Helicobacter pylori Infection and Food Intervention for Preventing Associated Gastric Diseases Including Gastric Cancer

Since the discovery of Helicobacter pylori infection as the major cause of gastroduodenal disorders including acute and chronic gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcer, chronic atrophic gastritis, and gastric malignancy almost three decades ago, the possibility of preventing these clinical diseases through eradication has been the focus of active research and debate, especially since eradication can prevent cancer. Eradication intervenes with the initiation and progression of mucosal atrophy, metaplasia, dysplasia and gastric cancer. Our group hypothesized that nutritional interventions can rejuvenate the atrophic mucosa and ameliorate H. pylori-associated gastric inflammation. In this review article, the experience and outcomes regarding nutritional applications to rejuvenate gastric atrophy will be introduced. Korean red ginseng, garlic extracts, cancer preventive Korea Kimchi, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, special form of licorice, and probiotics will be reviewed. The detailed effects of dietary and bacterial eradication therapy on disease progression and lesion reversibility are discussed.

Genome-scale DNA methylation pattern profiling of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in long-term culture

Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) expanded in vitro exhibit not only a tendency to lose their proliferative potential, homing ability and telomere length but also genetic or epigenetic modifications, resulting in senescence. We compared differential methylation patterns of genes and miRNAs between early-passage [passage 5 (P5)] and late-passage (P15) cells and estimated the relationship between senescence and DNA methylation patterns. When we examined hypermethylated genes (methylation peak > or = 2) at P5 or P15, 2,739 genes, including those related to fructose and mannose metabolism and calcium signaling pathways, and 2,587 genes, including those related to DNA replication, cell cycle and the PPAR signaling pathway, were hypermethylated at P5 and P15, respectively. There was common hypermethylation of 1,205 genes at both P5 and P15. In addition, genes that were hypermethylated at P5 (CPEB1, GMPPA, CDKN1A, TBX2, SMAD9 and MCM2) showed lower mRNA expression than did those hypermethylated at P15, whereas genes that were hypermethylated at P15 (MAML2, FEN1 and CDK4) showed lower mRNA expression than did those that were hypermethylated at P5, demonstrating that hypermethylation at DNA promoter regions inhibited gene expression and that hypomethylation increased gene expression. In the case of hypermethylation on miRNA, 27 miRNAs were hypermethylated at P5, whereas 44 miRNAs were hypermethylated at P15. These results show that hypermethylation increases at genes related to DNA replication, cell cycle and adipogenic differentiation due to long-term culture, which may in part affect MSC senescence.

Two Cases of Q Fever Endocarditis / 감염과화학요법

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, presenting as acute and chronic illness and it has been reported worldwide. Acute Q fever is usually asymptomatic or mild and self-limiting, but infective endocarditis is one of the most serious complications of chronic Q fever and can be fatal. Known risk factors for Q fever endocarditis are valvular heart disease, immunocompromised hosts, and pregnancy. There have been some reports on Q fever in Korea but there exists no report on Q fever endocarditis. We have experienced 2 cases of Q fever with underlying valvular heart disease; both patients came to the hospital for evaluation of prolonged fever. Although Q fever and Q fever endocarditis are rare in Korea, Q fever endocarditis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patient with infective endocarditis when causative microorganism cannot be identified.

Two Cases of Q Fever Endocarditis / 감염과화학요법

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, presenting as acute and chronic illness and it has been reported worldwide. Acute Q fever is usually asymptomatic or mild and self-limiting, but infective endocarditis is one of the most serious complications of chronic Q fever and can be fatal. Known risk factors for Q fever endocarditis are valvular heart disease, immunocompromised hosts, and pregnancy. There have been some reports on Q fever in Korea but there exists no report on Q fever endocarditis. We have experienced 2 cases of Q fever with underlying valvular heart disease; both patients came to the hospital for evaluation of prolonged fever. Although Q fever and Q fever endocarditis are rare in Korea, Q fever endocarditis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patient with infective endocarditis when causative microorganism cannot be identified.

Successful Pregnancy by ICSI using Spermatozoa Banked Prior to Bone Marrow Transplantation for Severe Apalstic Anemia and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia / 대한불임학회지

OBJECTIVE: To report tow cases of successful pregnancies following long term cryopreserved spermatozoa prior to bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and severe aplastic anemia (SAA). MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: Case report. RESULTS: With the first case, after cryopreservation of semen from 25 year-old man with CML prior to BMT, his wife is being pregnant by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using thawed spermatozoa. With the second case, 28 year-old man with SAA became father by ICSI using banked spermatozoa before BMT. CONCLUSION: These cases support that men with malignancy have the chance of fathering their own genetic children. It is important therefore, to increase the awareness of clinicians especially oncologists and patients themselves to the new developments in preserving fertility for cancer patients.

