Background/Aims: Spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently impairs defecation, severely affecting the quality of life. This study examines compensatory neural remodeling after SCI, focusing on basal colonic contractility, neural responses to electrical field stimulation, and alterations in excitatory cholinergic and inhibitory nitrergic pathways. Methods: Female Sprague–Dawley rats underwent either sham surgery or T10 spinal cord transection and were categorized into 3 groups: sham, 1-week post-SCI (acute), and 4-week post-SCI (chronic). Colonic contractility was assessed in an organ bath using electrical field stimulation in the presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Neural protein expression was analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Results: SCI produced region- and time-dependent impairments in colonic contractility, with distinct alterations in the proximal circular and longitudinal muscles across acute and chronic phases. Neural excitability shifted dynamically, showing enhanced excitatory activity in the proximal longitudinal muscle at 1-week and the distal circular muscle at 4-week post-SCI. Protein analysis revealed increased neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the proximal colon, decreasedsoluble guanylyl cyclase in the distal colon, upregulated muscarinic M3 receptor in the proximal colon, and reduced vaso-active intestinal peptide receptor 1 in both proximal and distal regions. Conclusion SCI induces spatiotemporal remodeling of excitatory and inhibitory neural pathways, contributing to colonic dysmotility and revealing potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

BACKGROUND: Skin grafts are required in numerous clinical procedures, such as reconstruction after skin removal and correction of contracture or scarring after severe skin loss caused by burns, accidents, and trauma. The current standard for skin defect replacement procedures is the use of autologous skin grafts. However, donor-site tissue availability remains a major obstacle for the successful replacement of skin defects and often limits this option. The aim of this study is to effectively expand full thickness skin to clinically useful size using an automated skin reactor and evaluate auto grafting efficiency of the expanded skin using Yucatan female pigs. METHODS: We developed an automated bioreactor system with the functions of real-time monitoring and remote-control, optimization of grip, and induction of skin porosity for effective tissue expansion. We evaluated the morphological, ultra-structural, and mechanical properties of the expanded skin before and after expansion using histology, immunohistochemistry, and tensile testing. We further carried out in vivo grafting study using Yucatan pigs to investigate the feasibility of this method in clinical application. RESULTS: The results showed an average expansion rate of 180%. The histological findings indicated that external expansion stimulated cellular activity in the isolated skin and resulted in successful grafting to the transplanted site. Specifically, hyperplasia did not appear at the auto-grafted site, and grafted skin appeared similar to normal skin. Furthermore, mechanical stimuli resulted in an increase in COL1A2 expression in a suitable environment. CONCLUSION: These findings provided insight on the potential of this expansion system in promoting dermal extracellular matrix synthesis in vitro. Conclusively, this newly developed smart skin bioreactor enabled effective skin expansion ex vivo and successful grafting in vivo in a pig model.
Bioreactors ; Burns ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Extracellular Matrix ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Vitro Techniques ; Methods ; Models, Animal ; Porosity ; Skin Transplantation ; Skin* ; Swine ; Tissue Expansion ; Tissue Expansion Devices ; Transplants

