Early recognition and appropriate management of diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy (DPNP) is important. We evaluated the necessity of simple, non-invasive tests for DPNP detection in clinical practice. We enrolled 136 randomly-chosen patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and examined them with the 10-g Semmes-Weinstein monofilament examination, the 128-Hz tuning-fork, ankle-reflex, and pinprick tests; the Total Symptom Score and the 15-item self-administered questionnaire of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument. Among 136 patients, 48 had subjective neuropathic symptoms and 88 did not. The abnormal-response rates varied depending on the methods used according to the presence of subjective neuropathic symptoms (18.8% vs. 5.7%, P < 0.05; 58.3% vs. 28.4%, P < 0.005; 81.3% vs. 54.5%, P < 0.005; 12.5% vs. 5.7%, P=0.195; 41.7% vs. 2.3%, P < 0.001; and 77.1% vs. 9.1%, P < 0.001; respectively). The largest abnormal response was derived by combining all methods. Moreover, these tests should be implemented more extensively in diabetic patients without neuropathic symptoms to detect DPNP early.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Michigan ; Neurologic Examination ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Polyneuropathies ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Humans ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases*

The anti-inflammatory effects of an ethanol extract of Angelica gigas (EAG) were investigated in vitro and in vivo using croton oil-induced inflammation models. Croton oil (20 microgram/mL) up-regulated mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-I and COX-II in the macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, resulting in the release of high concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). EAG (1~10 microgram/mL) markedly suppressed croton oil-induced COX-II mRNA expression and PGE2 production. Application of croton oil (5% in acetone) to mouse ears caused severe local erythema, edema and vascular leakage, which were significantly attenuated by oral pre-treatment with EAG (50~500 mg/kg). Croton oil dramatically increased blood levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and PGE2 without affecting tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitric oxide (NO) levels. EAG pre-treatment remarkably lowered IL-6 and PGE2, but did not alter TNF-alpha or NO concentrations. These results indicate that EAG attenuates inflammatory responses in part by blocking the COX-PGE2 pathway. Therefore, EAG could be a promising candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Angelica/*immunology ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Cyclooxygenase 1/genetics/*immunology ; Cyclooxygenase 2/genetics/*immunology ; Dinoprostone/genetics/immunology ; Inflammation/drug therapy/enzymology/*immunology ; Interleukin-6/blood ; Macrophages ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Nitric Oxide/blood ; Phytotherapy/*methods ; Plant Extracts/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Plant Roots/immunology ; RNA, Messenger/chemistry/genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood

The anti-obesity activities of Rapha diet(R) preparation containing silkworm pupa peptide, Garcinia cambogia, white bean extract, mango extract, raspberry extract, cocoa extract, and green tea extract were investigated in mice with dietary obesity. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) containing 3% Rapha diet(R) preparation for 8 weeks, and blood and tissue parameters of obesity were analyzed. The HFD markedly enhanced body weight gain by increasing the weights of epididymal, perirenal, and mesenteric adipose tissues. The increased body weight gain induced by HFD was significantly reduced by feeding Rapha diet(R) preparation, in which decreases in the weight of abdominal adipose tissue and the size of abdominal adipocytes were confirmed by microscopic examination. Long-term feeding of HFD increased blood triglycerides and cholesterol levels, leading to hepatic lipid accumulation. However, Rapha diet(R) preparation not only reversed the blood lipid levels, but also attenuated hepatic steatosis. The results indicate that Rapha diet(R) preparation could improve HFD-induced obesity by reducing both lipid accumulation and the size of adipocytes.
Abdominal Fat ; Adipocytes ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Bombyx ; Cacao ; Cholesterol ; Diet, High-Fat ; European Continental Ancestry Group ; Garcinia cambogia ; Humans ; Male ; Mangifera ; Mice ; Obesity ; Pupa ; Tea ; Triglycerides ; Weights and Measures

The effects of polarized-light therapy (PLT) on high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis were investigated in comparison with that of lovastatin in rabbits. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by feeding male New Zealand white rabbits with 1% cholesterol in diet for 2 weeks and maintained with 0.5% cholesterol for 6 weeks, followed by normal diet for 2 weeks for recovery. Lovastatin (0.002% in diet) or daily 5-min or 20-min PLT on the outside surface of ears was started 2 weeks after induction of hypercholesterolemia. Hypercholesterolemic rabbits exhibited great increases in serum cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) levels, and finally severe atheromatous plaques formation covering 57.5% of the arterial walls. Lovastatin markedly reduced both the cholesterol and LDL, but the reducing effect (47.5%) on atheroma formation was relatively low. By comparison, 5-min PLT preferentially decreased LDL, rather than cholesterol, and thereby potentially reduced the atheroma area to 42.2%. Notably, 20-min PLT was superior to lovastatin in reducing both the cholesterol and LDL levels as well as the atheromatous plaque formation (26.4%). In contrast to the increases in blood alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase following lovastatin treatment, PLT did not cause hepatotoxicity. In addition, PLT decreased platelets and hematocrit level. The results indicate that PLT attenuates atherosclerosis not only by lowering blood cholesterol and LDL levels, but also by improving blood flow without adverse effects. Therefore, it is suggested that PLT could be a safe alternative therapy for the improvement of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.
Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Platelets ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Ear ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Lovastatin ; Male ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Rabbits

This article has been retracted.

