Portable Iontophoresis Device for Efficient Drug Delivery.

The timely delivery of drugs to specific locations in the body is imperative to ensure the efficacy of treatment. This study introduces a portable facial device that can deliver drugs efficiently using iontophoresis. Two types of power supplies-direct current and pulse ionization supplies-were manufactured by injection molding. Electrical stimulation elements, which contained Ag metal wires, were woven into facial mask packs. The diffusion phenomenon in the skin and iontophoresis were numerically modeled. Injection molding was simulated before the device was manufactured. Analysis using rhodamine B demonstrated a remarkable increase in the moisture content of the skin and effective absorption of the drug under an applied electric field upon the application of iontophoresis. The proposed concept and design constitute a new method of achieving effective drug absorption with wearable devices.

Convergence of Plasma Metabolomics and Proteomics Analysis to Discover Signatures of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer.

The 5-year survival rate in the early and late stages of ovarian cancer differs by 63%. In addition, a liquid biopsy is necessary because there are no symptoms in the early stage and tissue collection is difficult without using invasive methods. Therefore, there is a need for biomarkers to achieve this goal. In this study, we found blood-based metabolite or protein biomarker candidates for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer in the 20 clinical samples (10 ovarian cancer patients and 10 healthy control subjects). Plasma metabolites and proteins were measured and quantified using mass spectrometry in ovarian cancer patients and control groups. We identified the differential abundant biomolecules (34 metabolites and 197 proteins) and statistically integrated molecules of different dimensions to better understand ovarian cancer signal transduction and to identify novel biological mechanisms. In addition, the biomarker reliability was verified through comparison with existing research results. Integrated analysis of metabolome and proteome identified emerging properties difficult to grasp with the single omics approach, more reliably interpreted the cancer signaling pathway, and explored new drug targets. Especially, through this analysis, proteins (PPCS, PMP2, and TUBB) and metabolites (L-carnitine and PC-O (30:0)) related to the carnitine system involved in cancer plasticity were identified.

Interaction analysis between binder and particles in multiphase slurries.

A multiphase slurry for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is prepared using an active material, a carbon conductive, a polymeric binder and a solvent, and its physicochemical characteristics is evaluated in this study. The polymer binder interacting with particles in the slurry plays a crucial role in constructing the internal configuration of slurry components. The internal structure and dispersion states of the slurry components, which affect battery fabrication processes such as coating and even determine the final performance of battery cells, are changed over time. Experimental measurements such as spectroscopic, rheological, morphological, and electrical tests are carried out. Morphological specimens are freeze-dried to fix the locations of the slurry components. The existence of a network structure (or flocculation) is verified by viscoelastic property measurements and morphological observations. Electrical properties of the slurry vary mainly depending on the dispersion state of the carbon conductive. In addition, the dispersity index is introduced as a new quantity representing the dispersion state of the slurry components.

5-HT2A receptor antagonists inhibit hepatic stellate cell activation and facilitate apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors are upregulated in activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and are therefore thought to play an important role in their activation. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine whether 5-HT2A receptor antagonists affect the activation or apoptosis of HSCs in vitro and/or in vivo. METHODS: For the in vitro experiments, the viability, apoptosis and wound healing ability of LX-2 cells were examined after treatment with various 5-HT2A receptor antagonists. Levels of HSC activation markers (procollagen type I, α-SMA, TGF-ß and Smad 2/3) were measured. For in vivo experiments, rats were divided into three groups: (i) a control group, (ii) a disease group, in which cirrhosis was induced by thioacetamide (iii) a treatment group, in which cirrhosis was induced and a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist (sarpogrelate, 30 mg/kg) was administered. RESULTS: 5-HT2A , but not 5-HT2B receptor mRNA increased with time upon HSC activation. 5-HT2A receptor antagonists (ketanserin and sarpogrelate) inhibited viability and wound healing in LX-2 cells and induced apoptosis. Expression of α-SMA and procollagen type I was also inhibited. In the in vivo study, lobular inflammation was reduced in the sarpogrelate-treated group, but there was only slight and statistically insignificant attenuation of periportal fibrosis. Expression of α-SMA, TGF-ß and Smad 2/3 was also reduced in the treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: 5-HT2A receptor antagonists can reduce inflammation and the activation of HSCs in this cirrhotic model.

The effect of eating lunch before an afternoon colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Traditionally, patients fast from midnight the night before to just prior to the colonoscopy. Many patients find it extremely inconvenient to have to fast for a full day. We sought to compare: a group in which diet was restricted and a group in which diet was not restricted. METHODOLOGY: Patients who attended inpatient clinics of Hanyang University Hospital who were scheduled to undergo colonoscopy were considered eligible to participate in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to either eat lunch before colonoscopy or to fast before the colonoscopy. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the study groups with respect to age, gender distribution, previous abdominal surgery, or bowel movements. The two groups showed no significant differences in bowel cleanliness scores or fluid volume scores. Patients' unwillingness to undergo the same procedure in the future was 10.0% in group A compared to 33.3% in group B. With regard to the patients' opinion about lunch before colonoscopy, most of the subjects in group A answered that they would eat lunch before colonoscopy again if given the choice. CONCLUSIONS: Eating lunch before afternoon colonoscopy had no negative impact on the quality of the bowel preparation.

Benign pulmonary metastasizing leiomvomatosis: case report and a review of the literature.

The authors report here on a case of a nearly asymptomatic 51-year-old Korean woman who was found to have diffuse, multiple nodules of the lungs on a routine chest radiograph. She had undergone hysterectomy 16 years previously for uterine myoma. An open lung biopsy revealed tumor that was composed of interlacing bundles of spindle cells with cigar shaped nucleus and eosinophilic myofibrils in the cytoplasm; consistent with multiple leiomyomas. The stains for SMA, desmin, MSA and Ki-67 were positive and the stain for c-kit was negative. The other stains for estrogen and progesterone receptor were positive. During the open lung biopsy procedure, all the nodules were excised. We report here on an interesting case of benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) in 51-year-old patient. To the best of our knowledge, this case showed the longest period of clinical progression in Korea. This is also one of a few cases in which curative excision was successfully performed.

Accidental ten times overdose administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-EPO) up to 318,000 units a day in acute myocardial infarction: report of two cases.

The cytokine erythropoietin protects the heart from ischaemic injury, in part by preventing apoptosis. But appropriate dose of erythropoietin for the protection of injured heart has not been studied. While we were researching the cardiac protective effects of erythropoietin in acute myocardial infarction, we experienced two cases of accidental nearly ten times overdose administration of erythropoietin up to 318,000 units instead of 33,000 units on the second day of three scheduled days of treatment. So a total of 384,000 units of erythropoietin were administered during three days. In case 1, the ALT level soared up to 386 U/l on the second day of administration and decreased slowly. It was back to normal state 3 months later. The AST level increased slowly up to 391 U/l and normalized 3 months later. Haemoglobin level was elevated up to 15.7 g/dl (14.7 g/dl at admission) and, 3 months later, normalized to 14.8 g/dl. In case 2, the ALT level was elevated up to 98 U/l on the second day of administration and decreased slowly. Three months later, the ALT level was normalized. The AST level also increased slowly up to 71 U/l and normalized 3 months later. Haemoglobin level was elevated up to 15.6 g/dl (13.8 g/dl at admission) and, 3 months later, normalized to 13.6 g/dl. In these two cases reported, these patients, even after massive overdose, tolerated it relatively well and the only side-effects we found were elevated liver enzyme and haemoglobin levels.

Protective effects of ursodeoxycholic acid against 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced testicular damage in mice.

The protective effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a biliary component found in bears, on 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-induced testicular damage in mice was investigated. Fifty C57BL/6J mice were equally divided into five groups. The mice in the control group received the vehicle and standard chow. The single TCDD treatment group received 27.5 microg/kg of TCDD subcutaneously. The UDCA-included treatment group received pulverized chow containing 0.125%, 0.25% and 0.5% UDCA, respectively, for 70 days starting 10 days before TCDD injections. The body and testicular weights were shown to be decreased in the single TCDD treatment group, while the decrease was prevented by UDCA added to the chow. In addition, the decrease in the serum-luteinizing hormone (LH) or the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) secondary to a TCDD injection was not observed in the UDCA-included treatment group. Contrary to the single TCDD treatment group, the germinal epithelium and intercellular space were relatively well preserved in the UDCA-included treatment group. Adding UDCA also normalized TCDD-induced irregular ultrastructural changes such as development of phagolysosomes, inflated smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), dilated and altered mitochondria, necrosis and completely damaged seminiferous tubules. Moreover, in the experiment for Arnt expression, UDCA added to the chow suppressed the TCDD-induced relocation of Arnt from the cytoplasm to the nuclei. In conclusion, TCDD-induced testicular toxicity was effectively protected by UDCA. There was almost complete recovery of the testes in the UDCA-included treatment group. Thus, UDCA may be useful for the prevention and treatment of TCDD-induced testicular damage.

Antimicrobial susceptibilities and epidemiological analysis of Salmonella enteritidis isolates in Korea by phage typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

A total of 81 isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis were analyzed by antibiotic susceptibility, phage typing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Thirty-two isolates came from broiler carcasses and pig feces, and 49 isolates were from humans in Seoul and suburbs of Seoul, Korea. Antibiotic resistance was most prevalent among human isolates. Of human isolates, 89.8% were resistant to more than two antibiotics, while 64.7% of poultry isolates and 13.3% of pig isolates showed multiple resistance to more than two antibiotics. The most common phage type (PT) was PT1, followed by PT30 or 33, PT21 and PT20a. The isolates showed six PFGE patterns with XbaI or SpeI digestion, and five PFGE patterns with NotI digestion. But a single pattern, PFGE X1, S1, or N1, was predominant and the rest of the PFGE patterns differed by only one or two bands. Results indicated the spread of a genetically related clone of Salmonella Enteritidis in foods and humans in Korea and that phage typing as well as PFGE may offer an improved level of discrimination for the epidemiological investigation of Salmonella Enteritidis.