We examine the effect of Geiji-Bokryung-Hwan(GBH) on erectile function in a rat model of hypercholesterolemic erectile dysfunction. GBH, a drug preparation consisting of five herbs of Cinnamomi Ramulus (Geiji), Poria Cocos (Bokryun), Mountan Cortex Radicis (Mokdanpi), Paeoniae Radix (Jakyak), and Persicae Semen (Doin) is a traditional Korean herbal medicine that is widely used in the treatment of atherosclerosis-related disorders. In this study, 3-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used. The 6 rats control animals were fed a normal diet and the other 18 rats were fed 1% cholesterol diet for 3 months. After 1 months, GBH was added to the drinking water of the treatment group of 12 rats but not the cholesterol only group of 6 rats. Of the 12 rats 6 received 30 mg/kg per day (group 1) and 6 received 60 mg/kg per day (group 2) of GBH. At 3 months erectile function was evaluated with cavernous nerve electrostimulation in all animals. Penile tissues were collected for electron microscopy, and to perform Western blot for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and caveolin-1. Systemic arterial pressure was not significantly different between the animals that were fed the 1% cholesterol diet and the controls. Conversely erectile function was not impaired in the herbal medicine treated rats. Electron microscopy showed many caveolae with fingerlike processes in the cavernous smooth muscle and endothelial cell membranes in control and treated rats but not in the cholesterol only group of rats. Western blot showed differences among groups in protein expression for eNOS, nNOS, caveolin-1 and bFGF protein expression in penile tissue. Increased eNOS and nNOS protein expressions dy high cholesterol diet were significantly decreased in group 1 and group 2. Interestingly, caveolin-1 and bFGF protein expression was significantly higher in groups 1 and 2 than in the cholesterol only and control groups.
Effects of wild plant extract (Lak) based on Korea traditional prescription on maximal exercise performance and endurance were evaluated using calorie-restriction animal model. In acute forced swimming test with 10% body weight attached to tail, dietary Lak supplementation increased exercise performance endurance by increasing concentrations of ATP and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) under calorie-restriction condition, and decrement of blood lactic acid concentration and increment of muscle ATP content were observed. These results suggest Lak is very effective for decreasing side-effects of obesity therapy using very low calorie diet.
Background and Objectives: Epithelial-Mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the origins of myofibroblasts in renal interstitial fibrosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) alleviating EMT has been proved, but the concrete mechanism is unclear. To explore the mechanism, serum-free MSCs conditioned medium (SF-MSCs-CM) was used to treat rat renal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E) fibrosis induced by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) which ameliorated EMT. Methods and Results: Galectin-3 knockdown (Gal-3 KD) and overexpression (Gal-3 OE) lentiviral vectors were established and transfected into NRK-52E. NRK-52E fibrosis model was induced by TGF-β1 and treated with the SF-MSCs-CM for 24 h after modelling. Fibrosis and autophagy related indexes were detected by western blot and immunocytochemistry. In model group, the expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin (FN), Galectin-3, Snail, Kim-1, and the ratios of P-Akt/Akt, P-GSK3β/GSK3β, P-PI3K/PI3K, P-mTOR/mTOR, TIMP1/MMP9, and LC3B-II/I were obviously increased, and E-Cadherin (E-cad) and P62 decreased significantly compared with control group. SF-MSCs-CM showed an opposite trend after treatment compared with model group. Whether in Gal-3 KD or Gal-3 OE NRK-52E cells, SF-MSCs-CM also showed similar trends. However, the effects of anti-fibrosis and enhanced autophagy in Gal-3 KD cells were more obvious than those in Gal-3 OE cells. Conclusions: SF-MSCs-CM probably alleviated the EMT via inhibiting Galectin-3/Akt/GSK3β/Snail pathway. Meanwhile, Gal-3 KD possibly enhanced autophagy via inhibiting Galectin-3/Akt/mTOR pathway, which synergistically ameliorated renal fibrosis. Targeting galectin-3 may be a potential target for the treatment of renal fibrosis.
