The KA1 kainate receptor (KAR) subunit in the substantia gelatinosa (SG) of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) has been implicated in the processing of nociceptive information from the orofacial region. This study compared the expression of the KA1 KAR subunit in the SG of the Vc in juvenile, prepubescent and adult mice. RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses were used to examine the expression level in SG area. The expression levels of the KA1 KAR subunit mRNA and protein were higher in juvenile mice than in prepubescent or adult mice. Quantitative data revealed that the KA1 KAR subunit mRNA and protein were expressed at levels approximately two and three times higher, respectively, in juvenile mice than in adult mice. A similar expression pattern of the KA1 KAR subunit was observed in an immunohistochemical study that showed higher expression in the juvenile (59%) than those of adult (35%) mice. These results show that the KA1 KAR subunits are expressed in the SG of the Vc in mice and that the expression level of the KA1 KAR subunit decreases gradually with postnatal development. These findings suggest that age-dependent KA1 KAR subunit expression can be a potential mechanism of age-dependent pain perception.
Age Factors ; Animals ; Gene Expression Profiling ; *Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Mice ; Receptors, Kainic Acid/*metabolism ; Substantia Gelatinosa/*metabolism

The substantia gelatinosa (SG) within the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) is recognized as a pivotal site of integrating and modulating afferent fibers carrying orofacial nociceptive information. Although naringenin (4',5,7-thrihydroxyflavanone), a natural bioflavonoid, has been proven to possess various biological effects in the central nervous system (CNS), the activity of naringenin at the orofacial nociceptive site has not been reported yet. In this study, we explored the influence of naringenin on GABA response in SG neurons of Vc using whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The application of GABA in a bath induced two forms of GABA responses:slow and fast. Naringenin enhanced both amplitude and area under curve (AUC) of GABA-mediated responses in 57% (12/21) of tested neurons while decreasing both parameters in 33% (7/21) of neurons. The enhancing or suppressing effect of naringenin on GABA response have been observed, with enhancement occurring when the GABA response was slow, and suppression when it was fast. Furthermore, both the enhancement of slower GABA responses and the suppression of faster GABA responses by naringenin were concentration dependent. Interestingly, the nature of GABA response was also found to be sex-dependent. A majority of SG neurons from juvenile female mice exhibited slower GABA responses, whereas those from juvenile males predominantly displayed faster GABA responses. Taken together, this study indicates that naringenin plays a partial role in modulating orofacial nociception and may hold promise as a therapeutic target for treating orofacial pain, with effects that vary according to sex.

PURPOSE: Early colorectal cancer is defined as invasive tumor, limited to the mucosa or submucosa. The incidence of early colorectal cancer detection has been increased due to well designed screening technology and development of colonoscopy. The novel treatment of early colorectal cancer is still not settled despite of this advancement. We performed retrospective study about outcomes of colorectal cancer after radical resection or local resection. METHODS: Sixty two patients, diagnosed as early colorectal cancers by pathology, were selected for this case study. The hospital records were reviewed retrospectively and the following was found: Twenty four patients received local resection such as colonoscopic polypectomy or local resection of colon. Remaining thirty-eight patients received radical resection. The clinicopathologic features of two groups were analyzed statically and survival rate was compared. RESULTS: The clinical features were similar between two groups including sex, age, stage, tumor size and differentiation. The median follow-up duration was 47.3 months (range: 2~152 months). Survival rate was not different according to resection type. Recurrent cases were one patient from each group. They were all submucosal tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The local resection is safe treatment modality for early colorectal cancer. However, case selection for local resection should be cautious because submucosal cases have more recurrent potential. Longterm follow-up will be needed to achieve safety of early colorectal cancer.
Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mass Screening ; Mucous Membrane ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

