Advance on chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Stellera plants have been conducted. The chemical constituents include terpenes, coumarins, flavonoids, lignans, volatile oils, and other compounds. Pharmacological studies showed that diterpenoids and biflavones showed strong activities, such as antitumor, anti-HIV, and immune regulations. This review hopes to provide a scientific basis for further research and explorations of the medicinal values of the genus.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Molecular Structure ; Thymelaeaceae ; chemistry ; classification

Objective:To study the epidemiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) in pupils of Zhenjiang urban districts. Methods: Questionnaire was designed and employed for parents of 3 698 pupils at schools in Zhenjiang urban districts. ADHD was diagnosed according to the international DSM-Ⅳ scale. Differences were determined by Qi-square test and multiple regression analysis. Results: Prevalence of ADHD was 6.54% in pupils of Zhenjiang urban districts, and was 9.14% in male pupils and 4.01% in female. There was significant difference between 2 gender groups (? 2=34.933,P

BACKGROUND: In this study, we have investigated the effect of Korean red ginseng (KRG) extracts on the production of TNF-alpha and IL-8 in human keratinocytes. Also, to examine the antioxidative effect of red ginseng extracts, free radical scavenging activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in human dermal fibroblasts was measured. METHODS: To investigate the effect of KRG in atopic dermatitis, we measured the level of TNF-alpha and IL-8 secretion in LPS-stimulated human keratinocytes after the treatment of KRG extracts using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-oxidative activity was investigated by measuring 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and SOD activity. RESULTS: The stimulation of human keratinocytes with KRG extracts shifted the LPS-induced cytokine secretion toward a more immunosuppressive response. KRG dose-dependently decreased TNF-alpha and IL-8 production in HaCaT cells and a significant inhibition of TNF-alpha was shown when cells were treated with 500 and 1,000 microg/ml of KRG extracts. Additionally, KRG extracts showed DPPH radical scavenging and SOD activity in a dose-dependent manner. Particularly, SOD activities of concentrations higher than 60 microg/ml of KRG extracts were significantly different in human dermal fibroblast cells. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, KRG extracts may be a useful immunosuppressive agent in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.
Biphenyl Compounds ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Interleukin-8 ; Keratinocytes ; Panax ; Picrates ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Acanthopanax koreanum Nakai, a well known traditional herb grown in Jeju Island, South of Korea, has been used as a tonic and sedative agent, as well as in the treatment of diabetes and immune diseases. Mutagenicity of two lignans, syringaresinol and tortoside A isolated from A. koreanum, was assessed using Salmonella/microsome (Ames) test. Tester strains used were Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA. The mutagenic activity was determined both in the absence or presence of S9 mixture. As a result, tortoside A did not cause any increase in the number of his+ revertants in S. typhimurium and E. coli WP2uvrA strains in the presence or absence of S9 mix, compared to the controls. Similarly, low concentrations of syringaresinol (750 and 1,500 microg/plate) did not show any mutagenic properties in all bacterial strains, in the presence or absence of S9 mixture. However, in the high concentration of syringaresinol (3,000 microg/plate), the number of revertants were increased in TA1535 strains, in the absence of S9 metabolic activation. Therefore, in vivo experiments such as comet assay are needed to further determine the genotoxic/carciogenic potential of syringaresinol isolated from A. koreanum.
Eleutherococcus* ; Biotransformation ; Comet Assay ; Escherichia coli ; Immune System Diseases ; Korea ; Lignans* ; Salmonella typhimurium

