Synthetic 3′,4′-Dihydroxyflavone Exerts Anti-Neuroinflammatory Effects in BV2 Microglia and a Mouse Model

Neuroinflammation is an immune response within the central nervous system against various proinflammatory stimuli. Abnormal activation of this response contributes to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington disease. Therefore, pharmacologic modulation of abnormal neuroinflammation is thought to be a promising approach to amelioration of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we evaluated the synthetic flavone derivative 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavone, investigating its anti-neuroinflammatory activity in BV2 microglial cells and in a mouse model. In BV2 microglial cells, 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavone successfully inhibited production of chemokines such as nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 and proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, and interleukin 6 in BV2 microglia. It also inhibited phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. This indicates that the anti-inflammatory activities of 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavone might be related to suppression of the proinflammatory MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Similar anti-neuroinflammatory activities of the compound were observed in the mouse model. These findings suggest that 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavone is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of microglia-related neuroinflammatory diseases.

Comparison of surgical condition in endoscopic sinus surgery using remifentanil combined with propofol, sevoflurane, or desflurane / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Various maneuvers are commonly used to achieve the ideal operative field necessary for successful endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). There are a few contradictory reports on this subject and the consensus is that propofol anesthesia results in a better or similar surgical field and less or similar amount of bleeding than volatile anesthesia. The aim of this study was to compare the surgical field in patients in whom intravenous anesthesia is used as opposed to balanced general anesthesia. METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing ESS were randomly assigned into three groups, each of which used a different type of anesthesia: propofol/remifentanil (PRO/REM) group, sevoflurane/remifentanil (SEV/REM) group, and desflurane/remifentanil (DES/REM) group. We aimed to maintain the intraoperative mean blood pressure (MBP) at 65 mmHg and the heartrate (HR) at about 75 beats per minute. The quality of visibility of the surgical field was graded, using a validated scoring system, 60 minutes after the start of the operation. RESULTS: All groups had a similar MBP and mean HR at 60 minutes after the operation started. There was no significant differences among the three groups for surgical grade score (P = 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: In this comparative study of three anesthetic combinations (PRO/REM, SEV/REM, and DES/REM) in patients undergoing ESS with controlled BP and HR, we did not observe any significant differences in the surgical grade scores.

Pregnancy in Woman with Spinal Cord Stimulator for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is used to manage chronic pain syndromes and it is accepted a cost-effective therapy. Child-bearing women who had SCS become or choose to become pregnant despite these policies pregnancy is a relative contraindication. A 32-year-old woman had SCS as a treatment for the CRPS I of the left lower extremity. During various check up tests, we happen to find out that her serum beta-hCG was positive and confirmed pregnancy. SCS is not recommended in pregnancy because the effects of SCS on pregnancy and nursing mothers had not been confirmed. However, many female patients suffering from chronic pain may expect future pregnancy and we think that they must be informed about the possibility of pregnancy and the effects of SCS device implantation in the course of pregnancy. First of all, a good outcome requires a multidisciplinary team approach, including obstetrics, neonatology, pain medicine and anesthesia, as was used from an early pregnancy. Unfortunately, she had a misabortrion after 6 weeks.

Anaphylaxis during patient transfer to the operating room following ranitidine administration: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

A 43-year-old male was admitted for reconstruction surgery to repair posterolateral rotatory instability of the knee. At the request of the surgeon, ranitidine was slowly administered intravenously immediately before the patient was transferred to the operating room to reduce the incidence of acid reflux. A few minutes later, during the transfer of the patient, anaphylaxis developed with hypotension, nausea, dyspnea, change in consciousness and urticaria. The patient had no previous history of any allergic tendency. After appropriate management, he recovered without complication. Following surgery, an allergic skin prick test was performed to determine if the patient was allergic to any of the drugs used during the surgery. According to the results, only ranitidine showed a positive reaction.

Shear bond strength and adhesive failure pattern in bracket bonding with plasma arc light / 대한치과교정학회지

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of plasma arc light which can reduce the curing time dramatically compared by shear bond strengths and failure patterns of the brackets bonded with visible light in direct bracket bonding. Some kinds of brackets were bonded with the Transbond(R) to the human premolars which were embedded in the resin blocks according to the various conditions. After bonding, the shear bond strength was tested by Instron universal testing machine and in addition , the amount of residual adhesive remaining on the tooth after debonding was measured by the stereoscope and assessed with adhesive remnant index(ARI). The results were as follows : 1. When plasma arc light was used for bonding the brackets, the shear bond strength was clinically sufficient in both metal and ceramic brackets, but resin brackets showed significantly lower bond strength but which was clinically useful. 2. When metal brackets were bonded using visible light, there was no significant difference in shear bond strength due to the light-curing time and the bond strength was clinically sufficient. 3. When the adhesive failure patterns of brackets bonded with plasma arc light were observed by using the adhesive remnant index, the bond failure of the metal and resin bracket occurred more frequently at bracket-adhesive interface but the failure of the ceramic bracket occurred more frequently at enamel-adhesive interface. 4. There was no statistically significant difference of the shear bond strength and adhesive failure pattern between metal bracket bonded for 2 seconds by curing with plasma arc light and 10 seconds by curing with visible light. 6. When metal brackets were bonded using plasma arc light, the shear bond strength decreased as the distance from the light source increased. The above results suggest that plasma arc light can be clinically useful for bonding the brackets without fear of the decrease of the shear bond strength.