Hepatitis B vaccinations among Koreans: Results from 2005 Korea National Cancer Screening Survey

Background  

Liver cancer is one of most commonly diagnosed cancers among Koreans. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor for liver cancer. HBV infection can be prevented by effective screening and vaccination programs. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of HBV infection and the predictors associated with HBV vaccination.     

心电早期复极改变的临床意义

心电早期复极改变(early repolarization variant,ERPV)是半个世纪前提出的概念,是一种常见的心电图表现,通常被认为是良性的.近10年来发现其与恶性心律失常有关,并因新英格兰杂志3篇文献的发表,使ERPV与心原件猝死相关性的论题成为当今心脏科医生的热点话题和研究方向.     

The self-empowerment process of primary caregivers: A study of caring for elderly with dementia

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore and develop the process of self-empowerment for primary caregivers responsible for caring for elderly with dementia. Nine primary caregivers who lived in northern Taiwan were interviewed through a theoretical sampling procedure. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The grounded theory method was applied for analyzing data. The six main components that emerged in this model: "filial piety", "feeling of out of control", "inner awareness", "care ability", "emotion reconstruction", and "life management". This model starts from "filial piety" and "feeling of out of control," then evokes caregivers' "inner awareness". The inner awareness powerfully influences caregivers' "care ability", "emotion reconstruction" and "life management," which account for the three inner mechanism parts in their caregiving experience. Each part comprises three stages that are influenced by "inner awareness". The lower stage of each part supports the next higher stage. The same stages in all parts parallel one another, and influence each other by providing support or creating barriers. On the other side, competition between support and barriers from the outside environment determines the completion of this self-empowerment process. Results of this research extend the knowledge in understanding the psychological processes related to caring for elderly with dementia. The findings also provide readers a positive viewpoint on the caring experiences of primary caregivers of elderly with dementia.     

Treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome with traditional Chinese herbal medicine: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND:  As there is no effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), many patients turn to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for possible cure. We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of an ancient herbal Chinese formula in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS.
METHODS:  This was a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Chinese IBS patients with predominant diarrhea symptoms that fulfilled Rome II criteria were recruited. The diagnosis was verified by a TCM herbalist using TCM criteria. Eligible patients were randomized to receive a standard preparation of TCM extracts that contained 11 herbs or placebo with similar appearance and taste for 8 wk after a 2-wk run-in period. Patients were followed up for an additional 8 wk post-treatment. Primary outcome was patient's global symptom assessment. Other outcome measures included individual IBS symptom scores and health-related quality of life (short form 36).
RESULTS:  One hundred nineteen patients were randomized: 60 to receive TCM and 59 to receive placebo. There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with global symptom improvement between the TCM and placebo groups at week 8 (35% vs 44.1%, p = 0.38) and at week 16 (31.7% vs 33.9%, p = 0.62). Moreover, there was no difference in individual symptom scores and the quality-of-life assessment between the two groups at all time points.
BACKGROUND:  The use of this herbal formulation for diarrhea-predominant IBS did not lead to global symptom improvement. Further controlled clinical studies may be necessary to characterize the role of TCM in the management of IBS.     

Lentiviral vectors with a defective integrase allow efficient and sustained transgene expression in vitro and in vivo

Lentivirus-derived vectors are among the most promising viral vectors for gene therapy currently available, but their use in clinical practice is limited by the associated risk of insertional mutagenesis. We have overcome this problem by developing a nonintegrative lentiviral vector derived from HIV type 1 with a class 1 integrase (IN) mutation (replacement of the 262RRK motif by AAH). We generated and characterized HIV type 1 vectors carrying this deficient enzyme and expressing the GFP or neomycin phosphotransferase transgene (NEO) under control of the immediate early promoter of human CMV. These mutant vectors efficiently transduced dividing cell lines and nondividing neural primary cultures in vitro. After transduction, transient GFP fluorescence was observed in dividing cells, whereas long-term GFP fluorescence was observed in nondividing cells, consistent with the viral genome remaining episomal. Moreover, G418 selection of cells transduced with vectors expressing the NEO gene showed that residual integration activity was lower than that of the intact IN by a factor of 500-1,250. These nonintegrative vectors were also efficient in vivo, allowing GFP expression in mouse brain cells after the stereotactic injection of IN-deficient vector particles. Thus, we have developed a generation of lentiviral vectors with a nonintegrative phenotype of great potential value for secure viral gene transfer in clinical applications.     

