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Objectives@#：Depressive disorder and anxiety disorder frequently co-occur, even at sub-threshold level. This study aims to identify network structure of co-morbid depression and anxiety at symptom level in nonclinical population and to reveal the central symptoms and bridge symptoms of the co-morbidity. @*Methods@#：This study was based on 2022 Asan Youth Mental Health Screening. Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) were used to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms of 810 young adult participants from community sample. Network structure of co-morbid depressive and anxiety symptoms was estimated by Isingfit model. @*Results@#：Depressed mood, Restlessness and Nervousness were the most central symptoms in the network. Bridge symptoms between anxiety and depression were Restlessness and Irritability. @*Conclusions@#：This study revealed key central symptoms and bridge symptoms of co-morbid depression and anxiety in nonclinical population and provided potential insight for treatment targets to reduce co-morbidity.

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PURPOSE: Osteitis refers to the development of new bone formation and remodeling of bone in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients; it is typically associated with eosinophilia, nasal polyps (NPs), and recalcitrant CRS. However, the roles of ossification in CRS with or without NPs remain unclear due to the lack of appropriate animal models. Thus, it is necessary to have a suitable animal model for greater advances in the understanding of CRS pathogenesis.METHODS: BALB/c mice were administered ovalbumin (OVA) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). The numbers of osteoclasts and osteoblasts and bony changes were assessed. Micro computed tomography (micro-CT) scans were conducted to measure bone thickness. Immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to evaluate runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), osteonectin, interleukin (IL)-13, and RUNX2 downstream gene expression. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed in mucosal tissues from control and CRS patients. The effect of resveratrol was evaluated in terms of osteogenesis in a murine eosinophilic CRS NP model.RESULTS: The histopathologic changes showed markedly thickened bones with significant increase in osteoblast numbers in OVA/SEB-treated mice compared to the phosphate-buffered saline-treated mice. The structural changes in bone on micro-CT were consistent with the histopathological features. The expression of RUNX2 and IL-13 was increased by the administration of OVA/SEB and showed a positive correlation. RUNX2 expression mainly co-localized with osteoblasts. Bioinformatic analysis using human CRS transcriptome revealed that IL-13-induced bony changes via RUNX2. Treatment with resveratrol, a candidate drug against osteitis, diminished the expression of IL-13 and RUNX2, and the number of osteoblasts in OVA/SEB-treated mice.CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we found the histopathological and radiographic evidence of osteogenesis using a previously established murine eosinophilic CRS NP model. This animal model could provide new insights into the pathophysiology of neo-osteogenesis and provide a basis for developing new therapeutics.

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PURPOSE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a complex immunological condition, and novel experimental modalities are required to explore various clinical and pathophysiological endotypes; mere evaluation of nasal polyp (NP) status is inadequate. Therefore, we collected patient nasal secretions on filter paper and characterized the proteomes. METHODS: We performed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS in the data-dependent acquisition (DDA) and data-independent acquisition (DIA) modes. Nasal secretions were collected from 10 controls, 10 CRS without NPs (CRSsNP) and 10 CRS with NPs (CRSwNP). We performed Orbitrap MS-based proteomic analysis in the DDA (5 controls, 5 CRSsNP and 5 CRSwNP) and the DIA (5 controls, 5 CRSsNP and 5 CRSwNP) modes, followed by a statistical analysis and a hierarchical clustering to identify differentially expressed proteins in the 3 groups. RESULTS: We identified 2,020 proteins in nasal secretions. Canonical pathway analysis and gene ontology (GO) evaluation revealed that interleukin (IL)-7, IL-9, IL-17A and IL-22 signaling and neutrophil-mediated immune responses like neutrophil degranulation and activation were significantly increased in CRSwNP compared to control. The GO terms related to the iron ion metabolism that may be associated with CRS and NP development. CONCLUSIONS: Collection of nasal secretions on the filter paper is a practical and non-invasive method for in-depth study of nasal proteomics. Our proteomic signatures also support that Asian NPs could be characterized as non-eosinophilic inflammation features. Therefore, the proteomic profiling of nasal secretions from CRS patients may enhance our understanding of CRS endotypes.

