• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.408-413
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• 2007

Vascular tone plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. In the present study, the methanol extract of Rosae multiflora Radix (MRM) induced dose-dependent relaxation of phenylephrine-precontracted aorta, which was abolished by removal of functional endothelium. Pretreatment of the endothelium-intact aortic tissues with $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methly ester (L-NAME) or 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazole-[4,3-${\alpha}$]-quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) inhibited the relaxation induced by MRM, respectively. But, the relaxation effect of MRM was not blocked by indomethacine, glibenclamide, tetraethylammonium (TEA), verapamil, diltiazem, atropine, and propranolol, respectively. Moreover, incubation of endothelium-intact aortic rings with MRM increased the production of cGMP. Taken together, the present results suggest that MRM relaxes vascular smooth muscle via endothelium-dependent nitric oxide/cGMP signaling. These results would be useful for further study to MRM on animal models with cardiovascular diseases.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.71-81
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• 2003

So-Hap-Hyang-Won, a traditional oriental medicine used in the treatment of stroke patients, was examined for its ability to reverse the cell damage caused by lipid peroxidation products and oxidative stress in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). The effects of herbal medicine on cell proliferation and recovery of oxidative damaged situation were studied in BAEC, which was considered an appropriate in vitro model for stroke resulting from various vascular diseases prevalent in advanced age. In a clinical study of stroke patients, So-Hap-Hyang-Won appeared to improve considerably arm and leg movements as well as consciousness disturbance condition, compared with other traditional medicines used for stroke. When BAEC were treated with extracts of the lyophilized herbal medicines, only that of So-Hap-Hyang-Won stimulated cell proliferation and showed no toxicity even at high concentrations. In studies of BAEC treated with extracts of the lyophilized material of the 14 components of So-Hap-Hyang-Won, only the extract of Foeniculi Fructus stimulated cell growth at all concentrations tested. Moreover, when cells were treated with Foeniculi Fructus (10 and 100 mg/ml) extract after prior exposure to t-BHP ($l0\mu\textrm{M}$) or HNE ($0.2\mu\textrm{M}$), lipid peroxidation products which are known to be involved in aging and vascular diseases, or after the exposure to SIN-l ($500\mu\textrm{M}$), which generates nitric oxide (NO) and other reactive oxygen species, there was substantial recovery from the oxidative damage, presumably due to the radical-scavenging effect of Foeniculi Fructus extract. Foeniculi Fructus not only showed stimulatory effects on cell growth and cell damage repair in BAEC, but also appeared to show the most anti-aging activity among all the herbal components of So-Hap-Hyang-Won.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1180-1190
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• 1990

96 patients underwent cardiac valve replacement for valvular heart diseases consecutively between February 1986 to February 1990 in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery of Yeungnam University Hospital. The follow up period was between 6 months and 4.5 years postoperatively[mean 23.4$\pm$13.1 months]. 75 cases got mitral valve replacement, 6 cases, aortic valve replacement, 15 cases, double valve replacement. 30[31.2%] patients were male and 66[68.8%] were female and the age ranged from 14 to 66 years old. Early hospital death within 30 days postoperation were 5 patients[5.2%], consisting of by low cardiac output in 2, infective endocarditis in 1, multiple organ failure with sepsis in 1 patient. There was no late postoperative death. Most common early postoperative complication was wound disruption [8.7%] and then low cardiac output, pneumothorax, pleural effusion in order. Most common late postoperative complications were minor bleeding episodes[8.7%] related to anticoagulant therapy which were consisted of frequent epistaxis in 3, gum bleeding in 2, hemorrhagic gastritis in 1, hypermenorrhea in 1, hematoma in right arm in 1 patient. Valve-related complications included valve thrombosis [1.6%/ patient-year], valve failure due to pannus formation[1.1% /patient-year], prosthetic valve endocarditis[1, 1%o/patient-year] and minor anticoagulant hemorrhage[4.4% /patient-year]. 5 cases of reoperations were performed in 4 patients due to valve failure and all of them were in the mitral positions[2.7% /patient-year]. Cardiothoracic ratios in the chest X-ray decreased at the 6th month and 1st year postoperation in all patients. But in New York Heart Association[NYHA] functional class IV, no change in cardiothoracic ratio was found between 6 months and 1 year postoperation. In the echocardiogram, the size of the cardiac chambers decreased, but ejection fraction increased postoperatively in each functional class. In the electrocardiogram, decreases were found in the incidence of atrial fibrillation, left atrial enlargement, left ventricular hypertrophy with right bundle branch block increasing postoperatively in each functional class. The actuarial survival rate was 98.4% for all patients, 98.7% for mitral valve replacement, 83.8% for aortic valve replacement, and 80% for double valve replacement at the end of a 4.5 year follow up period. Meanwhile the actuarial freedom rate was 91.5% for prosthetic valve endocarditis, 91.6% for thromboembolism, 89.0% for prosthetic valve failure and 83.7% for minor anticoagulant hemorrhage. Preoperative NYHA class III and IV were 75% of all patients, but 95% of all patients were up graded to NYHA class I and II postoperatively.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.91-100
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• 2016

