Genomic, metabolomic, and functional characterisation of beneficial properties of Pediococcus pentosaceus ST58, isolated from human oral cavity.

Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria are proteinaceous antibacterial metabolites that normally exhibit bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity against genetically closely related bacteria. In this work, the bacteriocinogenic potential of Pediococcus pentosaceus strain ST58, isolated from oral cavity of a healthy volunteer was evaluated. To better understand the biological role of this strain, its technological and safety traits were deeply investigated through a combined approach considering physiological, metabolomic and genomic properties. Three out of 14 colonies generating inhibition zones were confirmed to be bacteriocin producers and, according to repPCR and RAPD-PCR, differentiation assays, and 16S rRNA sequencing it was confirmed to be replicates of the same strain, identified as P. pentosaceus, named ST58. Based on multiple isolation of the same strain (P. pentosaceus ST58) over the 26 weeks in screening process for the potential bacteriocinogenic strains from the oral cavity of the same volunteer, strain ST58 can be considered a persistent component of oral cavity microbiota. Genomic analysis of P. pentosaceus ST58 revealed the presence of operons encoding for bacteriocins pediocin PA-1 and penocin A. The produced bacteriocin(s) inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus spp. and some Lactobacillus spp. used to determine the activity spectrum. The highest levels of production (6400 AU/ml) were recorded against L. monocytogenes strains after 24 h of incubation and the antimicrobial activity was inhibited after treatment of the cell-free supernatants with proteolytic enzymes. Noteworthy, P. pentosaceus ST58 also presented antifungal activity and key metabolites potentially involved in these properties were identified. Overall, this strain can be of great biotechnological interest towards the development of effective bio-preservation cultures as well as potential health promoting microbes.

Ten-Year Experience With Bowel Transplantation at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

A retrospective review of intestinal transplantation (ITx) at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital was made by collecting clinical data over the past 10 years. Fifteen consecutive cases from 2004 were analyzed. Five children and 10 adults (6 months to 69 years of age) were included. Primary diseases in adults included 4 mesenteric vessel thromboses, 2 strangulations, and 1 each of visceral myopathy, malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), mesenteric lymphangiectasis, and injury. Pediatric cases involved 2 Hirschsprung disease, 2 visceral myopathy, and 1 necrotizing enterocolitis. Three of 7 stomas were closed using a serial transverse enteroplasty procedure before transplantation. The ITx were performed using 3 living-donor Itx, 12 deceased-donor ITx, 14 isolated Itx, and 1 modified multivisceral transplantation. Daclizumab, basiliximab, alemtusumab, or basiliximab with rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) was used for the induction; tacrolimus monotherapy was used as the basic maintenance immunosuppressant; and m-TOR inhibitor was used for renal dysfunction patients. Seven cases of acute cellular rejection were treated with rATG. Three cases of antibody-mediated rejection were treated with rituximab alone or with rituximab and bortezomib combination. There were 4 cases of early mortality within 6 months after Itx. Causes of death were declamping shock, cardiac tamponade with acute cellular rejection, dysmotility, and sepsis. Surgical complications consisted of 1 feeding jejunostomy displacement, and a minor leakage at a colo-colostomy site. One-year survival of the patient and graft was 73.33% (Kaplan-Meier survival curve). Although the total number of ITx is small, its social impact has been remarkable in changing the related laws and reimbursement policy in Korea.

Chronic rejection in a small bowel transplant with successful revision of the allograft by segmental resection: case report.

