No abstract available.
Adult ; Embolism/*complications/diagnosis/microbiology ; Eye Infections, Bacterial/*complications/diagnosis/microbiology ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Macula Lutea/drug effects/*pathology ; Male ; Retinal Perforations/diagnosis/*etiology ; Sepsis/*complications/diagnosis ; Staphylococcal Infections/*complications/diagnosis ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification

Autophagy is an evolutionarily well-conserved cellular homeostasis program that responds to various cellular stresses and degrades unnecessary or harmful intracellular materials in lysosomes. Accumulating evidence has shown that autophagy dysfunction often results in various human pathophysiological conditions, including metabolic disorders, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. The discovery of an autophagy machinery protein network has revealed underlying molecular mechanisms of autophagy, and advances in the understanding of its regulatory mechanism have provided novel therapeutic targets for treating human diseases. Recently, reports have emerged on the involvement of autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Although the role of autophagy in cancer therapy is controversial, the beneficial use of the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC has drawn significant attention.In this review, the types of autophagy, mechanism of autophagosome biogenesis, and modulating molecules and therapeutic candidates affecting the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC are briefly described.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily well-conserved cellular homeostasis program that responds to various cellular stresses and degrades unnecessary or harmful intracellular materials in lysosomes. Accumulating evidence has shown that autophagy dysfunction often results in various human pathophysiological conditions, including metabolic disorders, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. The discovery of an autophagy machinery protein network has revealed underlying molecular mechanisms of autophagy, and advances in the understanding of its regulatory mechanism have provided novel therapeutic targets for treating human diseases. Recently, reports have emerged on the involvement of autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Although the role of autophagy in cancer therapy is controversial, the beneficial use of the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC has drawn significant attention.In this review, the types of autophagy, mechanism of autophagosome biogenesis, and modulating molecules and therapeutic candidates affecting the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC are briefly described.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of "recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH)" on the functional recovery of completed stroke patients. METHOD: Completed stroke patients were recruited. All participants were randomly assigned to the GH group (rhGH injection and rehabilitative therapy) or the control group (only rehabilitative therapy). Above all, they were closely monitored for safety. Further, for the efficacy measurement, Korean Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI), Manual Muscle strength Test (MMT), and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) were assessed to determine the changes of functional recovery during 6-months of the study period. Along with it, diffusion tensor image was taken as the baseline, and a followed-up study to observe the changes in diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), during the period, and one patient in the GH group was also examined with functional MRI (fMRI). Index of fatigue on 5 point scale for the study period was also assessed. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were enrolled, and 15 completed the study and were included in the analysis. No harmful adverse events were observed in the GH group. By comparison between the groups, the GH group showed more improvement in K-MBI than the control group (p<0.05). DTT showed less decrement of fibers in the GH group than in the control group, without statistical significance. fMRI showed an increment in the activated area. Patients in the GH group expressed no fatigue at all, during the study period (p=0.00). CONCLUSION: The administration of rhGH in long term resulted in the improvement in K-MBI, and subjectively less tiredness during the injection period.
Diffusion ; Fatigue ; Growth Hormone ; Human Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscle Strength ; Stroke

A gamma nail has been used to treat intertrochanteric fractures since 1988. Although such cephalomedullary nails have mechanical advantages over extramedullary fixation devices, such as sliding hip screw, their beneficial effects on treating the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) 31-A1 and 31-A2 fractures are still controversial. During their 30- year history, many problems have been overcome, and new types of cephalomedullary nails have been introduced in clinical practice. New cephalomedullary nail systems facilitate nailing procedures and enhance the purchase capability of the femoral head by a lag screw. On the other hand, the failure rate still depends on the hands of the orthopedic surgeons. This review article focused on the basic principle of medial support and restoration of a medial buttress during the treatment of trochanteric fractures using a cephalomedullary nail.

BACKGROUND: Extended-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones are important antimicrobials for treating invasive salmonellosis, and emerging resistance to these antimicrobials is of paramount concern. METHODS: A total of 30 Salmonella spp. clinical isolates recovered in Gyeongsangbuk-do from 2012 to 2013 were characterized using antibiotic resistance profiles and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS: A high prevalence of multidrug-resistant isolates, mainly showing an ampicillin, nalidixic acid, chloramphenicol resistance pattern, was observed. Four extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates (3 CTX-M-15 isolates and 1 CTX-M-27 isolate) were found. The bla(CTX-M-27) gene was carried by an IncF conjugative plasmid in the S. Infantis isolate. The bla(CTX-M-15) gene were carried by an IncF (2 isolates) or IncHI2 (1 isolate) conjugative plasmid in S. Enteritidis. In addition, a single mutation of GyrA, Ser83Thr (1 isolates), Asp87Tyr (9 isolates), Asp87Gly (4 isolates), and Asp87Leu (3 isolates), was detected in nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella spp. isolates. XbaI PFGE analysis of all isolates revealed more than 19 different pulsotypes. The most common S. Enteritidis PFGE pattern (SEGX01.003) was associated with a larger number of cases of invasive salmonellosis than all other patterns. CONCLUSION: The information from our study can assist in source attribution, outbreak investigations, and tailoring of interventions to maximize disease prevention.
Ampicillin ; beta-Lactamases ; Cephalosporins ; Chloramphenicol Resistance ; Drug Resistance ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Fluoroquinolones ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Nalidixic Acid ; Plasmids ; Prevalence ; Salmonella Infections ; Salmonella*

