Interleukin-1 beta gene polymorphism related with allergic pathogenesis in Iris constitution

Iridological constitution has a strong familial aggregation and is implicated in heredity. The aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease is still unknown. However, from genetic epidemiological studies there is considerable evidence that genetic factors are associated with both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. We investigated the relationships between Iridological constitution and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) gene polymorphism. IL-1β is a major proinflammatiry cytokine, and the polymorphisms of this gene have been shown to be of importance in a number of diseases. Especially, IL-1 has been suspected of involvement in allergic pathogenesis. Also, IL-1β genotype is one of the genetic markers of gastric cancer. Therefore, we classified 166 individuals according to Iris constitution, and determined IL-1β genotype. The frequencies of Iris constitutions as follows: neurogenic type, 41 (24.7%); abdominal connective tissue weakness type, 53 (31.9%); cardio-renal connective tissue weakness type, 50 (30.1%); the others type, 22 (13.3%). Especially, the frequency of abdominal connective tissue weakness type was higher in C/T genotype than in the remaining constitutions although the statistical power was very weak. Furthermore, we first attempted to explore possible involvement of the IL-1β polymorphism and the Iris constitution.     

Modulation of differentiation and mineralization of marrow stromal cells cultured on biomimetic hydrogels modified with Arg-Gly-Asp containing peptides

We synthesized biomimetic hydrogels modified with an osteopontin-derived peptide (ODP) and used them as a substrate for in vitro culture of marrow stromal cells (MSCs) to investigate the effect of the biomimetic surface on differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts. Proliferation and biological assays for 16 days proved that MSCs became differentiated into osteoblasts secreting osteogenic phenotypic markers such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteopontin, and mineralized calcium. In addition, there was an additive effect of the cell-binding peptide on differentiation and mineralization of MSCs cultured in the presence of soluble osteogenic supplements in cell culture media. For example, calcium content at day 16 on peptide-modified hydrogels was significantly higher than on tissue culture polystyrene. Two general trends were observed: (1) proliferation of MSCs decreased as the amount of differentiation markers increased, and (2) higher peptide concentrations accelerated the differentiation of MSCs. On the hydrogel modified with ODP, ALP activity exhibited a maximum value of 36.7 +/- 4.2 pmol/cell/h at day 10 for the concentration of 2 micromol/g while the culture time needed for maximum ALP activity occurred on day 13 for the lower concentrations. On the same hydrogel, the calcium content at day 10 was 21.4 +/- 2.3 ng/cell for the peptide concentration of 2 micromol/g and 1.0 +/- 0.3 ng/cell for 1.0 micromol/g. We used Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) for modification of the hydrogel as a comparison to the results with ODP. However, osteoblast development was not significantly affected by the nature of the binding peptide sequences. These results suggest that MSC function can be modulated by variation of the peptide concentration in biomimetic hydrogels used for scaffold-based bone tissue engineering.     

Successful liver transplantation following veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a child with fulminant Wilson disease and severe pulmonary hemorrhage: A case report

Son SK, Oh SH, Kim KM, Lee YJ, Jhang WK, Park SJ, Shin HJ, Park J‐J, Kim TH, Kim DY, Hwang S, Park K‐M, Lee Y‐J, Lee S‐G. Successful liver transplantation following veno‐arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a child with fulminant Wilson disease and severe pulmonary hemorrhage: A case report.
Pediatr Transplantation 2011. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Massive pulmonary hemorrhage and other serious cardiopulmonary diseases in patients with fulminant hepatitis result not only in graft failure but also mortality after LT. ECMO is used to treat children with cardiorespiratory failure refractory to conventional intensive care. We describe a five‐yr‐old girl with genetically confirmed fulminant Wilson disease and severe pulmonary hemorrhage who underwent successful primary LT following veno‐arterial ECMO. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful primary LT in a patient using veno‐arterial ECMO. The present case demonstrates that ECMO, as a bridging modality to LT, may be necessary to manage both massive pulmonary hemorrhage and possible graft loss because of hypoxemia.     

