• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.260-268
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• 1995

Ischemia results when the decrease in tissue perfusion exceeds the tissues ability to increase an oxygen extraction from the blood. Brain edema has been defined as an abnormal accumulation of fluid within brain parenchyma associated with a volumetric enlargement of the brain tissue. In most instances, the labelling of edema as vasogenic or cytotoxic is only relative. For cerebral protection, there were many possible techniques which could increase or maintain cerebral perfusion and reduce cerebral metabolic demand for oxygen. This study was carried out the effect of mild brain hypothermia which was induced by infusion with cold saline into the carotid artery, during brief episodes of transient global ischemia on postischemic brain edema in rabbit. Eight rabbits were anesthetized with halothane and mechanically ventilated with oxygen. For isolated cerebral perfusion, polyethylene catheter was inserted left carotid artery for infusion of cold saline, external carotid artery was ligated, vertebral arteries were cautherized, right carotid artery was snared for ischemia and femoral artery and vein were also canulated for monitoring and drug treatment. At 3 hours After transient global ischemia, specific gravity of cerebral cortex and hippocampus was compared with no-perfusion group , perfusion with cold saline group and normal group. There was no significant differences in physiologic variables among the groups before transient global ischemia. But during transient global ischemia, brain temperature of perfusion group was decreased when compared to no perfusion group. Specific gravity of cerebral cortex and hippocampus of no-perfusion group and perfusion group was statistically significant when compared to normal group (p<0.01). The results of this study suggested that mild brain hypothermia with intracarotid cold saline infusion during brief episodes of transient global ischemia had decreased postischemic brain edema in rabbit.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2005

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the effects of pioglitazone, an insulin sensitizing agent, on insulin resistance, ovarian function and intraovarian stromal blood flow in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Material and Methods: Thirty patients with PCOS, aged 18~34 years, were recruited. Criteria for diagnosis of PCOS were as defined in 2003 Rotterdam consensus. They were treated for 6 months with pioglitazone at a dose of 30 mg/day orally. The hormonal blood profile, fasting serum glucose levels, a glycemic response to 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and an ovarian stromal artery (OSA) blood flow were assessed at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. Results: Eighteen (60.0%) of 30 patients treated with pioglitazone demonstrated a spontaneous ovulation After pioglitazone treatment, fasting insulin concentrations, serum glucose levels after 75 g OGTT significantly decreased (p=0.001, p=0.04, respectively), and fasting glucose to insulin (G/I) ratio significantly increased (p<0.001). The pioglitazone treatment induced a significant reduction in serum LH, testosterone (T) and free T levels (p<0.001, p=0.02, p=0.002, respectively). The resistance index (RI) values of OSA significantly increased after treatment (p<0.001). In analyzing pioglitazone-treated patients according to their body mass index (BMI), nonobese group as well as obese group showed a significant improvement in fasting G/I ratio (p<0.01). The pioglitazone treatment induced a significant reduction in serum LH and free T levels in nonobese group (p<0.001, p<0.05, respectively) as well as obese group (p=0.001, p<0.05, respectively). The RI values of OSA significantly increased in both nonobese and obese groups after pioglitazone treatment (p<0.001, p=0.003, respectively). Conclusions: Pioglitazone could ameliorate the glycoinsulinemic metabolism, and this beneficial effects of this drug could improve the endocrine-reproductive condition associated with the decrease of ovarian stromal artery blood flow, in both nonobese and obese patients with PCOS.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2015

Background: Sun ginseng (SG), a specific formulation of quality-controlled red ginseng, contains approximately equal amounts of three major ginsenosides (RK1, Rg3, and Rg5), which reportedly has antitumor-promoting activities in animal models. Methods: MTT assay was used to assess whether SG can potentiate the anticancer activity of epirubicin or paclitaxel in human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells, human colon cancer SW111C cells, and SW480 cells; apoptosis status was analyzed by annexin V-FITC and PI and analyzed by flow cytometry; and apoptosis pathway was studied by analysis of caspase-3, -8, and -9 activation, mitochondrial accumulation of Bax and Bak, and cytochrome c release. Results: SG remarkably enhances cancer cell death induced by epirubicin or paclitaxel in human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells, human colon cancer SW111C cells, and SW480 cells. Results of the mechanism study highlighted the cooperation between SG and epirubicin or paclitaxel in activating caspase-3 and -9 but not caspase-8. Moreover, SG significantly increased the mitochondrial accumulation of both Bax and Bak triggered by epirubicin or paclitaxel as well as the subsequent release of cytochrome c in the targeted cells. Conclusion: SG significantly potentiated the anticancer activities of epirubicin and paclitaxel in a synergistic manner. These effects were associated with the increased mitochondrial accumulation of both Bax and Bak that led to an enhanced cytochrome c release, caspase-9/-3 activation, and apoptosis. Treating cancer cells by combining epirubicin and paclitaxel with SG may prove to be a novel strategy for enhancing the efficacy of the two drug types.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.68.1-68.15
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• 2021

Background: Colistin and carbapenem-resistant bacteria have emerged and become a serious public health concern, but their epidemiological data is still limited. Objectives: This study examined colistin and carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and Salmonella from pigs, pig carcasses, and pork in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Cambodia border provinces. Methods: The phenotypic and genotypic resistance to colistin and meropenem was determined in E. coli and Salmonella obtained from pigs, pig carcasses, and pork (n = 1,619). A conjugative experiment was performed in all isolates carrying the mcr gene (s) (n = 68). The plasmid replicon type was determined in the isolates carrying a conjugative plasmid with mcr by PCR-based replicon typing (n = 7). The genetic relatedness of mcr-positive Salmonella (n = 11) was investigated by multi-locus sequence typing. Results: Colistin resistance was more common in E. coli (8%) than Salmonella (1%). The highest resistance rate was found in E. coli (17.8%) and Salmonella (1.7%) from Cambodia. Colistin-resistance genes, mcr-1, mcr-3, and mcr-5, were identified, of which mcr-1 and mcr-3 were predominant in E. coli (5.8%) and Salmonella (1.7%), respectively. The mcr-5 gene was observed in E. coli from pork in Cambodia. Two colistin-susceptible pig isolates from Thailand carried both mcr-1 and mcr-3. Seven E. coli and Salmonella isolates contained mcr-1 or mcr-3 associated with the IncF and IncI plasmids. The mcr-positive Salmonella from Thailand and Cambodia were categorized into two clusters with 94%-97% similarity. None of these clusters was meropenem resistant. Conclusions: Colistin-resistant E. coli and Salmonella were distributed in pigs, pig carcasses, and pork in the border areas. Undivided-One Health collaboration is needed to address the issue.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1182-1193
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• 2018

Background/Aims: Elderly patients (${\geq}80years$) with colorectal cancer (CRC) tend to avoid active treatment at the time of diagnosis despite of recent advances in treatment. The aim of this study was to determine treatment propensity of elderly patients aged ${\geq}80years$ with CRC in clinical practice and the impact of anticancer treatment on overall survival (OS). Methods: Medical charts of 152 elderly patients (aged ${\geq}80years$) diagnosed with CRC between 1998 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' clinical characteristics, treatment modalities received, and clinical outcome were analyzed. Results: Their median age was 82 years (range, 80 to 98). Of 152 patients, 148 were assessable for the extent of the disease. Eighty-two of 98 patients with localized disease and 28 of 50 patients with metastatic disease had received surgery or chemotherapy or both. Surgery was performed in 79 of 98 patients with localized disease and 15 of 50 patients with metastatic disease. Chemotherapy was administered in only 24 of 50 patients with metastatic disease. Patients who received anticancer treatment according to disease extent showed significantly longer OS compared to untreated patients (localized disease, 76.2 months vs. 15.4 months, p = 0.000; metastatic disease, 9.9 months vs. 2.6 months, p = 0.001). Along with anticancer treatment, favorable performance status (PS) was associated with longer OS in multivariate analysis of clinical outcome. Conclusions: Elderly patients aged ${\geq}80years$ with CRC tended to receive less treatment for metastatic disease. Nevertheless, anticancer treatment in patients with favorable PS was effective in prolonging OS regardless of disease extent.

• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.469-480
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• 2018

Objective: Pharmacogenomic-based antidepressant treatment (PGATx) may result in more precise pharmacotherapy of major depressive disorder (MDD) with better drug therapy guidance. Methods: An 8-week, randomized, single-blind clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of PGATx in 100 patients with MDD. All recruited patients were randomly allocated either to PGATx (n=52) or treatment as usual (TAU, n=48) groups. The primary endpoint was a change of total score of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) from baseline to end of treatment. Response rate (at least 50% reduction in HAMD-17 score from baseline), remission rate (HAMD-17 score ${\leq}7$ at the end of treatment) as well as the change of total score of Frequency, Intensity, and Burden of Side Effects Ratings (FIBSER) from baseline to end of treatment were also investigated. Results: The mean change of HAMD-17 score was significantly different between two groups favoring PGATx by -4.1 point of difference (p=0.010) at the end of treatment. The mean change in the FIBSER score from baseline was significantly different between two treatment groups favoring PGATx by -2.5 point of difference (p=0.028). The response rate (71.7 % vs. 43.6%, p=0.014) were also significantly higher in PGATx than in TAU at the end of treatment, while the remission rate was numerically higher in PGATx than in TAU groups without statistical difference (45.5% vs. 25.6%, p=0.071). The reason for early drop-out associated with adverse events was also numerically higher in TAU (n=9, 50.0%) than in PGATx (n=4, 30.8%). Conclusion: The present study clearly demonstrate that PGATx may be a better treatment option in the treatment of MDD in terms of effectiveness and tolerability; however, study shortcomings may limit a generalization. Adequately-powered, well-designed, subsequent studies should be mandatory to prove its practicability and clinical utility for routine practice.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.04a
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• pp.112-112
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• 2019

Baicalein is one of the main flavonoids derived from roots of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, a traditional Oriental medicine. Although baicalein has high antitumor effect on several human carcinomas, the mechanism responsible for this property is not unclear. In this study, the data revealed that baicale-ininduced growth inhibition was associated with the induction of apoptosis connecting with cytochrome c release, down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xl and increased the percentage of cells with a loss of mitochondria membrane permeabilization. Baicalein also induced the proteolytic activation of caspases and cleavage of PARP; however, blockage of caspases activation by z-VAD-fmk inhibited baicalein-induced apoptosis. In addition, baicalein enhanced the formation of autophagosomes and up-regulated LC3-II/LC3-I ratio. Interestingly, the pretreatment of bafilomycin A1 recovered baicalein-induced cell death suggesting that autophagy by baicalein roles as protective autophagy. Taken together, our results indicated that this flavonoid induces apoptosis and cell protective autophagy. These data means combination treatment with baicalein and autophagy inhibitor might be a promising anticancer drug.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.211-226
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• 2019

Pig CD45, the leukocyte common antigen, is encoded by the PTPRC gene and CD45 is a T cell-type specific tyrosine phosphatase with alternative splicing of its exons. The CD45 is a coordinated regulator of T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signal transduction achieved by dephosphorylating the phosphotyrosine of its substances, including $CD3{\zeta}$ chain of TCR, Lck, Fyn, and Zap-70 kinase. A dysregulation of CD45 is associated with a multitude of immune disease and has been a target for immuno-drug discovery. To characterize its key structural features with the effects of regulating TCR signaling, this study predicted the unknown structure of pig CD45RO (the smallest isoform) and the complex structure bound to the ITAM (REEpYDV) of $CD3{\zeta}$ chain via homology modeling and docking the peptide, based on the known human CD45 structures. These features were integrated into the structural plasticity of extracellular domains and functional KNRY and PTP signature motifs (the role of a narrow entrance into ITAM binding site) of the tyrosine phosphatase domains in a cytoplasmic region from pig CD45RO. This contributes to the selective recognition of phosphotyrosine from its substrates by adjusting the structural stability and binding affinity of the complex. The characterized features of pigCD45RO can be applied in virtual screening of the T-cell specific immunomodulator.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.105-111
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• 2019

In recent years, progress has been made in the search for the development of new anti-cancer agents by employing specific inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC)-6 to block signal transduction pathways in cancer cells. This study examined the effects of tubastatin A (TubA), an HDAC-6 inhibitor, on the growth and development of immature oocytes in murine ovaries using RNA sequencing analysis. The results from a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that the expression of most of the gene sets involved in the cell cycle and control and progression of meiosis decreased in the TubA-treated group as compared with that in germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes. In addition, an ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) suggested that TubA not only caused increased expression of p53 and pRB and decreased expression of CDK4/6 and cyclin D but also caused elevated expression of genes involved in the control of the DNA check point in G2/M stage oocytes. These results suggest that TubA may induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through the induction of changes in the expression of genes involved in signal transduction pathways associated with DNA damage and the cell cycle of immature oocytes in the ovary.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to acquire the active compounds of Anisi stellati fructus (ASF) and to analyze the genes and diseases it targets, focusing on its antibacterial effects using a system pharmacological analysis approach. Active compounds of ASF were obtained through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) Database and Analysis Platform. This contains the pharmacokinetic properties of active compounds and related drug-target-disease networks, which is a breakthrough in silico approach possible at the network level. Gene information of targets was gathered from the UnitProt Database, and gene ontology analysis was performed using the David 6.8 Gene Functional Classification Tool. A total of 201 target genes were collected, which corresponded to the nine screened active compounds, and 47 genes were found to act on biological processes related to antimicrobial activity. The representative active compounds involved in antibacterial action were luteolin, kaempferol, and quercetin. Among their targets, Chemokine ligand2, Interleukin-10, Interleukin-6, and Tumor Necrosis Factor were associated with more than three antimicrobial biological processes. This study has provided accurate evidence while saving time and effort to select future laboratory research materials. The data obtained has provided important data for infection prevention and treatment strategies.