Microarray technology makes it possible to measure the expressions of tens of thousands of genes simultaneously under various experimental conditions. Identifying differentially expressed genes in each single experimental condition is one of the most common first steps in microarray gene expression data analysis. Reasonable choices of thresholds for determining differentially expressed genes are used for the next-step-analysis with suitable statistical significances. We present a supervised model for identifying DEGs using pathway information based on the global connectivity structure. Pathway information can be regarded as a collection of biological knowledge, thus we are trying to determine the optimal threshold so that the consequential connectivity structure can be the most compatible with the existing pathway information. The significant feature of our model is that it uses established knowledge as a reference to determine the direction of analyzing microarray dataset. In the most of previous work, only intrinsic information in the miroarray is used for the identifying DEGs. We hope that our proposed method could contribute to construct biologically meaningful structure from microarray datasets.
Dataset* ; DNA* ; Gene Expression* ; Hope ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis* ; Statistics as Topic ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

Temporal and spatial expression of bmp-2 and bmp-4 was investigated in distraction osteogenesis and fracture healing models in order to delineate their roles in these new hone formation processes. Distraction osteogenesis was performed on the left tihia diaphyses of Sprague-Dawley rats, and was confirmed by serial radiographs and histologicaJ examination. Total RNA was isolated from the distraction gaps and fracture sites sequentially until the postoperative eighth week, and mRNA expression was quantitated hy competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) using specific primers for bmp-2 and bmp-4. In-situ hybridization was performed on the undemineralized tissue section of distraction osteogenesis group. Both bum-2 and bmp-4 mRNA expression increased during distraction osteogenesis and fracture healing. Increase in bmp-2 mRNA expression was more marked and prolonged in distraction osteogenesis compared with fracture healing, whereas bmp-4 mRNA expression was persistently increased in both groups. In-situ hybridization study revealed that hoth bmp-2 and bmp-4 were expressed at eariy osteohlasts producing osteoid, trabeculae-lining osteoblasts and osteocytes of regenerate bone. Enhanced new bone formation in distraction osteogenesis is associated with prolonged and increased expression of BMPs, especially BMP-2. lnspite of their structural similarity, BMP-2 and BMP-4 appear to have their distinct roles in new hone formation.
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins* ; Diaphyses ; Fracture Healing* ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocytes ; Osteogenesis ; Osteogenesis, Distraction* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger*

A technique radiogrequency localization and coagulation of articular nerves supplying the lumbar facets is described and reported from a series of 46 patients with clinical diagnosis of facet syndrome over a 4-year period. None of them had clinical or radiologic evidence of a lumbar disc hrniation, and all had exhausted conservative treatment. The literature reviewed for anatomical accuracies in denervation of the medial branch of posterior primary(dorsal) ramus. The technique of facet denervation is simple and safe and relief of pain was achieved in 78% of the patient, the morbidity remains quite low.
Denervation* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Low Back Pain*

A 35-year-old man was admitted with a 20 day history of generalized edema and muscular weakness of the lower extremities. He was alert with a pale puffy face and an ejection murmur was heard at the cardiac apex. The electrocardiogram disclosed low voltage, first degree atrioventricular block, and a right bundle branch block. During the hospitalization an intractable diastolic hypotension developed, which measured 0 mmHg at the lowest point. At that time the echocardiogram revealed a dilated, akinetic right ventricle. Eventually a multiorgan failure developed and an autopsy following his death presented a fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium. This might be a case of an arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy, which is usually characterized clinically by a ventricular tachycardia and may cause a sudden death in young adults.
Adult ; Atrioventricular Block ; Autopsy* ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Death, Sudden ; Edema ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Ventricles ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Lower Extremity ; Muscle Weakness ; Myocardium ; Systolic Murmurs ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Young Adult

Adaptive responses to diverse microbial pathogens might be limited in relatively few types. Host cell responses to pathogens are believed to be patterned or stereotyped along with species or class. We tried to compose the host response to Mycoplasma in terms of cellular gene expression. Although gene expression profile of two host HeLa and 293 cells were quite different each other, 30 genes were differentially expressed by mycoplasma infection in both of HeLa and 293 cells. Six of them (PR48, MADH4, MKPX, CRK, RBM7, NEK3) were related to cell cycle or proliferation. Another category of genes like IL1HY1, KLRF1, TNFSF14, GBP1 were host defense to elicit immune responses. With this set of genes, we establish the prediction model for mycoplasma contamination.
Cell Cycle ; Cells, Cultured* ; Gene Expression ; Mycoplasma Infections* ; Mycoplasma* ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Transcriptome

PURPOSE: Transfusion-transmitted virus(TTV) is an newly described nonenveloped human virus, with a circular, negative stranded DNA genome. Although a high prevalence of TTV infection in the normal population has been demonstrated, there is a still possibility of association with hepatitis according to the genotype of TTV. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of TTV infection in Korean children. METHODS: Nested polymerase chain reaction(PCR) using priner sets generated from the noncoding region(NCR) of the viral genome was done in 105 children without liver disease, aged 0-15 years. We performed a second set of PCR using N22 primer in 88 children after the first set of PCR. RESULTS: The TTV DNA was detectable in 36(34%) of 105 children without hepatitis by 5'NCR primer. The prevalence of TTV varied with age:<1 y,16%(4/25); 1-3 y, 44%(15/31); 4-6 y, 31%(5/ 16); 7-9 y, 25%(3/12); 10-15 y, 14%(3/21). By using N22 primers, the prevalence of TTV DNA in children without hepatitis was 11.3%(11/88):<1 y 8%(2/25); 1-3 y, 13.7%(4/29); 4-6 y, 6.2%(1/16); 7-9 y, 33.3%(2/6); 10-14 y, 8.2%(1/12). CONCLUSION: Our result showed a high prevalence of TTV infection, varying with age, in Korean children. Further evaluation of genotypes of TTV in patients with hepatitis and normal children is needed.
Child* ; DNA ; Genome ; Genome, Viral ; Genotype ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence* ; Torque teno virus*

No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Headache*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The major mechanism of inner ear cell damage is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Korean red ginseng (KRG) has an anti-ROS effect; thus we hypothesized that KRG may be of use for the treatment of chronic idiopathic tinnitus. The aim of the study is to investigate clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life (QoL) in chronic tinnitus patients after taking KRG. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was an open-label randomized controlled trial. Sixty-one patients with chronic tinnitus were enrolled and randomized to three groups. The control group was treated for 4 weeks with 160 mg/day Ginkgo biloba extract, and two other groups receiving 1500 mg/day or 3000 mg/day KRG for 4 weeks. Clinical assessments were performed using the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and QoL was assessed by Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients completed the planned protocol. Significant improvements were observed between initial and post-treatment THI scores in patients receiving 3000 mg/day KRG. There was no statistically significant difference between initial and post-treatment VAS scores in all groups. Treatment with 3000 mg/day KRG for 4 weeks significantly improved role emotional and mental health scores in the SF-36 survey. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that KRG may improve tinnitus symptoms and mental wellbeing in chronic tinnitus patients.
Ear, Inner ; Ginkgo biloba ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Panax* ; Pilot Projects* ; Quality of Life* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Tinnitus*

No abstract available.
Hemispherectomy*

The analysis of DNA microarry data is one of the most important things for functional genomics research. The matrix representation of microarray data and its successive 'optimal' incisional hyperplanes is a useful platform for developing optimization algorithms to determine the optimal partitioning of pairwise proximity matrix representing completely connected and weighted graph. We developed Deterministic Annealing (DA) approach to determine the successive optimal binary partitioning. DA algorithm demonstrated good performance with the ability to find the 'globally optimal' binary partitions. In addition, the objects that have not been clustered at small non-zero temperature, are considered to be very sensitive to even small randomness, and can be used to estimate the reliability of the clustering.
Cluster Analysis ; DNA* ; Gene Expression* ; Genomics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis*