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Five samples of Cistanches Herba from different places were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS and FTIR methods. The effective compositions in Cistanches Herba including cistanoside A, echinacoside, acteoside , isoacteoside, 2'-actylacteoside, cistanoside C and tubluoside B were determined by HPLC-MS. The common peak ratio and variant peak ratio were calculated by FTIR spectroscopy of the five samples and the dual index sequence of common peak ratio and variant peak ratio were established. The results showed that the evaluation results of the samples by the two methods were the same. The general fake plant Cynomorii Herba could be identified by FTIR. HPLC-ESI-MS, which has high sensitivity and rapid determination procedure, can be used to evaluate quality of Cistanches Herba by quantitative analysis of the primary compositions. FTIR is a non-destructive analysis method. without complicated extraction and separation procedures to the samples. The absorption strength and the absorption shape were the synergistic effect of the functional groups and the nestification of the components in Cistanches Herba. The provided method has some advantages such as rapid analysis process, good reproducibility, non-destructive, small quantity of sample, simple treatment, good specificity, low-cost and environment-friendly. The method meets the trend of complex analysis and whole analysis for the Chinese medicines. Combination of FTIR and HPLC-ESI-MS was a good method for identification and evaluation of quality of Chinese medicines.

We reported that ginger prevented obesity in mice fed a high-fat diet in previous study. In this experiment, we examined the effects of zingerone, the major pungent component of ginger on fat storage in ovariectomized (Ovx) rats. Oral administration of 170 mg/kg zingerone significantly reduced body weight and the final parametrail adipose tissue weight in ovariectomized rats. Blood glucose levels after oral administration of glucose were lower in zingerone-treated Ovx-rats than in the Ovx-rats (control). Basal lipolysis in zingerone-treated Ovx-rats was increased compared with that in the Ovx-rats. Zingerone significantly increased norepinephrine-induced lipolysis associated with the translocation of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) from the cytosol to lipid droplets in adipocytes. These results indicate that zingerone may prevent the fat storage through increasing norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in adipocytes.

To investigate the mechanism of hypergammaglobulinemia in HIV infected patients, the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the hypergammaglobulinemia was analyzed. Involved in this study were 34 untreated, 21 HAART-effective (complete response) and 14 HAART-non-effective (partial response) patients. Serum levels of HIV-RNA and gammaglobulin and immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes were measured. Mean HIV-RNA levels of untreated and partial response patients were 1.6 x 10(4) copies/ml and 0.4 x 10(4) copies/ml, respectively. HIV-RNA levels of all complete response patients were below 4.0 x 10(2) copies/ml. Mean gammaglobulin percentages of untreated, partial response and complete response patients were 24.4%, 21.8% and 17.9%, respectively (p < 0.01 in untreated vs complete response patients). Mean IgG levels in the three groups were 2,489 mg/dl, 1,947 mg/dl and 1,618 mg/dl, respectively (p < 0.001 in untreated vs complete response patients). IgA levels were high in some untreated patients and lower in complete response patients. IgE levels were increased in some untreated and partial response patients, but there was no significant difference among the three groups. These results suggested that the hypergammaglobulinemia found in HIV infected patients was associated with HIV replication. The activation mechanism might differ by Ig isotypes.

In chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is seroconverted from positive to negative. HBeAg is associated with active replication of the HBV and a high disease activity. To elucidate the relation between HBV X-precore region mutation and HBeAg status, HBV replication and liver function were surveyed in chronic hepatitis B patients. HBV DNA was isolated from fifteen serum samples of seven patients with chronic hepatitis B, and the X-precore region was amplified by PCR and sequenced. Each sequence was compared with the consensus sequence of each patient. The most frequently observed mutations were A to T at nt. 1762 and G to A at nt. 1764 in the core promoter region and G to A at nt. 1896 in the precore region. These mutations were more commonly found in HBeAg-negative serum samples than in HBeAg-positive (p < 0.001, respectively). Of 7 serum samples with the wild type or wild/mutant mixed type in the precore region, 6 were HBeAg-positive and had a high HBV DNA polymerase (DNA-p) activity and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. On the other hand, 6 serum samples with the mutant type only were HBeAg-negative and had a low DNA-p activity and normal ALT level. Interestingly, 2 serum samples with the mutant type only had a high DNA-p activity and serum ALT elevation, despite being HBeAg-negative. Core promoter region mutation was not associated with HBV markers or serum ALT level. In conclusion, mutation at nt. 1896 in the precore region causes seroconversion from HBeAg-positive to -negative and is accompanied by reductions of viral replication and hepatitis activity.

An outbreak of an influenza like illness was found in a nursing home in Fukuoka in January, 1999. Results of hemagglutinin inhibition tests with paired sera of patients and rapid diagnosis kit for influenza A indicated that an influenza A (H3N2) outbreak had occurred. A total of 15 patients with influenza like illness from one residential area of the nursing home were administered amantadine, 100 mg per day for five days. Clinical records of 264 residents were surveyed retrospectively from the tenth to the thirty-first of January, 1999. Influenza like illness was found in 112 residents (42.4%). The incidence of influenza like illness differed by residential area, ranging from 27.6% to 54.0%. The mean duration of fever was 3.6 days among patients administered amantadine. The mean duration was 4.4 days for patients not administered amantadine. The incidence of influenza like illness decreased rapidly after amantadine administration in the residential area where amantadine administration was done. These results suggest that amantadine is effective in mitigating influenza symptoms in the elderly. Amantadine may be useful for diminishing the influence of influenza A outbreaks in nursing homes.

Directigen Flu A, an enzyme immunoassay membrane test for the detection of influenza A virus, was compared with serum hemagglutinine inhibition assay in adult and elderly patients. Throat specimens were collected by vigorous swabbing from febrile patients who were suspect for influenza by clinical symptoms and tested with Directigen Flu A. Serum samples were collected from the patients at onset of illness and two to eleven weeks later and tested for antibody titer to influenza A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B. A total of 57 patients were involved in this study; 32 under 59 years of age and 25 over 60 years of age. Influenza was diagnosed in 42 patients by HI titer elevation (73.7%). Directigen Flu A was positive in 25 patients. Results of Directigen Flu A and HI test agreed in 40 patients. Sensitivity and specificity of Directigen Flu A were 59.5% (25/42) and 100% (15/15), respectively. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between the two age groups. These results indicate the potential usefulness of Directigen Flu A in the surveillance of influenza A infection in the geriatric population. Directigen Flu A gives results within 15 minutes without expensive equipment. Use of Directigen Flu permits the timely administration of antiviral therapy and infection control among hospitalized and institutionalized geriatric patients.

To investigate the effect of previous influenza vaccination and the difference in antibody induction by single and twice injection of influenza vaccine in the elderly, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers of the three types of influenza viruses were measured. Influenza vaccination was done for 217 inpatients. For the patients who had influenza vaccination in the year prior to the study, influenza vaccine was administered once to 77 patients and twice to another 70 patients. Influenza vaccine was injected twice to 70 patients who had not received influenza vaccine in the previous years. The influenza vaccine induced an increase in HI titer in almost all patients. The geometric mean of the HI titer and the frequency of patients with HI titers over 128x were similar after vaccination in the groups of patients who were injected twice, irrespective of whether or not influenza vaccination was given in the year prior to the study. The geometric means of the HI titers for influenzas A/H3N2 and B and the frequency of HI titers over 128x for influenza A/H3N2 after vaccination were lower in the patients who received vaccine once than in the patients vaccinated twice. These results suggest that prior vaccination does not diminish antibody response to influenza vaccine significantly in the elderly when influenza vaccine is injected twice. Although single injection is inferior to twice injection in antibody induction with some vaccine virus strains, induction of HI titers over 128x is found in more than 70% of elderly. Single injection of influenza vaccine may be practically effective and useful for protection of influenza infection in the elderly.

