Molecular cloning and expression of a novel human cDNA related to the diazepam binding inhibitor

AbstractIn order to isolate the unidentified autoantigens in autoimmune diabetes, a human pancreatic islet cDNA library was constructed and screened with the sera from the diabetic patients. From the library screening, one clone (DRS-1) that strongly reacted with the sera was isolated. Subsequent sequence analysis revealed that the clone was a novel cDNA related to the diazepam binding inhibitor. DRS-1 was expressed in most tissues including liver, lung, tonsil, and thymus, in addition to pancreatic islets. DRS-1 was in vitro translated and the recombinant DRS-1 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The size of the in vitro translated or bacterially expressed DRS-1 protein was in agreement with the conceptually translated polypeptide of DRS-1 cDNA. Further studies are required to test whether or not DRS-1 is a new autoantigen in autoimmune diabetes

Surgical outcomes of strabismus after iatrogenic ophthalmic artery occlusion caused by cosmetic filler injections

Background To investigate the surgical outcomes of strabismus related to iatrogenic occlusion of the ophthalmic artery and its branches from cosmetic facial filler injection. Methods A retrospective study was performed on 6 patients who underwent strabismus surgery among 23 patients who had suffered occlusion of the ophthalmic artery and its branches after cosmetic facial filler injection. Initial, preoperative and final ocular motility examinations, the type of surgery and surgical outcomes were evaluated. Results At initial presentation, visual acuity was no light perception in 5 patients and hand motion in one patient. Five out of 6 patients showed initial ophthalmoplegia. Among these 5 patients, eye motility fully recovered in 3 patients although sensory strabismus developed during follow-up, while the remaining 2 patients had persistent ocular motility limitations. Strabismus surgery was performed at 2.2 ± 1.5 years after iatrogenic ophthalmic artery occlusion. Preoperatively, 5 of the 6 patients showed exotropia, and one patient had esotropia. Vertical deviation was found in 3 out of 6 patients in addition to the horizontal deviation. Successful outcome was achieved only in the 4 patients without persistent ophthalmoplegia after 1.4 ± 1.0 years from surgery. The other two patients with persistent ocular motility limitations failed to achieve successful alignment after surgery, and one patient eventually underwent evisceration due to phthisis bulbi. Conclusions In our study, surgical outcomes of strabismus caused by cosmetic facial filler injection were successful only in patients without persistent ophthalmoplegia at the time of surgery.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No.2017R1A2B4011450). The funding organization had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Effects of Chung-Pae Inhalation Therapy on a Mouse Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chung-pae (CP) inhalation therapy is a method frequently used in Korea to treat lung disease, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study investigated the effects of CP inhalation on a COPD animal model. C57BL/6 mice received porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alternately three times for 3 weeks to induce COPD. Then, CP (5 or 20 mg/kg) was administered every 2 h after the final LPS administration. The effect of CP was evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid analysis, histological analysis of lung tissue, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of mRNA of interleukin- (IL-) 1β, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, IL-6, and tumor growth factor- (TGF-) β. Intratracheal CP administration reduced the number of leukocytes and neutrophils in BAL fluid, inhibited the histological appearance of lung damage, and decreased the mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and TGF-β. Intratracheal CP administration effectively decreased the chronic inflammation and pathological changes in a PPE- and LPS-induced COPD mouse model. Therefore, we suggest that CP is a promising strategy for COPD

Hubble Space Telescope Pixel Analysis of the Interacting Face-on Spiral Galaxy NGC 5194 (M51A)

A pixel analysis is carried out on the interacting face-on spiral galaxy NGC 5194 (M51A), using the HST/ACS images in the F435W, F555W and F814W (BVI) bands. After 4x4 binning of the HST/ACS images to secure a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio for each pixel, we derive several quantities describing the pixel color-magnitude diagram (pCMD) of NGC 5194: blue/red color cut, red pixel sequence parameters, blue pixel sequence parameters and blue-to-red pixel ratio. The red sequence pixels are mostly older than 1 Gyr, while the blue sequence pixels are mostly younger than 1 Gyr, in their luminosity-weighted mean stellar ages. The color variation in the red pixel sequence from V = 20 mag arcsec^(-2) to V = 17 mag arcsec^(-2) corresponds to a metallicity variation of \Delta[Fe/H] ~ 2 or an optical depth variation of \Delta\tau_V ~ 4 by dust, but the actual sequence is thought to originate from the combination of those two effects. At V < 20 mag arcsec^(-2), the color variation in the blue pixel sequence corresponds to an age variation from 5 Myr to 300 Myr under the assumption of solar metallicity and \tau_V = 1. To investigate the spatial distributions of stellar populations, we divide pixel stellar populations using the pixel color-color diagram and population synthesis models. As a result, we find that the pixel population distributions across the spiral arms agree with a compressing process by spiral density waves: dense dust \rightarrow newly-formed stars. The tidal interaction between NGC 5194 and NGC 5195 appears to enhance the star formation at the tidal bridge connecting the two galaxies. We find that the pixels corresponding to the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) area of NGC 5194 show a tight sequence at the bright-end of the pCMD, which are in the region of R ~ 100 pc and may be a photometric indicator of AGN properties.Comment: 27 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Involvement of MAPKs and PLC Pathways in Modulation of Pacemaking Activity by So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang in Interstitial Cells of Cajal from Murine Small Intestine

