No abstract available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin* ; Staphylococcus*

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between inflammatory cytokines and chronic disease status in Korean elderly. The subjects were 248 elderly people aged over 65 years recruited from Health Center in Seoul. The subjects were classified into 3 groups based on their disease (diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia) status: subjects with one diagnosed disease of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia fall into singular group (n=89), subjects with more than 2 disease into multiple group (n=39), and those with free of the diseases into normal (n=122). Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics, and dietary intakes were assessed. Dietary intakes were surveyed by 24-recall method. The means of IL-2, IL-6, MCP-1 and C3 were not differ among 3 groups. However, when subjects classified into tertiles of IL-6, MCP-1, TNF-alpha and C3 and frequencies of each tertile were compared, the multiple group showed significantly lower frequencies in lowest tertile than normal group (p < 0.05), suggesting higher tendency of inflammatory responses. For hematological values, blood pressure, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose levels were highest in multiple group (p < 0.05) compared to other 2 groups. BMI, body fat (kg), and triceps skinfold thickness were also significantly higher in multiple group than in 2 other groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, the concentrations of IL-2, IL-6 and C3 were significantly correlated with hematologic values of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides or obesity factors such as triceps skinfold thickness, BMI, and body fat (%). Among singular and multiple group, the subjects with higher intakes for vitamins A, C, and E showed the higher level of IL-2 and the lower level of MCP-1, and C3. In conclusion, blood concentrations of triglycerides and proinflammatory cytokines, blood pressure, obesity parameters (BMI, body fat, triceps skinfold thickness) were higher in multiple group than in normal, but this result strongly suggest that the increasement of the vitamin A, C, and E intakes would modify the cytokine levels to reduce the inflammatory response in the elderly people with chronic diseases.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged* ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Chronic Disease* ; Cytokines* ; Fasting ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-6 ; Obesity ; Seoul ; Skinfold Thickness ; Triglycerides ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins

Diabetic mastopathy is a rare disease that occurs in long-term insulin-dependent diabetic patient. It manifests as a hard palpable breast mass that may be clinically indistinguishable from a breast carcinoma. Mammography shows a non-specific, dense, heterogenous glandular opacity in both breasts. Sonography shows a markedly hypoechoic, ill-marginated mass with a posterior acoustic shadowing. We present the mammography, ultrasonography and MRI findings of a 54-year-old woman with diabetic mastopathy.
Acoustics ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mammography ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Defects in mitochondrial function have been shown to participate in the induction of neuronal cell injury. The extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in almost all cell functions, including proliferation, differentiation, survival, and death. However, the effect of ERK inhibition on oxysterol-induced apoptosis remains uncertain. METHODS: This study assessed the effect of ERK inhibition on the apoptotic effect of 7-ketocholesterol. RESULTS: Treatment with 7-ketocholesterol increased phosphorylated-ERK1/2 levels in differentiated PC12 cells, while the total amount of ERK was not altered. 7-Ketocholesterol decreased Bid and Bcl-2 levels, increased Bax and p53 levels, and promoted cytochrome c release, which elicits the activation of caspases (-8, -9, and -3), nuclear damage, and cell death. ERK and farnesyltransferase inhibitors inhibited the 7-ketocholesterol-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, activation of apoptosis-related proteins, and cell death in PC12 cells. CONCLUSIONS: The ERK and farnesyltransferase inhibitors, which did not exhibit toxicity, may inhibit the 7-ketocholesterol toxicity on differentiated PC12 cells by suppressing the activation of the caspase-8-dependent pathway as well as activation of the mitochondria-mediated cell-death pathway, leading to the activation of caspases. The inhibition of ERK may confer a beneficial protective effect against the neuronal cell injury induced by cholesterol oxidation products.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspases ; Cell Death ; Cholesterol ; Cytochromes c ; Farnesyltranstransferase ; Ketocholesterols ; Neurons ; PC12 Cells ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Proteins

