• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.136-143
• /
• 2020

Psoriasis is one of the most common inflammatory skin disorders, with a global prevalence of 2% - 3%. It is an autoimmune skin disorder characterized by excessive generation of plaques on the skin with typical long-lasting red, itchy, and scaly lesions. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the anti-psoriatic effect of the methanolic extract of Persicaria senticosa (PS), a bioactive edible plant extract used in traditional medicine, using a mouse model of imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis. The daily topical application of IMQ could induce human psoriasis-like lesion. The extract ameliorated IMQ-induced psoriasis. Furthermore, hematoxylin and eosin staining and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores indicated that topical application of PS led to an improvement in erythema, scaling, and thickness scores of the mouse dorsal skin and a considerable decrease in the epidermal thickness of the ear and dorsal skin in the IMQ-induced psoriatic mouse model. We also studied the effect of PS on the proliferation of keratinocytes using HaCaT cells. The extract inhibited cell proliferation and IL-6 and pSTAT3 expression induced by M5 cocktail (comprising interleukin [IL]-1α, IL-17A, IL-22, oncostatin M, and tumor necrosis factor-α) in HaCaT cells. Thus, PS might serve as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of psoriasis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.438-444
• /
• 2014

Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold. (B. kazinoki) has long been used in the manufacture of paper in Asian countries. Although B. kazinoki leaves (BK) have been employed in dermatological therapy, use of BK has not been tested in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Using Nc/Nga mice, which are genetically predisposed to develop AD-like skin lesions, we confirmed the efficacy of BK in AD treatment. BK extract was applied topically to Dermatophagoides farinae-induced AD-like lesions in Nc/Nga mice, and the effects were assessed both clinically and by measuring skin thickness on the back and ears. We measured the effects of BK extract on plasma levels of IgE and IL-4. We also measured the ability of BK extract to inhibit the secretion of hTARC in HaCaT cells after stimulation by TNF-${\alpha}$ and IFN-${\gamma}$. We found that BK extract significantly reduced ear and dorsal skin thickness and the clinical signs of AD, as well as significantly down-regulating the plasma levels of IgE and IL-4 (p<0.01 for each comparison). Moreover, $500{\mu}g/mL$ of BK extract inhibited hTARC secretion in HaCaT cells by activated TNF-${\alpha}$/IFN-${\gamma}$ by about 87%. These findings suggest that topical application of BK extract has excellent potential in the treatment of AD.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.21-27
• /
• 2018

Psoriasis is an auto-immune skin disease, which is characterized by the excessive generation of plaques on the skin with typically a long-lasting red, itchy and scaly symptoms. Imiquimod, which has been used for the treatment of external genital warts, actinic keratosis, and superficial basal cell carcinoma, induced of psoriasis-like skin disorders with skin erythema and thickness in mice. In the present study, we tried to find the bioactive herbal extract against imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin disorder in mice. During the searching of the herbal extract with anti-psoriatic effect, the ethanolic extract of Cnidium officinale ameliorated imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin disorder in mice. The morphological evaluation, H&E staining and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score showed that ear and back thickness, and erythema induced by imiquimod were significantly reversed after the treatment of the cream of the ethanolic extract of C. officinale. The overexpressed myeloperoxidase (MPO) and keratin 6A levels were decreased by the treatment of C. officinale cream. Also, $IFN-{\gamma}$, c-fos and $I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ mRNA levels, which are related to the progression of psoriasis, were reduced by C. officinale cream. Thus, the ethanolic extract of C. officinale ameliorated psoriasis-like skin disorder induced by imiquimod and might be the therapeutic agent for psoriasis.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.39-42
• /
• 2009

Wide excision for curative treatment of malignant tumor on periauricular area often leads to loss of the external ear. But the auricle has rich vascular supply, Conservation of auricular contour is possible through salvage and engineering of remained auricular tissue. We experienced two cases of auricular salvage after wide excision of malignant tumor. In the first case, we performed two-staged technique. In first step, we covered soft tissue defect on periauricualr area with the anterolateral thigh free flap and remained auricle was floating over the flap after split-thickness skin graft was applied on it's posterior raw surface because it's survival was not confirmed. Second step was reposition of remained auricule on the anterolateral thigh flap. In the second case, we packed in periauricular dead space and external auditory canal with temoporalis muscle and temporoparietal fascial flap and then covered the flap with split thickness skin graft. In these two cases, there were no recurrence of tumors and we obtained cosmetically & functionally satisfactory results.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.18-25
• /
• 1968

Higher yield in rice paddies is greatly dependent on adequately balanced and timely supply of water. A majority of rice paddy in Korea is generally irrigated by rainfall, but in many cases it has to be supplemented by artificial irrigation for optimum rice culture. Although the water requirement of rice plant is for higher Than that of athec crops, submerged condition of rice paddy is not Necessarily required. The moisture requirement of rice plant varies with its growing stages, and it is possible to increase the irrigation efficiency through reduction of water loss due to percolation in rice paddies. An experimental plots were set up by means of sandomized block design with three duplication; (a) All time submerged, (b) Economically controlled, and (c) Extremely controlled. Three different irrigation periods Were (a) Initial sage, (b) Inter-stage, and (c) Yast stage. The topsoil of the three plots were excavated to the depth of 30 cm and then compacted with clay of 6 cm thickness. There after, they were piled up with the excavated top soils, leveled and cored with clay of 6 cm thickness around footpath in order to prevent leakage. The results obtained from the experiments are as follows, 1. There is no difference among the three experiments plots in terms of physical and chemical conditions, soil properties, and other characteristics. 2. Culm length and ear length are not affected by different irrigation methods. 3. There is no difference in the mature rate and 1, 000 grain weight of rice for the three plots. 4. The control plot which was irrigated every three days shows an increased yield over the all the time submerged plot by 17.8 percent. 5. The clay lined plot whose water holding capacity was held 5 days long, needs only to be irrigated every 7 days. 6. The clay lined plot shows an increased yield over the untreated plot ; over all-the-time submerged plot by 18 percent ; extremely controlled plot by 18 percent, and economically controlled plot by 33 percent. 7. It may be saved in water requirement about one Thirds.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.66-72
• /
• 2023

