Objective: The aim of the present study was to clarify whether patients with Graves' disease who have lost bone mass can restore bone mass to age-matched control levels by antithyroid drug therapy.Patient/Materials and Methods: One male and 16 female patients (aged 21-71 years, mean±SE 39.9±16.5) with untreated Graves' disease were included in the study. Methimazole or propylthiouracil was given to all of the patients. Biochemical markers (serum N-mid osteocalcin (OCN-mid), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen C-terminal telopeptide (sCTx), urinary pyridinoline (Pyr), deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) and type I collagen C-terminal telopeptide (uCTx) and bone mineral density at the distal one third of the radius were assessed prior to treatment, and in the first, third, sixth and twelfth months of treatment.Results: All biochemical markers had increased significantly 12 months after treatment compared with the baseline values (OCN-mid, p<0.05; ALP, p<0.01; sCTx, p<0.05; Pyr, Dpyr, uCTx, p<0.01). Among the biochemical markers, urinary Pyr and Dpyr had decreased the most prominently 12 months after treatment. However, BMD at the distal one third of the radius did not improve after 12 months of treatment.Conclusion: Based on assessments of BMD at the distal one third of the radius, one year is not enough to restore bone mass using antithyroid drug therapy in patients with Graves' disease.
therapeutic aspects ; month ; lower case pea ; Markers, Biochemical ; pharmacotherapeutic

A recent study evaluated the effect of pleurotomy for harvesting internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) on pulmonary complications after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Fifty consecutive patients with pleurotomy (group I) were studied retrospectively and compared with a control group of fifty patients undergoing CABG without pleurotomy during ITA harvest (group II). Group I was divided into two groups; forty patients using left ITAs with left open pleurotomy (group Ia), and ten patients using bilateral ITAs with bilateral open pleurotomy (group Ib). On the other hand, group II includes 22 patients without pleurotomy (group IIa) and 28 patients with closed pleurotomy (group IIb). In group I, ITAs were dissected from the chest wall with mediastinal pleura and then isolated from the pleura by pleurotomy. Before sternal closure, an L-shaped pleural tube was inserted into the deep costophrenic sinus and the pleurotomy remained open. In group II, ITAs were simultaneously dissected from the chest wall and mediastinal pleura, and if the pleura was damaged, the pleurotomy was approximated before sternal closure. There was no significance in the number of bypass grafts, aortic crossclamp time, cardiopulmonary bypass time and temperature. ITA harvest time with open pleurotomy was shorter than that of closed pleura (15min versus 25min). Postoperatively, the ventilation time and duration of chest drainage also showed no significance, however group Ia and Ib showed significantly more fluid accumulation removed by chest drainage (Ia, 288±193ml; Ib, 285±198ml, versus IIb, 169±98ml). On postoperative day 30 no pleural effusion was observed in group I but it was seen in one case in group IIb which had diaphragm paralysis. In conclusion, open pleurotomy results in minimal pulmonary complications with optimal chest drainage and offers significant advantages for harvesting ITAs.

BACKGROUNDThe earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme (EFE) is a complex protein enzyme that is widely distributed in the earthworm's digestive cavity. Possessing strong protein hydrolysis activity, EFE not only has a direct effect on fibrin, but also can activate plasminogen. Its therapeutic and preventative effects on thrombosis-related disease have been confirmed clinically. Recently, there has been increased interest in the anti-tumor activity of EFE. In this study, the anti-tumor activity of EFE, isolated from Eisenia foetida, on human hepatoma cells was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The potential mechanisms involved were also studied.

METHODSIn vitro experiments were performed in four human hepatoma cell lines: HLE, Huh7, PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2. After treatment with EFE in various concentrations, the inhibition of the rate of cell proliferation was measured. For the in vivo studies, tumor-bearing models xenografted with Huh7 cells were developed in nude mice, and then the mice were fed with EFE once a day for 4 weeks, and the control group received only saline. An inhibitory effect on tumor growth was observed. Also, apoptosis was observed with flow cytometric assay and fluorescent dye staining with acridine orange and ethidium bromide (AO/EB). The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) were detected by Western blotting assay.

