Search

The dissolution process of penicillin in normal saline and isotonic glucose solution was reported using a microcalorimeter. Both the integral and differential heats of solution were measured. The quantitative relationships between the amount of heat released and the quantity of dissolved penicillin were established. Meanwhile, the kinetics and the half-life of the dissolution processes as well as the enthalpy of solution, the entropy of dissolution, and the free energy of dissolution were determined. The results showed that a change of the solvent from normal saline to isotonic glucose solution had little effect on the half-life of penicillin in the dissolution process, and there was no significant difference between the stabilities of penicillin in isotonic glucose solution and normal saline. Moreover, the dissolution process of penicillin in isotonic glucose solution followed the first-order kinetics. These results could provide a theoretical basis for the clinical applications of penicillin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Haemorrhagic intracranial vertebrobasilar dissection is an uncommon cause of nontraumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and accounts for only 1–10% of non-traumatic SAH. Treatment in the acute phase is considered to be essential because of the high risk of rebleeding and the consequent unfavourable outcome. However, the location, the potential for involvement of eloquent vessels and the histopathological characteristics of the vessel wall make treatment demanding from both a technical and anatomical point of view. We report our experience in the management of this disease. Patients and treatments. From 1989 to June 2006, we managed 21 patients with spontaneous haemorrhagic dissection located in the intracranial vertebrobasilar system, 13 patients were treated using an endovascular approach, 1 by surgical clipping, and 7 were managed conservatively. Results. Among the 13 patients treated endovascularly, 7 underwent proximal occlusion, 4 underwent parent artery embolization at the site of dissection, and 2 underwent endovascular trapping. Severe, treatment-related complications due to dislodgement of the thrombus during the procedure occurred in 1 patient, who then died from brainstem ischaemia. One patient died from severe pneumonia and one patient was left disabled from vasospastic ischaemia resulting from severe initial SAH. The remaining 10 patients had satisfactory outcomes: none rebled after treatment and when discharged they had Karnovsky scores of 80–100. Of the 7 conservatively treated patients, three died of rebleeding and four were discharged with Karnovsky scores of 50–100. One patient, who was treated surgically, was discharged with a Karnovsky of 90. Conclusion. The high rate of rebleeding and consequent mortality among the patients treated conservatively argues for treatment in the acute phase. Treatment should be guided by each patient’s angiomorphology, clinical condition and the experience of the neurosurgical/neuroradiological team. Options include endovascular or surgical trapping of the dissection and proximal occlusion and embolisation of the parent artery at the site of the dissection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diterpenoids isolated from Labiatae family herbs have strong antitumor activities with low toxicity. In this study, Eriocalyxin B (EriB), a diterpenoid extracted from Isodon eriocalyx, was tested on human leukemia/lymphoma cells and murine leukemia models. Acute myeloid leukemia cell line Kasumi-1 was most sensitive to EriB. Significant apoptosis was observed, concomitant with Bcl-2/Bcl-XL downregulation, mitochondrial instability and caspase-3 activation. AML1-ETO oncoprotein was degraded in parallel to caspase-3 activation. EriB-mediated apoptosis was associated with NF-κB inactivation by preventing NF-κB nuclear translocation and inducing IκBα cleavage, and disturbance of MAPK pathway by downregulating ERK1/2 phosphorylation and activating AP-1. Without affecting normal hematopoietic progenitor cells proliferation, EriB was effective on primary t(8;21) leukemia blasts and caused AML1-ETO degradation. In murine t(8;21) leukemia models, EriB remarkably prolonged the survival time or decreased the xenograft tumor size. Together, EriB might be a potential treatment for t(8;21) leukemia by targeting AML1-ETO oncoprotein and activating apoptosis pathways.Cell Death and Differentiation (2007) 14, 306–317. doi:10.1038/sj.cdd.4401996; published online 16 June 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : It is proposed that the development and progression of radiation-induced late effects are driven, in part, by chronic oxidative stress. This mini-review presents data to support this hypothesis and provides the foundation for antioxidant-based interventional approaches directed at modulating late normal tissue injury. Conclusions : Although a causal link between chronic oxidative stress and radiation-induced late normal tissue injury remains to be established, a growing body of evidence appears to support the hypothesis that chronic oxidative stress might serve to drive the