Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarrettes) were recently introduced and advertised as a smoking cession device in South Korea. As the social norm to quit smoking has gained hold in the country, the number of e-cigarette users is growing rapidly. This phenomenon should be urgently considered, because of the lack of research that has been conducted to examine the safety of e-cigarettes and its efficacy as a smoking cessation aid. This paper raises several public health concerns on e-cigarettes in South Korea. Uncertain regulations of the government on e-cigarettes are contributing to an increase of e-cigarette users and allowing the e-cigarette industry to circumvent existing regulations. The aggressive marketing activity of this industry is also a core factor that is responsible for the rapid increase of e-cigarette use, in particular among the youth. Following the enforcement of tobacco control, some cigarette smokers may be encouraged to purchase e-cigarettes in order to circumvent the regulations, even though the dual use of e-cigarette and cigarette may be more harmful. Until there is clear evidence of the e-cigarette's safety, it is recommended that the industry's marketing and promotional activities be banned and closely monitored, and public campaigns be initiated to educate the public regarding e-cigarettes.
Adult ; *Electronics ; Female ; *Government Regulation ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Nicotine ; Prevalence ; *Public Health Practice ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Safety ; Smoking/epidemiology/legislation & jurisprudence/*prevention & control ; Smoking Cessation/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the dentin and enamel bonding strength and resin-dentin interfaces of four resin cements.

METHODSTwenty-four sound freshly extracted molars were sectioned with low-speed saw under running water. Two mesial-distal enamel disc and two buccal-lingual dentin discs were sectioned from each molar. Four resin cements (A group: Panavia(TM) F; B group: RelyX(TM) ARC; C group: RelyX(TM) Unicem; D group: Clearfil(TM) SA Cement) were applied to the surface of these enamel and dentin discs according to manufacturers' guidance. The bonded specimen were prepared for shear bond strength test and sectioned occluso-gingivally into two slabs for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation.

RESULTSThe bonding strength between resin and enamel in B group [(29.38 ± 6.28) MPa] was higher than that in D group [(27.25 ± 7.03) MPa], and both of them were significantly higher than those in A [(22.92 ± 7.13) MPa] and C group [(10.92 ± 3.41) MPa] (P < 0.05). The highest dentin bonding strength was shown in B group [(27.28 ± 6.79) MPa], followed by A [(14.23 ± 6.39) MPa], D [(10.09 ± 3.26) MPa] and C group [(6.43 ± 1.60) MPa, P < 0.05].

CONCLUSIONSThe four resin cements have different enamel or dentin bonding properties.

Bisphenol A-Glycidyl Methacrylate ; chemistry ; Dental Bonding ; Dental Enamel ; ultrastructure ; Dental Stress Analysis ; Dentin ; ultrastructure ; Dentin-Bonding Agents ; chemistry ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electrochemical, Scanning ; Molar ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry ; Polymethacrylic Acids ; chemistry ; Resin Cements ; chemistry ; Shear Strength

OBJECTIVETo investigate the long-term complications after liver transplantation.

METHODSTotally 85 living patients who received liver transplantation from December 30th 1998 to May 28th 2002 in Tianjin First Central Hospital were followed up till October 2007. Liver and kidney functions, blood drug levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fat were recorded and ultrasound imaging was performed during follow-up.

RESULTSAt the end of the study, most patients had experienced one or more complications of prolonged immunosuppressant treatment, including posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (21.18%, 18/85), hypertension (10.59%, 9/85), renal impairment (8.24%, 7/85), hyperlipemia (7.06%, 6/85), hyperuricaemia (7.06%, 6/85), denovo malignancy (2.35%, 2/85), new-onset hepatitis C (7.06%, 6/ 85), recurrent hepatitis B (5.56%, 4/72).

CONCLUSIONRecipients of liver transportation often suffers long-term complications, which should be carefully managed to improve their quality of life.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney ; physiopathology ; Liver ; physiopathology ; Liver Transplantation ; adverse effects ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology and is characterized by presence of variable pathogenic auto-antibodies and multiple organ involvement. Serositis is common in SLE, but peritoneal involvement is relatively rare. This is a case report of 28-year-old female who initially presented with abdominal pain and ascites. After ruling out many other possibilities such as liver cirrhosis, neoplasm, and infectious etiologies, we confirmed SLE with clinical features, serologic tests and radiological findings. To conclude, her abdominal pain and ascites were caused by lupus peritonitis. After administration of corticosteroid therapy, her symptoms fairly improved.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Ascites* ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Peritonitis ; Serologic Tests ; Serositis

Intussusception is defined as the telescoping of one segment of the gastrointestinal tract into an adjacent one. The incidence of the adult intussusception is low. It constitutes approximately 5% of all intussusception and accounts for 5% of all cases of intestinal obstruction in adult. The clinical feature in adults is not typical. General symptoms and signs of intestinal obstruction dominate the clinical feature of intussusception in adult. The classic appearance of intussusception on barium studies is the coil spring appearance as contrast is trapped between the intussusceptum and intussuscipiens. Ultrasound and CT scan shows a target-like lesion. Colonofiberscopy shows a round invaginated mass with congested mucosa and by air inflation, round mass is decreased in size and is changed in shape. Differential diagnosis can be made by colonofiberscopy because the most common cause of colonic intussusception in adult is a primary colon cancer. A case of diverticulitis associated with intussusception diagnosed by colonofiberscopy in a 72 years old man was presented with brief review of the literature.
Adult ; Aged ; Barium ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diverticulitis* ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflation, Economic ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intussusception ; Mucous Membrane ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. In patients with SLE, the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies is considerably higher, and is largely responsible for thrombosis. Splenic infarction is a rare complication of arterial thrombosis in patients with SLE. It is important to consider splenic infarction in a patient with SLE complaining of left upper quadrant (LUQ) pain because of the possibility of severe infarction-related complications, such as subcapsular hemorrhage and splenic rupture. We report a case of solitary splenic infarction in a patient with SLE. The only symptom was LUQ pain of 3-day duration. Lupus anticoagulant activity was positive and abdominal-pelvic computed tomography (CT) was consistent with splenic infarction. She did not show any other evidence of thrombotic events. The patient was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome that presented as a splenic infarction in a SLE patient.
Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome* ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lupus Coagulation Inhibitor ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Prevalence ; Splenic Infarction* ; Splenic Rupture ; Thrombosis

PURPOSE: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is frequently used as an indicative of microsatellite mutator phenotype (MMP) tumors. MSI has been observed in a fraction of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its role in tumorigenesis of NSCLC remains unknown. We evaluated the frequency and pattern of MSI in NSCLC, and compared the clinical parameters of MSI-positive tumors with those of MSS (microsatellite stable) tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty surgically resected NSCLCs were analyzed for 15 microsatellite markers located at chromosome 3p and 9p. Patients' peripheral blood lymphocytes were used as the source of the normal DNA. RESULTS: 1) Of 20 cases, 8 (40%) demonstrated MSI. 2) Instability observed more commonly in tri- and tetra-nucleotide repeats rather than dinucleotide repeats. In all cases, instability appeared as a shift of individual allelic bands. 3) LOH was observed in 10 (50%) of 20 tumors analyzed. 4) Of 20 cases, MSI-H tumor (showing MSI in the majority of markers) was absent. There were 5 MSI-L tumors (showing MSI in a greater than 10% of markers). 5) No significant difference was observed between MSI-L tumors and MSI-negative tumors in clinicopathologic features such as pack-year history of smoking, histologic subtype, and the stage of disease. There was also no significant difference in the incidence of LOH according to the status of MSI. CONCLUSION: These data strongly suggest that MSI has different roles in lung and colon cancer. MMP pathway appears far less important in the tumorigenesis of NSCLC, caused mainly by cigarette smoke, with little familial tendency.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Dinucleotide Repeats ; DNA ; Incidence ; Lung ; Lymphocytes ; Microsatellite Instability* ; Microsatellite Repeats* ; Phenotype ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products

MicroRNA (miRNA, miR) is essential in regulating cell differentiation either by inhibiting mRNA translation or by inducing its degradation. However, the role of miRNA in odontoblastic cell differentiation is still unclear. In this study, we examined the molecular mechanism of miR-27-mediated regulation of odontoblast differentiation in MDPC-23 mouse odontoblastic cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that the miR-27 expression increases significantly during MDPC-23 odontoblastic cell differentiation. Furthermore, miR-27 up-regulation promotes the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells and accelerates mineralization without cell proliferation. The over-expression of miR-27 significantly increased the expression levels of Wnt1 mRNA and protein. In addition, the results of target gene prediction revealed that Wnt1 mRNA has an miR-27 binding site in its 3'UTR, and is increased by miR-27. These results suggested that miR-27 promotes MDPC-23 odontoblastic cell differentiation by targeting Wnt1 signaling. Therefore, miR-27 is a critical odontoblastic differentiation molecular target for the development of miRNA based therapeutic agents in dental medicine.
3' Untranslated Regions ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Dental Papilla ; Mice ; MicroRNAs ; Odontoblasts* ; Protein Biosynthesis ; RNA, Messenger ; Up-Regulation

The edentulous posterior maxilla generally provides a limited amount of bone height because of atrophy of the ridge and pneumatization of the maxillary sinus. Maxillary sinus augmentation is one of the surgical techniques for reconstruction of the severely resorbed posterior maxilla. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the survival rate of implants and the long-term changes of graft height after maxillary sinus augmentation by lateral window approach. From September 1996 to July 2004, maxillary sinus augmentation with mixed grafts of autograft, allograft, xenograft and alloplast were performed on 45 patients and 100 implants were placed. We evaluated the survival rate of implants and the changes of BL(bone length)/IL(implant length) according to time using panoramic radiographs. The survival rate of implants was 91.0% for follow-up period. The mean reduction of graft heights was 0.34mm(3.0%) for 6 months and 1.22mm(10.66%) for 3 years after augmentation. The total mean BL/IL was 1.34+/-0.21 during 5 year observation period after augmentation and decreased slightly over time. The result means that graft materials were stable above the implant apex. BL/ILs of 1 stage procedure were significantly decreased at 1-2 year, 3-4 year after augmentation and no statistically significant changes were observed in those of 2 stage procedure. The graft materials of both procedures were stable above the implant apex. No statistically significant changes of BL/IL were observed in the grafts combined with low amount of autogenous bone or without autogenous bone. The graft materials of both groups were stable above the implant apex. The results indicated that the placement of dental implants with maxillary sinus augmentation showed predictable clinical results and the grafts combined with low amount of autogenous bone or without autogenous bone had long-term resistance to resorption in maxillary sinus.
Allografts ; Atrophy ; Autografts ; Dental Implants* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Maxilla ; Maxillary Sinus* ; Survival Rate ; Transplants*

BACKGROUNDSurgical treatment options for patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension are complicated. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a new treatment strategy, splenic auto-transplantation and oesophageal transection anastomosis. We report results from clinical observations, splenic immune function and portal dynamics in 274 patients.

METHODSFrom 1979 to 2005, 274 cirrhosis patients with portal hypertension underwent the new treatment strategy, and were followed up to compare results with those patients who underwent traditional surgical treatment. From 1999 to 2002, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed on 40 patients to compare their post-operative immune function. From 1994 to 2006, another RCT enrolled 28 patients to compare portal dynamics using three-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (3D DEC MRA) investigation post operation.

RESULTSAmong 274 patients (mean age 41.8 years), the emergency operative mortality (4.4%), selective operative mortality (2.2%), complication rate (17.9%), prevalence of hepatic encephalopathy (< 1%), rate of portal hypertension gastritis (PHG) bleeding (9.1%), and morbidity of hepatic carcinoma (8%) were similar to those patients undergoing traditional operation; the spleen immunology function (Tuftsin, IgM) decreased in both groups 2 months post operation, but this decrease did not reach statistical significance. Through 3D DCE MRA, the cross sectional area and the velocity and volume of blood flow of the main portal vein decreased significantly after operation in both groups. The velocity and volume of blood flow in the auto-transplantation group was significantly lower than that in the control group.

CONCLUSIONSSplenic auto-transplantation and esophageal transection anastomosis is a safe, effective, and reasonable treatment strategy for patients with portal hypertension with varicial bleeding. It not only can correct hypersplenism, but may also achieve complete hemostasis. Spleens auto-transplanted into the retroperitoneal space can preserve immune function and establish broad collateral circulation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; Child ; Esophagus ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; immunology ; surgery ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Spleen ; transplantation ; Transplantation, Autologous