BACKGROUNDHippophae rhamnoides L. (HL) exerts antioxidant activities against various oxidative stress conditions. In this study, we investigated effects of extract from HL leaves (HLE) on cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus (DG) of aged gerbils.

METHODSAged gerbils (24 months) were divided into vehicle (saline)-treated- and HLE-treated-groups. The vehicle and HLE were orally administered with 200 mg/kg once a day for 20 days before sacrifice. Cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation were examined in the DG using Ki67 and doublecortin (DCX), respectively. We also observed changes in immunoreactivities of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3-beta (p-GSK-3β) to examine their relation with neurogenesis using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe administration of HLE significantly increased the number of Ki67-positive cells and DCX-positive neuroblasts with well-developed processes in the SGZ of the DG of the HLE-treated-group. In addition, immunoreactivities of SOD1, SOD2, BDNF, and p-GSK-3β were significantly increased in granule and polymorphic cells of the DG in the HLE-treated-group compared with those in the vehicle-treated-group.

CONCLUSIONSHLE treatment significantly increased cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation, showing that immunoreactivities of SOD1, SOD2, BDNF, and p-GSK-3β were significantly increased in the DG. These indicate that increased neuroblast differentiation neurogenesis may be closely related to upregulation of SOD1, SOD2, BDNF, and p-GSK-3β in aged gerbils.

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Dentate Gyrus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Gerbillinae ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 ; metabolism ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta ; Hippophae ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intrinsic Factor ; metabolism ; Male ; Neurogenesis ; drug effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase-1

Achalasia is a rare neurological deficit of the esophagus that produces an impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and decreased motility of the esophageal body. Achalasia is generally accepted to be a pre-malignant disorder, since, particularly in the mega-esophagus, chronic irritation by foods and bacterial overgrowth may contribute to the development of dysplasia and carcinoma. We present a case of a 51-year-old man with achalasia combined with esophageal cancer who has had dysphagia symptoms for more than 20 years. Since there was a clinically high possibility of supraclavicular lymph node metastasis, concurrent chemoradiation therapy was scheduled. After the third cycle of chemoradiation therapy, transthoracic esophageolymphadenectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the main esophagus specimen revealed no residual carcinoma. And the entire regional lymph node areas were free of carcinoma except for one azygos metastatic lymph node. In summary, achalasia is a predisposing factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Although surveillance endoscopy in achalasia patients is still controversial, periodic screening for cancer development in long-standing achalasia patients might be advisable.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Deglutition Disorders ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Achalasia ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Esophageal Sphincter, Lower ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Relaxation

BACKGROUND: Fluoroquinolone drugs are an important anti-tuberculous agent for the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. However, many drugs belonging to the fluoroquinolones have different cross resistance to each other. METHODS: Sixty-three ofloxacin (OFX) resistant and 10 pan-susceptible M. tuberculosis isolates were selected, and compared for their cross resistance using a proportion method on Lowenstein-Jensen media, containing ofloxacin (OFX), ciprofloxacin (CIP), levofloxacin (LVX), moxifloxacin (MXF), gatifloxacin (GAT) and sparfloxacin (SPX), at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3microgram/ml. DNA extracted from the isolates was directly sequenced after amplifying from the gyrA and gyrB genes. RESULTS: The 63 OFX resistant M. tuberculosis isolates showed complete cross resistance to CIP, but only 90.5, 44.4, 36.5 and 46.0% to LVX, MXF, GAT, and to SPX, respectively. Fifty-one of the isolates (81.0%) had point mutations in codons 88, 90, 91 and 94 in gyrA, which are known to be correlated with OFX resistance. The Gly88Ala, Ala90Valand Asp94Ala mutations in gyrA showed a tendency to be susceptible to MXF, GAT and SPX. Only 4 isolates had mutations in the gyrB gene, which did not affect the OFX resistance. CONCLUSION: About 60% of the OFX resistant M. tuberculosis isolates were susceptible to GAT, SPX and MXF. These fluoroquinolones may be useful in the treatment of TB patients showing OFX resistance.
Ciprofloxacin ; Codon ; DNA ; Fluoroquinolones ; Genotype ; Humans ; Levofloxacin ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Ofloxacin ; Point Mutation ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant

OBJECTIVE: To identify 1) whether the endogenous steroid hormone metabolism in patients with pelvic organ prolapse was different from that of normal women, 2) the relationship between endogenous steroid hormone metabolites and the stage of the pelvic organ prolapse. METHODS: Twenty postmenopausal women who were clinically diagnosed as having pelvic organ prolapse and 20 volunteer postmenopausal women not having pelvic organ prolapse were included in the study. We compared the urinary profiles of endogenous steroids between the two groups and investigated the relationship between urinary profiles of the endogenous steroids and the degree of pelvic organ prolapse. Urinary profiles of the endogenous steroids were assayed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The ages of the patients and control group were 64.6 +/- 6.5 and 63.5 +/- 3.9 years, and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was 23.96 +/- 3.14 and 24.11 +/- 2.73 kg/m2 in patients and in normal subjects, respectively. The number of patients in each stage were 4 in stage I, 4 in stage II, 6 in stage III and 6 in stage IV. 5-androstene-3beta, 16beta, 17beta-triol (5-AT), 11beta-hydroxy androstenedione (An) and 17beta-estradiol were significantly increased in patients with pelvic organ prolapse over that of the control group (0.76 +/- 0.67 vs 0.06 +/- 0.03 micro mole/g creatinine; p=0.002, 1.16 +/- 0.83 vs 0.65 +/- 0.23 micro mole/g creatinine; p=0.04, 15.08 +/- 9.81 vs 8.53 +/- 6.19 micro mole/g creatinine; p=0.04). However, tetrahydrocortisone (THE) was significantly increased in the control group over that in patients having pelvic organ prolapse (9.80 +/- 6.21 vs 5.22 +/- 4.89 micro mole/g creatinine; p=0.04). The androgen metabolites, 5-AT and THE significantly correlated with the POP-Q stage (R=0.418; p=0.027, R=0.46; p=0.016). Among the estrogen metabolites, 17beta-estradiol was correlated to the POP-Q stage but not mathematically significantly (R=0.38; p=0.05) and the 17beta-estradiol/estrone ratio weakly correlated to pelvic organ prolapse stage (R=0.14; p=0.49), by showing a low correlation coefficiency. CONCLUSION: The urinary concentrations of 17beta-estradiol, 5-AT and 11beta-hydroxy An increased in patients with pelvic organ prolapse over that of the control group and 5-AT, THE and 17beta-estradiol showed a relationship to the progression of pelvic organ prolapse in Korean women. The metabolites of endogenous steroid hormones could be contributing factors in the pathogenesis of pelvic organ prolapse.
Androstenedione ; Body Mass Index ; Creatinine ; Estrogens ; Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Metabolism* ; Pelvic Organ Prolapse* ; Steroids ; Tetrahydrocortisone ; Volunteers

