• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.707-713
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• 2002

Astragali radix (AR) is one of the oldest and mast frequently used crude drug for traditional medicine in many Asian countries. This study designed to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of the aqueous extracted AR (ARE) against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatic damage in ICR mice. APAP at the dose of 450 mg/kg i.p produced liver damage in ICR mice. Serum enzyme activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenese was dramatically decreased up to control level by pretreatment of ARE. However, hepatic glutathione level did not show a significant change between the tested groups. We also investigated TNF α mRNA gene expression on APAP-induced liver damage by RT-PCR. APAP dramatically induced TNF α mRNA gene expression in ICR mice. Pretreatment of mice with ARE led to a marked decrease of TNF α mRNA gene expression. These data indicate that 1) ARE has clearly revealed a hepatoprotective effect against APAP-induced hepatic damage in ICR mice, and 2) the protective effect of ARE may be, in part, associated with the regulation of TNF α mRNA gene expression.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.225-232
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• 2013

Delayed gastrointestinal (GI) motility is frequent adverse effect associated with chemotherapy, and induced by serotonin releases from enterochromaffin cells. Ijintang-gamibang (IJG) is a digestive polyherbal formula has been traditionally used in Korea and consisted of 8 types of medicinal herbs. This study was conducted to determine whether or not IJG aqueous extracts can prevent delayed GI motility induced by the antineoplastic drug cisplatin chronically administered, once per week for five consecutive weeks (2 mg/kg). 200, 100 and 50 mg/kg of IJG extracts were orally administered, once a day for 14 days from fourth cisplatin treatment, and the changes in body weight gain, fecal parameters, gastrointestinal transit ratio and histopathology were observed. In addition, pylorus gastrin and serotonin contents were also measured with immunohistochemical observations of enterochromaffin cells contains gastrin and serotonin, as compared with ondansetron, a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg. Cisplatin treatment related body weight decreases, delayed GI motility, decreases of fecal water contents were significantly and dose-dependently inhibited by oral treatment of IJG extracts, and they also inhibited the pylorus gastrin and serotonin changes induced by cisplatin treatment. The overall effects of IJG 100 mg/kg were similar to that of ondansetron 1 mg/kg. The present results supported that IJG aqueous extracts have favorable ameliorating effect on the delayed GI motility induced by chemotheraphy, modulated the GI enterochromaffin cells, serotonin and gastrin-producing cells with antioxidant effects. This effect of IJG may help improve accompanying gastrointestinal symptoms by chemotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.251-258
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• 2017

This study was conducted to identify transition characteristics of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) and to calculate bio-concentration factors (BCF) in the three perennial root medicinal plants, namely Codonopsis lanceolata (Deoduck), Platycodon grandiflorum (Balloon flower) and Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) grown in major medicinal plant producing districts in Korea. Average BCF values ranged from 0.009~0.029 in As, 0.334~1.453 in Cd, and 0.021~0.023 in Pb in three perennial root medicinal plants. The BCF values increased in the order of ginseng (0.029) > deodeok (0.012) > balloon flower (0.009) for As, balloon flower (1.453) > deodeok (0.685) > ginseng (0.334) for Cd, and ginseng (0.023) > deodeok (0.022) > balloon flower (0.021) for Pb. The BCF values calculated in this study will be useful for predicting the uptake of heavy metal (loid)s. Further study on uptake and accumulation mechanism of toxic metal (loid)s by agricultural products is required to assess the human health risk associated with soil contamination.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.161-170
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• 2017

Meningitis caused by Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2) is a great threat to the pig industry and human health. Virulence factors associated with the pathogenesis of meningitis have yet to be clearly defined, even though many potential S. suis 2 virulence factors have been identified. This greatly hinders the progress of S. suis 2 meningitis pathogenesis research. In this study, a co-culture blood-brain barrier (BBB) model was established using primary porcine brain microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes, and the whole genome library of S. suis 2 was constructed using phage display technology. Finally, a total of 14 potential virulence factors contributing to S. suis 2 adherence to and invasion of the BBB were selected by analyzing the interactions between the phage library and the co-culture model. Twelve of these factors have not been previously reported in meningitis-related research. The data provide valuable insight into the pathogenesis of S. suis 2 meningitis and potential targets for the development of drug therapies.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.139-153
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• 2010

