• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제54권3호
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• pp.315-317
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• 2016

Hookworm infections as well as other intestinal nematodiases are endemic in China. In this case, a 70-year-old male showed symptoms of chest tightness, shortness of breath, and both lower extremities edema. The diagnostic result was chronic renal insufficiency, chronic kidney disease (5th stage), and renal anemia at first. Then, he received treatment with traditional drugs. However, this treatment did not help to alleviate the symptoms of the patient significantly. The results of gastroendoscopy showed hookworms in the duodenum, also confirmed by pathology examination. Anemia was markedly ameliorated after eliminating the parasites. The results mentioned above suggested that ancylostomiasis was the leading causes of anemia in this patient, and the etiology of anemia in uremic patients should be systematically considered. Especially when anemia could not be cured by regular treatments, rare diseases should be investigated.

• 생약학회지
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.257-279
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• 2009

Plants of genus Dioscorea have long been served as important carbohydrate-stuffed foods in the tropical and subtropical regions, and utilized as traditional herb medicines to enhance digestive function, improve anorexia, and treat diarrhea in oriental countries. It is known that around 600 species of Dioscorea are distributed in the world including 107 species in Asia, but actually utilized Dioscorea species are restricted to small numbers. Phytochemical investigations for Dioscorea species have revealed a number of chemical components such as sapogenins, saponins, phenanthrenes, stilbenes, diterpenes and purine derivatives. According to recent pharmacological studies, Dioscorea species possess significant antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities as well as anticancer, antidiabetic, cholesterol-lowering and hypolipidemic effects. Here, seven Dioscorea species (D. batatas, D. japonica, D. bulbifera, D. opposita, D. tokoro, D. nipponica and D. alata), mainly distributed and used in Korea, China, and Japan, are reviewed to provide their botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological properties were described.

• 셀메드
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.31.1-31.7
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• 2012

Curcuma longa belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and can be found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is widely used in Asiatic countries, especially India and South East Asia where it is cultivated commercially as a condiment. Its rhizomes exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-human immunodeficiency virus, anti-bacterial, antioxidant effects, nematocidal activities, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activities and are of pharmaceutical importance. Another relevant medicinal property exhibited by it is antidiabetic property which is reviewed here. Studies on the efficacy of crude C.longa extracts against type 2 diabetes in murine models reveal that it demonstrates a hypoglycemic effect by lowering the blood glucose levels under in vivo conditions. Clinical studies have revealed the safety of curucmin (major principle component exhibiting pharmaceutical properties from C.longa) on humans but with very low bioavailability. In view of its effective hypoglycemic effect and its low bioavailability, further studies are needed for the characterization of the bioactive principles and formulating the development of C.longa extracts as a novel anti-diabetic therapeutic agent.

• 셀메드
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.3.1-3.5
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• 2012

Ocimum basilicum belongs to the family Lamiaceae and can be found in tropical Asia, Africa, Central America and South America. It is widely cultivated commercially as a condiment or for the production of essential oil. In this review, this plant is accredited with important effects on health, in addition to being a condiment. In folk medicine it is used to treat vomiting, intestinal colic and diarrhea, menstrual pains and to improve kidney function. Some studies have demonstrated that it can be used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and also that it has antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and vasodilator properties as well as hepatoprotective effects. In view of its broad range of effects, further studies should be conducted to ascertain the possible use of this plant in clinical trials, not only for prevention but also as an adjuvant in the treatment of different diseases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.255-263
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• 2011

The present work evaluated the effects of alcoholic extracts of salvia (Salvia officinalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), and 2 pure compounds (thymol and menthol) on the viability of Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices in vitro. Four different concentrations of each extract (2,500, 1,500, 1,000, and 500 ${\mu}g$/ml) and 3 different concentrations each of thymol and menthol (50, 10, and 1 ${\mu}g$/ml) were used. Concentration of 2500 ${\mu}g$/ml of both extracts showed a significant protoscolicidal activity on the 6th day. Complete loss of viability of protoscolices occurred with 500 ${\mu}g$/ml concentration of both extracts at day 6 and day 7 post-treatment (PT), respectively. Pure compounds, i.e., menthol and thymol, showed potent effects with 50 ${\mu}g$/ml concentration at day 2 and day 5 PT, respectively. These effects were compared with those of albendazole sulfoxide (800 ${\mu}g$/ml), a commonly used treatment drug for hydatidosis. Krebs-Ringer solution and the hydatid cystic fluid at a ratio of 4:1 was a good preservative solution which kept the protoscolices viable for 15 days.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제54권5호
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• pp.617-623
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• 2016

An excavation of the Vesakoyakha II-IV and Nyamboyto I burial grounds was conducted during the 2014 field season, and soil samples from intact burials dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively, were analyzed to determine interactions between parasites and host/vectors. Considering the discovery of Diphyllobothrium sp. and Taenia sp. eggs in soil samples from the pelvic region, diphyllobothriasis was the most frequent helminthic infection among the Taz Nenets. The Nyamboyto Nenets mainly consumed uncooked fish, while the Vesakoyakha Nenets had a bigger variety in food choices, including reindeer meat. Nenets children were given raw fish from early childhood. The paleoparasitological results corroborate rare ethnographic records about the consumption of uncooked reindeer cerebrum which led to beef tapeworm helminthiases. This is the first parasitological report of helminthic diseases among the Taz Nenets, and, as such, it provides insight into their subsistence activities and food patterns and broadens our understanding of their health condition.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제58권4호
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• pp.457-460
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• 2020

