Combined anterior and posterior decompression and short segment fixation for unstable burst fractures in the dorsolumbar region.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S H Lee.
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The growth-inhibitory activity of materials derived from the fruit of Terminalia chebula was evaluated against six intestinal bacteria by means of an impregnated paper disk agar diffusion method. The butanol fraction of T. chebula extract had profound growth-inhibitory activity at a concentration of 5 mg per disk. The biologically active component isolated from the T. chebula fruits was identified with a variety of spectroscopic analyses as ethanedioic acid. The growth responses varied in accordance with the bacterial strain, chemical, and dosage tested. In a test with concentrations of 2 and 1 mg per disk, ethanedioic acid had strong and moderate inhibitory activity against Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli, respectively, with no associated adverse effects on the growth of the four tested lactic acid-producing bacteria. Ellagic acid derived from T. chebula fruits exerted a potent inhibitory effect against C. perfringens and E. coli, but little or no inhibition was observed with treatments of behenic acid, P-caryophyllene, eugenol, isoquercitrin, oleic acid, ca-phellandrene, 3-sitosterol, stearic acid, a-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol, terpinolene, or triacontanoic acid. These results may be an indication of at least one of the pharmacological properties of T. chebula fruits.
We are reporting a case of a 43-year-old Chinese male from Hong Kong, who came to see a doctor complaining of acute onset of severe upper abdominal pain. A diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was made and an emergency cholecystectomy was carried out. On opening the common bile duct, lancet-shaped worms were seen emerging from it. About 45 adult worms were collected and sent to the Department of Parasitology University of Malaya for identification. The worms were identified as Clonorchis sinensis. After the operation the patient was treated with praziquantel and he had an uneventful recovery.
We report on the propagation of coherent acoustic wave packets in (001) surface oriented Al0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs heterostructure, generated through localized femtosecond photoexcitation of the GaAs. Transient structural changes in both the substrate and film are measured with picosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction. The data indicate an elastic response consisting of unipolar compression pulses of a few hundred picosecond duration traveling along [001] and [001] directions that are produced by predominately impulsive stress. The transmission and reflection of the strain pulses are in agreement with an acoustic mismatch model of the heterostructure and free-space interfaces.
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We constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library, designated as KBrH, from high molecular weight genomic DNA of Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis (Chinese cabbage). This library, which was constructed using HindIII-cleaved genomic DNA, consists of 56,592 clones with average insert size of 115 kbp. Using a partially duplicated DNA sequence of Arabidopsis, represented by 19 and 9 predicted genes on chromosome 4 and 5, respectively, and BAC clones from the KBrH library, we studied conservation and microsynteny corresponding to the Arabidopsis regions in B. rapa ssp. pekinensis. The BAC contigs assembled according to the Arabidopsis homoeologues revealed triplication and rearrangements in the Chinese cabbage. In general, collinearity of genes in the paralogous segments was maintained, but gene contents were highly variable with interstitial losses. We also used representative BAC clones, from the assembled contigs, as probes and hybridized them on mitotic (metaphase) and/or meiotic (leptotene/pachytene/metaphase I) chromosomes of Chinese cabbage using bicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization. The hybridization pattern physically identified the paralogous segments of the Arabidopsis homoeologues on B. rapa ssp. pekinensis chromosomes. The homoeologous segments corresponding to chromosome 4 of Arabidopsis were located on chromosomes 2, 8 and 7, whereas those of chromosome 5 were present on chromosomes 6, 1 and 4 of B. rapa ssp. pekinensis.
