BACKGROUND: Agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma may help to regulate inflammation by modulating the production of inflammatory mediators and adhesion molecules. The purpose of this study was to determine the anti- inflammatory effects of rosiglitazone on renal injury in sepsis model. METHODS: In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse sepsis, we examined the effect of rosiglitazone on LPS-induced overproduction of inflammatory mediators, on the expression of adhesion molecules, on the infiltration of inflammatory cells and on renal function. RESULTS: Rosiglitazone significantly decreased serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta levels during sepsis. The levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were significantly lower in mice pretreated with rosiglitazone than that in LPS-treated mice. Rosiglitazone reduced the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in renal tissue of LPS-treated mice. Pretreatment with rosiglitazone reduced the infiltration of macrophages/ monocytes in renal tissue. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that pretreatment with rosiglitazone attenuated the production of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and reduced adhesion molecule expression and infiltration of inflammatory cells in renal tissue of LPS-treated mice. Therefore, rosiglitazone may have a protective effect in maintaining renal function and reducing mortality and morbidity in sepsis.
Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; Inflammation ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Interleukins ; Mice ; Monocytes ; Mortality ; PPAR gamma ; Sepsis* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms occuring worldwide. Although surgical resection still remains the treatment of choice for HCC, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as reliable alternatives to resection. It is less invasive and can be repeated after short intervals for sequential ablation in case of multiple lesions. The most common complication of RFA is liver abscess, and bile duct injury such as bile duct stricture has been reported. This is a case report of a rare complication of abscesso-colonic fistula after RFA for HCC. The case was treated by percutaneous abscess drainage and antibiotics and occlusion of abscesso-colonic fistula with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate embolization.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis/*surgery ; Catheter Ablation/*adverse effects ; Colonic Diseases/etiology/*therapy ; Drainage ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Enbucrilate/*therapeutic use ; Humans ; Intestinal Fistula/etiology/*therapy ; Liver Abscess/etiology/ultrasonography ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis/*surgery ; Male ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/isolation & purification ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the most frequent cause of respiratory tract infections in schoolaged children and adolescents. For appropriate use of antibiotics, diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection in routine clinical practice has been based on serology using a single serum sample. We evaluated the seroprevalence of anti-M. pneumoniae-specific antibodies in 500 asymptomatic, healthy persons in Jeonnam Province. METHODS: Sera were collected from 500 healthy persons in Jeonnam Province. Anti-M. pneumoniae antibody titer was measured using a microparticle agglutination assay Serodia Myco II (Fujirebio, Japan) and VIRCELL IgM Mycoplasma ELISA kits (Vircell, Granada, Spain). RESULTS: Anti-M. pneumoniae antibody titers in 500 healthy individuals were 1:20 in 344 (68.8%), 1:40 in 16 (3.2%), 1:80 in 71 (14.2%), 1:160 in 45 (9.0%), 1:320 in 14 (2.8%), and <1:320 in 10 (2.0%). The positive rate of M. pneumoniae IgM antibodies was 3.2% (15/473). The prevalence of IgM was 10.0% in the 7~9 years, 9.1% in the 10~19 years, and 5.0% in the 20~29 years old group, which was significantly higher than that in elderly people. CONCLUSION: Some of healthy people showed a high anti-M. pneumoniae antibody titer (>1:160) and positive IgM, and an assessment of current infection with single serum serology has its limitation for the diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections.
Adolescent ; Aged ; Agglutination ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antibodies* ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Jeollanam-do* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Prevalence* ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Seroepidemiologic Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: ERCP is the most common procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of bile duct and pancreatic disease, but Post-ERCP pancreatitis makes poor outcome in some cases. The protease inhibitors, nafamostat and gabexate, have been used to prevent pancreatitis related to ERCP, but there is some debate. We tried to evaluate the efficacy of gabexate and nafamostat for the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis. METHODS: Two hundred forty two patients (73 patients in the gabexate group, 88 patients in the nafamostat group and 81 patients in the placebo group) were included in the study after selective exclusion. The incidence of pancreatitis after ERCP was compared among groups. RESULTS: The incidence of pancreatitis were 6.8% in the gabexate group, 5.7% in the nafamostat group and 6.2% in the placebo group (p=0.954). CONCLUSIONS: There was no meaningful difference among the gabexate, nafamostat and placebo group.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde/*adverse effects ; Female ; Gabexate/*therapeutic use ; Guanidines/*therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis/etiology/*prevention & control ; Placebo Effect ; Questionnaires ; Serine Proteinase Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Young Adult

The National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) holds the NECA Round-table Conference that not only disseminates objective and systematic information on topics of social concern in public health care but also organizes discussions on core issues under dispute in the literature through panels composed of multidisciplinary experts. Accordingly, the Round-table Conference was composed of multidisciplinary experts including medical specialists in the areas of psychiatry and preventive medicine, psychiatric and mental health nursing, psychologists, social welfare experts, consultation experts, religious leaders, and government officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Round-table Conference, tasked with analysis of the actual status and causes of, and search for solutions for suicide in adolescents, has reached consensus on the current status, trend, risk factors and prevention factors, problems and issues in prevention and coping strategies, effective prevention and coping strategies and areas of research needed for the future. The Round-table Conference commented on the actual status and gravity of suicides in adolescents, and came to the agreement that mental health issues including stress from interpersonal relationships and depression are the key risk factors of suicide. It was further agreed that problems in the measures being implemented for each of the areas include lack of manpower and funding, and inadequate organic association and cooperation among relevant institutions. They also agreed that development of a government-initiated suicide prevention program for adolescents, association among relevant experts, and development, and management of practical guidelines that are of broad and practical use are important. Furthermore, the panels were in agreement that the mass media must comply with the recommended level of coverage in reporting of suicide as adolescents are greatly influenced by provocative mass media reports due to their strong impulsive dispositions.
Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide) ; Adolescent ; Cause of Death ; Consensus ; Depression ; Dissent and Disputes ; Financial Management ; Gravitation ; Humans ; Mass Media ; Mental Health ; Occupational Groups ; Porphyrins ; Preventive Medicine ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; Social Welfare ; Specialization ; Suicide