Association of glutathione-S-transferase polymorphisms with atopic dermatitis risk in preschool age children

Background: Glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes are critical for detoxifying reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their products which have been implicated in the pathology of inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: We investigated the effects of genetic polymorphisms of GST on the risk of AD in preschool age children. Biomarkers for oxidative stress were also evaluated with respect to GST genotype. Results: The GSTP1 Val105 allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of AD [odds ratio (OR)=1.62, p<0.05]. The combination of the GSTP1 Val105 allele and the GSTT1 null genotype further increased this risk by 2.3-fold (p<0.01). No association was observed for the GSTM1 null or GSTT1 null genotype alone. In children with AD, blood total antioxidant capacity was significantly less (p<0.001), while malondialdehyde was higher (p=0.12). Children with the GSTP1 Val105 allele had significantly lower concentrations of erythrocyte glutathione compared to GSTP1 Ile/Ile homozygotes (p=0.03). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the GSTP1 Val105 allele is an important determinant of susceptibility to AD in preschool age children and increased oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:1475–81.Peer Reviewe

Association of uncoordinated sucking pattern with developmental outcome in premature infants: a retrospective analysis

Background Stress signals during sucking activity such as nasal flaring, head turning, and extraneous movements of the body have been attributed to incoordination of sucking, swallowing, and respiration (SSR) in premature infants. However, the association of uncoordinated sucking pattern with developmental outcomes has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether uncoordinated sucking pattern during bottle-feeding in premature infants is associated with the developmental outcomes at 8–12 and 18–24 months of age (corrected for prematurity). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and video recordings for the Neonatal Oral-Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS) of premature infants and divided them into two groups based on the presence or absence of incoordination. The Bayley-III cognition composite scores of the incoordination-positive and incoordination-negative group were compared at 8–12 and 18–24 months of age. Results Seventy premature infants exhibited a disorganized sucking pattern according to the NOMAS. The average Bayley-III cognition composite scores at 8–12 months of age were 92.5 ± 15.6 and 103.0 ± 11.3 for the incoordination-positive (n = 22) and incoordination-negative groups (n = 48), respectively (p = 0.002). The average Bayley-III cognition composite scores at 18–24 months were 90.0 ± 17.9 and 100.7 ± 11.5 for the incoordination-positive (n = 21) and incoordination-negative groups (n = 46), respectively (p = 0.005). A multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the presence of uncoordinated sucking pattern, grade 3 or 4 germinal matrix hemorrhage–intraventricular hemorrhage, and moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were independently associated with cognitive development at 18–24 months of age. Conclusions Uncoordinated sucking pattern in premature infants was independently associated with a higher risk of abnormal developmental outcome in the cognitive domain of the Bayley-III at both 8–12 and 18–24 months. There may be a need for periodic follow-up and early intervention for developmental delay when incoordination of SSR that results in stress signals on the NOMAS is observed before 40 weeks postmenstrual age

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality and Survival in 2006-2007

Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Korea. Korea is facing a very rapid change and increase in cancer incidence, which draws much attention in public health. This paper overviews the nationwide cancer statistics, including incidence, mortality, and survival rates, and their trends in Korea based on the cancer incidence data from The Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) in year 2006 and 2007. In Korea, there were 153,237 cancer cases and 65,519, cancer deaths observed in 2006, and 161,920 cancer cases and 67,561 cancer deaths in 2007, respectively. The incidence rate for all cancer combined showed an annual increase of 2.8% from 1999 to 2007. Specifically, there was significant increase in the incidence of colorectal, thyroid, female breast, and prostate cancers. The number of cancer deaths has increased over the past two decades, due mostly to population aging, while the age-standardized mortality rates have decreased in both men and women since 2002. Notable improvement has been observed in the 5-yr relative survival rates for most major cancers and for all cancer combined, with the exception of pancreatic cancer. The nationwide cancer statistics in this paper will provide essential data for cancer research and evidence-based health policy in Korea

miR-140-5p suppresses BMP2-mediated osteogenesis in undifferentiated human mesenchymal stem cells

