Armeniacae semen has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of pain and inflammatory diseases. Amygdalin is the major compound of Armeniacae semen, and it is used for treatment of pain and cancers. In the present study, we compared the effects of aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen and a solution of amygdalin extracted from Armeniacae semen on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expressions in mouse BV2 microglial cells. We also compared the effects of these compounds on the prostaglandin E2 synthesis and the nitric oxide production in mouse BV2 microglial cells. In the present results, Armeniacae semen and amygdalin suppressed prostaglandin E2 synthesis and nitric oxide production by inhibiting the LPS-induced enhancement of COX-2 mRNA and iNOS mRNA expressions in mouse BV2 cells. For the COX-1 expression, Armeniacae semen showed more potent suppression effect compared to the amygdalin. However, amygdalin more potently suppressed the LPS-induced COX-2 mRNA expression compared to aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen. In the case of iNOS mRNA expression, Armeniacae semen and amygdalin showed similar suppressing effects. For the LPS-induced PGE2 synthesis, amygdalin showed more potent suppressing effect, meanwhile, Armeniacae semen and amygdalin showed similar suppressing effect on NO production. Based on the present results, amygdalin may exert anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect though mainly the inhibition of COX-2 pathway, in contrast Armeniacae semen may exert such effect though both the inhibition of COX-2 and iNOS pathways.
Amygdalin ; Animals ; Cyclooxygenase 1 ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Dinoprostone ; Medicine, Traditional ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; RNA, Messenger ; Semen

Shenqi-wan, Oriental herbal medicine formulation, has been traditionally used for delayed mental and physical development in children, complications of diabetes, and glomerulonephritis. In the present study, the protective effect of the aqueous extract of Shenqi-wan against traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus was investigated. For this study, step-down avoidance task, terminal deoxynuclotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, Bax immunohistochemistry, and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry were conducted. In the present results, it was shown that apoptotic cell death and cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus were significantly increased following TBI in rats and that the aqueous extract of Shenqi-wan suppressed the TBI-induced increase in apoptosis and cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus. Based on the present results, it is possible that the aqueous extract of Shenqi-wan has a neuroprotective effect on TBI-induced neuronal cell death.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Cell Death ; Cell Proliferation ; Child ; Dentate Gyrus ; Glomerulonephritis ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Rats ; Transferases

We experienced a case of secondary renal amyloidosis diagnosed by renal biopsy in a patient who had been diagnosed as RA two years ago. A 62-year old man was admitted to neurology departement because of right hemiplegia. During conservative care at neurology department, he was consulted to us because of aggravated generalized edema and proteinuria. He was diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis two years ago, and then he had taken prednisolone, methotrexate, mesalazine regularly. At physical examination, there was no abnormal finding except pretibial pitting edema and right hemiplegia. In urinalysis, specific gravity was 1.025, pH was 5.5, protein was 4+ and RBC 0-1/ HPF and WBC 0-1/HPF. Total protein of 24 hour's urine was 5.5 g/day. The blood BUN and creatinine level were 16.4 mg/dL, 0.4 mg/dL and cholesterol level were 154 mg/dL, total protein and albumin were 4.4 g/dL and 1.9 g/dL. Serum RA factor and CRP showed high level as 94.90 IU/mL and 118.00 mg/L. On urine electrophoresis, albuminuria was dominant but M-spike was not founded. On urinalysis taken at the time of first diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis two years ago, proteinuria was negative and serum albumin levels was 3.6 g/dL. At that time, there was no evidence of nephropathy. In renal biopsy, electron microscope showed heavy nonbranching amyloid fibrils accumulated in mesangium and polarized light microscopy after Congo-red staining revealed apple-green birefringent amyloid deposits in glomeruli and blood. So we diagnosed renal amyloidosis associated with RA.
Albuminuria ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biopsy ; Cholesterol ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Creatinine ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Electrophoresis ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mesalamine ; Methotrexate ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Middle Aged ; Neurology ; Physical Examination ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Prednisolone ; Proteinuria ; Serum Albumin ; Specific Gravity ; Urinalysis

