Objective To investigate the effects of topiramate(TPM) on the electroencephalogram(EEG) epileptiform wave and background activity in patients with refractory partial epilepsy. Methods Fifty-four patients with partial epilepsy resistant to conventional AED treatment were enrolled in the study. All patiants underwent rountine EEG detection during baseline days and the drug titration and maintenance phases after TPM treatment. Results After receiveing TPM, 10 patients( 19%) became seizure free and the overall seizure frequency was reduced by ≥50% in 35 patients(65%). Mild or moderate side effects were observed in 26 patients (48%).Quantitative analysis of the interictal EEG paroxysms revealed that the interictal epileptiform discharges(IED) vanished or decreased obviously in those patients who displayed a significant reduction (≥50%) in seizure occurrence, but the IED increased significantly in 9 3% of the patients. EEG background activity abnormalities(38 9%) induced by TPM consisted of increased delta and theta activities and decreased alpha activity. Conclusion The results indicated TPM being an effective drug used as adjuvant therapy in refractory partial seizure. TPM dose should increase gradually under EEG monitoring to detect side effects related to the central nervous system early.The EEG changes associated with the side effects mainly were increased activity in the slower frequency rhythm.

Animals ; Body Temperature ; drug effects ; Chlorpyrifos ; toxicity ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Temperature

Several specific monoclonal antibodies for B, T and natural killer (NK) cell were used to investigate the B cell localization and the expression of their phe- notype in lymphoid nodules on frozen and paraffin sections of human tonsil and lymph node by means of an immunocytochemical ABC technic. The results indi- cate that monoclonal antibodies reactive with germinal centers in tonsil and ly- mph node gave a simlar results and the results indicate that transformation and germination of germinal center cells involve phenotype changs but except T-200. For example, in the lower zone of germinal center, the lymphoblasts are weakly stained for IgM andLN-2 antibodies, but not for OKB-2 and BA-1, while in th upper zone the centrocytes are intense staining for IgM, LN-2, OKB-2 and BA-1 antibodies arelight or moderate staining separately Further charaterization of B cells in upperzone is frenquently observed clcavages on their nuclear memb- rane. In the mantle zone, the lymphocytes are strongly reacted with OKB-2 and BA-1, middle staining for LN-2 and light staining for sIgM. Plasma cell is only reactive with T-200 and IgM antibodies.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) suffered from a heavy mental health burden during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to explore the differences in sleep disturbance in three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan among HCWs. Moreover, factors associated with sleep disturbances in the third wave were investigated. Methods: This study, with three waves of cross-sectional surveys, recruited first-line and second-line HCWs. The level of sleep disturbance and related demographic variables were collected through self-report questionnaires. Differences in sleep disturbance across the three waves were compared with analysis of variance. Factors associated with the level of sleep disturbance were identified using univariate linear regression and further used for multivariate stepwise and bootstrap linear regression to identify the independent predictors. Results: In total, 711, 560, and 747 HCWs were included in the first, second, and third waves, respectively. For first-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was significantly higher in the third wave than in the first wave. The level of sleep disturbance gradually increased across the three waves for all HCWs. In addition, sleep disturbance was associated with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, anxiety about COVID-19, vaccine mistrust, and poorer physical and mental health among first-line HCWs. Among second-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was associated with younger age, depression, PTSD symptoms, lower preference for natural immunity, and poorer physical health. Conclusion The current study identified an increase in sleep disturbance and several predictors among HCWs. Further investigation is warranted to extend the application and generalizability of the current study.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) suffered from a heavy mental health burden during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to explore the differences in sleep disturbance in three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan among HCWs. Moreover, factors associated with sleep disturbances in the third wave were investigated. Methods: This study, with three waves of cross-sectional surveys, recruited first-line and second-line HCWs. The level of sleep disturbance and related demographic variables were collected through self-report questionnaires. Differences in sleep disturbance across the three waves were compared with analysis of variance. Factors associated with the level of sleep disturbance were identified using univariate linear regression and further used for multivariate stepwise and bootstrap linear regression to identify the independent predictors. Results: In total, 711, 560, and 747 HCWs were included in the first, second, and third waves, respectively. For first-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was significantly higher in the third wave than in the first wave. The level of sleep disturbance gradually increased across the three waves for all HCWs. In addition, sleep disturbance was associated with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, anxiety about COVID-19, vaccine mistrust, and poorer physical and mental health among first-line HCWs. Among second-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was associated with younger age, depression, PTSD symptoms, lower preference for natural immunity, and poorer physical health. Conclusion The current study identified an increase in sleep disturbance and several predictors among HCWs. Further investigation is warranted to extend the application and generalizability of the current study.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) suffered from a heavy mental health burden during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to explore the differences in sleep disturbance in three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan among HCWs. Moreover, factors associated with sleep disturbances in the third wave were investigated. Methods: This study, with three waves of cross-sectional surveys, recruited first-line and second-line HCWs. The level of sleep disturbance and related demographic variables were collected through self-report questionnaires. Differences in sleep disturbance across the three waves were compared with analysis of variance. Factors associated with the level of sleep disturbance were identified using univariate linear regression and further used for multivariate stepwise and bootstrap linear regression to identify the independent predictors. Results: In total, 711, 560, and 747 HCWs were included in the first, second, and third waves, respectively. For first-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was significantly higher in the third wave than in the first wave. The level of sleep disturbance gradually increased across the three waves for all HCWs. In addition, sleep disturbance was associated with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, anxiety about COVID-19, vaccine mistrust, and poorer physical and mental health among first-line HCWs. Among second-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was associated with younger age, depression, PTSD symptoms, lower preference for natural immunity, and poorer physical health. Conclusion The current study identified an increase in sleep disturbance and several predictors among HCWs. Further investigation is warranted to extend the application and generalizability of the current study.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) suffered from a heavy mental health burden during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to explore the differences in sleep disturbance in three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan among HCWs. Moreover, factors associated with sleep disturbances in the third wave were investigated. Methods: This study, with three waves of cross-sectional surveys, recruited first-line and second-line HCWs. The level of sleep disturbance and related demographic variables were collected through self-report questionnaires. Differences in sleep disturbance across the three waves were compared with analysis of variance. Factors associated with the level of sleep disturbance were identified using univariate linear regression and further used for multivariate stepwise and bootstrap linear regression to identify the independent predictors. Results: In total, 711, 560, and 747 HCWs were included in the first, second, and third waves, respectively. For first-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was significantly higher in the third wave than in the first wave. The level of sleep disturbance gradually increased across the three waves for all HCWs. In addition, sleep disturbance was associated with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, anxiety about COVID-19, vaccine mistrust, and poorer physical and mental health among first-line HCWs. Among second-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was associated with younger age, depression, PTSD symptoms, lower preference for natural immunity, and poorer physical health. Conclusion The current study identified an increase in sleep disturbance and several predictors among HCWs. Further investigation is warranted to extend the application and generalizability of the current study.

