AIM： To elaborate the clinicopathologic features of colorectal cancer-related pyogenic liver abscess （PLA）. METHODS： Reported cases of colorectal cancer-related PLAs were collected from the ...literature published up to October 2011 and evaluated for their clinicopathologic features. Data of collected cases included demographics, clinical presentation, microbial findings and treatment. Categorical variables were compared by 2 analysis and continuous variables were evaluated using Student＇s t test. RESULTS： A total 96 cases of colorectal cancer-related PLA were collected from the previous literature. Most patients （60%） were male and 40% cases occurred in the age group of 61-70 years. Apart from some special types of PLA, there were significant differences in the microbiological spectrum between Eastern Asia and non-Eastern Asian countries, which implied different risk factors and courses of the disease. Gram negative bacteria especially Klebsiella pneumoniae （K. pneu- moniae ） PLA was predominant in Eastern Asia （80.0%） in contrast to non-Eastern Asian countries （P 〈 0.01）. Meanwhile, most of the Eastern Asian patients exhibited smaller size of liver abscess and atypical presentation. Sigmoid colon and rectum （72.73%） were the main sites of tumor in Eastern Asian patients, whereas tumor sites were uneven among most of the non-Easter Asian PLA patients. CONCLUSION：K. pneumoniae PLA was strongly associated with colorectal cancer, especially those occurring in sigmoid colon and rectum, in elderly Eastern Asian male patients.
AIM: To investigate the prognostic significance of estrogen receptor 1(ER1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A) expression in primary gallbladder carcinoma(GBC) to identify new ...prognostic markers for this malignancy.METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated ER1 and VEGF-A expression in 78 GBC and 78 cholelithiasis(CS) tissues. The results were correlated with clinicopathological features. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between ER1 and VEGF-A expression and patients’ prognosis. Further Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was also performed. RESULTS: ER1 and VEGF-A expression was significantly higher in GBC compared with CS(47/78 vs 28/78, P < 0.05; 51/78 vs 33/78, P < 0.05). ER1 expression was correlated with gender(P < 0.05) and VEGF-A expression was correlated with tumor differentiation in GBC patients(P < 0.05). In univariate analysis, age and tumor node metastasis(TNM) stage were factors associated with GBC prognosis(P < 0.05). Although there was no statistical difference between the expression of ER1 or VEGF-A and overall survival, the high expression of ER1 combined with VEGF-A predicted a poor prognosis for GBC patients(16.30 ± 1.87 vs 24.97 ± 2.09, log-rank P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, combined expression of ER1 and VEGF-A and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for GBC patients(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: Combined expression of ER1 and VEGF-A is a potential prognostic marker for GBC patients. Clinical detection of ER1 and VEGF-A in surgically resected GBC tissues would provide animportant reference for decision-making of postoperative treatment programs.
Objective In this study, the pharmacological kinetics of Buthus martensi Karsch （BmK） AS, a specific modulator of voltage-gated sodium channel site 4, was investigated on Nav1.3 expressed in Xenopus ...oocytes. Methods Two-electrode voltage clamp was used to record the whole-cell sodium current. Results The peak currents of Nav1.3 were depressed by BmK AS over a wide range of concentrations （10, 100, and 500 nmol/L）. Most remarkably, BmK AS at 100 nmol/L hyperpolarized the voltage-dependence and increased the voltage-sensitivity of steady-state activation/inactivation. In addition, BmK AS was capable of hyperpolarizing not only the fast inactivation but also the slow inactivation, with a greater preference for the latter. Moreover, BmK AS accelerated the time constant and increased the ratio of recovery in Nav1.3 at all concentrations. Conclusion This study provides direct evidence that BmK AS facilitates steady-state activation and inhibits slow inactivation by stabilizing both the closed and open states of the Nav1.3 channel, which might result from an integrative binding to two receptor sites on the voltage-gated sodium channels. These results may shed light on therapeutics against Nav1.3-targeted pathology.
To investigate the mechanisms of microwave induced pacemaker cell injuries, Wistar rats and the primary pacemaker cells of newborn Wistar rats were exposed to microwave at average power density of 50 ...mW/cm2. Slower spontaneous beating rate, intercellular Ca2＋ aggregation and cell membrane perforation were detected immediately after the exposure. Moreover, hyperpolarizationactivated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel 4 （HCN4） was down-regulated immediately after the exposure and up-regulated at 12 h after the exposure. In the sinoatrial node （SAN） of the rats,
博士
國立臺灣大學
畜產學研究所
89
This study was conducted to investigate the characterization and functional activity of milk and soymilk kefir.
The lactic acid bacteria isolated from kefir grains were identified ...as Lactobacillus helveticus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and the yeasts were identified as Kluyveromyces marxianus and Pichia fermentans. From the results of studying on the growth characteristics of the above strains, Lb. helveticus possessed better growth characteristics, and K. marxianus exhibited better L-lactic acid and ethanol production. D-lactic acid was the major form produced by Ln. mesenteroides. P. fermentans was a lactose-nonfermenting yeast, therefore the active proteolytic enzymes was essential for its growth in milk.
The lyophilized or non-lyophilized kefir grains were stored at 25, 4, and －20℃ for evaluated metabolic activity, and the results indicated that lyophilized grains maintained high level of lactic acid bacterial viabilities, and fermented milk obtained from these grains showed the sam
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