The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the energy expenditure and the level of physical performance in preschool-age children. Seventy-six boys (5-6 years of age) had motor performance tests (25 m run, soft-ball throw, standing-long-jump, Zig-Zag run, upright handstand jog time, sit-and-reach, one-leg-balance) . Twenty boys were divided into two groups. One consisted of ten boys as the superior group and the other ten boys as the inferior group in results of the motor performance tests.
Energy expenditure was calculated from oxygen intake measured by each child's HR-VO₂ regression equation in a treadmill running test and 24-hour heart rate measurement by monitoring recorder. Daily energy uptake was estimated from the weight and kind of food recorded by their parents.
Energy expenditure in kindergarten, at home and in one day for the superior group were found to be higher than those for the inferior group. Energy uptake in the superior group showed a significant-ly higher value than that in the inferior group. It can be concluded that the children of the superior group appeared to be more active, since test and monitoring measurements showed they had more energy expenditure and energy uptake.

A 50-year-old man was admitted with a fusiform descending thoracic aortic aneurysm measuring 60mm. Chest CT scan revealed porcelain aorta from the aortic arch to the abdominal aorta. Severe calcification found on the descending aortic wall was considered to entail greater risk for conventional aortic repair and reconstruction of intercostal arteries. Therefore endovascular stent grafting was planned. The stent graft was deployed from near the origin of the left subclavian artery to the 10th thoracic vertebral level. Neither paraplegia nor other complication occurred. Endovascular stent grafting may be a safe and effective method for descending thoracic aneurysms with severely calcified aorta.

A 16-year-old boy with multiple injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident was admitted to our hospital. On admission, X-ray films showed left hemothorax and bone fractures of the left humerus, thigh bone, and pelvis. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a pseudoaortic aneurysm approximately 6.0cm in diameter at the proximal portion of the descending aorta. Because of multiple severe associated injuries, we considered that conventional aortic repair in the acute phase would be difficult. We therefore performed an endovascular stent-graft treatment 140 days after injury. The postoperative course was uneventful and the pseudoaneurismal sac has confirmed to decrease. Transluminal placement of endovascular stent-graft is a technically feasible method for treatment of traumatic aortic aneurysm. However, because the long-term results are still unknown, we should follow-up carefully, particularly in young patients.

OBJECTIVEAcute myeloid leukemia progressed from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS/AML) is generally incurable with poor prognosis for complex karyotype including monosomy 7 (-7). Qinghuang Powder (, QHP), which includes Qing Dai (Indigo naturalis) and Xiong Huang (realgar) in the formula, is effective in treating MDS or MDS/AML even with the unfavorable karyotype, and its therapeutic efficacy could be enhanced by increasing the Xiong huang content in the formula, while Xiong huang contains > 90% arsenic disulfide (As2S2). F-36p cell line was established from a MDS/AML patient with complex karyotype including -7, and was in cytokine-dependent. The present study was to investigate the effects of As2S2 on F-36p cells.

METHODSCell proliferation was measured by an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell apoptosis was identified by Annexin V-staining. Cell viability was determined by a propidium iodide (PI) exclusion. Erythroid differentiation was evaluated by the expression of cell surface antigen CD235a (GpA).

RESULTSAfter treatment with As2S2 at concentrations of 0.5 to 16 μmol/L for 72 h, As2S2 inhibited the proliferation of F-36p cells. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of As2S2 against the proliferation of F-36p cells was 6 μmol/L. The apoptotic cells significantly increased in a dose-dependent mannar (P<0.05). The cell viabilities were significantly inhibited by As2S2 dose-dependent in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Significant increases of CD235a-positive cells were concurrently observed (P<0.05) also in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONSAs2S2 could inhibit proliferation and viability, induce apoptosis, and concurrently promote erythroid differentiation dose-dependently in F-36p cells. As2S2 can inhibit proliferation and viability, induce apoptosis, and concurrently promote erythroid differentiation in cytokine-dependent MDS-progressed human leukemia cell line F-36p with complex karyotype including -7. The data suggest that QHP and/or As2S2 could be a potential candidate in the treatment of MDS or MDS/AML even with unfavorable cytogenetics.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Arsenicals ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytokines ; physiology ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; genetics ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Sulfides ; toxicity

Background/Aims: There are few published registry studies from Asia on pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Registry network data enable comparisons among ethnic groups. This study examined the characteristics of IBD in Japanese children and compared them with those in European children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional multicenter registry study of newly diagnosed Japanese pediatric IBD patients. The Paris classification was used to categorize IBD features, and results were compared with published EUROKIDS data. Results: A total of 265 pediatric IBD patients were initially registered, with 22 later excluded for having incomplete demographic data. For the analysis, 91 Crohn’s disease (CD), 146 ulcerative colitis (UC), and 6 IBD-unclassified cases were eligible. For age at diagnosis, 20.9% of CD, 21.9% of UC, and 83.3% of IBD-unclassified cases were diagnosed before age 10 years. For CD location, 18.7%, 13.2%, 64.8%, 47.3%, and 20.9% were classified as involving L1 (ileocecum), L2 (colon), L3 (ileocolon), L4a (esophagus/stomach/duodenum), and L4b (jejunum/proximal ileum), respectively. For UC extent, 76% were classified as E4 (pancolitis). For CD behavior, B1 (non-stricturingon-penetrating), B2 (stricturing), B3 (penetrating), and B2B3 were seen in 83.5%, 11.0%, 3.3%, and 2.2%, respectively. A comparison between Japanese and European children showed less L2 involvement (13.2% vs. 27.3%, P< 0.01) but more L4a (47.3% vs. 29.6%, P< 0.01) and L3 (64.8% vs. 52.7%, P< 0.05) involvement in Japanese CD children. Pediatric perianal CD was more prevalent in Japanese children (34.1% vs. 9.7%, P< 0.01). Conclusions Upper gastrointestinal and perianal CD lesions are more common in Japanese children than in European children.