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the value of clinical prognostic factors and semiquantitative metabolic parameters from initial staging fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients treated with stem cell transplantation (SCT).METHODS: A total of 39 malignant lymphoma patients who underwent initial staging F-18 FDG PET/CT were enrolled in this study. SUVmax, MTV_wb, and TLG_wb were measured during the initial staging PET/CT. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was adopted to dichotomize continuous variables. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to evaluate disease-free survival (DFS) rate.RESULTS: Among the 39 patients with malignant lymphoma, 17 (43.6%) had a relapse. For several clinical factors such as age, ECOG performance score, AMC/ALC score, stages, and revised International Prognostic Index score, differences between the two dichotomized groups were statistically insignificant. In univariate analysis, DFS estimates were 71.0 ± 7.8 months and 18.0 ± 5.9 months in high-SUVmax and low-SUVmax group, respectively (P < 0.01). For MTV_wb, DFS estimates were 46.6 ± 12.4 months and 69.1 ± 8.5 months in high-MTV_wb and low-MTV_wb group, respectively (P = 0.12). For TLG_wb, DFS estimates were 65.3 ± 7.5 months and 13.7 ± 8.6 months in high-TLG_wb and low-TLG_wb group, respectively (P = 0.02). In Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, only MTV_wb showed statistical significance (HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.04−8.74, P = 0.04).CONCLUSION: In NHL patients treated with SCT, the MTV_wb of initial staging F-18 FDG PET/CTwas an independent prognostic factor.
Disease-Free Survival ; Electrons ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; ROC Curve ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the value of clinical prognostic factors and semiquantitative metabolic parameters from initial staging fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients treated with stem cell transplantation (SCT). METHODS: A total of 39 malignant lymphoma patients who underwent initial staging F-18 FDG PET/CT were enrolled in this study. SUVmax, MTV_wb, and TLG_wb were measured during the initial staging PET/CT. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was adopted to dichotomize continuous variables. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to evaluate disease-free survival (DFS) rate. RESULTS: Among the 39 patients with malignant lymphoma, 17 (43.6%) had a relapse. For several clinical factors such as age, ECOG performance score, AMC/ALC score, stages, and revised International Prognostic Index score, differences between the two dichotomized groups were statistically insignificant. In univariate analysis, DFS estimates were 71.0 ± 7.8 months and 18.0 ± 5.9 months in high-SUVmax and low-SUVmax group, respectively (P < 0.01). For MTV_wb, DFS estimates were 46.6 ± 12.4 months and 69.1 ± 8.5 months in high-MTV_wb and low-MTV_wb group, respectively (P = 0.12). For TLG_wb, DFS estimates were 65.3 ± 7.5 months and 13.7 ± 8.6 months in high-TLG_wb and low-TLG_wb group, respectively (P = 0.02). In Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, only MTV_wb showed statistical significance (HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.04−8.74, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION In NHL patients treated with SCT, the MTV_wb of initial staging F-18 FDG PET/CTwas an independent prognostic factor.

Liver failure is one of the main risks of death worldwide, and it originates from repetitive injuries and inflammations of liver tissues, which finally leads to the liver cirrhosis or cancer. Currently, liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for the liver diseases although it has a limitation due to donor scarcity. Alternatively, cell therapy to regenerate and reconstruct the damaged liver has been suggested to overcome the current limitation of liver disease cures. Several transplantable cell types could be utilized for recovering liver functions in injured liver, including bone marrow cells, mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, macrophages, and stem cell-derived hepatocytes. Furthermore, paracrine effects of transplanted cells have been suggested as a new paradigm for liver disease cures, and this application would be a new strategy to cure liver failures. Therefore, here we reviewed the current status and challenges of therapy using stem cells for liver disease treatments.
Bone Marrow Cells ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver Failure ; Liver Regeneration ; Liver Transplantation ; Liver* ; Macrophages ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells* ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Caudal block is a popular regional anesthesia in children undergoing infraumbilical surgeries including inguinal hernia repair and orchiopexy. We evaluated the efficacy of eutectic mixture of local anesthetic (EMLA) cream for reducing needle insertion pain during caudal block in pediatric patients. METHODS: Forty-one children between the ages of 13 months and 5 years undergoing infraumbilical surgery were randomized to receive either topical EMLA or placebo cream over the sacral hiatus one hour before caudal block. All children were assessed with the Multidimensional Assessment Pain Scale (MAPS) at the following time points. T0: arrival at the operation room; T1: just before needle insertion; T2: immediately after needle insertion into the sacral hiatus. The need for sevoflurane inhalation due to procedural pain response was also assessed at the same time as MAPS assessment. RESULTS: MAPS scores were significantly lower in the EMLA group compared with the placebo group at T2 (P = 0.001). Moreover, need for sevoflurane inhalation due to procedural pain response was significantly lower in the EMLA group compared with the control group at T2 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that pretreatment with EMLA cream over the sacral hiatus before caudal block has significant advantages in alleviating procedure pain during caudal block in children.
Anesthesia, Caudal ; Anesthesia, Conduction ; Child* ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Needles ; Orchiopexy ; Pediatrics ; Punctures* ; Skin*

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke requires consistent care, but there is concern over the "weekend effect", whereby a weekend admission results in a poor outcome. Our aim was to determine the impact of weekend admission on clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Korea. METHODS: The outcomes of patients admitted on weekdays and weekends were compared by analyzing data from a prospective outcome registry enrolling 1247 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to four neurology training hospitals in South Korea between September 2004 and August 2005. The primary outcome was a poor functional outcome at 3 months, defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 3-6. Secondary outcomes were 3-month mortality, use of thrombolysis, complication rate, and length of hospitalization. Shift analysis was also performed to compare overall mRS distributions. RESULTS: On weekends, 334 (26.8%) patients were admitted. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the weekday and weekend groups except for more history of heart disease and shorter admission time in weekend group. Univariate analysis revealed poor functional outcome at 3 months, 3-month mortality, complication rate, and length of hospitalization did not differ between the two groups. In addition, overall mRS distributions were comparable (p=0.865). After adjusting for baseline factors and stroke severity, weekend admission was not associated with poor functional outcome at 3 months (adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.74-1.50). Furthermore, none of secondary endpoints differed between the two groups in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Weekend admission was not associated with poor functional outcome than weekday admission in patients with acute ischemic stroke in this study. The putative weekend effect should be explored further by considering a wider range of hospital settings and hemorrhagic stroke.
Heart Diseases ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Neurology ; Odds Ratio ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Stroke

OBJECTIVES: Urocanase domain containing 1 (UROC1) has never been studied in prior studies on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). UROC1 causes urocanic aciduria, one of the symptoms of which is mental retardation. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the UROC1 gene and ASDs in a Korean population. METHODS: A total of 258 control and 214 patients with ASD were used as subjects of this study. SNPs selected from UROC1 were genotyped using Illumina Golden-Gate Genotyping assay with VeraCode(R) technology. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS and Plink software. RESULTS: We found no association of the 12 SNPs in the UROC1 gene with ASDs in a Korean population. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the 12 SNPs (11 SNPs and 1 SNP in the intron and 3'UTR region, respectively) in the UROC1 were not associated with ASDs in a Korean population. Further study on the exon region of UROC1 is needed.
3' Untranslated Regions ; Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Exons ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Introns ; Phenothiazines ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Urocanate Hydratase

The dietary intake of whole grains is known to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. To investigate whether there are anti-adipogenic activities in various Korean cereals, we assessed water extracts of nine cereals. The results showed that treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with Sorghum bicolor L. Moench, Setaria italica Beauvois, or Panicum miliaceum L. extract significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation, as determined by measuring oil red-O staining, triglyceride accumulation, and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Among the nine cereals, P. miliaceum L. showed the highest anti-adipogenic activity. The effects of P. miliaceum L. on mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1, and the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha were evaluated, revealing that the extract significantly decreased the expression of these genes in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, P. miliaceum L. extract changed the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in adipocytes, which is related to biological activity and cell characteristics. These results suggest that some cereals efficiently suppress adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In particular, the effect of P. miliaceum L. on adipocyte differentiation is associated with the downregulation of adipogenic genes and fatty acid accumulation in adipocytes.
3T3-L1 Cells ; Adipocytes ; Adipogenesis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Edible Grain ; Chronic Disease ; Down-Regulation ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; Glycerol ; Glycerophosphates ; Incidence ; Obesity ; Oxidoreductases ; Panicum ; Peroxisomes ; RNA, Messenger ; Setaria Plant ; Sorghum ; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 ; Transcription Factors ; Water