To determine the efficacy of a single influenza vaccine administration in the elderly receiving annual influenza vaccination, antibody response to influenza vaccine was compared between once and twice injections in a geriatric cohort. Influenza vaccination had been done for 69 inpatients in the year prior to the study, and was administered twice for 34 of them and once for the other 35 during the study period. Influenza vaccine was injected twice to 77 inpatients who had not received influenza vaccine in the year prior to the study. Hemoagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titer for influenza A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B was measured before vaccination, after the first vaccination, after the second vaccination, and after the epidemic period, September 1995 to April 1996. HI antibody titer prior to vaccination was significantly higher in the patients who had received influenza vaccination the previous year. The influenza vaccine induced an increase in HI titer in almost all subjects, and the geometric mean of the HI titer after vaccination in the patients who received vaccine once was comparable to that of the patients injected vaccine twice. The number of patients with HI titers of over 128x increased, and the frequency ranged from 60.0% to 97.1% for the influenza viruses of the three subtypes. The frequency of HI titers over 128x was not significantly different among the three groups. The second vaccination did not increase the number of patients with HI titers over 128x when compared with the number after the first injection in the patients who had received influenza vaccine the previous year. These results suggest that prior vaccination does not diminish the antibody response to influenza vaccine in the elderly. The efficacy of a single influenza vaccination is comparable to that achieved by twice injections in the elderly receiving annual influenza vaccination.

The authors studied the long-term follow up of trigeminal neuralgic patients treated by retrogasserian rhizotomy with anhydrous glycerol injection (GI) or by microvascular decompression (MVD) and compared the satisfaction rates between them. Since 1983, 67 patients had been treated either by GI or MVD. The authors analyzed the results of the treatment by the method of questionnaire. Fifty-two patients of these 67 answered the questions, on which the present analysis was based. GI group consisted of 27 patients and MVD group 29 patients. The average follow-up period was 30.9 months in GI group (maximum follow-up: 84 months) and 50.9 months in MVD group (maximum follow-up: 95 months), respectively. The technique of GI used was Härtel's method with cisternography of Meckel's cave. The operations of MVD were performed by J.H. and A.K.. One patient out of 29 failed to be treated by MVD and two recurred within one year. On the other hand, 2 patients out of 27 failed to be treated by GI and 11 recurred. The recurrence was seen earlier in patients who had undergone GI, while one patient recurred the neuralgia at 76 months later. The recurrence rate in patients treated by MVD is 7.0% at 95 months, while that by GI is 49.0% at 84 months based on Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The pathogenesis of trigeminal neuralgia is speculated to be an emphatic conduction caused by segmental demyelination and artificial synapse formation at the junction of central and peripheral myelin. The factors of this demyelination may be multiple sclerosis, basilar impression, aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, atheroscleroses and natural aging.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hybrid material compounded with periodontal ligament cells on human teeth and porous hydroxyapatite. As the first step, we tried to produce hybrid materials compounded with periodontal ligament cells and porous hydroxyapatite, and to observe the attachment and invasion of periodontal ligament cells porous hydroxyapatite. Human periodontal ligament cells which had been scraped off the root with a disposable blade were cultured at 37 degrees C in alpha-MEM plus 10% fetal calf serum. The culture cells were attached to the porous hydroxyapatite in vitro. After 3 and 14 days of incubation, the specimens were fixed in gluteraldehyde and examined using SEM. Other specimens were embedded in paraffin and successive specimens were prepared for to remodelling of the attachment and invasion. Many cells attached to the P-HAP granules, and some cells invaded the P-HAP granules. The results suggest that when these hybrid materials are implanted in bone defects, the cells remain in the defect for a certain period, and exhibit the functions and characteristics of itself.