Although winter dysentery (WD), which is caused by the bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is characterized by the sudden onset of diarrhea in many adult cattle in a herd, the pathogenesis of the WD-BCoV is ...not completely understood. In this study, colostrum-deprived calves were experimentally infected with a Korean WD-BCoV strain and examined for viremia, enteric and nasal virus shedding as well as for viral antigen expression and virus-associated lesions in the small and large intestines and the upper and lower respiratory tract from 1 to 8 days after an oral infection. The WD-BCoV-inoculated calves showed gradual villous atrophy in the small intestine and a gradual increase in the crypt depth of the large intestine. The WD-BCoV-infected animals showed epithelial damage in nasal turbinates, trachea and lungs, and interstitial pneumonia. The WD-BCoV antigen was detected in the epithelium of the small and large intestines, nasal turbinates, trachea and lungs. WD-BCoV RNA was detected in the serum from post-inoculation day 3. These results show that the WD-BCoV has dual tropism and induces pathological changes in both the digestive and respiratory tracts of calves. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of dual enteric and respiratory tropisms of WD-BCoV in calves. Comprehensive studies of the dual tissue pathogenesis of the BCoV might contribute to an increased understanding of similar pneumoenteric CoV infections in humans.
Summary
Background
Small leucine‐rich repeat proteoglycans (decorin, biglycan, and lumican), collagen, and lymphangiogenesis are involved in tissue remodelling of various organs with inflammatory ...diseases.
Objective
We determined the expression level and the distribution pattern of small leucine‐rich repeat proteoglycans (decorin, biglycan, and lumican), collagen and lymphatic vessels in healthy, mild, and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa.
Methods
The distribution pattern of collagen, proteoglycans, and lymphatic vessels in healthy, mild, and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa was evaluated by the van Gieson staining, immunohistochemistry, RT‐PCR, and Western blotting. Quantitative analyses of collagen deposition were calculated as the median of the total percentage area in the tissue specimen. For the evaluation of proteoglycans, the percentage area stained and median optical density were measured for each image. Lymphatic vessels were identified by D2‐40 antibody and calculated using the lymphatic vessel density and endothelial length density in tissue specimens. The expression of MMP 2 and 9, TIMP1 and 2 was evaluated with RT‐PCR and Western blotting.
Results
In mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa, compared with healthy nasal mucosa, collagen showed more intense staining in the superficial and submucosal layer. In healthy and allergic nasal mucosa, decorin was lightly stained without significant differences in the percentage area and optical density of staining. However, lumican and biglycan showed strong immunoreactivity in mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa, which was verified by Western blotting. The number and endothelial length density of lymphatic vessels were increased in mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa compared with healthy nasal mucosa. The expression of MMP 9 was increased in severe persistent allergic rhinitis.
Conclusion and Clinical Relevance
These results suggest that the altered distribution pattern of collagen, proteoglycans, and lymphatic vessels could potentially modulate the remodelling of nasal mucosa in mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa.
Cite this as: T. H. Kim, J. Y. Lee, H. M. Lee, S. H. Lee, W. S. Cho, Y. H. Ju, E. H. Park, K. W. Kim and S. H. Lee, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 1742–1754.
A simple soft lithographic method is presented for generating hollow polymeric microstructures. The bottle‐shaped cell containers allow for stable, non‐invasive microenvironments for docked cells and ...could be applied to high‐throughput analysis of cells under different shear conditions.
To calculate absorbed radiation doses in patients treated with resin microspheres prescribed by the body surface area (BSA) method and to analyze dose-response and toxicity relationships.
A ...retrospective review was performed of 45 patients with colorectal carcinoma metastases who received single-session whole-liver resin microsphere radioembolization. Prescribed treatment activity was calculated using the BSA method. Liver volumes and whole-liver absorbed doses (D(WL)) were calculated. D(WL) was correlated with toxicity and radiographic and biochemical response.
The standard BSA-based administered activity (range, 0.85-2.58 GBq) did not correlate with D(WL) (mean, 50.4 Gy; range, 29.8-74.7 Gy; r = -0.037; P = .809) because liver weight was highly variable (mean, 1.89 kg; range, 0.94-3.42 kg) and strongly correlated with D(WL) (r = -0.724; P < .001) but was not accounted for in the BSA method. Patients with larger livers were relatively underdosed, and patients with smaller livers were relatively overdosed. Patients who received D(WL) > 50 Gy experienced more toxicity and adverse events (> grade 2 liver toxicity, 46% vs 17%; P < .05) but also responded better to the treatment than patients who received D(WL)< 50 Gy (disease control, 88% vs 24%; P < .01).
Using the standard BSA formula, the administered activity did not correlate with D(WL). Based on this short-term follow-up after salvage therapy in patients with late stage metastatic colorectal carcinoma, dose-response and dose-toxicity relationships support using a protocol based on liver volume rather than BSA to prescribe the administered activity.
The flavonoids quercetin, (+)-dihydroquercetin, and quercetin 3-methyl ether were isolated from the ethyl acetate fractions of the fruits and stems of
Opuntia ficus-indica var.
saboten. In the ...present study, we evaluated their protective effects against oxidative neuronal injuries induced in primary cultured rat cortical cells and their antioxidant activities by using three different cell-free bioassays. Quercetin was found to inhibit H
2O
2- or xanthine (X)/xanthine oxidase (XO)-induced oxidative neuronal cell injury, with an estimated IC
50 of 4–5 μg/ml. However, it was no more protective at concentrations of 30 μg/ml and above. (+)-Dihydroquercetin concentration-dependently inhibited oxidative neuronal injuries, but it was less potent than quercetin. On the other hand, quercetin 3-methyl ether potently and dramatically inhibited H
2O
2- and X/XO-induced neuronal injuries, with IC
50 values of 0.6 and 0.7 μg/ml, respectively. All three principles markedly inhibited lipid peroxidation and scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals. In addition, quercetin and quercetin 3-methyl ether were shown to inhibit XO activity in vitro, with respective IC
50 values of 10.67 and 42.01 μg/ml. These results indicate that quercetin, (+)-dihydroquercetin, and quercetin 3-methyl ether are the active antioxidant principles in the fruits and stems of
Opuntia ficus-indica var.
saboten exhibiting neuroprotective actions against the oxidative injuries induced in cortical cell cultures. Furthermore, quercetin 3-methyl ether appears to be the most potent neuroprotectant of the three flavonoids isolated from this plant.
Background
Intravenous administration of alteplase is the only approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the effectiveness of this treatment, 50% of patients suffer chronic neurological ...disability, which may in part be caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury. Remote ischemic perconditioning, performed as a transient ischemic stimulus by blood-pressure cuff inflation to an extremity, has proven effective in attenuating ischemia-reperfusion injury in animal models of stroke. Remote ischemic perconditioning increases myocardial salvage in patients undergoing acute revascularization for acute myocardial infarction. To clarify whether a similar benefit can be obtained in patients undergoing thrombolysis for acute stroke, we included patients from June 2009 to January 2011.
Aim and design
The aims of the study are:
to estimate the effect of remote ischemic perconditioning as adjunctive therapy to intravenous alteplase of acute ischemic stroke within the 4½-h time window and
to investigate the feasibility of remote ischemic perconditioning performed during transport to hospital in patients displaying symptoms of acute stroke.
Patients are randomized to remote ischemic perconditioning in a single-blinded fashion during transportation to hospital. Only patients with magnetic resonance imaging-proven ischemic stroke, who subsequently are treated with intravenous alteplase, and in selected cases additional endovascular treatment, are finally included in the study.
Study outcomes
Primary end-point is penumbral salvage. Penumbra is defined as hypoperfused yet viable tissue identified as the mismatch between perfusion-weighted imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging lesion on magnetic resonance imaging scans. Primary outcome is a mismatch volume not progressing to infarction on one-month follow-up T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery. Secondary end-points include: infarct growth (expansion of the diffusion-weighted imaging lesion) from baseline to the 24-h and one-month follow-up examination. Infarct growth inside and outside the acute perfusion-weighted imaging–diffusion-weighted imaging mismatch zone is quantified by use of coregistration. Clinical outcome after three-months. The influence of physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly score) on effect of remote ischemic perconditioning. Feasibility of remote ischemic perconditioning in acute stroke patients.
Summary
This phase 3 trial is the first study in patients with acute ischemic stroke to evaluate the effect size of remote ischemic perconditioning as a pretreatment to intravenous alteplase, measured as penumbral salvage on multimodal magnetic resonance imaging and clinical outcome after three-months follow-up.
BACKGROUND The dual effects of insulin and androgen on the ovary act to promote early folliculogenesis. In the context of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), the presence of hyperinsulinaemia, ...resulting from increased insulin resistance (IR), and hyperandrogenaemia lead to the appearance of multiple antral follicles and frequently a multi-folliclular response to gonadotrophin stimulation for assisted reproductive treatments (ARTs). The effect of IR and androgen status in women without PCOS on the follicular outcome of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is not known. METHODS We assessed the IR using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) and androgen status of 49 women without PCOS undergoing an ART cycle. This was then related to the treatment cycle outcome. RESULTS We found a significant positive correlation between HOMA and BMI, and free androgen index (FAI) and testosterone. The FAI significantly positively correlated with total follicle count after COH. The total follicle count was significantly higher in those with a HOMA >2.5, and HOMA positively correlated with total follicle count in this group of IR women (HOMA > 2.5). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a positive correlation of HOMA-IR levels above a threshold level of 2.5 and a continuous positive correlation of free androgen (FAI) to total ovarian follicle count following COH in the non-PCOS patient.
Abstract Background Post-transplantation hypertension is very common and is associated with cardiovascular complications and poor graft survival in kidney transplant recipients. This study aimed to ...identify risk factors for hypertension after living donor kidney transplantation. Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent renal transplantation between January 2009 and April 2012. Hypertension was defined as the use of antihypertensive medications at 12 months post-transplantation. Student t test and chi-squared test were performed for univariate analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed for multivariate analysis. Results Five-hundred thirty-nine patients were enrolled in the analyses. The rate of antihypertensive medication use was 67% at 12 months. In multivariate analysis, male gender (odds ratio OR, 2.68; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.55–4.61), pretransplantation hypertension (OR, 4.65; 95% CI, 2.14–10.11), donor hypertension (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.05–9.96), high body mass index (BMI; OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12–1.29), and use of cyclosporine (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.28–3.27) were associated with post-transplantation hypertension. Conclusion These data show that male recipient, hypertension before transplantation, donor hypertension, high BMI, and cyclosporine use were independent factors associated with hypertension. It would be useful to predict and prevention the hypertension after kidney transplantation.
Size at birth and early postnatal growth rates appear to be important determinants of cardiovascular diseases. We examined whether intrauterine growth restriction or the subsequent catch-up postnatal ...weight gain leads to higher blood pressure in early life to confirm that size at birth and early postnatal growth rates appear to be important determinants of blood pressure changes in early life. Of 407 children born between December 2001 and November 2002 in hospital based-birth cohorts, 102 were followed up at 3 years of age (24.2%) at Ewha Womans University Hospital in Seoul, Korea. At 3 years of age, those who had a low birth weight still belonged in the lower-weight group than the others. The subjects' systolic blood pressure was correlated with their current weight (r=0.41) and weight gain (r=0.39), but not with their birth weight. Those with a higher current weight and higher weight gain based on birth weight (conditional weight gain) had the highest blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure increased by 0.2 mm Hg for every 100-g increase in weight at 3 years and, independently, by 1.5 mm Hg for every 100-unit increase in conditional weight gain. This study suggests that birth weight is not directly associated with blood pressure, but accelerated growth, which occurs mostly in those born with a low birth weight, seems to affect blood pressure in early life.
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