An 8-year-old girl was admitted for severe electrolyte imbalance and for hyponatremic seizure. In July 2005, at 3 years of age, she underwent isolated small-bowel transplantation of 100 cm ileum from her father. Her own bowel was only 50 cm of proximal jejunum which had been directly connected to the anus due to extended total aganglionosis. The graft was placed into the middle of her remaining bowel, using the splenic artery and vein as feeding vessels with saving of the spleen. Daclizumab induction and tacrolimus monotherapy were applied for immunosuppression. Two acute cellular rejection episodes, E on day 10 and 4 years after transplantation, were successfully treated with OKT-3 and recombinant antithymocyte globulin, respectively. However, because of intermittent bowel dysfunction, she was hospitalized several times for hydration and metabolic care. On admission, her abdomen was moderately distended, and a simple abdominal film showed a fixed dilated loop. Colonoscopy could not pass the narrowed lumen, with stiffness at the anastomosis between the graft and the distal bowel. Endoscopic biopsy at the entrance to the stricture showed a nonspecific inflammatory reaction with fibrosis. Similar findings on a gastrograffin enema suggested chronic rejection (CR). On laparotomy, an irregularly narrowed fibrotic loop was noticed at the distal part of the graft, proximal to the anastomosis. We performed a 20-cm segmental resection with an end-to-end anastomosis. Histopathologic findings showed CR with fibrosis and hyalinization of the entire bowel wall and vessel walls with mild cellular infiltrations. She recovered in 10 days. The graft may have been saved, but intermittent requirement of hydration over the following months suggested progressive graft dysfunction. A case of segmental involvement of CR with subsequent successful graft salvage by partial resection is rare in the literature.

Virologic and biochemical responses to clevudine in patients with chronic HBV infection-associated cirrhosis: data at week 48.

Clevudine shows high rates of virologic and biochemical responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B. However, the efficacy and safety of clevudine in patients with cirrhosis are unknown. The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety and to assess the virologic and the biochemical responses to clevudine in patients with cirrhosis with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We reviewed data from treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B with and without cirrhosis who started clevudine between April 2007 and March 2008 (n = 52, hepatitis B without cirrhosis n = 21 and chronic hepatitis B with cirrhosis n = 31) at Korea University Ansan/Guro Hospital. All of the patients were treated for more than 48 weeks. The mean age was older in the patients with cirrhosis. Baseline HBV DNA levels were 6.9 and 7.78 log copies/mL (P = 0.042), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were 104.9 and 147.4 IU/L (P = 0.204), for those with and without cirrhosis, respectively. Virologic response (HBV DNA <1000 copies/mL) (87.1%vs 71.4%, P = 0.24) and biochemical response (83.9%vs 80.9%, P = 0.99) at week 48 were not significantly different between the two groups. Early virologic response at week 12 was even higher in the patients with cirrhosis (61.3%vs 28.6%, P = 0.026). Neither ALT flare nor newly onset hepatic decompensation was found in the patients with cirrhosis, whereas ALT flare was transiently observed in 14.3% of the chronic hepatitis group. In conclusion, although clevudine may produce a transient elevation of ALT during the early treatment period, such findings were not observed in patients with cirrhosis and the virologic and biochemical responses of the groups were comparable.

Infection of porcine cells with human herpesviruses.

Porcine organs are valuable candidate materials for xenotransplantation to humans. Long-term maintenance of well functioning transplants is a prerequisite for success. Transplanted organs may be damaged by immune reactions or by infectious agents in hosts. Human herpesviruses (HHVs) establish life-long latency in humans after a primary infection. They can be reactivated with various stimuli, including immunosuppression. This study was performed to verify the infectivity of some HHVs toward porcine cells. PK-15 cells infected with HHV-1 and HHV-2 showed cytopathology from 1 day after infection. Immunofluorescent (IF) staining of HHV-1- and HHV-2-infected PK-15 cells with respective antibodies demonstrated the expression of the respective viral antigens. Permissiveness of PK-15 to HHV-1 and -2 was confirmed by an infection test on Vero cells. Islet cells infected with HHV-5 showed no gross morphologic changes during the experimental course. A limited portion of islet cells reacted only to anti-IE1 and anti-IE2, but not to anti-UL44 or anti-gB antibody by IF staining, whereas a small portion of endothelial cells reacted to anti-IEs and anti-UL44, but not to anti-gB antibody. HHV-1 and -2 can permissively infect porcine cells, but HHV-5 infects a small proportion of cells with limited viral protein expression. HHV-4 could not transform peripheral blood mononuclear cells from miniature pigs. Collectively, because some HHVs can infect and damage porcine cells or impair their functions, HHVs should be cautiously monitored and controlled in humans when porcine cells or organs are transplanted to human beings.

