Empathy is the ability to identify with or make a vicariously experience of another person's feelings or thoughts based on memory and/or self-referential mental simulation. The default mode network in particular is related to self-referential empathy. In order to elucidate the possible neural mechanisms underlying empathy, we investigated the functional connectivity of the default mode network in subjects from a general population. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 19 low-empathy subjects and 18 medium-empathy subjects. An independent component analysis was used to identify the default mode network, and differences in functional connectivity strength were compared between the two groups. The low-empathy group showed lower functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann areas 9 and 32) within the default mode network, compared to the medium-empathy group. The results of the present study suggest that empathy is related to functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex within the default mode network. Functional decreases in connectivity among low-empathy subjects may reflect an impairment of self-referential mental simulation.
Empathy ; Functional Neuroimaging ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Memory ; Prefrontal Cortex

Colchicine has been shown to regulate the expression of inflammatory gene, but this compound possesses much weaker anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we synthesized a new colchicine derivative CT20126 and examined its immunomodulatory property. CT20126 was found to have immunosuppressive effects by inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation without cytotoxicity and effectively inhibit the transcriptional expression of the inflammatory genes, iNOS, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta, in macrophages stimulated by LPS. This effect was nearly comparable to that of cyclosporine A. This compound also significantly suppressed the production of nitric oxide and Th1-related pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-2, with minimal suppression of Th2-related anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 in the sponge matrix allograft model. Moreover, administration of CT20126 prolonged the survival of allograft skins from BALB/c mice (H-2d) to the dorsum of C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice. The in vivo immune suppressive effects of CT20126 were similar to that of cyclosporine A. These results indicate that this compound may have potential therapeutic value for transplantation rejection and other inflammatory diseases.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Colchicine/*analogs & derivatives/chemistry/*pharmacology ; Cytokines/*biosynthesis ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects ; Graft Survival/*drug effects ; Immunosuppression ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics/metabolism ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/genetics/metabolism ; Skin Transplantation/*immunology ; Th1 Cells/*drug effects/immunology/metabolism ; Th2 Cells/*drug effects/immunology/metabolism ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics/metabolism

OBJECTIVE: A histopathologic review of synchronous primary neoplasms of the female reproductive tract was presented and the possible correlation among discrete tumor subsets, natural history, and survival was evaluated. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2005, 20 patients with synchronous primary cancers of the gynecologic malignancy were identified. Clinical and pathologic informations were obtained from medical records. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: The patients with Synchronous primary malignancies constituted 0.63% of all genital malignancies. The most frequently observed synchronous neoplasms were those of the ovary with the endometrium (40%). The mean age of patient with synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancer was 45.2 years. 8 patients underwent the hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and adjuvant therapy. The mean survival is 57 months (SE 10.0, 95% Confidence interval 37-77). CONCLUSION: Synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancers were detected in relatively early age and the prognosis was favorable.
Endometrial Neoplasms ; Endometrium ; Female* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Medical Records ; Natural History ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Ovary ; Prognosis

