Acupuncture ; instrumentation ; methods ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain ; etiology ; Pain Management ; Patella ; injuries

The authors studied 16 cases of craniopharyngioma who admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of Dong San Medical center, Keimyung university, during the past 5 years from 1981 to 1985. Of these 16 cases, 9 belonged to a juvenile group with ages under 20 based on full pubertal development, and 7 cases belonged to an adult group. It was observed the difference between the age groups of the clinical, neuroradiogical and histopathopathological findings. Raised ICP symptoms were showed in juvenile group and decreased vision and visual field defect in adult group, respectivelly, as the chief complaint. All cases of the juvenile group were classified as juvenile type and three cases out of seven in the adult group were adult types in their histopathological pattern. Four juvenile types of adult group showed poor outcome. We concluded that subtotal resection with radiotherapy gave a better prognosis in both group and that hormone therapy before and operation decreased mortality and morbidity and improved the quality of survival significantly.
Adult* ; Child* ; Craniopharyngioma ; Humans ; Mortality ; Neurosurgery ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Visual Fields

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Endothelin (ET)-1, a potent endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor peptide, has a potential pathophysiologic role in pulmonary hypertension. Bosentan, a dual ET receptor (ET(A)/ET(B)) antagonist, is efficacious in treatment of pulmonary hypertension. The objectives of this study were to investigate the expression of ET-1 and ET receptor A (ERA) genes and to evaluate the effect of bosentan in monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated as follows: control (n=36), subcutaneous (sc) injection of saline; MCT (n=36), sc injection of MCT (60 mg/kg); and bosentan (n=36), sc injection of MCT (60 mg/kg) plus 25 mg/kg/day bosentan orally. RESULTS: Serum ET-1 concentrations in the MCT group were higher than the control group on day 28 and 42. Quantitative analysis of peripheral pulmonary arteries revealed that the increase in medial wall thickness after MCT injection was significantly attenuated in the bosentan group on day 28 and 42. In addition, the increase in the number of intra-acinar muscular arteries after MCT injection was reduced by bosentan on day 14, 28 and 42. The levels of ET-1 and ERA gene expression were significantly increased in the MCT group compared with control group on day 5, and bosentan decreased the expression of ET-1 on day 5. CONCLUSION: ET-1 contributes to the progression of cardiopulmonary pathology in rats with MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension. Administration of bosentan reduced ET-1 gene expression in MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats.
Animals ; Arteries ; Endothelin-1 ; Endothelins ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Male ; Monocrotaline ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Endothelin ; Sulfonamides

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There have been several reports suggesting close relationships bet- ween problem behavior syndrome scale and/or social competence scale and pediatric allergic disorders such as bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis. The aim of the present study was to confirm these relationships. We compared the behavioral symptoms and social competence scale between allergic and non-allergic patient groups using Korean-Child Behavior Checklist (K- CBCL). MATERIALS AND METHOD: One hundred and seventy-one subjects(aged 4-11 years) were enro- lled in this study. Allergy patient group(N=84) was divided into 4 subgroups, according to the allergic diseases such as atopic asthma(Group 1, BA), allergic rhinitis(Group 2, AR), atopic dermatitis(Group 3, AD), and chronic urticaria(Group 4, CU). Eighty-seven non-allergic patients (Group 5, NA) included those with pediatric general disorders, except psychomotor retardation, neurologic deficit, malignancy or other chronic disorders. K-CBCL which was filled in by parents or guardian, included eight dimensions of problem behavior: withdrawal, somatic problems, anxiety/ depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior. The first three scales were classified as an Internalizing broadband group and the last two scales as Externalizing group. In addition, the questionnaire included social scale, school scale, and total competence scale. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, sex, social economic status between 5 subgroups of allergic and non-allergic patients(p>0.05). The mean problem behavior scores tended to be higher in allergic patient group, but no statistical significance was noted(p>0.05). The mean school scale, social scale, total competence scale of allergic patient group were not significantly higher than those of non-allergic patient group(p>0.05). Combined disease group with more than 2 allergic disorders showed problem behaviors compared to non-allergic group or asthma only group. Total social competence scale was lower in allergic patient group with 1-3 years of disease duration than for shorter(less than 1 year) and longer(more than 3 years) durations. CONCLUSION: Taken together, combined disease group and allergic disease group with 1-3 years of duration showed more problem behaviors and the lowest total social competence scales, respectively.
Asthma ; Behavioral Symptoms ; Checklist* ; Child ; Child Behavior* ; Child* ; Depression ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Mental Competency ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Parents ; Social Problems ; Weights and Measures ; Surveys and Questionnaires

