• The Korean Journal of Malacology
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.117-124
• /
• 2003

Reproductive cycle and sex ratio of the marsh clam Corbicula japonica, a oviparous clam, were investigated monthly by histological observation. Samples were collected in brackish water of Namdae stream on the east coast of Korea from November 2000 to October 2001. It was able to devide the reproductive cycle of this species into five successive stages; early active (April to June), late active (May to June), ripe (June to August), partially spawned (June to September), spent (September to January) and resting stage (February to April). The spawning period was from July to September, and the main spawning occurred between August and September when seawater temperatures reached above 26$^{\circ}C$. Mature eggs of Corbicula japonica were 60-70 ${\mu}m$ in diameter. The sex ratio of individuals over 10.1 mm in shell length was about 1:1 (x$^2$ = 1.22, p > 0.05).

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.447-457
• /
• 1990

In order to observe the distribution of mast cell on the stages of the mammary carcinogenesis, the numerical changes of mast cells in the mammary tumor development in rats treated with DMBA and compound 48/80 have been investigated by the light microscope. The results observed were summarized as follows: The appearance of tumor were not observed during the whole experimental period in the rats of the control group received injection of sterile saline, but tumors appeared in 100% of the animals, the tumor induction time that represented the number of days elapsing between the 3rd DMBA administration until a first tumor became $10{\times}10mm$ in diameter was $42.5{\pm}4.7$ days and the mean number of tumor masses per rat was $3.4{\pm}1.2$ in the DMBA treated group. And the majority of the DMBA-induced mammary neoplasms were appeared cervical mammary gland and thoracic mammary gland. The histological findings of mammary carcinoma were recognized adenocarcinoma in the DMBA treated group. Mast cells were distributed within the adipose tissues and the interglandular connective tissue in the control, but found to be randomly dispersed within the tumor cell masses, in the connective tissues adjacent to the periphery of the tumor, the adipose tissues and the subcutaneous tissues contiguous to the region of tumor development in the DMBA treated group. Numerical alterations of mast cells were observed in the mammary tumors that separated into three major classes of tumors: hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia and carcinoma. The number of mast cells were distributed in the connective tissues adjacent to the mammary gland was $45.3{\pm}3.4$ cells in the control group, but was $50.2{\pm}4.9$ cells, $126.7{\pm}10.5$ cells and $340.3{\pm}19.2$ cells according to each stages of mammary tumorigenesis in the DMBA treated group.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.27-35
• /
• 1999

Background: Fibromyalgia is a common syndrome of musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. Lacking distinctive histological or laboratory abnormality in diagnosis, it has often been considered a form of "psychogenic rheumatism". Fibromyalgia causes much distress to the affected patients and often frustrates physicians, who are unable to start rational therapy on any logical disease pathology. Methods: Growth hormone is essential for muscular homeostasis. In the present study, the notion that the stage-4 sleep anomaly typically seen in the fibromyalgia syndrome may disrupt growth hormone secretion was tested. Because growth hormone has a very short half-life, serum levels of somatomedin C were measured; somatomedin C is the major mediator of growth hormone's anabolic actions and is a prerequisite for normal muscle homeostasis. Serum levels of somatomedin C using acid-extraction procedure and two-site immunoradiome-tric assay (IRMA) and number of tender points were measured in 27 female patients with fibromyalgia from 40 to 60 years old and 27 healthy controls. Results: There were no differences in the concentration of somatomedin C between fibromyalgia patients and controls ($mean{\pm}SD$: $178.3{\pm}75.5$ ng/ml versus $166.3{\pm}76.6$ ng/ml; p=0.55). And there were no correlations between number of tender point and serum somatomedin C level by linear regression analysis. Conclusions: These findings did not support that there is a distinctive disruption of the growth hormone-somatomedin C neuroendocrine axis in a fibromyalgia syndrome. But we can not discard the hypothesis that disturbed sleep predispose to muscle pain.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.265-276
• /
• 2011

The aim of the present study is to validate the effects of treatment with different concentration of estrogen receptor alpha agonist, propyl pyrazole triol (PPT) on the weight and histological structure in the accessory reproductive organs (ventral prostate, seminal vesicle and preputial gland) of male mouse. Treated groups received different doses of PPT 0.01 mg, 0.1 mg and 1.0 mg per week respectively, for 3, 5, and 8 weeks. In general, the weight of reproductive organs was increased in PPT 0.01 mg and 0.1 mg treatment, however decreased in PPT 1.0 mg treatment. Epithelial tissues in the ventral prostate were changed from simple columnar epithelium to squamous or cuboidal epithelium in the treated groups. On week 3, PPT groups caused decrease of epithelial cell height in the ventral prostate. Lumen of the seminal vesicle was narrowed in the treated group. Epithelial cell height of seminal vesicle was reduced in the PPT treatment. Acinus tissue of preputial gland in PPT 1.0 mg treatment was dramatically atrophied than that of control group. These results are useful as a reference to determine the administration concentration of PPT in experiments for understanding the physiological functions of estrogen in the male.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.11-16
• /
• 2010

