Carnosol is a phenolic antioxidant present in rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). It is known for anti-inflammatory effects, analgesic activity and anti-cancer effects. However, no study has been dedicated yet to its effect on atopic dermatitis (AD). Here, we show that carnosol effectively inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) generation and expression of inflammatory marker proteins (iNOS and COX-2) in RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, carnosol effectively inhibits the phosphorylation of STAT3 and DNA binding activity in RAW 264.7 cells. Pull down assay and docking model analysis showed that carnosol directly binds to the DNA binding domain (DBD) of STAT3. We next examined the anti-atopic activity of carnosol (0.05 μg/cm²) using 5% Phthalic anhydride (PA)-induced AD model in HR1 mice. Carnosol treatment significantly reduced 5% PA-induced AD like skin inflammation in skin tissues compared with control mice. Moreover, carnosol treatment inhibits the expression of iNOS and COX-2 in skin tissue. In addition, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and Immunoglobulin-E in blood serum was significantly decreased in carnosol treated mice compared with those of 5% PA treated group. Furthermore, the activation of STAT3 in skin tissue was decreased in carnosol treated mice compared with control mice. In conclusion, these findings suggest that carnosol exhibited a potential anti-AD activity by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators through suppression of STAT3 activation via direct binding to DBD of STAT3.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; DNA ; Inflammation ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Phenol ; Phosphorylation ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Serum ; Skin

OBJECTIVE: This study used the intradural procedural time to assess the overall technical difficulty involved in surgically clipping an unruptured middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm via a pterional or superciliary approach. The clinical and radiological variables affecting the intradural procedural time were investigated, and the intradural procedural time compared between a superciliary keyhole approach and a pterional approach. METHODS: During a 5.5-year period, patients with a single MCA aneurysm were enrolled in this retrospective study. The selection criteria for a superciliary keyhole approach included : 1) maximum diameter of the unruptured MCA aneurysm <15 mm, 2) neck diameter of the MCA aneurysm <10 mm, and 3) aneurysm location involving the sphenoidal or horizontal segment of MCA (M1) segment and MCA bifurcation, excluding aneurysms distal to the MCA genu. Meanwhile, the control comparison group included patients with the same selection criteria as for a superciliary approach, yet who preferred a pterional approach to avoid a postoperative facial wound or due to preoperative skin trouble in the supraorbital area. To determine the variables affecting the intradural procedural time, a multiple regression analysis was performed using such data as the patient age and gender, maximum aneurysm diameter, aneurysm neck diameter, and length of the pre-aneurysm M1 segment. In addition, the intradural procedural times were compared between the superciliary and pterional patient groups, along with the other variables. RESULTS: A total of 160 patients underwent a superciliary (n=124) or pterional (n=36) approach for an unruptured MCA aneurysm. In the multiple regression analysis, an increase in the diameter of the aneurysm neck (p<0.001) was identified as a statistically significant factor increasing the intradural procedural time. A Pearson correlation analysis also showed a positive correlation (r=0.340) between the neck diameter and the intradural procedural time. When comparing the superciliary and pterional groups, no statistically significant between-group difference was found in terms of the intradural procedural time reflecting the technical difficulty (mean±standard deviation : 29.8±13.0 min versus 27.7±9.6 min). CONCLUSION: A superciliary keyhole approach can be a useful alternative to a pterional approach for an unruptured MCA aneurysm with a maximum diameter <15 mm and neck diameter <10 mm, representing no more of a technical challenge. For both surgical approaches, the technical difficulty increases along with the neck diameter of the MCA aneurysm.
Aneurysm ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Neck ; Patient Selection ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