AbstractHuman mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have self-renewal and differentiation capabilities but the regulatory mechanisms of MSC fate determination remain poorly understood. Here, we aimed to identify microRNAs enriched in hMSCs that modulate differentiation commitments. Microarray analysis revealed that miR-140-5p is commonly enriched in undifferentiated hMSCs from various tissue sources. Moreover, bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay validated that miR-140-5p directly represses bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2). Furthermore, blocking miR-140-5p in hMSCs increased the expression of BMP signaling components and critical regulators of osteogenic differentiation. We propose that miR-140-5p functionally inhibits osteogenic lineage commitment in undifferentiated hMSCs

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Abies nephrolepis (Pinaceae: Abietoideae)

AbstractThe plant chloroplast (cp) genome has maintained a relatively conserved structure and gene content throughout evolution. Cp genome sequences have been used widely for resolving evolutionary and phylogenetic issues at various taxonomic levels of plants. Here, we report the complete cp genome of Abies nephrolepis. The A. nephrolepis cp genome is 121,336 base pairs (bp) in length including a pair of short inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb) of 139 bp each separated by a small single copy (SSC) region of 54,323 bp (SSC) and a large single copy region of 66,735 bp (LSC). It contains 114 genes, 68 of which are protein coding genes, 35 tRNA and four rRNA genes, six open reading frames, and one pseudogene. Seventeen repeat units and 64 simple sequence repeats (SSR) have been detected in A. nephrolepis cp genome. Large IR sequences locate in 42-kb inversion points (1186 bp). The A. nephrolepis cp genome is identical to Abies koreana’s which is closely related to taxa. Pairwise comparison between two cp genomes revealed 140 polymorphic sites in each. Complete cp genome sequence of A. nephrolepis has a significant potential to provide information on the evolutionary pattern of Abietoideae and valuable data for development of DNA markers for easy identification and classification

Efficacy and Tolerability of GCSB-5 for Hand Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of GCSB-5, a mixture of 6 purified herbal extracts, in treating hand osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 220 patients with hand OA who had baseline a visual analog scale joint pain score of >30 of 100 mm at 3 hospitals between September 2013 and November 2014. After randomization, patients were allocated to receive oral GCSB-5 600 mg or placebo, bid for 12 weeks. The primary end point was the change in the Australian/Canadian OA Hand Index (AUSCAN)-defined pain score at 4 weeks relative to baseline. Secondary end points included the frequency Outcome Measures in Rheumatology–OA Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI)-defined response at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after randomization.FindingsThe allocated treatment was received by 109 and 106 patients in the GCSB-5 and placebo groups, respectively. At 4 weeks, the median (interquartile range) change in AUSCAN pain score relative to baseline was significantly greater in the GCSB-5 group than in the placebo group (–9.0 [–23.8 to –0.4] vs –2.2 [–16.7 to 6.0]; P = 0.014), with sustained improvement at 8, 12, and 16 weeks (P = 0.039). The GCSB-5 group also had a significantly greater OMERACT-OARSI–defined response rate than did the placebo group at 4 weeks (44.0% vs 30.2%), 8 weeks (51.4% vs 35.9%), 12 weeks (56.9% vs 40.6%), and 16 weeks (50.5% vs 37.7%) (P = 0.0074). The 2 treatments exhibited comparable safety profiles.ImplicationsGCSB-5 was associated with improved symptoms of hand OA, with good tolerability, in these patients. GCSB-5 may be a well-tolerated alternative of, or addition to, the treatment of hand OA. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01910116

Biomarkers of thyroid function and autoimmunity for predicting high-risk groups of thyroid cancer: a nested case–control study

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.Abstract Background A remarkable increase in the number of thyroid cancer cases has been reported in recent years; however, the markers to predict high-risk groups have not been fully established. Methods We conducted a case–control study (257 cases and 257 controls) that was nested in the Cancer Screenee Cohort Study between August 2002 and December 2010; the mean follow-up time for this study was 3.1 ± 2.2 years. The levels of total triiodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (Tg), anti-thyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb), and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) were measured using samples with pre-diagnostic status. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between thyroid function/autoimmunity and thyroid cancer risk. Results When the markers were categorized by the tertile distributions of the control group, the highest tertile of FT4 (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.11 - 2.69) and the middle tertile of TSH (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.14 - 2.74) were associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer by multivariate analyses. In addition, an elevated risk for thyroid cancer was found in subjects with TPOAb levels above 30 IU/mL (OR = 8.47, 95% CI = 5.39 - 13.33 for 30–60 IU/mL and OR = 4.48, 95% CI = 2.59 - 7.76 for ≥60 IU/mL). Stratified analyses indicated that some of these associations differed by sex, BMI, smoking status, and the duration of follow-up. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the levels of biomarkers of thyroid function/autoimmunity, particularly the presence of TPOAb, might be used as diagnostic markers for predicting thyroid cancer risk. Our findings suggest that careful monitoring of thyroid biomarkers may be helpful for identifying Korean populations at high-risk for thyroid cancer

Quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score is not sensitive enough to predict 28-day mortality in emergency department patients with sepsis: a retrospective review

Objective To test the hypothesis that the quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, derived from vital signs taken during triage and recommended by current sepsis guidelines for screening patients with infections for organ dysfunction, is not sensitive enough to predict the risk of mortality in emergency department (ED) sepsis patients. Methods Patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and septic shock using the old definition between May 2014 and April 2015 were retrospectively reviewed in three urban tertiary hospital EDs. The sensitivities of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, qSOFA, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores ≥2 were compared using McNemar’s test. Diagnostic performances were evaluated using specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Results Among the 928 patients diagnosed with severe sepsis or septic shock using the old definition, 231 (24.9%) died within 28 days. More than half of the sepsis patients (493/928, 53.1%) and more than one-third of the mortality cases (88/231, 38.1%) had a qSOFA score <2. The sensitivity of a qSOFA score ≥2 was 61.9%, which was significantly lower than the sensitivity of SIRS ≥2 (82.7%, P<0.001) and SOFA ≥2 (99.1%, P<0.001). The specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of a qSOFA score ≥2 for 28-day mortality were 58.1%, 32.9%, and 82.2%, respectively. Conclusion The current clinical criteria of the qSOFA are less sensitive than the SIRS assessment and SOFA to predict 28-day mortality in ED patients with sepsis

Hypereosinophilia Presenting as Eosinophilic Vasculitis and Multiple Peripheral Artery Occlusions without Organ Involvement

We report here a case with hypereosinophilia and peripheral artery occlusion. A 32-yr-old Korean woman presented to us with lower extremity swelling and pain. Angiography revealed that multiple lower extremity arteries were occlusive. The biopsy specimen showed perivascular and periadnexal dense eosinophilic infiltration in dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue. Laboratory investigations revealed a persistent hypereosinophilia. She was prescribed prednisolone 60 mg daily. Her skin lesion and pain were improved and the eosinophil count was dramatically decreased. After discharge, eosinophil count gradually increased again. Cyanosis and pain of her fingers recurred. She had been treated with cyclophosphamide pulse therapy. Her eosinophilia was decreased, but the cyanosis and tingling sense were progressive. The extremity arterial stenoses were slightly progressed. Skin biopsy showed perivascular eosinophilic infiltration in the dermis and CD40 ligand (CD40L) positive eosinophilic infiltration. The serum TNF-α was markedly increased. These results suggest that CD40L (a member of TNF-α superfamily) could play a role in the inflammatory processes when eosinophil infiltration and activation are observed. We prescribed prednisolone, cyclophosphamide, clopidogrel, cilostazol, beraprost and nifedipine, and she was discharged