Seong-Jin Hwang

Antioxidant effect of estrogen on bovine aortic endothelial cells

OBJECTIVE This study discussed the role of estrogen as an antioxidant in the damage of vascular endothelial cells. DESIGN We treated bovine aortic endothelial cells (bAEC) either with 1mM of H(2)O(2) alone or with 1 microM of 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) for 24h followed by 1mM of H(2)O(2) for 3h. The cell survival was evaluated by MTT assay, cellular apoptosis by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) and Hoechst 33342 staining, oxidative stress by intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis after oxidative stress by western blotting for phospho-p38, p38, and Bcl-2. RESULTS MTT assay showed that bAEC viability was reduced to 55.7+/-3.0% and 39.1+/-3.7% after 30 and 60 min of H(2)O(2) treatment, respectively. E(2) and H(2)O(2) treated cells did not show significant decrease in the cell survival. Similarly the FACS analysis and Hoechst 33342 stain showed that the latter decreased cellular apoptosis induced by H(2)O(2). Intracellular ROS increased by 181.6+/-68.9% in the former and by 37.0+/-3.9% in the latter (P<0.05). The expression of phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was higher in the latter. CONCLUSIONS E(2) mediates antioxidant effects on the oxidative stress induced by H(2)O(2). This antioxidant effect on bAEC may elucidate the scientific basis of hormone therapy for maintaining cardiovascular integrity in postmenopausal women.

Epidemiological characteristics of genital herpes and condyloma acuminata in patients presenting to urologic and gynecologic clinics in Korea

As viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are hard to cure completely and because they recur frequently, the management of patients and the prevention of the spread of viral STIs are important, rather than focusing on their treatment, unlike the focus for bacterial STIs. Thus, their prevalence and epidemiological characteristics should be investigated first. This study examined the prevalence of genital herpes and condyloma acuminata in patients visiting urologic and gynecologic clinics and evaluated the epidemiological characteristics of these diseases through questionnaire surveys. Out of 167,767 patients, 1,585 were reported to have genital herpes and condyloma acuminata, and the prevalences of the two diseases were 0.58 and 0.37%, respectively. The percentage of patients with viral STIs as a proportion of the total number of patients with STIs including bacterial STIs, was 35.6%. While the prevalence of genital herpes was relatively higher in middle-aged patients, that of condyloma acuminata was observed to be higher in relatively young patients. Among the patients participating in the questionnaire survey, 39.5 and 21.0% responded that they had experienced recurrence of genital herpes and condyloma acuminata, respectively. In conclusion, because the prevalences of genital herpes and condyloma acuminata as viral STIs were not trivial compared to that of bacterial STIs, and because of their frequent recurrence, policies adjusted to the characteristics of these viral STIs and more studies on the management of recurrence are necessary.

Comparison of selective uterine artery double ligation at the isthmic level of uterus and bipolar uterine artery coagulation in total laparoscopic hysterectomy

Abstract In this article, we would like to compare the clinical characteristics and effectiveness of selective uterine artery double ligation and bipolar uterine artery coagulation in total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) retrospectively. TLH was performed on 72 patients with selective uterine artery double ligation and on 312 patients with uterine artery bipolar coagulation in tertiary university hospital from January 2004 through January 2006. Both groups were similar with respect to age, body mass index, parities, rate of menopause and uterine weight. The mean transfusion, postoperative hospital stay and drain insertion in the selective uterine artery double ligation group were significantly lower than those in the bipolar uterine artery coagulation group in TLH, respectively (p < .05). There were no differences in the hemoglobin, hematocrite change, additional operations, operation time, rate of complication between the two kinds of operation (p > .05). In conclusion, selective uterine artery double ligation in TLH showed lower transfusion rate, less hospitalization and less discomfort due to drain than bipolar uterine artery coagulation. Also, it did not take a longer time for operation and thus provides a feasible and secure method to manage uterine vessels at the level of uterine isthmus inside of the broad ligament.