A comparative study on commercial samples of phellodendri cortex

A total of 31 commercial samples of Phellodendri cortex (Rutaceous plant) which originated from PHELLODENDRON AMURENSE Ruprecht, P. CHINENSE Schneid, P. WILSONII Hayata et Kanehira, and P. AMURENSE Rupr. var. SACHALINENSE Fr. Schm., respectively, were collected from the Taiwan and Japan herbal markets. The contents of five quaternary alkaloids (berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, phellodendrine and magnoflorine) in these samples were determined by capillary electrophoresis. It was found that P. WILSONII (4.10 +/- 0.78%) and P. AMURENSE var. SACHALINENSE (4.18 +/- 1.03%) were superior to P. AMURENSE (1.55 +/- 0.72%) and P. CHINENSE (1.54 +/- 0.60%). Berberine was the major alkaloid in almost all samples. In comprised about 80% of the total alkaloids in the first two of the four herbs named above, but only about 40% in the latter two. From the data on the chemical analysis of the herb's constituents, as well as the herb's texture and color, we can postulate the origin and quality of a herb drug.     

46,XY gonadal dysgenesis associated with congenital nephrotic syndrome and sepsis

The occurrence of nephrosis in the first 3 months of life is rare and is termed ’congenital nephrotic syndrome.’ The congenital nephrotic syndrome is a group of heterogeneous diseases with a clinical course that differs markedly from the childhood nephrotic syndrome. The coexistence of a congenital nephrotic syndrome and gonadal dysgenesis in a 46,XY karyotype with normal female external genitalia is extremely rare. Frequent severe infections are often seen in the Finnish type, but sepsis leading to death is rare in the neonatal onset of gonadal dysgenesis. This report describes an unusual case of complete XY gonadal dysgenesis in a 46,XY female neonate with the congenital nephrotic syndrome and overwhelming sepsis. Received: 4 January 1999 / Revised: 24 May 1999 / Accepted: 25 May 1999     

A DLST genotype associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease

Recent studies suggest that variants of the DLST gene alter the risk of AD. DLST encodes the core subunit of the mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, which is deficient in AD. The authors report that in 247 US white subjects, homozygosity for DLST A19,117, T19,183 was associated with a reduced risk of AD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.35, p = 0.018). The reduced risk was marked in subjects who did not carry the apolipoprotein (APOE)-4 allele (OR = 0.16, p = 0.014). Further study of DLST in AD appears warranted.     

Higher gastric cycloxygenase-2 expression and precancerous change in Helicobacter pylori-infected relatives of gastric cancer patients.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine whether relatives of gastric cancer patients (GCF) showed greater gastric cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression or a greater incidence of precancerous lesions after Helicobacter pylori infection and whether H. pylori eradication could reduce COX-2 expression. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Three hundred subjects were enrolled in this study: half were relatives of 50 H. pylori-infected gastric cancer patients, and half were relatives of 50 H. pylori-infected duodenal ulcer (DU) patients (controls). Each relative underwent endoscopy to detect H. pylori infection and related gastric histology. One hundred and twenty GCFs were found to have H. pylori infection. After H. pylori eradication, 90 of the 120 GCFs were followed up with annual endoscopy examinations over the next 2 years. Gastric COX-2 intensity in all of the specimens collected from these patients was immunochemically stained and graded from 0 to 4. RESULTS: H. pylori infection, gastric atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia (IM) were more prevalent in GCFs than in relatives of H. pylori-infected patients with DUs (P < 0.05). H. pylori-infected GCFs also showed a greater COX-2 intensity than H. pylori-infected relatives of patients with DUs (89.1% versus 62.7%, P < 0.001; relative risk: 4.9; 95% confidence interval: approximately 2.34-10.29). Among the H. pylori-infected GCFs, COX-2 intensity correlated with atrophy and IM (P < 0.001). After H. pylori eradication, gastric COX-2 expression disappeared only in those relatives without IM (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: GCFs are more likely to show greater gastric COX-2 expression and a higher incidence of precancerous lesions after H. pylori infection than the relatives of H. pylori-infected patients with only DUs. H. pylori eradication can reverse gastric COX-2 expression in patients without IM but not in patients with IM.     

Rising incidence of type 1 diabetes in Scottish children, 1984-93. The Scottish Study Group for the Care of Young Diabetics

OBJECTIVES: To calculate the incidence of type 1 diabetes in Scottish children aged less than 15 years between 1984 and 1993; to examine changes in incidence; and to calculate the prevalence of diabetes at the end of this period. DESIGN: Three data sources were used to construct the Scottish Study Group for the Care of Young Diabetics register: active reporting of all new cases; reports from the Scottish Morbidity Register 1; and local registers. SUBJECTS: All children resident in Scotland diagnosed with primary insulin dependent diabetes mellitus when less than 15 years of age between 1984 and 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Annual incidence and prevalence rate for Scotland; time trend in incidence over the 10 years; differences in incidence between the three different age groups; and completeness of the register. RESULTS: The average annual incidence for Scotland was 23.9/100,000 children. The prevalence rate was 1.5/1000 in 1993. A total of 2326 cases was identified from the three sources. Capture-recapture analysis suggests a case ascertainment of 98.6%. The annual incidence rates increased at a rate of 2% each year (rate ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.03). The incidence was higher in boys than girls (rate ratio = 1.08, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.18), and the incidence rates increased with age: 15.3/100,000/year for age 0-4 years, 24.4/ 100,000/year for age 5-9 years, and 31.9/ 100,000/year for age 10-14 years. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of type 1 diabetes in Scotland is increasing and the prevalence is relatively high. These findings have important implications for health service resource allocation. The Scottish Study Group for the Care of Young Diabetics' register provides a base for monitoring and research.     

Analyses of mutation and loss of heterozygosity of coding sequences of the entire transforming growth factor beta type II receptor gene in sporadic human gastric cancer

Mutations in the transforming growth factor beta type II receptor (TGFbetaRII) gene have been detected in several human cancer types exhibiting microsatellite instability. Using intron primers previously reported for examination of the entire coding region of the TGFbetaRII gene, 29 sporadic gastric cancers were screened with non-radioactive single strand conformation polymorphism and subsequent DNA sequencing analysis. Mutations of the TGFbetaRII gene were detected in three out of 29 tumors (10%). Two cases showed deletions in a polyadenine tract in both alleles and was positively associated with replication error. One case had an insertion of GA dinucleotide sequence in one allele. Mutations of the TGFbetaRII gene were restricted to exon 3 and other coding regions were not affected. Loss of heterozygosity was detected by analyzing a polymorphic site in intron 2. Three out of nine (33%) informative cases, which were all of intestinal type and advanced cases, showed loss of heterozygosity but neither TGFbetaRII mutation nor replication error was found in these cases. Immunoreactivity of TGFbetaRII in tumor tissues was reduced to a different extent in the gastric cancer with genetically abnormal transforming growth factor. Although the numbers studied are small, homozygous (A)10 deletion or loss of heterozygosity of TGFbetaRII is involved in tumorigenesis and progression of at least some part of sporadic gastric cancer.      

Toxic cardiogenic shock in a patient receiving weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin

A 54-year-old man was treated with weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil (2600 mg/m2) and leucovorin (100 mg/m2) for metastatic colon cancer. At first, he tolerated the treatment well and no significant toxicity was identified. After a total of eight courses of treatment, a stable disease was observed, but mild shortness of breath was found on occasion. The patient had no previous history of cardiac disease and the heart performance assessed by left ventricular ejection fraction before treatment was normal. Unfortunately, acute pulmonary edema with lethal cardiogenic shock occurred during the ninth course of treatment, in spite of intensive medical treatment. The chest X-ray showed extreme cardiomegaly. Repeated assessment of his heart function by echocardiogram and ventricular ejection fraction revealed a very poor cardiac performance. Toxic cardiogenic shock during weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, no case has been reported in the English literature. We report a case and the relevant literature about the incidence, clinical picture and possible pathophysiology on 5-fluorouracil-related cardioxicity is reviewed.      

术前口服依他昔布对妇科手术后病人自控镇痛的影响

目的:观察妇科开腹手术患者术前给予依他昔布120mg对术后自控镇痛(PCA)吗啡用量的影响及其副作用。方法:随机选取全麻下接受妇科开腹全子宫(双附件)切除患者40例,术前分别给予安慰剂或依他昔布120mg口服。在手术后观察24h患者PCA吗啡用量,同时记录患者的疼痛评分和满意度评分,并观察不良反应。结果:术后PCA吗啡24h消耗量在依他昔布组为9.4±7.6mg,显著低于安慰剂组15.7±8.9mg。两组患者24h内对PCA的按压次数依他昔布组也低于安慰剂组(P<0.05)。其中术后3、6、8和12hPCA吗啡消耗量在两组间无显著差异。两组患者术后24h疼痛评分和对镇痛治疗的满意度也无差异。两组患者不良反应的发生率亦无差别。结论:在妇科开腹手术患者术前应用依他昔布120mg可使患者术后PCA吗啡消耗量降低,且在术后12h后下降明显。未发现与依他昔布应用相关的副作用。     

The influence of hypotonicity on large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of hypotonicity on the activity of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K+ (BK(Ca)) channels in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE R-50) cells. Effects of hypotonicity on ion currents were investigated with the aid of the patch-clamp technique. A regulatory volume decrease in response to a hypotonic solution (200 mOsm/L) was observed that could be blunted by paxilline. In whole-cell current recordings, a hypotonic solution (200 mOsm/L) reversibly increased the amplitude of K+ outward currents (I(K)). The increase of I(K) could be reversed by iberiotoxin (200 nM), paxilline (1 microM), or tetrandrine (5 microM), but not by glibenclamide (10 microM), disulphonic acid (DIDS) (100 microM), or dequalinium dichloride (10 microM). In RPE R-50 cells pretreated with thapsigargin, aristolochic acid, or pertussis toxin, the increased amplitude of I(K) in response to hypotonicity was unaltered. In cell-attached patches, an increase in BK(Ca)-channel activity was observed during hypotonicity-induced cell swelling. The enhanced channel activity elicited under this condition was mainly mediated by an increase in the number of long-lived openings. These findings support the evidence for the coupling of volume swelling to the functional activity of BK(Ca) channels.