Postoperative residual neuromuscular blockade after reversal based on a qualitative peripheral nerve stimulator response: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Incomplete recovery of neuromuscular blockade is a common postoperative adverse event in the postanaesthesia care unit. OBJECTIVE: We examined and compared the incidence of residual neuromuscular blockade when the recommended dose of neostigmine or sugammadex was administered according to a qualitative nerve stimulator response. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial. SETTING: A tertiary care hospital in South Korea from September 2017 to November 2017. PATIENTS: Eighty patients aged between 18 and 69 years were included in this study. All were patients scheduled to undergo elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and who had an American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status of one or two were eligible. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were allocated randomly to receive neostigmine or sugammadex at the end of surgery. The doses of the reversal agents were based on the response to peripheral nerve stimulation, which was discontinued after administration of the reversal agent. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative residual neuromuscular blockade. The secondary outcomes were the incidences of symptoms or signs of residual neuromuscular blockade such as hypoxaemia, inability to maintain head-lift for 5 s and diplopia. RESULTS: The incidence of residual neuromuscular blockade on arrival in the recovery room was 44.4% in the neostigmine group and 0% in the sugammadex group (P < 0.0001, relative risk = 1.80, 95% confidence interval 1.36 to 2.41). The incidences of adverse events in the recovery room were low and comparable between the groups. CONCLUSION: The incidence of residual neuromuscular blockade on arrival in the recovery room was significantly higher in the neostigmine group than that in the sugammadex group. However, the incidence of adverse events was similar in the neostigmine and sugammadex groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03292965.

Different TERT Expression between Colorectal Adenoma and Serrated Polyp.

Background and Objectives: Telomere regulation have an association with colorectal cancer. Previous studies demonstrated its implication in colorectal carcinogenesis. This study aimed to identify the role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in colorectal carcinogenesis and determine TERT expression and their associated genes in precancerous lesions. Materials and Methods: TERT expression in 93 colorectal precursor lesions was analyzed. This included 61 tubular adenomas (TAs) and 32 serrated polyps (SPs). Furthermore, KRAS and BRAF gene mutations and microsatellite instability were analyzed. Statistical tests were performed to analyze the relationship between variables. Results: TERT expression in TAs, when compared with those observed in paired adjacent nontumor tissues, was 0.92 ± 0.78. TERT expression levels were significantly lower in SPs (0.38 ± 0.14, p < 0.001). KRAS and BRAF mutations were mutually exclusive in TAs and SPs (p < 0.001). TERT expression tended to be associated with KRAS mutations (46.7% vs. 22.0%, p = 0.098) and low-grade tumors (35.0% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.096), but this difference was insignificant. Conclusions: TERT expression has a pivotal role in progression to TAs in colorectal tissue. Considering the association between TERT expression and KRAS mutation, therapeutic drugs targeting this pathway can be developed for cancer prevention.

Clinical and Prognostic Significance of TZAP Expression in Cervical Cancer.

Background and Objectives: Telomeric zinc finger-associated protein (TZAP) is a telomere-associated factor that was previously called ZBTB48. This protein binds preferentially to long telomeres, competing with telomeric repeat factors 1 and 2. Genetic changes in TZAP may be associated with cancer pathogenesis; however, this relationship has not yet been elucidated for any type of cancer. In this study, we aimed to examine the clinicopathologic and prognostic value of TZAP expression in cervical cancer (CC). Materials and Methods: The data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas cohorts by OncoLnc (21 cancer types, 7700 cancers). The prognostic value of TZAP for different stages of 264 CCs was examined using survival analysis. Results: The TZAP expression did not differ significantly between CC and normal matched tissues. Age, cancer stage, and viral infection were not associated with TZAP expression. Survival analysis revealed a shorter overall survival in CC patients with a lower TZAP expression (χ2 = 3.62, p = 0.057). The prognostic value of TZAP expression was greater in patients with N1 stage CC (χ2 = 5.64, p = 0.018). Conclusion: TZAP expression is a possible prognostic marker for CC, especially stage N1 CC.

Microbacterium horti sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from Cucurbita maxima cultivating soil.

