Oxaliplatin, a chemotherapy drug, often leads to neuropathic cold allodynia after a single administration. Bee venom acupuncture (BVA) has been used in Korea to relieve various pain symptoms and is shown to have a potent antiallodynic effect in nerve-injured rats. We examined whether BVA relieves oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia and which endogenous analgesic system is implicated. The cold allodynia induced by an oxaliplatin injection (6 mg/kg, i.p.) was evaluated by immersing the rat's tail into cold water (4°C) and measuring the withdrawal latency. BVA (1.0 mg/kg, s.c.) at Yaoyangguan (GV3), Quchi (LI11), or Zusanli (ST36) acupoints significantly reduced cold allodynia with the longest effect being shown in the GV3 group. Conversely, a high dose of BVA (2.5 mg/kg) at GV3 did not show a significant antiallodynic effect. Phentolamine (α-adrenergic antagonist, 2 mg/kg, i.p.) partially blocked the relieving effect of BVA on allodynia, whereas naloxone (opioid antagonist, 2 mg/kg, i.p.) did not. We further confirmed that an intrathecal administration of idazoxan (α 2-adrenergic antagonist, 50 μg) blocked the BVA-induced anti-allodynic effect. These results indicate that BVA alleviates oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia in rats, at least partly, through activation of the noradrenergic system. Thus, BVA might be a potential therapeutic option in oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy.

Background/AimsTo identify the predicting factors of present hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients with positivity for antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV).MethodsWe analyzed patients who showed positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) results and performed an HCV RNA test as a confirmatory test at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong from June 2006 to July 2012. The features distinguishing the groups with positive and negative HCV RNA results were reviewed.ResultsIn total, 490 patients were included. The results of the HCV RNA test were positive and negative in 228 and 262 patients, respectively. The index value of anti-HCV, mean age, platelet counts, total bilirubin, prothrombin time international normalized ratio, albumin and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels differed significantly between the two groups. On multivariable analysis, an index value of anti-HCV >10 [odds ratio (OR)=397.27, P<0.001), ALT >40 IU/L (OR=3.64, P=0.001), and albumin <3.8 g/dL (OR=2.66, P=0.014) were related to present HCV infection.ConclusionsAlthough EIA is not a quantitative test, considering the anti-HCV titer with ALT and albumin levels may be helpful in predicting present of HCV infection.

Liquiritigenin may ameliorate TNBS-induced colitis in mice by suppressing expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines through NF-κB pathway.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0)which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Journal of Sensor Science and Technology Vol. 22, No. 1 (2013) AbstractReal-time monitoring is one of the prime necessities in a weapon flight test that is required for the efficient and timely collection of large amounts of high-rate sampled data acquired by an event-trigger. The wireless sensor network is a good candidate to resolve this requirement, especially considering the inhospitable environment of a weapon flight test. In this paper, we propose a priority based multichannel MAC protocol with CSMA/CA over a single radio for a real-time monitoring of a weapon flight test. Multi-channel transmissions of nodes can improve the network performance in wireless sensor networks. Our proposed MAC protocol has two operation modes: Normal mode and Priority Mode. In the normal mode, the node exploits the normal CSMA/CA mechanism. In the priority mode, the node has one of three grades -Class A, B, and C. The node uses a different CSMA/CA mechanism according to its grade that is determined by a signal level. High grade nodes can exploit more channels and lower backoff exponents than low ones, which allow high grade nodes to obtain more transmission opportunities. In addition, it can guarantee successful transmission of important data generated by high grade nodes. Simulation results show that the proposed MAC exhibits excellent performance in an event-triggered realtime application.

Due to the increasing concerns about the buildings which have affected the global environment, most countries have enacted a regulation for the sustainability of domestic buildings. In 2008, the Korean government started to enact a regulation of apartment and office buildings for energy saving. Many research on the sustainable apartment building focuses on 84㎡ or larger type in response to market demand; therefore, small size type such as 46㎡ type needs to be researched. In addition, the research on the orientation and window to wall ratio of the building have been separately studied as a means of energy reduction; therefore, the research on correlation of the orientation and window to wall ratio hasn't been fully explored yet. This paper analyzes the energy demand of the apartment building as the change of orientation and window to wall ratio among 46㎡ and 84㎡ type. In conclusion, when reducing the window to wall ratio, energy demand was reduced, except when the orientation of the building was between from +10 to-20 from the south.