Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialFour-week effects of allopurinol and febuxostat treatments on blood pressure and serum creatinine level in gouty men.
The aim of this study was to observe the effects of uric acid lowering therapy (UALT), febuxostat and allopurinol, on blood pressure (BP) and serum creatinine level. Post-hoc data were derived from a phase-III, randomised, double-blind, 4-week trial of male gouty patients that compared the safety and efficacy of febuxostat and allopurinol in adults with gout. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups, 35-37 in each group (febuxostat: 40, 80, 120 mg/d; allopurinol: 300 mg/d; control group: placebo). ⋯ After adjusting for confounding variables, serum uric acid changes were found to be significantly correlated with changes in serum creatinine level but were not associated with changes in systolic or diastolic BP. UALT in gouty subjects significantly decreased diastolic BP and serum creatinine level. Changes in uric acid were significantly correlated with those in serum creatinine level, suggesting the feasibility of renal function improvement through UALT in gouty men.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2014
Withaferin A-caused production of intracellular reactive oxygen species modulates apoptosis via PI3K/Akt and JNKinase in rabbit articular chondrocytes.
Withaferin A (WFA) is known as a constituent of Ayurvedic medicinal plant, Withania somnifera, and has been used for thousands of years. Although WFA has been used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and has a wide range of biochemical and pharmacologic activities, there are no findings suggesting its properties on chondrocytes or cartilage. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of WFA on apoptosis with focus on generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). ⋯ We also found that WFA causes the activation of PI3K/Akt and JNKinase. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt and JNKinase with LY294002 (LY)/triciribine (TB) or SP600125 (SP) in WFA-treated cells reduced accumulation of p53 and inhibited fragmented DNA. Our findings suggested that apoptosis caused by WFA-induced intracellular ROS generation is regulated through PI3K/Akt and JNKinase in rabbit articular chondrocytes.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEarly prophylactic versus late selective use of surfactant for respiratory distress syndrome in very preterm infants: a collaborative study of 53 multi-center trials in Korea.
Pulmonary surfactant (PS) therapy was proven to be highly successful for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. As a results, early prophylactic (EP) PS therapy has been introduced recently in Europe, the US and Korea. However, no multi-center study was compared EP and late selective (LS) PS therapies in Korea. ⋯ Compared to the LS group (22.5%), the overall mortality was better in the EP group (19.9%) and there was no increased need for retreatment. There were additional benefits in the EP group such as fewer associated complications. To the best of knowledge, our study is the first nationwide Korean study to compare the outcomes of EP and LS therapies, and it provides evidences that EP PS therapy is important in very preterm infants to improve for survival and reduce morbidities.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2014
Susceptibility of Escherichia coli from community-acquired urinary tract infection to fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin, and temocillin in Korea.
With increase of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli in community-acquired urinary tract infections (CA-UTI), other treatment option with a therapeutic efficacy and a low antibiotic selective pressure is necessary. In this study, we evaluated in vitro susceptibility of E. coli isolates from CA-UTI to fosfomycin (FM), nitrofurantoin (NI), temocillin (TMO) as well as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SMX), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and cefepime (FEP). The minimal inhibitory concentrations were determined by E-test or agar dilution method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines, using 346 E. coli collected in 12 Korean hospitals from March 2010 to February 2011. ⋯ Conversely, resistance rates of CIP and SMX were 22% (76/346) and 29.2% (101/349), respectively. FEP still retained an activity of 98.5%. In Korea, NI and TMO in addition to FM are a good therapeutic option for uncomplicated CA-UTI, especially for lower UTI.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2014
Trends and risk factors of the epidemic of charcoal burning suicide in a recent decade among Korean people.
The aims of this study were to analyze annual trends of charcoal burning (CB) suicide, 2000 to 2011, and to examine the risk factors of CB suicide in Korea. Data on suicides (n=138,938) were obtained from the Statistics Korea. ⋯ Of significant risk factors of CB suicide, the presence of the media report of Ahn's suicide was the greatest risk factor (adjusted odds ratio, 11.69; 95% CI, 10.30-13.23) of the initial phase of the continuing CB suicides since 2008. Korean Government should urgently consider effective measures against CB suicide, including enforced media regulations on reporting such suicides.