• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.61 no.2
• /
• pp.64-67
• /
• 2018

We report the case of a 12-year-old girl who had mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) associated with acutepyelonephritis caused by Escherichia coli. The patient was admitted with a high fever, and she was diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis based on pyuria and the results of urine culture, which detected cefotaxime-sensitive E. coli. Although intravenous cefotaxime and tobramycin were administered, her fever persisted and her C-reactive protein level increased to 307 mg/L. On day 3 of admission, she demonstrated abnormal neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as delirium, ataxia, and word salad. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain performed on day 4 showed marked hyperintensities in the bilateral corpus callosum and deep white matter on diffusion-weighted images, with corresponding diffusion restriction on apparent diffusion coefficient mapping. No abnormalities or pathogens were detected in the cerebrospinal fluid; however, lipopolysaccharides (LPS, endotoxin) were detected in plasma (41.6 pg/mL), associated with acute neurological deterioration. Her clinical condition gradually improved, and no neurological abnormalities were observed on day 6. Follow-up brain MRI performed 2 weeks later showed near-disappearance of the previously noted hyperintense lesions. In this patient, we first proved endotoxemia in a setting of MERS. The release of LPS following antibiotic administration might be related to the development of MERS in this patient. The possibility of MERS should be considered in patients who present with acute pyelonephritis and demonstrate delirious behavior.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.22 no.11
• /
• pp.1581-1586
• /
• 2009

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of two types of housing systems and early age feed restriction on stress and fear reactions, and performance in broiler chickens raised in a hot, humid tropical climate. On day 1, chicks were housed either in windowless environmentally controlled chambers (temperature was set at 32$^{\circ}C$ on day 1 and gradually reduced to 23$^{\circ}C$ by day 21) or in conventional open-sided houses (OH) with cyclic temperatures (minimum, 24$^{\circ}C$; maximum, 34$^{\circ}C$). An equal number of chicks from each housing system was subjected to either ad libitum feeding (AL) or 60% feed restriction on day 4, 5 and 6 (FR). The CH birds showed greater weight gain, higher feed consumption and better feed conversion ratios (FCR) than their OH counterparts. Feeding regimen had negligible effect on overall performance. Neither housing nor feeding regimen had a significant (p<0.05) effect on mortality rate. Although the CH birds were less stressed, as measured by plasma corticosterone concentration (CORT), than those of OH, the former showed longer TI duration suggesting higher magnitude of underlying fearfulness. A significant (p<0.05) effect of housing on heterophil/lymphocyte ratios was only noted among the AL birds where the CH birds had higher values than OH. Collectively, these results suggest that although OH birds had poorer performance and higher level of stress than CH, the former were less fearful. Although FR had negligible effect on growth performance, the regimen alleviated both stress and fear reactions in broilers.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.397-402
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of probencid on the pharmacokinetics of oral pranoprofen in rats. Pranoprofen (5 mg/kg) was coadministered with 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg of probenecid orally. Coadministration of probenecid significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of pranoprofen at 10 and 20 mg/kg. Compared with the control group, probenecid significantly (p<0.05) increased the absorption rate constant $(K_{a})$, the peak concentrations $(C_{max})$ and accordingly the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of pranoprofen at the dose level of 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg of probenecid. The relative bioavailability (RB%) of pranoprofen was 1.64- to 1.82- fold increased. Furthermore, 10 and 20 mg/kg probenecid induced the decreased elimination constants $(K_{el})$ and the prolonged half-lives $(t_{1/2})$ of pranoprofen with significance (p<0.05). Coadministration of 10 and 20 mg/kg of probenecid lowered the excreted amounts of pranoprofen in the urine by 21.3-22.5% compared to the control. Overall, probenecid enhanced the bioavailability of pranoprofen and decreased its elimination rate to a greater degree at higher dose. Based on the effect of probenecid on the pharmacokinetic behavior of pranoprofen, the dosage regimen of pranoprofen should be taken into consideration when pranoprofen is administered with probenecid in the clinical setting to the patients especially with peptic ulcer or renal failure.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.363-369
• /
• 2006

