Zinc plays a key role in genetic expression, cell division, and cell growth and is essential for the functions of more than 450 metalloenzyme. There are high concentrations of zinc in pigment epithelium in bullfrog eye. Zinc deficiency causes night blindness and abnormal dark adaptation. The purpose of this study was to identify ERG (electroretinogram) b-wave sensitivity during light and dark adaptation in bullfrog retina after zinc and zinc chelators treatment such as histidine and TSQ (N-(6-methoxy-8-qunolyl)-p-toluenesulfon amide). Especially, we focused whether histidine act as a zinc chelator in the Muller cell. The results of our study are summarized as follows: 1) Both zinc and histidine elevated ERG b-wave amplitude and threshold in Muller cells by accelerating rhodopsin regeneration time and increased a-peak absorbance during light adaptation. 2) TSQ reduced those by prolonging rhodopsin regeneration time and decrement of a-peak absorbance during light adaptation. 3) Zinc shortened rhodopsin regeneration time and prolonged a-peak absorbance. These results suggested that histidine may act as a zinc-mediated transporter in presynaptic Muller cell membrane rather than zinc chelator and acts as a GABA-receptor inhibitor which blocks $Cl^-$ influx to the postsynapse.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a vital enzyme in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and there are literature reports describing its relationship between the ACE polymorphism and muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. The purpose of this study is to identify the distribution of the ACE gene polymorphism among individual golfers and the relationship between different golfers group. We analyzed the ACE gene polymorphism to study the individual differences among professional golfers (n=35), junior golfers (n=30) and general golfers (n=25). Genotype frequencies of DD, ID and II in total golfers (n=90) were 16.7%, 52.2% and 31.1% respectively. In professional golfers, the frequencies of DD, ID and II were 25.7%, 45.7% and 28.6% respectively. The frequency of DD genotype in professional golfers was higher than in junior golfers and in general golfers, but the II genotype in professional golfers was lower than in other groups. In conclusion, these data suggest that the capability and power of golf exercise are associated with the hereditary characteristics of the ACE polymorphism.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a mesenchymal tumor and is associated with a specific immunophenotype index. It is very important to identify the specific immunophenotype and the diagnosis for the treatment GIST patients. Ninety two cases of GIST analyzed in this study were immuno-stained for c-kit, DOG1, CD34, PKC-${\theta}$, PDGFR-${\alpha}$. The rate of positive staining and statistical significance were then compared. In addition, the GISTs were analyzed as followings: very low risk, low risk, intermediate risk and high risk according to tumor size and nuclear division, and later correlated with clinical parameters. The results of the GIST positive stainings were: DOG1 (95.7%), PKC-${\theta}$ (90.2%), PDGFR-${\alpha}$ (88.0%), c-kit (87.0%) and CD34 (71.7%). Only DOG1 staining showed a statistical significance of p<0.05. It was identified in the classification system of histologic risk that staining expression of DOG1, PKC-${\theta}$, PDGFR-${\alpha}$ were significantly increased as histologic risk increases (p<0.05). However, clinical parameters such as age and sex of patients have no correlations with the classification system of histologic risk (p>0.05). Therefore, in this study, the expression of DOG1 showed statistical significance and DOG1, PKC-${\theta}$, PDGFR-${\alpha}$ staining increased significantly as the histologic risk increases in histologic classification system. Taken together, the DOG1 staining should be very effective for the diagnosis of GIST patients.

In this study, we investigated the correlation between the administration of various antiviral agents and the alternation of specific biomarkers induced by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Eligible subjects diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B were prescribed with antiviral drugs at the Gastroenterology Internal Medicine Department of E University Hospital in Daejeon between May 2004 and September 2009. Lamivudine was prescribed to 66 out of 100 patients. Of the 12 patients, 6 (50.0%) showed a change from being HBe-antigen-positive to being HBe-antigen-negative. Of the 39 patients, 23 (59.0%) showed higher than 40 IU/L alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Of the 65 patients, 41 (63.1%) showed HBV DNA decrease of 1 log, and were prescribed with Lamivudine. Adefovir was prescribed to 3 out of 100 patients. Of the 12 patients, 1 (8.3%) showed a change from being HBe-antigen-positive to being HBe-antigen-negative, and was prescribed with Adefovir. Entecavir was prescribed to 19 (19.0%) out of 100 patients. Of the 12 patients, 3 (25.0%) showed a change from being HBe-antigen-positive to being HBe-antigen-negative. Of the 12 patients, 3 (125.8%) showed higher than 40 IU/L ALT. Of the 65 patients, 14 (21.5%) showed HBV DNA decrease of 1 log, and were prescribed with Entecavir. Clavudine was prescribed to 7 out of 100 patients. Of the 12 patients, 1 (8.3%) showed a change from positive HBe antigen to negative HBe antigen. Of the 39 patients, 5 (12.8%) showed higher than 40 IU/L ALT. Of the 65 patients, 6 (9.2%) showed HBV decrease of 1 log, and were prescribed with Clavudine. These results do not show a statistically significant correlation between drugs and biomarkers. Data on combination therapy using Lamivudine and Adefovir show no statistically significant difference between drugs and biomarkers. Medications for periodic inspection was not correlated to HBe-antigen-negative conversion, ALT, and HBV DNA. HBV DNA was significantly reduced in patients with high levels of AST(aspartic acid aminotransferase) and ALT before treatment. In addition, the decrease of HBV DNA after 12 months of treatment was less frequently observed in patients treated with Lamivudine compared with other drugs. This result is associated with Lamivudine resistance. Although the association of drugs with diagnostic markers and the correct choice of treatment is difficult to determine, these results may be useful for further research on diagnosis and treatment of the hepatitis B virus.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an aerobic, Gram-negative, glucose-nonfermenting bacterium, which has emerged as a serious opportunistic pathogen. Recently, outbreaks of carbapenem resistant P. aeruginosa give rise to significant therapeutic challenges for treating nosocomial infections. The genes of metallo-${\beta}$-lactamase (MBL), a powerful carbapenemase, are carried as a part of the mobile gene cassettes inserted into integrons playing an important role in rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial isolates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of integron in imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa isolates. A total of 61 consecutive, non-duplicate, and imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from a university hospital in the Chungcheong province of Korea. We employed repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) method for the selection of clonally different P. aerusinosa strains. PCR and DNA sequencing were conducted for the detection of integrons. Twenty-one clonally different P. aeruginosa strains were isolated. Only one (P28) of the strains harbored $bla_{VIM-2}$ that was found as gene cassettes in class 1 integrons. Four of 21 carbapenem resistant P. aeruginosa strains harbored class 1 integron containing aminoglycoside resistance determinant. All of the integrons detected in the study contained more than one resistance gene cassette, which can mediate resistance to multiple antibiotics. To prevent further spreading of the multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa, conseguent monitoring and clinical polices are required.

To clarify the oxidative stress of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the effect of Chrysanthemum morifolium L. (CM) flower extract on the cultured neuroglial cells (C6 glioma) damaged by ROS, cell adhesion effect was measured by colorimetric assay after cultured C6 glioma cells were treated with various concentrations of glucose oxidase (GO) for 5 hours. For the antioxidative effect of CM flower extract, cell adhesion activity (CAA), superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were assessed against GO-induced cytotoxicity on same cultures. In this study, GO remarkably decreased CAA dose-dependently, and the $XTT_{90}$ and $XTT_{50}$ values were measured at 15 mU/mL and 50 mU/mL following the treatment of C6 glioma cells with 5~60 mU/mL of GO. The CM flower extract significantly increased cell adhesion activity damaged by GO-induced cytotoxicity, and it also showed the SOD-like activity and the decrease of LDH activity. From these results, it is suggested that GO was cytotoxic on cultured C6 glioma cells, and CM flower extract showed antioxidative effects as shown by the increased CAA, SOD-like activity and the decrease of LDH activity on GO-induced cytotoxicity on the same cultures.

Mandibular advancement devices (MAD) are therapeutic options for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The aim of study was to investigate treatment outcomes of before and after insertion of MAD in OSA patients. We retrospectively selected a total of 13 patients who were diagnosed with OSA syndrome. All sleep-related parameters including apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), wake after sleep onset (WASO), total arousal were measured by before and after MAD. The use of MAD proves to be efficient in reducing snoring, apnea-hypopne index ($17.2{\pm}14.6$ vs $20.9{\pm}14.6$), WASO ($27.4{\pm}28.8$ vs $47.9{\pm}43.6$), oxygen desaturation index ($9.0{\pm}11.6$ vs $16.4{\pm}11.7$), stage N3 ($54.8{\pm}45.2$ vs $36.6{\pm}22.0$), REM sleep times ($73.3{\pm}19.4$ vs $66.0{\pm}31.0$) and increases sleep efficiency ($92.6{\pm}6.6$ vs $87.2{\pm}11.2$). The decreases in apnea index based on a reduction in the overall and supine AHI values after MAD therapy were significantly greater for the positional OSA than nonpositional OSA patients. The use of MAD proves to be efficient in snoring, WASO, sleep efficiency, reduced AHI and associated with good compliance of patients.