The MR imaging diagnosis of liver diseases using gadoxetic acid: Emphasis on hepatobiliary phase

Hepatocyte specific contrast agents including gadoxetic acid and gadobenate dimeglumine are very useful to diagnose various benign and malignant focal hepatic lesions and even helpful to estimate hepatic functional reservoir. The far delayed phase image referred to as the hepatobiliary phase makes the sensitivity of detection for malignant focal hepatic lesions increased, but specificity of malignant diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma, metastasis and cholangiocarcinoma, characterization remained to be undetermined

Validity of Stature-predicted Equations using Knee Height for Elderly and Mobility Impaired Persons in Koreans

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish a stature-predicted equation using knee height, and perform a clinical validation on a Korean population. METHODS: Using nationwide data obtained from 'Size Korea 2004', a stature-predicted equation was drawn and cross validation was performed using knee height in 5,063 subjects (2,532 males, 1,785 premenopausal females, and 746 postmenopausal females) who were aged between 20 and 69 yr. The formula was then applied to an elderly group (7 males and 26 females) and a mobility-impaired group (25 males and 14 females) in a real clinical setting. A stature-predicted equation was estimated using knee height and age based on multiple linear regression analysis. Cross validation was performed using paired t-test, and validation using clinical data was performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: In three groups (males, premenopausal females, and postmenopausal females), a cross validation was performed for a stature-predicted equation which was drawn using knee height and age. There were no significant differences between recorded height and estimated height in the elderly group (mean difference±interquartile range (IQR): male 0.65±4.65 cm, female -0.10±3.65 cm) and the mobility-impaired group (mean difference±IQR: male -0.23±5.45 cm, female 1.64±5.36 cm). CONCLUSION: If several limitations could be overcome, the Korean-specific equations using knee height drawn from this study could be applied to actual clinical settings with Korean elderly or mobility-impaired people.ope

Trib2 regulates the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells and enhances reprogramming efficiency

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells characterized by self-renewability and differentiation potential. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are ES cell-equivalent cells derived from somatic cells by the introduction of core reprogramming factors. ES and iPS cells are important sources for understanding basic biology and for generating therapeutic cells for clinical applications. Tribbles homolog 2 (Trib2) functions as a scaffold in signaling pathways. However, the relevance of Trib2 to the pluripotency of ES and iPS cells is unknown. In the present study, we elucidated the importance of Trib2 in maintaining pluripotency in mouse ES cells and in generating iPS cells from somatic cells through the reprogramming process. Trib2 expression decreased as ES cells differentiated, and Trib2 knockdown in ES cells changed their colony morphology while reducing the activity of alkaline phosphatase and the expression of the pluripotency marker genes Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Klf4. Trib2 directly interacted with Oct4 and elevated Oct4 promoter activity. During the generation of iPS cells, Trib2 knockdown decreased the reprogramming efficiency of mouse embryonic fibroblasts, whereas Trib2 overexpression significantly increased their reprogramming efficiency. In summary, our results suggest that Trib2 is important for maintaining self-renewal in ES cells and for pluripotency induction during the reprogramming process

Anti-inflammatory and Immune-regulatory Effects of Subcutaneous Perillae Fructus Extract Injections on OVA-induced Asthma in Mice

Perillae fructus (perilla seed) is a traditional medicinal herb used to treat bronchial asthma in Oriental medical clinics. ST36 is one of the most widely used acupuncture points, particularly for immune system regulation. Injection of an herbal extract into an acupuncture point (herbal acupuncture) is a therapeutic technique combining both acupuncture and herbal treatment. Perillae fructus extract was injected subcutaneously (Perillae fructus herbal acupuncture; PF-HA) at acupoint ST36 of OVA-induced asthmatic mice. The lung weight, bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) cell count, the number of CCR3+, CD11b+, CD4+ and CD3e+/CD69+ cells in the lung, and the level of IgE, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 in BALF and serum were then measured. RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α in the lung. Lung sections were analyzed histologically. PF-HA significantly reduced lung weight, the number of inflammatory cells in the lung and BALF, the levels of IgE and Th2 cytokines in BALF and serum, mRNA expression of Th2 cytokines in the lung, and pathological changes in lung tissue. Our results suggest that PF-HA may have an anti-inflammatory and immune-regulatory effect on bronchial allergic asthma by restoring the Th1/Th2 imbalance in the immune system and suppressing eosinophilic inflammation in airways

The Effects of the Acupuncture Treatment for Smoking Cessation in High School Student Smokers

The use of alternative medicine for smoking cessation have been increasing steadily in recent years. A series of clinical group studies was performed to clarify the effect, outcome and success rate of an acupuncture treatment for smoking cessation. This study was conducted for four weeks using 238 smoking students at 2 high schools. The subjects were separated into two groups: 159 students were treated with acupuncture on the anti-smoking acupoints of the ear, which is known to be effective for cessation of smoking (case group), and 79 students were treated at other sites of the ear (control group). The acupuncture treatment was alternately administered at each side of the ears on a weekly basis for 4 weeks. The smoking cessation success was only 1 case (0.6%) in the case group and none in the control group after 4 weeks. The change in the taste of tobacco and the intensity of the desire to smoke were not significantly different between the case and control groups, but the case group showed a tendency of reduction in the taste of tobacco and the intensity of the desire to smoke. In addition, the reduction in cigarette consumption was not significant, but the tendency of reduction in the study group was significant. It is believed that the site of auricular acupuncture for smoking cessation is not important. However, there was a significant tendency in terms of the reduction in cigarette consumption, the taste of tobacco and the intensity of the desire to smoke in the case group, indicating that auricular acupuncture in smoking cessation has some effect

A novel repeat sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) using specific repeat sequences of Mycobacterium intracellulare as a DNA fingerprinting

Repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) is a potential epidemiological technique that can provide high-throughput genotype fingerprints of heterogeneous Mycobacterium strains rapidly. Previously published rep-PCR primers, which are based on nucleotide sequences of Gram-negative bacteria may have low specificity for mycobacteria. Moreover, it was difficult to ensure the continuity of the study after the commercial rep-PCR kit was discontinued. Here, we designed a novel rep-PCR for Mycobacterium intracellulare, a major cause of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease with frequent recurrence. We screened the 7,645 repeat sequences for 200 fragments from the genome of M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 in silico, finally generating five primers with more than 90% identity for a total of 226 loci in the genome. The five primers could make different band patterns depending on the genome of three different M. intracellulare strains using an in silico test. The novel rep-PCR with the five primers was conducted using 34 bacterial samples of 7 species containing 25 M. intracellulare clinical isolates, compared with previous published rep-PCRs. This shows distinguished patterns depending on species and blotting assay for 6 species implied the sequence specificity of the five primers. The Designed rep-PCR had a 95–98% of similarity value in the reproducibility test and showed 7 groups of fingerprints in M. intracellulare strains. Designed rep-PCR had a correlation value of 0.814 with VNTR, reference epidemiological method. This study provides a promising genotype fingerprinting method for tracing the recurrence of heterogeneous M. intracellulare