Anti-Melanogenic Dipeptides from a Cretaceous Jinju Formation Derived from Micromonospora sp

The anti-melanogenic activity of 259 actinomycete strains was tested, and based on the results for the inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase activity and the reduction in melanin content, Micromonospora sp. JCS1 and JCS7 were selected as the strains with the highest anti-melanogenic potential. The activity-guided fractionation of extracts from JCS1 and JCS7 led to the isolation of the dipeptides cyclo(L-Phenyl alanine (Phe)-L-Proline (Pro)) (1) and cyclo(L-Tryptophan (Trp)-L-Proline (Pro)) (2). These two compounds were tested for their inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase by monitoring L-DOPA levels and melanin production. Cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro) (1) and cyclo(L-Trp-L-Pro) (2) were thus confirmed to have the potential for use in functional whitening cosmetics containing actinomycete-derived secondary metabolites.

Chromatographic Determination of the Absolute Configuration in Sanjoinine A That Increases Nitric Oxide Production

A chiral derivatization strategy with phenylglycine methyl ester (PGME) was employed to develop a straightforward method to determine the absolute configurations of N,N-dimethyl amino acids. The PGME derivatives were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the absolute configurations of various N,N-dimethyl amino acids based on their elution time and order. The established method was applied to assign the absolute configuration of the N,N-dimethyl phenylalanine in sanjoinine A (4), a cyclopeptide alkaloid isolated from Zizyphi Spinosi Semen widely used as herbal medicine for insomnia. Sanjoinine A displayed production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells.

Ultrasound-guided local injection of methotrexate and systemic intramuscular methotrexate in the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided intragestational injection of methotrexate (MTX) and systemic intramuscular MTX in the management of cesarean scar pregnancies. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study that included women diagnosed with cesarean scar pregnancy at CHA Bundang Medical Center unit between 2009 and 2015. The 26 cases were managed with local injection of MTX under ultrasound guidance and 15 cases were treated with systemic intramuscular of MTX. After the procedure, serial follow-up sonographic examination and serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) measurement were performed. RESULTS: The mean initial β-hCG level was 20,610.73 mIU/mL and ranged from 263.00–71,316.50 mIU/mL. Mean gestational age was 6.3 weeks and ranged from 4.8 to 8.5 weeks. The majority of ectopic cases were treated successfully and follow-up β-hCG level declined abruptly following the first dose of MTX. The rate of success of local MTX treatment was significantly higher than that of systemic MTX treatment. It was 93.75% vs. 73.33%, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided intragestational injection of MTX is an effective method for the management of cesarean scar pregnancies and is associated with minimal side effects and high treatment success.

MTHFR 3′-untranslated region polymorphisms contribute to recurrent pregnancy loss risk and alterations in peripheral natural killer cell proportions / 대한생식의학회지

OBJECTIVE: To identify the associations between polymorphisms of the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, which codes for an important regulatory enzyme primarily involved in folate metabolism, and idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in Korean women. METHODS: The study population comprised 369 RPL patients and 228 controls. MTHFR 2572C>A, 4869C>G, 5488C>T, and 6685T>C 3′-UTR polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis or by TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Natural killer cell proportions were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The MTHFR 2572-5488-6685 (A-C-T) haplotype had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.420 (95% confidence interval, 0.178–0.994; p=0.048) for RPL. Analysis of variance revealed that MTHFR 4869C>G was associated with altered CD56⁺ natural killer cell percentages (CC, 17.91%±8.04%; CG, 12.67%±4.64%; p=0.024) and folate levels (CC, 12.01±7.18 mg/mL; CG, 22.15±26.25 mg/mL; p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Variants in the 3′-UTR of MTHFR are potential biomarkers for RPL. However, these results should be validated in additional studies of ethnically diverse groups of patients.