PURPOSE: The antimalarial agent, artemisinin, also confers cancer-specific cytotoxic effects by reacting with ferrous iron atoms to form free radicals. Here, we investigated the radiosensitizing effects of dihydroartemisinin on glioma cells and assessed some possible mechanisms for these effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: U373MG glioma cells treated with various concentrations of dihydroartemisinin plus radiation, and efficiency of radiosensitization was assessed by clonogenic survival assay. Expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were quantified by western blot and enzymatic activity analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Dihydroartemisinin showed higher cytotoxicity in the glioma cell lines than in the liver, breast or cervical cancer cell lines. In clonogenic survival assays, treatment with dihydroartemisinin alone dose-dependently reduced the number of U373MG colonies, while treatment with dihydroartemisinin plus gamma-irradiation showed far lower clonal survival than cultures treated with radiation or dihydroartemisinin alone. The radiosensitizing effect of dihydroartemisinin was blocked significantly by the free radical scavengers, NAC and TIRON, indicating association with dihydroartemisinin-induced ROS generation. In addition, the radiation-induced expression of endogenous GST was suppressed by treatment with dihydroartemisinin. The radiosensitizing effect of dihydroartemisinin was also markedly enhanced by the addition of holotransferrin CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results strongly suggest that dihydroartemisinin triggers production of ROS and inhibits GST activity, leading to effective and therapeutically relevant radiosensitization of human glioma cells.
This study sought to characterize the reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized GSSG ratio during osteoclast differentiation and determine whether changes in the intracellular redox status regulate its differentiation through a RANKL-dependent signaling pathway. A progressive decrease of the GSH/GSSG ratio was observed during osteoclast differentiation, and the phenomenon was dependent on a decrease in total glutathione via downregulation of expression of the gamma-glutamylcysteinyl synthetase modifier gene. Glutathione depletion by L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO) was found to inhibit osteoclastogenesis by blocking nuclear import of NF-kappaB and AP-1 in RANKL-propagated signaling and bone pit formation by increasing BSO concentrations in mature osteoclasts. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of BSO in mice resulted in an increase in bone density and a decrease of the number of osteoclasts in bone. Conversely, glutathione repletion with either N-acetylcysteine or GSH enhanced osteoclastogenesis. These findings indicate that redox status decreases during osteoclast differentiation and that this modification directly regulates RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis.
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Protein profile alterations following exposure to cadmium were examined in marine alga Nannochloropsis oculata through proteomic analysis. Alterations of the protein expression patterns following 10 muM cadmium treatment were analyzed on 2-dimensional gels. Out of 380 protein spots detected on 2-D gel using Coomassie staining, 11 spots were changed significantly following cadmium treatment. Because of the non-availability of molecular background information on this non-sequenced algal species, cross-species protein identification through ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS was used to identify altered proteins. Two newly induced proteins were identified as malate dehydrogenase orthologue and NADH dehydrogenase orthologue. One suppressed protein was identified to be glyceraldehydes 3-phosphate dehydrogenase A. Protein spot showing a 3-fold increase was identified as mitochondrial NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase orthologue. However, we could not find any matches in the database from ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS for the remaining seven proteins, thus only partial peptide sequences of these proteins were found.
The melting dynamics of laser excited InSb have been studied with femtosecond x-ray diffraction. These measurements observe the delayed onset of diffusive atomic motion, signaling the appearance of liquidlike dynamics. They also demonstrate that the root-mean-squared displacement in the [111] direction increases faster than in the [110] direction after the first 500 fs. This structural anisotropy indicates that the initially generated fluid differs significantly from the equilibrium liquid.
A discogenic cervical headache is a subtype of cervicogenic headache (CEH) that arises from a degenerative cervical disc abnormality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PECD) for patients with chronic cervical headache due to soft cervical disc herniation. Seventeen patients underwent PECD for intractable headache. The inclusion criteria were soft disc herniation without segmental instability, proven by both local anesthesia and provocative discography for headache unresponsive to conservative treatment. The mean follow-up period was 37.6 months. Fifteen of the 17 patients (88.2%) showed successful outcomes based on the Macnab criteria. Pain scores on a visual analog scale (VAS) improved from a preoperative mean of 8.35 +/- 0.79 to 2.12 +/- 1.17, postoperatively (P < 0.01). The mean disc height decreased from 6.81 +/- 1.08 to 5.98 +/- 1.07 mm (P < 0.01). There was no newly developed segmental instability or spontaneous fusion on follow-up radiography. In conclusion, PECD appears to be effective for chronic severe discogenic cervical headache under strict inclusion criteria.
BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic bypass surgery for the palliation of gastric and biliary obstruction is associated with a rapid recovery. This study aimed to extend its application to other aspects in the management of patients with periampullary cancer. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2004, 21 patients (median age, 68 years) underwent laparoscopic gastric (n = 8), biliary (n = 5), and combined gastric and biliary (n = 8) bypass. In addition to its therapeutic role (n = 12), indications included a concomitant prophylactic gastric (n = 3) and biliary (n = 2) bypass as well as pre- 1 Whipple's relief of deep jaundice at the time of staging laparoscopy (n = 3). Construction of the biliary bypass to the gallbladder (n = 11) or bile duct (n = 2) was based on preoperative imaging. RESULTS: All procedures were completed laparoscopically. The median operating times for gastric, biliary, and combined bypass were 75, 60, and 130 min, respectively. The addition of a prophylactic bypass did not significantly prolong the operating time, as compared with a single therapeutic bypass. One patient died postoperatively of aspiration pneumonia. The postoperative hospital stay (median, 4 days) was not significantly influenced by the type of bypass. No recurrence of or new obstructive symptoms developed during the follow-up period after a therapeutic or prophylactic bypass. CONCLUSIONS: Applications of laparoscopic gastric and biliary bypass can safely be expanded to include a prophylactic role and preresection relief of obstructive jaundice. Prophylactic bypass surgery does not prolong operating time or hospital stay significantly and prevents future onset of obstructive symptoms.
A linkage analysis for finding inheritance states and haplotype configurations is an essential process for linkage and association mapping. The linkage analysis is routinely based upon observed pedigree information and marker genotypes for individuals in the pedigree. It is not feasible for exact methods to use all such information for a large complex pedigree especially when there are many missing genotypic data. Proposed Markov chain Monte Carlo approaches such as a single-site Gibbs sampler or the meiosis Gibbs sampler are able to handle a complex pedigree with sparse genotypic data; however, they often have reducibility problems, causing biased estimates. We present a combined method, applying the random walk approach to the reducible sites in the meiosis sampler. Therefore, one can efficiently obtain reliable estimates such as identity-by-descent coefficients between individuals based on inheritance states or haplotype configurations, and a wider range of data can be used for mapping of quantitative trait loci within a reasonable time.
We report on the first observation of D0/1(2420)-->D0pi- pi+ and D+/1(2420-->D+ pi- pi+ decays (where the contribution from the dominant known D1-->D*pi decay mode is excluded) in the B- -->D0/1pi-) and (-)B0-->D+/1pi- decays, respectively. The observation is based on 15.2 x 10(7) B(-)B events collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB collider. We also set 90% confidence level upper limits for the branching fractions of the four following decays: B- -->D0/1pi-, D01-->D(*0)pi- pi+, (-)B0-->D+/1pi-, D+/1-->D(*+) pi- pi+, B- -->D(*0)2(2460)pi-, D(*0)2 -->D(*0) pi- pi+, (-)B0-->D(*+)2(2460)pi-, D(*+)2-->D(*+)pi- pi+.
We report the observation of the decay B0-->pi(0)pi(0), using a 253 fb(-1) data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e(+)e(-) collider. The measured branching fraction is B(B0-->pi(0)pi(0))=(2.3(+0.4+0.2)(-0.5-0.3))x10(-6), with a significance of 5.8 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties. We also make a measurement of the direct CP violating asymmetry in this mode.
We report the observation of a near-threshold enhancement in the omegaJ/psi invariant mass distribution for exclusive B-->KomegaJ/psi decays. The results are obtained from a 253 fb(-1) data sample that contains 275 x 10(6) BB pairs that were collected near the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy e(+)e(-) collider. The statistical significance of the omegaJ/psi mass enhancement is estimated to be greater than 8sigma.