• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2021

Respiratory viruses (RVs) cause infections in hospital environments through direct contact with infected visitors. In infection control, it causes major problems of acquired infections in hospitals by respiratory viruses. The surveillance data derived from clinical laboratories are often used to properly allocate medical resources to hospitals and communities for treatment, consumables, and diagnostic product purchases in the institutions and public health sectors that provide health care. An early diagnosis is essential in infection with respiratory viruses, and methods that can be used in diagnostic methods using respiratory samples include virus culture, molecular diagnosis, and analysis. A microchip provides a new strategy for developing a more diverse and powerful technology called point-of-care testing. The importance of the respiratory system should be applied strictly to the infection control guidelines to ensure the occupational health and safety of health care workers. Evidence of clinical efficacy, including this study, is challenging the long-standing paradigm for infection propagation. Additional assistance will be needed for frequent tests to detect respiratory viruses in inpatients who have begun to show new respiratory symptoms indicating infections requiring efforts to control the infection.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.76-81
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• 2021

Objective: Smartphone addiction can cause forward head posture, carpal tunnel syndrome and depression, and anxiety. Various interventions have been proposed to resolve Smartphone addiction. However, research regarding the efficacy of these interventions remains lacking. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of tDCS (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) on smartphone addiction solution and stress reduction. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: The participants were divided randomly into two group (tDCS vs. Control). tDCS was applied to 41 adults (22.95±2.76 years). The tDCS group was applied 2 mA, for 13 minutes twice over a 26 minute period (n₁ = 21). The control (n₂ = 20) was not applied after padding and was applied twice for 13 minutes over a 26 minute period. This study was conducted four times a week for a total of four weeks. Results: Smartphone addiction for tDCS showed significant improvement in the results in the S-score (p<0.05, 95% CI: 0.702, 4.922), and the result of heart rate (HR) and skin conductivity (SC) to stress. The tDCS group and control group showed no significant decrese in the results in the HR (p>0.05, 95% CI: -3.390, 8.332), but tDCS group showed significant decrese in the results in the SC (p<0.05, 95% CI: 0.060, 1.343) Conclusions: This study suggected that smartphone addiction treatment and decreses of stress. The use of tDCS will reduce the addiction rate of adults and reduce stress, so that possible side effects in society can be solved.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2022

The development of selective targeting of drug molecules towards the mitochondria is an important issue related to therapy efficacy. In this study, we report that gallic acid (GA)-mitochondria targeting sequence (MTS)-H₃R₉ exhibits a dual role as a mitochondria-targeting vehicle with antioxidant activity for disease therapy. In viability assays, GA-MTS-H₃R₉ showed a better rescue action compared to that of MTS-H₃R₉. GA-MTS-H₃R₉ dramatically exhibited cell penetration and intercellular uptake compared to MTS and fit escape from lysosome release to the cytosol. We demonstrated the useful targeting of GA-MTS-H₃R₉ towards mitochondria in AC16 cells. Also, we observed that the antioxidant properties of mitochondrial-accrued GA-MTS-H₃R₉ alleviated cell damage by reactive oxygen species production and disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential. GA-MTS-H₃R₉ showed a very increased cytoprotective effect against anticancer activity compared to that of MTS-H₃R₉. We showed that GA-MTS-H₃R₉ can act as a vehicle for mitochondria-targeting and as a reagent for therapeutic applications intended for cardiovascular disease treatment.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.387-395
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• 2022

Background: Fermentation may alter the bioavailability of certain compounds, which may affect their efficacy and pharmacological responses. This study investigated the antiplatelet effects of red ginseng extract (RGE) and fermented red ginseng extract (FRG). Methods: A rodent model was used to evaluate the antiplatelet and antithrombotic effects of the extracts. Rats were orally fed with human equivalent doses of the extracts for 1 week and examined for various signaling pathways using standard in vivo and ex vivo techniques. Light transmission aggregometry was performed, and calcium mobilization, dense granule secretion, integrin α_IIbβ₃-mediated signaling molecules, cyclic nucleotide signaling events, and various protein molecules were evaluated ex vivo in collagen-stimulated washed platelets. Furthermore, antithrombotic properties were evaluated using a standard acute pulmonary thromboembolism model, and the effects on hemostasis were investigated using rat and mice models. Results: Both RGE and FRG significantly inhibited platelet aggregation, calcium mobilization, and dense granule secretion along with integrin-mediated fibrinogen binding and fibrinogen adhesion. cAMP levels were found to be elevated in RGE-treated rat platelets. Ginseng extracts did not exert any effect on prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. RGE-treated mice showed significantly better survival under thrombosis than FRG-treated mice, with no effects on hemostasis, whereas FRG-treated mice exhibited a slight increment in bleeding time. Conclusion: Both extracts, especially RGE, are remarkable supplements to maintain cardiovascular health and are potential candidates for the treatment and prevention of platelet-related cardiovascular disorders.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2022