Granisetron is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist that is used therapeutically for the prevention of vomiting and nausea associated with emetogenic cancer chemotherapy. Although this drug is commercially available for intravenous and oral dosage, there is a need for intranasal delivery formulations in specific patient populations in which the use of these dosage forms may be unfeasible and/or inconvenient. A rapid and specific high-performance liquid chromatography method with mass spectrometric detection(LC-MS) was developed and validated for the analysis of granisetron in plasma after nasal administration in rats. This method has been validated for concentrations ranging from 5 to 1000 ng/ml with simple treatment. This technique has high level reproducibility, accuracy, and sensitivity. The method described was found to be suitable for the analysis of all samples collected during preclinical pharmacokinetic investigations of granisetron in rats after nasal administration. This study was aimed to investigate the feasibility of nasal delivery of granisetron for the elimination of vomiting. The effects of osmolarity, dosage volume at the same dose and applied dose on the nasal absorption of granisetron in rats were observed. No significant difference in the effect of osmolarity and dosage volume at the same dose was observed. As the applied dose of granisetron in nasal formulation increased, the absorption increased linearly. Based on these results it appears that only the applied dose(drug mass) determines the nasal absorption of granisetron. The bioavailability of granisetron on nasal administration of 4 mg/kg appeared to be comparable to that of intravenous administration of the same dose. These results suggest that granisetron can be efficiently delivered nasally and the development of nasal formulation will be feasible.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.416-421
• /
• 2001

The optimization of the reductant and acid concentration for stannane($SnH_4$) generation was investigated by using a continuous flow hydride generator combined with an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer. Several different prereductants were studied to remove the interfering effect of fluoride ion on the hydride generating of tin. The optimum acid concentration was 0.5-1.0 M for the 1-2% $NaBH_4$ and 1.0 M NaOH and the interfering effect of fluoride ion was minimized using boric acid and L-cysteine mixed solution as a prereductant. The reconveries of tin at 20 ng/mL level in the solution containing fluoride ion were 100~108 %.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.141-146
• /
• 2004

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNARE) proteins, composed of two presynaptic membrane proteins [synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) and syntaxin] and a presynaptic vesicular protein [vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)], serve as a core of exocytotic fusion machinery, which can be affected by ischemia. Synaptic protein in core region, striatum and cortex has been shown to alter after focal ischemia, however, little is known in hippocampus. Hippocampus is remote from ischemic core, but it is one of the most vulnerable regions. Using immunohistochemistry, the present study was undertaken to investigate the alteration of expression of SNAP-25, syntaxin, and VAMP in the hippocampus of rats which were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2h and allowed to reperfuse. At 2 weeks of reperfusion, the SNAP-25 and syntaxin immunoreactivity was increased in the stratum oriens of the CA1 and the stratum lucidum of the CA3 in the ipsilateral hippocampus. However, VAMP immunoreactivity didn't show significant change. These results demonstrate that the level of the presynatpic plasma membrane proteins (SNAP-25 and syntaxin) in the rat hippocampus is more sensitively affected by focal ischemia than that of the synaptic vesicle protein (VAMP).

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 2012

The receptor activator of NF-${\kappa}B$ ligand (RANKL) signal is an activator of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), which leads to the activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ and other signal transduction pathways essential for osteoclastogenesis, such as $Ca^{2+}$ signaling. However, the intracellular levels of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate ($IP_3$) and $IP_3$-mediated cellular function of RANKL during osteoclastogenesis are not known. In the present study, we determined the levels of $IP_3$ and evaluated $IP_3$-mediated osteoclast differentiation and osteoclast activity by RANKL treatment of mouse leukemic macrophage cells (RAW 264.7) and mouse bone marrow-derived monocyte/macrophage precursor cells (BMMs). During osteoclastogenesis, the expression levels of $Ca^{2+}$ signaling proteins such as $IP_3$ receptors ($IP_3Rs$), plasma membrane $Ca^{2+}$ ATPase, and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum $Ca^{2+}$ ATPase type2 did not change by RANKL treatment for up to 6 days in both cell types. At 24 h after RANKL treatment, a higher steady-state level of $IP_3$ was observed in RAW264.7 cells transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged pleckstrin homology (PH) domains of phospholipase C (PLC) ${\delta}$, a probe specifically detecting intracellular $IP_3$ levels. In BMMs, the inhibition of PLC with U73122 [a specific inhibitor of phospholipase C (PLC)[ and of $IP_3Rs$ with 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2APB; a non-specific inhibitor of $IP_3Rs$) inhibited the generation of RANKL-induced multinucleated cells and decreased the bone-resorption rate in dentin slice, respectively. These results suggest that intracellular $IP_3$ levels and the $IP_3$-mediated signaling pathway play an important role in RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.25-30
• /
• 2012

