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Peripheral facial palsy is often reported after surgery for head or neck tumors and otolaryngologic surgery, but the occurrence of facial nerve palsy after dental procedures is very rare. A 29-year-old man visited our clinic with right-side facial asymmetry and right facial weakness 7 days before. The patient underwent dental treatment 8 days ago. He exhibited weakness of the right side of his face and was unable to close his right eye. He was diagnosed with right-sided peripheral type facial nerve paralysis and treated with an antiviral agent and prednisolone, and the symptoms gradually improved. Facial nerve palsies after dental procedures have been reported in foreign countries, but these cases have been very rarely reported in Korea. We also reported on the efficacy of the conventional treatment of facial nerve palsy after a dental procedure.

Since the mid-1980s, the volatility of major macro variables has decreased remarkably, known as the Great Moderation. Even though a great deal of literature addresses the sources of the Great Moderation, its association with potential changes in the dynamics of consumption or output has not been investigated rigorously. This paper reports two empirical findings: i) a faster adjustment of output to changes in its long-run random walk component and ii) a faster adjustment of consumption to changes in permanent income (as approximated by the random walk component of real output) since the mid-1980s. Our interpretation is that a faster diffusion of technology shocks induced by improved information technology may be responsible for the former. In the presence of precautionary savings, a change in the consumer behavior induced by lower uncertainty about future income may be responsible for the latter. The change in output dynamics itself may also be responsible for the change in consumer behavior, as implied by Deaton (1991).

This retrospective cohort study compared proximal gastrectomy (PG) with double-tract reconstruction (DTR) versus total gastrectomy (TG) with Roux-en-Y reconstruction in terms of clinical outcomes. All consecutive patients with upper early gastric cancer (EGC) who underwent PG-DTR or TG in 2008–2016 were selected. TG patients who matched PG-DTR patients in age, sex, body mass index, clinical stage, and ASA score were selected by propensity score matching. Groups were compared in terms of clinicopathological characteristics, clinical outcomes, early (≤ 30 days), late (> 30 days), and severe (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ III) postoperative complications, 1-year reflux morbidity, recurrence, and mortality. Of 322 patients, 52 underwent PG-DTR. A matching TG group of 52 patients was selected. The PG-DTR group had smaller tumors (p = 0.02), smaller proximal and distal resection margins (p = 0.01, p

Korean Abstract: 최근 빅데이터 활용을 위한 텍스트 마이닝 기법이 개발됨에 따라 경제분석에서도 비정형 텍스트 데이터 활용이 확대되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 텍스트 데이터의 유용성을 살펴보기 위해 인터넷 검색 정보를 반영하는 구글 트렌드 데이터를 고려하고 정보의 적시성과 예측력을 필요로 하는 금융위기 조기경보모형에서 텍스트 데이터의 유용성을 분석하였다. 실증분석 결과, 구글 트렌드 데이터는 비모수적 모형이나 모수적 모형에서 모두 금융위기를 예측하는데 유용한 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구 결과는 다양한 텍스트 데이터를 개발하고 경제분석에 활용하는 모형들을 더욱 확대시킬 것을 시사하고 있다. English Abstract: As recently the text mining methodology for the usefulness of the big data has been developed, its’ application in the economic analysis has been growing. This study considers the Google Trends Data which reflects the internet search information in order to examine the usefulness of the text data and applies the data to the financial early warning system which needs the timely information and imminent forecasting. The estimation results show that the Google Trends Data appears to be useful for the prediction of the financial crisis both in the parametric and non-parametric approach. This study suggests that we try to develop more text mining methods and expand their applications to various economic analysis.

This study aimed to clarify the clinicopathologic features and explore treatment strategies for patients with pathologically confirmed advanced gastric cancer (AGC) diagnosed as clinically early gastric cancer (cEGC) before surgery. We included 955 patients who were treated by curative gastrectomy between 2008 and 2013; 42 patients had cEGC. The clinicopathologic features of the patients with cEGC were compared with those of patients with early gastric cancer (EGC); AGC; cancer of the muscularis propria (MP cancer, gastric cancer invading the muscularis propria of the stomach); or SM3 cancer (gastric cancer invading all 3 parts of the submucosal layer). Patients with cEGC had more tumor lymph node metastasis; more lymphatic invasion; and more perineural invasion (all P < 0.001) compared with those with EGC. Patients with cEGC had more tumor lymph node metastasis (P = 0.017) than did patients with SM3. Compared with patients with AGC or MP cancer, patients with cEGC were more likely to be operated on using a laparoscopic procedure and less likely to receive lymph node dissection. Multivariate analysis showed that gross type III [odds ratio (OR), 12.92; P < 0.001] and tumor location (middle body, OR, 2.691; P = 0.009) were significant predictors of cEGC before surgery. Although patients with cEGC had clinicopathologic features similar to those of patients with MP cancer, they were treated like patients with SM3 cancer (e.g., limited use of lymphadenectomy). These findings suggest that patients with cEGC should be given a more aggressive treatment strategy.

