Evaluating cell metabolism is crucial during pluripotent stem cell (PSC) differentiation and somatic cell reprogramming as it affects cell fate. As cultured stem cells are heterogeneous, a comparative analysis of relative metabolism using existing metabolic analysis methods is difficult, resulting in inaccuracies. In this study, we measured human PSC basal metabolic levels using a Seahorse analyzer. We used fibroblasts, human induced PSCs, and human embryonic stem cells to monitor changes in basal metabolic levels according to cell number and determine the number of cells suitable for analysis. We evaluated normalization methods using glucose and selected the most suitable for the metabolic analysis of heterogeneous PSCs during the reprogramming stage. The response of fibroblasts to glucose increased with starvation time, with oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate responding most effectively to glucose 4 hours after starvation and declining after 5 hours of starvation. Fibroblasts and PSCs achieved appropriate responses to glucose without damaging their metabolism 2∼4 and 2∼3 hours after starvation, respectively. We developed a novel method for comparing basal metabolic rates of fibroblasts and PSCs, focusing on quantitative analysis of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation using glucose without enzyme inhibitors. This protocol enables efficient comparison of energy metabolism among cell types, including undifferentiated PSCs, differentiated cells, and cells undergoing cellular reprogramming, and addresses critical issues, such as differences in basal metabolic levels and sensitivity to normalization, providing valuable insights into cellular energetics.

Improved approaches for promoting umbilical cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homing are clinically important to enhance engraftment of CB-HSCs. Clinical transplantation of CB-HSCs is used to treat a wide range of disorders. However, an improved understanding of HSC chemotaxis is needed for facilitation of the engraftment process. We found that ectopic overexpression of miR-9 and antisense-miR-9 respectively down- and up-regulated C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) expression in CB-CD34⁺ cells as well as in 293T and TF-1 cell lines. Since CXCR4 is a specific receptor for the stromal cell derived factor-1 (SDF-1) chemotactic factor, we investigated whether sense miR-9 and antisense miR-9 influenced CXCR4-mediated chemotactic mobility of primary CB CD34⁺ cells and TF-1 cells. Ectopic overexpression of sense miR-9 and antisense miR-9 respectively down- and up-regulated SDF-1-mediated chemotactic cell mobility. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report that miR-9 may play a role in regulating CXCR4 expression and SDF-1-mediated chemotactic activity of CB CD34⁺ cells.
Cell Line ; Cell Movement ; Chemotaxis ; Fetal Blood ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; MicroRNAs ; Stromal Cells

A number of concomitant conditions and cardiovascular diseases are closely related to the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), AF recurrence, and AF-associated complications. Detection, prevention, and treatment of such conditions are essential for the prevention of AF and its disease burden. This article discusses the clinical conditions and concomitant diseases associated with AF including heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, chronic respiratory diseases, and kidney disease based on the 2016 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of AF and recently updated clinical data, particularly in patients with heart failure. Furthermore, we provide recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of these conditions.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Cardiology ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Heart Failure ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney Diseases ; Obesity ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors*

BACKGROUND: In June of 2016, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)-based allocation system replaced the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score-based system for deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) in Korea. This study was conducted to reveal the changes before and after the MELD system. METHODS: From January 2015 to March 2017, 71 patient datapoints were collected from recipients who underwent DDLT in a single center. Patients were divided into two groups according to the allocation system (41 in the MELD group, 30 in the CTP group). RESULTS: The MELD score of the two groups differed significantly (36.8±4.5 in the MELD group, 26.0±8.1 in the CTP group, P=0.001). There was no difference in etiology for liver transplantation, 6-month survival rate, or in-hospital stay. However, complication rate and re-admission rate within the first 3 months were higher in the MELD group (78%, 56%). No one received a DDLT because of an incentive system for hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the short-term follow-up period, the new allocation rule reflects the severity of the patients. Almost all patients who underwent DDLT when they had a high MELD score and then suffered from morbidity; however, this problem was associated with organ shortage, not the allocation system.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cytidine Triphosphate ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Motivation ; Survival Rate ; Tissue Donors*

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Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to develop clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer. This Task Force conducted a systematic search of the EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases to identify relevant articles, using search terms selected according to the key questions. Evidence-based recommendations were then created on the basis of these articles. An external expert review and Delphi questionnaire were applied to reach consensus regarding the recommendations. The resulting guidelines focus on the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer with the assumption that surgery is the selected treatment modality after a multidisciplinary discussion in any context. These guidelines do not, therefore, address non-surgical treatment such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The committee developed 62 evidence-based recommendations in 32 categories intended to assist clinicians during management of patients with laryngeal cancer and patients with laryngeal cancer, and counselors and health policy-makers.
Advisory Committees ; Consensus ; Counseling ; Drug Therapy ; Glottis ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms* ; Neck*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in occlusal force after loss of the lower first molar depending on the inclination and extrusion of the adjacent and opposing teeth by using a strain gauge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anatomic teeth were used to reconstruct the normal dental arch with loss of the lower right first molar. A uniformly thick layer of silicone was applied to the root to mimic the periodontal ligament. Four stages of dies with varying degrees of inclination and extrusion of the adjacent and opposing teeth were constructed and attached to master model interchangeably by using a CAD/CAM fabricated customized die system. The strain gauges were attached to teeth and a universal testing machine was used to determine the changes in occlusal force. An independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed (α = .05). RESULTS: While simulating chewing food, the upper first, second premolar and lower second molar showed greater occlusal force than before extraction. When the change of adjacent teeth's occlusal force with their progressive movement after molar loss was evaluated, the difference among four die models was significant and was in the decreasing aspect (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: When the lower first molar was lost and the adjacent teeth did not move yet, the occlusal force in adjacent teeth was higher than that when the lower first molar still existed. In addition, the occlusal force in the upper premolars and lower second molar decreased significantly with the progressive movement of adjacent teeth.
Bicuspid ; Bite Force* ; Dental Arch ; Mastication ; Molar* ; Periodontal Ligament ; Silicon ; Silicones ; Tooth*