No abstract available.
Acetabulum*

A large number of bacterial pathogens have been identified as mediators of apoptosis in vitro and the induction of apoptosis might be an important step in the pathogenesis of these bacteria. In this study, we analyzed the interactions of Orientia tsutsugamuchi with J774 murine macrophage-like cells. The J774 cells were infected with Boryong strain of O. tsutsugamushi and the DNA was analyzed with agarose gel electrophoresis. We observed the typical laddering pattern of DNA fragmentation indicative of apoptosis in infected cells but not cells infected with heat-killed O. tsutsugamushi. We performed terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) assay to label the 3'-hydroxy ends of DNA breaks and observed intense brown staining of nuclei of infected macrophages. With Hoechst 33258 for staining nucleus, strong chromatin condensation was observed only in infected J774 cells. We also examined the cytokine secretion pattern of J774 cells during the rickettsial infection. The large amount of TNF-alpha and IL-10 were secreted after 24 hrs of infection, but the secretion of IL-1beta was increased in small amount. These results showed that O. tsutsugamushi induce apoptosis in murine macrophage-like cells by different mechanism from that of shigella which cause secretion of large amount of IL-1beta.
Apoptosis* ; Bacteria ; Bisbenzimidazole ; Chromatin ; Chungcheongnam-do ; DNA ; DNA Breaks ; DNA Fragmentation ; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Interleukin-10 ; Macrophages ; Orientia tsutsugamushi* ; Shigella ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

BACKGROUND: In hypovolemic shock, multiple organ failure is caused by translocation of endotoxins and microorganisms from the ischemic gut mucosa. Therefore, much attention has been paid to the gut mucosa oxygenation in shock resuscitation. The current guidelines on cardiopulmonary resuscitation restrain the use of sodium bicarbonate due to paradoxical intracellular acidosis. Because THAM, CO2-consuming agent, does not produce CO2 and induce intracellular acidosis, THAM has been known as a effective buffering agent. This study was purposed to investigate the effect of THAM and sodium bicarbonate on the gut mucosa oxygenation in cats which were in hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation. METHODS: 18 anesthetized cats were subjected to hemorrhage to decrease the mean arterial blood pressure to 35-45 mmHg and this blood pressure was maintained for 120 minutes. After 90minutes, we infused 1.945% hypertonic saline, 2.8% sodium bicarbonate and 0.3M THAM as same volume and osmolality. Mean arterial pressure(MAP), mesenteric arterial-venous pH differences[pH(a-v)], mesenteric venous oxygen tension(PvO2), mesenteric arterial-venous carbon dioxide tension differences[P(v-a)CO2], mesenteric arterial-venous lactate differences[Lactate(v-a)] were measured 1, 5, 15, 30 minutes after drug infusion and 30, 60 minutes after reperfusion. RESULTS: There were no statistical significances in MAP, pH(a-v), PvO2, Lactate(v-a) among the three groups. There were significant differences in P(v-a)CO2 and ETCO2 between sodium bicarbonate group and THAM group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggest that THAM and sodium bicarbonate do not have significant effects on the tissue oxygenation and hemodynamic improvement in hypovolemic shock. We suppose that THAM does not produce carbon dioxide but may correct intracellular acidosis.
Acidosis ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Carbon Dioxide ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Cats* ; Endotoxins ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lactic Acid ; Mucous Membrane* ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Osmolar Concentration ; Oxygen* ; Reperfusion ; Resuscitation ; Shock ; Shock, Hemorrhagic* ; Sodium Bicarbonate* ; Sodium* ; Tromethamine*