Angiogenesis is essential for the pathophysiological processes of embryogenesis, tissue growth, diabetic retinopathy, psoriasis, wound healing, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, and tumor growth. Inhibition of angiogenesis represents an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of angiogenic diseases such as cancer. However, uncontrolled angiogenesis is also necessary for tumor development and metastasis. Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling, a critical factor in the induction of angiogenesis, cause robust and rapid changes in blood vessels of tumors and therefore VEGF constitutes a target for such anti-angiogenic therapy. Recently, since natural compounds pose significantly less risk of deleterious side effects than synthetic compounds, a great many natural resources have been assessed for useful substance for anti-angiogenic treatment. Here we evaluated the anti-angiogenic effects of a hot water extract of Scutellaria baicalensis (SBHWE) using in vitro assays and ex vivo animal experiments. Our results show that SBHWE dose-dependently abrogated vascular endothelial responses by inhibiting VEGF-stimulated migration and invasion as well as tube formation in a human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) model, without cytotoxicity, as determined by a cell viability assay. Further study revealed that SBHWE prevented VEGF-induced neo-vascularization in a rat aortic ring sprouting model. Taken together, our findings reveal an anti-angiogenic activity of Scutellaria baicalensis and suggest that SBHWE is a novel candidate inhibitor of VEGF-induced angiogenesis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.4
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• pp.352-359
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• 2012

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether measuring the ratio of descending aortic enhancement (DAE) to main pulmonary artery enhancement (MPAE) on pulmonary computed tomography angiography (PCTA) can predict poor outcome in patients with acute massive or submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: We retrospectively, reviewed computed tomgraphy findings and charts of 37 patients with acute PE and right ventricular dysfunction. We divided the enrolled patients into 3 groups; group Ia (n=8), comprised of patients with major adverse event (MAE); group Ib (n=5), consisted of those with PE-related MAE; and group II (n=29), those without MAE. We analyzed the right ventricular diameter (RVD)/left ventricular diameter (LVD) and DAE/MPAE on PCTA. Results: For observer 1, RVD/LVD in group Ia ($1.9{\pm}0.36$ vs. $1.44{\pm}0.38$, p=0.009) and group Ib ($1.87{\pm}0.37$ vs. $1.44{\pm}0.38$, p=0.044) were significantly higher than that of group II. For observer 2, RVD/LVD in group Ia ($1.71{\pm}0.18$ vs. $1.41{\pm}0.47$, p=0.027) was significantly greater than that of group II, but RVD/LVD of group Ib was not ($1.68{\pm}0.2$ vs. $1.41{\pm}0.47$, p=0.093). For both observers, there was a significant difference of DAE/MPAE between group Ib and group II ($0.32{\pm}0.15$ vs. $0.64{\pm}0.24$, p=0.005; $0.34{\pm}0.16$ vs. $0.64{\pm}0.22$, p=0.004), but no significant difference of DAE/MPAE between group Ia and group II ($0.51{\pm}0.3$ vs. $0.64{\pm}0.24$, p=0.268; $0.53{\pm}0.29$ vs. $0.64{\pm}0.22$, p=0.302). Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for the measurement of DAE/MPAE (ICC=0.97) was higher than that of RVD/LVD (ICC=0.74). Conclusion: DAE/MPAE measured on PCTA may predict PE-related poor outcomes in patients with massive or submassive PE with an excellent inter-observer agreement.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.96-103
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• 1998

Purpose : To assess the clinical utility of turbo contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography(CE MRA) in the evaluation of the aortic arch and its major branches and to compare the image quality of CE MRA among different coils used. Materials and Methods : Turbo three-phase dynamic CE MRA encompassing aortic arch and its major branches was prospectively performed after manual bolus IV injection of contrast material in 29 patients with suspected cerebrovascular diseases at 1.0T MR unit. the raw data were obtained with 3-D FISH sequence (TR 5.4ms, TE 2.3ms, flip angle 30, slab thickness 80nm, effective slice thickness 4.0mm, matrix size $100{\times}256$, FOV 280mm). Total data acquisition time was 4. to 60 seconds. We subjectively evaluated the imge quality with three-rating scheme : "good" for unequivocal normal finding, "fair" for relatively satisfactory quality to diagnose 'normal' despite intravascular low signal, and "poor" for equivocal diagnosis or non-visualization of the origin or segment of the vessels due to low signal or artifacts which needs catheter angiography. At the level of the carotid bifurcation, it was compared with conventional 2D-TOF MRA image. Overall image quality was also compared visually and quantitatively by measuring signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the ascending aorta, the innominate artery and both common carotid arteries among the three different coils used(CP body array(n=12), CP neck array(n=9), and head-and-neck(n=8). Results : Demonstration of the aortic arch and its major branches was rated as "good" in 55% (16/29) and "fair" in 34%(10/29). At the level of the carotid bifurcation, image quality of turbo CE MRA was same as or better than conventional 2D-TOF MRA in 65% (17/26). Overall image quality and SNR were significantlygreater with CP body array coil than with CP neck array or head-and-neck coil. Conclusions : Turbo CE MRA can be used as a screening exam in the evaluation of the major branches of the aortic arch from their origin to the skull base. Overall imagequality appears to be better with CP body array coil than with CP neck array coil or head-and-neck coil.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