BACKGROUND: Cholera is a representative water-borne disease that is caused by V. cholera ctx (+). V. cholera El Tor was previously the primary pathogen, but after the seventh pandemic outbreak, it was replaced by a V. cholera El Tor variant with a classical phenotype and genotype. In this study, we investigated the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of imported V. cholerae El Tor in Korea. METHODS: Forty-nine V. cholerae O1 El Tor strains isolated from 2004 to 2011 were used in this study. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of the ctxB and rstR genes was used for biotype determination. An antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed for phenotypic analysis, and pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for analysis of genetic relatedness. RESULTS: Classical ctxB genes were found in all of the isolates, while classical, El Tor, and combined rstR genes were found. Twenty strains showed antimicrobial resistance against streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, nalidixic acid, and ciprofloxacin. Based on PFGE, all isolates were grouped as cluster B. The country of origin and resistance pattern were highly related, although the time of influx and serogroup were not. CONCLUSION: Isolates of V. cholera El Tor imported since 2004 were hybrids of V. cholera El Tor, which has the classical ctxB gene and is considered to be a CTX prophage. The SXT element plays an important role in antimicrobial resistance. PFGE patterns, which can be used for analysis of imported V. cholera, revealed the relatedness of the resistant isolates.
Chimera ; Cholera ; Ciprofloxacin ; Electrophoresis ; Genotype ; Korea ; Nalidixic Acid ; Pandemics ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prophages ; Streptomycin ; Vibrio ; Vibrio cholerae ; Vibrio cholerae O1

Atorvastatin is one of the most widely prescribed medications for dyslipidemia treatment. In Korea, post combined therapy with ezetimibe, a 73-year-old woman was reported by a community pharmacy to have experienced visual field defect, which recovered after drug discontinuation. She had never experienced this symptom before, and several studies have reported an association between use of statins and visual disorders such as blurred vision, diplopia, and cataract. Blockage of cholesterol accumulation, oxidative stress, or myopathy is expected to be a cause of this symptom. Naranjo scale, Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver.2), and World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Center (WHO-UMC) criteria were the three tools used to determine causality between the visual disorder and atorvastatin. The results represent ‘probable’, ‘certain’, and ‘probable/likely’ causality, respectively. Our results, in combination with a review of literature, indicate that ocular adverse effects are highly likely related to atorvastatin.
Aged ; Atorvastatin Calcium ; Cataract ; Cholesterol ; Diplopia ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Dyslipidemias ; Ezetimibe ; Female ; Global Health ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Korea ; Muscular Diseases ; Oxidative Stress ; Pharmacies ; Vision Disorders ; Visual Fields

BACKGROUND: The incidence of infectious diarrheal disease in Korea has decreased over the past decade, but traveler's diarrhea (TD) is increasing in frequency. We therefore investigated the distribution of the causative agents of TD. METHODS: A total of 132 rectal swab specimens were acquired from TD patients who entered the country via Gimhae International Airport. The specimens were screened for 12 bacterial pathogens by real-time PCR, and target pathogens were isolated from the PCR positive specimens using conventional microbiological isolation methods. RESULTS: A total of 93 specimens (70.5%) showed positive PCR screening results, and of these specimens, nine species and 50 isolates (37.9%), including Vibrio parahaemolyticus (18 isolates) and ETEC (17 isolates), were isolated. No specimens were PCR positive for Listeria monocytogenes or Campylobacter jejuni, and no pathogenic Bacillus cereus were isolated. CONCLUSION: Even though viruses and EAEC were not included as target pathogens, the high isolation rate of these pathogens in this study provides indirect evidence that most cases of pathogen-negative TD are caused by undetected bacterial agents. Furthermore, our study results confirm the effectiveness of real-time PCR-based screening methods. This study is the first report in Korea to demonstrate that ETEC and V. parahaemolyticus are the major causative pathogens of TD, and this knowledge can be used to help treat and prevent TD.
Airports ; Bacillus cereus ; Campylobacter jejuni ; Diarrhea ; Dysentery ; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Listeria monocytogenes ; Mass Screening ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop healthy, appetizing high-protein snacks with enhanced isolated soy protein for diabetic patients and determine the blood glucose and insulin response after being consumed by these patients.MATERIALS/METHODS: Thirty adult patients aged between 30 and 75 years, with a ≤ 10-year history of type 2 diabetes and hemoglobin A1c of < 7.5%, were enrolled in this study. They made 3 clinical visits at one-week intervals. The control group consumed 50 g carbohydrates (white bread), whereas the test groups consumed high-protein grain (HP_G) or high-protein chocolate (HP_C) after an 8-hrs fast. Blood (2 cm 3 ) was drawn at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min before and after consumption to analyze the blood glucose and insulin concentrations. RESULTS: Compared to the commercial snacks, the developed high-protein snacks had belowaverage calorie, carbohydrate, and fat content and a 2.5-fold higher protein content. In diabetic patients who consumed these snacks, the postprandial blood glucose increased between 15 min and 2 h after consumption, which was significantly slower than the time taken for the blood glucose to increase in the patients who consumed the control food product (P< 0.001). Insulin secretion was significantly lower at 45 min after consumption (P < 0.05), showing that the highprotein snacks did not increase the blood glucose levels rapidly. The incremental area under the curve (iAUC), which indicated the degree of blood sugar and insulin elevation after food intake, was higher in the control group than the groups given the 2 developed snacks (P < 0.001), and there was no significant difference in insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS The results of the postprandial blood glucose and insulin response suggest that high-protein snacks are potential convenient sources of high-quality protein and serve as a healthier alternative for patients with type 2 diabetes, who may have limited snack product choices. Such snacks may also provide balanced nutrition to pre-diabetic and obese individuals.