progression of radiation-induced late effects. The similarity between chronic tissue injury, chronic inflammation and fibrosis observed in a variety of disease states, including radiation late effects, is provocative and offers the opportunity to apply antioxidant-based therapies to mitigate and/or treat late radiation-induced normal tissue injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many MRI studies have cited major depression, with or without anti-depressive treatment, associated with structural plasticity changing in several brain regions. Few of these studies researched the effect of the anti-depressive treatment, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), on depression. Objective: To assess the influence of ECT on the brain structure change during the treatment process by utilizing the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Aims: To determine whether ECT alter brain structure. Methods: We performed HAMD ratings and MRI scans on 12 depressive patients during ECT, analyzing the data by VBM with SPM8 software''s family-wise error correction (FWE). Results: The researchers found volumes changes in white matter in 37 regions between pre-ECT and post-ECT1, but only one region changing between pre-ECT and post-ECT8. Seven regions changing in grey matter between pre-ECT and post-ECT 1⌧but none regions changing between pre-ECT and post-ECT8. Conclusions: The density changes in several brain regions after a single ECT stimuli, but return to the original level after completing the eighth ECT. Our finding supports that ECT may play a temporary role in treating major depression but do not permanently alter the structures of brain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Current standard treatment, including non-anthracycline-based chemotherapy and optimal combining of radiotherapy, has dramatically improved outcomes of patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) during the last decade. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical outcome of ENKTL patients with relapsed or progressive disease after initial current standard therapy. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with ENKTL at six centers in four countries (China, France, Singapore, and South Korea) from 1997 to 2015 and analyzed 179 patients who had relapsed or progressed after initial current standard therapy. Results: After a median follow-up of 58.6 months (range 27.9-89.2), the median second progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.1 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.04-5.16] and overall survival (OS) was 6.4 months (95% CI 4.36-8.51). Multivariate Coxregression analysis revealed that elevated lactate dehydrogenase, multiple extranodal sites (≥2), and presence of B symptoms were associated with inferior OS (P<0.05). OS and PFS were significantly different according to both prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma (PINK) and PINK-E (Epstein-Barr virus) models. Salvage chemotherapy with L-asparaginase (L-Asp)-based regimens showed a significantly better clinical benefit to response rate and PFS, although it did not lead to OS improvement. First use of L-Asp in the salvage setting and L-Asp rechallenge at least 6 months after initial treatment were the best candidates for salvage L-Asp containing chemotherapy. Conclusions: Most patients with relapsed or refractory ENKTL had poor prognosis with short survival. Further studies are warranted to determine the optimal treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory ENKTL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telbivudine, an FDA pregnancy category B drug, has been found to reduce hepatitis B virus (HBV) perinatal transmission with no safety concerns in infants aged up to 1 year. This study evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of telbivudine in 214 infants born to 210 pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B infection who were treated with telbivudine during pregnancy (weeks 20-32 of gestation). The infants were followed for up to 5 years after birth. The efficacy endpoint was the rate of perinatal transmission, which was established by HBsAg and HBV DNA levels at 7 and 12 months. Safety endpoints included head circumference, weight, height, congenital abnormality and hospitalization rates. In addition, the Denver Developmental Screening Test was performed in 92 randomly selected infants. None of the 214 infants born to these women were infected with HBV, and all had effective serum hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) levels. Compared with Chinese standard values, there were few differences in the infants' mean head circumference, weight, and height values. No birth defects were diagnosed, and the congenital abnormality rate was 0.934%. Serious adverse events requiring hospitalization occurred in 20 infants (9.35%). The qualified Denver Developmental Screening Test rate in 92 infants was 97.82%, which was comparable to a rate of 92% in normal Chinese children. Thus, treatment with telbivudine during the second or third trimesters of pregnancy safely blocked perinatal transmission of HBV. Infants