RESULTSAfter treatment with various concentrations of EFE, the proliferation of all hepatoma cell lines was suppressed to varying degrees in vitro. The IC(50) for HLE, Huh7, PLC/PCF/5 and HepG2 were 2.11, 5.87, 25.29 and 17.30 uku/ml, respectively. After administration of EFE orally for 4 weeks, the growth of tumor xenograft of Huh7 cells in nude mice was significantly inhibited in vivo. The tumor inhibitory rates in the EFE 500 uku/(kgxd) and 1000 uku/(kgxd) groups were 46.08% (compared with control group, P = 0.026) and 57.52% (compared with control group, P = 0.002) respectively. Meanwhile, the average weight of body, spleen or thymus did not show any remarkable differences among the various groups. The population in sub-G(1) stage was more in the EFE treated groups than in the control group according to flow cytometric assay. After treatment with EFE 0, 5, 10 uku/ml for 72 hours, the apoptotic rates were 3.5%, 10.9% and 12.3% in HLE cells, and 5.0%, 24.7% and 34.5% in Huh7 cells respectively. Under fluorescent staining with AO/EB, the apoptotic morphological changes could be detected more significantly in the EFE treated groups than in the untreated groups. After treatment with EFE in doses of 0, 5, 10 uku/ml for 72 hours, the apoptotic rates were 3.02%, 8.76%, 10.54% in HLE cells, and 3.95%, 18.27%, 30.89% in Huh7 cells respectively. The apoptosis-inducing effects of EFE occurred in a dose dependent manner. Western blotting assay showed that, after treatment with EFE, the secretions of MMP-2 were significantly inhibited in HLE and Huh7 cells.

CONCLUSIONSEFE showed significant anti-tumor activity in hepatoma cells both in vitro and in vivo, which may be because EFE could induce apoptosis of hepatoma cells and inhibit the expression of MMP-2. This suggests that EFE has a potential role in the treatment of hepatoma.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; pharmacology ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; analysis ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Oligochaeta ; enzymology ; Transplantation, Heterologous

OBJECTIVE: This open-label study examined the effects of ramelteon on cognitive functions in 10 outpatients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Ramelteon (8 mg/day) was administered to 10 patients with schizophrenia for six months. The verbal fluency test, Trail-Making Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Stroop Test, the Digit Span Distraction Test, Iowa Gambling Task, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test were evaluated at baseline and 6 months after treatment with ramelteon. RESULTS: Ramelteon improved significantly the scores of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Additionally, ramelteon exerted improvements in the verbal fluency and Iowa Gambling Task in 4 patients. CONCLUSION: Ramelteon could be a potential therapeutic drug, in adjunctive treatment of learning and memory deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia.
Gambling ; Humans ; Iowa ; Learning ; Memory Disorders ; Outpatients ; Schizophrenia* ; Stroop Test ; Verbal Learning ; Wisconsin

Through this meta-analysis, we sought to examine the prevalence of, risks for, and factors associated with bullying involvement (victimization, perpetration, perpetration-victimization) among students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, we attempted to examine sources of variance in the prevalence and effect sizes of bullying in students with ASD across studies. Systematic database and literature review identified 34 relevant studies (31 for Western countries, three for Eastern countries). Pooled prevalence estimates for victimization, perpetration, and perpetration-victimization in general were 67%, 29%, and 14%, respectively.The risk of victimization in students with ASD was significantly higher than that in typically developing students and students with other disabilities. Further, deficits in social interaction and communication, externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, and integrated inclusive school settings were related to higher victimization, and externalizing symptoms were related to higher perpetration. Finally, moderation analyses revealed significant variations in the pooled prevalences thereof depending on culture, age, school settings, and methodological quality and in the pooled effect sizes according to publication year and methodological quality. Our results highlight needs for bullying intervention for students with ASD, especially those who are younger, are in an inclusive school setting, and have higher social difficulties and externalizing/internalizing symptoms; for intensive research of bullying experiences among students with ASD in Eastern countries; and for efforts to improve the methodological quality of such research.

A population-based cohort study on pediatric infectious diseases was established at Khanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam in 2006, to determine the etiology and risk factors for severe pediatric infectious diseases (SPID) such as acute respiratory infection (ARI), diarrhea and dengue which are the major causes of under 5 mortality. A population census survey was conducted in Nha-Trang and Ninh-Hoa to collect demographic, social-behavioral data and disease burden on SPID. The study site covered a population of 353,525 residing in 75,826 households with 24,781 children less than 5 years. Hospital databases from two hospitals covering the region were obtained. Linking the census and hospital databases, we were able to investigate on a variety of SPID such as environmental tobacco smoking exposure and increased risked of pediatric pneumonia hospitalization, population density, water supply and risk of dengue fever and animal livestock and risk of hospitalized diarrhea. To determine incidence, viral etiology and risk factors for pediatric ARI/pneumonia, we setup a population based prospective hospitalized Pediatric ARI surveillance at Khanh Hoa General Hospital, Nha-Trang in February 2007. The study has revealed RSV, rhinovirus and influenza A as major viral pathogens, role of multiple viral infection and its interaction with bacteria in the development of pneumonia. In addition, we are also conducting a birth cohort study to investigate the incidence of congenital infection and its impact on physical-neurological development, and role of host genetic polymorphism on SPID hospitalization in Vietnam. Population mobility, high cost of regular census update and low mortality are the challenges.

A population-based cohort study on pediatric infectious diseases was established at Khanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam in 2006, to determine the etiology and risk factors for severe pediatric infectious diseases (SPID) such as acute respiratory infection (ARI), diarrhea and dengue which are the major causes of under 5 mortality. A population census survey was conducted in Nha-Trang and Ninh-Hoa to collect demographic, social-behavioral data and disease burden on SPID. The study site covered a population of 353,525 residing in 75,826 households with 24,781 children less than 5 years. Hospital databases from two hospitals covering the region were obtained. Linking the census and hospital databases, we were able to investigate on a variety of SPID such as environmental tobacco smoking exposure and increased risked of pediatric pneumonia hospitalization, population density, water supply and risk of dengue fever and animal livestock and risk of hospitalized diarrhea. To determine incidence, viral etiology and risk factors for pediatric ARI/pneumonia, we setup a population based prospective hospitalized Pediatric ARI surveillance at Khanh Hoa General Hospital, Nha-Trang in February 2007. The study has revealed RSV, rhinovirus and influenza A as major viral pathogens, role of multiple viral infection and its interaction with bacteria in the development of pneumonia. In addition, we are also conducting a birth cohort study to investigate the incidence of congenital infection and its impact on physical-neurological development, and role of host genetic polymorphism on SPID hospitalization in Vietnam. Population mobility, high cost of regular census update and low mortality are the challenges.

Students in all years, including those in lower years, were prohibited from coming to campus because of COVID-19, which began to spread in January 2020. However, we believed that a hospital tour and observership would be important practical training for first and second year medical students as part of the early exposure program, which aims to increase student motivation. Thus, we decided to conduct a virtual hospital tour and a virtual observation of medical doctors’ work. We used Zoom to conduct a virtual hospital tour for first-year students in June, and a virtual observation of physicians’ work for second-year students in December. Although this offered less of an opportunity to experience the reality of the clinic, there have been benefits in terms of increased learning content, fairness of learning opportunities delivered, and the promotion of independent learning. With regard to a “Hospital Tour” and the “Observation of Medical Doctors’ Work” , we believe that hybrid forms, which are able to skillfully combine the strengths of the two methods, would be effective.