Introduction: Itch, an uncomfortable sensation leading to the urge to scratch, is often inadequately managed by conventional antihistamine drugs, which can be ineffective in certain pruritic conditions and cause undesirable side effects. Therefore, there is a need to identify new pharmacologically potent antipruritic compounds with fewer side effects. A synthetic curcuminoid analogue, 2,6-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-cyclohexanone (BHMC), a derivative of curcumin - a bioactive compound found in turmeric - has demonstrated various pharmacological ac-tivities. Previous studies have shown that BHMC possesses antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to investigate the antipruritic effects of BHMC in mice models of induced pruritus. Materials and Meth-ods: The pruritus in mice was induced using compound 48/80, substance P, histamine, and serotonin to establish an itch-induced mouse model. BHMC was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) at doses of 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/kg. Results: BHMC significantly reduced pruriceptive responses in all models tested and notably inhibited compound 48/80 and substance P-induced mast cell degranulation in skin tissues. Conclusions: These findings suggest that BHMC inhibits pruriceptive responses in mice, likely through the inhibition of mast cell degranulation and/or direct antagonism of peripheral histamine and serotonin receptors. This may warrant further exploration of the antipruritic effect of BHMC in clinical trials for the betterment of animal and human health.

Purpose: This study explored how the Korean Medical Colleges responded to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the medical deans’ perspectives on what and how these adaptions influence the present and the future of medical education. Methods: An email survey combining short and open-ended questions was distributed to all 40 Korean school deans in May 2020. Thirty-seven deans out of 40 medical schools in Korea (92.5%) participated. Results: Most lectures moved online but students’ assessments were delayed and later held onsite. Clinical rotations continued except for an average of 3-week suspension during the first COVID-19 wave. The deans’ remarks on the positive influences far outweighed the negative impact of COVID-19 on medical education. Although technological adaptations caused initial hardship, the experience gained through the use of various online learning systems led to attitudinal changes on the importance of adopting new technology and a tailored and student centric curriculum in medical education. Conclusion The deans’ perspective changes has shown the possibility of the deans’ generation aligning more closely with the current Generation Z medical students. They projected further innovations in teaching and learning methods, especially applying flipped learning and highlighted the need to invest in faculty development so medical educators can be equipped and competent in diverse ICT (information and communications technology) learning platforms. Also, the need for advance preparations in medical education for future similar public health crises were stressed. Unprecedented changes brought by COVID-19 positively impacted Korean medical education in parts and the Korean deans envisioned further innovations using the experiences gained during this crisis.

Purpose: This study explored how the Korean Medical Colleges responded to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the medical deans’ perspectives on what and how these adaptions influence the present and the future of medical education. Methods: An email survey combining short and open-ended questions was distributed to all 40 Korean school deans in May 2020. Thirty-seven deans out of 40 medical schools in Korea (92.5%) participated. Results: Most lectures moved online but students’ assessments were delayed and later held onsite. Clinical rotations continued except for an average of 3-week suspension during the first COVID-19 wave. The deans’ remarks on the positive influences far outweighed the negative impact of COVID-19 on medical education. Although technological adaptations caused initial hardship, the experience gained through the use of various online learning systems led to attitudinal changes on the importance of adopting new technology and a tailored and student centric curriculum in medical education. Conclusion The deans’ perspective changes has shown the possibility of the deans’ generation aligning more closely with the current Generation Z medical students. They projected further innovations in teaching and learning methods, especially applying flipped learning and highlighted the need to invest in faculty development so medical educators can be equipped and competent in diverse ICT (information and communications technology) learning platforms. Also, the need for advance preparations in medical education for future similar public health crises were stressed. Unprecedented changes brought by COVID-19 positively impacted Korean medical education in parts and the Korean deans envisioned further innovations using the experiences gained during this crisis.

BACKGROUNDThe onsets of needling sensation introduced by acupuncture stimulus can vary widely from subject to subject. This should be explicitly accounted for by the model blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) time course used in general linear model (GLM) analysis to obtain more consistent across-subject group results. However, in standard GLM analysis, the model BOLD time course obtained by convolving a canonical hemodynamic response function with an experimental paradigm time course is assumed identical across subjects. Although some added-on properties to the model BOLD time course, such as temporal and dispersion derivatives, may be used to account for different BOLD response onsets, they can only account for the BOLD onset deviations to the extent of less than one repetition time (TR).

METHODSIn this study, we explicitly manipulated the onsets of model BOLD time course by shifting it with -2, -1, or 1 TR and used these temporally shifted BOLD model to analyze the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data obtained from three acupuncture fMRI experiments with GLM analysis. One involved acupuncture stimulus on left ST42 acupoint and the other two on left GB40 and left BL64 acupoints.

RESULTSThe model BOLD time course with temporal shifts, in addition to temporal and dispersion derivatives, could result in better statistical power of the data analysis in terms of the average correlation coefficients between the used BOLD models and extracted BOLD responses from individual subject data and the T-values of the activation clusters in the grouped random effects.

CONCLUSIONSThe GLM analysis with ordinary BOLD model failed to catch the large variability of the onsets of the BOLD responses associated with the acupuncture needling sensation. Shifts in time with more than a TR on model BOLD time course might be required to better extract the acupuncture stimulus-induced BOLD activities from individual fMRI data.

Acupuncture ; Adult ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; physiology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Oxygen ; blood ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate migration of technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) labeled immature and mature dendritic cells (DC) in the mouse. METHODS: DC were collected from bone marrow (BM) of tibiae and femurs of mice. Immature and mature DC from BM cells were radiolabeled with 99mTc-HMPAO. To evaluate the functional and phenotypic changes of DC from radiolabeling, the allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis were performed before and after labeling with 99mTc-HMPAO. Migration of intravenously injected DC (iv-DC) was assessed by serial gamma camera images of mice with or without subcutaneous tumor. Percent injected dose per gram (%ID/g) was calculated in lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, and tumor through dissection of each mice after 24 hours of injection. RESULTS: Labeling efficiency of immature and mature DC were 60.4 +/- 5.4% and 61.8 +/- 6.7%, respectively. Iv-DC initially appeared in the lungs, then redistributed mainly to liver and spleen. Migration of mature DC to spleen was significantly higher than that of immature DC (38.3 +/- 4.0 % vs. 32.2 +/- 4.1 % in control group, 40.4 +/- 4.1% vs. 35.9 +/- 3.8 % in tumor group; p< 0.05). Migration to tumor was also significantly higher in mature DC than in immature DC (2.4 +/- 0.3% vs 1.7 +/- 0.2%; p=0.034). CONCLUSION: Assessment of migration pattern of DC in mice was possible using 99mTc-HMPAO labeled immature and mature DC. Migration of mature DC to spleen and tumor was higher than that of immature DC when they were i.v. injected.
Animals ; Bone Marrow ; Dendritic Cells* ; Femur ; Flow Cytometry ; Gamma Cameras ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Mice* ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Spleen ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime ; Tibia

PURPOSE: Radioiodine (I-131) therapy is an effective modality to reduce both recurrence and mortality rates in differentiated thyroid cancer. Whether higher doses shows higher therapeutic responses was still debatable. The purpose of this study was to validate curve-fitting (CF) method measuring maximum permissible dose (MPD) by a biological dosimetry using metaphase analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Therapeutic effects of MPD was evaluated in 58 patients (49 females and 9 males, mean age 50+/-11 years) of papillary thyroid cancer. Among them 43 patients were treated with < or =7.4 GBq, while 15 patients with > or =9.25 GBq. The former was defined as low-dose group, and the latter high-dose group. Therapeutic response was defined as complete response when complete disappearance of lesions on follow-up I-131 scan and undetectable serum thyroglobulin levels were found. Statistical comparison between groups were done using chi-square test. P value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. RESULTS: MPD measured by CF method using tracer and therapeutic doses were 13.3+/-1.9 and 13.8+/-2.1 GBq, respectively (p=0.20). They showed a significant correlation (r=0.8, p< 0.0001). Exposed doses to blood measured by CF and biological methods were 1.54+/-0.03 and 1.78+/-0.03 Gy (p=0.01). They also showed a significant correlation (r=0.86, p=0.01). High-dose group showed a significantly higher rate of complete response (12/15, 80%) as compared to the low-dose group (22/43, 51.2%) (p=0.05). While occurrence of side effects was not different between two groups (40% vs. 30.2%, p=0.46). CONCLUSION: Measurement of MPD using CF method is reliable, and the high-dose I-131 therapy using MPD gains significantly higher therapeutic effects as compared with low-dose therapy.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Metaphase ; Mortality ; Recurrence ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: To evaluate radiation sensitivity of dendritic cells in comparison with lymphocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T lymphocytes captured from peripheral blood were irradiated by 0 Gy, 10 Gy, 30 Gy. Apoptosis was measured by flowcytometry for staining of Annexin V 4 hours after irradiation. Immature and mature dendritic cells processed from blood hematopoietic stem cell were irradiated by 0 Gy, 10 Gy, 30 Gy, 100 Gy respectively and apoptosis was measured by flowcytometry with time difference as 4h, 24h and 48h after irradiation. Morphometric analysis by percent nucleus was measured in three cell groups, also. RESULTS: Lymphocytes showed radiation sensitivity by increasing apoptotic fraction according to radiation dose. However, both mature and immature dendritic cells showed consistent fraction of apoptosis in spite of increasing radiation dose. Percent nucleus ratio is significantly higher in lymphocytes than that of mature or immature dendritic cells. Stimulation of T-cell by dendritic cells was not changed after irradiation. CONCLUSION: Dendritic cells showed radioresistance which was associated with small size of nucleus in comparison with lymphocytes and this result would be used as a basal data of radio-labelling for the cellular trafficking studies in nuclear medicine fields.
Annexin A5 ; Apoptosis ; Dendritic Cells* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Lymphocytes ; Nuclear Medicine ; Radiation Tolerance ; T-Lymphocytes