OBJECTIVEIn order to get the method for improving the salt resistance of Lycium ruthenium seeds and seedlings under NaCl stress, the seed germination and physiological characteristics of L. ruthenium seedlings was studied.

METHODSeveral physiological indexes of L. ruthenium seeds under NaCl stress, such as the germination rate (Gr), germination vigor (Gv), germination index (Gi), vigor index (Vi), and relative salt damage rate were measured. Other indexes of the seedlings like relative water contents (RWC) , chlorophyll contents, soluble protein contents, electrolyte leakage, the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and peroxidase (POD) were also measured.

RESULTNaCl at lower concentration could promote the seed germination but inhibit the seed germination at higher concentration. After the treatment by CaCl2 at the different concentrations, all germination indexes were increased. With the increase of salt concentration, the relative water contents and the contents of chlorophyll were decreased, the content of MDA and electrolyte leakage were increased. The change trend of POD activity showed the first increase and then decrease with the increase of salt concentration, which was similar to that of the soluble protein. After the treatment by CaCl2, relative water contents, chlorophyll and POD activities were decreased more slowly, and also electrolyte leakage and MDA contents increased slowly.

CONCLUSIONThe CaCl2 could significantly alleviate the damages to the seeds and seedlings of L. ruthenium under NaCl stress, and promote the salt resistance to the seeds and seedlings of L. ruthenium.

Calcium ; pharmacology ; Germination ; drug effects ; Lycium ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiology ; Seedlings ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiology ; Seeds ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiology ; Sodium Chloride ; metabolism

PURPOSE: Isosulfan blue dye has been widely used for localizing sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in breast cancer patients. The use of methylene blue has recently been applied for localizing SLNs. We compared the use of each dye to investigate the effectiveness of methylene blue for the localization of SLNs. METHODS: From January to December of 2005, 326 patients underwent surgery for breast cancer at Samsung Medical Center. In 86 patients, only a blue dye was used for SLN localization. Isosulfan blue and methylene blue were randomly given. Each dye (5 mL) was given by subareolar or peritumoral injection. The injection site was gently massaged with a warm gauze for 5 min. A frozen biopsy was performed for all SLNs, and an axillary dissection was done for positive frozen biopsy cases or cases in which axillary metastasis was clinically suspected. RESULTS: Fifty-eight cases (61.1%) had been treated with isosulfan blue and 37 cases (38.9%) had been treated with methylene blue. Blue nodes were found in 96.6% of samples in the isosulfan blue group and 86.5% of samples in the methylene blue group. The mean number of SLNs was 2.10 in the isosulfan blue group and 2.27 in the methylene blue group (p>0.05). The frozen biopsy was positive for malignant cells in 16 of 56 cases in the isosulfan blue group and 4 of 32 cases in the methylene blue group. Axillary lymph node dissection was performed in 23 cases in the isosulfan blue group and 19 cases in the methylene blue group. CONCLUSION: There are no significant differences in the success rate, the mean number of SLNs found and the false negative rate between the use of isosulfan blue and methylene blue for localization of SLNs in breast cancer patients.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes* ; Methylene Blue* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in hormone receptors of myoma cells and volume decrement of myoma after radiofrequency myolysis. METHODS: From 2005 January to 2006 January, thirty patients who have had high-frequency myolysis were included in this study. Needle aspiration biopsy was done at the central portion of myoma pre- and 6 months post-operation. Radiofrequency myolysis were done for 20 minutes until discoloration of myoma was accomplished to 80%. The stain intensity of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) was classified into "negative", "trace", "weak", "moderate" and "strong". RESULTS: The volume decrement was 96.4% in the group that showed trace to week stain intensity (under 50% stain intensity), but it decreased to 66.6% in the group that showed strong stain intensity (over 50%, moderate to strong)(P<0.05). ER showed moderate to strong positive response in 79% of patients before operation, but it showed negative to week response in 83% of patients after the operation. Also, PR showed moderate to strong positive response in 80% of patients before operation, but it showed negative to week response in 86% of patients after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: To coagulate entire myoma, we suggested that controlling the intensity of operation by lengthening the time or expanding the extent of operation was more effective in treatment, because the volume decrement of myoma was larger in case that ER and PR was under 50% before the operation.
Biopsy, Needle ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Leiomyoma ; Myoma ; Needles ; Receptors, Progesterone

Objective On July 6, 2010, the parents of a patient with confirmed measles reported several suspected measles patients with fever and rash in their village. An investigation was carried out to verify and understand the cause of the outbreak. Methods Several suspected cases had an onset of fever and rash in this and other neighboring villages during June 1 to August 3,2010. A confirmed case was a suspected case with measles-specific IgM identified in the serum. We conducted door-to-door visits and searched the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Information System to identify cases, also conducted a retrospective cohort study among migrant children aged 8 months-14 years to identify risk factors related to measles. Results We identified 19 measles cases (17 confirmed case, 2 suspected cases)in the village, and all of them were migrants. Children aged 1-2 years had the highest attack rate(13%). The primary case-patient had onset on the day she arrived in this village(June 4,2010). Caretakers from an unlicensed private clinic were providing service in the village but did not report the outbreak to the public health authority. The outbreak was identified only after receiving a report from the parents of one of the patients, by that time the outbreak had lasted for one month. The measles vaccine coverage rate was 81% among the 315 migrant children aged 8 months-14 years. Among the 61 unvaccinated children, those who reportedly being contacted a measles patient had a higher attack rate(14/16, 88%)than those who did not(2/45, 4.4%)(Relative risk=20, Fisher' s exact 95% confidence interval: 5.7-94). Conclusion The low measles vaccine coverage among migrant children and lack of measures taken on the incident, timely isolation diagnosis/reporting by the caretakers from the unlicensed private clinic etc. had contributed to this prolonged outbreak. Measures need to be taken to improve the immunization services for migrant populations and to enhance measles surveillance programs in the area.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of intraoperative continuous nimodipine infusion on cerebral vasospasm during intracranial aneurysm surgery.

METHODSThirty consecutive patients under-going intracranial aneurysmal surgery were prospectively randomized into two groups: Isoflurane (group A, n = 15) and nimodipine (group B, n = 15). The patients in group A were maintained with 1 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) isoflurane anesthesia during the whole procedure. The patients in group B were given nimodipine infusion continuously (20 microg.kg(-1).h(-1)) after induction of anesthesia and anesthetized with 1 MAC isoflurane. S100B levels in cerebrospinal fluid were determined before aneurysm clipping and 0, 2, 4 h after aneurysm clipping by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Assessment of mean blood flow velocity of parent arterial and arterial branches were performed before and after aneurysm clipping.

RESULTS(1) S100B in cerebrospinal fluid was increased significantly at 4 h after aneurysm was clipped in group A (F = 4.11, P < 0.05). However, S100B in cerebrospinal fluid was stable in group B in the whole procedure. (2) Mean arterial flow velocity of parent vessels in group B was lower significantly than that in group A (t = 2.08, P < 0.05). However, mean arterial flow velocity of distal vessels in both groups has no significant difference.

CONCLUSIONIntraoperative nimodipine infusion may prevent cerebral vasospasm during intracranial aneurysm surgery.

Adult ; Aged ; Anesthesia, Inhalation ; Anesthesia, Intravenous ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; surgery ; Intraoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Isoflurane ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nimodipine ; therapeutic use ; Vasodilator Agents ; therapeutic use ; Vasospasm, Intracranial ; prevention & control

BACKGROUND: Density patterns on mammography have been related to the risk factors for breast cancer in the western countries. High mammographic density appears to confer a 4-fold risk of breast cancer. While the proportion of high-density mammography is higher in Korean women than in Caucasian women, the incidence of breast cancer in Korean women is considerably lower. Therefore, we examined if the mammographic breast density pattern correlates with the risk factors for breast cancer in Korean women. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, we recruited 1,758 pre- and post-menopause women without prior history of breast cancer and breast surgery who underwent screening mammogram and completed a self-administered questionnaire in 6 general hospitals. On the basis of ACR BI RADS breast composition, four density patterns were classified in caudocranial and mediolateral mammography by a designated radiologist in each hospital. Multiple linear logistic regression was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability between the initial report and the report made by another blinded radiologist was high (Pearson's co-efficient=0.81). Overall, the age, body mass index, family history of breast cancer, and duration of hormone replacement therapy correlated with the mammographic density patterns. In pre-menopausal women, the high body mass index and parity (=2) were associated with low mammographic density. In post- menopausal women, older age, high body mass index, negative family history of breast cancer, and duration of hormone replacement therapy were associated with low mammographic density. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that the mammographic breast density patterns correlated with risk factors for breast cancer in Korean women. While the proportion of high-density mammography is higher in Korean women, the incidence of breast cancer is lower than in the western population. This maybe dependent on other unknown factors. (J Korean Acad Fam Med 2006;27: 33-41)
Body Mass Index ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Mammography ; Mass Screening ; Parity ; Postmenopause ; Risk Factors* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Cryopreservation of pancreas islet cells can facilitate the clinical islet transplantation by giving a means of storage of islets and immunomodulation on pancreatic islet preparations. METHODS: Pancreatic islets were isolated by standard technique using collagenase in rat. Cryopreservation was performed by using DMSO as a cryoprotectant after one day or 48 hr culture. Recovery rate, viability and insulin release in assay in vitro and vivo were checked under the various conditions, such as concentration of DMSO (1.5 M or 2.0 M), culture condition (1 day or 2 day), and taurine treatment. RESULTS: Percentage of recovery of cryopreserved islet was 56.8+/-10% after thawing. Viability was decreased from 97.2+/-1.1% before cryopreservation to 82.7+/-9.9% after thawing. Glucose stimulation index was reduced from 1.7+/-0.2 before cryopreservation to 1.2+/-0.8 after thawing. Nucleation method by metal rod showed better viability than control (no nucleation) or chamber nucleation method. Mean viability and glucose stimulation index was 81% and 1.5 in one day culture, and 84.2% and 1.2 in 2 day culture before cryopreservtion. Islet treated with taurine showed better insulin release and intracellular insulin content compared with non treated islets before and after cryopreservation. When 4000 IEQ (Islet Equivalent) of islets treated with taurine and non treated cryopreserved islets were transplanted into syngenic streptozotocin induced diabetic rat, all showed normoglycemia over 60 days. CONCLUSION: Cryopreservation of islets could give a tool of storage with preservation of islet secretion function. However pertinent effort to improve the recovery is needed in order to be used in the clinical islet transplantation.
Animals ; Collagenases ; Cryopreservation* ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Glucose ; Immunomodulation ; Insulin ; Islets of Langerhans Transplantation ; Islets of Langerhans* ; Pancreas* ; Rats* ; Streptozocin ; Taurine

This study was conducted to investigate the chemical constituents of Piper wallichii (Miq.) Hand.-Mazz. and evaluate their biological activity. Compounds were isolated by various column chromatographic methods, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of physical characteristics and spectral data. The 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-scavenging activity and acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibitory activity of the compounds were evaluated. Five compounds were obtained and identified as 8-C-β-D-glucopyranosylkaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 1, 2-dihydro-6,8-dimethoxy-7-hydroxy-1-(3, 5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-N(1), N(2)-bis-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-2, 3-naphthalene dicarboxamide (2), goniothalactam (3), aristololactam A IIIa (4) and piperlonguminine (5). Compound 1 was a new flavonol C-glycoside, 2 was a rare lignanamide, which was isolated from the family Piperaceae for the first time, and compound 3 was isolated from this plant for the first time. Among them, 2 showed potent DPPH-scavenging activity, with IC50 of 31.38 ± 0.97 μmol·L(-1); Compounds 2, 3, and 4 showed AChE inhibitory activity at 100 μmol·L(-1), with inhibition rates of 28.57% ± 1.47%, 18.48% ± 2.41% and 17.4% ± 3.03%, respectively.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Flavonols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Glycosides ; Molecular Structure ; Monosaccharides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Piper ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the early cardiac injury caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before the development of cardiovascular symptoms of OSA. METHODS: Ninety-two patients without any known cardiovascular disorders who underwent polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled in the study. Subjects were divided into mild, moderate, and severe OSA groups by their apnea hypopnea index (AHI), and 25 healthy individuals were identified as controls. After PSG examination, fasting blood samples for the evaluation of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP) were collected in the morning, and left ventricular(LV) functions were assessed by using echocardiographic methods. Thirty moderate and severe OSA patients were treated with continuous positive airway pressure respectively (CPAP). RESULTS: The levels of h-FABP and NT-proBNP were obviously higher in all OSA groups than those in the control group (<0.01), and were positively correlated with AHI (<0.01). The Em/Am values of all OSA groups and E/A values of the moderate and severe OSA groups were significantly reduced (<0.01). The difference in Em/Am values among the groups was statistically significant (<0.01). Compared with those before treatment, h-FABP and NT-BNP levels in serum of OSA patients after CPAP treatment were significantly reduced (<0.01), and Em/Am and E/A values were significantly increased (<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and early myocardial microtrauma are major manifestations of early heart damage in patients with OSA. CPAP therapy could significantly improve early cardiac damage in OSA patients.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; Heart Injuries ; Humans ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of brachytherapy combined with external beam radia -tion therapy and hormonal therapy in treating localized high-risk prostate cancer patients .Methods We retro-spectively analyzed 132 prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy from December 2003 to December 2007 in Department of Urology , Peking Union Medical College Hospital , including 97 localized high-risk pa-tients, and 35 localized low-to intermediate-risk patients.Postoperative prostate specific antigen ( PSA) level was monitored regularly in follow-up visits.Biochemical relapse , progression to castration-resistant prostate canc-er (CRPC) or metastasis, and deaths were documented .Biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS), cause-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) of the patients were evaluated .Results The bPFS, CSS, and OS of the 132 patients were 83.3%, 91.7%, and 84.8%, respectively;those indexes of the 97 localized high-risk patients were 81.4%, 88.7%, and 81.4%, respectively;and those of the 35 localized low-to inter-mediate-risk patients were 88.6%, 100%, and 94.3%, respectively .No significant difference was observed in bPFS and OS between high-risk and low-to intermediate-risk patients ( P=0.433 , 0.098 ) , while CSS was sig-nificant higher in low-to intermediate-risk patients than in high-risk patients ( P=0.037 ) .After patients were grouped based on Gleason score, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) clinical stage, or preoperative PSA levels, differences in bPFS among groups were not statistically significant ( P=0.084 , 0.537 , 0.850 ) .Conclusion Brachytherapy combined with external beam radiation therapy and hormonal therapy may effectively control PSA level and delay biochemical relapse in localized high-risk prostate cancer .