• Toxicological Research
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.77-88
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• 2015

Lithospermum erythrorhizon has long been used in traditional Asian medicine for the treatment of diseases, including skin cancer. The oral toxicity of a hexane extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon root (LEH) was investigated in Beagle dogs by using single escalating doses, two-week dose range-finding, and 4-week oral repeat dosing. In the single dose-escalating oral toxicity study, no animal died, showed adverse clinical signs, or changes in body weight gain at LEH doses of up to 2,000 mg/kg. In a 2 week dose range-finding study, no treatment-related adverse effects were detected by urinalysis, hematology, blood biochemistry, organ weights, or gross and histopathological examinations at doses of up to 500 mg LEH/kg/day. In the 4 week repeat-dose toxicity study, a weight loss or decreased weight gain was observed at 300 mg/kg/day. Although levels of serum triglyceride and total bilirubin were increased in a dose dependent manner, there were no related morphological changes. Based on these findings, the sub-acute no observable adverse effect level for 4-week oral administration of LEH in Beagles was 100 mg/kg/day.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.54-57
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• 2018

Purpose: Most studies have reported pain in the head-neck and upper-limbs according to smartphone usage, which is related to the proprioception sense in the head and neck, but there have been few studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was identify the adverse effects of the proprioceptive sense in the head-neck according to smartphone usage. Methods: Twenty-seven young adults (male: 9, female: 18) were enrolled in this study. The proprioceptive sense was measured through the joint reposition sense error and neural positon error in the head-neck during smartphone usage for 0, 5, and 20 minutes. The Noraxon MyoMotion system was used to record the joint position angle and neutral positon in the head-neck. One-way repeated ANOVA was used to identify the differences between the three smartphone use durations and the least-squares difference was used as a post hoc test. The data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software. Results: The joint reposition sense error and neural positon error in the head-neck were significantly different among the 0, 5, and 20 minutes of smartphone usage (p<0.05). In the post hoc test, the joint reposition sense error and neural positon error showed a significant difference between smartphone use for 0 minute and 5 minute, and between smartphone use for 0 minute and 20 minutes. Conclusion: This study suggests that smartphone use within 5 minutes can have adverse effects on the proprioceptive sense. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the appropriate use time and break time when using smart phones.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제62권3호
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• pp.296-301
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• 2019

An epileptic seizure is defined as the transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. The type of seizure is defined by the mode of onset and termination, clinical manifestation, and by the abnormal enhanced synchrony. If seizures recur, that state is defined as epilepsy. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the mainstay of treatment. Knowledge about initiating and maintaining adequate AEDs is beneficial for the clinician who treats children with epilepsy. This article will delineate the general principles for selecting, introducing, and discontinuing AEDs and outline guidelines for monitoring adverse effects. In general, AED therapy following a first unprovoked seizure in children is not recommended. However, treatment should be considered after a second seizure. In children and adolescents, if they are seizure-free for at least 2 years, attempts to withdraw medication/s should be made, taking into account the risks vs. benefits for the individual patient. The decision on when and what AED to use should be tailored according to the patient. For optimal treatment, the selection of adequate AEDs can be achieved by considering the precise definition of the patient's seizure and epilepsy syndrome. Continuous monitoring of both therapeutic and adverse effects is critical for successful treatment with AEDs.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.144-148
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• 2018

Background: Panax ginseng is a well-known immune modulator, and there is concern that its immune-enhancing effects may negatively affect patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by worsening symptoms or increasing the risk of adverse effects from other drugs. In this randomized, crossover clinical trial, we evaluated the impact of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) on disease activity and safety in RA patients. Methods: A total of 80 female RA patients were randomly assigned to either the KRG (2 g/d, n = 40) treatment or placebo (n = 40) groups for 8 wk, followed by crossover to the other treatment group for an additional 8 wk. The primary outcome was the disease flare rate, defined as worsening disease activity according to the disease activity score 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR). The secondary outcomes were development of adverse events (AEs) and patient reported outcomes. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 8 wk and 16 wk. The outcomes were compared using the Chi-square test. Results: Of the 80 patients, 70 completed the full study. Their mean age was 51.9 yr, and most exhibited low disease activity (mean DAS28-ESR $3.5{\pm}1.0$) at enrollment. After intervention, the flare rate was 3.7% in each group. During KRG treatment, 10 AEs were reported, while five AEs were developed with placebo; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.16). Gastrointestinal- and nervous system-related symptoms were frequent in the KRG group. Conclusion: KRG is not significantly associated with either disease flare rate or the rate of AE development in RA patients.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.273-280
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• 2004

The present study was carried out to investigate the potential toxicity of dimethyl disulfide by a 2-week inhalation in F344 rats. The test article, dimethyl disulfide, was exposed by inhalation to male and female rats at dose levels of 0, 33, 100, or 300 ppm/6 hrs/day for 2 weeks. At the end of treatment period, all males and females were sacrificed. During the test period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, hematology, serum biochemistry, and gross findings were examined. The mean body weights of the male 300 ppm group and the female 33 ppm or higher dose groups were significantly lower than those of the control group, respectively. The mean food consumption at male 300 ppm and female 100 and 300 ppm were significantly decreased compared with the controls. Some treatment-related serum biochemical changes, including decreased alkaline phosphatase at male 300 ppm and female 100 and 300 ppm, reduced total bilirubin at male 300 ppm, and decreased alanine aminotransferase at female 300 ppm, were observed in a dose-dependent manner, but these findings were considered to be of no toxicological significance. There were no adverse effects on mortality, clinical signs, hematology, and necropsy findings in any treatment group. Based on these results, it was concluded that the 2-week repeated dose of dimethyl disulfide by inhalation resulted in suppressed body weight gain and decreased food consumption at the dose of male 300 ppm and suppressed or reduced body weight gain and decreased food consumption at the dose of female 33 ppm or higher. In the present experimental conditions, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was considered to be 100 ppm/6 hrs/day for male rats and below 33 ppm/6 hrs/day for female rats.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.199-205
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• 2016

This study aimed to investigate the in vivo relevance of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the pharmacokinetics and adverse effect of phenformin. To investigate the involvement of P-gp in the transport of phenformin, a bi-directional transport of phenformin was carried out in LLC-PK1 cells overexpressing P-gp, LLC-PK1-Pgp. Basal to apical transport of phenformin was 3.9-fold greater than apical to basal transport and became saturated with increasing phenformin concentration ($2-75{\mu}M$) in LLC-PK1-Pgp, suggesting the involvement of P-gp in phenformin transport. Intrinsic clearance mediated by P-gp was $1.9{\mu}L/min$ while passive diffusion clearance was $0.31{\mu}L/min$. Thus, P-gp contributed more to phenformin transport than passive diffusion. To investigate the contribution of P-gp on the pharmacokinetics and adverse effect of phenformin, the effects of verapamil, a P-gp inhibitor, on the pharmacokinetics of phenformin were also examined in rats. The plasma concentrations of phenformin were increased following oral administration of phenformin and intravenous verapamil infusion compared with those administerd phenformin alone. Pharmacokinetic parameters such as $C_{max}$ and AUC of phenformin increased and CL/F and Vss/F decreased as a consequence of verapamil treatment. These results suggested that P-gp blockade by verapamil may decrease the phenformin disposition and increase plasma phenformin concentrations. P-gp inhibition by verapamil treatment also increased plasma lactate concentration, which is a crucial adverse event of phenformin. In conclusion, P-gp may play an important role in phenformin transport process and, therefore, contribute to the modulation of pharmacokinetics of phenformin and onset of plasma lactate level.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.93-98
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• 1991

A clinical trial was made on 76 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis to determine the effectiveness and acceptibility of 6 month 2SHRZ/4HR antituberculosis regimen. Out of 76 patients, 13 patients (17.1%) dropped out and 11 patients (14.5%) were excluded due to drug resistance. In 3 patients (3.9%), regimen was changed due to adverse effects. Treatment failure rate was 2.0% in 50 patients. One patient, who had far advanced lesion, was treated longer than 6 months due to failure of sputum conversion. The most common adverse effect was arthralgia, which was controlled by the administration of allopurinol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. In conclusion, 2SHRZ/4HR for 6 months was effective regimen in treating the newly-diagnosed patients with tuberculosis, but change of the regimen and duration might be carefully considered by the severity of the lesion and adverse effect of the drug But further study will be needed to evaluate not only the efficacy and efficiency of 6 month chemotherapy but also relapse rates.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.323-330
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• 2006

