Mental Well‐Being Mediates the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Perceived Health

The association between stress and health has been well researched in the past; however, comparatively few mediators have been tested to understand the underlying mechanism. With increasing awareness on mental well‐being, this study evaluated the relationship between perceived stress and perceived health and examined mental well‐being as a mediator. Two‐hundred undergraduates aged 21 to 26 years completed the English Perceived Stress Scale, Health Status Questionnaire and Asian Mental Well‐Being Scale that assess perceived stress, perceived health and mental well‐being, respectively. Factor analysis and structural equation modelling on the Perceived Stress Scale replicated the reported two‐factor structure after excluding an insignificant item. Linear multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived stress was negatively associated with perceived health. Results showed that mental well‐being partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and perceived health, although it is acknowledged that this association could be bidirectional. Findings from the present study suggest that future research could focus on reducing stress and improving mental well‐being to alleviate the effect of stress on health. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of aldehyde dehydrogenase in viable cells

Cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), an enzyme responsible for oxidizing intracellular aldehydes, has an important role in ethanol, vitamin A, and cyclophosphamide metabolism. High expression of this enzyme in primitive stem cells from multiple tissues, including bone marrow and intestine, appears to be an important mechanism by which these cells are resistant to cyclophosphamide. However, although hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) express high levels of cytosolic ALDH, isolating viable HSC by their ALDH expression has not been possible because ALDH is an intracellular protein. We found that a fluorescent aldehyde, dansyl aminoacetaldehyde (DAAA), could be used in flow cytometry experiments to isolate viable mouse and human cells based on their ALDH content. The level of dansyl fluorescence exhibited by cells after incubation with DAAA paralleled cytosolic ALDH levels determined by Western blotting and the sensitivity of the cells to cyclophosphamide. Moreover, DAAA appeared to be a more sensitive means of assessing cytosolic ALDH levels than Western blotting. Bone marrow progenitors treated with DAAA proliferated normally. Furthermore, marrow cells expressing high levels of dansyl fluorescence after incubation with DAAA were enriched for hematopoietic progenitors. The ability to isolate viable cells that express high levels of cytosolic ALDH could be an important component of methodology for identifying and purifying HSC and for studying cyclophosphamide-resistant tumor cell populations.     

Accuracy of supplementary serologic testing for human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II in US blood donors. Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study

Blood donations in the United States have been screened for antibody to human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) by HTLV-I enzyme immunoassay (EIA) since November 1988. Specimens repeatedly found to be reactive by EIA undergo confirmation by supplementary serologic tests. We assessed the accuracy of blood center testing of 994 HTLV-I EIA repeat-reactive specimens in five US blood centers between November 1988 and December 1991. Of 410 confirmed HTLV-I/II donations, 407 (99.3%) were infected with HTLV-I/II, as determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (403 cases) and by repeat serologic testing (4 cases). The three false- positive results occurred in the first year of testing. Of 425 HTLV- indeterminate specimens, 6 (1.4%) were found to be infected by PCR (5 with HTLV-II and 1 with HTLV-I). None of 159 confirmatory test-negative donations was PCR positive. Of HTLV-I/II-seropositive specimens, 80.2% to 95.4% could be typed as HTLV-I or HTLV-II by type-specific serologic assays. These results support recommendations that HTLV-I/II- seropositive donors should be advised that they are infected with HTLV- I, HTLV-II, or HTLV-I/II (depending on results of type-specific assays). HTLV-indeterminate donors should be advised that their results only rarely indicate HTLV infection. HTLV confirmatory test-negative donors should be reassured that they are not infected with HTLV-I or HTLV-II.     

Analysis of isokinetic muscle strength for sports physiotherapy research in Korean ssireum athletes

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the muscle conditions such as the isokinetic muscle of Korean ssireum athletes. [Subjects and Methods] This study enrolled 25 elite ssireum athletes. We measured body composition and peak torque at an angular speed at 60°/s using an isokinetic muscle strength dynamometer. [Results] The lean body mass of the left upper limb was significantly higher than that of the right upper limb. However, the lean body mass of the left lower limb was significantly lower than that of the right lower limb. The peak torque for left elbow flexion was significantly higher than that for right elbow flexion. Conversely, the peak torque for left elbow extension was significantly lower than that for right elbow extension. Furthermore, the peak torque for the left knee was significantly lower than that for the right knee for both flexion and extension. [Conclusion] The data from this study elucidate in part the muscle conditions of Korean ssireum athletes, which can be used to establish a reference for the scientific study of sports physiotherapy.Key words: Isokinetic muscle strength, Ssireum athletes, Sports physiotherapy     

Modeling of Recovery Profiles in Mentally Disabled and Intact Patients after Sevoflurane Anesthesia; A Pharmacodynamic Analysis

Purpose

Mentally disabled patients show different recovery profiles compared to normal patients after general anesthesia. However, the relationship of dose-recovery profiles of mentally disabled patients has never been compared to that of normal patients.

Materials and Methods

Twenty patients (10 mentally disabled patients and 10 mentally intact patients) scheduled to dental surgery under general anesthesia was recruited. Sevoflurane was administered to maintain anesthesia during dental treatment. At the end of the surgery, sevoflurane was discontinued. End-tidal sevoflurane and recovery of consciousness (ROC) were recorded after sevoflurane discontinuation. The pharmacodynamic relation between the probability of ROC and end-tidal sevoflurane concentration was analyzed using NONMEM software (version VII).

Results

End-tidal sevoflurane concentration associated with 50% probability of ROC (C₅₀) and γ value were lower in the mentally disabled patients (C₅₀=0.37 vol %, γ=16.5 in mentally intact patients, C₅₀=0.19 vol %, γ=4.58 in mentally disabled patients). Mentality was a significant covariate of C₅₀ for ROC and γ value to pharmacodynamic model.

Conclusion

A sigmoid Emanx model explains the pharmacodynamic relationship between end-tidal sevoflurane concentration and ROC. Mentally disabled patients may recover slower from anesthesia at lower sevoflurane concentration at ROC an compared to normal patients.     

Unraveling the ties between irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal microbiota

Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is the most prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder.It is a multifactoria disorder.Intestinal microbiota may cause the pathogenesis of IBS by contributing to abnormal gastrointestina motility,low-grade inflammation,visceral hypersensitivity,communication in the gut-brain axis,and so on.Previous attempts to identify the intestinal microbiota composition in IBS patients have yielded inconsistent and occasionally contradictory results.This inconsistency may be due to the differences in the molecular techniques employed,the sample collection and handling methods,use of single samples that are not linked to fluctuating symptoms,or other factors such as patients diets and phenotypic characterizations.Despite these difficulties,previous studies found that the intestina microbiota in some IBS patients was completely different from that in healthy controls,and there does appear to be a consistent theme of Firmicutes enrichment and reduced abundance of Bacteroides.Based on the differences in intestinal microbiota composition,many studies have addressed the roles of microbiotatargeted treatments,such as antibiotics and probiotics,in alleviating certain symptoms of IBS.This review summarizes the current knowledge of the associations between intestinal microbiota and IBS as well as the possible modes of action of intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBS.Improving the current level of understanding of host-microbiota interactions in IBS is important not only for determining the role of intestinal microbiota in IBS pathogenesis but also for therapeutic modulation of the microbiota.     

Combining Conventional Impressions and Intraoral Scans: A Technique for the Treatment of Complete Denture Patients with Flabby Tissue

The conventional method for impressions of flabby tissue uses modified trays and highly flowable materials, but mucostatic impressions are difficult to achieve due to the viscous and the elastic natures of impression materials. In this report, a technique is presented in which conventional impression and intraoral scanning for a fully edentulous patient with flabby tissue are combined. The definitive impression was obtained by applying appropriate pressure to each tissue area, and the denture can be maintained passively and stable at rest and during function.