Suckling during 12 to 14 h postpartum is insufficient to maintain

Suckling during 12 to 14 h postpartum is insufficient to maintain lactation and the process of involution that occurs in early lactation is reversible within 1 day of farrowing but is irreversible if a gland is not used for 3 days. However, milk yield from a gland which

is ‘rescued’ within Autophagy inhibitor library the first 24 h remains lower throughout lactation. Suckling does not only affect milk yield in the ongoing lactation, but it also seems to affect that of the next lactation. Indeed, non-suckling of a mammary gland in first-parity sows decreased development and milk yield of that gland in second parity. Nursing behaviour of piglets in early lactation was also affected, where changes were indicative of piglets in second parity being hungrier when suckling glands that were not previously used. It is not known, however, if the same effects would be seen between the second and third lactation. Furthermore, the minimum suckling period required to ensure maximal milk yield from a gland in the next lactation is not known. This review provides an update on our current knowledge of the importance of suckling for mammary development and milk yield in swine.”
“Postoperative paraplegia BV-6 order secondary to spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is an extremely rare and devastating complication of endovascular repair in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. The reported incidence is only 0.21 % worldwide. This case of postoperative paraplegia occurred in

a 60-year-old man immediately following endovascular repair of an infrarenal AAA. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple foci of SCI involvement from C5 to L1. However, neither cerebral spinal fluid drainage nor steroid therapy was effective; he was eventually admitted with no improvement in his neurological status. The mechanism remains multifactorial until now and needs more attention in perioperative management. We report the first case involved in the most

significantly extensive SCI after endovascular repair of an infrarenal AAA.”
“We performed a descriptive retrospective study of cases of listeriosis occurring in Spain from 2001 beta-catenin signaling to 2007 to determine the burden and trend of this disease in our 3 setting. Several sources of information were used. Epidemiological information was collected from 1.242 cases of listeriosis, representing a mean incidence rate of 0,56 cases per 100.000 inhabitants per year, which was extrapolated as an overall estimate for Spain. The annual incidence showed a statistically significant increasing trend (p smaller than 0,001) over the study period. This figure was higher than that reported in Spain (0,16) by the Microbiological Information System, which is voluntary, showing that underreporting exists. The inclusion of listeriosis in the Mandatory Notification System would allow determination of the distribution and characteristics of this infection in humans, as well as promotion of effective prevention and control. (C) 2013 SESPAS.

The aim of our study,

using in situ hybridization in adul

The aim of our study,

using in situ hybridization in adult Pleurodeles waltlii, was twofold: 1) to document FGF2 mRNA expression pattern along the brainstem-spinal cord of intact salamanders and 2) to investigate the changes in this pattern in animals unable to display hindlimb locomotor movements and in animals having fully recovered hindlimb locomotor activity after body spinal cord transection. This design establishes a firm basis for further studies on the role of FGF2 in functional recovery of hindlimb locomotion. Our results revealed a decreasing rostrocaudal gradient in FGF2 mRNA expression along the brainstem-spinal cord in intact animals. They further demonstrated a long-lasting up-regulation of FGF2 mRNA expression in response to spinal transection at A-1155463 order the midtrunk level, both in brainstem and in the spinal cord below the injury.

Finally, double immunolabeling showed that FGF2 was up-regulated in neuroglial, presumably undifferentiated, cells. Therefore, we propose that FGF2 may be involved in cell proliferation and/or neuronal differentiation after body spinal cord transection in salamander and could thus play an important role in functional recovery of locomotion after spinal lesion. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.”
“In recent years it has become apparent that sex is a major factor involved in modulating the pharmacological find more effects of exogenous opioids. The kappa opioid receptor (KOPR) system is a potential therapeutic target for pain, mood disorders and addiction. In humans mixed KOPR/MOPR ligands have been found to produce greater 3 analgesia in women than men. In contrast, in animals, selective KOPR agonists have been found to produce greater https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ganetespib-sta-9090.html antinociceptive effects in males than females. Collectively, the studies indicate that the direction and magnitude of sex differences of KOPR-mediated antinociception/analgesia are dependent on species, strain, ligand and pain model examined. Of interest, and less studied, is whether sex differences in other KOPR-mediated effects exist. In the studies conducted thus far, greater effects of KOPR agonists in males have been

