• Toxicological Research
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.263-268
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute oral toxicity of fermented Scutellariae Radix (JKTMHGu-100) in rats and dogs. JKTM-HGu-100 was orally administered at a dose of 2,000 mg/kg in Sprague-Dawley rats. An escalating single-dose oral toxicity test in beagle dogs was performed at doses of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg with 4-day intervals. Clinical signs, changes in body weight, mortality, and necropsy findings were examined for 2 weeks following oral administration. No toxicological changes related to the test substance nor mortality was observed after administration of a single oral dose of JKTM-HGu-100 in rats or dogs. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose (LD) for oral administration of JKTMHGu-100 in rats was considered to be over 2,000 mg/kg, and the maximum tolerance doses (MTDs) in rats and dogs were also estimated to be over 2,000 mg/kg. These results indicate that JKTM-HGu-100 shows no toxicity in rodents or non-rodents at doses of 2,000 mg/kg or less.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.471-478
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• 2014

Trichomonad species inhabit a variety of vertebrate hosts; however, their potential zoonotic transmission has not been clearly addressed, especially with regard to human infection. Twenty-one strains of trichomonads isolated from humans (5 isolates), pigs (6 isolates), rodents (6 isolates), a water buffalo (1 isolate), a cow (1 isolate), a goat (1 isolate), and a dog (1 isolate) were collected in Indonesia and molecularly characterized. The DNA sequences of the partial 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene or 5.8S rRNA gene locus with its flanking regions (internal transcribed spacer region, ITS1 and ITS2) were identified in various trichomonads; Simplicimonas sp., Hexamastix mitis, and Hypotrichomonas sp. from rodents, and Tetratrichomonas sp. and Trichomonas sp. from pigs. All of these species were not detected in humans, whereas Pentatrichomonas hominis was identified in humans, pigs, the dog, the water buffalo, the cow, and the goat. Even when using the high-resolution gene locus of the ITS regions, all P. hominis strains were genetically identical; thus zoonotic transmission between humans and these closely related mammals may be occurring in the area investigated. The detection of Simplicimonas sp. in rodents (Rattus exulans) and P. hominis in water buffalo in this study revealed newly recognized host adaptations and suggested the existence of remaining unrevealed ranges of hosts in the trichomonad species.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제55권5호
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• pp.555-559
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• 2017

Chigger mites are parasites of rodents and other vertebrates, invertebrates, and other arthropods, and are the only vectors of scrub typhus, in addition to other zoonoses. Therefore, investigating their distribution, diversity, and seasonal abundance is important for public health. Rodent surveillance was conducted at 6 districts in Shandong Province, northern China ($114-112^{\circ}E$, $34-38^{\circ}N$), from January to December 2011. Overall, 225/286 (78.7%) rodents captured were infested with chigger mites. A total of 451 chigger mites were identified as belonging to 5 most commonly collected species and 3 genera in 1 family. Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium intermedia were the most commonly collected chigger mites. L. scutellare (66.2%, 36.7%, and 49.0%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, and Microtus fortis, respectively, whereas L. intermedia (61.5% and 63.2%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Cricetulus triton and Mus musculus, respectively. This study demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of chigger mites that varied seasonally in Shandong Province, China.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제55권3호
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• pp.267-285
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• 2017

