Effects of Polyethylene Glycol-Induced Water Stress on the Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Different Sorghum Genotypes

Globally, abiotic stress is the primary cause of crop loss, reducing the average yields of most major crop plants by more than 50% (Bray et. al., 2000). Drought stress is one of the most widespread environmental stresses when the total area of arable land is classified according to the occurrence of various stress factors (Arora et al., 2002). Drought and other abiotic stresses limit the photosynthetic activity of various crops, which in turn reduces the production of photosynthetic assimilates. Almost every developmental stage of the plant is affected by water stress. However, it has been observed that drought stress is more damaging to plants at the growth and germination stages, affecting seedling shoot length, flowering, and root length (Khayatnezhad, et al., 2010

Utility of a multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay (HemaVision) in the evaluation of genetic abnormalities in Korean children with acute leukemia: a single institution study

PurposeIn children with acute leukemia, bone marrow genetic abnormalities (GA) have prognostic significance, and may be the basis for minimal residual disease monitoring. Since April 2007, we have used a multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction tool (HemaVision) to detect of GA.MethodsIn this study, we reviewed the results of HemaVision screening in 270 children with acute leukemia, newly diagnosed at The Catholic University of Korea from April 2007 to December 2011, and compared the results with those of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and G-band karyotyping.ResultsAmong the 270 children (153 males, 117 females), 187 acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 74 acute myeloid leukemia patients were identified. Overall, GA was detected in 230 patients (85.2%). HemaVision, FISH, and G-band karyotyping identified GA in 125 (46.3%), 126 (46.7%), and 215 patients (79.6%), respectively. TEL-AML1 (20.9%, 39/187) and AML1-ETO (27%, 20/74) were the most common GA in ALL and AML, respectively. Overall sensitivity of HemaVision was 98.4%, with false-negative results in 2 instances: 1 each for TEL-AML1 and MLL-AF4. An aggregate of diseasesspecific FISH showed 100% sensitivity in detection of GA covered by HemaVision for actual probes utilized. G-band karyotype revealed GA other than those covered by HemaVison screening in 133 patients (49.3%). Except for hyperdiplody and hypodiploidy, recurrent GA as defined by the World Health Organizationthat were not screened by HemaVision, were absent in the karyotype.ConclusionHemaVision, supported by an aggregate of FISH tests for important translocations, may allow for accurate diagnosis of GA in Korean children with acute leukemia

Immune reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children: a single institution study of 59 patients

PurposeLymphocyte subset recovery is an important factor that determines the success of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Temporal differences in the recovery of lymphocyte subsets and the factors influencing this recovery are important variables that affect a patient's post-transplant immune reconstitution, and therefore require investigation.MethodsThe time taken to achieve lymphocyte subset recovery and the factors influencing this recovery were investigated in 59 children who had undergone HSCT at the Department of Pediatrics, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and who had an uneventful follow-up period of at least 1 year. Analyses were carried out at 3 and 12 months post-transplant. An additional study was performed 1 month post-transplant to evaluate natural killer (NK) cell recovery. The impact of pre- and post-transplant variables, including diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNAemia posttransplant, on lymphocyte recovery was evaluated.ResultsThe lymphocyte subsets recovered in the following order: NK cells, cytotoxic T cells, B cells, and helper T cells. At 1 month post-transplant, acute graft-versus-host disease was found to contribute significantly to the delay of CD16+/56+ cell recovery. Younger patients showed delayed recovery of both CD3+/CD8+ and CD19+ cells. EBV DNAemia had a deleterious impact on the recovery of both CD3+ and CD3+/CD4+ lymphocytes at 1 year post-transplant.ConclusionIn our pediatric allogeneic HSCT cohort, helper T cells were the last subset to recover. Younger age and EBV DNAemia had a negative impact on the post-transplant recovery of T cells and B cells

Helicobacter pylori Infection is Associated with Elevated Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Elderly Koreans

