Summary
Background
Urticaria/angioedema is a common aspirin‐induced allergy; however, its pathogenic mechanism is not understood.
Objective
In order to uncover the genetic mechanism, we studied the ...associations of the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes in patients with aspirin‐induced urticaria compared with aspirin‐intolerant asthma and normal control in a Korean population.
Methods
Ninety‐four aspirin‐induced urticaria patients presenting urticaria/angioedema‐induced by both ASA and NSAID (50 had underlying chronic urticaria) and showing positive responses on oral aspirin challenge test, 76 aspirin‐intolerant asthmatics with positive responses on lysine–aspirin bronchoprovocation test, and 185 normal healthy controls were enrolled. HLA‐DRB1, DQB1, and DPB1 genotypings were performed by direct DNA sequencing analysis.
Results
The allele frequencies of HLA‐DRB1*1302 (18.1%) and HLA‐DQB1*0609 (10.1%) in aspirin‐induced urticaria were significantly higher than in aspirin‐intolerant asthma (5.3%, P=0.0004; 2.0%, P=0.0024) and in normal controls (8.1%, P=0.0005; 3.2%, P=0.0008), and they remained significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. The patients with these two HLA markers had a significantly younger age than patients without, while no associations were found in with respect to atopic status, a history of previous allergic diseases, total IgE level, or presence of underlying chronic urticaria (P>0.05, respectively). In haplotype analysis, the HLA‐DRB1*1302‐DQB1*0609‐DPB1*0201 was significantly higher in the aspirin‐induced urticaria (8.0%) than in the aspirin‐intolerant asthma (0.7%, P=0.0014) and normal controls (2.0%, P=0.0006).
Conclusion
These findings suggest that the HLA‐DRB1*1302‐DQB1*0609‐DPB1*0201 may be a strong genetic marker to determine the aspirin‐induced urticaria phenotype.
Abstract Purpose This study reviewed the past and present status of liver transplantation (LT) and outlooks for the future of LT in Korea. Method The first LT in Korea was successfully performed ...using a deceased donor graft in 1988. Pediatric and adult living donor liver transplantations (LDLTs) were initiated in 1994 and 1997, respectively. From 1988 to 2013, 10,581 LTs were performed at 40 centers, whereas LDLT accounted for 76.5% of all LTs. Results In the early 1990s, the deceased organ donation rate was less than 1.5 per million population (PMP) per year, but it increased to 5 PMP beginning in 2008. Despite the increasing number of deceased donor liver transplantations (DDLTs), high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has provoked persistent performance of adult LDLT with technical advancement including middle hepatic vein (MHV) reconstruction of right lobe graft and dual graft LDLT with 1 nationwide donor mortality. Conclusion The number of LTs in Korea in 2010 was 23.2 PMP (1042 LTs/45 million population), lower than 23.5 PMP of Spain, but higher than 20 PMP of the United States. However, future LT numbers may decrease because of lowering the HBV carrier rate (neonatal HBV universal vaccination began in 1992), new potent anti-HBV agents, and lowest birth rate (1.22 children per family) with a decrease of potential live donors.
Abstract Background Chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (CAMR) is an important cause of chronic kidney allograft dysfunction, but there has been no effective treatment protocol established for ...it. Methods Six renal transplant recipients who showed progressive deterioration in graft function and CAMR as diagnosed by biopsy were enrolled. We administered a single dose of rituximab (375 mg/m2 ), followed by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg, 0.4 g/kg) for 4 days. The efficacy of this protocol was assessed on the basis of the improvement in allograft function, the amount of proteinuria, and the change in donor-specific antibodies (DSAs). We categorized the patients into 2 groups, responders and nonresponders, according to their response to the treatment. Results All of the patients showed progressive deterioration of graft function before the diagnosis of CAMR. Luminex solid-phase assays showed that 3 patients had DSAs. After the treatment, allograft function improved or stabilized in 3 patients in the responder group, but still showed a deteriorating pattern in the nonresponder group. In the responder group, the amount of proteinuria also decreased after the treatment, but it increased in the nonresponder group. On diagnosis of CAMR, the nonresponders showed a longer posttransplantation period, a higher degree of transplant glomerulopathy, more severely deteriorated allograft function, and higher proteinuria compared with the responders. Conclusions The combination of rituximab and IVIg was effective in early-stage CAMR, but the effect was limited in the advanced stage.
