Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Prevalence and Causative Factors of Extrahepatic Collateral Arteries in 479 Patients

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to investigate the prevalence and causative factors of extrahepatic arterial blood supply to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at its initial presentation and during chemoembolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 1998 and April 2000, consecutive 479 patients with newly diagnosed HCC were prospectively enrolled into this study. A total of 1629 sessions of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) were performed in these patients (range: 1-15 sessions; mean: 3.4 sessions) until April 2004. For each TACE procedure, we determined the potential extrahepatic collateral arteries (ExCAs) depending on the location of the tumor, and we performed selective angiography of all suspected collaterals that could supply the tumor. The prevalence of ExCAs and the causative factors were analyzed. RESULTS: At initial presentation, 82 (17%) of these 479 patients showed 108 ExCAs supplying tumors. Univariate analysis showed that tumor size (p or =5 cm) was significantly higher than that for those patients with a small tumor (< 5 cm) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The presence of ExCAs supplying HCC is rather common, and the tumor size is a significant causative factor for the development of these collateral arteries.This study was supported by a grant (0620220-1) from the National R & D Program for Cancer Control, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea

Effect of athletes’ ethical sensitivity on doping mindset and tendency: moderated by sex and age

It is essential to check athletes’ mindset and tendency toward doping to prevent it. This study aimed to determine the effect of athletes’ ethical sensitivity on their mindset and tendency toward doping, and whether age and sex have a moderating effect. To achieve the purpose of this study, 1003 athletes registered in the Korea Sports Association were surveyed with a questionnaire consisting of 34 questions including ethical sensitivity items and a Performance Enhancement Attitude Scale (PEAS). To verify the reliability and validity of the data, an Item Response Theory (IRT)-based Rasch model was applied. Consequently, we deleted three questions from ethical sensitivity and five questions from PEAS. Our results are as follows: First, ethical sensitivity showed differences according to sex, and mindset and tendency toward doping showed differences according to age. Second, ethical sensitivity was found to have a statistically significant effect on mindset and tendency toward doping. Third, regarding the effect of ethical sensitivity on their mindset and tendency toward doping, the moderating effect of sex and age was not found to have a statistically significant effect. Our findings confirmed that ethical sensitivity has a positive relationship with the mindset and tendency toward doping. In other words, improving the ethical sensitivity of athletes will increase their ethical awareness and help prevent unethical behavior such as doping

A two-photon fluorescent probe for lysosomal zinc ions

The selective detection of zinc ions in lysosomes over that in cytosol is achieved with a fluorescent probe, which enabled the fluorescence imaging of endogenous zinc ions in lysosomes of NIH 3T3 cells as well as mouse hippocampal tissues by two-photon microscopy under excitation at 900 nm.open

Mechanisms of an extraordinary East Asian summer monsoon event in July 2011

Previous studies have demonstrated that the strong East Asian summer monsoon results mainly from the westward intensification of the North Pacific subtropical high (NPSH), or equivalently, the enhancement of the western North Pacific subtropical high. However, during early July in 2011 a strong southerly or southeasterly moist flow gave rise to a large amount of precipitation over southwestern Japan and Korea and anomalous dry conditions over central China because of the extraordinary intensification of the NPSH to the north. The formation of the anomalous high that occurred to the east of central Japan during early July is very rare, and its physical mechanisms are investigated in this study. The regressed circulation anomalies and wave-activity flux vectors for July 2011 and data from the previous 32 years show that two teleconnection patterns due to Rossby wave trains are the most important mechanisms: Rossby wave propagation from the eastern North Atlantic and western Europe to East Asia following the North Eurasian jet and East Asian jet in the upper level, and northward propagation of Rossby waves forced by diabatic heating over the western North Pacific (WNP) region in the lower level. This simultaneous forcing of a significant negative phase of the summertime North Atlantic Oscillation in the higher latitudes and enhanced diabatic heating over the subtropical WNP is found to be the cause of the abnormal development of the anomalous high to the east of central Japan, resulting in extremely wet conditions in Korea and southern Japan and dry conditions in southern China