Impact of tumor infiltration pattern into the surrounding tissue on prognosis of the subserosal gastric cancer (pT2b).

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to clarify the impact of infiltration pattern on prognosis in patients with gastric carcinoma invading subserosa. METHODS: Clinicopathologic findings in patients with ssgamma pattern (n = 144) were compared with those in patients with ssalpha/ssbeta cancers (n = 222). Prognostic factors of pT2b patients were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the ssalpha/beta group, ssgamma gastric cancer exhibited more frequent undifferentiated histology, disseminated lymph node metastasis and perineural invasion. Frequency of postoperative peritoneal recurrence was significantly higher in ssgamma gastric cancer (P < 0.05). The 5-year survival rate for patients with ssgamma gastric cancer was significantly lower compared with ssalpha/beta group (63.2% vs. 74.8%, respectively; P < 0.05). Lymph node metastasis, vein invasion and infiltrative pattern (ssgamma) were significant independent prognostic factors affecting survival in pT2b patients. CONCLUSION: In patients with gastric cancer invading the subserosa, infiltrative type growth pattern is closely related to carcinomatosis and poorer prognosis.

Depression and health-related quality of life in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of depression among hemodialysis (HD) patients from urban hospitals in Korea, to illustrate demographic factors and biomarkers associated with depression and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and to demonstrate association between depression and HRQOL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For this multicenter, cross-sectional study, 160 HD patients from 3 university teaching hospitals and 3 local dialysis units in Korea were enrolled. Korean Beck's depression inventory and Korean version of Kidney Disease Quality of Life short form, version 1.3 (KDQOL-SFTM 1.3) were used to evaluate depression and quality of life, respectively. RESULTS: Depression was found in 51 out of 160 (31.9%) patients. Old age (> 60 years old), low hemoglobin level (< 10 g/dl), and low economic status were associated with depression, and old age (OR 6.138, p = 0.001) was the most important risk factor among them. Old age, female gender, presence of diabetes mellitus, high comorbidity index score (modified Charlson comorbidity index > or = 6), hypoalbuminemia (< 4.0 g/dl), and high CRP (> 0.5 mg/dl) were common factors associated with decreased HRQOL. Depression and HRQOL showed inverse linear relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to severe depression was common in maintenance HD patients in Korea. Among factors associated with depression and decreased HRQOL, some characteristics are potentially modifiable by social and medical intervention. Further prospective studies are warranted to see whether depression and HRQOL can be improved by modifying these factors.

Case report: Ovarian cavernous haemangioma presenting as a heavily calcified adnexal mass.

Haemangioma is an extremely rare tumour of the ovary. We describe the CT and MRI findings of a heavily calcified ovarian haemangioma in a 69-year-old woman presenting with adnexal torsion. CT showed a well-circumscribed mass with extensive punctate calcifications, located posterior to the uterus. MR images showed dark signal intensities of the mass on both T(1) and T(2) weighted images, with poor enhancement of the mass on contrast-enhanced T(1) weighted images. MR images also demonstrated a beak-like protrusion from the adnexal mass, representing the adnexal torsion. This is the first case report of a heavily calcified ovarian haemangioma in the English literature. Although rare, ovarian haemangioma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a heavily calcified adnexal mass.

DNA damage-inducing agents elicit gamma-secretase activation mediated by oxidative stress.

