This study was designed to investigate the effects of mulberry leaf powder supplementation on lead (Pb) status and mineral (Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn) content in Pb-administered rats for 4 weeks. Thirty two male rats were divided into 4 groups: a control, Pb, Pb5M (500 ppm Pb + 5% mulberry leaf powder), and Pb10M (500 ppm Pb + 10% mulberry leaf powder). There were no significant differences in food intake and initial body weight among groups. Mulberry leaf powder treatments showed significant decreases in food efficiency ratio and body weight gain. But FER of Pb5M% and Pb10M were significantly increases than that of Pb group. The levels of serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and creatinine were decreased by mulberry leaf powder treatment. Minerals content of liver and kidney were significantly decreased in the Pb groups than that of control group. Whereas, fecal minerals content were significantly increased in the Pb5M and Pb10M than those of control group. Pb content of serum, liver and kidney was significantly increased in the Pb group than those of control group. However, by mulberry leaf powder administration (Pb5M and Pb10M), Pb level of serum, liver and kidney were lowered than that of Pb group. And fecal Pb excretion was significantly increased in the Pb5M and Pb10M than that of Pb group. These results showed mulberry leaves were effective for lowing Pb accumulation in serum, organs, which may have potential to prevent Pb toxicity.
Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Body Weight ; Creatinine ; Eating ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Male ; Minerals* ; Morus* ; Rats*

Herein, nuruks derived from non-glutinous and glutinous rice inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae N159-1 (having high alpha-amylase and beta-glucosidase activities) were used to produce Korean alcoholic beverages. The resultant beverages had enhanced fruity (ethyl caproate and isoamyl alcohol) and rose (2-phenethyl acetate and phenethyl alcohol) flavors and high taste scores.
Alcoholic Beverages* ; Alcoholics* ; alpha-Amylases ; Aspergillus oryzae* ; Aspergillus* ; beta-Glucosidase ; Beverages ; Humans

PURPOSE: To compare high-order aberrations in the pseudophakia with different types of intraocular lenses (IOLs), as well as with normal phakic eyes. METHODS: This single-center prospective study comprised 80 cataract patients who underwent cataract surgery and 20 phakic eyes. Twenty eyes received an AF-1(R) VA-60BB; 20 eyes, a Corneal(R) ACR6D SE; 20 eyes, a Sensar(R) AR40e; and 20 eyes, a ClariFlex(R). One month after cataract surgery, the eye aberration was measured using a Hartmann-Shack type aberrometer. The same test was performed for 20 normal phakic eyes. The individual Zernike polynomials, the root mean square (RMS) values of the third and fourth order aberration, and the total RMS among the groups were compared. RESULTS: The individual Zernike coefficient (Z3(-1), Z3(3), Z4(-4), Z4(0), Z4(4)) showed a significant difference in the IOL-implanted groups compared with the normal phakic eyes. There were statistically significant differences in the RMS values of the third and fourth order aberration, and total among each group. CONCLUSIONS: There was a statistically significant increase in aberration in patients with high refractive index IOL and a statistically significant decrease in patients with silicone IOL, compared to the normal phakic eyes.
Cataract ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular* ; Prospective Studies ; Pseudophakia* ; Refractometry ; Silicones

