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Aims: Dopamine receptors are associated with reward aod dependence towards alcohol. The polymorphisms of dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) genes have bees reported to be involved in sascepribiliry to alcoholism. Therefore, we investigated the as- sociation of three single-nscleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is DRD2 and ankyris repeat and kisase domain eostaisisg one (ANKKI) genes with alcohol dependence in Korean sabjects, who were classified by the criteria of the Lesch typology. Methods: The DRD2 -141C (Insertion (Ins)/Deletion (Del)), exoa8 (A/G) and the ANKKI TaqIA (A1/A2) polymorphisms were genotyped in a case-control sample consisting of 245 alcohol-dependent (AD) patients and 110 healthy controls. AD patients were classified into four subtypes by the Lesch typology. The majority of them (77.1%) were Lesch type I. Differences in genotype and allele frequencies were examined between the AD patients and the controls. Also those analyses were done between the Lench type I grasp and the controls. Reaults: There were significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of -141 C Ins/Del and TaqIA A 1/A2 between the AD patients and the controls. However, there were no significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies of exon8 A/G between the AD patients and the controls. The -141C Ins/Ins and TaqIA Al+ variants were associated with Lesch type I AD patients. When analysing haplotypes of three SNPs, the odds ratio of -141C Inn-A-Al was 2.286, while the odds ratio of -141C Del-G-A2 was 0.323. Conclusion: The present study showed a significant difference in DRD2 -141C and ANKKI TaqIA poly- morphisms between the AD patients and the controls. Oar findings suggest that -141C Ins and TaqIA A1 alleles can be a predisposing factor for alcohol dependence in the Korean population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon starvation, a dense population of rod-shaped Myxococcus xanthus bacteria coordinate their movements to construct mounds in which some of the cells differentiate to spherical spores. During this process of fruiting body formation, short-range C-signaling between cells regulates their movements and the expression of genes important for sporulation. C-signaling activates FruA, a transcription factor that binds cooperatively with another transcription factor, MrpC2, upstream of the fmgA and fmgBC promoters, activating transcription. We have found that a third C-signal-dependent gene, herein named fmgD, is subject to combinatorial control by FruA and MrpC2. The two proteins appear to bind cooperatively upstream of the fmgD promoter and activate transcription. FruA binds proximal to the fmgD promoter, as in thefmgBC promoter region, whereas MrpC2 binds proximal to the fmgA promoter. A novel feature of the fmgD promoter region is the presence of a second MrpC2 binding site partially overlapping the promoter and therefore likely to mediate repression. The downstream MrpC2 site appears to overlap the FruA site, so the two transcription factors may compete for binding, which in both cases appears to be cooperative with MrpC2 at the upstream site. We propose that binding of MrpC2 to the downstream site represses fmgD transcription until C-signaling causes the concentration of active FruA to increase sufficiently to outcompete the downstream MrpC2 for cooperative binding with the upstream MrpC2. This would explain why fmgD transcription begins later during development and is more dependent on C-signaling than transcription of fmgA and fmgBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the clinical association between bone graft volumetric changes and lumbar fusion. The study aims to determine patterns of bone graft volumetric changes and factors that affect these changes. After patients with lumbosacral disease have undergone decompression and instrumented spinal fusion, it was found that one-third of the initial one grafts were resorbed over 5 years and larger bone grafts resulted to a larger fusion mass.

Background and Aim: Some people have a fatty liver despite having low visceral fat and a low body mass index (BMI). We investigated whether fat distribution, especially thigh subcutaneous fat and thigh intramuscular fat, is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: The patients consisted of 408 men and women. NAFLD was defined by an ultrasound scan and excluded other liver diseases. Visceral, subcutaneous abdominal, intramuscular, and subcutaneous thigh adipose tissue was measured by computed tomography. Results: The frequency of NAFLD decreased over a quartile of thigh fat independently of BMI in the female patients. Additional adjustments for age and visceral fat area did not change the results. This finding was not observed in the male patients. To investigate the relationship between each fat distribution and NAFLD, we performed a logistic regression analysis. Fat distribution was divided into four groups: visceral fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat, thigh subcutaneous fat, and thigh intramuscular fat. All four fat components were chosen as variables for the regression model. Age, BMI, and the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index were then adjusted successively. A larger subcutaneous fat area was negatively associated with NAFLD after adjustment for visceral fat and abdominal subcutaneous fat areas in women, but not in men. It did not change even after age adjustment, BMI, and the HOMA index. Conclusion: Low femoral subcutaneous fat amounts were shown to be independently associated with fatty liver disease in women. These results show the importance of accurate measurements of other regional body compositions as well as visceral fat amounts when investigating NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study about the degeneration of sacroiliac joint following an instrumented lumbar or lumbosacral fusion. This study focuses on the cause-effect relationship of fusion and sacroiliac joint degeneration after an instrumented posterolateral lumbar or lumbosacral fusion. A cohort study was conducted with 37 patients.

CML-1 is a purified extract from a mixture of 13 Oriental herbs (Achyranthis Radix, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Cinnamomi Cortex Spissus, Eucommiae Cortex, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Hoelen, Lycii Fructus, Paeoniae Radix, Rehmanniae Radix Preparata and Atractylodis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zizyphi Semen, Acori Graminei Rhizoma) that have been widely used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in Asia. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential of CML-1. The animals used in this study were administered either vehicle or CML-1 (30, 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg) orally. The vascular permeability induced by acetic acid was significantly reduced by CML-1 in all doses. The swelling of the rat's hind paw induced by carrageenan was significantly inhibited by CML-1 in doses of 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis induced by complete Freund's adjuvant in rats, the treatment with CML-1 at a dose level of 300 mg/kg inhibited edema. CML-1 at a dose level of 600 mg/kg inhibited acetic acid-induced writhing syndrome, however it did not have any anti-nociceptive action in the Randall-Selitto assay or the hot plate test. Our findings suggest that CML-1 has a potent anti-inflammatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The memory behavior of natively oxidized AlOx shell-Al nanoparticles (NPs) in a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structure was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy images clearly demonstrate the formation of an AlOx shell (thicknesses of 1–1.5 nm), surrounding Al (sizes of 5–7 nm) core NPs in the MOS structure. Electrical measurements exhibited a memory window of 3.6 V, together with a promising charge retention time of about 10 years. A possible band model needed for enhanced retention characteristics was given by considering the electron/hole barrier width and the additional interface states through the AlOx shell as a method of tunneling barrier engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isotretinoin is a known human teratogen that can cause multiple malformations. At present, women who conceive one cycle after discontinuing isotretinoin are told that their teratogenic risk is not higher than baseline. We present a case of both ear malformation in a newborn whose mother had taken isotretinoin for 2 years until one month prior to the time when she became pregnant. We suggest that further studies of pharmacokinetics and malformation of isotreinoin are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) is an excellent treatment option for a number of lumbar diseases. LIF can be performed through posterior, transforaminal, anterior, and lateral or oblique approaches. Each technique has its own pearls and pitfalls. Through LIF, segmental stabilization, neural decompression, and deformity correction can be achieved. Minimally invasive surgery has recently gained popularity and each LIF procedure can be performed using minimally invasive techniques to reduce surgery-related complications and improve early postoperative recovery. Despite advances in surgical technology, surgery-related complications after LIF, such as pseudoarthrosis, have not yet been overcome. Although autogenous iliac crest bone graft is the gold standard for spinal fusion, other bone substitutes are available to enhance fusion rate and reduce complications associated with bone harvest. This article reviews the surgical procedures and characteristics of each LIF and the osteobiologics utilized in LIF based on the available evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemiplegic walking is the main symptom of hemiplegia and is the basis for judging the outcome or severity of hemiplegia. In this study, we developed a wearable measurement module for measuring the inertia signal generated during walking and evaluated the possibility of gait measurement as a basic study of the new hemiplegia diagnosis technology using wearable device. The developed measurement module is worn on the waist. It is equipped with 3-axis acceleration sensor and 3-axis angular velocity sensor and has the function to transmit and record data through wireless communication. As a result of measuring the gait signals using the developed measurement module, specific patterns are shown for each axis according to each step, and it is confirmed that gait signals can be distinguished intuitively.