The barn owl (BO) and the collared scops owl (CSO) are common nocturnal raptors throughout Thailand. Blood samples from 23 adult BOs and 14 CSOs were collected and processed for complete blood cell counts and parasite morphological examinations. Two Haemoproteus-positive samples were processed for ultrastructural observation. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for a partial cytochrome b gene (cytb) from Haemoproteus was performed in all samples. Haemoproteus presence detected by light microscopy was lower than that detected by PCR (30.4% and 34.8%, respectively, in BO; and 50.0% and 78.6%, respectively, in CSO). Comparative hematology revealed that Haemoproteus-positive BOs had higher mean cell hemoglobin concentration, total leukocyte, absolute heterophil, basophil, and monocyte counts than Haemoproteus-negative BOs, but no significant differences between Haemoproteus-negative and
Adult ; Animals ; Basophils ; Blood Cell Count ; Cytochromes b ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Hematology ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Malaria, Avian ; Microscopy ; Monocytes ; Parasites ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Raptors ; Strigiformes ; Thailand

To detemine the expression pattern of mTOR complex subunits Raptor and Rictor in the hair follicles of mice at different hair follicle stages, and to explore its significance. 
 Methods: Immunostaining of Ki-67, a proliferative marker, was used to determine the precise hair follicle stages of mouse dorsal skin at different postnatal time points. Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of Raptor and Rictor in mouse dorsal skin at 43 days after birth (P43, early telogen), 56 days after birth (P56, mid-telogen), 69 days after birth (P69, late telogen) and 74 days after birth (P74, early anagen). The expression intensity and localization of Raptor and Rictor at different stages of hair cycle were tested by co-immumostaining.
 Results: Ki-67 immunostaining showed that the time points (P43, P56, P69, P74) and hair follicle stages (early telogen, mid-telogen, late telogen, early anagen) of the dorsal skin were consistent with each other. The results of real-time PCR and immunostaining were consistent, showing that the expression of Raptor and Rictor did not changed in the early-, mid-, late telogen, and early anagen. However, Raptor was specifically expressed in the bulge where hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are residing in, and Rictor was mainly detected in inner root sheath (IRS) cells. 
 Conclusion: The expression of Raptor and Rictor does not altered in the hair follicles at different hair follicle stages, but Raptor and Rictor are specifically expressed in the HFSCs and IRS cells, respectively, indicating that Raptor might be a molecular marker for HFSCs, and Rictor might be involved in the maintenance of IRS and formation of hair shaft.
Animals ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Mice ; Rapamycin-Insensitive Companion of mTOR Protein ; Raptors ; Skin ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop the web-interface creator, which automatically changes the Case Report Form(CRF) web page when the protocol developer in any clinical study revises the ontology of CRF. METHODS: This study established the conceptual model of CRF on oriental and western medicine, and developed ontologies. A program was developed to produce online-based a input form through the parser that generates automatically HTML script from OWL. RESULTS: The CRF applied in this study is a draft through consensus of experts for stroke research at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. The ontology of CRF consisted of Label, ControlType and Value classes and hasControl, hasValue and hasSymptoms properties. The Label is the class of question items groups, so it could have CRF questionnaire instances. The ControlType is the class that expresses controls such as checkbox, text, etc in the HTML script. The Value class represents selections for each items. Finally, the HTML script was created by XSL transformation from the OWL script. CONCLUSION: Online-based automatic interface creation, which enables immediate coping with the continuous change in the medical knowledge system, assures reduced time requirement.
Consensus ; Korea ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional* ; Strigiformes ; Stroke

OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes an ontology plan for oriental-medical service in ubiquitous computing environment. With popularization of ubiquitous computing technology, recently oriental medicine field becomes interested in oriental medicine knowledge management system and needs more systematic-scientific knowledge management and information communication. But oriental medical scientists have various standards which classify a pulse, so the information about pulse is massive. METHOD: In this paper, for more systematic-scientific knowledge management and information communication, we designed and implemented ontology using the pulse which is used as diagnosis basis in oriental medicine. by using the pulse which is classified into twenty eight division we implemented ontology based on characteristic of each pulse. We represented the pulse with OWL language and used Racer as inference engine to check errors of implemented ontology. RESULT / CONCLUSION: Given the information of the pulse-diagnosis ontology, systematic-scientific knowledge management and information communication become possible so that oriental doctors are able to provide faster and effective medical service. Furthermore, self-diagnosis and medical service will be possible at anytime and anywhere regardless of time and place. In the future research, we will implement an integrated ontology with the whole of diagnosis basis in oriental medicine based on pulse ontology implemented in this paper.
Hypogonadism ; Knowledge Management ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Strigiformes