Purpose: Necrotizing soft tissue infection is the infection of the soft tissue with necrotic changes. It is rare, but results in high mortality. We analyzed the characteristics of patients, prognosis, and mortality factors after reviewing 30 cases of a single hospital for 5 years. Methods: From January 2009 to December 2013, 30 patients diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis or Fournier’s gangrene in Pusan National University Hospital were enrolled for this study. The following parameters were analyzed retrospectively: demographics, infection site, initial laboratory finding, initial antibiotics, isolated microorganisms, number of surgeries, time to first operation, length of intensive care unit, and total hospital stays. Results: The overall mortality rate was 23.3%. Mean body mass index (BMI) of the survival group (24.7 ± 5.0 kg/㎡) was significantly higher than the nonsurvival group (22.0 ± 1.4 kg/㎡, P = 0.029). When BMI was less than 23 kg/㎡, the mortality rate was significantly higher (P = 0.025). Two patients (6.7%) with chronic kidney disease requiring hemodialysis died (P = 0.048). Initial WBC count (>13×10 3 /μL), CRP (>26.5 mg/dL), and platelet (PLT) count ( 3 /μL) were found to have negative impact on the prognosis of necrotizing soft tissue infection. Factors such as potassium level, blood urea nitrogen (>27.6 mg/dL), serum creatinine (>1.2 mg/dL) that reflected kidney function were significant mortality factors. Conclusion: Patients with low BMI or abnormal values of WBC count, CRP, and PLT count reflecting the degree of infection or abnormal renal function will need more intensive care.

An appropriate evaluation on learner`s pronunciation has been an important part of foreign language education. The learners should be evaluated and receive proper feedback for pronunciation improvement. Due to the cost and consistency problem of human evaluation, automatic pronunciation evaluation system has been studied. The most of the current automatic evaluation systems utilizes underlying Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology. We suggest in this work to evaluate learner`s pronunciation accuracy and fluency in word-level using the ASR and non-native teacher`s speech model. Through the performance evaluation on our system, we confirm the overall evaluation result of pronunciation accuracy and fluency actually represents the learner`s English skill level quite accurately.

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Billroth-II with Braun and Roux-en-Y reconstruction after laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. From April 2010 to August 2012, 66 patients underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (Billroth-II with Braun reconstruction, 26; Roux-en-Y, 40). The patients’ data were collected prospectively and reviewed retrospectively. The mean operation and reconstruction times were statistically shorter for Billroth-II with Braun reconstruction than Roux-en-Y (198.1 ± 33.0 vs. 242.3 ± 58.1 min, p = 0.001). One case of postoperative stricture was observed in each group. One case each of intra-abdominal abscess and delayed gastric emptying occurred in the Billroth-II with Braun group. At 1 year postoperatively, gastric residue and reflux esophagitis were not significantly different between the groups. Gastritis and bile reflux were more frequently observed in the Billroth-II with Braun group (p = 0.004 and p

With the widespread use of minimally invasive surgery, tumor detection is becoming more difficult. We present the experimental results of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) lesion detection system in an ex vivo porcine model. The efficacy and feasibility of a newly developed RFID lesion detection system were examined. It was applied to the stomach and colon of pigs weighing 40 kg. The RFID clip was attached to the upper and lower mucosal sides of the stomach. Colon specimens with thin and thick walls were used. The clipped sites were marked on the serosa by a pin. The longest distance from the pin the RFID tag could be detected was measured 25 times in each direction. In the upper gastric wall, the RFID tag detection distance was 4.5 ± 0.9 mm, 5.6 ± 0.7 mm, 12.5 ± 0.7 mm, and 5.3 ± 0.5 mm in the four directions, respectively (right, left, upper, and lower). In the antrum, the RFID tag detection distance was 5.8 ± 0.7 mm, 6.9 ± 0.5 mm, 5.6 ± 0.5 mm, and 3.7 ± 0.5 mm in the four directions. In the thin colon, the RFID tag detection distance was 6.3 ± 0.5 mm, 5.0 ± 0.5 mm, 9.7 ± 0.7 mm, and 6.4 ± 0.4 mm in the four directions. In the thick colon, the RFID tag detection distance was 3.5 ± 0.8 mm, 6.6 ± 0.5 mm, 8.4 ± 0.6 mm, and 9.8 ± 0.5 mm in the four directions. The area of detection was smallest for the antrum (83.7 mm2) and similar for the other sites (150.6, 154.7 and 157.7 mm2 for the upper body, thin colon, and thick colon, respectively). The distance at which the RFID tag was detected was usually within 10 mm. These results indicate the feasibility of the clinical application of the add-on clip and RFID tag as a marker for identifying the location of various gastrointestinal tumors.

