1.Aerobiological Study for Airborne Pollen and Mold in Pusan.
Ming Jung KIM ; Kyoung Whoon CHEON ; Sung Won KIM
Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease 2000;10(2):119-130
PURPOSE: Airborne pollen and mold spores are common causative agents of allergic disease. Atmospheric pollen and spores in one area of Pusan were collected to investigate species, particle amount, seasonal distribution, and of its association with reactivity to skin prick test in children. METHODS: Rotorod sampler was installed on the rooftop of St. Benedict Hospital in Pusan. 24 hour sampling of airborne allergens over a two year period was conducted 6 days/week from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1999. Those samples were stained with Calberla's fuchsin and were identified, counted under the light microscope (400xfor pollen, 1000xfor mold). The data were compared with the daily weather report and allergy skin test. RESULTS: Major pollens collected were Pinus, Alnus, Juniperus, Betula, Quercus, Artemisia, Ambrosia, and Chenospodium-Amaranthus. The pollen season is relatively short and the pollen dispersed mainly during the period from March to May in case of tree pollen and from August to October in case of grass pollen. Total pollen count ranged from 0 to 1000 grains/m3/day (May 14, 99). The peak pollen season was seen during Spring and Autumn, especially in March and September. Major mold spores counted were Cladosporium, Leptospheria and Alternaria. Mold spore count ranged from 0 to 2,360 spores/m3/day (Oct. 8, 98). Cladosporium was dispersed year-round, but mainly in the October and November, while Leptospheria was dispersed mainly in the period from July to September and Alternaria counts tended to be higher around July. The concentration of mold is roughly correlated with the amount of rainfall, having high spore count in July and August, especially in case of Leptospheria. In terms of positive reaction to skin prick test in children, Alnus and Artemisia were found to be allergen source in early spring and late summer season, respectively. CONCLUSION: Analysis of pollens and mold spores sampled in the atmosphere of Pusan, Korea, for a 2 year period identified 19 species of pollens and 22 species of mold spores with seasonal variation of some clinically important pollen/mold load. Cladosporium, Leptospheria and Alternaria are found to be three major molds, especially from June to October.
Allergens
;
Alnus
;
Alternaria
;
Ambrosia
;
Artemisia
;
Atmosphere
;
Betula
;
Busan*
;
Child
;
Cladosporium
;
Colony Count, Microbial
;
Fungi*
;
Humans
;
Hypersensitivity
;
Juniperus
;
Korea
;
Pinus
;
Poaceae
;
Pollen*
;
Quercus
;
Rosaniline Dyes
;
Seasons
;
Skin
;
Skin Tests
;
Spores
;
Weather
2.Comparison of Radiation Adaptive Responses in Peripheral Lymphocytes of Patients Undergoing Tc-99m MDP and Tc-99m DTPA Scintigraphies.
Hee Seung ROM ; Ming Hao LI ; Jung Jun MIN ; An Sung KWON ; Ji Yeul KIM
Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2000;34(3):252-259
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the radiation adaptive response (RAR) in peripheral lymphocytes (PL) of patients induced by Tc.-99m MDP and Tc-99m DTPA scintigraphies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lymphocytes from 45 patients (25 males, 20 females, mean age 44+/-18 years) were collected before and after scintigraphies using 740 MBq Tc-99m MDP (n=22) or Tc-99m L)TPA (n=23). Lympho-cytes from 20 controls (12 males, 8 females, mean age 43+/-7 years) were also callected. They were exposed to challenge dose of 2 Gy gamma-rays using a Cs-137 cell irradiator, Number of ring-form (R) and dicentric (D) chromosomes was counted under the light microscope. From them a representative score, Ydr, was calculated as Ydr=(D+R)/cells. Adaptation index (AI) was defined as difference of Ydr between unconditioned and conditioned lymphocytes. Ydr was also measured after an administration of cyclohexi-mide (CHM), a protein synthesis inhibitor, before challenge dose. RESULTS: RAR was induced in both groups of patients. CHM abolished the adaptive response in both groups. AI of Tc-99m MDP group was significantly higher than that of Tc-99m DTPA group. CONCLUSION: Tc-99m MDP induced RAR was more prominent than those induced by Tc-99m DTPA.
Chromosome Aberrations
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Lymphocytes*
;
Male
;
Pentetic Acid*
;
Technetium Tc 99m Medronate*
3.Interleukin-20 targets podocytes and is upregulated in experimental murine diabetic nephropathy.
Yu Hsiang HSU ; Hsing Hui LI ; Junne Ming SUNG ; Wei Yu CHEN ; Ya Chin HOU ; Yun Han WENG ; Wei Ting LAI ; Chih Hsing WU ; Ming Shi CHANG
Experimental & Molecular Medicine 2017;49(3):e310-
Interleukin (IL)-20, a proinflammatory cytokine of the IL-10 family, is involved in acute and chronic renal failure. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of IL-20 during diabetic nephropathy development. We found that IL-20 and its receptor IL-20R1 were upregulated in the kidneys of mice and rats with STZ-induced diabetes. In vitro, IL-20 induced MMP-9, MCP-1, TGF-β1 and VEGF expression in podocytes. IL-20 was upregulated by hydrogen peroxide, high-dose glucose and TGF-β1. In addition, IL-20 induced apoptosis in podocytes by activating caspase-8. In STZ-induced early diabetic nephropathy, IL-20R1-deficient mice had lower blood glucose and serum BUN levels and a smaller glomerular area than did wild-type controls. Anti-IL-20 monoclonal antibody (7E) treatment reduced blood glucose and the glomerular area and improved renal functions in mice in the early stage of STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy. ELISA showed that the serum IL-20 level was higher in patients with diabetes mellitus than in healthy controls. The findings of this study suggest that IL-20 induces cell apoptosis of podocytes and plays a role in the pathogenesis of early diabetic nephropathy.
Animals
;
Apoptosis
;
Blood Glucose
;
Caspase 8
;
Diabetes Mellitus
;
Diabetic Nephropathies*
;
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
;
Glucose
;
Humans
;
Hydrogen Peroxide
;
In Vitro Techniques
;
Interleukin-10
;
Interleukins
;
Kidney
;
Kidney Failure, Chronic
;
Mice
;
Podocytes*
;
Rats
;
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
4.Can Elderly Patients with Severe Mitral Regurgitation Benefit from Trans-catheter Mitral Valve Repair?
Ching Wei LEE ; Shih Hsien SUNG ; Wei Ming HUANG ; Yi Lin TSAI ; Hsiang Yao CHEN ; Chiao Po HSU ; Chun Che SHIH ; Kuo Piao CHUNG
Korean Circulation Journal 2019;49(6):532-541
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Age is a traditional risk factor for open-heart surgery. The efficacy and safety of transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair, using MitraClip (Abbott Vascular), has been demonstrated in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Since octogenarians or older patients are usually deferred to receive open-heart surgery, the main interest of this study is to elucidate the procedural safety and long-term clinical impact of MitraClip in elderly patients. METHODS: Patients with symptomatic severe MR were evaluated by the heart team. For those with high or prohibitive surgical risks, transcatheter mitral valve repair was performed in hybrid operation room. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), blood tests, and six-minute walk test (6MWT) were performed before, 1-month, 6-months, and 1 year after index procedure. RESULTS: A total of 46 consecutive patients receiving MitraClip procedure were enrolled. Nineteen patients (84.2±4.0 years) were over 80-year-old and 27 (73.4±11.1 years) were younger than 80. Compare to baseline, the significant reduction in MR severity was achieved after the procedure and sustained. All the patients benefited from significant improvement in New York Heart Association functional class. The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) increased from 259±114 to 319±92 meters (p=0.03) at 1 year. The overall 1-year survival rate was 80% in the elderly and 88% in those <80 years, p=0.590. Baseline 6MWT was a predictor for all-cause mortality (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.982–0.999; p=0.026) after the MitraClip procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Trans-catheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repairs are safe and have positive clinical impact in subjects with severe MR, even in advanced age.
Aged
;
Aged, 80 and over
;
Echocardiography
;
Heart
;
Hematologic Tests
;
Humans
;
Mitral Valve Insufficiency
;
Mitral Valve
;
Mortality
;
Risk Factors
;
Survival Rate
5.Can Elderly Patients with Severe Mitral Regurgitation Benefit from Trans-catheter Mitral Valve Repair?