BACKGROUND: Postoperative admission to the surgical intensive care unit (S-ICU) is commonly planned to prevent and treat complications, unnecessary admission to the S-ICU increases medical costs and length of hospital stay. This study aimed evaluated outcome and the predictive factors for mortality in patients admitted to the S-ICU after abdominal surgery. METHODS: The 168 patients admitted to the S-ICU immediately after abdominal surgery were reviewed retrospectively from January to December 2011. RESULTS: The mortality rate of patients admitted to the S-ICU after abdominal surgery was 8.9% (15 of 168). Two preoperative factors (body mass index [BMI] < 18.5 kg/m2 [p < 0.001] and serum albumin < 3.0 g/dL [p = 0.018]), two operative factors (the need for transfusion [p = 0.008] or vasopressors [p = 0.013] during surgery), and three postoperative variables (mechanical ventilation immediately following surgery [p < 0.001], sequential organ failure assessment [p = 0.001] and SAPS II [p = 0.001] score) were associated with mortality in univariate analysis. After adjusting for age, gender, and SAPS II by a Cox regression, which revealed that BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (p < 0.001, hazard ratio [HR] 9.690, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.990-25.258) and the use of mechanical ventilation on admission to S-ICU (p < 0.001, HR 34.671, 95% CI 6.440-186.649) were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: In patients in S-ICU after abdominal surgery, low BMI and postsurgical mechanical ventilation should be considered important predictors of mortality.
Abdomen* ; Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Prognosis* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin ; Ventilation

No abstract available.
Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Head* ; Humans

AIM: To analyze the effect factors of trabeculectomy combined with intraoperative application of mitomycin C in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma.
METHODS: Fifty patients (50 eyes) with neovascular glaucoma collected from January 2013 to August 2015 in our hospital were treated by trabeculectomy combined with intraoperative application of mitomycin C. Single factor and multi factor variables analysis were used for effect factors of trabeculectomy combined with intraoperative application of mitomycin C in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma.
RESULTS: By results of single factor variable analysis,< 50 years old, preoperative intraocular pressure ( IOP) was ≥45mmHg and postoperative occurrence of anterior chamber hemorrhage were risk factors for treatment failure ( P < 0. 05 ), and gender, proliferative diabetic retinopathy and previous cataract surgery and prior photocoagulation were not the risk factors for failure (P>0. 05 ). By multivariate analysis, < 50 years old and postoperative occurrence of anterior chamber hemorrhage were risk factors for treatment failure ( P < 0. 05 ), and preoperative IOP≥45mmHg was not a risk factor (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: For patients < 50 years old with neovascular glaucoma, should be careful on the selection of surgical treatment. For high- risk patients, we should strengthen the monitoring and give timely intervention, which are helpful to improve the prognosis.

No abstract available.
Mandibular Fractures ; Osteomyelitis ; Transplants

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (dHACM) to repair perforated sinus membranes in rabbits. METHODS: Bilateral surgical windows (7.5-mm diameter) were prepared on the nasal bones of 14 rabbits. Standardized circular perforations (5-mm diameter) were made in the sinus membrane by manipulating implant twist drills. The perforated sinus membranes were repaired using dHACM or a resorbable collagen membrane (CM). The negative control (NC) group did not undergo perforated sinus membrane repair, while the positive control (PC) group underwent sinus augmentation without perforations. The same amount of deproteinized porcine bone mineral was grafted in all 4 groups. After 6 weeks, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histomorphometric evaluations were conducted. RESULTS: The micro-CT analysis revealed that the total augmented volume was not significantly different among the groups. In the dHACM group, newly formed bone filled the augmented area with remaining biomaterials; however, non-ciliated flat epithelium and inflammatory cells were observed on the healed sinus membrane. Histometric analysis showed that the percentage of newly formed bone area in the dHACM group did not differ significantly from that in the CM group. The dHACM group showed a significantly higher percentage of newly formed bone area than the NC group, but there was no significant difference between the dHACM and PC groups. CONCLUSIONS: dHACM could be a feasible solution for repairing sinus membrane perforations that occur during sinus floor augmentation.
Amnion ; Biocompatible Materials ; Chorion ; Collagen ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Membranes ; Miners ; Nasal Bone ; Rabbits ; Sinus Floor Augmentation ; Transplants

The corpus callosum is the main interhemispheric connection in human brain. Agenesis of corpus callosum may partial or complete, and it may have not functional abnormalities. Its prenatal sonographic diagnosis is difficult because of fetal head position, especially in a cephalic presentation. We experienced a case of complete agenesis of corpus callosum. The prenatal sonographic findings was disproportionate dilatation of lateral ventricle, which were suggestive finding of agenesis of corpus callosum or hydrocephalus. We could confirm the diagnosis of complete agenesis of corpus callosum by postnatal MRI.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum* ; Brain ; Corpus Callosum ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Head ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Lateral Ventricles ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ultrasonography