The Pacific tapeworm Adenocephalus pacifcus (syn. Diphyllobothrium pacificum) is a causative agent of diphyllobothriosis occurred in Pacific coast of South America, mainly in Peru. Source of infections are traditional meal from raw or undercooked marine fish such as "cebiche". We confirmed 3 new cases, one including scolex and the other two headless. A strobila 46 cm long without scolex was discharged from an 8-year-old boy before treatment. Specimens were confirmed morphologically by presence of tegumental protuberances on proglottids and small sized eggs. Partial sequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene was congruent with A. pacificus sequences.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제59권3호
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• pp.311-317
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• 2021

The present study reports a rare case of Taenia saginata infection, which was initially diagnosed as acute cholecystitis in a Tibetan patient at the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau pastoral area, China. A 45-year-old female was initially diagnosed with acute cholecystitis at a hospital in China. She had a slight fever, weight loss and constipation and complained of pain in the upper abdomen and left back areas. Increase of monocyte, eosinophil and basophil levels were shown. Taenia sp. eggs were detected in a fecal examination. An adult tapeworm approximately 146 cm in length, whitish-yellow color, was collected from the patient after treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. The adult tapeworm had a scolex and proglottids with genital pores. The scolex was rectangular shape with 4 suckers and rostellum without hooklet. The cox1 gene sequence shared 99.5-99.8% homology with that of T. saginata from other regions in China. The patient was diagnosed finally infected with T. saginata by morphological and molecular charateristics.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.274-279
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• 2021

The therapeutic effects of the leaves of Couroupita guianensis, a large tropical tree in the family of Lecythidaceae improving testosterone-induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) were tested in vitro and in vivo. In BPH rats induced by castration and testosterone treatment, the prostate index was improved in groups administered with the extracts of C. guianensis extracted with 50%-, 100%-ethanol or boiling water, which was comparable with positive control, finasteride. The extract C. guianensis leaves showed significant inhibition on the expressions of type 2 5-alpha reductase (5αR) in RWPE-1 human prostatic epithelial cells, and effectively attenuated the expressions of androgen receptor, type 2 5αR and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in LNCap human prostatic adenocarcinoma cells. The leaves of C. guianensis that exerted evident suppression on BPH-related biomarkers in vitro and improvement of prostate index in vivo has a potential therapeutic use for the treatment of BPH.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제64권4호
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• pp.383-389
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• 2021

비만은 숙주의 전신 염증 및 대사 기능 장애에 기여하는 장 상피 장벽 기능 저하와 관련이 있다. 한국의 전통 식품으로 식이섬유가 풍부한 콩 제품은 항염증 반응을 비롯한 다양한 생물학적 활성을 나타내어 왔으나 대장 건강에 대해서는 보고된 바가 없다. 본 연구에서는 고지방 식이(HFD)를 섭취한 비만 모델에서 콩(CSB)에 대한 장 건강 증진 효과를 조사하였다. SD 쥐에게 동물 실험 기간 동안 HFD 또는 10.6% CSB가 함유된 HFD (HFD + CSB)를 제공하였다. CSB의 섭취는 HFD로 유발된 체중과 지방 축적 증가를 현저하게 감소시켰다. 또한, CSB의 섭취는 대장 조직에서 HFD에 의해 감소된 밀착 결합 지표(ZO-1, Claudin-1 및 Occludin-1)의 mRNA 발현을 개선시켰다. 또한, 조직병리학적 평가에서도 CSB 섭취는 대장 조직에서 HFD에 의해 증가된 염증 세포 침윤과 대장 상피 조직 붕괴를 개선하는 것으로 나타났다. Genus 수준에서 HFD 섭취에 의해 Lactobacillus, Duncaniella, Alloprevotella 등 미생물 종의 abundance 차이는 확인되었으나, CSB 섭취로 인한 영향은 명확하게 나타나지 않았다. NMDS 분석에서 HFD 섭취에 의해 유의적인 장내미생물 생태 이동을 보여주었지만 CSB 섭취는 차이가 없었다. HFD와 CSB 간 유의적으로 차이가 나타나는 genera를 조사하기 위해 LEfSe를 수행한 결과, CSB는 Anaerotignum, Enterococcus, Clostridium sensu stricto 및 Escherichia/Shigella 속의 풍부함을 증가시킨 반면 Longicatena 및 Ligilactobacillus의 풍부함을 감소시켰다. 이러한 결과는 CSB 섭취는 긴밀한 접합 성분을 개선하여 HFD로 악화된 대장 건강을 개선하는 반면 장내미생물생태에 긍정적인 효과를 미치는지에 대해서는 명확하지 않았다.