ABSTRACT
Maintaining structural integrity of piping has always been an important effort in the nuclear power industry. To resolve piping issues such as unanticipated failures caused by diverse planar ...and volumetric flaws, several guidelines were developed and used especially for assessment of steam generator tubes. However, because the major components of new reactors have dissimilar geometric features and loading conditions compared with those of conventional operating reactors, most of existing assessment methods are not expected to be applicable; therefore, new alternative assessment guidelines are required. In this paper, a systematic structural integrity assessment of helical coiled steam generator tubes for a small and medium modular reactor, which is currently being designed, is introduced. Three‐dimensional detailed finite element (FE) limit analyses have been carried out to simulate the behaviours of the tube containing a volumetric flaw such as elliptical wear‐type, rectangular wear‐type and tapered wear‐type defects subjected to external pressure. Failure pressures were calculated from the FE analyses by changing defect depth, defect length and defect angle affecting the load‐carrying capacity of the tube. Thereby, engineering equations were developed as a function of these key parameters to predict structural failures and system reliability to enable more reasonable design and manufacturing decisions.
In this study, various types of industry corrosion addition practices are investigated with regard to the ultimate strength performance of bulk carriers. Five types of corrosion additions, namely ...previously applied structural design rule, CSR (common structural rule), harmonised CSR, time-dependent corrosion wastage model, and new suggestion of corrosion addition by Union of Greece Shipowners, are considered. In the previous study, investigation on the ultimate strength performance of oil tankers associated with corrosion additions has been performed. In the similar way, four types of bulk carrier structures, namely 37 K (Handysize), 57 K (Supramax), 82 K (Kamsarmax), and 181 K (Capesize), are studied. The ultimate strength performance of hull girders and stiffened panels is examined through various corrosion additions used in industrial practices. The obtained results would be useful in understanding the corrosion addition effects in terms of ultimate strength of bulk carriers.
•Feasibility of using the partial insulation winding technique for MgB2 MRI magnet.•Development of a self-protective MgB2 MRI magnet.•Charge-discharge and quench tests for a partial insulation MgB2 ...magnet.•Self-protecting behavior of partial insulation MgB2 magnet.•Required time to charge 0.5-T/300-mm PI MgB2 magnet.
This study investigates the feasibility of using the partial insulation winding technique for the development of a self-protective MgB2 MRI magnet with a fast charge-discharge rate. Charge-discharge and quench tests for a prototype PI MgB2 magnet confirmed that the magnet was successfully operated at full-field performance and exhibited self-protecting behavior in the event of a quench. Nonetheless, the required time to charge the 0.5-T/300-mm PI MgB2 magnet was almost five days, implying that the charge-discharge delay of the PI MgB2 magnet still needs to be ameliorated further to develop a real-scale MgB2 MRI magnet with a fast charge-discharge rate.
βig-h3 is a transforming growth factor-β-inducible cell adhesion molecule that has four characteristic homologous repeated domains. We made recombinant βig-h3 proteins, which were highly active in ...mediating human corneal epithelial (HCE) cell adhesion and spreading. The 2nd and the 4th repeated domains were sufficient to mediate HCE cell adhesion. A sequence analysis showed that aspartic acid (Asp) and isoleucine (Ile) of the 2nd and the 4th domains are highly conserved in many fasciclin 1 homologous (fas-1) domains. Substitution mutational study identified these two amino acids are essential for cell adhesion. Synthetic peptides containing Asp and Ile, NKDIL and EPDIM derived from the 2nd and the 4th domains, respectively, almost completely blocked cell adhesion mediated by not only wild type βig-h3 but also each of the 2nd and the 4th domains. These peptides alone were fully active in mediating cell adhesion. In addition, we demonstrated the functional receptor for βig-h3 is α3β1integrin. These results, therefore, establish the essential motifs within the 2nd and the 4th domains of βig-h3, which interact with α3β1 integrin to mediate HCE cell adhesion to βig-h3 and suggest that other proteins containing Asp-Ile in their fas-1 domains could possibly function as cell adhesion molecules.
Cervical cancer with ≤5 mm depth of invasion and >7 mm horizontal spread is classified FIGO IA instead of FIGO IB in the revised staging system, as horizontal spread is no longer considered. We aimed ...to determine the incidence of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and, consequently, the necessity of pelvic lymph node assessment.
Patients diagnosed between January 2015 and May 2019 with cervical cancer FIGO (2009) stage IB with ≤5 mm depth of invasion and >7 mm horizontal spread, were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Associations between disease-characteristics and lymph node metastasis (LNM), and overall survival, were assessed.
Of 170 patients, six (3.5%) had LNM: 4/53 (7.6%) with adenocarcinoma and 2/117 (1.7%) with squamous cell carcinoma (p = .077). Four-year overall survival was 98.2%. LNM was observed more often in tumours with LVSI (4/43 patients, 9.3%) than without LVSI (2/117 patients, 1.7%) (p = .045). In adenocarcinoma with 3–5 mm depth of invasion LNM rate was 10% (4/40). None of the following tumours were observed with LNM: squamous cell carcinoma without LVSI (0/74); adenocarcinoma with <3 mm depth of invasion (0/13); <3 mm depth of invasion without LVSI (0/36).
Lymph node assessment is essential in any tumour with LVSI or in adenocarcinoma with 3–5 mm depth of invasion. It can be omitted in squamous cell carcinoma without LVSI, in adenocarcinoma with <3 mm depth of invasion and in any tumours without LVSI and with <3 mm depth of invasion.
•The necessity of pelvic lymph node assessment in microinvasive cervical cancer depends on LVSI and histological subtype•Lymph node assessment is essential in any tumour with LVSI•Lymph node assessment can be omitted in squamous cell carcinoma without LVSI•Lymph node assessment can be omitted in adenocarcinoma with <3 mm depth of invasion•Lymph node assessment can be omitted in tumours without LVSI and with <3 mm depth of invasion
We have characterized the profile of membrane currents in an immortalized human neural stem cell line, HB1.F3 cells, using whole-cell patch clamp technique. Human neural stem cell line generated from ...primary cell cultures of embryonic human telencephalon using a replication-incompetent retroviral vector containing v-myc expresses nestin, a cell type-specific marker for neural stem cells. The human neural stem cells expressed both outward and inward K(+) currents with no evidence for Na(+) currents. The density of the outward, delayed rectifying type K(+) current was 1.8 +/- 0.015 nA/pF, and that of the inwardly rectifying K(+) current was 0.37 +/- 0.012 nA/pF (at 30 mM of K(+)(o)). In order to induce neuronal differentiation of the neural stem cells, a full-length coding region of NeuroD, a neurogenic transcription factor, was transfected into HB1.F3 cells. Introduction of NeuroD induced expression of Na(+) currents with the current density of 0.042 +/- 0.011 nA/pF. The presence of two types of K(+) currents and expression of Na(+) currents induced by NeuroD appear to reflect the characteristic physiological features of human neural stem cells.
Korean rose bitterling (Rhodeus uyekii) is a freshwater fish endemic to Korea. Natural populations of this species have experienced severe declines as a result of habitat fragmentation and water ...pollution. To conserve and restore R. uyekii, the genetic diversity of this species needs to be assessed at the population level. Eighteen novel polymorphic microsatellite loci for R. uyekii were developed using an enriched partial genomic library. Polymorphisms at these loci were studied in 150 individuals collected from three populations. The number of alleles at each locus ranged from 3 to 47 (mean = 17.1). Within the populations, the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.032 to 1.000, expected heterozygosity from 0.082 to 0.967, and polymorphism information content from 0.078 to 0.950. Six loci showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni's correction, and no significant linkage disequilibrium was detected between most locus pairs, except in three cases. These highly informative microsatellite markers should be useful for genetic population structure analyses of R. uyekii.
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