Clinical Outcomes of MOK Pharmacopuncture in an Elderly Male Patient with Hypothyroidism-A Case Report and Literature Review.

Hypothyroidism is more common in women and individuals between 30 and 50 years old. This case report depicts the clinical outcomes of MOK pharmacopuncture, a type of Korean medicine treatment, for an elderly male patient with hypothyroidism who was on long-term L-thyroxine (LT4) therapy but still felt chronically lethargic and tired and was generally in poor health. A 72-year-old Korean man has been on LT4 since being diagnosed with hypothyroidism 16 years ago and has tried to discontinue hormone supplements in the past. The patient was treated with MOK pharmacopuncture, mainly at the ST10 acupoint, twice a week for four months. Following the treatment, the T3, free-T4, and TPO Ab levels and thyroiditis status on ultrasound showed improvement. Additionally, there were a normalization of ESR levels, an enhancement in the quality of life, a reduction in depression scores, an improvement in the antioxidant status, and an alleviation of major symptoms when compared to pre-treatment conditions. This case report demonstrates the potential of MOK pharmacopuncture as a complementary treatment for an elderly man with hypothyroidism who had a poor quality of life due to fatigue and lethargy despite LT4 treatment.

Supra-ampullary duodenectomy in a patient with positive distal resection margin after subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a case report.

Resection margin involvement after curative intent resection for gastric cancer results in a poor prognosis and deprives the patient of the chance for a cure. Reoperation to achieve an R0 status should guarantee tolerable morbidity and achievement of negative margins. We performed laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with extracorporeal Billroth II reconstruction in a 56-year-old woman with gastric cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Scattered cancer cells were observed in the proximal and distal resection margins on immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin. Two weeks postoperatively, remnant total gastrectomy and supra-ampullary duodenectomy were performed. Before reoperation, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage and angiocatheter placement outside the ampulla of Vater (AoV) via the cystic duct were performed to avoid pancreaticoduodenectomy and to obtain the maximal distal margin. Duodenal transection was performed 1 cm above the AoV. The resected duodenum was 4 cm in length. The patient had no postoperative complications and received adjuvant chemotherapy 1 month after the reoperation.

Pharmacopuncture for nerve entrapment syndrome: A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Nerve entrapment syndrome occurs when the nerves become compressed or entrapped and restricted. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture in patients with nerve entrapment syndrome. METHODS: A search will be conducted from inception to August 2022 using the following 11 electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and 6 Korean databases. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating pharmacopuncture treatment for various nerve entrapment syndromes will be considered, with no restrictions regarding the type of pharmacopuncture solution used. Two reviewers will perform the data extraction and quality assessment using a predefined data extraction form. The methodological quality of the included RCTs will be assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. RESULTS: This systematic review will provide high-quality evidence to determine the efficacy and safety of pharmacopuncture therapy for nerve entrapment syndrome. CONCLUSION: Our findings will be informative for patients with nerve entrapment syndrome, as well as clinicians, policymakers, and researchers.

A Single-Center Retrospective Study on the Effects of Korean Medicine in 342 Traffic Accident Cases.

OBJECTIVES: In South Korea, traffic accident victims can be treated under automobile insurance coverage. Korean medicine (KM) clinics have reported the largest number of automobile insurance fee claims among medical institutions. This study investigated the status of the KM automobile insurance system in a single KM clinic. METHODS: We retrospectively surveyed the medical charts of 342 traffic accident patients treated at the Jisung KM clinic between January 2009 and June 2017. RESULTS: Most of the patients were men and in their 30s. The most common method of locating the clinic was an internet search. The most common traffic accident type was collision between vehicles (83.63%), with 70.76% of patients visiting during the most acute phase. The major disease codes included S434, M4836, F072, S0600, and S3350. The most frequent treatment period was within 1 month of the accident, and most patients received 10 or fewer treatments. The mean treatment duration and number of treatments were 37.68 ± 45.11 days and 11.68 ± 10.63 treatments, respectively. The initial pain numerical rating scale (NRS), 7.32 ± 0.96, decreased to 3.57 ± 1.40 at the end of treatment, with a symptom improvement score of 1.87 ± 0.60. Regarding sex, age, disease duration, location at the time of the accident, presence of additional and psychological symptoms, and chuna, there were statistically significant differences in treatment duration and number of treatments. A higher number of treatments and the longer treatment duration was associated with a higher initial NRS, lower post-treatment NRS, and better improvement score. Since the introduction of traffic accident (TA) pharmacopuncture, the rate of use of a single type of pharmacopuncture increased; however, no significant differences in treatment duration and number, NRS before and after treatment, and improvement score were observed between treatment groups before and after TA pharmacopuncture. No adverse reactions were observed for any treatment. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the previous findings of a high treatment effect of KM under automobile insurance. We also observed significant correlations based on a detailed medical status, which may explain the increasing use of KM in the automobile insurance system. Additional multi-center studies in different regions are needed.

Herbal medicine for the prevention of sarcopenia: A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by a gradual and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength leading to physical disability, poor quality of life, and possible death. The disease impacts the steadily increasing aging population worldwide. In this systematic review protocol, we aim to investigate the effects and safety of herbal medicines on skeletal muscle health, specifically focusing on possible treatments for preventing sarcopenia. METHODS: Nine electronic databases will be comprehensively searched from inception to the present date. Clinical studies reporting on the effects and safety of herbal medicines associated with skeletal muscle health and the prevention of sarcopenia will be included. The primary outcome will be determined by five categories: anti-inflammatory and antioxidant efficacy, muscle damage prevention, anti-fatigue effect, muscle-atrophy prevention, and muscle regeneration and differentiation. Two independent researchers will perform the research selection, data extraction, and quality assessment processes. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool will be used to assess the methodological quality and design of the included studies. We will place no restrictions on publication status or language, and the results of the systematic review will be disseminated electronically and in print by publication in a peer-reviewed journal. RESULTS: The present study will evaluate the effects and safety of herbal medicines for the prevention of sarcopenia. CONCLUSION: Our findings will provide guidance on the use of herbal medicines to prevent sarcopenia. This knowledge is valuable for elderly people, clinicians treating patients with sarcopenia, policy makers, and researchers. REGISTRATION NUMBER: Reviewregistry1113 (URL: https://www.researchregistry.com/browse-the-registry#registryofsystematicreviewsmeta-analyses/registryofsystematicreviewsmeta-analysesdetails/604a1e5ef176d2001b557750/).

Traditional medicine treatment for thoracic outlet syndrome: A protocol for systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is challenging; however, proper evaluation and treatment ensure relief from symptoms in most patients. A comprehensive approach to treatment is important, considering the multifactorial etiology of TOS. The objective of this systematic review is to describe the methods for evaluating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture-based traditional medicine treatments for TOS. METHODS: A total of 13 databases will be searched, from their inception to the present date, for studies that have investigated the treatment of TOS. Databases that will be included are MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and 4 Korean, 2 Chinese, and 2 Japanese databases.We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupuncture-based traditional medicine for the treatment of any type of TOS. All RCTs on traditional medicine with any form of acupuncture will be eligible for inclusion. The methodologic quality of the RCTs will be analyzed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool to assess the risk of bias, and the confidence in the cumulative evidence will be assessed using the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation instrument. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated both electronically and in print. The review will be updated to inform and guide health care practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020164869.

Effect of Alternate Treatment with Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Steroid for Treatment-Naive Diabetic Macular Edema in a Real-Life Setting.

