• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.45-53
• /
• 2013

Korean red ginseng, the processed root of Panax ginseng Meyer, has been frequently used for various therapeutic purposes in oriental medicine. The present study investigated the possible effect of Korean red ginseng extract (RGE) for the treatment of liver fibrosis in mice injected with carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) for 4 wk. Liver injuries were assessed by blood biochemistry and histopathology in mice treated with $CCl_4$ alone or $CCl_4$+ RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg). Concomitant treatment with RGE and $CCl_4$ (three times/wk for 4 wk) effectively inhibited liver fibrosis as evidenced by decreases in plasma alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, as well as by the percentages of degenerative regions, numbers of degenerative hepatocytes, and collagen accumulation in hepatic parenchyma. Treatment with $CCl_4$ for 4 wk increased mRNA levels of transforming growth factor ${\beta}1$ and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 in fibrogenic liver, whereas RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) significantly blocked the induction of fibrogenic genes by $CCl_4$. Similarly, RGE also prevented transforming growth factor ${\beta}1$-mediated induction of fibrogenic genes in human hepatic stellate cell lines. More importantly, RGE markedly reduced the number of ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin-positive cells in liver tissue. This study implies that RGE efficaciously protects against the liver fibrosis induced by chronic $CCl_4$ treatment, and may therefore have potential to treat liver disease.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.41
• /
• pp.61.1-61.8
• /
• 2019

Background: The prognosis of recovery following microneurosurgery for injured lingual nerves varies among individual cases. This study aimed to investigate if recovery ratios of sensory and taste functions are improved by the microneurosurgery within 6 months after lingual nerve injury. Methods: We retrospectively assessed 70 patients who underwent microneurosurgery at the Wakayama Medical University Hospital for lingual nerve injuries between July 2004 and December 2016. Sensory and taste functions in lingual nerves were preoperatively evaluated using a static two-point discrimination test, an intact superficial pain/tactile sensation test, and a taste discrimination test. They were evaluated again at 12 and at 24 months postoperatively. The abundance ratio of Schwann cells in the excised traumatic neuromas was analyzed with ImageJ software following immunohistochemistry with anti S-100β antibody. Results: In early cases (microneurosurgery within 6 months after the injury), recovery ratios of sensory and taste functions were not significantly different at 24 months after microneurosurgery compared with later cases (microneurosurgery more than 6 months after the injury). Meanwhile, the ratio of patients with taste recovery within 12 months after microneurosurgery was significantly decreased in late cases compared with early cases. The abundance ratio of Schwann cells in traumatic neuroma was also significantly lower in later cases. Conclusion: Microneurosurgery more than 6 months after lingual nerve injury did not lead to decreased recovery ratio of sensory and taste functions, but it did lead to prolonged recovery of taste. This delay may be associated with a decrease in the abundance ratio of Schwann cells in traumatic neuromas.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.271-279
• /
• 2020