Objective: Abnormalities of the bone are frequently encountered in patients with meningioma, and hyperostosis and endostosis are common bone alterations in these tumors. Extensive bony destruction is very unusual in patients with meningioma. We report six cases of intracranial meningioma associated with an osteolytic lesion of the skull and discuss the underlying mechanisms that may be responsible for bone destruction in patients with meningioma. Methods: Six patients were classified into three groups, severe, moderate and mild, according to the degree of osteolytic bony destruction. The tumor was classified as intracranial or extracranial, depending on its location. We investigated the potential role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in meningioma-associated osteolysis. The levels of MMP expression were determined by gelatin zymography, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Complete surgical removal of the lesion was performed in each patient. Histological examination revealed benign meningioma in four cases, and two cases of atypical meningioma. Patients did not have a poor prognosis except one case of recurred atypical meningioma. Gelatin zymography and RT-PCR detected high levels of MMP-2 in almost all extracranial masses in comparison with the intracranial masses and MMP9 in two. There was no difference in the severity of bone destruction. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed MMP-2 expression in the vicinity of the bone destruction, and a few MMP-9-positive stainings were observed. Conclusion: Osteolysis of the skull in patients with meningiomas might not be indicative of malignant pathological features and poor prognosis. Invasion to the extracranial portion and osteolysis might be associated with MMP-2 expression in meningioma.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.275-283
• /
• 2007

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the expressions of endometriosis related genes in shed endometrial tissues from menstrual blood of patients with or without endometriosis. Methods: The shed endometrial tissues were collected on 2$^{nd}$ or 3$^{rd}$ day of menstrual cycle with Wallace catheter in patients with endometriosis (n=16) and without endometriosis (n=26). The mRNA expressions of twelve kinds of endometriosis related genes were compared between two groups using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results: The collected shed endometrium was confirmed by histological observation. Expressions of telomerase, c-kit and aromatase mRNA were not detected by RT-PCR in shed endometrial tissues. The mRNA expressions of apoptosis related genes (fas, fas ligand, bcl-2, bax), stem cell factor, estrogen receptor-$\alpha$/$\alpha$, endometriosis protein-I and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor gene were similar between shed endometrial tissues with endometriosis and without endometriosis. Conclusion: We could not find the difference of mRNA expressions of tested endometriosis related genes between shed endometrial tissues with or without endometriosis by semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis. It may be related to the dynamical changes of gene expressions in the endometrium with menstrual cycle.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.982-991
• /
• 2007

The present study was done to assess the suppressive effects of Haedongpi-san(HDPS), a traditional herbal medicine, on collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in mice and to examined it's effects on immune system. Oral administration of HDPS (200 or 400 mg/Kg) significantly suppressed the progression of CIA, which extend is comparable to that of methotrexate (MTX, 30 mg/Kg), a positive control. Histological examinations reveled that HDPS inhibited infiltration of inflammatory cells into affected paw joint, and bone erosion and cartilage destruction were greatly reduced compared with control. In paw joint, the number of CD3+ cells and CD11b+/Gr-1+ cells were greatly reduced by HDPS. The levels of pathologic cytokines including TNF-a and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the serum by oral treatment with HDPS. The levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ in the culture supernatant of splenocyte stimulated with CD3/CD28 or collagen were dramatically decreased, while those of IL-4 was increased. Rheumatoid factors including IgG, IgM and collagen specific antibody were present much lower in the serum of HDPS treated mice than control. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HDPS treated mice, the percentage of CD3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD4+, CD4+/CD25+ cells were significantly decreased, while CD19+ cells were slightly increased compared with control. The absolute number of CD19+, CD3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD4+/CD25+, CD49b+ cell in spleen from HDPS treated mice were significantly decreased. The absolute number of CD3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD4+, CD4+/CD25+ CD8+, CD49b+, CD3+/CD49b+ cells in draining lymph node were significantly increased compared with control. Taken together, HDPS has suppressive effects on rheumatoid arthritis by modulating immune system, and has potential to use as an therapeutic for rheumatoid arthritis.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.63-71
• /
• 2015

