• Title/Summary/Keyword: Animal studies

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Methodologic Issues in Using Epidemiologic Studies for Quantitative Risk Assessment

  • Stayner Leslie
    • 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 1994.02a
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    • pp.417-425
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    • 1994
  • Although animal studies have been used most often for quantitative risk assessment, it is generally recognized that well-conducted epidemiologic studies would provide the best basis for estimating human risk. However, there are several features related to the design and analysis of epidemiologic studies that frequently limit their usefulness for quantitating risks. The lack of accurate information on exposure in epidemiologic studies is perhaps the most frequently cited limitation of these studies for risk assessment. However. other features of epidemiologic study design, such as statistical power, length of follow-up, confounding, and effect modification, may also limit the inferences that can be drawn from these studies. Furthermore, even when the aforementioned limitations are overcome, substantial uncertainty exists concerning the choice of an appropriate statistical (or biologic) model for extrapolation beyond the range of exposures observed in a particular study. This paper focuses on presenting a review and discussion of the methodologic issues involved in using epidemiologic studies for risk assessment. This review concentrates on the use of retrospective, cohort, mortality studies of occupational groups for assessing cancer risk because this is the most common application of epidemiologic data for quantitative risk assessment (QRA). Epidemiologic data should not be viewed as a panacea for the problems inherent in using animal bioassay data for QRA. Rather, information that can be derived from epidemiologic and toxicologic studies complement one another, and both data sources need to be used to provide the best characterization of human risk.

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Neural Substrates of Fear Based on Animal and Human Studies (공포의 신경 기저 회로 : 동물과 인간 대상 연구를 중심으로)

  • Baek, Kwangyeol;Jeong, Jaeseung;Park, Min-Sun;Chae, Jeong-Ho
    • Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.254-264
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    • 2008
  • Objectives : The neural substrate of fear is thought to be highly conserved among species including human. The purpose of this review was to address the neural substrates of fear based on recent findings obtained from animal and human studies. Methods : Recent studies on brain regions related to fear, particularly fear conditioning in rodents and humans, were extensively reviewed. Results : This paper suggests high consistency in anatomical structure and physiological mechanisms for fear perception, response, learning and modulation in animals and humans. Conclusions : Fear is manifested and modulated by well conserved neural circuits among species interconnected with the amygdala, such as the hippocampus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Further research is required to incorporate findings from animal studies into a better understanding of neural circuitry of fear in human in a translational approach.

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Korean Ginseng and Diabetes: An Insight into Antidiabetic Effects of Korean Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) in Cultured Cells, Animal Models and Human Studies (고려인삼과 당뇨병: 세포와 동물 및 인체실험을 통한 고려인삼의 당뇨병에 대한 효능)

  • Seo, Seong Ho;Park, Gun Kook;Park, Jong Dae
    • Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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    • v.51 no.1
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    • pp.1-29
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    • 2020
  • Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Diabetes has been found to show many acute complications such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcer and damage to eyes. Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been traditionally known to normalize the functional deficiencies of the lung, spleen and stomach, and thus improve the secretion of body fluids, thereby quenching thirst, suggesting it to be effective in the treatment of diabetes. Experimental studies (in vitro and in vivo) have recently shown that Korean ginseng and its extracts exhibit antidiabetic effects, and also insulin secretion and sensitizing effects related to blood glucose control. Moreover, clinical trials on antidiabetic effects of Korean ginseng have been reported to show blood glucose control, improvement of insulin resistance, reduction of postprandial blood glucose level and improvement of serum lipids (TG, TC, LDL-C). These will be critically examined by means of in vitro studies, cell experiment, animal models and human trials with a focus on understanding of molecular mechanisms.

BIOCHEMICAL POLYMORPHISM STUDIES IN BREEDS OF WOOL-SHEEP, HAIR-SHEEP AND THEIR HYBRIDS IN MALAYSIA

  • Lee, S.L.;Mukherjee, T.K.;Agamuthu, P.;Panandam, J.M.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.357-364
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    • 1995
  • A biochemical genetic study on blood enzyme/protein systems in some breeds/crosses of sheep in Malaysia was carried out using horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. Blood samples were collected from 435 sheep, representing 8 breeds/crosses. These included 5 wool sheep breeds (Thai Longtail, wiltshire, Suffolk, Dorsimal and cMBLx), 1 hair sheep breed (Barbados Blackbelly) and 2 hybrids between wool sheep and hair sheep (Cameroon ${\times}$ Thai Longtail and Bali Bali ${\times}$ Malin). Twenty loci systems were examined. Of these, ten ($HB{\beta}$, ALB, TF, XP, CAT, DIA1, EsA, GPI, ME and NP) exhibited genetic variation whereas the other ten (AAT, CA, DIA2, ${\alpha}GLO$, ${\alpha}GLU$, LDH, MDH, PEP[leu-gly-gly], 6PGD and SOD) were monomorphic. The allelic frequencies which were obtained in 10 polymorphic markers are assessed and compared with the results obtained by previous workers. The estimations of inbreeding coefficient, intrabreed variation and breed relationships have been critically discussed and are used to reveal some important recommendations.

