This study aimed to establish and validate an HPLC method for the quantitative analysis of bioactive compounds in a mixture of the L. glauca leaves extract and water-soluble mastic gum (MLM). MLM has shown potential as an effective agent for preventing hair loss in the previous study. For the development of the quality evaluation of MLM, quercitrin (1), isoquercitrin (2), and oleanonic acid (3) were selected as analytical markers.The separation was achieved using a reverse-phase column with a gradient solvent system of 0.1% formic acid aqueous-0.1% formic acid acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Detection was carried out at 210 nm and 254 nm. The calibration curves for all three markers exhibited good linearity (R 2 > 0.999). Recoveries of the three markers ranged from 100 ± 15%. The concentrations of compounds 1, 2, and 3 in MLM was determined to be 25.73 ± 1.38, 8.36 ± 0.05, and 212.24 ± 12.88 μg/mL, respectively. The validated method will facilitate further compositional investigations in MLM.

Exercise training can improve strength and lead to adaptations in the skeletal muscle and nervous systems. Skeletal muscles can develop into two types: fast and slow, depending on the expression pattern of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms. Previous studies reported that exercise altered the distribution of muscle fiber types. It is not currently known what changes in the expression of caveolins and types of muscle fiber occur in response to the intensity of exercise. This study determined the changes in expression of caveolins and MHC type after forced exercise in muscular and non-muscular tissues in rats. A control (Con) group to which forced exercise was not applied and an exercise (Ex) group to which forced exercise was applied. Forced exercise, using a treadmill, was introduced at a speed of 25 m/min for 30 min, 3 times/day (07:00, 15:00, 23:00). Homogenized tissues were applied to extract of total RNA for further gene analysis. The expression of caveolin-3 and MHC2a in the gastrocnemius muscle of female rats significantly increased in the Ex group compared with the Con group (P<0.05). Furthermore, in the gastrocnemius muscle of male rats, the expression of MHC2x was significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). There was an increased expression in caveolin-3 and a slightly decreased expression in TGFbeta-1 in muscular tissues implicating caveolin-3 influences the expression of MHC isoforms and TGFbeta-1 expression. Eventually, it implicates that caveolin-3 has positive regulatory function in muscle atrophy induced by neural dysfunction with spinal cord injury or stroke.
Animals ; Caveolin 3 ; Caveolins ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Muscular Atrophy ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; Myosins ; Nervous System ; Protein Isoforms ; Rats ; RNA ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Stroke

When dealing with a mumps infection, the complication of meningoencephalitis is quite rare. A 24-year-old soldier with a past MMR vaccination was admitted because of aseptic meningitis. His cognitive functioning was rapidly deteriorating with the swelling of both parotid glands. MR findings revealed discrete lesions in the brainstem and thalamus. He barely recovered within 2 months. Among adults with a failure to get the immunity despite vaccination, institutional crowding can lead to a fatal CNS complication such as mumps meningoencephalitis.
Adult* ; Brain Stem ; Crowding ; Humans ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Meningoencephalitis* ; Military Personnel ; Mumps* ; Parotid Gland ; Thalamus ; Vaccination* ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was conducted in order to investigate the significance of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) and E-cadherin proteins in tumor progression of lung adenocarcinoma and to evaluate their differential expression in association with morphologic characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 65 pulmonary adenocarcinomas were reclassified according to the new classification system proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society. Tumor samples from 20 adenocarcinomas in situ (AIS, formerly bronchioloalveolar carcinoma [BAC]), 9 minimally invasive adenocarcinomas (MIA, formerly BAC with < or = 5 mm invasion), 17 lepidic predominant adenocarcinomas (LPA, formerly mixed adenocarcinoma showing nonmucinous BAC features with >5 mm invasion), and 19 invasive adenocarcinomas with no BAC features were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for expression of TGFbeta1 and E-cadherin proteins. RESULTS: TGFbeta1 expression was detected in 46% (21/46) of noninvasive elements and 87% (39/45) of invasive elements (p=0.001). E-Cadherin expression was less frequent in invasive components than in noninvasive components (38% vs. 65%, p=0.009). Negative correlation was identified between TGFbeta1 expression and E-cadherin expression in noninvasive elements (p=0.022). More importantly, significantly higher frequency of TGFbeta1 expression was observed in noninvasive components of LPA (14/17, 82%), compared with those of either AIS (5/20, 25%) or MIA (2/9, 22%) (p=0.008). CONCLUSION: Our data indicate involvement of both TGFbeta1 and E-cadherin proteins in tumor progression of pulmonary adenocarcinoma. It is noteworthy that TGFbeta1 up-regulation precedes alveolar destruction by invasion of tumor cells. TGFbeta1 may thus have the potential to improve lung adenocarcinoma diagnostics and therapeutics.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar ; Cadherins ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Proteins ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Transforming Growth Factors ; Up-Regulation

Incidence of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is steadily increasing. It is a mite-borne disease transmitted by chigger mites. In this study, the chigger mites were collected from field small mammals in Hwaseong-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (province), Korea, 2019 and 2020. The field small mammals captured were 56 Apodemus agrarius (94.9%) and 3 Crocidura lasiura (5.1%). A total of 7,531 chigger mites were collected from the captured small mammals. Using PCR test, 153 chigger mite pools were examined and 17 pools were reported positive for O. tsutsugamushi. The O. tsutsugamushi were identified to 5 strains; Jecheon strain was most prevalent, followed by Boryong strain. The other strains were OI011, Taguchi, and Shimokoshi. Collectively, these results provide essential regional information on mite-borne tsutsugamushi disease in the Hwaseong-si, and further contribute to bring awareness and rapid diagnosis for the tsutsugamushi disease.

