We retrospectively reviewed the results of nine children who were less than sixteen years old and in whom partial or total arthroscopic meniscectomy was performed for symptomatic discoid meniscus in eleven knees between March 1991 and February 1997. On arthroscopic findings, there were two complete and eight incomplete type of lateral discoid menisci and one medial discoid meniscus. Among eleven cases, partial meniscectomy was performed in seven and total meniscectomy in four. The average duration of follow-up was two and a half years (range, one to five years). In this study, arthroscopic total meniscectomy was superior to partial meniscectomy for a symptomatic discoid meniscus including pain, click and locking in children. Therefore, arthroscopic meniscectomy may offer the best prognosis following accurate diagnosis in children.
Child* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive cholestatic, inflammatory, and fibrotic disease that is strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). PSC-IBD represents a unique disease entity and patients with this disease have an increased risk of malignancy development, such as colorectal cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. The pathogenesis of PSC-IBD involves genetic and environmental factors such as gut dysbiosis and bile acids alteration. However, despite the advancement of disease characteristics, no effective medical therapy has proven to have a significant impact on the prognosis of PSC. The treatment options for patients with PSC-IBD do not differ from those for patients with PSC alone. Potential candidate drugs have been developed based on the pathogenesis of PSC-IBD, such as those that target modulation of bile acids, inflammation, fibrosis, and gut dysbiosis. In this review, we summarize the current medical treatments for PSC-IBD and the status of new emerging therapeutic agents.

PURPOSE: To investigate the underlying causes and clinical characteristics of patients referred with intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were referred with IOP elevation from July 2016 to July 2017. Patients with baseline IOP ≥ 22 mmHg and those who were treated and followed up for 6 months were included. The prevalence rates of the underlying diseases that caused IOP elevation were evaluated and the clinical characteristics were compared between patients with primary and secondary glaucoma. RESULTS: A total of 127 patients were included (mean age, 59.3 ± 16.8 years; baseline IOP, 31.7 ± 10.5 mmHg). Among the study participants, 22.0%, 31.5%, and 46.5% had been diagnosed with ocular hypertension, primary glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma, respectively. Among the causes of IOP elevation, open-angle glaucoma (20.5%) had the highest prevalence rate among those with primary glaucoma and inflammation-related glaucoma (12.6%) was the most prevalent cause among those with secondary glaucoma. In a comparison between patients with primary and secondary glaucoma, the percentage of IOP reduction was not significantly different at 6 months after treatment (52.1% vs. 53.9%, p = 0.603). However, the rate of patients treated with drugs other than IOP lowering agents or who underwent surgery was significantly higher in the secondary glaucoma group compared with the primary glaucoma group (all p < 0.05). At 6-month follow-up, the secondary glaucoma group showed significantly higher improvement rates of visual acuity (p = 0.004), but had a larger proportion of patients with a visual acuity of less than or equal to finger count (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment and visual outcome can vary depending on the underlying cause of IOP elevation. Therefore, a thorough examination for determining the cause of IOP elevation is recommended at the initial stage.
Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Medical Records ; Ocular Hypertension ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: Antithrombotic therapy could be related with nuisance bleeding. This study investigated whether vitreous hemorrhage (VH) is associated with specific types of antithrombotic medication in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the Korean National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort, we identified 9352 antiplatelet/anticoagulant-treated AF patients. The occurrence of VH was compared between warfarin (n=1493) and a propensity score (PS)-matched antiplatelet group (n=1493) and between warfarin (n=1493) and a PS-matched warfarin+antiplatelet group (n=1493). RESULTS: The outcomes of VH were lower in the warfarin than in the matched antiplatelet (1.45 vs. 3.72 events/1000 patient-years) and matched warfarin+antiplatelet groups (1.45 vs. 6.87 events/1000 patient-years). Compared with warfarin, the risk of VH increased with antiplatelet [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.90; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22–12.4, p=0.022] and warfarin+antiplatelet agents (aHR 4.39, 95% CI 1.74–11.2, p=0.002). Compared with warfarin only, warfarin+antiplatelet agents increased the risk of VH in patients ≥65 years, regardless of gender and hypertension. The risk of VH was significantly higher with dual antiplatelet therapy (aHR: 5.02, 95% CI: 1.56–16.2, p=0.007) or in dual (aHR: 5.02, 95% CI: 1.74–14.5, p=0.003) or triple therapy using warfarin and antiplatelet agents than with warfarin monotherapy (aHR: 6.12, 95% CI: 1.76–21.3, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Dual antiplatelet or triple therapy increased the risk of VH significantly, compared to warfarin monotherapy. Considering the low efficacy of preventing ischemic stroke and high risk of bleeding, dual or triple therapy using warfarin and antiplatelet agents should be avoided to prevent VH in AF patients.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Cohort Studies* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; National Health Programs* ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Propensity Score ; Stroke ; Vitreous Hemorrhage* ; Warfarin

Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Gram-negative bacteria constitute the first line of defense protecting cells against environmental stresses including chemical, biophysical, and biological attacks. Although the 43-kDa OMP (OMP43) is major porin protein among Bartonella henselae-derived OMPs, its function remains unreported. In this study, OMP43-deficient mutant B. henselae (Δomp43) was generated to investigate OMP43 function. Interestingly, Δomp43 exhibited weaker proliferative ability than that of wild-type (WT) B. henselae. To study the differences in proteomic expression between WT and Δomp43, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteomic analysis was performed. Based on Clusters of Orthologus Groups functional assignments, 12 proteins were associated with metabolism, 7 proteins associated with information storage and processing, and 3 proteins associated with cellular processing and signaling. By semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, increases in tldD, efp, ntrX, pdhA, purB, and ATPA mRNA expression and decreases in Rho and yfeA mRNA expression were confirmed in Δomp43. In conclusion, this is the first report showing that a loss of OMP43 expression in B. henselae leads to retarded proliferation. Furthermore, our proteomic data provide useful information for the further investigation of mechanisms related to the growth of B. henselae.
Bartonella henselae ; Bartonella ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Membrane Proteins ; Membranes ; Metabolism ; Proteomics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger

The natural flavonoid macakurzin C (1) exhibited adiponectin biosynthesis-inducing activity during adipogenesis in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and its molecular mechanism was directly associated with a pan-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) modulator affecting all three PPAR subtypes α, γ, and δ. In this study, increases in adiponectin biosynthesisinducing activity by macakurzin C derivatives (2–7) were studied. The most potent adiponectin biosynthesis-inducing compound 6, macakurzin C 3,5-dimethylether, was elucidated as a dual PPARα/γ modulator. Compound 6 may exhibit the most potent activity because of the antagonistic relationship between PPARδ and PPARγ. Docking studies revealed that the O-methylation of macakurzin C to generate compound 6 significantly disrupted PPARδ binding. Compound 6 has therapeutic potential in hypoadiponectinemia-related metabolic diseases.

BACKGROUND: Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) induces androgenic alopecia by shortening the hair follicle growth phase, resulting in hair loss. We previously demonstrated how changes in the microRNA (miRNA) expression profile influenced DHT-mediated cell death, cell cycle arrest, cell viability, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and senescence. Protective effects against DHT have not, however, been elucidated at the genome level. OBJECTIVE: We showed that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major component of green tea, protects DHT-induced cell death by regulating the cellular miRNA expression profile. METHODS: We used a miRNA microarray to identify miRNA expression levels in human dermal papilla cells (DPCs). We investigated whether the miRNA expression influenced the protective effects of EGCG against DHT-induced cell death, growth arrest, intracellular ROS levels, and senescence. RESULTS: EGCG protected against the effects of DHT by altering the miRNA expression profile in human DPCs. In addition, EGCG attenuated DHT-mediated cell death and growth arrest and decreased intracellular ROS levels and senescence. A bioinformatics analysis elucidated the relationship between the altered miRNA expression and EGCG-mediated protective effects against DHT. CONCLUSION: Overall, our results suggest that EGCG ameliorates the negative effects of DHT by altering the miRNA expression profile in human DPCs.
Aging ; Alopecia ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Computational Biology ; Dihydrotestosterone ; Genome ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Humans* ; MicroRNAs* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Tea