No abstract available.
Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Humans ; Pilot Projects* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

BACKGROUND: Little has been known about the incidence, the relationship with H. pylori infection and the prognosis of the multiple gastric polyposis. Recently, it was suggested that the eradication of H. pylori infection led the disappearance of the gastric polyps associated with H. pylori. We carried out a prospective study to determine the effect of H. pylori eradication on multiple gastric polyposis associated with H. pylori. METHODS: From July 1997 through August 2000, 13 patients who had multiple gastric polyposis on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were recruited for this study. After eradication of H. pylori, we performed follow-up endoscopy at 2-3 months and 5-6 months later. RESULTS: The topographical distributions of gastric polyps were as following : antrum only in 7 cases, antrum and lower body in 4 cases, antrum and fundus area in 1 case, and entire stomach in 1 cases, respectively. The histopathological findings were as following : 13 cases showed chronic active gastritis, 2 cases with hyperplastic polyps, and 1 case with adenomatous polyps. After eradication of H. pylori infection, regression of multiple gastric polyps occurred in 7 cases (53.8%). In 7 cases with regression, regression was observed in 5 cases with chronic active gastritis alone, 1 case with hyperplastic polyps, and 1 case with adenomatous polyps. The re-biopsy specimens in 7 cases with regression revealed that the grade of inflammation decreased from 2.2 to 1.5 by the histological index of the updated Sydney system. CONCLUSION: With these results, we may conclude that the development of multiple gastric polyposis might be closely related with chronic H. pylori infection, and the eradication of H. pylori could lead to the regression of polyposis.
Adenomatous Polyps ; Drug Therapy ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastritis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Polyps ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Stomach

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) frequently occurs in adolescents because of accelerated physical growth in boys and girls. This was aimed at assessing the prevalence of iron deficiency and IDA in apparently healthy Korean adolescents according to the gender and age. METHODS: Apparently healthy students(M: F=1: 1.2) aged 11 to 24 years were included in this study and blood samples were obtained from April to May, 2000. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell indices, serum ferritin, iron and total iron-binding capacity were measured. RESULTS: In males, the prevalence of iron deficiency was 15.7% in the 11~12 years group, 16.1% in the 13~14 years group, 9.9% in the 15~16 years group, and 6.4% in the 17~18 years group. In females, the prevalence of iron deficiency was 26.8% in 11~12 years group, 27.9% in the 13~14 years group, 38.8% in the 15~16 years group, 36.0% in the 17~18 years group, 30.9% in the 19~24 years group. The prevalence of IDA in males was 3.6% in 11~12 years, 2.1% in 13~14 years group, 1.9% in 15~16 years group, and 0.6% in 17~18 years group. The prevalence of IDA in females was 4.2% in 11~12 years, 9.7% 13~14 years, 20.4% in 15~16 years, 16.2% in 17~18 years group, and 12.4% in 19~24 years group. CONCLUSION: As the prevalence of iron deficiency and IDA were substantially greater than expected, studies of iron state in adolescent girls, especially middle to high school age, should be undertaken to assess iron deficiency.
Adolescent* ; Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Ferritins ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Iron* ; Male ; Prevalence