Incidence of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is steadily increasing. It is a mite-borne disease transmitted by chigger mites. In this study, the chigger mites were collected from field small mammals in Hwaseong-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (province), Korea, 2019 and 2020. The field small mammals captured were 56 Apodemus agrarius (94.9%) and 3 Crocidura lasiura (5.1%). A total of 7,531 chigger mites were collected from the captured small mammals. Using PCR test, 153 chigger mite pools were examined and 17 pools were reported positive for O. tsutsugamushi. The O. tsutsugamushi were identified to 5 strains; Jecheon strain was most prevalent, followed by Boryong strain. The other strains were OI011, Taguchi, and Shimokoshi. Collectively, these results provide essential regional information on mite-borne tsutsugamushi disease in the Hwaseong-si, and further contribute to bring awareness and rapid diagnosis for the tsutsugamushi disease.

We present a case of 55-year-old man who complained of dyspnea and sputum for a month. He was an ex-smoker with a history of prostate cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis. Chest radiographs revealed bilateral pleural effusions of a small to moderate amount. Pigtail catheters were inserted for drainage. The pleural fluid consisted of large clusters and tightly cohesive groups of malignant cells, which however could not be ascribed to prostate cancer with certainty. We performed immunocytochemical panel studies to determine the origin of cancer metastasis. The immunostaining results were positive for prostate-specific antigen, alpha-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase, and Nkx 3.1, consistent with prostate cancer. Pleural effusion associated with prostate cancer is rare. To our knowledge, this is the first case report in Korea to describe cytologic features of malignant pleural effusion associated with prostate cancer.
Catheters ; Drainage ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Objectives: This study aimed to explore whether common genetic variants that confer the risk of schizophrenia have similar effects between Korean and European ancestries using the polygenic risk score (PRS) analysis. Methods: Study subjects included 713 Korean patients with schizophrenia and 497 healthy controls. The Korea Biobank array was used for genotyping. Summary statistics of the most recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the European population were used as baseline data to calculate PRS. Logistic regression was conducted to determine the association between calculated PRS of European patients with schizophrenia and clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia in the Korean population. Results: Schizophrenia PRS was significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia than in healthy controls. The PRS at the pvalue threshold of 0.5 best explained the variance of schizophrenia (R2=0.028, p=4.4×10-6). The association was significant after adjusting for age and sex (odds ratio=1.34, 95% confidence interval=1.19-1.51, p=1.1×10−6). The pattern of the association remained similar across different p-value thresholds (0.01-1). Conclusion Schizophrenia PRS calculated using the European GWAS data showed a significant association with the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia in the Korean population. Results suggest overlapping genetic risk variants between the two populations.

Background: High LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is considered an important therapeutic target. It can be measured directly or calculated from the results of other lipid tests. The Friedewald formula is the most widely used formula for calculating LDL-C. We modified the Friedewald formula for a more accurate and practical estimation of LDL-C. Methods: Datasets, including measured triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-C concentrations were collected and assigned to derivation and validation sets. The datasets were further divided into five groups based on triglyceride concentrations. In the modified formula, LDL-C was defined as total cholesterol − HDL-cholesterol − (triglyceride/adjustment factor). For each group, the adjustment factor that minimized the difference between measured LDL-C and calculated LDL-C using modified formula was obtained. For validation, measured LDL-C and LDL-C calculated using the modified formula (LDL-CM), Friedewald formula (LDL-CF), Martin-Hopkins formula (LDL-CMa), and Sampson formula (LDL-CS) were compared. Results: In the derivation set, the adjustment factors were 4.7, 5.9, 6.3, and 6.4 for the groups with triglyceride concentrations <100, 101–200, 201–300, and >300 mg/dL, respectively. In the validation set, the coefficient of determination (R2) between measured and calculated LDL-C was higher for LDL-CM than for LDL-CF (R2=0.9330 vs. 0.9206). The agreement according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III classification of LDL-C was 86.36%, 86.08%, 86.82%, and 86.15% for LDL-CM, LDL-CF, LDL-CMa, and LDL-CS, respectively. Conclusions We proposed a practical, improved LDL-C calculation formula by applying different factors depending on the triglyceride concentration.

Background: New creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations, including the 2021 Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (2021 CKD-EPI) and European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) equations, have been introduced recently. We assessed the performance of the 2021 CKD-EPI and EKFC equations in the Korean population. Methods: We analyzed 1,654 Korean patients aged ≥18 years who underwent chromium-51-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid GFR measurements (mGFR). Bias (eGFR–mGFR), root mean square error (RMSE), and proportion of eGFR within 30% of mGFR (P30) of the 2009 CKD-EPI, 2021 CKD-EPI, and EFKC equations were compared. The concordance rate between eGFR and mGFR categories was evaluated. Both eGFR and mGFR categories were classified into six groups: ≥90, 89–60, 59–45, 44–30, 29–15, and <15 mL/min/1.73 m2. Results: The median bias (mL/min/1.73 m2) was 1.8 for the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, 4.8 for the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, and –0.3 for the EKFC equation. The P30 and RMSE were 78.2% and 17.0 for the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, 75.6% and 17.4 for the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, and 80.0% and 16.7 for the EKFC equation, respectively. The overall GFR category concordance rate between eGFR and mGFR was 63.4% for the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, 60.5% for the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, and 61.0% for the EKFC equation. Conclusions Among the three eGFR equations, the EKFC equation had the smallest bias and highest P30 in Koreans. The 2009 CKD-EPI equation had a lower bias than the 2021 CKD-EPI equation.