• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.536-544
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• 2021

5-amino salicylic acid (5-ASA) is a standard therapy for the treatment of mild to moderate forms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) whereas more severe forms involve the use of steroids and immunosuppressive drugs. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan that has shown epithelium protective effects in experimental colitis recently. In this study, both 5-ASA (30 mg/kg) and HA (15 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg) were administered rectally and investigated for their potential complementary therapeutic effects in moderate or severe murine colitis models. Intrarectal treatment of moderate and severe colitis with 5-ASA alone or HA alone at a dose of 30 mg/kg led to a significant decrease in clinical activity and histology scores, myeloperoxidase activity (MPO), TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in colitis mice compared to untreated animals. The combination of HA (30 mg/kg) and 5-ASA in severe colitis led to a significant improvement of colitis compared to 5-ASA alone. Combined rectal therapy with HA and 5-ASA could be a treatment alternative for severe cases of IBD as it was the only treatment tested that was not significantly different from the healthy control group. This study further underlines the benefit of searching for yet unexplored drug combinations that show therapeutic potential in IBD without the need of designing completely new drug entities.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제79권2호
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• pp.101-103
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• 2016

Nocardia species are aerobic, gram-positive pathogens found worldwide in soil. Nocardia is considered an opportunistic pathogen, and its infection mostly occurs in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of Nocardia farcinica induced mediastinitis and pneumonia that occurred in a 64-year-old male patient who had no significant medical history except for hypertension. He visited another hospital with a complaint of dyspnea and left chest wall pain. The symptoms arose 7 days ago without any trauma and they worsened. A mediastinal mass was found on computed tomography scan. After being transferred to our hospital for further evaluation, he was diagnosed with mediastinitis and pneumonia. As N. farcinica was found to be the causative organism by 16S rRNA sequencing, proper antibiotic therapy including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was initiated immediately. After this, the patient improved and he was discharged. If an infection has a disseminating course, nocardiosis cannot be excluded even in immunocompetent patients. Once the diagnosis is established, prompt antibiotic therapy should be performed based on the severity.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.476-480
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• 2005

Immunosuppressive therapy in pediatric renal transplant recipients is changing consequence of the increasing number of available immunosuppressive agents. The optimal use of immunosuppressive agents requires a thorough understanding of the pharmacokinetic characteristics, but the information on the pharmacokinetic characteristics of these drugs in pediatric transplant recipients is still limited. In general, patients younger than 5 years old show higher clearance rates, therefore the need for higher dosages in younger patients seems evident. By the therapeutic drug monitoring, trough($C_{min}$) and peak level($C_{max}$) are measured and the area under the blood concentration-time curve(AUC), which is taken as being representative of total systemic exposure can be calculated. Cyclosporine A (CSA) has poor bioavailability, which contributes to high inter- and intra-patient pharmacokinetic variability. CSA concentration measured 2 hours after administration($C_2$) has better correlation with the AUC than $C_{min}$ and is an alternative technique that predicts the AUC. Tacrolimus(Tac) has a great deal of inter-individual variability like CSA but intra-individual variability in systemic exposure is considered to be low. Both CSA and Tac are metabolized by a cytochrome P-450 enzyme isoform(CYP3A4). We should consider changing the dosages when CSA or Tac is used in combination with the medicines that inhibit or induce the CYP3A4. In case of steroid-free immunosuppressive therapy, the blood concentration of Tac should be frequently checked and dosage adjustment may be needed.

• 대한상부위장관⦁헬리코박터학회지
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.235-241
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• 2018

Peptic ulcer bleeding is a common complication of peptic ulcer disease and the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Despite advances in drug usage and endoscopic modalities, no significant improvement is observed in the mortality rate of bleeding ulcers. The purpose of this review is to discuss various endoscopic hemostatic methods to treat peptic ulcer bleeding. Endoscopic hemostatic techniques can be classified into injection, mechanical, electrocoagulation, hemostatic powder, and endoscopic Doppler-guided hemostatic therapies (the last mentioned being a newly developed technique). Endoscopic hemostasis can be performed as mono or combination therapy using the aforementioned methods. Endoscopic hemostasis is the most important treatment for patients with peptic ulcer bleeding. Endoscopists should consider the treatment approach for peptic ulcer bleeding based on patient characteristics, the size and shape of the lesion, the endoscopist's expertise, and the resources and circumstances at each hospital. Follow-up studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of newly developed hemostatic powder therapy and endoscopic Doppler-guided hemostasis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제82권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2019

