• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권7호
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• pp.3611-3614
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• 2016

Background: Propolis based preparations have a wide range of applications in various specialties of dentistry. The aim of this clinical trial was to test the efficacy of propolis as a mouthwash in the reduction of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis (OM) in a single center. Materials and Methods: In this randomised, controlled study patients undergoing chemotherapy were included consecutively and randomised to an experimental group receiving propolis mouthwash (n = 20) and a control group receiving diluted water (n=20). Oral mucositis, erythema and eating and drink ability were assessed at baseline and after 3 and 7 days using the World Health Organization (WHO) scale and the oral mucositis assessment scale (OMAS). Results: There were significant differences in OM, wound and erythema in propolis group compared to placebo, but no significant difference in eating and drink ability. However, it was interesting that 65% of the patients in the propolis group were completely healed at day 7 of the trial. No significant adverse events were reported by the patients. Conclusions: This study found that oral care with propolis as mouthwash for patients undergoing chemotherapy is an effective intervention to improve oral health. Our findings shouldlencourage health practitioners to apply propolis mouth rinse for the oral care of patients under chemotherapy.

• 대한한의학원전학회지
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• 제18권2호통권29호
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• pp.159-167
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• 2005

By comparing ‘Jing Mai(${\ulcorner}$經脈${\lrcorner}$)’ and ‘Jin Fu(${\ulcorner}$禁服${\lrcorner}$)’, we are able to see that ‘Jing Mai’ has adopted many of its aspects from ‘Jin Fu’, which also enables us to conclude that ‘Jing Mai’ was made after 'Jin Fu', with the 'Ren Ying Cun Kou Mai Fa(人迎寸口脈法)‘ being considered important. 'Jing Mai' was made relatively late, during the last days of 'Xi Han(西漢)' or early days of 'Dong Han(東漢)'. Also 'Jing Mai' was written after 'Ying Qi(${\ulcorner}$營氣${\lrcorner}$)’. ‘12 Jing Mai’ in ‘Jing Mai’ is based mainly on 'Yin Yang Shi Yi Mai Jiu Jing(${\ulcorner}$陰陽十一脈灸經${\lrcorner}$)‘ and has also referred to other meridian theories, modifying it again by theories of 'Jin Fu' and 'Ying Qi', forming the 'Jing Mai Lian Huan(經脈連環)' part. The major change in '12 Jing Mai' is that '6 Yang Jing(6陽經)' enters the abdominal and thoracic cavity, directly relating to 'Liu Fu(六腑)'. 'Ben Jing(本經)'s connection to 'Ben Zang' is referred to as 'Shu(屬)' and connection to 'Ben Zang(本臟)' is referred to as 'Lou(絡)', clarifying 'Biao Li Guan Xi(表裏關系)' inside and outslde and 'Zang Fu Xiang He(臟腑相合)' congruency. Looking at the pathological condition view of ‘Jing Mai’, the writer of 'Jing Mai Pian' has renewed it and has erased repeated symptoms of 'Suo Seng Bing(所生病)' that appears in 'Shi Dong Bing(是動病)'. If the wrong adoption of theories of previous generations are corrected and parts which do not comply with the text's original meaning and parts that posterities added are deleted, the ancient acupuncture theory preserved in this book is still a precious treasure.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제53권3호
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• pp.151-157
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• 2020

Objectives: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the main public health challenges currently facing the world. Because of its high transmissibility, COVID-19 has already caused extensive morbidity and mortality in many countries throughout the world. An accurate estimation of the basic reproduction number (R₀) of COVID-19 would be beneficial for prevention programs. In light of discrepancies in original research on this issue, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled R₀ for COVID-19 in the current outbreak. Methods: International databases (including Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched to identify studies conducted regarding the R₀ of COVID-19. Articles were searched using the following keywords: "COVID-19" and "basic reproduction number" or "R₀." The heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the I² index, the Cochran Q test, and T². A random-effects model was used to estimate R₀ in this study. Results: The mean reported R₀ in the identified articles was 3.38±1.40, with a range of 1.90 to 6.49. According to the results of the random-effects model, the pooled R₀ for COVID-19 was estimated as 3.32 (95% confidence interval, 2.81 to 3.82). According to the results of the meta-regression analysis, the type of model used to estimate R₀ did not have a significant effect on heterogeneity among studies (p=0.81). Conclusions: Considering the estimated R₀ for COVID-19, reducing the number of contacts within the population is a necessary step to control the epidemic. The estimated overall R₀ was higher than the World Health Organization estimate.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.40-50
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• 2009

Objectives: The clinical document forms, a format for collecting clinical data, is the most fundamental object of standardization. Doctors must have a mutual understanding of the clinical chart. Methods: Clinical document forms were developed by investigating existing conditions in hospitals and conducting demand surveys, doing literature research, and seeking expert advice for the improvement of version 1.0. In addition, an organization of a network of 19 Oriental medical doctors and nurses, 190 patients, and users of collected and assessed data was formed to come up with version 2.0. Results: The overall format was divided into different portions that the patient, nurse, and doctor must fill out, respectively. The patient's section consists of demographic data, lifestyle details, history, and symptoms. The data to be supplied by the nurse include the patient's vital signs and anthropometric parameters. As for the doctors, they are to supply data regarding the patient's palpitation, the detailed symptoms of the patient's head, ophthalmological and otorhinolaryngological symptoms (mouth), respiration, circulatory organ and chest conditions, digestive-organ conditions (thirst), neuropsychiatric conditions, reproductive system, musculoskeletal system, skin (depilation), etc. Conclusions: Common clinical chart development is the prior question to Traditional Korean Medicine standardization. A web-based clinical document format should be developed to support diagnosis and treatment, and furthermore EMR (electronic medical record system) and EHR (electronic health record) developed. Clinical information could be shared through a network of medical institutions and be useful Traditional Korean Medicine for evidence-based medicine.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.104-111
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• 2016

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito borne pathogen, belongs to Flaviviridae family having a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, currently known for causing large epidemics in Brazil. Its infection can cause microcephaly, a serious birth defect during pregnancy. The recent outbreak of ZIKV in February 2016 in Brazil realized it as a major health risk, demands an enhanced surveillance and a need to develop novel drugs against ZIKV. Amodiaquine, prochlorperazine, quinacrine, and berberine are few promising drugs approved by Food and Drug Administration against dengue virus which also belong to Flaviviridae family. In this study, we performed molecular docking analysis of these drugs against nonstructural 3 (NS3) protein of ZIKV. The protease activity of NS3 is necessary for viral replication and its prohibition could be considered as a strategy for treatment of ZIKV infection. Amongst these four drugs, berberine has shown highest binding affinity of -5.8 kcal/mol and it is binding around the active site region of the receptor. Based on the properties of berberine, more similar compounds were retrieved from ZINC database and a structure-based virtual screening was carried out by AutoDock Vina in PyRx 0.8. Best 10 novel drug-like compounds were identified and amongst them ZINC53047591 (2-(benzylsulfanyl)-3-cyclohexyl-3H-spiro[benzo[h]quinazoline-5,1'-cyclopentan]-4(6H)-one) was found to interact with NS3 protein with binding energy of -7.1 kcal/mol and formed H-bonds with Ser135 and Asn152 amino acid residues. Observations made in this study may extend an assuring platform for developing anti-viral competitive inhibitors against ZIKV infection.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권7호
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• pp.695-702
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• 2018

The inner ear is a complex sensory organ responsible for hearing and balance. Formation of the inner ear is dependent on tight regulation of spatial and temporal expression of genes that direct a series of developmental processes. Recently, epigenetic regulation has emerged as a crucial regulator of the development of various organs. However, what roles higher-order chromatin organization and its regulator molecules play in inner ear development are unclear. CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a highly conserved 11-zinc finger protein that regulates the three-dimensional architecture of chromatin, and is involved in various gene regulation processes. To delineate the role of CTCF in inner ear development, the present study investigated inner ear-specific Ctcf knockout mouse embryos (Pax2-Cre; $Ctcf^{fl/fl}$). The loss of Ctcf resulted in multiple defects of inner ear development and severely compromised otic neurogenesis, which was partly due to a loss of Neurog1 expression. Furthermore, reduced Neurog1 gene expression by CTCF knockdown was found to be associated with changes in histone modification at the gene's promoter, as well as its upstream enhancer. The results of the present study demonstrate that CTCF plays an essential role in otic neurogenesis by modulating histone modification in the Neurog1 locus.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.3007-3013
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• 2016

Background: Gastrointestinal cancers are common malignancies associated with high mortality rates. Healthcare systems are always faced with high costs of treatment of gastrointestinal cancers including stomach cancer. Identification and prioritization of these costs can help determine economic burden and then improve of health planning by policy-makers. This study was performed in 2015 in Kerman City aimed at estimating the direct hospital costs for patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 160 patients with stomach cancer admitted from 2011 to 2014 to Shafa Hospital were examined, the current stage of the disease and the patients' health status were identified, and the direct costs related to the type of treatment in the public and private sectors were calculated. SPSS-19 was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: Of the patients studied, 103 (65%) were men and 57 (35%) were women. The mean age of patients was 65 years. Distribution into four stages of the disease was 5%, 20%, 30%, and 45%, respectively. Direct costs in four stages of the disease were calculated as 2191.07, 2642.93, 2877, and 2674.07 USD (63,045,879, 76,047,934, 82,783,019, and 76,943,800 IRR), respectively. The highest percentage of costs was related to surgery in Stage I and to medication in Stages II, III, and IV. According to the results of direct costs of treatment for stomach cancer in Kerman, the mean total cost of treating a patient in the public sector was estimated at 74,705,158 IRR, of which averages of 60,141,384 IRR and 14,563,774 IRR were the shares of insurance and patients, respectively. Conclusions: The high prevalence and diagnosis of disease in old age and at advanced stages of disease impose great costs on the patients and the health system. Early diagnosis through screening and selecting an appropriate treatment method might largely ameliorate the economic burden of the disease.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권10호
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• pp.531-537
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• 2021