Purpose: To assess if alternate treatment with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and corticosteroid injections can improve visual and anatomical outcomes of treatment-naive diabetic macular edema (DME) in a real-life setting. Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 71 treatment-naive DME eyes that received intravitreal anti-VEGF monotherapy (48 eyes, anti-VEGF group) or were alternately treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF and corticosteroid injections (23 eyes, alternate group). Results: During the 2-year follow-up period, the anti-VEGF group received an average of 5.7 injections, while the alternate group received 6.4 injections (P = 0.085). The alternate group demonstrated a 0.10 logMAR gain in visual acuity; the anti-VEGF group showed a 0.05 logMAR loss (P = 0.040). The alternate group achieved an 87.7-µm reduction in central macular thickness; the anti-VEGF group achieved a 57.0-µm reduction (P = 0.676). There was a visual loss ≥0.20 logMAR in 8.7% of the eyes in the alternate group and 33.3% of the eyes in the anti-VEGF group (P = 0.039). Cataract surgery was performed in 8.9% of the phakic eyes in the anti-VEGF group and 56.3% of the phakic eyes in the alternate group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Alternate treatment with intravitreal anti-VEGF and corticosteroid injections demonstrated a more favorable visual outcome in treatment-naive DME eyes compared to intravitreal anti-VEGF monotherapy.

Foveal Microvascular Structures in Eyes with Silicone Oil Tamponade for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: A Swept-source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study.

Silicone oil (SO) is widely used as a long-term intravitreal tamponading agent for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair. This study investigated the structural changes of the foveal microvasculature using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients with RRD treated with vitrectomy and SO tamponade. Thirty-eight patients with unilateral RRD who were treated with vitrectomy and SO tamponade and were followed up for ≥3 months after SO removal were included. En face OCTA images were obtained and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and vascular density (VD) were compared between study eyes and unaffected contralateral eyes. The FAZ area in deep capillary plexus (DCP) was larger (P < 0.001) and the VD in DCP was lower (P = 0.022) in the study eyes than in the fellow eyes. The duration of SO tamponade was significantly correlated with the enlargement of FAZ area (P = 0.034) and reduction of VD in DCP (P = 0.015). These changes could reflect vascular insufficiency in eyes with SO tamponade and may represent a potential explanation for the pathogenesis of retinal thinning and unexplained visual loss.

Pharmacopuncture for the management of musculoskeletal diseases: A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are the main reason for people to seek counseling and use of complementary and alternative medicine. Although pharmacopuncture is used to treat various diseases in traditional medicine, it is most often applied to treat musculoskeletal conditions. Here, we will review systematically the clinical evidence for the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for musculoskeletal diseases. METHODS: A total of 13 databases will be searched for studies uploaded from January 2014 to December 2018 that investigated the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. These databases are MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, 4 Korean databases, 2 Chinese database, and 2 Japanese databases. The methodological quality of randomized controlled trials will be analyzed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool to assess risk of bias, and the confidence in the cumulative evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) instrument. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated electronically and in print. To inform and guide healthcare practices, the review will be updated. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019148795.

MOK, a pharmacopuncture medicine, regulates thyroid dysfunction in L-thyroxin-induced hyperthyroidism in rats through the regulation of oxidation and the TRPV1 ion channel.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of MOK, a pharmacopuncture medicine, on thyroid dysfunction in L-thyroxin (LT4)-induced hyperthyroidism rats. METHODS: The experimental hyperthyroidism model was prepared by the intraperitoneal injection of LT4 (0.5 mg/kg) once daily for 2 weeks in SD rats. MOK extract was injected at doses of 0.3 or 3 mg/kg on acupuncture points in the thyroid glands of LT4-induced hypothyroidism rats once a day for 2 weeks. The body temperature, body weight, and food/water intake were measured once a week for 2 weeks. The levels of thyroid hormones, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, GOT, and GPT were measured in the sera of rats using ELISA and an automatic blood analyzer. The histological changes of thyroid tissues were observed by H&E staining. The expression of thermo-regulating protein, TRPV1 was determined by western blot in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and brain tissues. We also measured the contents of GSH in the liver and antioxidant enzymes, SOD, and catalase in the liver, heart, and brain tissues by enzyme-based assay and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: The acupuncture of MOK extract on the thyroid gland of LT4-induced hyperthyroidism rats significantly decreased the body temperature, and did not change body weight and food and water intakes. MOK acupuncture significantly increased the level of TSH, and decreased the levels of T3 and T4 in hyperthyroidism rats. The expression of TRPV1 was inhibited in both DRG and brain tissues after MOK acupuncture, and the levels of GOT, GPT, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol were also decreased. MOK acupuncture also inhibited the pathological feature with follicular lining epithelial thicknesses and increased follicular colloid depositions in the thyroid glands of hypothyroidism. MOK acupuncture significantly increased hepatic GSH levels and decreased the expression of SOD and catalase in the liver, heart, and brain tissues of hyperthyroidism rats. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the pharmacopuncture with MOK extract in hyperthyroidism can improve the pathophysiological changes through regulating the body temperature, thyroid hormones imbalance, lipid accumulation, and oxidation. This anti-hyperthyroidism effect of MOK pharmacopuncture is thought to be related to the control of thermo-regulating protein TRPV1 in DRG and brain.