PURPOSE: To compare the results of laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) and epi-laser in situ keratomileusis (Epi-LASIK) for the treatment of moderate to high myopia. METHODS: In this study, 50 patients with a manifest refraction of moderate to high myopia were assigned to two groups: 50 eyes of 25 patients treated with LASEK and 50 eyes of 25 patients treated with epi-LASIK. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest refraction, corneal haze, and postoperative pain were reviewed in LASEK and epi-LASIK treated eyes at 3 months after the operation. RESULTS: At one week after surgery, UCVA was recovered more rapidly after epi-LASIK than LASEK (LASEK: 0.61+/-0.23, Epi-LASIK: 0.79+/-0.11, p<0.05), but UCVA at both 1 and 3 months showed no significant difference between the LASEK and epi-LASIK groups. However, epi-LASIK-treated eyes had lower postoperative pain scores and lower corneal haze scores (1 month; p=0.01) than those of LASEK-treated eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Epi-LASIK showed a more rapid visual recovery than LASEK at 1 week after surgery for the correction of myopia. Epi-LASIK-treated eyes also had less postoperative pain and an earlier reduction of postoperative corneal haze. These results suggest epi-LASIK could be a viable alternative procedure for the correction of moderate to high myopia.
Humans ; Keratectomy, Subepithelial, Laser-Assisted ; Myopia* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND: Bupivacaine blocks the sodium channels and inhibits the depolarization of myocardium. The inward sodium current (INa) could be activated by decreasing potassium in the extracellualr spaces. We hypothesized that the bupivacaine dose which creates the cardiac toxicity may have the correlation with serum potassium concentration which is in the normal range. METHODS: After the dogs were anesthetized with pentobarbital, 0.5% bupivacaine was administrated at a rate of 0.5 mg/kg/min until SvO2 decreased to 60% or less, which was defined as the point of cardiac depression in this study. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), SvO2, ETCO2, arterial blood gas analysis, serum electrolytes (Na+ , K+ , Ca2+ ), and ECG were taken at baseline and cardiac depression point. Infused bupivacaine dose and blood concentration to make cardiac depression were taken. RESULTS: PaO2, PaCO2, pH, serum electrolytes (Na+ , K+ , Ca2+ ) were within nornal range at baseline and cardiac depression point. MAP, HR, CO, SvO2, and ETCO2 were within normal range at baseline point but decreased significantly at cardiac depression point. Bupivacaine made QRS duration on EKG to prolong significantly. Infused bupivacaine dose to make cardiac depression had an strong negative correlation with concentration of serum potassium (P < 0.05, rs: -. 501). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the increase of serum potassium concentration enhances the cardiotoxic effects of bupivacaine, even though it is in the normal range.
Anesthetics ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Bupivacaine ; Cardiac Output ; Depression ; Dogs* ; Electrocardiography ; Electrolytes ; Heart Rate ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Myocardium ; Pentobarbital ; Potassium* ; Reference Values ; Sodium ; Sodium Channels

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Despite multiple approaches of treatments for salivary duct carcinoma, there has been a need for more successful treatment methods because of its poor prognosis. Treatment options like immunotherapy using new technologies have been attempted. Based on recent study results indicating that targeting programmed death receptors are effective in treating various cancers, this study aimed to identify the frequency of PD-L1 expression and its impact on survival rate in salivary duct carcinoma.MATERIALS #SPCHAR_X0026; METHODS: We studied 33 patients with salivary gland cancer who were available for histologic specimens. We examined the expression of PD-L1 in the tissues and analyzed the association with the survival rate and the association with various clinical parameters.RESULTS: According to this study and review of similar studies, we discovered that the expression of PD-L1 in salivary duct carcinoma was lower than other types of cancers. The impact of PD-L1 on survival rate also showed inconsistency in salivary duct carcinoma.CONCLUSION: Immunotherapy by PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockade in salivary duct carcinoma needs further evaluation for clinical application.
Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Prognosis ; Receptors, Death Domain ; Salivary Ducts ; Salivary Gland Neoplasms ; Survival Rate