We investigated the impact of watermelon grafted onto Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus (CGMMV)-resistant transgenic watermelon rootstock on insects as non-target organisms in a greenhouse in 2005. We quantitatively collected insect assemblages living on leaves and flowers, and we used sticky traps to collect alate insects. We compared the patterns of insect assemblages and community composition, cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) on watermelon leaves and western flower thrip (Frankliniella occidentalis Trybom) on watermelon male flowers, between CGMMV-resistant transgenic watermelon (TR) and non-transgenic watermelon (nTR). Non-parametric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination verified that insect assemblages on leaves and sticky traps were different between TR and nTR (P<0.05). The insect assemblages on male flowers were not statistically significant. Multi-response permutation procedures proofed our results from NMS results (P>0.05). Conclusively, TR watermelons appear to have some adverse effects on the population of cotton aphids on leaves and sticky traps, but watermelon male flowers do not show an adverse effect. Further research is required to assess the effect of TR on the aphid and western flower thrip. Life table experiments might support the specific reason for the adverse effects from leaf assemblages. Assessment of non-target impacts is an essential part of the risk assessment of non-target insects for the impact of transgenic organisms.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2013

Objectives: The present study investigated the potential subacute toxicity of 1,4-dichlorobutane (1,4-DCB) by a 2-week repeated oral dose in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Materials and Methods: The test chemical was administered once daily by gavage to male rats at dose levels of 0, 74, 222, 667, and 2000 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks. All rats were sacrificed at the end of treatment period. During the test period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food and water consumption, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, gross findings, and organ weights were examined. Results: At 2000 mg/kg/day, treatment-related clinical signs, as evidenced by hypothermia, decreased locomotor activity, piloerection, lying on side, and prone position were observed. All the rats were found dead on test day 2. At 667 mg/kg/day, polyuria, suppressed body weight gain, food consumption, and spleen and thymus weights, and increased adrenal gland and liver weights were observed.Hematological and serum biochemical investigations revealed increases in the alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphataseand total bilirubinand decreases in the serum $Na^+$ level, white blood cell count and lymphocyte ratio. There were no treatment-related adverse effects in the 74 and 222 mg/kg/day groups. Conclusions: In the present experimental conditions, target organs were determined to be spleen, thymus,and liver. The no-observed-adverse-effect level was considered to be 222 mg/kg/day in male rats.

• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.183-187
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• 2018

Objectives: The present mini review aimed to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the beneficial and adverse effects of raloxifene in menopausal women. Methods: This study is a review of relevant publications about the effects of raloxifene on sleep disorder, depression, venous thromboembolism, the plasma concentration of lipoprotein, breast cancer, and cognitive function among menopausal women. Results: Raloxifene showed no significant effect on depression and sleep disorder. Verbal memory improved with administration of 60 mg/day of raloxifene while a mild cognitive impairment risk reduction by 33% was observed with administration of 120 mg/day of raloxifene. Raloxifene was associated with a 50% decrease in the need for prolapse surgery. The result of a meta-analysis showed a significant decline in the plasma concentration of lipoprotein in the raloxifene group compared to placebo (standardized mean difference, -0.43; 10 trials). A network meta-analysis showed that raloxifene significantly decreased the risk of breast cancer (relative risk, 0.572; 95% confidence interval, 0.327-0.881; P = 0.01). In terms of adverse effects of raloxifene, the odds ratio (OR) was observed to be 1.54 (P = 0.006), indicating 54% increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) while the OR for pulmonary embolism (PE) was 1.05, suggesting a 91% increase in the risk of PE alone (P = 0.03). Conclusions: Raloxifene had no significant effect on depression and sleep disorder but decreased the concentration of lipoprotein. Raloxifene administration was associated with an increased risk of DVT and PE and a decreased risk of breast cancer and pelvic organ prolapse in postmenopausal women.