This study investigated the effects of xylooligosaccharide on feces bifidobacteria proliferation, lactic acid concen-tration and lipid metabolism in healthy woman. Fourteen volunteers were randomly assigned to 2 groups : 1.4 g/day xylooligosaccharide intake group, 2.8 g/day xylooligosaccharide intake group. The duration of the study was 28 days. The amount of feces and excretion time were not affected by xylooligosaccharide intake. The color of feces changed to yellow brown, and hardness of stool and effort to evacuation were reduced by xylooligosaccharide intake. Xylooligo-saccharide intake reduced the fecal pH significantly after 14 days in 2.8 g/day intake group (p <0.05 ). The number of fecal bifidobacteria were significantly increased after 28 days in 1.4 g/day intake group (p <0.05 ), and in 2.8 g/day in-take group, the number of fecal bifidobacteria significantly increased after 14 days (p <0.05 ). Water contents of feces were not affected by xyloolgosacchride intake. The fecal triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were increased in 2.8 g/day intake group (p <0.05 ), and in 1.4 g/day intake group, fecal cholesterol concentration only was increased (p <0.05 ). The fecal lactic acid concentration was significantly increased in 2.8 g/day intake group (p <0.05 ). Serum trigly-ceride, cholesterol and glucose concentration were significantly decreased in 2.8 g/day intake group (p <0.05 ). In conclusion, xylooligosaccharide dietary supplementation may be beneficial to gastrointestinal health and lipid metabolism, and 2.8 g/day intake was more effective than 1.4 g/day intake.
Cholesterol ; Dietary Supplements ; Feces ; Female ; Glucose ; Hardness ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lactic Acid ; Lipid Metabolism* ; Triglycerides ; Volunteers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide a basis for non-humidified low flow oxygen by nasal cannula and to provide a guide for consistent care in nursing practice. METHODS: A methodological study on the development of guidelines with experts' opinions on collected items, framing PICO questions, evaluating and synthesizing texts which were searched with the key words (low flow oxygen, nasal cannula, humidification of oxygen, guideline) from web search engines. RESULTS: Of the 45 researched texts on the web, 9 texts relevant to the theme were synthesized and evaluated. All patients with humidified or non-humidified oxygen therapy reported that they had no discomfort. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that there are no tangible grounds for patients' perceived differences between the humidified and non-humidified oxygen under 4L/min supplied by nasal cannula. with oxygen. Therefore, non-humidification oxygen therapy is strongly advised when suppling under 4L/min oxygen by nasal cannula (recommended grade A).
Catheters ; Humans ; Oxygen

The HELLP syndrome, which is characterized by hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets, complicates 4 to 14% of preeclamptic or eclamptic pregnancy. Its course is usually benign except when spontaneous hepatic rupture, a rare catastrophic event, threatens life. The authors have experienced one case of spontaneous hepatic rupture in HELLP syndrome during immediate postpartum period, which was treated with surgical intervention on the first postpartum day. We report this case with a brief review of the literatures.
Female ; HELLP Syndrome* ; Hemolysis ; Hemorrhage* ; Liver ; Postpartum Period* ; Pregnancy ; Rupture*

Epinephrine is used with lidocaine to provide bloodless surgical field and to prolong the action of local anesthetics. But epinephrine also has many adverse reactions, such as agitation, restlessness, headache, tachycardia, hypertension, and some significantly more dangerous conditions including myocardial ischemia, ventricular arrhythmia, cerebral hemorrhage and pulmonary edema, cardiac arrest, etc. We have experienced epinephrine-induced acute pulmonary edema due to submucosal intranasal application of epinephrine soaked gauze during septoplasty. The patient was successfully treated in intensive care unit with positive pressure ventilation, diuretics, and inotropic support. He was extubated after 5 hours and discharged after 7 days without any complications.
Anesthetics, Local ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Dihydroergotamine ; Diuretics ; Epinephrine ; Headache ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intensive Care Units ; Lidocaine ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Positive-Pressure Respiration ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Pulmonary Edema* ; Tachycardia

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cadmium is a toxic metal that is an occupational and environmental concern especially because of its human carcinogenicity; it induces serious adverse effects in various organs and tissues. Even low levels of exposure to cadmium could be harmful owing to its extremely long half-life in the body. Cadmium intoxication may be prevented by the consumption of dietary components that potentially reduce its accumulation in the body. Dietary chitosan is a polysaccharide derived from animal sources; it has been known for its ability to bind to divalent cations including cadmium, in addition to other beneficial effects including hypocholesterolemic and anticancer effects. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of dietary chitosan in reducing cadmium accumulation using an in vivo system. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cadmium was administered orally at 2 mg (three times per week) to three groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: control, low-dose, and high-dose (0, 3, and 5%, respectively) chitosan diet groups for eight weeks. Cadmium accumulation, as well as tissue functional and histological changes, was determined. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, rats fed the chitosan diet showed significantly lower levels of cadmium in blood and tissues including the kidneys, liver, and femur. Biochemical analysis of liver function including the determination of aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels showed that dietary chitosan reduced hepatic tissue damage caused by cadmium intoxication and prevented the associated bone disorder. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dietary chitosan has the potential to reduce cadmium accumulation in the body as well as protect liver function and bone health against cadmium intoxication.
Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Bilirubin ; Cadmium* ; Cations, Divalent ; Chitosan* ; Diet ; Femur ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of mild hypoxia in the mature and immature brain. METHODS: We prepared organotypic slice cultures of the hippocampus and used hippocampal tissue cultures at 7 and 14 days in vitro (DIV) to represent the immature and mature brain, respectively. Tissue cultures were exposed to 10% oxygen for 60 minutes. Twenty-four hours after this hypoxic insult, propidium iodide fluorescence images were obtained, and the damaged areas in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG) were measured using image analysis. RESULTS: In the 7-DIV group compared to control tissue, hypoxia-exposed tissue showed decreased damage in two regions (CA1: 5.59%+/-2.99% vs. 4.80%+/-1.37%, P=0.900; DG: 33.88%+/-12.53% vs. 15.98%+/-2.37%, P=0.166), but this decrease was not statistically significant. In the 14-DIV group, hypoxia-exposed tissue showed decreased damage compared to control tissues; this decrease was not significant in the CA3 (24.51%+/-6.05% vs. 18.31%+/-3.28%, P=0.373) or DG (15.72%+/-3.47% vs. 9.91%+/-2.11%, P=0.134), but was significant in the CA1 (50.91%+/-5.90% vs. 32.30%+/-3.34%, P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Although only CA1 tissues cultured for 14 DIV showed significantly less damage after exposure to hypoxia, the other tissues examined in this study showed a tendency towards less damage after hypoxic exposure. Therefore, mild hypoxia might play a protective role in the brain.
Anoxia* ; Brain ; Dentate Gyrus ; Fluorescence ; Hippocampus ; Neuroprotective Agents* ; Oxygen ; Propidium

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Myxoma*

There is little information on dietary vitamin K intake and nutritional status of daily requirements of vitamin K in Korea. The objective of this study was to investigate the vitamin K intake and major food sources of Vitamin K in Koreans. The survey data from the 2010-2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 7,792 subjects (aged 19-64 years) were examined. Total vitamin K intake was calculated from 24-hour dietary recall using a vitamin K food database, Computer Aided Nutritional analysis Program and the United States Department of Agriculture database. The geometric mean of vitamin K was estimated as 322.40 +/- 6.33 ug/day for men and 271.20 +/- 4.92 ug/day for women. Daily vitamin K intake increased significantly with age (p for trend < 0.001). The main food source of vitamin K was vegetables (72.84%), including cabbage kimchi (19.26%), spinach (17.38%), sesame leaves (7.11%), radish leaves (6.65%), spring onions (6.28%), and laver (4.82%), followed by seaweed, seasonings, and fat and oils. We observed that the vitamin K intake of Koreans was relatively higher than that reported by other studies in Western countries and differed depending on age.
Brassica ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Nutritional Status ; Oils ; Onions ; Raphanus ; Seasons ; Seaweed ; Sesamum ; Spinacia oleracea ; United States Department of Agriculture ; Vegetables ; Vitamin K 1 ; Vitamin K* ; Vitamins*

BACKGROUND: Kluyvera, a new genus in the family Enterobacteriaceae, has been rarely isolated from clinical specimens and regarded as an opportunistic pathogen. Although there were several case reports in Korea, most of them were reported at a genus level except a case of K. cyrocrescens. We isolated Kluyvera species from seven patients from July 1996 to January 1999. We identified them to species level and investigated their clinical significance. METHODS: The medical records of seven patients were reviewed for demographical findings, underlying diseases, diagnoses, the association of Kluyvera isolates with disease, antibiotic treatments, and clinical outcomes. Eight strains were identified and tested for the antimicrobial susceptibilities by MicroScan Neg Combo type 14 and 21 Panel(Dade Behring, USA). Five of the eight strains had been stored at -70degrees C and were tested for ascorbate fermentation, the ability to grow and ferment glucose at 5degrees C, and the zone of inhibition around carbenicillin and cephalothin. RESULTS: Kluyvera isolates were regarded as true pathogens in six of seven cases including Hickman-catheter associated sepsis(HCAS), empyema, peritonitis, necrotizing cholecystitis, sepsis, and liver abscess although the latter four cases yielded mixed cultures. While three of the six patients had underlying diseases, malignant lymphoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and stomach cancer, other three were previousely healthy. Most of them were improved with an empirical therapy, but Kluyvera species was repeatedly isolated from the HCAS case in spite of the antibiotic treatment; it was cured bacteriologically after the removal of the catheter. The five isolates were all confirmed to be K. ascorbata by positive ascorbate test, and failure to grow at 5degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: Six of the seven cases including three with no underlying diseases, isolates of Kluyvera species were found clinically significant, suggesting that Kluyvera species is potentially pathogenic in healthy individuals as well as compromized hosts. MicroScan system is capable of identifying Kluyvera species at the genus level, but not at the species level. The ascorbate test is simple and useful for differ entiation of K. ascorbata from K. cryocrescens.
Carbenicillin ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Catheters ; Cephalothin ; Cholecystitis ; Diagnosis ; Empyema ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Fermentation ; Glucose ; Humans ; Kluyvera* ; Korea ; Liver Abscess ; Lymphoma ; Medical Records ; Peritonitis ; Sepsis ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Procedures for rapid identification and susceptibility testing by direct inoculation (DI) from positive blood culture bottles into an automated system have not been standardized. This study was purposed to evaluate DI from BACTEC 9240 blood culture system (BD, USA) into MicroScan (Dade Behring, USA) or Phoenix (BD, USA). METHODS: From May to June 2006, bacterial pellets from positive aerobic bottles showing gram-positive cocci (GPC) or gram-negative rods (GNR) of single morphology were directly inoculated to MicroScan PosCombo1A and NegCombo32 and to Phoenix PMIC/ID-107 and NMIC/ID-53. In addition, the automated instruments were also inoculated from subcultures (standard inoculations, SI). Species identification and susceptibilities were compared between DI and SI and between MicroScan and Phoenix. RESULTS: A total of 108, 104, and 78 specimens were tested with MicroScan, Phoenix, and both, respectively. When DI and SI were matched, 94.8% of GPC were correctly identified with MicroScan, compared to 80.7% with Phoenix, and 93.9% of GNR were correctly identified with MicroScan, compared to 95.7% with Phoenix. DI with MicroScan and Phoenix showed correct susceptibilities in 94.6% of 1,150 and 96.5% of 660 tests (with very major error [VME] of 1.1% and 1.1%), respectively, among GPC and in 94.4% of 942 and 96.3% of 781 tests (with VME of 0.6% and 0%), respectively, of GNR. Correlation of identification/susceptibilities between MicroScan and Phoenix using DI were 81.8%/98.0% for Staphylococcus aureus and 100.0%/95.6% for Escherichia coli. CONCLUSIONS: DI warrants a reliable method for identification and susceptibility testing of both GPC and GNR in MicroScan, and those of only GNR in Phoenix.
Automation ; Bacterial Typing Techniques/instrumentation/*methods ; Culture Media ; Gram-Negative Bacteria/*classification/drug effects/isolation & purification ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/blood/*microbiology ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/blood/*microbiology ; Gram-Positive Cocci/*classification/drug effects/isolation & purification ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests/instrumentation/*methods ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity