1,917 research outputs found
Hemorrhagic Transformation of Ischemic Stroke: Severe Complications of Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis
Ischemic stroke is a common complication of infective endocarditis (IE), occurring in 20-40% of left side IE cases. In these subsets, anticoagulation therapy may provoke hemorrhagic transformation (HT) of ischemic stroke, and complications of this magnitude deteriorate the clinical course for IE patients. However, in cases of IE complicated with a mechanical prosthetic valve, the physician can be concerned over the maintenance of anticoagulation due to the risk of thrombotic complication. According to our retrospective review, HT of ischemic stroke in prosthetic valve endocarditis occurred 13.8% (4/29) of the time in a variety of situations. Some of these even arose in patients with a subtherapeutic range of prothrombin time
Effects of Berberine and Hwangryunhaedok-Tang on Oral Bioavailability and Pharmacokinetics of Ciprofloxacin in Rats
Hwangryunhaedok-Tang (HR) and berberine-containing single herbs are used to treat bacterial infection and inflammatory diseases in eastern Asia. The combination of berberine-containing herbal medicines and ciprofloxacin can be an excellent antibacterial chemotherapy against multidrug resistance bacteria. To evaluate the pretreatment effect of berberine and HR, vehicle, berberine (25 and 50âmg/kg/day), and HR (1.4âg/kg/day) were daily administered to rats for five consecutive days. On day 6, ciprofloxacin was administered (10âmg/kg, i.v. and 20âmg/kg, p.o.) to rats. To assess cotreatment effect of berberine and ciprofloxacin, berberine (50âmg/kg) and ciprofloxacin (20âmg/kg) were coadministered by single oral gavage. Pharmacokinetic data were estimated by noncompartmental model. Compared with ciprofloxacin alone (control group), coadministration of berberine (50âmg/kg) and ciprofloxacin significantly decreased Cmax of ciprofloxacin (P<0.05). In addition, the pretreatment of berberine (50âmg/kg/day) and HR (1.4âg/kg/day) significantly decreased Cmax and AUC0ââ, compared with control group (P<0.05). The oral bioavailability of ciprofloxacin was reduced by cotreatment of berberine and pretreatment of berberine and HR. Our results suggest that the expression of P-glycoprotein and organic anion and/or organic cation transporters (OAT/OCT) could take a role in reduced oral bioavailability of ciprofloxacin by berberine and HR
Calcium-binding Protein Calretinin Immunoreactivity in the Dog Superior Colliculus
We studied calretinin-immunoreactive (IR) fibers and cells in the canine superior colliculus (SC) and studied the distribution and effect of enucleation on the distribution of this protein. Localization of calretinin was immunocytochemically observed. A dense plexus of anti-Âcalretinin-IR fibers was found within the upper part of the superficial gray layer (SGL). Almost all of the labeled fibers were small in diameter with few varicosities. The intermediate and deep layers contained many calretinin-IR neurons. Labeled neurons within the intermediate gray layer (IGL) formed clusters in many sections. By contrast, labeled neurons in the deep gray layer (DGL) did not form clusters. Calretinin-IR neurons in the IGL and DGL varied in morphology and included round/oval, vertical fusiform, stellate, and horizontal neurons. Neurons with varicose dendrites were also labeled in the IGL. Most of the labeled neurons were small to medium in size. Monocular enucleation produced an almost complete reduction of calretinin-IR fibers in the SC contralateral to the enucleation. However, many calretinin-IR cells appeared in the contralateral superficial SC. Enucleation appeared to have no effect on the distribution of calretinin-IR neurons in the contralateral intermediate and deep layers of the SC. The calretinin-IR neurons in the superficial dog SC were heterogeneous small- to medium-sized neurons including round/oval, vertical fusiform, stellate, pyriform, and Âhorizontal in shape. Two-color immunofluorescence revealed that no cells in the dog SC Âexpressed both calretinin and GABA. Many horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled retinal ganglion cells were seen after injections into the superficial layers. The vast majority of the double-labeled cells (HRP and calretinin) were small cells. The present results indicate that antibody to calretinin labels subpopulations of neurons in the dog SC, which do not express GABA. The results also suggest that the calretinin-IR afferents in the superficial layers of the dog SC originate from small class retinal ganglion cells. The expression of calretinin might be changed by the cellular activity of selective superficial collicular neurons. These results are valuable in delineating the basic neurochemical architecture of the dog visual system
Kaempferol inhibits ILâ1βâinduced proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts and the production of COXâ2, PGE2 and MMPs
Inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and cyclooxygenase (COX)â2 released from rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) are involved in the destruction of both articular bone and cartilage. Kaempferol has been reported to act as an antioxidant and antiâinflammatory agent by inhibiting nitric oxide synthase and COX enzymes. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of kaempferol on the interleukinâ1β (ILâ1β)âinduced proliferation of RASFs and the production of MMPs, COX and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by RASFs. The proliferation of the RASFs stimulated with ILâ1β and treated with/without kaempferol was evaluated by CCKâ8 assay. The expression of MMPs, TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitorâ1 (TIMPâ1), COXs, PGE2 and that of intracellular MAPK signaling molecules, including pâERK, pâp38, pâJNK and nuclear factorâÎşB (NFâÎşB) was examined by immunoblotting or semiâquantitative reverse transcriptionâpolymerase chain reaction (RTâPCR) and ELISA under the conditions described above. Kaempferol inhibited the proliferation of both unstimulated and ILâ1βâstimulated RASFs, as well as the mRNA and protein expression of MMPâ1, MMP-3, COXâ2 and PGE2 induced by ILâ1β. Kaempferol also inhibited the phosphorylation of ERKâ1/2, p38 and JNK, as well as the activation of NFâÎşB induced by ILâ1β. These results indicate that kaempferol inhibits synovial fibroblast proliferation, as well as the production of and MMPs, COXâ2 and PGE2, which is involved in articular inflammation and destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our data suggest that kaempferol may be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of RA
