Search

Cognitive impairment is a common complication observed after a stroke. Currently there are no definitively proven pharmacologic therapies for recovery from post-stroke cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of cholinesterase inhibitors in their improvement of cognition in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. We conducted a meta-analysis using seven eligible studies from 305 published articles. We investigated the differences in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) scores, before and after cholinergic augmentation in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. MMSE and ADAS-cog scores were also compared during the subsequent follow-up periods. MMSE score of patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment was increased after cholinergic augmentation throughout the 24 weeks with mean differences [MD] of 3.000, 1.732, 1.578 1.516, and 1.222, at 4, 4-8, 8-12, 12-18, and 18-24 weeks, respectively. In addition, ADAS-cog scores decreased at 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks by pharmaceutical augmentation, but not with placebo with mean differences [MD] of -2.333, -2.913, -2.767, -2.416, and -1.859, respectively. This meta-analysis shows that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors maintain a stable pattern of improved cognitive function in patients with post stroke cognitive impairment and vascular dementia without the increased risk of side effects.

Tumor lysis syndrome is rare in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but it has been reported more frequently recently in response to treatments such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA), and sorafenib. Tumor lysis syndrome induced by low-dose steroid appears to be very unusual in HCC. We report a patient with hepatitis-C-related liver cirrhosis and HCC in whom tumor lysis syndrome occurred due to low-dose steroid (10 mg of prednisolone). The patient was a 90-year-old male who presented at the emergency room of our hospital with general weakness and poor oral intake. He had started to take prednisolone to treat adrenal insufficiency 2 days previously. Laboratory results revealed hyperuricemia, hyperphosphatemia, and increased creatinine. These abnormalities fulfilled the criteria in the Cairo-Bishop definition of tumor lysis syndrome. Although the patient received adequate hydration, severe metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury progressed unabated. He finally developed multiple organ failure, and died 3 days after admission. This was a case of tumor lysis syndrome caused by administration of low-dose steroid in a patient with HCC.

Many patients with diabetes are at increased risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia. Diabetes mellitus is a vascular risk factor that may increase the risk of dementia through its associations with vascular dementia. We tested whether cognitive impairment could be exacerbated in combined injury using a rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion with diabetes. We also determined whether a potent inhibitor of type III phosphodiesterase could prevent the cognitive decline caused by this combined injury.We used Otsuka Long–Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats as a model of type II diabetes (T2DM) and Long–Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats as a control. Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion was modeled by permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO). At 24 weeks, the non-diabetic and T2DM rats were randomly assigned into groups for the following experiments: analysis I (1) sham non-diabetic rats (n = 8); (2) hypoperfused non-diabetic rats (n = 9); (3) sham T2DM rats (n = 8); (4) hypoperfused T2DM rats (n = 9); analysis II- (1) sham T2DM rats without treatment (n = 8); (2) cilostazol-treated T2DM rats (n = 8); (3) hypoperfused T2DM rats (n = 9); and (4) hypoperfused T2DM rats and cilostazol treatment (n = 9). The rats were orally administered cilostazol (50 mg/kg) or vehicle once a day for 2 weeks after 24 weeks. Rats performed Morris water maze tasks, and neuronal cell death and neuroinflammation were investigated via Western blots and histological investigation.Spatial memory impairment was exacerbated synergistically in the hypoperfused T2DM group compared with the hypoperfused non-diabetic group and sham T2DBM group (P

Background/AimsBecause of the similarities in the clinical presentations of Crohn's disease (CD) and intestinal tuberculosis (ITB), differential diagnosis is critical. Mesenteric adipose tissue hypertrophy and creeping fat are characteristic features of CD. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of visceral fat for the differential diagnosis of CD and ITB.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of 50 patients with findings of CD or ITB between January 2005 and July 2008. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was performed on all subjects during their first evaluation. The abdominal fat area was assessed using quantitative abdominal CT.ResultsThe ratio of visceral fat to total fat (VF/TF) was significantly higher in male CD patients than in male ITB patients. The ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat (VF/SF) was also higher in CD patients than in patients with ITB. For a VF/TF cut-off value of 0.46, the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CD were 42.1% and 93.3% respectively, with positive and negative predictive values of 88.9% and 56.0%, respectively.ConclusionMeasurement of the abdominal fat area using CT can be clinically useful for the differential diagnosis of CD and ITB.

Sedum middendorffianum Maxim (SMM) is a Korean endemic plant belonging to the Crassulaceae family. This study aimed to investigate the antitumor effects of the SMM extract on human ovarian cancer cells. Among five endemic plants grown in Korea, the SMM extract showed the most potent cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells and had little effect on normal ovarian surface epithelial cells. Furthermore, we revealed that the SMM extract dose-dependently induced apoptosis in human ovarian cancer A2780 and SKOV3 cells. The SMM extract markedly stimulated the activation of caspase-3/8, while the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor and caspase-8 selective inhibitor significantly reversed SMM extract-induced apoptosis. In addition, the SMM extract significantly inhibited cell invasion and the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in ovarian cancer cells. Notably, the SMM extract increased the generation of intracellular ROS, and pretreatment with antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) significantly suppressed SMM-induced cytotoxicity and anti-invasive activity. Moreover, NAC treatment reversed the SMM-induced inhibition of MMP-2/9 expression. Taken together, these data suggest that the SMM extract induces caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death and inhibits MMP-dependent invasion via ROS regulation.

Skin photoaging, characterized by collagen degradation and upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), is a major concern caused by UVB irradiation. In this study, we investigated the potential of Acanthopanax sessiliforum extract (ASE) and Chaenomeles sinensis (CSE) extracts to mitigate the efects of UVB-induced photodamage in human fbroblast and hairless mice. Water extracts of AS (ASE) and CS (CSE) were found to inhibit the expression of MMP-1/-3 in vitro. Furthermore, the extract of mixture of AS and CS (ACE) showed more potent inhibitor efect, as compared to ASE and CSE. In UVB-irradiated hairless mice, oral administration of ACE efectively reduced wrinkle formation, skin roughness, and epidermal thickness while promoting the deposition of collagenous fbers. These results indicate that ACE has the potential to protect against skin photoaging by restoring the impaired skin via downregulation of MMP-1/-3 expression and secretion. Our fndings highlight the therapeutic potential of ACE in mitigating skin photoaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular dichroism (CD) and the linear dichroism (LD) spectral properties of the enantiomers of [Ru(phen)(sub 2)DPPZ](super 2+) which is bound to poly[d(A-T)(sub 2)] in the presence or absence of an established minor groove binding drug is studied. It is suggested that the excitation energy of DAPI is transferred to the metal complex across the DNA stem.

The third strand in the triplex inhibits the formation of the TMPyP assembly. Therefore, TMPyP stacking occurs in the major groove of both the d(A)12.d(T)12 and the d(G)12;d(C)12 duplexes.

The World Health Organization declared that a new strain of novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus was responsible for the pandemic infection in June 2009. We report a case of encephalitis diagnosed as the H1N1 virus infection. We describe a 17-year-old patient who had a seizure attack, diagnosed with a H1N1 virus infection via real time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The H1N1 virus infection can be causative of the encephalitis, as with other influenza virus infections. Careful monitoring is essential for reducing complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recently, combinations of 2D van der Waals (2D vdW) materials and organic materials have attracted attention because they facilitate the formation of various heterojunctions with excellent interface quality owing to the absence of dangling bonds on their surface. In this work, a double negative differential resistance (D‐NDR) characteristic of a hybrid 2D vdW/organic tunneling device consisting of a hafnium disulfide/pentacene heterojunction and a 3D pentacene resistor is reported. This D‐NDR phenomenon is achieved by precisely controlling an NDR peak voltage with the pentacene resistor and then integrating two distinct NDR devices in parallel. Then, the operation of a controllable‐gain amplifier configured with the D‐NDR device and an n‐channel transistor is demonstrated using the Cadence Spectre simulation platform. The proposed D‐NDR device technology based on a hybrid 2D vdW/organic heterostructure provides a scientific foundation for various circuit applications that require the NDR phenomenon.

Le coréen est une langue qui possède un système honorifique développé. Par divers moyens lexicaux et grammaticaux (suffixes, terminaisons verbales), on honorifie la personne à qui l’on parle et de qui l’on parle. Le degré d’honorification est choisi en tenant compte des paramètres comme les différences d’âge, de statut, et le degré de familiarité par rapport au locuteur. L’acquisition de ce système est donc primordiale pour toute interaction en coréen. L’existence d’un tel système fait que l’étude de la politesse en coréen langue étrangère a tendance à se limiter à cet aspect grammatical. Mais on constate que pour être perçu comme poli en coréen, l’emploi correct d’un système honorifique n’est pas suffisant : il faut utiliser également d’autres marqueurs qui atténuent, minimisent l’aspect négatif, et d’autres tournures syntaxiques (ex. questions à la place de l’impératif, ellipse) permettant de dire des choses de façon indirecte. Nous avons observé la réalisation de la politesse verbale dans l’expression du refus chez des apprenants de coréen dans des jeux de rôles improvisés. Le corpus montre des difficultés de maintien du même niveau d’honorification dans l’acquisition du système honorifique et des différences dans l’utilisation d’autres moyens non grammaticalisés. Nous avons constaté également l’importance de l’expression de l’empathie, forme plus universelle, dans la perception de politesse, ce qui circonscrit le rôle du système honorifique au code linguistique.

This study aimed to raise awareness of maker education for pre-service teachers and discuss maker education in their major subjects by developing and applying a maker education course for pre-service teachers with various majors based on novel engineering (NE), a teaching and learning method that combines humanities and engineering. Accordingly, the course was developed following the procedure of the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model, and the educational effectiveness was investigated using test tools. The educational effect and difficulties were also examined through the analysis of reflective journals written by 20 pre-service teachers with various majors who participated in the course. To investigate the educational effectiveness of the developed course, the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) literacy of the participants—before and after the course—was measured, with the results demonstrating a statistically significant improvement. Analysis of the reflective journals identified a recognition of sharing effectiveness, the joy of making, and an in-depth understanding of maker education as education effects, and a lack of understanding of techniques, the burden of prototype fabrication, and the limitation of majoring subjects as difficulties experienced during the activities. This study verified that NE could be used as a significant maker education measure for pre-service teachers with various majors. Based on this verification, this study also proposes a strategy to develop more effective NE-based maker education.