Effects of exercise on obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle

Obesity is known to induce inhibition of glucose uptake, reduction of lipid metabolism, and progressive loss of skeletal muscle function, which are all as- sociated with mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle. Mitochondria are dy- namic organelles that regulate cellular metabolism and bioenergetics, including ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation. Due to these critical roles of mitochon- dria, mitochondrial dysfunction results in various diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is associated with impairment of mitochondrial function (e.g., decrease in O2 respiration and increase in oxidative stress) in skeletal muscle. The bal- ance between mitochondrial fusion and fission is critical to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis in skeletal muscle. Obesity impairs mitochondrial dynamics, leading to an unbalance between fusion and fission by favorably shifting fission or reducing fusion proteins. Mitophagy is the catabolic process of damaged or unnecessary mito- chondria. Obesity reduces mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle and increases accumulation of dysfunctional cellular organelles, suggesting that mitophagy does not work properly in obesity. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are reported to trigger apoptosis, and mitochondrial apoptosis is induced by obesity in skeletal muscle. It is well known that exercise is the most effective intervention to protect against obesity. Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which exercise protects against obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal mus- cle are not clearly elucidated, exercise training attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction, allows mitochondria to maintain the balance between mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy, and reduces apoptotic signaling in obese skeletal muscle

Efekti korišćenja astaksantina u ishrani na rast, pigmentaciju mišića i antioksidantne aktivnosti mlađi kalifornijske pastrmke (oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study was designed to test the effects of dietary astaxanthin on growth, muscle pigmentation, antioxidant activity and biochemical composition of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Experimental diets were formulated to contain 50, 75 and 100 ppm astaxanthin (designed as AS50, AS75 and AS100). The diet without supplementation of astaxanthin was considered as the control diet. Each experimental diet was fed to three replicate groups of fish (18.5 g/fish) to visual satiation two times a day for 10 weeks. Growth performance and proximate composition of muscle of fish were not affected by dietary AS levels (P> 0.05). Total carotenoid concentration in the muscle of fish fed the AS50 diet was higher than that of fish fed the control diet, but no different to that of fish fed the AS75 and AS100 diets. The astaxanthin concentration in the muscle of fish fed AS50, AS75 and AS100 diets were higher than that of control diet. The redness (a*) of the muscle of fish fed AS50, AS75 and AS100 diets were higher than that of fish fed the control diet (P 0.05) nije uticao na performansu rasta i hemijski sastav mišića ribe. Ukupna koncentracija karotenoida u mišiću ribe koja je hranjena AS50 hranom bila je viša nego kod riba hranjenih kontrolnom hranom, ali nije bila drugačija od riba hranjenih AS75 i AS100 hranom. Koncentracija astaksantina u mišiću riba hranjenih AS50, AS75 i AS100 hranom bila je viša nego kod riba hranjenih kontrolnom hranom. Crvena boja (a*) mišića ribe koja je hranjena AS50, AS75 i AS100 hranom bila je jača nego kod ribe hranjene kontrolnom hranom (P< 0.05). Antioksidantna aktivnost DPPH, radikala hidroksila i alkila u plazmi i jetri riba nisu zavisili od nivoa astaksantina osim kod plazme koja je imala antioksidantnu aktivnost alkilnih radikala. Rezultati ove studije nagoveštavaju da se hrana koja sadrži 50 ppm astaksantina može koristiti da bi se poboljšala crvena boja mišične pigmentacije kod mlađi kalifornijske pastrmke

Follow-up CT Evaluation of the Mural Changes in Active Takayasu Arteritis

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to evaluate the mural changes by CT on the follow-up examination of patients with active Takayasu arteritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 18 patients, (4 males and 14 females), with active Takayasu arteritis. A total of 44 CT examinations were done during the follow-up period (mean: 55.6 months). At the time of the last follow-up CT, the disease, on the basis of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), was found to be inactive in five patients and the disease was active and persistent in 13 patients. The thickness and CT attenuation of the aortic wall on the precontrast, arterial and venous phases were measured on the initial and the follow-up CT examinations. The ratio of the mural attenuation over that of the back muscle on the initial CT was compared with the ratio found on the follow-up CT. RESULTS: The initial CT findings included high density and calcifications of the aortic wall in the precontrast images and a thickened wall with enhancements in the arterial and the venous phases. A low-attenuation ring was demonstrated in the venous phase in 15 patients (83%). On the follow-up evaluation, the mean mural thickness decreased significantly from 4.1 mm to 2.4 mm. The mean mural attenuation ratio in the venous phase decreased significantly from 1.9 to 1.3 (p = 0.001). The low attenuation ring was identified in seven patients (39%) who had only with active, persistent Takayasu arteritis. CONCLUSION: The mural changes demonstrated by the follow-up CT evaluations for the patients with active Takayasu arteritis included a decrease of the mural thickness and enhancement, disappearance of the low-attenuation ring on the venous phase, and an increase of the mural attenuation and calcification on the precontrast phase