A novel bacterial strain THG-SL1(T) was isolated from a soil sample of Cucurbita maxima garden and was characterized by using a polyphasic approach. Cells were Gram-reaction-positive, non-motile and rod-shaped. The strain was aerobic, catalase positive and weakly positive for oxidase. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis but it shared highest similarity with Microbacterium ginsengisoli KCTC 19189(T) (96.6 %), indicating that strain THG-SL1(T) belongs to the genus Microbacterium. The DNA G + C content of the isolate was 68.9 mol %. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15: 0 (39.7 %), anteiso-C17: 0 (24.4 %) and iso-C16: 0 (18.5 %). The major polar lipids of strain THG-SL1(T) were phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and an unidentified glycolipid (GL). The predominant respiratory isoprenoid quinones were menaquinone-11 and menaquinone-12. The diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan was ornithine. Based on the results of polyphasic characterization, strain THG-SL1(T) represented a novel species within the genus Microbacterium, for which the name Microbacterium horti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THG-SL1(T) (=KACC 18286(T)=CCTCC AB 2015117(T)).

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and abnormal lipid levels among Korean adolescents.

AIM: Early identification of the metabolic syndrome (MS) and abnormal lipid levels with subsequent life-style intervention is vital to halt disease progression and safeguard the future health of children and adolescents. METHODS: Data from a representative sample of 1554 adolescents (821 boys and 733 girls) aged 10-19 from the 2007-2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was analysed. The MS was defined using the paediatric criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. Abnormal lipid levels were classified according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics. RESULTS: Approximately 13.7% of adolescents have a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 94th percentiles, and 8.4% have a BMI of ≥95th percentile. The prevalence of the MS was 2.3% among all the participants, 2.7% among boys and 2.1% among girls. The prevalence of the MS was 2.8% among overweight adolescents and 23.7% among obese adolescents. A low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was the most common component for the MS. Nearly 20% of adolescents (21% of boys and 19% of girls) had at least one lipid abnormality. Approximately 32% of overweight adolescents and 50% of obese adolescents were candidates for therapeutic life-style counselling based on lipid levels. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides the most updated prevalence estimates of the MS in the Korean adolescent population and highlights the strong association of the MS with BMI. The prevalence of abnormal lipid levels in overweight and obese adolescents is high, illustrating the large burden of cardiovascular disease in the future Korean population.

Sonication-assisted production of biodiesel using soybean oil and supercritical methanol.

High temperature and pressure are generally required to produce biodiesel using supercritical methanol. We reduced the harsh reaction conditions by means of sonicating the reaction mixture prior to transesterification using supercritical methanol. Soybean oil was selected as the raw material for transesterification. As soybean oil contains more unsaturated fatty acid triglycerides, the biodiesel degraded more at high temperature. The reactants were sonicated for 60 min at 35 °C prior to transesterification to avoid degradation of the product and to enhance biodiesel yield at temperatures <300 °C. The process parameters were optimized using central composite design. The variables selected for optimization were temperature, time, and the oil to methanol molar ratio. The temperature and oil to methanol molar ratios were varied from 250 to 280 °C and 1:40-1:50, respectively. The reaction time was tested between 4 and 12 min. The biodiesel was analyzed for any possible degradation by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and for the wt% of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) obtained. The maximum FAME yield (84.2 wt%) was obtained at a temperature of 265.7 °C, an oil to alcohol molar ratio of 1:44.7, and a time of 8.8 min. The optimum yield was obtained at a pressure of 1,500 psi. The pressure and optimum temperature used to obtain the maximum yield were the lowest reported so far without the use of a co-solvent. Thus, the severity of the supercritical reactions was reduced by adding sonication prior to the reaction.

The Role of Some Vitamins in Respiratory-related Viral Infections: A Narrative Review.

This study aimed to find out the effect of vitamins on respiratory-related viral infections, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), through the literature reviews. From January 2000 to June 2021, the studies (cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, randomized control trials) related to vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, C, B6, folate, and B12) and COVID-19/severe acute respiratory syndrome/Middle East respiratory syndrome/cold/influenza were selected from the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries and analyzed. The relationship between vitamins and virus-related respiratory diseases was identified. Through the review, 39 studies were selected on vitamin D, one study on vitamin E, 11 studies on vitamin C, and 3 studies on folate. Regarding COVID-19, 18 studies on vitamin D, 4 studies on vitamin C, and 2 studies on folate showed significant effects of the intake of these nutrients in preventing COVID-19. Regarding colds and influenza, 3 studies on vitamin D, 1 study on vitamin E, 3 studies on vitamin C, and 1 study on folate demonstrated that the intake of these nutrients significantly prevents these diseases. Therefore, this review suggested the intake of vitamins D, E, C, and folate is important for preventing respiratory diseases related to viruses, such as COVID-19, colds, and influenza. The relationship between these nutrients and virus-related respiratory diseases should be continuously monitored in the future.

Materials and extracellular matrix rigidity highlighted in tissue damages and diseases: Implication for biomaterials design and therapeutic targets.

Rigidity (or stiffness) of materials and extracellular matrix has proven to be one of the most significant extracellular physicochemical cues that can control diverse cell behaviors, such as contractility, motility, and spreading, and the resultant pathophysiological phenomena. Many 2D materials engineered with tunable rigidity have enabled researchers to elucidate the roles of matrix biophysical cues in diverse cellular events, including migration, lineage specification, and mechanical memory. Moreover, the recent findings accumulated under 3D environments with viscoelastic and remodeling properties pointed to the importance of dynamically changing rigidity in cell fate control, tissue repair, and disease progression. Thus, here we aim to highlight the works related with material/matrix-rigidity-mediated cell and tissue behaviors, with a brief outlook into the studies on the effects of material/matrix rigidity on cell behaviors in 2D systems, further discussion of the events and considerations in tissue-mimicking 3D conditions, and then examination of the in vivo findings that concern material/matrix rigidity. The current discussion will help understand the material/matrix-rigidity-mediated biological phenomena and further leverage the concepts to find therapeutic targets and to design implantable materials for the treatment of damaged and diseased tissues.

Shelf Life Prediction of Vacuum-Packaged Grilled Mackerel.

The current study aimed to establish the shelf life of vacuum-packaged grilled mackerel stored at 5, -5, and -20°C for 70 days. To this end, physicochemical analyses, which involved determining the pH, volatile basic nitrogen, amino nitrogen, trimethylamine (TMA), and thiobarbituric acid levels; microbiological analyses (aerobic plate count and coliform); and sensory quality determination were performed. Regression analysis on the relationship between physicochemical properties and storage time at various temperatures revealed TMA level was the most suitable parameter (R2=0.9769) for predicting changes in the quality of grilled mackerel during storage, with a quality limit value of 8.74 mg/100 g. The shelf life of vacuum-packaged grilled mackerel according to temperature was 21, 53, 62, and 75 days for 5, -5, -15, and -20°C, respectively, with the use-by date being 23 days at 5°C and 74 days at -5°C. In conclusion, TMA was the most suitable parameter for predicting changes in the quality of grilled mackerel during storage.

A genome-wide association study reveals susceptibility variants for non-small cell lung cancer in the Korean population.

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and the major cause of cancer death, both in Korea and worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as the predominant histologic type. To identify genetic risk factors, we here conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a replication study in 1425 patients with NSCLC and 3011 controls from Korea. From the data for 2162 participants analyzed using the Affymetrix Genome-wide Human SNP array 5.0K, 168 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected for validation. In the second stage, we were able to genotype 168 SNPs in 804 patients and 1470 controls to confirm the results of the GWAS. In the meta-analysis, rs2131877 at the chromosome 3q29 region was the most significant biomarker of lung cancer susceptibility in Koreans (P = 2.43 × 10(-8)). Four markers that were located within the chromosome 3q29 region were also associated with lung cancer susceptibility (trend P < 1.2 × 10(-4)), along with markers on 5p15 that were previously reported in populations of European descent. This high-density large-scale GWAS carried out in the Korean population suggests that 3q29 is a novel susceptibility region associated with lung cancer susceptibility in Koreans.

Hepatic ischemic preconditioning provides protection against distant renal ischemia and reperfusion injury in mice.

We previously demonstrated that there are acute and delayed phases of renal protection against renal ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury with renal ischemic preconditioning (IPC). This study assessed whether hepatic IPC could also reduce distant renal IR injury through the blood stream-mediated supply of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: group I, sham operated including right nephrectomy; group II (IR), left renal ischemia for 30 min and reperfusion injury; group III (IPC-IR), hepatic ischemia for 10 min followed by 10 min of reperfusion before left renal IR injury; group IV (MPG - IPC + IR), pretreated with 100 mg/kg N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (MPG) 15 min before hepatic IPC and left renal IR injury. Renal function, histopathologic findings, proinflammatory cytokines, and cytoprotective proteins were evaluated 15 min or 24 hr after reperfusion. Hepatic IPC attenuated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and induced inducible nitric-oxide synthase, and the phosphorylation of Akt in the murine kidney. Renal function was better preserved in mice with hepatic IPC (group III) than groups II or IV. Hepatic IPC protects against distant renal IR injury through the blood stream-delivery of hepatic IPC-induced ROS, by inducing cytoprotective proteins, and by inhibiting inflammatory reactions.

The Potential Application of Human Gingival Fibroblast-Conditioned Media in Pulp Regeneration: An In Vitro Study.

Regenerative endodontic treatment based on tissue engineering has recently gained interest in contemporary restorative dentistry. However, low survival rates and poor potential differentiation of stem cells could undermine the success rate of pulp regenerative therapy. Human gingival fibroblast-conditioned medium (hGF-CM) has been considered a potential therapy for tissue regeneration due to its stability in maintaining multiple factors essential for tissue regeneration compared to live cell transplantation. This study aimed to investigate the potency of hGF-CM on stem cells from human dental pulp (DPSC) in pulp regeneration. A series of experiments confirmed that hGF-CM contributes to a significant increase in proliferation, migration capability, and cell viability of DPSC after H2O2 exposure. Moreover, it has been proved to facilitate the odontogenic differentiation of DPSC via qRT-PCR, ALP (alkaline phosphatase), and ARS (Alizarin Red S) staining. It has been discovered that such highly upregulated odontogenesis is related to certain types of ECM proteins (collagen and laminin) from hGF-CM via proteomics. In addition, it is found that the ERK pathway is a key mechanism via inhibition assay based on RNA-seq result. These findings demonstrate that hGF-CM could be beneficial biomolecules for pulp regeneration.

DNA repair gene polymorphisms and benefit from gefitinib in never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms in DNA repair genes affect clinical outcome of never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma (NSLA). METHOD: Common polymorphisms in the DNA repair genes ribonucleotide reductase M1 (RRM1), excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), and x-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) were genotyped in DNA samples from 158 patients among 313 NSLA who were randomized to receive either gefitinib or gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) as first-line therapy. Immunohistochemistry for ERCC1 (n = 38) and direct sequencing of the epidermal growth factor gene (EGFR) (n = 42) were performed using tumor samples. RESULTS: Patients who had the XRCC1 arginine (Arg)/Arg polymorphism at codon 399 (399Arg/Arg) had a higher response rate to gefitinib (71% vs 36%; P = .002) and had more EGFR-mutant tumors (82% vs 29%; P = .001) than patients who had the glutamine (Gln) allele. Patients who had the ERCC1 adenine-adenine (AA) polymorphism at codon 8092 (8092AA) had a higher response to GP than patients who had the cytosine-cytosine (CC) or the CA genotype (100% vs 44%; P = .043).When gefitinib was compared with GP, significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) was observed with gefitinib among patients who had the XRCC1 399Arg/Arg genotype (7.5 months vs 6.6 months; P = .013), the RRM1 2464 guanine-guanine (GG) genotype (11.5 months vs 6.0 months; P = .004), and the ERCC1 8092CA genotype (7.5 months vs 6.4 months; P = .024). When the 3 genotypes were analyzed jointly, significantly longer PFS was observed with gefitinib among patients who had ≥2 genotypes (8.1 months vs 6.4 months; P = .009), whereas a trend for longer PFS was observed with GP among patients without the 3 genotypes (6.3 months vs 2.0 months; P = .06). In a multivariate Cox regression model, the greater number of specific genotypes independently predicted improved overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.8; P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the XRCC1 399Arg/Arg, RRM1 2464GG, and ERCC1 8092CA genotypes did benefit from gefitinib. Having more of these genotypes may predict favorable prognosis for NSLA.

Size- and doping-dependent time-resolved photoluminescence of doped Si nanocrystals.

Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) has been studied for B- and Sb-doped Si nanocrystals (NCs) fabricated by ion beam sputtering and annealing. For B-doped Si NCs, the PL intensity as well as the PL lifetime (τPL) increases as NC size (d) varies from 1.5 to 2.6 nm, similar to the case for undoped Si NCs, but with further increase of d, they decrease, possibly resulting from the increase of optically less active NCs with the increase of NCs containing more dopants. The PL intensity and τPL monotonically decrease with increasing doping concentration (nD), irrespective of doping element. Si NCs show smaller τPL in B doping than in Sb doping over the full range of nD. The sharp decrease in PL intensity, accompanied by the gradual decrease in τPL for the higher nD of Sb, may be attributed to Auger recombination due to the presence of Sb inside Si NCs. The higher PL quench rate by Sb compared to B could be attributed to better ionization of Sb dopants in Si NCs.

Active doping of B in silicon nanostructures and development of a Si quantum dot solar cell.

Active doping of B was observed in nanometer silicon layers confined in SiO(2) layers by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling analysis and confirmed by Hall effect measurements. The uniformly distributed boron atoms in the B-doped silicon layers of [SiO(2) (8 nm)/B-doped Si(10 nm)](5) films turned out to be segregated into the Si/SiO(2) interfaces and the Si bulk, forming a distinct bimodal distribution by annealing at high temperature. B atoms in the Si layers were found to preferentially substitute inactive three-fold Si atoms in the grain boundaries and then substitute the four-fold Si atoms to achieve electrically active doping. As a result, active doping of B is initiated at high doping concentrations above 1.1 × 10(20) atoms cm( - 3) and high active doping of 3 × 10(20) atoms cm( - 3) could be achieved. The active doping in ultra-thin Si layers was implemented for silicon quantum dots (QDs) to realize a Si QD solar cell. A high energy-conversion efficiency of 13.4% was realized from a p-type Si QD solar cell with B concentration of 4 × 10(20) atoms cm( - 3).

Influence of iron-overload on DNA damage and its repair in human leukocytes in vitro.

Iron is an important element that modulates the production of reactive oxygen species, which are thought to play a causative role in biological processes such as mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. The potential genotoxicity of dietary iron has been seldom studied in human leukocyte and only few reports have investigated in human colon tumor cells. Therefore, DNA damage and repair capacity of human leukocytes were examined using comet assay for screening the potential toxicity of various iron-overloads such as ferric-nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA), FeSO(4), hemoglobin and myoglobin, and compared with 200µM of H(2)O(2) and HNE. The iron-overloads tested were not cytotoxic in the range of 10-1000 microM by trypan blue exclusion assay. The exposure of leukocytes to Fe-NTA (500 and 1000 microM), FeSO(4) (250-1000 microM), hemoglobin (10 microM) and myoglobin (250 microM) for 30 min induced significantly higher DNA damage than NC. Treatment with 500 and 1000 microM of Fe-NTA showed a similar genotoxic effect to H(2)O(2), and a significant higher genotoxic effect than HNE. The genotoxicity of FeSO(4) (250-1000 microM), hemoglobin (10 microM) and myoglobin (250 microM) was not significantly different from that of H(2)O(2) and HNE. Iron-overloads generated DNA strand break were rejoined from the first 1h. Their genotoxic effect was not observed at 24h. These data from this study provide additional information on the genotoxicity of iron-overloads and self-repair capacity in human leukocytes.

Effects of Calcium Fortified Beverage Intake on Insulin Sensitivity and Antioxidant Metabolism in Healthy Elderly.

