Study on Awareness of Preconception Care and Reproductive Health Behaviors in Pre-honeymooners

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was 1) to examine levels of awareness on preconception care and pregnancy, and reproductive health promoting behavior among pre-honeymooners; and 2) to explore the relationship between awareness levels of preconception care and pregnancy, and reproductive health promoting behavior. METHODS: This study was a correlation design with a total of 134 participants (67 couples of pre-honeymooners). Data were collected with questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean score of self-perception of awareness of preconception care and pregnancy was 2.82 out of 4. Content awareness level was 6.83 out of 13, and reproductive health promoting behavior score was 3.02 out of 4, indicating low to mid-level. Women reported higher scores in all variables than those in men. Self-perception awareness and content awareness of care and pregnancy had a weak positive correlation (r=.18, p=.038). Reproductive health promoting behavior was positively related to self-perception awareness of care and pregnancy (r=.33, p<.001) and content awareness of care and pregnancy (r=.23, p=.008). CONCLUSION: Based on this results, a variety of nursing intervention strategies may need to promote reproductive health behavior such as raising awareness of the preconception care and pregnancy

A Structural Equation Modeling on Reproductive Health Promoting Behavior of Unmarried Women: Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural equation modeling on the reproductive health behavior of single women with sexual experiences. This study employed Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). METHODS: The data were collected after receipt of consent from 250 single women with sexual experiences, and analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0. RESULTS: Model fit indices for the hypothetical model were suitable for the recommended level: x²=362.407, RMR=0.065, RMSEA=0.070, GFI=0.867. TLI=0.927, CFI=0.938, IFI=0.939, and x²/dF=2.237. Intention showed direct effect with the biggest effect being on reproductive health behavior. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were found to have a direct effect on intention. Among them, perceived behavioral control revealed the largest influence. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the TPB is a suitable model in explaining the reproductive health behavior of single women with sexual experience. Strategic plans for educational and intervention programs should be aimed to encourage single women to engage in reproductive health behavior

Menthol Enhances an Antiproliferative Activity of 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 in LNCaP Cells

1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1α,25(OH)2D3], the most active form of vitamin D3, and its analogues have therapeutic benefits for prostate cancer treatment. However, the development of hypercalcemia is an obstacle to clinical applications of 1α,25(OH)2D3 for cancer therapy. In this study, we provide evidence that menthol, a key component of peppermint oil, increases an anti-proliferation activity of 1α,25(OH)2D3 in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. We found that menthol per se does not exhibit antiproliferative activity, but it is able to enhance 1α,25(OH)2D3-mediated growth inhibition in LNCaP cells. Fluorometric assays using Fura-2 showed that 1α,25(OH)2D3 does not induce acute Ca2+ response, whereas menthol evokes an increase in [Ca2+]i, which suggests that cross-talks of menthol-induced Ca2+ signaling with 1α,25(OH)2D3-mediated growth inhibition pathways. In addition, Western blot analysis revealed that 1α,25(OH)2D3 and menthol cooperatively modulate the expression of bcl-2 and p21 which provides the insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the enhanced 1α,25(OH)2D3-mediated growth inhibition by menthol. Thus, our findings suggest that menthol may be a useful natural compound to enhance therapeutic effects of 1α,25(OH)2D3

Infantile Vitreous Hemorrhage as the Initial Presentation of X-linked Juvenile Retinoschisis

The authors report two cases of X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) manifested as bilateral vitreous hemorrhage as early as in an 1-month-old infant and in a 3-month-old infant. The one-month-old male infant showed massive bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. During vitrectomy, thin membrane representing an inner part of schisis cavity was excised and intraschisis hemorrhage was evacuated. As intraschisis cavities were cleared, the stump of inner layer appeared as the demarcation line between the outer layer of the schisis retina and non-schisis retina. The other three-month-old male infant presenting with esodeviation also showed bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. Typical bilateral retinoschisis involving maculae could be seen through vitreous hemorrhage in both eyes on fundus examination. Spontaneous absorption of hemorrhage was observed on regular follow-up. XLRS could be manifested as massive hemorrhage inside or outside of the schisis cavity early in infancy

Clinical Applications of the Microbiome in Obstetrics

Human microbiome refers to the genetic material of approximately 1013 microorganisms present in the human body. These microbiomes interact significantly with the physiological, metabolic, and immune systems, particularly during pregnancy. Microbiome dysbiosis in pregnant women and their fetuses is associated with obstetric complications and poor neonatal outcomes. Oral and gut microbiomes can influence the placenta, uterus, and fetus via hematogenous translocation. Through ascending translocation, vaginal microbiota can directly affect the uterine environment. Current research focuses on the presence of the placental microbiome, which is characterized by low biomass. However, more well-controlled studies are required to specifically address the contamination issues. Use of antibiotics during pregnancy and the mode of delivery, specifically cesarean section, have been linked to the establishment of the neonatal gut microbiome. Probiotic supplementation may be beneficial during pregnancy, particularly for women receiving antibiotic treatment

Visfatin exerts angiogenic effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells through the mTOR signaling pathway

