• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.654-658
• /
• 2002

Purpose : Endocrine and immune systems are connected and interdependent. Adrenal glands play an important role in this network and control the balance between serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate(DHEAS) and cortisol. These steroids have an antagonistic effect on the T cell progression into Th1 and Th2 cells and on the induction of correlated interleukins. Therefore we evaluated the role of adrenal androgen and cortisol as immune modulators in Kawasaki disease( KD) with changes of T cell immunity. Methods : From April to August in 2001, we examined serum DHEAS and 24 hour urine free cortisol(F) before administration of immunoglobulin and steroids by radioimmunoassay in 14 KD patients. It's clinical severity was determined by Harada score and coronary lesion. Results : The age of the patient group ranged from 4 months to 4 years; its average age was 2.3 years. Three patients(21.4%) were below 1 year, 2(14.3%) between 1 and 2 years, 5(35.7%) between 2 and 3 years, 4(28.6%) between 3 and 4 years of age. Male to female ratio was 1:1.3. DHEAS was significantly decreased in patients($11.1{\pm}6.0{\mu}g/dL$) more than controls($81.6{\pm}13.3{\mu}g/dL$)(P<0.05). Twenty-four hour urine free cortisol was significantly increased in patients($36.9{\pm}21.9{\mu}g/dL$) more than controls($13.6{\pm}5.5{\mu}g/dL$)(P<0.05). Ratio of DHEAS/F was decreased remarkably in patients($0.33{\pm}0.20$) more than controls($6.65{\pm}2.56$)(P=0.016). There was no difference between ratio of DHEAS/F and Harada score, but its ratio was very low in patients with coronary aneurysm. Conclusion : These data demonstrate that there are changes of DHEAS and cortisol in acute stage of KD and the dis-equilibrium between two steroids may be relevant in the T cell immune response induction of Kawasaki disease. These changes support the use of DHEAS/F ratio as one of the predictive factors of coronary arteries complication.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.133-140
• /
• 2003

In this study, muscle activity was measured using surface EMG (sEMG) during a voluntary maneuver (ankle dorsiflexion) in the supine position was compared pre and post gait training. Nine patients with incomplete spinal cord injury participated in a supported treadmill ambulation training (STAT), twenty minutes a day, five days a week for three months. Two tests, a gait speed test and a voluntary maneuver test, were made the same day, or at least the same week, pre and post gait training. Ten healthy subjects' data recorded using the same voluntary maneuvers were used for the reference. sEMG measured from ten lower limb muscles was used to observe the two features of amplitude and motor control distribution pattern, named response vector. The result showed that the average gait speed of patients increased significantly (p〈0.1) from 0.47$\pm$0.35 m/s to 0.68$\pm$0.52 m/s. In sEMG analysis, six out of nine patients showed a tendency to increase the right tibialis anterior activity during right ankle dorsiflexion from 109.7$\pm$148.5 $mutextrm{V}$ to 145.9$\pm$180.7 $mutextrm{V}$ but it was not significant (p〈0.055). In addition, only two patients showed increase of correlation coefficient and total muscle activity in the left fide during left dorsiflexion. Patients' muscle activity changes after gait training varied individually and generally depended on their muscle control abilities of the pre-STAT status. Response vector being introduced for quantitative analysis showed good Possibility to anticipate. evaluate, and/or guide patients with SCI, before and after gait training.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 2008

This study investigated the anti-hypertensive effect of Phyllostachys pubescens culm extract (PCE) by examining its effects on renal angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and blood pressure using the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) system. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured weekly for 8 weeks. Also, total antioxidant capacity and protein oxidation of tissues were examined by plasma Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity assay (TEAC) and hepatic protein carbonyl values, respectively. Twenty male SHR were randomly divided into four groups: PCE50, PCE100, and PCE500 (50, 100, and 500 mg of PCE per kilogram bodyweight daily, respectively), and control group. At week 2, the SBP in all PCE groups appeared to be significantly lower than the control (p<0.05), whereas the DBP were not different until week 4 (p<0.05). At week 8, SBP in the PCE500 was lower by 20% than the control. PCE groups considerably suppressed ACE dose-dependently compared with the control. Plasma TEAC and hepatic protein carbonyl values indicated increased antioxidative activity due to the PCE feed. No adverse effect was observed on the liver of SHR as there was no difference for the GOT and GPT values among the groups. Results of this study suggest that ACE inhibition may be one possible mechanism for the blood pressure lowering effect of PCE; thus, long term consumption of PCE may be beneficial in preventing high blood pressure along with the increased antioxidative status.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.9
• /
• pp.1314-1320
• /
• 2009

Histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) is a new promising candidate as an antineoplastic agent for the treatment of solid and hematologic malignancies. In order to evaluate cell death and to elucidate the related mechanism(s) in NSCLC cells after HDACI, sodium butyrate (SB), a representative HDACI, was used to treat H460 cells for 48 hrs. SB exposure resulted in a significant reduction of cell viability at concentrations below 7.5 mM, and about 50% of cell death occurred at 20 mM. The types of cell death induced by SB were both apoptosis and necrosis, evaluated by Annexin-V staining combined with propidium iodide. SB treatment significantly evoked G2/M cell cycle arrest and subsequently induced cell death with caspase-dependent manner. While ERK protein content was not altered after SB, phosphorylated forms of ERK were markedly reduced. Taken together, SB is significantly able to induce cell death in NSCLC cell line H460, and it is suggested that the reduction of ERK phosphorylation might be closely involved in the cancer cell death mechanism initiated by HDACI.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.250-259
• /
• 2011

This study was conducted to assess the possibility of 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (DHNQ) as a environmental friendly herbicide candidate. Foliar application of DHNQ showed excellent herbicidal effect to the 3 grasses and 5 broad-leaved weeds. Among them, Digitaria sanguinalis and Solanum nigrum were completely controlled by $250{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of DHNQ with main symptoms of desiccation or burndown within 24 hours. Aeschynomene indica was also sensitive to DHNQ treatment. All of the eight weed species were controlled by 90~100% at a concentration of $1000{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$. However, soil application of DHNQ to Digitaria sanguinalis did not show any herbicidal symptoms. DHNQ strongly inhibited KAPAS activities in vitro and the $IC_{50}$ was $4.4{\mu}M$. Cellular leakage from cucumber leaf squares treated with DHNQ increased depending on the concentrations increased from 6.25 to $100{\mu}M$ after 24 hours incubation with or without light. However, chlorophyll loss in cucumber leaf squares was negligible. Biotin supplements significantly rescued the inhibition of germination rate of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds previously inhibited by the DHNQ. According to above results, DHNQ is a good natural herbicide candidate having a new target KAPAS, which is involved in biotin biosynthesis pathway, with environmental friendly.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.667-673
• /
• 2009

The antihyperlipidemic and glycemic control effects of mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract were investigated. In high fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice, the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract showed significant decrease in epididymal fat tissue weight, blood triglyceride and VLDL level, triglyceride and total cholesterol level in liver, serum insulin and HOMA-IR level and AUC. Oral glucose tolerance test glucose level reduction were 4.9% (M150L; ${\beta}$-glucan 1.303 mg/kg bw), 9.5% (M150; ${\beta}$-glucan 2.606 mg/kg bw) after 180 min of glucose loading compared to H-C group. Besides, the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract treatment significantly increased glycogen contents in liver and adiponectin level in high fat diet-induced obese mice. In conclusion, the results showed that the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract possesses significant antihyperlipidemic and glycemic control effects in C57BL/6J mice.