Protease-Activated Receptor-2 Is Associated with Terminal Differentiation of Epidermis and Eccrine Sweat Glands

BACKGROUND: Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) participates in various biological activities, including the regulation of epidermal barrier homeostasis, inflammation, pain perception, and melanosome transfer in the skin. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the basic physiological role of PAR-2 in skin. METHODS: We investigated PAR-2 expression in human epidermis, skin tumors, and cultured epidermal cells using western blot and immunohistochemical analysis. Additionally, we examined the effect of the PAR-2 agonist, SLIGRL-NH2, on cultured keratinocytes. RESULTS: Strong PAR-2 immunoreactivity was observed in the granular layer of normal human skin and the acrosyringium of the eccrine sweat glands. In contrast, weak PAR-2 immunoreactivity was seen in the granular layer of callused skin and in the duct and gland cells of the eccrine sweat glands. Interestingly, PAR-2 immunoreactivity was very weak or absent in the tumor cells of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and syringoma. PAR-2 was detected in primary keratinocytes and SV-40T-transformed human epidermal keratinocytes (SV-HEKs), an immortalized keratinocyte cell line, but not in SCC12 cells. SV-HEKs that were fully differentiated following calcium treatment displayed higher PAR-2 expression than undifferentiated SV-HEKs. Treatment of cultured SV-HEKs with PAR-2 agonist increased loricrin and filaggrin expression, a terminal differentiation marker. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that PAR-2 is associated with terminal differentiation of epidermis and eccrine sweat glands.

Expression of Preadipocyte Factor-1 (Pref-1) and Vitamin D3 Up-regulated Protein 1 (VDUP1) Genes in Rat Adrenal Gland following Chronic Immobilization Stress / 대한해부학회지

Preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) is expressed in the neuroendocrine organs such as the pituitary gland, the adrenal gland, the pancreas, the testis, etc. Vitamin D3 up-regulated protein 1(VDUP1) gene is known to be a novel member of early response genes as an oxidative stress mediator. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether Pref-1 and VDUP1 is involved in stress response in the adrenal gland following chronic immobilization stress. In situ hybridization for Pref-1 and VDUP1 genes (Pref-1 and VDUP1) was performed in the rat adrenal glands following immobilization stress, 2 hr once daily for 7 days. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that Pref-1 expression was up-regulated in rat adrenal medulla following chronic immobilization stress. However, Pref-1 was down-regulated in the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex following chronic immobilization stress. VDUP1 expression was up-regulated in the zona glomerulosa and the adrenal medulla following chronic immobilization stress. These results show that Pref-1 and VDUP1 may be novel genes responding to chronic immobilization stress in adrenal gland.

Memory lateralizing values of different stimulus types in Wada test

BACKGROUND: We studied the accuracy, lateralization criteria of Wada test in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy(TLE). We also evaluated material specific memory and determined the stimulus which can classify best between right and left TLE among four different types of stimuli. METHODS: We examined Wada memory performance in 33 patients(15 left, 18 right) with TLE who underwent surgery and who were good seizure outcome at least 1 year follow-up. Twelve stimuli consited of figures, written words, geometric designs and real objects were presented after Amytal injection. The recognition memory test was performed at 10 minutes after the injection and hemisphere memory performance of each stimulus and total stimuli were obtained by(number of stimuli recognized / number of stimuli presented x 100%). Classification rate, best stimulus for lateralization, and suitable lateralization criteria were determined by discriminant analysis and Chi-square test. Hemispheric memory difference of each stimulus was analyzed by paired-sample Student's t-test in left temporal lobectomy(LTL) and right temporal lobectomy(RTL) groups. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in pre-Wada memory score and in IQ between LTL and RTL group. The classification rate of Wada test in terms of lateralization by discriminant analysis was 81.82%. The accuracy was 75.8% at 10% and 15% lateralization criteria and was 63.6% and 45.5% at 20% and 25% lateraliza.