Background: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a new hyperinflammatory variant that evolved during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Although the precise pathophysiology of MIS-C is uncertain, it is thought to be due to immune dysregulation occurring after recovery from acute infection. Purpose: Our study aimed to analyze the clinical spectrum, laboratory parameters, imaging characteristics, treatment strategies, and short-term outcomes of children with a diagnosis of MIS-C. Methods: This retrospective and prospective observational study included children less than 16 years of age who were admitted to the pediatric unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital in south India between August 2020 to January 2021 with a diagnosis of MIS-C according to World Health Organization criteria. Results: Twenty-one children were included in the analysis; all had fever with variable combinations of other symptoms. The mean age was 6.9 years; 71.4% were male. Gastrointestinal (80.9%) and cardiovascular (80.9%) systems were the most commonly affected. The majority of children had elevated inflammatory markers, and 16 (76.2%) had echocardiographic abnormalities mimicking Kawasaki disease. Eleven children (52.4%) required intensive care admission, 3 (14.3%) required supplemental oxygen, and 4 (19%) required inotropes. Nine (42.9%) were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin alone, 6 (28.6%) with steroids alone, and 3 (14.3%) with steroids and immunoglobulin. The median hospital stay was 6 days; there were no fatalities. Overweight/obesity, elevated ferritin, and mucocutaneous involvement were significantly associated with a prolonged hospital stay (≥7 days). Sixteen children (76.2%) were followed up till now and all of them had no clinical concerns. Conclusion: MIS-C is an emerging disease with variable presentation. A high index of suspicion is necessary for its early identification and appropriate management. Further research is essential for developing optimal treatment strategies.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.5.1-5.11
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• 2021

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the most frequent type of head and neck cancer that usually arises from the mucosal surfaces of several organs including nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, oral cavity, tongue, pharynx, and larynx. The Wnt signaling pathway is a crucial mechanism for cellular maintenance and development. It regulates cell cycle progression, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Dysregulation of this pathway correlates with oncogenesis in various tissues including breast, colon, pancreatic as well as head and neck cancers. The present study aims to assess the gene alterations in the Wnt family of genes so as to derive an association with HNSCC. Computational approaches have been utilized for the identification of gene alterations in the Wnt family of genes. Several databases such as cBioportal, STRING, and UALCAN were used for the purpose. The frequency of alteration was high in case of Wnt family member 11 (5%). Gene amplification, deep deletions, missense and truncating mutations were observed in HNSCC patients. There was a marked difference in the gene expression profile of WNT11 between grades as well as normal samples. The survival probability measured using the Kaplan-Meier curve also presented with a significant difference among male and female subjects experiencing a low/medium level expression. The female patients showed less survival probability when compared to the male subjects. This provides the prognostic significance of the WNT11 gene in HNSCC. Taken together, the present study provides clues on the possible association of WNT11 gene alterations with HNSCC, which has to be further validated using experimental approaches.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.17.1-17.13
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• 2021

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer in women all over the world and accounts for ~25% of newly observed cancers in women. Epigenetic modifications influence differential expression of genes through non-coding RNA and play a crucial role in cancer regulation. In the present study, epigenetic regulation of gene expression by in-silico analysis of histone modifications using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has been carried out. Histone modification data of H3K4me3 from one normal-like and four breast cancer cell lines were used to predict miRNA expression at the promoter level. Predicted miRNA promoters (based on ChIP-Seq) were used as a probe to identify gene targets. Five triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)-specific miRNAs (miR153-1, miR4767, miR4487, miR6720, and miR-LET7I) were identified and corresponding 13 gene targets were predicted. Eight miRNA promoter peaks were predicted to be differentially expressed in at least three breast cancer cell lines (miR4512, miR6791, miR330, miR3180-3, miR6080, miR5787, miR6733, and miR3613). A total of 44 gene targets were identified based on the 3'-untranslated regions of downregulated mRNA genes that contain putative binding targets to these eight miRNAs. These include 17 and 15 genes in luminal-A type and TNBC respectively, that have been reported to be associated with breast cancer regulation. Of the remaining 12 genes, seven (A4GALT, C2ORF74, HRCT1, ZC4H2, ZNF512, ZNF655, and ZNF608) show similar relative expression profiles in large patient samples and other breast cancer cell lines thereby giving insight into predicted role of H3K4me3 mediated gene regulation via the miRNA-mRNA axis.