• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2813-2818
• /
• 2012

Background: Considerable evidence suggests that metadherin (MTDH) is a potentially crucial mediator of tumor malignancy and an important therapeutic target for simultaneously enhancing chemotherapy efficacy and reducing metastasis risk. Inhibition of MTDH expression by RNA interference has been shown in several previous research, but silencing MTDH expression by microRNA (miRNA) interference in breast cancer has not been established. In the present study, we investigated the role of MTDH-miRNA in down-regulation of proliferation, motility and migration of breast carcinoma cells. Methods: Expression vectors of recombinant plasmids expressing artificial MTDH miRNA were constructed and transfected to knockdown MTDH expression in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Expression of MTDH mRNA and protein was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. MTT assays were conducted to determine proliferation, and wound healing assays and transwell migration experiments for cell motility and migration. Results: Transfection of recombinant a plasmid of pcDNA-MTDH-miR-4 significantly suppressed the MTDH mRNA and protein levels more than 69% in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. This knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation, motility and migration as compared with controls. Conclusions: MTDH-miRNA may play an important role in down-regulating proliferation, motility and migration in breast cancer cells, and should be considered as a potential small molecule inhibitor therapeutic targeting strategy for the future.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.17-22
• /
• 2009

Pimobendan is a recently developed cardiac drug which is useful to control moderate to severe congestive heart failure (CHF) from chronic mitral valvular diseases (CMVI). Because of controversy related to the efficacy and safety of pimobendan in dogs, the optimal efficacy and safety of pimobendan was assessed in 20 dogs with CMVI in this study. Scores for quality of life, respiratory failure, circulatory failure and heart failure were evaluated along with radiographical and echocardiographical assessments for about 2 months period after the addition of pimobendan into the regular cardiac medications. This study proved clear evidence that pimobendan had beneficial therapeutic effects in dogs with advanced CMVI, without particular adverse effects. However, further studies are warranted to address the drug interaction with other cardiac therapeutics and to assess therapeutic effects in CHF from other type of heart diseases in dogs and other animals.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.38-45
• /
• 2007

Background: The multitude of the therapeutic usefulness of intra-articular injection of hyaluronate on oateoarthritis of the knee is still in question. The objective of this systemic review was to elucidate both the therapeutic efficacy and the safety of intra-articular administration of hyaluronic acid for degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee joints. Methods: I searched MEDLINE and Korea Medical Database (KMbase) from January 1990 to April 2007 using a combination search terms for knee osteoarthritis and hyaluronic acid and a filter for randomized controlled trials. I extracted data on pain at rest, and during or just after movement, on joint function, and on adverse events. Results: Ten trials that reported usable quantitative information on any of the predefined end points were identified and included in the systemic review. Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid can decrease symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. The study revealed significant improvements in pain and functional outcomes with few adverse effects. However, there was significant between-study heterogeneity in the estimates of the efficacy of hyaluronic acid. Sub-group analysis showed that lower methodological quality such as a single-blind or single-center design resulted in higher estimates hyaluronic acid efficacy, and that patients older than sixty years of age and those with the most advanced radiographic stage of osteoarthritis were less likely to benefit from intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid. Conclusion: According to the currently available evidence, intra-articular hyaluronic acid has been proven clinically effective for the patients bearing the knee osteoarthritis with NSAID-induced GI troubles or inapplicable to any surgery, and may be associated with lower risk of adverse events.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.10-19
• /
• 2013

Objectives: In the present study, we evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of Lonicerae Flos on cigarette-induced lung inflammatory responses in animal model of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Methods: To inspect the effects of Lonicerae Flos, we evaluated Lonicerae Flos functions in vivo including immune cell profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, cytokine production and tissue morphological changes. Results: Lonicerae Flos significantly inhibited immune cell infiltrations into the BAL fluid (neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes). TNF-${\alpha}$, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were substantially decreased in the BAL fluid of Lonicerae Flos-treated mice compared with cigarette-exposed control mice. In addition, the hypertrophy of goblet cells in the epithelial cells was reduced in both Lonicerae Flos- and roflumilast-treated mice. Conclusions: The results of this study provide evidence that treatment with Lonicerae Flos exerts strong therapeutic effects against cigarette-induced lung inflammation in vivo. Therefore, this herbal medicine may represent a novel therapeutic agent for lung inflammation in general, as well as a specific agent for the treatment of COPD.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.161-170
• /
• 2004

Molecular Nuclear Neuro-Imaging in "CNS" drug discovery and development tan be divided into four categories that are clearly inter-related.(1) Neuroreceptor mapping to examine the involvement of specific neurotransmitter system in CNS diseases, drug occupancy characteristics and perhaps examine mechanisms of action;(2) Structural and spectroscopic imaging to examine morphological changes and their consequences;(3) Metabolic mapping to provide evidence of central activity and "CNS fingerprinting" the neuroanatomy of drug effects;(4) Functional mapping to examing disease-drug interactions. In addition, targeted delivery of therapeutic agents could be achieved by modifying stem cells to release specific drugs at the site of transplantation('stem cell pharmacology'). Future exploitation of stem cell biology, including enhanced release of therapeutic factors through genetic stem cell engineering, might thus constitute promising pharmaceutical approaches to treating diseases of the nervous system. With continued improvements in instrumentation, identification of better imaging probes by innovative chemistry, molecular nuclear neuro-imaging promise to play increasingly important roles in disease diagnosis and therapy.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.35-40
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this review was to investigate feasibility of intensive virtual reality training to improve upper extremity function with brain plasticity of individuals with stroke through the literature. The recovery of the paretic upper extremity depends on regularity and intensity of training as use-dependent plasticity. In resent, virtual reality program has been widely used in the occupational therapy field of augmented stroke rehabilitation. There is a growing body of evidence that virtual reality training of the paretic extremity induces brain plasticity associated with motor improvement. In terms of therapeutic feasibility to improve paretic upper extremity, recent research has explored several important factors of virtual reality training for recovery of upper extremity motor function. These factors include high repetition intensity, high motivation like type of game, enhanced multisensory feedback regarding performance, and interactive task-oriented training. Therefore, occupational therapy combined with intensive and repetitive virtual reality training will enhance recovery of upper extremity motor function after stroke.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.12
• /
• pp.6073-6076
• /
• 2012

Discovery of anticancer drugs that kill or disable tumor cells in the presence of normal cells without undue toxicity is a potential challenge for therapeutic care. Several papers in the literature have emphasized the potential implications of marine products such as seaweeds which exhibit antitumor activity. Study attempts to screen the antitumor effect of Sargassum sp, against chosen cell lines such as MCF-7 (Breast cancer) and Hep-2 (Liver Cancer). Ethanol extract of Sargassum sp. was concentrated using a Soxhlet apparatus and dissolved in DMSO. In vitro cytotoxic activity of Sargassum sp at various concentrations ($100{\mu}g/ml-300{\mu}g/ml$) screened for antitumor effect against the chosen cell lines using MTT assay (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, a yellow tetrazole). The study documented that the percentage of cell viability has been reduced with increased concentration, as evidenced by cell death. Sargassum sp extract shows potential cytotoxic activity ($P{\leq}0.05$) with $IC_{50}$ of $200{\mu}g/ml$ and $250{\mu}g/ml$ against Hep-2 and MCF-7 cell lines respectively. The ethanol fraction of Sargassum sp induced cell shrinkage, cell membrane blebbing and formation of apoptotic bodies with evidence of bioactive components as profound influencing factors for anti-tumor effects. Further research need to be explored for the successful application of Sargassum sp as a potent therapeutic tool against cancer.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.65-75
• /
• 2018

Objective: Over the last several years, immunotherapy has become one of the most promising therapeutic options for cancer. This study aims to summarize the updates on cancer immunotherapy focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors, which have received attention as new anticancer therapeutic agents. Methods: A literature survey was carried out on PubMed to identify high-impact papers on cancer immunotherapy from 2010. The most recent data on clinical efficacy and safety have been included highlighting the response characteristics to recently approved immunotherapeutic agents. Results: In various cancers, immune checkpoints are a means for cancer cells to evade the immune system. Furthermore, CTLA-4 and PD-L1 can be overexpressed, allowing malignant cells to evade T-cells. Numerous clinical trials have been performed to seek appropriate indication of these products in various cancer types. Among them, the most conspicuous types are melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, and head and neck cancer. The approval of ipilimumab by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commenced a new era of cancer immunotherapy. This was followed by the approval of nivolumab and pembrolizumab. Currently, combination therapies are being investigated for various cancer types. Conclusion: In this study, we reviewed recently reported scientific and clinical evidence for currently approved immune checkpoint inhibitors. Although these novel checkpoint inhibitors are ever evolving for cancer therapies, there exist limitations that need to be overcome, indicating the necessity for further studies aiming to improve their efficacy, toxicity, and cost.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.107-114
• /
• 2020

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder on the large intestine that has been considered as an incurable not only in Western society but also in Eastern Asia in recent years. Despite enormous efforts to develop novel therapeutics for this disease, strategy using bioactive compounds from natural product is still considered as important. p-hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) is an intermediate substance found in several plants and has been known to possess anti-inflammation but little evidence is reported whether HCA has an inhibitory effect on intestinal inflammation. In the present study, we observed HCA does not show cytotoxic and apoptotic in HT-29 cells. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that HCA effectively blocks the activity of HT-29 cells stimulated with TNF-α treatment. HCA inhibits translocation of p65 and MAPK pathways in activated HT-29 cells by TNF-α treatment. Besides, oral administration of HCA attenuates manifestation of DSS-induced inflammatory disease in vivo. Histological analysis exhibited that oral administration of HCA recovers IBD symptoms. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines were reduced by oral administration of HCA on intestinal tissues. Therefore, these results suggest that HCA has a potent anti-inflammatory effect on intestinal cells as well as show a therapeutic potential for treating IBD in vivo.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.77-86
• /
• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this report was to provide the information activity and safety of Yijin-tang by analyzing domestic/international papers and theses about Yijin-tang. Methods : Domestic/international papers and theses related to Yijin-tang were reviewed and analyzed. These papers were then classified by year, experimental method and subject. Results : 1. Administration of Yijin-tang showed therapeutic effects on diseases of the circulatory system such as thrombosis and hyperlipisemia in in vivo experiments. 2. Administration of Yijin-tang reduced hemorrhagic erosion and ulcer by inhibition of gastric juice secretion and protection effect of gastric mucosa in in vivo experiments. 3. Both clinical and basic science researches, Administration of Yijin-tang showed improvement of digestive function by up-regulated of digestive enzyme and gut-regulated protein in plasma levels. Conclusions : Administration of Yijin-tang showed therapeutic effects on diseases of the circulatory system and protection effect of gastric mucosa in in vivo experiments. Furthermore, both clinical and basic science researches, administration of Yijin-tang showed improvement of digestive function.