• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2017

Approximately one in four patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have asthmatic features consisting of wheezing, airway hyper-responsiveness or atopy. The Global initiative for Asthma/Globalinitiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease committee recently labelled these patients as having asthma-COPD overlap syndrome or ACOS. ACOS also encompasses patients with asthma, ${\geq}40$ years of age, who have been cigarette smokers (more than 5-10 pack years) or have had significant biomass exposure, and demonstrate persistent airflow limitation defined as a post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$)/forced vital capacity of <70%. Data over the past 30 years indicate that patients with ACOS have greater burden of symptoms including dyspnea and cough and show higher risk of COPD exacerbations and hospitalizations than those with pure COPD or pure asthma. Patients with ACOS also have increased risk of rapid $FEV_1$ decline and COPD mortality. Paradoxically, experimental evidence to support therapeutic decisions in ACOS patients is lacking because traditionally, patients with ACOS have been systematically excluded from therapeutic COPD and asthma trials to maintain homogeneity of the study population. In this study, we summarize the current understanding of ACOS, focusing on definitions, epidemiology and patient prognosis.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.286-294
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• 2008

We have studied the possible mechanism of anti-asthmatic action of ethanolic extracts of dried seeds of Lepidium sativum (EXLS, 400 mg/kg) using various experimental models. EXLS produced an increase in the Pre-Convulsion Dyspnoea time induced by histamine and acetylcholine aerosol, a significant reduction in the elevated leucocyte counts in the Broncho-Alveolar Lavage fluid of sensitized guinea-pigs and reduction in the paw edema volume as compared to the control rats. Treatment with EXLS also produced decrease in the elevated histamine release from the sensitized guinea-pig lungs. The anti-asthmatic anti-inflammatory responses of EXLS was supported by improvement in microscopic changes like infiltration of inflammatory cells, submucosal edema, epithelial desquamation and reduced lumen size of the bronchi. The $pD_2$ values of histamine in tracheal chain and taenia-coli were significantly greater and that in lung strip was lower in the sensitized animals as compared to control. Treatment of sensitized guinea pigs with EXLS significantly decreased $pD_2$ values of histamine in all three preparations. Our data suggest the prevention of hyper-responsiveness in bronchial smooth muscles and inhibition of the immediate hypersensitive reaction, histamine release in the lungs and the infiltration of various inflammatory cells as the possible mechanisms of anti-asthmatic activity of EXLS.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2014

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are becoming increasingly popular worldwide and their cellular effects warrant further evaluation. In this study, we investigated the effects of an e-cigarette cartridge solution on allergen related asthmatic airway inflammation (AI) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), when it is delivered by intratracheal route in mice. Asthmatic AI and AHR were induced by systemic sensitization to ovalbumin (OVA) followed by intratracheal, intraperitoneal, and aerosol allergen challenges in BALB/c mice. The cartridge solution of e-cigarette (containing 16 mg/ml nicotine) was diluted 50 times and $100{\mu}l$ of the diluted solution was intratracheally instilled to OVA-sensitized (OVA-S) mice two times a week for 10 weeks. Long-term e-cigarette inhalation elicited no remarkable changes in the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase enzymes in serum, however, increased infiltration of inflammatory cells including eosinophils, into airways from blood, aggravated the asthmatic AI and AHR, and stimulated the production of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, and OVA-specific IgE production. Our data suggest that the inhalation of e-cigarette solutions can function as an important factor to exacerbate the allergy-induced asthma symptoms. Further studies are needed to address the effects of e-cigarette solutions on human health.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.37-47
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• 2020

The In the 4^th industrial revolution, cyber space will evolve into hyper-connectivity, super-convergence, and super-intelligence due to the development of advanced information and communication technologies, which will connect the nation's core infrastructure into a single network. As applying the 4^th industrial revolution technology to the cyber attack technique, it is evolving in an intelligent and sophisticate method. In order to response intelligent cyber attacks, it is difficult to guarantee self-defense in cyberspace by policy-oriented, preplanned-centric and hierarchical cyber response strategies. Therefore, this research aims to propose a situation-flexible & action-oriented cyber response mechanism that can respond flexibly by selecting the most optimal smart security solution according to changes in the cyber attack steps. The proposed cyber response mechanism operates the smart security solutions according to the action-oriented detailed strategies. In addition, artificial intelligence-based decision-making systems are used to select the smart security technology with the best responsiveness.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2010