Purpose: To examine the relationship between total fat infiltration (TFI) rate, which quantifies the reduction of muscles around the spine and is an important factor for sarcopenia, and the factors affecting osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture. Materials and Methods: Patients treated for osteoporotic compression fractures of the lumber spine from January 2012 to December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, this study included ninety-eight patients who were 1) diagnosed with osteoporosis with a bone mineral density (BMD) T score of less than 2.5 g/cm2, 2) received vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty for lumbar fractures, 3) involved one segment of the lumbar spine, and 4) were followed-up for more than one year. The TFI rate confirmed by analyzing magnetic resonance imagings with the Image J program was studied. Based on this, the relationship between the TFI of the multifidus and erector spinae muscles and the factors of osteoporosis were analyzed. Results: The mean TFI of the multifidus and erector spinae was 14.66±10.16. The spine BMD showed a positive correlation with the hip BMD, but a negative correlation with the TFI. A positive correlation was observed between the hip BMD and body mass index. In addition, vitamin D was positively correlated with both the hip and spine BMD but negatively correlated with the TFI rate. Conclusion: Muscle growth helps treat osteoporosis, and can prevent fractures that occur frequently in osteoporosis patients. Increasing the vitamin intake can also slow the progression of muscle atrophy.
This study was conducted to evaluate extruded pellets (EP) for growth of adult flounder by comparing with raw fish-based moist pellet (MP). Two replicate groups of 150 fish per each tank (initial mean weight 329 g) were fed one of seven EP (EP1, EP2, EP3, EP4, EP5, EP6 and EP7) and a MP for 8 months. Survival of fish fed the MP was not significantly different from that of fish fed the EP1, EP5 and EP7, but significantly higher than that of fish fed the EP2, EP3, EP4 and EP6 (P<0.05). Weight gain of fish fed the MP was significantly lower than that of fish fed the EPI (P<0.05), but not significantly different from that of fish fed EP2, EP3, EP4, EP5, EP6 and EP7. Feed efficiency of fish fed the MP was significantly lower than EP1, EP3, EP4, EP5 and EP6 (P<0.05), but not significantly different from that of fish fed EP2 and EP7 Feed supply (kg/tank) of fish fed the MP was significantly higher than that of fish fed all EP (P<0.05). Condition factor of fish fed the MP was not significantly different from that of fish fed all EP. The contents of moisture, crude protein and lipid in dorsal muscle and whole body was not significantly different among the groups. It is concluded that the dietary formulation used in the EP1, EP3, TP4, EP5 and EP6 can be applied in the practical extruded pellet feeds for adult flounder (329-680g).
Genetic polymorphisms of adipocyte determination and differentiation factor 1 (ADD1) gene were screened in Hanwoo and Jeju Black cattle-derived commercial (JBC-DC) populations. The ADD1 genotypes were determined using the presence/absence of 84-bp fragment at intron 7 region. The association of ADD1 genotypes for economic traits was examined in both populations. In the Hanwoo steers, ADD1 D/- carcasses showed significantly thicker backfat levels than those from WW (p<0.05). However, the thickest level of backfat appeared in WD heterozygotes, whereas thicker backfat did not appear in DD homozygotes in the JBC-DC population (p<0.05), leading to the supposition that synergic effects of alleles W and D increase backfat deposition. On the other hand, there was no association between the ADD1 genotypes and intramuscular fat deposition measured as meat quality index and marbling score. From these results, we concluded that the bovine ADD1 affected the backfat in subcutaneous tissue, rather than intramuscular fat in muscle tissue. In addition, the DD animals showed higher levels of meat color than those from W/- (p<0.05). Interestingly, a highly significant difference was found between the genotypes and carcass weights only in the JBC-DC population, and D/- animals were heavier by more than 38 kg than those from WW (p<0.001). The results of this study reveal faster growth rate and differences in steer productivity according to genotypes of the ADD1 gene. These findings demonstrate that ADD1 genotypes may effectively function as molecular genetic markers for the improvement of Hanwoo and Jeju Black cattle-related crossbreeding systems.
