Therapeutic effects of baicalin on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in rats

Baicalin is a flavonoid present in many traditional Chinese medicines. A number of studies show that baicalin has anti-inflammatory actions and protects against a variety of tissue and organ injuries. The effect of baicalin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury is not well studied. In this study, typically acute lung injury was induced in rat by intratracheal injection of LPS, which increased lactate dehydrogenase activity and protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, wet/dry lung weight ratio, Evan's blue dye leakage, and neutrophil infiltration. Baicalin (20 mg/kg) was administrated 1 hour before or 30 min after LPS injection. Both pre and post-treatment with baicalin attenuated the increase of these parameters and improved histological finding. Our results suggest that baicalin has a therapeutic effect on LPS-induced acute lung injury.     

Estrogen receptor beta gene haplotype is associated with pelvic organ prolapse

OBJECTIVE: Estrogen and estrogen receptors are known to play important roles in the pathophysiology of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). We investigated whether estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) gene polymorphisms were associated with POP by conducting a case-control association study in 69 women with POP and 141 women without POP. STUDY DESIGN: Genotypes of the ERbeta gene polymorphisms (rs2987983, rs1271572, rs944459, rs1256049, and rs1255998) were determined by polymerase chain reaction, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Haplotyping analysis was used to determine the relationship among five polymorphisms in the ERbeta gene and POP. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between women with and those without POP in the distribution of any of the genotypes evaluated. In haplotype frequency estimation analysis, haplotype CGCGC was more prevalent in women with POP (16.7%) than in women without POP (8.9%) (p=0.011). Using multivariable logistic regression, age, parity and haplotype CGCGC were significantly associated with POP. CONCLUSION: Although the sample size of women with POP studied is small, the present study shows that ERbeta gene haplotype may be associated with POP.     

Primary aortoduodenal fistula caused by tuberculous aortitis presenting as recurrent massive gastrointestinal bleeding

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding from primary aortoduodenal fistula (PADF) is unusual and fatal. The etiology of PADF from tuberculous aortitis is rare. We report a 69-year-old male patient who suffered recurrent hematemesis and hematochezia with hypovolemic shock of unknown origin. Initial endoscopy failed to lead to a diagnosis. A bleeder over the third portion of the duodenum was found after the third endoscopy. Exploratory laparotomy showed a ruptured aortic pseudoaneurysm with an aortoduodenal fistula. Dacron graft repair of the aorta and simple closure of the duodenal fistula were carried out. Pathologic examination revealed tuberculous aortitis. The patient survived and was symptom-free following operation and antituberculous therapy. Review of the literature revealed that the clinical presentations in this disorder are insidious. The endoscopic findings are atypical. We conclude that so-called "herald bleeding", a history of tuberculous infection or aortic aneurysm and a high degree of suspicion are critical for successful diagnosis. Early diagnosis and surgical exploration are needed for timely and successful management.