Search

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is a critical maternal complication in some pre-eclampsia (PE) and nearly all eclampsia patients; RPLS is associated with high blood pressure (BP). However, the effect of BP on RPLS and the different characteristics of RPLS in PE or eclampsia are largely unknown. We consecutively collected data from 69 patients who were diagnosed with RPLS in PE or eclampsia between 2013 and 2017. The BP and biochemical indicators at onset and post onset of RPLS were examined to explore their likely correlation with RPLS. We grouped patients into PE (n=40) and eclampsia (n=29) groups according to whether a seizure had occurred. Information regarding BP, clinical symptoms and imaging features was collected retrospectively to explore the differences between groups. BP measurements (moderate and severe hypertension, systolic pressure (SBP), diastolic pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) levels) and biochemical indicators (uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein and WBC) were higher at the onset of RPLS than post-onset of RPLS (P

Background Gelsemium elegans (G. elegans) is a toxic plant indigenous to Southeast Asia. It is highly poisonous due to its strong respiratory depressive effect. However, G. elegans poisoning cases have not been summarized comprehensively and are rarely reported in English journals. Furthermore, none of the present reports present prognosis in detail. Case presentation A 26-year-old female was found comatose at home and brought to the hospital with deep coma, hypoxia, and acidosis. After mechanical ventilation for hours, the patient recovered from coma with sequelae of impaired short-term memory, disorientation, and childish behaviors. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral hippocampus and basal ganglia damage due to hypoxia. During 8 months of follow-up, both her symptoms and brain MRI scan improved significantly. Conclusion G. elegans is highly toxic. Although patients may die within 30 min due to its strong respiratory depressive effect, they can survive with timely respiratory support and enjoy gradual improvement without delayed postanoxic encephalopathy.

Malignant brain tumors are aggressive in both children and adults. Despite recent improvements in diagnostic techniques, therapeutic approaches remain disappointing and unsuccessful. There is an urgent need for promising anticancer agents to improve overall survival of patients with brain cancer. β-Elemene has been shown to have antiproliferative effects on many types of carcinomas. In this study, we compared the cytotoxic efficacy of β-elemene and its synthetic analogs in the brain tumor cell lines A172, CCF-STTG1, and U-87MG. β-Elemene exhibited cytotoxicity towards the tumor lines, effectively suppressing tumor cell survival. The inhibitory effect of β-elemene was mediated by the induction of apoptosis, as demonstrated by three assays. The annexin V assay showed that β-elemene increased the percentage of early- and late-apoptotic cells. Apoptotic nuclei were detected in cancer cells in situ by the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated deoxy-UTP-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and the number of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly increased at 24-72 h following drug treatment of the cell lines. Cell death enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) gave similar results. Furthermore, β-elemene increased caspase-3/7/10 activity, up-regulated protein expression of BAX, and down-regulated the one of BCL-2, BCL-XL, and of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) in the cells, suggesting that apoptotic signaling pathways are involved in the responses triggered by β-elemene. Compared with β-elemene, only three of the 10 synthetic β-elemene analogs studied here, exerted comparable cytotoxic efficacy towards the three brain tumor lines: the analogs Lr-1 and Lr-2 had the same antitumor efficacy, while Lr-3 was less potent than β-elemene. Thus, some synthetic analogs of β-elemene may inhibit brain cancer cell growth and proliferation, and the synthetic analogs Lr-1 and Lr-2 may have great potential as alternatives to β-elemene for anticancer therapy. Overall, this study provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence showing that synthetic analogs of β-elemene hold promise for patients with brain tumors.