Purpose: Mucinous gastric adenocarcinoma (MGC) is defined by the World Health Organization as a gastric adenocarcinoma with >50% extracellular mucin pools within the tumors. In this study, we attempted to analyze the clinicopathologic features of patients pathologically diagnosed as gastric cancer with lower than 50% tumor volume of extracellular mucin pool adenocarcinoma (LEMPC). We compared MGC versus nonmucinous gastric adenocarcinoma (NMGC). We were used in abbreviations LEMPC for NMGC including extracellular mucin pool. Methods: Files of 995 patients with gastric cancer NMGC (n = 935), MGC (n = 20), LEMPC (n = 40) who underwent curative resection at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital from December 2008 to December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. All pathologic reports after curative resection and evaluated clinicopathologic features were reviewed to identify the effect of extracellular mucin pools in gastric cancer. Results: Compared with the NMGC patients, the clinicopathological features of MGC patients were as follows: more frequent open surgery, larger tumor size, more advanced T stage and N stage, more positive lymph node metastasis, and perineural invasion. LEMPC patients showed similar features compared with NMGC patients. MGC and LEMPC patients showed similar clinicopathological features, except T stage and lymph node metastasis. Conclusion: LEMPC can be thought of as a previous step of MGC. It is reasonable to consider LEMPC patients in the diagnostic criteria of MGC, and to adequately treat.

Laparoscopic resection is a standard procedure for gastric submucosal tumors. Herein, we analyzed the features of various laparoscopic approaches. Between January 2007 and November 2013, 168 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic resection for gastric submucosal tumors were enrolled. Patients’ demographics and clinicopathologic and perioperative data were reviewed retrospectively. Among the 168 patients, exogastric wedge resection was performed in 99 cases (58.9 %), single-port intragastric resection was performed in 30 cases (17.9 %), eversion technique was used in 17 cases (10.1 %), transgastric resection was performed in 8 cases (4.8 %), and single-port wedge resection was performed in 6 cases (3.6 %). The remaining cases underwent single-port exogastric wedge resection, laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery, or major resection. Mean age was 56.8 ± 13.3 years, and body mass index was 24.0 ± 3.2 kg/m2. Mean operation time was 96.1 ± 58.9 min; laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy had the longest operation time (3 cases, 291.7 ± 129.0 min). In contrast, the laparoscopic eversion technique had the shortest operation time (82.6 ± 32.8 min). Pathologic data revealed a mean tumor size of 2.9 ± 1.2 cm (with a range of 0.8–8.0 cm). Tumors were most common on the body (98 cases, 58.3 %), followed by the fundus (44 cases, 26.2 %). Exophytic growth occurred in 39 cases (23.2 %), endophytic growth occurred in 89 cases (53.0 %), and dumbbell-type growth occurred in 40 cases (23.8 %). Gastrointestinal stromal tumors occurred in 130 cases (77.4 %), and schwannomas occurred in 23 (13.7 %). Thirteen patients had postoperative complications (delayed gastric emptying in 5, stricture in 3, bleeding in 3, others in 2). The mean follow-up period was 28.8 ± 20.8 months, and there were three recurrences (1.8 %) at 6, 19 and 31 months after the initial surgery. For gastric submucosal tumors with appropriate locations and growth types, laparoscopic tailored resection which facilitates safer and more precise resection can be good alternative treatment option.