Nitrosative stress is defined as pathophysiological conditions that are related to covalent modifications of proteins by nitration/nitrosylation by forms of nitrogen oxide ($NO_x$), leading to DNA damage, ultimately, cell death. This type of stress condition appears to be associated with a number of disease states, including diabetes, inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Since these pathological conditions are frequently chronic in nature and, thus, require long-term treatment, changes in pharmacokinetics are likely to affect the therapy. Transporters are membrane proteins that facilitate the movement of substrates, including drugs, across plasma membranes of epithelial / endothelial cells. Since it is now increasingly evident that transporters are pharmacokinetically significant, functional alteration of transporters by this stress condition may have therapeutic relevance. In this review, experimental techniques that are used to study both in vivo and in vitro nitrosative stress are summarized and discussed, along with available literature information on the functional implication of transporters under conditions of nitrosative stress conditions. In the literature, both functional induction and impa irment were apparently present for both drug transporter families [i.e., ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and solute carrier families (SLC)]. Furthermore, a change in the function of a certain transporter appears to have temporal dependency by impairment in the early phase of nitrosative stress and induction thereafter, suggesting that the role of nitrosative stress is complex in terms of functional implications of the transporters. Although the underlying mechanisms for these alterations are not fully understood, protein nitration/nitrosylation appears to be involved in the functional impairment whereas transcript factor(s) activated by nitrosative stress may play a role, at least in part, in functional induction. Interestingly, functional induction under conditions of nitrosative stress has not been observed for SLC transporters while such impairment has been documented for both ABC and SLC transporters. Further investigations appear to be necessary to fully delineate the underlying reasons for these differences on the impact and importance of nitrosative stress conditions.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.19-25
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• 2008

We analyze the HACCP Prerequisites of National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS), Korea Food and Drug Administration(KFDA), and US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and recommend contents and ranges to be complemented and used for the preparation of guidelines. We used the HACCP Notice of the Processing Livestock Act, the HACCP Application Manual for Livestock Processing Plants, the HACCP Notice of the Food Sanitation Act, US GPO 9 CFR and 21 CFR, US FSIS Directive 11,000.1, and HACCP-based Inspection reference guide of Consumer Services, North Carolina Department of Agriculture. The Prerequisites of NVRQS and KFDA are composed of 66 and 84 items respectively, without detailed guidelines for their application. This may decisively affect the application in the field and the evaluation activities. Water supplies, washing and disinfection monitoring tools, and examining and correcting plan are required to be improved. If the standards of compliance of each Prerequisite item as well as performance guidelines are given, the application and evaluation will be performed more effectively. The evaluation items should be associated with Prerequisite operations such as non-compliance complement, self-evaluation, and record keeping. Hazards found during official inspection should be promptly controlled not to contaminate the work places and processing items. As the HACCP is expected to spread from farms to tables, the standardized Prerequisite program among the official governments should be prepared.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제56권8호
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• pp.338-342
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• 2013

Purpose: Allergic disease and its comorbidities significantly influence the quality of life. Although the comorbidities of allergic diseases are well described in adult populations, little is known about them in preschool children. In the present study, we aimed to assess the prevalence and comorbidity of allergic diseases in Korean preschool children. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study comprising 615 Korean children (age, 3 to 6 years). Symptoms of allergic diseases were assessed using the Korean version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire that was modified for preschool children. Comorbidities of allergic diseases were assessed by 'In the last 12 months, has your child had symptoms?'. Results: The prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis as recorded using the ISAAC questionnaire, within the last 12 months was 13.8%, 40.7%, and 20.8%, respectively. The symptom rates of allergic conjunctivitis, food allergy, and drug allergy were 14.8%, 10.4%, and 0.8%, respectively. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children with asthma was 64.3% and that of asthma in children with allergic rhinitis was 21.6%. The prevalence of rhinitis in children with conjunctivitis was 64.8% and that of conjunctivitis in children with rhinitis was 23.6%. Conclusion: The prevalence of current rhinitis in our preschool children is shown to be higher than that previously reported. Allergic conjunctivitis is closely associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis. However, further studies are warranted to determine the prevalence and effects of these comorbidities on health outcomes in preschool children.