Brain damage resulting from perinatal cerebral hypoxia and ischemia is a major cause of acute mortality and neurological disabilities, including cerebral palsy (CP) and cognitive dysfunction. In order to establish an experimental hypoxia-ischemia (HI) model of CP for the screening of therapeutics, we operated bilateral common carotid artery ligation (BCAO) and monolateral carotid artery occlusion (MCAO), followed by 15 min of hypoxia (8% oxygen) in 4-day-old rats, and evaluated neurobehavioral disorders. After surgery, the survival rates of male and female BCAO rats were 33.3 and 7.1%, respectively, whereas 100% and 82.4% MCAO rats survived. In neurobehavioral performances, both male and female BCAO rats showed delayed achievement of righting reflex, in contrast to a negligible effect in MACO animals. However, both BCAO and MCAO rats exhibited impairment of cliff avoidance performances, although the physical dysfunction was more severe in BCAO than in MCAO. In global locomotor activity, MCAO rats also displayed decreased fast-moving time comparable BCAO animals, and increased resting and slow-moving times. In addition, MCAO rats showed marked learning and memory deficit in passive avoidance performances, similar to BCAO animals. From immunostaining analyses, severe degradation and loss of myelin basic proteins were observed in the brain of BCAO rats, in contrast to a mild aggregation in MCAO animals. Therefore, it is suggested that MCAO should be a more suitable CP model than BCAO, based on the high survival rate, relatively-mild brain injury, and enough neurobehavioral disorders for the research on preventive and therapeutic compounds.
Achievement ; Animals ; Anoxia ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Cerebral Palsy ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia, Brain ; Infant ; Ischemia ; Learning ; Ligation ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Memory Disorders ; Models, Theoretical ; Motor Activity ; Myelin Basic Protein ; Rats ; Reflex, Righting ; Survival Rate

Since scalp hair loss has increased recently even in young people, seriously affecting individual's quality of life, the hair growth-stimulating effects of Laminaria japonica extract (LJE) and Cistanche tubulosa extract (CTE) were investigated. After confirming anagen phase of follicles under shaving, male C57BL/6 mice were dermally applied with 3% Minoxidil or orally administered with the combinations of LJE and CTE for 21 days. Minoxidil promoted the hair regrowth and increased gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities. In addition, Minoxidil up-regulated epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. Co-administration of LJE and CTE at 54 mg/kg LJE plus 162 mg/kg CTE exerted synergistic promoting effects on the hair regrowth, comparable to 3% Minoxidil. LJE preferentially enhanced ALP activity, while CTE increased both gamma-GTP and ALP activities as well as EGF and VEGF expressions. In vivo air pouch inflammation model, carrageenan-induced vascular exudation and increased nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 concentrations in the exudates were synergistically suppressed by co-administration of LJE and CTE. In addition, inflammatory cell infiltration was substantially inhibited by the combinational treatment. The results suggest that combinational oral treatment with LJE and CTE in appropriate doses and ratios prevent hair loss and improve alopecia, which might be in part mediated by their anti-inflammatory activities.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Alopecia ; Animals ; Cistanche* ; Dinoprostone ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Exudates and Transudates ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Hair* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Laminaria* ; Male ; Mice ; Minoxidil ; Nitric Oxide ; Quality of Life ; Scalp ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Anti-inflammatory effects of Houttuynia cordata supercritical extract (HSE) were investigated in rat carrageenan-air pouch model. Oral administration of HSE (50-200 mg/kg) suppressed carrageenan-induced exudation and albumin leakage, as well as inflammatory cell infiltration at a high dose (200 mg/kg). Intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone (2 mg/kg) only decreased exudation and cell infiltration, while indomethacin (2 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced exudate volume and albumin content without influence on the cell number. HSE lowered tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO), as well as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Dexamethasone only reduced TNF-alpha and NO, while indomethacin decreased PGE2. The results indicate that HSE exhibits anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting both TNF-alpha-NO and cyclooxygenase-2-PGE2 pathways.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Carrageenan ; Cell Count ; Dexamethasone ; Dinoprostone ; Exudates and Transudates ; Houttuynia ; Indomethacin ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Nitric Oxide ; Rats ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The anti-inflammatory effects of fuciodan and Cistanche tubulosa (CT) extract were investigated in vitro macrophage culture system and in vivo carrageenan-induced air pouch inflammation model. CT extract inhibited nitric oxide production from activated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, while fucoidan was inactive. In vivo air pouch inflammation model, carrageenan-induced vascular exudation and increased nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 concentrations in the exudates were synergistically suppressed by co-administration of fucoidan or CT extract. Moreover, tissue inflammation was substantially attenuated by the combinational therapy. However, there was no synergistic effect against the inflammatory cell infiltration, although fucoidan and CT extract each markedly reduced the cell numbers. Therefore, it is suggested that fucoidan blocks infiltration of inflammatory cells, while CT extract inhibits activation of the cells, and that their combinational treatment could be a promising candidate for the relief of various types of inflammation.
Carrageenan ; Cell Count ; Cistanche ; Dinoprostone ; Exudates and Transudates ; Inflammation ; Laminaria ; Macrophages ; Nitric Oxide ; Polysaccharides