According to the amyloid cascade hypothesis, Alzheimer's disease is the consequence of neuronal cell death induced by beta-amyloid (Abeta), which accumulates by abnormal clearance or production. On the other hand, recent studies have shown cell death-induced alteration in amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, suggesting potential mutual interactions between APP processing and cell death. We have shown previously that the cell death caused by DNA damage-inducing agents (DDIAs) facilitated gamma-secretase activity and Abeta generation in a Bax/Bcl-2-dependent, but caspase-independent manner. Here, we attempted to elucidate the downstream mechanism that modulates gamma-secretase activity in DDIA-treated cells. N-acetyl cysteine, a potent antioxidant, attenuated DDIA-induced enhancement of gamma-secretase activity but failed to rescue cell death. Overexpression of heat shock protein 70, which blocks cytochrome c release from mitochondria, also reduced gamma-secretase activity. Moreover, glutathione depletion significantly facilitated gamma-secretase activity and Abeta generation by enhancing the formation of higher molecular weight gamma-secretase complex before signs of cell death developed. Finally, Abeta treatment, a known inducer of oxidative stress, also increased gamma-secretase activity. Taken together, these results indicate that DDIA-induced gamma-secretase activation is dependent on augmented oxidative stress, and that Abeta and gamma-secretase may activate each other. On the basis of these results, we propose a feed-back loop between oxidative stress and Abeta generation mediated by gamma-secretase activation.

Evaluation of pre- and posttransplantation serum interferon-gamma and soluble CD30 for predicting liver allograft rejection.

The aim of the present study was to identify whether the serum interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), a Th1 cytokine, or soluble CD30 (sCD30), a marker for activation of Th2 cytokine-producing T cells, predict acute cellular rejection episodes among liver graft patients. Pretransplant and posttransplant sera from 32 living donor liver transplant recipients obtained on days 1, 3, and 7 after surgery were tested for serum IFNgamma and sCD30 concentrations using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Recipients with an acute rejection episode (ARE) (n=14) displayed significantly higher IFNgamma concentrations pretransplant than did the patients with no ARE (n=18) (P<.05). The pretransplant serum levels of sCD30 were not different between the non-ARE and ARE groups. However, in comparison with the non-ARE group, who showed steadily decreasing serum sCD30 levels after transplantation, 12 among the 14 patients in the ARE group showed increasing sCD30 levels from day 1 to day 3 after transplantation (P<.05). These results suggest that the sCD30 increment during the early period after liver transplantation affects the immune response of rejection. This observation emphasizes the clinical relevance of serum sCD30, in addition to serum IFNgamma, as predictive markers for acute liver graft rejection.

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in hepatocellular carcinoma and growth inhibition of hepatoma cell lines by a COX-2 inhibitor, NS-398.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been suggested to be associated with carcinogenesis. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the expression pattern of COX-2 protein has been well correlated with the differentiation grade, suggesting that abnormal COX-2 expression plays an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis. We investigated the expression pattern and clinical significance of COX-2 in HCC tissues. In addition, we evaluated the efficacy of a selective COX-2 inhibitor, NS-398, in three hepatoma cell lines. Thirty-six HCC tissues, 15 hepatoma cell lines, 1 colorectal cell line (HT-29), and 1 fibroblast cell line (SV80) were included in the study. We evaluated serological tests and histological and radiological evaluations of HCC tissues. Immunohistochemical staining for COX-2 was performed on 36 HCC tissues and 17 cancer cell lines. A cell viability assay for growth inhibition of NS-398 in five cell lines was performed. Immunohistochemically, all six well-differentiated HCCs were positive, whereas 83% (10 of 12) of the poorly differentiated HCCs were negative. There was no significant relationship between the intensity of COX-2 expression and the level of alpha-fetoprotein, tumor size, presence of portal vein thrombosis, tumor capsule and metastasis, Tumor-Node-Metastasis staging, and growth types (P > 0.05). According to the cell viability assay, NS-398 suppressed the growth of all cell lines, independent of the degree of COX-2 expression. The inhibitory effect on each cell line was identified in 10 microM NS-398 and was significantly strong in 100 microM NS-398. All cell lines exhibited apoptosis, which was identified by 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining. In conclusion, COX-2 may be a determinant of the differentiation grade of HCC, and the inhibition of COX-2 can induce growth suppression of hepatoma cell lines via induction of apoptosis.