In this article, the items from 1999 to 2003 of pharmaceutics of Chinese medicine accepted and supported by subject of traditional Chinese medicine, No.9 department of life science, national natural science foundation of China (NSFC) have been reported, in several aspects, such as extracting process, preparation, biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetic, etc. The problems in these items have also been analyzed briefly.
Biopharmaceutics ; China ; Dosage Forms ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Pharmacokinetics ; Research ; Research Support as Topic ; Technology, Pharmaceutical

To investigate the kinship between the Inner Mongolia pandemic strain and representative strains of the Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV), total DNA from the lung tissue of a JSRV-infected sheep in Inner Mongolia was used to clone fragments of gag, pro and pol genes. The recombinant plasmid pMD-JSRV (including complete genomic sequence of the JSRV strain isolated from Inner Mongolia) was constructed by linking all the cloned fragments with long terminal repeat (LTR) and env gene fragments (cloned previous and reserved by our research team). Sequence analyses revealed that the genome was 7690 bp in length and contained several typical molecular markers for exogenous form of JSRV. These included the Sca I restriction site in the gag gene, two predicted "CCHC" motifs of zinc finger in the encoded nucleocapsid protein and the predicted "YXXM" motif in the TM region of Env. Homology analyses showed that the virus strain belonged to the JSRV type II. pMD-JSRV and AF105220 strains shared a nucleotide identification of 95%. The full length genomic clone of JSRV could provide a molecular basis for an infectious JSRV molecular clone as well as an experimental platform to study the detection and pathogenesis of JSRV.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Genome, Viral ; Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus ; genetics ; Pandemics ; Plasmids ; Proviruses ; genetics

The applications accepted and approved by general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developed region of national natural science funds in the discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2012 have been introduced. The research contents of the funded projects in the popular research areas have been summarized and the problems in the applications have been analyzed to give a reference to the scientists in the field of Chinese materia medica.
China ; Financing, Organized ; organization & administration ; Humans ; Laboratory Personnel ; economics ; Materia Medica ; chemistry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; economics ; Natural Science Disciplines ; economics ; manpower ; organization & administration

BACKGROUNDThe vaccination of mice with DNA encoding single candidate antigens has failed to induce significant protection against Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) challenge infections. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using a multivalent DNA vaccine which co-expressed S. japonicum integral membrane protein Sj23 and murine cytokine IL-12 to induce protective immune responses.

METHODSThe plasmid pVIVO2-IL12-Sj23, a eukaryotic expression vector expressing Sj23 and murine IL-12 simultaneously, was constructed, identified, and tested for expression in vitro. Its ability to protect against S. japonicum challenge infections was analyzed according to worm reduction rate and egg reduction rate after vaccination of BALB/c mice. The serum levels of specific IgG antibody were determined by enzyme-linked-immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis. Using cultured spleen cells, IFN-gamma and IL-4 post-stimulation were quantified by ELISA. The phenotypes of splenocyte populations were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM).

RESULTSThe plasmid DNA pVIVO2-IL12-Sj23 was proven to express well in vitro by transient transfection of HEK-293 cells. Immunization resulted in a worm reduction rate of 45.53% and egg reduction rate of 58.35%. ELISA and Western blot analysis indicated that immunized mice generated specific IgG against Sj23. Spleen cells showed significant increases in IFN-gamma but decreases in IL-4. No significant differences in CD4+ and CD8+ subgroup ratios were observed after the challenges.

CONCLUSIONSThe multivalent DNA vaccine pVIVO2-IL12-Sj23 is sufficient to elicit moderate but highly significant levels of protective immunity against challenge infections. Cytokine IL-12, as a gene adjuvant, was able to enhance the Th1 responses and, hence, the protective immunity.

Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth ; blood ; Antigens, Helminth ; genetics ; immunology ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; Helminth Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Interleukin-12 ; genetics ; immunology ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Schistosoma japonicum ; immunology ; Th1 Cells ; immunology ; Vaccination ; Vaccines, DNA ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect and mechanisms of dimethoate on the primary cultured cortical neuronal cell injury.

METHODSCortical neuronal cells were isolated and cultured in serum free medium for 6 days in vitro, and 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 micromol/L dimethoate were added to the medium and intracellular SOD, MDA and GSH. The content of excitatory amino acid was measured after 48 hours. Flow cytometry was used to detect the neuronal cell apoptosis.

RESULTSAfter 48 h, the activity of SOD and the content of GSH decreased [(1.04 +/- 0.02), (0.99 +/- 0.02), (0.96 +/- 0.02), (0.91 +/- 0.02) U/mg pro] [(219.35 +/- 6.79), (205.6 +/- 6.29), (194.06 +/- 2.63), (93.68 +/- 7.56) mg/g pro], and the content of MDA increased obviously with 5, 10, 50 and 100 micromol/L dimethoate [(21.22 +/- 0.29), (24.01 +/- 0.34), (27.15 +/- 1.02), (32.91 +/- 1.39) nmol/mg pro]; The content of Asp from 10 to 100 micromol/L dose group was higher than the control group and the content of Glu from 1 to 100 micromol/L dose group was higher than the control group. The apoptosis rate had great significance between 1 to 100 micromol/L dose groups and control group. When treated with dimethoate, MDA content in neuron was positively correlated with the content of EAAs with the increase of dimethoate. The correlative coefficient was 0.937 and 0.759 respectively (P < 0.01), while it was negatively correlated with the content of GSH. The correlative coefficient was -0.868 and -0.801 respectively (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe oxidative damage and changes of excitatory amino acid content induced by Dimethoate contribute to the primary cultured rat cortical neuron apoptosis.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cerebral Cortex ; cytology ; Dimethoate ; toxicity ; Excitatory Amino Acids ; metabolism ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe long-term outcomes of patients with invasive giant prolactinomas (IGPs) treated with bromocriptine followed by comprehensive treatments.

METHODSThirty-four patients met the criteria of IGPs were treated with bromocriptine initially. Among of them, 11 had radiotherapy at the same time. During the treatments, transsphenoidal surgery or/and Gamma Knife were considered to apply to the patients according to the location, shrinkage of residual tumors and resistance of bromocriptine. Small dosage of bromocriptine was kept after operation.

RESULTSThe average follow-up duration is 33.6 months. Thirty-three patients obtained significant improvement, but one failed recovery of vision due to side-injury by radiotherapy. Tumor volume on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was decreased on average by 91.4%, PRL by 97.1%. The number of patients with low testosterone level restored from 17 to 6 and hypoadrenalism from 10 to 6 after combined treatment with priority of medical therapy. Rhinorrhea occurred in 2 cases, 1 restored in two weeks, 1 had transsphenoidal combined with transcranial surgery to remove the tumor and repair the fistula.4 had resistance to bromocriptine to some extend.

CONCLUSIONSDopamine agonist medications are effective as a first-line therapy for IGPs. In some patients treated by bromocriptine only, the tumor may disappear on MRI. Combined with surgery and Gamma Knife, the duration of treatment could be shortened and the dosage may be minimized, but using radiotherapy should be cautions.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bromocriptine ; therapeutic use ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hormone Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypophysectomy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Prolactinoma ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Radiosurgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome