• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2021

Background: Particulate matter 10 (PM₁₀; airborne particles <10 ㎛) inhalation has been demonstrated to induce airway and lung diseases. In this study, we investigate the effects of PM₁₀ inhalation on RNA expression in lung tissues using a murine model. Methods: Female BALB/c mice were affected with PM₁₀, ovalbumin (OVA), or both OVA and PM₁₀. PM₁₀ was administered intranasally while OVA was both intraperitoneally injected and intranasally administered. Treatments occurred 4 times over a 2-week period. Two days after the final challenges, mice were sacrificed. Full RNA sequencing using lung homogenates was conducted. Results: While PM₁₀ did not induce cell proliferation in bronchoalveolar fluid or lead to airway hyper-responsiveness, it did cause airway inflammation and lung fibrosis. Levels of interleukin 1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and transforming growth factor-β in lung homogenates were significantly elevated in the PM₁₀-treated group, compared to the control group. The PM₁₀ group also showed increased RNA expression of Rn45a, Snord22, Atp6v0c-ps2, Snora28, Snord15b, Snora70, and Mmp12. Generally, genes associated with RNA splicing, DNA repair, the inflammatory response, the immune response, cell death, and apoptotic processes were highly expressed in the PM₁₀-treated group. The OVA/PM₁₀ treatment did not produce greater effects than OVA alone. However, the OVA/PM₁₀-treated group did show increased RNA expression of Clca1, Snord22, Retnla, Prg2, Tff2, Atp6v0c-ps2, and Fcgbp when compared to the control groups. These genes are associated with RNA splicing, DNA repair, the inflammatory response, and the immune response. Conclusion: Inhalation of PM₁₀ extensively altered RNA expression while also inducing cellular inflammation, fibrosis, and increased inflammatory cytokines in this murine mouse model.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2022

Background: Neutrophilic asthma (NeuA) is usually resistant to corticosteroids. Tiotropium bromide (TIO) is a bronchodilator that is used as an add-on therapy to inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting β2 agonist in asthma treatment. However, the role of TIO in NeuA is not fully known. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of TIO on NeuA compared to that of corticosteroids. Methods: C57BL/6 female mice were sensitized with ovalbumin and lipopolysaccharide to induce neutrophilic inflammation. Dexamethasone (DEX) was administered on days 14, 17, 20, and 23. TIO was inhaled on days 21, 21, and 23. On day 24, mice were sacrificed. Airway hyper-responsiveness, levels of cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung homogenates, and lung tissue histopathology were compared between the two groups. Results: Neutrophil counts, T helper 2 cells (T_H2)/T_H17 cytokines, and pro-inflammatory cytokine in BAL fluids were elevated in the NeuA group. TIO group showed lower total cells, neutrophil counts, and eosinophil counts in BAL fluids than the DEX group (p<0.001, p<0.05, and p<0.001, respectively). Airway resistance was attenuated in the TIO group but elevated in the NeuA group (p<0.001). Total protein, interleukin (IL)-5, and IL-17A levels in BAL fluids were lower in the TIO group than in the NeuA group (all p<0.05). Conclusion: TIO showed more potent effects than DEX in improving airway inflammation and attenuating airway resistance in NeuA.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.39-48
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• 2009

Objectives : To clarify the possible effect of JS (Juglans sinensis), PCF (Psoralea corylifolia L.), and J+P(JS+PCF), we examined their influence on the development of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation in the asthmatic murine model. Methods : All mice were immunized on two different days (21 days and 7 days before inhalational exposure) by intraperitonial injections of 0.2 ml alum-precipitated Ag containing 100 ${\mu}$g of OVA bound to 4 mg of aluminum hydroxide in PBS. Seven days after the second sensitization, mice were exposed to aerosolized ovalbumin for 30 minutes/day on 3 days/week for 8 weeks (at a flow rate of 250 L/min, 2.5% ovalbumin in normal saline) and, JS, PCF and J+P (200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg) were orally administered 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Results : The suppressive effects of JS, PCF, and J+P were demonstrated by the accumulation of eosinophils into airways, with the reduction of eosinophils and lung leukocytes. These were correlated with the marked reduction of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 levels in the BALF and serum. OVA-specific IgE levels were also decreased in serum and BAL from these mice. And also JS, PCF, and J+P decreased eosinophilic CCR3 and CD11b expression in lung tissue. Conclusions : These results indicate that JS, PCF, and J+P have deep inhibitory effects on airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness in the asthmatic murine model. The suppression of IL-5, IgE, and eosinophilils and the increase of IFN-${\gamma}$ production in BALF seem to contribute to these effects. Specially, esosinophils and TNF-a in J+P combination group were significantly reduced in BALF and lung tissue. Hence, the results indicated that JS, PCF, and J+P could act as an immuno-modulator which possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic property by modulating the imbalance between Th1 and Th2 cytokines.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2005

