• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.638-645
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• 2019

Objectives: For the risk management of airborne fungal diseases, our aim was to evaluate airborne fungi and study the toxicity associated with fungal allergic diseases using fungal species native to Korea. Methods: Fungi were isolated from outdoor air samples collected from Seoul, Incheon, Cheonan, Gwangju, Ulsan, Busan, and Jeju and tested for their cytotoxicity potential and their ability to induce proliferation and secretion of macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) in human mast cells (HMC-1). Results: More than 18 species of fungi were collected from outdoor air in Korea over one year, and the strains were identified and systematically analyzed. The results showed that the Cladosporium (59%) and Alternaria (22%) strains are the most common in outdoor air. Three of the collected strains (Fusarium, Trichoderma, and Penicillium) showed mild toxicity in cells involved in allergic inflammation, and twelve induced cell proliferation in HMC-1 cells. More importantly, many strains (Edgeworthia, Trametes, Emmia, Irpex, Talaromyces, Penicillium, Periconia, Epicocum, Bipolaris) induced the MDC protein in activated HMC-1 cells. Conclusion: Nineteen percent of the tested strains caused cytotoxicity in mast cell lines, whereas, most of the non-toxic strains contributed to cell activity. Among the tested strains, more than 80% increased the expression of MDC protein, which contributes to the severity of atopic dermatitis, asthma, and rhinitis. It is, in fact, one of the markers for these conditions. Therefore, airborne fungus could be considered as an important marker for environmental risk management for allergic diseases in Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2011

Background: The rising prevalence of asthma worldwide may be associated with the rising prevalence of obesity in developed nations. Although several studies have suggested a relationship between asthma and obesity, controversy still remains. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between obesity and asthmatic factors such as atopy, eosinophilia, serum total Ig E and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in chronic cough patients. Methods: This study was a retrospective, observational study in two centers done between January 2007 and June 2008. The subjects included individuals who had a chronic cough. We examined body mass index (BMI) to measure obesity and pulmonary function. We did a metacholine provocation test for airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a skin prick test for atopy, and tests for blood eosinophils and serum IgE. Results: A total of 1022 subjects were included. Airway hyperresponsiveness was not related with obesity (p=0.06), and atopy incidence was significant higher in non obese patients (p=0.00). There was no significant difference in serum IgE and blood eosinophil counts between obese and non obese patients. Forced expiratory volue in one second ($FEV_1$)/forced vital capacity (FVC) was significantly reduced in obese patients (p=0.03), but FEV1 and FVC were no significant difference between obese and non obese patients. Conclusion: There is no relationship between obesity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. The nonobese group appears to have more atopy. The relationship between obesity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness and atopy need further investigation.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2012

We previously reported that the extract of Taraxacum platycarpum (AF-343) had several biological properties such as skin hydration and anti-inflammatory effects, thereby AF-343 be a promising anti-atopic dermatitis agent. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate its effect on modulation of extracellular matrix proteins in human skin fibroblasts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expressions of type I collagen, MMP-1, Smad2/3, and TIMP-1 proteins in AF-343-treated human skin fibroblasts. Human skin fibroblasts were treated by various concentrations of AF-343 (0~2 mg/ml). The expressions of type I collagen, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), Smad2/3, and TIMP-1 proteins were analyzed by Western blot analysis. In addition, level of type I collagen mRNA was analyzed by CAT assay. Expression of type I collagen protein was increased in AF-343-treated human skin fibroblasts by dose and time-dependent manners. Consistent with this result, the expressions of phospho-Smad2/3 in skin fibroblasts were increased and MMP-1 expression was decreased by AF-343 treatment. TIMP-1 expression was not significantly changed in AF-343 treated skin fibroblasts. Extract of Taraxacum platycarpum (AF-343)-induced up-regulation of type I collagen expression was through increased expression of phospho-Smad2/3. These results were occurred combined with down-regulation of MMP-1 in skin fibroblasts. Taken together, this study indicated that AF-343 has property of the modulation of ECM in tissue as well as skin hydration and anti-inflammation.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.163-176
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• 1995

