Correlation analysis of gingival recession after orthodontic treatment in the anterior region: an evaluation of soft and hard tissues.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate and identify the main causes of periodontal tissue change associated with labial gingival recession by examining the anterior region of patients who underwent orthodontic treatment. METHODS: In total, 45 patients who had undergone orthodontic treatment from January 2010 to December 2015 were included. Before and after the orthodontic treatment, sectioned images from 3-dimensional digital model scanning and cone-beam computed tomography images in the same region were superimposed to measure periodontal parameters. The initial labial gingival thickness (IGT) and the initial labial alveolar bone thickness (IBT) were measured at 4 mm below the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), and the change of the labial gingival margin was defined as the change of the distance from the CEJ to the gingival margin. Additionally, the jaw, tooth position, tooth inclination, tooth rotation, and history of orthognathic surgery were investigated to determine the various factors that could have affected anterior periodontal tissue changes. RESULTS: The mean IGT and IBT were 0.77±0.29 mm and 0.77±0.32 mm, respectively. The mean gingival recession was 0.14±0.57 mm. Tooth inclination had a significant association with gingival recession, and as tooth inclination increased labially, gingival recession increased by approximately 0.2 mm per 1°. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the IGT, IBT, tooth position, tooth rotation, and history of orthognathic surgery did not affect labial gingival recession. However, tooth inclination showed a significant association with labial gingival recession of the anterior teeth after orthodontic treatment.

A rapid, efficient, and facile solution for dental hypersensitivity: The tannin-iron complex.

Dental hypersensitivity due to exposure of dentinal tubules under the enamel layer to saliva is a very popular and highly elusive technology priority in dentistry. Blocking water flow within exposed dentinal tubules is a key principle for curing dental hypersensitivity. Some salts used in "at home" solutions remineralize the tubules inside by concentrating saliva ingredients. An "in-office" option of applying dense resin sealants on the tubule entrance has only localized effects on well-defined sore spots. We report a self-assembled film that was formed by facile, rapid (4 min), and efficient (approximately 0.5 g/L concentration) dip-coating of teeth in an aqueous solution containing a tannic acid-iron(III) complex. It quickly and effectively occluded the dentinal tubules of human teeth. It withstood intense tooth brushing and induced hydroxyapatite remineralisation within the dentinal tubules. This strategy holds great promise for future applications as an effective and user-friendly desensitizer for managing dental hypersensitivity.

Association between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and coronary artery disease: a case-control study and cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although the increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been reported, there was few detailed information on the risk factors for CAD in IPF. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CAD in IPF with analysis of other risk factors. METHODS: The subjects were 460 patients (mean age, 65 years; 79% male; 74% current or ex-smoker) diagnosed as IPF at Asan Medical Center and 1,925 controls matched with age, gender, smoking habits, and date of IPF diagnosis from the cohort of Korean Heart Study. Cardiovascular risk factors and prevalence of CAD in both groups were compared and the incidence of newly developed CAD during follow-up was also analyzed. RESULTS: IPF group was more diabetic, and control group had a higher proportion of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. The prevalence of CAD in IPF group (7%) was two times higher than that of control group (3%). Multivariate analysis revealed that age (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07), hypertension (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.36-3.33), hypercholesterolemia (OR, 3.85; 95% CI, 2.51-5.88), and IPF (OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.68-4.14) were significant risk factors for CAD. During follow-up (median: 2.5 years for IPF and 4.4 years for controls), the incidence of newly diagnosed CAD was higher in the patients with IPF (6.8%) compared to controls (2.8%) (RR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.08-3.43). CONCLUSIONS: IPF itself was an independent risk factor for CAD after the adjustment of age, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia.

A coronary heart disease prediction model: the Korean Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to develop a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk model among the Korean Heart Study (KHS) population and compare it with the Framingham CHD risk score. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study within a national insurance system. SETTING: 18 health promotion centres nationwide between 1996 and 2001 in Korea. PARTICIPANTS: 268 315 Koreans between the ages of 30 and 74 years without CHD at baseline. OUTCOME MEASURE: Non-fatal or fatal CHD events between 1997 and 2011. During an 11.6-year median follow-up, 2596 CHD events (1903 non-fatal and 693 fatal) occurred in the cohort. The optimal CHD model was created by adding high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and triglycerides to the basic CHD model, evaluating using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and continuous net reclassification index (NRI). RESULTS: The optimal CHD models for men and women included HDL-cholesterol (NRI=0.284) and triglycerides (NRI=0.207) from the basic CHD model, respectively. The discrimination using the CHD model in the Korean cohort was high: the areas under ROC were 0.764 (95% CI 0.752 to 0.774) for men and 0.815 (95% CI 0.795 to 0.835) for women. The Framingham risk function predicted 3-6 times as many CHD events than observed. Recalibration of the Framingham function using the mean values of risk factors and mean CHD incidence rates of the KHS cohort substantially improved the performance of the Framingham functions in the KHS cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides the first evidence that the Framingham risk function overestimates the risk of CHD in the Korean population where CHD incidence is low. The Korean CHD risk model is well-calculated alternations which can be used to predict an individual's risk of CHD and provides a useful guide to identify the groups at high risk for CHD among Koreans.

The Korean Heart Study: rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of 430,920 men and women.

BACKGROUND: To describe the rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in South Korea. METHODS: Study members were recruited from participants in routine health assessments at health promotion centres across South Korea. Established and emerging CVD risk factors were measured. Eighteen centres holding electronic health records agreed to linkage of participants' records to future health insurance claims for monitoring of disease events. The recruitment of 430,920 participants (266,782 men, 164,138 women), aged 30-74 years, provides broad geographical reach across South Korea. RESULTS: Risk factor prevalence was more favourable in women than men, and, in general, in the younger rather than older study members. There was also close similarity between the characteristics of the present sample and the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The expected associations between risk factors and both CVD and death were also apparent. CONCLUSIONS: Data from the present sample, based on data linkage, show close agreement with South Korea-wide surveys (for risk factor prevalence) and the extant literature (for risk factor associations). These findings gives confidence in future results anticipated from this cohort study of east Asians - a group that has been traditionally under-researched.

Hemoglobin concentration and risk of cardiovascular disease in Korean men and women - the Korean heart study.

This study investigated the relationship between hemoglobin concentration and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). A total of 407,858 subjects (256,851 men, aged 30-94 yr), who underwent physical examination at 17 Korean nationwide health examination centers, was included in this study. Data regarding CVD incidence were obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance database. In Cox proportional hazard models, men with lower or higher hemoglobin level showed higher hazard ratios (HR) with total CVD (HR, 1.14; 95% Confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.21 for the 1st quintile; HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.09-1.21 for the 5th quintile), ischemic heart disease (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.26 for the 1st quintile; HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.25 for the 5th quintile), and stroke (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02-1.25 for the 1st quintile; HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07-1.30 for the 5th quintile) compared to those with mid-level of hemoglobin (3rd quintile). Women with higher hemoglobin level showed higher HR with total CVD (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-1.31 for pre-menopausal women; HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.16 for post-menopausal women). We found an independent U-shaped association between hemoglobin level and CVD incidence in Korean population.

Serum adiponectin and type 2 diabetes: a 6-year follow-up cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Studies on factors which may predict the risk of diabetes are scarce. This prospective cohort study was conducted to determine the association between adiponectin and type 2 diabetes among Korean men and women. METHODS: A total of 42,845 participants who visited one of seven health examination centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province, Republic of Korea between 2004 and 2008 were included in this study. The incidence rates of diabetes were determined through December 2011. To evaluate the effects of adiponectin on type 2 diabetes, the Cox proportional hazard model was used. RESULTS: Of the 40,005 participants, 959 developed type 2 diabetes during a 6-year follow-up. After the adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference, the risks for type 2 diabetes in participants with normoglycemia had a 1.70-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 2.38) increase in men and a 1.83-fold (95% CI, 1.17 to 2.86) increase in women with the lowest tertile of adiponectin when compared to the highest tertile of adiponectin. For participants with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), the risk for type 2 diabetes had a 1.46-fold (95% CI, 1.17 to 1.83) increase in men and a 2.52-fold (95% CI, 1.57 to 4.06) increase in women with the lowest tertile of adiponectin. Except for female participants with normoglycemia, all the risks remained significant after the adjustment for fasting glucose and other confounding variables. Surprisingly, BMI and waist circumference were not predictors of type 2 diabetes in men or women with IFG after adjustment for fasting glucose and other confounders. CONCLUSION: A strong association between adiponectin and diabetes was observed. The use of adiponectin as a predictor of type 2 diabetes is considered to be useful.

Adiponectin as predictor for diabetes among pre-diabetic groups.

