Monoclonal antibody (mAb, NVRQS-DON) against deoxynivalenol (DON) was prepared. DON-Ag coated enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and DON-Ab coated ELISA were prepared by coating the DON-BSA and DON mAb. Quantitative DON calculation ranged from 50 to 4,000 ng/mL for DON-Ab coated ELISA and from 25 to 500 ng/mL for DON-Ag coated ELISA. 50% of inhibitory concentration values of DON, HT-2, 15-acetyl-DON, and nivalenol were 23.44, 22,545, 5,518 and 5,976 ng/mL based on the DON-Ab coated ELISA. Cross-reactivity levels of the mAb to HT-2, 15-acetyl-DON, and nivalenol were 0.1, 0.42, and 0.40%. The intra- and interassay precision coefficient variation (CV) were both <10%. In the mAb-coated ELISA, mean DON recovery rates in animal feed (0 to 1,000 microg/kg) ranged from 68.34 to 95.49% (CV; 4.10 to 13.38%). DON in a buffer solution (250, 500 and 1,000 ng/mL) was isolated using 300 microg of NVRQS-DON and 3 mg of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The mean recovery rates of DON using this mAb-MNP system were 75.2, 96.9, and 88.1% in a buffer solution spiked with DON (250, 500, and 1,000 ng/mL). Conclusively we developed competitive ELISAs for detecting DON in animal feed and created a new tool for DON extraction using mAb-coupled MNPs.
Animal Feed/analysis ; Animals ; Antibodies, Fungal/analysis ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/analysis ; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical/*methods ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/*methods/veterinary ; Female ; Food Contamination/*analysis ; Fusarium/immunology ; Imidazoles/chemistry ; Magnetics/methods ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mycotoxins/*analysis/chemistry ; Nanoparticles/chemistry ; Ovalbumin/chemistry ; Trichothecenes/*analysis/chemistry

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) plays a critical role in diverse cellular functions, and regulating the Pi balance is accomplished by sodium-dependent Pi co-transporter (NPT). Pulmonary NPT has recently been identified in mammalian lungs. However, to date, many of the studies that have involved Pi have mainly focused on its effect on bone and kidney. Therefore, current study was performed to discover the potential effects of low Pi on the lung of developing transgenic mice expressing the renilla/firefly luciferase dual reporter gene. Two-weeks old male mice divided into 2 groups and these groups were fed either a low PI diet or a normal control diet (normal: 0.5% Pi, low: 0.1% Pi) for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of the diet, all the mice were sacrificed. Their lungs were harvested and analyzed by performing luciferase assay, Western blotting, kinase assay and immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrate that low Pi affects the lungs of developing mice by disturbing protein translation, the cell cycle and the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2. These results suggest that optimally regulating Pi consumption may be important to maintain health.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Carrier Proteins/metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung/drug effects/enzymology/*growth & development/metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Phosphoproteins/metabolism ; Phosphorus, Dietary/*administration & dosage ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)/metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism ; Sodium-Phosphate Cotransporter Proteins, Type IIa/*metabolism