AbstractThe biologically active factors known as adipocytokines are secreted primarily by adipose tissues and can act as modulators of angiogenesis. Visfatin, an adipocytokine that has recently been reported to have angiogenic properties, is upregulated in diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. Because maintenance of an angiogenic balance is critically important in the management of these diseases, understanding the molecular mechanism by which visfatin promotes angiogenesis is very important. In this report, we describe our findings demonstrating that visfatin stimulates the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which plays important roles in angiogenesis. Visfatin induced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human endothelial cells. Inhibition of the mTOR pathway by rapamycin eliminated the angiogenic and proliferative effects of visfatin. The visfatin-induced increase in VEGF expression was also eliminated by RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), a downstream target of mTOR. Visfatin inactivated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) by phosphorylating it at Ser-9, leading to the nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Both rapamycin co-treatment and p70S6K knockdown inhibited visfatin-induced GSK3β phosphorylation at Ser-9 and nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Taken together, these results indicate that mTOR signaling is involved in visfatin-induced angiogenesis, and that this signaling leads to visfatin-induced VEGF expression and nuclear translocation of β-catenin

Loss of Human Leukocyte Antigen Class I Expression Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer

Background Human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) molecules play important roles in regulating immune responses. Loss or reduction of HLA-I expression has been shown to be associated with prognosis in several cancers. Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) also play critical functions in immune response regulation. Evaluation of HLA-I expression status by the EMR8-5 antibody and its clinical impact in breast cancer have not been well studied, and its relationship with Tregs remains unclear. Methods We evaluated HLA-I expression and Treg infiltration by immunohistochemistry in 465 surgically resected breast cancer samples. We examined the correlation between HLA-I expression and Treg infiltration and clinicopathologic characteristics and survival analyses were performed. Results Total loss of HLA-I expression was found in 84 breast cancer samples (18.1%). Univariate survival analysis revealed that loss of HLA-I expression was significantly associated with worse disease-specific survival (DSS) (p = .029). HLA-I was not an independent prognostic factor in the entire patient group, but it was an adverse independent prognostic factor for DSS in patients with advanced disease (stage II–IV) (p = .031). Treg numbers were significantly higher in the intratumoral stroma of HLA-I–positive tumors than in HLA-I–negative tumors (median 6.3 cells/high power field vs 2.1 cells/high power field, p < .001). However, Tregs were not an independent prognostic factor in our cohort. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the loss of HLA-I expression is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients, highlighting the role of HLA-I alterations in immune evasion mechanisms of breast cancer. HLA-I could be a promising marker that enables the application of more effective and precise immunotherapies for patients with advanced breast cancer

Substitution of Heavy Complementarity Determining Region 3 (CDR-H3) Residues Can Synergistically Enhance Functional Activity of Antibody and Its Binding Affinity to HER2 Antigen

To generate a biobetter that has improved therapeutic activity, we constructed scFv libraries via random mutagenesis of several residues of CDR-H3 and -L3 of hu4D5. The scFv clones were isolated from the phage display libraries by stringent panning, and their anti-proliferative activity against HER2-positive cancer cells was evaluated as a primary selection criterion. Consequently, we selected AH06 as a biobetter antibody that had a 7.2-fold increase in anti-proliferative activity (IC50: 0.81 nM) against the gastric cancer cell line NCI-N87 and a 7.4-fold increase in binding affinity (K-D : 60 pM) to HER2 compared to hu4D5. The binding energy calculation and molecular modeling suggest that the substitution of residues of CDR-H3 to W98, F100c, A101 and L102 could stabilize binding of the antibody to HER2 and there could be direct hydrophobic interactions between the aromatic ring of W98 and the aliphatic group of I613 within HER2 domain IV as well as the heavy and light chain hydrophobic interactions by residues F100c, A101 and L102 of CDR-H3. Therefore, we speculate that two such interactions were exerted by the residues W98 and F100c. A101 and L102 may have a synergistic effect on the increase in the binding affinity to HER2. AH06 specifically binds to domain IV of HER2, and it decreased the phosphorylation level of HER2 and AKT. Above all, it highly increased the overall level of p27 compared to hu4D5 in the gastric cancer cell line NCI-N82, suggesting that AH06 could potentially be a more efficient therapeutic agent than hu4D5.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201620640RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A002901CITE_RATE:2.67DEPT_NM:화학생물공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YCONFIRM:

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Arising in a Huge Hepatocellular Adenoma with Bone Marrow Metaplasia

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is the most common type of benign liver tumor, and its major complication is malignant transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we report a case of HCC arising in HCA with bone marrow metaplasia in a 24-year-old Korean woman who presented with abdominal discomfort. A huge liver mass was found on abdominal ultrasonography. She underwent surgical hepatic resection, and the resected specimen was entirely involved by a 20-cm-sized tumor. Histological review revealed a well differentiated HCC arising from inflammatory HCA with β-catenin nuclear positivity and bone marrow metaplasia that contained hematopoietic cells. This case was unique because malignant transformation, inflammatory type HCA, β-catenin nuclear staining, and bone marrow metaplasia were simultaneously observed. Additionally, it should be noted that a large HCA with β-catenin activation can undergo malignant transformation and should be surgically resected in a timely manner