PS2 mutation increases neuronal cell vulnerability to neurotoxicants through activation of caspase-3 by enhancing of ryanodine receptor-mediated calcium release.
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Amyloid beta-Peptides↗
Biomedical subjects
Sun Young Lee
Publications and source records attributed to Sun Young Lee.
Mitomycin C, ceramide, and 5-fluorouracil inhibit corneal haze and apoptosis after PRK.
PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of mitomycin C (MMC), ceramide, and 5-fluororacil (5-FU) on haze after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. METHODS: The right eyes of 42 New Zealand white rabbits were treated with PRK to correct -10 diopter with a 5-mm optical zone. Sponges soaked in 0.02% MMC, 10 or 40 micromol/L ceramide, or 0.5% 5-FU were applied to the right eyes of 6 rabbits each, and a tarsorrhaphy was performed. Eight weeks after complete healing, topical 0.02% MMC or 0.5% 5-FU was applied twice daily to the right eyes of 6 rabbits that had previously received PRK but no topical medication. The control group of 6 rabbits was treated only with PRK. Three weeks after PRK, all the laser-treated eyes were exposed to 100 mJ/cm UVB radiation. Corneal haze was assessed biomicroscopically every 2 weeks using the Fantes scale. Eyes were enucleated 2, 7, and 13 weeks after PRK, and tissue specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and with Apostain. RESULTS: Corneal haze was observed in all rabbits after PRK and was aggravated by UVB irradiation. When applied immediately after PRK, MMC induced corneal opacity and apoptosis of keratocytes, but, at later times, this reagent significantly suppressed opacity, Apostain-positive keratocytes and reactivation of keratocytes, even after UVB irradiation. In contrast, ceramide and 5-FU suppressed corneal opacity after PRK, but this effect was not sustained after UVB irradiation. CONCLUSIONS: MMC is a potent inhibitor of haze induced by PRK and UVB irradiation. Throughout the process of corneal wound healing, the severity of apoptosis and reactivation of keratocytes was closely correlated with haze formation.
Animals↗
Comparison of anthropometric data between end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis and healthy adults in Korea.
Protein-calorie malnutrition is prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The prevalence of obesity in healthy Korean adults has increased rapidly during the last 10 years. However, there are few large scale data collections available about the current weight status of Korean HD patients. The weight statuses of 10,304 HD patients (data from the Insan Memorial Dialysis Registry 2002, Korean Society of Nephrology) were compared to those of 12,436 control subjects (age > 18) by using body mass index (BMI). Weight status was assessed by WHO classification for Asian-Pacific region [underweight (UW): < 18.5; normal weight (NW): 18.5-22.9; overweight (OW): 23-24.9; obese (OB): 25-29.9; and extremely obese (EOB): > 30 kg/m2] in both the control and HD patients. HD patients had significantly lower body weight and BMI than the controls in all age groups and in both sexes. For the male controls, the proportions of OW and OB showed a reversed U-shape, peaking at the 5th and 6th decades. of the numbers of those classified as NW and UW were relatively small. For the female controls, the proportions of OW and OB progressively increased with age. On the contrary, in HD patients, the proportions of NW and UW were large, up to more than 70%, and those of OW and OB were small in both sexes. In each age group, UW was seen significantly more in the HD group than in the control group. The 6th decade age group showed the highest prevalence ratio for UW in the HD group for both sexes, compared to the controls (Male: 17.33, Female: 17.68). The percentages of UW were related to HD duration and age in both sexes. In conclusion, Korean HD patients seem to have small proportions of OW and OB, compared to the general population, and protein-calorie malnutrition may still be an important nutritional condition.
Adult↗
Inhibitory effect of green tea extract on beta-amyloid-induced PC12 cell death by inhibition of the activation of NF-kappaB and ERK/p38 MAP kinase pathway through antioxidant mechanisms.
Beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) is considered responsible for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several lines of evidence support that Abeta-induced cytotoxicity is mediated through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, agents that scavenge ROS level may usefully impede the development or progress of AD. Green tea extract has been known to have such antioxidant properties. Our previous studies demonstrate that green tea extract protected ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain cell death by scavenging oxidative damages of macromolecules. In this study, we investigated the effects of green tea extract on Abeta-induced oxidative cell death in cultured rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. PC12 cells treated with Abeta25-35 (10-50 microM) showed intracellular ROS elevation, the formation of 8-oxodG (an oxidized form of DNA), and underwent apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Abeta(25-35) treatment upregulated pro-apoptotic p53 at the gene level, and Bax and caspase-3 at the protein level, but downregulated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Interestingly, co-treated green tea extract (10-50 microg/ml) dose-dependently attenuated Abeta(25-35) (50 microM)-induced cell death, intracellular ROS levels, and 8-oxodG formation, in addition to p53, Bax, and caspase-3 expression, but upregulated Bcl-2. Furthermore, green tea extract prevented the Abeta(25-35)-induced activations of the NF-kappaB and ERK and p38 MAP kinase pathways. Our study suggests that green tea extract may usefully prevent or retard the development and progression of AD.
Amyloid beta-Peptides↗
Transcriptional profiling in mouse skeletal muscle following a single bout of voluntary running: evidence of increased cell proliferation.
Skeletal muscle undergoes adaptation following repetitive bouts of exercise. We hypothesize that transcriptional reprogramming and cellular remodeling start in the early phase of long-term training and play an important role in skeletal muscle adaptation. The aim of this study was to define the global mRNA expression in mouse plantaris muscle during (run for 3 and 12 h) and after (3, 6, 12, and 24 h postexercise) a single bout of voluntary running and compare it with that after long-term training (4 wk of running). Among 15,832 gene elements surveyed in a high-density cDNA microarray analysis, 900 showed more than twofold changes at one or more time points. K-means clustering and cumulative hypergeometric probability distribution analyses revealed a significant enrichment of genes involved in defense, cell cycle, cell adhesion and motility, signal transduction, and apoptosis, with induced expression patterns sharing similar patterns with that of peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor A. We focused on the finding of a delayed (at 24 h postexercise) induction of mRNA expression of cell cycle genes origin recognition complex 1, cyclin A2, and cell division 2 homolog A (Schizoccharomyces pombe) and confirmed increased cell proliferation by in vivo 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeling following voluntary running. X-ray irradiation of the hindlimb significantly diminished exercise-induced 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation. These findings suggest that a single bout of voluntary running activates the transcriptional network and promotes adaptive processes in skeletal muscle, including cell proliferation.
Animals↗
Decrease in NF-kappaB, AP-1 and SP-1 activities in neuronal cells expressing presenilin 2.
Decreases in activities of the NF-kappaB, AP-1 and SP-1 transcription factors, which could act as antiapoptotic factors, in the presenilin 2 transfected PC12 cells, either in nontreatment conditions or under apoptotic stimulation, were found in this study. Similar results were also found in mice brain cells carrying presenilin 2, especially in the mutant gene expressed ones. These findings suggested that presenilin 2 may be implicated in neuronal cell death by altering the antiapoptotic activity of the transcription factors.
Animals↗
Inhibitory effect of 2'-hydroxycinnamaldehyde on nitric oxide production through inhibition of NF-kappa B activation in RAW 264.7 cells.
Cinnamomum cassia has been widely used for treating dyspepsia, gastritis, and inflammatory disease. In the present study, several of cinnamaldehyde derivatives were synthesized from various cinnamic acid based on the 2'-hydroxycinnamaldehyde isolated from the bark C. cassia Blume was investigated to compare their NO production and NF-kappa B activity from Raw 264.7 cell since nitric oxide (NO) and NF-kappa B have been shown to be implicated factors in the inflammatory disease. The results show that HCA, among the derivatives, most significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production and NF-kappa B transcriptional activity in a dose-dependent manner with an IC(50) value of 8 and 22 microM, respectively. We next investigated putative possible mechanisms of inhibitory effect of HCA on NO production. The inhibition of NO by HCA was consistent with the inhibitory effect on LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Moreover, HCA inhibited LPS-induced p50 and p65 translocation resulting in the inhibition of the DNA binding activity of the NF-kappa B, a central regulator of iNOS. The present results provided evidence that HCA, among cinnamaledhyde derivatives, has the most inhibitory effect on NO production through inhibition of NF-kappa B activation, and thus can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Acrolein↗
Effect of sesaminol glucosides on beta-amyloid-induced PC12 cell death through antioxidant mechanisms.