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants present in air and food. Among PAHs, benzo(a)pyrene(BaP), phenanthrene (PH) and pyrene (PY) are considered to be important for their toxicity or abundance. To investigate the changes of biomarkers after PAH exposure, rats were treated with BaP (150 microgram/kg) alone or with PH (4,300 microgram/kg) and PY (2,700 microgram/kg) (BPP group) by oral gavage once per day for 30 days. 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity in liver microsomal fraction was increased in only BaP groups. The highest concentration (34.5 ng/g) of BaP, was found in muscle of rats treated with BaP alone at 20 days of treatment; it was 23.6 ng/g in BPP treated rats at 30 days of treatment. The highest PH concentration was 47.1 ng/g in muscle and 118.8 ng/g in fat, and for PY it was 29.7 ng/g in muscle and 219.9 ng/g in fat, in BPP groups. In urine, 114-161 ng/ml 3-OH-PH was found, while PH was 41-69 ng/ml during treatment. 201-263 ng/ml 1-OH-PY was found, while PH was 9-17 ng/ml in urine. The level of PY, PH and their metabolites in urine was rapidly decreased after withdrawal of treatment. This study suggest that 1-OH-PY in urine is a sensitive biomarker for PAHs; it was the most highly detected marker among the three PAHs and their metabolites evaluated during the exposure period and for 14 days after withdrawal.
Adipose Tissue/chemistry/drug effects ; Animals ; Benzo(a)pyrene/analysis/metabolism/*toxicity ; Biological Markers/metabolism/urine ; Blood Chemical Analysis ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1/metabolism ; Environmental Pollutants/blood/metabolism/*toxicity/urine ; Female ; Liver/drug effects/enzymology ; Lymphocytes/drug effects/metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects/metabolism ; Organ Size/drug effects ; Phenanthrenes/blood/metabolism/*toxicity/urine ; Pyrenes/analysis/metabolism/*toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVES: This multicenter clinical trial involving 13 hospital sites compared the safety of switching to olanzapine between 'direct switching method' and 'start-tapering switching method'. METHOD: This study included both inpatients and outpatients who fulfilled the criteria for schizophrenia as defined in the ICD-10, and were in need to be appropriate for switching antipsychotics. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two switching methods. For 'direct switching method' group, previous antipsychotics were abruptly discontinued and 10mg of olanzapine was administered, whereas for 'start-tapering switching method' group, initially 10mg of olanzapine was administered and previous antipsychotics was gradually tapered for 2 weeks. Olanzapine was used for 6 weeks and the dose was adjusted within the range of 5-20mg. The safety of switching to olanzapine was measured with vital signs including body weight, adverse events reported spontaneously, laboratory tests, and various scales such as Simpson-Angus Scale(SAS), Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale(BARS), Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale(AIMS), and Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side Effect Rating Scale(LUNSERS). RESULTS: 103 patients were switched to olanzapine in this study. The comparison between two switching methods did not show any significant difference in the dosage of olanzapine used, the concomitant use of benzodiazepine, the rate and reasons of drop-out, the adverse events, vital signs, laboratory tests, and most scales for measuring side-effects. However, the decrease in AIMS scores was significantly lower in 'direct switching method' group, and the concomitant use of anticholinergics was comparatively greater in 'start-tapering switching method' group. At baseline, SAS and BARS scores were 3.5 and 1.8 points respectively, and more than 70% of the subjects showed hyperprolactinemia. After switching to olanzapine, SAS, BARS, and AIMS scores were significantly decreased and the proportion of the patients with hyperprolactinemia was also decreased to less than 30%. However significant weight gain after the treatment of olanzapine was observed regardless of switching method. CONCLUSION: This study may suggest that switching to olanzapine can be done with relatively high safety regardless of switching methods and olanzapine can significantly decrease some side-effects induced by other antipsychotics.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Benzodiazepines ; Body Weight ; Cholinergic Antagonists ; Dyskinesias ; Humans ; Hyperprolactinemia ; Inpatients ; International Classification of Diseases ; Outpatients ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Schizophrenia ; Vital Signs ; Weight Gain ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: This randomized, multicenter, open-label, parallel clinical trial was carried to compare the therapeutic efficacy and the proportion of successful switch between 'direct switching method' and 'start-tapering switching method' when switching an antipsychotic to olanzapine. METHODS: This study included both inpatients and outpatients who fulfilled the criteria for schizophrenia as defined in the ICD-10 from 13 hospitals, and were in need to be appropriate for switching antipsychotics. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two switching methods. For 'direct switching method' group, previous antipsychotics were abruptly discontinued and 10mg of olanzapine was administered, whereas for 'start-tapering switching method' group, initially 10mg of olanzapine was administered and previous antipsychotics was gradually tapered for 2 weeks. Olanzapine was used for 6 weeks and the dose was adjusted within the range of 5-20mg. The therapeutic efficacy was measured with PANSS, BPRS, and CGI-Severity. A successful switching was defined as the completion of the 6 week trial without either worsening of the symptom(i.e. CGI-S score becomes worse twice consecutively) or the exacerbation of extrapyramidal symptoms(i.e. Simpson-Angus Scale scores becomes worse). RESULTS: 103 schizophrenic patients were participated in this study. There were no differences in baseline characteristics such as the demographic variables, the severity of symptoms, the history of previous antipsychotics treatments, the dosage of olanzapine used and the compliance between two groups. The proportion of successful switch was 71.1% for "direct switching method" and 82.2% for "start-tapering switching method", and there was no significant difference between the two switching methods. Also response rates to olanzapine based on total PANSS total scores were not different between the two groups(26.9% vs. 31.1%). At the time of completion of the trial, the scores of PANSS total, PANSS subscales, CGI-S and BPRS have significantly decreased after switching to olanzapine. But the changes of all scales measuring therapeutic efficacy in both endpoint and weekly analyses were not significantly different between the two switching methods. CONCLUSION: Although this study trial has many limitations and problems as an open clinical trial, the results may suggest that there were no significant differences between the two switching methods in the therapeutic efficacy. It was also found that the additional therapeutic benefits could be obtained by switching their antipsychotics to olanzapine.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Compliance ; Humans ; Inpatients ; International Classification of Diseases ; Outpatients ; Schizophrenia ; Weights and Measures