Hesperidin, a member of the flavanone group of flavonoids, can be isolated in large amounts from the rinds of some citrus species [e.g., Citrus aurantium L. (bitter orange), Citrus sinensis L. (sweet orange) and Citrus unshiu Marcov. (satsuma mandarin)], and has been reported to have anticarcinogenic, antihypotensive and antimicrobial properties. Despite the efficacy of these polyphenolic compounds as immune modulators, the effects of the flavonoids are poorly understood about allergic effect. In this study, we investigated whether hesperidin could influence on Th1 and Th2 balance. Allergic reactions included an increase in the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, an increase in inflammatory cell infiltration into the lung tissue around blood vessels and airways, airway luminal narrowing, the development of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). The administration of hesperidin before the last airway OVA challenge resulted in a significant inhibition of all asthmatic reactions. Accordingly, this study may provide evidence that hesperidin plays a critical role in the amelioration of the pathogenetic process of asthma in mice. These findings provide new insight into the immunopharmacological role of hesperidin in terms of its effects in a murine model of asthma, and also broaden current perspectives in our understanding of the immunopharmacological functions of hesperidin.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.539-549
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• 2020

The efficacy of P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) of VerifyNow still remains as a controversial issue in neurointervention. So we investigated the usefulness of PRU of VerifyNow to predict the peri-procedural thromboembolic events (TE) and hemorrhagic events (HE). And we evaluated the safety of modified dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) or triple antiplatelet therapy (TAPT) for clopidogrel hyporesponders. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science and Scopus on August 19 2018. Data was collected the 1) incidence of TE between clopidogrel responder and clopidogrel hypo-responder, 2) incidence of HE between clopidogrel hyper-responder and clopidogrel responder and hypo-responder, and 3) incidence of TE and HE between modified DAPT or TAPT and standard DAPT in clopidogrel hypo-responder. High cut-off value of PRU was defined as PRU >40% or <220. Fifteen studies were enrolled. Clopidogrel responder showed lower incidence of TE than hypo-responder (risk ratio [RR], 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.61; p<0.001). With the high cut-off value of PRU, clopidogrel responder showed more lower incidence of TE than hypo-responder (RR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02-0.45; p=0.002). The incidence of periprocedural HE have higher on clopidogrel hyper-responder than clopidogrel responder and hypo-responder (RR, 4.26; 95% CI, 1.10-16.44; p=0.04; I²=66%). The incidence of periprocedural TE after changing regimen of DAPT for clopidogrel hypo-responder have a tendency to reduce, but there was no significant difference between modified DAPT or TAPT group and standard DAPT group (p>0.05). The incidence of periprocedural HE after changing regimen of DAPT for clopidogrel hypo-responder was no significant difference between modified DAPT or TAPT group and standard DAPT group (p>0.05). PRU is a useful tool as a predictor of peri-procedural TE or HE on neurointervention. PRU has a threshold effect of cut-off value to predict the peri-procedural TE. Modified DAPT or TAPT to prevent TE in clopidogrel hypo-responders could not reduce the incidence of TE. We should investigate the further research about modification of regiment on neurointervention.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.36-50
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• 2013

Objectives : To clarify the possible effect of Lycium chinese Mill (LC)., Morus alba L (MA)., and Lycium chinese Mill. +Morus alba L. (LC+MA), we have examined their influence on the development of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation in the asthmatic murine model. Methods : Female Balb/c mice (5weeks) were immunized on two different days (21 days and 7 days before inhalational exposure) by intraperitonial injections of 0.2ml alum-precipitated Ag containing $100{\mu}g$ of OVA bound to 4 mg of aluminum hydroxide in PBS. Seven days after the second sensitization, mice were exposed to aerosolized ovalbumin for 30 minutes/day on 3 days/week for 8 weeks (at a flow rate of 250 L/min, 2.5% ovalbumin in normal saline) and, LC, MA, and LC+MA (500 mg/kg) were orally administered 3 times per a week for 8 weeks. Results : The suppressive effect of LC, MA, and LC+MA were demonstrated by the accumulation of eosinophills into airways, with the reduction of eosinophil, total lung leukocytes numbers. These were correlated with the marked reduction of IL-5, IL-13 and IL-4 levels in the BALF and serum. OVA-specific IgE levels were also decreased in serum and BAL from these mice. LC, MA, and LC+MA decreased eosinophil CCR3 expression and CD11b expression in lung cells. Conclusions : These results indicate that LC, MA, and LC+MA have high inhibitory effects on airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness in the asthmatic murine model. The suppression of IL-5, IgE, eosinophil CCR3 expression and CD11b expression, and the increase of IFN-${\gamma}$ production in BALF seem to contribute to this effect. Hence, the results indicated that LC, MA, and LC+MA could act as a immuno-modulator which possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic property by modulating the imbalance between Th1 and Th2 cytokines.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.198-204
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• 2004

