Toxicity Studies on Secretio Bufonis: A Traditional Supplement in Asia

AbstractObjectivesThis study was performed to investigate the toxicity of Secretio Bufonis (SB) on male mice and assess its no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL).Materials and MethodsAfter feeding an aqueous solution of SB extracts to mice for either 1 or 8 weeks, their blood and urine were assayed and their liver and kidney morphology examined. The numerical data was analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U-test and analysis of variance test.ResultsMice administered SB in 50 mg/kg/day for 1 week had higher heart weights and higher aspartate transaminase activities; those administered SB in 0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks had lower creatinine concentrations; and those administered SB in 0.5 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks had higher brain weights and higher blood urea nitrogen.ConclusionsThe extracts of SB had cardiac toxicity in the short term and hepatotoxicity in the long term. The NOAEL of the extract was under 5 mg/kg/day for 1 week and under 0.25 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks

A truly hyperbolic elastic metamaterial lens

Sub-wavelength imaging is possible if metamaterial lenses realizing hyperbolic or elliptic Equi-Frequency Contours (EFCs) are used. Theoretically, lenses exhibiting hyperbolic EFCs allow imaging with unlimited resolution, but only metamaterials of elliptic EFCs producing limited resolution have been so far realized in elastic field. Thus, an elastic metamaterial lens realizing truly hyperbolic EFCs can lead to superior-resolution ultrasonic imaging. This Letter presents the realization of an elastic lens exhibiting truly hyperbolic EFCs and its experimental verification. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLCclos

Struvite Crystallization of Anaerobic Digestive Fluid of Swine Manure Containing Highly Concentrated Nitrogen

In this study, the optimal operation factors for struvite crystallization for removing and recovering nitrogen and phosphorus from anaerobic digestive fluid of swine manure containing highly concentrated nitrogen was determined. Every experiment for the struvite crystallization reaction was conducted by placing 1,000 mL of digestion fluid in a 2,000 mL Erlenmeyer flask at various temperatures, pH, and mixing speed. Except for special circumstances, the digestion fluid was centrifuged (10,000 rpm, 10 min) and then the supernatant was used for the experiment at room temperature and 100 rpm. The optimal mole ratio of PO43−:Mg2+ was 1:1.5, and the pH effect ranging from 9 to 11 was similar, when mixed for 1 hour. Under this condition, the removal efficiency of NH4+-N and PO43−-P was 40% and 88.6%, respectively. X-shaped crystal was observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, struvite crystal structure was confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis

Effects of Substrate to Inoculum Ratio on the Biochemical Methane Potential of Piggery Slaughterhouse Wastes

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of substrate to inoculum ratio (S/I ratio) on the biochemical methane potential (BMP) and anaerobic biodegradability (Ddeg) of different piggery slaughterhouse wastes, such as piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content. These wastes were sampled from a piggery slaughterhouse located in Kimje, South Korea. Cumulative methane production curves for the wastes were obtained from the anaerobic batch fermentation having different S/I ratios of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. BMP and anaerobic biodegradabilities (Ddeg) of the wastes were calculated from cumulative methane production data for the tested conditions. At the lowest S/I ration of 0.1, BMPs of piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content were determined to be 0.799, 0.848, and 1.076 Nm3 kg−1-VSadded, respectively, which were above the theoretical methane potentials of 0.539, 0.644, and 0.517 Nm3 kg−1-VSadded for blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content, respectively. However, BMPs obtained from the higher S/I ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 were within the theoretical range for all three types of waste and were not significantly different for the different S/I ratios tested. Anaerobic biodegradabilities calculated from BMP data showed a similar tendency. These results imply that, for BMP assay in an anaerobic reactor, the S/I ratio of anaerobic reactor should be above 0.1 and the inoculum should be sufficiently stabilized to avoid further degradation during the assay

Free Hand Pedicle Screw Placement in the Thoracic Spine without Any Radiographic Guidance : Technical Note, a Cadaveric Study

Thoracic pedicle screw fixation techniques are still controversial for thoracic deformities because of possible complications including neurologic deficit. Methods to aid the surgeon in appropriate screw placement have included the use of intraoperative fluoroscopy and/or radiography as well as image-guided techniques. We describe our technique for free hand pedicle screw placement in the thoracic spine without any radiographic guidance and present the results of pedicle screw placement analyzed by computed tomographic scan in two human cadavers. This free hand technique of thoracic pedicle screw placement performed in a step-wise, consistent, and compulsive manner is an accurate, reliable, and safe method of insertion to treat a variety of spinal disorders, including spinal deformity

Quality of Life in Patients with Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures

Study DesignA case-control study.PurposeTo examine several dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in postmenopausal women with osteoporotic vertebral fractures, compared with a control group.Overview of LiteratureOsteoporotic vertebral fractures are a major cause of morbidity among postmenopausal women. There have been many reports of a decrease in the quality of life in patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures. However,few reports have analyzed which dimensions contribute to the decline in quality of life.MethodsOne thousand five hundred forty-five postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older from 17 study sites in nationwide hospitals were in enrolled in the study (between April 2008 and January 2009). HRQL was measured using the European Quality of Life 5 Domains (EQ-5D), and visual analogue scale (VAS).ResultsThe average VAS of the case group was 57.80, and that of the control group was 64.10 (p=0.001). All domains of the EQ-5D score were significantly worse in the case group (p=0.001). Among the case group, the average VAS of the 559 patients (45%) who were operated on was 56.8, and that of the remaining 680 patients (55%) who were treated conservatively was 58.6 (p=0.135). Among the case group, the averages of each EQ-5D domain of the 559 patients (45%) who were operated on were: 1.87 in mobility, 1.81 in self-care, 1.99 in usual activities, 2.11 in pain, and 1.62 in anxiety or depression. Those of the 680 patients (55%) who were treated conservatively were: 1.72 in mobility, 1.60 in self-care, 1.76 in usual activities, 1.98 in pain, and 1.57 in anxiety or depression. Except for the domain of anxiety or depression, scores for the other domains were all significantly worse in the patients who were operated on (p=0.001).ConclusionsHealth related quality of life in the patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures was significantly worse in both the EQ-5D domains and VAS. Among the osteoporotic vertebral fracture patients, the patients who were operated on had a worse quality of life in EQ-5D

Clinical Utility of Beck Anxiety Inventory in Clinical and Nonclinical Korean Samples

Despite the prominent use of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in primary healthcare systems, few studies have confirmed its diagnostic utility and psychometric properties in non-Western countries. This study aims to clarify the clinical utility of the BAI as a screening tool for anxiety disorders according to DSM-IV criteria, based on blind recruitment and diagnostic interviews of both clinical and non-clinical participants in the Korean population. A total of 1,157 participants were involved in the final psychometric analysis, which included correlational analysis with other anxiety and depression self-report measures and mean score comparison with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). ROC analysis and calculation of positive and negative predictive values were conducted to examine diagnostic utility. The BAI was found to have high correlations with depression-related self-report measures (0.747–0.796) and moderate to high correlations with anxiety-related self-report measures (0.518–0.776). The ROC analysis failed to provide cutoff scores with adequate sensitivity and specificity for identifying participants with anxiety disorders (85.0% sensitivity, 88.1% specificity, and 92.8% AUC). The comparison of BAI and BDI mean scores for different diagnostic groups revealed that BAI and BDI scores were higher in the depressive or anxiety disorders group than in the non-clinical group. However, BAI mean score was not higher for the anxiety-only group than the depression-only group. Our data supports the BAI reliability and validity as a tool to measure the severity of general anxiety in clinical and non-clinical populations; however, it fails to capture the unique characteristics of anxiety disorders that distinguish them from depressive disorders. Further clinical implications of the BAI based on these results and some limitations of the study are discussed

High white blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate are associated with perforated appendicitis in children

Purpose To investigate the predictors of perforated appendicitis (PA) in pediatric patients with appendicitis seen in the emergency department. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 564 pediatric patients ( 13.5 × 109/L (odds ratio [OR], 3.27; confidence interval [CI], 1.49-7.18; P = 0.003) and ESR > 15 mm/h (OR, 3.18; 95% CI, 2.13-4.74; P < 0.001) are independent predictors of PA. Conclusion WBC count and ESR might be better predictors of PA in pediatric patients with appendicitis in the emergency department than the Alvarado score and CRP concentration