Gastric cancer is the most common malignancy and the incidence is steadily increasing in Korea. The principal treatment modality for gastric cancer is surgical extirpation of tumor along with draining lymph nodes. Gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection has been well established as a standard of surgery and improved the survival of gastric cancer patients. Recently, technological advances are drastically reshaping the landscape of surgical treatment of gastric cancer. One of the most notable trends is that minimal access surgery becomes dominating the treatment of early stage diseases. For advanced diseases, the standard access surgery is considered a reference treatment. Although there is a pilot study underway to evaluate the feasibility of the application of minimal access surgery to advanced gastric cancer (AGC), the evidence for oncological safety is not yet provided sufficiently. Based on the recent randomized controlled trials, the extent of surgery for AGC has re-defined as para-aortic lymph node dissection dose not add any survival benefit while increasing surgery-related morbidities. In addition, it is now accepted as a standard operation omitting unnecessary procedures such as splenectomy and/or distal pancreatectomy for prophylactic lymph node dissection. Conceptual and technical innovation has contributed to decreasing morbidity and mortality without impairing oncological safety. All these recent advances in the field of gastric cancer surgery would be concluded in maximizing therapeutic index for gastric cancer while improving quality of life.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.482-487
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• 2001

A pancreatic pseudocyst with a mediastinal extension is a rare clinical entity. Intrathoracic symptoms such as dysphagia or dyspnea due to compression or associated pleural effusions are quite common. The pseudocysts transverse the diaphragm via the esophageal hiatus or aortic hiatus or by eroding directly through the diaphragm. Here, we report a case of a pancreatic pseudocyst with a mediastinal extension presenting as dysphagia and dyspnea. The diagnosis was confirmed by computerized axial tomography of the chest and abdomen. Usually, the proper management of a large pseudocyst includes percutaneous or surgical internal drainage, but in this case the mediastinal components disappeared with conservative medical treatment.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.548-553
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• 1992

The Unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery (UAPA) is an uncommon congenital anomaly. Approximately 160 cases have been reported in the literature since Frantzel's first report in 1968. Most of the patients with UAPA are asymptomatic but some patients may suffer from recurrent respiratory infections, hemoptysis, or pulmonary hypertension. The diagnosis could be suspected from the chest roentgenogram and lung scan, and definitely confirmed by pulmonary angiography. We experienced a case of UAPA in a 39-year-old male with the recurrent hemoptysis. Chest X-ray revealed that the left lung volume was moderately decreased and the heart and mediastinum were displaced to the left side. Lung perfusion scan showed that the left lung was not perfused. Pulmonary angiography revealed the absence of the left main pulmonary artery. Aortic arch and descending aorta on aortogram were right sided. Blood supply to the left lung was originated from numerous systemic collaterals from intercostal and brachiocephalic origin. No other intrinsic or internal abnormalities of the cardiac chambers were noted.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.114-124
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to characterize the enzymatic hydrolysis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by wheat phytase and to investigate the effects of wheat phytase-treated LPS on in vitro toxicity, cell viability and release of a pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-8 by target cells compared with the intact LPS. The phosphatase activity of wheat phytase towards LPS was investigated in the presence or absence of inhibitors such as L-phenylalanine and L-homoarginine. In vitro toxicity of LPS hydrolyzed with wheat phytase in comparison to intact LPS was assessed. Cell viability in human aortic endothelial (HAE) cells exposed to LPS treated with wheat phytase in comparison to intact LPS was measured. The release of IL-8 in human intestinal epithelial cell line, HT-29 cells applied to LPS treated with wheat phytase in comparison to intact LPS was assayed. Wheat phytase hydrolyzed LPS, resulting in a significant release of inorganic phosphate for 1 h (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the degradation of LPS by wheat phytase was nearly unaffected by the addition of L-phenylalanine, the inhibitor of tissue-specific alkaline phosphatase or L-homoarginine, the inhibitor of tissue-non-specific alkaline phosphatase. Wheat phytase effectively reduced the in vitro toxicity of LPS, resulting in a retention of 63% and 54% of its initial toxicity after 1-3 h of the enzyme reaction, respectively (p < 0.05). Intact LPS decreased the cell viability of HAE cells. However, LPS dephosphorylated by wheat phytase counteracted the inhibitory effect on cell viability. LPS treated with wheat phytase decreased IL-8 secretion from intestinal epithelial cell line, HT-29 cell to 14% (p < 0.05) when compared with intact LPS. In conclusion, wheat phytase is a potential therapeutic candidate and prophylactic agent for control of infections induced by pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria and associated LPS-mediated inflammatory diseases in animal husbandry.