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PURPOSE: Lapatinib is a candidate drug for treatment of trastuzumab-resistant, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive gastric cancer (GC). Unfortunately, lapatinib resistance renders this drug ineffective. The present study investigated the implication of forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) signaling in the acquired lapatinib resistance in HER2-positive GC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lapatinib-resistant GC cell lines (SNU-216 LR2-8) were generated in vitro by chronic exposure of lapatinib-sensitive, HER2-positive SNU-216 cells to lapatinib. SNU-216 LR cells with FOXO1 overexpression were generated by stable transfection of a constitutively active FOXO1 mutant (FOXO1A3). HER2 and MET in SNU-216 LR cells were downregulated using RNA interference. The sensitivity of GC cells to lapatinib and/or cisplatin was determined by crystal violet assay. In addition, Western blot analysis, luciferase reporter assay and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction were performed. RESULTS: SNU-216 LR cells showed upregulations of HER2 and MET, but downregulation of FOXO1 compared to parental SNU-216 cells. FOXO1 overexpression in SNU-216 LR cells significantly suppressed resistance to lapatinib and/or cisplatin. In addition, FOXO1 negatively controlled HER2 and MET at the transcriptional level and was negatively controlled by these molecules at the post-transcriptional level. A positive crosstalk was shown between HER2 and MET, each of which increased resistance to lapatinib and/or cisplatin. CONCLUSION: FOXO1 serves as an important linker between HER2 and MET signaling pathways through negative crosstalks and is a key regulator of the acquired lapatinib resistance in HER2-positive GC cells. These findings provide a rationale for establishing a novel treatment strategy to overcome lapatinib resistance in a subtype of GC patients.

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Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common presentations of upper airway illness and severely affects patient quality of life. Its frequency is not surprising given levels of environmental exposure to microbes, pollutants, and allergens. Inflammatory cells, inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production, and airway remodeling have been detected in the sinonasal mucosae of CRS patients, although the precise pathophysiological mechanisms causing such persistent inflammation remain unclear. Given its high prevalence and considerable associated morbidity, continued research into CRS is necessary to increase our understanding of factors likely to contribute to its pathogenesis, and facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies to improve treatment. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding immune cell responses and epithelial alterations in CRS.

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PURPOSE: We previously reported that forkhead transcription factors of the O class 1 (FOXO1) expression in gastric cancer (GC) was associated with angiogenesis-related molecules. However, there is little experimental evidence for the direct role of FOXO1 in GC. In the present study, we investigated the effect of FOXO1 on the tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in GC and its relationship with SIRT1. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stable GC cell lines (SNU-638 and SNU-601) infected with a lentivirus containing FOXO1 shRNA were established for animal studies as well as cell culture experiments. We used xenograft tumors in nude mice to evaluate the effect of FOXO1 silencing on tumor growth and angiogenesis. In addition, we examined the association between FOXO1 and SIRT1 by immunohistochemical tissue array analysis of 471 human GC specimens and Western blot analysis of xenografted tumor tissues. RESULTS: In cell culture, FOXO1 silencing enhanced hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression and GC cell growth under hypoxic conditions, but not under normoxic conditions. The xenograft study showed that FOXO1 downregulation enhanced tumor growth, microvessel areas, HIF-1alpha activation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. In addition, inactivated FOXO1 expression was associated with SIRT1 expression in human GC tissues and xenograft tumor tissues. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that FOXO1 inhibits GC growth and angiogenesis under hypoxic conditions via inactivation of the HIF-1alpha-VEGF pathway, possibly in association with SIRT1. Thus, development of treatment modalities aiming at this pathway might be useful for treating GC.

