Astragalus membranaceus augment sperm parameters in male mice associated with cAMP-responsive element modulator and activator of CREM in testis

AbstractAstragalus membranaceus BUNGE (AM; 黃芪 huáng qí) has been widely used as a medicinal herb for different kinds of diseases. AM treatment in vitro enhance sperm motility and ameliorates testicular toxicity, it has demonstrated the ability as a potential treatment for male infertility. In order to gain further insights on the molecular understanding of how AM enhances spermatogenesis, this study investigated whether AM has an affect on sperm parameters associated with cAMP response element modulator (CREM) and activator of CREM in testis (ACT) expression. Five-week-old male ICR mice were divided into four groups; control group and three different concentrations of AM treated groups. Each group was treated for 5 days a week for 5 weeks. Testis samples were collected for real time quantitative PCR and western blot analysis. Epididymis was taken out and used for sperm analysis using the computer assisted semen analysis (CASA) system. To facilitate expression of genes required for spermatogenesis, it is controlled by fine-tuning of CREM and its coactivator, ACT. AM treatment promotes CREM and ACT mRNA expression and also protein expression compared to control. AM enhances sperm values such as sperm count and motility compared to control. Overall, the study highlights, the ability of AM to increases CREM and ACT expression to facilitate sperm development and semen quality

Hepatic Parasitic Abscess Caused by Clonorchiasis: Unusual CT Findings of Clonorchiasis

Clonorchiasis is caused by a chronic infestation of liver flukes, Clonorchis sinensis, and these reside mainly in the medium- and small-sized intrahepatic bile ducts. Therefore, diffuse, uniform, minimal or mild dilatation of these bile ducts, particularly in the periphery, without dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct is the typical finding on several imaging modalities. We report here on the CT findings of an unusual case of hepatic parasitic abscess that was caused by clonorchiasis; this malady mimicked cholangiocarcinoma, and there was no dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts

A case of stacked coin ingestion mistaken for button battery

Button battery ingestion requires emergency endoscopic removal since severe complications, such as esophageal perforation, can develop within 4 hours of the ingestion. Given that guardians do not witness the children’s foreign body ingestion 40% of the time, physicians can only guess what was swallowed based on plain radiography. We report a case of a 45-month-old-boy who visited the emergency department after swallowing an unknown foreign body and whose radiographs showed “circle-within-a-circle appearance” on the anteroposterior view and “step-off appearance” on the lateral view, suggesting button battery ingestion. We conducted emergency endoscopic removal, and found stacked coins mimicking a button battery on the radiographs. The coins were pushed into the stomach and came out through defecation 3 weeks later without further complications. Distinguishing between stacked coins and a button battery through radiography may help avoid unnecessary emergency endoscopy

Quantitative Understanding of Probabilistic Behavior of Living Cells Operated by Vibrant Intracellular Networks

For quantitative understanding of probabilistic behaviors of living cells, it is essential to construct a correct mathematical description of intracellular networks interacting with complex cell environments, which has been a formidable task. Here, we present a novel model and stochastic kinetics for an intracellular network interacting with hidden cell environments, employing a complete description of cell state dynamics and its coupling to the system network. Our analysis reveals that various environmental effects on the product number fluctuation of intracellular reaction networks can be collectively characterized by Laplace transform of the time-correlation function of the product creation rate fluctuation with the Laplace variable being the product decay rate. On the basis of the latter result, we propose an efficient method for quantitative analysis of the chemical fluctuation produced by intracellular networks coupled to hidden cell environments. By applying the present approach to the gene expression network, we obtain simple analytic results for the gene expression variability and the environment-induced correlations between the expression levels of mutually noninteracting genes. The theoretical results compose a unified framework for quantitative understanding of various gene expression statistics observed across a number of different systems with a small number of adjustable parameters with clear physical meanings.National Research Foundation of Korea (Grant 2011-0016412)National Research Foundation of Korea (Priority Research Center Program 2009-0093817

Effectiveness of electroacupuncture on anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) for patients with anxiety. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the treatment of anxiety by EA up to November 2022 were searched and collected from nine databases. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and adverse reactions were used as outcome indicators. The quality of relevant articles was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. The quality of evidence for each outcome was classified as “low risk,” “unclear risk,” or “high risk.” RevMan 5.0 was used for data analysis. A total of 633 articles were identified from nine electronic databases; 37 RCTs were included, which measured anxiety changes by using EA alone compared to the control group. For the main outcome, EA significantly reduced the HAMA score [Mean difference (MD):−1.13 (95% CI:−2.55–0.29), I2:80%], and the quality of evidence was moderate. EA significantly reduced the SAS score (MD:−3.47 (95% CI,−6.57−−0.36), I2:88%), and the quality of evidence was moderate. Our meta-analysis shows that EA reduces HAMA and SAS. This study suggests that EA can relieve anxiety. For various uses, additional research is needed on its effect when combined with other treatments.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=345658, identifier (CRD42022345658)

Metronidazole-induced encephalopathy in a patient with infectious colitis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Encephalopathy is a rare disease caused by adverse effects of antibiotic drugs such as metronidazole. The incidence of metronidazole-induced encephalopathy is unknown, although several previous studies have addressed metronidazole neurotoxicity. Here, we report the case of a patient with reversible cerebellar dysfunction on magnetic resonance imaging, induced by prolonged administration of metronidazole for the treatment of infectious colitis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 71-year-old Asian man, admitted to our hospital with hematochezia, underwent Hartmann's operation for the treatment of colorectal cancer three years ago. He was diagnosed with an infectious colitis by colonoscopy. After taking metronidazole, he showed drowsiness and slow response to verbal commands. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed obvious bilateral symmetric hyperintensities within his dentate nucleus, tectal region of the cerebellum, and splenium of corpus callosum in T2-weighted images and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images. Our patient's clinical presentation and magnetic resonance images were thought to be most consistent with metronidazole toxicity. Therefore, we discontinued metronidazole, and his cerebellar syndrome resolved. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging examinations showed complete resolution of previously noted signal changes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Metronidazole may produce neurologic side effects such as cerebellar syndrome, and encephalopathy in rare cases. We show that metronidazole-induced encephalopathy can be reversed after cessation of the drug. Consequently, careful consideration should be given to patients presenting with complaints of neurologic disorder after the initiation of metronidazole therapy.</p

Accuracy of analytical approaches to thermal response test interpretation

Thermal conductivity obtained via thermal response test (TRT) is one of the essential parameters for the design of shallow geothermal systems, especially a borehole heat exchanger (BHE). During TRT analysis, several factors (e.g., start time of analysis and test duration) could influence the estimated thermal conductivity. In addition, the influence of the factors may be different depending on the characteristics of the borehole and ground. This study investigated the effects of the start time and test duration through numerically generated TRT data under a diversity of environment and BHE information such as the thermal conductivity of grouting and ground. The generated numerical data were analyzed with three analytical approaches having different assumptions about the heat source to interpret the sensitivity of factors in the TRT analysis. By conducting the analytical sensitivity analysis, the importance of determining the appropriate start time and test duration could be emphasized when designing the test

Long-Term Results of Total Hip Arthroplasty with an Extensively Porous Coated Stem in Patients Younger than 45 Years Old

Purpose: This study analyzed the long-term results of cementless total hip arthroplasty using an extensively porous coated stem in patients younger than 45 years old. Materials and Methods: The clinical and radiographic results of 45 hips from 38 patients who underwent cementless total hip replacement arthroplasty with an AML prosthesis were reviewed retrospectively. The average follow-up was 12 years (range, 10-15 years). Results: The average Harris hip score at the time of final follow-up was 87.3 (range 77-94) points. Forty two hips (93.3%) showed excellent and good clinical results. Osteolysis occurred around the stem in 20 hips (44.4%) and around the cup in 26 hips (57.8%). Stress-mediated femoral resorption was observed in 33 hips (73.3%) at 10 years. There was no incidence of resorption progressing after 5 years postoperatively. There was no stem loosening. Five hips were revised for osteolysis, cup loosening and polyethylene wear. Conclusion: The long term results of total hip arthroplasty using an extensively porous coated stem were acceptable, and there was no case involving the progression of proximal bone resorption. Key Words: Cementless total hip arthroplasty, extensively porous coated, polyethylene wear, osteolysi

Footwear Design Crowdsourcing Platform Model For Strengthening Of the Competitiveness Of The Footwear Industry

The volumes of global footwear production and consumption have been steadily increasing. In particular, the income increases of China and Southeast Asian countries have led to the rapid growth of footwear production and consumption in Asia. However, while advanced countries still include footwear business as one of their growth engines, Korea regard it as stagnant or diminishing. However, beyond the category of simple manufacturing, footwear industry involves the integration of highly functional products, parts manufacturing, and marketing business, and includes expertise in the fields of design, materials, and epidemiology. The strengthening of the shoe industry is an important potential driver of the overall economy. The strengthened competiveness of the footwear industry will play an important role in the overall economic growth. Crowdsourcing is an approach that encourages the participation of specific communities or unspecified masses in a company’s production, service, or problem-solving processes to increase efficiency. To this end, this paper suggests the crowdsourcing platform model built through the integration of footwear design and IT for the ultimate enhancement of the competitiveness of the Korean footwear industry. Following this paper, a study about the practical development, application, and active use of such platform needs to be conducted. One limitation of this study is that the platform is yet to be developed or applied. Future research should focus on developing an actual platform and further studies in its application and vitalization