This study introduces a novel technique for liver retraction during laparoscopic gastrectomy and assesses its impact on postoperative recovery. This study included 139 patients in whom Nelaton catheters (n=57) or Nathanson retractors (n=82) were used for liver retraction. Serum liver enzyme levels were measured preoperatively and on the first, second, third, fifth, and seventh postoperative days. Clinicopathologic features and postoperative recovery variables between the 2 groups were compared. The aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and C-reactive protein levels were significantly lower (P

We validated candidate biomarkers using circulating miRNAs by analyzing serum miRNA concentrations from patients with gastric cancer (GC) to predict lymph node (LN) metastasis. In a pilot study, serum levels of miR-21, miR-27a, miR-106b, miR-146a, miR-148a, miR-223, and miR-433 were compared in 10 healthy donors, 16 LN-positive patients with GC, and 15 LN-negative patients with GC. Then, we compared the level of three miRNAs (miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-148a) with the total of 79 GC patients with or without LN metastasis. In the pilot study, miR-21, miR-27a, miR-106b, miR-146a, miR-148a, and miR-223 concentrations from LN-positive patients with GC were significantly different from those of LN-negative patients with GC (P0.001, P = 0.003, P = 0.033, P0.001, P0.001, and P = 0.017, respectively). In the validation study, levels of miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-148a increased as pN stage increased (P 0.001, P = 0.001, and P0.001, respectively). Levels of the miRNAs were significantly different between pN0 and pN0 in the pT1 group (P = 0.013, P = 0.004, and P = 0.035, respectively) and among clinical stages (P = 0.001, P = 0.002, and P0.001, respectively). No differences in miRNA levels were observed by pT stage, Lauren's classification, sex, or age. Serum concentrations of miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-148a were closely associated with GC pN stage. These serum miRNA levels could be biomarker candidates to predict the presence of LN metastasis.

Context.—The clinical validity of mucin expression in gastric cancer is debated. Whereas several reports demonstrate a correlation between mucin expression and prognosis, others deny such an association. Objectives.—This survival analysis study aims to elucidate the prognostic significance of mucin expression in gastric cancer. Design.—A retrospective survival analysis was done with 412 cases of gastric cancer characterized on the basis of MUC immunohistochemistry using MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, and CD10 antibodies; the cases were divided into those with a gastric, an intestinal, or a null mucin phenotype based on the predominant mucin. Results.—There was no association between mucin expression and survival when considering overall gastric cancers or the advanced gastric cancer subtype. However, early gastric cancers with a gastric mucin phenotype showed longer survival than those with an intestinal mucin phenotype (P = .01) or a null phenotype (P = .01). In particular, MUC5AC-positive early gastric cancers resulted in longer survival than did those that did not express MUC5AC (P = .009). The loss of MUC5AC expression was identified as an independent, poor prognostic factor in early gastric cancers using the Cox regression proportional hazard model (hazard ratio, 3.50; P = .045). Conclusions.—MUC5AC expression is significantly associated with patient survival and can be used to predict outcomes in the gastric cancers, especially in the early gastric cancers.

Purpose The selection of the appropriate treatment strategy for patients with mucosal gastric cancer (MGC) remains controversial. In the present study, we aimed to determine the risk factors for lymph node (LN) metastasis in MGC and reassess the role of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Methods We examined 1,191 MGC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy between January 2005 and December 2014. We determined the clinicopathologic risk factors for LN metastasis among the MGC patients. Results Among 1,191 patients with MGC, 42 patients (3.5%) had LN metastasis. Univariate analysis indicated that age ≤ 50 years (P = 0.045), tumor invasion to the muscularis mucosa (P < 0.001), tumor size > 2 cm (P = 0.014), presence of ulceration (P = 0.01), diffuse type as per Lauren classification (P = 0.005), and undifferentiated-type histology (P = 0.001) were associated with LN metastasis. Moreover, multivariate analysis indicated that tumor invasion to the muscularis mucosa (P = 0.001; odds ratio [OR], 4.909), presence of ulceration (P = 0.036; OR, 1.982), and undifferentiated-type histology (P = 0.025; OR, 4.233) were independent risk factors for LN metastasis. In particular, LN metastasis was observed in some MGC cases with indications for ESD, including absolute indications (1 of 179, 0.6%) and expanded indications (9 of 493, 1.8%). Conclusion Although MGC patients can be treated via ESD, we recommend that they undergo a more aggressive treatment strategy if they have tumor invasion to the muscularis mucosa, ulceration, or undifferentiated-type histology in the final pathology report.

Since the Asian financial crisis in 1997–98, Asian countries have made continuous efforts to promote monetary and financial cooperation for developing regionally well-established bond markets. This paper empirically evaluates the developments of bond markets in the East-Asia region based on the recently developed empirical methodology of dynamic cross-country bond yield interactions. To this end, we use a two-step state space model to examine the existence of the global and regional factor and analyze the effect of both factors on four Asian countries’ yield curves. We find that both global and regional factors play an important role in explaining these countries’ yield factors, although the regional factor appears to have a smaller role than the global factor and that this result seems to be robust to different subsamples. We interpret this result as evidence on the existence of the regional commonality and on endeavors toward Asian bond markets.

The existing literature on U.S. monetary policy provides no sense of a consensus regarding the existence of a monetary policy regime. This article explores the evolution of U.S. monetary policy regimes via the development of a Markov-switching model predicated on narrative and statistical evidence of a monetary policy regime. We identified five regimes for the period spanning 1956:I–2005:IV and they roughly corresponded to the Chairman term of the Federal Reserve, except for the Greenspan era. More importantly, we demonstrate that the conflicting results regarding the response to inflation for the pre-Volcker period in the existing literature is not attributable to the different data but due to different samples, and also provided an insight regarding the Great Inflation—namely, that the near non-response to inflation in the early 1960s appears to have constituted the initial seed of the Great Inflation. We also find via analysis of the Markov-switching model for the U.S. real interest rate, that the regime changes in the real interest rate follow the regime changes in monetary policy within 2 years and that the evolution of real interest rate regimes provides a good explanation for the conflicting results regarding the dynamics of real interest rate.

This paper characterizes the nonlinear relation between oil price change and GDP growth, focusing on the panel data of various industrialized countries. Toward this end, the paper extends a flexible nonlinear inference to the panel data analysis where the random error components are incorporated into the flexible approach. The paper reports clear evidence of nonlinearity in the panel and confirms earlier claims in the literature - oil price increases are much more important than decreases and previous upheaval in oil prices causes the marginal effect of any given oil price change to be reduced. Our result suggests that the nonlinear oil-macroeconomy relation is generally observable over different industrialized countries and it is desirable for one to use the nonlinear function of oil price change for GDP forecast.

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a deep infection of the subcutaneous tissue that progressively destroys fascia and fat; it is associated with systemic toxicity, a fulminant course, and high mortality. NF most frequently develops from trauma that compromises skin integrity, and is more common in patients with predisposing medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, alcoholism, renal disease, liver disease, immunosuppression, malignancy, or corticosteroid use. Most often, NF is caused by polymicrobial pathogens including aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. NF caused by Staphylococcus aureus as a single pathogen, however, is rare. Here we report a case of NF that developed in a healthy woman after an isolated shoulder sprain that occurred without breaking a skin barrier, and was caused by Staphylococcus aureus as a single pathogen.

Background Given the increasing use of endoscopic resection as a therapeutic modality for cases of early gastric cancer (EGC), it is very important to define strict criteria for the use of endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection. To date, the criteria are almost entirely based on Japanese literature evaluating the risk of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with EGC. Objective To analyze our own experience with the factors affecting LN metastasis and to reappraise the extended criteria for endoscopic submucosal dissection. Design Retrospective, single-center study. Setting University teaching hospital. Patients This study involved 478 patients who underwent gastrectomy with LN dissection (n = 270, mucosal [m] EGC; n=208, submucosal [sm] EGC). Intervention Gastrectomy with LN dissection. Main Outcome Measurements LN metastasis. Results Overall, 12.6% (60/478) of patients with EGCs presented with LN metastasis (mEGC, 3.0% [8/270], smEGC, 25.0% [52/208]). Increased size, macroscopic type (elevated), depth of invasion, and lymphovascular invasion were associated with LN metastasis. In 270 cases of mEGC, there was no relationship between clinicopathologic features and LN metastasis. In the smEGC group, size, depth of invasion, and lymphovascular emboli were associated with an increased risk of LN metastasis. Significantly, LN metastasis was noted in EGCs falling within established extended endoscopic submucosal dissection criteria, that is, intestinal-type mucosal cancer of any size without ulcer and no lymphovascular emboli (2/146 [1.4%]) or ≤3 cm with no lymphovascular emboli and irrespective of the presence of ulceration (2/126 [1.6%]) or intestinal-type submucosal cancer (sm1, Limitations Retrospective review of a single-center study. Conclusion We recommend that more centers survey their experiences of LN metastasis in cases of EGC to refine the criteria for endoscopic submucosal dissection as a therapeutic modality of intestinal-type EGC.

Hedgehog signaling plays critical roles during embryonic development. It is also involved in tissue regeneration and carcinogenesis in various adult tissues. Moreover, it regulates the maintenance of cancer stem cells and adult stem cells. Although hedgehog signaling is important in gastric carcinogenesis, its role in gastric regeneration has not been previously examined. In the present study, we evaluated the expression and roles of hedgehog signaling during gastric regeneration.Gastric ulcers were induced by serosal application of an acetic acid solution in mice. Sham-operated mice served as controls. The proliferation of gastric progenitor cells was studied using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). The expression of hedgehog signaling molecules and the differentiation of gastric progenitor cells were examined by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting.One day after the induction of gastric ulcer, the proliferation of gastric progenitor cells increased; however, the expression of hedgehog signaling molecules, including sonic hedgehog (Shh), Indian hedgehog (Ihh), desert hedgehog (Dhh), and patched (Ptch1) decreased at the ulcer margin. From 5 days after the induction of gastric ulcer, newly generated gastric glands and their differentiation were observed at the ulcer margin. The expression of hedgehog signaling molecules gradually increased in the newly generated gastric glands of the ulcer margin. Cyclopamine, a specific inhibitor of hedgehog signaling, significantly inhibited the differentiation of mucous cells and parietal cells during the gastric regeneration process.The above results suggest that hedgehog signaling is involved in the differentiation of gastric progenitor cells during the gastric ulcer repair process.

The New Keynesian Phillips Curve (NKPC) model of inflation dynamics based on forward-looking expectations is of great theoretical significance in monetary policy analysis. Empirical studies, however, often find that inflation inertia, rather than inflation expectations, dominate the dynamics of the short-run aggregate supply curve. This paper examines this inconsistency by investigating multiple structural changes in the NKPC for the US over 1968-2005. Both inflation expectations survey data and a rational expectations approximation are used to capture expectations. We find that forward-looking behavior plays a smaller role during the high and volatile inflation regime to 1981 than in the subsequent period of moderate inflation, providing support for the empirical coherence of sticky prices models over the last two decades. A further break in the intercept of the NKPC is identified around 2001 and this may be associated with monetary policy in the recent period.

beta-Catenin/Tcf and NF-kappaB pathways play an important role in biological functions. We determined the underlying mechanisms of differential interaction between two pathways in various human cancer cell lines. NF-kappaB positively regulated beta-catenin/Tcf pathways in human glioblastoma, whereas it has an opposite effect on beta-catenin/Tcf pathways in colon, liver, and breast cancer cells. Expression of lucine zipper tumor suppressor 2 (lzts2) was positively regulated by NF-kappaB activity in colon, liver, and breast cancer cells, whereas negatively regulated in glioma cells. Downregulation of lzts2 increased the beta-catenin/Tcf promoter activity and inhibited NF-kappaB-induced modulation of the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin. These data indicate that the differential crosstalk between beta-catenin/Tcf and NF-kappaB pathway in various cancer cells is resulted from the differences in the regulation of NF-kappaB-induced lzts2 expression.

PURPOSE The significance of abnormal E-cadherin/ catenin complex expression and the correlation of each of its components in cancer remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize the clinical significance of the abnormal membrane expression of the E-cadherin/ catenin complex and the localization patterns of the beta- catenin and p120CTN in early gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Immunohistochemical staining for E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin and p120CTN were performed on 47 early gastric cancer specimens. The patterns of membrange expression of the E-cadherin/catenin complex, and the localization patterns of the beta-catenin and p120CTN, were semi quantitatively graded as loss, reduced, preserved or negative and positive. RESULTS An abnormal immunoreactivity of at least one of E-cadherin/catenin complex proteins was noted in 46 (97.8%) of the 47 early gastric cancer cases. There were no significant correlations of the membrane E-cadherin/catenin expression with, either, sex, age, location, size, macroscopic type, depth of invasion or lymphovascular invasion. Abnormal expressions of membrane E-cadherin, beta-catenin and gamma-catenin were more frequent in the diffuse-type than in the intestinal type. No linear correlation was shown for the beta-catenin between the membrane and cytoplasmic expressions. Nuclear staining of the beta-catenin was observed in 5 (10.6%) cases, but nuclear staining of the p120CTN, a promotor of Kaiso transcriptional factor, was not seen. CONCLUSION These results suggest that alterations of the E-cadherin/catenin complex may be involved in the early stages of gastric cancer. Although beta-catenin functions as a transcriptional factor, the inactivation of membrane E-cadherin does not appear to result in significant increases in the level of cytoplasmic beta-catenin. Kaiso transcriptional factor may not be involved in the early carcinogenesis of gastric cancer.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. Among the virulence factors, ApxIIA, a bacterial exotoxin, is reportedly expressed in many serotypes and is considered as a candidate for the development of a vaccine against the bacterial infection. Previously, we isolated a field strain of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 in Korea and characterized its exotoxins to develop an oral vaccine. In this study, we initially confirmed the immunogenicity of ApxIIA expressed in Escherichia coli. We then developed transgenic tobacco expressing ApxIIA and tested its efficacy to induce a protective immune response against A. pleuropneumoniae infection after oral administration of the plant powder. We observed that protective immune responses were induced in mice after oral administration of the plant powder once a week for 4 weeks. Immunoassays revealed that the levels of antigen-specific immunoglobulin G against ApxIIA increased in mice that were fed a powder made from the transgenic plant, but not in mice fed a powder made from wild-type tobacco. Additionally, mice fed the transgenic plant powder were protected from an injection of a lethal dose of A. pleuropneumoniae. These results support that the transgenic plant may be a suitable candidate for an oral vaccine that could be used effectively against A. pleuropneumoniae infection.