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OBJECTIVE: To compare diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) for estimation of clinical status in patients in the subacute stage of stroke. METHODS: Patients with hemiplegia due to stroke who were evaluated using both DTT and MEPs between May 2012 and April 2015 were recruited. Clinical assessments investigated upper extremity motor and functional status. Motor status was evaluated using Medical Research Council grading and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of upper limb and hand (FMA-U and FMA-H). Functional status was measured using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Patients were classified into subgroups according to DTT findings, MEP presence, fractional anisotropy (FA) value, FA ratio (rFA), and central motor conduction time (CMCT). Correlations of clinical assessments with DTT parameters and MEPs were estimated. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients with hemiplegia were recruited. In motor assessments (FMA-U), MEPs had the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) as well as the second highest specificity and positive predictive value (PPV). CMCT showed the highest specificity and PPV. Regarding functional status (MBI), FA showed the highest sensitivity and NPV, whereas CMCT had the highest specificity and PPV. Correlation analysis showed that the resting motor threshold (RMT) ratio was strongly associated with motor status of the upper limb, and MEP parameters were not associated with MBI. CONCLUSION: DTT and MEPs could be suitable complementary modalities for analyzing the motor and functional status of patients in the subacute stage of stroke. The RMT ratio was strongly correlated with motor status.

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Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha), which transactivates a variety of hypoxia-induced genes, is rapidly degraded under nomoxia through the hydroxylation-ubiquitination-proteasome pathway. In this study, we addressed how HIF-1alpha is stabilized by proteasome inhibitors. The ubiquitin pool was rapidly reduced after proteasome inhibition, followed by the accumulation of non-ubiquitinated HIF-1alpha. The poly-ubiquitination of HIF-1alpha was resumed by restoration of free ubiquitin, which suggests that the HIF-1alpha stabilization under proteasome inhibition is attributed to depletion of the free ubiquitin pool. Ni2+ and Zn2+ also stabilized HIF-1alpha with depletion of the free ubiquitin pool and these effects of metal ions were attenuated by restoration of free ubiquitin. Ni2+ and Zn2+ may disturb the recycling of free ubiquitin, as MG132 does. Based on these results, the state of the ubiquitin pool seems to be another critical factor determining the cellular level of HIF-1alpha.

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The hypoglossal nerve palsy receives only brief mention in most textbooks and compared with other cranial nerve palsies, 12th nerve palsy is much less common. A literature review revealed that in most cases, isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy indicates the presence of an intracranial or extracranial space occupying lesion, head and neck injury, vascular abnormality, infection, autoimmune disease or neuropathy. Reports of idiopathic cases are rare and treated with steroid therapy. We report a 38-year-old woman with isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy improved spontaneously without steroid use. Considering our experience with isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy, we believe that no therapy is required in the patients with hypoglossal nerve palsy of probably idiopathic causes.

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The causes of a transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) are divided into syncope, epileptic seizures, cerebrovascular diseases and functional disorders such as hyperventilation (HV) syndrome, psychogenic pseudosyncope. The differential diagnosis of TLOC is may be difficult due to lack of history, misleading features, or confusion over the definition of syncope. We have experienced a rare case of HV syncope that TLOC developed after HV from mental stress, and differentiated by head-up tilt table test with transcranial doppler.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term effect of low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for plantar fasciitis (PF) according to ultrasonography (US) findings. METHODS: Thirty feet of 25 patients with clinical diagnosis of PF were enrolled and divided into two groups (Apparent-US and Uncertain-US) according to US findings, such as plantar fascia thickening or hypoechogenicity. Inclusion criteria were symptom duration >6 months and a fair or poor grade in Roles-Maudsley score (RMS). ESWT (0.10 mJ/mm2, 600 shocks) was given once a week for 6 weeks. Numeric rating scale (NRS) and RMS were evaluated prior to each ESWT session, at short-term follow-up (one week after all ESWT sessions) and long-term follow-up telephone interview (mean 24 months after ESWT). Good and excellent grade in RMS were considered as treatment success. RESULTS: Repeated measure ANOVA demonstrated that NRS significantly decreased with time after ESWT up to the long-term follow-up (time effect, p<0.001) without group-time interaction (p=0.641), indicating that ESWT equally decreased pain in both groups. Overall success rate was 63.3% (short-term follow-up) and 80.0% (long-term follow-up). In comparative analysis between groups, success rate of Apparent-US and Uncertain-US at short-term follow-up was 61.9% and 66.7%, respectively, and 85.7% and 66.7%, respectively, at long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: If other causes of heel pain are ruled out through meticulous physical examination and ultrasonography, low-energy ESWT in PF seems to be beneficial regardless of US findings. In terms of success rate, however, long-term outcome of Apparent-US appears to be superior to Uncertain-US.