The cilinical study was done in 340 patients with allergic rhinitis who had been dosed with HYUNG GAE YUN GYO TANG GAMI. The results were summarized as follows 1. Distridution by Sex and Age $64\%\;of\;them\;were\;man,\;and\;36\%$ of them were women(It was common to men than to women) Of those who were attacted(very diverse), $25.0\%$ of them were between 10 and 19 years of age(most frequent), $23.8\%$ were between 30 and 39, $18.2\%$ between 20 and 29, $14.1\%$ between birth and 9, $12.6\%$ between 40 and 49, and $6.2\%$ of them were 50 years and over. 2. Duration $47.6\%$ of them suffered from this disease for 1 to 5 years, $13.8\%$ for 10 years or longer, $24.1\%$ for both 5 to 10 years and $7.4\%$ for 6 months to 1 years, and $6.5\%$ shorter than 6 months. 3. Symptom that appeared to them were nasal obstruction($91.5\%$,top), sneezing($90\%$), rhinorrhagir($77.4\%$), headache ($30.9\%$), itch($26.8\%$), nasal discharge through gullet($15.3\%$), and pharyngitis($15.3\%$). 4. Other diseases that occured with it were sinusitis(most often), Atopic keratoconjunctivitis, allergic dermatitis, asthma, otitis media, tonsillitis, hepertropic rhinitis, nasal polyp, and atropic rhinitis(most unusual). 5. Time and Improvement After 6 months 2 cases($20\%$) were improved excellently, 3 cases($30\%$) considerablely, after 6 months to 1 year 5 case($38.5\%$) considerably, after 1 year to 5 year 10 cases($13\%$) excellently, 20 cases ($26\%$) considerably, after 5 year to 10 years 4 cases($8.7\%$) excellently, 13 cases($28.3\%$) considerable, and after 10 years 2 cases($10\%$) improved excellently, 2 cases($10\%$) considerab. 6. Dosage and Improvemont With 10 papers 6 cases($7.8\%$) were improved excellently, 22 cases($27.8\%$) considerably, with 20 papers 4 cases($10.3\%$) were improved excellently, 6 cases($15.4\%$) considerably, with 30 papers 3 cases($15.8\%$) excellently, 2 ($10.5\%$) considerably, with 40 papers 3 cases($23.1\%$) excellently, 5($38.5\%$) considerably, with 50 papers 1 cases($10\%$) excellently, 4($40\%$) considerably, with 60and 70 papers one cases($33.3\%,\;100\%$) for each was improved considerable, with 80 papers 1 cases($100\%$) excellently, and 90 papers 2 cases($66.6\%$) considerable. 7. Improvement with additional outward application With external application 8 cases($16.6\%$) were improved excellently, 9 cases($18.7\%$) considerably without external application 10 cases($8.4\%$) were improved excellently, 34 cases($28.8\%$) considerably. 8. General Improvement 18 cases($10.8\%$) were improved excellently, 43 cases($25.9\%$) improved considerably, and 40 cases($24.0\%$) improved quite a little.thus has improvement shown in 60.8 per cent of case, and proved its efficacy.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2008

Ceramides, a constituent of stratum corneum lipids, play a crucial role in the formation and maintenance of the epidermal permeability barrier. As in many other skin disorders, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis show decrease and transformation of the ceramides. The application of ceramide has been demonstrated to be efficient in the repair of these skin disorders. Nevertheless, natural ceramides are still too expensive and small in quantity to be used as a cosmetic ingredient. Although a lot of pseudo-ceramides have been developed and on the market until now, those pseudo-ceramides did not fully meet the consumer's needs, therefore, there is still a demand for a novel pseudo-ceramides. We synthesized a novel pseudo-ceramide BPC-16 from 2-(2-amino-ethylamino)-ethanol(AEEA), which was characterized by structures having both amide bonds and hydroxyl groups as hydrophilic units, as well as two long alkyl chains. We formulated emulsion with BPC-16, cholesterol, stearic acid, and other components to make an emulsion. These emulsion showed a typical optical anisotropy on cross-polarized microscopy. This 'Maltese cross' appearance is a characteristic figure observed in concentric lamellar emulsion under cross-polarized microscopy. In cytotoxicity assay using MTT in monolayer and three dimension(3D) cell culture, a BPC-16 showed only negligible cytotoxicity up to the effective concentration for barrier repair and moisturization(less than 10 mM). In the measurement of TEWL, this BPC-16 showed significant recovery of water-retaining properties when it was topically applied to either SDS-induced dry skin or normal skin compared to that of base cream. This novel pseudo-ceramide BPC-16 showed as effective in skin barrier repair and moisturization as natural ceramides.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.281-287
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• 2017

Stress in skin plays a significant role in both the direct/indirect regulation of cellular processes occurring in hair, which in turn affect the hair cycle. However, experimental data regarding the effects of stress-related corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) released by stress on the apoptotic process involved in hair is limited. Therefore, we investigated the acceleration of early-stage apoptosis induced by atopy-related stress using a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene NC/Nga mice model. Expression of CRF, its related proteins, annexin V, and mitochondrial dysfunction were measured by immunohistochemical analyses. Atopic stress strongly stimulated stress hormones response, such as CRF and adrenocorticotropic hormone, in outer epithelial sheath of the hair. Moreover, its stress induced mitochondrial damage and early-stage apoptosis of cells in hair root. These findings suggest that hair damage due to apoptosis in atopy model is accelerated in a high CRF environment. Importantly, the effect of stress-related CRF on apoptosis processes involved in atopy dermatitis-related hair loss, suggests that the CRF-regulating development or maintenance materials may provide effective therapeutic strategies for hair health.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.310-314
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• 2018

Purpose: Conventional serum IgE assay was costly, required the skills of expert, and relied heavily on expensive equipment. Quantitative measurement of total IgE using Point of Care Test (POCT) device can be the solution for these limitations. This study evaluated and validated the reproducibility of ImmuneCheck IgE. Methods: This study included 120 patients of allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, drug allergy, food allergy, atopic dermatitis, or anaphylaxis. The reliability of POCT ImmuneCheck IgE was evaluated by comparing results from the naked eye and from the Q-Reader. Intratest reproducibility and intertest correlation were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Of the 120 enrolled patients, 51 were males and 69 were females. The ages ranged from 19 to 84 years, with an average age of 51.5 years. The concentration of serum total IgE measured by Phadia ImmunoCAP IgE ranged from 5.95 to 5,000 IU/mL. ICC for Intratest reproducibility of ImmuneCheck IgE by naked eye and by Q-Reader were 0.991 (P< 0.001) and 0.989 (P< 0.001), respectively. In addition, intertest correlation between ImmuneCheck IgE and Phadia ImmunoCAP IgE results of naked eye and Q-Reader were 0.968 (P< 0.001) and 0.948 (P< 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: The ImmuneCheck IgE was reproducible and highly correlated with conventional Phadia ImmunoCAP IgE assay. This result suggests that ImmuneCheck IgE can be a useful tool for rapid and precise detection of total IgE.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2020

The skin is colonized by a large number of microorganisms with a stable composition of species. However, disease states of skin such as acne vulgaris, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis have specific microbiome compositions that are different from those of healthy skin. The target modulation of the skin microbiome can be a potential treatment for these skin diseases. Quorum sensing (QS), a bacterial cell-cell communication system, can control the survival of bacteria and increase cell density. Also, QS affects the pathogenicity of bacteria such as biofilm formation and protease production. In this study, we confirmed anti-QS activity of Amorepacific patented ingredients, which are Lactobacillus ferment lysate (using Lactobacillus plantarum APsulloc 331261, KCCM 11179P) through bio-reporter bacterial strain Chromobacterium violaceum. The purple pigment production of C. violaceum controlled by QS was reduced 27.3% by adding 10 ㎍/mL of Lactobacillus ferment lysate (freeze dried). In addition, the Lactobacillus ferment lysate increased growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis 12% and decreased growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 38.5% and its biofilm formation 17.7% at a concentration of 10 ㎍/mL compared to the untreated control group. Moreover, S. epidermidis was co-cultured with the representative dermatological bacterium Staphylococcus aureus in the same genus, the growth of S. epidermidis was increased 134 % and the growth of S. aureus was decreased 13%. These results suggest that fermented lysate using Lactobacillus plantarum APsulloc 331261 may be useful as a cosmetic ingredient that can control the balance of skin microbiome.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.56-62
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• 2021

Madecassoside, an active ingredient extracted from Centella asiatica, is used for treatment of various skin disorders in humans. However, the effect of madecassoside on the skin of dogs and cats has not been studied yet. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical efficacy of topical madecassoside cream in dogs and cats with skin diseases. A total of twenty-one dogs and ten cats with various skin diseases were included in the study. The 1% topical madecassoside cream was applied to the animal's skin lesion at least once a day for 7 days, and the skin condition was evaluated before the application of madecassoside cream (day 0) and 7 days after the application (day 7). The skin condition was scored by five clinical indices: canine atopic dermatitis extent and severity index-4 (CADESI-4), coat condition, pruritus, scale, and general condition. In dogs, all five clinical indices (CADESI-4, coat condition, pruritus, scale, and general condition) were significantly decreased on day 7 compared to those on day 0 (p < 0.0001, p < 0.05, p < 0.001, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively). In cats, the CADESI-4 and scale were significantly decreased on day 7 compared to those on day 0 (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). No adverse effects were observed during the trial period in the dogs and cats included in this study. The results of this study demonstrate that the topical madecassoside cream is applicable to skin lesions in dogs and cats.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.8
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• pp.274-281
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• 2019

This study examined the effects of GATA-3-dependent Th2 cells and IgE inhibition by using PM-E and PM-70M isolated from Sasao. It was analyzed that the 70 % methanol layer contained adsorbed chromatograms of the fraction of sodium hypochlorite that inhibited GATA-3 transcription factor activity. As a result, PM-70 %MFL fraction seems to have an antiallergic effect by inhibiting GATA-3 which regulates Th2 cytokine. PM-30A, PM-70A, and PM-30A layers by inhibiting IgE secretion in B cells by co-culturing the fractions with anti-CD40/rmIL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA and IgE were not different from control. However, expression of IL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA was $0.69{\pm}0.058$ (p<0.001) and $0.72{\pm}0.58$ (p<0.05), respectively. The amount of IgE secretion was $94.6{\pm}16.0$, which was significantly decreased by 45.6% (p<0.01) compared with the control group. This study suggests that the PM-70% MFL layer in the fraction of Sasao contains the components that inhibit the differentiation and activity of B cells.