Anti-neuro-inflammatory effects of Nardostachys chinensis in lipopolysaccharide-and lipoteichoic acid-stimulated microglial cells / 中国天然药物

Excessive microglial cell activation is related to the progression of chronic neuro-inflammatory disorders. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression mediated by the NFE2-related factor (Nrf-2) pathway is a key regulator of neuro-inflammation. Nardostachys chinensis is used as an anti-malarial, anti-nociceptive, and neurotrophic treatment in traditional Asian medicines. In the present study, we examined the effects of an ethyl acetate extract of N. chinensis (EN) on the anti-neuro-inflammatory effects mediated by HO-1 up-regulation in Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or Staphylococcus aureus lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. Our results indicated that EN suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production and induced HO-1 transcription and translation through Nrf-2/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling. EN markedly inhibited LPS- and LTA-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) as well as phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT). Furthermore, EN protected hippocampal HT22 cells from indirect neuronal toxicity mediated by LPS- and LTA-treated microglial cells. These results suggested that EN impairs LPS- and LTA-induced neuro-inflammatory responses in microglial cells and confers protection against indirect neuronal damage to HT22 cells. In conclusion, our findings indicate that EN could be used as a natural anti-neuro-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent.

Awake during General Anesthesia with BispectralIndex Value of 35

Awareness of intraoperative events in patients under general anesthesia is rare, but awareness during anesthesia is a serious complication that leads to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Bispectral Index (BIS) has generally been accepted as a measurement of hypnosis under anesthesia. It is derived from a processed electroencephalogram and computer algorithm that assigns a numerical value based on the probability of consciousness. A 46-year-old, 65-kg male without underlying disease underwent elective surgery for ventral hernia. The patient in this case was administered an anesthetic that we frequently use and then average BIS value are 35. But he experienced awake during general anesthesia. We describe the first case of intraoperation awake under BIS 40 using desflurane.

Articulation Patterns of Children who Developed Articulation Disorders Associated with Ankyloglossia / 대한소아신경학회지

PURPOSE: We investigated articulation patterns in children with ankyloglossia who developed articulation disorders in order to determine the relationship between ankyloglossia and articulation disorders, and to clinically detect children who have articulation disorders associated with ankyloglossia. METHODS: The participants of this study were 23 children with articulation disorders that accompanied ankyloglossia and 55 controls with functional articulation disorders independent of anatomical problems, who were admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2012. All children underwent speech-language pathologic evaluation using the Picture Consonant Articulation Test (PCAT; Young-Tae Kim, 1994). We retrospectively compared collected data between the subject and control groups using Fisher's exact test and odds ratio tests with a 95% confidential interval for categorical variables and the independent Mann-Whitney U-test for continuous variables. RESULTS: The number of patients with articulation errors in the velar nasal was lower significantly only in the subject group (P=0.038). The total numbers of articulation errors in the bilabial plosive, velar plosive and velar nasal also were lower (P=0.007, P<0.001, and P=0.034, respectively). There were no differences in the numbers of patients with articulation errors according to phonological changes between the two groups. However, the total numbers of fronting and frication were lower in the subject group (both P<0.001), but the total numbers of plosivation and tensing were higher (P=0.002 and P=0.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the relationship between an articulation disorder and ankyloglossia is doubtful, although some results suggest that ankyloglossia may cause articulation errors only in certain individuals. Therefore, clinicians should be careful when determining the relationship between ankyloglossia and articulation disorders and use caution when making a treatment decision.

The Protective Effect of Eupatilin against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Injury Involving 5-Lipoxygenase in Feline Esophageal Epithelial Cells

In this study, we focused to identify whether eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3',4',6-trimethoxyflavone), an extract from Artemisia argyi folium, prevents H2O2-induced injury of cultured feline esophageal epithelial cells. Cell viability was measured by the conventional MTT reduction assay. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the expression of 5-lipoxygenase by H2O2 treatment in the absence and presence of inhibitors. When cells were exposed to 600 microM H2O2 for 24 hours, cell viability was decreased to 40%. However, when cells were pretreated with 25~150 microM eupatilin for 12 hours, viability was significantly restored in a concentration-dependent manner. H2O2-treated cells were shown to express 5-lipoxygenase, whereas the cells pretreated with eupatilin exhibited reduction in the expression of 5-lipoxygenase. The H2O2-induced increase of 5-lipoxygenase expression was prevented by SB202190, SP600125, or NAC. We further demonstrated that the level of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was also reduced by eupatilin, SB202190, SP600125, NAC, or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (a lipoxygenase inhibitor) pretreatment. H2O2 induced the activation of p38MAPK and JNK, this activation was inhibited by eupatilin. These results indicate that eupatilin may reduce H2O2-induced cytotoxicity, and 5-lipoxygenase expression and LTB4 production by controlling the p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways through antioxidative action in feline esophageal epithelial cells.

Characteristics of 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptors Involved in Contraction of Feline Ileal Longitudinal Smooth Muscle

A number of studies have demonstrated that 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) can induce muscle contraction or relaxation response and enhance secretion in the gastrointestinal tract via a multiplicity of 5-HT receptor subtypes. In the present study, we investigated the pharmacological characterization of the 5-HT-induced contractile response in longitudinal smooth muscle isolated from the feline ileum. Addition of 5-HT into muscle chambers enhanced the basal tone and spontaneous activity in a concentration-dependent manner. The neurotoxin tetrodotoxin did not alter the 5-HT-induced contraction of the longitudinal muscles. Neither atropine nor guanethidine affected the contraction. The 5-HT agonists, 5-methylserotonin hydrochloride and mosapride, also evoked concentration-dependent contractions. The 5-HT-induced contraction was enhanced by the 5HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin and the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron but was inhibited by the 5-HT1 receptor antagonist methysergide and 5-HT4 receptor antagonist GR113808. These results indicate that 5-HT1 and 5-HT4 receptors may mediate the contraction of the 5-HT-induced response and 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors may mediate 5-HT-induced relaxation in feline ileal longitudinal smooth muscles.

The Stem Bark of Kalopanax pictus Exhibits Anti-inflammatory Effect through Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction and NF-kappaB Suppression

BACKGROUND: The stem bark of Kalopanax pictus (KP) has been used in traditional medicine to treat rheumatoidal arthritis, neurotic pain and diabetes mellitus in China and Korea. In this study, the mechanism responsible for anti-inflammatory effects of KP was investigated. METHODS: We examined the effects of KP on NO production, nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and HO-1 expression, NF-kappaB, Nrf2 and MAPK activation in mouse peritoneal macrophages. RESULTS: The aqueous extract of KP inhibited LPS-induced NO secretion as well as inducible iNOS expression, without affecting cell viability. KP suppressed LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation, phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaB-alpha, phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Furthermore, KP induced HO-1 expression and Nrf2 nuclear translocation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that KP has the inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production in macrophages through NF-kappaB suppression and HO-1 induction.

Effects of thoracic epidural anesthesia on hemodynamic changes during tracheal intubation / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: We sought to assess whether increasing a single dose of 1.5% lidocaine during thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) could suppress hemodynamic responses after laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation. METHODS: A total of 81 patients (ASA physical status I and II, aged 45-75) who scheduled for major abdominal surgery were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups, for epidural injection of different amounts of 1.5% lidocaine: 0.1 ml/kg (L0.1, n = 27), 0.2 ml/kg (L0.2, n = 27), and 0.3 ml/kg (L0.3, n = 27). After 15 min, general anesthesia was induced with intravenous thiopental sodium (5 mg/kg) and rocuronium (0.9 mg/kg), followed by tracheal intubation. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate were recorded for 3 min after intubation. Maximum percentage increases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during the 3 min after tracheal intubation from baseline and the induction value were compared. RESULTS: The maximum increases in SBP from baseline values were significantly higher in L0.1 than in L0.2 and L0.3 (22.6%; 95% CI, 12.2-33.0%; -0.5%; 95% CI, -11.1-10.0%; and -6.9%; 95% CI, -13.9-0.0%, respectively), whereas the maximum increases from induction values did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative TEA using a single dose of 1.5% lidocaine at 0.2 ml/kg attenuated hemodynamic responses during tracheal intubation but did not completely suppress blood pressure reactions to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation.

