The goal of these investigations was to check if two-time treatment of gilts by Baypamun before transferring from the pre-farrowing to farrowing unit can activate natural killer cells, stimulate leukocyte production and lymphocyte proliferation, and decrease the rise in plasma cortisol caused by stress. The investigation comprised 30 one-year-old Swedish Landrace gilts in the late phase of gra...

Muscle glucose uptake (MGU) is determined by glucose delivery, transport, and phosphorylation. C57Bl/6J mice overexpressing GLUT4, hexokinase II (HK II), or both were used to determine the barriers to MGU. A carotid artery and jugular vein were catheterized for arterial blood sampling and venous infusions. Experiments were conducted in conscious mice approximately 7 days after surgery. 2-Deoxy-...

BACKGROUND There has been a steady increase in China's annual research output. We aimed to investigate the research output in public health from 3 major regions of China: mainland China (ML), Hong Kong (HK) and Taiwan (TW). MATERIAL/METHODS We retrieved papers published in 105 public health-related journals from ML, HK and TW with the applications of the ISI Web of Knowledge database. The tot...

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used in several studies to evaluate cortical excitability changes induced by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the primary motor cortex. Interpretation of these results, however, is hindered by the very different spatial distribution of the electric field (E-field) induced by the two techniques and by the different target neurons that t...

Hemokinin 1 (HK-1) is a new member of the tachykinin peptide family that is expressed in hematopoietic cells. Recent reports studying mouse, rat, and human orthologs of HK-1 demonstrate a broader distribution than originally reported. Our previous studies demonstrated that HK-1, by promoting proliferation, survival, and possibly maturation of B-cell precursors, plays an important role in B lymp...

We have recently demonstrated protection against renal ischemic-reperfusion injury in vivo by A(1)- and A(2a)-adenosine receptor (AR) modulations. To further elucidate the signaling cascades of AR-induced cytoprotection against reperfusion/oxidant-mediated injury, immortalized human proximal tubule (HK-2) cells were treated with H(2)O(2). H(2)O(2) caused dose- and time-dependent HK-2 cell death...

BACKGROUND/AIMS We investigated whether angiotensin III (Ang III) is involved in monocyte recruitment through regulation of the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in cultured human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells). METHODS We measured MCP-1 levels in HK-2 cells that had been treated with various concentrations of Ang III and Ang II type-1 (AT1) receptor antagon...

OBJECTIVE To determine the cost-effectiveness of secondary prevention with pravastatin in Hong Kong patients with coronary heart disease and average cholesterol levels. DESIGN Cost-effectiveness analysis based on published results of the CARE study. PATIENTS Men and women post-myocardial infarction with average cholesterol levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cost-effectiveness analysis: cost pe...

Anthocyanins, which are responsible for a variety of bright colors (including red, blue, and purple) in fruits, vegetables, and flowers, are consumed as dietary polyphenols. Anthocyanin-containing fruits are thought to decrease coronary heart disease and are used in anti-diabetic preparations. Diabetes is associated with a variety of cardiovascular complications that may be mediated by endothel...

In this study, we show that mice lacking high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) were resistant to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mortality and had significantly reduced circulating LPS levels. Replenishment of HK-deficient mice with human HK recovered the LPS levels and rendered the mice susceptible to LPS-induced mortality. Binding of HK to LPS occurred through the O-polysaccharide/core oligos...