Hemoglobin released into the circulation during hemolysis or therapy with chemically modified hemoglobins, exert oxidative and NO-scavenging toxic effects. Pyridoxalated hemoglobin polyoxyethylene conjugate (PHP) is one of the second-generation hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs). We wanted to investigate the metabolism of PHP with a special focus on its consequences for interpreting hemol...

INTRODUCTION Despite antidepressants are widely used in treating bipolar depression, there is much debate about their utility and their potential dangers, involving mood switches and suicidality. Our hypothesis was that the pattern of initial antidepressant prescription, i.e., alone (AM) or in combination with stabilizers (AC) might impact the long-term outcome of patients with bipolar disorder...

The lipid-signalling molecule ceramide is known to induce apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Inhibition of the lysosomal acid ceramidase can increase cellular ceramide levels and thus induce apoptosis. Indeed, inhibitors of acid ceramidase have been reported to induce cell death and to display potentiating effects to classical radio- or chemo therapy in a number of in vitro and in vivo cance...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Decompressive hemicraniectomy and duroplasty (DHCD) can improve survival in patients with severe cerebral edema. We present our clinical experience with DHCD for the treatment of refractory elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS DHCD was performed in 16 patients (11 female; median age, 49.5 years) with aS...

Herein we report the mechanism of human acid ceramidase (AC; N-acylsphingosine deacylase) cleavage and activation. A highly purified, recombinant human AC precursor underwent self-cleavage into alpha and beta subunits, similar to other members of the N-terminal nucleophile hydrolase superfamily. This reaction proceeded with first order kinetics, characteristic of self-cleavage. AC self-cleavage...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and the risk for congenital heart disease (CHD). Electronic literature databases were searched to identify eligible studies published before Jun, 2014. The association was assessed by the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The publication bias was ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The PED is an FDS designed for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Data regarding the use of this device in acute or subacute aSAH is limited to a few case reports or small series. We aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using an FDS, the PED, for the treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms with challenging morphologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a...

Methods Longitudinal prospective analysis of 38 patients with aSAH. Inclusion: age 21-75 years, spontaneous aneurysm rupture, Fisher grade >1 and/or Hunt and Hess grade (HH) >2. Exclusion: traumatic SAH, recent myocardial dysfunction. Daily averages of systemic (systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], mean arterial blood pressure [MAP], heart rate [HR]) and cerebral (cere...

Antrodia camphorata is a fungus that is endemic to Taiwan, and its fruiting body has been used as a folk medicine for the prevention or treatment of diverse diseases. The present study is aimed at investigating the antimelanogenesis and antioxidation effect of the ethanolic extract of Antrodia camphorata fruiting body (EE-AC), as well as its antiproliferation effects in B16-F0 melanoma cells. R...

S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), a well-studied marker for neurologic injury, has been suggested as a candidate for predicting outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage. We performed a pooled analysis summarizing the associations between S100B protein in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with radiographic vasospasm, delayed ischemic neurologic deficit (DIND), delayed cerebral infarction, a...