OBJECTIVE: The loudness dependence of the auditory evoked potential (LDAEP) has been known as an indicator of central serotonergic neurotransmission. Nicotine increases the release of serotonin levels. The current study investigated whether cigarette smoking would make difference in LDAEP among male patients with major depressive disorder. METHODS: Twenty-four non-smoking and 20 smoking male patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) were recruited. There was no significant difference in severity of MDD symptoms between the two groups. The age of participants ranged from 20 to 65 years old. Event-related potentials (ERP) N100 were measured on 5 different sounds (55, 65, 75, 85, 95 dB) and on 5 electrodes (Fz, Cz, Pz, C5, C6). The N1/P2 peak to peak amplitudes and amplitude slope according to 5 different sounds were calculated. RESULTS: LDAEP was significantly weaker in the smoking group in comparison to the non-smoking group (p<0.05). Among non-smoking group LDAEP was negatively correlated with a core depression subscale of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) (r=-0.41, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: LDAEP of the smoking patients with MDD group was weaker than the non-smoking patient with MDD group's. This result suggests that smoking may have increased the release of serotonergic neurotransmission in patients with MDD. Future studies need to examine LDAEP changes before and after tobacco use among smoking patients.
Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Electrodes ; Evoked Potentials ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; Humans ; Male ; Nicotine ; Serotonin ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Synaptic Transmission ; Tobacco

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) at acupoints suggested by oriental medicine to be related to the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rest/acupuncture-stimulation Tc-99m ECD brain SPECT using a same-dose subtraction method was performed on 54 normal volunteers (34 males, 20 females, age range from 18 to 62 years) using six paradigms: acupuncture at acupoints GV. 20, GV. 26, LI. 4, ST. 36 and SP. 6. In the control study, needle location was chosen on a non-meridian focus 1 cm posterior to the right fibular head. All images were spatially normalized, and the differences between rest and acupuncture stimulation were statistically analyzed using SPM for Windows . RESULTS: Acupuncture applied at acupoint GV. 20 increased rCBF in both the anterior frontal lobes, the right frontotemporal lobes, and the left anterior temporal lobe and the left cerebellar hemisphere. Acupuncture at GV. 26 increased rCBF in the left prefrontal cortex. Acupuncture at LI. 4 increased rCBF in the left prefrontal and both the inferior frontal lobes, and the left anterior temporal lobe and the left cerebellar hemisphere. Acupuncture at ST. 36 increased rCBF in the left anterior temporal lobe, the right inferior frontal lobes, and the left cerebellum. Acupuncture at SP. 6 increased rCBF in the left inferior frontal and anterior temporal lobes. In the control stimulation, no significant rCBF increase was observed. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated a correlation between stimulation at each acupoint with increase in rCBF to the corresponding brain areas.
Acupuncture Points* ; Acupuncture* ; Brain* ; Cerebellum ; Female ; Frontal Lobe ; Head ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Needles ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

An implant-supported fixed dental prosthesis (ISFDP) or an implant-supported overdenture (IOD) are good options when treating a completely edentulous jaw opposing natural teeth. However, an ISFDP for a full arch requires sufficient bone quality and quantity, which limits its application. Meanwhile, using an ISFDP as an abutment of a removable partial denture has been considered recently. This clinical report discusses the treatments applied to two patients with edentulous maxillas and opposing natural teeth: one was treated with an IOD and the other was treated with an ISFDP and removable partial denture. Follow-up and management were performed for 8 years.
Dental Implants ; Dental Prosthesis ; Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported ; Denture, Overlay ; Denture, Partial, Removable ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Jaw, Edentulous ; Maxilla ; Prostheses and Implants* ; Prosthodontics ; Tooth

