TW-37 is a small molecule B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) homology 3 mimetic with potential anticancer activities. However, the in vivo anti-cancer effect of TW-37 in human oral cancer has not been properly studied yet. Here, we attempted to confirm antitumor activity of TW37 in human oral cancer. TW-37 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and increased the number of dead cells in MC-3 and HSC-3 human oral cancer cell lines. TW-37 enhanced apoptosis of both cell lines evidenced by annexin V/propidium iodide double staining, sub-G1 population analysis and the detection of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspase-3. In addition, TW-37 markedly downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 protein, while not affecting Bcl-xL or myeloid cell leukemia-1. In vivo, TW-37 inhibited tumor growth in a nude mice xenograft model without any significant liver and kidney toxicities. Collectively, these data reveal that TW-37 may be a promising small molecule to inhibit human oral cancer.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Myeloid Cells

This study was performed to measure early changes in the serotype distribution of pneumococci isolated from children with invasive disease during the 3-year period following the introduction of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in Korea. From January 2011 to December 2013 at 25 hospitals located throughout Korea, pneumococci were isolated among children who had invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Serotypes were determined using the Quellung reaction, and the change in serotype distribution was analyzed. Seventy-five cases of IPD were included. Eighty percent of patients were aged 3-59 months, and 32% had a comorbidity that increased the risk of pneumococcal infection. The most common serotypes were 19A (32.0%), 10A (8.0%), and 15C (6.7%). The PCV7 serotypes (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, 23F, and 6A) accounted for 14.7% of the total isolates and the PCV13 minus PCV7 types (1, 3, 5, 7F and 19A) accounted for 32.0% of the total isolates. Serotype 19A was the only serotype in the PCV13 minus PCV7 group. The proportion of serotype 19A showed decreasing tendency from 37.5% in 2011 to 22.2% in 2013 (P = 0.309), while the proportion of non-PCV13 types showed increasing tendency from 45.8% in 2011 to 72.2% in 2013 (P = 0.108). Shortly after the introduction of extended-valent PCVs in Korea, serotype 19A continued to be the most common serotype causing IPD in children. Subsequently, the proportion of 19A decreased, and non-vaccine serotypes emerged as an important cause of IPD. The impact of extended-valent vaccines must be continuously monitored.
Adolescent ; Bacteremia/complications/diagnosis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumococcal Infections/microbiology/*prevention & control ; Pneumococcal Vaccines/*immunology ; Republic of Korea ; Serotyping ; Streptococcus pneumoniae/*classification/isolation & purification ; Vaccines, Conjugate/*immunology

PURPOSE: Functional imaging of dopamine transporter (DAT) defines integrity of the dopaminergic system, and DAT is the target site of drugs of abuse such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Functional imaging the DAT may be a sensitive and selective indicator of neurotoxic change by the drug. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical implications of qualitative/quantitative analyses of dopamine transporter imaging in methamphetamine abusers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six detoxified methamphetamine abusers (abuser group) and 4 volunteers (control group) were enrolled in this study. Brain MRI was performed in all of abuser group. Abuser group underwent psychiatric and depression assessment using brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD), respectively. All of the subjects underwent I-123 IPT SPECT (IPT SPECT). IPT SPECT image was analysed with visual qualitative method and quantitative method using basal ganglia dopamine transporter (DAT) specific/non-specific binding ratio (SBR). Comparison of DAT SBR between abuser and control groups was performed. We also performed correlation tests between psychiatric and depression assessment results and DAT SBR in abuser group. RESULTS: All of abuser group showed normal MRI finding, but had residual psychiatric and depressive symptoms, and psychiatric and depressive symptom scores were exactly correlated (r=1.0, p=0.005) each other. Five of them showed abnormal finding on qualitative visual I-123 IPT SPECT. Abuser group had lower basal ganglia DAT SBR than that of control (2.38+/-0.20 vs 3.04+/-0.27, p=0.000). Psychiatric and depressive symptoms were negatively well correlated with basal ganglia DAT SBR (r=-0.908, p=0.012, r=-0.924, p=0.009). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that dopamine transporter imaging using I-123 IPT SPECT may be used to evaluate dopaminergic system of the basal ganglia and the clinical status in methamphetamine abusers.
Basal Ganglia* ; Brain ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Cocaine ; Depression ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methamphetamine* ; Street Drugs ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: Pain remains the chief complaint that brings patients to physician's office, despite recent insights into underlying mechanism and the identification of potential new therapeutic targets. In recent years, however, with the development of molecular biology cell transplantation gives us a new chance for treating intractable chronic pain. The major purpose of the present study was to determine if the chromaffin cells that were encapsulated with 1.3% (w/v) sodium alginate-poly-l-lysine-alginate (APA) had robust analgesic effects in the spinal atlanto-occipital subarachnoid space even without nicotine stimulation. METHODS: In order to determine whether microencapsulated bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells transplanted in the spinal cord can produce analgesic effects, we microencapsulated adrenal medullary chromaffin cells with APA and implanted them into the subarachnoid space of rats' (n = 10) spinal cord, and investigated the hot sensitivity of rats' hind-paw by a light-beam test. RESULTS: It was found that compared with the control group, hot response latency of the group which received adrenal medullary chromaffin cells increased from the 12th day and the analgesic efficacy was maintained for at least 75 days. CONCLUSIONS: Microencapsulated bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells transplanted in the rats' spinal cord may provide a permanent and locally available source of neuropeptides for the relief of intractable pain. Furthermore, these kinds of analgesic effect were produced without any stimulation such as nicotine.
Cell Transplantation ; Chromaffin Cells* ; Chronic Pain ; Drug Compounding ; Humans ; Molecular Biology ; Neuropeptides ; Nicotine ; Pain, Intractable ; Physicians' Offices ; Reaction Time ; Sodium ; Spinal Cord* ; Subarachnoid Space ; Transplants

We report a rare case of neuro-Behcet's disease (NBD) presenting as an inflammatory pseudotumor in the brain. A 52-yr-old woman was evaluated for subacute dizziness and headache. Brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed a right cerebellar mass, which disappeared 2 weeks later. After a year, recurrent mucocutaneous manifestations of Beh et's disease were observed. Immunosuppressant and steroid maintenance treatment were started. She experienced two more neurologic attacks and brain MR imaging revealed an enhancing mass in the right temporal lobe. The second attack showed a good response to steroid pulse therapy, but the third attack did not respond to steroid and her neurologic signs suggested an impending transtentorial hernia. The right temporal lobectomy was performed for the purpose of life-saving. The pathologic finding of the mass was a chronic inflammatory vasculitis, compatible with NBD.
Behcet Syndrome/*diagnosis/surgery ; Brain Diseases/*diagnosis/surgery ; Brain Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell/*diagnosis/surgery ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the epidemiologic characteristics of sudden unexpected death in infancy and to evaluate the importance of postmortem autopsy. METHODS: We reviewed, retrospectively, medical records of 34 infants admitted to Kangnam General Hospital from January 1987 to December 2001 because of sudden unexpected death. We investigated the cause of death through medical history, death scene examination, autopsy findings, acylcarnitine and organic acid analysis. RESULTS: Among the total 34 infants, 18 were male(52.9%) and 16 were female(47.1%). Thirty infants(88%) were below the six months of age. Winter was the most affected season(38.2%). Eighteen infants(52.9%) died between 6 and 12AM. The prone sleeping position was observed more frequently than the supine position at death; nine cases in the prone position, six cases in the supine position. The cause of death of 23 cases could not be found by only history and death scene examination. Autopsy was done in 13 cases. Seven cases of them were thought to be SIDS. In six cases, we explained the cause of death with autosy findings. They were an endocardial fibroelastosis, a nesidioblastosis, a subdural hematoma, a bronchopneumonia and two fatty changes of liver. Metabolic screening tests performed in three cases to rule out metabolic disorder since 2000 were all normal. CONCLUSION: We concluded that autopsy and metabolic screening test should be performed to find out the cause of death in sudden unexpected death in infancy.
Autopsy* ; Bronchopneumonia ; Cause of Death ; Endocardial Fibroelastosis ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver ; Mass Screening ; Medical Records ; Nesidioblastosis ; Prone Position ; Retrospective Studies ; Sudden Infant Death ; Supine Position

No abstract available
Drug Therapy ; Glioma* ; Humans ; Nimustine* ; Radiotherapy*

No abstract available.
Astrocytoma ; Brain* ; Drug Therapy ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma* ; Humans ; Nimustine* ; Radiotherapy*

To estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Korean adults and to present the putative route of HCV transmission among them, serum samples from 4917 adults older than 20 years of age were tested for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), and histories of blood transfusion and other pertinent information were obtained by self-administered questionnaires. The overall prevalence of anti-HCV was 1.7%; prevalence was 1.4% in subjects with normal levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 3.3% in those with slightly elevated and 5.9% in those with markedly elevated levels of the enzymes. The prevalence of anti-HCV increased with increasing age (P < 0.01), but was not associated with blood transfusion. The present study suggests that the prevalence of HCV infection was 1.4% and that the major routes of HCV transmission may be other than blood transfusion in healthy Korean adults.
Adult ; Aged ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Hepacivirus/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Hepatitis Antibodies/*blood ; Hepatitis C/*epidemiology/immunology/transmission ; Hepatitis C Antibodies ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Radioimmunoassay ; Retrospective Studies

This study was conducted to investigate the association of the occurrence of pediatric disease with environmental, seasonal and atmospheric factors. The data were collected at 5 pediatric clinics in Seoul and the Department of Pediatrics of Yongin Severance Hospital from May 1986 to April 1987. The results were as follows: 1. Vacation periods had a great influence upon the occurrence of pediatric diseases. 2. The majority of pediatric diseases occurred mainly in spring and autumn, not in summer and winter. 3. The higher the average relative humidity was, the less diseases occurred; and the higher the maximum change of daily temperature, the more diseases occurred. 4. In summer, the pattern of diseases varied along with the environmental factors(eg., toilet).
Gyeonggi-do ; Humidity ; Pediatrics ; Seasons* ; Seoul