The authors studied ED50 of bethanechol on the contractilities of the smooth muscles isolated from various organs of rat under the presence of atropine (a classical competitive blocker of cholinergic muscarinic receptor) or minaprine (a newly developed antidepressant drug) to investigate the peripheral anticholinergic effect of minaprine. The results were as follow: 1) There was no significant difference between ED50 of bethanechol in the control group and that under the presence of minaprine 10⁻⁸M and 10⁻⁷M in the smooth muscles isolated from the duodenum. 2) There was no significant difference between ED50 of bethanechol in the control group and that under the presence of minaprine 10⁻⁸M and 10⁻⁷M in the smooth muscles isolated from the ascending colon. 3) There was significant difference between ED50 of bethanechol in the control group and that under the presence of minaprine 10⁻⁸M and 10⁻⁷M in the smooth muscles isolated from the urinary bladder (P<0.01) 4) There was significant difference between ED50 of the atropine 10⁻⁸ and minaprine (10⁻⁸M) in the smooth muscles isolated from the urinary bladder (P<0.05).
Animals ; Atropine ; Bethanechol ; Colon, Ascending ; Duodenum ; Muscle, Smooth ; Rats ; Urinary Bladder

BACKGROUND: The aging process may be induced, at least in part, by reactive oxygen species(ROS). It has been though that the lung could be a good source of ROS because it has a high oxygen tension. In the present study, we invetigated the inducibility of the first and last lines against oxidative stress, superoxide dismutases (Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD) as a scavenger of O2- and metallothionein(MT) as a scavenger of OH·, respectively, in mouse lungs with age. METHODS: Oxidative stress was induced by paraquat, an intracellular superoxide generator, at 1, 4, 8, and 12 months of age and then SODs and MT mRNAs were determined by RT-PCR method. RESULTS: The steady-state level of Mn-SOD mRNA increased from 1 to 8 months but decreased thereafter. However, Mn-SOD mRNA was not induced by paraquat after 1 month. On the other hand, there was no change in the steady-state level of Cu/Zn/-SOD mRNA, which decrease abruptly at 12 months of age. Additionally, Cu/Zn/-SOD mRNA was not induced by paraquat at any age. There was no change in the steady-state level of MT mRNA with age whereas its inducibility by paraquat was intact at all ages. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that lack of induction of SODs with age may be one of the causative factors in the aging process while induction of MT may play an important role in the defense against oxidative stress. It is therefore implicated that the tissue antioxidant/proxidant balance could be one determinants of meal life span.
Aging* ; Animals ; Hand ; Lung* ; Meals ; Metallothionein* ; Mice* ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxygen ; Paraquat* ; RNA, Messenger ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Superoxides*

To evaluate the relationship between eating behavior and neurotic trait in middle school students, the authors applied eating scale, Middlesex Hospital Puestionaire and Zung's self-reting depression scale to 419 middle school students(male : 187, female : 232) in Taegu city in 1993. There was no significant relationship between weight devided groups. Female middle school students showed significant high scores(p<0.05) in all scales compared to male middle school students. The correlation between eating scale and the other two scales showed significant correlationship(p<0.05) Among psychosocial factors, the items related to dissatisfaction to present and future self image(each p<0.05, p<0.05), dissatisfaction to present environmental status(p<0.05) and dissatisfaction to future attitude showed significant high score in both sex. The item related to dissatisfaction to present interpersonal relationship (p<0.05) showed significant high score in male middle school students. The items related to eat consumption rate of 61-90% (p<0.05), unsatisfied to relationship with family(p<0.05), unsatisfied to childhood family atmosphere(p<0.05), unsatisfied to past self image(p<0.05) and unsatisfied to present relationship between parent(p<0.05) showed significant high score.
Adolescent* ; Daegu ; Depression ; Eating* ; Feeding Behavior* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Psychology ; Weights and Measures

Cavernous angiomas are considered to be congenital in origin. Patients under age of 14 years usually does not require imaging because they are likely to have a benign abducens nerve palsy, unless they develop additional signs or symptoms of neurologic disease during observation. Here we report a case of an isolated abducens nerve palsy caused by overt hemorrhage from de novo formation of cavernous angioma in the pons. Cavernous angiomas of the brain stem should be considered as a possible cause of isolated abducens nerve palsy in young adult and MRI, including gradient-echo sequences should be performed.
Abducens Nerve Diseases* ; Abducens Nerve* ; Brain Stem ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pons ; Young Adult

Cavernous angiomas are considered to be congenital in origin. Patients under age of 14 years usually does not require imaging because they are likely to have a benign abducens nerve palsy, unless they develop additional signs or symptoms of neurologic disease during observation. Here we report a case of an isolated abducens nerve palsy caused by overt hemorrhage from de novo formation of cavernous angioma in the pons. Cavernous angiomas of the brain stem should be considered as a possible cause of isolated abducens nerve palsy in young adult and MRI, including gradient-echo sequences should be performed.
Abducens Nerve Diseases* ; Abducens Nerve* ; Brain Stem ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pons ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Eating* ; Liver* ; Pneumonia* ; Sharks*

Ginseng root, as a folk medicine, has been used in for eastern countries for thousands of years. Ginseng extract has been shown to have a variety of effects on the activity of the central nervous system, promoting simulation as well as inhibition of the cortical activity. A survey of the relevant literatures has indicated that the putative anxiolytic activity of red ginseng has not been scientifically investigated. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess anxiolytic effect of ginseng total saponinis(GTS). The putative anxiolytic effects of several fractions of GTS were investigated in mice using an elevated plus maze paradigm. Single dose administration of TS Fr.- I showed anxiolytic action in mice. Anxiolytic effect induced by TS Fr.-I was similar to that induced by diazepam. TS Fr.-II, TS Fr.-III and TS Fr.-IV did not show the anxiolytic action compared with that of TS Fr.-I. It was suggested that regulation of GABAergic neurotransmission may be important in the action of GTS. The Interaction of GTS fractions with benzodiazepine receptor was performed using rat cortical membranes. GTS inhibited the binding of [3H] Rp 15-1788 on the benzodiazepine receptor. Among from TS fractions, the binding activity of GTS in the TS Fr.-IV was highest, which did not show the anxiolytic activity. From these results, we conclude that GTS has anxiolytic action, and the is not related to benzodiazepine receptor binding activity.
Animals ; Anti-Anxiety Agents* ; Central Nervous System ; Diazepam ; Medicine, Traditional ; Membranes ; Mice ; Panax* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Saponins* ; Synaptic Transmission

No abstract available.
Child* ; Edema* ; Gallbladder* ; Humans

Familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis is an autosomal-dominant channelopathy characterized by episodic muscle weakness with hypokalemia. The respiratory and cardiac muscles typically remain unaffected, but we report an atypical case of a family with hypokalemic periodic paralysis in which the affected members presented with frequent respiratory insufficiency during severe attacks. Molecular analysis revealed a heterozygous c.664 C>T transition in the sodium channel gene SCN4A, leading to an Arg222Trp mutation in the channel protein. The patients described here presented unusual clinical characteristics that included a severe respiratory phenotype, an incomplete penetrance in female carriers, and a different response to medications.
Channelopathies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis ; Muscle Weakness ; Myocardium ; Penetrance ; Phenotype ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Sodium ; Sodium Channels

A rostro-caudal topography of the oculomotor nerve fascicles is relatively well known in animal but not in human. We experienced two cases of midbrain infarctions presenting with isolated oculomotor nerve palsies. The MRI of the patient who had monocular elevation palsy with ptosis revealed a lesion in the middle to lower midbrain, whereas that of the other who had monocular depression and adduction palsy with pupillary mydriasis showed a discrete lesion in the upper to middle midbrain. We present the rostro-caudal arrangement of the oculomotor fascicles within midbrain based on MRI findings.
Animals ; Depression ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesencephalon* ; Mydriasis ; Oculomotor Nerve ; Oculomotor Nerve Diseases ; Paralysis