Intraocular Involvement of a Nasal Natural Killer T-Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report

Herein, we report a case of nasal natural killer T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) with intraocular involvement. A 57-year-old woman was referred due to a three-day history of photophobia and diplopia in the left eye. One-month previously, she was diagnosed with nasal NKTL of the right nasal cavity. Ophthalmic examination revealed conjunctival injection and ptosis. The left pupil was fully dilated and non-reactive to light. Ocular motion was restricted on left-upper gaze. Five days later, anterior uveitis developed and persisted despite topical steroid treatment. An orbital magnetic resonance imaging was without specific findings, however, ophthalmoplegia, vitreous opacity, and an iris mass were observed. A diagnostic anterior chamber aspiration was performed. Aqueous humor aspiration revealed 35% morphologically atypical lymphocytes. After an intravitreal triamcinolone injection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy were administered; this resolved the uveitis and iris mass. When refractory uveitis or orbital pseudotumor occurs in patients with nasal NKTL, ocular and orbital involvement of the NKTL should be considered

What Questions do People Ask on a Human Papillomavirus Website? A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Questions

Objective: In 2004, we launched the question and answer (Q&A) section on a human papillomavirus (HPV) website (www.hpvkorea.org) that provides ample and regularly updated information about HPV. The purpose of this study is to collect data pertaining to questions posed on this website about HPV and its related diseases and analyze the type of questions and frequency before and after introduction of HPV vaccine in Korea. Using these results, we intend to determine the clinical and practical implications for doctors treating HPV and for HPV website providers

Increasing the Durability of Piezoelectric Impact-based Micro Wind Generator in Real Application

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to increase the durability of piezoelectric impact-based micro wind generator (PIMWG) in real application. Using new PIMWG design, numerical simulation, and experimental comparison analysis, we improved the durability of PIMWGs in real application. The experimental results show that the optimized PIMWG generated 2.4 mW (RMS value), and it did not crack within 40h. In this study, we improved the durability of PIMWGs for real application

Tidal Effects on Intermediate Waters: A Case Study in the East/Japan Sea

Although tides are believed to be the most important source for diapycnal mixing in the ocean, few studies have directly simulated open-ocean circulation including tides. Because the East/Japan Sea (EJS) has been considered to be a “miniature ocean,” tidal effects on the intermediate water of the EJS are investigated by using an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model that can take account of M2 and K1 tides as well as oceanic flows. The simulated temperature and salinity in the intermediate layer are significantly improved by including tides. The improvement results from the combined effect of two internal tides. The M2 internal tide, propagating into the interior of the EJS, enhances vertical mixing and brings watermass characteristics closer to those observed. The K1 internal tide, trapped along the coast, induces southwestward flow along the Russian coast in the upper layer and thereby enhances the so-called Liman Current, which transports fresh waters with density conducive to the ventilation of intermediate waters in the EJS

A Case of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Associated with an Ovarian Teratoma

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with an ovarian teratoma is a very rare disease. However, treating teratoma is the only method to cure the hemolytic anemia, so it is necessary to include ovarian teratoma in the differential diagnosis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. We report herein on a case of a young adult patient who had severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia that was induced by an ovarian teratoma. A 25-yr-old woman complained of general weakness and dizziness for 1 week. The hemoglobin level was 4.2 g/dL, and the direct and indirect antiglobulin tests were all positive. The abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a huge left ovarian mass, and this indicated a teratoma. She was refractory to corticosteroid therapy; however, after surgical resection of the ovarian mass, the hemoglobin level and the reticulocyte count were gradually normalized. The mass was well encapsulated and contained hair and teeth. She was diagnosed as having autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with an ovarian teratoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such a case to be reported in Korea

Cellular stress-induced up-regulation of FMRP promotes cell survival by modulating PI3K-Akt phosphorylation cascades

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most commonly inherited mental retardation and single gene cause of autistic spectrum disorder, occurs when the Fmr1 gene is mutated. The product of Fmr1, fragile X linked mental retardation protein (FMRP) is widely expressed in HeLa cells, however the roles of FMRP within HeLa cells were not elucidated, yet. Interacting with a diverse range of mRNAs related to cellular survival regulatory signals, understanding the functions of FMRP in cellular context would provide better insights into the role of this interesting protein in FXS. Using HeLa cells treated with etoposide as a model, we tried to determine whether FMRP could play a role in cell survival.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Apoptotic cell death was induced by etoposide treatment on Hela cells. After we transiently modulated FMRP expression (silencing or enhancing) by using molecular biotechnological methods such as small hairpin RNA virus-induced knock down and overexpression using transfection with FMRP expression vectors, cellular viability was measured using propidium iodide staining, TUNEL staining, and FACS analysis along with the level of activation of PI3K-Akt pathway by Western blot. Expression level of FMRP and apoptotic regulator BcL-xL was analyzed by Western blot, RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An increased FMRP expression was measured in etoposide-treated HeLa cells, which was induced by PI3K-Akt activation. Without FMRP expression, cellular defence mechanism via PI3K-Akt-Bcl-xL was weakened and resulted in an augmented cell death by etoposide. In addition, FMRP over-expression lead to the activation of PI3K-Akt signalling pathway as well as increased FMRP and BcL-xL expression, which culminates with the increased cell survival in etoposide-treated HeLa cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken together, these results suggest that FMRP expression is an essential part of cellular survival mechanisms through the modulation of PI3K, Akt, and Bcl-xL signal pathways.</p