Research Trends of Animal Experiment on the Herbal Medicine Treatment for Endometriosis (자궁내막증의 한약 치료에 대한 동물 실험 연구 동향)

  • Ji-Young, Lee;Deok-Sang, Hwang;Jin-Moo, Lee;Chang-Hoon, Lee;Jun-Bock, Jang
    • The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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    • v.36 no.1
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    • pp.35-53
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    • 2023
  • Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the research trends of animal experiment on the herbal medicine treatment for endometriosis over the past 10 years. Methods: We searched the databases (Pubmed, Embase, Science-on) with terms as endometriosis, Korean medicine, herbal medicine and Chinese medicine. Among the results, we reviewed studies published from 2013 to 2022. Results: 26 studies were selected and analyzed. 8 single herbs and 18 complex formula were used in these studies. The most commonly used herbal medicine for endometriosis was Paeoniae Radix. Each studies showed that herbal medicine had significant effect on treating endometriosis. Conclusions: These results suggest that treating endometriosis with herbal material is effective in inhibiting ectopic lesion and angiogenesis, increasing pain threshold and apoptosis. Further research should be conducted to verify its therapeutic mechanisms and effectiveness.

Applications of capacitation status for litter size enhancement in various pig breeds

  • Kwon, Woo-Sung;Shin, Dong-Ha;Ryu, Do-Yeal;Khatun, Amena;Rahman, Md Saidur;Pang, Myung-Geol
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.31 no.6
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    • pp.842-850
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    • 2018
  • Objective: Several studies have reported the development of new molecular methods for the prognosis and diagnosis of male fertility based on biomarkers aimed at overcoming the limitations of conventional male fertility analysis tools. However, further studies are needed for the field application of these methods. Therefore, alternative methods based on existing semen analysis methods are required to improve production efficiency in the animal industry. Methods: we examined the possibility of improving litter size in various pig breeds using combined Hoechst 33258/chlortetracycline fluorescence (H33258/CTC) staining. The correlation between field fertility and capacitation status by combined H33258/CTC staining in different ejaculates spermatozoa (n = 3) from an individual boar (20 Landrace, 20 Yorkshire, and 20 Duroc) was evaluated as well as overall accuracy. Results: The acrosome reacted (AR) pattern after capacitation (%) was positively correlated with the litter size of Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc pigs and the overall accuracy was 75%, 75%, and 70% in Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc pigs, respectively. The difference (${\Delta}$) in AR pattern before and after capacitation was positively correlated with the litter size of Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc pigs and the overall accuracy was 80%, 65%, and 55% in Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc pigs, respectively. However, the difference (${\Delta}$) in capacitated (B) pattern before and after capacitation was negatively correlated with the litter size of Landrace pigs and the overall accuracy was 75%. Moreover, average litter size was significantly altered according to different combined H33258/CTC staining parameters. Conclusion: These results show that combined H33258/CTC staining may be used to predict male fertility in various breeds. However, the selection of specific efficiency combined H33258/CTC staining parameters requires further consideration. Taken together, these findings suggest that combined H33258/CTC staining may constitute an alternative method for predicting male fertility until such time as fertility-related biomarkers are further validated.

Identification of a Novel Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in Porcine Beta-Defensin-1 Gene

  • Pruthviraj, D.R.;Usha, A.P.;Venkatachalapathy, R.T.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.315-320
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    • 2016
  • Porcine beta-defensin-1 (PBD-1) gene plays an important role in the innate immunity of pigs. The peptide encoded by this gene is an antimicrobial peptide that has direct activity against a wide range of microbes. This peptide is involved in the co-creation of an antimicrobial barrier in the oral cavity of pigs. The objective of the present study was to detect polymorphisms, if any, in exon-1 and exon-2 regions of PBD-1 gene in Large White Yorkshire (LWY) and native Ankamali pigs of Kerala, India. Blood samples were collected from 100 pigs and genomic DNA was isolated using phenol chloroform method. The quantity of DNA was assessed in a spectrophotometer and quality by gel electrophoresis. Exon-1 and exon-2 regions of PBD-1 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the products were subjected to single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Subsequent silver staining of the polyacrylamide gels revealed three unique SSCP banding patterns in each of the two exons. The presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of the PCR products. A novel SNP was found in the 5'-UTR region of exon-1 and a SNP was detected in the mature peptide coding region of exon-2. In exon-1, the pooled population frequencies of GG, GT, and TT genotypes were 0.67, 0.30, and 0.03, respectively. GG genotype was predominant in both the breeds whereas TT genotype was not detected in LWY breed. Similarly, in exon-2, the pooled population frequencies of AA, AG, and GG genotypes were 0.50, 0.27, and 0.23, respectively. AA genotype was predominant in LWY pigs whereas GG genotype was predominant in native pigs. These results suggest that there exists a considerable genetic variation at PBD-1 locus and further association studies may help in development of a PCR based genotyping test to select pigs with better immunity.