This study was conducted to investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and the lipid profile among elderly Koreans. A total of 462 subjects (mean age 66.2 ± 7.6 yr, 84% males) who underwent health check-up were investigated. Each subject underwent gastroduodenoscopy with gastric mucosal biopsy, and H. pylori infection was determined by histopathological examination using the updated Sydney System score. The presence of H. pylori infection was significantly associated with the elevated serum levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P < 0.05 for each) in univariate analysis. H. pylori infection was not associated with triglyceride and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (P > 0.05 for each). After controlling confounders, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of H. pylori infection for high LDL cholesterol level (> 140 mg/dL) was 3.113 (95% confidence interval, 1.364-7.018; P = 0.007). There were no significant associations between the presence of H. pylori infection and elevated total cholesterol levels (> 200 mg/dL) in this model (P = 0.586). The results of this study demonstrate that H. pylori infection is associated with the elevated serum LDL cholesterol levels in elderly Koreans, supporting the hypothesis that H. pylori plays a role in promoting atherosclerosis by modifying lipid metabolism

Sex differences in coronary angiographic findings in patients with stable chest pain: analysis of data from the KoRean wOmenS chest pain rEgistry (KoROSE)

Abstract Background Focused evaluations on potential sex differences in the angiographic findings of the coronary arteries are scarce. This study was performed to compare the angiographic extent and localization of coronary stenosis between men and women. Methods A total of 2348 patients (mean age 62.5 years and 60% women) with stable chest pain undergoing invasive coronary angiography (CAG) were recruited from the database of the nation-wide chest pain registry. Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) was defined as ≥ 50% stenosis of the left main coronary artery and/or ≥ 70% stenosis of any other epicardial coronary arteries. Results Although women were older than men (64.4 ± 10.3 vs. 59.5 ± 11.4 years, P < 0.001), men had worse risk profiles including high blood pressure, more frequent smoking and elevated triglyceride and C-reactive protein. The prevalence of obstructive CAD was significantly higher in men than in women (37.0% vs. 28.4%, P < 0.001). Men had a higher prevalence of LM disease (10.3% vs. 3.5%, P < 0.001) and three-vessel disease (16.1% vs. 9.5%, P = 0.007) compared to women. In multiple binary logistic regression analysis, the risk of men having LM disease or three-vessel disease was 7.4 (95% confidence interval 3.48–15.97; P < 0.001) and 2.7 (95% confidence interval 1.57–4.64; P < 0.001) times that of women, respectively, even after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusions In patients with chest pain undergoing invasive CAG, men had higher obstructive CAD prevalence and more high-risk angiographic findings such as LM disease or three-vessel disease.Highlights Focused evaluation on sex differences in the angiographic findings of the coronary arteries is limited. We evaluated sex differences in the angiographic extent and localization of coronary stenosis in 2348 patients. Men had higher prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease and more high-risk angiographic findings such as left main disease or three-vessel disease. This sex difference could be applied in the clinical evaluation and management of patients with suspected coronary artery disease

Efficacy of imatinib mesylate-based front-line therapy in pediatric chronic myelogenous leukemia

PurposeDespite the established role of imatinib (IM) in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in adults, there are few reports on its efficacy in children. In this study, we compared the outcomes of children with CML before and after the advent of IM-based treatment.MethodsThe study cohort consisted of 52 patients treated for CML at the Department of Pediatrics, The Catholic University of Korea from January 1995 to October 2010. Patients were divided and analyzed according to the preImatinib group (pre-IMG) and imatinib group (IMG).ResultsMedian age at diagnosis for the overall cohort (pre-IMG, n=27; IMG, n=25) was 9 years, with a median follow-up duration of survivors of 84 months. Except for 5 patients in the IMG, all were diagnosed in chronic phase (CP). The overall survival (OS) of patients diagnosed in CP was 45.7% and 89.7% for pre-IMG and IMG, respectively (P=0.025). The OS of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients in the 2 groups was similar, but the OS of patients diagnosed in CP who did not receive HSCT was superior in IMG (91.7% vs. 16.7%, P=0.014). Of the 12 patients in IMG who remained on IM without HSCT, 2 showed disease progression, compared to 11 of 12 in pre-IMG. No difference was observed in the progression free survival (PFS) of matched donor HSCT recipients and IM-based treatment recipients.ConclusionSimilar PFS of patients treated with IM and those who received matched donor HSCT underscore the potential of IM as effective first-line treatment in childhood CML