Angiostrongylus cantonensis invades the central nervous system (CNS) of humans to induce eosinophilic meningitis and meningoencephalitis and leads to persistent headache, cognitive dysfunction, and ataxic gait. Infected mice (nonpermissive host), admittedly, suffer more serious pathological injuries than rats (permissive host). However, the pathological basis of these manifestations is incompletely elucidated. In this study, the behavioral test, histological and immunohistochemical techniques, and analysis of apoptotic gene expression, especially caspase-3, were conducted. The movement and motor coordination were investigated at week 2 post infection (PI) and week 3 PI in mice and rats, respectively. The cognitive impairs could be found in mice at week 2 PI but not in rats. The plaque-like lesion, perivascular cuffing of inflammatory cells, and dilated vessels within the cerebral cortex and hippocampus were more serious in mice than in rats at week 3 PI. Transcriptomic analysis showed activated extrinsic apoptotic pathway through increased expression of TNFR1 and caspase-8 in mice CNS. Immunohistochemical and double-labeling for NeuN and caspase-3 indicated the dramatically increased expression of caspase-3 in neuron of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in mice but not in rats. Furthermore, western-blotting results showed high expression of cleaved caspase-3 proteins in mice but relatively low expression in rats. Thus, extrinsic apoptotic pathway participated in neuronal apoptosis might be the pathological basis of distinct behavioral dysfunctions in rodents with A. cantonensis infection. It provides the evidences of a primary molecular mechanism for the behavioral dysfunction and paves the ways to clinical diagnosis and therapy for A. cantonensis infection.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권8호
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• pp.461-469
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• 2023

The tail of the striatum (TS) is located at the caudal end in the striatum. Recent studies have advanced our knowledge of the anatomy and function of the TS but also raised questions about the differences between rodent and primate TS. In this review, we compare the anatomy and function of the TS in rodent and primate brains. The primate TS is expanded more caudally during brain development in comparison with the rodent TS. Additionally, five sensory inputs from the cortex and thalamus converge in the rodent TS, but this convergence is not observed in the primate TS. The primate TS, including the caudate tail and putamen tail, primarily receives inputs from the visual areas, implying a specialized function in processing visual inputs for action generation. This anatomical difference leads to further discussion of cellular circuit models to comprehend how the primate brain processes a wider range of complex visual stimuli to produce habitual behavior as compared with the rodent brain. Examining these differences and considering possible neural models may provide better understanding of the anatomy and function of the primate TS.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.996-1003
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• 2004

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as indomethacin induce severe gastric mucosal damage in humans and rodents. In the present study, the in vivo protective effect of astaxanthin on indomethacin-induced gastric lesions in rats was investigated. The test groups were injected with indomethacin (25 mg/kg) after the oral administration of astaxanthin (25 mg/kg) for 1, 2, and 3 days, while the control group was treated only with indomethacin. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the gastric mucosa, as an index of lipid peroxidation, increased significantly after indomethacin administration and this increase was inhibited by oral administration of astaxanthin. In addition, pretreatment with astaxanthin resulted in a significant increase of the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px). Histologic examination clearly revealed acute gastric mucosal lesions induced by indomethacin in the stomach of the control group, but were not observed in that of the test group. These results indicate that astaxanthin activates SOD, catalase, and GSH-px, and removes the lipid peroxides and free radicals induced by indomethacin. It is evident that astaxanthin acts as a free radical quencher and antioxidant, and is an effective molecule in the remedy of gastric mucosal lesions.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제59권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

Leptotrombidium scutellare is one of the 6 main vectors of scrub typhus in China. It has been found in more than 15 provinces of China. Especially in Yunnan, it was found to be mainly distributed in some mountainous areas with high altitude, low temperature and low precipitation. Rodents and some other small mammals were the most common hosts of L. scutellare. To date, more than 40 host species of L. scutellare have been recorded with very low host specificity, and the main hosts varied in different geographical regions. L. scutellare had a strong resistance against the cold environment, and the temperature and humidity were 2 important factors affecting its growth and development. Among different individuals of their rodent hosts, L. scutellare mites often showed an aggregated distribution pattern, which reflected the interspecific cooperation of the mites. The chromosome karyotype of L. scutellare was 2n=16 and all the 8 pairs of chromosomes were short rod-shaped with metacentric or sub-metacentric types. The isozyme spectrum supported that L. scutellare, L. deliense and L. rubellum were in the same species group. Based on the natural infection, experimental transmission and epidemiological evidence, L. scutellare has been eventually confirmed as the second major vector of scrub typhus in China, which is second only to L. deliense.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.317-325
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• 2021

