The enhanced differentiation and activation of osteoclasts (OCs) in the inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gout causes not only local bone erosion, but also systemic osteoporosis, leading to functional disabilities and morbidity. The induction and amplification of NFATc1, a master regulator of OC differentiation, is mainly regulated by receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) ligand-RANK and calcium signaling which are amplified in the inflammatory milieu, as well as by inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6. Moreover, the predominance of CD4+ T cell subsets, which varies depending on the condition of inflammatory diseases, can determine the fate of OC differentiation. Anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies which are critical in the pathogenesis of RA can bind to the citrullinated vimentin on the surface of OC precursors, and in turn promote OC differentiation and function via IL-8. In addition to adaptive immunity, the activation of innate immune system including the nucleotide oligomerization domain leucine rich repeat with a pyrin domain 3 inflammasome and TLRs can regulate OC maturation. The emerging perspectives about the diverse and close interactions between the immune cells and OCs in inflammatory milieu can have a significant impact on the future direction of drug development.
Adaptive Immunity ; Antibodies ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Calcium Signaling ; Cytokines ; Gout ; Immune System ; Inflammasomes ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Leucine ; Osteoclasts ; Osteolysis ; Osteoporosis ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; Vimentin

Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty is considered the standard of care for treatment of valvular pulmonic stenosis, a common congenital defect in dogs. Supravalvular pulmonic stenosis is a rare form of pulmonic stenosis in dogs and standard treatment has not been established. Although, there have been reports of successful treatment of supravalvular pulmonic stenosis with surgical and stenting techniques, there have been no reports of balloon dilation to treat dogs with this condition. Here, a case of supravalvular pulmonic stenosis diagnosed echocardiographically and angiographically in which a significant reduction in pressure gradient was achieved with balloon dilation alone is presented.
Angiography ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Animals ; Balloon Valvuloplasty ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dogs* ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis* ; Standard of Care ; Stents

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that primarily causes opportunistic infections. Gastrointestinal mucormycosis is a rare infection that can occur in immunocompromised patients, nevertheless, prompt diagnosis and treatment is essential because it can be fatal. Gastrointestinal mucormycosis can only be diagnosed based on the findings of a pathological examination. Mucormycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis if the condition of patients with underlying immunocompromised conditions or diseases does not improve with general intensive care.

Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) induces not only an antidepressant effect but also adverse effects such as amnesia. One potential mechanism underlying both the antidepressant and amnesia effect of ECS may involve the regulation of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) 6 (5-HT6) receptor, but less is known about the effects of acute ECS on the changes in 5-HT6 receptor expression in the hippocampus. In addition, as regulation of 5-HT receptor expression is influenced by the number of ECS treatment and by interval between ECS treatment and sacrifice, it is probable that magnitude and time-dependent changes in 5-HT6 receptor expression could be influenced by repeated ECS exposure. To explore this possibility, we observed and compared the changes of 5-HT6 receptor immunoreactivity (5-HT6 IR) in rat hippocampus at 1, 8, 24, or 72 h after the treatment with either a single ECS (acute ECS) or daily ECS for 10 days (chronic ECS). We found that acute ECS increased 5-HT6 IR in the CA1, CA3, and granule cell layer of hippocampus, reaching peak levels at 8 h and returning to basal levels 72 h later. The magnitude and time-dependent changes in 5-HT6 IR observed after acute ECS were not affected by chronic ECS. These results demonstrate that both acute and chronic ECS transiently increase the 5-HT6 IR in rat hippocampus, and suggest that the magnitude and time-dependent changes in 5-HT6 IR in the hippocampus appear not to be influenced by repeated ECS treatment.
Amnesia ; Animals ; Electroshock* ; Hippocampus* ; Rats* ; Serotonin

The purpose of this study was to evaluate feasibility of Vertical Multileaf Collimator for determination of irradiation size using Vertical Multileaf Collimator and lead block to determine 4 different irradiation shape in case of Co-60 gamma-ray and 6 MV X-ray. We chose ion chamber, glass dosimeter and EBT chromic film to compare with Vertical Multileaf Collimator results and lead block results. In case of Co-60 gamma-ray and 6 MV X-ray, the central axis point dose normalized at reference field of lead block with ion chamber results for Vertical Multileaf Collimator were estimated higher than lead block about 5.1%, 4.2%. In case of Co-60 gamma-ray, the central axis point dose normalized at reference field of lead block with glass dosimeter results for Vertical Multileaf Collimator were estimated higher than lead block about 2.2%, 7.8%, 7.2%, 4.0% for reference, circle, triangle, cross field, respectively. In case of 6 MV X-ray, the central axis point dose normalized at reference field of lead block with glass dosimeter results for Vertical Multileaf Collimator were estimated higher than lead block about 6.7%, 6.2%, 3.8%, 6.2% for reference, circle, triangle, cross field, respectively. The results of EBT chromic film, Vertical Multileaf Collimator of penumbra size for all irradiation shape was smaller than lead block of those size that 2.0~3.5 mm for Co-60 gamma-ray, 0.5~1.0 mm for 6 MV X-ray. The results from this study, radiation treatment volume that results in shielding block can be minimized. In addition, during radiation treatment for 2, 3-dimensional radiation therapy using a Vertical Multileaf Collimator of this survey can be used to determine variety of irradiation fields.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Feasibility Studies ; Glass

