To evaluate whether the ratio (in Hounsfield units; HU) of grey matter (GM) to white matter (WM) on computed tomography (CT) scans taken within 24 h of resuscitation can be used as a predictor of ...outcome.
28 patients who resuscitated from cardiac arrest and had head CT performed within 24 h of resuscitation were retrospectively investigated. 27 subjects with normal head CT findings served as controls. Comatose patients were divided into two groups: those with a Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) score of 3-5 (good outcome subgroup) and those with a GOS score of 1-2 (poor outcome subgroup). HU were measured in GM and WM at the level of the basal ganglia on non-contrast CT scans.
The density ratio of GM to WM was significantly lower in comatose patients than in controls (mean 1.21 vs 1.32, p<0.001). The GM:WM ratio was significantly lower in the poor subgroup than in the good subgroup (mean 1.19 vs 1.28, p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined a cutoff value of a GM:WM ratio of less than 1.22 for vegetative state or death. This value predicted vegetative state or death with a sensitivity of 63%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 56%.
The GM/WM ratio correlates with the outcome of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and may be useful as an objective early predictor of vegetative state or death in comatose patients after cardiac arrest.
We present advancements in a finite element method for computing the physical properties of magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs). Utilizing the COMSOL package, we conducted 3D simulations of a ...meander-shaped Nb coil with a realistic geometry. The resulting magnetic field distribution showed good agreement with a previous 2D simulation and revealed non-negligible differences at the side edge of the sensor material. Employing the simulation results, we calculated the MMC properties and compared them with previous measurements. Our calculated values closely align with the measured values for the sensor magnetization, the pulse heights from alpha detection, and the coil inductance.
The modified Marsh and Schnider pharmacokinetic models for propofol consistently produce negatively and positively biased predictions in underweight patients, respectively. We aimed to develop a new ...pharmacokinetic model of propofol in underweight patients.
Twenty underweight (BMI<18.5 kg m−2) patients aged 20–68 yr were given an i.v. bolus of propofol (2 mg kg−1) for induction of anaesthesia. Anaesthesia was maintained with a zero-order infusion (8 mg kg−1 h−1) of propofol and target-controlled infusion of remifentanil. Arterial blood was sampled at preset intervals. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using non-linear mixed effects modelling. The time to peak effect (tpeak, maximally reduced bispectral index) was measured in 28 additional underweight patients receiving propofol 2 mg kg−1.
In total, 455 plasma concentration measurements from the 20 patients were used to characterise the pharmacokinetics of propofol. A three-compartment mammillary model well described the propofol concentration time course. BMI and lean body mass (LBM) calculated using the Janmahasatian formula were significant covariates for the rapid peripheral volume of distribution and for the clearance of the final pharmacokinetic model of propofol, respectively. The parameter estimates were as follows: V1(L)=2.02, V2(L)=12.9(BMI/18.5), V3(L)=139, Cl (L⋅min−1)=1.66(LBM/40), Q1 (L⋅min−1)=1.44, Q2 (L⋅min−1)=0.87+0.0189×(LBM−40). The median tpeak of propofol was 1.32 min (n=48).
A three-compartment mammillary model can be used to administer propofol via target effect-site concentration-controlled infusion of propofol in underweight patients.
KCT0001760.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of 6‐6 bieckol (EB1) and pholorofucofuroeckol‐A (EB5) from brown seaweed marine algae (Eisenia bicyclis) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced ...inflammation in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs).
Methods
The cytotoxicity of EB1 and EB5 was examined by MTT assay on LPS‐induced human dental pulp cells. Their role on expression of inflammatory, odontogenic, and osteogenic molecules was determined by Western blot analysis. The dentin mineralization was checked by alkaline phosphatase activity.