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the everyday use of face masks massively increased to prevent the spread of infection. Many people complain of ear pain and erosion when wearing a mask for extended periods of time. If prolonged mask usage is uncomfortable for ordinary people, a question arises-how much more inconvenient must mask wearing be for patients with a full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) donor site in the retroauricular region? Herein, we evaluated complications related to face mask use in 27 patients with a retroauricular FTSG donor site, with the goal of clarifying whether the retroauricular region is still an appropriate FTSG donor site in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Complications in 27 patients treated by FTSGs harvested from the retroauricular region from 2019 to 2021 were investigated. A questionnaire comparing the normal and the operated sides was administered. Pain, itching, soreness, deformity, and symmetry were further investigated. Results: Pain and itching were the only observed complications. The operated side was slightly more painful than the normal side in four patients (14.8%), and four patients (14.8%) reported itching on the operated side. However, all patients who experienced complications stated that the pain or itching did not interfere with mask wearing. Most symptomatic patients were older than 60 years of age (23.8%, p= 0.185) and wore masks for longer periods of time (28.5%, p= 0.326). Conclusion: Few retroauricular donor site-related complications occurred, and none of these complications caused inconvenience in daily life. Therefore, in the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the retroauricular region as an FTSG donor site remains appropriate.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.308-315
• /
• 2010

Essential oil-excluded Artemisia princeps Pamp var Ssajuarissuk (AP) was fermented with Lactobacillus brevis K-1, which was isolated from cabbage Kimchi, and the anti-inflammatory effects of AP and fermented AP (FAP) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in peritoneal macrophages were investigated. AP and FAP inhibited LPS-induced TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$, COX-2, iNOS and COX-2 expression, as well as NF-${\kappa}B$ activation. AP and FAP also reduced ear thickness, inflammatory cytokine (TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6) expression and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced dermatitis in mice. Furthermore, AP and FAP also reduced exudate volume, cell number, protein amount, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6) expression and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in carrageenan-induced air pouch inflammation in mice. The inhibitory effects of FAP were more potent than those of non-fermented AP. Based on these findings, we propose that FAP can improve inflammatory diseases, such as dermatitis, by inhibiting the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.307-316
• /
• 1990

This study was undertaken to test the effects of Daturae Flos(DF) and Daturae Semen(DS) on the cellular and humoral immune responses, and the functions of the cells involved in immunoinflammation. Both extracts decreased the activity of superoxide dismutase, and the decrease was greater in the mouse group which was treated with DS. Both extracts decreased the phagocytic activity as measured by assessing the number of the latex particle within the phagocyte after incubation of peritoneal macrophages with fluorochrome-labelled latex particle and decreased natural killer cell activity as measured by enumerating the viable YAC-1 cells after treatment of target cells with splenic natural killer cells. Both extracts also decreased the cell-mediated immunity in vivo as assessed by measuring the ear thickness after sensitization and challenge with dinitrofluorobenzene, however, had no effects on the humoral immune responses as measured by checking hemolysin and hemagglutinin titers after immunization with sheep red blood cells(SRBC). Extracts of Semen caused decrease in the number of rosette forming cells between the splenic cells and SRBC. The results of this study suggested that both Daturae extracts could depress the immunoinflammation by affecting the various cell types involved in inflammation.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.579-589
• /
• 2014

Atopic dermatitis (AD) syndrome is one of the most common and severe skin diseases in Korea; a large population has this disease. We examined the effects of the extract from the leaf and sprig of Camellia sinensis on the development of AD by using NC mice as a model of atopic dermatitis. Oral administration of the extract to NC/Nga mice treated with 2,4?dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) inhibited the development of AD-like skin lesions as shown by a significant decrease in the skin symptoms of the disease and a decrease in ear thickness and levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and thymus-and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) level in the skin. Administration of the extract markedly suppressed the DNCB-induced mRNA expression of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$). The findings suggest that transdermal application of the extract may modulate in the skin of NC/Nga mice. The extract was effective for the prevention and treatment of AD.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.93-99
• /
• 2016

The thickness of specimen is an important factor in microscopic researches. Thicker specimen contains more information, but it is difficult to obtain well focused image with precise details due to optical limit of conventional microscope. Recently, a microscope unit that combines improved illumination system, which allows real time three-dimensional (3D) image and automatic z-stack merging software. In this research, we evaluated the usefulness of this unit in observing thick samples; Golgi stained nervous tissue and ground prepared bone, tooth, and non-transparent small sample; zebra fish teeth. Well focused image in thick samples was obtained by processing z-stack images with Panfocal software. A clear feature of neuronal dendrite branching pattern could be taken. 3D features were clearly observed by oblique illumination. Furthermore, 3D array and shape of zebra fish teeth was clearly distinguished. A novel combination of two channel oblique illumination and z-stack imaging process increased depth of field and optimized contrast, which has a potential to be further applied in the field of neuroscience, hard tissue biology, and analysis of small organic structures such as ear ossicles and zebra fish teeth.