Objectives: The effectiveness of drugs currently used in medication, which is important in the treatment of alcohol use disorders, is limited. Recently, ondansetron which acts as 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, has been studied and proved possibility as new medication for alcohol use disorder. Meanwhile, there are studies supporting that 5-HT1A receptors are related to addictive behavior. Considering those studies, we expect that vortioxetine, which acts as both 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and 5-HT1A receptor agonist, may be effective in treatment of alcohol use disorder. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of vortioxetine on alcohol intake of C57BL/6 mice. Methods: In this study C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to normal saline group, vortioxetine 10 mg/kg group and vortioxetine 1 mg/kg group. To study effect of vortioxetine on alcohol, water, food intake and body weight of mice, we administered each medication for 14 days. Results: The overall alcohol intake was different between the three groups (PGroup=0.021), and alcohol intake in vortioxetine 10 mg/kg group was significantly lower than one in placebo group. Change across time points (PTime<0.001) and the interaction between group and time (PGroup×Time =0.016) were also significant. However, there were no significant differences between the three groups in water, food intake and body weight. Conclusions These results indicated that administration of high dose vortioxetine reduced alcohol intake of mice.Therefore, it is necessary to conduct clinical studies to examine the effectiveness of vortioxetine as a new treatment for alcohol use disorder.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study is to evaluate the differences of the rate and the ratio of heart rate changes, which is well known to reflect the vagal reactivation, after peak exercise between ischemic heart disease and normal during treadmill exercise test. Additionally R-wave amplitude changes are evaluated to have the discriminal power between ischemic heart disease and normal. METHODS: We have studied 253 human (196 control, 57 patients) who took the symptom-limited exercise test using Marquette case 8000 model. The 57 patients who showed the positive result by exercise test have confirmed by coronary angiography. The rate of heart rate changes was defined as the absolute difference of the heart rate subtracted by the just-previous stage heart rate. The ratio of heart rate changes was defined as the percentile of the rate of heart rate changes comparing to the just-previous stage heart rate. The changes of R-wave amplitude at lead V5 and aVF were obtained by the subtraction of R-wave amplitude at the peak exercise stage from that at the standing rest stage respectively. Additively heart rate recovery was defined as the rate of heart rate change which was obtained at 1 minute later after peak exercise. RESULTS: In patients and control, the resting heart rate were 70 +/- 13 bpm and 69 +/- 11 bpm (p>0.05), and the peak heart rate were 136 +/- 22 bpm and 155 +/- 18 bpm respectively (p<0.001). The rate of heart rate changes in patients group were significantly lower than that in control at 1 minute, 3 minute, and 5 minute respectively (p<0.001, p=0.008, p=0.002). The ratio of heart rate changes in patients group were also significantly lower than that in control at 1 minute, 3 minute, and 5 minute respectively (p=0.017, p=0.027, p=0.002). With comparing both groups, the incidences of ventricular ectopy were not different during exercise and recovery stages, and the difference in the changes of R-wave amplitude at lead V5 and aVF were not observed respectively. CONCLUSION: The rate and ratio of heart rate changes are significantly lower in iscemic heart disease than in normal, and these are resulted from the depression of vagal reactivation. These findings are supplemental to make a diagnosis and a arrhythmic risk stratification of ischemic heart disease.
Coronary Angiography ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Exercise Test ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Myocardial Ischemia*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perioperative and long-term oncologic outcomes of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) and standard laparoscopic surgery (SLS) and assess the role of HALS in the management of right-sided colon cancer. METHODS: The study group included 53 patients who underwent HALS and 45 patients who underwent SLS for right-sided colon cancer between April 2002 and December 2008. RESULTS: The patients in each group were similar in age, American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) score, body mass index, and history of previous abdominal surgeries. Eight patients in the HALS group and no patient in the SLS group exhibited signs of tumor invasion into adjacent structures. No differences were noted in the time to return of normal bowel function, time to toleration of diet, lengths of hospital stay and narcotic usage, and rate of postoperative complications. The median incision length was longer in the HALS group (HALS: 7.0 cm vs. SLS: 4.8 cm, P < 0.001). The HALS group had a significantly higher pathologic TNM stage and significantly larger tumor size (HALS: 6.0 cm vs. SLS: 3.3 cm, P < 0.001). The 5-year overall, disease-free, and cancer-specific survival rates of the HALS and the SLS groups were 87.3%, 75.2%, and 93.9% and 86.4%, 78.0%, and 90.7%, respectively (P = 0.826, P = 0.574, and P = 0.826). CONCLUSION: Although patients in the HALS group had more advanced disease and underwent more complex procedures than those in the SLS group, the short-term benefits and the oncologic outcomes between the two groups were comparable. HALS can, therefore, be considered an alternative to SLS for bulky and fixed right-sided colon cancer.
Body Mass Index ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Diet ; Hand-Assisted Laparoscopy* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Postoperative Complications ; Survival Rate

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary disorder. Intestinal hamartomatous polyps in association with melanocytic pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes characterize PJS. Patients with PJS often have complications associated with the polyps, such as intestinal obstruction, intussusception, acute or chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, and the development of various types of cancer. Enteroclysis, small bowel follow-through, and push enteroscopy are generally used to identify the presence and location of small bowel polyps. Wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) has been confirmed as a feasible, safe, and sensitive test for the surveillance of small bowel polyps in patients with PJS and could replace radiographic small bowel surveillance. Here, a case of PJS newly diagnosed by CE is reported. The patient, a 30-year-old man who had developed rectal polyps associated with anal extrusion 7 years previously, had six episodes of hematochezia.
Adult ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intussusception ; Mucous Membrane ; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome ; Pigmentation ; Polyps ; Skin

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion occurs frequently in the immune reactive phase in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Therefore, observation for 3-6 months before commencing antiviral therapy is recommended in patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels that exceed twice the upper limit of normal (ULN). However, HBeAg seroconversion occurs infrequently in patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the waiting policy is necessary in endemic areas of HBV genotype C infection. METHODS: Ninety patients with HBeAg-positive CHB were followed prospectively without administering antiviral therapy for 6 months. Antiviral therapy was initiated promptly at any time if there was any evidence of biochemical (i.e., acute exacerbation of HBV infection or aggravation of jaundice) or symptomatic deterioration. After 6 months of observation, antiviral therapy was initiated according to the patient's ALT and HBV DNA levels. RESULTS: Only one patient (1.1%) achieved spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion. Biochemical and symptomatic deterioration occurred before 6 months in 17 patients (18.9%) and 5 patients, respectively. High ALT and HBV DNA levels were both independent risk factors for biochemical deterioration. Of 15 patients with HBV DNA > or =5.1x107 IU/mL and ALT > or =5xULN, biochemical deterioration occurred in 7 (46.7%), including 1 patient receiving liver transplantation due to liver failure. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion in patients with HBeAg-positive CHB is rare within 6 months. Biochemical deterioration was common and may lead to liver failure. Immediate antiviral therapy should be considered, especially in patients with high ALT and HBV DNA levels in endemic areas of genotype C infection.
Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Antiviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral/blood ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genotype ; Guanine/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B e Antigens/*blood ; Hepatitis B virus/*genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: To reveal the interaction between beta-Lapachone (beta-lap) and ionizing radiation in causing cell death in RKO human colon adenocarcinoma cells, and to elucidate the potential usefulness of combined beta-lap treatment and radiotherapy for cancer treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxicities of various treatments were determined in vitro using clonogenic and apoptotic cell death. The changes in cell cycle distribution were studied using flow cytometry and an in vitro kinase assay. The tumor growth was studied using RKO tumors grown s.c. in the hind leg BALB/c- nuslc nude mice. RESULTS: beta-lap caused clonogenic cell death and rapid apoptosis in RKO cells in vitro, in a dose dependent manner. The repair of sublethal radiation damage was almost completely inhibited when cells were maintained in beta-lap during the interval between the two-dose irradiation. Flow cytometry study demonstrated that beta-lap induced apoptosis, independent of the cell cycle phase, and completely prohibited the induction of radiation- induced G2 arrest in irradiated cells. The prohibition of radiation-induced G2 arrest is unclear, but may be related to the profound suppression of the p53, p21 and cyclin B1-Cdc2 kinase activities observed in cells treated with beta-lap. The combination of beta-lap and radiation markedly enhanced the radiation-induced growth suppression of tumors. CONCLUSION: beta-lap is cytotoxic against RKO cells, both in vitro and in vivo, and also sensitized cells to ionizing radiation by inhibiting sublethal radiation damage repair. beta-lap is potentially useful as a potent anti-cancer chemotherapy drug and potent radiosensitizer against caner cells.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Death ; Colon* ; Cyclins ; Drug Therapy ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans* ; Leg ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Phosphotransferases ; Radiation, Ionizing* ; Radiotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the degree to which the paralysis of a dominant hand affects quality of life (QOL) in patients with subacute stroke. METHODS: We recruited 75 patients with subacute hemiplegic stroke. Patients were divided into two groups according to the location of the lesion and the side of the dominant hand. Group 1 consisted of patients whose strokes affected the dominant hand (i.e., right hemiplegia and right dominant hand or left hemiplegia and left dominant hand). Group 2 consisted of patients whose strokes affected the non-dominant hand (i.e., left hemiplegia and right dominant hand or right hemiplegia and left dominant hand). The primary outcome measure was the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), which was used to evaluate health-related QOL. Secondary outcomes were scores on the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: We did not find any statistically significant differences between the groups in any SF-36 domain including the summaries of physical and mental component. Similarly, the MBI and BDI scores were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSION: The effect of paralysis on the dominant hand and QOL in patients with subacute stroke was not significantly different from the effect of paralysis on the non-dominant hand.
Depression ; Hand* ; Health Surveys ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Paralysis* ; Quality of Life* ; Stroke*