Differences in p53 gene polymorphisms between Korean schizophrenia and lung cancer patients

The reduced incidence of cancer observed in schizophrenia patients may be related to differences in genetic background. It has been suggested that genetic predisposition towards schizophrenia is associated with reduced vulnerability to lung cancer, and p53 gene is one of the candidate genes. We tested the genetic association between schizophrenia and lung cancer by analyzing polymorphic sites in the p53 gene. Genotype and allele frequencies at two polymorphic sites in the p53 gene (BstUI and MspI restriction sites in exon 4 and intron 6, respectively) were studied in Korean schizophrenia (n=179) and lung cancer patients (n=104). Comparisons of the genotype and allele frequencies of the MspI polymorphism revealed significant differences between schizophrenia and lung cancer patients. The results suggest that the p53 polymorphism specifically found in schizophrenia patients may be associated with reduced vulnerability to lung cancer.

Automatic control and remote monitoring system for biological nutrient removal on small wastewater treatment plants in Korea

Many small-size wastewater treatment plants in Korea's rural communities are designed to remove organic and suspended matter only, and they generally show a large fluctuation in the influent loading compared to municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs). They also have no professional engineers stationed for efficient operation against mechanical breakdown. For those reasons, the wastewater treatment plants have low efficiency in treatment of nitrogen and phosphorus as well as organic matter. In order to solve those problems, this study developed an automatic control system and RMS (remote monitoring system), which can keep efficiency stable despite any change in the small plants' loading rates and are capable of removing nutrient materials such as nitrogen or phosphorus. According to the results of the Experimental SBR system of the automatic control program, complete nitrification was made under oxic conditions and denitrification occurred as NO3-N concentration decreased by 0.5 mg/l in anoxic conditions and excellent nitrogen removal efficiency was seen generally. The Experimental SBR system created "phosphate release and uptake" effectively and displayed phosphate-removing efficiency up to more than 80% as the concentration of effluent was kept low by 0.4 mg/l. RMS developed in this study transmits a plant's data and operation states to clients in remote locations in real-time interval through the Internet. Therefore, although you are in a remote location, it allows you to see if a plant is properly operated or there is any breakdown.

Urinary ascites and anuria caused by bilateral fungal balls in a premature infant

A case is reported of anuria and urinary ascites secondary to bilateral ureteropelvic obstruction by fungal balls. Management consisted of bilateral nephrostomy drainage with local irrigation with amphotericin B, and systemic antifungal treatment without surgery. Aspiration by paracentesis was performed for the urinary ascites and continuous drainage through an 8 Fr pig tail catheter for the urinoma. The literature on renal fungus balls in neonates and infants is reviewed.

Protective effects of green tea polyphenol against reactive oxygen species-induced oxidative stress in cultured rat calvarial osteoblast

The injurious effects of reactive oxygen species on osteoblasts and the potential protective role played by green tea polyphenols (GtPP) were investigated using primarily cultured rat calvarial osteoblasts. Oxidative stress was induced in cultured osteoblasts, either by adding 100 mmol/L H2O2 or by the action of 40 U/L xanthine oxidase (XO) in the presence of xanthine (250 micromol/L). After incubation, the cellular viability, function and morphology were evaluated. Both treatments produced a significant reduction in osteoblast viability, as assessed by a two-colored fluorescence staining method combined with flow cytometric analysis and MTT assay. A significant reduction in the alkaline phosphatase activity was observed after H2O2 addition, whereas XO did not have the same effect. On the microscopic observations, the morphological changes and intracellular ultrastructural damages were remarkably induced by both treatments. The H2O2-induced alterations were prevented by pre-incubating the osteoblasts with 200 microg/ml GtPP for 1 h. When the oxidative stress was induced by XO, the cellular viability and morphology was also maintained at the same polyphenol concentration. These results demonstrate that GtPP can act as a biological antioxidant in a cell culture experimental model and protect cells from oxidative stress-induced toxicity.

Antimicrobial performance of alkaline ionic fluid (GC-100X) and its ability to remove Escherichia coli O157:H7 from the surface of tomatoes

An efficacy test of GC-100X, a noncorrosive alkaline ionic fluid (pH 12) composed of free radicals and supplemented with xylitol, was carried out against six major foodborne pathogens-Staphylococcus aureus FRI 913, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis ATCC 13076, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 Korean isolate, Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17803, Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43894, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC 1637-at three different temperatures (4, 25, and 36 degrees C) with or without organic load (2% yeast extract). Results revealed a more than 4-log10 (CFU/ml) reduction (1.0 x 10(4) CFU/ml reduction) against all pathogens reacted at 37 degrees C for 3 h in the absence of organic material. GC-100X solution diluted with an equal volume of distilled or standard hard water (300 ppm CaCO3) showed effective bactericidal activity, particularly against gram-negative bacteria. Washing efficacy of GC-100X solution was compared against E. coli O157:H7 on cherry tomato surfaces with those of a commercially used detergent and chlorine water (100 ppm). Viable cell counts of E. coli O157:H7 that had penetrated to the cores of tomatoes after sanitizing treatment revealed that GC-100X stock and its 5% diluted solutions had similar washing effects to 100-ppm chlorine water and were more effective than the other kitchen detergent. These results indicate that GC-100X has good bactericidal and sanitizing activities and is useful as a new sanitizer for food safety and kitchen hygiene.

Visualization of transfection of hepatocytes by galactosylated chitosan-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)/DNA complexes by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Dual-labeled galactosylated chitosan-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (GCP)/DNA complexes were prepared and their hepatocyte-specific delivery and cellular distribution were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The complexes were transfected into hepatocyte through specific interaction of galactose moiety of the GCP and asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPR) of the hepatocytes. The GCP/DNA complexes taken up by the hepatocytes were rapidly released into the cytoplasm, but nuclear trafficking of the released complexes was slow and rate-limiting process. The more efficient transfection of the complex occurred in the human-derived HepG2 cells than in primary hepatocytes.

Circumcision practice patterns in South Korea: community based survey

OBJECTIVES

To assess the prevalence of circumcision in South Korean young men dwelling in the community, investigate attitudes and perspectives about circumcision, and how they perceive physician involvement in the decision process.

METHODS

Between May and November 2001, this cross sectional survey was performed. Of 27 202 men aged 20 years dwelling in the community of Choong-chung South Province, 2700 were randomly selected at a 10.0% sampling fraction after a sampling process by census district and a total of 1742 (64.5%) agreed to participate in the study. These subjects completed self administered questionnaires and we included 1674 men (a response rate 62.0%) in the study.

RESULTS

The overall proportion of circumcised was 1306 (78.0%) and an additional 192 (11.5%) wished to be circumcised later. Circumcision was carried out mostly during their elementary and middle school years. Of men circumcised, the decision whether to circumcise was most often made by their parents. Of the subjects, 75.0% believed that circumcision is necessary, while 2.9% believed it to be unnecessary. Among those who believed circumcision to be necessary, the most common reason was to improve penile hygiene (89.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate a positive attitude toward circumcision in South Korean men, linking it with hygienic practices. Circumcision in South Korea depends on the perpetuation of cultural beliefs that support it.

Galactosylated chitosan (GC)-graft-poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as hepatocyte-targeting DNA carrier. Preparation and physicochemical characterization of GC-graft-PVP/DNA complex (1)

Galactosylated chitosan was conjugated with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as a hydrophilic group. The complex formation of GC-graft-PVP (GCPVP)/DNA complexes was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The morphology of the complex observed by atomic force microscopy had a compact and spherical shape, around 40 nm particle sizes at a charge ratio of 3. The binding strength of GCPVP 10K/DNA complex measured by ethidium bromide binding assay was superior to that of the GCPVP 50K/DNA one, probably attributable to its higher flexibility due to the smaller size, whereas the DNase I protection of GCPVP 10K/DNA complex was inferior to that of the GCPVP 50K/DNA one. This indicated that effective complex formation required both higher binding strength and minimal molecular weight of polycation enough to induce the condensation of DNA. The DNA-binding property of GCPVP mainly depended on the molecular weight of chitosan and composition of PVP.

Successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using triple agent immunosuppression in severe aplastic anemia patients

Graft rejection in patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is strongly associated with a large number of prior transfusions and with prolonged disease duration before transplant. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes and the factor affecting these multitransfused SAA patients, who had received triple agent immunosuppression and high doses of stem cells to overcome rejection. In total, 113 patients with SAA who had a median 16 months (range 1-216) of disease duration were transplanted using HLA-matched sibling donors after conditioning with cyclophosphamide (CY), procarbazine (PCB), and ATG. Graft failure occurred in 16 of the eligible 113 patients, and with a median follow-up of 30 months (range, 1-80), probability of overall rejection was 15%. Specifically, the multitransfused patients who received high doses of stem cells with T-cell depletion showed the lowest rejection rate, 5.6%, compared with 30.3% in multitransfused patients with bone marrow stem cells alone (P=0.0310). Disease duration (P=0.0338) and the number of infused CD34+cells (P=0.0101) were associated with a high risk of graft rejection on multivariate analysis. ABO mismatch and the number of CD34+ cells were significant factors in the incidence of acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). The incidence of chronic GVHD among patients with sustained engraftment was 13/109 (11.9%). With the same follow-up period, probability of disease-free survival for the entire group of patients at 6 years was 89% and the only factor associated with long-term survival was rejection (P=0.0241). These results suggest that allogeneic HSCT conditioned with triple agent immunosuppression, and specifically with high-dose stem cell return is probably an effective treatment for successful engraftment in SAA patients with a high risk of rejection.

Psychological problems in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms

OBJECTIVE

To take a different perspective in assessing young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms, this study was designed since few prospective studies are available to survey a population of young men.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred and fifty men aged 20 years dwelling in the community were randomly selected. Chronic prostatitis-like symptoms were measured by the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index and the selfreported scores for pain and urinary symptoms were used to identify chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. The psychological methods used were the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. A total of 87 men (a response rate 58%) completed self-administered questionnaires.

RESULTS

As the scores for pain and urinary symptoms increased, those for depression increased (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively). However, the mean scores for state and trait anxiety were not different according to the scores for pain and urinary symptoms. The mean masculinity scores were not different according to the scores for pain but those were significantly different according to the scores of urinary symptoms (p = 0.042). The mean femininity scores were not different according to the scores of pain and urinary symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that psychological factors, especially depression and weak masculine identity may be associated with an early stage of chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. Young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms also have psychological problems.

Geobacillus toebii sp. nov., a novel thermophilic bacterium isolated from hay compost

A thermophilic, spore-forming rod isolated from hay compost in Korea was subjected to a taxonomic study. The micro-organism, designated strain SK-1(T), was identified as being aerobic, Gram-positive, motile and rod-shaped. Growth of the isolate was observed at 45-70 degrees C (optimum 60 degrees C) and pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.5). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 43.9 mol%. Chemotaxonomic characteristics of the isolate included the presence of mesodiaminopimelic acid in the cell wall and iso-C15:0 and iso-C17:0 as the major cellular fatty acids. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The chemotaxonomic characteristics of strain SK-1(T) were the same as those of the genus Geobacillus. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that strain SK-1(T) is most closely related to Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius. However, the phenotypic properties of strain SK-1(T) were clearly different from those of G. thermoglucosidasius. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain SK-1(T) and the type strain of G. thermoglucosidasius was 27%. On the basis of the phenotypic traits and molecular systematic data, strain SK-1(T) represents a novel species within the genus Geobacillus, for which the name Geobacillus toebii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain SK-1(T) (= KCTC 0306BP(T) - DSM 14590(T)).

Cloning of bovine CD69

CD69 is rapidly inducible on various hematopoietic cells upon stimulation and is detectable as an early activation antigen. Although CD69 is well characterized in human and mouse, no information is available on bovine CD69. We report here that, bovine CD69 was cloned from a cDNA expression library prepared from activated peripheral blood lymphocytes. The full-length cDNA contained an 80bp 5' untranslated region, followed by a 600bp coding region and AU-rich motifs in a 3' untranslated region (GenBank accession number AF272828). Comparison of the bovine CD69 coding sequence reveals 69.4 and 78.2% nucleotide sequence identities with mouse and human CD69, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequence of bovine CD69 shares 56.3 and 62.3% sequence identity when compared with mouse and human CD69, respectively. Bovine CD69 has the highly conserved amino acid sequences found in the C-type lectin family, suggesting that the conserved residues may be important for conformation and binding to the, as yet unidentified ligand. In addition, the cytoplasmic tail of bovine CD69 has two casein kinase-2 (CK-2) phosphorylation sites. These data suggest that bovine CD69 plays an important role in the activation of lymphocytes.

Factors influencing testicular volume in young men: results of a community-based survey

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the factors influencing testicular volume in young men in the community.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Between May and November 2001, 2700 men aged 20 years and dwelling in the community were randomly selected at a 10% sampling fraction after a sampling process by census district; 2080 men agreed to participate in the study. All volunteers underwent a standard evaluation, including a detailed medical history and physical examination. After excluding those with testicular diseases the study comprised 1792 men.

RESULTS

There were significant but weak correlations between testicular volumes and height, body weight and body mass index. In a multivariate model, high environmental temperature was associated with a decreased likelihood (odds ratio, OR, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.29-0.60; P < 0.001) of a paired testicular volume being below the 25th percentile of all participants. The likelihood of a low paired testicular volume varied by area, with a 1.6-fold greater risk in men dwelling in large rural areas than in those in major towns. Increasing height was associated with a decreased likelihood (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.38-0.96; P = 0.032) and low body weight with an increased likelihood of a low paired testicular volume (OR 2.54; 95% CI 1.57-4.12; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

These results establish that demographic and environmental factors have an effect on testicular size and suggest that body size may be important in determining testicular size in late adolescents.

Scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domains 9 and 11 of WC1 are receptors for the WC1 counter receptor

Workshop cluster 1 (WC1) is a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) superfamily that includes CD5, CD6, CD163, and M160. Bovine WC1 consists of 11 SRCR domains, a unique domain 1, and two homologous 5 SRCR domain cassettes, WC1 domains 2-6 and 7-11. The porcine orthologue of WC1 contains five SRCR domains with a different domain arrangement. Although the function of WC1 is unknown, WC1 is proposed to be an accessory or homing molecule. Thus, identification of cells that express the counter receptor for WC1 (WC1-CR) is critical to understanding the function of WC1. For this reason, we constructed WC1-human immunoglobulin G1 fusion proteins to identify the binding domain of WC1 and cells that express the WC1-CR. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed WC1 domains 9 and 11 bind cells with macrophage and dendritic cell morphology and cells in ellipsoids in the spleen. These results and the finding of conserved signaling motifs in the cytoplasmic tail suggest WC1 may be an accessory molecule.

Ramosetron for the prevention of cisplatin-induced acute emesis: a prospective randomized comparison with granisetron

Control of nausea and vomiting is very important in determining patient compliance with cisplatin chemotherapy. A multicentre, randomized, single-blind study was conducted to compare the tolerability and efficacy of ramosetron with those of granisetron over 24 h following cisplatin administration to cancer patients. In eight study centres, a total of 194 adult patients were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous ramosetron 0.3 mg or intravenous granisetron 3.0 mg. The anti-emetic effect of ramosetron determined from the no-vomiting rate lasted longer, but there was no significant difference in the number of acute vomiting episodes or the severity of nausea between the two groups. In the tolerability evaluation, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, except for a higher incidence of dull headache in the granisetron group. Ramosetron and granisetron appear to have equivalent efficacy and tolerability profiles, but the effects of ramosetron on the prevention of acute vomiting in patients undergoing cisplatin chemotherapy were longer lasting.

Effects of angiotensin II on the renal antioxidant activities of borderline hypertensive rats

This study was aimed to study the angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced antioxidant changes in the kidney of borderline-hypertensive rats (BHR). We measured renal antioxidant enzyme activities, and glutathione (GSH) contents and lipid peroxide levels in relation to the age of subjects. In the antioxidant enzyme assays, consistent changes were not observed in relation to age. However, in the assay for reduced GSH, nonenzymatic antioxidant, contents of adult and aged rats were much greater than those of weanling rats. Subcutaneous injection of pressor dose of human Ang II (200 microg/kg over 90 min) significantly reduced enzymatic activities in the weanling (4-week-aged) and adult (10-week-aged) BHR. However, in the relatively aged (16-week-aged) rats, Ang II did not alter enzymatic activities. Renal GSH contents of aged BHR, were highly increased by Ang II. Renal lipid peroxide levels of weanling and adult BHR were increased by Ang II, but decreased in the aged rats. However, these characteristic changes of renal antioxidant due to Ang II of the BHR could not be observed in the age-matched control, Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKR). From these results, it can be concluded that impacts of oxidative stress on the kidney of BHR may be greater in the young rats.

Diagnosing and optimizing water treatment processes by using particle counter: a case study in Korea

The goal of the flocculation process is to change the particle size distribution to best suit the subsequent processes. Although several methods exist to evaluate the flocculation process, no single universally accepted method has yet to be developed. The purpose of this paper is to present experiences whereby particle counting was used in the diagnosis and optimization of the flocculation process. A commercially available on-line continuous particle counter has been used in evaluating the design and the operation of this process at two conventional Water Treatment Plants. The evaluation is based on particle dynamics, i.e., the change of the number of small and large particles. Some design deficiencies in the distribution channel and flocculation process have been identified from this method, and thus some operational parameters are suggested for optimum performance. Because the optimum condition may be site-specific, the method presented in this paper will be beneficial in the evaluation of the flocculation process at other water treatment plants.

The effect of phenylephrine and norepinephrine in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension*

In this study the effect of phenylephrine and norepinephrine for the treatment of systemic hypotension were evaluated in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension. When systemic hypotension (systolic arterial pressure < 100 mmHg) occurred following induction of anaesthesia, either phenylephrine or norepinephrine were infused in a random manner to raise the systolic blood pressure by 30% and 50% above baseline values. Norepinephrine decreased the ratio of pulmonary arterial pressure to systemic blood pressure without a change in cardiac index. However, phenylephrine did not increase arterial blood pressure by more than 30% from baseline in one-third of patients and decreased cardiac index without a significant decrease in ratio of pulmonary arterial pressure to systemic blood pressure. These vasoconstrictors showed different systemic and pulmonary haemodynamic effects in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension as compared to acute pulmonary hypertension. Norepinephrine was considered to be preferable to phenylephrine for the treatment of hypotension in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension.

Unique properties of four lactobacilli in amino acid production and symbiotic mixed culture for lactic acid biosynthesis

With four Lactobacilli--L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis (ATCC 12315), L. casei (NRRL-B1445), L. delbrueckii (NRRL-B445), and L. heveticus (NRRL-B1937)--the characteristics of cell growth and production of lactate and amino acids were investigated. Especially, the time-course variation in concentration of amino acids (classified into alanine, serine, aspartate, glutamate, aromatic amino acid, and histidine families) was estimated in detail, and the results were systematically compared. It was elucidated that L. delbrueckii (NRRL-B445) and L. helveticus (NRRL-B1937) had quite different characteristics in growth, lactic acid synthesis, and amino acid production. L. helveticus (NRRL-B1937) was superior in the production of amino acids as well as in cell growth, but showed very poor ability in lactic acid production. However, L. delbrueckii (NRRL-B445) showed higher yield of lactic acid despite repressed cell growth, but suffered from severe amino acid deficiency in culture. By modulating the initial concentration of each strain in the mixed culture containing both L. delbrueckii (NRRL-B445) and L. helveticus (NRRL-B1937), the lactic acid production (i.e., the amount of lactic acid produced and lactic acid yield to glucose consumed) was significantly improved, presumably via symbiotic interaction between the two strains.