β-Catenin expression is associated with cell invasiveness in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS@#This study was tried to determine the role of β-catenin in invasion in pancreatic cancer.@*METHODS@#We analyzed cancer invasiveness according to β-catenin expression in pancreatic cancer cell line. We also investigated the change in cancer invasiveness when β-catenin expression was changed. To enhance β-catenin activity, we treated low β-catenin cancer cell line, PANC1, with Wnt-3a conditioned media and transected β-catenin. We also treated high β-catenin expressing cell line, BxPC3, with XAV939, β-catenin inhibitor and siRNA for β-catenin to inhibit β-catenin expression.@*RESULTS@#The high β-catenin expressing cancer cell line, BxPC3 showed higher invasiveness, and low β-catenin expressing cell lines, PANC1and MIA-PaCa-2, were less invasive. By adding the Wnt-3a conditioned media or performing transfection with β-catenin in PANC1, cell invasiveness was increased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). On inhibition of β-catenin by XAV939 and siRNA in BxPC3 cell line, invasiveness was significantly decreased (p < 0.01). It was not correlated with the expression of cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) or CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6), the invasion related protein. On analysis of association with metastasis in human tissue, Wnt-3a expression was statistically correlated with the development of metastasis (p = 0.029).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Based on our data, β-catenin may be involved in cancer invasion in pancreatic cancer, and it is not associated with CD44, the invasion related protein.

Imatinib Mesylate Attenuates Cardiac Fibrosis in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive myocardial fibrosis promotes abnormalities of cardiac function that may adversely affect the clinical outcome of hypertensive patients. Imatinib mesylate blocks receptor tyrosine kinase and is clinically used to treat leukemia. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a downstream target of receptor tyrosine kinases. Cardiac fibroblasts can be activated by PDGF. Thus we evaluated whether imatinib attenuate myocardial fibrosis and prevents diastolic dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). METHODS: 8 weeks old male SHRs were subjected to treatment with 8 weeks of low dose imatinib (SHR-10; 10 mg/kg), high dose imatinib (SHR-30; 30 mg/kg) or saline (SHR-C; n = 6 in each group). At the age of 16 weeks, all rats underwent hemodynamic studies and Doppler echocardiography, and were sacrificed. Their hearts were extracted for histopathological, immunoblotting and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses. RESULTS: While imatinib did not affect blood pressure (BP), it markedly reduced perivascular and interstitial fibrosis in the hearts of SHR. Echocardigram showed that high-dose imatinib significantly reduced left ventricular (LV) wall thickness (septal/posterior wall; SHR-C vs. SHR-30: 18 +/- 2/19 +/- 2 mm vs. 15 +/- 1/14 +/- 1 mm; p < 0.05) and improved the parameters of LV diastolic function such as E/A ratio (SHR-C vs. SHR-30: 1.60 +/- 0.10 vs. 1.86 +/- 0.20; p < 0.05). Imatinib also significantly reduced mRNA expression of collagen III and PDGF beta-receptor tyrosine phosphorylation in the hearts of SHR. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that imatinib, especially high dose, could attenuate myocardial fibrosis and prevent LV diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive rat model by decreased activity of PDGF. Imatinib may provide a potential therapeutic approach for hypertensive heart disease.

Relationships between Dementia Knowledge, Attitude, Self-Efficacy, and Preventive Behavior among Low Income Middle-Aged Women / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: This correlational study was to examine the relationships between dementia knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and preventive behavior of low income middled-aged women. METHODS: The subjects for this study were 125 low income middle aged women living in I city. The data were collected using the questionnaires for dementia knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and preventive behavior. The data analysis was done by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson product moment correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean of dementia knowledge was 13.96 out of 20, attitude was 43.98 out of 60, self-efficacy was 54.07 out of 75 and preventive behavior was 25.98 out of 36. The positive correlations were revealed between dementia knowledge (r=.458, p=.000), attitude (r=.498, p=.000), self-efficacy (r=.573, p=.000) and preventive behavior. The influencing factors for dementia preventive behavior were self-efficacy, belief in Buddhism and attitude which accounted for 42.5% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: Dementia knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy were identified as variables that correlate dementia preventive behavior. Also, self-efficacy is the most influential factor affecting dementia preventive behavior. On the basis of these results, it is necessary for nurses to consider using dementia knowledge and mode of efficacy expectation in order to improve dementia preventive behavior.

Clinical factors causing hyperbilirubinemia in patients with Kawasaki disease / 소아과

PURPOSE: Hyperbilirubinemia, jaundice and gallbladder hydrops are unusual manifestations of Kawasaki disease (KD). In this case, abdominal pain, anorexia and abdominal distension may follow eventfully. We reviewed the clinical and laboratory data to investigate the causative factors of hyperbilirubinemia in patients with KD. METHODS: Two-hundred eighty two children diagnosed and hospitalized with KD were identified by searching patients' charts. Cases were included in the study if diagnosed between January 1997 and December 2004. We reviewed clinical data, age, sex, duration from the onset of fever to admission and duration from start of treatment to defervescence. Clinical and laboratory data were compared between normal (A) and hyperbilirubinemia (B) groups. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (4.6 percent) showed hyperbilirubinemia. In the hyperbilirubinemia group, age and initial ALT value were higher than group A (P=0.003, 0.018 respectively). Duration from the onset of fever to admission and age were relative risk factors in hyperbilirubinemia (P=0.007, 0.003 respectively) in patients with KD. CONCLUSION: Shorter duration from the onset of fever to admission and older age group were relative risk factors of hyperbilirubinemia in patients with KD.

Liquid-Based Cytology Using MonoPrep2(TM) System in Cervicovaginal Cytology: Comparative Study with Conventional Pap Smear and Histology / 대한세포병리학회지

We compared the diagnostic accuracy of liquid-based cervicovaginal cytology using MonoPrep2(TM) system (Monogen, Herndon, Virginia, USA), a manual system based on membrane filtration method, with conventional Pap smear. Study population included 92 patients visiting the gynecologic department under the suspicion of uterine cervical disease. In thirty of them, surgical biopsy was performed. MonoPrep2(TM) system provided well-preserved monolayer specimen with good nuclear morphology. However, about 19% of specimens were inadequate to interpret due to low cellularity. The detection rate of abnormal cells more than ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of unknown significance) was 23.9% and higher than 19.4 % of conventional Pap smear. Diagnostic concordance rate with conventional Pap smear was 81%, and severe discordance rate influencing on the management of patient was 7.6 %. Among these seven cases, MonoPrep2(TM) system was more diagnostic only in four. In comparison with histology, the sensitivity of diagnosis of MonoPrep2(TM) system was 78.9% and slightly higher than 73.5% of conventional Pap smear. However, the specificity was 81.1% and lower than 90.9% of Pap smear. In conclusion, MonoPrep2(TM) system provided diagnostic accuracies similar to the conventional Pap smear. The inexpertness of slide preparation and the low cellularity were considered to endow a limitation in more accurate evaluation.