Angioleiomyoma is a benign soft tissue tumor originating from vascular smooth muscle. We report a case of a 20-year-old student who presented with pain in the right shoulder of 4 years duration. Shoulder movements were pain-free throughout the range of motion except resisted external rotation. Magnetic resonance imaging visualized a well-circumscribed lesion over the infraspinatus tendon. The lesion was surgically removed and sent for histopathological analysis. Morphology and immunohistochemistry results were suggestive of angioleiomyoma. The most common location for such a lesion is the lower limb, with less than 1% being reported in the upper arm, of which an angioleiomyoma of the shoulder is extremely rare.

Angioleiomyoma is a benign soft tissue tumor originating from vascular smooth muscle. We report a case of a 20-year-old student who presented with pain in the right shoulder of 4 years duration. Shoulder movements were pain-free throughout the range of motion except resisted external rotation. Magnetic resonance imaging visualized a well-circumscribed lesion over the infraspinatus tendon. The lesion was surgically removed and sent for histopathological analysis. Morphology and immunohistochemistry results were suggestive of angioleiomyoma. The most common location for such a lesion is the lower limb, with less than 1% being reported in the upper arm, of which an angioleiomyoma of the shoulder is extremely rare.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is a multifunctional enzyme involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway, which repairs oxidative base damage caused by endogenous and exogenous agents. APE1 acts as a reductive activator of many transcription factors (TFs) and has also been named redox effector factor 1, Ref-1. For example, APE1 activates activator protein-1, nuclear factor kappa B, hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha, paired box gene 8, signal transducer activator of transcription 3 and p53, which are involved in apoptosis, inflammation, angiogenesis and survival pathways. APE1/Ref-1 maintains cellular homeostasis (redox) via the activation of TFs that regulate various physiological processes and that crosstalk with redox balancing agents (for example, thioredoxin, catalase and superoxide dismutase) by controlling levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The efficiency of APE1/Ref-1's function(s) depends on pairwise interaction with participant protein(s), the functions regulated by APE1/Ref-1 include the BER pathway, TFs, energy metabolism, cytoskeletal elements and stress-dependent responses. Thus, APE1/Ref-1 acts as a 'hub-protein' that controls pathways that are important for cell survival. In this review, we will discuss APE1/Ref-1's versatile nature in various human etiologies, including neurodegeneration, cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases that have been linked with alterations in the expression, subcellular localization and activities of APE/Ref-1. APE1/Ref-1 can be targeted for therapeutic intervention using natural plant products that modulate the expression and functions of APE1/Ref-1. In addition, studies focusing on translational applications based on APE1/Ref-1-mediated therapeutic interventions are discussed.
Animals ; DNA Damage ; DNA Repair ; DNA-(Apurinic or Apyrimidinic Site) Lyase/analysis/genetics/*metabolism ; Humans ; *Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods ; Neoplasms/*drug therapy/genetics/*metabolism ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/*drug therapy/genetics/*metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Phytochemicals/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Protein Interaction Maps

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a biphasic type of skin inflammation characterized by a predominance of type-2 ­(TH2) and type-1 ­(TH1) helper T cell-biased immune responses at the acute and persistent chronic phases, respectively. The present study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Artemisia dubia folium extract (ADFE) on ADlike skin lesions through developing a murine model for acute and chronic stages of AD. To induce acute phase AD, the dorsal skin of BALB/c mice was sensitized twice a week with 1% 2, 4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), followed by challenge (twice) in the following week with 0.2% DNCB. To induce persistent chronic AD, some mice were challenged twice a week for 4 more weeks. After the second challenge, the dorsal skin was exposed to 3% ADFE (five times per week) for 2 weeks (acute phase) or 4 weeks (persistent chronic phase). Results: The paradigm of ­TH2 or  ­TH1 predominance at the acute and chronic phase, respectively, was observed in this mouse model. During the acute phase, we observed an increased IL-4/IFN-γ ratio in splenic culture supernatants,an increased IgG1/IgG2a ratio in serum, and elevated serum IgE levels; however, the skew toward ­TH2 responses was diminished during the chronic stage. Compared with vehicle controls, ADFE reduced the IL-4/IFN-γ and IgG1/ IgG2a ratios in acute AD, but both ratios increased during the chronic stage. Conclusions Our results suggest that ADFE concomitantly suppresses the ­TH2 predominant response in acute AD, as well as the ­TH1 predominant response in chronic AD. Thus, ADFE is a candidate therapeutic for AD.

Microorganisms found in bioaerosols from animal confinement buildings not only foster the risk of spreading diseases among livestock buildings, but also pose health hazards to farm workers and nearby residents. This study identified the various microorganisms present in the air of swine, chicken, and cattle farms with different kinds of ventilation conditions in Korea. Microbial air samples were collected onto Petri dishes with bacterial or fungal growth media using a cascade impactor. Endotoxin levels in total dust were determined by the limulus amebocyte lysate kinetic QCL method. Prevalent Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus (S.) lentus, S. chromogenes, Bacillus (B.) cereus, B. licheniformis, and Enterococcus faecalis, while the dominant fungi and Gram-negative bacteria were Candida albicans and Sphingomonas paucimobilis, respectively. Considering no significant relationship between the indoor dust endotoxin levels and the isolation of Gram-negative bacteria from the indoor air, monitoring the indoor airborne endotoxin level was found to be also critical for risk assessment on health for animals or workers. The present study confirms the importance of microbiological monitoring and control on animal husbandry indoor air to ensure animal and worker welfare.
Agriculture ; Animal Husbandry ; Animals ; Bacillus ; Bacteria* ; Candida albicans ; Cattle ; Chickens* ; Dust ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Farmers ; Fungi* ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; Horseshoe Crabs ; Korea ; Livestock ; Methods ; Risk Assessment ; Sphingomonas ; Staphylococcus ; Swine ; Ventilation

Background: Occupational hazards in crop farms vary diversely based on different field operations as soil management, harvesting processes, pesticide, or fertilizer application. We aimed at evaluating the immunological status of crop farmers, as limited systematic investigations on immune alteration involved with crop farming have been reported yet. Methods: Immunological parameters including plasma immunoglobulin level, major peripheral immune cells distribution, and level of cytokine production from activated T cell were conducted. Nineteen grape orchard, 48 onion open-field, and 21 rose greenhouse farmers were participated. Results: Significantly low proportion of natural killer (NK) cell, a core cell for innate immunity, was revealed in the grape farmers (19.8 ± 3.3%) in comparison to the onion farmers (26.4 ± 3.1%) and the rose farmers (26.9 ± 2.5%), whereas cytotoxic T lymphocyte proportion was lower in the grape and the onion farmers than the rose farmers. The proportion of NKT cell, an immune cell implicated with allergic response, was significantly higher in the grape (2.3 ± 0.3%) and the onion (1.6 ± 0.8%) farmers compared with the rose farmers (1.0 ± 0.4%). A significantly decreased interferon-gamma:interleukin-13 ratio was observed from ex vivo stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of grape farmers compared with the other two groups. The grape farmers revealed the lowest levels of plasma IgG1 and IgG4, and their plasma IgE level was not significantly different from that of the onion or the rose farmers. Conclusion Our finding suggests the high vulnerability of workplace-mediated allergic immunity in grape orchard farmers followed by open-field onion farmers and then the rose greenhouse farmers.

Indoor animal husbandry environments are inevitably contaminated with endotoxins. Endotoxin exposure is associated with various inflammatory illnesses in animals. This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship between the degree of endotoxin exposure and the cellular and humoral immune profiles of fattening pigs. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 47 pigs from ten pig farms in Korea. Whole blood cell counts and plasma immunoglobulin (Ig) classes were determined. Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells were stimulated in vitro with concanavalin A for 48 h, and cytokines released into culture supernatants were measured. The barns in which the pigs lived were assessed for endotoxin levels in the total and respirable dust by using the limulus amebocyte lysate kinetic QCL method. Low and high endotoxin exposures were defined as ≤ 30 and > 30 EU/m³, respectively. Compared to pigs with low endotoxin exposure (n = 19), highly exposed pigs (n = 28) had higher circulating neutrophil and lymphocyte (particularly B cells) counts, IgG and IgE levels, interferon-gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin (IL)-4 productions, and lower IgA levels and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) production. The IL-4, IFNγ, and TNFα levels significantly correlated with endotoxin level and/or pig age. Constant exposure of pigs to high levels of airborne endotoxins can lead to aberrant immune profiles.
Agriculture ; Animal Husbandry ; Animals ; Blood Cell Count ; Concanavalin A ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cytokines ; Dust ; Endotoxins ; Horseshoe Crabs ; Housing ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukins ; Jugular Veins ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Methods ; Neutrophils ; Plasma ; Swine ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha