Surfactant protein D inhibits lipid-laden foamy macrophages and lung inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Increased levels of surfactant protein D (SP-D) and lipid-laden foamy macrophages (FMs) are frequently found under oxidative stress conditions and/or in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are also chronically exposed to cigarette smoke (CS). However, the roles and molecular mechanisms of SP-D and FMs in COPD have not yet been determined. In this study, increased levels of SP-D were found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sera of ozone- and CS-exposed mice.

Hypoalbuminemia differently affects the serum bone turnover markers in hemodialysis patients.

Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) represents bone disorders related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and several bone biomarkers are used clinically to predict ROD in CKD and hemodialysis (HD) patients. Serum albumin associates with inflammation other than nutritional status in these patients. Chronic inflammation is proved to relate with bone loss, however, the influence of hypoalbuminemia on bone biomarkers is still unclear.

Randomized Trial to Compare Renal Function and Ductal Response between Indomethacin and Ibuprofen Treatment in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

Background: A head to head comparison study on renal function and ductal response between indomethacin and ibuprofen has rarely been conducted in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.

Objectives: The aim was to compare renal function and ductal response between indomethacin and ibuprofen in ELBW infants.

Methods: We performed a double-blind randomized control trial to compare renal function and ductal response between indomethacin (0.

Development of refractory ascites during amiodarone therapy in a hemodialysis patient with nephrogenic and cardiogenic ascites.

In this report, the clinical characteristics of a 65-year-old female patient with tricuspid regurgitation, ischemic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal failure were retrospectively evaluated. Laboratory studies revealed cardiogenic ascites coincided with nephrogenic ascites and subclinical amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism. The ascites of the patient was responsive to management of congestive heart failure and therapeutic paracentesis during the first episode, add-on therapy with intensified hemodialysis during the second episode, and add-on therapy with low-dose eltroxin during the third episode.

Nonviral gene vector formation in monodispersed picolitre incubator for consistent gene delivery.

A novel picolitre incubator based microfluidic system for consistent nonviral gene carrier formulation is presented. A cationic lipid-based carrier is the most attractive nonviral solution for delivering plasmid DNA, shRNA, or drugs for pharmaceutical research and RNAi applications. The size of the cationic lipid and DNA complex (CL-DNA), or the lipoplex, is one of the important variations for consistency of gene transfection.

Outcomes at school age after postnatal dexamethasone therapy for lung disease of prematurity.

Background: We studied the outcomes at school age in children who had participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of early postnatal dexamethasone therapy (initiated within 12 hours after birth) for the prevention of chronic lung disease of prematurity.

Methods: Of the 262 children included in the initial study, 159 lived to school age. Of these children, 146 (72 in the dexamethasone group and 74 in the control group) were included in our study.

Correlation of serum leptin concentrations with body composition and gender in Taiwanese hemodialysis patients without diabetes.

Objective: (1) To evaluate the impact of body composition and gender on serum leptin concentration in hemodialysis patients. (2) To study which marker of adiposity is most appropriate in Taiwanese hemodialysis patients without diabetes. (3) To compare the nutrition status between nonlean and lean subjects.

Substrate specificity and kinetic properties of seven heterologously expressed dog cytochromes p450.

Seven dog cytochromes p450 (p450s) were heterologously expressed in baculovirus-Sf21 insect cells. Of all enzymes examined, CYP1A1 exhibited high 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity (low Km enzyme, 1 microM). CYP2B11 and CYP3A12 effectively catalyzed the N1-demethylation and C3-hydroxylation of diazepam (and its derivatives), whereas CYP3A12 and CYP2D15 catalyzed exclusively the N- and O-demethylation, respectively, of dextromethorphan.

Inhibition kinetics of monoclonal antibodies against cytochromes P450.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) inhibitory to individual cytochromes P450 (P450s) are of tremendous utility in identification of P450s responsible for the metabolism of a given drug or drug candidate in pharmaceuticals. In the present study, two inhibitory MAbs against CYP2D6 (MAb(2D6-50,) IgG(2b) and MAb(2D6-184), IgG(2a)) were developed by hybridoma technology to exhibit their high specificity and potency. The MAbs were further employed to assess the quantitative role (47-93%) of CYP2D6 to the metabolism of bufuralol in human liver microsomes from seven donors.

Effect of albumin on phenytoin and tolbutamide metabolism in human liver microsomes: an impact more than protein binding.

The cytochrome P450 (P450)-dependent conversion of phenytoin (PHT) to p-hydroxy phenytoin (pHPPH), and tolbutamide (TLB) to 4-hydroxy tolbutamide (hydroxy-TLB), in human liver microsomes was studied in the presence of increasing concentrations (0-4%) of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Therefore, the free fraction (f(u)) of PHT and TLB varied. Whereas the f(u) of PHT (5 microM) decreased, an increase (3-fold), rather than a decrease in the pHPPH formation rate was observed when BSA (<1%) was present.

Efficient synthesis of 'redox-switched' naphthoquinone thiol-crown ethers and their biological activity evaluation.

Series of naphthoquinone thiol-crown ethers had been prepared. The antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities of these synthetic naphthoquinone thiol-crown ethers were investigated. All of the compounds tested displayed antibacterial, cytotoxic and antifungal activities.

Electroacupuncture at Hoku elicits dual effect on autonomic nervous system in anesthetized rats.

To address the effect of electroacupuncture (Ea) on the autonomic nerve activity, responses of arteriole blood pressure (BP), intragastric pressure (IGP) and parasympathetic vagal nerve activity (VNA) to Ea were investigated in alpha-chloralose anesthetized rats. The acupoint: Hoku (Li-4) was tested with two different stimulation frequencies (2 and 20 Hz). Decrease in VNA and basal IGP associated with elevation of BP were elicited during Ea at Hoku with stimulation intensity of 20 times of motor threshold.