found in neuroprotection against stroke and suppression of food intake behavior. On the other hand, greater effects of KOPR agonists were found in females in mediation of prolactin release. In modulation of drugs of abuse, sex differences in KOPR effects were observed but appear to be dependent on the drug examined. The mechanism(s) underlying sex differences in KOPR-mediated effects may be mediated by sex chromosomes, gonadal hormonal influence on organization (circuitry) and/or acute hormonal influence on KOPR expression, distribution and localization. In light of the diverse pharmacology of KOPR we discuss the need for future studies characterizing the sexual dimorphism of KOPR neural circuitry and in examining other behaviors and processes that are modulated by the KOPR. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc.

Biopsy results had no significant impact on subsequent treatment

Biopsy results had no significant impact on subsequent treatment in 69% of patients who met clinical diagnostic criteria (P = .7); in the remaining 31%, biopsy results altered subsequent treatment with either corticosteroid initiation or discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: The pathologic results of the TAB did not significantly affect treatment in most patients. (C) 2015 Elsevier

Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Preparations from anthroposophical medicine (AM) are clinically used to treat inflammatory disorders. We wanted to investigate effects of a selection of AM medications for parenteral use in cell-based Mocetinostat order systems in vitro. Methods: Colchicum officinale tuber D3, Mandragora D3, Rosmarinus officinale 5 % and Bryophyllum 5 % were selected for the experiments. Induction of apoptosis and necrosis (human lymphocytes and dendritic cells [DCs]) and proliferation of lymphocytes as well as maturation (expression

of CD14, CD83 and CD86) and cytokine secretion (IL-10, IL12p70) of DCs were analyzed. Furthermore, proliferation of allogeneic human T lymphocytes was investigated in vitro in coculture experiments using mature DCs in comparison to controls. Results: The respective preparations did not induce apoptosis or necrosis in lymphocytes or DCs. ACY-738 manufacturer Lymphocyte proliferation was dose-dependently reduced by Colchicum officinale tuber D3 while the viability was unchanged. Rosmarinus officinale 5 %, but not the other preparations, dose-dependently inhibited

the maturation of immature DCs, reduced secretion of IL-10 and IL-12p70 and slightly inhibited proliferation of allogeneic CD4+ T-lymphocytes in coculture experiments with DCs. Conclusion: The selected preparations from AM for parenteral use are nontoxic to lymphocytes and DCs. Rosmarinus this website officinale 5 % has immunosuppressive properties on key functions of the immune system which propose further investigation.”
“Background: 4 schizophrenia is characterized by impaired social cognition, including emotion processing. Behavioral studies have reported impaired performance on various emotion processing tasks, and imaging studies in patients have observed aberrant activity within the underlying neural circuitry. Also, subjects at increased genetic risk of developing schizophrenia, including unaffected siblings of patients, show behavioral impairments in emotion processing. It is unclear, however, whether and how the underlying neural system is disrupted in these subjects. In this study, we investigated whether siblings of patients with schizophrenia show abnormal brain activation during basic emotion processing.\n\nMethods: Brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 24 unaffected siblings of patients with schizophrenia and 25 healthy control subjects while they viewed and rated neutral, positive, and negative pictures.

Asian Journal of Andrology (2012) 14, 187-192; doi:10 1038/aja 20

Asian Journal of Andrology (2012) 14, 187-192; doi:10.1038/aja.2011.102; published online 9 January 2012″
“Objectives: To provide estimates and confidence intervals for the performance (detection and false-positive rates) of screening for Down’s syndrome using repeated measures of biochemical markers from first and second trimester maternal serum samples taken from the same

woman.\n\nDesign: Stored serum on Down’s syndrome cases and controls was used to provide independent test data for the assessment of screening performance of published risk algorithms and for the development and testing of new risk assessment algorithms.\n\nSetting: 15 screening centres across the USA, and at the North York General Hospital, Toronto, Canada.\n\nParticipants: 78 women with pregnancy affected by Down’s syndrome and 390 matched unaffected controls, with maternal blood samples obtained at 11-13 selleck products and 15-18 weeks’ gestation, and women who received integrated prenatal AZD1480 order screening at North York General 4 Hospital at two time intervals: between I December 1999 and 31 October 2003, and between 1 October 2006 and 23 November