Objectives: This study was carried out to analyze the single-dose toxicity of Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture injected into the muscle of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Methods: All experiments were performed at Biotoxtech, an institution certified to conduct non-clinical studies under the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. Six week old SD rats reared by ORIENTBIO were chosen for this pilot study. The reason SD rats were chosen is that they have been widely used in safety tests in the field of medicine, so the results can be easily compared with many other databases. The Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture was made in a clean room at the Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute (KPI, K-GMP). The constituents of the Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture are Angelicae gigantis radix, Strychni semen and Glycyrrhizae radix. These were extracted at low temperature and low pressure in an aseptic room at the KPI. Doses of Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mL, were administered to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, 1.0 mL, was administered to the control group. This study was performed under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of Biotoxtech Co., Ltd. Results: No deaths or abnormalities occurred in any of the four groups. No significant changes in weight, hematological parameters or clinical chemistry between the control group and the experimental groups were observed. To determine if abnormalities existed in any organs and tissues, we used microscopy to examine representative histological sections of each specified organ; the results showed no significant differences in any of the organs or tissues. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that treatment with Eun-Bi San pharmacopuncture is relatively safe and that its clinical use may be beneficial. Further evaluations and studies on this subject will be needed to provide more concrete evidence in support of these conclusions.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.37-45
• /
• 2019

Portulaca oleracea L. (PL) has been used in traditional medicine herb for treatment of various diseases, such as diarrhea, dysentery, and skin inflammation. Previous studies have shown that the PL regulates the inflammation by inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Although PL might have improvement effects of intestinal function and bioactive effects, there are not enough studies to demonstrate. This study investigated the effects of KDC16-2 on the improvement of intestinal function and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro. The improvement effect of intestinal function was measured fecal amount, water content and intestinal transit rate in KDC16-2 treated ICR mice. As results, compared with the control group, the KDC16-2 group showed a significant increase in wet fecal weight, dry fecal weight and fecal water content. The intestinal transit rate of KDC16-2 group was significantly increased. Based on the results, KDC16-2 is considered to have effects on improving intestinal function. The effect of anti-inflammatory demonstrated by using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. The mice were administered 3% DSS along with KDC16-2 (100, 300 mg/kg) for 14 days. DSS-induced colitis mice were significantly ameliorated in KDC16-2 treated group, including body weight loss, colon length shortening, tight junction protein of colon and histological colon injury. The levels of inflammatory mediators (IgG2a, IgA, C-reactive protein and Myeloperoxidase) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, Interleukin (IL)-6) which are involved in inflammatory responses were increased in the DSS-treated group as compared to those in the control group, and the levels were significantly decreased in the KDC16-2 groups. In addition, we investigated the impact of KDC16-2 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in J774A.1 cells. KDC16-2 inhibited production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggested that the KDC16-2 could effectively alleviate the dysfunction of intestinal and inflammatory mediators. Thus, these KDC16-2 can be potentially used as health functional food of intestinal.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.79-86
• /
• 2022

Reproductive disorders in cows cause economic loss in livestock farms. This study was carried out to investigate the incidence of endometriosis in the uterine of Korean indigenous cow (Hanwoo). In the present study, the uterine of 25 cows was provided by the slaughterhouse. As a result on a visual examination of the uterus, 18 out of 25 were visually normal, and 7 uteruses (28%) appeared rather pale and showed purulent or mucosal symptoms in Uterine horn. However, the results of hematological analysis showed that both RBC and WBC were normal and showed no signs of systemic inflammation, indicating 7 cows showed asymptomatic endometriosis. The inflammatory uterus (28%) showed a wide range of pathological conditions that elicit an inflammatory response, such as serous exudate and bleeding. Histological and microscopic analysis in the inflammatory group demonstrated that there was swelling of the uterine glands, and neutrophil, basophil, and lymphocyte appeared in the uterine gland. Moreover, plasma cells and hemosiderin-laden macrophages were increased in the endometrial stroma, which lead to inhibit pregnancy by suppression of the synthesis of pregnancy hormones, and the appearance of hemosiderin-laden macrophages is an indicator of intracellular bleeding. In summary, hematologically, it is a normal diagnosis in Korean indigenous cows, however, when the uterus was extracted and investigated microscopically, the asymptomatic endometriosis were evident. In order to achieve the goal of healthy cow management and breeding within 2 weeks after birth, cows' uterus should be washed, disinfected, and through thorough the hygiene management, it aims to prevent asymptomatic endometriosis to produce healthy offspring and reduce the breeding interval.