Outer membrane protein a of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium activates dendritic cells and enhances Th1 polarization
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Typhoid, which is caused by <it>Salmonella enterica </it>serovar Typhimurium, remains a major health concern worldwide. Multidrug-resistant strains of <it>Salmonella </it>have emerged which exhibit increased survivability and virulence, thus leading to increased morbidity. However, little is known about the protective immune response against this microorganism. The outer membrane protein (Omp)A of bacteria plays an important role in pathogenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We purified OmpA from <it>S. enterica </it>serovar Typhimurium (OmpA-sal) and characterized the role of OmpA-sal in promoting adaptive and innate immune responses. OmpA-sal functionally activated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells by augmenting expression of CD80, CD86, and major histocompatibility complex classes I and II. Interestingly, OmpA-sal induced production of interferon-Îł from T cells in mixed lymphocyte reactions, thus indicating Th1-polarizing capacity. The expression of surface markers and cytokine production in dendritic cells was mediated by the TLR4 signaling pathway in a TLR4 Knock-out system.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that OmpA-sal modulates the adaptive immune responses to <it>S. enterica </it>serovar Typhimurium by activating dendritic cells and driving Th1 polarization, which are important properties to consider in the development of effective <it>S. enterica </it>serovar Typhimurium vaccines and immunotherapy adjuvant.</p
KMT-2016-BLG-1107: A New Hollywood-Planet Close/Wide Degeneracy
We show that microlensing event KMT-2016-BLG-1107 displays a new type of
degeneracy between wide-binary and close-binary Hollywood events in which a
giant-star source envelops the planetary caustic. The planetary anomaly takes
the form of a smooth, two-day "bump" far out on the falling wing of the light
curve, which can be interpreted either as the source completely enveloping a
minor-image caustic due to a close companion with mass ratio , or
partially enveloping a major-image caustic due to a wide companion with
. The best estimates of the companion masses are both in the planetary
regime ( and ) but differ by an even larger factor than the mass ratios due to
different inferred host masses. We show that the two solutions can be
distinguished by high-resolution imaging at first light on next-generation
("30m") telescopes. We provide analytic guidance to understand the conditions
under which this new type of degeneracy can appear.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A
KMT-2018-BLG-1990Lb: A Nearby Jovian Planet From A Low-Cadence Microlensing Field
We report the discovery and characterization of KMT-2018-BLG-1990Lb, a Jovian
planet orbiting a late M dwarf
, at a distance
(D_L=1.23_{-0.43}^{+1.06}\,\kpc), and projected at times the
snow line distance, i.e., a_{\rm snow}\equiv 2.7\,\au (M/M_\odot), This is
the second Jovian planet discovered by KMTNet in its low cadence () fields, demonstrating that this population will be well
characterized based on survey-only microlensing data.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, 4 table
Normal Ambulatory 24-Hour Esophageal pH Values in Koreans -A Multicenter Study-
Ambulatory 24-hr esophageal pH monitoring is considered the gold standard for diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease. The aim of this study was to establish normal values for gastroesophageal acid exposure in healthy Koreans. Fifty healthy volunteers (24 males and 26 females; mean age, 45 yr) without reflux symptoms and without reflux esophagitis or hiatal hernia on upper endoscopy underwent ambulatory 24-hr esophageal pH monitoring after esophageal manometry. The 95th percentiles for the reflux parameters were: the percent total time pH <4, 3.7%; the percent upright time pH <4, 5.7%; the percent supine time pH <4, 1.0%; the number of reflux episodes with pH <4, 76.5; the number of reflux episodes with pH <4 for >5 min, 1.5; the duration of the longest episode, 12.5 min; and the composite score, 14.2. Age and gender were not associated with any of the pH parameters. In conclusion, physiological gastroesophageal reflux occurs in healthy Koreans. These normal esophageal pH values will provide reference data for clinical and research studies in Korea
Failure of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of H. pylori Eradication in H. pylori-Infected Patients with Functional Dyspepsia
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The role of Helicobacter pylori eradication in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) is still uncertain. We originally planned a randomized clinical study to observe dyspeptic symptoms after H. pylori eradication therapy. However, we failed to complete the study; therefore, we analyzed the factors that affected the failure of the study.
METHODS: Interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted to analyze the factors that induced early termination from the study.
RESULTS: Many patients were screened by gastroenterologists at 11 tertiary referral hospitals between July 2009 and August 2010; however, only 4 patients met the enrollment criteria. Most patients who visited our clinics had been experiencing FD symptoms for less than 6 months or were already taking medication. They also demanded to continue taking medications and using other drugs. Only 3 of the 4 patients signed informed consent.
CONCLUSIONS: The application of the current Rome III criteria to FD is difficult to evaluate in Korean patients with dyspeptic symptoms because of the early medical evaluation. Most Korean patients who were diagnosed with FD by the Rome III criteria did not overcome their fear of being unable to use rescue medications during the study period.ope
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