We present herein the occurrence of multifocal adenocarcinomas with a minute signet ring cell carcinoma that arose within a gastric inverted hyperplastic polyp (IHP) in a 40-year-old woman. Endoscopic ultrasonography demonstrated a heterogeneous hypoechoic mass in the third layer of the gastric wall. The endoscopic submucosal dissection specimen measuring 3.5x3.2x1.8 cm was a well-circumscribed protruding lesion that had a slit-shaped cavity. Histologically, the lesion consisted mainly of endophytic proliferation of hyperplastic columnar cells resembling normal foveolar epithelium. In addition, six foci of adenocarcinomas and a minute focus of signet ring cell carcinoma were randomly distributed in the superficial and deep regions. The adenocarcinoma was gradually transitioning from dysplasia, while the signet ring cell carcinoma was surrounded by hyperplastic foveolar epithelium. This is the first report of a gastric IHP with multifocal intramucosal adenocarcinomas and a signet ring cell carcinoma, and endoscopic submucosal dissection is used to completely resect it.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adult ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell ; Endosonography ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Polyps ; Stomach

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) plays a central role in the intracellular degradation of neutral lipids derived from plasma lipoproteins. In this study, we investigated the missense mutation within exon 2 of human LAL gene changing of codon -6 of prepeptide from threonine to proline. The Thr-6Pro mutation was detected by the Hae III restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). We analyzed the mutation in subjects with 221 unrelated randomly selected control samples and 86 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in Korea. We observed that mutation is present with high frequency in Korea compared to other populations studied previously. The frequency of PP homozygote in the FH group was observed considerably higher than that of control. However, there was no significant difference of genotype frequency between two groups. These results, together with the fact that plasma lipids and lipoproteins levels between genotypes showed no statistical difference, suggest that the Thr-6Pro mutation in the LAL gene may have no association with the increased risk of FH development.
Codon ; Exons ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Humans* ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II* ; Korea* ; Lipoproteins ; Mutation, Missense* ; Plasma ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Proline ; Sterol Esterase* ; Threonine

BACKGROUND: The Apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio (apoB/apoA-I) is a powerful clinical indicator of metabolic syndrome. However, few studies have searched for an association between ApoB/ApoA-I and metabolic syndrome in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. We investigated the relation between ApoB/ApoA-I and the risk of metabolic syndrome and its components. METHODS: Subjects were 812 (424 males and 388 females) Korean patients who were being treated for type 2 diabetes at Huh's Diabetes Center in Seoul. The patients were classified into quartiles (lowest:Q1-highest:Q4) of ApoB/ApoA-I by gender. Anthropometric and hematological characteristics and dietary intake using a food frequency questionnaire were assessed. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in our sample was 47.9% in males and 66.5% in females. The odds ratios (OR) for metabolic syndrome and for having its components were significantly increased from Q2 to Q4 quartiles of ApoB/ApoA-I in males (OR = 5.37; 95% CI = 2.98-9.65 and OR = 7.41; 95% CI = 4.04-13.6) and females (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 1.28-5.15 and OR = 8.49; 95% CI = 4.28-16.8). These trends withstood adjustment for age, duration of type 2 diabetes, fasting blood glucose levels, and macronutrient intake both in males (OR = 5.24; 95% CI = 2.80-9.24 and OR = 7.98; 95% CI = 4.09-15.6) and in females (OR=4.41; 95% CI = 2.26-8.61 and OR = 8.29; 95% CI = 3.85-17.8). CONCLUSION: ApoB/ApoA-I appeared to be independently associated with risk of having metabolic syndrome and its components in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes after adjustment for putative risk factors including macronutrient intake, a particularly important lifestyle factor for patients with type 2 diabetes. A follow-up study of this population should evaluate the mechanisms underlying the relation between ApoB/ApoA-I and metabolic syndrome and its components.
Apolipoprotein A-I ; Apolipoproteins ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Life Style ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Traumatic anterior dislocation of the hip is rare. Bilateral traumatic anterior dislocation is an even rarer injury; indeed, only 5 cases have been reported in the English literature. We describe a case of a bilateral traumatic anterior dislocation of the hip and a concomitant unstable lumbar burst fracture following a mechanism of injury distinctly different from other reports.
*Accidents, Occupational ; Acetabulum/injuries ; Buttocks/*injuries ; Fractures, Bone/complications/etiology/radiography ; Hip Dislocation/etiology/*radiography ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae/*injuries ; Lumbosacral Region/*injuries ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Fractures/etiology/*radiography