Medial profrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex in the generation of alpha activity induced by transcendental meditation: a magnetoencephalographic study

Previous EEG studies have shown that transcendental meditation (TM) increases frontal and central alpha activity. The present study was aimed at identifying the source of this alpha activity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) simultaneously on eight TM practitioners before, during, and after TM. The magnetic field potentials corresponding to TM-induced alpha activities on EEG recordings were extracted, and we attempted to localize the dipole sources using the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm, equivalent current dipole source analysis, and the multiple spatio-temporal dipole model. Since the dipoles were mapped to both the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), it is suggested that the mPFC and ACC play an important role in brain activity induced by TM.     

Phenotype–genotype correlations of PIGO deficiency with variable phenotypes from infantile lethality to mild learning difficulties

Inherited GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol) deficiencies (IGDs), a recently defined group of diseases, show a broad spectrum of symptoms. Hyperphosphatasia mental retardation syndrome, also known as Mabry syndrome, is a type of IGDs. There are at least 26 genes involved in the biosynthesis and transport of GPI‐anchored proteins; however, IGDs constitute a rare group of diseases, and correlations between the spectrum of symptoms and affected genes or the type of mutations have not been shown. Here, we report four newly identified and five previously described Japanese families with PIGO (phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class O) deficiency. We show how the clinical severity of IGDs correlates with flow cytometric analysis of blood, functional analysis using a PIGO‐deficient cell line, and the degree of hyperphosphatasia. The flow cytometric analysis and hyperphosphatasia are useful for IGD diagnosis, but the expression level of GPI‐anchored proteins and the degree of hyperphosphatasia do not correlate, although functional studies do, with clinical severity. Compared with PIGA (phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class A) deficiency, PIGO deficiency shows characteristic features, such as Hirschsprung disease, brachytelephalangy, and hyperphosphatasia. This report shows the precise spectrum of symptoms according to the severity of mutations and compares symptoms between different types of IGD.     

Placenta hominis protects osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats

In China, Japan, and Korea, placenta hominis extracts (PHEs) are used clinically for the treatment of osteoporosis. The anti-osteoporotic effect of PHEs was studied. The trabecular bone area and thickness in OVX rats decreased by 50% from those in sham-operated rats; these decreases were completely inhibited by administration of PHEs for 7 weeks. Osteoclast numbers and the osteoblast surface were enhanced in OVX rats, but PHEs had no effect on these phenomena. Serum phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in OVX rats increased compared to those in sham-operated rats, but the increases were not affected by the administration of PHEs. Thyroxine (T₄) level was stimulated in OVX rats. The extracts inhibited the T₄ level in the OVX rats. These results strongly suggest that PHEs be effective in preventing the development of bone loss induced by OVX in rats.     

Angiogenesis facilitated by autologous whole bone marrow stem cell transplantation for Buerger's disease

We hypothesized that angiogenesis can be triggered by autologous whole bone marrow stem cell transplantation. Twenty-seven patients (34 lower limbs) with Buerger's disease, who were not candidates for surgical revascularization or radiologic intervention, were enrolled in this study. Six sites of the tibia bone were fenestrated using a 2.5-mm-diameter screw under fluoroscopic guidance. Clinical status and outcome were determined using the "Recommended Standards for Reports." To mobilize endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) from bone marrow, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (r-HuG-CSF) was injected subcutaneously as a dose of 75 microg, preoperatively. During the follow-up period (19.1 +/- 3.5 months), one limb showed a markedly improved outcome (+3), and 26 limbs showed a moderately improved outcome (+2). Thirteen limbs among 17 limbs with nonhealing ulcers healed. Postoperative angiograms were obtained for 22 limbs. Two limbs showed marked (+3), five limbs moderate (+2), and nine limbs slight (+1) collateral development. However, six limbs showed no collateral development (0). Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples were analyzed for CD34 and CD133 molecules to enumerate potential EPCs, and EPC numbers were found to be increased in peripheral blood and in bone marrow after r-HuG-CSF injection. In conclusion, the transplantation of autologous whole BMCs by fenestration of the tibia bone represents a simple, safe, and effective means of inducing therapeutic angiogenesis in patients with Buerger's disease.     