Evidence that apoptotic signalling in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes is determined by mitochondrial pathways involving protein kinase Cδ

1. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis plays an important role in the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure. Hyper-trophic cardiomyocytes show an increased susceptibility to apoptotic stimuli, but the mechanisms remain unclear. 2. We hypothesized that activated protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy could move from the cytoplasm to mitochondria, and subsequently trigger the apoptotic signalling pathway. 3. Hypertrophy was induced in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes using endothelin-1 (ET-1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), thyroid hormone (T(3) ) or angiotensin-II (AngII). AngII at high concentrations (1 and 10 nmol/L) also induced apoptosis. Hypertrophic cells were then treated with AngII with or without specific inhibitors of the angiotensin receptors AT(1) and AT(2) (losartan and PD123319, respectively), endothelin receptor A (BQ-123) and PKCδ (rottlerin). ET-1 plus AngII had a threefold and significant increase in apoptosis in the hypertrophic cultures compared with AngII alone. In association with the increase in apoptosis, this treatment also promoted mitochondrial translocation of PKCδ, and increased expression of cleaved caspase 9 and activity of caspase 3. All of these increases were modulated by concurrent use of the PKCδ inhibitor, rottlerin. 4. The results suggest that apoptotic signalling in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes is determined by mitochondrial pathways involving PKCδ.     

心房颤动与心室颤动的发生机制

颤动发生的机制一直存在争议。传统观念认为是多个环形折返的形成所致,近来发现,单个高频率的折返环或单个快速释放激动的位点也能诱发颤动,晚近认为即使激动起源点规律地发放冲动,但由于心脏组织不能1∶1传导,从而使波形断开而产生颤动。这些新近的观点与20世纪早期提出的一些概念相呼应。     

Differential expression of thromboxane synthase in prostate carcinoma: role in tumor cell motility

Arachidonic acid metabolism through cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, or P-450 epoxygenase pathways can generate a variety of eicosanoids. Thromboxane synthase (TxS) metabolizes the cyclooxygenase product, prostanglandin H(2), into thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)), which can cause vessel constriction, platelet activation, and aggregation. Here we demonstrate that human prostate cancer (PCa) cells express enzymatically active TxS and that this enzyme is involved in cell motility. In human PCa cell lines, PC-3, PC-3M, and ML-2 cells expressed higher levels of TxS than normal prostate epithelial cells or other established PCa cell lines such as DU145, LNCaP, or PPC-1. We cloned and sequenced the full-length TxS cDNA from PC-3 cells and found two changes in the amino acid residues. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor specimens revealed that expression of TxS is weak or absent in normal differentiated luminal, or secretory cells, significantly elevated in less differentiated or advanced prostate tumors, and markedly increased in tumors with perineural invasion. TxS expressed in PC-3 cells was enzymatically active and susceptible to carboxyheptal imidazole, an inhibitor of TxS. The biosynthesis of TXA(2) in PC-3 cells was dependent on COX-2, and to a lesser extent, COX-1. Treatment of PC-3 cells with a COX-1 selective inhibitor, piroxicam, reduced TXA(2) synthesis by approximately 40%, while the COX-2 specific inhibitor NS398 reduced TXA(2) production by approximately 80%. Inhibition of TxS activity or blockade of TXA(2) function reduced PC-3 cell migration on fibronectin, while having minimal effects on cell cycle progression or survival. Finally, increased expression of TxS in DU145 cells increased cell motility. Our data suggest that human PCa cells express TxS and that this enzyme may contribute to PCa progression through modulating cell motility.     

Imaging features and appropriate treatment strategy of a rare biliary tract neoplasm

Mucin-producing bile duct tumors (MPBTs) are characterized by intraductal papillary tumors producing large amounts of mucin.The tumor comprises macroscopically prominent intraductal papillary neoplastic epithelia and produces a large amount of viscid mucin,resulting in dilatation of the bile ducts.1 These tumors of the peripheral bile duct,which include benign and malignant lesions,have also been referred to as intraductal growthtype peripheral cholangiocarcinomas,2 mucin-producing cholangiocellular carcinomas,3 intraductal papillary neoplasms (IPNs) of the biliary tract,4 IPNs of the liver,5 or IPNs of the bile duct.6 MPBTs have been the subject of recent attention due to its peculiar histopathology,biological and clinical behavior,varied radiological manifestations,and good prognosis of the patients.7