The Posthumanist Ethico-politicality in Silko's Storytelling of the Animal-Other (동물-타자에 대한 실코의 스토리텔링에 나타나는 포스트휴머니스트적 윤리-정치성)

  • Jeong, Jin Man
    • Cross-Cultural Studies
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    • v.35
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    • pp.7-34
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    • 2014
  • This essay explores how Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony and Storyteller encourage human's sympathetic relationship with the nonhuman animal-Other, paying attention to her posthumanist voices against anthropocentric mistreatment of animals which is inseparable from white Americans' environmental and racio-ethnic subjugation of nature and Natives in the colonialist history of the United States. As a way of dissolving the problematic anthropocentrism and embracing the animal-Other as a fellow creature, Silko employs and transforms Native American oral tradition in her own idiosyncratic posthumanist storytelling. In order to highlight the ethico-political examination of the animal issue in her storytelling, this essay refers to contemporary posthumanist thinkers such as Jacques Derrida, Giorgio Agamben, and Gilles Deleuze who are all in their own ways critically engaged with Western metaphysical anthropocentrism. Arguably, in a similar vein with the posthumanist critics, Silko disrupts the mischievous hierarchical opposition of humans/animals that have directly or obliquely warranted violence against the animal-Other. In order to demonstrate Silko's ethico-politicality concerning the animal issue, this essay inquires her critical perception of humans' misunderstanding (or misbehavior) toward animals in terms of the suffering and death of animals. Besides, Silko's posthumanist storytelling of the animal's gaze (as Derrida notes as an event of revealing human aporia and vulnerability) and "in-between" (as a reification of crossing the boundary of humans/animals) is discussed with the exemplification of Tayo's encounter with a mountain lion and a bear-man Shush. The posthumanist approach to thinking about the animal-Other in Ceremony and Storyteller would shed light on the ethico-political significances of Silko's storytelling in our time in peril of losing the tie between humans and nonhuman animals.

Identification of urinary microRNA biomarkers for in vivo gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity models

  • Jeon, Byung-Suk;Lee, Soo-ho;Hwang, So-Ryeon;Yi, Hee;Bang, Ji-Hyun;Tham, Nga Thi Thu;Lee, Hyun-Kyoung;Woo, Gye-Hyeong;Kang, Hwan-Goo;Ku, Hyun-Ok
    • Journal of Veterinary Science
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    • v.21 no.6
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    • pp.81.1-81.10
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    • 2020
  • Background: Although previous in vivo studies explored urinary microRNA (miRNA), there is no agreement on nephrotoxicity-specific miRNA biomarkers. Objectives: In this study, we assessed whether urinary miRNAs could be employed as biomarkers for nephrotoxicity. Methods: For this, literature-based candidate miRNAs were identified by reviewing the previous studies. Female Sprague-Dawley rats received subcutaneous injections of a single dose or repeated doses (3 consecutive days) of gentamicin (GEN; 137 or 412 mg/kg). The expression of miRNAs was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 16 h pooled urine from GEN-treated rats. Results: GEN-induced acute kidney injury was confirmed by the presence of tubular necrosis. We identified let-7g-5p, miR-21-3p, 26b-3p, 192-5p, and 378a-3p significantly upregulated in the urine of GEN-treated rats with the appearance of the necrosis in proximal tubules. Specifically, miR-26-3p, 192-5p, and 378a-3p with highly expressed levels in urine of rats with GEN-induced acute tubular injury were considered to have sensitivities comparable to clinical biomarkers, such as blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and urinary kidney injury molecule protein. Conclusions: These results indicated the potential involvement of urinary miRNAs in chemical-induced nephrotoxicity, suggesting that certain miRNAs could serve as biomarkers for acute nephrotoxicity.

Current Research Trend on the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment for Pancreatitis (국내외 췌장염 관련 침구치료 연구 현황)

  • Kang, Ha Ra;Lee, Yeon Sun;Kim, Hye Ryeon;Kim, Eun Jung;Kim, Kyung Ho;Kim, Kap Sung;Jung, Chan Yung;Lee, Jun Kyu
    • Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.56-69
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    • 2018
  • Objectives : The aim of this study is to review the current research trend on the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for pancreatitis. Methods : Through nine search engines, articles were collected, which had involved the use of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for pancreatitis. Data were extracted from the selected articles regarding the year, country, type of pancreatitis, study design, evaluation variable, intervention, point for acupuncture and moxibustion, and effectiveness of treatment. Results : Total 56 articles were reviewed. The number of studies increased gradually every ten years. Fifty-one studies(91%) were conducted in China. Most of clinical studies and animal experimentations reported on acute pancreatitis. Thirty-nine studies were randomized controlled trials(RCTs), but most of them were assessed as uncertain in the risk of bias evaluation. The degree of overall improvement(79%) was used mainly as evaluation variable of clinical studies. In animal experimentations, the examination of pancreatitis tissue(77%) and blood test(77%) were used the most. Most of studies were conducted with the acupuncture, one with moxibustion. Among them, electroacupuncture was the most common intervention of treatment group. ST36 was the most frequently used acupuncture point in the included studies. Effective rate increased and serum amylase, clinical symptoms, recovery time of gastrointestinal function decreased statistically significantly in the treatment group of clinical studies. Conclusions : The result of this study could be used for the future practice and research about the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for pancreatitis.