• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.263-270
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the dietary supplementation of fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus (HE) mushroom on lipid profiles of serum and histological changes of the liver in rats with high fat and cholesterol diet. Five-week old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 8 rats each: The normal control diet (NC group), high fat and cholesterol diet (HFC group), and HFC diet supplemented with 5% fruiting powder of Hericium erinaceus (HFC+HE group). In the HFC+HE group, serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, and triglyceride concentrations were significantly reduced compared with the NC group. Body weight gain of those in the HFC+HE group were lower than those in the HFC group; whereas HFC+HE had no effect on the levels of plasma albumin, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, glucose, and total protein. The enzyme activities related to the liver function, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were lower in the NC group than in the HFC group, but without significance. Feeding the mushroom increased the excretion of total lipid and cholesterol. A histopathological analysis showed that the those in the HFC group developed hepatic steatosis, whereas those in the HFC+HE group developed small fat droplet. In conclusion, these results suggest that 5% HE supplementation to HFC diet provided health benefits by acting on lowering atherogenic lipid profile in rats with high fat and cholesterol diet.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.9
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• pp.935-938
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• 2005

Purpose : The aim of the present study was to ascertain whether the increase of carotid intima-media thickeness(cIMT) as one of premature pathologic changes of atherosclerosis, was present in obese children compared to normal weight children. Methods : The obese group consisted of 21 obese/overweight(body mass index(BMI) above 85 percentile of age, sex standards) children and the control group of 11 normal weight children. None of the children had any chronic illnesses or previous medication history. We investigated the age, sex, height, weight, and systolic/diastolic blood pressure. We measured cIMT by ultrasonogram. In 19 of the obese group, we tested the serum glucose level, liver transaminase level, and cholesterol level etc. Results : The increase of cIMT in obese group did not achieved statistical significance(obese group vs. control group; 0.42 vs. 0.40 mm, P=0.0592). In addition, cIMT showed no significant correlation with any physical/laboratory variables including BMI(P=0.0585). Conclusion : To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure the cIMT in Korean children. Though the results approached statistical significance, we could not prove an increase of cIMT in obese children or an association between cIMT and BMI, due to the study's small sample size. In the future, larger and more extensive trials are needed.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.421-426
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• 1999

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of persimmon vinegar on serum lipid components in the hypercholesterolemic Sprague-Dawley male rats. Forty rats were divided into four groups and fed diets containing l% cholesterol for 4 weeks. Experimental diets added to distilled water, 1.5%, 3%, and 7% persimmon vinegar(PV) as drinking water. Concentration of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglyceride in serum and activity of AST, ALT in serum were assayed. Average food intake, weight gain and FER of experimental rats were not significantly different by contents of persimmon vinegar. Concentration of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in serum were lowest in 7% persimmon vinegar group. However concentration of HDL cholesterol in serum was highest in 3% persimmon vinegar group. Concentration of triglyceride in serum was significantly lower in persimmon vinegar group than control group. Activities of AST and ALT in serum were lowest in 7% persimmon vinegar group. The results in this study suggest that persimmon vinegar is effective in lowering serum triglyceride level.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.2 s.247
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• pp.152-156
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• 2005

Background: Occlusive complications after arterial revascularization are difficult to treat and have high recurrence rate. This study was performed to establish an effective treatment modality and to evaluate the factors affecting the occlusive complications by analysis of clinical data. Material and Method: During the period of 5 years. 33 patients (55 reoperations) were studied at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan National University Hospital following 173 arterial revascularization surgeries. The clinical characteristics, operating methods, the time intervals of reoperation, used graft, and the results of treatment were evaluated retrospectively. Result: All the patients were men except one and the mean age was 63.5 years old. The mean time internal from first operation to reoperation was 11.9 months. The cause of arterial occlusive diseases were 28 atherosclerosis and 5 Burger's diseases, Associated diseases were Hypertension $(57.6\%)$, Diabetes mellitus $(33.3\%)$, heart failure $(18.2\%)$, and so on. The mean rate of reoperation was 1.67 times and the most common type of first operation was femoro-popliteal bypass grafting $(57.6\%)$. The graft that used revascularization surgery were 25 cases of PTFE and 6 case were Dacron. There was no statistical difference between two groups. The kinds of reoperations were thrombectomy in 20 cases, angioplasty 18 cases, re-bypass surgery in 13 cases, and lumbar sympathectomy in 4 cases. The results of reoperation were 15 cases of functional recovery, 7 cases of limb salvage, 5 cases of above-knee amputation. 3 cases of below-knee amputation and 3 deaths. Conclusion: The main cause of occlusive complications are occlusion of inflow or outflow artery. Treatments were different according to the first operation methods and graft used. The most frequent time of reoperation was within one year after the first operation. We believe that graft surveillance especially during the first year is very important factor in observing the patient. We can look forward to improving limb salvage rate to perform additional treatment such as radiological interventions and lumbar sympathectomy.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.32 no.3 s.58
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• pp.173-180
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• 2006

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), one of the oldest oilseed crops, has been known to posses antioxidative and inflammatory effects. This seed contains lignan compounds such as sesamin, sesamol, sesaminol, sesaminol diglucosides (SDG), and sesaminol triglucosides (STG). Sesamin, a major lignan in sesame, displayed several biological activities including a protective effects against oxidative damage in the skin. In the present study, we investigated the effect of sesamin, sesamol, sesaminol, SDG, and STG, on nitric oxide (NO) induction and inducible nitric oxide synthane (iNOS) and cyclooxygenases-2 (COX-2) expression in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. The results showed that sesamol and sesaminol significantly inhibited NO generation but they were also cytotoxicity however, sesamin effectively inhibited NO production ($IC_{50}: 64{\mu}M$) without my cytotoxic effect in LPS-stimulated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. In further study, it was founded that sesamin inhibited the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase but not COX-2 expression. These results suggest that sesamin may be useful for improvements of the inflammatory diseases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1077-1082
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• 1997

To assess the early results, risk factors and optimal timing for coronary artery bypass graft surgery(CABG) after an acute myocardial infarction(AMI), we reviewed our 19 patients who underwent CABG within 30 days after AMI, between June 1994 and October 1996. This study excluded 1 patient whose diagnosis was AMI with ventricular septal rupture. 14 of the patients were male and 5 were female. Their ages ranged from 41 to 77 years(mean age, 60.6$\pm$ 10.4 years), and the amount of time between AMI and CABG ranged from 8 hours to 24 days(mean time, 10.6$\pm$6.4 days). There were 11 anteroseptal infarctions and 8 inferior wall infarctions. 11 patients had trsnsmural infarctions and 8 had subendocardial infarctions. Indications of operations were p imary revascularization and postinfarction angina. Three patients required preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump(IABP) support, and 4 additional patients required IABP to be separated from cardiopulmonary bypass. An average of 3.6 $\pm$ 0.6 vessels per patient were bypassed. The early mortality rate for these 19 patients was 5.3% and late mortality rate was 5.5%, 1-year and 2-year actuarial survival rates were 89.5% Univariate analysis of mortality showed that an ejection fraction less than 30% and intraopretative IABP supports were associated with risk factors(p value=0.018 and 0.015 respectively). Age, sex, time to CABG, emergency operations, types and locations of infarctions were not significant. Although our studies have weak p.oints in that there was only a small number of patients and the lack of long-term results, we could conclude that early myocardial revascularization is relatively safe after AMI for those individuals with an ejection fraction greater than 30%.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.34-41
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• 2019

Platelet aggregation is essential for the formation of a hemostatic plug in the case of blood vessel damage. On the other hand, excessive platelet aggregation may cause cardiovascular disorders, such as thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction. Scopoletin, which found in the root of plants in the genus Scopolia or Artemisia, has anti-coagulation and anti-malaria effects. This study examined the effects of scopoletin on human platelet aggregation induced by collagen. Scopoletin had anti-platelet effects via the down-regulation of thromboxane $A_2$ ($TXA_2$) production and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$), which are aggregation-inducing molecules produced in activated platelets. On the other hand, scopoletin increased both the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, which are known as intracellular $Ca^{2+}$-antagonists and aggregation-inhibiting molecules. In particular, scopoletin increased the potently cAMP level more than cGMP, which led to suppressed fibrinogen binding to ${\alpha}IIb/{\beta}_3$ in collagen-induced human platelet aggregation. In addition, scopoletin inhibited collagen-elevated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that aggregation amplification through granule secretion is inhibited by scopoletin. Therefore, scopoletin has potent anti-platelet effects and may have potential for the prevention of platelet-derived vascular diseases.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.239-245
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• 2022

Although normal activation of platelets is important in the process of hemostasis, excessive or abnormal activation of platelets can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the discovery of novel substances capable of regulating or inhibiting platelet activation may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Artemether is a derivative of artemisinin, known as an active ingredient of Artemisia annua, which has been reported to be effective in treating malaria, and is known to function through antioxidant and metabolic enzyme inhibition. However, the role of artemether in platelet activation and aggregation and the mechanism of action of artemether in collagen-induced human platelets are not known until now. This study investigated the effects of artemether on platelet activation and thrombus formation induced by collagen. As a result, cAMP level was significantly increased by artemether, and VASP and IP3R, substrates of cAMP-dependent kinase, were phosphorylated. IP3R phosphorylation by Artemether inhibited Ca²⁺ recruitment into the cytoplasm, and phosphorylated VASP inhibited fibrinogen binding by inactivating αIIb/β3 located on the platelet membrane. Consequently, artemether inhibited thrombin-induced fibrin clot formation. Therefore, we propose that artemether can act as an effective prophylactic and therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases caused by excessive platelet activation and thrombus formation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.402-407
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• 2023

The regulation of platelet aggregation is crucial for maintaining normal hemostasis, but abnormal or excessive platelet aggregation can contribute to cardiovascular disorders such as stroke, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis. Therefore, identifying substances that can control or suppress platelet aggregation is a promising approach for the prevention and treatment of these conditions. Artemisinin, a compound derived from Artemisia or Scopolia plants, has shown potential in various areas such as anticancer and Alzheimer's disease research. However, the specific role and mechanisms by which artemisinin influences platelet activation and thrombus formation are not yet fully understood. This study investigated the effects of artemisinin on platelet activation and thrombus formation. As a result, cAMP production were increased significantly by artemisinin, as well as phosphorylated VASP and IP₃R which are substrates to cAMP-dependent kinase by artemisinin in a significant manner. The Ca²⁺ normally mobilized from the dense tubular system was inhibited due to IP₃R phosphorylation from artemisinin, and phosphorylated VASP by artemisinin aided in inhibiting platelet activity via αIIb/β3 platelet membrane inactivation and inhibiting fibrinogen binding. Finally, artemisinin inhibited thrombin-induced thrombus formation. Therefore, we suggest that artemisinin has importance with cardiovascular diseases stemming from the abnormal platelets activation and thrombus formation by acting as an effective prophylactic and therapeutic agent.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.215-225
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• 2001

Background: There are many evidences that inflammation is an important determinant of the development of atherosclerosis and one of the systemic markers of inflammation, C-reactive protein(CRP), is associated with extent of coronary artery disease and risk of coronary events. We assessed the time response of CRP response after coronary angioplasty and it's influence on the clinical restenosis in angina patients. Materials and Methods: Patients included 36 angina patients undergoing single vessel angioplasty. Levels of CRP were measured before and 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after angioplasty. Clinical restenosis was assessed at 6 months after procedure. Results: Baseline CRP level was $0.30{\pm}0.01$ mg/dL in stable and $0.46{\pm}0.28$ mg/dL in unstable angina patients(p<0.05). After angioplasty, CRP level was increased with peak at 24 hour and persisted to 72 hours after angioplasty. At 24 hour after angioplasty, the magnitude of CRP change was $0.32{\pm}0.31$ mg/dL in stable and $0.79{\pm}0.73$ mg/dL in unstable angina patient(p<0.05). The change of CRP level was not associated with troponin-T after angioplasty. In unstable angina patients, clinical restenosis was developed in 8% of patients with low baseline CRP levels and in 50% of those with high baseline CRP levels more than 0.6 mg/dL(p<0.05). Conclusion: In unstable angina patients, inflammatory response is more increased than stable angina patients, and increased inflammatory response effects on the restenosis after coronary angioplasty.