In order to investigate food purchase frequency of elementary school children and its related ecological factors, 4314th, 5th and 6th grade elementary school children and their mothers, living in Seoul and Daejon, small city and rural area of Chungnam Province, were participated in this study. The subjects and their parents were surveyed by a selfrecording questionnaire about food purchase frequency and some ecological factors. Average height and weight of the subjects by gender and grade were similar to or a little bit more than the 1998 Korean Growth Standard. According to relative body weight, 30.6% and 10.8% of the subjects belonged to under-weight and obesity categories, respectively. Of the subjects, 46.9% used PC telecommunication or internet, 53.8% of them used it for less than an hour per day, and 46.4% watched TV for 2 to 4 hours a day. About 42% of the subjects spent 500 Won or less daily to buy snacks. A half of the subjects took snacks once a day because of hunger. Mothers' nutrition knowledge score was averagely 8.16 out of 13 full score and the average attitude score was 43.22 out of 50 full score. Foods purchased more than once a week were milk and yoghurt, cookies, ice-cream, ramyun, and gum in order. Family income, parents' education level, mothers' nutrition knowledge and food attitude score, students' snacking frequency and TV watching time showed significant correlations with purchase frequencies of some individual food items. In conclusion, the elementary school children considered taste most important rather than nutrition in buying snacks and most frequently bought carbohydrate foods and concentrated sugars except milk. Ecological factors such as mothers' nutritional knowledge and food attitude, TV watching time and snacking frequency had influenced the children's food purchase frequency. Accordingly, it is necessary to educate both children and their mothers about good food purchase and the importance of snacking.
Body Weight ; Carbohydrates ; Child* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Daejeon ; Education ; Gingiva ; Humans ; Hunger ; Internet ; Milk ; Mothers ; Obesity ; Parents ; Seoul ; Snacks* ; Telecommunications ; Yogurt

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between executive functions and time perspectives in patients with adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The executive function including self-management to time, self-organization/problem solving, self-restraint or inhibition, self-motivation, and self-regulation of emotion was analyzed. In addition, the time perspective, including past-negative, past-positive, present-hedonistic, present-fatalistic, future-negative, and future-positive, were investigated. The correlations between the executive functions and time perspectives were analyzed in an adult ADHD patient group. METHODS: Thirty-six participants were divided into 17 in the ADHD group and 19 in the Control group. The participants conduct psychological tests including Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS), ADHD Self-Report Scale, and the Swedish Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory to confirm their executive functions, attention, and time perspectives. The participants were recruited at Samsung Medical Center from April 2017 to November 2018. The collected data was analyzed using a t-test and Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: The adult ADHD patients group showed significantly higher scores in the BDEFS and ADHD Self-Report Scale than the control group. In time perspective scores, the adult ADHD patients group was higher in the past-negative, present-hedonistic, present-fatalistic time perspectives than the control group. In addition, the adult ADHD patients group was lower in future-positive than the control group. In the adult ADHD patients group, the future-positive time perspectives were negatively correlated with the executive functions. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the negative time perspective is related to the executive function deficits in an adult ADHD group, particularly in the self-management of time, self-organization/problem solving, and self-motivation.
Adult ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Psychological Tests ; Self Care ; Self-Control

Annular pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly in which a thin band of pancreatic tissue partially or completely surrounds the duodenum.It is challenging to diagnose due to its variable clinical presentation. Approximately two-thirds of patients have no symptoms in their lifetime, and most symptomatic cases are seen in neonates and infants. Symptomatic adult patients present with upper gastrointestinal symptoms, such as epigastric pain, vomiting, and postprandial fullness associated with gastric outlet obstruction. Complications associated with annular pancreas include peptic ulcer disease, pancreatitis, pancreatic head carcinoma, and biliary obstruction. Annular pancreas is also a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in adults, but it should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses in patients presenting with a peptic ulcer and duodenal stricture. Here, we report the case of a 60-year-old man who presented with melena and was subsequently diagnosed with an annular pancreas.

Background: Over the last decade, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in critically ill children has increased and is associated with favorable outcomes. Our study aims to evaluate the current status of pediatric ECMO in Korea, with a specific focus on its volume and changes in survival rates based on diagnostic indications. Methods: This multicenter study retrospectively analyzed the indications and outcomes of pediatric ECMO over 10 years in patients at 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2012 to December 2021. Four diagnostic categories (neonatal respiratory, pediatric respiratory, postcardiotomy, and cardiac-medical) and trends were compared between periods 1 (2012–2016) and 2 (2017–2021). Results: Overall, 1065 ECMO runs were performed on 1032 patients, with the annual number of cases remaining unchanged over the 10 years. ECMO was most frequently used for post-cardiotomy (42.4%), cardiac-medical (31.8%), pediatric respiratory (17.5%), and neonatal respiratory (8.2%) cases. A 3.7% increase and 6.1% decrease in pediatric respiratory and post-cardiotomy cases, respectively, were noted between periods 1 and 2.Among the four groups, the cardiac-medical group had the highest survival rate (51.2%), followed by the pediatric respiratory (46.4%), post-cardiotomy (36.5%), and neonatal respiratory (29.4%) groups. A consistent improvement was noted in patient survival over the 10 years, with a significant increase between the two periods from 38.2% to 47.1% (P = 0.004). Improvement in survival was evident in post-cardiotomy cases (30–45%, P = 0.002).Significant associations with mortality were observed in neonates, patients requiring dialysis, and those treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (P < 0.001). In pediatric respiratory ECMO, immunocompromised patients also showed a significant correlation with mortality (P < 0.001). Conclusion Pediatric ECMO demonstrated a steady increase in overall survival in Korea;however, further efforts are needed since the outcomes remain suboptimal compared with global outcomes.

Intercoronary communication is a very rare congenital malformation, which differs from coronary collaterals in variable aspects. It is larger in diameter, extramural in location and more resembles normal mature arterial features histologically. There are no consensus for the definition of intercoronary communiations, but some reports have suggested their protective role against myocardial ischemia due to its dual blood supply system. We report the case of a 72 year-old male smoker who had chronic total occlusion at the proximal portion of right coronary artery, which was communicated with a normal left circumflex artery. Although the patient had chronic total occlusion and subsequent in stent restenosis, there were no presentations of acute coronary syndrome or myocardial infarction.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Arteries ; Consensus ; Coronary Occlusion ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Stents

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In the 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF)/70% partial hepatectomy (PHx) model, the mechanism underlying the differentiation of activated hepatic oval cells (HOCs) into hepatocytes and bile ductile cells is unclear. We investigated the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in HOCs and the relationship between COX-2 and extracellular matrix proteins in cellular proliferation. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical staining, and Western blotting were used to assess COX-2 expression. The co-localization of COX-2 with Thy1, c-Met, epithelial cell adhesion molecule, and alpha-smooth muscle actin was also examined. Additionally, we investigated whether connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin (FN), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (P-ERK1/2), and AKT were expressed in HOCs. RESULTS: The expression of COX-2, prostaglandin E2 receptors, and c-Met was upregulated in HOCs. However, HOCs treated with the COX-2 inhibitor NS398 showed decreased COX-2, CTGF, FN, and AKT expression, whereas P-ERK1/2 was unaffected. Additionally, NS398 inhibited HOC proliferation, but not the proliferation of HOCs cultured on FN-coated dishes. Furthermore, the proliferative response of HOCs treated with NS398 was reversed by hepatic growth factor treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HOC proliferation is mediated through COX-2, extracellular FN expression, and AKT activation. Thus, COX-2 plays an important role in HOC proliferation following acute injury.
2-Acetylaminofluorene ; Actins ; Animals ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; Bile ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Dinoprostone ; Epithelial Cells ; Extracellular Matrix ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Fibronectins ; Hepatectomy ; Hepatocytes ; Liver ; Liver Regeneration ; Muscles ; Nitrobenzenes ; Phosphotransferases ; Rats ; Sulfonamides

PURPOSE: Biofeedback treatment is thought to be appropriate for patients with nonrelaxing puborectalis syndrome (NRPR). The aim of this study is to analyze the physiologic characteristics and to assess the outcomes of biofeedback treatment for patients with NRPR. METHODS: Forty-six (46) patients with NRPR were evaluated with anorectal physiologic studies, including colonic transit time (n=26), anorectal manometry (n=41), defecography (n=46), anal sphincter EMG (n=28), and colonoscopy or barium enema (n=33). The treatment consisted of a training program with EMG-based biofeedback for 30 minutes once a week and routine supportive care, including Kegel practice. RESULTS: The mean age was 52.8 years, and the sex ratio was 1 male to 0.6 female. A delayed colonic transit time was noted in 5 patients (19.26%). In the NRPR group, the maximal voluntary contraction and the mean squeezing pressure were higher than they were for other patients with pelvic outlet obstructive disease. Also, the perineal descents and the dynamic change of anorectal angle were shorter. Polyps were observed in 6 patients (18.2%), melanosis coli in 4 patients (12.1%), and diverticula in 3 patients (9.1%). The rectoanal inhibitory reflex (RAIR) was negative in 3 patients (7.3%). The patients underwent a mean of 4.0 sessions, and the mean follow-up was 7.4 months. Twenty-three (23) patients (82.1%) experienced improved of symptoms or EMG findings. The patients (17.9%) who did not improve had several abnormal findings: neuro-psychologic disease with delayed colonic transit time in 2 cases, negative RAIR in 2 cases, and melanosis coli in one case. CONCLUSIONS: We think that biofeedback training is an effective treatment for patients with NRPR. In addition, several factors, such as neuro-psychologic diseases, delayed colonic transit time, negative RAIR, or melanosis coli may influence the prognosis for biofeedback treatment, so further large-scaled studies will be needed to confirm these findings.
Anal Canal ; Barium ; Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Defecography ; Diverticulum ; Education ; Enema ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Manometry ; Melanosis ; Polyps ; Prognosis ; Reflex ; Sex Ratio