Laser and radiofrequency ablations for benign and malignant thyroid tumors.

A growing body of evidence is being published regarding the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive image-guided ablation techniques. While clinical applications of these techniques are increasing, international societies have started to publish treatment guidelines and to make efforts to standardize both terminology and reporting criteria for image-guided thyroid ablations. Laser ablation and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are among the most common ablation techniques either for benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Unlike laser ablation and RFA in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, where safety and efficacy have been widely demonstrated, evidence regarding local tumor control of thyroid malignancies is still limited. However, preliminary results are encouraging and image-guided thermal ablation techniques can be considered a valid alternative to surgery for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. This review evaluates the basic concept of RFA and laser ablations, their techniques, clinical outcomes, and complications based on the suggestions of several society guidelines. Multidisciplinary collaboration remains critical to identify patients which may benefit from minimally invasive image-guided thermal ablations, especially if surgery or radioiodine therapy are not feasible options

Non-invasive cortical stimulation improves post-stroke attention decline

Purpose: Attention decline after stroke is common and hampers the rehabilitation process, and non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has the potential to elicit behavioral changes by modulating cortical excitability. The authors tested the hypothesis that a single session of non-invasive cortical stimulation with excitatory anodal tDCS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can improve attention in stroke patients. Methods: Ten patients with post-stroke cognitive decline (MMSE 0.05). Changes in reaction times were comparable for the two stimulations (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Non invasive anodal tDCS applied to the left DLPFC was found to improve attention versus sham stimulation in stroke patients, which suggests that non-invasive cortical intervention could potentially be used during rehabilitative training to improve attention.This research was supported by a grant from Seoul National University College of Medicine (Grant No. 800-20060236) to N.J. Paik, and by a grant from the Korean Geriatric Society to E.K. Kang.Monti A, 2008, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V79, P451, DOI 10.1136/jnnp.2007.135277Priori A, 2008, CEREB CORTEX, V18, P451, DOI 10.1093/cercor/bhm088Kuo MF, 2008, NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA, V46, P2122, DOI 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.02.023Coulthard E, 2006, CURR OPIN NEUROL, V19, P613Boggio PS, 2006, J NEUROL SCI, V249, P31, DOI 10.1016/j.jns.2006.05.062Gandiga PC, 2006, CLIN NEUROPHYSIOL, V117, P845, DOI 10.1016/j.clinph.2005.12.003Fregni F, 2005, EXP BRAIN RES, V166, P23, DOI 10.1007/s00221-005-2334-6Hummel F, 2005, BRAIN, V128, P490, DOI 10.1093/brain/awh369DEVINSKY O, 2004, NEUROLOGY COGNITIVENitsche MA, 2003, J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI, V15, P619, DOI 10.1162/089892903321662994McDowd JM, 2003, J GERONTOL B-PSYCHOL, V58, pP45Hikosaka O, 2002, CURR OPIN NEUROBIOL, V12, P217Aranda D, 2001, REV NEUROLOGIA, V32, P10Nitsche MA, 2000, J PHYSIOL-LONDON, V527, P633McNevin NH, 2000, PHYS THER, V80, P373DESPOSITO M, 1998, BRAIN RES COGN BRAIN, V7, P1TATEMICHI TK, 1994, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V57, P202

Telecommuting-related health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a national population-based cross-sectional study