The wall shear stress in the vicinity of end-to end anastomoses under steady flow conditions was measured using a flush-mounted hot-film anemometer(FMHFA) probe. The experimental measurements were in good agreement with numerical results except in flow with low Reynolds numbers. The wall shear stress increased proximal to the anastomosis in flow from the Penrose tubing (simulating an artery) to the PTFE: graft. In flow from the PTFE graft to the Penrose tubing, low wall shear stress was observed distal to the anastomosis. Abnormal distributions of wall shear stress in the vicinity of the anastomosis, resulting from the compliance mismatch between the graft and the host artery, might be an important factor of ANFH formation and the graft failure. The present study suggests a correlation between regions of the low wall shear stress and the development of anastomotic neointimal fibrous hyperplasia(ANPH) in end-to-end anastomoses. 30523 T00401030523 ^x Air pressure decay(APD) rate and ultrafiltration rate(UFR) tests were performed on new and saline rinsed dialyzers as well as those roused in patients several times. C-DAK 4000 (Cordis Dow) and CF IS-11 (Baxter Travenol) reused dialyzers obtained from the dialysis clinic were used in the present study. The new dialyzers exhibited a relatively flat APD, whereas saline rinsed and reused dialyzers showed considerable amount of decay. C-DAH dialyzers had a larger APD(11.70
The wall shear stress in the vicinity of end-to end anastomoses under steady flow conditions was measured using a flush-mounted hot-film anemometer(FMHFA) probe. The experimental measurements were in good agreement with numerical results except in flow with low Reynolds numbers. The wall shear stress increased proximal to the anastomosis in flow from the Penrose tubing (simulating an artery) to the PTFE: graft. In flow from the PTFE graft to the Penrose tubing, low wall shear stress was observed distal to the anastomosis. Abnormal distributions of wall shear stress in the vicinity of the anastomosis, resulting from the compliance mismatch between the graft and the host artery, might be an important factor of ANFH formation and the graft failure. The present study suggests a correlation between regions of the low wall shear stress and the development of anastomotic neointimal fibrous hyperplasia(ANPH) in end-to-end anastomoses. 30523 T00401030523 ^x Air pressure decay(APD) rate and ultrafiltration rate(UFR) tests were performed on new and saline rinsed dialyzers as well as those roused in patients several times. C-DAK 4000 (Cordis Dow) and CF IS-11 (Baxter Travenol) reused dialyzers obtained from the dialysis clinic were used in the present study. The new dialyzers exhibited a relatively flat APD, whereas saline rinsed and reused dialyzers showed considerable amount of decay. C-DAH dialyzers had a larger APD(11.70
This study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of Acanthopanax (A) senticosus and Eucommiaceae on the expression of lipogenic, myogenic and oxidative stress genes in broiler chickens. Birds were subjected (assigned) to one of the following 5 dietary treatments: control (CON), A. senticosus 0.5% (T1), 1.0% (T2), Eucommiaceae 0.5% (T3) and 1% (T4). Each treatment was replicated 8 times with 4 birds per replication, housed in 4 birds per cage. Birds were arranged according to randomized block design. Feeding trial was conducted from day 4 to 35th day of age. Liver and muscle tissues were collected for analysis. Broilers subjected to 1% A. senticosus had higher feed conversion ratio than the other treated birds whereas no significant differences were found in body weight, weight gain and feed intake. The gene expression levels of fatty acid synthase were not different among the treatments while the transcription factor
Concentrated releases of zinc into water usually results from discharges associated with industrial purpose. The released zinc into soil is corroded and released into water. In aquatic environment, exess zinc is toxic to the organisms and causes the growth inhibition and malformation of them as a heavy metal. In this study, excess zinc toxicity was tested by FETAX (frog embryo teratogenetic assay with Xenopus)as in vivo system. Xenopus embryos at st.9 were exposed to