털진드기 발생감시를 위해 논, 밭, 수로, 초지 4지점에 채집기를 설치하여 조사하였다. 전체 채집 개체수는 7종 207마리가 채집되었다. 9월 5째주에 2마리를 시작으로 11월 3째주에 49마리로 가장 많이 채집되었다. 전체 채집 기간 중 지역별로는 초지, 수로, 논, 밭에서 각각 81, 52, 47, 27마리 채집된 털진드기를 표본 제작하여 동정한 결과 광릉털진드기(N. kwangneun) 73마리(35.3%)로 가장 많이 분리되었고, 수염털진드기(L. palpale)가 46마리(22.2%), 둥근혀털진드기(N. tamiyai)가 41마리(19.8%), 작은새방울털진드기(N. asakawai) 27마리(13.0%) 순으로 동정되었다. 야생설치류 44마리를 포획한 결과 등줄쥐(Apodemus agrarius) 35마리(79.5%), 땃쥐류(Crocidura spp.) 5마리(11.4%), 대륙밭쥐(Craseomys regulus) 2마리(4.5%)와 그동안 발견되지 않았던 흰넓적다리붉은쥐(Apodemus peninsulae) 2마리(4.5%)였다. 설치류에서 채집한 털진드기는 총 6,628마리 채집되어 chigger index는 150.6이었다. 시기별 chigger index는 10월에 234.2로 가장 높았고, 11월에 223.3, 4월에 75.6, 5월에 66.2 순으로 나타났다. 털진드기 검체로부터 쯔쯔가무시 병원체 PCR 검사는 모두 음성이었다.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.344-350
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• 2019

Orientia tsutsugamushi 감시를 위한 털진드기 분포를 제주도 서귀포시 일원에서 조사 하였다. 총 20개의 채집기를 이용하여 논, 밭, 수로, 초지(4개 지점)에서 털진드기 유충을 9~11월까지 매주 1회씩 채집한 결과 개체수는 3종 51마리가 채집되었다. 설치류에 기생하는 털진드기 분포 감시를 2018년 3월부터 11월까지 한달에 한번씩 9개월 동안 논, 수로, 밭, 저수지, 야산(5개 지점)에서 Sherman traps 각 20개씩 100개를 설치해서 채집한 결과 64마리의 들쥐를 포획해서 trap index 0.08 이였다. 포획된 들쥐는 한 종류인 등줄쥐(Apodemus agrarius)로만 확인되었다. 시기별로는 4월에 15마리로 가장 많았고, 포획된 64마리의 야생 설치류에서 털진드기가 436마리 채집되어 chigger index는 6.8이었으며 시기별 chigger index는 11월 46.0로 가장 높았고, 7월에 6.8, 6월에 4.6 순으로 나타났다. 채집기와 포획된 설치류에서 채집한 털진드기 총 487마리에 대한 쯔쯔가무시 보유여부를 확인하기 위해서 PCR을 실시한 결과 모두 음성으로 나타났다.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.251-257
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• 1996

The detection of many synthetic chemicals used in industry that may pose a genetic hazard in our environment is subject of great concern at present. In this respect, the genetic toxicity of fenpropathrin ((RS)-.alpha.-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl-2,2,3,3-tetramethyl cyclopropane carboxylate, CAS No.:39514-41-8), a pyrethroid insecticide, was evaluated in bacterial gene mutation system, chromosome aberration in mammalian cell system and in vivo micronucleus assay with rodents. In bacterial gene mutation assay, no mutagenicity of fenpropathrin (62-$5000\mug/plate$) was observed in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98, 100, 1535 and 1537 both in the absence and in the presence of S-9 metabolic activaton system. In mammalian cell system using chinese hamster lung fibroblast, no clastogenicity of fenpropathrin was also observed both in the absence and in the presence of metabolic activation system in the concentration range of $7-28\mug/ml$. And also, in vivo micronucleus assay using mouse bone marrow cells, fenpropathrin also revealed no mutagenic potential in the dose range of 27-105 mg/kg body weight of fenpropathrin (i.p.). Consequently, no mutagenic potential of fenpropathrin was observed in vitro bacterial, mammalian mutagenicity systems and in vivo micronucleus assay in the dose ranges used in this experiment.