Baicalin extracted from Huang qin (Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis) induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells by regulating B cell lymphoma (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein and activating caspase-3 and caspase-9

Objective

To evaluate the effects of baicalin in human gastric cancer cells, including apoptosis-inducing effects, and to investigate its underlying mechanisms of action.

Differences between self-referred and physician-referred hospital admissions

Aim  

Compare self- and physician-referred hospital admissions.     

Hypertension in Ireland: public awareness and doctors choice of therapy

Background  

Hypertension is the commonest medical condition in Ireland.     

Predictors of first hip fracture and mortality post fracture in older women

Background  

Hip fracture causes significant morbidity and mortality in older women.     

Prevalence and aetiology of leg ulcers in Ireland

Background  

The prevalence of leg ulcer disease in Ireland has been poorly documented.     

Applications for fees waivers on medical and psychiatric grounds at an Irish third-level college

Background  

Physical and mental illness present substantial challenges to college students and authorities.     

Perception of the risks of smoking in the general population and among general practitioners in Ireland

Background  

Data on perception of smoking risk amongst the Irish population are sparse.     

Disulfiram-induced transient optic and peripheral neuropathy: a case report

Aim  

To report a case of optic and peripheral neuropathy after chronic use of disulfiram for alcohol dependence management.     

Increased occurrence of cardiovascular events and comorbidities in a general rheumatology cohort

Background  

To identify cardiovascular and other comorbidities in a general rheumatology cohort.     

Measures of self-reported morbidity according to age, gender and general medical services eligibility in the national survey of lifestyles, attitudes and nutrition

Background  

The survey of lifestyles, attitudes and nutrition (SLAN) is a national representative sample of 6,539 adults.     

Effects of Repeated Electroacupuncture on β-Endorphin and Adrencorticotropic Hormone Levels in the Hypothalamus and Pituitary in Rats with Chronic Pain and Ovariectomy

<正>Objective:To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture(EA)-induced cumulative analgesic effects on chronic pain in rats with or without ovariectomy(OVX).Methods:A total of 110 female Wistar rats were randomized into normal control(n=10),chronic constrictive injury(CCI,n=10),CCI+EA(n=30),OVX+CCI (n=30),and OVX+CCI+EA(n=30)groups.Each of the latter 3 groups was further divided into 2 days(2d),2 weeks(2 W)and 3 weeks(3 W)subgroups,respectively(n=10 in each subgroup).The CCI pain model was established by ligature of the right sciatic nerve,and the memory impairment model duplicated by OVX.The paw withdrawal latency(PWL,pain threshold)of the bilateral footplates was detected by radiant heat irradiation,and the bilateral difference in PWL(PWLD)was used to evaluate changes in the pain reaction.Morris water maze test was conducted for evaluating the rats' learning-memory ability.EA was applied to bilateral Zusanli(ST36) and Yanglingquan(GB34)for 2 d,2 W and 3 W,respectively.Pituitary and hypothalamic p-endorphin(EP)and adrenocorticotrophic hormone(ACTH)contents were detected by immunoradioassay.Results:Compared with the CCI group,PWLD of the CCI+EA-3 W group decreased significantly(P0.05).Compared with the OVX+CCI group,PWLD of the OVX+CCI+EA-3 W group was lowered considerably(P0.05),but the value was markedly higher than its basal value and those of the normal control and CCI+EA groups(P0.05).In comparison with the sham-OVX group,the escape latency,swimming distance(SD)in the target quadrant and total SD were increased remarkably in the OVX group(P0.05),while the number of target platform crossings was decreased significantly(P0.05),suggesting an impairment of the OVX rats' learning-memory ability.In simple CCI rats, bothβ-EP and ACTH contents of the pituitary increased markedly(P0.05),and those of the hypothalamus decreased obviously compared to the normal control group(P0.05).After EA,pituitary and hypothalamic ACTH levels were significantly lowered at 2 d and hypothalamic ACTH andβ-EP contents increased obviously at 3 W in comparison with the CCI group(P0.05).In OVX+CCI rats,following EA,pituitaryβ-EP contents at 2 d,2 W and 3 W,and hypothalamicβ-EP and ACTH contents at 2 W and hypothalamic ACTH levels at 3 W increased significantly(P0.05),but hypothalamicβ-EP level at 3W decreased markedly(P0.05).The effects of repeated EA in lowering pituitary ACTH and raising hypothalamicβ-EP and ACTH levels disappeared after OVX+CCI. Conclusions:Repeated EA has a cumulative analgesic effect,which is closely associated with its effects in regulating pituitary and hypothalamicβ-EP and ACTH levels.OVX may weaken the analgesic effect of EA by affecting hypothalamic-pituitary axis activity.     

Free tissue transfer versus pedicled flap reconstruction of head and neck malignancy defects

Background  

With the advent of microsurgery the pedicled flap is considered by many to be an outdated surgical option.     

Capacity and equity in cardiac rehabilitation in the eastern region: good and bad news

Aim  

To document current baseline eligibility for Phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and the capacity to meet this need in hospitals in the Eastern Regional Health Authority.     

Novel predictive tools for Irish radical prostatectomy pathological outcomes: development and validation

Aims  

We developed and validated prostate cancer predictive models for Irish patients, allowing individualised predictions of radical prostatectomy pathological outcomes.     

Factor V Leiden: prevalence and thromboembolic complications after total hip replacement in Ireland

Background  

The Factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation is the commonest genetic abnormality associated with venous thromboembolism.     

Vitamin D intake and status in Irish elderly women and adolescent girls

Aim  

To assess vitamin D status during summer and winter in Irish girls and elderly women, and to estimate vitamin D intake in these two age-groups.     

Oxysophoridine suppresses the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma in mice: In Vivo and cDNA microarray studies

Objective:To observe the in vivo effects of oxysophoridine on hepatocellular carcinoma in mice and to study the related mechanisms.Methods:C57BL mice were inoculated with mouse hepatoma H22 cells subcutaneously,then divided into 5 groups(14 per group),and treated with oxysophoridine(50,100,or 150 mg/kg) or cisplatin(4 mg/kg) for 10 days.Inhibitory rate of tumor,body weight gain,and influence indices on internal organs(liver,spleen and thymus) were evaluated.The differentially expressed genes between the oxysophoridine-treated group,and the control group were analyzed using cDNA microarray and quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR) experiments.Results:Compared with the tumor weight of the control group(2.75±0.66 g),oxysophoridine significantly suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma growth in mice(P<0.01),with 0.82±0.36 g,0.57±0.22 g,and 1.22±0.67 g for the tumor weight in the low,moderate,and high dose treatment group, respectively.The moderate dose led to the highest inhibitory rate,79.3%.Observation of body weight gain and influence on three organs showed that compared with cisplatin,oxysophoridine produced fewer side effects in vivo.cDNA microarray and qRT-PCR showed that the most significant differentially expressed genes in the tumor samples of oxysophoridine-treated mice were mostly involved in regulating apoptosis,with the Tnfrsf11b (osteoprotegerin) gene being the most significantly affected.Conclusion:Oxysophoridine was a promising compound for developing drugs against hepatocellular carcinoma,and its anti-hepatoma effect was probably related to osteoprotegerin activation.     

Incise and lay open: an effective procedure for coccygeal pilonidal sinus disease

Aim  

This study aims to analyze the outcome of various procedures performed for coccygeal pilonidal disease.     

Diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP: a large single centre's experience

Background  

Most large published series on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are multicentrebased and consequently reflect varying experience.