• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.433-440
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• 2009

High levels of inflammatory cytokines were proposed contributors to the pathogenesis of a various inflammatory skin disorders. Therefore, investigating the immune response of the inflammatory skin disorder allows a better understanding of pathogenesis of a various inflammatory skin disorders and therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study was to analyze of the immune response in dogs with chronic inflammatory skin disease. To this aim, the present study evaluated relative mRNA expression of canine $IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-4, $TGF-{\beta}$ and IL-10 using TaqMan realtime PCR assays and semi-quantitative RT-PCR in freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from twenty dogs with chronic inflammatory skin disease and ten normal dogs. The relative mRNA expression levels of IL-4 mRNA were significantly higher in dogs with chronic inflammatory skin disease than those in normal dogs (P < 0.01). The results of present study also showed a tendency towards increased expression of IL-10 transcripts in dogs with chronic inflammatory skin disease. However, there were no significant differences in the levels $IFN-{\gamma},\;TGF-{\beta}$ between normal and chronically inflammed dogs. In addition, the concentration of serum IgE was significantly increased in dogs with chronic inflammatory skin disease compared with those in normal dogs (P < 0.01). In histopathological examination, we found that there were markedly increased mast cell counts in chronically inflammed dogs (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory skin disease might be associated with a T-cell mediated inflammatory responses characterized by a Th2-skewed immune response. Based on these results, the modulation of Th1/Th2 balance may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of chronic inflammatory skin disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.30-34
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• 2003

As classical acute aortic dissection, atherosclerotic penetrating ulcers and intramural hematoma have different pathophysiology and natural history, treatment strategy should be different and, therefore, accurate differential diagnosis is necessary. However, these three aortic diseases may be indistinguishable by clinical observation and even by various diagnostic modalities such as cardiac echocardiography, CT and MRI. The patients was a 71-year-old female with chief complaints of anterior chest pain, nausea and vomiting which occurred suddenly 3 days before admission. CT angiographic with 3 dimensional reconstruction shows intramural hematoma in ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending thoracic aorta and right brachiocephalic trunk, heompericardium, and blood in mediastinum and both pleural cavities. The CT angiographic finding of focal out-bulging in the ascending thoracic aorta was diagnosed as penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer. The patient underwent emergency operation under a preoperative diagnosis of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer with a sign of aortic rupture. In the intraoperative findings, however, intimal tear was seen in the anterior portion of the ascending aorta about 1cm below the brachiocephalic trunk and falselumen appeared after hematoma was removed from the layer of tunica media. We report a case of type A aortic dissection which mimicked clinical and diagnostic features of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.61-70
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was performed to compare the clinical characteristics of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) [A(H1N1) pdm09] and seasonal influenza A infection in the pediatric cancer patients. Methods: A retrospective review was performed in the pediatric cancer patients who had confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 infection at Samsung Medical Center from August 2009 to February 2010. For the comparison, the medical records of pediatric cancer patients with seasonal influenza A from January 2000 to May 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Eighty-two A(H1N1)pdm09 infections were confirmed in the pediatric cancer patients. Ten patients (12.2%) developed complicated clinical course by lower respiratory infections or extrapulmonary infections; 4 pneumonia, 1 bronchitis, 1 pericarditis with pneumonia, 1 encephalitis with pneumonia, 2 meningitis and 1 pericarditis. Three patients received mechanical ventilator and ICU care. Three pediatric cancer patients (3.7%) died. The risk factors related to complicated A(H1N1)pdm09 infections were date of infection (44-45th week 2009) and nosocomial infection. When comparing with previous seasonal influenza A infections, more prompt and aggressive antiviral therapy was given in A(H1N1)pdm09 infections. Conclusion: The A(H1N1)pdm09 infections caused a various clinical manifestations including fatal cases in pediatric cancer patient during pandemic season. There was no significant difference in clinical course between influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and seasonal influenza A infections except the antiviral treatment strategy.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2007

Barley S-adenosylmethionine synthetase1 gene, which was differentially expressed in seed development of extra early barley, was regulated by the phytohormones and abiotic stresses. In order to identify the regulation regions which were involved in transcriptional control of the phytohormones and abiotic stresses, we isolated 1459 bp fragment of HvSAMS1 gene promoter using genome walking strategy and deletion series were constructed. Deleted upstream fragments(-1459, -1223, -999, -766, -545, -301 bp) were fused to the GUS reporter gene and evaluated via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay. Increased GUS activity of HvSMAS1 promoter -301/GUS construct under each of NaCl, $GA_3$, ABA and ethylene application was found. However, GUS activity was negligible in the leaves transformed with the HvSMAS1 promoter(-1459, -1223, -999, -766 and -545)/GUS constructs. No significant induction of GUS activity was observed for the ethionine and spermidine treatments. In order to locate promoter sequence of the HvSAMS1 gene that was critical for the activation of gene expression, deletion and addition promoter derivatives(+, includes 43 bp of 5' ORF) of the HvSAMS1 gene fused to the GUS reporter gene were applied. The tobacco leaves which harbored the additional HvSAMS1 promoter(-1459+, -1459 to -546, -545+ and -301+)/GUS construct did not significantly induce GUS activity as compared to the HvSAMS1 promoter(-1459, -545 and -301)/GUS constructs under each of NaCl, ABA and $GA_3$ treatment. However, the GUS activity was high in the tobacco leaves which harboring the -211 to -141 regions of the HvSAMS1 promoter. This result suggested that HvSAMS1 gene expression might be regulated by this region(from -211 to -141).

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.329-334
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was aimed at analyzing the characteristics and symptoms in home-based hospice-palliative care (HBHPC) patients registered at local public health centers. Methods: A retrospective study was performed; Data of 144 HBHPC patients registered at six public health centers in Pusan City were analyzed, including their initial visit records (registration cards, initial pain evaluation and symptom evaluation). Results: The average age of the patients was 67.7 years old. Among all, 46.2% of the patient lived alone, and 65% had middle school education or lower. The most popular (36.3%) religion was Buddhism, and 47.5% received medical assistance from the government. The most frequent diagnosis was lung cancer followed by stomach cancer and liver cancer in that order. Of all, 48.9% were functionally too weak to lead a daily life, 39.6% were under cancer treatment when registered at the public health center, and 84.5% were aware of the fact that they have reached the terminal phase. Moreover, 83.6% complained about pain, and the pain level was moderate or severe in 36.5% of them. Besides pain, fatigue was the most complained symptom (84.7%), and 49.3% of them rated their fatigue as moderate or severe. Conclusion: Most of the HBHPC patients were socio-economically underprivileged and complained about moderate or worse pain and symptoms. Therefore, it appears necessary to develop an integrated strategy that is tailored for each patient reflecting their characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2010

Backgrounds and Objects: Carcinoma of the tongue is the most common cancer of the oral cavity. A primary treatment strategy includes surgery and/or radiotherapy. Resection of the tongue often results in speech dysfunction, which depends on the site and extent of resection, type of reconstruction, and the mobility of remaining tongue. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of articulation errors that were resulted from the partial glossectomy without free flap reconstruction. Materials & Method : Articulation evaluations including speech intelligibility and percent of correct consonants (PCC) were performed for 24 patients who underwent partial glossectomy for their T1 or T2 tongue cancer. Mobility of the tongue, size of the resected tongue, and the history of adjuvant radiotherapy were analyzed for their relationship with the results of articulation evaluation. Results: Speech intelligibility score was $6.4{\pm}0.9$ (on 7-point scale) and overall PCC was 96.9%. There were close relationships between the size of resection and limitations in the tongue mobility, especially in "protrusion and elevation (r=-0.687)" and "retroflexion (r=-0.775)". Errors in "alveolar fricatives" and "palatal affricates" were also closely related with the size of resection (r=-0.537 and -0.538, respectively). PCC for "liquid sound" /r/ was 83.2%, which was closely related with the history of radiation therapy. Conclusion : Overall articulatory function was satisfactory in cases of early tongue cancer after partial glossectomy of a limited volume without flap reconstruction. However, the size of resection and the history of radiation therapy were closely related to the limitations in some types of tongue mobility and the resultant articulation errors.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.126-132
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• 2014