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Hyperplastic gastric polyps (HPPs) are the most common type of gastric polyps. They are assumed to be caused by chronic inflammation and regenerative proliferation, although this has not been clearly investigated yet. Many studies suggested the development of fundic gland polyps and carcinoid during long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy, but the relationship between PPIs and HPPs is still unclear. We encountered a patient who showed aggravation of HPPs after long-term use of PPIs. A 58-year-old male patient with liver cirrhosis visited our hospital because of hematemesis. We started PPI medication after confirming esophageal variceal bleeding and duodenal ulcer with blood clot in its base via emergency endoscopy. He took PPIs for three years because of an intractable duodenal ulcer. There was a marked increase in the size of the pre-existing polyps and in the development of new polyps. We presumed that the PPIs caused the aggravation of the HPPs, so we stopped their administration. After five months, the HPPs shrank and the polyps were partially degraded. More prospective studies are needed to investigate the relationship between HPPs and PPIs.

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Epidermal keratinocytes overgrow in response to ultraviolet-B (UVB), which may be associated with skin photoaging and cancer development. Recently, we found that HIF-1alpha controls the keratinocyte cell cycle and thereby contributes to epidermal homeostasis. A further study demonstrated that HIF-1alpha is down-regulated by UVB and that this process is involved in UVB-induced skin hyperplasia. Therefore, we hypothesized that the forced expression of HIF-1alpha in keratinocytes would prevent UVB-induced keratinocyte overgrowth. Among several agents known to induce HIF-1alpha, pyrithione-zinc (Py-Zn) overcame the UVB suppression of HIF-1alpha in cultured keratinocytes. Mechanistically, Py-Zn blocked the degradation of HIF-1alpha protein in keratinocytes, while it did not affect the synthesis of HIF-1alpha. Moreover, the p21 cell cycle inhibitor was down-regulated after UVB exposure, but was robustly induced by Py-Zn. In mice repeatedly irradiated with UVB, the epidermis became hyperplastic and HIF-1alpha disappeared from nuclei of epidermal keratinocytes. However, a cream containing Py-Zn effectively prevented the skin thickening and up-regulated HIF-1alpha to the normal level. These results suggest that Py-Zn is a potential agent to prevent UVB-induced photoaging and skin cancer development. This work also provides insight into a molecular target for treatment of UVB-induced skin diseases.

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Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) is rapidly degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway under normoxic conditions. Ubiquitination of HIF-1alpha is mediated by interaction with von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL). In our previous report, we found that hypoxia-induced active signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3) accelerated the accumulation of HIF-1alpha protein and prolonged its half-life in solid tumor cells. However, its specific mechanisms are not fully understood. Thus, we examined the role of STAT3 in the mechanism of pVHL-mediated HIF-1alpha stability. We found that STAT3 interacts with C-terminal domain of HIF-1alpha and stabilizes HIF-1alpha by inhibition of pVHL binding to HIF-1alpha. The binding between HIF-1alpha and pVHL, negative regulator of HIF-1alpha stability, was interfered dose-dependently by overexpressed constitutive active STAT3. Moreover, we found that the enhanced HIF-1alpha protein levels by active STAT3 are due to decrease of poly-ubiquitination of HIF-1alpha protein via inhibition of interaction between pVHL and HIF-1alpha. Taken together, our results suggest that STAT3 decreases the pVHL-mediated ubiquitination of HIF-1alpha through competition with pVHL for binding to HIF-1alpha, and then stabilizes HIF-1alpha protein levels.

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Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is composed of HIF-1alpha and HIF-1beta, and is a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis, playing critical roles in physiological and pathological processes. Normally, the formation and transcriptional activity of HIF-1 depend on the amount of HIF-1alpha, and the expression of HIF-1alpha is tightly controlled by the cellular oxygen tension. Recent progress in the study of its regulation mechanism provided clues as to how HIF-1alpha is regulated by oxygen. It appears that HIF-1alpha is not regulated only by the oxygen tension, but also by various other stimuli, such as transition metals, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, growth factors, and mechanical stresses. In this review, we summarize the oxygen-dependent and -independent regulation of HIF-1alpha, and the respective physiological and pathological meanings.

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The activities of myocardial antioxidant enzymes are known to increase in the hearts preconditioned with the brief episodes of ischemia. This study was undertaken to elucidate the possible involvement of adenosine in the stimulation of myocardial catalase induced by the brief regional ischemia in rabbit hearts. Coronary artery descending the middle anterior wall of left ventricle was occluded for 15 min, followed by 1 hr of reperfusion. Upon reperfusion after the brief ischemia, the activity of catalase increased significantly in both ischemic and non-ischemic parts of myocardium. Pretreatment of the heart with theophylline, a non-specific adenosine receptor blocker, completely abolished the increase of catalase activity in both the ischemic and non-ischemic regions of myocardium. On the other hand, the administration of exogenous adenosine instead of the ischemia failed to increase the catalase activity in in vivo hearts. Moreover, adenosine infusion did not affect the catalase activity in the isolated, perfused hearts either. These results suggest that the endogenous adenosine released from the ischemic myocardium is involved in the activation of catalase induced by brief ischemia, but that adenosine may not be a final direct activator of cellular catalase in the myocardium.

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Preconditioning of a heart with small doses of catecholamines induces a tolerance against the subsequent lethal ischemia. The present study was performed to find a specific receptor pathway involved with the catecholamine preconditioning and to test if adenosine plays a role in this cardioprotective effect. Isolated rat hearts, pretreated with small doses of alpha- or beta-adrenergic agonists/antagonists, were subjected to 20 minutes ischemia and 20 minutes reperfusion by Langendorff perfusion method. Cardiac mechanical functions, lactate dehydrogenase and adenosine release from the hearts were measured before and after the drug treatments and ischemia. In another series of experiments, adenosine A1 or A2 receptor blockers were treated prior to administration of adrenergic agonists. Pretreatments of a beta-agonist, isoproterenol(10-9 ~ 10-7 M) markedly improved the post-ischemic mechanical function and reduced the lactate dehydrogenase release. Similar cardioprotective effect was observed with an alpha-agonist, phenylephrine pretreatment, but much higher concentration(10-4 M) was needed to achieve the same degree of cardioprotection. The cardioprotective effects of isoproterenol and phenylephrine pretreatments were blocked by a beta1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, atenolol, but not by an alpha1-antagonist, prazosin. Adenosine release from the heart was increased by isoproterenol, and the increase was also blocked by atenolol, but not by prazosin. A selective A1-adenosine receptor antagonist, 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentyl xanthine (DPCPX) blocked the cardioprotection by isoproterenol pretreatment. These results suggest that catecholamine pretreatment protects rat myocardium against ischemia and reperfusion injury by mediation of beta1-adrenergic receptor pathway, and that adenosine is involved in this cardioprotective effect.

