Use of Magnetic Nanoparticles to Visualize Threadlike Structures Inside Lymphatic Vessels of Rats

A novel application of fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles was made to visualize a new tissue which had not been detectable by using simple stereomicroscopes. This unfamiliar threadlike structure inside the lymphatic vessels of rats was demonstrated in vivo by injecting nanoparticles into lymph nodes and applying magnetic fields on the collecting lymph vessels so that the nanoparticles were taken up by the threadlike structures. Confocal laser scanning microscope images of cryosectioned specimens exhibited that the nanoparticles were absorbed more strongly by the threadlike structure than by the lymphatic vessels. Further examination using a transmission electron microscope revealed that the nanoparticles had been captured between the reticular fibers in the extracellular matrix of the threadlike structures. The emerging technology of nanoparticles not only allows the extremely elusive threadlike structures to be visualized but also is expected to provide a magnetically controllable means to investigate their physiological functions

Characteristics, Outcomes and Predictors of Long-Term Mortality for Patients Hospitalized for Acute Heart Failure: A Report From the Korean Heart Failure Registry

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute heart failure (AHF) is associated with a poor prognosis and it requires repeated hospitalizations. However, there are few studies on the characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors of AHF. The aims of this study were to describe the clinical characteristics, management and outcomes of the patients hospitalized for AHF in Korea. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the clinical data of 3,200 hospitalization episodes that were recorded between June 2004 and April 2009 from the Korean Heart Failure (KorHF) Registry database. The mean age was 67.6±14.3 years and 50% of the patients were female. RESULTS: Twenty-nine point six percent (29.6%) of the patients had a history of previous HF and 52.3% of the patients had ischemic heart disease. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was reported for 89% of the patients. The mean LVEF was 38.5±15.7% and 26.1% of the patients had preserved systolic function (LVEF ≥50%), which was more prevalent in the females (34.0% vs. 18.4%, respectively, p<0.001). At discharge, 58.6% of the patients received beta-blockers (BB), 53.7% received either angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEi/ARB), and 58.4% received both BB and ACEi/ARB. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-year mortality rates were 15%, 21%, 26% and 30%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced age {hazard ratio: 1.023 (95% confidence interval: 1.004-1.042); p=0.020}, a previous history of heart failure {1.735 (1.150-2.618); p=0.009}, anemia {1.973 (1.271-3.063); p=0.002}, hyponatremia {1.861 (1.184-2.926); p=0.007}, a high level of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) {3.152 (1.450-6.849); p=0.004} and the use of BB at discharge {0.599 (0.360-0.997); p=0.490} were significantly associated with total death. CONCLUSION: We present here the characteristics and prognosis of an unselected population of AHF patients in Korea. The long-term mortality rate was comparable to that reported in other countries. The independent clinical risk factors included age, a previous history of heart failure, anemia, hyponatremia, a high NT-proBNP level and taking BB at discharge.ope

Sasangin diagnosis questionnaire: test of reliability,”

ABSTRACT Background: The concept of Sasang Constitutional Medicine (SCM) has been in existence in Traditional Korean Medicine for more than 100 years. It is of great importance that the Sasang constitution type be determined accurately before any therapeutic treatment. Objectives: Reliability analyse were carried out to evaluate the Sasangin Diagnosis Questionnaire (SDQ). Design: The data were collected through multi-center research in collaboration with the Departments of SCM in the nine Korean Colleges of Oriental Medicine. The internal consistency test and the test-retest method were applied in the reliability analysis. Subjects: The test-retest data of 88 respondents were used to analyze the reliability. The internal consistency reliability analysis was carried out using the data collected from 423 respondents. Results: The test-retest reliability was examined using the Pearson&apos;s correlation coefficients, which ranged from 0.44 to 0.74. The chi-square test results showed that there were five independent items in the retest that demanded careful attention. The Cronbach&apos;s alpha coefficient showed that all items were acceptable. Conclusions: All the categories of SDQ can be accepted as being reliable scales

Transient receptor potential channel TRPV4 mediates TGF-β1-induced differentiation of human ventricular fibroblasts

Background: Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are principal extracellular matrix-producing cells. In response to injury, CFs transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts. Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling, involved in fibroblast proliferation and differentiation, is activated in fibroblasts through transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, but the function of these channels has not been investigated in human ventricular CFs. Under evaluation in this study, was the role of TRP channels in the differentiation of human ventricular CFs induced by transforming the growth factor beta (TGF-β), a pro-fibrotic cytokine. Methods: Human ventricular CFs were used in this study. The differentiation of CFs into myofibroblast was induced with TGF-β and was identified by the expression of smooth muscle actin. Results: Results indicate that Ca2+ signaling was an essential component of ventricular CF dif­ferentiation. CFs treated with TGF-β demonstrated increased expression of a TRP channel, TRPV4, both at the mRNA and protein levels, which corresponded with CF-myofibroblast trans-differentiation, as evidenced by the upregulation of α-smooth muscle actin, a myofibroblast marker, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, which are fibrogenesis markers. An agonist of TRPV4 induced the conversion of CFs into myofibroblasts, whereas it’s antagonist as well a Ca2+ chelating agent reduced it, indicating that the Ca2+ influx throughTRPV4 is required for CF trans-differentiation. Overall, these results dem­onstrate that TRPV4-mediated Ca2+ influx participates in regulating the differentiation of human ventricular CFs into myofibroblasts through the MAPK/ERK pathway. Conclusions: Overall, these results demonstrate that TRPV4-mediated Ca2+ influx participates in regulating the differentiation of human ventricular CFs into myofibroblasts through the MAPK/ERK pathway

Low-temperature formation of epitaxial graphene on 6H-SiC induced by continuous electron beam irradiation

It is observed that epitaxial graphene forms on the surface of a 6H-SiC substrate by irradiating electron beam directly on the sample surface in high vacuum at relatively low temperature (similar to 670 degrees C). The symmetric shape and full width at half maximum of 2D peak in the Raman spectra indicate that the formed epitaxial graphene is turbostratic. The gradual change of the Raman spectra with electron beam irradiation time increasing suggests that randomly distributed small grains of epitaxial graphene form first and grow laterally to cover the entire irradiated area. The sheet resistance of epitaxial graphene film is measured to be similar to 6.7 k Omega/sq.open4

Efficacy of High-dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Relapsed Medulloblastoma: A Report on The Korean Society for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (KSPNO)-S-053 Study

The efficacy and toxicity of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDCT/ASCT) were investigated for improving the outcomes of patients with relapsed medulloblastoma. A total of 15 patients with relapsed medulloblastoma were enrolled in the KSPNO-S-053 study from May 2005 to May 2007. All patients received approximately 4 cycles of salvage chemotherapy after relapse. Thirteen underwent HDCT/ASCT; CTE and CM regimen were employed for the first HDCT (HDCT1) and second HDCT (HDCT2), respectively, and 7 underwent HDCT2. One transplant related mortality (TRM) due to veno-occlusive disease (VOD) occurred during HDCT1 but HDCT2 was tolerable with no further TRM. The 3-yr overall survival probability and event-free survival rates ±95% confidence intervals (CI) were 33.3±12.2% and 26.7% ±11.4%, respectively. When analysis was confined to only patients who had a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) prior to HDCT, the probability of 3-yr overall survival rates ±95% CI was 40.0±15.5%. No patients with stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD) survived. Survival rates from protocol KSPNO-S-053 are encouraging and show that tumor status prior to HDCT/ASCT is an important factor to consider for improving survival rates of patients with relapsed medulloblastoma

Korean Brain Rehabilitation Registry for Rehabilitation of Persons with Brain Disorders: Annual Report in 2009

This first annual report provides a description of patients discharged from rehabilitation facilities in Korea based on secondary data analysis of Korean Brain Rehabilitation Registry V1.0 subscribed in 2009. The analysis included 1,697 records of patients with brain disorders including stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor and other disorders from 24 rehabilitation facilities across Korea. The data comprised 1,380 cases of stroke, 104 cases of brain injury, 55 cases of brain tumor, and 58 cases of other brain diseases. The functional status of each patient was measured using the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (KMBI). The average change in the KMBI score was 15.9 for all patients in the inpatient rehabilitation facility. The average length of stay for inpatient rehabilitation was 36.9 days. The transfer rates to other hospitals were high, being 62.4% when all patients were considered. Patients with brain disorders of Korea in 2009 and measurable functional improvement was observed in patients. However, relatively high percentages of patients were not discharged to the community after inpatient rehabilitation. Based on the results of this study, consecutive reports of the status of rehabilitation need to be conducted in order to provide useful information to many practitioners

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase Is a Metabolic Checkpoint for Polarization of Macrophages to the M1 Phenotype

Metabolic reprogramming during macrophage polarization supports the effector functions of these cells in health and disease. Here, we demonstrate that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), which inhibits the pyruvate dehydrogenase-mediated conversion of cytosolic pyruvate to mitochondrial acetyl-CoA, functions as a metabolic checkpoint in M1 macrophages. Polarization was not prevented by PDK2 or PDK4 deletion but was fully prevented by the combined deletion of PDK2 and PDK4; this lack of polarization was correlated with improved mitochondrial respiration and rewiring of metabolic breaks that are characterized by increased glycolytic intermediates and reduced metabolites in the TCA cycle. Genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of PDK2/4 prevents polarization of macrophages to the M1 phenotype in response to inflammatory stimuli (lipopolysaccharide plus IFN-γ). Transplantation of PDK2/4-deficient bone marrow into irradiated wild-type mice to produce mice with PDK2/4-deficient myeloid cells prevented M1 polarization, reduced obesity-associated insulin resistance, and ameliorated adipose tissue inflammation. A novel, pharmacological PDK inhibitor, KPLH1130, improved high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance; this was correlated with a reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory markers and improved mitochondrial function. These studies identify PDK2/4 as a metabolic checkpoint for M1 phenotype polarization of macrophages, which could potentially be exploited as a novel therapeutic target for obesity-associated metabolic disorders and other inflammatory conditions