Although triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) has recently been shown to be upregulated in the intestines of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), it remains unclear whether serum-soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) level reflects disease activity in patients with IBD. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of sTREM-1 level with disease activity in IBD. We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with IBD and assessed their clinical disease activity using the guidelines of the American College of Gastroenterology. At the time that disease activity was assessed, sTREM-1 level (using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method) and other laboratory findings including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were also measured. A total of 31 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 22 with Crohn's disease (CD) were enrolled. The mean sTREM-1 level in patients with either UC (60.4 +/- 41.8 pg/ml) or CD (66.5 +/- 42.4 pg/ml) was significantly higher than in healthy controls (0.6 +/- 1.4 pg/ml) (P = 0.003 and P = 0.002, respectively). In patients with UC, sTREM-1 level was more highly correlated with disease activity (r = 0.849) than was ESR (r = 0.619) or CRP level (r = 0.546). Moreover, sTREM-1 level correlated well with disease activity irrespective of disease extent. In patients with CD, sTREM-1 level was lower in those with remission compared with those without (46.8 +/- 35.3 pg/ml versus 77.8 +/- 43.1 pg/ml), but this trend did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.100). The results of our study suggest that sTREM-1 could be a potential marker for disease activity in IBD patients, especially those with UC.

BackgroundMost cases with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) are usually sporadic, while about 20% of the cases are caused by genetic defects. Little information is available regarding the mutation incidence and genetic heterogeneity of CH in Koreans. We aimed to determine the mutation incidence of CH in newborn screenings (NBS) and to evaluate the frequency and spectrum of mutations underlying CH.MethodsA total of 112 newborns with thyroid dysfunction were enrolled from 256,624 consecutive NBS. Furthermore, 58 outpatients with primary CH were added from an endocrine clinic. All coding exons of TSHR, PAX8, TPO, DUOX2, DUOXA2, and SCL5A5 were sequenced.ResultsThe mutation incidence of CH was estimated to be 1 in 6,580 newborns. A total of 36 different mutations were identified in 53 cases. The overall mutation positive rate was 31%. The DUOX2 mutations were the most prevalent in both newborns and outpatients. Seven different recurrent mutations [p.G488R (n=13), p.A649E (n=3), p.R885Q (n=3), p.I1080T (n=2), and p.A1206T (n=2) in DUOX2; p.Y138X (n=9) in DUOXA2; and p.R450H (n=5) in TSHR) were identified as the mutations underlying CH.ConclusionsThe mutation incidence of CH was considerably higher than expected in the Korean newborn population. This study revealed seven different recurrent mutations underlying CH. We conclude that DUOX2 mutations are a frequent cause of CH in the Korean population.

The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of trace metals in the blood of the general Korean population. A total of 258 healthy individuals, according to their regular medical check-ups, (119 males and 139 females, age ranging from 12 to 78 years old) were enrolled from December 2014 to December 2016. Levels of 10 trace elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The geometric mean (GM) levels for lead, arsenic, cesium, mercury, aluminum, cadmium, copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc were 15.97 μg/L, 7.19 μg/L, 2.39 μg/L, 3.41 μg/L, 10.57 μg/L, 0.78 μg/L, 979.8 μg/L, 11.06 μg/L, 111.37 μg/L, and 872.7 μg/L, respectively. There were significant gender-related differences in the levels of several metals; male individuals had higher Pb, As, Cs, Hg, and Se than females, while females had higher Cd, Cu, and Mn than males. We noticed remarkably high blood levels of Hg, As and Al in the Korean population. The element concentrations reported represent a new contribution to the knowledge of the blood chemistry for the Korea population. The data can be used to assess the clinical health of this population.

Background/AimsRecent outbreak of hepatitis A in Korea is clearly related to the epidemiological shift of hepatitis A virus (HAV). However, nationwide seroprevalence data have been limited. This study estimated the nationwide, age- and area-adjusted anti-HAV prevalence from 2005 to 2009.MethodsRetrospective analysis of the results of total anti-HAV test in 25,140 cases which were requested by 1,699 medical institutions throughout the nation to Seoul Clinical Laboratory from Jan. 1 2005 to Dec. 31 2009 was performed. The estimated seroprevalence was adjusted by area and age of the standard population based on the 2005 Census data from Korea National Statistical Office.ResultsThe area-adjusted anti-HAV prevalence in the children younger than 10 years were 33.4% in 2005 and 69.9% in 2009. The most susceptible age groups to HAV infection during the last 5 years were teenagers and the young adults in their age of twenties. The area-adjusted seroprevalence in 2009 were 11.9% in the age group of 20-29 years, 23.4% in the age group of 10-19 years, 48.4% in the age group of 30-39 years. The population in 40-49 years showed geographically different seroprevalence with the lowest rate in Seoul (80%).ConclusionsThe most susceptible age group to HAV infection is 10-29 years, while the young children less than 10 years showed about 70% seropositivity. The changing seroepidemiology should be monitored continuously for the proper vaccination and patient care.

BACKGROUND:A study was undertaken to identify new immunogenic human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*2402-restricted epitopes from human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 E7 protein for immunotherapy against cervical cancer. METHODS: Synthetic overlapping peptides were screened by measuring the frequency of CD8 þ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) producing intracellular interferon-c (IFN-c) using flow cytometry and were validated in SiHa cells with a Cr release cytotoxicity assay. In vivo antitumor effects of peptide-sensitized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and isolated CD8 þ CTLs were evaluated using BALB/c nude mice with SiHa cell xenotransplants. RESULTS: Among 14 overlapping 15-amino acid peptides, E7 61-75 (CDSTLRLCVQSTHVD) and E7 67-81 (LCVQSTHVDIR-TLED) induced significantly higher IFN-c production (P < .05) and showed higher in vitro cytotoxicity against SiHa cells than did cells sensitized with the negative control. To determine the exact HLA-A*2402-restricted epitopes, a total of 25 overlapping 9-or 10-amino acid peptides spanning E7 [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75] and E7 67-81 were synthesized. E7 61-69 (CDSTLRLCV) and E7 67-76 (LCVQSTHVDI) induced significantly greater IFN-c production as well as increased in vitro cytotoxicity against SiHa cells compared with those of other peptides and the negative control (P < .01), and the antitumor effects of these peptide-sensitized PBMCs were induced by CD8 þ CTLs. E7 61-69 -sensitized and E7 67-76 -sensitized PBMCs and isolated CD8 þ CTLs showed a much greater suppression of tumor growth in vivo compared with that of control groups treated with PBS (P < .01). The authors also confirmed the synergistic antitumor effect of cisplatin followed by E7 67-76 -sensitized PBMCs in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: E7 61-69 and E7 67-76 were identified as novel HPV type 16 E7 epitopes for HLA-A*2402, which could be used for immunotherapy against cervical cancer.