• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.531-539
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• 2024

Sleep is one of the most essential physiological phenomena for maintaining health. Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, are often accompanied by psychiatric or physical conditions such as impaired attention, anxiety, and stress. Medication used to treat insomnia have concerns about potential side effects with long-term use, so interest in the use of alternative medicine is increasing. In this study, we investigated the hypnotic effects of β-lapachone (β-Lap), a natural naphthoquinone compound, using pentobarbital-induced sleep test, immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and western blot in mice. Our results indicated that β-Lap exerts a significant hypnotic effect by showing a decrease in sleep onset latency and an increase in total sleep time in pentobarbital-induced sleep model. The results of c-Fos immunostaining showed that β-Lap decreased neuronal activity in the basal forebrain and lateral hypothalamus, which are wakefulness-promoting brain regions, while increasing in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, a sleep-promoting region; all these effects were significantly abolished by 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX), an adenosine A₁ receptor (A₁R) antagonist. Western blot analysis showed that β-Lap increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation and nuclear factor-kappa B translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus; these effects were inhibited by DPCPX. Additionally, β-Lap increased the mRNA levels of A₁R. Taken together, these results suggest that β-Lap exerts hypnotic effects, potentially through A₁R.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.484-488
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• 2008

We investigated the effect of the prolactin receptor gene (PRLR) on total number of born (TNB), number of born alive (NBA) and number of weaned (NW) piglets in Large White (LW), White Meaty (WM) and Landrace (L) sows from six Slovak breeding farms. The frequency of A allele was 0.48, 0.49 and 0.47 in LW, WM and L, respectively. We found numerous highly significant effects of PRLR locus on TNB ($p{\leq}0.01$; $p{\leq}0.05$) in all tested breeds. The most marked difference of +$1.31{\pm}0.45pigs/L$ was found between AA and BB genotypes in WM. Within the other breeds the difference between the homozygous genotypes reached up to +$0.94{\pm}0.3$ and +$1.21{\pm}0.19$ pigs per litter in LW and L, respectively. We also identified significant differences between AA and AB genotypes related to TNB in L. Similarly NBA, as well as NW traits were significantly affected ($p{\leq}0.01$; $p{\leq}0.05$) by the genotype just in LW and L. The homozygous genotype AA was favourable in all breeds and traits. Our results showed the possibility of PRLR utilization in marker-assisted selection within breeding programs to increase reproductive traits of pigs in Slovakia.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2020

Purpose: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is among etiologies of secondary membranous nephropathy (MN) in pediatric patients. We evaluated expression of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R), a specific target antigen of primary MN, in pediatric HBV-related MN. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with biopsy-proven HBV-related MN from the renal biopsy registry and electronic medical records of Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea, from 1993 to 2004. Paraffin-embedded human kidney tissues were retrieved and immunohistochemically stained for PLA2R. Results: Ten pediatric patients with 13 biopsied specimens were reviewed. The predominant pathological stage was stage II-III, and second was stage II. The intensity of staining for IgG was greatest, with less intense staining for IgM, IgA, C3, C4, and C1q. All the patients had angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor combined with glucocorticoid, and four patients converted to cyclosporine treatment from glucocorticoid monotherapy. Urinalysis of all the patients normalized after variable period. PLA2R staining was demonstrated in the outer glomerulus in 3 out of 13 biopsies, 2 of which were obtained from the same patient over a 5-year interval. Conclusions: PLA2R was expressed in a small number of cases diagnosed as pediatric HBV-related MN, indicating that some HBV-related MN cases may be primary MN concurrent with HBV infection.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7515-7520
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• 2014

