Shenqi-wan, Oriental herbal medicine formulation, has been traditionally used for delayed mental and physical development in children, complications of diabetes, and glomerulonephritis. In the present study, the protective effect of the aqueous extract of Shenqi-wan against traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus was investigated. For this study, step-down avoidance task, terminal deoxynuclotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, Bax immunohistochemistry, and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry were conducted. In the present results, it was shown that apoptotic cell death and cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus were significantly increased following TBI in rats and that the aqueous extract of Shenqi-wan suppressed the TBI-induced increase in apoptosis and cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus. Based on the present results, it is possible that the aqueous extract of Shenqi-wan has a neuroprotective effect on TBI-induced neuronal cell death.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Cell Death ; Cell Proliferation ; Child ; Dentate Gyrus ; Glomerulonephritis ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Rats ; Transferases

BACKGROUND: Little has been known about the incidence, the relationship with H. pylori infection and the prognosis of the multiple gastric polyposis. Recently, it was suggested that the eradication of H. pylori infection led the disappearance of the gastric polyps associated with H. pylori. We carried out a prospective study to determine the effect of H. pylori eradication on multiple gastric polyposis associated with H. pylori. METHODS: From July 1997 through August 2000, 13 patients who had multiple gastric polyposis on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were recruited for this study. After eradication of H. pylori, we performed follow-up endoscopy at 2-3 months and 5-6 months later. RESULTS: The topographical distributions of gastric polyps were as following : antrum only in 7 cases, antrum and lower body in 4 cases, antrum and fundus area in 1 case, and entire stomach in 1 cases, respectively. The histopathological findings were as following : 13 cases showed chronic active gastritis, 2 cases with hyperplastic polyps, and 1 case with adenomatous polyps. After eradication of H. pylori infection, regression of multiple gastric polyps occurred in 7 cases (53.8%). In 7 cases with regression, regression was observed in 5 cases with chronic active gastritis alone, 1 case with hyperplastic polyps, and 1 case with adenomatous polyps. The re-biopsy specimens in 7 cases with regression revealed that the grade of inflammation decreased from 2.2 to 1.5 by the histological index of the updated Sydney system. CONCLUSION: With these results, we may conclude that the development of multiple gastric polyposis might be closely related with chronic H. pylori infection, and the eradication of H. pylori could lead to the regression of polyposis.
Adenomatous Polyps ; Drug Therapy ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastritis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Polyps ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Stomach