Atypical acute retinal necrosis accompanied by Terson's syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) has characterized by panuveitis, vitritis, severe vaso-occlusive vasculitis, and diffuse necrotizing retinitis. There are no case reports on atypical ARN combined with Terson's syndrome. Herein, we report a case of ARN with atypical clinical features combined with Terson's syndrome that we successfully treated by intravitreal ganciclovir injection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old man visited our eye clinic with a complaint of decreased visual acuity in his right eye. At the initial visit, his best corrected visual acuity was 20/125 in the right eye. Slit-lamp examination demonstrated mild hyperemia, keratic precipitates, and anterior chamber inflammatory reaction. Fundus examination revealed multiple diffuse white-yellowish infiltrations in the peripheral retina combined with dot hemorrhages. Ultra-wide-field fluorescence angiography showed obstructive arteritis with peripheral non-perfusion and leakage from the retinal vessels. As a result of the PCR analysis, varicella zoster virus DNA was identified in the aqueous humor. Under the diagnosis with VZV-mediated ARN, we started with intravenous acyclovir and oral prednisolone. After 3 days of the above treatment, the anterior chamber inflammation and vitreous opacity were increased. On fundus examination, multiple whitish infiltrations were increased. In addition, newly developed vitreous and peripapillary hemorrhages were detected. On the T2 brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a sub-acute or old hemorrhagic infarction in the right occipital lobe, and contrast-enhancing lesions in the right basal ganglia. The spinal tapping was performed in the department of neurology in our hospital at the time when the patient complained of headache, and intracranial pressure was 31 mmHg. Under the diagnosis of ARN with Terson's syndrome, we started intravitreal ganciclovir (2 mg/0.5 ml) injections. After 5 intravitreal ganciclovir injections over a period of 8 months, the diffuse whitish infiltrating retinal lesions combined with dot hemorrhage were decreased. The vitreous and peripapillary hemorrhage was significantly reduced. There was no recurrence in the patient's right eye, in which his visual acuity had improved to 20/60. CONCLUSIONS: In the event of a poor response to traditional treatment such as intravenous acyclovir, intravitreal ganciclovir may have a role as an adjunctive therapy in patients of VZV associated ARN combined with Terson's syndrome.

Ophthalmologic manifestations in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), has been reported to have various ophthalmologic manifestations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of ophthalmologic manifestations associated with IBD in Korea. METHODS: Sixty-one patients were examined between May 2013 and October 2014. We performed complete ophthalmologic examinations. RESULTS: Findings included 36 patients with CD and 25 with UC. The mean age of the patients was 34±16 years and disease duration was 45.3±23.9 months. Ophthalmologic manifestations were positive in 44 cases. Primary complication was diagnosed in 5 cases, as follows; iritis in 2 cases, episcleritis in one case, iritis with optic neuritis in 1 case, and serous retinal detachment in 1 case, without secondary complications. The most common coincidental complication was dry eye syndrome (DES), in 35 patients (57.4%). The prevalence of DES in the control group was 21.3%. The proportion of DES in patients with IBD was significantly higher than in the control group (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Ophthalmologic manifestations were high (72.1%) in IBD patients. Clinically significant primary ocular inflammation occurred in 8.2% of patients. The most common complication was DES. There was a higher rate of DES in patients with IBD compared to the control group. Evaluation of the eye should be a routine component in patients with IBD.