Purpose. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are the pacemaker cells that generate slow waves in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. We have aimed to investigate the effects of Socheongryong-Tang (SCRT) in ICCs from mouse’s small intestine. Methods. The whole-cell patch-clamp configuration was used to record membrane potentials from cultured ICCs. Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) increase was studied in cultured ICCs using fura-2 AM. Results. ICCs generated pacemaker potentials in mouse’s small intestine. SCRT produced membrane depolarization in current clamp mode. Y25130 (5-HT3 receptor antagonist) and RS39604 (5-HT4 receptor antagonist) blocked SCRT-induced membrane depolarizations, whereas SB269970 (5-HT7 receptor antagonist) did not. When GDP-β-S (1 mM) was in the pipette solution, SCRT did not induce the membrane depolarizations. [Ca2+]i analysis showed that SCRT increased [Ca2+]i. In the presence of PD98059 (p42/44 MAPK inhibitor), SCRT did not produce membrane depolarizations. In addition, SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) and JNK inhibitors blocked the depolarizations by SCRT in pacemaker potentials. Furthermore, the membrane depolarizations by SCRT were not inhibited by U-73122, an active phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, but by U-73343, an inactive PLC inhibitor. Conclusion. These results suggest that SCRT might affect GI motility by the modulation of pacemaker activity through MAPKs and PLC pathways in the ICCs

Effect of moderate-intensity statin therapy on plaque inflammation in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A prospective interventional study evaluated by 18F-FDG PET/CT of the carotid artery

Background: Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are frequently prescribed moderate- -intensity statin in real practice, even during the early stage of ACS. Under assessment herein was the effect of moderate-intensity statin therapy on the resolution of plaque inflammation during the first month after ACS, a period with highest recurrent ischemic events, using dual time point 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT).Methods: This prospective study included statin-naïve patients with ACS and non-calcified carotid plaques (≥ 3 mm on ultrasound images). Baseline FDG PET/CT images of the carotid arteries of the patients were obtained. Then, all patients received atorvastatin (20 mg/day); follow-up FDG PET/CT images of the carotid arteries were then obtained after 1 month of therapy. The primary endpoint measurement was the change in the target-to-background ratio (TBR) of the carotid artery between the initial and follow-up FDG PET/CT scans.Results: Thirteen ACS patients completed the initial and follow-up FDG PET/CT scans. Moderate-intensity statin therapy failed to reduce plaque inflammation at 1 month after ACS (TBR 1.60 ± 0.20 at baseline vs. 1.50 ± 0.40 after therapy; p = 0.422) but significantly reduced serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (mean LDL-C 101.2 ± 21.1 mg/dL at baseline vs. 70.7 ± 12.4 mg/dL after therapy; p &lt; 0.001). Changes in the TBR and serum LDL-C levels were not correlated (r = –0.27, p = 0.243).Conclusions: Dual time point FDG PET/CT imaging demonstrates that moderate-intensity statin therapy was insufficient in suppressed plaque inflammation within the first month after ACS in Asian patients, even though achieving target LDL levels

Association of Alcohol Consumption with the Risk of Ocular Trauma

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of alcohol consumption on the risk of ocular trauma. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1,024 patients who visited emergency department and received ophthalmologic examination from January 1 to December 31, 2009. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with ocular trauma (n = 494) and those without (n = 530); the influence of alcohol consumption was compared between these 2 groups. In the ocular trauma group, the association of the causes and types of ocular trauma with alcohol consumption was evaluated. One of 530 patients of no trauma group and 117 (23.7%) of 494 patients of trauma group were related with alcohol intake, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Concerning the causes, physical assault was significantly more common in alcohol-associated injury (P < 0.001). Regarding the types of injury, orbital wall fracture and hyphema showed a significant association with alcohol consumption (P < 0.001). Older age and nighttime injury were significantly related to the increased risk of alcohol-associated ocular trauma (P = 0.018 and < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of ocular trauma

Tricuspid regurgitation: a hidden risk factor for atrial fibrillation related stroke?

Background and purposeTricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common but overlooked valvular disease, and its association with the etiologic subtypes of ischemic stroke is unclear. We explored the relationship between TR and atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.MethodsThis retrospective analysis of ongoing stroke registry assessed 6,886 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiography during their in-hospital care. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, stroke characteristics, and echocardiographic indices were used to investigate the association between TR and total AF, and newly diagnosed AF during hospitalization and a 1-year follow-up period, respectively.ResultsTR was present in 877 (12.7%) patients (mild, 9.9%; moderate, 2.4%; severe, 0.5%). AF was identified in 24.1% (medical history, 11.1%; first detected in the emergency room, 6.6%; newly diagnosed after admission, 6.4%). TR was associated with AF [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.87 (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.63–9.03)], compared with no/trivial TR. The association between TR and AF was consistent regardless of severity (aOR [95% CI], 4.57 [2.63–7.94] for mild and 7.05 [2.57–19.31] for moderate-to-severe TR) or subtype of TR (5.44 [2.91–10.14] for isolated and 3.81 [2.00–7.28] for non-isolated TR). Among the AF-naïve patients at admission, TR was associated with newly diagnosed AF during hospitalization and a 1-year follow-up period (aOR [95% CI], 2.68 [1.81–3.97]).ConclusionsTR is associated with AF in acute ischemic stroke patients regardless of severity and subtypes of TR. TR is also associated with newly diagnosed AF after stroke