A Study on Behaviors for Preventing Recurrence and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was to identify behaviors preventing the recurrence of breast cancer and the level of quality of life. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted using a structured questionnaire from November 1, 2006 to December 25, 2006 . One hundred and twenty two women breast cancer survivors were recruited by convenience sampling. RESULTS: The most frequent behavior for preventing recurrence of the breast cancer was dietary treatment (90.9%) and exercise (86.8%) was the second behavior. In addition, most of them perceived these behaviors as 'very effective' (82.8%). The degree of the quality of life of a breast cancer survivor was 5.34 point indicating a 'medium level'. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer survivors pursued various behaviors for preventing recurrence of breast cancer. Therefore, the nursing interventions should be focused on a systematic educational approach considering healthy behaviors to prevent breast cancer recurrence for breast cancer survivors.

The Protective Effects of Ethanol Extract of Wild Simulated Ginseng on Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Acute Hepatic Injury in Mouse

The wild simulated ginseng (WSG) has been effectively used in folk medicine as a remedy against hepatic disease, hypertension and arthritic disease. However, there is still lack of scientific proof about its antioxidant capability. The present study has been conducted to evaluate the protective role of the WSG ethanol extract in the CCl4-induced oxidative stress and resultant hepatic disfunction in ICR mice. The electron donating abilities and IC50 of WSG etnanol extract were 76.86 +/- 1.06% and 33.3 ug/mL (that of ascobic acid was 16.5 ug/mL), respectively. Total antioxidant status of WSG extract was 2.13 +/- 0.06 mmoL/mg, while the values of ascorbic acid and BHT were 3.63 +/- 0.06 and 3.12 +/- 0.02, respectively. ICR mice (aged 3weeks) were fed for 4 weeks on AIN-93M diet and had free access to food and water. The animals were divided into three groups: normal group (intraperitoneally (i.p) injected with PBS at 100 microliter/mouse), group C; CCl4-induced and without any treatment. (i.p injected only PBS, 100 microliter /mice), group G; CCl4-induced and treated with WSG (i.p injected with 5 mg WSG extract per mouse, suspended in 100 microliter phosphate buffer). After the i.p. injection of WSG or PBS (5 times for 7weeks), all mice were administered CCl4 in olive oil at the last day of the experiment, except for normal group. The normal group was administered only olive oil. Determination of plasma triglyceride, total cholersterol, fasting glucose and GPT activity was performed using automatic blood analyzer. To evaluate the protective effect against the oxidative stress, DNA fragmentation and TBARS were determined in blood leucocytes and RBC and hepatocyte, respectively. Body and organs weights and food intake did not show significant differences among the groups. Blood total cholesterol of group G was similar to that of normal group, which was the lowest in group C. The fasting blood glucose level was the highest in normal group (205.20 +/- 135.24), which were decreased in group C (134.2 +/- 79.31) and group G (126.48 +/- 77.05). TBARS values in a red blood cell and hepatic tisuue homogenate were lower in group G comparing to the group C. DNA% in tail, tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM) of blood leucoocytes showed the highest values in group C (20.11 +/- 2.47, 17.36 +/- 2.58, 94.11 +/- 12.29) and they were significantly diminished in group G (9.63 +/- 1.19, 7.04 +/- 1.50, 38.64 +/- 7.60). In conclusion, wild simulated ginseng might be a protective agent against the oxidative stress.

Relaxation Effect of Synthetic Ceramide Analogues in Cat Esophageal Smooth Muscle Cells

Ceramide has emerged as a novel second messenger for intracellular signalling. It is produced from sphingomyelin and is involved in the control of cell differntiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. C2- ceramide, short chain ceramide, plays a role in mediating contraction of cat esophageal smooth muscle cells. We examined the effect of synthesized ceramide analogues on the C2-ceramide and ACh-induced contraction in esophageal smooth muscle cells isolated with collagenase. CY3523, CY3525, or CY3723 inhibited C2-ceramide induced contraction, in a time dependent manne. Each analogue also inhibited the contraction in concentration dependent manners. CY 3523, CY 3525, and CY 3723 had no effect to the contraction induced by PMA. The inhibition with CY3523, CY3525 and CY3723 on the C2- ceramide induced contraction was recovered by PMA. These analogues decreased the density of MAPK bands (p44/42 or p38) in the western blot. These results suggest that ceramide analogues can inhibit C2-ceramide induced contraction via PKC and MAPK dependent pathway.