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*

OBJECTIVES: To study the mechanism of alcohol craving is difficult because it involves both cognitive and emotional processes, which are discordamtly influenced by patients' avoidance and denial. The objective of this study is to examine the mechanism of craving by evaluating responses of emotional component of alcohol-related stimuli, explicitly and implicitly. METHODS: The subject group was composed of 19 patients with alcohol dependence, 25 heavy drinkers, and 20 social drinkers. An implicit association test (IAT) measuring differential association of 2 target concepts (alcohol versus beverage) with 2 attribute dimensions (positive versus negative) was completed. Explicit evaluation of emotional valence and arousal for alcohol-related and control stimuli was also completed. RESULTS: The patient group reported alcohol-related stimuli more negatively on both implicit and explicit evaluation. In explicit arousal evaluation, they evaluated alcohol-related stimuli more arousing than control stimuli, whereos control groups did not. While the strength of alcohol-negativity association was not related to any clinical variables, the strength of alcohol-positivity association was related to the arousal level of alcohol related stimuli, the severity of alcohol dependence, and the mean drinking amount per occasion. CONCLUSION: Alcohol craving can be regarded as negative emotion on both explicit and implicit levels in alcoholics. It seems that craving induced by alcohol-related stimuli may not be recognized by the patients but related to increased arousal or positive implicit evaluation of alcohol.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; Arousal ; Cues* ; Denial (Psychology) ; Drinking ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: A constituent of green tea, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), has been known to possess anti-diabetes, anti-hypertension and anti-cancer properties. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of EGCG on human ovarian cancer cell lines. The growth inhibitory mechanism(s) and regulation of cell cycle-related proteins by EGCG were also evaluated. METHODS: To carry out cell counting assay to observe the anti-proliferative effects, we treated 25, 50, and 100 uM EGCG to both ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3, respectively. Also, we treated EGCG to PA-1 cells with 6.25, 12.5 and 25 uM, respectively. Six days later, we examined the characteristics of apoptosis and changes in cell cycle regulation by cell counting assay, Annexin V-FITC staining and DNA fragmentation assay, and FACS analysis. In addition, protein and gene expression patterns in SKOV-3 cell were investigated by using cell cycle cDNA chip, RT-PCR, and Western blot analyses. RESULTS: Inhibition of cell growth by cell counts showed in SKOV-3 cells with 48.8%, 82.5%, 99.2% after six days of the treatment with 25, 50, 100 uM of EGCG, respectively. OVCAR-3 cells showed 53.9%, 84.8%, and 97.7% growth inhibition patterns. And PA-1 cells showed 17.1%, 48.4%, and 74.1%, as compared to control. When SKOV-3 cells were tested for EGCG-induced apoptosis, apoptotic cells were observed with 8.6, 11.4, and 23.3-fold at 25, 50, 100 uM EGCG, respectively. And PA-1 cells showed 1.7, 2.4, and 4.2-fold, as compared to control. In contrast, OVCAR-3 did not show EGCG-induced apoptosis. When SKOV-3 cells were tested for their gene expression using cell cycle cDNA chip after treatment with 24.5 uM of EGCG, up-regulations of p21, Bax and cyclin G were shown, while down-regulations of CDK6, E2F-4, and cyclin A were shown. In Western blot assay, up-regulations of Bax and p21 proteins were shown, while down- regulations of cyclin D1, Bcl-XL, Rb, CDK2, E2F-1, E2F-4, PCNA proteins were shown. CONCLUSION: These data support that EGCG can inhibit ovarian cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest as well as regulation of gene and protein expressions. Thus, EGCG likely provides an additional option for a new and potential drug approach for ovarian cancer.
Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Count ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Line* ; Cyclin A ; Cyclin D1 ; Cyclin G ; DNA Fragmentation ; DNA, Complementary ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Social Control, Formal ; Tea*

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of protein expression by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in normal myometrium and uterine leiomyoma in Korean women. METHODS: Normal myometrium and uterine leiomyoma tissues were solubilized with 2-DE buffer and the first dimension of PROTEAN IEF CELL, isoelectric focusing (IEF), was performed using pH4-8 linear IPG strips of 17 cm. And then running 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS- PAGE) and sliver stain. Scanned image 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 spectrums identification were performed by searching protein databases of Swiss-prot/TrEMBL, Mascot and MS-FIT. RESULTS: In this study, we found 17 up-regulated proteins (phosphate carrier protein, 60 kDa heat shock protein, acidic calcium-independent, glutathione transferase omega, chloride intracellular channel 4, Ras-related protein Rab-11B, phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha isoform, type II keratin subunit protein, Cofilin 2 isoform 1, transgelin, ATP carrier protein, alpha-catenin homolog, parkinson disease 2, apo-cellular retinoic acid binding protein II, osteoglycin preproprotein, proteasome activator subunit 1 isoform, Unnamed protein) and 7 down-regulated proteins (Serum amyloid P component, annexin IV, alpha 1 actin precursor, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member EDAR precursor, peroxiredoxin 2, translation elongation factor EF-Tu precursor) between myometrium and leiomyoma. CONCLUSION: 2-DE offer total protein expression between normal myometrium and uterine leiomyoma, and searching of differently expressed protein for the diagnostic markers of leiomyoma.
Actins ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; alpha Catenin ; Animals ; Annexin A4 ; Carrier Proteins ; Cofilin 2 ; Databases, Protein ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional* ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Female ; Glutathione Transferase ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; Humans ; Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Keratins, Type II ; Leiomyoma* ; Mice ; Myometrium* ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Peptide Elongation Factor Tu ; Peptide Elongation Factors ; Peroxiredoxins ; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Running ; Serum Amyloid P-Component ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate ; Tretinoin

OBJECTIVE: The transfection efficiencies of gynecologic cancer cell lines were investigated by different mediated transfection methods using recombinant LacZ plasmid (pRcCMVLacZ and pAAVCMVLacZ). METHODS: In this study, the gynecologic cancer cell lines were used CaSki, SiHa (cervical, HPV16+, wild type p53 gene), HeLa, HeLa S3 (cervical, HPV18+, wild type p53 gene), C33A, HT3 (cervical, HPV-, p53 mutant), HckE6/E7 (cervical, HPV16 immortalized keratocyte), PA-1 (ovary, wild type p53), SKOV-3, A2774 (ovary, p53del) and OVCAR-3 (ovary, p53 mutant). The pRcCMVLacZ and pAAVCMVLacZ plasmid transfection were performed by using liposome system such as Ca2+-phosphate, Fugen6(TM), Lipofection(TM), Lipogen(TM) and N-stearyl lactobionamide (N-SLBA) with X-gal staining. The LacZ gene was used the reporter gene for the transfection efficiencies evaluation. RESULTS: Each of cell lines were showed different transfection efficiencies by Ca2+-phosphate, Fugen6(TM), Lipofectin(TM), Lipogen(TM) and N-SLBA. Each of cell were revealed that HeLa S3, HT3 and A2774 were high transfection efficiency using the pRcCMVLacZ by the Lipogen(TM), SiHa, HeLa, QGU, OVCAR-3 and PA-1 were high efficiency using the pAAVCMVLacZ by Lipofectin(TM), CaSki was high efficiency using the pRcCMVLacZ by the Lipogen(TM), A2774 and Cx16.2 were high efficiency using the pRcCMVLacZ by the Lipofectin(TM), SKOV-3 and HkcE6/E7 were high efficiency using pAAVCMVLacZ by the Lipogen(TM). CONCLUSION: As a result, We proved that each of cell lines differed trasnfection efficiencies according to mediated transfection and recombinant LacZ plasmid style. Above all, Lipofectin(TM) mediated transfection was showed high efficiency at the most of cell lines.
Cell Line* ; Genes, Reporter ; Humans* ; Lac Operon* ; Liposomes ; Plasmids* ; Transfection*

PURPOSE: It is well known that infection with HPV (human papillomavirus) is the main cause of cervical cancer and certain types of HPV are recognized as carcinogens. At present, there is little information regarding the antineoplastic mechanism of paclitaxel against cervical carcinoma cells. We thus tried to analyze differential protein expression and antineoplastic mechanism-related proteins after paclitaxel treatment on cervical cancer cells by using a proteomic analysis and to investigate the mechanism of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using proteomics analysis including 2-DE and MALDI-TOF-MS, we detected the antineoplastic mechanism-related proteins. Then, we performed western blot analysis for apoptosis- and transformation- related proteins to confirm expression patterns derived from proteome analysis after paclitaxel treatment. RESULTS: We identified several cellular proteins that are responsive to paclitaxel treatment in HeLa cells using proteomics methods. Paclitaxel treatment elevated main-ly apoptosis, immune response and cell cycle check point- related proteins. On the other hand, paclitaxel treatment diminished growth factor/oncogene-related proteins and transcription regulation-related proteins. Also, in the HPV-associated cervical carcinoma cells, paclitaxel demonstrated anti-proliferative activity through the membrane death receptor-mediated apoptotic pathway and the mitochondrial-mediated pathway. CONCLUSION: Identification and characterization of functionally modulated proteins involved in anti-cancer regulatory events should lead to a better nderstanding of the long-term actions of paclitaxel at the molecular level and will contribute to the future development of novel therapeutic drug treatments based upon current therapies.
Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinogens ; Cell Cycle ; Hand ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Membranes ; Paclitaxel* ; Proteome* ; Proteomics ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVES: Alcohol withdrawal delirium is a serious clinical condition with high mortality rate if not treated. This study was to examine whether readily available clinical variables can predict the development of alcohol withdrawal delirium. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective study by reviewing charts of 566 patients who had been admitted for alcohol dependence. The cases were divided into two groups: delirium group (n=40) and control group (n=40). We compared baseline characteristics and serum analysis data at admission between two groups. We used logistic regression to predict risk factors for alcohol withdrawal delirium among potential risk factors. RESULTS: The delirium group had significantly lower hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet counts, and potassium level than countrol group. Presence of previous withdrawal delirium history, AST, GGTP, and bilirubin level of delirium group were significantly higher than those of control group. Among potential risk factors, past history of withdrawal delirium, decreased hemoglobin, elevated bilirubin level, and number of previous detoxification were predictable factors of the development of alcohol withdrawal delirium by 72.5%. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the infomation obtained at admission can be useful to predict the development of alcohol withdrawal delirium. Also, it makes the individualization of detoxification strategies possible.
Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium* ; Alcoholism ; Bilirubin ; Delirium ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Mortality ; Platelet Count ; Potassium ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors