• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.369-375
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• 1994

A polysaccharide, G009, isolated from Ganoderma lucidum IY 009, was subjected to investigating on general pharmacology. This material at the large oral doses of 1000 and 2000 mg/kg in mice did not exhibit any abnormal behaviors and another effects on central nervous system. It also had no influences on hexobarbital-induced sleeping time, rotarod test and spontaneous activity test at each oral dose of 1000 mg/kg in mice. No effects on the body temperature and on acetic acid induced writhing syndrome in mice were observed with its oral administration at 1000 mg/kg, and the convulsions induced by strychnine and pentetrazole were not inhibited at its oral doses of 1000 mg/kg in mice. The solution of G009 as given intravenously at the doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg in rabbit had no influences on blood pressure and respiration rates and depth. In isolated organs of rat uterus and fundus muscles and guineapig ileum and trachea, it did not show any contraction or relaxation at the concentrations of 2$\times$10$^{-3}$ g/ml, and the contractive actions produced by oxytocin, acetylcholine, serotonin and histamine were not inhibited at the same doses. This material showed no effect on intestinal propulsion test in mice and gastric secretion in rats at the oral doses of 1000 mg/kg. However, it is interesting that the material exhibited potent inhibition of acidified aspirin induced gastric damage at the doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg in rats.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 1987

Circulating antigens in rats experimentally infected with Paragonimus westermani were examined by ELISA. From a total of 22 albino rats, each fed with 25 metacercariae, blood samples were collected until 12 weeks after infection. The specific antibodies against P. westermani in the serum of an infected cat were purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE anion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography serially. So-called double antibody sandwich ELISA method was used for the detection of circulating antigens. The results were as follows: Mean value of O.D. in control sera was O. 04 (S.D.=0. 04). After infection, mean O.D.(S.D.) values were changed serially: 0.03(0.01) at 0.5 week(3 days), 0.55(0.50) at 1 week, 0.69(0.45) at 1.5 week, O.20 (0.19) at 2 weeks and O.13(0.10) at 2.5 weeks of infection. They returned, thereafter, to the level before infection. When O. 16 (mean+3 S.D.) were considered as cut-off value, those higher than O. 16 were observed only in the sera collected between 1 and 2.5 weeks after infection. Average 8. 4 immature worms (2.2 from the lungs and pleural cavities; 6.2 from muscles) were recovered in a rat at 12 weeks after infection. The fact that circulating antigens were not detected after 3 weeks of infection was considered to the caused by the formation of antigen-antibady complexs.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.171-176
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• 1994

Wistar rats were induced of Pneumowstis cayinii infection by injection with methyl-prednisolone to correlate the cyst counts and numbers of nuclei. Seven sections of the lungs were examined by impression smears and also whole lung homogenates were screened for nucleus counting for each rat. At the first week of the experiment, all of the Impression smears except one were cyst negative but trophic forms were counted around 106. At the third week, the cysts appeared one per 20 Immersion oil lens fields. The nuclei were on the order of 107 at this period, and this amount of Pc is regarded as the limit of cyst detection on Impression smears. When the nuclei were over 109 in the lungs, the cysts were counted about 50 in 20 microscopic fields. The organisms were distributed in the lungs without any predilection focus. The present data suggest that the trophic forms, proliferate first and the cysts appear later in the lungs.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.532-539
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• 2014

Peripheral neuropathy induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy is not only difficult to distinguish in clinical practice, but also difficult to relieve the pain symptoms by analgesics because of the severity of the disease at the later stage. Hence, to explore the mechanisms of HIV-related neuropathy and find new therapeutic options are particularly important for relieving neuropathic pain symptoms of the patients. In the present study, primary cultured embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were used to determine the neurotoxic effects of HIV-gp120 protein and/or antiretroviral drug dideoxycytidine (ddC) and the therapeutic actions of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on gp120- or ddC-induced neurotoxicity. DRG neurons were exposed to gp120 (500 pmol/L), ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), respectively, for 72 hours. The results showed that gp120 and/or ddC caused neurotoxicity of primary cultured DRG neurons. Interestingly, the severity of neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and ddC was different in different subpopulation of DRG neurons. gp120 mainly affected large diameter DRG neurons (> $25{\mu}m$), whereas ddC mainly affected small diameter DRG neurons (${\leq}25{\mu}m$). IGF-1 could reverse the neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and/or ddC on small, but not large, DRG neurons. These data provide new insights in elucidating the pathogenesis of HIV infection- or antiretroviral therapy-related peripheral neuropathy and facilitating the development of novel treatment strategies.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.279-287
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• 2017

The chemical property of cinnamaldehyde is unstable in vivo, although early experiments have shown its obvious therapeutic effects on viral myocarditis (VMC). To overcome this problem, we used cinnamaldehyde as a leading compound to synthesize derivatives. Five derivatives of cinnamaldehyde were synthesized: 4-methylcinnamaldehyde (1), 4-chlorocinnamaldehyde (2), 4-methoxycinnamaldehyde (3), ${\alpha}$-bromo-4-methylcinnamaldehyde (4), and ${\alpha}$-bromo-4-chlorocinnamaldehyde (5). Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and HeLa cells infected by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) were used to evaluate their antiviral and cytotoxic effects. In vivo BALB/c mice were infected with CVB3 for establishing VMC models. Among the derivatives, compound 4 and 5 inhibited the CVB3 in HeLa cells with the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations values of $11.38{\pm}2.22{\mu}M$ and $2.12{\pm}0.37{\mu}M$, respectively. The 50% toxic concentrations of compound 4 and 5-treated cells were 39-fold and 87-fold higher than in the cinnamaldehyde group. Compound 4 and 5 effectively reduced the viral titers and cardiac pathological changes in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, compound 4 and 5 significantly inhibited the secretion, mRNA and protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in CVB3-infected cardiomyocytes, indicating that brominated cinnamaldehyde not only improved the anti-vital activities for VMC, but also had potent anti-inflammatory effects in cardiomyocytes induced by CVB3.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2020

The chigger mite Leptotrombidium sialkotense is one of the 6 main vectors of scrub typhus in China. Before present study, L. sialkotense was found in some parts of Hunan province, China with a narrow geographical distribution. During field investigation 2016-2017, we found L. sialkotense in Jingha, southern Yunnan, China. Of 15 small mammal host species, L. sialkotense were collected from 6 species of the hosts. Rattus brunneusculus was a dominant host of L. sialkotense, from which 98.3% of the mites were collected. The chigger mite showed a relatively high infestation prevalence (P_M =11.7%) and mean abundance (MA=0.5) in comparison with the rest 5 host species. These results reveal a certain host specificity of L. sialkotense to a rat R. brunneusculus. The mite L. sialkotense showed an aggregated distribution on the host (P<0.05). A positive correlation observed between L. sialkotense and the body length of hosts. There was a positive interspecific association between L. sialkotense and 2 other dominant vectors, L. deliense and L. scutellare.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.185-193
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• 1999

Purpose: Proliferation of bile duct-like structures and fibrosis is a hepatic cellular reaction observed in most forms of human liver disease and in a variety of experimental conditions associated with liver injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the activation of Ito cells and bile duct proliferation in the rat after common bile duct ligation (CBDL). Methods: Hepatic morphological abnormalities were examined in rats whose bile ducts had been irreversibly ligated for 15, 21, 24 and 28 days. The liver was examined by immunohistochemical staining for ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin, the known marker of activated Ito cells, and light and electron microscopes. Results: After CBDL, the bile canalicular proliferation and interstitial fibrosis were gradually increased in the periportal areas extended to hepatic sinusoids. Ito cells positive for ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin were frequently observed in the periductular space and in perisinusoidal space of Disse. Ito cells and myofibroblasts were gradually increased in the interstitial fibrosis until the 28th day after CBDL. Ito cells and myofibroblasts had microfilaments with dense body at the periphery of the cell. Conclusions: Our results suggest that Ito cells may be fibroblastic or myogenic. It has also been postulated that during the development of hepatic fibrosis, Ito cells become myofibroblasts or fibroblast like cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2014

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of current density on penetration depth, tissue concentration and transdermal transport of methylene blue(MB) by iontophoretic transdermal delivery. METHODS: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 1 mA($0.11mA/cm^2$), 2 mA($0.22mA/cm^2$), 4 mA($0.44mA/cm^2$), and 8 mA($0.89mA/cm^2$) groups. These rats were exposed to anodic iontophoresis of 1% MB using a direct current for 15 minutes. The penetration depth were measured using light microscopy from cryosections of skin tissue. The tissue concentration and transdermal transport were measured using biochemical analysis from target skin tissues. The data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: The significant differences in the penetration depth, tissue concentration and transdermal transport were detected among the groups(p<.001). Post hoc comparisons of the penetration depth, tissue concentration and transdermal transport of he 2 mA, 4 mA, and 8 mA iontophoresis groups were greater than in the 1 mA iontophoresis group(p<.05). There was no significant difference, however, among 2 mA, 4 mA, and 8 mA iontophoresis group. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the efficiency of iontophoresis from 2 mA($0.22mA/cm^2$) to 8 mA($0.89mA/cm^2$). Higher current density can cause skin injury and discomfort sensation. In general, $0.5mA/cm^2$ is proposed to be the maximum iontophoretic current which should be used on human. The appropriate current amplitude should be selected by considering the safety current density and the depth of the target tissue.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2007

Objectives : Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) is the major component in commercial liquid epoxy resins, which are manufactured by co-reacting bisphenol A with epichlorohydrin. This study was performed to show the developmental effects of prenatal and postnatal exposures to BADGE in male rat offspring. Methods : Mated female rats were divided into four groups, each containing 12 rats. The dosing solutions were prepared by thoroughly mixing BADGE in corn oil at the 0, 375, 1500 and 3000 mg/kg/day concentrations. Mated females were dosed once daily by oral gavage on gestation day (GD) 6 - 20 and postnatal day (PND) 0 - 21. Pregnant female dams were observed general symptoms and body weight. Also, male pups were observed the general symptoms, body weight, developmental parameters (e.g. anogenital distance, pina detachment, incisor eruption, nipple retention, eye opening, testis descent), organ pathologic changes and hormone levels of plasma. Results : Pregnant rats treated with BADGE died at a rate of about 70% in the 1500 mg/kg/day group and all rats treated with 3000 mg/kg/day died. Body weight, for male pups treated with doses of 375 mg/kg/day, was significantly lower than in the control group at PND 42, 56, and 63 (p<0.05). Evaluation of body characteristics including; separation of auricle, eruption of incisor, separation of eyelid, nipple retention, descent of testis, and separation of the prepuce in the BADGE treated group showed no difference in comparisons with the control group. AGD and adjusted AGD (mm/kg) for general developmental items in BADGE 375 mg/kg/day treated pups tended to be longer than in controls, however, these differences were not statistically significant. Relative weights of adrenal gland, lung (p<0.05), brain, epididymis, prostate, and testis (p<0.01) were heavier than in control in measures at PND 9 weeks. There were no significant changes in comparisons of histological findings of these organs. Loss of spermatids was observed in the seminiferous tubule at PND 9 weeks, but no weight changes were observed. The plasma estrogen levels were similar in the control and treatment groups at PND 3, 6 and 9 weeks. The plasma testosterone levels in the control group tended to increase with age. However, in the BADGE 375 mg/kg/day treated male pups it did not tend to increase. Conclusions : These findings suggest that BADGE is a chemical that has developmental effects consistent with it being an endocrine disruptor.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2013

Purpose: To test whether the expression of P-cadherin, a component of slit diaphragms between podocyte foot processes, would be altered by puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) in a cultured podocyte in vitro. Methods: Rat glomerular epithelial cells (GEpC) were cultured with various concentrations of PAN. The distribution of P-cadherin was examined with a confocal microscope. Western blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to measure the change in P-cadherin expression. Results: This study found that P-cadherin was concentrated in the inner and peripheral cytoplasm with high concentrations of PAN under immunofluorescence views. Western blotting of GEpC revealed that PAN induced a decrease of P-cadherin in dose- and time-dependent manners. A high dose ($50{\mu}g/mL$) of PAN decreased P-cadherin expression by 21.9% at 24 h (P <0.05) and 31.9% at 48 h (P <0.01) compared to those without PAN. In RT-PCR, high concentrations ($50{\mu}g/mL$) of PAN also decreased P-cadherin mRNA expression, similar to protein suppression, by 23.5% at 48 h (P <0.05). Conclusion: Podocytes exposed to PAN in vitro concentrated P-cadherin internally, and reduced P-cadherin mRNA and protein expression. This could explain the development of proteinuria in experimental PAN-induced nephropathy.