Amyloidosis is known as a disease caused by the deposition of a insoluble and fibrous amyloid protein in the extracellular space of various organs and tissue. Intestinal amyloid deposition may develop motility disturbance, malabsorption, bleeding and perforation. A 70-year old woman with lower abdominal pain, watery diarrhea was admitted and had the past history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension for 8 years and rheumatoid arthritis for 10 year. On colonoscopic examination for evaluation of diarrhea, multiple edematous and shallow ulcers was found from distal sigmoid to terminal ileum. A green colored positive birifringent stained amorphous material was found in polarizing microscopy of colon biopsy specimen stained with Congo-red on microscopic examination,. We report a case of amyloidosis causing colon ulcers confirmed by colonoscopic biopsy with review literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Amyloid* ; Amyloidosis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biopsy ; Colitis* ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diarrhea ; Extracellular Space ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ileum ; Microscopy ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been reported to be a sensitive indicator of pancreatic necrosis (PN), and some studies suggested that an elevation of the ratio of LDH to AST (LDH/AST ratio) woud be more accurate indicator of PN in acute biliary pncreatitis (BP). However, there were no studies in alcoholic pancreatitis (AP). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical usefulness of LDH/AST ratio in alcoholic pancreatitis (AP) as a indicator of PN. METHODS: On the basis of CT scan findings, the patients were categorized into two groups as having PN or non-PN. The plasma levels of the LDH, AST and LDH/AST ratio over two weeks postadmission period were evaluated and compared with in two groups of patients with BP (consiting of 12 PN and 34 non-PN patients), and with AP (consisting of 14 PN and 38 non-PN patients). RESULTS: In acute BP, on post-admission days 1 and 2, the LDH/AST ratio were low in both groups without significant difference. In the group with PN, thereafter, the LDH/AST ratio increased gradually, reached peak values at the 7th days and decreased. In the non-PN patients, the LDH/AST ratio increased gradually, but remained below the control range. The LDH/AST ratios were significantly higher from post-admission day 3 in the group with PN than in the non-PN group. In acute AP, the LDH levels were significantly higher over two weeks from admission day in the PN patients. The LDH/AST ratios were remained within or below the control range in both groups, though with statistically significnat difference. CONCLUSION: The LDH/AST ratio could be used as an indicator of PN in acute BP. In acute AP, however, LDH was a more useful indicator from the early stage in the course.
Alcoholics* ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Necrosis* ; Pancreatitis, Alcoholic* ; Plasma ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Owing to increase in elderly population, the importance of geriatric health is accentuated strongly. We surveyed cancer patients aged 60 years or more to investigate the common cancers, time trend to compare with whole cancer patients. METHODS: We analyzed the data of cancer patients aged 60 years or more who were admitted cancer patients, diagnosed by pathologic biopsy, received radiotherapy, registered as cancer patients on death certification and diagnosed by the other methods in a university hospital from January, 1987 to December, 1995. RESULTS: We analyzed at intervals of three year, from 1987 to 1989. The order of common cancer sites were stomach(30.1% ), lung(19.9% ), liver and intrahepatic(11.4% ), bladder (6.2% ), colon(5.5% ), gallbladder and extrahepatic(4.9%), rectosigmoid(4.2% ), pancreas (3.2%), cervix(2.9%), esophagus(2.8%) and the number of patients was 1025. From 1990 to 1992, the order of common cancer sites were stomach(23.5%), lung(19.3% ), liver and intrahepatic(10.3% ), gallbladder and extrahepatic(4.4% ), rectosigmoid(4.2% ), pancreas (3.9%), cervix(3.7%), colon(3.5% ), esophagus(2.7%) and the number of patients was 1470. From 1993 to 1995, the order of common cancer sites were stomach(19.5%), lung(17.2%), liver and intrahepatic(11% ), rectosigmoid(5.1% ), colon(4.5% ), gallbladder and extrahepatic(4.5% ), bladder(4.1% ), cervix (3.8% ), pancreas(3.7% ), esophagus(2.0% ) and the number of patients was 1519. CONCLUSIONS: Stomach, lung, and hepatic cancers were decreasing and rectosigmoid and pancreatic cancers were increasing in triannual frequency of cancer patients aged 60 years or more, The proportion of elderly patients in all age cancer patients was increasing except gallbladder and extrahepatic cancer. According to the prolongation of life span, cancer frequency increased in old age.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Certification ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Gallbladder ; Humans ; Life Support Care ; Liver ; Liver Neoplasms ; Lung ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy ; Stomach ; Urinary Bladder

No abstract available.
Body Weight* ; Humans ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn