• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.4493-4496
• /
• 2015

Alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been studied in various cancers. However, the clinical value of mtDNA copy number (mtCN) alterations in gastric cancer (GC) is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated whether alterations in mtCNs might be associated with clinicopathological parameters in GC cases. mtCN was measured in 109 patients with GC by real-time PCR. Then, correlations with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. mtCN was elevated in 64.2% of GC tissues compared with paired, adjacent, non-cancerous tissue. However, the observed alterations in mtCN were not associated with any clinicopathological characteristics, including age, gender, TN stage, Lauren classification, lymph node metastasis, and depth of invasion. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that mtCN was not significantly associated with the survival of GC patients. In this study, we demonstrated that mtCN was not a significant marker for predicting clinical characteristics or prognosis in GC.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.154-167
• /
• 2023

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) associated with liver failure is accompanied by hyperammonemia, severe inflammation, depression, anxiety, and memory deficits as well as liver injury. Recent studies have focused on the liver-brain-inflammation axis to identify a therapeutic solution for patients with HE. Lipocalin-2 is an inflammation-related glycoprotein that is secreted by various organs and is involved in cellular mechanisms including iron homeostasis, glucose metabolism, cell death, neurite outgrowth, and neurogenesis. In this study, we investigated that the roles of lipocalin-2 both in the brain cortex of mice with HE and in Neuro-2a (N2A) cells. We detected elevated levels of lipocalin-2 both in the plasma and liver in a bile duct ligation mouse model of HE. We confirmed changes in cytokine expression, such as interleukin-1β, cyclooxygenase 2 expression, and iron metabolism related to gene expression through AKT-mediated signaling both in the brain cortex of mice with HE and N2A cells. Our data showed negative effects of hepatic lipocalin-2 on cell survival, iron homeostasis, and neurite outgrowth in N2A cells. Thus, we suggest that regulation of lipocalin-2 in the brain in HE may be a critical therapeutic approach to alleviate neuropathological problems focused on the liver-brain axis.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.292-298
• /
• 2018

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune central nervous system disease characterized by inflammation with oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate an anti-inflammatory effect of Ishige okamurae on EAE-induced paralysis in rats. An ethanolic extract of I. okamurae significantly delayed the first onset and reduced the duration and severity of hind-limb paralysis. The neuropathological and immunohistochemical findings in the spinal cord were in agreement with these clinical results. T-cell proliferation assay revealed that the ethyl-acetate fraction of I. okamurae suppressed the proliferation of myelin basic protein reactive T cells from EAE affected rats. Flow cytometric analysis showed $TCR{\alpha}{\beta}^+$ T cells was significantly reduced in the spleen of EAE rats with I. okamurae treatment with concurrent decrease of inflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ and cyclooxygenase-2. Collectively, it is postulated that I. okamurae ameliorates EAE paralysis with suppression of T-cell proliferation as well as decrease of pro-inflammatory mediators as far as rat EAE is concerned.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
• /
• v.56 no.3
• /
• pp.293-298
• /
• 2023

The mentalis muscle is a paired muscle originating from the alveolar bone of the mandible. This muscle is the main target muscle for botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injection therapy, which aims to treat cobblestone chin caused by mentalis hyperactivity. However, a lack of knowledge on the anatomy of the mentalis muscle and the properties of BoNT can lead to side effects, such as mouth closure insufficiency and smile asymmetry due to ptosis of the lower lip after BoNT injection procedures. Therefore, we have reviewed the anatomical properties associated with BoNT injection into the mentalis muscle. An up-to-date understanding of the localization of the BoNT injection point according to mandibular anatomy leads to better injection localization into the mentalis muscle. Optimal injection sites have been provided for the mentalis muscle and a proper injection technique has been described. We have suggested optimal injection sites based on the external anatomical landmarks of the mandible. The aim of these guidelines is to maximize the effects of BoNT therapy by minimizing the deleterious effects, which can be very useful in clinical settings.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.448-455
• /
• 2023

The azygos vein can be formed as a single root, two roots, and three roots, namely lateral, intermediate and the medial roots respectively. The hemiazygos vein and the accessory hemiazygos vein are the tributaries of azygos vein rather than its left side equivalents. Its variations, especially in young persons without any relevant risk factors, may result in thromboembolic illness. This study aimed to describe the morphological and morphometric variations of azygos system of veins. The present study was conducted on thirty formalin fixed adult human cadavers by dissecting azygos vein from formation to termination and variations were noted. The azygos vein was formed by a single root in 56.7%, by two roots: the lateral root and intermediate root in 36.7% cases and by the lateral root and medial root in 6.6%. The vertebral level of termination of azygos vein was seen at the level of T4 vertebrae in 70% cases, at the level of T3 vertebrae in 20% of cases and at the level of T5 vertebrae in 10% cases. The course of azygos vein was varying in 13.3%. These morphological variations can be useful while performing mediastinal surgery, mediastinoscopy, surgery of the deformations of the vertebral column, neurovascular surgeries of the retroperitoneal organs, disc herniation and fracture of thoracic vertebrae.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 2024

Objectives: To access the knowledge of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the dental college on basic anatomy, physiology, clinical examination, and pathology of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Materials and Methods: A total of 610 undergraduate and postgraduate students of dental college, were included in this study. The questionnaire was pretested for validation and distributed online through Google forms. Results: A pairwise comparison showed that the percentage of correct answers for interns significantly differed from that of IV Bachelor of Dental Surgery (P=0.050) and postgraduate students (P=0.048) (below average: up to 6 correct answers, good: 7-11 correct answers, excellent: 12 or more correct answers). Conclusion: TMJ diseases are common in daily life but frequently go undiagnosed and untreated due to a lack of clinical expertise. This demonstrates the necessity of providing instructions that give students in-depth knowledge and abilities for TMJ issues in clinical practice.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.163-163
• /
• 1990

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
• /
• 2005.04a
• /
• pp.102-103
• /
• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
• /
• 2007.10a
• /
• pp.72.1-72.1
• /
• 2007

See Full Text

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.52 no.9
• /
• pp.541-549
• /
• 2014

The restorative treatment using titanium implants has become a standard procedures in everyday clinical practice. However, there are several concerns about the use of titanium as a materials. Above all, the grayish metal color provokes esthetic problems when the soft tissue around the implants is not optimal. Recently, zirconia has been emerging as an alternative to titanium due to its white color and superior physicochemical properties. In this paper, the current findings about zirconia implants was reviewed based on the results from animal and clinical experiments. In addition, the immediate implantation protocols using the natural tooth form zirconia implants was introduced as a novel procedures and future perspectives were discussed.