To investigate the relationship between the endogenous steroid hormones and the lower urinary tract function in postmenopausal women. Thirty postmeopausal volunteer women who did not have lower urinary tract symptoms or hormone replacement therapy were enrolled in this study. Urodynamic studies included uroflowmetry, multi-channel cystometry, and urethral pressure profilometry were conducted. Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used to measure the urinary endogenous steroid hormone metabolites. The relationship between the urinary profile of the endogenous steroids and the urodynamic parameters of these patients were investigated. The mean ages of the patients were 60.6 +/- 5.5 years, and the Body Mass Index (BMI) averaged 24.56 +/- 2.23 (kg/m2). Of the progesterone metabolites, pregnandiol was significantly related to the residual volume in the uroflowmetry and the functional urethral length parameters (R=0.98, p=0.000; R= -0.65, p=0.04). Pregnantriol was significantly related to the maximum flow rate, the residual volume in uroflowmetry, the maximum urethral closure pressure and the functional urethral length (R=-0.64, p=0.04; R=0.82, p=0.01; R=0.04, p=0.04; R=- 0.79, p=0.01). In the androgen metabolites, androstenedione, 5-AT, 11- keto Et, 11-betahydroxy Et, THS, and THE were significantly related to the residual volume in uroflowmetry (R=0.92, p=0.001; R=0.84, p=0.008; R=0.99, p=0.000; R=0.72, p=0.03; R=0.97, p=0.000; R=0.85, p=0.00). beta-THF/alpha-THF was significantly related to the maximum flow rate, the residual volume in uroflowmetry, the maximum urethral closure pressure and the functional urethral length (R=-0.76, p=0.02; R=0.67, p=0.04; R=0.74, p=0.02; R=-0.92, p=0.000). alpha-cortol was significantly related to the residual volume in uroflowmetry, the maximum urethral closure pressure and the functional urethral length (R=0.81, p=0.01; R=0.71, p=0.03; R=-0.87, p=0.000). Of the estrogen metabolites, estrone (E1) was significantly related to the normal desire to void (R=0.68, p=0.04) and 17 beta-estradiol/estrone was also significantly related to the normal and strong desire to void (R=-0.70, p=0.03 and R=-0.74, p=0.02, respectively). The urinary progesterone and androgen metabolite concentrations were positively related to the residual volume in uroflowmetry and positively or negatively related to MUCP and FUL. However, the urinary estrone concentration was positively related to the normal desire to void and 17 beta-estradiol/estrone was significantly related to the normal and strong desire to void.
Aged ; Androgens/*metabolism ; Bladder/physiology ; Estrogens/*metabolism ; Female ; Human ; Mass Fragmentography ; Middle Aged ; Postmenopause/*physiology ; Progesterone/metabolism ; Urethra/physiology ; *Urodynamics

Uterine leiomyoma is the most common solid pelvic tumor, occurring in 20~30% of women who are over 30 years of age1 and it accompanies with the symptoms such as uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, pain and the pressure on the urinary tract lead to blockage of the urinary tract. it some-times becomes a factor in sterility.2 Leiomyoma is a benign neoplasm that arises from uterine smooth muscle. it is hypothesized that leiomyoma originates from the somatic mutations in myometrial cells, resulting in progressive loss of growthregulation.3,4 Ovarian hormones are believed to stimulate the growth of leiomyoma because there is an increased incidence of leiomyoma after menarche and these tumors enlarge during pregnancy and regress after menopause. The growth of leiomyoma is variable among women with regular menstruation cycles and even among myoma nodules in the same uterus. One possible reason for this variation is thaovarian hormones, especially estrogen, stimulate individual myoma nodules by varying degree. 5 Therefore, therapeutic attempt based on over-come the state of hyperestrogenism have been tried. Treatment with competitive inhibitors of estrogen receptors (ER)6,7 or gonadotropin-releasing hor-mone agonist2,8,9 has been studied for those reasons. it was found that mean ER content was significantly greater in leiomyoma than in myometrium. 10~14 And ER content of the fibroid was reported to signifIcantly correlate wIth the myoma-shrinkage.15 But there were no consistent results as the concentration of estrogen in uterine leiomyoma.16,17 in this study, we determined the concentrations of urinary steroids, including estrogens as well as androgens, which are closely related to the estrogen biosynthesis, in premenopausal women with leiomyoma using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The urinary levels of the same endogenous steroids in age-matched healthy premenopausal women were also estimated by comparing urinary steroid levels between the two groups. From these results, we studied the effect of endogenous steroids and the metabolic changes in the leiomyoma, and we especially observed the difference in the estrogen level between the two groups to predict the role of estrogens in the prevention of and the therapy for leiomyoma
Androgens ; Animals ; Dysmenorrhea ; Estrogens ; Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leiomyoma* ; Menarche ; Menopause ; Menstruation ; Mice ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myoma ; Myometrium ; Pregnancy ; Receptors, Estrogen ; Steroids* ; Urinary Tract ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Uterus

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine whether women with Turner syndrome have greater subclinical atherosclerosis and evaluate the relationship to risk factors for atherosclerosis. METHODS: 18 Women with Turner syndrome and 18 women as control group were measured the intima media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery by B-mode ultrasound. We compared the IMT between cases and controls, and analyzed risk factors which affect the IMT. RESULTS: There are no differences between the groups in age and body mass index (BMI). The height was shorter (147.8+/-7.9 vs 160.3+/-5.9, p<0.001) and the waist-hip ratio (WHR) was significantly increased in Turner syndrome (0.86+/-0.04 vs 0.78+/-0.04, p<0.001). Fasting blood sugar (FBS) (90.1+/-9.9 vs 79.4+/-4.4 mg/dl, p<0.001), fasting insulin (9.5+/-3.0 vs 4.7+/-1.0 IU/ml, p=0.009), total cholesterol (187.1+/-21.3 vs 154.8+/-21.8 mg/dl, p=0.014), and LDL (111.3+/-10.0 vs 82.8+/-16.4 mg/dl, p=0.009) were significantly higher in Turner syndrome. Compare to control, the IMT was significantly increased in Turner syndrome (0.61+/-0.09 vs 0.49+/-0.02 mm, p=0.002). In the analysis of correlation between the IMT and clinical & biochemical characteristics, Turner syndrome status, WHR, FBS and fasting insulin were significantly affecting factors (Coefficients of correlation: 0.720, p<0.001; 0.671, P<0.001; 0.445, p=0.020; 0.904, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggested that women with Turner syndrome might have an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and insulin resistance was most important risk factor.
Atherosclerosis* ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness* ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Risk Factors ; Turner Syndrome* ; Ultrasonography ; Waist-Hip Ratio

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether women with PCOS have greater subclinical atherosclerosis and evaluate the relationship to risk factors for atherosclerosis. METHODS: Women with PCOS(n=24) and age and body mass index(BMI)-matched cycling women(n=16) as control group underwent carotid scanning for the measurement of the IMT. We compared IMT and plaque between cases and controls, assessed some risk factors for atherosclerosis, and analyzed factors affecting IMT. RESULTS: There was no difference between the groups in waist-hip ratio(WHR) and in the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride(TG), LDL, Lp(a), fibrinogen, homocystein, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1. However, HDL was significantly lower, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar or insulin concentration and IMT was significantly higher in PCOS group than control group (51.1+/-11.6 vs 60.4+/- 10.0mg/dl, 119.4+/-12.5 vs 109.0+/-11.6mmHg, 79.1+/-11.1 vs 68.9+/-7.8mmHg, 93.6+/-11.1 vs 85.0+/-5.9 mg/dl, 8.9+/-5.2 vs 5.0+/-3.3milliunit/ml, 0.57+/-0.12 vs 0.49+/-0.11mm respectively, all p<.05). In the analysis of correlation between the IMT and clinical characteristics, PCOS status, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar or insulin concentration, TG, HDL, fibrinogen were significantly independent variables (Coefficients of correlation were 0.358, 0.461, 0.452, 0.349, 0.405, 0.466, 0.478, -0.433, 0.349 respectively, all p<.05). The factors affecting IMT by multivariate regression were PCOS status and fasting insulin concentration. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that women with PCOS might have an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and insulin resistance was assumed to be the main risk factor of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis* ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Ovary* ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; Risk Factors

OBJETIVE: To elucidate 1) whether there are any differences in the urine concentrations of steroid hormone metabolites between patients with leiomyoma and normal controls 2) the correlation between urinary profiles of steroid hormones and leiomyomas of the uterus according to their type, location, volume, and weight. MATERIALS OF METHODS: The study population consisted of 37 premenopausal patients with uterine leiomyoma and the control group consisted of 25 premenopausal normal volunteer women without uterine leiomyoma. Confirmation of the existence of uterine leiomyoma was done by ultrasonography and histopathological examination after surgery. The volume of the leiomyoma was estimated by trans-abdominal and/or trans-vaginal ultrasonography. The Leiomyomas were divided into 3 types (subserosal, intramural and submucosal). Seventeen patients had subserosal type of leiomyoma, 10 with the intramural type and 10 with the submucosal type. The locations of the leiomyoma were also divided into 3 groups (fundus, body and isthmus). Seventeen patients showed a fundus location, 10 in body, and 10 in isthmus. We compared urinary profiles of the endogenous steroids between patients with leiomyomas and normal controls, and also investigated the relationship between urinary profiles of the endogenous steroids and leiomyomas according to their type, location, volume and weight by using highly sensitive Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) system. RESULTS: The mean ages of the patients with leiomyomas and the control group were 43.1+/-5.6 and 40.6+/-7.2 years, the weights were 63.4+/-7.3 and 59.4+/-8.1 kg, and their heights were 155.4+/-4.8 and 159.3+/-4.8 cm respectively. Seventeen patients had subserosal, 10 had intramural, and 10 had submucosal leiomyomas. There were 17 patients with leiomyoma located in fundus, 10 in body and 10 in isthmus. 17beta-estradiol, 5-AT, 11-keto ET, 11beta-hydroxy An, 11beta-hydroxy Et, THS, THA, THE, alpha-cortolone, alpha-cortol, beta-cortol, 11beta-OH Et/11beta-OH An and E2/E1 were significantly increased in patients with leiomyoma than in the control group. 17beta-estradiol was significantly increased in the intramural and the submucosal types than in the subserosal type. There was no significant difference in the concentrations of urinary steroids according to the locations of leiomyomas. There was no significant relationship between the concentration of urinary steroids and the volume of the leiomyomas. 17beta-estradiol significantly decreased as the weight of uterus increased (r=-0.322, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: The concentrations of steroid hormone metabolites were generally increased in patients with leiomyoma but were not significantly related to the volume and weight of the leiomyomas. Our study suggests that steroid hormones may be involved in the initiation of leiomyomas but may not be involved in their progression. In addition, the concentrations of steroid hormone metabolites are not related to the leiomyoma type and location.
Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Leiomyoma* ; Steroids ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus* ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: Intravenous anesthetics may modify airway responsiveness. The author investigated the relaxant effect of thiopental, ketamine, and propofol on isolated rat tracheal smooth muscles. METHODS: The trachea of the rat was dissected and cut into 3-mm rings. The rings were mounted in a water-jacked organ bath filled with Krebs solution aerated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2 at 37degreesC. Thiopental, ketamine, and propofol were given randomly to each ring preconstricted with EC50 of acetylcholine from 10(-6) to 10(-3) M. The relaxation response was the tension during anesthetic equilibration, expressed as a percentage of the tension from EC50 of acetylcholine. RESULTS: Thiopental and propofol (10(-5) to 10(-3) M) relaxed acetylcholine-induced contractions in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.05). Ketamine in doses of 10(-5) and 10(-4) M constricted acetylcholine-induced contractions by 3.2% and 16.5% respectively (P < 0.05). But ketamine in a dose of 10(-3) relaxed acetylcholine-induced contractions by 76.4% (P < 0.05). The relaxation of tracheal smooth muscles was greatest in thiopental, and was least in ketamine (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: All three intravenous anesthetics have an excellent relaxation of tracheal smooth muscles in rats, except in doses of 10(-5) and 10(-4) M of ketamine.
Acetylcholine ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; Animals ; Baths ; Ketamine* ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Propofol* ; Rats* ; Relaxation ; Thiopental* ; Trachea