• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.34 no.4 s.135
• /
• pp.327-334
• /
• 2003

We evaluated the anti-arthritic effect of a new diet-supplement product containing red ginseng, glucosamine, shark cartilage, ascorbic acid and manganese chloride for the relieving arthritic symptoms. Anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extract of red ginseng (250 and 500 mg/kg), glucosamine (240 mg/kg) and shark cartilage (240 mg/kg) were tested individually on vascular permeability and carrageenan-induced paw edema. Glucosamine and shark cartilage showed the inhibition of vascular permeability by 29.6 and 32.9%, respectively. Red ginseng (500 mg/kg) and shark cartilage showed the inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw edema at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 hr. The supplement (red ginseng mixture: RGM) composed of red ginseng (43.5%), glucosamine (25.0%), shark cartilage (25.0%), ascorbic acid (5.0%) and manganese chloride (1.5%) was prepared and its inhibitory activities including vascular permeability and carrageenan-induced paw edema were comparable to anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac and ibuprofen. It was also tested on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats as one of chronic arthritic tests and Randall-Selitto assay as an analgesic test. RGM showed the inhibition against the swelling of rat paws induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis at a dose of 1,500 mg/kg. Determination of cytokines of the sera sampled from arthritis-induced animals indicated that RGM increased the levels of $interferon-{\gamma}$ and interleukin-6, representing the immunostimulatory effect by red ginseng. RGM treatment moderately reduced the production of NO in RAW 264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these results support that RGM can be applicable for the improvement of arthritic as a new diet-supplement.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.66 no.1
• /
• pp.37-41
• /
• 2009

Hot tub lung has been described as a pulmonary illness associated with exposure to nontuberculous mycobacteria,mainly hot bathtub water contaminated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and hence the name. Although not entirely clear, its etiology has been thought to involve either an infection or a hypersensitivity pneumonitis secondary to MAC. Herein, we describe 2 female patients (60 and 53 years old) admitted to our hospital with hot tub lung, and both of whom worked in a public bath. Both women were initially admitted following several months of exertional dyspnea and cough. The patients had been working as body-scrubbers in a public bath for several years. Their chest CT scans showed bilateral diffuse ground-glass opacities with multifocal air-trappings and poorly defined centrilobular nodules in both lungs. Pathological findings from lung specimens revealed small non-necrotizing granuloma in the lung parenchyme with relatively normal-looking adjacent alveoli. Discontinuation of working in the public bath led to an improvement in symptoms and radiographic abnormalities, without antimycobacterial therapy.