Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity level can be used as a diagnostic marker for anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning. In this study, we aimed to establish a baseline level of normal brain AChE activity in wild birds. AChE activity was measured in the brains of 87dead wild birds (26 species). The level of AChE activity ranged from 6.40 to 15.9 µmol/min/g of brain tissue in normal wild birds. However, the brain tissue AChE activity level in wild birds exposed to organophosphate (OP) pesticide was 48.0%–96.3% of that in the normal birds. These results may serve as reference values to facilitate routine diagnosis and monitoring of OP-poisoned wild birds.
Acetylcholinesterase ; Birds ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Organophosphates ; Poisoning ; Reference Values

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the 3rd leading cause of death in 2012 worldwide. It is particularly severe in the elderly, who are at risk of death by coughing, mucous hypersecretion, and finally breathlessness. Recently, anti-COPD drug development has increased, and many animal screening systems have been studied. Tobacco smoke animal models are the best known animal screening system, but have several preparation requirements, such as a tobacco smoke generator and a separate facility to prevent smoke release. Accordingly, we evaluated the properties of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) murine model for COPD screening and the effect of the time elapsed from 0 to 72 hr after LPS intranasal instillation on various biomarkers of COPD severity, such as WBC and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF), IgE in serum, histopathology in the lung, and cytokines (IL-8, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and TGF-β) and chemokines (CCL-2, CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) in the respiratory system. Although from 48 hr after LPS treatment several factors which could be evaluated as biomarkers for COPD establishment such as WBC and neutrophil in BALF, IgE in serum, cytokines (IL-8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ), and chemokines (CCL-2, CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) increased at 72 hr the increment of important factors for COPD establishment such as IgE, fibrosis in the lung, and cytokines (IL-8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) was more clear. Based on our results, we concluded that the optimal time after LPS intranasal instillation is 72 hr.
Aged ; Animals ; Biomarkers ; Cause of Death ; Chemokines ; Cough ; Cytokines ; Dyspnea ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Lung ; Mass Screening ; Mice* ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Respiratory System ; Smoke ; Tobacco

PURPOSE: To evaluate segmentation reliability in diabetic macular edema (DME) estimates between a Cirrus™ HD-OCT image analysis algorithm and an Iowa reference algorithm, which are an automatic segmentation software. METHODS: Thirty eyes from 23 patients diagnosed with DME were included and underwent spectral-domain optical coherence scans (Cirrus™ HD-OCT). Central foveal thickness (CFT) and ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer segmentation data were compared with those produced by the Cirrus™ HD-OCT segmentation algorithm and Iowa reference algorithm. Measurement agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation (ICC) and segmentation errors were confirmed by 2 ophthalmologists. RESULTS: The mean CFT in the 1-mm central area determined by the manufacturer-supplied Cirrus software and Iowa reference algorithm was 512.07 ± 182.35 µm and 476.53 ± 32.36 µm, respectively (p < 0.05). The mean paired difference was 35.53 ± 92.46 µm (ICC, 0.929). Segmentation errors were demonstrated in eyes with a CFT less than 400 µm, specifically for 45% of scans obtained by the Cirrus algorithm and 9% from the Iowa algorithm; in eyes with a CFT equal to or higher than 400 µm, the error rates were 95% and 42%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CFT measurement in eyes with diabetic macular edema using the Cirrus algorithm and Iowa algorithm showed relatively high degrees of agreement and significant correlation. In eyes with a CFT equal to or higher than 400 µm, the Iowa algorithm showed higher reliability in retinal segmentation than the Cirrus algorithm.
Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Iowa ; Macular Edema* ; Retinaldehyde ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

There are many possible causes of esophageal ulcer, such as reflux esophagitis, pill-induced esophagitis, infectious esophagitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, Behcet's disease, radiation injury, caustic injury, foreign body-induced injury, esophageal cancer, and so on. However, there are only a few cases of esophageal ulcer by thermal injury from food, and most of these were caused by liquids; few are related to ingestion of solid food. We experienced a case of a large symmetrical esophageal ulcer caused by thermal and compressive injury from a hot solid foodstuff known as 'Song-pyen', a traditional Korean food, and report the natural course of healing by conservative treatment, with a review of the few available reports regarding such injuries.
Eating ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Esophagitis ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Radiation Injuries ; Syphilis ; Tuberculosis ; Ulcer

Hepatitis A is usually a self-limited liver disease that is treated conservatively. Acute renal injury complicating acute hepatitis A in the absence of fulminant hepatic failure is rare. We experienced a 33-year-old man who was healthy, and did not know that he was a hepatitis B virus (HBV)carrier with non-fulminant hepatitis A. He developed an acute kidney injury that necessitated dialysis therapy and a renal biopsy. He recovered within about 1 month. Pathologically, the renal biopsy showed acute tubular necrosis. It also showed IgA nephropathy and mesangium proliferation with glomerular nephritis, which are seen in chronic viral hepatitis B. We describe the association of acute hepatitis A with acute kidney injury and report the pathological findings of a renal biopsy related to chronic hepatitis B in an acute hepatitis A patient discovered by chance.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Dialysis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Necrosis ; Nephritis

Esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis are rare form of gastrointestinal tuberculosis. The common complications due to esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis are fistulous communications with the adjacent structures, perforation, obstruction, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Massive bleeding in esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis is quite rare. We encountered a case of a 55-year-old male who presented with hematemesis and melena. Esophageal and Duodenal tuberculosis with a duodenal fistula was diagnosed by an endoscopic and radiology examination. He improved after treatment with anti-tuberculosis medication over a 9 month period. We report this case of esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis associated with pulmonary tuberculosis with a review of the relevant literature.
Duodenum* ; Esophagus* ; Fistula ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Melena ; Middle Aged ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Choledochal cysts in neonates and young infants take two forms: the choledochal cyst associated with biliary atresia (CCBA) and the choledochal cyst in the absence of biliary atresia (CC). Infants in both groups usually have similar clinical symptoms at presentation, but management and prognosis are different. While early portoenterostomy is required for CCBA, cyst excision with hepaticojejunostomy or choledochojejunostomy is usually performed for CC. The former shows a relatively poor prognosis, and the latter shows a better prognosis. Two infants who presented with clinical features of neonatal cholestasis, and clinically suspected to have choledochal cysts, were found on imaging studies and surgery to have extrahepatic bile duct atresia in association with choledochal cysts.
Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Biliary Atresia* ; Choledochal Cyst* ; Choledochostomy ; Cholestasis ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The overriding influence of physical activity and the diurnal variation during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been well demonstrated. We prospectively evaluated the usefulness of electronic activity monitoring for deriving the actual physical activity and the diurnal variation of ABPM. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 24-hour ABPM with using an electronic activity monitor was performed on ten normotensive volunteers and fifteen hypertensive subjects. To interpret the ABPM results of the fifteen hypertensive subjects, we obtained the actual awake/sleep periods of every subject with using an electronic activity monitor. RESULTS: The activity values obtained from the ten normotensive volunteers correlated well with the values of the blood pressure (BP) and the heart rate. In the hypertensives, the nocturnal mean BP derived by the actual period was significantly lower than that derived by the arbitrary period (130+/-16/81+/-13 mmHg versus 124+/-13/77+/-12 mmHg, respectively, p<0.05). The nocturnal BP fall derived by the actual period was significantly larger than that derived by the arbitrary period (14.9+/-8.7/11.6+/-7.5 mmHg versus 21.1+/-8.6/16.2+/-7.4 mmHg, respectively, p<0.01). Four among the 7 non-dippers determined by the arbitrary period were re-classified as dippers when the actual period was used. One among the 13 hypertensives, as determined by the arbitrary period, was also re-classified as a non-hypertensive. CONCLUSION: The electronic activity monitor was able to determine the actual activity level. The interpretation of ABPM may be altered by the use of the electronic activity monitor. These results suggest that the accuracy and reproducibility of the 24-hour ABPM will be improved by using an electronic activity monitor.
Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory* ; Heart Rate ; Motor Activity ; Prospective Studies ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVE: To know the effect of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) on intracellular calcium level and cell proliferation in cervical cancer cells. METHODS: Study design: Four different human cervical cancer cell lines (Caski, C33A, HeLaS3 and SiHa) were used in this study. The change of intracellular calcium level, cell proliferation and the activity of proliferation- and calcium-related transcription factors by extracellular ATP were examined in these cell lines. RESULTS: Extracellular ATP induced calcium mobilization, cell proliferation and the activation of NF-kappa B in all cell lines used. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that calcium mobilization and NF-kappa B dependent signaling pathway play an important role in the cell proliferation by ATP in cervical cancer.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Adenosine* ; Calcium* ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans ; NF-kappa B* ; Transcription Factors ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of protein expressions by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma tissues in Korean women. METHODS: Normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma tissues were solubilized with 2-DE buffer and the first dimension of PROTEAN IEF CELL, isoelectric focusing (IEF), was performed using pH3-10 linear IPG strips of 17 cm. And then running 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and sliver stain. Scanned image was analyzed using PDQuest 2-D softwareTM. Protein spot spectrum was identified by assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of fighting (MALDI-TOF) and the protein mass spectrum identifications were performed by searching protein databases of Swiss-prot/TrEMBL, Mascot and MS-FIT. RESULTS: We found 9 up-regulation proteins (Alpha enolase, Keratin 19 type I, Keratin 20 type I, Keratin 13 type I, beta-actin, Aflatoxin B1 aldehyde reductase 1, Annexin A2, Squamous cell carcinoma antigen 2, unknown), 7 down-reguation proteins (Annexin 1, Myosin regulatory light chain 2, 14-3-3 protein epsilon, Heat shock 27 kDa protein, Hypothetical protein (DKFZP434C1715), Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 13B, Smoth muscle protein 22-alpha) and 6 up and down-regulation proteins (Tropomyosin 1, Tropomyosin 2, Tropomyosin 3, Serine (or cysteine) proteinase inhibitor, Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha isoform, Src homology 3 domain-containing protein HIP-55) between normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma cell tissues. CONCLUSION: 2-DE offers total protein expressions between normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma cell tissues, and searching of differently expressed protein for the diagnostic markers of squamous cell carcinoma tissue.
14-3-3 Proteins ; Actins ; Aflatoxin B1 ; Aldehyde Reductase ; Annexin A2 ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Databases, Protein ; Down-Regulation ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional* ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Female ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Keratin-13 ; Keratin-19 ; Keratin-20 ; Mass Spectrometry* ; Muscle Proteins ; Myosin Light Chains ; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Running ; Serine ; Shock ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate ; Tropomyosin ; Up-Regulation ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*