Since the concept of osseointegration has been introduced, a lot of researches were performed to achieve stronger fixation of the implant. In this study, we tried to find the different pattern of bone ingrowth after implanting pure titanium implant and Hydroxyapatite coated titanium implant in dogs. Four typed of cylindrical titanium implants (diameter 6 mm, length 1 mm) were inserted in the distal femur of adult dogs. The histological examination was done at postoperative 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. There was no foreign body reaction at contact site and all implants kept direct contact with bone tissue. In the light microscopic finding, after 2 weeks, the cases with Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP) showed greater formation of immature woven bone in comparison to Titanium implant. After 4 weeks, Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP) showed more mature lamellar bone. After 8 and 12 weeks, most of the woven bone was transformed into mature lamellar bone. The fluorescence microscopic finding, after 2 weeks, revealed calcein green fluorescence around implants in all cases and it was more prominent in the cases with Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP). After 4 weeks, the center of trabecula gave out green fluorescent light, the corner of them showed red fluorescent light, and they were more prominent in the cases with Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP). After 8 and 12 weeks, green fluorescence disappeared gradually, red fluorescence appeared for the most part, and there was no difference in each cases, especially in 12 weeks. As a result, we support the concept that Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP) induces faster bone ingrowth in 4 weeks than Titanium implant, and that it may be more profitable for early bone ingrowth and implant stability.
Adult ; Animals ; Bone and Bones ; Dogs* ; Durapatite ; Femur ; Fluorescence ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Humans ; Osseointegration ; Titanium*

BACKGROUND: Basal-type cytokeratins may help to distinguish benign from malignant intraductal proliferative lesions. The basal-type cytokeratins expression is markedly decreased or absent in atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC). However, the expression patterns vary according to the antibodies that are used for staining. METHODS: HMW-CK (clone 34 E12) was applied to 175 lesions, and CK5/6 (clone D5/16B4) was applied to 145 lesions. The specimens were IDC (n=165), DCIS (n=35), ADH (n=37), florid ductal hyperplasia (FDH) (n=38) and columnar cell lesion (CCL) (n=45). The expression patterns of HMW-CK and CK5/6 were categorized as negative, focal positive and positive. RESULTS: Loss of the HMW-CK expression was noted in 76% (66/87) of the IDC, 78% (21/27) of the DCIS, 78% (21/28) of the ADH, and 55% (10/18) of the FDH. Loss of the CK5/6 expression was found in 96% (75/78) of the IDC, in all the DCIS (n=8) and ADH (n=9), and in none of the FDH (n=20). Loss of the CK5/6 expression is more reliable than that of the HMW-CK expression for differentiating FDH, ADH and malignant intraductal proliferatve lesions. Eleven (73%) of 15 CCLs revealed the loss of the HMW-CK expression, but all the CCLs (n=30) were negative for CK5/6 (p=0.0161). CONCLUSION: CK5/6 antibody is more reliable than HMW-CK antibody for differentiating FDH from ADH or DCIS, and for discriminating CCL.

Inflammation is the basis of severe acute and chronic diseases. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory property of a crude methanol extract (MeOH-ex) and the solvent fractions of Ixeris dentata Nakai (IDN) in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7. Here, we showed that the ethyl acetate fraction (EtOAc-fr) had the most potent inhibitory activity on LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production among the tested samples, i.e., IDN MeOH-ex and the three different solvent fractions (chloroform, n-hexane, and EtOAc). We further found that the EtOAc-fr significantly inhibited LPS-induced prostaglandin PGE2 (PGE2) generation in RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, the treatment with EtOAc-fr effectively suppressed the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). These results suggest that the EtOAc-fr of IDN MeOH-ex exhibits an anti-inflammatory activity in vitro by inhibiting LPS-induced NO production and PGE2 generation via suppression of iNOS and COX-2 expression.
Asteraceae* ; Cell Line ; Chronic Disease ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Dinoprostone* ; Inflammation ; Methanol ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitric Oxide*

This clinical study was conducted to survey 300 cases of total laparoscopic hysterctomy (TLH) by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Boram Hospital in Ulsan, Korea from January, 2000 to June, 2001. TLH has been described in much of the recent literature. We analyzed 300 cases of TLH to evaluate the clinical data such as distribution of age, parity, clinical indication, previous operation history, type of surgery, operation time, weight of uterus, Hb change of post-operation first day and the complications of using this technique. The mean age of patients was 41.3. The mean parity of patients was 2.6. The clinical indications for TLH were myoma (72.3%), adenomyosis (11.3%), PID (5.3%), CIS (4%) and others (5.7%). The most previous operation was bilateral tubal ligation. Others were cesarean section, appendectomy. The most concomitant procedure with TLH was posterior colpoperineorrhaphy. Salpingo-oophorectomy and appendectomy were also carried out concomitantly. The mean operation time was 124 minutes. The mean weight of the uterus was 230 gm. The mean Hb change post-operation on the 1st day was 1.3g/dL. The complications of TLH were bleeding to need blood transfusion, ureteral injury and bladder injury. Thus this technique can be safely performed by skilled laparoscopists for properly selected patients but there is a need for prospective studies for comparision with various laparoscopic hysterctomies.
Adenomyosis ; Appendectomy ; Blood Transfusion ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Gynecology ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Korea ; Myoma ; Obstetrics ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Sterilization, Tubal ; Ulsan ; Ureter ; Urinary Bladder ; Uterus

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of music therapy on pain, anxiety and length of stay of patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). METHODS: Sixty patients who received laparoscopic hysterectomy under general anesthesia from a PACU in a university hospital located in Cheonan city participated in this study. The experimental group (n=30) was offered the option to listen to their preferred music by using MP3 players and headphones for 30 minutes. The control group (n=30) received routine postoperative nursing care. Visual analogue scale was used to measure participants' pain and anxiety, length of stay in the PACU was examined by using their medical records. Data were collected from December 2013 to February 2014 and analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi2-test, Fisher's exact test, and independent t-test using SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: The result showed that the level of post-operative pain (t=2.44, p=.018), anxiety (t=2.37, p=.021), and the length of stay in PACU (t=3.06, p=.004) significantly decreased in the experimental group as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that music therapy with the patients' preferred music showed positive effects. Therefore, it can be used as a therapeutic intervention for postoperative pain management of patients with laparoscopic hysterectomy.
Anesthesia, General ; Anxiety* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Length of Stay* ; Medical Records ; MP3-Player ; Music Therapy* ; Music* ; Nursing Care ; Pain, Postoperative

Tumors that metastasize to the pituitary gland are unusual and metastasis of neuroendocrine neoplasm to the sellar region is extremely rare. We report a 59-yearold man with pituitary metastasis from pulmonary carcinoid tumor who presented with left progressive deterioration of visual field. Sellar dynamic magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enhancing sellar mass invading the left cavernous sinus. We report this unusual case with a review of the relevant literature.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the change in hand grip strength (HGS) for consecutive 6 months in breast cancer survivors (BCS) undergoing postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (adjCTX) and to determine the factors relevant to HGS after chemotherapy completion Methods: This study was a retrospective observational cohort study. BCS (N=38) who underwent breast cancer surgery and subsequent adjCTX were enrolled. The HGS of both sides was measured before adjCTX and 3 weeks, 2 months and 6 months after adjCTX. And we also collected body composition, anthropometric measurements, social demographics and clinical data. Then we analyzed the changes in HGS over time, and correlation of collected data with HGS at 6 months. Results: A significant increase in HGS of the unaffected side was observed within the first 3 weeks of adjCTX and maintained up to 6 months. In correlation analysis, HGS of both sides was positively correlated with the ipsilateral HGS at 3 weeks, and contralateral HGS at 6 months. And skeletal muscle mass was also positively correlated with the HGS of the unaffected side. In addition, subjects treated with targeted therapy had lower HGS of the unaffected side. However, HGS of the affected side was significantly lower in subjects with breast reconstruction and treated without radiotherapy. Conclusions To maintain the early recovery of HGS, active and continuous exercise intervention for strengthening might be necessary.