A Case of Globozoospermia Conceived by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Human sperm are not only pleomorphic but also tend to show large numbers of obvious abnormalities that may be associated with infertility. It is known that the greater the numbers of abnormalities present in each sperm (teratozoospermic index) relates closely to abnormalities in sperm function and the presence of infertility. The variation in morphology that may be seen among human sperm involve the head, midpiece and tail. An oval head is deemed to be normal but many shape and size variations can be seen in an ejaculate, and these include large, small or tapering heads. Amorphous heads are now known to be associated with chromosomal anomalies and a sperm may even show the presence of a double head. Another anomaly of sperm morphology that is occasionally seen is the abnormality known as globozoospermia. In this condition, the sperm head lacks an acrosome and, as a consequence, the head of each spermatozoon becomes rounded. We have experienced a case of globozoospermia which was conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. So we report this case with a brief review of literatures.

Detection of Hepatitis B Virus X Antigen and Anti-X Antibody in Sera of HBV Infected Patients by ELISA using Recombinant X Proteins Expressed in E. coli and Anti-HBx Monoclonal Antibodies / 대한임상병리학회지

BACKGROUND: The X gene is the smallest coding region of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome. Several studies reported that X gene-encoded protein may be related to viral replication, and possibly used as a new marker indicative of HBV infection. However, its practical application as a diagnostic reagent remains limited. In this study, we developed anti-X monoclonal antibodies using recombinant hepatitis B virus X (HBx) proteins and investigated the humoral immune responses against HBx in sera of HBV-infected patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). METHODS: Sera of 47 HBV-associated patients and 12 normal controls were studied. Using recombinant HBx expressed in Escherichia coli, seven clones of monoclonal anti-HBx antibodies were developed. The binding site and activity of each monoclonal antibody were determined by ELISA and Western blot analysis, and antibodies that gave the best signals in both assays were selected for the detection of HBx antigen. An ELISA to detect anti-X was also constructed by using recombinant HBx proteins. RESULTS: Clinical samples from patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were more than 60% positive for anti-HBx antibody. The positive rate of X antigen in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC was 27% and 33%, respectively. None of acute hepatitis patients and chronic asymptomatic carriers were positive for HBx antigen or anti-X antibody. The present ELISA system detected circulating HBx with a dynamic range from 5 to 1000 ng per milliliter and the specificity of the assay was also acceptable. The analysis of binding site and activity of monoclonal antibodies performed by ELISA were in agreement with Western blotting results. CONCLUSIONS: ELISA using recombinant HBx and monoclonal antibodies showed good sensitivity and corresponded well with immunoblotting results. For the clinical application of this assay, however, further study is needed on the relationship between HBx and the progression of the disease.

The Effect of Anti-Sperm Antibodies on Conventional IVF and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) / 대한불임학회지

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of anti-sperm antibody (ASA) on the fertilization processes using conventional IVF and ICSI procedure in human and hamster oocytes. In human IVF, we have observed restricted fertilization with sperm testing positive for ASA. (23~90% IgA, 60-97 % IgG). However, if ICSI was perform in the next IVF cycle with the same patients, we could successfully fertilize the oocytes (37%; p<0.001), thus achieving pregnancy and delivery. When the sperm were cocultured in medium containing ASA, there were binding of ASA to sperm surface. In addition, the mean rate of the acrosomal reaction in an in vitro acrosome reaction test was lower for Ab-bound sperm (43.5%) than for Ab-free sperm group (51.3%, p<0.05). We used human sperm and hamster oocytes to confirm the negative effects of the ASA on fertilization. The sperm and/or oocytes have been expose to medium containing ASA before IVF and ICSI. In this experiment, the ASA was bound to the oocyte and sperm surface. The following results were obtain by using various combinations of ASA free or ASA bound sperm with ASA free or ASA bound oocytes for IVF. When ASA free sperm were inseminate with ASA free and ASA bound hamster oocytes, the fertilization rates are 89.6% and 74.3% respectively. However, when ASA bound human sperm were use the results were 62.5% and 55.6% respectively. These shows the fertilization rate was significantly decreased in both ASA bound and ASA free oocytes when using ASA bound sperm. No difference found when ASA are present on the oocyte surface. When the hamster oocytes was treated by ICSI with ASA free or ASA bound human spermatozoa, no significant difference was found. These results showed that ICSI is the most promising method for couples who fertilization was not possible by conventional IVF because of ASA.