Adiponectin is found to associate with diabetes in studies apart from cohort studies. This prospective cohort study is to evaluate the predictive role of adiponectin in diabetes among participants with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). A total of 42,845 participants who visited 7 health examination centers located in Seoul and Kyunggi province, South Korea, during 2004-2008 were first included. Of the 42,845 participants, 5,085 participants had IFG. IFG was categorized as stage 1 (fasting glucose 100-109 mg/dL) or stage 2 (110-125 mg/dL). The incidence rates of diabetes were followed up to December, 2011. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were performed by Cox proportional hazard model. Of the 5,085 participants, 652 participants developed diabetes during a mean follow-up of 4.4 years. Low adiponectin was associated with diabetes among men with stage 2 IFG (HR, 1.78; 95 %CI, 1.33-2.38) while it was associated with diabetes among women with stage 1 IFG (HR, 2.64; 95 %CI, 1.38-5.03) and stage 2 IFG (HR, 2.17; 95 %CI, 1.07-4.42). When combined men and women, the association between adiponectin and diabetes was statistically significant in stage 2 IFG with an increase of about 82 % (HR, 1.82; 95 %CI, 1.40-2.39) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, and fasting serum glucose. There was an interaction by sex and stage 1 IFG in the association between adiponectin and risk of diabetes (P < 0.001). Adiponectin was independently associated with diabetes among participants with IFG. This association was apparent in stage 2 IFG. Adiponectin may be used as a predictor of diabetes in patients having IFG.

Fasting glucose level and the risk of incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Although diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, the dose-response relationship between fasting glucose levels below those diagnostic of diabetes with cardiovascular events has not been well characterized. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study of more than one million Koreans was conducted with a mean follow-up of 16 years. A total of 1,197,384 Korean adults with no specific medical conditions diagnosed were classified by baseline fasting serum glucose level. Associations of fasting glucose level with CVD incidence and mortality, stroke incidence and mortality, and all-cause mortality were analyzed using multivariate proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: The relationships between fasting glucose levels and CVD risks generally followed J-shape curves, with lowest risk in the glucose range of 85-99 mg/dL. As fasting glucose levels increased to >100 mg/dL, risks for CVD, ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and thrombotic stroke progressively increased, but risk for hemorrhagic stroke did not. Fasting glucose levels <70 mg/dL were associated with increased risk of all stroke (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.11) in men and (hazard ratio 1.11, 1.05-1.17) in women. CONCLUSIONS: Both low glucose level and impaired fasting glucose should be considered as predictors of risk for stroke and coronary heart disease. The fasting glucose level associated with the lowest cardiovascular risk may be in a narrow range.

Impaired fasting glucose and risk of cardiovascular disease in Korean men and women: the Korean Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or ischemic heart disease (IHD) varies widely according to sex and ethnicity. We evaluated the relationship between IFG and CVD or IHD among Korean men and women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 408,022 individuals who underwent voluntary private health examinations in 17 centers in South Korea were followed for 10 years. Data regarding CVD or IHD events were obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance database. IFG was categorized as grade 1 (fasting glucose 100-109 mg/dL) or grade 2 (110-125 mg/dL). RESULTS: Incidence rates of CVD (per 100,000 person-years) were 2,203 for diabetes. Age-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD were 1.17 (95% CI 1.13-1.20) for grade 1 IFG, 1.30 (1.24-1.35) for grade 2 IFG, and 1.81 (1.75-1.86) for diabetes. The increased risk for women was similar to that of men. Age-adjusted HRs for IHD and ischemic stroke were also significantly increased for men and women with IFG and diabetes. After multivariate adjustment of conventional risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, and family history of CVD), the overall risk of CVD was greatly attenuated in all categories. However, the HRs for IHD and ischemic stroke remained significantly increased in men for grade 2 IFG but not in women. CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, grade 2 IFG is associated with increased risk of IHD and ischemic stroke, independent of other conventional risk factors, in men but not in women.

Prevalence of antibodies in response to Legionella species, analysis of a healthy population from Jeollanam-do Province, Korea.

Seroepidemological investigation of antibodies to Legionella species in 500 healthy individuals from a single geographical location in Korea was conducted by indirect fluorescent antibody assay (IFA). Considering an antibody titer of > or =1:128 as positive reaction, 15.2% of total sera were positive. In males and females older than 40 years old, levels of IgM and IgG were 1.2% and 14%, respectively. The sera with antibody titers of > or =1:128 to Legionella species accounted for 85 sera, and 9 sera of these were reacted to more than one Legionella species. Reactivity to L. bozemanii, L. micdadei, L. longbeachae, L. pneumophila sg 6, and L. gormanii were 32.9%, 20%, 15%, 10.6%, and 8%, respectively. However, L. pneumophila sg 1, sg 2, and sg 3 did not react to any sera. Serological analysis revealed that the level of antibody in response to L. bozemanii was more prevalent than L. pneumophila. Our results suggest that the antibodies of non-L. pneumophila species, such as L. bozemanii, may be highly prevalent in healthy population within Korea. Although conclusions based on the findings of this study must be cautiously considered given that the population sampled were sourced from a single province, we have added to the knowledge base of serodiagnosis of infections due to non-L. pneumophila species in Korea.

zVAD-fmk, unlike BocD-fmk, does not inhibit caspase-6 acting on 14-3-3/Bad pathway in apoptosis of p815 mastocytoma cells.

In a preliminary study, we found that benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (zVAD- fmk), unlike Boc-aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (BocD-fmk), at usual dosage could not prevent genistein-induced apoptosis of p815 mastocytoma cells. This study was undertaken to reveal the mechanism underlying the incapability of zVAD-fmk in preventing this type of apoptosis. We observed that 14-3-3 protein level was reduced in genistein-treated cells and that BocD-fmk but not zVAD-fmk prevented the reduction of 14-3-3 protein level and the release of Bad from 14-3-3. We also demonstrated that truncated Bad to Bcl-xL interaction in genistein- treated cells was prevented by BocD-fmk but not by zVAD-fmk treatment. Our data indicate that BocD- fmk, compared to zVAD-fmk, has a certain preference for inhibiting 14-3-3/Bad signalling pathway. We also elucidated that this differential efficacy of BocD-fmk and zVAD-fmk resulted from the different effect in inhibiting caspase-6 and that co-treatment of zVAD-fmk and caspase-6 specific inhibitor substantially prevented genistein-induced apoptosis. Our data shows that caspase-6 plays a role on Bad/14-3-3 pathway in genistein-induced apoptosis of p815 cells, and that the usual dose of zVAD-fmk, in contrast to BocD-fmk, did not prevent caspase-6 acting on 14-3-3/Bad-mediated event.

Synthetic chenodeoxycholic acid derivatives inhibit glioblastoma multiform tumor growth in vitro and in vivo.

We previously reported that the synthetic chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) derivatives showed apoptosis-inducing activity on various cancer cells in vitro. This study was undertaken to explore whether synthetic CDCA derivatives, HS-1199 and HS-1200, had an anticancer effect on malignant glioblastoma cells. We administered them in culture to U-118MG, U-87MG, T98G, and U-373MG cells. The tested glioblastoma cells showed several lines of apoptotic manifestations, such as activation of caspase-3, degradation of DFF, production of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, nuclear condensation, inhibition of proteasome activity, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c to cytosol and translocation of AIF to nuclei. Between the two synthetic derivatives, HS-1200 showed a stronger apoptosis-inducing effect than HS-1199. In vivo efficacy of HS-1200 was tested in U87MG cells inoculated into non-obese diabetic and severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. The HS-1200 treatment significantly inhibited the increase of tumor size in NOD/SCID mice and prolonged the life spans. This study supports the possibility of synthetic CDCA derivatives as a potential chemotherapeutic agent.

Trichostatin A induces apoptosis of p815 mastocytoma cells in histone acetylation- and mitochondria-dependent fashion.

Although inhibition of histone deacetylase has been demonstrated to induce apoptosis of various cancer cells, there is no report on its effect on mast cell demise to date. Here we studied whether a histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) produces apoptosis in p815 mastocytoma cells. TSA prominently increased the amount of acetylated histones, H3, H4, H2A and H2B, in p815 mastocytoma cells. TSA reduced the viability of p815 mastocytoma cells, and many apoptotic manifestations such as generation of DNA fragmentation, activation of caspase-3, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and increase of DNA hypoploidy proved that the reduction of viability resulted from apoptosis. Whereas TSA treatment increased the expression level of Bad, it decreased the level of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. The reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, the release of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO to cytosol, and mitochondrial localization of Bad were also shown. Taken together, TSA induces apoptosis on p815 mastocytoma cells in histone acetylation- and mitochondria-dependent fashion. Our data therefore provide the possibility that TSA could be considered as a novel therapeutic strategy for mastocytoma from its apoptosis-inducing activity.