A Study on the Use Patterns of Alternative Therapy in the Elderly / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the using pattern of alternative therapies in the elderly. Method: 197 subjects, persons who were more than 60 years old, we interviewed. We modified and complemented Shin's(2000) instrument in accordance with purpose of this study. Data were analyzed statistically by using SAS program. RESULTS: 1. It was shown that 66.84% of subjects have utilized one or more types of alternative therapy. 2. It was shown that the most frequently used types are acupuncture (48.83%), and ethmoid bone therapy (42.75%). 3. Acupuncture was shown to be the most satisfactory type of therapy (14.50%). 4. There was a significant difference in the use ratio by sex; female 73.47% and male 60.20%. 5. Among users of alternative therapies, the most frequent responses to each question were as follows; 1. Motive of Use - "for complete cure of symptoms" (32.31%). 2. Side effects - "no side effects" (95.97%). CONCLUSION: We found that elderly persons used alternative therapies more frequently than others perpulations. Diet therapy and Hand therapy were most commonly used in older people. Although the elderly use alternative therapy, they cannot place confidence in its scientific reliability. Therefore, we need to examine the effects of alternative therapy.

A Study on the Use Patterns of Alternative Therapy in the Elderly / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the using pattern of alternative therapies in the elderly. Method: 197 subjects, persons who were more than 60 years old, we interviewed. We modified and complemented Shin's(2000) instrument in accordance with purpose of this study. Data were analyzed statistically by using SAS program. RESULTS: 1. It was shown that 66.84% of subjects have utilized one or more types of alternative therapy. 2. It was shown that the most frequently used types are acupuncture (48.83%), and ethmoid bone therapy (42.75%). 3. Acupuncture was shown to be the most satisfactory type of therapy (14.50%). 4. There was a significant difference in the use ratio by sex; female 73.47% and male 60.20%. 5. Among users of alternative therapies, the most frequent responses to each question were as follows; 1. Motive of Use - "for complete cure of symptoms" (32.31%). 2. Side effects - "no side effects" (95.97%). CONCLUSION: We found that elderly persons used alternative therapies more frequently than others perpulations. Diet therapy and Hand therapy were most commonly used in older people. Although the elderly use alternative therapy, they cannot place confidence in its scientific reliability. Therefore, we need to examine the effects of alternative therapy.

Relationship between Brain MRI and Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Term Infants with Severe Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

PURPOSE: We analyzed the relationship between MRI patterns and neurologic outcome and explored the effectiveness of MRI as a tool for predicting the outcome. METHODS: We analyzed 23 full term infants with severe HIE retrospectively who were admitted to our NICU from Sep. 1993 to May 1998. Their MRI findings were classified into 4 patterns : type I : deep gray matter injury; type II : cortical, subcortical white matter injury; type III : localized periventricular white matter injury; and type IV : mixed injury. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed at a mean age of 30.7 months and the patients were grouped in two - neurodevelopmentally normal(8 cases) and delayed(15 cases, including 4 deaths). RESULTS: All type I patients(n=3) showed severe neurodevelopmental delay. Of seven type II patients, three developed normally(42.9%) and four showed developmental delay(57.1%). All type III patients(n=4) developed normally(P=0.008). Of nine type IV patients, one(11.1%) developed normally and eight(88.9%) showed severe developmental delay. There were twelve patients with lesions including thalamus and basal ganglia injury in MRI(type I+IV) and most of them(n=11, 91.7%) were severely developmentally delayed(P=0.002). Acute total asphyxic insult was documented in 9 of the 23 infants, 8 of 9(88.9%) had patterns of lesions including thalamus and basal ganglia injury. The neurologic outcome was poor for all except one of these patients. CONCLUSION: All the patients with periventricular white matter injury in MRI developed normally whereas all except one patient with subcortical gray matter injury showed severe neurodevelopmental delay. The patterns of brain injury shown in the MRIs of term infants with severe HIE provided significant information about the prognosis for the neurodevelopmental outcome of these infants.

Three Cases of Transient Symptomatic Zinc Deficiency / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Transient symptomatic zinc deficiency (TSZD) is clinically similar to acrodermatitis enteropathica. The patients are experienced dermatitis on periorifice and extremities, alopecia, diarrhea, growth retardation, anemia, delayed wound healing and infection. They showed a characteristically rapid response to zinc supplement without recurrence. We report 3 cases of TSZD infants, 2 premature infants with inadequate zinc supply and 1 mature infant with chronic diarrhea.