Deer serve as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens that impact on medical and veterinary health worldwide. In the Republic of Korea, the population of Korean water deer (KWD, Hydropotes inermis argyropus) has greatly increased from 1982 to 2011, in part, as a result of reforestation programs established following the Korean War when much of the land was barren of trees. Eighty seven Haemaphysalis flava, 228 Haemaphysalis longicornis, 8 Ixodes nipponensis, and 40 Ixodes persulcatus (21 larvae, 114 nymphs, and 228 adults) were collected from 27 out of 70 KWD. A total of 89/363 ticks (266 pools, 24.5% minimum infection rate) and 5 (1.4%) fed ticks were positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum using nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA and groEL genes, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene fragment sequences of 88/89 (98.9%) of positive samples for A. phagocytophilum corresponded to previously described gene sequences from KWD spleen tissues. The 16S rRNA gene fragment sequences of 20/363 (5.5%) of the ticks were positive for A. bovis and were identical to previously reported sequences. Using the ITS specific nested PCR, 11/363 (3.0%) of the ticks were positive for Bartonella spp. This is the first report of Anaplasma and Bartonella spp. detected in ticks collected from KWD, suggesting that ticks are vectors of Anaplasma and Bartonella spp. between reservoir hosts in natural surroundings.
Anaplasma/genetics/*physiology ; Animals ; Arachnid Vectors/microbiology ; Bartonella/genetics/*physiology ; Chaperonin 60/genetics ; Deer/parasitology ; Disease Reservoirs/veterinary ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Ticks/*microbiology

North Korea is located on the northern part of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. While tick-borne pathogens of medical and veterinary importance have been reported from China and South Korea, they have not been reported from North Korea. To screen for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in North Korea, ticks were collected from domestic goats. A total of 292 (27 nymph, 26 male, 239 female) Haemaphysalis (H.) longicornis were collected and assayed individually for selected tick-borne pathogens. A total of 77 (26.4%) were positive for Anaplasma bovis, followed by Bartonella (B.) grahamii (15, 5.1%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (12, 4.1%), Bartonella henselae (10, 3.4%), and Borrelia spp. (3, 1.0%) based on 16S ribosomal RNA and ITS species-specific nested polymerase chain reaction. Using the groEL-based nested PCR, a total of 6 and 1 H. longicornis were positive for B. grahamii and B. henselae, respectively. All products were sequenced and demonstrated 100% identity and homology with previously reported sequences from other countries in GenBank. This is the first report of the detection of tick-borne pathogens in the North Korea and suggests that farm animals may act as reservoirs for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum ; Anaplasma* ; Animals, Domestic ; Bartonella henselae ; Bartonella* ; Borrelia* ; China ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea* ; Far East ; Goats* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nymph ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Ticks

The prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in southern Korea was determined by collecting ticks using tick drags. A total of 4,077 of 6,788 ticks collected were pooled (649 pools) according to collection site, species, and developmental stage and assayed for TBEV. The TBEV protein E and NS5 gene fragments were detected using RT-nested PCR in six pools of nymphs collected from Jeju Island (2,491 ticks). The minimum field detection rates for TBEV were 0.17% and 0.14% for Haemaphysalis longicornis and Haemayphysalis. flava nymphs, respectively. The 252 bp NS5 and 477 bp protein E gene amplicons were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the NS5 and protein E genes of the Jeju strain were clustered with Western subtype (98.0% and 99.4% identity, respectively). The Western subtype of TBEV is endemic in Korea, including Jeju Island. The study of vector and zoonotic host susceptibility to TBEV is required to better understand its potential impact on public health.
Animals ; Arachnid Vectors/*virology ; Base Sequence ; DNA Primers/genetics ; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne/classification/*genetics ; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne/*epidemiology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; *Phylogeny ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Ticks/*virology ; Viral Envelope Proteins/genetics