Under some pathological conditions as bile flow obstruction or liver diseases with the enterohepatic circulation being disrupted, regurgitation of bile acids into the systemic circulation occurs and the plasma level of bile acids increases. Bile acids in circulation may affect the nervous system. We examined this possibility by studying the effects of bile acids on gating of neuronal (N)-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel that is essential for neurotransmitter release at synapses of the peripheral and central nervous system. N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel currents were recorded from bullfrog sympathetic neuron under a cell-attached mode using 100 mM $Ba^{2+}$ as a charge carrier. Cholic acid (CA, $10^{-6}M$) that is relatively hydrophilic thus less cytotoxic was included in the pipette solution. CA suppressed the open probability of N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel, which appeared to be due to an increase in (no activity) sweeps. For example, the proportion of sweep in the presence of CA was ~40% at +40 mV as compared with ~8% in the control recorded without CA. Other single channel properties including slope conductance, single channel current amplitude, open and shut times were not significantly affected by CA being present. The results suggest that CA could modulate N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel gating at a concentration as low as $10^{-6}M$. Bile acids have been shown to activate nonselective cation conductance and depolarize the cell membrane. Under pathological conditions with increased circulating bile acids, CA suppression of N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel function may be beneficial against overexcitation of the synapses.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.95-101
• /
• 2009

It has been reported that dietary polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) increase liver injury in response to ethanol feeding. We tested the hypothesis that diets rich in linoleic acid (18:2n-6) would affect acute liver injury after acetaminophen injection and that protein restriction might exacerbate the liver injury. We examined effects of feeding diets with either 15% (wt/wt) corn oil or 14% beef tallow and 1% corn oil for six weeks with either 6 or 20 g/100 g protein on acute hepatotoxicity. After the feeding period, liver injury was induced by injecting either with 600 mg/kg body weight acetaminophen suspended in gum arabic-based vehicle, or with vehicle alone during fasting status. Samples of liver and plasma were taken for analyses of hepatic glutathione (GSH) levels and liver-specific enzymes [(Glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT)], respectively. Whereas GSH level was significantly lower in only group fed 15% corn oil with 6 g/100 g protein among acetaminophen-treated groups, activities of GPT and GOT were significantly elevated in all groups except the one fed beef tallow with 20 g/100 g protein, suggesting low protein might exacerbate drug-induced hepatotoxicity. The feeding regimens changed the ratio of 18:2n-6 to oleic acid (18:1n-9) in total liver lipids approximately five-fold, and produced modest changes in arachidonic acid (20:4n-6). We conclude that diets with high 18:2n-6 promote acetaminophen-induced liver injury compared to diets with more saturated fatty acids (SFA). In addition, protein restriction appeared to exacerbate the liver injury.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.220-226
• /
• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Arsenic, which causes human carcinogenicity, is ubiquitous in the environment. This study was designed to evaluate modulation of arsenic induced cancer by resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in vegetal dietary sources that has antioxidant and chemopreventive properties, in arsenic trioxide ($As_2O_3$)-induced Male Wistar rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Adult rats received 3 mg/kg $As_2O_3$ (intravenous injection, iv.) on alternate days for 4 days. Resveratrol (8 mg/kg) was administered (iv.) 1 h before $As_2O_3$ treatment. The plasma and homogenization enzymes associated with oxidative stress of rat kidneys were measured, the kidneys were examined histologically and trace element contents were assessed. RESULTS: Rats treated with $As_2O_3$ had significantly higher oxidative stress and kidney arsenic accumulation; however, pretreatment with resveratrol reversed these changes. In addition, prior to treatment with resveratrol resulted in lower blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and insignificant renal tubular epithelial cell necrosis. Furthermore, the presence of resveratrol preserved the selenium content ($0.805{\pm}0.059{\mu}g/g$) of kidneys in rats treated with $As_2O_3$. However, resveratrol had no effect on zinc level in the kidney relative to $As_2O_3$-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that supplementation with resveratrol alleviated nephrotoxicity by improving antioxidant capacity and arsenic efflux. These findings suggest that resveratrol has the potential to protect against kidney damage in populations exposed to arsenic.