• CELLMED
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.3.1-3.3
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• 2015

Pharmacovigilance is the study of the safety of drugs under the practical conditions of clinical usage in large communities. Aim of this study was to assess the pharmacovigilance awareness among a focus group of Ayurveda physicians in Sri Lanka who participated for their postgraduate studies. A questionnaire which was suitable for assessing the basic knowledge, attitude and the practice of pharmacovigilance was designed and submitted among group of Ayurveda physicians (n = 30) who participated for postgraduate studies in Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Among participants30% of the subjects knew the term pharmacovigilance, 20% were aware of the unavailability of the National Pharmacovigilance Program for Ayurveda and Traditional Medicine in Sri Lanka, 70% believe about Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) may be occurred from Ayurveda medicine, 60% indicated that Most labeled counterfeit drugs, inappropriate use and standardization problems as the most important causes of ADRs associated with Ayurvedicdrugs, 70% physicians accepted their ignorance about pharmacovigilance and admitted that there was a need for better training of this subject and 90% admitted that there should be a national pharmacovigilance programme for Ayurveda medicines in Sri Lanka. We strongly suggest that there is an urgent need for a regular training and the introduce ADRs reporting system among the Ayurveda physicians. Also systematic pharmacovigilance programme is essential to build up for reliable information on the safety and effective practice of Ayurveda medicine in Sri Lanka.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.54-61
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• 2020

Saccharomyces boulardii is the only probiotic yeast with US Food and Drug Administration approval. It is routinely used to prevent or treat acute diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders, including the antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile infections. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), specifically H₂O₂ during normal aerobic metabolism, contributes to programmed cell death and represents a risk to the viability of the probiotic microbe. Moreover, a loss of viability reduces the efficacy of the probiotic treatment. Therefore, inhibiting the accumulation of ROS in the oxidant environment could improve the viability of the probiotic yeast and lead to more efficacious treatment. Here, we provide evidence that supplementation with a non-reducing disaccharide, namely trehalose, enhanced the viability of S. boulardii exposed to an oxidative environment by preventing metacaspase YCA1-mediated programmed cell death through inhibition of intracellular ROS production. Our results suggest that supplementation with S. boulardii together with trehalose could increase the viability of the organism, and thus improve its effectiveness as a probiotic and as a treatment for acute diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.186-191
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an excess mortality from cardiovascular disease which is likely attributed to an atherogenic lipid profile. Among nutritional factors vitamin K has been recently focused as a pivotal nutrient in improvement of lipid related markers. Thus, this study was designed to determine the effects of vitamin K on lipid profile in this disease. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Fifty eight patients with definitive RA were participated in the present double blind placebo controlled study. They were randomly allocated into two groups to receive vitamin $K_1$ as phylloquinone [10 mg/day] (n = 30) or placebo pills (n = 28), for eight weeks. In order to control the effects of probable confounders dietary intakes, anthropometric measurements including weight and height, clinical status using disease activity score-28 (DAS-28), physical activity and anxiety status were evaluated at baseline. Moreover, serum levels of lipid related markers including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) were measured at baseline and at the end of intervention. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding any of the baseline characteristics. After adjusting for some relevant confounders, in comparison between two groups, we observed no significant changes in lipid related markers at the end of intervention. Also, there was no significant difference between before and after intervention values within groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Function of vitamin $K_1$ in lipid profile modification remains still controversial. This study showed that vitamin $K_1$ has no effect on lipid profile in women with rheumatoid arthritis. Further studies with a longer follow-up are required to determine the effects of vitamin K on atherogenic lipid profile.