Background Telecommuting has expanded greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the advent of remote working from home, there has been an ongoing controversy about the positive or negative health-related impact of telecommuting. This study aimed to investigate change in the occupational health risk in South Korean workers involved in telecommuting during the pandemic period compared to daily commuters. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study of South Korean workers using the secondary data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020–2021) was designed. A total of 12,354 white-collar wage employees were selected as the study sample. Telecommuting, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, headache-eye strain, absenteeism, and presenteeism were measured by self-reported data. Multiple logistic regression models, including gender stratification analysis, were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the health outcomes of telecommuters. Results Among the study population, 338 males and 318 females were reported to be telecommuters. The entirely adjusted regression model showed a positive association between telecommuting and anxiety (AOR = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.93–4.10), insomnia (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27–2.92), fatigue (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.30–2.37), musculoskeletal pain (AOR = 1,76; 95% CI, 1.33–2.32), headache-eye strain (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI, 1.48–2.54), presenteeism (AOR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.20–2.28) respectively. Gender difference was identified in that only female telecommuters had a higher risk of depression (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.04–2.53) and insomnia (AOR = 2.07; 95% CI, 1.26–3.41) than daily commuters in the adjusted model. Conclusion Telecommuting was significantly associated with an increased risk of various health problems among South Korean workers and females were identified as a more vulnerable group. Although further research is required to ascertain the causal relationship, public health intervention should be considered to prevent the negative effects of telecommuting.This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (grant number, 2022R1A2C2010463, 2017R1E1A1A01078235). This research was supported by the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and Korea Dementia Research Center (KDRC), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare and Ministry of Science and ICT, Republic of Korea (grant number: HU20C0487). This work was supported by the Education and Research Encouragement Fund of Seoul National University Hospital

Regulation of autophagic cell death by glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta in adult hippocampal neural stem cells following insulin withdrawal

Background: Neural stem cells (NSCs) hold great potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, programmed cell death (PCD) provoked by the harsh conditions evident in the diseased brain greatly undermines the potential of NSCs. Currently, the mechanisms of PCD that effect NSCs remain largely unknown. Results: We have previously reported that hippocampal neural stem (HCN) cells derived from the adult rat brain undergo autopahgic cell death (ACD) following insulin withdrawal without hallmarks of apoptosis despite their normal apoptotic capabilities. In this study, we demonstrate that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) induces ACD in insulin-deprived HCN cells. Both pharmacological and genetic inactivation of GSK-3β significantly decreased ACD, while activation of GSK-3β increased autophagic flux and caused more cell death without inducing apoptosis following insulin withdrawal. In contrast, knockdown of GSK-3α barely affected ACD, lending further support to the critical role of GSK-3β. Conclusion: Collectively, these data demonstrate that GSK-3β is a key regulator of ACD in HCN cells following insulin withdrawal. The absence of apoptotic indices in GSK-3β-induced cell death in insulin-deprived HCN cells corroborates the notion that HCN cell death following insulin withdrawal represents the genuine model of ACD in apoptosis-intact mammalian cells and identifies GSK-3β as a key negative effector of NSC survival downstream of insulin signaling. © 2015 Ha et al.; licensee BioMed Central.1

PMC-12, a Prescription of Traditional Korean Medicine, Improves Amyloid β

PMC-12 is a prescription used in traditional Korean medicine that consists of a mixture of four herbal medicines, Polygonum multiflorum, Rehmannia glutinosa, Polygala tenuifolia, and Acorus gramineus, which have been reported to have various pharmacological effects on age-related neurological diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether PMC-12 improves cognitive deficits associated with decreased neuroinflammation in an amyloid-β-(Aβ-) induced mouse model and exerts the antineuroinflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-) stimulated murine BV2 microglia. Intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ25-35 in mice resulted in impairment in learning and spatial memory, whereas this was reversed by oral administration of PMC-12 (100 and 500 mg/kg/day) in dose-dependent manners. Moreover, PMC-12 reduced the increase of Aβ expression and activation of microglia and astrocytes in the Aβ25-35-injected brain. Furthermore, quantitative PCR data showed that inflammatory mediators were significantly decreased by administration of PMC-12 in Aβ-injected brains. Consistent with the in vivo data, PMC-12 significantly reduced the inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells without cell toxicity. Moreover, PMC-12 exhibited anti-inflammatory properties via downregulation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK pathways. These findings suggest that the protective effects of PMC-12 may be mediated by its antineuroinflammatory activities, resulting in the attenuation of memory impairment; accordingly, PMC-12 may be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD

Production of specific antibodies against SARS-coronavirus nucleocapsid protein without cross reactivity with human coronaviruses 229E and OC43

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a life-threatening disease for which accurate diagnosis is essential. Although many tools have been developed for the diagnosis of SARS, false-positive reactions in negative sera may occur because of cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses. We have raised polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies (Abs) using a recombinant form of the SARS virus nucleocapsid protein. Cross-reactivity of these anti-SARS Abs against human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E and HCoV OC43 were determined by Western blotting. The Abs produced reacted with recombinant SARS virus nucleocapsid protein, but not with HCoV 229E or HCoV OC43

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) extracts suppress the adhesion, migration and invasion of human breast cancer cell line

We examined the inhibitory effects of loquat methanol extract on the adhesion, migration, invasion and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activities of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. Cells were cultured with DMSO or with 10, 25, or 50 µg/ml of loquat methanol extract. Both leaf and seed extracts significantly inhibited growth of MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner, although leaf extract was more effective. Adhesion and migration were significantly inhibited by loquat extracts in a dose-dependent manner. Loquat extract also inhibited the invasion of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and leaf extract was more effective than seed extract. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were also inhibited by loquat extract. Our results indicate that methanol extracts of loquat inhibit the adhesion, migration and invasion of human breast cancer cells partially through the inhibition of MMP activity and leaf extract has more anti-metastatic effects in cell based assay than seed extract. Clinical application of loquat extract as a potent chemopreventive agent may be helpful in limiting breast cancer invasion and metastasis

In vivo alternative testing with zebrafish in ecotoxicology

Although rodents have previously been used in ecotoxicological studies, they are expensive, time-consuming, and are limited by strict legal restrictions. The present study used a zebrafish (Danio rerio) model and generated data that was useful for extrapolating toxicant effects in this system to that of humans. Here we treated embryos of the naive-type as well as a transiently transfected zebrafish liver cell line carrying a plasmid (phAhRE-EGFP), for comparing toxicity levels with the well-known aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-binding toxicants: 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, and 3-methylcholanthrene. These toxicants induced a concentration-dependent increase in morphological disruption, indicating toxicity at early life-stages. The transient transgenic zebrafish liver cell line was sensitive enough to these toxicants to express the CYP1A1 regulated enhanced green fluorescent protein. The findings of this study demonstrated that the zebrafish in vivo model might allow for extremely rapid and reproducible toxicological profiling of early life-stage embryo development. We have also shown that the transient transgenic zebrafish liver cell line can be used for research on AhR mechanism studies

YH29407 with anti-PD-1 ameliorates anti-tumor effects via increased T cell functionality and antigen presenting machinery in the tumor microenvironment

Among cancer cells, indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1) activity has been implicated in improving the proliferation and growth of cancer cells and suppressing immune cell activity. IDO1 is also responsible for the catabolism of tryptophan to kynurenine. Depletion of tryptophan and an increase in kynurenine exert important immunosuppressive functions by activating regulatory T cells and suppressing CD8+ T and natural killer (NK) cells. In this study, we compared the anti-tumor effects of YH29407, the best-in-class IDO1 inhibitor with improved pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, with first and second-generation IDO1 inhibitors (epacadostat and BMS-986205, respectively). YH29407 treatment alone and anti-PD-1 (aPD-1) combination treatment induced significant tumor suppression compared with competing drugs. In particular, combination treatment showed the best anti-tumor effects, with most tumors reduced and complete responses. Our observations suggest that improved anti-tumor effects were caused by an increase in T cell infiltration and activity after YH29407 treatment. Notably, an immune depletion assay confirmed that YH29407 is closely related to CD8+ T cells. RNA-seq results showed that treatment with YH29407 increased the expression of genes involved in T cell function and antigen presentation in tumors expressing ZAP70, LCK, NFATC2, B2M, and MYD88 genes. Our results suggest that an IDO1 inhibitor, YH29407, has enhanced PK/PD compared to previous IDO1 inhibitors by causing a change in the population of CD8+ T cells including infiltrating T cells into the tumor. Ultimately, YH29407 overcame the limitations of the competing drugs and displayed potential as an immunotherapy strategy in combination with aPD-1