Calcium, one of the most important nutrients, determines the quality of life of the elderly. It has been reported that 7 out of 10 people over the age of 60 have insufficient calcium intake. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcium fortified beverage (CFB) intake on insulin sensitivity and antioxidant metabolism in healthy elderly. A crossover clinical trial was performed and antioxidant status of healthy elderly (age above 65 years, n = 8) was analyzed. Subjects did not take CFB for 0-3 weeks. They then took it for 3-6 weeks. CFB supplementation decreased insulin levels (Δ3-6 weeks: 1.19 ± 0.65 µ IU/mL → Δ0-3 weeks: -0.58 ± 0.38 µ IU/mL). Increasing degree of fasting blood glucose level was suppressed by intake of CFB, although the suppression was not statistically significant. Except for insulin, there were no significant differences in results of biochemical analysis between 0-3 weeks and 3-6 weeks. Catalase activity was significantly increased by CFB supplementation (Δ3-6 weeks: 3.50 ± 5.30 K g/Hb) compared to the no CFB supplementation period (Δ0-3 weeks: -12.48 ± 4.37 K g/Hb). However, the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione-peroxidase were not significantly different between 0-3 weeks and 3-6 weeks. H2O2-induced DNA oxidative damage was also decreased significantly by CFB supplementation. Taken together, these results indicate that CFB has beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity and some antioxidant enzymes in healthy elderly.

Comparative Analysis of Commercial Chinese Bean Sauce (Chunjang) from Korea and China Based on Antioxidant Activity.

In this study, the antioxidant effects of seven types of commercial Chunjang from China (C1∼3) and Korea (K1∼4) were compared for their ability to protect against H2O2-induced DNA damage. Outputs included total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH RSA), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), total radical trapping antioxidant potential (TRAP), and comet assays. TPC was the highest in C3 (1,250.8 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g). C1 exhibited a significantly higher DPPH RSA IC50 (7.5 mg/mL) and ORAC concentration (8.22 µM Trolox equivalent) compared with all other samples, and C1 and K1 exhibited the highest TRAPs. H2O2-induced DNA damage was effectively protected by Chunjang, with a higher observed in C2, C3, and K1 (24.2∼25.3 µg/mL) compared with the other samples (28.3∼30.0 µg/mL). Our results showed that commercial Chunjang contains polyphenol and antioxidant activities. The differences between the samples might be attributed to different origins, materials, and processing methods.

The Effect of Intraoperative Magnesium Sulphate Infusion on Emergence Agitation after Ambulatory Ophthalmic Surgery in Children.

This study investigated whether intraoperative infusion of magnesium sulphate reduces the incidence of emergence agitation (EA) in paediatric patients who undergo ambulatory ophthalmic surgery using the Paediatric Anaesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale. Ninety-two paediatric patients who were scheduled for elective ophthalmic surgery were randomly allocated to two groups: control or magnesium. In the magnesium group, patients received an initial intravenous loading dose of 30 mg/kg of 10% solution of magnesium sulphate over 10 min and then a continuous infusion of 10 mg/kg×h during the surgery. In the control group, an equal volume of 0.9% isotonic saline was administered in the same way as in the magnesium group. The PAED scale was assessed at 15-min intervals until the PAED score reached below 10 at the postanaesthetic care unit. EA was defined as a PAED score of 10 or higher. Of the 86 patients recruited, 44 and 42 were allocated to the control and magnesium groups, respectively. The incidence of EA was 77.3% in the control group and 57.1% in the magnesium group (odds ratio, 0.392; 95% confidence interval, 0.154 to 0.997; p = 0.046). The intraoperative infusion of magnesium sulphate significantly reduced the incidence of EA.

Antioxidative and antigenotoxic effects of garlic (Allium sativum L.) prepared by different processing methods.

This study describes the antioxidant activities and antigenotoxic effects of garlic extracts prepared by different processing methods. Aged-garlic extract (AGE) showed a significantly higher total phenolic content (562.6 +/- 1.92 mg/100 g garlic acid equivalents) than those of raw garlic extract (RGE) or heated garlic extract (HGE). The SC(50) for DPPH RSA in HGE was significantly the highest at 2.1 mg/ml. The SC(50) for SOD-like activity in garlic extracts was, in decreasing order, RGE (7.3 mg/ml) > AGE (8.5 mg/ml) > HGE (9.2 mg /ml). The ED(50) of AGE was the highest (19.3 microg/ml) regarding H2O2 induced DNA damage and its inhibition rate was 70.8%. The ED(50) of RGE for 4-hydroxynonenal (a lipid peroxidation product) induced DNA damage was 38.6 microg/ml, followed by AGE > HGE. Although the heat treatment of garlic tended to decrease the TPC and SOD-like activity and increased DPPH RSA, garlic, in general, has significant antioxidant activity and protective effects against oxidative DNA damage regardless of processing method.