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus among health care workers in Korea

We studied the seroprevalence of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc and the vaccination histories among health care workers (HCWs) at a large suburban referral hospital in Korea. The purpose of this study was to determine the immune status of HCWs against hepatitis B virus and we also wanted to prepare a practical guideline to protect HCWs from occupational exposure. During December, 2003, 571 HCWs (56 physicians, 289 nurses, 113 technicians and 113 aid-nurses) aged between 21 and 74 yr were included in the surveillance. The positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 2.4% (14/571) and 76.9% (439/571), respectively. The positive rate of anti-HBs was lower in the physician group, and this was associated with the male gender and older age. Of the 439 anti-HBs positive cases, 320 cases (73.1%) were anti-HBc negative and this was significantly associated with a past history of HBV vaccination. The distribution of the anti-HBs levels was not associated with age (except for HCWs in their sixties), gender or occupation. Our study revealed that the seroprevalence rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs in HCWs in Korea were not different from those of the general population. Based on this surveillance, we can make reasonable decisions in case of occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus.     

Clinical outcomes of patients treated for cervical pregnancy with or without methotrexate

The objective of this study is to describe the clinical outcomes of patients treated for cervical pregnancy with or without methotrexate (MTX) and to evaluate the effects of MTX in the treatment of cervical pregnancy. Between January 1993 and February 2000, 31 patients were diagnosed with cervical pregnancy. Twenty-two patients were treated with MTX chemotherapy and nine patients were treated with surgical procedures without MTX treatment. In the non-MTX treatment group, three patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, five required adjuvant procedures to control the bleeding during dilatation and curettage (D&C) and only one patient was treated with a simple D&C. In the MTX treatment group, fourteen (63.6%) patients were treated with only MTX and eight (36.4%) cases underwent concomitant procedures (simple curettage, curettage and Foley catheter tamponade, cervical cerclage, ligation of the descending branches of uterine arteries, or ligation of hypogastric arteries). The uterus was preserved in all cases and three women delivered healthy babies in their subsequent pregnancy. In conclusion, early diagnosis, appropriate MTX regimen in combination of necessary adjuvant conservative procedures could contribute to successful treatment with preservation of the uterus and future reproductive ability.     

Non-constraining sleep/wake monitoring system using bed actigraphy

This paper introduces a new method, bed actigraphy (BACT) for user-friendly sleep-wake monitoring. BACT provides a non-intrusive acquisition of activity data, and in particular does not require that sensors be attached to the subject’s body. The system consists of four load-sensing cells supporting the bed, an A/D converter, and a microcontroller with appropriate software. The performance of BACT was compared to that of standard polysomnography (PSG) recordings and wrist-worn actigraphy (ACT). Ten normal volunteers underwent overnight PSG recordings and were examined simultaneously with BACT and ACT. An automatic scoring algorithm scored each 30-s epoch of the BACT recordings for either ‘Wake’ or ‘Sleep.’ A sleep specialist manually scored the PSG recordings, and the results were divided into ‘Wake’ and ‘Sleep’ categories. The three methods showed a significant correlation when compared with in the contingency test. The mean epoch-by-epoch agreements between the BACT and PSG, ACT and PSG, and BACT and ACT recordings were 95.2, 92.9, and 94.3%, respectively. The mean absolute differences in sleep percentage (SP) between them were 1.8 ± 0.82, 3.4 ± 1.45, and 1.9 ± 1.16 %, respectively. BACT differentiation of the ‘Wake’ and ‘Sleep’ stages proved to be sufficiently robust, and its results were comparable to PSG analysis. This finding supports the experimental and clinical value of bed-activity monitoring during sleep.