Backgrounds & Methods : Asthma is considered to be chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Recently, there has been many researches about asthma. IBS(Irritable Bowel Syndrome), PUD(peptic Ulcer disease) and GERD(gastroesophageal reflux disease) are the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Recent studies suggest that IBS, PUD and GERD are associated with bronchial hyper-responsiveness and bronchial asthma might be more prevalent in IBS and GERD patients than in control subjects. In addition, there are many comments about the interrelationship between the gastrointestinal problem and asthma in the oriental medical books. Actually, many oriental medical doctors don$^{\circ}$Øt consider the gastrointestinal condition when they deal with the asthmatic patients these days. So, we assessed the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and histories in a cohort of patients with asthmatic symptoms. We evaluated 128 outpatients with asthmatic symptoms(60 males and 68 females, aged 13-75). All subjects enrolled completed the GSRS(Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale). GSRS is an interview based rating scale consisting of 15 items for assessment of gastrointestinal symptoms in IBS and PUD developed by Jan Svedlund. Results : The limit of total score of GSRS in asthmatic patients is zero to 30. The number of patients with no GI symptoms is 66(51.5%). The number of patients with GSRS>5 is 62(48.4%), GSRS>10 is 24(18.8%), GSRS>15 is 8(6.25%). The number of patients with history of gastritis is 54(42.2%), gastric ulcer is 13(10.2%), gastroptosis is 8(6.25%), IBS is 6(4.68%), others is 6(4.68%). Conclusions : This study suggests that patients with bronchial asthma have an significant prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Additional studies are needed to find the mechanism of the association between gastrointestinal symptoms and asthma.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2009

Atopic dermatitis, caused by immune hyper-responsiveness, is wide spread in humans as well as in the dogs, especially in industrialized condition. Pet dogs are generally exposed to the same environment as their owners, and a significant portion of these animals are also known to suffer from this allergic disease. However, diagnosis and treatment methods of atopic dermatitis in animals have not been well established. We explored the possibility of using recently developed PG102 for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in the canine population. PG102 is a water soluble extract prepared from Actinidia arguta, and has been shown to produce significant therapeutic effect in variable allergy animal models. After oral administration of PG102 at a dose of 12.5 mg/kg daily for 4 weeks, severity of disease was greatly improved. IgE is one of representative members used to diagnose allergic diseases in humans. However, it is not well established whether there is any correlation between the serum level of IgE and atopic dermatitis. Our data indicated that dogs diagnosed to have atopic dermatitis contained higher level of serum IgE than the normal dogs and that treatment of dogs with PG102 significantly lowered the serum level of IgE. Taken together, this study demonstrated that PG102 treatment yielded significant amelioration of canine atopic dermatitis and down-regulation of serum IgE and that the serum level of IgE can be used as a convenient member for diagnosis of atopic dermatitis in dogs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.298-305
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• 2012

The general term flavonoids is often used to categorize a family of natural compounds that are highly abundant in all higher plants, and which in recent years have attracted scientific interest as therapeutics. Lutein is a xanthophyll and one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. It is found in green vegetables such as spinach and kale, and has been demonstrated to exert anti-inflammatory activities. However, its anti-allergic effect in the Th1/Th2 immune response is poorly understood. In this study, we attempt to determine whether lutein regulates inflammatory mediators in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine asthma model. To address this, mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA, and then treated with lutein before the last OVA challenge. Administration of lutein significantly suppressed the OVA-induced airway hyper-responsiveness. It also resulted in a significant alleviation of the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the bronchoalveolar lavage. Additionally, lutein attenuated the increased expression of Th2 responses in OVA-challenged mice. These results demonstrate that lutein is a potent inhibitor that reduces Th2 immune responses. Furthermore, they show that the immunopharmacological function is mediated by a pathway that involves and is regulated by Th2 immune response.