A pilot-scale electrokinetic (EK) separation field test ($2{\times}3{\times}0.2m^3$, $W{\times}L{\times}D$) was performed in a greenhouse to remove salts from saline soil. Initially, the greenhouse soil had high electrical conductivity (EC), about 9 dS/m, and contained mainly $Ca^{2+}$, $Cl^-$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ ions. After 2 weeks of EK treatment, the soil EC was reduced to 52% compared with its initial value. The EC reduction was mostly achieved within the first week (47%) due to removal of $Na^+$ and $Cl^-$ ions, but ions with a high adsorption capacity such as $Ca^{2+}$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ ions were difficult to be removed. During the EK test, the soil temperature increased and it reached around $50^{\circ}C$ at some regions. For in situ application to soils in cultivation, the current should be controlled to limit increases in temperature, especially near the cathodes. In conclusion, the in situ EK technique is feasible for the restoration of saline greenhouse soils in or no cultivation and an appropriate strategy is necessary for more effective remediation.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.319-329
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• 2016

This study aimed to identify nurses' participation motivation, its influence factors, and their job training need. A survey was conducted on 345 nurses of general hospitals in Gyeonggi-do. Data was collected from October 5th to 18th, 2016 and was analyzed through t-test, ANOVA, Bonferroni post-test, and multiple regressions using SPSS 21.0. Participation motivation was high in 'expertise capability improvement and development' and low in personal gain and job stability. Job training need was the highest in nosocomial infection management and CPR and was the lowest in hospice and rehabilitation nursing. Participation motivation had significant differences depending on age, marital status, educational level, and clinical experience, and was influenced by the job training need of professional nursing and medical knowledge for disease treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to plan medical educational programs to enhance job training effectiveness, establish a strategy to increase participation motivation; and expand various job training support.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.449-456
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• 2014

The use of synovial fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SFMSCs) obtained from patients with degenerative arthropathy may serve as an alternative therapeutic strategy in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For treatment of OA and RA patients, autologous transplantation of differentiated MSCs has several beneficial effects for cartilage regeneration including immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we induced chondrogenic differentiation of SFMSCs by inhibiting protein kinase A (PKA) with a small molecule and microRNA (miRNA). Chondrogenic differentiation was confirmed by PCR and immunocytochemistry using probes specific for aggrecan, the major cartilaginous proteoglycan gene. Absorbance of alcian blue stain to detect chondrogenic differentiation was increased in H-89 and/or miRNA-23b-transfected cells. Furthermore, expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and MMP-2 was decreased in treated1 cells. Therefore, differentiation of SFMSCs into chondrocytes through inhibition of PKA signaling may be a therapeutic option for OA or RA patients.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.868-880
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• 2018

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive cancers presenting with high rates of invasion and metastasis, and unfavorable prognoses. The current study aims to investigate whether EZH2/miR-139-5p axis affects epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in PC, and the mechanism how EZH2 regulates miR-139-5p. Human PC and adjacent normal tissues were collected to determine expression of EZH2 and miR-139-5p, and their relationship with clinicopathological features of PC. Human PC cell line was selected, and treated with miR-139-5p mimics/inhibitors, EZH2 vector or shEZH2 in order to validate the regulation of EZH2-mediated miR-139-5p in PC cells. Dual-luciferase report gene assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were employed to identify the relationship between miR-139-5p and EZH2. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the expression of miR-139-5p, EZH2 and EMT-related markers and ZEB1/2. Tumor formation ability and in vitro cell activity were also analyzed. Highly-expressed EZH2 and poorly-expressed miR-139-5p were detected in PC tissues, and miR-139-5p and EZH2 expressions were associated with patients at Stage III/IV, with LNM and highly-differentiated tumors. EZH2 suppressed the expression of miR-139-5p through up-regulating Histone 3 Lysine 27 Trimethylation (H3K27me3). EMT, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were impeded, and tumor formation and LNM were reduced in PC cells transfected with miR-139-5p mimics and shEZH2. MiR-139-5p transcription is inhibited by EZH2 through up-regulating H3K27me3, thereby down-regulation of EZH2 and up-regulation of miR-139-5p impede EMT and LNM in PC. In addition, the EZH2/miR-139-5p axis presents as a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PC.