Folate-conjugated polyspermine for lung cancer-targeted gene therapy

Biodegradable polyamines have long been studied as potential recombinant viral gene vectors. Spermine (SPE) is an endogenous tetra-amine with excellent biocompatibility yet poor gene condensation capacity. We have previously synthesized a polyspermine based on SPE and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) diacrylate (SPE-alt-PEG) for enhanced transfection performance, but the synthesized SPE-alt-PEG still lacked specificity towards cancer cells. In this study, folic acid (FA) was incorporated into SPE-alt-PEG to fabricate a targeted gene delivery vector (FA-SPE-PEG) via an acylation reaction. FA-SPE-PEG exhibited mild cytotoxicity in both cancer cells and normal cells. FA-SPE-PEG possessed higher transfection efficiency than PEI 25 K and Lipofectamine(®) 2000 in two tested cancer cell lines at functional weight ratios, and its superiority over untargeted SPE-alt-PEG was prominent in cells with overexpressed folate receptors (FRs). Moreover, in vivo delivery of green fluorescent protein (GFP) with FA-SPE-PEG resulted in highest fluorescent signal intensity of all investigated groups. FA-SPE-PEG showed remarkably enhanced specificity towards cancer cells both in vivo and in vitro due to the interaction between FA and FRs. Taken together, FA-SPE-PEG was demonstrated to be a prospective targeted gene delivery vector with high transfection capacity and excellent biocompatibility.

Adenoviral Pneumonia During Etanercept Treatment in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis. As one of the biological response modifiers, etanercept has also been used in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. While etanercept is effective, certain infectious complications, such as tuberculosis, fungus, and cytomegalovirus, have been reported. We report the first Korean case of adenoviral pneumonia in a 55-year-old female who developed disseminated adenoviral infection following etanercept treatment, which resolved after anti-TNF-alpha discontinuation.

Plasmapheresis in a Renal Transplant Patient with Positive Crossmatch only Detected by Flow Cytometry / 대한수혈학회지

Complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) has been established as a crossmatch (XM) technique that can effectively prevent hyperacute transplantation rejetion by detecting preformed complement-fixing antibodies. The anti-human globulin crossmatch (AHGXM) has been performed in an effort to improve sensitivity for detecting anti-donor antibodies. Flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) was introduced as a more sensitive technique than the traditional CDCXM or AHGXM. A positive pre-transplant FCXM in recipients with a negative CDCXM or AHGXM has been found to be associated with a poor graft survival in several studies. Many clinical studies have focused on suppressing or eliminating anti-donor antibodies through the use of immunosuppresive drugs, immunoadsorption, intravenous immunoglobulin, or plasmapheresis. We performed plasmapheresis with intravenous immunoglobulin and FK 506 for a 38-year old female patient with chronic renal failure to remove anti-donor antibody which was only detected by FCXM. After transplant, no evidence of hyperacute or acute rejection was found. After 6 month, the recipient was surviving with well-functioning graft.

A comparative study on bond strength and adhesive failure pattern in bracket bonding with self-etching primer / 대한치과교정학회지

A self-etching primer that combines the etchant and primer in one chemical compound saves time and should be more cost-effective to the clinician and patient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a self-etching primer by measuring shear bond strengths according to various conditions and observing adhesive failure patterns. For this investigation, 120 upper and lower premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were used and randomly divided into six groups of twenty teeth each. Human premolars were embedded in a metal cylinder with orthodontic resin. Metal brackets and ceramic brackets were bonded with XT primer and self-etching primer by means of XT adhesive. Upon curing, plasma arc light and visible light were used. After bonding, the shear bond strength was tested by Instron universal testing machine, and the amount of residual adhesive that remained on the tooth after debonding was measured by stereoscope and assessed with an adhesive remnant index. The results were as follows: 1. When brackets were bonded, if other conditions remained the same, there was no significant difference in shear bond strength due to the type of primer - either self-etching primer or XT primer. 2. When metal brackets were bonded, there was no significant difference in shear bond strength according to the source of light - plasma arc light or visible light - and type of primer. 3. There was a very significant difference in shear bond strength according to the type of brackets - metal or ceramic brackets. The shear bond strength of ceramic brackets was stronger than metal brackets. 4. When the adhesive failure patterns of metal brackets bonded with self-etching primer were observed by using the adhesive remnant index, the bond failure of the metal bracket occurred more frequently at the bracket-adhesive. The failure of the ceramic bracket, however, occurred more frequently at the enamel-adhesive interface. The adhesive failure patterns of metal brackets bonded with XT primer observed the same patterns. The above results suggest that self-etching primer can be clinically useful for bonding the brackets without fear of a decrease in shear bond strength.

A Case of Churg-Strauss Syndrome Affecting Lung and Neuromuscular System / 결핵

Churg-Strauss syndrome(CSS) is a systemic vascular disorder that has an unknown cause with multiorgan involvement and diverse presentations. The three main histologically distinct phases were necrotizing vasculitis, tissue eosinophilia and extravascular granulomas. A diagnosis of CSS can be made on four or more of the following six criteria : 1) asthma, 2) peripheral eosinophilia >10% on the differential leukocyte count, 3) mononeuropathy (including multiple) or polyneuropathy, 4) paranasal sinus abnormalities, 5) nonfixed pulmonary infiltrates, and 6) biopsy evidence of extravascular eosinophils in the skin, the nerves, or the lungs. CSS has a good prognosis with systemic steroid therapy. The 5 year survival is approximately 70 %. We experienced a 66-year-old man who presented with cough, sputum, edema and numbness in both legs. He presented with all of the 6 CSS criteria. A nerve and muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Here, we report this case with a review of the relevant literatures.

A Case of Churg-Strauss Syndrome Affecting Lung and Neuromuscular System / 결핵

Churg-Strauss syndrome(CSS) is a systemic vascular disorder that has an unknown cause with multiorgan involvement and diverse presentations. The three main histologically distinct phases were necrotizing vasculitis, tissue eosinophilia and extravascular granulomas. A diagnosis of CSS can be made on four or more of the following six criteria : 1) asthma, 2) peripheral eosinophilia >10% on the differential leukocyte count, 3) mononeuropathy (including multiple) or polyneuropathy, 4) paranasal sinus abnormalities, 5) nonfixed pulmonary infiltrates, and 6) biopsy evidence of extravascular eosinophils in the skin, the nerves, or the lungs. CSS has a good prognosis with systemic steroid therapy. The 5 year survival is approximately 70 %. We experienced a 66-year-old man who presented with cough, sputum, edema and numbness in both legs. He presented with all of the 6 CSS criteria. A nerve and muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Here, we report this case with a review of the relevant literatures.

A Case of Passenger Lymphocyte Syndrome in a ABO-nmatched Liver Transplant Patient / 대한간학회지

Transplantation of ABO-nmatched solid organs has been associated with the development of immune hemolysis due to donor-erived antibodies produced by passenger lymphocytes in the graft, called "Passenger Lymphocyte Syndrome". In a liver transplantation, about 40% of patients at risk has detectable donor-erived antibodies and hemolytic anemia occurs in 29% of patients. It is characterized by hemoglobinemia, a rapid fall in hemoglobin, hyperbilirubinemia, and an excessive red cell transfusion requirement occurring 1 to 3 weeks after the transplantation. These clinical findings are accompanied by the laboratory findings of a positive direct antiglobulin test and the detection of unexpected antibodies in the patients' red cell eluate and serum. Both the hemolytic anemia and serology resolve over the course of weeks to months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of hemolytic anemia due to passenger lymphocyte syndrome after ABO-nmatched liver transplantation in Korea.