2007.\n\nInterventions: Repeated measurements (first and second trimester) of maternal serum levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), unconjugated estriol (uE3) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) together with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the second trimester.\n\nMain outcome measures: Detection and false-positive rates

for screening with a threshold risk of I in 200 at term, and the detection rate achieved for a false-positive rate of 2%.\n\nResults: Published distributional models for Down’s syndrome were inconsistent with the test data. When these test data were classified using these models, screening performance deteriorated substantially through the addition of repeated measures. This contradicts the GW4869 very optimistic results obtained from predictive modelling of performance. Simplified distributional assumptions showed some evidence of benefit from the use of repeated measures of PAPP-A but not for repeated measures of uE3 or hCG. Each of the two test data sets was used to create new parameter estimates against which screening test performance was assessed using the other data set. The results were equivocal but there was evidence suggesting improvement in screening performance through the use of repeated measures of PAPP-A when the first trimester sample was collected before 13 weeks’ gestation. A Bayesian analysis of the combined data from the two test data sets showed that adding a second trimester repeated measurement of PAPP-A to the base test increased detection rates and reduced false-positive rates. The benefit decreased with increasing gestational age at the time of the firstsample. There was no evidence of any benefit from repeated measures of hCG or uE3.

Korean men and women 65 years and older living in a single, typic

Korean men and women 65 years and older living in a single, typical South Korean city (n = 647) were enrolled in the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging study. The diagnosis of MS was evaluated according to the definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Isokinetic muscle strength of the knee extensors, as determined by peak torque per body weight (newton meter per kilogram) and hand-grip strength per body weight (newton per kilogram), was measured. Participants without

MS had greater leg muscle strength and grip strength per weight. The effect of MS on muscle strength was more prominent in men than in women in our study population. Only men showed a significant

interaction between MS and age for muscle strength (P = .014), and the effect was greater in men aged 65 to 74 years compared with those CBL0137 order older than 75 years (119.2 +/- 31.2 vs 134.5 +/- 24.3 N m/kg). Participants with MS had weaker knee extensor strength after controlling the covariates (beta = -90.80, P = .003), and the interaction term (age x MS x male Stem Cell Compound Library sex) was significant (beta = 1.00, P = .017). Metabolic syndrome is associated with muscle weakness, and this relationship is particularly pronounced in men. Age can modify the impact of MS on muscle strength. Men aged 65 to 74 years with MS need a thorough assessment of muscle strength to prevent disability. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“In search for the pathoanatomical correlate of the restless legs syndrome (RLS), various neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques have demonstrated partly conflicting results of cortical, subcortical, brainstem, and spinal alterations. In a novel approach, the delineation of potential cerebral white matter tract disruption was investigated by application of quantitative whole brain-based diffusion

tensor imaging (DTI) to a well characterized group of 45 patients with idiopathic RLS. The data of patients and 30 healthy controls were statistically compared including computation of regional 123 fractional anisotropy (FA) as a quantitative marker of white matter integrity by use of the tensor imaging and fiber tracking software. In the patient group, multiple subcortical areas of significantly reduced FA were observed bihemispherically DMXAA in vivo in close proximity to the primary and associate motor and somatosensory cortices, in the right-hemispheric thalamus (posterior ventral lateral nucleus), in motor projectional fibers and adjacent to the left anterior cingulum. Together with the results of a recent study by use of an MRI-based gray matter analysis, which localized RLS-associated changes in the sensorimotor cortices, these findings gave support to an altered subcortical network, with the major component of altered cerebral sensorimotor pathways, within a hodological concept of the RLS pathoanatomy.


“The aim of our study was to detect the


“The aim of our study was to detect the expression of Ku80 in primary central nervous system lymphoma and to evaluate the relationship between Ku80 expression level and clinical outcomes. Thirty-eight

patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) were included in this retrospective study. The expression of Ku80 in tumor samples was determined by immunohistochemistry. One thousand neoplastic cells per specimen were counted. The VX-680 expression levels were compared with the clinical data and statistically analyzed. The results of this study show that the expression of Ku80 can be found in the majority of PCNSLs. The mean expression level of Ku80 in 38 PCNSL is 64.1 +/- 24.5. A significant difference in Ku80 expression could be found between the age < 65 years group and age

>= 65 years group (P = 0.006). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients who showed a high Ku80 expression had a significantly shorter median survival time (MST) than patients who had low Ku80 expression this website (P = 0.036). Patients’ age, tumor location, and treatment protocol were significantly related to prognosis in PCNSL (P < 0.05). The expression of Ku80 was observed in the majority of PCNSLs. Ku80 was a predictive factor for survival in this study. In addition to Ku80, other clinical variables including age, tumor location and XMU-MP-1 inhibitor therapeutic protocol are correlated significantly with overall survival.”
“Background Clothing is considered the second skin of the human body. The aim of this study was to determine clothing-wearer interaction on skin physiology under mild cold conditions.\n\nMethods Skin physiological parameters, subjective sensory response, stress level, and physical properties of clothing fabric from two longitude parallel-designed wear trials were studied. The wear trials involved four kinds of pajamas made from cotton or polyester material that had hydrophilic or hydrophobic treatment, conducted for

three weeks under mild cold conditions. 4 Statistical tools, factor analysis, hierarchical linear regression, and logistic regression were applied to analyze the strong predictors of skin physiological parameters, stress level, and sensory response.\n\nResults A framework was established to illustrate clothing-wearer interactions with clothing fabric properties, skin physiology, stress level, and sensory response under mild cold conditions.\n\nDiscussion Fabric has various effects on the human body under mild cold conditions. A fabric’s properties influence skin physiology, sensation, and psychological response.”
“Invasive species can increase the susceptibility of ecosystems to disease by acting as reservoir hosts for pathogens.

These two possibilities could be distinguished by the use of pure

These two possibilities could be distinguished by the use of pure preparations of glucose isomers. In the laboratory, selected eukaryotes,

bacteria, and archaea consumed only D-glucose, not L-glucose, while permanganate oxidized both isomers. On Mars, selective consumption of either D- or L-glucose would constitute evidence for biological activity.”
“The thick peptidoglycan layers of Gram-positive bacteria are connected to polyanionic glycopolymers AG-881 called wall teichoic acids (WTA). Pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, or Enterococcus faecalis produce WTA with diverse, usually strain-specific structure. Extensive studies on S. aureus WTA mutants revealed important functions of WTA in cell division, growth, morphogenesis, resistance

to antimicrobials, and interaction with host or phages. While most of the S. aureus WTA-biosynthetic genes have been identified it remained unclear for long how and why S. aureus glycosylates WTA with alpha or beta-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Only recently the discovery of two WTA glycosyltransferases, TarM and TarS, yielded fundamental insights into the roles of S. aureus WTA glycosylation. Mutants lacking WTA GlcNAc are resistant towards most of the S. aureus phages and, surprisingly, TarS-mediated WTA beta-O-GlcNAc modification is essential for beta-lactam CX-6258 order resistance in methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Notably, S. aureus WTA GlcNAc residues are major antigens and activate the complement system contributing to opsonophagocytosis. WTA glycosylation with a variety of sugars and corresponding glycosyltransferases were also identified in other Gram-positive bacteria, which paves the way for detailed investigations on the diverse roles of WTA modification with sugar residues. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All CBL0137 Apoptosis inhibitor 123 rights reserved.”
“Sapindus mukorossi Gaerten., as a rich source of saponins, is an important agricultural economic tree in tropical and subtropical regions. Its fruit pericarp has a high content of triterpenoid saponins of high surface activity and important biological

activities. Thus the current work adopted a two-stage foam fractionation technology to separate the saponins from the pericarp. A spiral internal component and elevated temperature were utilized to improve enrichment ratio. Using this technology, the enrichment ratio of the sapindus saponins reached 133.4 with a recovery of over 36.4% and the separated saponins had a high purity of 90.3%. The product was analyzed by FTIR and HPLC-MS to determine its ingredients, including plentiful triterpenoid saponins and bits of sesquiterpene glucosides. The subsequent bioactivity analysis made sure that the product had moderate but long-term antimicrobial activity. Therefore the current work had industrial implication in producing high-purity saponins for food, cosmetics and even pharmaceutical fields.

This effect correlated with a significant downregulation of strom

This effect correlated with a significant downregulation of stromal interacting molecule (STIM) and Orai, proposed molecular correlates for SOCE in many cell types. Selleckchem Etomoxir The data from this study present a novel pathway for the regulation of Ca2+ signaling and PASMC proliferation involving activation of Akt in response to upregulated expression of PDGF. Targeting this pathway may lead to the development of a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.”
“The Committee for the International System

for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature (ISCN) has recently met and published a revised version, ISCN 2009. Multiple changes in nomenclature guidelines are presented in that updated version. This review will highlight changes to the idiograms and specific changes in respective chapters of the 2009 version compared with the previous version of the ISCN published in 2005. These highlights are meant as a guide for the cytogeneticist to assist in the transition in the use of this updated nomenclature for describing cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic findings in both clinical and research reports. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“Ionotropic

glutamate receptors, especially the a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic GSK923295 concentration acid (AMPA) receptor subtype, undergo dynamic trafficking between the surface membrane and intracellular organelles. This trafficking activity determines the efficacy and strength of excitatory synapses and is subject to modulation by changing synaptic inputs. Given the possibility that glutamate receptors in the central nervous system might be a sensitive target of anesthetic agents, this study investigated the possible impact of anesthesia on trafficking and subcellular expression of AMPA receptors in adult mouse brain neurons

in vivo. We found that anesthesia induced by a systemic injection of pentobarbital did not alter total protein 432 levels of find more three AMPA receptor subunits (GluR13) in cortical neurons. However, an anesthetic dose of pentobarbital reduced GluR1 and GluR3 proteins in the surface pool and elevated these proteins in the intracellular pool of cortical neurons. The similar redistribution of GluR1/3 was observed in mouse striatal neurons. Pentobarbital did not significantly alter GluR2 expression in the two pools. Chloral hydrate at an anesthetic dose also reduced surface GluR1/3 expression and increased intracellular levels of these proteins. The effect of pentobarbital on subcellular distribution of AMPA receptors was reversible. Altered subcellular distribution of GluR1/3 returned to normal levels after the anesthesia subsided. These data indicate that anesthesia induced by pentobarbital and chloral hydrate can alter AMPA receptor trafficking in both cortical and striatal neurons. This alteration is characterized by the concurrent loss and addition of GluR1/3 subunits in the respective surface and intracellular pools.


“Background: Awareness of hyperdontia pattern/prevalence c


“Background: Awareness of hyperdontia pattern/prevalence can be useful in early diagnosis and prevention by general practitioners, pediatric dentists, and orthodontists. Since the previous results regarding the pattern of hyperdontia (supernumerary teeth) are controversial, this study aimed to assess this subject among Iranian orthodontic patients.\n\nMethods: All approved panoramic radiographs of 3374 orthodontic patients (aged 10 to 20 years old) who had OICR-9429 chemical structure visited orthodontic departments of all Tehran dentistry universities and 10 private clinics during the years 1999-2009 were investigated to establish the prevalence/pattern

of hyperdontia in permanent dentition (excluding third molars). The data were analyzed

using a chi-square, a chi-square goodness-of-fit, and a Fisher exact test (alpha = 0.05).\n\nResults: Of the patients, 2012 were female and 1362 were male. The prevalence of hyperdontia was 0.72% (14 females [0.69% of females], 10 males [0.73% of males], female-to-male ratio = 1:1.055). The difference between the genders was not significant (P = 0.896). No double or multiple supernumeraries were found. The most common accessory teeth were mesiodens (58.3%), maxillary laterals (25%), and maxillary premolars (16.7%). selleck kinase inhibitor Hyperdontia was significantly more common (P = 0.000) in maxilla (there was only one mandibular accessory tooth). It was more frequent in the anterior segment (P = 0.000). However the occurrence was not significantly different between bimaxillary right and left quadrants (P = 0.6).\n\nConclusion: Hyperdontia Selleck VX770 was more common in premaxilla, and the most common accessory tooth was mesiodens. Unlike earlier studies, no bilateral accessory teeth were found. Also no gender dimorphism was discerned.”
“To investigate immunity-related

guanosine triphosphatase family M (IRGM) genetic variants associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in a Korean population. We conducted a prospective case-control study including 193 patients with active TB in Severance Hospital and 230 age- and sex-matched unrelated controls registered in Yonsei Cardiovascular Genome Center. Based on associations with other chronic inflammatory conditions, we analyzed the allele and genotype frequencies of rs72553867, rs10065172, and rs12654043 among patients with TB and healthy controls. The T allele of rs10065172 was significantly associated with protection against developing TB based on allele frequency [P = 0.042; odds ratio (OR) 0.75] and genotype distribution in the codominant model (P = 0.036; OR 0.73). This is the first study to identify a significant association between the IRGM single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs10065172 and susceptibility to active TB disease in an Asian population. The results suggest that IRGM genetic variants could be associated with susceptibility to active TB disease in the Korean population.

This study analyzed the biological effects of Tat on peripheral b

This study analyzed the biological effects of Tat on peripheral blood monocyte-derived Selleckchem PFTα osteoclast differentiation. Tat enhances osteoclast differentiation and activity induced by RANKL plus M-CSF treatment increasing both the mRNA expression of specific osteoclast differentiation markers, such as cathepsin K and calcitonin receptor, and TRAP expression and activity. These Tat-related biological effects may be related, at least in part, to the induction of c-fos expression and AP-1 activity. c-fos up-regulation was triggered by Tat when cell cultures were

co-treated with RANKL/M-CSF and an analysis of c-fos promoter with c-fos deletion mutant constructs disclosed specific c-fos promoter domains targeted by Tat. Together, these results show that Tat may be considered a viral factor positively modulating the osteoclastogenesis and then bone resorption activity suggesting a pathogenetic role of this viral protein in the HIV-related osteopenia/osteoporosis. (C) 2010 Elsevier

Inc. All rights reserved.”
“The acquired gain-of-function V617F mutation in the Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2(V617F)) is the main mutation involved in BCR/ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), but its effect on hematopoietic stem cells as a driver of disease emergence has been questioned. Therefore, we reinvestigated the role of endogenous expression of JAK2(V617F) on early steps of hematopoiesis www.selleckchem.com/products/pf-04929113.html as well as the effect of interferon-alpha (IFN alpha), which may target the JAK2(V617F) clone in humans by using knock-in mice with conditional expression of JAK2(V617F) in hematopoietic cells. These mice develop a MPN mimicking polycythemia vera with large amplification of myeloid mature and precursor cells, displaying erythroid endogenous growth and progressing to myelofibrosis. Interestingly, early hematopoietic compartments [Lin-, LSK, and SLAM (LSK/CD48-/CD150+)] increased with the age. Competitive repopulation assays demonstrated disease appearance and progressive

overgrowth of myeloid, Lin-, LSK, and SLAM cells, but not lymphocytes, from a low number of engrafted JAK2(V617F) SLAM cells. Finally, IFN alpha treatment prevented disease MEK phosphorylation development by specifically inhibiting JAK2(V617F) cells at an early stage of differentiation and eradicating disease-initiating cells. This study shows that JAK2(V617F) in mice amplifies not only late but also early hematopoietic cells, giving them a proliferative advantage through high cell cycling and low apoptosis that may sustain MPN emergence but is lost upon IFN alpha treatment.”
“Background/Aim: Oxidative stress is known to be enhanced in hemodialysis patients, and one of its useful markers is plasma copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD). The increase in plasma Cu/Zn-SOD can be inhibited by orally administered lipid-soluble vitamin E. We examined the antioxidative effects of water-soluble vitamin C administered orally on Cu/Zn-SOD levels in hemodialysis patients.