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor of the kidney: a case report.

We report a case of renin-secreting juxtaglomerular cell tumor which developed in a hypertensive 47-yr-old Korean man. Presumptive clinical diagnosis was made before surgery based on the high level of plasma renin and the radiologic evidence of renal mass. Grossly, a round, bulging, well-encapsulated mass of 3 x 3 cm was located in the mid-portion of the right kidney. On microscopic examination, the tumor was composed of ovoid to polyhedral cells with bland nuclei, indistinct nucleoli and light eosinophilic cytoplasm. The immunostaining for renin showed strong positivity in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. The characteristic rhomboid shaped renin protogranules were observed in ultrastructural analysis.

Psychophysical methods and passenger preferences of interior designs.

A psychophysical experiment was conducted to evaluate the interior design alternatives of a high-speed train. Preference of each design alternative was quantitatively measured by using the magnitude estimation technique. Subsequent analyses showed that (1) passenger seats should be able to be arranged in the moving direction of a train, (2) a variety of interior convenience facilities, especially, an audio facility, should be provided to enhance passenger comfort and (3) the design requirements suggested by young passengers could improve the overall preference level. In addition, guidelines for collecting, standardizing, and analyzing the data are suggested when the magnitude estimation technique is used. The use of psychophysical data is expected to be very useful when it is necessary to make engineering decisions based on quantitative preference data.

Coach design for the Korean high-speed train: a systematic approach to passenger seat design and layout.

Proper ergonomic design of a passenger seat and coach layout for a high-speed train is an essential component that is directly related to passenger comfort. In this research, a systematic approach to the design of passenger seats was described and the coach layout which reflected the tradeoff between transportation capacity and passenger comfort was investigated for the Korean high-speed train. As a result, design recommendations and specifications of the passenger seat and its layout were suggested. The whole design process is composed of four stages. A survey and analysis of design requirement was first conducted, which formed the base for designing the first and second class passenger seats. Prototypes were made and evaluated iteratively, and seat arrangement and coach layout were finally obtained. The systematic approach and recommendations suggested in this study are expected to be applicable to the seat design for public transportations and to help modify and redesign existing vehicular seats.

Isoresponse time regions for the evaluation of visual search performance in ergonomic interface models.

Computer-aided ergonomic evaluation models often provide a limited function of visual performance, usually in the form of visibility tests at any given location. It is, however, of great importance to complete a visual task in a predetermined time successfully or to predict the time to complete the task, e.g., a task of high-level control such as aircraft flight operations. In this study, isoresponse time regions which have an effect on visual performance in real-life situations are presented as an effort to complement aforementioned shortcomings of ergonomic interface models. A multiple regression was used to provide equal response time regions, being asymmetrical in shape. In addition, the fuzzy linear regression (FLR) model was introduced to provide a fuzzy set from which a decision-maker might select appropriately. It provided similar fitted values with having the advantage of utilizing the interval of those fitted values over the conventional regression model. The results can be applied effectively to the design of an interface for diverse visual tasks in real situations.

Multiple criteria decision-making for the resolution of conflicting ergonomic knowledge in manual materials handling.

The ergonomic design of manual materials handling tasks typically utilizes one or more of three approaches; biomechanical, physiological, and psychophysical. Unfortunately, a comprehensive design is rarely obtained because of the difficulty of resolving the conflicting guidelines and criteria for each of the three approaches. This paper describes a methodology utilizing the multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) process for resolving this conflict. This approach calculates the ratio of the contribution from each type of stress to an overall stress level as determined by the unacceptability of this stress to the user. An example is presented to demonstrate this technique.