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) rarely manifests as cutaneous lesions in immunocompromised patients. Only 25 cases have been reported since 1991. It causes latent infection among exposed individuals but reactivation may occur in immunocompromised patients causing encephalitis, pneumonitis, colitis, retinitis and congenital fetal infection. Cutaneous manifestations of CMV infection usually present with various skin lesions such as ulcers, erosions, erythematous morbilliform rash, vesicles and bullae. We report a case of cutaneous CMV infection in an HIV-AIDS patient presenting as a persistent ulcerated plaque on the nose. The lesion slowly evolved into a plaque which partially destroyed the right alar rim. Skin punch biopsy showed perivascular giant cells with large eosinophilic inclusions resembling an owl's eye consistent with CMV infection. He was subsequently diagnosed with CMV retinitis because of blurring of vision and findings of retinal necrosis on fundoscopy. Oral valganciclovir 1800mg/day was given for 21 days. Significant thinning and drying of the plaque with no further progression of ulceration of the alar rim were noted.

Human ; Male ; Adult ; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Blister ; Colitis ; Cytomegalovirus ; Cytomegalovirus Retinitis ; Encephalitis ; Exanthema ; Ganciclovir ; Immunocompromised Host ; Pneumonia ; Strigiformes ; Succinates ; Ulcer

People called night owls habitually have late bedtimes and late times of arising, sometimes suffering a heritable circadian disturbance called delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS). Those with DSPS, those with more severe progressively-late non-24-hour sleep-wake cycles, and those with bipolar disorder may share genetic tendencies for slowed or delayed circadian cycles. We searched for polymorphisms associated with DSPS in a case-control study of DSPS research participants and a separate study of Sleep Center patients undergoing polysomnography. In 45 participants, we resequenced portions of 15 circadian genes to identify unknown polymorphisms that might be associated with DSPS, non-24-hour rhythms, or bipolar comorbidities. We then genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both larger samples, using Illumina Golden Gate assays. Associations of SNPs with the DSPS phenotype and with the morningness-eveningness parametric phenotype were computed for both samples, then combined for meta-analyses. Delayed sleep and "eveningness" were inversely associated with loci in circadian genes NFIL3 (rs2482705) and RORC (rs3828057). A group of haplotypes overlapping BHLHE40 was associated with non-24-hour sleep-wake cycles, and less robustly, with delayed sleep and bipolar disorder (e.g., rs34883305, rs34870629, rs74439275, and rs3750275 were associated with n=37, p=4.58E-09, Bonferroni p=2.95E-06). Bright light and melatonin can palliate circadian disorders, and genetics may clarify the underlying circadian photoperiodic mechanisms. After further replication and identification of the causal polymorphisms, these findings may point to future treatments for DSPS, non-24-hour rhythms, and possibly bipolar disorder or depression.
Bipolar Disorder ; Case-Control Studies ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Genetics ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Melatonin ; Phenotype ; Photoperiod ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Wake Disorders, Circadian Rhythm ; Strigiformes*

Silica is known as a promising osteoconductive material, and polycaprolactone is a bioactive and degradable material. The purpose of this study was to monitor the differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on the layer-built silica/poly caprolactone non-woven fabric produced by electrospinning. Non-woven fabric (silica, polycaprolactone, PSP, SPS) was made by electrospinning and they were inserted in the 48 well cell culture plate. MC3T3-E1 cells were prepared by subculture. Cells were seeded to each well 1x10(5) concentration per well. Dulbecco's modified eagle medium with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotic-antimycotic solution was used. Confocal laser scanning microscope was taken 4 hours after incubation (95% air, 5% CO2, 37degrees C). Cell proliferation was monitored by spectrophotometer on 1, 7, 14 days, and the morphology of the growing cells was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. To monitor the differentiation of osteoblasts on the materials, MC3T3-E1 cells were incubated in 48 well culture plate after seeding with the density of 1x10(5) concentration. Then ELISA kit & EIA kit were used on to assess osteocalcin and osteopontin expression respectively. The other conditions were the same as above. MC3T3-E1 cells were proliferated well on all of the materials. There were no statistical differences among them. The osteopontin expression of silica, PSP, SPS was significantly higher than other groups on day 3 (p<0.05), but after that time, there were no statistically signigicant differences. The osteocalcin expression was significantly higher in silica and PSP than other groups on day 14. These findings show that PSP was as good as silica on the effect of osteoblast differentiation. The PSP non-woven fabric may have the possibility as bone graft materials.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Proliferation ; Eagles ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteopontin ; Silicon Dioxide ; Transplants

