Biomedical subjects

Dong-Soo Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Dong-Soo Kim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Statistical parametric mapping and statistical probabilistic anatomical mapping analyses of basal/acetazolamide Tc-99m ECD brain SPECT for efficacy assessment of endovascular stent placement for middle cerebral artery stenosis.

INTRODUCTION: Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and statistical probabilistic anatomical mapping (SPAM) were applied to basal/acetazolamide Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT images in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis to assess the efficacy of endovascular stenting of the MCA. METHODS: Enrolled in the study were 11 patients (8 men and 3 women, mean age 54.2 +/- 6.2 years) who had undergone endovascular stent placement for MCA stenosis. Using SPM and SPAM analyses, we compared the number of significant voxels and cerebral counts in basal and acetazolamide SPECT images before and after stenting, and assessed the perfusion changes and cerebral vascular reserve index (CVRI). RESULTS: The numbers of hypoperfusion voxels in SPECT images were decreased from 10,083 +/- 8,326 to 4,531 +/- 5,091 in basal images (P = 0.0317) and from 13,398 +/- 14,222 to 7,699 +/- 10,199 in acetazolamide images (P = 0.0142) after MCA stenting. On SPAM analysis, the increases in cerebral counts were significant in acetazolamide images (90.9 +/- 2.2 to 93.5 +/- 2.3, P = 0.0098) but not in basal images (91 +/- 2.7 to 92 +/- 2.6, P = 0.1602). The CVRI also showed a statistically significant increase from before stenting (median 0.32; 95% CI -2.19-2.37) to after stenting (median 1.59; 95% CI -0.85-4.16; P = 0.0068). CONCLUSION: This study revealed the usefulness of voxel-based analysis of basal/acetazolamide brain perfusion SPECT after MCA stent placement. This study showed that SPM and SPAM analyses of basal/acetazolamide Tc-99m brain SPECT could be used to evaluate the short-term hemodynamic efficacy of successful MCA stent placement.

Acetazolamide↗

PubMed2007

Inhibitory effect of Panax notoginseng on nitric oxide synthase, cyclo-oxygenase-2 and neutrophil functions.

A water extract of Panax notoginseng Buck F.H. Chen. (Arialiaceae) root (PN) is being used as a therapeutic agent to stop haemorrhages and as a tonic to promote health in Korean and Chinese medicine. The pharmacokinetic profiles of PN have not been accurately investigated. The preliminary aim was to elucidate the pharmacokinetic features of PN. First, the prevention of neutrophil functions was assessed. PN inhibited neutrophil functions, including degranulation, superoxide generation and leukotriene B4 production, without any effect on 5-lipoxygenase activity. PN reduced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin (PG)E2 production in mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) while no influence on the activity of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) or cyclo-oxygenase-1 (COX-1) was observed. PN significantly reduced mouse paw oedema induced by carrageenan. The results indicate that PN exerts antiinflammatory effects related to the inhibition of neutrophil functions and NO and PGE2 production, which could be due to a decreased expression of iNOS and COX-2.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Possible interethnic differences in quinidine-induced QT prolongation between healthy Caucasian and Korean subjects.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of quinidine-induced QT prolongation in healthy Caucasian and Korean subjects to investigate interethnic differences in susceptibility to drug-induced arrhythmia. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind crossover study was conducted in 24 (12 male and 12 female) Korean and 13 (seven male and six female) Caucasian subjects. After a 20 min infusion of quinidine (4 mg kg(-1)) or saline, the serum concentration of quinidine and the QT interval corrected by Bazett's formula (QTc) were monitored. The dynamic data were analyzed by means of a population modelling approach using NONMEM. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in the pharmacokinetic profiles of quinidine between ethnic groups. The QTc values in Caucasians were higher than those in Koreans at the same quinidine concentrations, especially at higher quinidine concentrations and in female subjects. According to an E(max) model [equation: see text], the population modelling approach revealed that E0 (ms) was related to gender (408 + [34*(1 - Sex)]; 1 for male and 0 for female), DeltaE(max) (ms) was related to ethnicity ((136*f(ETHN)) + C(female): f(ETHN) = 1 for Koreans and 1.26 for Caucasians; C(female) was 106 only for Caucasian females), and EC50 was estimated to be 3.13 microm. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Korean subjects were less sensitive to quinidine-induced QT prolongation than Caucasian subjects, and that this trend was particularly true for females. Further population-based studies are merited to characterize more completely the ethnic differences in drug-induced QT prolongation between Asians and other ethnic groups.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Herbal medicine Gamgungtang down-regulates autoimmunity through induction of TH2 cytokine production by lymphocytes in experimental thyroiditis model.

The crude herbal formulation, Gamgungtang (GGT), has been shown to protect animals against a wide range of spontaneously developing or induced autoimmune diseases. We have previously reported that GGT shows marked down-regulation of several experimental autoimmune diseases. Although very effective at preventing thyroid infiltrates in mice immunized with mouse deglycosylated thyroglobulin and complete Freund's adjuvant and in spontaneous models of thyroiditis, it completely failed to modify experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) induced in mice immunized with mouse thyroglobulin and lipopolysaccharide. In this study, in an effort to elucidate the mechanisms by which GGT suppresses EAT, and autoimmunity in general, we investigated the in vivo effects of this drug on the Th1/Th2 lymphocyte balance, which is important for the induction or inhibition of autoreactivity. Naive SJL/J mice were treated orally for 5 days with GGT (80 mg/(kg day)). Spleen cells were obtained at various time points during the treatment period and were stimulated in vitro with concanavalin A. Interleukins IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) cytokine production was evaluated at the protein levels of the cytokines in the medium and mRNA expressions. A significant upregulation of IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-beta was observed following treatment with GGT, which peaked at day 5 (IL-10) or day 10 (IL-4). On the other hand, IL-12 and IFN-gamma production were either unchanged or decreased. It seems therefore that GGT induces in vivo a shift towards Th2 lymphocytes which may be one of the mechanisms of down-regulation of the autoimmune reactivity in EAT. Our observations indicate that down-regulation of TH1 cytokines (especially IL-12) and enhancement of Th2 cytokine production may play an important role in the control of T-cell-mediated autoimmunity. These data may contribute to the design of new immunomodulating treatments for a group of autoimmune diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of gated blood pool SPECT and multi-detector row computed tomography for measurements of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction in patients with atypical chest pain: validation with radionuclide ventriculography.

UNLABELLED: Gated blood pool SPECT (GBPS) is an alternative to planar radionuclide ventriculography (PRNV) and offers potential advantages. The aim of this study was to compare GBPS, multi-row detector spiral computed tomography (MDCT), and PRNV for the determination of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular volumes (LV) in subjects with atypical chest pain. METHOD: Twenty-three consecutive patients (14 men, 9 women; mean age 56.2 +/- 9.5 years) referred for MDCT for evaluation of atypical chest pain. All patients underwent PRNV, GBPS, and MDCT at the same day. RESULTS: The mean LVEFs calculated with PRNA (57.3 +/- 8.6%), GBPS (55.2 +/- 6.6%), and MDCT (56 +/- 9.1%) were not statistically different (F value 0.3374, p = 0.715). Comparison of LVEFs from GBPS and MDCT yielded correlation coefficients of 0.5238 (p = 0.0178, 95% CI = 0.1057-0.7845). The correlation of LVEFs between GBPS and PRNV showed a correlation coefficient of 0.8073 (p < 0.0001, 95% CI = 0.5676-0.9209) and 0.6190 (p = 0.0036, 95% CI = 0.2431-0.8333) between MDCT and PRNV. The mean LV end-diastolic volume (EDV) calculated with GBPS (82.7 +/- 17.5 ml) was significantly lower than MDCT (106.8 +/- 18.5 ml) (p = 0.0001). The mean LV end-systolic volume (ESV) calculated with GBPS (37.2 +/- 9.6 ml) was also significantly lower than MDCT (48.1 +/- 15.8 ml) (p = 0.012). Comparison of EDV from GBPS and MDCT yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.5220 (p = 0.0182, 95% CI = 0.1033-0.7835). The correlation of ESV between GBPS and MDCT showed a correlation coefficient of 0.6642 (p = 0.0014, 95% CI = 0.3140-0.8553). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the LVEF, EDV, and ESV calculated by GBPS correlated significantly with those of obtained with 16-MDCT. In addition, there were no statistical differences of LVEF calculated from PRNV, GBPS, and MDCT. However, with regard to LV, EDV and ESV from GBPS revealed statistically significantly lower than those of MDCT. Also, these results should be addressed whether similar results could also be found in patients with cardiac diseases by the consequent larger population-based study.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2006

Voxel-based statistical analysis of cerebral blood flow using Tc-99m ECD brain SPECT in patients with traumatic brain injury: group and individual analyses.

PURPOSE: Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was applied to brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to investigate regional cerebral abnormalities compared to age-matched normal controls. METHOD: Thirteen patients with TBI underwent brain perfusion SPECT were included in this study (10 males, three females, mean age 39.8 +/- 18.2, range 21 - 74). SPM2 software implemented in MATLAB 5.3 was used for spatial pre-processing and analysis and to determine the quantitative differences between TBI patients and age-matched normal controls. RESULTS: Three large voxel clusters of significantly decreased cerebral blood perfusion were found in patients with TBI. The largest clusters were area including medial frontal gyrus (voxel number 3642, peak Z-value = 4.31, 4.27, p = 0.000) in both hemispheres. The second largest clusters were areas including cingulated gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus of left hemisphere (voxel number 381, peak Z-value = 3.67, 3.62, p = 0.000). Other clusters were parahippocampal gyrus (voxel number 173, peak Z-value = 3.40, p = 0.000) and hippocampus (voxel number 173, peak Z-value = 3.23, p = 0.001) in the left hemisphere. The false discovery rate (FDR) was less than 0.04. CONCLUSION: From this study, group and individual analyses of SPM2 could clearly identify the perfusion abnormalities of brain SPECT in patients with TBI. Group analysis of SPM2 showed hypoperfusion pattern in the areas including medial frontal gyrus of both hemispheres, cingulate gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus in the left hemisphere compared to age-matched normal controls. Also, left parahippocampal gyrus and left hippocampus were additional hypoperfusion areas. However, these findings deserve further investigation on a larger number of patients to be performed to allow a better validation of objective SPM analysis in patients with TBI.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Effect of Buthus martensi Karsch on aromatase activity and cytokine-inducted NOS and NO production in osteoblasts and leukaemic cell line FLG 29.1.

Among the different scorpion species, Buthus martensi Karsch, a widely distributed scorpion species in Asia especially in Korea, has received a lot of attention. Indeed, over the past decade, more than 70 different peptides, toxins, or homologues have been isolated. It may prove a valuable resource for identifying potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. The recent observation has suggested that the aromatase is a possible local modulator of bone remodeling in osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. In the present study, therefore, the effect of Buthus martensi Karsch (BMK) extract, traditional immunosuppressive Korean aqua-acupuncture water, on the bone function of human osteoblastic cells was studied. To provide insights into the effect of BMK on aromatase activity in bone-derived cells, we examined the human leukaemic cell line FLG 29.1, which is induced to differentiate toward the osteoclastic phenotype by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, and the primary first-passage osteoblastic cells (hOB). Gene expression of the aromatase was not affected by Buthus martensi Karsch in FLG 29.1 and hOB cells. However, enzyme activity was stimulated in a time-dependent fashion by 10.0 microg/ml BMK and by either 1-50 nM TPA or 0.01-0.5 ng/ml TGF-beta1, with maximal responses after 2-3 hr exposure. On the other hand, BMK strongly inhibited interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha-induced Nitricoxide (NO) synthase expression with little effect on constitutive NO synthase expression. BMK extracts (10 microg/ml) inhibited cytokine-induced iNOS and nNOS expression. BMK (10 microg/ml) did not affect the ecNOS expression, indicating the extracts are not working on the constitutive NOS expression. BMK strongly inhibited the cytokine-induced NO production (p < 0.01). BMK also showed significant inhibition on NO production in both induced by TNF-alpha+IL-1beta. NO donors, sodium nitroprusside, and NONOate dose-dependently elevated alkaline phosphatase activity. These results suggest that NO directly facilitates osteoblastic differentiation. This result also suggests that BMK is effective for bone resorptive action in bone cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Molecular cloning and characterization of a large subunit of Salmonella typhimurium glutamate synthase (GOGAT) gene in Escherichia coli.

Two pathways of ammonium assimilation and glutamate biosynthesis have been identified in microorganisms. One pathway involves the NADP-linked glutamate dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the amination of 2-oxoglutarate to form glutamate. An alternative pathway involves the combined activities of glutamine synthetase, which aminates glutamate to form glutamine, and glutamate synthase, which transfers the amide group of glutamine to 2-oxoglutarate to yield two molecules of glutamate. We have cloned the large subunit of the glutamate synthase (GOGAT) from Salmonella typhimurium by screening the expression of GOGAT and complementing the gene in E. coli GOGAT large subunit-deficient mutants. Three positive clones (named pUC19C12, pUC19C13 and pUC19C15) contained identical Sau3AI fragments, as determined by restriction mapping and Southern hybridization, and expressed GOGAT efficiently and constitutively using its own promoter in the heterologous host. The coding region expressed in Escherichia coli was about 170 kDa on SDS-PAGE. This gene spans 4,732 bases, contains an open reading frame of 4,458 nucleotides, and encodes a mature protein of 1,486 amino acid residues (Mr = 166,208). The FMN-binding domain of GOGAT contains 12 glycine residues, and the 3Fe-4S cluster has 3 cysteine residues. The comparison of the translated amino acid sequence of the Salmonella GOGAT with sequences from other bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Shigella flexneri, Yersinia pestis, Vibrio vulnificus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa shows sequence identity between 87 and 95%.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Construction of a 2,6-difunctionalized 2-methyl-2H-1-benzopyran library by using a solid-phase synthesis protocol.

[reaction: see text] A library containing 1200 analogues of 2,6-difunctionalized 2-methyl-2H-1-benzopyran was constructed by using a solid-phase synthesis protocol. Polymer-bound 6-amido-, 6-sulfonamido-, and 6-uredo-functionalized 2-hydroxymethyl-2-methylbenzopyrans 10 were prepared as part of a first-generation diversification step by employing reactions of respective acid halides, sulfonyl chlorides, and isocyanates with the amine precursor 7. Transformations of the resin-bound intermediates 10 by reactions with alkyl and acid halides were then used to produce a diverse series of 2,6-difunctionalized 2-methyl-2H-1-benzopyran analogues 12 and 14.

Benzopyrans↗

PubMed2005

Novel diagnostic catheter specifically designed for both coronary arteries via the right transradial approach. A prospective, randomized trial of Tiger II vs. Judkins catheters.

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety, and performance of a novel diagnostic catheter specifically designed for engaging both coronary arteries via the right transradial artery approach. A total of 160 patients were randomized between the standard Judkins (5F R4, L4; Cordis Corporation, Miami, FL) and the 5F Tiger II (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) catheters. End points included the duration of various procedures and the assessments of angiographic image quality and catheter performance. The Tiger II was associated with a significantly shorter (40%) total procedure time (199.6+/-50.2 vs. 331.5+/-72.9 s, p=0.001) and a 33% shorter total fluoroscopic time (93.1+/-33.8 vs. 138.2+/-47.6 s, p=0.001) for diagnostic coronary angiography, compared with those with the Judkins catheter. There was no significant difference between the Tiger II and Judkins catheters for left coronary angiographic quality (left anterior descending, 2.82+/-0.48 vs. 2.94+/-0.29, p=0.084; left circumflex, 2.90+/-0.38 vs. 2.87+/-0.44, p=0.629). The Tiger II provided superior right coronary angiograms, compared with the Judkins catheter (2.99+/- 0.11 vs. 2.82+/-0.48, p=0.003). For the left coronary angiograms, the initial randomized catheter completed the procedure in 91% of the patients with the Tiger II and in 98% with the Judkins (p=0.167) catheters. For the right coronary angiograms, 100% were completed with the Tiger II and 95% with the Judkins (p=0.120) catheters. There were no angiographic or clinical complications in either group, so the procedural success rate was 100%. The potential of the Tiger II catheter for use as a multipurpose catheter for right transradial coronary angiography to reduce procedural and X-ray times to the level of classic transfemoral coronary angiography has to be confirmed in a randomized study.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

PubMed2005

Characterization of breast lesion using double phase Tc-99m Tetrofosmin scintimammography: comparison of visual and quantitative analyses.

UNLABELLED: To compare the diagnostic performances of visual and quantitative indices of double phase Tc-99m Tetrofosmin scintimammography (TF-SMM) for the detection of breast cancer. METHODS: Double phase TF-SMM (early, 10 min; delayed, 3h) were performed after injection of 925 MBq of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin in 75 highly suspected breast cancer patients (malignant: 49, benign: 26). For visual analysis, five scoring method was used. For quantitative analysis, early, delayed lesions to non-lesion ratios (L/Ns) and washout rate (%, WR) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed to determine the optimal visual grade, to calculate cut-off values of quantitative indices, and to compare visual and quantitative diagnostic performances. RESULTS: When over grade 3 of visual grade was used as cut-off value in the defection of primary breast cancer, the sensitivity and specificity were 75.5 and 80.8%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 88.1 and 63.6%, respectively. The area under curve was 0.824 (95% CI, 0.719-0.902) and standard error (S.E.) was 0.047. The optimal L/N ratios were 3.13 for early and 2.56 for delayed image. When early L/N 3.13 was used as cut-off point, the sensitivity and specificity of TF-SMM were 61.2 and 96.2%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 96.8 and 56.8%, respectively. The AUC was 0.809 (95% CI, 0.702-0.890) and S.E. was 0.049. When delayed L/N 2.56 was used as cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity were 46.9 and 96.2%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 95.8 and 49%, respectively. The AUC was 0.741 (95% CI, 0.627-0.835) and S.E. was 0.057. No statistical differences between visual assessment and quantitative analysis of early image (difference between area, 0.015; S.E., 0.044; 95% CI, -0.072 to 0.102; p = 0.736) and delayed image (difference between area, 0.083; S.E., 0.054; 95% CI, -0.023 to 0.060; p = 0.189) was noted. However, early L/N was superior to delayed L/N ratio for the detection of breast cancer (difference between area, 0.068; S.E., 0.033; 95% CI, 0.004-0.132; p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, TF-SMM showed a favorable diagnostic accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions. The optimal visual interpretation grades for the detection of primary breast cancer of double phase TF-SMM were grade 4 and 5. The optimal quantitative indices for the detection of breast cancer were 3.12 for early L/N and 2.56 for delayed L/N. Visual and quantitative analyses showed similar results. However, early L/N was superior to delayed one for the detection of breast cancer. Therefore, the delayed image should not be routinely performed for the purpose of primary breast cancer detection. These findings deserve further investigation on a larger number of patients to be performed to allow a better validation of the differentiation malignant from benign breast lesions using double phase TF-SMM.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of quantitative and visual analysis of Tc-99m MIBI scintimammography for detection of primary breast cancer.

UNLABELLED: Tc-99m MIBI scintimammography (SMM) is known to be a useful diagnostic tool for primary breast cancer. We conducted this study to compare the quantitative and visual analysis for detection of primary breast cancer and also investigated the incremental role of quantitative index of SMM. METHODS: 520 highly suspected breast cancer patients (malignant 370: palpable 232, nonpalpable 138; benign 150: palpable 67, nonpalpable 83) were included in this study. The SMM was performed 10 min after the injection of 750 MBq of Tc-99m MIBI. For visual analysis, three-scoring based method was used. The lesions to non-lesion ratios (L/Ns) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed to determine the optimal visual grade, to calculate cut-off value of L/N and to investigate whether the L/N could provide incremental value additive to visual analysis. The patients were divided into four groups according to the tumor size (group A: size </= 1cm; group B: 1cm < size </= 3 cm; group C: 3 cm < size </= 5 cm; group D: size > 5 cm). Also, the patients were divided into two groups according to age (under and over 45 years) to investigate incremental value of quantitative analysis. RESULTS: When visual grade 3 was used as the cut-off grade, the sensitivity and specificity were 82.7 and 78%, respectively. The L/N of malignant breast disease was significantly higher than that of benign (2.00 +/- 1.88 versus 0.60 +/- 0.7, P < 0.01). When L/N of 1.27 was used as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of SMM were 77.6 and 83.3%, respectively. When the L/N was added to visual grade, the area under curve (AUC) of visual + quantitative (V + Q) analyses was higher than that of visual (V) and quantitative (Q) analyses (AUC 0.874 versus 0.803, P < 0.01). In group A and B, the AUCs of V + Q (0.861, 0.895) were higher than those of V (0.808, 0.781) and Q (0.808, 0.813). In group C, the AUC of V + Q (0.847) was higher than that of Q (0.803, P = 0.041). However, the AUC of V (0.915) was higher than that of V + Q (P = 0.009). In group D, there were no statistical differences between V + Q (0.685) and V (0.570, P = 0.058) and Q (0.620, P = 0.145). The V + Q revealed incremental value in the detection of primary breast cancer in both age groups. Also, in older age patients group (over 45 years), the specificities of Q and V + Q were higher than younger group (under 45 years). For axillary lymph node involvement, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of SMM were 66.9, 70.1, and 68%, respectively. CONCLUSION: From this study, the optimal visual grade for diagnosis of breast cancer was grade 3 and cut-off value of L/N was 1.27. Also, we found that the L/N provides incremental value additive to visual analysis. Especially, when the tumor is small (size </=3 cm), the L/N should be obtained for the diagnosis of breast cancer. The V + Q revealed incremental value in the detection of primary breast cancer in both age groups. Also, in older age patients group, the specificities of Q and V + Q were higher than younger group.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2004

Incremental diagnostic value of quantitative analysis of double phase Tc-99m MIBI scintimammography for the detection of primary breast cancer additive to visual analysis.

UNLABELLED: Tc-99m MIBI scintimammography (SMM) is known to be a useful diagnostic tool for primary breast cancer. We conducted this study to establish optimal visual grades for the detection of primary breast cancer and to investigate whether the quantitative indices of double phase SMM could provide incremental diagnostic value additive to visual analysis. METHODS: Five hundred and twenty highly suspected breast cancer patients (malignant: 370; benign: 150) were included in this study. Double phase Tc-99m MIBI SMM (early: 10 min; delayed: 3 h) was performed after injection of 750 MBq of Tc-99m MIBI. For visual analysis, five scoring method was used. The early and delayed lesion to non-lesion ratios (L/N) and retention index (RI) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses was performed to determine the optimal visual grade, to calculate cut-off value of quantitative indices for differentiation malignant and benign diseases and to investigate whether the quantitative indices could provide incremental diagnostic value additive to visual analysis. To investigate the incremental diagnostic value of quantitative index in variable tumor size groups, the patients were subdivided into four groups (group A: size 5 cm). RESULTS: When over visual grade 3 was used as the cut-off grade for the diagnosis of breast cancer, the sensitivity and specificity were 75.5, 86.4%, respectively. Early L/N of malignant breast disease was significantly higher than that of benign (2.00 +/- 1.88 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.7; p < 0.01). However, delayed L/N and RI had no significant difference between malignant and benign breast diseases. When early L/N of 1.27 was used as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of SMM were 77.6, 83.3%, respectively. When the early L/N was added to visual grade, the area under curve (AUC) of visual + quantitative analysis (V + Q) was higher than that of visual analysis (V) alone (AUC 0.893 vs. 0.803; p < 0.01). In group A, the AUC of V + Q was higher than that of V alone (0.843 vs. 0.808; p = 0.029). In group B, the AUC of V + Q was also higher (0.913 vs. 0.781; p < 0.01). However, in groups C and D, the AUCs of V + Q and V were not different (0.926 vs. 0.915; p = 0.144: 0.663 vs. 0.570; p = 0.093). For axillary lymph node involvement, the sensitivity, specificity, and of SMM were 66.9, 70.1, and 68%, respectively. CONCLUSION: From this study, the optimal visual interpretation grades for diagnosis of breast cancer were grades 4 and 5 and cut-off value of early L/N was 1.27. Also, we found that delayed image was not required for breast cancer detection and quantitative index of early L/N provide incremental diagnostic value additive to visual analysis. Especially, when the tumor is small (size <or= 3 cm), the early L/N should be obtained for the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2004

Induction of a TC1-mediated experimental autoimmune thyroiditis by deglycosylated porcine thyroglobulin.

Contribution of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) was well defined (Speidel et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 1997, 27, 2391-2399, Ref. 7). The native porcine thyroglobulin (pTg) showed high sensitivity to endo-o-N-acetylglucosaminidase F (Endo F) and its molecular weights, corresponding to about 330 kDa as a monomer and 660 kDa as a dimer, were reduced to smaller molecular weight forms by Endo F and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TMSF). Deglycosylated porcine Tg (dgpTg) and native pTg were injected i.v. into CBA/J mice, without the aid of adjuvants. Both lymphocytic infiltrations of the thyroid glands and levels of Tg-specific CTL were similar to those found in conventional EAT induced by Tg and adjuvants. In contrast, proliferative responses in native pTg and dgpTg-injected mice could not be detected, and titers of antibodies to pTg and dgpTg were 20 times and 30 times lower than that of pTg and adjuvants, respectively. The EAT-inducer CTL belonged to the CD8+ cell subset and exerted their thyroiditogenic potential through release of IFN-gamma. It was concluded that dgpTg-induced EAT is mediated by type 1 cytotoxic T cells (Tcl). Also, results that EAT induction of the glycosylated pTg (gpTg) was much lower than that of dgpTg, suggested that the abberant and incomplete glycosylation of the thyroglobulin is responsible for the induction of autoimmune thyroiditis.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Tetramethoxy hydroxyflavone p7F downregulates inflammatory mediators via the inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB.

Artemisia has been traditionally used in Korean herbal medicine to clear damp heat and to treat uteritis and jaundice. Flavonoids isolated from Artemisia are also known to possess anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, 5,6,3',5'-tetramethoxy 7,4'-hydroxyflavone (p7F) was isolated from Artemisia absinthium. We examined in vitro and in vivo regulatory functions of p7F on the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) as well as the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and collagen-induced arthritis. p7F inhibited the expression or production of proinflammatory mediators such as COX-2/PGE(2) and iNOS/NO in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. p7F also suppressed the serum level of TNF-alpha in mice treated with collagen and inhibited nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation as well as NF-kappaB promoter activity in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with LPS. This compound directly inhibited the intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species in hydrogen peroxide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. p7F has antioxidant activity and inhibits NF-kappaB activation. Taken together, these results suggest that p7F can be clinically applied to the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels and promoter polymorphism in patients with Kawasaki disease in Korea.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha plays a major role in the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD), a systemic vasculitis primarily affecting young children. We performed this study to examine the serum levels of TNF-alpha and to investigate a possible relation to promoter polymorphism at positions -238 and -308 in KD patients in Korea. We obtained 48 paired serum samples from 24 patients in the acute and subacute stages of KD, and control sera from 12 age-matched children who were having routine blood samples taken before elective surgical procedures. Our studies showed a significant increase in serum levels of TNF-alpha measured in the acute stage of KD (24.1 +/- 9.4 pg/mL) compared to those in the subacute stage (11.8 +/- 5.8 pg/mL; p < 0.01) and normal controls (10.4 +/- 4.9 pg/mL; p < 0.01). Previous studies report that the presence of the A allele at positions -308 and -238 may be associated with higher TNF-alpha levels. However, our results showed that the frequency of the A allele at position -308 in the KD patients was the same as the controls (2 out of 24, 8.3% vs. 8.3%, odds ratio (OR)= 1.00), while the frequency of the A allele at position -238 in the KD patients was lower than the controls (0/24, 0% vs. 8.3%, OR=0.00); this difference though was not statistically significant. We concluded that although TNF-alpha levels were significantly elevated in the acute stage of KD, there was no significant difference in the frequency of the A allele at positions -238 and -308 between the KD and control groups in Korean patients.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2003

The antiplatelet activity of Geiji-Bokryung-Hwan, Korean traditional formulation, is mediated through inhibition of phospholipase C and inhibition of TxB(2) synthetase activity.

Geiji-Bokryung-Hwan (GBH), consisting of herbes of Cinnamomi ramulus (Geiji), Poria cocos (Bokryun), Mountan cortex radicis (Mokdanpi), Paeoniae radix (Jakyak), and Persicae semen (Doin), on antiplatelet activity in human platelet suspensions was studied. The mechanism involved in the antiplatelet activity of GBH in human platelet suspensions was investigated. GBH did not significantly affect the thromboxane synthetase activity of aspirin-treated platelet microsomes and GBH (15 and 30 microg/ml) significantly inhibited [3H]arachidonic acid released in collagen-activated platelets but not in unactivated-platelets. Nitric oxide (NO) production in human platelets was measured by a chemiluminesence detection method in this study. GBH did not significantly affect nitrate production in collagen (10 microg/ml)-induced human platelet aggregation. Various concentrations of GBH (0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 microg/ml) dose-dependently inhibited [3H]inositol monophosphate formation stimulated by collagen (10 microg/ml) in [3H]myoinositol-loaded platelets at different incubation times (1, 2, 3, and 5 min). These results indicated that the antiplatelet activity of GBH may possibly be due to the inhibition of phospholipase C (PLC) activity, leading to reduce phosphoinositide breakdown, followed by the inhibition of thromboxane A(2) formation, and then inhibition of [Ca(2+)](i) mobilization of platelet aggregation stimulated by agonists. In conclusion, GBH suppressed PLC in a dose-dependent manner, and may have pharmaceutical applications. These data suggest that GBH extracts merit investigation as a potential anti-atherosclerogenic agent in humans.

Arachidonic Acid↗

PubMed2003

Multifocal Pott's disease (tuberculous spondylitis) incidentally detected on Tc-99m MDP bone and Ga-67 citrate scintigraphy in a patient with diabetes.

Pott's disease is an uncommon extrapulmonary form of tuberculosis. Delay in diagnosis and management may cause serious complications. The authors describe Pott's disease incidentally detected on Tc-99m MDP bone and Ga-67 imaging in a patient with diabetes. Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy showed intensely increased uptake in the lower cervical spine and lumbosacral regions. Ga-67 scintigraphy revealed intensely increased uptake corresponding to the areas noted on Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed destructive lesions in the C5-C6 and L5-S1 intervertebral discs with destruction of adjacent end plates. Biopsy of the lumbosacral area was guided by computed tomography, and histologic examination of the bone specimen showed caseation, giant cells, and acid-fast bacilli. Posterior decompression and posterolateral spinal fusion with bone grafts were performed. Antituberculous chemotherapy with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol was started. The patient showed remarkable relief of symptoms during a period of 9 months of therapy. Both Tc-99m MDP bone and Ga-67 imaging can offer the convenience of screening the entire body to detect multiple sites of Pott's disease.

Cervical Vertebrae↗