Ching Wei LEE ; Shih Hsien SUNG ; Wei Ming HUANG ; Yi Lin TSAI ; Hsiang Yao CHEN ; Chiao Po HSU ; Chun Che SHIH ; Kuo Piao CHUNG
Korean Circulation Journal 2019;49(6):532-541
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Age is a traditional risk factor for open-heart surgery. The efficacy and safety of transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair, using MitraClip (Abbott Vascular), has been demonstrated in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Since octogenarians or older patients are usually deferred to receive open-heart surgery, the main interest of this study is to elucidate the procedural safety and long-term clinical impact of MitraClip in elderly patients.
METHODS:
Patients with symptomatic severe MR were evaluated by the heart team. For those with high or prohibitive surgical risks, transcatheter mitral valve repair was performed in hybrid operation room. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), blood tests, and six-minute walk test (6MWT) were performed before, 1-month, 6-months, and 1 year after index procedure.
RESULTS:
A total of 46 consecutive patients receiving MitraClip procedure were enrolled. Nineteen patients (84.2±4.0 years) were over 80-year-old and 27 (73.4±11.1 years) were younger than 80. Compare to baseline, the significant reduction in MR severity was achieved after the procedure and sustained. All the patients benefited from significant improvement in New York Heart Association functional class. The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) increased from 259±114 to 319±92 meters (p=0.03) at 1 year. The overall 1-year survival rate was 80% in the elderly and 88% in those <80 years, p=0.590. Baseline 6MWT was a predictor for all-cause mortality (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.982–0.999; p=0.026) after the MitraClip procedure.
CONCLUSIONS
Trans-catheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repairs are safe and have positive clinical impact in subjects with severe MR, even in advanced age.
7.Pulmonary Arterial Thrombosis in a Patient With an Atrial Septal Defect and Eisenmenger Syndrome.
Ching Wei LEE ; Shao Sung HUANG ; Po Hsun HUANG
Korean Circulation Journal 2012;42(11):772-775
Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure and secondary right ventricular failure. A thromboembolic occlusion of the proximal or distal pulmonary vasculature results in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. We report an uncommon case that presented to our hospital with symptoms of dyspnea on exertion over 2 years. The patient had been treated for profound pulmonary thrombosis and right ventricular failure with adequate anticoagulation and sildenafil. Our echocardiography disclosed a large atrial septal defect with severe pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. A diagnosis of Eisenmenger syndrome with pulmonary artery thrombosis was made. Although Eisenmenger syndrome with pulmonary thrombosis is well described in western societies, a huge pulmonary thrombosis is seldom reported in eastern countries. Profound pulmonary thrombosis may obfuscate the actual diagnosis of pulmonary artery hypertension with underlying congenital heart disease. A physical examination and echocardiography are essential in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Arterial Pressure
;
Dyspnea
;
Echocardiography
;
Eisenmenger Complex
;
Heart Diseases
;
Heart Septal Defects, Atrial
;
Humans
;
Hypertension
;
Hypertension, Pulmonary
;
Physical Examination
;
Piperazines
;
Pulmonary Artery
;
Pulmonary Embolism
;
Purines
;
Sulfones
;
Thrombosis
;
Sildenafil Citrate
8.Predictive Factors for Non-Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
Ming JIN ; Ji Young KIM ; Ji Hyun SUNG ; Tae Hee KIM ; Doo Kyung KANG ; Se Hwan HAN ; Yong Sik JUNG
Journal of Breast Disease 2020;8(1):43-50
Purpose:
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) can effectively downstage locally advanced breast cancer; however, in some cases the cancer remains clinically stable and in others, there is disease progression. Although factors predictive of the response to NAC have been established, those for a non-response remain unknown. This study investigated factors predicting a stable or progressive disease course, and the extent of the response, after NAC based on anthracycline and cyclophosphamide (AC), with or without taxane.
Methods:
Data were collected retrospectively by reviewing medical records of patients who received NAC for breast cancer using AC, with or without taxane between January 2013 and December 2017. Patients with clinically stable or progressive disease after NAC were compared statistically with those who achieved a partial or complete response.
Results:
In total, 297 patients received NAC with AC and 196 patients received AC followed by taxane. Of these, 45 (15.2%) and 64 (32.6%) patients respectively, showed no response (i.e., stable or progressive disease). Factors related to non-response after AC included large pretreatment tumor size, clinical T3 status, and high histologic grade. Factors related to non-response after taxane included clinical T3 status and estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor positivity.