This study evaluated the possibility of the 3-dimensional attachment of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts to a periodntally involved root surface after an EDTA treatment in vitro. The human PDL fibroblasts were isolated from the middle third of the root of periodontally healthy teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons. The cells were cultured in a medium containing Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum at 37degrees C in humidified air containing 5% CO2. Eight single-rooted teeth were obtained from patients diagnosed with periodotitis. After scaling and root planing, four teeth were etched with 24% ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) for two minutes (Experimental group). The other four teeth were not treated with EDTA and were used as the control group. The human PDL fibroblasts were placed in the total root surface and cultured for 4 weeks. The teeth were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in PBS before preparation for the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination. The human PDL fibroblasts showed a healthy morphology on the root surfaces treated with EDTA (Experimental group) and a relatively unhealthy appearance on the treated root surfaces (Control group). This suggests that EDTA favorably affects the 3-dimensional attachment of human PDL fibroblasts cultured on the root surfaces, which may play an important role in periodontal healing and regeneration.
Eagles ; Edetic Acid* ; Fibroblasts* ; Glutaral ; Humans* ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Periodontal Ligament* ; Regeneration ; Root Planing ; Tooth

Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLF) are very important for curing the periodontal tissue because they can be differentiated into various cells. A tissue engineering approach using a cell-scaffold is essential for comprehending today's periodontal tissue regeneration procedure. This study examined the possibility of using an acellular dermal matrix as a scaffold for human periodontal ligament fibroblast (hPDLF). The hPDLF was isolated from the middle third of the root of periodontally healthy teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons. The cells were cultured in a medium containing Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum at 37degrees C in humidified air with 5% CO2. The acellular dermal matrix(ADM) was provided by the US tissue banks(USA). Second passage cells were used in this study. The hPDLF cells were cultured with the acellular dermal matrix for 2 days, and the dermal matrix cultured by the hPDLF was transferred to a new petri dish and used as the experimental group. The control group was cultured without the acellular dermal matrix. The control and experimental cells were cultured for six weeks. The hPDLF cultured on the acellular dermal matrix was observed by Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM). Electron micrography shows that the hPDLF was proliferated on the acellular dermal matrix. This study suggests that the acellular dermal matrix can be used as a scaffold for hPDLF.
Acellular Dermis ; Eagles ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Periodontal Ligament ; Regeneration ; Tissue Engineering* ; Tooth

BACKGROUND: The influencion the environment on a culture is expressed via four routes. (1) the nature of the substrate or phase on or in which the cells grow (2) the physicochemical and physiological constitution of the medium, (3) the constitution of the gas phase, and (4) the incubation temperature. Melanization is closely related to the constitution and amounts of amino acids in the medium. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are some differences of proliferation and melanization in cultured B,F, mouse melanoma cells according to different culture media. METHODS: We examined the color of cell pellet, cell morphology, electron microscopic findings, cell counts and melanin conlensin BgF mouse melanoma cells cultured in Dulbeccos modified Eagles medium(DMEM), F-10, MCDB 153, Minimal essential medium(MEM), and RPMI 1640, respectively. RESULTS: 1. The color of cell pellet., ringed from dark gray to light brown. The order of the darkness was DMEM, MEM, RPMI 1640, MCDB 153, and F-10 medium. 2. Most Bg, mouse melanoma cells had an epithelioid morphology, but a few cells in MCDB 153 medium showed dendrites. On the 4th day after culture, the cells in F-10 medium were larger than those in the other media. 3. In the electron microscopic. findings, BF, mouse melanoma cells in DMEM and MEM con tained numerous stage IV nelanosomes, however, those in RPMI 1640 and MCDB 153 medium contained a few, and those in F-10 medium did few. 4. The number of BF, mouse melanoma cells were 1.42 + 0.06 x 10", 1.42 + 0.12 x 10", l. 17 + 0.08 x 10, 0.73 0.06 x 10, 0.32 0.01 x 10, in RPMI 1640, DMEM, MEM, F 10, and MCDB 153 medium, respectively. 5. In the MTT assay, the order of the optical density of B,F, mouse melanoma cells in various media was as followings, DMEM, RPMI 1640, MEM, F-10, and MCDB 153. 6. Compared with the melanin contents of B;F, mouse melanoma cells in DMEM, they were 77.97% in MEM, 67.91% in RPMI 1640 and MCDB 153 medium, and 55.94% in F-10 medium. CONCLUSION: The phenotypic changes of BF, mouse melanoma cells were induced by various culture rnedia and were reversilvle. Since the phenotypes of cells can be changed by the culture media, researchers should choose the appropriate culture medium for the cells.
Amino Acids ; Animals ; Cell Count ; Constitution and Bylaws ; Culture Media ; Darkness ; Dendrites ; Eagles ; Melanins ; Melanoma* ; Mice* ; Phenotype