BACKGROUNDThe expression of therapeutic gene and its anti-tumor effects will be augmented and a synergism of oncolytic virus with the therapeutic gene is speculated. This study was undertaken to assess the anti-tumor effects of a novel gene-viral therapeutic system CNHK300-mEndostatin (CNHK300-mE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSA novel gene-viral therapeutic system named CNHK300-mE was constructed using the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter to drive the expression of the adenovirus E1A gene and cloning the therapeutic gene mouse endostatin into the adenovirus genome. By the tissue culture infectious dose 50 (TCID50) method and cytoviability assay, the replicative and cytolytic capabilities of CNHK300-mE in two HCC lines (HepGII and Hep3B) and one normal cell line (MRC-5) were analyzed, and the transgene expressions of mouse endostatin in vitro and in vivo were detected by Western blotting and ELISA assay. Tumor growth suppression and anti-angiogenesis effects in vivo were investigated using nude mice xenografts model derived from SMMC-7721 HCC cells.

RESULTSThe 3296-fold replicating capacity of CNHK300-mE in HCC cell lines versus in the normal cell line at 96 hours post infection and the 25-fold effective dose for killing 50% cells (ED50) in the normal cell line versus HCC cell lines, which were both superior to ONYX-015, were observed. Tumor growth suppression of CNHK300-mE superior to either Ad-mE or ONYX-015 was demonstrated (P < 0.01) and the anti-angiogenic effects in vivo superior to Ad-mE were also observed with immunohistochemical staining of von Willebrand factor. In comparison with non-replicative adenovirus Ad-mE, the transgene expression of mE mediated by CNHK300-mE was significantly higher in vitro (P < 0.005) and in vivo (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBeing capable of replicating in and lysing the telomerase-positive HCC cells and mediating effective expression of the therapeutic gene in vitro and in vivo, the novel gene-viral therapeutic system CNHK300-mE is potentially effective in the treatment of HCC.

Adenoviridae ; genetics ; Adenovirus E1A Proteins ; genetics ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genetic Therapy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; therapy ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Virus Replication