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of aromatase inhibitor (AI) for ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients with thin endometrium, hyper-responsiveness after clomiphene citrate (CC) treatment. Material and Methods: A prospective study was performed in 43 PCOS patients (50 cycles) with ovulatory dysfunction between March 2004 and September 2004. AI group (total 36 cycles) included the patients 1) with thin endometrium below 6 mm on hCG day after CC (n=17), 2) with more than 5 ovulatory follicles after 50mg of CC (n=4), 3) who do not want multiple pregnancy (n=14). Patients were treated with Letrozole 2.5mg for days 3 to 7 of the menstrual cycle. CC group (total 14 cycles) were treated with CC 50~100 mg. Results: In PCOS patients, ovulation was occurred 97.2% after AI use. Between AI group and CC group, there was no significant difference in the mean age, duration of infertility, interval of menstruation, basal FSH, prior treatment cycles, and the day of hCG administration. But, the number of mature follicles (${\geq}15mm$) was lower in the AI group ($1.08{\pm}0.45$ vs. $1.64{\pm}0.75$) (p=0.018), and the thickness of endometrium (mm) was significantly thicker in the AI group ($10.35{\pm}1.74$ vs. $9.23{\pm}1.61$) (p=0.044), and E2 (pg/ml) concentration on hCG day was lower in the AI group ($116.9{\pm}75.8$ vs. $479.5{\pm}300.8$) (p=0.001). Among the AI group, patients with prior thin endometrium (below 6 mm) during CC treatment showed $10.6{\pm}1.6mm$ in the endometrial thickness and $106.6{\pm}66.8pg/ml$ in $E_2$ concentration. Patients with more than 5 ovulatory follicles after CC showed decreased follicle number ($1.25{\pm}0.5$) compared to prior CC cycle. Conclusions: In PCOS patients, AI group showed significantly thicker endometrium, lesser number of mature follicles, and lower E2 concentration on hCG day than CC group. AI might be useful alternative treatment for ovulation induction in PCOS patients with thin endometrium and hyper-responsiveness after CC treatment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.496-502
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• 2010

The acidic saline animal model of pain has been suggested to mimic fibromyalgia (FM). Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPC) from grape seeds are known to act as an antioxidant. We studied the effects of OPC on the pain threshold in the acidic saline animal model of pain. The left gastrocnemius muscle was injected with $100\;{\mu}l$ of saline at pH 4.0 under brief isoflurane anesthesia on days 0 and 5. Control rats (n=5) received identical injections of physiological saline (pH 7.2) on the same schedule. Rats (n=10) with acidic saline injection were separated into two study subgroups. After measurement of pre-drug pain thresholds, rats were injected intraperitoneally with either saline or OPC 300 mg/kg. Paw withdrawal thresholds to pressure were again measured 60 min after intraperitoneal injection. Nociceptive thresholds were measured with a Dynamic Plantar Aesthesiometer by applying an increasing pressure to right or left hind paw until the rat withdrew the paw. Compared to baseline (day 0), acid injections produced mechanical hyper-responsiveness on day 7 (pre-drug) in these rats [p<0.05]. A potent antihyperalgesic effect was observed when rats were injected intraperitoneally with OPC 300 mg/kg [injected paw, p=0.001; contralateral paw, p=0.002]. OPC treatment decreased the expression of acid sensing ion channel 3 in the brain motor cortex area on immunohistochemical staining when OPC 300 mg/kg was administered intraperitoneally in the animal model of FM pain [p<0.05]. Further research is required to determine the efficacy of OPC treatments in FM pain in humans.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.76 no.4
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• pp.169-174
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• 2014

Background: The Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort Study is a prospective longitudinal study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or other unclassified obstructive lung diseases. It was designed to develop new classification models and biomarkers that predict clinically relevant outcomes for patients with obstructive lung diseases. Methods: Patients over 18 years old who have chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitations or bronchial hyper-responsiveness were enrolled at 17 centers in South Korea. After a baseline visit, the subjects were followed up every 3 months for various assessments. Results: From June 2005 to October 2013, a total of 477 subjects (433 [91%] males; 381 [80%] diagnosed with COPD) were enrolled. Analyses of the KOLD Cohort Study identified distinct phenotypes in patients with COPD, and predictors of therapeutic responses and exacerbations as well as the factors related to pulmonary hypertension in COPD. In addition, several genotypes were associated with radiological phenotypes and therapeutic responses among Korean COPD patients. Conclusion: The KOLD Cohort Study is one of the leading long-term prospective longitudinal studies investigating heterogeneity of the COPD and is expected to provide new insights for pathogenesis and the long-term progression of COPD.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.178-183
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• 2015

Dendritic cells play an important role in determining whether na${\ddot{i}}$ve T cells mature into either Th1 or Th2 cells. We determined whether heat-shock protein X (HspX) purified from Mycobacterium tuberculosis regulates the Th1/Th2 immune response in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of asthma. HspX increased interferon-gamma, IL-17A, -12 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}$ production and T-bet gene expression but reduced IL-13 production and GATA-3 gene expression. HspX also inhibited asthmatic reactions as demonstrated by an increase in the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissues, airway luminal narrowing, and airway hyper-responsiveness. Furthermore, HspX enhanced OVA-induced decrease of regulatory T cells in the mediastinal lymph nodes. This study provides evidence that HspX plays critical roles in the amelioration of asthmatic inflammation in mice. These findings provide new insights into the immunotherapeutic role of HspX with respect to its effects on a murine model of asthma.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.406-413
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• 2014

to valproic acid (VPA) during pregnancy produces ASD-like core behavioral phenotypes as well as hyperactivity in offspring both in human and experimental animals, which makes it a plausible model to study ASD-related neurobiological processes. In this study, we examined the effects of two of currently available attention defecit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications, methylphenidate (MPH) and atomoxetine (ATX) targeting dopamine and norepinephrine transporters (DAT and NET), respectively, on hyperactive behavior of prenatally VPA-exposed rat offspring. In the prefrontal cortex of VPA exposed rat offspring, both mRNA and protein expression of DAT was increased as compared with control. VPA function as a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that the acetylation of histone bound to DAT gene promoter was increased in VPA-exposed rat offspring suggesting epigenetic mechanism of DAT regulation. Similarly, the expression of NET was increased, possibly via increased histone acetylation in prefrontal cortex of VPA-exposed rat offspring. When we treated the VPA-exposed rat offspring with ATX, a NET selective inhibitor, hyperactivity was reversed to control level. In contrast, MPH that inhibits both DAT and NET, did not produce inhibitory effects against hyperactivity. The results suggest that NET abnormalities may underlie the hyperactive phenotype in VPA animal model of ASD. Profiling the pharmacological responsiveness as well as investigating underlying mechanism in multiple models of ASD and ADHD may provide more insights into the neurobiological correlates regulating the behavioral abnormalities.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2002

Background : Nowadays asthma is considered to be an inflamatory disease characterized by airborne hyper-responsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Objective : We aimed to identify the effects of Sochongryongtang on blood eosinophil, serum IgE and T lympocyte subpopulation in asthmatic patients. Material and Methods : The subjects consisted of fifteen patients with asthma who had been treated with Sochongryongtang for two weeks from February 2001 through June 2001. Sochongryongtang is herbal decoction which has been used for the traditional therapeutic agent of asthma. Results : The blood eosinophil and serum IgE in a normal controlled group. However, the T lympocyte subpopulation in asthmatic patients was not significantly different from the T lympocyte subpopulation in a normal group. The patients were treated with Sochongryongtang for two weeks. No significant difference in the blood eosinophil, serum IgE and T Iympocyte in the sub population. After treatment with Sochongryongtang for two weeks, FEV 1 increased significantly over 0.5 points out of total scores. Conclusion : This study shows that Sochongryongtang has effects on improvement of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients. However, the patients who were treated with Sochongryongtang for two weeks showed no significant difference in the blood eosinophil, serum IgE and T lympocyte subpopulation. Further long-term studies must be made on a large number of asthmatic patients.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1210-1223
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• 2018

Background/Aims: The co-occurrence of obesity aggravates asthma symptoms. Diet-induced obesity increases helper T cell (TH) 17 cell differentiation in adipose tissue and the spleen. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor pravastatin can potentially be used to treat asthma in obese patients by inhibiting interleukin 17 (IL-17) expression. This study investigated the combined effects of pravastatin and anti-IL-17 antibody treatment on allergic inflammation in a mouse model of obesity-related asthma. Methods: High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity was induced in C57BL/6 mice with or without ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge. Mice were administered the anti-IL-17 antibody, pravastatin, or both, and pathophysiological and immunological responses were analyzed. Results: HFD exacerbated allergic airway inflammation in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of HFD-OVA mice as compared to OVA mice. Blockading of the IL-17 in the HFD-OVA mice decreased airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and airway inflammation compared to the HFD-OVA mice. Moreover, the administration of the anti-IL-17 antibody decreased the leptin/adiponectin ratio in the HFD-OVA but not the OVA mice. Co-administration of pravastatin and anti-IL-17 inhibited airway inflammation and AHR, decreased goblet cell numbers, and increased adipokine levels in obese asthmatic mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that the IL-17-leptin/adiponectin axis plays a key role in airway inflammation in obesity-related asthma. Our findings suggest a potential new treatment for IL-17 as a target that may benefit obesity-related asthma patients who respond poorly to typical asthma medications.