Several lines of evidence support that beta-amyloid (Abeta)-induced neurotoxicity is mediated through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and elevation of intracellular calcium. In this study, we have investigated protective effects of sesaminol glucosides on Abeta-induced oxidative cell death in cultured rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Sesaminol glucoside (50-250microg/ml) decreased Abeta(25-35)-induced ROS generation, formation of 8-oxodG, a form of oxidative DNA and elevation of intracellular calcium level concomitant with prevention of apoptotic cell death dose dependently. Sesaminol glucoside (50-250microg/ml) also effectively decreased Abeta1-42 and ADDL form of Abeta1-42 as well as the combination of H2O2 with FeSO4-induced cell damages. In mechanistic study, sesaminol glucosides attenuated Abeta25-35-induced activation of redox transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB NF-kappaB through inhibition of p50 translocation and IkappaB phosphorylation, and blocked NF-kappaB-dependent luciferase activity in addition to the inhibitory effect on Abeta25-35-induced activation of ERK kinase signal pathway. Consistent with the inhibitory effect on Abeta25-35-induced stress-induced cell death, sesaminol glucosides decreased expression of pro-apoptotic gene p53, and Bax and caspase-3, but enhanced expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. Moreover, the protective effects of sesaminol glucoside on Abeta25-35-induced ROS generation, NF-kappaB activation and cell death were further enhanced with glutathione. This study therefore suggests that sesaminol glucosides have protective effect on Abeta-induced neuronal cell death, and its effect may be through antioxidative property.
8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗
WHO class-specific equations using height for predicting body weight: crude indicator for dry weight in haemodialysis patients.
AIM: Body weight (BW) might be related to total body water, and the difference between a patient's actual BW and ideal BW (IBW) might be the volume marker. However, there has been no information about the association between IBW and dry weight (DW) in haemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: First, we analysed the relationship between DW and IBW in 51 HD patients. The IBW was calculated by 21 x Height (Ht)(2). Weight status was analysed by the WHO classification. Second, in 12 436 controls, linear equations using Ht(2) were sought to predict the BW in each sex and WHO class. Third, using these equations, predicted BW (PW) was compared with DW in each WHO class at the initiation and after 1 year in 619 new HD patients, retrospectively. RESULTS: Among 51 HD patients, 38 were normal weight in whom there was no difference between DW and IBW. In each sex and WHO class of the 12 436 controls, linear equations using Ht(2) were developed to predict BW. These equations were applied to 619 new HD patients. In males, there were no differences between PW and DW in underweight (UW), overweight (OW), obese (OB) and extremely obese (EOB) patients at the initiation of the HD. In females, there were no differences between PW and DW in OW patients. Despite no statistical differences, there were wide ranges of distribution from -6 to 6 kg between PW and DW. CONCLUSIONS: BW had a linear relationship with Ht(2) and might be predictable by the WHO class-specific equation using Ht(2). These equations might be useful as a crude indicator of DW in HD patients.
Adult↗
Overlapping gene mutations of hepatitis B virus in a chronic hepatitis B patient with hepatitis B surface antigen loss during lamivudine therapy.
Disappearance of hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg) in chronic hepatitis B usually indicates clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, false HBsAg negativity with mutations in pre-S2 and 'a' determinant has been reported. It is also known that YMDD mutations decrease the production of HBV and escape detection of serum HBsAg. Here, we report overlapping gene mutations in a patient with HBsAg loss during the lamivudine therapy. After 36 months of lamivudine therapy in a 44-yrold Korean chronic hepatitis B patient, serum HBsAg turned negative while HBV DNA remained positive by a DNA probe method. Nucleotide sequence of serum HBV DNA was compared with the HBV genotype C subtype adr registered in NCBI AF 286594. Deletion of nucleotides 23 to 55 (amino acids 12 to 22) was identified in the pre-S2 region. Sequencing of the 'a' determinant revealed amino acid substitutions as I126S, T131N, M133T, and S136Y. Methionine of rtM204 in the P gene was substituted for isoleucine indicating YIDD mutation (rtM204I). We identified a HBV mutant composed of pre-S2 deletions and 'a' determinant substitutions with YMDD mutation. Our result suggests that false HBsAg negativity can be induced by combination of overlapping gene mutations during the lamivudine therapy.
Adult↗
Development of anthropometry-based equations for the estimation of the total body water in Koreans.
