No abstract available.
Sulpiride*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Finasteride* ; Rats* ; Spermatogenesis*

The incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has increased with the advanced technology of society. A careful evaluation of associated problems, initial severity, and complications is important for the acute management and rehabilitation of patients with TBI. To predict the rehabilitation potentials of patients with TBI, we have retrospectively investigated the causes, types of injury, associated problems, and complications in 186 patients and also assessed the rehabilitation outcomes by measuring the functional gains according to the types of brain injury and the initial severities evaluated by the Glasgow coma scale in 82 patients. The functional gains were measured by differences of the Mini-mental status examination, PULSES profile, and Barthel index of pre- and post-rehabilitation states. The incidence of TBI was highest in the 3rd decade men and the most common cause was a traffic accident (120 cases, 64.5%). The types of brain injury were a diffuse axonal injury, 87 cases (46.8%); epidural hematoma, 21 cases (11.3 %); subarachnoid hemorrhage, 25 cases (13.4%); subdural hematoma, 28 cases (15.1%); and intracerebral hematoma, 25 cases (12.9%). Common associated problems were fractures and injuries of nervous system. The 7th cranial nerve and the peroneal nerve were the most common injuries for cranial and peripheral nerves, respectively. Common complications were pulmonary and skin disorders. Total hospital stay and the duration for rehabilitation were not significantly different by the types of injury. Functional gain tended to be higher in the intracerebral hematoma compared to the other types of brain injury. The functional gain was statistically higher in patients with initial severity of moderate degree according to the Glasgow coma scale. In conclusion the moderate traumatic brain injured patients seem to have a higher potential for the good functional outcome.
Accidents, Traffic ; Brain ; Brain Injuries* ; Cranial Nerves ; Diffuse Axonal Injury ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Humans ; Incidence ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Nervous System ; Peripheral Nerves ; Peroneal Nerve ; Rehabilitation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Treatment Outcome*

BACKGROUND: Cancer invasion and metastasis require the dissolution of the extracellular matrix in which several proteolytic enzymes are Involved. One of these enzymes is the urokinase - type plasminogen activator(u-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitors(PAI-1, PAI-2) a]so have a possible role in cancer invasion and metastasis by protection of cancer itself from proteolysis by u-PA. It has been reported that the love]s of u-PA and plasminogen activator inhibitors in various cancer tissues are significantly higher than those in normal tissues and have significant correlations with tumor size and lymph node involvement Here, we measured the concentration of plasma u-PA and PAI- 1 antigens in the patients with lung cancer and compared the concentration of them with histologic types and staging parameters. METHODS: We measured the concentration of plasma u-PA and PAI-1 antigens using commercial ELISA kit in 37 lung cancer patients, 21 benign lung disease patients and 24 age-matched healthy controls, and we compared the concentration of them with histologic types and staging parameters in lung cancer patients. RESULTS: The concentration of u-PA was 1.0α0.3ng/mL in controls, 1.0α0.3ng/mL in benign lung disease patients and 0.9α0.3ng/mL in lung cancer patients. The concentration of PAI-1 was 14.2α6.7ng/mL in controls, 14.9α6.3ng/mL in benign lung disease patients, and 22.1 α9.8ng/mL in lung cancer patients. The concentration of PAI- 1 in lung cancer patients was higher than those of benign lung disease patients and controls. The concentration of u-PA was 0.7α0.4ng/mL in squamous cell carcinoma, 0.8α 0.3ng/mL in adenocarcinoma, 0.9ng/mL in large cell carcinoma, and 1.1α0.7ng/mL in small cell carcinoma. The concert traction of PAI-1 was 22.3α7.2ng/mL in squamous cell carcinoma, 22.6α9.9ng/mL in adenocarcinoma, 42ng/mL in large cell carcinoma, and 16.0α14.2ng/mL in small cell carcinoma. The concentration of u-PA was 0.74ng/mL in stage I, 1.2α0.6ng/mL in stage II, 0.7 α 0.4ng/mL in stage IIIA, 0.7α0.4ng/mL in stage IIIB, and 0.7α0.3ng/mL in stage IV. The concentration of PAI-1 was 21.8ng/mL in stage I, 22.7α8.7ng/mL in stage II, 18.4 α4.9ng/mL in stage IIIA, 25.3α9.0ng/mL in stage IIIB, and 21.5α10.8ng /mL in stage IV. When we divided T stage unto T1-3 and 74, the concentration of u-PA was 0.8α 0.4ng/mL in T1-3 and 0.7α0.4ng/mL in T4, and the concentration of PAI-1 was 17.9α 5.6ng/mL in T1-3 and 26.1α9.1ng/mL in T4. The concentration of PAI-1 in T4 was significantly higher than that in T1-3. The concentration of u-PA was 0.8α 0.4ng/mL in M0 and 0.7α0.3ng/mL in Ml, and the concentration of PAI-1 was 23.6α8.3ng/mL in M0 and 21.5α10.8ng/mL in M1 CONCLUSIONS: The plasma levels of PAI-1 in lung cancer were higher than benign lung disease and control, and the plasma levels of PAI-1 in 74 were significantly higher than T1-3. These findings suggest involvement of PAI-1 with local invasion of lung cancer, but it should be confirmed by the data on comparison with pathological staging and tissue level in lung cancer.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Large Cell ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Extracellular Matrix ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Plasma* ; Plasminogen ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1* ; Plasminogen Activators ; Plasminogen Inactivators ; Proteolysis ; Traction ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*