Electro-clinico-pathologic Relations of Epileptogenic Foci in Cavernous Angioma

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cavernous angiomas are frequently encountered in patients with intractable partial epilepsies. Cavernous angioma can make highly epileptogenic foci and dual pathology. Although it is generally thought that the epileptogenic activity originated in neuronal populations adjacent to the lesion, little is known as to the exact location of the epilepsies on electophysiologic, clinical and pathologic view. We investigated nine intractable epilepsy patients with cavernous angioma regarding relation of EEG, semiology and pathology to verify where are the epileptogenic foci in cavernous angioma. METHODS: We included 9 intractable epilepsy patients with cavernous angioma who had been were undergone video-EEG monitoring. They were aged from 15 to 49 years(average:36.7+15.7)and had cavernous angioma in temporal, frontal lobe, or multiple areas(temporal:7, frontal:1, multiple:1 patients). Four patients had invasive EEG study including subdural and/or depth electrodes. Six patients had undergone epilepsy surgery. We analyzed seizure history, semiology of their seizures, interictal and ictal EEG. To know dual pathology, MRI including hippocampal volumetry, invasive EEG, and pathology were studied. RESULTS: Four patients had multiple auras. Eight patients had complex partial seizures and one had right foot clonic seizure, which were related with the location of cavernous angioma. In scalp EEG, ictal recording showed definite EEG changes, but 3 patients had no definite EEG change in some seizures. In invasive EEG with subdural and/or depth electrodes , interictal spikes were more frequently detected than scalp EEG and ictal EEG revealed not only 3 different ictal onset zones in 3 patients but also EEG seizures without clinical events in 3 patients. Regarding dual pathology, mesial temporal involvement was detected in 2 patients in MRI. Among 6 surgery patients 4 patients including 3 patients with normal hippocampus in MRI had hippocampal or dentate gyral change in pathology. Among 4 patients with invasive ictal EEG, 3 patients including 1 patient with normal hippocampus in MRI and pathology had mesial temporal involvement in ictal onset zones. CONCLUSION: Cavernous angiomas can make multiple epileptogenic foci around themselves and often dual pathology of hippocampus, which can be easily detected by invasive ictal EEG but not by imaging and even by pathology. And the foci can have frequent EEG seizures, which do not make clinical events. Precise localization of epileptogenic foci in cavernous angioma were needed to have good medical and surgical treatments.

Fogging effect on MR in subacute cerebral infarct: Report of 2 cases

In acute phase, cerebral infartion is usually hypodense on CT and hyperintense on T2-weighted MR image. This hyperintensity on T2-weighted MR image gradually approaches an isointensity stage after 2 or 3 weeks of onset. In the later stage, cerebral infarction is observed hyperintense on T2-weighted MR image. This sequential phenomenon is so-called "fogging effect". We experienced two cases of "fogging effect". The first case did not show abnormal signal intensity on TI or T2 weighted MR images taken after 14 days of onset and the second case also did not show abnormal signal intensity after 17 days of onset. Each case revealed hyperintense in T2-weighted image with contrast enhancement taken after 20 weeks and 8 weeks of onset, respectively. We present two cases with MRI and brief review of literatures.

Atherosclerotic Changes of the Aortic Arch in Patients with Lacunar Infarction and Their Clinical Significance

It is well known recently that atherosclerotic changes of the aortic arch may play a role as an embolic source in development of cerebral infarction. But there are few reports that atherosclerotic changes of the aortic arch is one of the risk factors in lacunar infarction. Therefore, we studied clinical significance of atherosclerotic changes of the aortic arch as an independent risk factor of embolic sources in lacunar infarction. We studied 36 patients with lacunar infarction using transesophageal echocardiography to detect athersclerotic lesion of the aortic arch for embolism and simultaneuosly evaluated carotid vascular diseases by means of carotid doppler. We also examined other traditional risk factors for lacunar infarction in these patients. Eight patients had atherosclerotic lesions of the aortic arch on transesophageal echocardiography and there were atherosclerotic plaques or atheromas on ascending aorta in six patients and on descending aorta in two patients. Among the eight patients with atherosclerotic lesions of the aortic arch, four patients had atherosclerotic lesions in carotid arteries and also other risk factors for lacunar infarction. The other four patients had neither abnormal carotid doppler findings nor other traditional risk factors for cerebral infarction. Thus we concluded that atherosclerotic lesions of the aortic arch may play a role in developing lacunar infarction as an independent risk factor, especially in these patients who do not have known risk factors for cerebral infarction except atherosclerotic lesions of the ascending aorta.

Clinical Correlations between Duration of Epilepsy and Anticonvulsant Treatment Response in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

We have studied the clinical correlations between duration of epilepsy and anticonvulsant treatment response in temporal lobe epilepsy. We evaluated correlations between the duration of epilepsy before control and frequencies after six and twelve months of antiepileptic drug treatment, respectively. And we analyzed differences of epilepsy duration between no recurrence group, reduced seizure frequencies below 25% of before control frequencies and reduced seizure frequencies above 25% of before control frequecies groups respectively. We concluded that there are no positive correlations between the duration of epilepsy and seizure frequencies after antiepileptic drug treatment (Spearman correlation coefficients 0.2801 p=0.354 at six months antiepileptic drug treatment, 0.2797 p=0.355 at twelve months). We also concluded that there are no differencies of epilepsy duration between no recurrence group, group with reduced seizure frequencies below 25% of before control frequencies and group with reduced seizure frequencies above 25% of before control frequecies after six months of antlepileptic drug treatment(p=0.6511)and after twelve months of antiepileptic drug treatment (p=0.9469).