Modulatory effect of ginseng total saponins on dopamine release and tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression induced by nicotine in the mouse

Abstract Several studies have demonstrated that behavioral activation induced by psychostimulants is prevented by ginseng total saponin (GTS), which has been known to act on the central dopaminergic system. In an attempt to investigate whether the effect of GTS is through its inhibitory action on the elevated dopaminergic transmission, we examined the effect of GTS on nicotine-induced dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NA) of freely moving rats using in vivo microdialysis. Systemic injection of nicotine (3 mg/kg; i.p.) produced a mild increase in extracellular DA of dialysates samples in the NA (132 913% over basal levels at the peak). GTS (100 mg/kg; i.p.) had no effect on resting levels of extracelluar DA. However, an increase in accumbens DA release produced by systemic nicotine was completely blocked by systemic pre-treatment with GTS (100 mg/kg; i.p.). In addition, the effect of GTS on nicotine-induced tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and immediate early gene expression in ventral tegmental area (VTA) or NA regions was examined. A single injection of nicotine increased TH mRNA level at VTA region. GTS, which did not affect the basal TH mRNA expression, attenuated nicotine-induced TH mRNA expression. Nicotine slightly increased both c-fos and c-jun mRNA level and GTS, which did not affect the basal c-fos and c-jun mRNA expression, further enhanced nicotine-induced c-fos and c-jun mRNA level at both VTA and NA regions. Our results suggest that GTS may have an inhibitory action against nicotine-induced DA release in NA region and TH mRNA expression in VTA region. GTS may exert an potentiative effect on both c-fos and c-jun mRNA expression at NA region through inhibiting the release of DA in NA

Minimal Proteinuria One Year after Transplant is a Risk Factor for Graft Survival in Kidney Transplantation

It is generally accepted that one-year post-transplant proteinuria over 0.5 gm per day has a negative impact on renal graft survival. In this study, the effects of minimal proteinuria less than 0.5 g/day were analyzed in 272 renal recipients who had survived for one year with a functioning graft. Recipients were classified by one-year post-transplant proteinuria: no proteinuria group (<0.2 g/day), minimal proteinuria group (0.2-0.5 g/day), and overt proteinuria group (≥0.5 g/day). Recipients were followed up for 87.1±21 months after transplantation and 38 (13.9%) lost their graft during follow-up. Fifteen percent of patients had minimal proteinuria and 7.8% had overt proteinuria. Five-year graft survival in the minimal proteinuria group was 83.0%, and that in the overt proteinuria group was 70%, in contrast to 97.1% in the no proteinuria group (p=0.01 for trend). In a multivariate analysis, the minimal proteinuria group (relative risk [RR], 4.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.09-11.46) and the overt proteinuria group (RR, 8.75; 95% CI, 3.29-23.29) had higher risks of graft failure than the no proteinuria group. Even minimal proteinuria at one year after transplantation was strongly associated with poor graft outcome. Therefore, it appears logical to consider a low level of proteinuria as a risk factor for graft survival in renal recipients

Assessment of Deceased Donor Kidneys Using a Donor Scoring System

∙The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. Purpose: Marginal grafts should be used more actively in Asian countries where deceased donor transplantation is unpopular. We modified a quantitative donor scoring system proposed by Nyberg and his colleagues and developed a donor scoring system in order to assess the quality of deceased donor grafts and their prognostic value as an initial effort to promote usage of marginal donors. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 337 patients. Results: A scoring system was derived from six donor variables [age, 0-25; renal function, 0-4; history of hypertension

Outcomes of Pregnancy in Women with Congenital Heart Disease: A Single Center Experience in Korea

Pregnancy outcomes in patients with congenital heart disease have not been fully assessed in Korea. Forty-nine pregnancies that occurred in 34 women with congenital heart disease who registered at our hospital between September 1995 and April 2006 were reviewed. Spontaneous abortions occurred in two pregnancies at 6+1 and 7 weeks, and another two underwent elective pregnancy termination. One maternal death in puerperium occurred in a woman with Eisenmenger syndrome. Maternal cardiac complications were noted in 18.4%, pulmonary edema in 16.3%, symptomatic arrhythmia in 6.1%, deterioration of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class by ≥2 in 2.0%, and cardiac death in 2.0%. Independent predictors of adverse maternal cardiac events were an NYHA functional class of ≥3 (odds ratio [OR], 20.3), right ventricular dilation (OR, 21.2), and pulmonary hypertension (OR, 21.8). Neonatal complications occurred in 22.4% of pregnancies and included preterm delivery (16.3%), small for gestational age (12.2%), and neonatal death (2.0%). Independent predictors of adverse neonatal events were pulmonary hypertension (OR, 6.8) and NYHA functional class ≥3 (OR, 23.0). Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease was found to be significantly associated with maternal cardiac and neonatal complications. Pre-pregnancy counseling and multidisciplinary care involving cardiologists and obstetricians are recommended for women with congenital heart disease contemplating pregnancy