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase widely expressed in many cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and head and neck cancer. Mutations such as L858R in exon 21, exon 19 truncation (Del19), exon 20 insertions, and others are responsible for aberrant activation of EGFR in NSCLC. First-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as gefitinib and erlotinib have clinical benefits for EGFR-sensitive (L858R and Del19) NSCLC patients. However, after 10-12 months of treatment with these inhibitors, a secondary T790M mutation at the gatekeeper position in the kinase domain of EGFR was identified, which limited the clinical benefits. Second-generation EGFR irreversible inhibitors (afatinib and dacomitinib) were developed to overcome this T790M mutation. However, their lack of selectivity toward wild-type EGFR compromised their clinical benefits due to serious adverse events. Recently developed third-generation irreversible EGFR TKIs (osimertinib and lazertinib) are selective toward driving mutations and the T790M mutation, while sparing wild-type EGFR activity. The latest studies have concluded that their efficacy was also compromised by additional acquired mutations, including C797S, the key residue cysteine that forms covalent bonds with irreversible inhibitors. Because second- and third-generation EGFR TKIs are irreversible inhibitors, they are not effective against C797S containing EGFR triple mutations (Del19/T790M/C797S and L858R/T790M/C797S). Therefore, there is an urgent unmet medical need to develop next-generation EGFR TKIs that selectively inhibit EGFR triple mutations via a non-irreversible mechanism.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.334-344
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• 2022

Bacterial wilt is a re-emerging disease on dry bean and can affect many other crop species within the Fabaceae. The causal agent, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (CFF), is a small, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is seed-transmitted. Infections in the host become systemic, leading to wilting and economic loss. Clean seed programs and bactericidal seed treatments are two critical management tools. This study characterizes the efficacies of five bactericidal chemicals against CFF. It was hypothesized that this bacterium was capable of forming biofilms, and that the cells within biofilms would be more tolerant to bactericidal treatments. The minimum biocide eradication concentration assay protocol was used to grow CFF biofilms, expose the biofilms to bactericides, and enumerate survivors compared to a non-treated control (water). Streptomycin and oxysilver bisulfate had EC95 values at the lowest concentrations and are likely the best candidates for seed treatment products for controlling seed-borne bacterial wilt of bean. The results showed that CFF formed biofilms during at least two phases of the bacterial wilt disease cycle, and the biofilms were much more difficult to eradicate than their planktonic counterparts. Overall, biofilm formation by CFF is an important part of the bacterial wilt disease cycle in dry edible bean and antibiofilm bactericides such as streptomycin and oxysilver bisulfate may be best suited for use in disease management.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.157-180
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• 2022

Objectives: To perform a systematic review of placenta pharmacopuncture for treating neuropsychiatric diseases, focusing on its efficacy and the safety so that evidence on its clinical use could be obtained, thus contributing to further studies. Methods: Through Korean, English, and Chinese databases (OASIS, Korean TK, KISS, RISS, ScienceON, Pubmed, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, CNKI, and Wanfang), combinations of keywords (placenta, pharmacopuncture, etc.) were used to select clinical studies published until January 2021 about placenta pharmacopuncture for neuropsychiatric diseases. Interventions included combined treatments. Study design included cases studies, series, and clinical trials. Cohort studies, literature reviews, in vitro and animal experiments were excluded. The primary outcomes involved measurements of symptoms, Visual Analogue Scale, or questionnaires. Data extracted from databases were imported to Endnote X7 to remove duplicates. The quality of the literature was assessed based on CAse REports Guidelines and Cochrane's Risk of Bias (ROB). Results: Twenty-one studies were selected, including ten case reports, three case series, two one-armed clinical trials, one non-randomized clinical trial, and five randomized clinical trials. There were six studies on sleep disorders, five studies on stroke sequela, two on mood disorders, two on enuresis, two on Guillain-Barré syndrome, two on multiple sclerosis, one on neurocognitive disorder, and one on vertigo. The most frequent combined treatment was acupuncture in both the experimental group (n=10) and the control group (n=3). Acupoints were ST36, SP6, BL23, CV4, GB20, GV20, N-HN54, and so on. All studies reported improvement of symptoms. The quality of case studies was relatively high. Assessment of ROBs resulted in low risks. Conclusions: Placenta pharmacopuncture is effective for neuropsychiatric diseases such as sleep disorders, mood disorders, enuresis, and neurocognitive disorders. Regarding insomnia, several studies have reported significant improvements with placenta pharmacopuncture. There was no adverse event associated with placenta pharmacopuncture.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2022

Background: The expression of calcium signaling pathway molecules is altered in various carcinomas, which are related to the proliferation and altered characteristics of cancer cells. However, changes in calcium signaling in anti-cancer drug-resistant cells (bearing a T790M mutation in epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR]) remain unclear. Methods: Afatinib-mediated changes in the level of store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE)-related proteins and intracellular Ca²⁺ level in non-small cell lung cancer cells with T790M mutation in the EGFR gene were analyzed using western blot and ratiometric assays, respectively. Afatinib-mediated autophagic flux was evaluated by measuring the cleavage of LC3B-II. Flow cytometry and cell proliferation assays were conducted to assess cell apoptosis and proliferation. Results: The levels of SOCE-mediating proteins (ORAI calcium release-activated calcium modulator 1 [ORAI1], stromal interaction molecule 1 [STIM1], and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ ATPase [SERCA2]) decreased after afatinib treatment in non-small cell lung cancer cells, whereas the levels of SOCE-related proteins did not change in gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer cells (PC-9/GR; bearing a T790M mutation in EGFR). Notably, the expression level of SOCE-related proteins in PC-9/GR cells was reduced also responding to afatinib in the absence of extracellular Ca²⁺. Moreover, extracellular Ca²⁺ influx through the SOCE was significantly reduced in PC-9 cells pre-treated with afatinib than in the control group. Additionally, afatinib was found to decrease the level of SOCE-related proteins through autophagic degradation, and the proliferation of PC-9GR cells was significantly inhibited by a lack of extracellular Ca²⁺. Conclusion: Extracellular Ca²⁺ plays important role in afatinib-mediated autophagic degradation of SOCE-related proteins in cells with T790M mutation in the EGFR gene and extracellular Ca²⁺ is essential for determining anti-cancer drug efficacy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2022

Background: We evaluated the long-term effects of domiciliary noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) used to treat patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials of COPD with NIPPV for longer than 1 year. Mortality rates were the primary outcome in this meta-analysis. The eight trials included in this study comprised data from 913 patients. Results: The mortality rates for the NIPPV and control groups were 29% (118/414) and 36% (151/419), suggesting a statistically significant difference (risk ratio [RR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65-0.95). Mortality rates were reduced with NIPPV in four trials that included stable COPD patients. There was no difference in admission, acute exacerbation and quality of life between the NIPPV and control groups. There was no significant difference in withdrawal rates between the two groups (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.72-1.36; p=0.94). Conclusion: Maintaining long-term nocturnal NIPPV for more than 1 year, especially in patients with stable COPD, decreased the mortality rate, without increasing the withdrawal rate compared with long-term oxygen treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.229-236
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• 2022

Objective: Jowiseunggi-tang (JWSGT) is a traditional herbal medicine commonly used for purgative activity in constipation. This study evaluates JWSGT for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC), the most common and debilitating gastrointestinal effect of opioid use. Methods: A 64-year-old man with floor of mouth cancer was hospitalized for OIC, and JWSGT was administered orally twice a day for 10 days, along with acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping. The primary outcome measures were defecation type according to the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) and the frequency of bowel movements. The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) were used as secondary measures. Results: After three days of JWSGT administration, spontaneous bowel movements were observed two to three times per week with improved BSFS from type 2 to 4. A reduction in BFI score (8.7 to 2.0) and an increase in FACT-G score (44.3 to 59.0) suggested an improvement in fatigue level and quality of life. Conclusion: This is the first report to assess the efficacy of JWSGT for the management of OIC in patients with cancer, and JWSGT may be an effective option to improve symptoms and quality of life in this group.