PURPOSE: Norepinephrine has modulatory effects on neuronal excitability and, in some cases, has a proconvulsant effect. Intraperitoneal imipramine treatment increases norepinephrine level, and to a lesser extent, dopamine and serotonin in brain dialysate from rats. We sought to determine the effects of imipramine on pilocarpine-induced seizures in the immature rats. METHODS: Right and left cortical and hippocampal electrodes were placed in 10~15 day old Sprague-Dawley rats. The following day 3-hour video EEG recordings were obtained to monitor electrographic seizures and status epilepticus induced by intraperitoneal injection of high dose(200mg/kg : HD) and low dose (75mg/kg : LD) pilocarpine. A first group of rats received HD pilocarpine alone(n=25), or pretreatment with 0.5(n=6). 1(n=6), 2(n=6), 5(n=6), or 10(n=11)mg/kg of imipramine. A second group of rats received LD pilocarpine alone(n=6) or pretreatment with 2mg/kg of imipramine (n=6). Data were analyzed using the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Treatment with HD pilocarpine alone resulted in electrographic seizures in 76%(n=19) and status epilepticus in 44%(n=11). In the HD pilocarpine group, status epilepticus was seen in 100% of rats pretreated 1, 2, and 5mg/kg imipramine. 90.9% of the rats pretreated with 10mg/kg of imipramine developed seizures and 36.4% developed status epilepticus. Imipramine at 0.5, 1,2, and 5mg/kg increased the incidence of seizures and status epilepticus in the HD pilocarpine group, but the incidence was statistically significant only for status epilepticus(p<0.05). The latency for the occurrence of first status epilepticus was 12.3+/-1.3 min in the HD pilocarpine alone group, and it was 21+/-3.8 min and 25.3+/-5.7 min in the group pretreated with 5 and 10mg/kg imipramine, respectively(p<0.02). Treatment with LD pilocarpine alone resulted in seizures in 50% and status epilepticus in 16.7%. In the LD pilocarpine group with imipramine 2mg/kg pretreatment, 83.3% had seizures and status epilepticus. Imipramine at 2mg/kg increased the incidence of seizures and status epilepticus in the LD pilocarpine group, but the increase was statistically significant only for status epilepticus(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Imipramine exhibits a proconvulsant effect at low doses and an anticonvulsant effect at high doses in the pilocarpine seizure model in immature rats. There may be a dose-dependent effect on monoaminergic receptors which results in increased neuronal excitability.
Animals ; Brain ; Dopamine ; Electrodes ; Electroencephalography ; Imipramine* ; Incidence ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Neurons ; Norepinephrine ; Pilocarpine ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seizures* ; Serotonin ; Status Epilepticus

No abstract available.
Epilepsy*

BACKGROUND: Melanocytes synthesize melanin pigment by the action of specific enzyme tyrosinase. Melanogenesis inhibitors such as ascorbic acid, kojic acid, arbutin, hydroquinone have been developed for use in cosmetic preparations for the skin hyperpigmentation,but they are still unsatisfactory to efficacy and tolerance. OBJECTIVES: In this study, the inhibitory effects of seaweed extract(SCH-T2)on tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis were investigated with B-16 melanoma cell line. METHODS: The patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups;control, diazepam, and ketorolac plus diazepam groups. Pain intensity was assessed 5 times at every ten minutes from the beginning of the peeling using visual analog scale(VAS). RESULTS: The seaweed was added with 21 organic solvents and extracted during 12 hours at 20-To evaluate the inhibitory effects of SCH-T2 on tyrosinase activity following to extraction time and temperature, this study was done at 4, 8, 12, 24, 72 hours and 4, 10, 20, 30, 40℃. Also, the effects of whitening agents (kojic acid, arbutin, licorice extracts,SCH-T2)on tyrosinase activity were compared by measuring the IC50,the concentration of the compound at which half of the original tyrosinase activity is inhibited. RESULTS: 1.The inhibitory effects of SCH-T2 on tyrosinase activity were high at 60-80% ethanol as an extraction organic solvent and showed increase in proportion to concentration following to extract concentration, but showed little differences following to extraction time and temperature. 2.SCH-T2 has relatively stronger inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activity than arbutin and licorice extracts. 3. The inhibitory effects of SCH-T2 on melanogenesis following to extract concentration were greatly increased at more than 20㎍/ml. CONCLUSION: This study showed that SCH-T2 seaweed extract has strong inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity and melanogonesis. So, the results of this study suggest that SCH-T2 seaweed extract can be used as a new whitening agent.
Arbutin ; Ascorbic Acid ; Bleaching Agents ; Cell Line ; Diazepam ; Ethanol ; Glycyrrhiza ; Humans ; Ketorolac ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Seaweed* ; Skin ; Solvents

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Meningitis* ; Meningitis, Viral*

