To stydy the parameters of preload, afterload, and contractility of the heart, we evaluated 10 mitral stenosis, 5 mitral stenoinsufficiency, and 5 mitral stenosis with aortic insufficiency by measuring the external energy potential, external mechaical work, and external energy potential to PVa(Pressure-volume Area) ratio with non-invasive method, echocardiography and carotid pulse tracting. The results are summarized as follows; 1) External energy potential of mitral stenosis was significantly higher than that of MSI or MS with AI. 2) External mechanical work of MSI or MS with AI was significantly higher than that of Ms. 3) External energy potential to PVA ratio was signifiantly higher in the MS, but there was no significantly difference between the MSI and MS with AI. According to the above results, external energy potential to PVA ratio with echocardiogram and carotid pulse tracting was good parameters of preload, afterload, and contractility. And this method may used bed-side monitoring in the clinical area.
Echocardiography ; Heart ; Heart Valve Diseases* ; Mitral Valve Stenosis

Bacillus anthracis is a soil pathogen capable of causing anthrax in animals and humans. To establish a method for specifically detecting B. anthracis, we used nested polymerase chain reaction. Outer and inner sets of oligonucleotide primers were designed from the protective antigen (pag) gene and from the cya gene of the plasmid pXO1. Ainplification of 482 bp or 208 bp DNA fragment obtained from a nested PCR method provided the basis for rapid and reliable assay for the detection and identification of B. anthracis.
Animals ; Anthrax ; Bacillus anthracis* ; Bacillus* ; DNA ; DNA Primers ; Humans ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Soil

It has been established that berberine has strong antimicrobial effects. Little is known however regarding the antimicrobial activity of berberine against endodontic pathogenic bacteria or its cytotoxicity in human oral tissue cells. The antibacterial properties of berberine were tested against 5 strains of Enterococcus faecalis and type strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella nigrescens, Prevotella intermedia, and Tannerella forsythia, which are involved in endodontic infections. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) measurements. The viability of normal human gingival fibroblast (NHGF) cells after exposure to berberine was measured using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The data showed that berberine has antimicrobial effects against A. actinomycetemcomitans with an MIC and MBC of 12.5 microg/ml and 25 microg/ml, respectively. In the cytotoxicity studies, cell viability was maintained at 66.1% following exposure to 31.3 microg/ml berberine. Overall, these findings suggest that berberine has antimicrobial activity against the tested bacteria. Nevertheless, lower concentrations in combination with other reagents will need to be tested before these in vitro results can be translated to clinical use.
Aggregatibacter ; Bacteria* ; Berberine* ; Cell Survival ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Fibroblasts ; Forsythia ; Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Prevotella intermedia ; Prevotella nigrescens