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that can be treated using a combination of antitubercular drugs. First-line antitubercular agents such as isoniazid and rifampin are considered pivotal to successful treatment. However, they are also known to have relatively high rates of adverse events including hypersensitivity reactions. Discontinuing the first-line agents in the event of hypersensitivity may significantly compromise the cure rate of tuberculosis. Drug desensitization can be an effective method allowing continued use of the first-line agents and achieving successful cure of tuberculosis. A 70-year-old man was diagnosed with culture proven pulmonary tuberculosis and treated with first-line antitubercular agents (isoniazid, 300 mg; rifampin, 600 mg; pyrazinamide, 1,500 mg; and ethambutol, 800 mg). After 2 weeks of treatment, generalized erythematous papular rash and fever developed, for which all drugs were discontinued. Since he had hypersensitivity to all 4 first-line antitubercular agents, we tried desensitization for all 4 drugs one by one to resume antituberculosis treatment. After successful desensitization of all 4 first-line antituberculosis drugs, 6 months-antitubercular therapy was completed without any complications. We report here a case of multiple desensitization in a pulmonary tuberculosis patient having hypersensitivity to all of the 4 first-line antitubercular drugs, successfully completing 6-month antitubercular therapy without any complications.
Aged ; Antitubercular Agents* ; Communicable Diseases ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Ethambutol ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Isoniazid ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although some authors have suggested that sodium phosphate (NaP) is more effective than polyethylene glycol (PEG) in bowel cleansing, there has been no crossover study proving the superiority of NaP over PEG in bowel cleansing and patients' compliance. The aim of this study was to compare the two solutions for colonoscopy, PEG and NaP, through crossover design with regard to patients' compliance, cleansing ability and side effects. METHODS: Thirty patients underwent two separate colonoscopies for colonic polyp(s) with PEG and NaP, respectively. Before and after bowel preparation, blood pressure, body weight, and serum biochemical parameters were measured in all patients. In addition, a detailed questionnaire was used to assess side effects and the patients' preference. The presence of bubbles, types of residual stool, and overall quality of colon cleansing were assessed by one endoscopist blinded to the type of preparation used. In each colonoscopy, two biopsy specimens were taken at rectum. RESULTS: In the NaP group, but not in the PEG group, there were significant changes in several biochemical parameters including sodium ( +3.0 +/- 3.0 mEq/L), potassium ( -0.3 +/- 0.3mEq/L), calcium ( -0.5 +/- 0.5 mg/dL), phosphorus ( +3.9 +/- 2.2 mg/dL) and osmolarity ( +10.1 +/- 9.3 mOsm/kg) after bowel preparation. In addition, the degree of body weight change was greater with NaP ( -2.2 +/- 2.3 kg) than with PEG ( -1.2 +/- 2.0 kg) (p=0.06) and the formation of bubbles that disturb luminal observation was more frequently found in the NaP group (p<0.01). There was no difference, however, in the type of residual stool and the overall quality of bowel preparation between the two groups and no significant mucosal change was noted after bowel preparation in both groups. Moreover, PEG was found to be more difficult to take than NaP (p<0.05) and among the 30 patients, 26 (87%) preferred NaP, while only two favored PEG (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that NaP can replace PEG at least in patients with good general condition. Further studies to decrease the incidence of bubbles and to establish subgroups suitable for NaP are needed.
Biopsy ; Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Body Weight Changes ; Calcium ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Compliance ; Cross-Over Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Osmolar Concentration ; Phenobarbital ; Phosphorus ; Polyethylene Glycols ; Potassium ; Prospective Studies* ; Rectum ; Sodium ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Rifampin is one of the first line drugs for treating tuberculosis, but it might be associated with serious adverse effects, including renal failure. We report here on a case of a 57-year-old patient who developed Henoch-Shonlein purpura during antituberculosis therapy that included rifampin. The patient converted to negative on the AFB smear for tuberculosis two weeks after the initial administration of antituberculosis medication. After treatment for 60 days, this patient was diagnosed with Henoch-Shonlein purpura by the purpura lesion on the lower legs, the leukocytoclastic vasculitis, the renal impairment and the pathological examination. After stopping rifampin, the skin lesions disappeared in about 10 days and his renal function gradually improved. This case study showed that Henoch-Schonlein purpura can be caused by rifampin during antituberculosis therapy and we recommend that the use of rifampin should be restrained when clinical symptoms of Henoch-Shonlein purpura are observed.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Humans ; Leg ; Middle Aged ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Renal Insufficiency ; Rifampin ; Skin ; Tuberculosis ; Vasculitis ; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous

This study evaluated the quality characteristics of jelly prepared with different levels (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) of wild carrot (WC, Daucus carota L.) juice as a care food for the elderly. The lightness, redness, yellowness, and delta (Δ) values of the jelly (Control, WCJ5, WCJ10, WCJ15, WCJ20, and WCJ25) decreased with increasing amounts of wild carrot juice added. The mechanical properties, such as hardness, springiness, chewiness, and gumminess, of the jelly were decreased with increasing amounts of wild carrot juice added. The total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents of the jelly increased with increasing amounts of wild carrot juice added. The DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50) also increased with increasing amounts of wild carrot juice added. The α-glucosidase inhibitory effects of wild carrot (WC) and WCJ25 were 71% and 54.4%, respectively, compared to the positive control (acarbose). The lipase inhibitory effects of WC and WCJ25 were 44.2% and 14.4%, respectively, compared to the positive control group (orlistat). On the other hand, the sensory evaluation score was the best at WCJ20, which contained 20% wild carrot juice. In conclusion, WCJ20 or WCJ25 is expected to be a care food for the elderly with respect to texture as well as the antioxidant and enzymatic activity (α-glucosidase inhibitory and lipase inhibitory activities).
Aged ; Daucus carota* ; Hand ; Hardness ; Humans ; Lipase