The present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of horse oil in 2, 4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-treated BALB/c mice. After the application of DNCB, the mice showed atopic dermatitis symptoms, including severe erythema, hemorrhage, and erosion, whereas those symptoms were alleviated by treatment with horse oil. To explain the anti-dermatitis effect of horse oil, the gene expression levels in the healing process in dorsal skin were observed using a cDNA microarray. The cDNA microarray analysis revealed that the expression levels of 30 genes related to the inflammation, including Ccr1, Ccr2, Ccl20, Anxa1, and Hc genes, were up-regulated (higher than 2.0-fold) in the DNCB group compared to the levels in the control group, whereas the levels were restored to the control level in the DNCB + horse oil-treated group. In contrast, the gene expression levels of 28 genes related to inflammation, including chemokine genes Ccl5, Ccl7, Ccl8, Cxcl10, and Cxcl13 genes, were down-regulated (lower than 0.5-fold) in the DNCB group compared to the levels in the control group, whereas the levels were restored to the control level in the DNCB + horse oil-treated group. Overall, the results show that horse oil restores the expression levels of genes related to inflammation that were perturbed by DNCB treatment.

Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dinitrochlorobenzene ; Erythema ; Gene Expression ; Hemorrhage ; Horses ; Inflammation ; Mice ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Skin

The present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of horse oil in 2, 4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-treated BALB/c mice. After the application of DNCB, the mice showed atopic dermatitis symptoms, including severe erythema, hemorrhage, and erosion, whereas those symptoms were alleviated by treatment with horse oil. To explain the anti-dermatitis effect of horse oil, the gene expression levels in the healing process in dorsal skin were observed using a cDNA microarray. The cDNA microarray analysis revealed that the expression levels of 30 genes related to the inflammation, including Ccr1, Ccr2, Ccl20, Anxa1, and Hc genes, were up-regulated (higher than 2.0-fold) in the DNCB group compared to the levels in the control group, whereas the levels were restored to the control level in the DNCB + horse oil-treated group. In contrast, the gene expression levels of 28 genes related to inflammation, including chemokine genes Ccl5, Ccl7, Ccl8, Cxcl10, and Cxcl13 genes, were down-regulated (lower than 0.5-fold) in the DNCB group compared to the levels in the control group, whereas the levels were restored to the control level in the DNCB + horse oil-treated group. Overall, the results show that horse oil restores the expression levels of genes related to inflammation that were perturbed by DNCB treatment.