Evaluation on the Stability of Pooled Sera for External Quality Assessment of Tumor Marker Assays / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: Specimens for the external quality assessment (EQA) need to be highly stable during the EQA process. Therefore, we evaluated the stability of pooled sera (PS) for tumor markers including alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA 125), and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9). METHODS: PS with 2 different levels (high and low) of each of the 4 tumor markers were collected and stored at -20degrees C, 4degrees C, and room temperature (RT). The concentration of each tumor marker was then measured after storage under these different conditions at baseline and on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 90, and 181. Internal quality control (QC) results during the evaluation period were also analyzed. RESULTS: Irrespective of storage conditions, coefficients of variation (CVs) of AFP and CA 125 levels in the PS during the evaluation period ranged from 3.3% to 7.5% in EQA assays and were similar to the CVs of QC assays. However, the levels of CEA detected in PS stored at -20degrees C, and 4degrees C, showed higher variability, with CVs ranging from 4.0% to 10.4%, and samples stored at RT showed especially high CVs, i.e., >8.3%. Samples for CA 19-9 testing stored at RT also showed lower stability than the QC samples as well as samples stored at -20degrees C, after 3 days. CONCLUSIONS: CEA and CA 19-9 levels in PS showed higher variability than AFP and CA 125, especially when stored at RT. These results indicate that all EQA specimens for tumor marker assays need to be tested as soon as possible and not stored at RT for longer than 3 days during the EQA process.

Evaluation of the Performance of an Adiponectin ELISA-based Test and Establishing Serum Adiponectin Reference Intervals for Korean Population

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin is a plasma protein secreted by adipose tissues and low serum adiponectin concentration has been reported to be associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS). We evaluated the performance of an ELISA-based assay for measuring serum adiponectin levels and established reference intervals of adiponectin for Korean population. METHODS: Laboratory performance, including precision and linearity, of the AdipoMark Human Adiponectin ELISA kit (Mesdia Co., Korea) was assessed. Reference intervals of adiponectin concentration were determined after evaluation of 1200 subjects with no history of MS. Adiponectin was also measured in 100 patients with MS. RESULTS: The mean concentrations of serum samples tested for precision evaluation were 6.66, 12.61, and 23.42 microg/mL: the ELISA showed total imprecision of 13.6%, 9.3%, and 10.5% CV for the respective concentrations. The assay demonstrated linear responses in the range of 1.8-29.9 microg/mL serum adiponectin levels. The 95% reference intervals for Korean population were 3.6-19.2 microg/mL for men and 4.5-34.2 microg/mL for women. ROC-area under the curve values of adiponectin for the diagnosis of MS were 0.85 for men and 0.83 for women. Low adiponectin level was independently associated with MS in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The adiponectin quantitation assay evaluated in this study showed acceptable laboratory and clinical performances in an ELISA platform. To meet the ever-increasing demand for a reliable assay for measuring adiponectin levels in the study of various metabolic diseases, this assay could be further improved by the automation of the platform.

Comparison of COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HCV Qualitative Test v2.0 with COBAS AMPLICOR Hepatitis C Virus Test v2.0 for the Qualitative Detection of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Korean Clinical Samples / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: We comparatively evaluated the performance of the conventional COBAS Amplicor HCV test v2.0 (CAM; Roche Molecular Systems, USA) and the newly developed COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HCV test v2.0 (CAP/CTM; Roche Molecular Systems) for qualitative detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in clinical samples. METHODS: Six hundred serum samples (100 HCV-positive, 500 HCV-negative, as determined by CAM) were selected and analysed using the new qualitative HCV RNA test, CAP/CTM qualitative test. Results were compared by confirmatory CAP/CTM quantitative test, which is a quantitative HCV RNA real-time polymerase chain reaction by Roche Molecular Systems, and anti-HCV test (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Germany). Twenty-two additional serum samples, which gave a gray zone result by CAM, were selected for comparison. RESULTS: The two qualitative HCV RNA assays yielded concordant results for 586 of 600 tested samples (concordance rate, 97.7%; kappa coefficient, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87 to 0.96; P<0.001). Upon re-testing by CAM, we found that the concordance rate increased to 98.2% (kappa coefficient, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89 to 0.97; P<0.001). The additional 22 samples showing gray zone results for CAM were retested and were also tested by CAP/CTM. The results for 13 of these samples changed to negative and were now concordant with the CAP/CTM and confirmatory CAP/CTM quantitative results. For the remaining samples, the results were variable. For all the 22 samples, the results of the new CAP/CTM were in agreement with those obtained by confirmatory CAP/CTM quantitative test. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the two assays were in good agreement, with 97.7% concordance rate. However, CAP/CTM is more sensitive than CAM and showed no gray zone results. Therefore, it can be a more efficient and useful test for the qualitative detection of HCV RNA in clinical samples.

Effects of Bisphosphonates on the Proliferation and the Alkaline Phosphatase Activity of Human Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

WARTHIN'S TUMOUR IN LEFT PAROTID GLAND: REPORT OF TWO CASES

A CASE REPORT OF MAXILLARY LEIOMYOSARCOMA WITH REGIONAL LYMPH NODE METASTASIS

THE SUPERFICIAL AND DEEP SPREADING PATHWAYS OF INFECTION OF THE MAXILLOFACIAL AND NECK AREA: REPORTS OF 2 CASES

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma on right mandible: a case report

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is very aggressive and represents approximately 1% of all chondrosarcomas. While it affects a very wide age range, the peak frequency is in the second decade of life. It may occur in the head and rib region with a predilection for the maxillofacial skeleton. The small cell undifferentiated component may assume a hemangiopericytoma-like vascular pattern and should be distinguished from hemangiopericytoma. Treatment is en bloc resection, the intended tissue margins of excision should be designed to extend well beyond the actual tumor margin, as mesenchymal chondrosarcomas. Aggressive behavior of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the jaw, with a tendency for delayed recurrence and metastasis even many years after treatment. The most frequent site of metastasis was the lung. Here we present 52 years old , female case of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma occurs on Rt. mandible.

Treatment of OKC on Ramus of Mandible by Sagittal Splitting Technique

Effect of enamel matrix derivative (EMD, Emdogain(R)) on the differentiation of cultured human periodontal ligament cells and mesenchymal stem cells

Immediate implant placement after extraction of retained deciduous teeth and impacted canines : Report of a case

Recurrent cementoblastoma in left mandible : A case report

Awareness of Korean dentists on bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaws : Preliminary report

Recently, an increasing number of bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaw(BRONJ) is being reported. A guideline has been already established in the US, but it does not seem to be fully recognized by clinicians in Korea. Therefore, a survey study was done to inform and have clinicians realize the seriousness of BRONJ. 1,341 practitioners were randomly selected out of 13,405 practitioners(by Feb of 2008, KDA) in Korea. A questionnaire was given to them between May to July in 2008. Questions were designed to investigate each respondent's experience term years in the clinic, occupation, speciality, awareness on risk of bisphosphonate, experience on treating osteonecrosis patients, awareness about the guideline on BRONJ suggested by AAOMS and whether if they ask about bisphosphonate medication history to patients before invasive treatment. 45.1% of the clinicians have reported on experiencing delayed healing on bone exposed site after extraction both in the maxilla and the mandible. However, clinicians have asked the patients whether if they are on bisphosphonate or not in only 15.1% of these cases. 56.5% of the clinicians simply knew about BRONJ but only 28.9% of the clinicians were aware that bisphosphonate can cause osteonecrosis after invasive dental treatment. Only 19.3% knew about the contents of guideline on BRONJ and 57.2% were aware of the seriousness of BRONJ. Clinicians with shorter clinical experience term were more aware of BRONJ and the guideline on BRONJ than the experienced clinicians. But awareness of the possibility of BRONJ after invasive dental treatment were about the same regardless of their clinical experience. The results show that Korean clinicians need to be more aware about BRONJ. Data on BRONJ cases in Korea should be collected and provided with additional education to let Korean clinicians know and be more aware about BRONJ

Low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue(MALT) marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the tongue : A case report

Out of all oral malignant tumor, malignant lymphoma occurs in only 3.5%. Especially, most of the primary malignant lymphomas, which occur in the head & neck region are high-grade diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) marginal zone B-cell lymphoma is very rare. In the head & neck region, malignant lymphoma is reported to occur in the thyroid, salivary gland, trachea, larynx, orbital lobe and the Waldeyer's ring. Among the Waldeyer's ring, palatal tonsil is reported to be the most common region, but, only 1 case report was published in Korea. Until now, there were no case reports of MALT lymphoma that occurred in the tongue. The purpose of this case report is to report and discuss on a case of MALT lymphoma of the tongue.

Articular loose body, Synovial Chondromatosis of the Temporomandibular Joint: a Case Report

Synovial chondromatosis is an uncommon disease of cartilage transformation of synovial membrane with formation of loose bodies within the joint space. The involvement of temporomandibular joint is very rare. Symtoms include swelling, pain, stiffness of the jaw, and inability to close the jaw. A case involving the temporomandibular joint(TMJ) and non-symptoms is presented.

Articular loose body, Synovial Chondromatosis of the Temporomandibular Joint: a Case Report

Synovial chondromatosis is an uncommon disease of cartilage transformation of synovial membrane with formation of loose bodies within the joint space. The involvement of temporomandibular joint is very rare. Symtoms include swelling, pain, stiffness of the jaw, and inability to close the jaw. A case involving the temporomandibular joint(TMJ) and non-symptoms is presented.