Although growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) is known to play a significant role in the regulation of axonal growth and the formation of new neuronal connections in the hippocampus, there is only a few studies on the effects of acute stress on GAP-43 mRNA expression in the hippocampus. Moreover, the effects of repeated citalopram treatment on chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced changes in GAP-43 mRNA expression in the hippocampus have not been explored before. To explore this question, male rats were exposed to acute immobilization stress or CMS. Also, citalopram was given prior to stress everyday during CMS procedures. Acute immobilization stress significantly increased GAP-43 mRNA expression in all subfields of the hippocampus, while CMS significantly decreased GAP-43 mRNA expression in the dentate granule cell layer (GCL). Repeated citalopram treatment decreased GAP-43 mRNA expression in the GCL compared with unstressed controls, but this decrease was not further potentiated by CMS exposure. Similar decreases in GAP-43 mRNA expression were observed in CA1, CA3 and CA4 areas of the hippocampus only after repeated citalopram treatment in CMS-exposed rats. This result indicates that GAP-43 mRNA expression in the hippocampus may differently respond to acute and chronic stress, and that repeated citalopram treatment does not change CMS-induced decreases in GAP-43 mRNA expression in the GCL.
Animals ; Axons ; Citalopram ; GAP-43 Protein ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Male ; Neurons ; Rats ; RNA, Messenger

Animals ; Cats ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Mortality ; Odds Ratio ; Resuscitation ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objectives: Intraoperative navigation reduces the risk of major complications and increases the likelihood of optimal surgical outcomes. This paper presents an augmented reality (AR)-based simulation technique for ventriculostomy that visualizes brain deformations caused by the movements of a surgical instrument in a three-dimensional brain model. This is achieved by utilizing a position-based dynamics (PBD) physical deformation method on a preoperative brain image. Methods: An infrared camera-based AR surgical environment aligns the real-world space with a virtual space and tracks the surgical instruments. For a realistic representation and reduced simulation computation load, a hybrid geometric model is employed, which combines a high-resolution mesh model and a multiresolution tetrahedron model. Collision handling is executed when a collision between the brain and surgical instrument is detected. Constraints are used to preserve the properties of the soft body and ensure stable deformation. Results: The experiment was conducted once in a phantom environment and once in an actual surgical environment. The tasks of inserting the surgical instrument into the ventricle using only the navigation information presented through the smart glasses and verifying the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid were evaluated. These tasks were successfully completed, as indicated by the drainage, and the deformation simulation speed averaged 18.78 fps. Conclusions This experiment confirmed that the AR-based method for external ventricular drain surgery was beneficial to clinicians.

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the impact of smoking in young adults on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the clustering effect of behavioral risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and depression. Methods: A Korean nationwide population-based cohort of a total of 3,280,826 participants aged 20–39 years old who underwent 2 consecutive health examinations were included. They were followed up until the date of CVD (myocardial infarction [MI] or stroke), or December 2018 (median, 6 years). Results: Current smoking, early age of smoking initiation, and smoking intensity were associated with an increased risk of CVD incidence. Even after quitting smoking, the risk of MI was still high in quitters compared with non-smokers. Cigarette smoking, obesity, and depression were independently associated with a 1.3–1.7 times increased risk of CVD, and clustering of 2 or more of these behavioral risk factors was associated with a 2–3 times increased risk of CVD in young adults. Conclusions In young adults, cigarette smoking was associated with the risk of CVD, and the clustering of 2 or more behavioral risk factors showed an additive risk of CVD.

Hodgson's bats are critically endangered in South Korea. This study analyzed the concentrations of elements in liver, kidney, and intestine tissues from a Hodgson's bat found dead in the wild. The concentrations of essential elements followed the order Fe > Zn > Cu >Mn > Se in the three tissues. Hg was detected at the highest concentrations among the non-essential elements analyzed in the liver and kidney tissues, while As was the most highly concentrated non-essential element in the intestine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of tissue element concentrations in Hodgson's bats.
Chiroptera ; Intestines* ; Kidney* ; Korea ; Liver*