Phlegmonous esophagitis is an uncommon disease characterized by purulent infection of the esophageal wall, sparing the mucosa. Bacterial infection of the eosphagus is usually presented as a superimposed infection upon a preexisting viral or fungal esophagitis and most victims are immunocompromised hosts. A case was experienced involving an acute phlegmonous esophagitis in an 21-year-old man who was immunologically normal and whose main symptoms were epigastric pain and fever for one day. Esophagographic examination revealed a large ulceration of the eosphagus with exudation, and submucosal lesions. Due to its rarity, this case is herein reported with a review of the corresponding literature.
Bacterial Infections ; Cellulitis* ; Esophagitis* ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Mucous Membrane ; Ulcer ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Alternating hemiplegia of childhood(AHC) is a rare neurologic syndrome of unknown pathophysiology. The typical clinical features are characterized by recurrent hemiplegic attacks shifting from one side to the other, beginning before 18 months, dystonia, strabismus, nystagmus, epilepsy, and immediate resolution of all symptoms during sleep. This study is to access clinical features and outcome of treatment of AHC in Korea. METHODS: We sent standardized questionnaires by e-mail to 118 council members of the Korean Society of Child Neurology. We received it through e-mail from 7 centers and analyzed clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. RESULTS: We collected 11 AHC patients(male 6, female 5). The mean age was 6.13+/-5.23 years. The mean age of onset of hemiplegia was 9.80+/-6.67 months. The mean frequency of episode was 10.73+/-11.44 per month and mean duration was 3.10+/-2.50 days. The manifestations were hemiplegia in 100%, dystonia in 81.8%, abnormal eye movements in 81.8%, developmental delay in 81.8%, seizure in 72.7%, autonomic phenomena in 54.5%, ataxia 45.5%, and episodes of quadriparesis in 45.5%. The onset age of seizure was 3-84 months. Psychomotor retardation was more severe in patients with seizures than in those without seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain and cerebral angiography were normal in all patients. Interictal SPECT shows hypoperfusion in the frontal in 2 of 5 patients. Nine patients received flunarizine and antiepileptic drugs but two patients received antiepileptic drugs only. A favorable response was reported in 45.5%, which included excellent response to the combination therapy of flunarizine and high dose topiramate. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with seizures faired the poorer psychomotor retardation. The combination of flunarizine and high dose topiramate was very effective in AHC.
Age of Onset ; Anticonvulsants ; Ataxia ; Brain ; Cerebral Angiography ; Child ; Dystonia ; Electronic Mail ; Epilepsy ; Eye Movements ; Female ; Flunarizine ; Fructose ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurology ; Quadriplegia ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seizures ; Strabismus ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in asthma has variable and persistent components that are related to airway inflammation and remodeling, respectively. This longitudinal study examined the relationship of airway responses between exercise (reflecting variable AHR) and methacholine (reflecting persistent AHR). METHODS: The charts were reviewed of 36 young adult males who underwent both methacholine and exercise challenges at different times and were diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. The severity of the response to each stimulus was scored (0~3). RESULTS: The mean interval between the baseline and follow-up tests was 9.8 (5~58) months. The AHR score was significantly lower with the exercise challenge than with methacholine at follow-up (1.58+/-0.16 vs 1.19+/-0.15, p<0.01), but not at baseline. Compared to baseline, the AHR score was significantly lower with exercise (1.67+/-0.13 vs 1.19+/-0.15, p<0.01), but not with methacholine, and the difference in the AHR scores between exercise and methacholine increased significantly from baseline to follow-up (0.03+/-0.13 vs 0.39+/-0.13, p<0.05). The maximum fall in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s following exercise was significantly related to methacholine AHR (r=-0.571, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction was significantly related to methacholine AHR. However, the change in methacholine AHR in a follow-up test was significantly lower than that in the exercise response, which might have resulted from persistent worsening of the AHR with time because methacholine AHR reflects both variable and persistent AHR.
Asthma ; Asthma, Exercise-Induced ; Bronchoconstriction ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Methacholine Chloride ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many patients with aspirin-induced asthma have severe methacholine airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), suggesting a relationship between aspirin and methacholine in airway response. This study was performed to determine whether methacholine AHR affects the response of asthmatics to inhaled aspirin. METHODS: The clinical records of 207 asthmatic patients who underwent inhalation challenges with both aspirin and methacholine were reviewed retrospectively. An oral aspirin challenge was performed in patients with a negative inhalation response. The bronchial reactivity index (BRindex) was calculated from the percent decrease in lung function divided by the last dose of the stimulus. RESULTS: Forty-one (20.9%) and 14 (7.1%) patients showed a positive response to aspirin following an inhalation and oral challenge, respectively. Only 24.3 and 14.3% of the responders had a history of aspirin intolerance, respectively. The methacholine BRindex was significantly higher in the inhalation responders (1.46 +/- 0.02) than in the oral responders (1.36 +/- 0.03, p < 0.01) and in non-responders (n = 141, 1.37 +/- 0.01, p < 0.001). The aspirin BRindex was significantly correlated with the methacholine BRindex (r = 0.270, p < 0.001). Three of four patients who received the oral challenge, despite a positive inhalation test, showed negative responses to the oral challenge. Two of these patients had severe AHR. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable number of asthmatic patients with no history of aspirin intolerance responded to the inhalation aspirin challenge. The airway response to aspirin was significantly correlated with methacholine-AHR, and a false-positive response to aspirin inhalation test seemed to occur primarily in patients with severe AHR.
Administration, Inhalation ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aspirin/*administration & dosage/*adverse effects ; Asthma/*physiopathology ; Asthma, Aspirin-Induced/etiology/physiopathology ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/physiopathology ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Drug Hypersensitivity/etiology/physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methacholine Chloride/*administration & dosage ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

This study was conducted to evaluate the hangover relieving effect of Sanghwang mushroom mycelium extract (SME). The extract showed 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging effect in a concentration-dependent manner and high antioxidant capacity (56.67 ± 1.77%) when administered at 120 µg/mL. In addition, SME significantly increased (p < 0.005) the aldehyde dehydronase (ALDH) activity (126.03 ± 9.11%) when applied at 8 or 16 µL/mL. A locomotor activity test showed that the alcohol-water treated group showed significantly decreased motor activity at 90 min post-administration. However, the alcohol-SME treated group showed a 20-fold higher motor activity than that observed in the alcohol-water treated group at 90 min post-administration. Blood was harvested from each mouse at 90 min post-administration, and both alcohol and aldehyde concentrations were measured. The alcohol-SME treated group showed significantly lower (p < 0.5) alcohol (120.13 ± 12.83 µg/mL) and aldehyde (7.26 ± 1.22 µg/mL) concentrations than the values observed in the alcohol-water treated group. These results suggest that the hangover relieving effect of SME results from increased ALDH activity, which reduces the aldehyde concentration in the blood.

It is very important to be aware of occurrence and distinctive histologic features of gastric glomus tumor because its clinical presentation and endoscopic ficdings are indistinguishable from other gastric tumors. A 58-year-old man was admitted because of intermittent epigastric pain and indigestion for 2 months. Physical examination and laboratory findings revealed within normal limits. Upper gastroendoscopy demonstrated a submucosal mass near the antrum with central mucosal depressionand peripheral multiple erosions. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a circumscribed mass that continued to the third and fourth layers which demonstrated a heterogeneous low echo pattern mixed with internal high echo spots. Histologically, the tumor cells have uniform small nuclei with inconspicuous nucleoli. Immunochemical analysis on the tumor cells expressed alpha 1 smooth muscle actin and the tumor cells are enveloped by reticulin fiber, individually or grouped. A case of glomus tumor of the stomach is herein reported with a review of literature.
Actins ; Dyspepsia ; Endosonography ; Glomus Tumor* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Physical Examination ; Reticulin ; Stomach*