No abstract available.
Nipples* ; Paget's Disease, Mammary*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of reversing the coiling direction of nickeltitanium closed-coil springs (NiTi-CCSs) on the force-deflection characteristics. METHODS: The samples consisted of two commercially available conventional NiTi-CCS groups and two reverse-wound NiTi-CCS groups (Ormco-Conventional vs. Ormco-Reverse; GAC-Conventional vs. GAC-Reverse; n = 20 per group). The reverse-wound NiTi-CCSs were directly made from the corresponding conventional NiTi-CCSs by reversing the coiling direction. Tensile tests were performed for each group in a temperature-controlled acrylic chamber (37 ± 1℃). After measuring the force level, the range of the deactivation force plateau (DFP) and the amount of mechanical hysteresis (MH), statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: The Ormco-Reverse group exhibited a significant shift of the DFP end point toward the origin point (2.3 to 0.6 mm), an increase in the force level (1.2 to 1.3 N) and amount of MH (1.0 to 1.5 N) compared to the Ormco-Conventional group (all p < 0.001), which indicated that force could be constantly maintained until the end of the deactivation curve. In contrast, the GAC-Reverse group exhibited a significant shift of the DFP-end point away from the origin point (0.2 to 3.3 mm), a decrease in the force level (1.1 to 0.9 N) and amount of MH (0.6 to 0.4 N) compared to the GAC-Conventional group (all p < 0.001), which may hinder the maintenance of force until the end of the deactivation curve. CONCLUSIONS The two commercially available NiTi-CCS groups exhibited different patterns of change in the force-deflection characteristics when the coiling direction was reversed.

The Fas (TNF receptor superfamily, member 6) (FAS)/FAS ligand (FASLG) interaction plays a central role in the regulation of programmed cell death. FAS and FASLG polymorphisms in promoter regions affect transcriptional activities. To investigate whether FAS and FASLG polymorphisms are associated with the development and clinical phenotypes of stroke, 2 promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FAS (rs1800682, -670C/T) and FASLG (rs763110, -844C/T) were selected and genotyped by direct sequencing in 220 stroke patients [107 ischemic stroke (IS), 77 intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and 36 subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)] and 369 control subjects. For the analysis of clinical symptoms, all stroke patients were divided into 3 clinical phenotypes according to the respective results of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Survey (NIHSS) and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and the presence or absence of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The SNPStats, SNPAnalyzer, and Helixtree programs were used to analyze the genetic data. Multiple logistic regression models (codominant, dominant, and recessive) were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values. The promoter SNP rs1800682 was associated with stroke in the codominant (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.25-0.94, p=0.04) and dominant models (OR=0.51, 95% CI=0.30-0.87, p=0.011). However, a FASLG SNP (rs763110) was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p<0.05). In the analysis of stroke types, rs1800682 was associated with IS in the codominant (OR=0.30, 95% CI=0.12-0.74, p=0.025), dominant (OR=0.44, 95% CI=0.23-0.88, p=0.018), and recessive models (OR=0.45, 95% CI=0.21-0.99, p=0.042). The genotype frequencies of rs1800682 were different between ICH and controls in the dominant model (OR=0.49, 95% CI=0.26-0.94, p=0.031) but not between SAH and controls. In the analysis of clinical symptoms, however, rs1800682 was not related to the 3 clinical phenotypes (NIHSS, MBI, and CRPS). These results suggest that a promoter SNP (rs1800682, -670C/T) in FAS may be associated with the development of stroke in the Korean population.
Cell Death ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Genotype ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Odds Ratio ; Phenotype ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Stroke ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: To determine the molecular structure of type II collagen-specific T-cell receptors associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We generated CII-specific T-cell lines of 8 RA patient s by prolonged in vitro culture with bovine CII (bCII) and the immunogenic peptide (256-270) of human CII. The proliferation response towards CII stimulation was measured from the uptake of 3 H-thymidine. Changes in the secretion of Th 1 and Th2 cytokines in the culture supernatent were measured by ELISA. The TCR clonotypes of these T-cells were examined by RT-PCR/ SSCP analyses of all 22 V beta chains. RESULTS: T-cells from patients' tissue exhibited strong proliferation index upon CII stimulation, which was maintained up to 6 months in the culture. The secretion of INF-gamma from these T-cells increased along with the duration of culture time, while the amount of IL-4 production did not show significant changes. The SSCP band patterns of patients' T-cells appear as discrete bands unlike the smeary streak produced from normal samples. Some SSCP bands, each representing selected expansion of a TCR containing certain subtype of V beta peptides, appeared to be identical in more than one patients. Among these, the expansion of SSCP band representing the V beta 14 CDR3 region persisted after switching the antigen to the immunogenic human peptide (256-270). CONCLUSION: CII-reactive T-cells expressing distinct CDR3 motifs are selectively expanded in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid of RA patients, and their persistent proliferation upon CII stimulation, as well as the production Th 1-type cytokines, may play pivotal roles in RA pathogenesis.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-4 ; Molecular Structure ; Peptides ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Synovial Fluid ; T-Lymphocytes*

BACKGROUND: The treatment of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) remains challenging. Tranexamic acid, a well-known anti-fibrinolytic drug, has recently demonstrated a curative effect towards melasma and ultraviolet-induced PIH in Asian countries. However, the precise mechanism of its inhibitory effect on melanogenesis is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: In order to clarify the inhibitory effect of tranexamic acid on PIH, we investigated its effects on mouse melanocytes (i.e., melan-a cells) and human melanocytes. METHODS: Melan-a cells and human melanocytes were cultured with fractional CO2 laser-treated keratinocyte-conditioned media. Melanin content and tyrosinase activity were evaluated in cells treated with or without tranexamic acid. Protein levels of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1, and TRP-2 were evaluated in melan-a cells. Signaling pathway molecules involved in melanogenesis in melanoma cells were also investigated. RESULTS: Tranexamic acid-treated melanocytes exhibited reduced melanin content and tyrosinase activity. Tranexamic acid also decreased tyrosinase, TRP-1, and TRP-2 protein levels. This inhibitory effect on melanogenesis was considered to be involved in extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathways and subsequently microphthalmia-associated transcription factor degradation. CONCLUSION: Tranexamic acid may be an attractive candidate for the treatment of PIH.
Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; MART-1 Antigen ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma ; Melanosis ; Mice ; Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Phosphotransferases ; Tranexamic Acid*

PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the efficacy, tolerability and safety of oral fluconazole in the treatment of pityriasis versicolor(PV). METHODS: Fifty-nine patients, 48 males and 11 females aged 12-57(mean 30 years) were enrolled in this study. Oral fluconazole in 300mg single dosage once weekly for 2 weeks was administered. Clinical and mycological evaluation by global assessment, Wood's lamp examination, and KOH mount was performed. Evaluation was done before and after treatment, at week 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. RESULTS: Forty-two patients(71.2%) showed clinical and mycological response at week 6. Tolerability of the drug was acceptable while two patients experienced mild dizziness during the therapy. Otherwise, there were no significant side effects to be attentioned. CONCLUSION: Oral fluconazole could be considered as an effective and safe alternative in the treatment of pityriasis versicolor.
Dizziness ; Female ; Fluconazole* ; Humans ; Male ; Pityriasis* ; Tinea Versicolor*

PURPOSE: There are several reports that the risk of development of leukemias is much higher in Down syndrome (DS) children than in non DS children. But there are a few reports about the clinical features of leukemia in Down syndrome and the prognosis in Korea. The object of this study is to evaluate clinical features, treatment results and the prognosis of leukemia of Down syndrome patients. METHODS: We conducted retrospective reviews in 10 children with leukemia of Down syndrome who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics in Yonsei University Hospital between March 1986 and December 2000. We analyzed the clinical features, laboratory findings and survival rates. RESULTS: A male to female ratio was 1:1.25. Median age at diagnosis was 2 years 8 months. Initial symptoms were hepatosplenomegaly, petechiae, fever and upper respiratory infection symptoms. The number of patients by the type was as followed:acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 7 (70%), acute lymphocytic leukemia 2 (20%), acute mixed lineage leukemia 1 (10%). There were 4 cases of M7 subtype in AML. The median peripheral blood cell counts were as followed; leukocyte was 41,000/muL, hemoglobin was 8.7 g/dL, the platelet was 103,000/muL. The five years event free survival rate after diagnosis was 87.5% (7/8). The one patient relapsed and another one patient died of cardiac anomaly. CONCLUSION: There seemed to be several differences of clinical features between DS leukemia and non DS leukemia, especially prognosis. Multi-centered well organized study should be done to confirm our observation.
Blood Cell Count ; Blood Platelets ; Child ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Down Syndrome* ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukemia* ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Leukocytes ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Prognosis* ; Purpura ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate