An Open Pilot Trial of Written Exposure Therapy for Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Korea.

OBJECTIVE: Written exposure therapy (WET) is exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Compared to evidencebased treatments for PTSD, WET requires only five sessions, has a shorter session time, and no between-session assignments. The current study examined the efficacy of WET among Korean patients with PTSD due to various traumatic events on PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and global functioning levels. METHODS: The study recruited 41 patients with a current primary diagnosis of PTSD in psychiatric outpatient clinics. Assessments were conducted at baseline, and at 6, 12, and 24 weeks following the first treatment session. RESULTS: In total, 25 patients started WET. Findings showed a significant reduction in the rate of PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity scores. Fourteen of 23 (60.9%) patients at 6 weeks, 15 of 22 (68.2%) patients at 12 weeks, and 14 of 18 (77.8%) patients at 24 weeks no longer met the diagnosis of PTSD. Depressive symptoms and global function scores also improved after WET. The dropout rate was 8% (n=2). CONCLUSION: This study suggests the feasibility of implementing WET among various types of patients with PTSD in Korea and other Asian countries.

Characterization of Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Harboring the Human IFNB1 and CES2 Transgenes.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess characteristics of SJ-815, a novel oncolytic vaccinia virus lacking a functional thymidine kinase-encoding TK gene, and instead, having two human transgenes: the IFNB1 that encodes interferon ß1, and the CES2 that encodes carboxylesterase 2, which metabolizes the prodrug, irinotecan, into cytotoxic SN-38. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Viral replication and dissemination of SJ-815 were measured by plaque assay and comet assay, respectively, and compared to the backbone of SJ-815, a modified Western Reserve virus named WI. Tumor cytotoxicity of SJ-815 (or mSJ-815, which has the murine IFNB1 transgene for mouse cancers) was evaluated using human and mouse cancer cells. Antitumor effects of SJ-815, with/without irinotecan, were evaluated using a human pancreatic cancer-bearing mouse model and a syngeneic melanoma-bearing mouse model. The SN-38/ irinotecan ratios in mouse melanoma tissue 4 days post irinotecan treatment were compared between groups with and without SJ-815 intravenous injection. RESULTS: SJ-815 demonstrated significantly lower viral replication and dissemination, but considerably stronger in vitro tumor cytotoxicity than WI. The combination use of SJ-815 plus irinotecan generated substantial tumor regression in the human pancreatic cancer model, and significantly prolonged survival in the melanoma model (hazard ratio, 0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.02 to 0.50; p=0.013). The tumor SN-38/irinotecan ratios were over 3-fold higher in the group with SJ-815 than those without (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: SJ-815 demonstrates distinct characteristics gained from the inserted IFNB1 and CES2 transgenes. The potent antitumor effects of SJ-815, particularly when combined with irinotecan, against multiple solid tumors make SJ-815 an attractive candidate for further preclinical and clinical studies.

Whole genome sequence of a freshwater agar-degrading bacterium Cellvibrio sp. KY-GH-1.

We investigated the whole genome sequence of a freshwater agar-degrading bacterium Cellvibrio sp. KY-GH-1 (KCTC13629BP) to explore genetic information encoding agarases which hydrolyze agar into its monomers. The complete genome of KY-GH-1 comprised 5,762,391 base pairs (bp) with 47.9% GC content, and contained 5080 protein-encoding sequences, including nine ß-agarase genes and two α-neoagarobiose hydrolase (α-NABH) genes in an agarase gene cluster spanning approximately 77 kb. Based on these genetic information, the degradation of agar into monomers (D-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose) by KY-GH-1 was predicted to be initiated by endolytic GH16 ß-agarases and endolytic GH86 ß-agarases, further processed by exolytic GH50 ß-agarases, and then terminated by exolytic GH117 α-NABHs. This study reveals the diversity and abundance of agarase genes, and provides insight into their roles in the agar-degrading enzyme machinery of Cellvibrio sp. KY-GH-1.

Measurement of thickness profiles of glass plates by analyzing Haidinger fringes.

We report what we believe is a novel method for measuring the thickness profiles of plane parallel plates by analyzing their Haidinger fringes. When an extended monochromatic source is viewed through a ∼1-mm-thick plate, concentric transmission-type Haidinger fringes can easily be observed. Small variations in the plate thickness result in changes in the radii of the ring fringes. In this study, we scanned 20-mm-diameter fused silica and BK7 plates while tracing a specific ring in each fringe pattern to measure the thickness profiles of the plates, achieving an uncertainty of 2 nm in the measurements of the thickness differences between two locations on each plate.

Pro-Apoptotic Role of the Human YPEL5 Gene Identified by Functional Complementation of a Yeast moh1Δ Mutation.

To examine the pro-apoptotic role of the human ortholog (YPEL5) of the Drosophila Yippee protein, the cell viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain with deleted MOH1, the yeast ortholog, was compared with that of the wild-type (WT)-MOH1 strain after exposure to different apoptogenic stimulants, including UV irradiation, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), camptothecin (CPT), heat shock, and hyperosmotic shock. The moh1Δ mutant exhibited enhanced cell viability compared with the WT-MOH1 strain when treated with lethal UV irradiation, 1.8 mM MMS, 100 µ CPT, heat shock at 50°C, or 1.2 M KCl. At the same time, the level of Moh1 protein was commonly up-regulated in the WT-MOH1 strain as was that of Ynk1 protein, which is known as a marker for DNA damage. Although the enhanced UV resistance of the moh1Δ mutant largely disappeared following transformation with the yeast MOH1 gene or one of the human YPEL1-YPEL5 genes, the transformant bearing pYES2-YPEL5 was more sensitive to lethal UV irradiation and its UV sensitivity was similar to that of the WT-MOH1 strain. Under these conditions, the UV irradiation-induced apoptotic events, such as FITC-Annexin V stainability, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) loss, and metacaspase activation, occurred to a much lesser extent in the moh1Δ mutant compared with the WT-MOH1 strain and the mutant strain bearing pYES2-MOH1 or pYES2-YPEL5. These results demonstrate the functional conservation between yeast Moh1 and human YPEL5, and their involvement in mitochondria-dependent apoptosis induced by DNA damage.