Here, we investigated the temporal change of post synapse signaling molecules, post synaptic density-95 (PSD-95) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) using immunohistochemistry during voluntary running with upregulated neurogenesis. Rate of running was stabilized after two weeks of the six week trial. By using immunohistochemsitry for phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) and polysialylatedneural cell adhesion molecules (PSA-NCAM), we observed that the differentiation in dentate granule cells of adult mouse hippocampus increased at 1 and 2 weeks of voluntary running. We found that, at 6 weeks of voluntary running, the differentiation in dentate granule cells of adult mouse hippocampus returned to sedentary control levels. On the other hand, PSD-95 and nNOS immunoreactivity decreased in the inner molecular layer in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus after 1 and 2 weeks of voluntary running. At 6 weeks of voluntary running, the density of the PSD-95 and nNOS in the inner molecular layer was returned to the sedentary control level. The reactivity of nicotinamide dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-diaphorase), the marker of nitric oxide synthase activity, confirmed the change of nNOS in the inner molecular layer during voluntary running. These results demonstrate that the differentiation and the synaptic activity of granule cells during voluntary running are changed reciprocally once the rate of running has stabilized. These granule cell changes during voluntary running suggest an adaptation response to the new environment.
Adult ; Animals ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein ; Dentate Gyrus* ; Hand ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice* ; Neurogenesis ; Neurons* ; Niacinamide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I* ; Running* ; Synapses

Stress induces degeneration of brain structures and functions. Particularly, hippocampus is sensitive to stressful stimulations. In the present study, the change of synaptic related molecules in the mouse dentate gyrus was examined with immunohistochemistry after restraint stress. We subjected mice to restraint stress for 6 h per day for 4 days. As a result, the number of Ki-67, a marker for proliferation, and doublecortin (DCX), a marker for neurogenesis, immunoreactive cells was decreased in the stress group. On the other hand, the intensity of calbindinD-28k, a marker of pre-existing granule cells, immunoreactivity was increased in the granule cell layer after 4 days restraint stress. As well as, the immunoreactivity of synaptic related molecules, postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95), growth association protein-43 (GAP-43) and beta-NADPH-d reactivity were increased in the inner molecular layer of dentate gyrus after 4 days restraint stress. In conclusion, this study shows that repeated restraint stress suppresses neurogenesis in dentate gyrus and strengthens synaptic plasticity of existing granule cells.
Animals ; Brain ; Dentate Gyrus* ; Hand ; Hippocampus ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice* ; Neurogenesis ; Plastics*

Voluntary running is known to dramatically increase the cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the adult mouse hippocampus. However, it is crucial to realize that adding excitatory neurons could result in serious maladaptive outcomes for hippocampal circuit function. To investigate the response of mature granule cells on the increase of cell proliferation during voluntary running, we investigated the temporal change of calbindin-D28k (a marker for mature granule cells) using immunohistochemistry during voluntary running with upregulated neurogenesis. By using immunohistochemsitry for Ki-67 and doublecortin (DCX), we observed that the cell proliferation and differentiation of granule cells increased at 1 week of voluntary running. We found that, at 6 weeks of voluntary running, the cell proliferation and differentiation of granule cells returned to sedentary control levels. On the other hand, calbindin-D28k immunoreactivity decreased in the granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus and CA3 region of hippocampus after 1 week of voluntary running. At 6 weeks of voluntary running, the density of the calbindin-D28k in the granular cell layer and CA3 region was returned to the sedentary control level. These results demonstrate that the cell proliferation and differentiation are increased at early point of voluntary running, and the granule cell activity in the dentate gyrus is temporally changed for response to the increase of cell proliferation and differentiation during voluntary running.
Adult ; Animals ; Calbindin 1* ; Cell Proliferation ; Dentate Gyrus* ; Hand ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice* ; Neurogenesis ; Neurons ; Running*