Intra- and extrahepatic bile duct can be invaded by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This is infrequent in HCC, but it can directly affect the clinical manifestation and prognosis. We present eight cases of HCCs with emphasis on the incidence and features of bile duct invassion on computed tomography (CT). Over a period of 22 months, abdominal CT was performed in 186 with HCC patients. Out of these, five cases of bile duct invasion by HCC were confirmed in our hospital and three in other hospitals. The eight cases were evaluated for the type, size and location. CT features of intraductal mass and ductal dilatation were evaluated. The incidence of bile duct invasion in HCC was 2.6%. Infiltrative type of HCC was seen in seven cases and six of these had mass 5-11 cm in size. The characteristic CT findings of bile duct invasion in HCC are mass in common hepatic duct with bulging contour(8/80, multiple intraductal masses in the intrahepatic ducts (5/8), and diffuse dilatation of intrahepatic ducts (7/8).
Bile Ducts* ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Bile* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Dilatation ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prognosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Excitotoxic injury of the dendrites of inhibitory interneurons could lead to decrease in their synaptic activation, and explain subsequent local circuit hyperexcitability and epilepsy. A hallmark of dendrotoxicity at least in principal neurons of the hippocampus and cortex are focal or varicose swellings of dendritic abors. This research was designed to study morphologic changes of interneuron dendrite in kainate-treated hippocampal slice culture overtime. METHODS: Cultures aged to 15-16 Equivalent Postnatal Day (EPD) were exposed to 10microM kainic acid (KA), and were analyzed at 0, 8, 24, 48, 72 hours after transient (1 hour) KA exposure. Neuronal injury was determined by morphologic changes of parvalbumin (PV) positive interneuron dendrites in area CA1 of PV-immunohistochemically stained sections. RESULTS: 1) Transient (1 hour) exposure of hippocampal explant cultures to KA produced marked focal swellings of the dendrites of PV-immunoreactive interneurons in a highly reproducible manner. 2) The presence of focal swellings was reversible with kainate washout. The dendrites of KA treated explants were no longer beaded at 8, 24, 48, 72hours after KA exposure.3) The number of cells in PV-immunoreactive interneuron was decreased at 0, 8, 24 hours after exposure. But there was no significant difference among 48hr and 72hr recovery group compare with control group.4) The total length of dendrites was decreased between 0 and 8hours after exposure. But there was no significant difference among 24, 48, and 72hr recovery group compare with control group.5) The branches of dendrites were decreased just after exposure. But there was no significant difference among 8hr, 24hr, 48hr, and 72hr recovery group compare with control group. CONCLUSION: The presence of focal swellings was reversible with kainate washout, and was not accompanied by interneuronal cell death.
Cell Death ; Dendrites* ; Epilepsy ; Hippocampus ; Interneurons* ; Kainic Acid ; Neurons

PURPOSE: Neuronal damage induced by febrile seizure(FS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of medial temporal sclerosis, the pathologic hallmark of temporal lobe epilepsy. Recent data indicate that prolonged FSs induce transient structural changes of some hippocampal pyramidal neurons and long-term functional changes of hippocampal circuitry. In this study we have investigated the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) in the hippocampal formation after FSs with in situ hybridization histochemistry using riboprobe. METHODS: FSs were induced in 21 day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats(five rats for each group), which had a mean weight of about 100g. Exposure to hyperthermia was achieved by maintaining the water in the beaker at a temperature of 45 degrees C by pacing it in a temperature-controlled water bath. The rats were decapitated at appropriate times(0 hr, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 3hr, 6 hr, 12 hr and 24 hr) after FSs. In situ hybridization histochemistry was performed. The probe used in these studies were riboprobe complementary to the sequence 641-729 of rat BDNF. RESULTS: The induction of BDNF mRNA was observed in the dentate gyrus at 30 min after FSs. The expression in the dentate gyrus was gradually increased, peaked at 3 hr after FSs, and almost returned to basal level at 24 hr after FSs. The significant induction of BDNF mRNA was also observed in the CA3 area of hippocampus from 2 hr to 3 hr after FSs. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that BDNF is the gene whose expression can be altered by FSs and these gene might be related to pathologic alterations after FSs.
Animals ; Baths ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor* ; Dentate Gyrus ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Fever ; Hippocampus* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Male ; Neurons ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; RNA, Messenger* ; Sclerosis ; Seizures, Febrile* ; Water

PURPOSE: Excitotoxic injury of the dendrites of inhibitory interneurons could lead to decrease in their synaptic activation, and explain subsequent local circuit hyperexcitability and epilepsy. A hallmark of dendrotoxicity at least in principal neurons of the hippocampus and cortex are focal or varicose swellings of dendritic abors. This research was designed to study morphologic changes of interneuron dendrite in kainate-treated hippocampal slice culture overtime. METHODS: Cultures aged 15-16 Equivalent Postnatal Days (EPD) were exposed to 10 microM kainic acid (KA), and analyzed at 0, 8, 24, 48, 72 hours after transient (1 hour) KA exposure. Neuronal injury was determined by morphologic changes of interneuron dendrites in area CA1 of DiI stained sections. RESULTS: 1) Transient (1 hour) exposure of hippocampal explant cultures to KA produced marked focal swellings of the dendrites of DiI stained interneurons in a highly reproducible manner. 2) The presence of focal swellings was reversible with kainate washout. The dendrites of KA treated explants were no longer beaded at 8, 24, 48, 72 hours after KA exposure. 3) There was no significant difference in the thickness of dendrites in DiI stained interneuron among 8hr, 24hr, 48hr and 72hr recovery group, compared with control group. CONCLUSION: The presence of focal swellings was reversible with kainate washout, and was not accompanied by interneuronal cell death.
Cell Death ; Dendrites* ; Epilepsy ; Hippocampus ; Interneurons* ; Kainic Acid ; Neurons

No abstract available.
Dilatation* ; Esophageal Perforation*