Dermatophytes infect the human hair, skin, nail and cause the dermatophytosis. The extracellular and intracellular proteinases of the dermatophytes commonly occur in the genus Trichophyton like T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, and T. granulosum. These enzymes play a prominent role in growth, multiplication and infection of the host tissue. Extracellular proteinases have been purified from the species of Trichophyton and Microsporum. We purified the proteinase partially from the culture filtrate of the Trichophyton tonsurans through Mono-Q and Superose 12 column and investigated its biochemical and enzymatic characters. The molecular size of the proteinase was estimated to be 41 kDa by SDS-PAGE. And pI was 3.2. The optimal temperature and pH for an enzymatic activity were 27C and 7.5, respectively. The purified porteinase degraded the keratin, bovine serum albumin, hemoglobin. The serine proteinase inhibitor like PMSF and DFP inhibited the proteolytic activity of the purified enzyme whereas the cysteinase inhibitor did not. These results demonstrated that the purified proteinase is a serine proteinase and can contribute the tissue invasion.
Arthrodermataceae ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Hair ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Isoflurophate ; Microsporum ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Serine Proteases* ; Serine* ; Serum Albumin, Bovine ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trichophyton*

The purpose of this study was to classify noodle meals into a few groups according to their menu patterns and cooking methods from the 318 noodles and Ttokgook menus of 360 elementary school foodservices around Busan and Gyeongnam province. Noodle meals with high frequency were also analyzed by season and region to give information for menu planning and to improve elementary school foodservices. The menus were collected from the internet (http://www.kdclub.com) and the home pages of elementary schools between December 2004 and September 2005. Taking all kinds of noodle meals together, the serving frequencies were significantly different among regions, but were not different from season to season. Three different menu patterns were revealed from the collected noodle menus. The most frequently served menu pattern was "main dish + starchy food & dessert + fruit & beverage + kimchi" Gooksu, Ttokgook, Udong, and Kalgooksu meals were served with this menu pattern. The menu pattern of Jajangmeon meal was "main dish + side-dish + starchy food & dessert + fruit & beverage + (kimchi)" . For the Bibimmeon and the spaghetti meals "main dish + soup + starchy food & dessert + fruit & beverage + kimchi" was used. Ttigim, Danmugy, Saengchae, and chicken were frequently selected as side dishes in the overall noodle menus. More side dishes of a wide variety were served in Ttokgook meal, whereas Danmugy was the most preferred food item as a side dish with Jajangmeon and Udong meals. Corndog, Mandu, Ttok, Matang, and doughnut were preferred food items as a "starchy food & dessert" with most kinds of noodle meals, except spaghetti with which only garlic-bread was served. The fruit and beverage items were not different with the majority of noodle meals. These results suggest that cost, food habits, compatible flavor combinations, and food preference of children rather than nutritional considerations contributed to the selection of food items for the components of noodle meals in the school foodservices.
Beverages ; Busan* ; Chickens ; Child ; Cooking ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Fruit ; Humans ; Internet ; Meals* ; Menu Planning ; Seasons

In this study, the food intake, feces and urine of 14 primary school age boys and girls were collected and intake and excretion of iron and zinc were measured. The boys and girls were 8-12 years old and measurement continued for four weeks during which they maintained their normal living pattern. Each boy's and girl's daily intake and excretion of iron and zinc were measured and apparent digestibility and balance were also calculated. The results are as follows. Mean daily intake of iron was 14.9+/-0.6 mg for the boys and 12.4+/-0.5 mg for the girls. Mean daily intake of zinc was 11.8+/-1.2 mg for the boys and 11.5+/-0.4 mg for the girls. Mean daily fecal loss and apparent digestibility of iron was 6.1+/-0.3 mg and 58.8+/-2.0% for the boys and 6.8+/-0.1 mg and 44.1+/-2.0% for the girls. Mean daily fecal loss and apparent digestibility of zinc was 9.3+/-0.2 mg and 14.4+/-5.1% for the boys and 9.7+/-0.4 mg and 14.3+/-4.3% for the girls. Mean daily urinary loss of iron was 1.1+/-0.1 mg and showed the positive balance of 7.86+/-0.6 mg for the boys and 0.5+/-0.1 mg and showed the positive balance of 5.14+/-0.4 mg for the girls. Mean daily urinary loss of zinc was 0.5+/-0.1 mg and showed the positive balance of 1.03+/-0.6 mg for the girls.
Child* ; Eating ; Feces ; Female ; Humans ; Iron* ; Zinc*