This paper investigates the nature of nonlinearities in the monetary policy rule of the US Fed using the flexible approach of Hamilton (2001a). We find that while there is significant evidence of nonlinearity for the period to 1979, there is little such evidence for the subsequent period. Possible asymmetries in the Fed’s reactions to inflation deviations from target and the output gap in the 1960s and 70s may tell part of the story, but do not capture the entire nature of the nonlinearity. The inclusion of the interaction between inflation deviations and the output gap, as recently proposed, appears to characterize the nonlinear policy rule more adequately.

Their multidifferentiation potential makes human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) candidates for cell-based therapeutic strategies for tissue injuries and for hematopoietic disorders by both local and systemic application. Despite their potential clinical utility in cellular and gene therapy, the fate of adipose stromal cells (ATSCs) after systemic administration is mostly unknown. In this study, we investigated the distribution of ATSCs injected intravenously and the effect of partial hepatectomy on their distribution. Adipose tissue stromal cells (hATSCs) were obtained from adipose tissues of adult human donors. Under appropriate culture conditions, hATSCs were induced to differentiate into osteocytes and adipocyte lineages. The hATSCs were marked by infection with the lacZ-adeno virus, and the distribution of injected cells was examined by X-Gal staining. Immunosuppression was achieved by the administration of cyclosporin into mice. The hATSCs were engrafted onto various tissues, including brain, thymus, heart, liver, and lung, after intravenous administration. Liver regeneration induced by partial hepatectomy enhanced the integration of hATCSCs into the liver. These results demonstrate that hATSCs have the ability to proliferate extensively in culture, and that they maintain their multilineage differentiation potential in vitro, establishing their progenitor cell nature. These cells are promising candidates for developing novel cell-based therapeutic approaches to postnatal tissue repair.

This paper revisits the yield spread's usefulness for predicting future real GDP growth. We show that the contribution of the spread can be decomposed into the effect of expected future changes in short rates and the effect of the term premium. We find that both factors are relevant for predicting real GDP growth but the respective contributions differ. We investigate whether the cyclical behavior of interest rate volatility could account for either or both effects. We find that while volatility displays important correlations with both the term structure of interest rates and GDP, it does not appear to account for the yield spread's usefulness for predicting GDP growth.

Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is one of the most troublesome complications after subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. We evaluated operative and perioperative variables to assess for independent risk factors of DGE caused by anastomosis edema.The study retrospectively reviewed clinical data of 382 consecutive patients who underwent subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2009 and 2011 at a single institution.Delayed gastric emptying had occurred in twelve patients (3.1%). Univariate analysis revealed high body mass index (25kg/m2), open gastrectomy, and Billroth II or Roux-en Y reconstructions to be significant factors for delayed gastric emptying. Multivariate analysis identified high body mass index and open gastrectomy as predictors of delayed gastric emptying.To avoid delayed gastric emptying, surgeons should take care in creating the gastrointestinal anastomosis, particularly in patients with high BMI or in cases of open gastrectomy.

