PURPOSE: Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) is an animal model of posterior uveitis and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a well-known anti-oxidant factor. However, there is no report a protective role of HO-1 on EAU in vivo. To verify that HO-1 is induced in EAU by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), that an HO-1 inducers ameliorates the associated inflammation, and that an HO-1 inhibitor exacerbates this inflammation. METHODS: Forty four Lewis rats were given either 40 mol/kg hemin or 40 mol/kg SnPP (tin protoporphyrin IX) by intraperitoneal injection and twenty two uveitis control rats were injected with 0.5 mL of saline once daily 5-20 days after IRBP immunization inducing EAU. Three normal control rats were used for Western blotting and ELISA assay of HO-1. The clinical uveitis signs of inflammation were scored in the three groups from 0 to 4 on alternate three days. To confirm the clinical results, histological and immunohistochemical stain of HO-1 were performed on the day of peak inflammation and Western blotting and ELISA assay of HO-1 were performed on 6th, 12th and 18th day after IRBP immunization. RESULTS: Hemin, an inducer of HO-1, ameliorated the clinical signs of EAU. In contrast, SnPP-treated rats show that the severity of the clinical sign were exacerbated at the peak period of the disease. These results are roughly compatible with histological, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemical evaluations and an ELISA assay of HO-1. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that HO-1 plays an important protective role in EAU.
Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases/diagnosis/*drug therapy/metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Disease Models, Animal ; Enzyme Inhibitors/*administration & dosage ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Heme Oxygenase-1/*biosynthesis/drug effects ; Hemin/*administration & dosage ; Immunohistochemistry ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Male ; Metalloporphyrins/*administration & dosage ; Microscopy, Acoustic ; Protoporphyrins/*administration & dosage ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Lew ; Retinitis/diagnosis/*drug therapy/metabolism ; Treatment Outcome ; Uveitis, Posterior/diagnosis/*drug therapy/metabolism

Anatomic Variation ; Arteries ; Humans ; Korea ; Maxilla ; Osteotomy ; Sphenoid Bone ; Spine

OBJECTIVES: Although there have been several reports that described characteristics for young age stroke, information regarding very young age (18–30 years old) has been limited. We aimed to analyze demographic factors, stroke subtype, and 3-month outcome in acute ischemic stroke patient who have relatively very young age in multicenter stroke registry. METHODS: We evaluated all 122 (7.1%) consecutive acute ischemic stroke (within 7 days after symptom onset) patients aged 18 to 30 from 17,144 patients who registered in multicenter prospective stroke registry, 1997 to 2012. Etiology was classified by Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. Stroke severity was defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and stroke outcome was defined by modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 3 months after index stroke. RESULTS: The mean age of all included patients was 25.1±3.7 years and 76 patients (62.2%) were male. The median NIHSS at admission was 4. Considering stroke subtype, 37 patients (30.3%) had stroke of other determined etiology (SOD), 37 (30.3%) had undetermined negative evaluation (UN) and 31 (25.4%) had cardioembolism (CE) were frequently noted. After adjusting age, sex and variables which had P<0.1 in univariable analysis (NIHSS and stroke subtype), CE stroke subtype (odds ratio, 4.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.42–15.48; P=0.011) were significantly associated with poor functional outcome (mRS≥3). CONCLUSION: In very young age ischemic stroke patients, SOD and UN stroke subtype were most common and CE stroke subtype was independently associated with poor discharge outcome.
Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection ; Cerebral Infarction ; Demography ; Humans ; Male ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke* ; United Nations ; Vertebral Artery Dissection

Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is one of rare and fatal vascular disorder. The exact mechanisms for the increased pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure in PPH are unknown. The disease is advanced pro-gressively and patients naturally die within three years after the initial diagnosis. PPH is characterized with mean pulmonary artery pressure over 25-30 mmHg and intractable hypertension despite any intensive therapeutic maneuvers. Associated congenital anomaly is very rare. We report a 19 year-old female patient who diagnosed as PPH 10 years ago and suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension (100 mmHg of pulmonary arterial pressure) with the congenital absence of inferior vena cava. Her venous blood from lower body was drained through azygous vein into superior vena cava.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Pulmonary Artery ; Vascular Resistance ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Inferior* ; Vena Cava, Superior ; Young Adult

Bone grafts are widely used in the reconstruction of osseous defects in the oral and maxillofacial region. Autogenous bone grafts are considered the gold standard in grafting of the oral and maxillofacial region, because of its osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties. Mandibular symphysis & ascending ramus bone graft have been used more frequently because of easy surgical access, reduced operative time, and following minimal morbidity. However, even though the frequent use of the anterior part of ascending ramus and the different regions of mandible, rare of the reports provide information about the quantity of bone available in this donor site. So this study was taken to evaluate & quantify the amount of bone graft material in the anterior ascending ramus regions. This study was made on 36 samples of CT image. In 3D volume image, imaginary osteotomy & segmentation were done and the dimensions and volume of the bone grafts were measured and evaluated. the average volume of the graft materials obtained from the ascending ramus was 3656.83+/-108.19mm3, and the average dimensions of graft materials were (33.68+/-0.48)x(34.92+/-0.51)x(15.96+/-0.27)x(9.05+/-0.27)mm.
Autografts ; Bone Transplantation ; Humans ; Mandible ; Operative Time ; Osteotomy ; Tissue Donors* ; Transplants

