• Title/Summary/Keyword: Treatment Efficacy

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Antiviral Activity of Plant-derived Natural Products against Influenza Viruses (식물 유래 천연물의 인플루엔자에 대한 항바이러스 활성)

  • Kim, Seonjeong;Kim, Yewon;Kim, Ju Won;Hwang, Yu-bin;Kim, Seong Hyeon;Jang, Yo Han
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.32 no.5
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    • pp.375-390
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    • 2022
  • Influenza viruses are zoonotic respiratory pathogens, and influenza infections have caused a substantial burden on public health systems and the livestock industry. Although currently approved seasonal influenza vaccines have shown potent protection efficacy against antigenically well-matched strains, there are considerable unmet needs for the efficient control of viral infections. Enormous efforts have been made to develop broadly protective universal influenza vaccines to tackle the huge levels of genetic diversity and variability of influenza viruses. In addition, antiviral drugs have been considered important interventions for the treatment of viral infections. The viral neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir is the most widely used antiviral medication to treat influenza A and influenza B viruses. However, unsatisfactory clinical outcomes resulting from side effects and the emergence of resistant variants have led to greater attention being paid to plants as a natural resource for anti-influenza drugs. In particular, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has underpinned the need for safe and effective antiviral drugs with a broad spectrum of antiviral activity to prevent the rapid spread of viruses among humans. This review outlines the results of the antiviral activities of various natural products isolated from plants against influenza viruses. Special focus is paid to the virucidal effects and the immune-enhancing effects of antiviral natural products, since the products have broad applications as inactivating agents for the preparation of inactivated vaccines and vaccine adjuvants.

Efficacy Study of Osteradionecrosis Using Fibrin and SDF-1 (피브린과 SDF-1을 사용한 방사성뼈괴사의 효용성연구)

  • Hong-Moon, Jung
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.16 no.6
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    • pp.799-805
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    • 2022
  • Radiation therapy of human tissues, including bone tissue, is accompanied by side effects on normal tissues. It has a more lethal effect on stem cells, which play an essential role in tissue regeneration, including the basal cells constituting the tissue. In this study, the mouse parietal model, which implemented an artificial osteoradionecrosis model on the parietal region of the mouse, was artificially defected and then the bone regeneration was tested. In order to overcome the implemented osteoradionecrosis, a fibrin scaffold, widely used as a biomaterial, and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), which is used as a long-term treatment for damaged, were mixed to verify the osteoradionecrosis regeneration effect on the parietal of mouse. In order to expect a synergistic effect in the fibrin scaffolds, a fibrin scaffolds was prepared after maintaining the concentration of SDF-1 (1 ㎍/ml) in the fibrinogen solution. In this study, after artificially creating a osteoradionecrosis model in the parietal region of mouse, fibrin scaffolds were incorporated to analyze the effect of bone regeneration within 4 weeks, the initial stage of bone regeneration. In conclusion, the combined use of these two substances did not show a dramatic regenerative effect in inducing the regeneration of osteoradionecrosis in the parietal region of mouse. However, positive results were obtained that can be maintain the bone regeneration effect environment at the initial stage. Therefore, the combined use of the fibrin scaffold and SDF-1 is considered to be a suitable candidate for the effect of overcoming osteoradionecrosis.

Prophylactic Intraoperative Nasolacrimal Duct Intubation in Surgical Treatment of Facial Fractures-Is There a Role?

  • Teoh, Ryan Liang Wei;Fong, Pei Yuan;Cai, Elijah Zhengyang;Yap, Yan Lin;Hing, Eileen Chor Hoong;Lee, Han Jing;Nallathamby, Vigneswaran;Ong, Wei Chen;Lim, Jane;Sundar, Gangadhara;Lim, Thiam Chye
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
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    • v.49 no.2
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    • pp.195-199
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    • 2022
  • Nasolacrimal duct (NLD) damage is associated in the majority of type II and III naso-orbito-ethmoid (NOE) fractures. Our study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic NLD intubation in the setting of facial fractures, by comparing incidence of postoperative epiphora and wound infection. A retrospective matched control study was conducted on all patients with surgically treated facial fractures from 2008 to 2013 (n=280) (IRB ref number: DSRB 2013/01198). Patients with the following fracture types were included: NOE (n=16), frontal sinus (n=2), Le Fort II/III (n=8), and > 1 type (n=48). All patients in this study were included with the intention to treat. The study group comprised patients who were intubated, while the control group patients were not intubated. Each group had 37 patients matched for age, gender, fracture type, and injury type. A single oculoplastic surgeon skilled in lacrimal surgery performed the procedure for all intubated patients. Patients with more severe and complex facial fractures were intubated with bicanalicular Crawford stents. Postoperative epiphora and infective complications (both facial wound and dacryocystitis) were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. There was no significant difference in incidence of either postoperative epiphora (p=0.152) or wound infection (p=0.556) comparing both groups. Reduced incidence of postoperative epiphora in the study group is statistically not significant and does not support the need for prophylactic intubation. If radiographic evidence of NLD disruption or regurgitation seen on syringing on the NLD intraoperatively is present, intubation is safe and efficacious only if performed by an expert.

DMSO Improves Motor Function and Survival in the Transgenic SOD1-G93AMouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (DMSO 투여된 근위축성 측삭경화증 SOD1-G93A 형질 변환 마우스 모델에서의 근육 기능과 생존 기간 증가 효과)

  • Park, Kyung-Ho;Kim, Yeon-Gyeong;Park, Hyun Woo;Lee, Hee Young;Lee, Jeong Hoon;Patrick, Sweeney;Park, Larry Chong;Park, Jin-Kyu
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.32 no.8
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    • pp.611-621
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    • 2022
  • Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is commonly used as control or vehicle solvent in preclinical research of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) due to its ability to dissolve lipophilic compounds and cross the blood brain barrier. However, the biochemical effects of DMSO on the outcomes of preclinical research are often overlooked. In the present study, we investigated whether the long-term oral administration of 5% DMSO affects the neurological, functional, and histological disease phenotype of the copper/zinc superoxide dismutase glycine 93 to alanine mutation (SOD1-G93A) mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. SOD1-G93A transgenic mice showed shortened survival time and reduced motor function. We found that administration with DMSO led to increased mean survival time, reduced neurological scores, and improved motor performance tested using the rotarod and grip strength tests. On the other hand, DMSO treatment did not attenuate motor neuron loss in the spinal cord and denervation of neuromuscular junctions in the skeletal muscle. These results suggest that DMSO administration could improve the quality of life of the SOD1-G93A mouse model of ALS without affecting motor neuron denervation. In conclusion, the use of DMSO as control or vehicle solvent in preclinical research may affect the behavioral outcomes in the SOD1-G93A mouse model. The effect of the vehicle should be thoroughly considered when interpreting therapeutic efficacy of candidate drugs in preclinical research.

Effect of supplementation and withdrawal of selenium-enriched kale sprouts on productivity and egg selenium concentration of laying hens

  • Anut Chantiratikul;Pinyada Thongpitak;Orawan Arunsangseesod;Eakapol Wangkahart;Kwanyuen Leamsamrong;Worapol Aengwanich;Juan Boo Liang;Wu Xin;Piyanete Chantiratikul
    • Animal Bioscience
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.484-491
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    • 2023
  • Objective: The aim of this trial was to investigate the effect of supplementation and withdrawal of selenium-enriched kale sprouts (SeKS) on productivity and egg Se concentration of laying hens. Selenium from commercial Se-enriched yeast (SeY) was used as a comparative Se source. Methods: One-hundred and eighty 61-week-old laying hens were randomly divided into 5 treatment groups with 4 replicates (9 hens each) in a 2×2+1 Augmented Factorial Experiment in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets were basal diet, basal diet supplemented with 0.2 and 0.4 mg Se/kg from SeKS and SeY, respectively. The 8-week feeding trial was divided into 2 periods, namely the Se supplemental period (week 1 to 4) and the Se withdrawal period (week 5 to 8). Results: Productive performance, egg quality and egg Se concentration of laying hens were not affected by sources of Se (SeKS and SeY) during both, the Se supplemental and withdrawal periods. Egg production and egg Se concentration increased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of Se supplementation. The egg Se concentration increased and reached a peak 1 week after Se supplementation. However, concentration of Se in eggs of hens fed Se from both sources decreased rapidly from the second week of the Se withdrawal period to reach the same egg Se concentration of hens fed the basal diet by the fourth week of the Se withdrawal period. Conclusion: The efficacy of Se from SeKS on productivity and egg Se concentration in laying hens was comparable to commercial SeY. Thus, SeKS can provide an alternate organic Se source for production of Se-enriched eggs.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities of a 70% ethanol-Symphyocladia linearis extract

  • Jeong Min Lee;Mi-Jin Yim;Hyun-Soo Kim;Seok-Chun Ko;Ji-Yul Kim;Gun-Woo Oh;Kyunghwa Baek;Dae-Sung Lee
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.25 no.11
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    • pp.579-586
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    • 2022
  • Research on the potential biological activity of red alga Symphyocladia spp. has been limited to Symphyocladia latiuscula, which is widely used as a food ingredient in Korea. Here, we examined the biological activity of another species, Symphyocladia linearis, which is found in Korea and was reported as a new species in 2013. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties of a 70% ethanol extract of S. linearis. Antioxidant activity, which was evaluated using radical scavenging assays, revealed half maximal inhibitory concentration values for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) of 34.57 and 11.70 ㎍/mL algal extract, respectively. Anti-inflammatory activity of the S. linearis ethanolic extract was evaluated using RAW 264.7 cells by measuring the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. The potential cytotoxicity of NO and PGE2 was first examined, confirming no toxicity at concentrations ranging from 10-100 ㎍/mL. NO production was inhibited 61.1% and 78.0% at 50 and 100 ㎍/mL S. linearis extract, respectively; and PGE2 production was inhibited 69.1%, 83.2%, and 94.8% at 25, 50, and 100 ㎍/mL S. linearis extract, respectively. Thus, the S. linearis extract showed very strong efficacy against PGE2 production. The cellular production of reactive oxygen species, measured using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate fluorescence, was inhibited 48.8% by the addition of 100 ㎍/mL S. linearis extract. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using the disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). S. linearis was effective only against gram-positive bacteria, exhibiting antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with a MIC of 256 ㎍/mL extract and against Bacillus cereus with a MIC of 1,024 ㎍/mL extract. Based on these results, we infer that a 70% ethanolic extract of S. linearis possesses strong anti-inflammatory properties, and therefore has the potential to be used in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory and immune diseases.

The effects of group coaching program based on self-affirmation theory to improve undergraduate students' career exploration (진로탐색행동 개선을 위한 자기가치확인 기반 그룹코칭 프로그램 개발 및 효과성 검증)

  • Young-Mi Kwon;Myeon Soo Kim;Joung-Soon Ryong
    • The Korean Journal of Coaching Psychology
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.21-46
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    • 2023
  • The current study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a group coaching program to improve college students' career exploration behaviors based on the self-affirmation theory. Participants were undergraduate students at a University in Seoul and volunteered in the program during the break. The group coaching program was conducted twice a week during three weeks, a total of six times, and each session lasted 2 to 2.5 hours. In this study, the effect of self-affirmation embedded in the group coaching program on various psychological variables and college students' career exploration behaviors were examined. A mixed-randomized analysis was conducted to compare the pre, post, and follow-up tests of the experimental, comparison, and no-treatment control groups, each consisting of 18 participants. The results showed that participants in the experimental group coaching condition showed more significant improvements in psychological resources, career self-efficacy, openness, problem-focused coping, and career exploration behaviors compared to the comparison and control groups, and these results were maintained even after the program ended. The implications of this study for coaching theory and practice, as well as limitations and future research directions, were discussed.

Three Dimensional Skeletal, Dentoalveolar and Airway Space Changes after Slow Maxillary Expansion in Children (어린이에서 저속 상악 확장에 따른 골격성, 치아치조성, 기도 변화에 대한 3차원적 평가)

  • Nawoon Kim;Daewoo Lee;Jae-Gon Kim;Yeonmi Yang
    • Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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    • v.50 no.2
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    • pp.155-167
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    • 2023
  • The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of slow maxillary expansion (SME) on the dentoalveolar, skeletal, upper airway, and maxillary sinus using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Twenty-three orthodontic patients (mean age 8.93 ± 1.61 years) who were treated with maxillary expansion using banded hyrax in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Jeonbuk National University Dental Hospital were included. According to the expansion speed applied, they were divided into two groups: SME (12 subjects, mean age 8.92 ± 1.45 years) and rapid maxillary expansion (RME, 11 subjects, mean age 8.94 ± 1.84 years). CBCT were obtained before (T0) and after (T1) the treatment and were analyzed with InVivo5 software (Anatomage, San Jose, CA, USA). Descriptive statistics showed no significant differences between the two groups in age, sex, or skeletal maturity. There were significant increases in maxillary width at the dentoalveolar and skeletal levels for both groups. Upper airway volume revealed a significant increase of 38.59% in the SME group and 28.72% in the RME group. However, there was no significant difference between SME group and RME group in all measurements. This study suggested the efficacy of SME in growing patients. SME was effective in increasing not only dentoalveolar and skeletal measurements but also airway volume. Therefore, pediatric dentists should select an appropriate expansion method considering the physiological aspects of periodontal tissues and discomfort in growing children.

Effectiveness of Short-Course Antibiotic Treatment in Uncomplicated, Non-Bacteremic Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections: A Rapid Systematic Review

  • Han Ho Kim;Young June Choe
    • Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.55-61
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    • 2023
  • Purpose: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) pose a significant disease burden in children. This study aims to determine whether a short-course regimen is non-inferior to a standard-course regimen in children with UTIs without complication and presence of bacteremia, and to define, in the optimal way possible, the term "short-course" in this context. Methods: We conducted a rapid systematic review of research up to April 2021 in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. We included studies that compared clinical outcomes in pediatric UTIs treated with short-course(≤4 days) or standard (≥5-7 days) courses. Results: Our analysis suggests that short-course regimes have equivalent efficacy to standard-course regimens, with similar clinical cure rates and recurrence rates. All 10 studies comparing the clinical cure rates of short- and standard-course regimens reported comparable outcomes. The study evaluating renal scarring indicated no inferiority of short-course regimens compared to standard-course ones. Regarding UTI relapse, 8 out of 10 studies reported no significant difference in outcomes between short- and standard-course regimens. Conclusions: Our results purpose that short-course UTI regimens of 6 days or less are just as effective as standard-term regimens of 7 days or more in terms of infection cure and prevention of recurrence. Considering the equivalent rates of clinical cure and relapse between short- and standard-course regimens, it could be inferred that short-course regimens might be a more optimal strategy for managing pediatric UTIs without increasing the risk of complications.

Evaluation of Acitivity of QoI Fungicide against Colletotrichum acutatum s. lat. Causing Pepper Anthracnose Using Resazurin-Based Respiration Assay (Resazurin 기반 호흡 측정법을 이용한 고추탄저병균에 대한 살균제의 효과 검정)

  • Subin Park;Heung Tae Kim
    • Research in Plant Disease
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.11-22
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    • 2023
  • Resazurin-based microtiter assay was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of fungicides on the respiration of Colletotrichum acutatum s. lat. 20JDS8 sensitive and 20CDJ6 resistant to strobilurin fungicides. The spores of C. acutatum s. lat. 20JDS8 were inoculated into potato dextrose broth (PDB) at densities of 1x104, 1x105 and 1x106 spores/ml, respectively. The relative fluorescence unit (RFU) of all treatments inoculated at each spore density started to rise after 12 hr of incubation, and were 1,965.5, 5,412.5, and 10,061.0, respectively, after 24 hr of incubation. To evaluate the inhibitory effect of fungicide on the respiration of the pathogen, the spores of the pathogen were inoculated into the PDB and treated with the fungicides 0, 6, 12, and 24 hr after incubation, respectively. After keeping the pathogen culturing for another 24 hr, PrestoBlue reagent was treated into the PDB culturing the pathogen. The RFU of each treatment was examined 1 hr after the reagent was treated. When dithianon, isopyrazam, pyraclostrobin, and fluazinam were treated at high concentrations in the stages of spores (immediately after inoculation [0 hr]), spore germination (after incubation for 6 hr), and hyphal growth (after incubation for 12 hr), the respiration of pathogens was inhibited by 90-100%. When the fungicides were treated after culturing the pathogen for 24 hr, the respiratory inhibitory effects were greatly reduced. With pyraclostrobin-resistant C. acutatum s. lat. 20CDJ6, azxoystrobin, trifloxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl, which have the same mode of action, had very little or no respiratory inhibitory effect in all growth stages of pathogens. Based on the above results, it was thought that the resazurin-based microtiter assay could quickly and accurately evaluate the inhibitory efficacy of the fungicides that inhibited respiration.