Objective: Endometrial fibrosis, the primary pathological feature of intrauterine adhesion, may lead to disruption of endometrial tissue structure, menstrual abnormalities, infertility, and recurrent pregnancy loss. At present, no ideal therapeutic strategy exists for this fibrotic disease. Eupatilin, a major pharmacologically active flavone from Artemisia, has been previously reported to act as a potent inducer of dedifferentiation of fibrotic tissue in the liver and lung. However, the effects of eupatilin on endometrial fibrosis have not yet been investigated. In this study, we present the first report on the impact of eupatilin treatment on transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)-induced endometrial fibrosis. Methods: The efficacy of eupatilin on TGF-β–induced endometrial fibrosis was assessed by examining changes in morphology and the expression levels of fibrosis markers using immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: Eupatilin treatment significantly reduced the fibrotic activity of TGF-β–induced endometrial fibrosis in Ishikawa cells, which displayed more circular shapes and formed more colonies. Additionally, the effects of eupatilin on fibrotic markers including alpha-smooth muscle actin, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, collagen type I alpha 1 chain, and matrix metalloproteinase-2, were evaluated in TGF-β–induced endometrial fibrosis. The expression of these markers was highly upregulated by TGF-β pretreatment and recovered to the levels of control cells in response to eupatilin treatment. Conclusion Our findings suggest that suppression of TGF-β–induced signaling by eupatilin might be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of endometrial fibrosis.

Objective: Despite extensive research on implantation failure, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between the embryo and the maternal endometrium, which is critical for successful pregnancy. Profilin 1 (PFN1), which is expressed both in the embryo and in the endometrial epithelium, acts as a potent regulator of actin polymerization and the cytoskeletal network. In this study, we identified the specific role of endometrial PFN1 during embryo implantation. Methods: Morphological alterations depending on the status of PFN1 expression were assessed in PFN1-depleted or control cells grown on Matrigel-coated cover glass. Day-5 mouse embryos were cocultured with Ishikawa cells. Comparisons of the rates of F-actin formation and embryo attachment were performed by measuring the stability of the attached embryo onto PFN1-depleted or control cells. Results: Depletion of PFN1 in endometrial epithelial cells induced a significant reduction in cell-cell adhesion displaying less formation of colonies and a more circular cell shape. Mouse embryos co-cultured with PFN1-depleted cells failed to form actin cytoskeletal networks, whereas more F-actin formation in the direction of surrounding PFN1-intact endometrial epithelial cells was detected. Furthermore, significantly lower embryo attachment stability was observed in PFN1-depleted cells than in control cells. This may have been due to reduced endometrial receptivity caused by impaired actin cytoskeletal networks associated with PFN1 deficiency. Conclusion These observations definitively demonstrate an important role of PFN1 in mediating cell-cell adhesion during the initial stage of embryo implantation and suggest a potential therapeutic target or novel biomarker for patients suffering from implantation failure.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is rare in children who receive anticancer chemotherapy and have no history of stem cell transplantation (SCT). We report a case of CMV retinitis that developed during maintenance chemotherapy for acute leukemia. A 7-year-old boy developed decreased visual acuity and persistent pancytopenia during maintenance chemotherapy.Laboratory investigations initially showed significant CMV antigenemia (51 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes); however, antiviral therapy was not deemed necessary in this patient who had no history of SCT. CMV antigenemia worsened to 170 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes over 3 weeks. Ophthalmological examination revealed multiple bilateral retinal infiltrates and granular lesions. He was diagnosed with CMV retinitis and was treated with a 4-week course of intravenous ganciclovir and intravitreal injection of ganciclovir 6 times, followed by a 1-month course of orally administered valganciclovir. A CMV antigenemia assay showed negative results, and follow-up fundoscopy revealed lesser retinal infiltration after the sixth intravitreal ganciclovir injection. Future studies should focus on the development of standardized screening methods and preemptive therapeutic strategies for CMV disease in high-risk children.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is rare in children who receive anticancer chemotherapy and have no history of stem cell transplantation (SCT). We report a case of CMV retinitis that developed during maintenance chemotherapy for acute leukemia. A 7-year-old boy developed decreased visual acuity and persistent pancytopenia during maintenance chemotherapy.Laboratory investigations initially showed significant CMV antigenemia (51 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes); however, antiviral therapy was not deemed necessary in this patient who had no history of SCT. CMV antigenemia worsened to 170 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes over 3 weeks. Ophthalmological examination revealed multiple bilateral retinal infiltrates and granular lesions. He was diagnosed with CMV retinitis and was treated with a 4-week course of intravenous ganciclovir and intravitreal injection of ganciclovir 6 times, followed by a 1-month course of orally administered valganciclovir. A CMV antigenemia assay showed negative results, and follow-up fundoscopy revealed lesser retinal infiltration after the sixth intravitreal ganciclovir injection. Future studies should focus on the development of standardized screening methods and preemptive therapeutic strategies for CMV disease in high-risk children.

When cerebral cortical hyperintensities on diffusion-weighted image are seen in patients with suspected acute stroke accompanying seizure, it is necessary to differentiate whether they are caused by infarction or seizure-related change. We report a case of seizure-related cortical hypertensities in a patient with suspected acute infarction. With perfusion MR imaging, we could differentiate from acute infarction.
Humans ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Perfusion* ; Seizures ; Stroke

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to analyze the brain volume according to the brain image of healthy adults in the 20s taken with different inversion time (TI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brain images of healthy adults in the 20 s were acquired using magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE) pulse sequence with 1.5 mm thickness of pieces and four inversion times (1100 ms, 1000 ms, 900 ms, 800 ms). The acquired brain images were analyzed to measure the volume of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), intracranial volume (ICV). The statistical difference according to brain volume and gender was analyzed for each TI. RESULTS: The brain volume calculated using Freesurfer was WM=486.52+/-48.64 cm3 and GM=646.86+/-57.12 cm3 in mean when adjusted by mean ICV=1278.94+/-154.92 cm3. Men's brain volume(WM, GM, ICV) was larger than women's brain volume. In the intrarater reliability test, all of the intraclass correlation coefficients were high (0.992 for WM, 0.988 for GM, and 0.997 for ICV). In the repeated measures analysis of variance, GM and ICV did not show a significant difference at each TI (GM p=0.143, ICV p=0.052), but WM showed a significant (p=0.001). In the linear structure relation analysis, all of the Pearson correlation coefficients were high. CONCLUSION: WM, GM, and ICV indicated high reliability and solid linear structure relations, but WM showed significant differences at each TI. The brain volume of healthy adults in the 20s could be used in comparison with that of patients for reference purposes and to predict the structural change of brain. It would be needed to conduct additional studies to examine the contract, SNR, and lesion detection ability according to variable TI.
Adult ; Brain* ; Healthy Volunteers* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytoses are infections of keratinized tissues, that is, the epidermis, hair and nails, caused by a group of specialized fungi, the dermatophytes. Laboratory diagnoses of dermatophytes such as Tricophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton are made by microscopic examination and in vitro culture but they are either time consuming of lacking specificity. OBJECTIVE: In order to develop and apply more rapid and precise diagnostic tests for fungal pathogens to facilitate the improved identification of dermatophytes, we investigated random amplified polymorphism DNA for classification and identification of dermatophytes. METHODS: Amplification reactions were performed in volumes of 5011 containing 10mM Tris-HCl(pH 8.3), 50mM KCl, 1.5mM MgCl2, 0.01% (w/v), gelatin, 200mM dNTP mixture, 50pM primer, Taq polymerase (0.025 units/ microliter), DNA 0.001 microgram/microliter. The optimal condition to. PCR was 2 cycles (denaturing 94 degrees C 2min, annealing 33 degrees C 2min, extension 72 degrees C 4min), 40 cycles, and extension (72 degrees C 10min). RESULTS: RAPD showed interspecies polymorphism in but it had identical patterns in intraspecies. CONCLUSION: It was confirmed that RAPD PCR analysis with optimal conditions is a fast, economical and reproducible method for identification and classification of dermatophytes isolates.
Arthrodermataceae* ; Classification* ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; DNA* ; Epidermis ; Epidermophyton ; Fungi ; Gelatin ; Hair ; Magnesium Chloride ; Microsporum ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Taq Polymerase ; Tinea