A Decline in Renal Function is Associated With Loss of Bone Mass in Korean Postmenopausal Women With Mild Renal Dysfunction

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and bone mineral density (BMD) in Korean postmenopausal women with mild renal dysfunction. A total of 328 postmenopausal women who underwent BMD measurement during health check-up was investigated. BMD was measured in lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck, total proximal femur and femoral trochanteric areas by dual energy radiography absorptiometry and renal function was estimated by eGFR using Cockcroft-Gault equation. Of the 328 subjects, 317 (96.6%) had an eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2. By using simple linear regression analysis, age, height, weight and eGFR were significantly associated with BMD for the 4 aforementioned anatomic sites, while serum levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen did not influence BMD. When multiple regression analyses were applied, age and body weight still had significant associations with BMD at 4 different anatomic sites (P < 0.001). A significant association of eGFR with BMD remained in the lumbar spine, femoral neck and proximal total femur (P < 0.05) but not in the trochanteric area (P = 0.300). Our study suggests that a decline of renal function is associated with lower BMD in the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total proximal femur areas in Korean menopausal women with mild renal dysfunction

The Positive Association between Peripheral Blood Cell Counts and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

PURPOSE: Accumulating evidence has shown a close connection between hematopoiesis and bone formation. Our aim was to evaluate the association between peripheral blood cell counts and bone mineral density (BMD) in a sample of postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundreds thirty eight healthy postmenopausal women who underwent BMD measurement during their health check-up were investigated. BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray asorptiometry at L1-L4 spine, femoral neck and total proximal femur. BMD was expressed as a T-score: among T-scores obtained from three different sites (L1-L4 spine, femoral neck and total proximal femur), the lowest T-score was considered to be the subject's T-score. RESULTS: The prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis diagnosed by T-score in the study participants were 49.4% (167/338) and 5.0% (17/338), respectively. Peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and platelet counts had significant positive correlations with T-scores (p<0.001) upon simple linear regression analysis. A multiple linear regression analysis, after controlling of confounders including age, body weight, systolic blood pressure, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine, showed that WBC (β=0.127; standard error=0.043; p=0.014), RBC (β=0.192; standard error=0.139; p<0.001) and platelet (β=0.097; standard error=0.001; p=0.050) counts still had significant positive association with T-scores. CONCLUSION: The study results showed a positive relationship between blood cell counts and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, supporting the idea of a close connection between hematopoiesis and bone formation. The study results also suggest that blood cell counts could be a putative marker for estimating BMD in postmenopausal women.ope

Use of intravenous immunoglobulin in a disseminated varicella infection in an immunocompromised child

Varicella-zoster virus infection can lead to severe illness in immunocompromised patients. Further the mortality rate of disseminated varicella infection is extremely high particularly in immunocompromised children. We report a case of disseminated varicella infection in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who was receiving chemotherapy, but was initially admitted with only for acute abdominal pain. The patient rapidly developed severe complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute hepatitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and encephalopathy. Acyclovir is a highly potent inhibitor of varicella-zoster virus infection. However, owing to rapid disease progression, it might not be sufficient to control a disseminated varicella infection, especially in immunocompromised patients. Immunoglobulin neutralize virus invasion and suppress viremia, acting synergistically with acyclovir. In this case, early administration of acyclovir and a high-dose of immunoglobulin, combined with mechanical respiratory support, proved adequate for treatment of this severe illness