To evaluate the seroprevalence against circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium vivax in sera of Korean patients, the central repeating domain (CRD) of CSP was cloned and analyzed. From the genomic DNA of patient's blood, 2 kinds of CSPs were identified to belong to a VK210 type, which is the dominant repeating of GDRA(D/A)GQPA, and named as PvCSPA and PvCSPB. Recombinantly expressed his-tagged PvCSPA or PvCSPB in Escherichia coli reacted well against sera of patients in western blot, with the detecting rate of 47.9% (58/121), which included 15 cases positive for PvCSPA, 6 cases positive for PvCSPB, and 37 cases for both. The mixture of PvCSPA and PvCSPB was loaded to a rapid diagnostic test kit (RDT) and applied with the same set of patient sera, which resulted in detection rates of 57.0% (69/121). When the protein sequences of PvCSPA were compared with those of P. vivax in endemic regions of India and Uganda, they were compatibly homologous to PvCSPA with minor mutations. These results suggested that the recombinant PvCSPA and PvCSPB loaded RDT may be a milestone in latent diagnosis which has been a hot issue of domestic malaria and important for radical therapy in overlapped infections with P. falciparum in tropical and subtropical areas. During the biological process of malarial infection, exposure of CSP to antigen-antibody reaction up to 57.0% is the first report in Korea.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood/immunology ; Antibody Formation ; Antigens, Protozoan/immunology ; Base Sequence ; Humans ; India ; Malaria, Vivax/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/immunology ; Merozoite Surface Protein 1/genetics/*immunology ; Plasmodium vivax/genetics/immunology ; Protozoan Proteins/genetics/*immunology ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Recombinant Proteins/diagnostic use/immunology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Uganda

Waterborne parasitic protozoa, particularly Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium spp., are common causes of diarrhea and gastroenteritis worldwide. The most frequently identified source of infestation is water, and exposure involves either drinking water or recreation in swimming pools or natural bodies of water. In practice, studies on Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in surface water are challenging owing to the low concentrations of these microorganisms because of dilution. In this study, a 3-year monitoring of Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and Naegleria fowleri was conducted from August 2014 to June 2016 at 5 surface water sites including 2 lakes, 1 river, and 2 water intake plants. A total of 50 water samples of 40 L were examined. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 22% of samples and Giardia cysts in 32%. Water at the 5 sampling sites was all contaminated with Cryptosporidium oocysts (0–36/L), Giardia cysts (0–39/L), or both. The geometric mean concentrations of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were 1.14 oocysts/L and 4.62 cysts/L, respectively. Thus, effective monitoring plans must take into account the spatial and temporal parameters of contamination because they affect the prevalence and distribution of these protozoan cysts in local water resources.
Cryptosporidium ; Cryptosporidium parvum ; Diarrhea ; Drinking ; Drinking Water ; Gastroenteritis ; Giardia ; Giardia lamblia ; Lakes ; Naegleria fowleri ; Oocysts ; Prevalence ; Recreation ; Rivers ; Swimming Pools ; Water Resources ; Water

BACKGROUND: Osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays protective roles against the development of vascular calcification (VC) which greatly contributes to the increased cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study aimed to find the non-traditional, kidney-related cardiovascular risk factors correlated to serum OPG and the effect of serum OPG on the arterial stiffness measured by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in patients with the pre-dialysis CKD. METHODS: We cross-sectionally analyzed the data from the patients in whom baPWV and the serum OPG were measured at the time of enrollment in a prospective pre-dialysis CKD cohort study in Korea. RESULTS: Along with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as age, diabetes mellitus, pulse pressure, and baPWV, non-traditional, kidney-related factors such as albuminuria, plasma level of hemoglobin, total CO2 content, alkaline phosphatase, and corrected calcium were independent variables for serum OPG in multivariate linear regression. Reciprocally, the serum OPG was positively associated with baPWV in multivariate linear regression. The baPWV in the 3rd and 4th quartile groups of serum OPG were higher than that in the 1st quartile group after adjustments by age, sex and other significant factors for baPWV in linear mixed model. CONCLUSION: Non-traditional, kidney-related cardiovascular risk factors in addition to traditional cardiovascular risk factors were related to serum level of OPG in CKD. Serum OPG level was significantly related to baPWV. Our study suggests that kidney-related factors involved in CKD-specific pathways for VC play a role in the increased secretion of OPG into circulation in patients with CKD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01630486
Albuminuria ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Ankle ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Osteoprotegerin* ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* ; Risk Factors* ; Vascular Calcification ; Vascular Stiffness*

Anemia ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Hepcidins ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Logistic Models ; Metabolism ; Miners ; Prospective Studies ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Transferrin

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the relationship between cardiac function and geometry and serum hepcidin levels in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to identify the relationship between cardiac function and geometry and serum hepcidin levels. METHODS: We reviewed data of 1,897 patients in a large-scale multicenter prospective Korean study. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the relationship between cardiac function and geometry and serum hepcidin levels. RESULTS: The mean relative wall thickness (RWT) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were 0.38 and 42.0 g/m2.7, respectively. The mean ejection fraction (EF) and early diastolic mitral inflow to annulus velocity ratio (E/e′) were 64.1% and 9.9, respectively. Although EF and E/e′ were not associated with high serum hepcidin, RWT and LVMI were significantly associated with high serum hepcidin levels in univariate logistic regression analysis. In multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for variables related to anemia, bone mineral metabolism, comorbidities, and inflammation, however, only each 0.1-unit increase in RWT was associated with increased odds of high serum hepcidin (odds ratio, 1.989; 95% confidence interval, 1.358–2.916; P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, the independent relationship between RWT and high serum hepcidin level was valid only in women and patients with low transferrin saturation (TSAT). CONCLUSION Although the relationship was not cause-and-effect, increased RWT was independently associated with high serum hepcidin, particularly in women and patients with low TSAT. The relationship between cardiac geometry and serum hepcidin in CKD patients needs to be confirmed in future studies.

PURPOSE: We hypothesize that bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) may act through the regulation of various isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) [inducible (iNOS), endothelial (eNOS), and neuronal (nNOS)] genes and proteins expressions in rat bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult female Sprague Dawley rats (200-250g) were injected into the urinary bladder transurethrally with BCG (22 rats) or saline (22 control rats) and after 2, 4, 6, and 12 hrs, and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days, the bladders were harvested. Normal and BCG-treated rat bladders were analyzed for mRNA expressions for iNOS, eNOS, and nNOS by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR). Protein expressions were determined by Western blotting analysis and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: mRNA expression for iNOS was induced after 2 hrs of BCG injection in the rat bladder. Gene expression for iNOS was highest at 6 hrs and followed by decreased expression from 1 day, reaching its lowest level at 5 days. eNOS mRNA expression was detected in control bladders but its level was higher in the BCG-treated animals. nNOS mRNA expression was present in all the samples but did not change after BCG treatment. Western blotting analysis confirmed these findings. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that eNOS was present mainly in endothelium, while iNOS was detected in stroma and inflammatory cells, and nNOS in epithelium and smooth muscle of rat bladder. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that BCG treatment up-regulates gene and protein expressions of iNOS and eNOS in rat bladders, suggesting that BCG action may be mediated through NOS pathways.
Adult ; Animals ; Bacillus* ; Blotting, Western ; Endothelium ; Epithelium ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Muscle, Smooth ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Neurons ; Nitric Oxide Synthase* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Protein Isoforms ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; RNA, Messenger ; Urinary Bladder*