Many studies have indicated possible associations between a polymorphism of adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) rs1342387 and risk of cancer, but contradictory results have been reported. The main aim of this study was to draw a reliable conclusion about the relationship between the rs1342387 polymorphism and cancer incidence, by conducting a literature search of Pubmed, Embase, Wanfang and Cochrane libraries. Eleven studies including 3, 738 cases and 4, 748 controls were identified in this meta-analysis. The ADIPOR1 rs1342387 polymorphism was associated with risk of colorectal cancer for all genetic comparison models (GG vs AA, OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.21-1.70; G carriers vs A carriers, OR: 1.23, 95%CI: 1.11-1.36; dominant model, OR: 1.28, 95%CI: 1.10-1.49 and recessive model, OR: 1.31, 95%CI: 1.12-1.55). Stratified by ethnicity, the rs1342387 polymorphism was significantly associated with risk of colorectal cancer in Asian ancestry for all genetic comparison models (GG vs AA, OR: 1.56, 95%CI: 1.26-1.92; G carriers vs. A carriers OR: 1.30, 95%CI: 1.18-1.43; dominant model OR: 1.31, 95%CI: 1.08-1.60 and recessive model OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.26-1.64), but not in Caucasian or mixed (Caucasian mainly) groups. In summary, the ADIPOR1 rs1342387 polymorphism is significantly associated with risk of colorectal cancer among individuals of Asian ancestry.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.295-298
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is a very common health problem in Iranian women. The HER2-neu gene is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase with homology to members of the EGF receptor family. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between HER2-neu oncogene status with prognostic factors of breast cancer in Kermanshah province, Iran. Materials and Methods: Relationship between HER2-neu and prognostic factors of 130 cases of breast cancer were evaluated during two years in Imam Reza hospital in Kermanshah, Iran. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the T-test and Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test using SPSS 19. Results: The mean age for the patients was $46.0{\pm}8.0years$, all being female. Among the predictive factors for breast cancer were family history, stage of disease, involvement of the lymphovascular system, number of involved lymph nodes in axillaries, grading and hormone receptor status with HER2-neu oncogene had direct correlation and between factors, tumor location, patient age and histological characteristics and HER2-neu oncogene had no significant relationship. We found significant correlation between HER2 with ER and PR and also HER2 with ER, PR negative. Conclusions: HER2-neu is risk factor that can be a good prognostic and also predictive factor. For these reasons, we recommend that it be evaluated for all types of BC.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 2014

Nausea and emesis are a major side effect and obstacle for chemotherapy in cancer patients. Employ of antiemetic drugs help to suppress chemotherapy-induced emesis in some patients but not all patients. Ginger, an herbal medicine, has been traditionally used to treat various kinds of diseases including gastrointestinal symptoms. Ginger is effective in alleviating nausea and emesis, particularly, for cytotoxic chemotherapy drug-induced emesis. Ginger-mediated antiemetic effect has been attributed to its pungent constituents-mediated inhibition of serotonin (5-HT) receptor activity but its cellular mechanism of action is still unclear. Emetogenic chemotherapy drugs increase 5-HT concentration and activate visceral vagal afferent nerve activity. Thus, 5-HT mediated vagal afferent activation is essential to provoke emesis during chemotherapy. In this experiment, water extract of ginger and its three major pungent constituent's effect on 5-HT-evoked responses were tested on acutely dispersed visceral afferent neurons with patch-clamp methods. The ginger extract has similar effects to antiemetic drug ondansetron by blocking 5-HT-evoked responses. Pungent constituents of the ginger, [6]-shogaol, [6]-gingerol, and zingerone inhibited 5-HT responses in a dose dependent manner. The order of inhibitory potency for these compounds were [6]-shogaol>[6]-gingerol>zingerone. Unlike well-known competitive 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron, all tested ginger constituents acted as non-competitive antagonist. Our results imply that ginger and its pungent constituents exert antiemetic effects by blocking 5-HT-induced emetic signal transmission in vagal afferent neurons.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.85-96
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• 1996

Adenosine and its analogues are known to possess analgesic effects and to be involved in the opiate-induced antinociception as well. This study was designed to investigate the effects of three adenosine agonists, 5'- (N-cyclopropyl) -carboxamidoadenosine(CPCA), 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadeno-sine (NECA) and $N^6-cyclohexyladenosine$ (CHA) on the signal transmission in the spinal cord and also to elucidate mechanisms of their actions in the anesthetized cat. All the tested adenosine agonists(i.v,) exerted inhibitory effects on the responsiveness of the wide dynamic range (WDR) cells, the inhibitory action of CHA, an adenosine $A_1$ receptor agonist, $(80{\mu}g/Kg)$ being most weak. The intravenous CPCA, an adenosine $A_2$ receptor agonist, $(20{\mu}g\;/Kg)$ and NECA, nonspecific adenosine receptor agonist, $(20{\mu}g\;/Kg)$ inhibited the responses of WDR cells to pinch and C fiber stimulation more strongly than those to brush and A fiber stimulation. CPCA (i.v.) also suppressed the responses of WDR cells to thermal stimulus. And all the CPCA-induced inhibitions were caffeine-reversible. When CPCA was directly applied onto the spinal cord or intravenously administered into the spinal cat, on average, about three quarters of the CPCA-induced inhibitory effect was abolished. On the other hand, in the animal with spinal lesions in the ipsilateral dorsolateral area, the CPCA-induced inhibition was comparable to that observed in the spinal cats. In conclusion, this study shows that adenosine agonists strongly suppress the responses of WDR cells to pinch, C fiber stimulation and thermal stimuli mainly through the supraspinal adenosine $A_2-receptors$.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.119-126
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• 2021

Activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a calcium permeable channel expressed in primary sensory neurons, induces the release of glutamate from their central and peripheral afferents during normal acute and pathological pain. However, little information is available regarding the glutamate release mechanism associated with TRPV1 activation in primary sensory neurons. To address this issue, we investigated the expression of vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) in TRPV1-immunopositive (+) neurons in the rat trigeminal ganglion (TG) under normal and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain conditions using behavioral testing as well as double immunofluorescence staining with antisera against TRPV1 and VGLUT1 or VGLUT2. TRPV1 was primarily expressed in small and medium-sized TG neurons. TRPV1+ neurons constituted approximately 27% of all TG neurons. Among all TRPV1+ neurons, the proportion of TRPV1+ neurons coexpressing VGLUT1 (VGLUT1+/TRPV1+ neurons) and VGLUT2 (VGLUT2+/TRPV1+ neurons) was 0.4% ± 0.2% and 22.4% ± 2.8%, respectively. The proportion of TRPV1+ and VGLUT2+ neurons was higher in the CFA group than in the control group (TRPV1+ neurons: 31.5% ± 2.5% vs. 26.5% ± 1.2%, VGLUT2+ neurons: 31.8% ± 1.1% vs. 24.6% ± 1.5%, p < 0.05), whereas the proportion of VGLUT1+, VGLUT1+/TRPV1+, and VGLUT2+/TRPV1+ neurons did not differ significantly between the CFA and control groups. These findings together suggest that VGLUT2, a major isoform of VGLUTs, is involved in TRPV1 activation-associated glutamate release during normal acute and inflammatory pain.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.1397-1410
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• 2021

The present study was designed to determine the influence of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on adipogenesis-related gene regulation in bovine intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) adipose cells during differentiation. Bovine IM and SC adipocytes were isolated from three 19-mo-old, crossbred steers. Adipogenic differentiation was induced upon cultured IM and SC preadipocytes with various doses (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1 µM) of ATRA. After 96 h of incubation, cells were harvested and used to measure the gene expression of CCAAT/Enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD), and Smad transcription factor 3 (Smad3) relative to the quantity of ribosomal protein subunit 9 (RPS 9). Retinoic acid receptor (RAR) antagonist also tested to identify the effect of ATRA on PPARγ -RAR related gene expression in IM cells. The addition of ATRA to bovine IM decreased (p < 0.05) expression of PPARγ. The expression of PPARγ was also tended to be downregulated (p < 0.1) in high levels (10 µM) of ATRA treatment in SC cells. The treatment of RAR antagonist increased the expression of PPARγ in IM cells. Expression of C/EBPβ decreased (p < 0.05) in SC, but no change was observed in IM (p > 0.05). Increasing levels of ATRA may block adipogenic differentiation via transcriptional regulation of PPARγ. The efficacy of ATRA treatment in adipose cells may vary depending on the location.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.5.1-5.10
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• 2022

Background: Some epidemiological studies have estimated exposure among flight attendants with and without breast cancer. However, it is difficult to find a quantitative evaluation of occupational exposure factors related to cancer development individually in the case of breast cancer in flight attendants. That is, most, if not all, epidemiological studies of breast cancer in flight attendants with quantitative exposure estimates have estimated exposure in the absence of individual flight history data. Case presentation: A 41-year-old woman visited the hospital due to a left breast mass after a regular check-up. Breast cancer was suspected on ultrasonography. Following core biopsy, she underwent various imaging modalities. She was diagnosed invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type (estrogen receptor positive in 90%, progesterone receptor positive in 3%, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu equivocal) with histologic grade 3 and nuclear grade 3 in the left breast. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered to reduce the tumor size before surgery. However, due to serious chemotherapy side effects, the patient opted for alternative and integrative therapies. She joined the airline in January, 1996. Out of all flights, international flights and night flights accounted for 94.9% and 26.2, respectively. Night flights were conducted at least four times per month. Moreover, based on the virtual computer program CARI-6M, the estimated dose of cosmic radiation exposure was 78.81 mSv. There were no other personal triggers or family history of breast cancer. Conclusions: This case report shows that the potentially causal relationship between occupational harmful factors and the incidence of breast cancer may become more pronounced when night shift workers who work continuously are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation. Therefore, close attention and efforts are needed to adjust night shift work schedules and regulate cosmic ionizing radiation exposure.