Effect of Immunotherapy on Seizure Outcome in Patients with Autoimmune Encephalitis: A Prospective Observational Registry Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the seizure characteristics and outcome after immunotherapy in adult patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and new-onset seizure. METHODS: Adult (age ≥18 years) patients with AE and new-onset seizure who underwent immunotherapy and were followed-up for at least 6 months were included. Seizure frequency was evaluated at 2-4 weeks and 6 months after the onset of the initial immunotherapy and was categorized as "seizure remission", "> 50% seizure reduction", or "no change" based on the degree of its decrease. RESULTS: Forty-one AE patients who presented with new-onset seizure were analysed. At 2-4 weeks after the initial immunotherapy, 51.2% of the patients were seizure free, and 24.4% had significant seizure reduction. At 6 months, seizure remission was observed in 73.2% of the patients, although four patients died during hospitalization. Rituximab was used as a second-line immunotherapy in 12 patients who continued to have seizures despite the initial immunotherapy, and additional seizure remission was achieved in 66.6% of them. In particular, those who exhibited partial response to the initial immunotherapy had a better seizure outcome after rituximab, with low adverse events. CONCLUSION: AE frequently presented as seizure, but only 18.9% of the living patients suffered from seizure at 6 months after immunotherapy. Aggressive immunotherapy can improve seizure outcome in patients with AE.

Recurrent Guillain-Barré syndrome presenting stereotypic manifestations, positive antiganglioside antibodies, and rapid recovery.

OBJECTIVE: Recurrent Guillain-Barré syndrome (rGBS) has been described as a rare entity with distinct characteristics. However, little is known about rGBS in Asian group. The aim of this study was to identify the incidence and clinical course of rGBS, and to determine its clinical/pathophysiological implications. METHODS: The consecutive data of 117 GBS patients were retrieved from a single university-based hospital in Korea and analyzed in terms of clinical, serological, electrophysiological aspects. RESULTS: A thorough review revealed that three (2.6%) of the enrolled patients had experienced more than two definite recurrent attacks of GBS. Interestingly, all three cases exhibited clinically stereotypical features, serum antiganglioside antibodies, and rapid recovery after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. Clinical, serological, and electrophysiological features of rGBS cases were described in detail. CONCLUSION: The stereotypic presentation of each attack in this variant suggests the importance of both host and genetic factors for the clinical manifestations. In addition, the simultaneous presence of serum antiganglioside antibodies and rapid recovery implicate reversible nerve conduction failure as the mechanism of rGBS. These features are different from typical monophasic GBS and acute onset of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

[Conservative management of adult small bowel intussusception detected at abdominal computed tomography].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The incidence of adult small bowel intussusception detected at CT has increased with advanced imaging techniques and universal utilization of CT scan. We aimed to identify factors that could predict the necessity of surgical intervention in adult patients with small bowel intussusception detected at CT during the past decade. METHODS: There were 39 cases of adult small-bowel intussusception detected at CT from January 2004 to June 2014. The data on clinical factors, radiological factors and outcomes were collected by retrospectively reviewing all available medical records. Patients were classified as surgical group and conservative group according to the outcome. Association between predictive factors and outcome was assessed by Fisher's exact test and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Among a total of 39 patients, there were 32 patients (82%) in the conservative group and 7 patients (18%) in the surgical group. Spontaneous reduction was confirmed at short-term follow-up studies (abdominal ultrasonography [n=14], single contrast small bowel series [n=14], CT [n=4]) in the conservative group. No recurrence occurred during the median follow-up period of 14.1 months (range, 0-67.5 months). Patients in the surgical group had significantly higher white blood cell (WBC) counts (OR 1.001, p=0.048), more frequent obstruction (n=4 vs. n=4, p=0.022) or leading point (n=5 vs. n=0, p<0.001) and longer intussuception length (OR 1.929, p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Factors associated with the necessity to resort to surgical intervention in adults with small bowel intussusceptions were higher WBC counts, presence of obstruction or leading point, and longer intussuception length. Conservative management can be considered with short-term follow-up for those without these predictive factors.

Accuracies of diagnostic methods for acute appendicitis.

The objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonography, computed tomography, and physical examination for diagnosing acute appendicitis with analyzing their accuracies and negative appendectomy rates in a clinical rather than research setting. A total of 2763 subjects were enrolled. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value and negative appendectomy rate for ultrasonography, computed tomography, and physical examination were calculated. Confirmed positive acute appendicitis was defined based on pathologic findings, and confirmed negative acute appendicitis was defined by pathologic findings as well as on clinical follow-up. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for ultrasonography were 99.1, 91.7, 96.5, and 97.7 per cent, respectively; for computed tomography, 96.4, 95.4, 95.6, and 96.3 per cent, respectively; and for physical examination, 99.0, 76.1, 88.1, and 97.6 per cent, respectively. The negative appendectomy rate was 5.8 per cent (5.2% in the ultrasonography group, 4.3% in the computed tomography group, and 12.2% in the physical examination group). Ultrasonography/computed tomography should be performed routinely for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. However, in view of its advantages, ultrasonography should be performed first. Also, if the result of a physical examination is negative, imaging studies after physical examination can be unnecessary.

Improved yield and functional parameters of rat pancreas islets isolated under intramuscular anesthesia.

Intraperitoneal (IP) anesthesia is commonly used for laboratory animal experiments including rat islet isolation. However, the direct effects of anesthetics on pancreatic islets have been neglected. This study compared the islet function and recovery yield from rats that were anesthetized using IP and intramuscular (IM) injection. In addition, the lag time required to lose deep pain was measured in the following anesthetics combinations. Lewis rats were anesthetized using ketamine and xylazine (K/X) or zoletil and xylazine (Z/X). A glucose challenge test was performed on each group of prepared islets. The effect of the anesthetic agents (e.g., ketamine, zoletil, xylazine alone, and the combination of K/X and Z/X) on cell lines (rat insulinoma; RIN-5F) was investigated by determining their effect on the cell viability, the amount of insulin, and insulin mRNA expression levels of RIN-5F. The time needed for deep anesthesia in IM anesthesia was significantly shortened in comparison to IP [K/X (IM: 313 ± 66 s, IP: 371 ± 84 s) and Z/X (IM: 206 ± 76 s, IP: 245 ± 92 s)]. In addition, number of isolated islet yield by IM anesthesia was significantly improved [K/X (IM: 1530 ± 242, IP: 1245 ± 149) and Z/X (IM: 1136 ± 226, IP: 511 ± 154)]. The functions of fresh islets, indicated by the stimulation index, acquired under IM anesthesia was better preserved than that of IP. The viability and the insulin secretion of RIN-5F were decreased at 24 and 48 h. Insulin gene expression levels were decreased at 24 h as well. Anesthetics may be absorbed through the pancreas surface to the islets and have a direct effect, resulting in islet exposure and deterioration during isolation. In conclusion, for rodent islet isolation, IM anesthesia is simpler and safer in comparison to IP anesthesia.

The effect of amantadine on corneal endothelium in subjects with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of amantadine on corneal endothelial cells in subjects with Parkinson's disease. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 169 subjects (169 eyes) taking amantadine orally for Parkinson's disease and the same number of age- and gender-matched controls. METHODS: Endothelial indices were compared between the amantadine-treated and age-matched control groups. The amantadine-treated group was divided into 3 subgroups according to the cumulative dose and duration of treatment. Endothelial changes were compared between the amantadine group and the normal control group, and among subgroups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Slit-lamp biomicroscopy, central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation, and hexagonality. RESULTS: The amantadine group had significantly lower ECD (mean +/- standard error; 2662.47+/-29.06 vs. 2784.72+/-25.89, P = 0.002), lower hexagonality (56.94+/-1.07 vs. 60.97+/-0.87, P = 0.004), and greater coefficient of variation (35.59+/-0.57 vs. 32.66+/-0.52, P = 0.000) compared with the age-matched control group. Longer duration and higher cumulative dose amantadine therapy led to a greater reduction in ECD (P<0.05) compared with the normal age-matched control group. CONCLUSIONS: Amantadine is more likely to have an effect on corneal endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner when used long-term.