Conclusion
Clinical T3 stage, grade III histological grade, and estrogen or progesterone receptor positivity were predictors of no response to NAC for breast cancer.
9.Activation of K+ channel by 1-EBIO rescues the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells from Ca2+ ionophore-induced cell death.
Ming Zhe YIN ; Seok Woo PARK ; Tae Wook KANG ; Kyung Soo KIM ; Hae Young YOO ; Junho LEE ; J Hun HAH ; Myung Hun SUNG ; Sung Joon KIM
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2016;20(1):25-33
Ion channels in carcinoma and their roles in cell proliferation are drawing attention. Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i)-dependent signaling affects the fate of cancer cells. Here we investigate the role of Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel (SK4) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells (HNSCCs) of different cell lines; SNU-1076, OSC-19 and HN5. Treatment with 1 microM ionomycin induced cell death in all the three cell lines. Whole-cell patch clamp study suggested common expressions of Ca(2+)-activated Cl- channels (Ano-1) and Ca(2+)-activated nonselective cation channels (CAN). 1-EBIO, an activator of SK4, induced outward K+ current (ISK4) in SNU-1076 and OSC-19. In HN5, ISK4 was not observed or negligible. The 1-EBIO-induced current was abolished by TRAM-34, a selective SK4 blocker. Interestingly, the ionomycin-induced cell death was effectively prevented by 1-EBIO in SNU-1076 and OSC-19, and the rescue effect was annihilated by combined TRAM-34. Consistent with the lower level of ISK4, the rescue by 1-EBIO was least effective in HN5. The results newly demonstrate the role of SK4 in the fate of HNSCCs under the Ca2+ overloaded condition. Pharmacological modulation of SK4 might provide an intriguing novel tool for the anti-cancer strategy in HNSCC.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell*
;
Cell Death*
;
Cell Line
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Head*
;
Ion Channels
;
Ionomycin
;
Neck*
;
Neoplasms, Squamous Cell
10.Decreased inward rectifier and voltage-gated K⁺ currents of the right septal coronary artery smooth muscle cells in pulmonary arterial hypertensive rats
Sung Eun KIM ; Ming Zhe YIN ; Hae Jin KIM ; Rany VORN ; Hae Young YOO ; Sung Joon KIM
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2020;24(1):111-119
In vascular smooth muscle, K⁺ channels, such as voltage-gated K⁺ channels (Kv), inward-rectifier K⁺ channels (Kir), and big-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (BK(Ca)), establish a hyperpolarized membrane potential and counterbalance the depolarizing vasoactive stimuli. Additionally, Kir mediates endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization and the active hyperemia response in various vessels, including the coronary artery. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) induces right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), thereby elevating the risk of ischemia and right heart failure. Here, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we compared Kv and Kir current densities (I(Kv) and I(Kir)) in the left (LCSMCs), right (RCSMCs), and septal branches of coronary smooth muscle cells (SCSMCs) from control and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rats exhibiting RVH. In control rats, (1) I(Kv) was larger in RCSMCs than that in SCSMCs and LCSMCs, (2) I(Kv) inactivation occurred at more negative voltages in SCSMCs than those in RCSMCs and LCSMCs, (3) I(Kir) was smaller in SCSMCs than that in RCSMCs and LCSMCs, and (4) I(BKCa) did not differ between branches. Moreover, in PAH rats, I(Kir) and I(Kv) decreased in SCSMCs, but not in RCSMCs or LCSMCs, and I(BKCa) did not change in any of the branches. These results demonstrated that SCSMC-specific decreases in I(Kv) and I(Kir) occur in an MCT-induced PAH model, thereby offering insights into the potential pathophysiological implications of coronary blood flow regulation in right heart disease. Furthermore, the relatively smaller I(Kir) in SCSMCs suggested a less effective vasodilatory response in the septal region to the moderate increase in extracellular K⁺ concentration under increased activity of the myocardium.
Animals
;
Coronary Vessels
;
Heart Diseases
;
Heart Failure
;
Hyperemia
;
Hypertension
;
Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular
;
Ischemia
;
Membrane Potentials
;
Monocrotaline
;
Muscle, Smooth
;
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular
;
Myocardium
;
Myocytes, Smooth Muscle
;
Patch-Clamp Techniques
;
Potassium Channels
;
Rats
;
Septum of Brain