Rud's syndrome (RS), basically composed of ichthyosis, mental deficiency and hypogonadism, is a rare hereditary disease. Some varying dermatologic, neurologic, endocrinologic, ophthalmologic and musculoskeletal abnormalities have coincided with RS. No case of RS has been documented from Asian countries except one from Japan. We describe a 16-year-old girl who presented with lamellar ichthyosis, mental retardation, hypogonadism, short stature, alopecia, sparse eyebrows, strabismus, cataracts, and congenital dislocation of the hip. To our knowledge, RS coexisting congenital dislocation of the hip herein is the first case in English literature.
Adolescent ; Alopecia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cataract ; Dislocations ; Eyebrows ; Female ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Hip ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Ichthyosis ; Ichthyosis, Lamellar ; Intellectual Disability ; Japan ; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities ; Strabismus

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of risperidone in the treatment of Korean schizophrenic patients. METHOD: This multicenter open study included 377 schizophrenic patients drawn from 39 university hospitals. After a wash-out period of 1 week, the schizophrenic patients were treated with risperidone for 8 weeks and evaluated at 5 points: at baseline, and 1,2,4 and 8 weeks of treatment. The dose was increased from 2mg/day(1mg twice daily) to 6mg/day(3mg twice daily) during the first week and adjusted to a maximum of 16mg/day over the next 7 weeks according to the patient's clinical response. Medication to control extrapyramidal symptoms was permitted. The psychiatric and neurological status of the patients was assessed by PANSS, CGI, and ESRS scales. RESULTS: 343(91%) of 377 patients completed the 8-week trial period. Clinical improvement, as defined by a 20% or more reduction in total PANSS score at end point, was shown by 81.3% of patients. The predictors of response to risperidone were associated older age, shorter duration of illness, fewer previous hospitalization. Risperidone had rapid onset of action: a significant decrease of the total PANSS and three PANSS factor(positive, negative, general), and CGI was already noticed at the end of first week. For the ESRS, parkinsonism rating scores were significantly increased until week 4 comparing with baseline. Dystonia rating scores were significantly increased until week 1, and dyskinesia rating scores were not significantly changed during the study. Laboratory parameters including vital sign, EKG, hematological, and biochemical values showed no significant changes during the trial. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that risperidone is generally safe and effective against both the positive and negative symptoms in our group of patients.
Dyskinesias ; Dystonia ; Electrocardiography ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Risperidone* ; Schizophrenia* ; Vital Signs ; Weights and Measures

Primary biliary cirrhosis is frequently associated with a variety of disorders presumed to be autoimmune in nature, such as Sjogrens syndrome, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and autoimmune thyroiditis. Scleroderma has been recognized in association with primary biliary cirrhosis. Most cases present as the CREST (calcinosis cutis, Raynauds phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasia) syndrome. Isolated pulmonary hypertension develops in a small proportion of patients, nearly all of whom have limited cutaneous involvement. We report a case who has diffuse scleroderma associated with primary biliary cirrhosis and isolated pulmonary hypertension.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Esophageal Motility Disorders ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Scleroderma, Diffuse* ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune

Mediastinal fibrosis is pathologically characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis of mediastinal soft tissue. Mediastinal fibrosis is local expression of a family of systemic fibrosing syndroms. This can result in compression of adjacent mediastinal structures. Idiopathic fibrosing syndromes include retroperitoneal fibrosis, sclerosing cholangitis of the orbit and fibrosis of the thyroid gland(Riedel's struma). The cause of these disorders is obscure, in some instance there is an underlying malignancy, infection, history of drug ingestion, or trauma with retoperitoneal bleeding. Treatment of mediastinal fibrosis depends on structures involved by the fibrotic process. The disease is self limited in most case or improved by steroids uses. We experienced a case of idopathic solerosing mediastinitis with orbital fibrous dysplasia of unknown cause, which was confirmed by open lung biopsy, so reported it with a review of literature.
Biopsy ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing ; Eating ; Fibrosis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung ; Mediastinitis ; Orbit ; Retroperitoneal Fibrosis ; Steroids ; Thyroid Gland

Although lipomas are common benign tumors in humans, endobronchial lipomas are quitely rare. Up to date, about 60 cases have been reported in the English literature. But endobronchial lipomas causing middle lobe syndrome were only 4 cases. These benign slow-growing tumors generally occur in the proximal portion of the lobar or segmental bronchi and originate from fatty tissue that is normally present in the bronchial tree. Smoking or chronic inflammation may be important in the pathogenesis of these tumors. Bronchoscopy is the definite diagnostic tool but, in general, open thoracotomy is required for diagnosis and treatment. Here, we present a case of endobronchial lipoma, with a review of the literature.
Adipose Tissue ; Bronchi ; Bronchoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lipoma* ; Middle Lobe Syndrome* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thoracotomy