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide foundational knowledge on nursing tasks performed on patients with COVID-19 in a nationally-designated inpatient treatment unit. Methods: This study employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative method investigated the content and frequency of nursing tasks for 460 patients (age ≥ 18y, 57.4% men) from January 20, 2020, to September 30, 2021, by analyzing hospital information system records. Qualitative data were collected via focus group interviews. The study involved interviews with three focus groups comprising 18 nurses overall to assess their experiences and perspectives on nursing care during the pandemic from February 3, 2022, to February 15, 2022. The data were examined with thematic analysis. Results: Overall, 49 different areas of nursing tasks (n = 130,687) were identified based on the Korean Patient Classification System for nurses during the study period. Among the performed tasks, monitoring of oxygen saturation and measuring of vital signs were considered high-priority. From the focus group interview, three main themes and eleven sub-themes were generated. The three main themes are “Experiencing eventfulness in isolated settings,” “All-around player,” and “Reflections for solutions.” Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to ensure adequate staffing levels, compensation, and educational support for nurses. The study further propose improving guidelines for emerging infectious diseases and patient classification systems to improve the overall quality of patient care.

BACKGROUND: Recent guidelines recommend that all cirrhotics undergo screening upper endoscopy to identifly risk patients for bleeding from varices. The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical and laboratory variables were predictive of the occurrence and progression of esophageal varices. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of cirrhotics who had a screening upper endoscopy during 10 years after liver biopsy. Fifty-eight patients were recruited. Univariate/multivariate analysis was used to evaluate associations between the development and progression of esophageal varices and patients characteristics including platelet count, liver chemistry value, prothrombin time, shunt index(heart to liver uptake ratio) through transrectal TI-201 liver scan, probability(P)-value (Y=3.3431-0.8160 x ALT/AST ratio-0.0343 x prothrombin time+2.6963 x shunt index, P=e(y)/(e(y)+1)), ascites, splenomegaly, hepatic encephalopathy. RESULTS: There were 36 patients without esophageal varices or with stable varices during 10 years and 22 patients with new developed esophageal varices or progressive varices during 10 years as determined by upper endoscopy. On multivariate analysis, patients with a probability(P)-value of > or = 0.647 and a platelet count of < or = 100,500/mm3 had a risk of the development and progression of esophageal varices. CONCLUSIONS: Non-endoscopic predictors (probability(P)-value and platelet count) could be used to stratify patients with cirrhosis for the risk of the development and progression of esophageal varices and such stratification could be used to improve the effectiveness of screening upper endoscopy for esophageal varices.
Ascites ; Biopsy ; Blood Platelets ; Chemistry ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Fibrosis ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Mass Screening ; Multivariate Analysis ; Platelet Count ; Prothrombin ; Prothrombin Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Splenomegaly ; Varicose Veins

A 30-year-old woman experienced severe abdominal pain 8 days after vaginal delivery. The patient was diagnosed with hemoperitoneum due to rupture of the left uterine artery pseudoaneurysm, which was confirmed via ultrasound with color Doppler and computed tomography scans. This patient was treated with bilateral uterine artery embolization to maintain fertility. A uterine artery pseudoaneurysm that causes delayed postpartum hemorrhage can occur after cesarean section or vaginal delivery. A uterine artery pseudoaneurysm can be fatal, so its detection and diagnosis are critical. Herein, we report a case of delayed postpartum hemoperitoneum due to uterine artery pseudoaneurysm rupture.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Aneurysm, False* ; Cesarean Section ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fertility ; Hemoperitoneum* ; Humans ; Postpartum Hemorrhage ; Postpartum Period* ; Pregnancy ; Rupture* ; Ultrasonography ; Uterine Artery Embolization ; Uterine Artery*

Progressive cognitive declines are the main clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Cognitive impairment in AD is directly correlated with amyloid beta (Aβ)-mediated synaptic deficits. It is known that upregulation of neurogranin (Ng), a postsynaptic protein, contributes to the enhancement of synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. By contrast, downregulation of Ng expression results in learning and memory impairments. Interestingly, Ng expression is significantly reduced in the parenchyma of brains with AD. However, the pathological role that downregulated Ng plays in the cognitive dysfunctions observed in AD remains unclear. Therefore, the present study examined whether enhancing Ng expression affected cognitive functions in 5XFAD mice, an animal model of AD. We found that the Ng reductions and cognitive decline observed in 5XFAD mice were restored in mice that were intrahippocampally injected with an Ng-expressing lentiviral vector. Furthermore, overexpression of Ng upregulated expression of postsynaptic density protein-95 in the hippocampus of 5XFAD mice. These results suggest that the cause of cognitive decline in AD may be at least partially associated with reduced Ng levels, and thus, supplementation of Ng may be an appropriate therapeutic strategy for individuals with AD.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and most frequently diagnosed neurodegenerative disorder. However, there is still no drug preventing the progress of this disorder. β-Amyrin, an ingredient of the surface wax of tomato fruit and dandelion coffee, is previously reported to ameliorate memory impairment induced by cholinergic dysfunction. Therefore, we tested whether β-amyrin can prevent AD-like pathology. β-Amyrin blocked amyloid β (Aβ)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) impairment in the hippocampal slices. Moreover, β-amyrin improved Aβ-induced suppression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling.LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, blocked the effect of β-amyrin on Aβ-induced LTP impairment. In in vivo experiments, we observed that β-amyrin ameliorated object recognition memory deficit in Aβ-injected AD mice model. Moreover, neurogenesis impairments induced by Aβ was improved by β-amyrin treatment. Taken together, β-amyrin might be a good candidate of treatment or supplement for AD patients.

BACKGROUND: Adult growth hormone (GH) deficiency is related with decreased lean body mass, increased body fat, and poor quality of life. In western countries, adult GH deficiency treatment registriesy provide a database of the effects and safety of GH deficiency treatment. The Korean Adult Growth Hormone Study Group of the Korean Society of Endocrinology register adult GH deficiency since 1996. METHEODS: Subjects were aged over 15 years, had organic hypothalamo-pituitary disease, and GH deficiency as documented by GH stimulation test or serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) level. The underlying etiology for GH deficiency, serum IGF-I level, starting and maintenance dose, and adult GH deficiency assessment (AGHDA) score were investigated. RESULTS: From January 1996 to May 2001. 115 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 43.7 13.8 years and 60% were female. Thirteen medical institutions were involved in the registry. The most common underlying diseases were Sheehan's syndrome and pituitary adenomas. GH starting dose was from 0.4 to 1.0 units. Maintenance dose was between 0.5 and 1.2 units. Serum IGF-I levels were increased after GH treatment (0-week, 93.7 69.7 ng/mL; 2-weeks, 184.9 89.0 ng/mL; 6-weeks, 188.4 94.8 ng/mL; 10-weeks, 207.6 111.1 ng/mL; 6 months, 281.9 95.5 ng/mL). AGHDA scores slightly improved from 10.25 6.70 to 8.58 5.47 after 6 months of GH deficiency treatment. CONCLUSION: The GH Treatment Registry will be beneficial in monitoring the effects of GH deficiency treatment on Korean adult GH deficient subjects
Adipose Tissue ; Adult* ; Endocrinology ; Female ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Quality of Life

Background: A Korean Multicenter Prospective cohort study of Active Surveillance or Surgery (KoMPASS) for papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs) has been initiated. The aim is to compare clinical outcomes between active surveillance (AS) and an immediate lobectomy for low-risk PTMCs. We here outline the detailed protocol for this study. Methods: Adult patients with a cytopathologically confirmed PTMC sized 6.0 to 10.0 mm by ultrasound (US) will be included. Patients will be excluded if they have a suspicious extra-thyroidal extension or metastasis of a PTMC or multiple thyroid nodules or other thyroid diseases which require a total thyroidectomy. Printed material describing the prognosis of PTMCs, and the pros and cons of each management option, will be provided to eligible patients to select their preferred intervention. For the AS group, thyroid US, thyroid function, and quality of life (QoL) parameters will be monitored every 6 months during the first year, and then annually thereafter. Disease progression will be defined as a ≥3 mm increase in maximal diameter of a PTMC, or the development of new thyroid cancers or metastases. If progression is detected, patients should undergo appropriate surgery. For the lobectomy group, a lobectomy with prophylactic central neck dissection will be done within 6 months. After initial surgery, thyroid US, thyroid function, serum thyroglobulin (Tg), anti-Tg antibody, and QoL parameters will be monitored every 6 months during the first year and annually thereafter. Disease progression will be defined in these cases as the development of new thyroid cancers or metastases. Conclusion KoMPASS findings will help to confirm the role of AS, and develop individualized management strategies, for low-risk PTMCs.