Quitting smoking helps smokers maintain their health and extend their lifespan by 10 or more years. Treatment strategies for smoking cessation should be tailored to individual smokers with special needs based on their specific circumstances. It is recommended that pregnant women adopt smoking cessation through counseling and behavioral interventions because the safety of medications has yet to be established. Counseling is the main strategy for smoking cessation in adolescents and nicotine replacement therapy can be used with caution in individuals with serious nicotine dependence. It is important for smokers with psychiatric diseases to quit smoking following accurate assessment of their depression status. Nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline, and bupropion can be used for smoking cessation in smokers with psychiatric disorders. The incidence of cardiovascular disease decreased according to the smoking status and the duration of smoking cessation. In smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who used a combination of counseling and pharmacotherapy the quitting rate was more than twice as high as subjects who used behavioral interventions alone. Varenicline can be used as the most effective anti-smoking drug by most smokers including those with psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, and COPD.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.124-130
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• 2020

본 연구에서는 시스플라틴과 백작약 에틸아세테이트 분획물의 병용 처리에 의한 암세포 성장억제 및 PMA에 의해 유도된 MMP-2 및 MMP-9 암전이 억제 효과를 조사하였다. 세포생존율 측정은 MTS법에 의해 조사하였고, MMP-2/-9의 유전자발현과 활성은 RT-PCR과 Zymography법을 통하여 확인하였다. 결과에 의하면, 백작약, 시스플라틴의 농도가 증가함에 따라 세포 성장억제 효과가 증가함을 보였다. 또한, 단독 처리에 비해 200 μM의 시스플라틴과 50 ㎍/ml의 백작약 병용 처리에 의해서는 YD-10B 세포의 성장이 50% 감소하였다. PMA 처리된 YD-10B 세포에서 50 ㎍/ml의 백작약과 200 μM의 시스플라틴을 병용 처리하였을 때, MMP-2 및 MMP-9의 mRNA 발현과 단백질 활성들이 모두 유의하게 억제하였다. 그러므로 본 연구에서는 시스플라틴과 백작약의 병용 처리는 시스플라틴 단독 처리보다 구강암의 암 침윤을 억제할 수 있는 효과적인 항암제로서의 가능성을 기대할 수 있다.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.49-54
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• 2019

Objective: Antibiotic resistance is a global health problem and threatens health of societies. These problems have led to a search for alternative approaches such as combination therapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of caffeine and omeprazole in combination with gentamicin or ciprofloxacin against standard and clinically resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of different agents against bacterial strains were determined. The interaction of non- antibiotic drugs with gentamicin and ciprofloxacin was studied in vitro using a checkerboard method and calculating fraction inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Verapamil as efflux pump inhibitor was used to evaluate the possible mechanism of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Results: The MIC and MBC values of gentamicin against bacterial strains were in the range of $20-80{\mu}g/ml$ and $40-200{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. Caffeine and omeprazole had no intrinsic inhibitory activity against tested microorganisms. However, upon combination of caffeine with antibiotics, the synergistic effects were observed. Verapamil was able to reduce the MIC values of gentamicin (4 folds) only in some bacterial strains. Conclusion: These findings indicated that caffeine was effective in removing bacterial infection caused by S. aureus and E. coli. The relevant mechanisms of antibiotic resistance were not related to the drug efflux.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.250-259
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• 2016

Immune checkpoint blockades including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed death-1 (PD-1), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) have been emerged as a promising anticancer therapy. Several immune checkpoint blockades have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and have shown notable success in clinical trials for patients with advanced melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Radiotherapy is a promising combination partner of immune checkpoint blockades due to its potent pro-immune effect. This review will cover the current issue and the future perspectives for combined with radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockades based upon the available preclinical and clinical data.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.7-16
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• 1994

I will try to serve as the basis for the development of a clinical therapeutic guideline of antipsychotic drugs. Knowing that many patients fail standard treatment recommendations, either because of insufficient efficacy or intolerance to adverse effects, led us to emphasize the importance of the guideline. The clinicians continually assimilate new information about recent advances, including : novel agents targeted to impact specific components of various neurotransmitter systems ; combination strategies ; alternative uses of existing agents ; and specialized requirements of a growing number of identified diagnostic subtypes. The cost to benefit ratio must always be considered when developing a therapeutic guideline.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.207-214
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• 2008

In recent years, the combined use of Herbal medicines and Western drugs has been increasing. Though certain problems may occur when both types of medicines are taken together, they havenot been adequately analyzed. It was reported that anticoagulation was enhanced in addition tobleeding when patients took long-term warfarin therapy in combination with Salvia miltiorrhiza(danshen), and laxative herbs accelerate intestinal transit and interfere with the absorption. Herbal constituents, curcumin, ginsenosides, piperine, catechins and silymarin were found to beinhibitors of P-glycoprotein. St John's wort induces the intestinal expression of P-glycoprotein. Anthraquinone, quercetin and coumarins were found to be a potent inhibitor of P-450. Glycyrrhizin or liquorice extracts, Garlic and St John's wort are a potent inducer of CYP3A4. This review provides a critical overview of interactions between herbal medicines and other drugs. Hence, it is necessary to study the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions of many herbal medicines between western drugs.