Solitary Peutz-Jeghers type hamartomatous polyp is rare. It is considered to be related to a variant Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and may be a separate disease entity. A 50-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of intussusception in the terminal ileum and underwent segmental ileal resection with appendectomy. We identified a 3.5-cm diameter polyp arising from the appendix with ingrowth into the terminal ileum. The polyp was confirmed to be a hamartomatous polyp of Peutz-Jeghers-type, histologically. However, the patient had no characteristic manifestations of PJS such as mucocutaneous pigmentation and family history. There are few reports of appendiceal hamartomatous polyp in PJS patients and solitary appendiceal hamartomatous polyp is even rarer. Also, rather than telescoping, ours is the first reported intussuscepted lesion, to the best of our knowledge.

This periodic report includes intermittent results of consecutive pancreaticoduodenal (Pd) and kidney (Kt) transplants in inbred rats and results on double kidney transplants that did not follow sequential transplant protocol. Eight 24-month-old Lewis pancreas, kidney, and aorta served histological controls showing normal histological architecture with no atherosclerosis developed in the aorta. Thirty-four month old pancreas and thirty-two month old kidneys, which resided in young hosts for at least three occasions, appeared as youthful Pd and Kt grafts. They show normal histological appearance for more than the expected life span of a Lewis rat. The fact that not only pancreases but also kidneys outlived their host leads to the study of other different organs' viability as aged valuable grafts. Nevertheless, the threats by the development of atherosclerosis in graft-associated aortas resulted in slow progression of the follow-ups.

(1997). Korean Industrial Relations at the Crossroads: The Recent Labour Troubles. Asia Pacific Business Review: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 148-160.

Korean Abstract: 본 연구는 일국의 금융시장 충격이 타국의 금융시장에 어떻게 영향을 끼치는 지를 분석하기위하여 先行연구들이 취했던 자산가격의 국내전이효과, 또는 주식시장간 전이효과 등과 같은 개별 금융변수들이 국내금융시장에 미치는 효과만을 평가하는 방법에서 벗어나 일국 금융시장의 전반적인 여건의 변화가 타국의 금융시장에 미치는 파급효과를 살펴보는데 초점을 맞춘다. 이를 위해 금융시장의 전반적인 여건변화를 반영하는 금융여건지수(FCI)를 이용하여 미국의 금융시장 여건의 변화가 한국 금융시장의 환율, 채권, 주식에 미치는 영향을 세 금융변수의 수익률과 수익률의 변동성 관점에서 살펴보았다. 월별자료를 이용하여 3-변량 GARCH모형을 추정한 결과, 미국금융여건의 변화는 환율 및 주식의 수익률에는 상당한 부(‑)의 영향을 끼치나 채권의 수익률에는 영향을 미치지 못하고 환율, 주식, 채권 수익률의 변동성에는 거의 영향을 주지 못하는 것으로 나타났다. 단일 금융시장 변수를 이용하여 한국금융시장에 미치는 영향을 분석할 경우 FCI를 이용할 경우보다 과소평가의 가능성이 관찰되었다. 또한 강건성 분석(Robust Analysis)을 시도한 결과, FCI의 산출방법이 다르더라도 실증분석 결과는 질적인 차이가 거의 없는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 거시건전성을 통해 금융시장의 안정을 추구하려는 중앙은행은 미국 금융시장의 여건변화가 한국 개별 금융시장에 미치는 영향이 상이함을 고려하여 정책을 펼 칠 필요가 있음을 시사한다. English Abstract: Existing literature has taken an approach in which the effect of the shock to only individual foreign financial market on domestic financial markets is considered―the contagion effect of asset prices or the transmission effect between international stock markets―in order to examine how the shock to one country financial market affects other country financial markets. This study takes new approach in which the effect of the change in overall financial conditions on other country financial markets is focused on. For this end, we employ the financial condition index (FCI) which reflects overall financial conditions and analyze how the change in US FCI affects Korea foreign exchange, bond and stock markets in terms of the return and its' volatility of exchange rate, bond price, and stock price. We use monthly data and estimate 3-variables GARCH model. The empirical results show that the change in USA financial conditions has an negative impact on the returns of foreign exchange and stock while it does not affect bond's return. The volatility of the return of all three financial variables appears not to be affected by the US FCI. If the change in US stock price was only considered in order to examine the effect of US financial market on Korea financial markets, it was observed that the effect has been underestimated. In addition, as the result of robust analysis, the fundamental results have not been changed when different FCI was used. The result of this study suggests that the Bank of Korea needs to conducts macro-prudential policy in order to stabilize Korea financial market with bearing in mind that the effect of the change in US financial conditions has different impact on Korea individual financial market.