For developing race-specific anthropometry-based total body water (TBW) equations, we measured TBW using bioelectrical impedance analysis (TBW(BIA)) in 2,943 healthy Korean adults. Among them, 2,223 were used as a reference group. Two equations (TBW(K1) and TBW(K2)) were developed based on age, sex, height, and body weight. The adjusted R2 was 0.908 for TBW(K1) and 0.910 for TBW(K2). The remaining 720 subjects were used for the validation of our results. Watson (TBW(W)) and Hume-Weyers (TBW(H)) formulas were also used. In men, TBW(BIA) showed the highest correlation with TBW(H), followed by TBW(K1), TBW(K2) and TBW(W). TBW(K1) and TBW(K2) showed the lower root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean prediction errors (ME) than TBW(W) and TBW(H). On the Bland-Altman plot, the correlations between the differences and means were smaller for TBW(K2) than for TBW(K1). On the contrary, TBW(BIA) showed the highest correlation with TBW(W), followed by TBW(K2), TBW(K1), and TBW(H) in females. RMSE was smallest in TBW(W), followed by TBW(K2), TBW(K1) and TBW(H). ME was closest to zero for TBW(K2), followed by TBW(K1), TBW(W) and TBW(H). The correlation coefficients between the means and differences were highest in TBW(W), and lowest in TBW(K2). In conclusion, TBW(K2) provides better accuracy with a smaller bias than the TBW(W) or TBW(H) in males. TBW(K2) shows a similar accuracy, but with a smaller bias than TBW(W) in females.
Adult↗
[Expression of hedgehog proteins in periampullary cancer].
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hedgehog protein is an essential molecule for gastrointestinal tract development, and disruption of hedgehog signaling pathway is linked to some gastrointestinal tumorigenesis. Here, we performed hedgehog immunostaining in periampullary cancer to evaluate the differences according to the location type of cancer and the differentiation of adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We retrieved surgical specimens from 43 periampullary cancer patients (15 ampulla of Vater cancer, 12 distal common bile duct cancer, 13 pancreatic head cancer, and 3 combined ampulla of Vater/bile duct cancer). Immunohistochemical stain was performed in both normal and cancerous tissue portions of each case using Sonic hedgehog (H-160) rabbit polyclonal antibody. Immunohistochemical stain results were grouped into three groups according to the percentage of positive cytoplasmic stain in tumor volume (unstained: <5%, weakly stained: 5-50%, and strongly stained: >50%). RESULTS: All of the normal tissue revealed negative immunohistochemical stain while cancerous tissue revealed positivity in 95.3% (41/43 cases). Strongly stained cases were more frequently seen in ampulla of Vater cancers (13/15) and in combined ampulla of Vater/bile duct cancers (3/3) than in distal common bile duct cancers (4/12) and in pancreatic head cancers (3/13) (p=0.002). In addition, strongly stained cases were more frequently seen in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma than the others (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the periampullary cancers show hedgehog protein expression. In addition, hedgehog protein immunostainings shows stronger expression in ampulla of Vater cancers and in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Analysis of the major patterns of B cell gene expression changes in response to short-term stimulation with 33 single ligands.
We examined the major patterns of changes in gene expression in mouse splenic B cells in response to stimulation with 33 single ligands for 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h. We found that ligands known to directly induce or costimulate proliferation, namely, anti-IgM (anti-Ig), anti-CD40 (CD40L), LPS, and, to a lesser extent, IL-4 and CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG), induced significant expression changes in a large number of genes. The remaining 28 single ligands produced changes in relatively few genes, even though they elicited measurable elevations in intracellular Ca(2+) and cAMP concentration and/or protein phosphorylation, including cytokines, chemokines, and other ligands that interact with G protein-coupled receptors. A detailed comparison of gene expression responses to anti-Ig, CD40L, LPS, IL-4, and CpG indicates that while many genes had similar temporal patterns of change in expression in response to these ligands, subsets of genes showed unique expression patterns in response to IL-4, anti-Ig, and CD40L.
Animals↗
Effect of sodium balance and the combination of ultrafiltration profile during sodium profiling hemodialysis on the maintenance of the quality of dialysis and sodium and fluid balances.
Excessive sodium gain is a major hindrance of sodium profiling hemodialysis (HD) that offsets the benefit in reducing intradialytic hypotension-related discomforts (IHD). Patients who showed frequent IHD (>30% of the sessions; n = 11) were enrolled in a prospective study that consisted of two phases. In the phase 1 study, eight treatment modalities were evaluated: Conventional HD (control), sodium balance-positive step-down sodium profiling HD (PS), sodium balance-neutral step-down sodium profiling HD (NS), sodium balance-neutral alternating sodium profiling HD (NA) without ultrafiltration (UF) profile, and all those with UF profile (UF only, PS+U, NS+U, and NA+U). The incidences of "dialysis failure," defined as the occurrence of one or more of (1) session failure (discontinuation of session <75% of planned time), (2) UF failure (%UF achieved <70%), and (3) delivery failure (Kt/V <1.1), were 48.5, 21.2, 42.4, 39.4, 45.5, 18.2, 21.2, and 18.2% in control, PS, NS, NA, UF only, PS+U, NS+U, and NA+U, respectively. Four treatments, PS, PS+U, NS+U, and NA+U, reduced the incidence of dialysis failure significantly as compared with control (P < 0.05) and were evaluated in the phase 2 study, a randomized controlled 6-wk crossover study. Parameters were measured in the steady state after a 6-wk maintenance of each treatment. Diffusive sodium gain (DeltaNa) was significantly increased with sodium balance-positive profiles with or without UF profile, PS and PS+U (PS 1.9 +/- 1.1, PS+U 1.7 +/- 1.0 mEq/L; both P < 0.05 to control -0.1 +/- 0.2, NS+U 0.5 +/- 0.4, NA+U 0.4 +/- 0.2 mEq/L). They also increased the interdialytic weight gain (PS 3.8 +/- 0.6, PS+U 4.0 +/- 0.6 kg; both P < 0.05 to control 2.7 +/- 0.6, NS+U 3.3 +/- 0.6 kg; both P = NS to NA+U 3.5 +/- 0.6 kg). Predialysis weight and the required amount of UF also increased significantly with these sodium balance-positive profiles. Although the absolute amount of UF was larger with PS and PS+U, %UF achieved targeting dry weight was higher with sodium balance-neutral profiles with UF profiles, NS+U and NA+U (NS+U 92.7 +/- 3.8, NA+U 93.7 +/- 6.8%; both P < 0.05 to control 72.6 +/- 14.0, PS 88.3 +/- 6.6, PS+U 88.2 +/- 8.2%). Postdialysis weight was closest to dry weight with these treatments showing Delta (postdialysis weight - dry weight) of 0.3 +/- 0.1 and 0.3 +/- 0.2 kg in NS+U and NA+U (both P < 0.05 to control 1.0 +/- 0.6 kg; both P = NS to PS 0.5 +/- 0.3, PS+U 0.5 +/- 0.4 kg). Incidence of excessive weight gain and subjective discomforts during the interdialytic period increased significantly with PS. In conclusion, continuous use of sodium balance-positive sodium profiles resulted in an undesirable steady state with sodium and fluid expansion offsetting their hemodynamic benefit. Sodium balance-neutral sodium profiles in combination with UF profile were associated with less sodium and weight gains, better UF performance with postdialysis weight closest to dry weight, and fewer interdialytic problems with the equivalent hemodynamic benefit. Therefore, it is proposed that sodium balance-neutral sodium profiling HD with UF profile is a better choice, ensuring the dialysis of quality without sodium gain-related complications.
Body Weight↗
Current issues for DNA microarrays: platform comparison, double linear amplification, and universal RNA reference.
DNA microarray technology has been widely used to simultaneously determine the expression levels of thousands of genes. A variety of approaches have been used, both in the implementation of this technology and in the analysis of the large amount of expression data. However, several practical issues still have not been resolved in a satisfactory manner, and among the most critical is the lack of agreement in the results obtained in different array platforms. In this study, we present a comparison of several microarray platforms [Affymetrix oligonucleotide arrays, custom complementary DNA (cDNA) arrays, and custom oligo arrays printed with oligonucleotides from three different sources] as well as analysis of various methods used for microarray target preparation and the reference design. The results indicate that the pairwise correlations of expression levels between platforms are relative low overall but that the log ratios of the highly expressed genes are strongly correlated, especially between Affymetrix and cDNA arrays. The microarray measurements were compared with quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) results for 23 genes, and the varying degrees of agreement for each platform were characterized. We have also developed and tested a double amplification method which allows the use of smaller amounts of starting material. The added round of amplification produced reproducible results as compared to the arrays hybridized with single round amplified targets. Finally, the reliability of using a universal RNA reference for two-channel microarrays was tested and the results suggest that comparisons of multiple experimental conditions using the same control can be accurate.
Benchmarking↗
Mitomycin C-induced reduction of keratocytes and fibroblasts after photorefractive keratectomy.
PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of mitomycin C (MMC) on the number of keratocytes and the proliferation of fibroblasts after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and exposure to ultraviolet B (UV-B) irradiation. METHODS: The right eyes of New Zealand White rabbits in Groups 1, 2, and 3 (n = 18 each) underwent PRK to correct -10 diopters with 5 mm optical zone. Sponges soaked with 0.02% MMC were applied to the right eyes of Group 1 rabbits for 2 minutes. Antibiotic ointment was applied daily to all rabbits until the epithelium healed completely, after which 0.02% MMC eye drops were applied twice daily to the right eyes in Group 2 until 4 weeks after PRK. Three weeks after PRK, the right eyes of all the remaining rabbits were exposed to 100 mJ/cm2 C UV-B radiation. Corneal haziness was assessed biomicroscopically using the Fantes scale every 3 weeks. Six eyes of each group were each enucleated 3, 6, and 12 weeks after PRK, and tissue specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and with TUNEL stain. The tissues were evaluated immunohistochemically with antibody to alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA). Cellular changes in the anterior stroma and epithelial basement membrane were evaluated by electron microscopy. RESULTS: Corneal haze was observed after PRK and was aggravated by UV-B irradiation. A single intraoperative application of MMC immediately after PRK induced opacity and apoptosis of keratocytes. Twelve weeks after PRK, MMC significantly reduced corneal haze, the number of keratocytes, apoptotic cells, and fibroblasts, even after UV-B irradiation. Relatively large numbers of apoptotic and SMA-positive cells were found only in PRK-treated, non-MMC treated rabbits (Group 3), even after 12 weeks. Three weeks after PRK, dying stromal cells showed cell shrinkage, and chromatin condensation was observed in all treated groups by electron microscopy. Twelve weeks after PRK, fewer keratocytes and inflammatory cells were observed just beneath the epithelial layer in Group 1 than in any of the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: MMC is a potent inhibitor of corneal haze induced by PRK. MMC reduced the number of keratocytes and fibroblasts after PRK and UV-B irradiation. Although MMC would improve the clinical results of PRK, it has significant toxicity on corneal keratocytes, which did not disappear until 3 months after PRK.
Animals↗
Ability of scanning laser polarimetry (GDx) to discriminate among early glaucomatous, ocular hypertensive and normal eyes in the Korean population.
We investigated the ability of the GDx-Nerve Fiber Analyzer (NFA) to discriminate between normal and early glaucomatous eyes among Korean individuals by reviewing the medical records of 217 consecutive subjects: 61 early glaucoma patients, 68 ocular hypertensive patients, and 88 normal subjects. GDx parameters were compared using ANOVA. The Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve for each GDx-NFA variable was used to diagnose each parameter, and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the association between GDx-NFA parameters and visual field indices in early glaucoma. The best GDx parameters to discriminate between early glaucomatous and normal subjects were the number, maximum modulation, ellipse modulation and inferior ratio (i.e. area under the ROC curve > 0.8). A value for the Number of equal to or greater than 27 was optimal for detecting early glaucoma, with a sensitivity of 80.3% and specificity of 80.7%. In addition, symmetry was positively correlated with the corrected pattern standard deviation (CPSD) among visual field indices in early glaucoma.
Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological↗
Dose ascites mean more severe Crohn's disease?
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ascites that can be induced by various causes is not a rare finding in Crohn's disease. The clinical implication of ascites in Crohn's disease remains unknown in the cases without any specific cause of ascites except Crohn's disease itself. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical implication and characteristics of ascites in Crohn's disease. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of the patients with Crohn's disease who underwent abdominal CT scan. Patients were categorized into two groups: patients with ascites (22 cases) and without ascites (23 cases). We compared clinical features, disease activities and clinical courses of the two groups. RESULTS: Serum albumin level was significantly lower and the C-reactive protein level was significantly higher in the ascites group than in the control group. Harvey and Bradshaw index was significantly higher in the ascites group (8.32 +/- 2.51) than in the control group (6.09 +/- 2.07) (p=0.002). The average dose of prednisolone was higher in the ascites group. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the number of cases requiring surgery due to complication between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the presence of ascites in Crohn's disease is associated with increased disease activity and inflammations requiring more aggressive treatment.
Adolescent↗