Due to the therapeutic potential of gene therapy for neuronal injury, many studies of neurotrophic factors, vectors, and animal models have been performed. The presumed dog beta-nerve growth factor (pdbeta-NGF) was generated and cloned and its expression was confirmed in CHO cells. The recombinant pdbeta-NGF protein reacted with a human beta-NGF antibody and showed bioactivity in PC12 cells. The pdbeta-NGF was shown to have similar bioactivity to the dog beta-NGF. The recombinant pdbeta-NGF plasmid was administrated into the intrathecal space in the gene therapy group. Twenty-four hours after the vector inoculation, the gene therapy group and the positive control group were intoxicated with excess pyridoxine for seven days. Each morning throughout the test period, the dogs' body weight was taken and postural reaction assessments were made. Electrophysiological recordings were performed twice, once before the experiment and once after the test period. After the experimental period, histological analysis was performed. Dogs in the gene therapy group had no weight change and were normal in postural reaction assessments. Electrophysiological recordings were also normal for the gene therapy group. Histological analysis showed that neither the axons nor the myelin of the dorsal funiculus of L(4) were severely damaged in the gene therapy group. In addition, the dorsal root ganglia of L(4) and the peripheral nerves (sciatic nerve) did not experience severe degenerative changes in the gene therapy group. This study is the first to show the protective effect of NGF gene therapy in a dog model.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; CHO Cells ; Central Nervous System Diseases/chemically induced/therapy/*veterinary ; Cloning, Molecular ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Cytomegalovirus ; Dog Diseases/*chemically induced/therapy ; Dogs ; Female ; Gene Therapy/*veterinary ; Genetic Vectors ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Nerve Growth Factor/genetics/*metabolism/*therapeutic use ; Pyridoxine/*toxicity

BACKGROUND: Mutations in mitofusin2 (MFN2) are a major underlying cause of axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy (CMT). It has been reported that patients with an early age of onset (<10 years, EO) show more severe clinical phenotypes than those of patients with a later age at onset (> or =10 years, LO) in CMT2A with MFN2 mutations. There are few studies about CMT patients with MRI studies and we performed leg MRIs for better understanding of CMT2A. METHODS: We identified 19 patients (EO=10; LO=9) with MFN2 mutations. We used functional disability scales and CMT neuropathy scales for the grading of disability. Nerve conduction studies and MRIs of the lower leg were performed in all patients. RESULTS: We confirmed that EO had more severe leg muscle involvement than LO by leg MRI. In 7 out of 9 in LO, there were some degree of asymmetric leg muscle weakness and MRI findings explained the nature of asymmetry, that is, asymmetric cross-sectional areas or fatty infiltration. MRI of EO showed marked fatty infiltration on all three compartments whereas that of LO showed rather selective involvement of the posterior compartment. These results were well correlated with clinical findings that in LO, five patients could not do toe walking whereas only one could not do heel walking. CONCLUSIONS: MRI of the leg may be a useful tool for evaluating axonal CMT neuropathy, and asymmetric leg muscle weakness may be the characteristics of an axonal CMT. In addition, more prominent involvement of the posterior leg in LO is a very interesting phenomenon, which is in contrast to the length-dependent involvement in congenital demyelinating neuropathy.
Age of Onset ; Axons* ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease ; Heel ; Humans ; Leg* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Muscle Weakness ; Neural Conduction ; Phenotype ; Toes ; Walking ; Weights and Measures