The Effect of rhEPO on Anemia in 5/6 Nephrectomized Rats / 대한신장학회잡지

Anemia is a common clinical feature in chronic renal failure(CRF) patients. The primary cause of anemia in CRF is a deficiency of erythropoietin which is normally produced in the kidney. Erythropoietin therapy for correcting anemia has greatly increased the well-being of CRF patients and decreased cardiac morbidity. In Korea approximately 40% of CRF population on maintenance dialysis are using recombinant human erythropoietin(rhEPO). Commercially available rhEPO used in Korea is imported from abroad. Recently LG Chemical Co., produced rhEPO. In this study we evaluated the effect of LG-rhEPO on anemia in 5/6 nephrectomized rats. A total of 23 normal male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. A two-stage 5/6 nephrectomy was performed under ether anesthesia in 15 rats(group 1), additional 4 rats underwent sham operation(group 2). 4 normal rats served as normal control(group 3). rhEPO was injected subcutaneously 8 weeks after surgery. To evaluate the dose effect of rhEPO 250 IU/kg/day was injected in 2 rats, 500IU/kg/day in 4 rats, and 1000 IU/kg/day in 4 rats in group 1. To exclude the effect of LG-rhEPO vehicle, PBS, the same amount of PBS was injected in 4 rats in group 1. One rat each in groups 2 and 3 received rhEPO 250 IU/kg/day, 500 IU/kg/day, 1000 IU/kg /day, and PBS. rhEPO or PBS were injected daily in the first week, every other day in the second week and twice a week in the third week. Body weight and hematocrit level were observed weekly for the initial 8 weeks of observation period and then every other day for 3 weeks of injection and 1 week after discontinuation of injection, and BUN level every week during the study period. Body weight progressively increased in 3 groups. BUN level increased 1 week after 5/6 nephrectomy in group 1 and was stable in group 2 and 3. Hct level was significantly lower after 2 weeks of nephrectomy in group 1. Hct decreased transiently for the first week after sham operation and then returned to the baseline value in group 2. No significant change in Hct level was observed in group 3. After injection of rhEPO, Hct level increased significantly at 2 days in all 3 groups. Hct level increased significanly at 2 days in all 3 groups. Hct did not change in 3 groups with PBS injecion. In conclusion LG-rhEPO is effective in correcting anemia in animal model of CRF. A further study to evaluate the effect rhEPO on anemia in CRF patients and longterm consequences are required.

An experimental study for the evaluation of hemopoietic effects of 9 medicinal plants used in herbal drugs / 대한혈액학회지

No abstract available.

Assessment of alcohol dependence in primary care

No abstract available.

The CT examination of changes in intracranial hematoma density

The study was undertaken to asses the changes in the size and densities of intracranial hematomas by analyzingthe sequential CT examination of 23 patients ar Soon Chun Hyang College Hospital from July '80 to Aug. '81. Theresuls were as follows; 1. The high densities of hematoma were the cause of hematoma, hematoma locaiton, age andsex of patients, and initial hematoma size. 3. The CT findings that indicate complete absorption of hematomas werenormalization of mass effect, not diappearence of hematoma densities. 4. In intracerebral hematoma, the highdensity of hematoma reduced it's density and mass effect about 4-6 weeks duration. 5. In subdural hematoma, about7 weeks after head trauma, the CT findings were normalized.

Brain CT findings in head injury with skull fracture

CT has revolutionized the evaluation and management of patients with head injuries. CT is noninvasive and rapidly provides accurate information regarding the presence, extent and nature of intracranial lesions resulting from trauma. We have reviewed the CT scans of 114 patients, who got head injury with confirmed to skull fracture in plain film. The result were as follows; 1. Of all cases, traffic accident was the most frequent cause and in children fall down was more than 50%. 2. Compound linear fracture was the most frequent type fractures in plain skull film. 3. Of all 114 case, epidural hematoma was 16%, subdural hematoma was 18.4%, intracerebral hematoma was14.4%, subdural hygroma was 2.4%, normal finding was 50%. 4. Mortality rate was 13.2%. 5. Fracture was detected by CT about 28.9%, depression fracture was more easily detected in CT. 6. Incidence rate of countercoup lesion was14.0% and mortality rate was higher than same site lesion, 7. The shape of epidural hematoma was biconvex in 75%, planoconvex in 25%. 8. The shape of subdural hematoma was crescentic shape 82.6%, biconvex shape 8.7%, planoconvex shape 8.7%.