Citri Reticulatae Viride Pericarpium extract induced apoptosis in SNU-C4, human colon cancer cells

Citri Reticulatae Viride Pericarpium (CR) has been used traditionally in Korea to promote the Liver Qi activity and the function of digestive system. We investigated whether the immature peels of Citrus reticulata Blanco (Rutaceae) induced cell-death on SNU-C4, human colon cancer cells. Cytotoxicity of CR was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The cell death was identified as apoptosis using 4,6-diamidineo-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and terminal deoxy-nucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The expression of pro-apoptotic gene, Bax, was increased and the expression of anti-apoptotic gene, Bcl-2, was decreased by CR-treatment. The expression and activity of major apoptotic gene, caspase-3 was significantly increased by CR-treatment. Considering the above results, CR could induce the apoptosis on SNU-C4, human colon cancer cells via Bax-related caspase-3 activation. And it might provide the experimental data for the future clinical use of CR on colon cancer.     

Clinical Diagnostic Accuracy of Otitis Media with Effusion in Children,and Significance of Myringotomy: Diagnostic or Therapeutic?

The specific aims of this prospective survey were to determine the accuracy of traditional diagnostic tools, such as pneumatic otoscopy, otomicroscopy, and tympanometry, and evaluate the usefulness of myringotomy as a diagnostic method; also to determine the significance of myringotomy in treating otitis media with effusion (OME). The status of middle ear of 51 children (85 ears) from November 2002 to February 2003 was examined using pneumatic otoscopy, otomicroscopy, and tympanometry, and the presence/absence of middle ear effusion was confirmed by myringotomy. The otomicroscopy was the most sensitive and specific one among three diagnostic tools. But, it had some false positive cases. This study failed to show the therapeutic efficacy of myringotomy. Otomicroscopy seems to have the potential to become the standard for diagnosis of OME and for validation of pneumatic otoscopy in children. However, when otoscopic, otomicroscopic findings and tympanogram of suspected ear show poor correlation, myringotomy can be used to confirm the presence of OME, as the diagnostic modality. As the therapeutic modality, we think that it is proper to limit indications of myringotomy to some selected cases.     

Investigation into the effects of mosapride on motility of Guinea pig stomach,ileum, and colon

Mosapride citrate (Mosapride) is a new prokinetic agent that enhances the gastrointestinal (GI) motility by stimulation of 5-HT4 receptors. This agent stimulates acetylcholine release from enteric cholinergic neurons in the GI wall. It was reported in several studies that mosapride selectively enhanced the upper, but not lower, GI motor activity. However, in these studies other 5-HT4 receptor agonists exerted stimulating effects on the motility of the colon. Moreover, it is well known that the receptors of 5-HT4 are also located in the colon. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of mosapride on the motility of the stomach, ileum and colon in the guinea pig and to investigate whether or not mosapride influenced the colonic motility. Mosapride significantly increased the amplitude of the contraction waves in the guinea pig stomach by electrical stimulation. In addition, it significantly increased the number of peaks, the area under the curve and the propagation velocity of the peristaltic contraction of the guinea pig ileum in a concentration dependent fashion. Mosapride also significantly shortened the transit time of the guinea pig colon. Accordingly, we concluded that mosapride exerted prokinetic effect on the entire GI tract of the guinea pig. Based on the possibility of similar results in humans, we suggest the potential use of mosapride for lower GI motor disorders such as constipation and upper GI motor disorders such as gastroesophageal reflex disease or gastroparesis.     

The efficacy of magnetic disks for the treatment of earlobe hypertrophic scar

Ear piercing has been widely performed for various reasons, but it may cause hypertrophic scarring and its attendant cosmetic problems and/or subjective symptoms, such as pruritus or pain. Many treatment methods have been applied alone or in combination, including surgical excision, steroid injection, compression, radiation, topical silicone application, and so on. Although each modality or combined therapy has its advantages and disadvantages, in the authors' opinion, compressive therapy combined with surgical excision is the most effective method in many respects. However, the peculiar shape of the earlobe does not allow for easy compression. Thus, many compressive devices have been developed that are not wholly satisfactory in terms of effectiveness, appearance, size, or convenience. The authors describe a newly developed method for the treatment of hypertrophic scarring of the earlobe that uses magnetic disks. They treated 47 patients (91 auricles) with a hypertrophic scar on the earlobe that underwent compressive therapy using magnetic disks after surgical excision from April to December 2002. The use of magnetic disks proved effective, and they believe that it offers many advantages as a compressive device.     

Intraspinal extradural teratoma mimicking neural sheath tumor in infant

Introduction An intraspinal teratoma that is located entirely extradurally is unusual both in children and in adults.Case history The authors present a case of an 8-month-old male infant with an extradurally arising intraspinal mature teratoma located from T-2 to T-4, who had suffered from progressive paraparesis (grade 1). The patient did not have any stigmata or anomalies suggesting spinal dysraphism. Spinal MRI showed a cystic extradural mass markedly compressing the dural sac. On operation, the only way of getting sufficient space for exposure of the whole tumor was to perform hemilaminectomies with preservation of facetal areas to prevent postoperative instability. The tumor was well encapsulated and located entirely extradurally, and the cystic portion was occupied with yellowish fluid. The site of tumor occurrence was the spinal root sheath, mimicking a neural sheath tumor. Paraparesis had improved markedly to grade 4 by the time of the neurological examination 3 months after operation.     

Effect of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite on mucociliary transport function of experimental otitis media.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite on mucociliary activity in experimental otitis media with effusion (OME). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Twenty guinea pigs were divided into 1 control and 3 experimental groups; lipopolysaccharide (LPS), N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and uric acid (UA) groups. Ten ears were used in each group. OME was induced by transtympanic injection of LPS in experimental groups. Twenty-four hours after the transtympanic injection, dye transfer time (DTT) was measured and the temporal bone was taken for histopathologic examination. Expression of peroxynitrite was determined by immunohistochemical stain for 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT). RESULTS: Dye transfer time was significantly delayed in LPS group compared to control group; by contrast it was significantly reduced in L-NAME or UA treated groups (P < 0.01). Histopathologic examination showed reduced inflammation and mucosal thickening in the treatment groups when compared to LPS group. These findings, however, were not statistically significant. Immunoreactivity to 3-NT was intense in LPS group and decreased in the treatment groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that LPS induced mucociliary dysfunction in the middle ear by NO and peroxynitrite-mediated pathways.     

The relationship between radiological parameters from plain hip radiographs and bone mineral density in a Korean population

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of the Singh index, cortical thickness index (CTI) and calcar-to-canal (CC) ratio with bone mineral density (BMD) as well as their relationship with physical parameters [age, gender, height, and body mass index (BMI)] in order to assess their potential as an indirect indicator of osteoporosis. BMD, Singh index, CTI and CC ratio as well as the physical parameters were obtained from hip radiographs and clinical records of 140 Korean adults. Linear relationships between the areal BMD of the femoral neck and the parameters as well as between each parameter were obtained. To determine the association between BMD and the radiological parameters, multiple regression analyses were performed after adjusting for the four physical parameters. The CTI was positively associated with BMD (p?=?0.040), whereas the Singh index (p?=?0.209) and CC ratio (p?=?0.655) were not. The CTI was negatively associated with age (p?=?0.02) and positively associated with height (p?=?0.0001) and BMI (p?=?0.001). The CC ratio was also positively associated with age (p?=?0.0001) and negatively associated with height (p?=?0.033). In conclusion, of three parameters available from plain radiograph (age, height, BMI), only CTI was significantly associated with BMD. CTI can provide a tool for rapid assessment of osteoporosis from plain hip radiographs.