Squats and lunges are important exercises for strengthening the trunk and lower body among various free weight exercises. It should be achieved safe and effective excise through establishing of theoretical basis for exercise posture and standard movement. Therefore, it's necessary to develop the exercise model in order to prepare the scientific countermeasures for the prevent injuries and error movement through optimal exercise movement. For this purpose, it is effective to use appropriate instruments for motion compensation according to the optical motion and error motion. In this paper, we develop a motion model analysis system based on dynamic motion through the four-point load cell for dynamic motion analysis. Proposed analytical method, the optimal and the error motion numerical data is obtained through the dynamic motion analysis. And we verified that dynamic movement is simplified to establish the motion modeling according to the classification motion and the numerical quantification data for analyzing.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.1030-1041
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study investigated the administration of Jeungmiyijin-tang (JYT) to rats with reflux esophagitis (RE) induced by pylorus and forestomach ligation operations. Methods: Twenty laboratory rats were divided into three groups with 5~7 rats in each group. The control group consisted of rats with no inflammation (CON). The RE group had rats with gastroesophageal reflux elicited by pylorus and forestomach ligation operations. The JYT group had rats that were orally administered Jeungmiyijin-tang (1.5 ml/day/300 g) once a day for 14 days before reflux esophagitis was induced by the pylorus and forestomach ligation operations. Six hours after the operations, the rats were sacrificed, morphological changes were observed, and histological examinations were done in the stomach and esophagus lesion areas. If apoptosis was observed, the apoptotic cells in the esophagus lesion areas were counted. Results: The morphological and histochemical changes consisted of various injuries from hemorrhagic erosion in the RE group, while there were significantly fewer in the JYT group. The RE group marked increases of gastric mucosa erosion and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the submucosa, as well as cell division in the epithelial layer, the proliferation and degranulation of mast cells, and increases in the IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, and MMP-9 expressions in the esophagus of the rats. The JYT group was inhibited above expression compared with the RE group. Apoptosis was statistically significantly decreased in the JYT group compared with the RE group. Conclusions: According to the above results, it appears that Jeungmiyijin-tang inhibits the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and MMP-9) and apoptosis in the esophagus mucosa, thereby preventing esophageal mucosal damage from esophageal reflux.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.205-211
• /
• 2007

The fruits and stems of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten have been reported to exhibit a variety of pharmacological actions, including antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ulcer effects. In the present study, we evaluated effects of the butanol fraction (SK OFB901) prepared from the 50% ethanol extract of the stems on various types of neuronal injuries induced by oxidative stress, excitotoxins, and amyloid ${\beta}\;(A_{\beta})$ in primary cultured rat cortical cells. Its antioxidant and radical scavenging activities were also evaluated by cell-free bioassays. We found that SK OFB901 strongly inhibited the oxidative neuronal damage induced by $H_2O_2$ or xanthine/xanthine oxidase. In addition, it exhibited marked inhibition of the excitotoxic neuronal damage induced by glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, or kainate. Furthermore, the $A_{\beta(25-35)}$-induced neurotoxicity was also significantly attenuated by SK OFB901. It was found to inhibit lipid peroxidation initiated by $Fe^{2+}$ and L-ascorbic acid in rat brain homogenates and scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals. These results indicate that the butanol fraction prepared from the stems of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten exerts potent antioxidant and neuroprotective effects through multiple mechanisms, implying its potential applications for the prevention or management of neurodegenerative disorders associated with oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and $A{\beta}$.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.213-220
• /
• 2006

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been increasingly used because of several advantages, less pain, better expectation for cosmesis (requires small incisions), and more rapid recovery compared with open cholecystectomy. Oral intake is tolerated on the day of operation or on the next. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in children. Nine cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute and chronic cholecystitis in children were performed at Asan Medical Center between April 2002 and April 2004. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed on a total of 10 patients, but one of them was excluded because of the simultaneous splenectomy for sickle cell anemia. Clinical presentation, operative findings, operation time, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications were analyzed. Mean age was 10.4 (4.15) years, and only 3 of patients were less than 10 years. One patient was female. In 8 the diagnosis was calculous cholecystitis. Mild adhesions were found in 3 cases and intraoperative bile leakage in 2. There was no conversion to open surgery and there were no vascular, bowel, or bile duct injuries. Mean operation time was 82.2 (20.160) minutes; mean length of hospital stay was 2.1 (1.3) day. There was no postoperative complication. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in children was remarkably free of side effects and complications and had a short recovery time. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholecystitis is considered to be a standard procedure in children.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.34-44
• /
• 2018

An early detection of intravenous (IV) infiltration is essential to minimize the injuries during infusion therapy, which is one of the most important tasks for nurses in nursing settings. We report that bioelectrical impedance analysis is useful in the early detection of infiltration at puncture sites. When infiltration was intentionally induced in the vein of a pig's posterior ear, impedance parameters (R, $X_C$, $C_m$) showed significant differences before and after infiltration. In particular, the relative resistance ($R/R_{BI}$) decreased significantly at infiltration and then slowly decreased. This indicates that the vein in pig's ear is thin and the amount of surrounding subcutaneous tissue, and hence the infiltrated solution accumulates slowly after infiltration. However, when infiltration was induced in the vein of human's forearm, the relative resistance at 20 kHz decreased gradually over time. In the $R-X_C$ graph, the positions in the case of infiltration induced in the pig' ear shifted rapidly before and after infiltration, whereas the positions in the case of infiltration induced in the human's forearm moved gradually during infiltration. Our findings suggest that the impedance parameters (R, $R/R_{BI}$, $X_C$, R vs. $X_C$, and $C_m$) are effective indicators to detect the infiltration early in a non-invasive and quantitative manners.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.415-423
• /
• 2005

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is frequently used technique in reconstruction of bony defects resulted from tumor resection, congenital deformity, and trauma in the maxillofacial region. Although the histologic and ultrastructural changes associated with distraction osteogenesis have been extensively described, the exact changing of the surrounding tissues, such as nerve tissues, were still unclear. This study observed the histological changes and the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) after distraction osteogenesis. Unilateral mandibular distraction (0.5 mm twice per day for 10 days) was performed in eight mongrel dogs. Two animals were sacrificed at 7, 14, 28 and 56 days after completion of distraction, respectively. The distracted IAN and contralateral control nerve were harvested and processed for histological and innunohistochemical examinations. The signs of acute nerve injuries, such as demyelination and partial discontinuation of nerver fiber, were observed in the distracted IAN on 7 and 14 days after distraction. The initial remyelination and regeneration of distracted IAN were showed at 14 days after completion of distraction. At 56 days later, the histologic features of distracted IAN was similar to those of the normal control IAN. The expression of NGF was significantly increased in most distracted nerve tissues on 7, 14 and 28 days after distraction. On 56 days after distraction, the expression of NGF returned to the normal level. This study suggested that the acute IAN injury caused by mandibular distraction were mostly recovered during consolidation period. The NGF was seemed to be induced from Schwann cell and damaged nerve tissues, and it may have important roles in the initial healing of damaged nerves.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.251-255
• /
• 2013

We present a case of a 57-year-old male patient who presented with squamous cell carcinoma on his mouth floor with cervical and mandibular metastases. Wide glossectomy with intergonial mandibular ostectomy, and sequential reconstruction using fibular osteomyocutaneous free flap were planned. When the anastomosis between the peroneal artery of the fibular free flap and the right lingual artery was performed, no venous flow was observed at the vena comitans. Then re-anastomosis followed by topical application of papaverine and lidocaine was attempted. However, the blood supply was not recovered. Warm saline irrigation over 30 minutes was also useless. Microvascular thromboses of donor vessels were clinically suspected, so a solution of 100,000 units of urokinase was infused once through a 26-gauge angiocatheter inserted into the recipient artery just at the arterial anastomotic site, until the solution gushed out through the flap vena comitans. Immediately after the application of urokinase, arterial flow and venous return were restored. There were no complications during the follow-up period of 11 months. We believe that vibrating injuries from the reciprocating saw during osteotomies and flap insetting might be the cause of microvascular thromboses. The use of urokinase may provide a viable option for the treatment of suspicious intraoperative arterial thrombosis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.1857-1862
• /
• 2013

Dermal fibroblasts produce the many components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that are needed to maintain connective tissue integrity and repair tissue injuries. This study investigated the effects of Areca catechu extract (ACE) on dermal fibroblast cell activation. Cultured human dermal fibroblasts were treated with ACE, and then ECM production was determined by ELISA, Western blot and RT-PCR. ACE significantly accelerated the production of type 1 collagen, fibronectin, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}1$ by ELISA and type 1 collagen by Western blot assay. ACE also increased the gene expression of COL1A1, TGF-${\beta}1$, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and insulin growth factor (IGF)-1. These results suggest that ACE has the potential to stimulate ECM production and that it might be suitable for maintaining skin texture.