Bee stings can cause various skin reactions that usually resolve over several days; however, in some patients the venom acts as an allergen, causing a severe immunological response such as anaphylaxis. Bee stings can also induce chronic inflammation because the barbed stinging apparatus and venom sacs, along with the nerve plexus, can lodge in the skin. Chronic non-specific low back pain is the most common medical problem for which patients seek complementary and alternative medical treatment, including bee venom acupuncture. Bee venom acupuncture involves injecting diluted bee venom into acupoints and is used for arthritis, pain, and rheumatoid diseases. Here we report a 75-year-old man with acute urticaria and skin eruption with eosinophilia and interstitial pneumonia 6 weeks later after receiving 5 times bee venom acupuncture.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture* ; Aged ; Anaphylaxis ; Arthritis ; Bee Venoms ; Bees* ; Bites and Stings ; Eosinophilia ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Low Back Pain ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Skin ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; Urticaria ; Venoms

The recent emergence and re-emergence of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) underscore the urgent need for the development of novel, safe, and effective vaccines against the prevailing strain. In this study, we generated a cold-adapted live attenuated vaccine candidate (Aram-P29-CA) by short-term passage of a virulent PEDV isolate at successively lower temperatures in Vero cells. Whole genome sequencing identified 12 amino acid changes in the cold-adapted strain with no insertions and deletions throughout the genome. Animal inoculation experiments confirmed the attenuated phenotype of Aram-P29-CA virus in the natural host. Pregnant sows were orally administered P29-CA live vaccines two doses at 2-week intervals prior to parturition, and the newborn piglets were challenged with the parental virus. The oral homologous prime-boost vaccination of P29-CA significantly improved the survival rate of the piglets and notably mitigated the severity of diarrhea and PEDV fecal shedding after the challenge. Furthermore, strong antibody responses to PEDV were detected in the sera and colostrum of immunized sows and in the sera of their offspring. These results demonstrated that the cold-adapted attenuated virus can be used as a live vaccine in maternal vaccination strategies to provide durable lactogenic immunity and confer passive protection to litters against PEDV.
Animals ; Antibody Formation ; Colostrum ; Diarrhea ; Genome ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parents ; Parturition ; Phenotype ; Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus ; Survival Rate ; Vaccination ; Vaccines ; Vero Cells

BACKGROUND: (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is widely used for the diagnosis and staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study is to determine whether the bone marrow hypermetabolism seen on FDG-PET predicts a response to chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC. METHODS: We evaluated the patients with advanced NSCLC and who were treated with combination chemotherapy. For determination of the standardized uptake value (SUV) of the bone marrow (BM SUV) on FDG-PET, regions of interest (ROIs) were manually drawn over the lumbar vertebrae (L1, 2, 3). ROIs were also drawn on a homogenous transaxial slice of the liver to obtain the bone marrow/ liver SUV ratio (BM/L SUV ratio). The response to chemotherapy was evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST) criteria after three cycles of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Fifty-nine NSCLC patients were included in the study. Multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression model. The BM SUV and the BM/L SUV ratio on FDG-PET were not associated with a response to chemotherapy in NSCLC patients (p=0.142 and 0.978, respectively). CONCLUSION: The bone marrow hypermetabolism seen on FDG-PET can not predict a response to chemotherapy in NSCLC patients.
Bone Marrow ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Electrons ; Humans ; Liver ; Logistic Models ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Multivariate Analysis ; Positron-Emission Tomography

BACKGROUND: Induction of coagulation necrosis by using thermal energy sources such as radio-frequency (RF), microwaves and lasers has recently been as a new, minimally invasive technique for percutaneous tumor ablation. RF ablation is considerd effective and safe for the local control of small HCCs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and complications according to the diameter and location of the HCC. METHODS: Between May 1999 and December 2000, one hundred fifty patients underwent RF thermal ablation in Dong-A university hospital. Among them, forty nine patients were enrolled in this study who have no history of prior other treatment including hepatic resection, TAE, PEI, and chemotherapy, also who have follow-up CT performed at least six months after ablation. The patients devided into two groups, who have small HCC (3 cm in diameter), the mean follow-up duration was 10.8 months and local recurrence rate was 51.0%+/-12.4. In small HCC group ( Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liver ; Microwaves ; Necrosis ; Pleural Effusion ; Pneumothorax ; Recurrence ; Tomography, Spiral Computed