Results
The five compounds from E. bicyclis have different structure with non‐cytotoxic in HDPCs. EB1 and EB5 showed anti‐inflammatory properties and inhibited phosphorylated‐extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (p‐ERK1/2) and phosphorylated‐c‐jun N‐terminal kinases (p‐JNK) without any cytotoxicity. In particular, EB1 inhibited cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) and p‐ERK1/2 signaling, and EB5 inhibited only p‐ERK1/2 signaling but not COX‐2. Both compounds inhibited nuclear factor kappa‐B (NF‐κB) translocation. Furthermore, EB1 and EB5 increased dentinogenic and osteogenic molecules, and dentin mineralized via alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) in LPS‐induced HDPCs.
Conclusions
This study elucidates that EB1 and EB5 have different types of anti‐inflammatory property and help in dentin formation. Therefore, these compounds derived from marine algae of E. bicyclis may be used as selective therapeutic strategies for pulpitis and oral diseases.
Ischemic stroke is caused by the interruption of cerebral blood flow that leads to brain damage with long-term sensorimotor deficits. Stem cell transplantation may recover functional deficit by ...replacing damaged brain. In this study, we attempted to test whether the human neural stem cells (NSCs) can improve the outcome in the rat brain with intravenous injection and also determine the migration, differentiation and the long-term viabilities of human NSCs in the rat brain. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by intraluminal thread occlusion of middle cerebral artery (MCA). One day after surgery, the rats were randomly divided into two groups: NSCs-ischemia vs. Ischemia-only. Human NSCs infected with retroviral vector encoding β galactosidase were intravenously injected in NSCs-ischemia group (5×10
6 cells) and the same amount of saline was injected in Ischemia-only group for control. The animals were evaluated for 4 weeks using turning in an alley (TIA) test, modified limb placing test (MLPT) and rotarod test. Transplanted cells were detected by X gal cytohistochemistry or β gal immunohistochemistry with double labeling of other cell markers. The NSCs-ischemia group showed better performance on TIA test at 2 weeks, and MLPT and rotarod test from 3 weeks after ischemia compared with the Ischemia-only group. Human NSCs were detected in the lesion side and labeled with marker for neurons or astrocytes. Postischemic hemispheric atrophy was noted but reduced in NSCs-ischemia group. X gal
+ cells were detected in the rat brain as long as 540 days after transplantation. Our data suggest intravenously transplanted human NSCs can migrate and differentiate in the rat brain with focal ischemia and improve functional recovery.
Epidemiological studies on inflammatory myopathies (IMs) show widely variable results, and studies on Asians are lacking. Despite emerging interest in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated ...with IMs, the prevalence of CVD in IM patients and its impact on mortality remain unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study on the incidence, mortality, and associated major CVD events of IMs in the Republic of Korea over 11 years.
Using the nationwide, population-based National Health Insurance claims database and the Rare Intractable Disease registration programme, we estimated incidence, mortality, and CVD occurrence. Survival was examined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Mortality rate in IMs with CVD was analysed by Cox proportional hazards regression.
There were 3014 incident cases, 640 of whom died during the study period. The mean annual incidence was 7.16/10
6
. Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) had 5 year survival rates of 76.8% and 79.3%, respectively. Cardiovascular events occurred in 155 patients and 40.6% of IM patients with CVD died. Acute myocardial infarction in men had the highest risk of any CVD event in both DM standardized incidence ratio (SIR) 4.2, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.4-7.2 and PM (SIR 3.5, 95% CI 1.8-7.0). Haemorrhagic stroke had the highest hazard ratio (HR) in both DM (HR 2.31, 95% CI 1.13-4.70) and PM patients (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.03-4.27) compared with the general population with CVD.
We found persistently low incidence, poor survival, and high major CVD incidence in IMs, and increased mortality in IMs with CVD.
BACKGROUND Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) share common risk factors. They could therefore be expressed in a single patient. However, the ...prevalence, clinical characteristics and prognosis of individuals with comorbid IPF and COPD are not known. METHOD From 2003 to 2007, the Korean Interstitial Lung Disease Study Group created a register for idiopathic interstitial pneumonia using 2002 ATS/ERS (American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society) criteria. Of the 1546 IPF patients assessed, 143 had decreased lung function consistent with COPD (IPF-COPD). COPD was diagnosed based on age (≥40 years) and pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec FEV
/forced vital capacity FVC ratio < 0.7). RESULTS The median age of the IPF-COPD group was 71.0 years (interquartile range 66.0-76.0); most patients were male (88.1%). FVC (%) was significantly higher in the IPF-COPD group; however, FEV
(%) was significantly lower in the IPF-COPD group (
< 0.001). Diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DL
) was not significantly different between the two groups. In survival analysis, age and FVC (%), but not COPD, were significantly associated with prognosis (respectively
= 0.003, 0.001 and 0.401). COPD severity was also not related to prognosis (
= 0.935). CONCLUSION The prevalence of IPF-COPD was estimated to be ∼9.2% among all IPF patients; prognosis of patients with IPF-COPD was not worse than those with IPF alone. .
Aims To investigate any association between Type 2 diabetes mellitus and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the adiponectin gene, T45G and G276T, in the Korean population.
Methods We ...genotyped 427 non‐diabetic controls and 493 Type 2 diabetic patients for SNPs T45G and G276T of adiponectin gene, measured plasma adiponectin concentrations, and examined clinical parameters in Koreans.
Results There were no statistically significant differences in allele frequencies of SNPs 45 and 276 comparing control with Type 2 diabetic subjects (T frequency 68.3% vs. 71.6%, P = 0.13 for SNP45, G frequency 72.2% vs. 68.9%, P = 0.12 for SNP276). The genotype distributions of these SNPs had no association with the risk of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic parameters of insulin resistance. Plasma levels of adiponectin were not statistically different according to T45G and G276T either, in both control and Type 2 diabetic subjects.
Conclusion The T45G and G276T of the adiponectin gene may not be an important determinant of Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance in Korean subjects.
Previous studies have used various definitions to classify chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients into chronic bronchitis (CB) and non-CB patients. This study was performed to identify ...differences among three definitions of CB based on the classical method, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and the CAT (COPD Assessment Test) score.
We extracted data from the multicenter Korea COPD Subgroup Study (KOCOSS) cohort, for which patients recruited from among 47 medical centers in South Korea beginning in April 2012. Patients were classified according to three different definitions of CB: 1) classical definition; 2) SGRQ (using questions regarding cough and sputum); and 3) CAT score (comprising cough CAT1 and sputum CAT2 subscale scores).
A total of 2694 patients were enrolled in this study. The proportions of CB were 10.8%, 35.8%, and 24.0% according to the classical, SGRQ, and CAT definitions, respectively. The three definitions yielded consistently significant differences between CB and non-CB patients in modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale CAT score, SGRQ score, number of moderate-to-severe exacerbations per year and forced expiratory volume in 1 second. By three definitions, CB consistently predicted future risk of exacerbation. The kappa coefficient of agreement between the classical definition and SGRQ definition was 0.29, that of the classical definition and CAT definition was 0.32, and that of the SGRQ definition and CAT definition was 0.44.
Patients with CB according to the new definitions based on SGRQ or CAT score showed similar clinical characteristics to those defined according to the classical definition. The new CB definitions may be used as alternatives to the classical definition.
ABSTRACT
In this study, we compared the effectiveness of 2 types of Bolton broths and 3 selective media for isolating Campylobacter spp. from naturally contaminated whole-chicken carcass-rinse ...samples. One hundred chickens were rinsed with buffered peptone water, and the rinses were added to 2× Bolton broth (with or without blood supplementation). The samples were incubated and then streaked onto Preston agar, modified cefoperazone charcoal deoxycholate agar (mCCDA), and Campy-Cefex agar, which was followed by incubation under microaerobic conditions. No statistical differences were observed (P > 0.05) in isolation rate and selectivity between the 2 types of Bolton broths. Among the 3 selective agars, Preston agar yielded a significantly (P < 0.05) better isolation rate and selectivity. The Campy-Cefex agar, which is recommended by many food authorities for its high quantitative detection ability, showed extensive contamination with competing microorganisms and exhibited the lowest isolation rate and selectivity.
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