born to telbivudine-treated mothers showed normal growth and development during long-term follow-up of up to 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTeriparatide could induce osteoblast differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells while inhibiting adipocyte differentiation. However, there are significant differences betweenex vivoandin vivomodels. We aimed to evaluate the impact of teriparatide on marrow and abdominal fat accumulation in postmenopausal osteopenic women. MethodsPostmenopausal osteopenic women were randomly assigned to receive teriparatide or placebo for 12 months. Subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), marrow fat fraction (MFF), bone density (BMD) and bone biomarkers were measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months. ResultsAt 12 months, mean percentage changes in BMD from baseline were 3.51%, 2.21% and 1.80% at lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck for the teriparatide group, respectively. Relative to baseline conditions, teriparatide reduced MFF (–3.54% at 6 months; –5.87% at 12 months, allp < 0.01). A significant difference in MFF, but not BMD, was first detected at 6 months (p = 0.012) between groups. MFF was negatively associated with SAT (r = –0.479) and positively associated with VAT (r = 0.531) and VAT/SAT (r = 0.415, allp < 0.05). Teriparatide treatment did not alter abdominal fat composition. ConclusionTeriparatide effectively lowers marrow adiposity but not abdominal fat accumulation in postmenopausal osteopenic women. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate ( TDF) has demonstrated long-term efficacy and a high barrier to resistance in multiple chronic hepatitis B ( CHB) populations outside of China. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TDF compared with adefovir dipivoxil ( ADV) in Chinese patients with CHB during 48 weeks of treatment (ClinicalTrial.gov number, NCT01300234). A Phase 3, multicentred, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial compared the efficacy and safety of TDF with ADV in Chinese patients with CHB. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with HBV DNA <400 copies/mL in each treatment group at Week 48, using an unpooled Z-test for superiority. Secondary endpoints included viral suppression, serologic response, histological improvement, normalization of alanine aminotransferase ( ALT) levels and the emergence of resistance mutations. A total of 509 patients, 202 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 307 HBeAg-negative, with HBV DNA ≥105 copies/mL received either TDF 300 mg od or ADV 10 mg od. At Week 48, TDF demonstrated superior viral suppression compared with ADV in both HBeAg-positive (76.7% vs 18.2%, P < 0.0001) and HBeAg-negative (96.8% vs 71.2%, P < 0.0001) patients. The majority of patients in both treatment arms achieved ALT normalization (>85%). No resistance to TDF was observed. The frequency of adverse events was comparable between treatment arms ( TDF 3.9% vs ADV 4.8%). In this double-blind, randomized, clinical trial, TDF demonstrated superiority over ADV with respect to viral suppression in Chinese patients with CHB at 48 weeks of treatment and without the development of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hepatitis B infection is an important cause of liver-related mortality in China. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of entecavir in a heterogeneous patient population from a 'real-world' clinical practice setting in China. This prospective, observational cohort provides 48-week data on 2600 patients from 50 sites in China who received entecavir (0.5 or 1.0 mg) and were assessed for virologic, serologic and biochemical responses. Patients were nucleos(t)ide-naïve or -experienced and had compensated or decompensated liver function. At Week 48, 1545/2424 (64%) patients with compensated liver disease and 30/44 (68%) patients with decompensated liver disease achieved HBV DNA <50 IU/mL. Greater proportions of nucleos(t)ide-naïve than nucleos(t)ide-experienced (69% vs 53%), and adefovir-experienced than lamivudine/telbivudine-experienced (62% vs 52%) patients achieved this endpoint. Most patients with HBV DNA <50 IU/mL also achieved HBV DNA <12 IU/L (60%, 45% and 61% of nucleos(t)ide-naïve, nucleos(t)ide-experienced and decompensated patients, respectively). In patients with compensated liver disease, ALT values normalized in 1532/1792 patients (85%), and HBeAg loss and HBeAg seroconversion were observed in 17% and 15% of treatment-naïve and 15% and 11% of treatment-experienced patients. Entecavir was generally well tolerated. Adverse event rates were comparable between treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients with compensated liver disease, but were higher in decompensated than in compensated patients, consistent with previous reports in these patients with more advanced disease. Four patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. In a 'real-world' setting, entecavir was efficacious and well tolerated throughout 48 weeks in a heterogeneous Chinese CHB population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]