastric mucosa by methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction in patients who underwent endoscopic resection of gastric neoplasms. RESULTS: A total of 257 patients with gastric neoplasms (113 low-grade dysplasias, 25 high-grade dysplasias, and 119 early gastric cancers) were enrolled. Metachronous gastric neoplasm developed in 7.4% of patients during a mean follow-up of 52 months. The 5-year cumulative incidence of metachronous gastric neoplasm was 4.8%. Multivariate analysis showed that moderate/severe corpus intestinal metaplasia and family history of gastric cancer were independent risk factors for metachronous gastric neoplasm development; the hazard ratios were 4.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23 to 13.87; p=0.022) and 3.52 (95% CI, 1.09 to 11.40; p=0.036), respectively. The methylation level of MOS was significantly elevated in patients with metachronous gastric neoplasms compared age- and sex-matched patients without metachronous gastric neoplasms (p=0.020). CONCLUSIONS: In patients who underwent endoscopic resection of gastric neoplasms, moderate/severe corpus intestinal metaplasia and a family history of gastric cancer were independent risk factors for metachronous gastric neoplasm, and MOS was significantly hypermethylated in patients with metachronous gastric neoplasms.
Aged ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/genetics ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Gastrectomy/methods ; Genes, APC/physiology ; Genes, mos/genetics ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasms, Second Primary/epidemiology/*genetics/pathology ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms/genetics/*pathology/surgery ; Thrombomodulin/genetics

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the effects of shift work on abdominal obesity among young and middle-aged female nurses during a 5-year retrospective study. METHODS: This retrospective study included female nurses (20–39 years old) who worked at a university hospital in Korea and had available health screening results from 2010–2015. Among 2,611 employees, 934 healthy 20–39-year-old female nurses were identified, and data regarding their demographic information (age and date of employment), waist circumferences (WC), and lifestyle factors (alcohol and exercise) were obtained. Abdominal obesity was defined as a WC of ≥80 cm, based on the World Health Organization’s Asia-West Pacific standard in 2000. The mean WC change from baseline was analyzed using the paired t test, and the association between shift work and abdominal obesity was analyzed using the generalized estimating equation. RESULTS: Compared to all day workers (both age groups), the 20–29-year-old nurses did not exhibit significant changes in WC at each follow-up. However, among the 30–39-year-old nurses, shift workers exhibited a significant change in WC (vs. baseline) during years 4 and 5, compared to day workers. After adjusting for effective confounders and stratifying the participants according to age, the 20–29-year-old nurses exhibited an odds ratio of 3.21 (95 % confidence interval: 1.29–7.98) for shift work-associated obesity, although the odds ratio for the 30–39-year-old nurses was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In the study population, shift work was associated with a significant change in mean WC among 30–39-year-old nurses, and the shift work-associated risk of abdominal obesity was significant among 20–29-year-old nurses. These results indicate that shift work may influence abdominal obesity differently in 20–29-year-old and 30–39-year-old female nurses.
Female* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Global Health ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Longitudinal Studies* ; Mass Screening ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal* ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies* ; Waist Circumference

Ticlopidine is an antiplatelet agent used as a drug to prevent the recurrence of cerebral infarction or ischemic heart disease. Close attention has recently been paid to the superiority of this drug to aspirin in the prevention of stroke. Its mechanism of action differs from aspirin, dipyridamole, and sulfinpyrazone. Inhibition of the adenosine diphosphate induced pathway of platelet aggregation, along with the activation of adenylate cyclase and suppression of platelet-activating factor and thromboxane A2, are the postulated mechanisms of action of ticlopidine. Because ticlopidine causes neutropenia and agranulocytosis in roughly 1% of treated patients, usually within the first 3 months of treatment, this drug has been reserved for patients intolerant to aspirin therapy. We reported two cases of ticlopidine-induced neutropenia and one patient hospitalized with severe neutropenia and pneumonia.
Adenosine Diphosphate ; Adenylyl Cyclases ; Agranulocytosis ; Aspirin ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Dipyridamole ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Neutropenia* ; Platelet Aggregation ; Pneumonia ; Recurrence ; Stroke ; Sulfinpyrazone ; Thromboxane A2 ; Ticlopidine