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BACKGROUND: Many ophthalmic procedures can be performed using a retrobulbar regional anesthetic technique. However, retrobulbar block is painful and most of patients express anxiety about the procedure. In addition, several life-threatening complications may occur. We compared the effects of midazolam and midazolam-ketamine as a sedative during retrobulbar block in cataract surgery. METHODS: Thirty patients undergoing cataract surgery were randomly allocated into two groups, group I (n=15) was received midazolam and group II (n=15), midazolam-ketamine. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) were compared before administration of drugs and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after administration of drugs. Patients' movement requiring restraint were also checked. In the recovery room, postoperative nausea and vomiting, recall, delirium and/or hallucinations, and ocular complications were recorded. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in MAP and SpO2 between groups but heart rates were significantly increased at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 min than baseline in group II. Movement score was significantly lower in Group II than in Group I during the block (p<0.05). Recall during performance of the nerve block occured more often in Group I than in Group II (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Low-dose midazolam-ketamine sedation sequence was superior to a midazolam technique regarding patients' movement and recall.

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Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury is known to be mediated by reactive oxygen species. The myocardial cell is equipped with endogenous antioxidant defensive system which can be adaptively stimulated by various oxidative stress. It is postulated that an increased oxygen partial pressure induced by hyperbaric oxygenation impose an oxidative stress on the cells, resulting alterations in the endogenous antioxidant system. In this study we investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation on the activities of myocardial antioxidant enzymes and observed whether the hyperbaric oxygenation could protect the ischemia-reperfusion injury of heart. Rats or rabbits were pretreated with hyperbaric oxygenation (2 ~ 3 atm O2/1 ~ 3 hrs/1 ~ 10 days). The changes in activities of major antioxidant enzymes(superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), functional recovery and infarct size were observed in the experimentally induced ischemia-reperfused hearts. in the hearts isolated from rats pretreated with 2 atm O2/1 ~ 2 hrs for 5 days, the functional recovery after reperfusion (20 min) following global ischemia (25 min) was significantly increased without any observable oxygen toxicity. Lactate dehydrogenase release was also significantly reduced in this hyperbaric oxygenated rat hearts. In in vivo regional ischemia (30 min) model of rabbit hearts, pretreatment with 2 atm O2/1 hr for 5 days significantly limited the infarct size. Among the myocardial antioxidant enzymes of rat hearts pretreated with the hyperbaric oxygenation, the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase were increased, while those of glutathione peroxidase and reductase were not changed. There were lethal cases in the groups of rats exposed to 3 atm O2/2 ~ 3 hrs for 5 days. A lipid-peroxidation product, malondialdehyde was increased in brains and livers of the rats exposed to 2 atm O2/2 ~ 3 hrs/5 days and 3 atm O2/1 hr/5 days. The present results suggest that the pretreatment of hyperbaric oxygenation can protect the post-ischemic reperfused hearts in association with a stimulation of the activities of myocardial antioxidant defensive enzymes, and that the hyperbaric oxygenation of 2 atm O2/1 hr for 5 days would be a safe condition which does not produce any oxygen toxicity.

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It has been postulated that the intracellular taurine is co-transported with Na+ down a concentration gradient and prevents the intracellular accumulation of sodium. It is therefore, expected that an elevated level of intracellular taurine prevents the sodium-promoted calcium influx to protect the cellular damages associated with sodium and calcium overload. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of intra- and extracellular taurine on the myocardial Na+ and Ca++ contents and the cardiac functions in isolated rat hearts which were loaded with sodium by monensin, a Na+/-ionophore. Monensin caused a dose-dependent increase in intracellular Na+ accompanied with a subsequent increase in intracellular Ca++ and a mechanical dysfunction. In this monensin-treated heart, myocardial taurine content was decreased with a concomitant increase in the release of taurine. The monensin-induced increases in intracellular Na+, Ca++ and depression of cardiac function were prevented in the hearts of which taurine content had been increased by high-taurine diet. Conversely, in the hearts of which taurine concentration gradient had been decreased by addition of taurine in the perfusate, the monensin-induced increases in Na+, Ca++ and functional depression were accelerated. These results suggest that taurine, depending on the intra-extracellular concentration gradient, can affect intracellular sodium and calcium concentrations, and that an increased intracellular taurine may play a role in protection of myocardial dysfunction associated with the sodium and calcium overload.

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