A human pluripotent stem cell line KUMi004-A generated from a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a type of blood cancer caused by the abnormal accumulation of malignant plasma cells. In this study, we generated CLL iPSCs (KUMi004-a) using the Sendai virus, confirming pluripotency. Also, it can differentiate into three primary germ layers. We expect this cell line could be helpful to understand the pathology of CLL.

Atypical calcific tendinitis involving the long biceps tendon: A rare cause of hemiplegic shoulder pain.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Calcific tendinitis is commonly found in the rotator cuff; however, it is very rare in the long biceps tendon (LBT). Furthermore, calcific tendinitis involving the LBT in the hemiplegic shoulder after a stroke has not been previously reported. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We present a case of a 63-year-old man who suffers from a stroke and atypical calcific tendinitis involving the LBT as a rare cause of hemiplegic shoulder pain. The patient had experienced intractable pain in the right hemiplegic shoulder for more than 6 months with a waxing and waning course. Marked tenderness to palpation was present at the biceps tendon adjacent to the bicipital groove. Ultrasound (US) and computed tomography revealed a long, blade-shaped, circumscribed, cloudy and irregular dense calcific deposit in the LBT site, distal to the bicipital groove. The patient underwent US-guided corticosteroid injection at the posterior intra-articular joint. The symptoms failed to resolve; we injected an additional corticosteroid into the biceps tendon sheath adjacent to the calcific deposit. This procedure provided satisfactory relief, and follow-up US revealed mild diminution of the calcification through absorption. CONCLUSION: This is the first report on atypical calcific tendinitis involving the LBT causing hemiplegic shoulder pain after a stroke.

Effect of complex treatment using visual and auditory stimuli on the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

We investigated the effects of complex treatment using visual and auditory stimuli on the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Forty-seven male children (7-13 yr old), who were clinically diagnosed with ADHD at the Balance Brain Center in Seoul, Korea, were included in this study. The complex treatment consisted of visual and auditory stimuli, core muscle exercise, targeting ball exercise, ocular motor exercise, and visual motor integration. All subjects completed the complex treatment for 60 min/day, 2-3 times/week for more than 12 weeks. Data regarding visual and auditory reaction time and cognitive function were obtained using the Neurosync program, Stroop Color-Word Test, and test of nonverbal intelligence (TONI) at pre- and post-treatment. The complex treatment significantly decreased the total reaction time, while it increased the number of combo actions on visual and auditory stimuli (P< 0.05). The Stroop color, word, and color-word scores were significantly increased at post-treatment compared to the scores at pretreatment (P< 0.05). There was no significant change in the TONI scores, although a tendency toward an increase in these scores was observed. In conclusion, complex treatment using visual and auditory stimuli alleviated the symptoms of ADHD and improved cognitive function in children. In addition, visual and auditory function might be possible indicators for demonstrating effective ADHD intervention.

TGF-beta2 stimulates cranial suture closure through activation of the Erk-MAPK pathway.

Cranial sutures are important growth sites of the skull. During suture closure, the dura mater is one of the most important sources of various positive and negative regulatory signals. Previous results indicate that TGF-beta2 from dura mater strongly accelerates suture closure, however, its exact regulatory mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we confirmed that removal of dura mater in calvarial organ culture strongly accelerates sagittal suture closure and that this effect is further enhanced by TGF-beta2 treatment. TGF-beta2 stimulated cell proliferation in the MC3T3-E1 cell line. Similarly, it stimulated the proliferation of cells in the sutural space in calvarial organ culture. Furthermore, TGF-beta2-mediated enhanced cell proliferation and suture closure were almost completely inhibited by an Erk-MAPK blocker, PD98059. These results indicate that TGF-beta2-induced activation of Erk-MAPK is an important signaling component that stimulates cell proliferation to enrich osteoprogenitor cells, thereby promoting their differentiation into osteoblasts to achieve a rapid calvarial bone expansion.