Korean Ginseng Berry Polysaccharide Enhances Immunomodulation Activities of Peritoneal Macrophages in Mice with Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppression.

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer), a member of the Araliaceae family, is known as a traditional medicinal plant to have a wide range of health properties. Polysaccharides constitute a major component of Korean ginseng, and its berries exhibit immune-modulating properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immune effects of crude polysaccharide (GBPC) extracted from Korean ginseng berry on peritoneal macrophages in mice with cyclophosphamide (CY)- induced immunosuppression. BALB/c mice were divided into eight groups: normal control, normal control + CY, levamisole + CY, ginseng + CY, and four concentrations of 50, 100, 250, and 500mg/kg BW/day of GBPC + CY. Mice were orally administered with samples for 10 days. Immunosuppression was established by treating mice with CY (80 mg/kg BW/day) through intraperitoneal injection on days 4 to 6. The immune function of peritoneal macrophages was then evaluated. Oral administration of 500mg/kg BW/day GBPC resulted in proliferation, NO production, and phagocytosis at 100%, 88%, and 91%, respectively, close to the levels of the normal group (100%) of peritoneal macrophages. In CY-treated mice, GBPC of 50-500 mg/kg BW/day also dose-dependently stimulated the proliferation, NO production, and phagocytosis at 56-100%, 47-88%, and 53-91%, respectively, with expression levels of immune-associated genes, such as iNOS, COX-2, IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, of about 0.32 to 2.87-fold, compared to those in the CY group. GBPC could be a potential immunomodulatory material to control peritoneal macrophages under an immunosuppressive condition.

Immune-Enhancing Effects of Crude Polysaccharides from Korean Ginseng Berries on Spleens of Mice with Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppression.

Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer is well known as traditional herbal medicine, and ginseng berries are known to exhibit potential immune-enhancing functions. However, little is known about the in vivo immunomodulatory activity of Korean ginseng berries. In this study, crude Korean ginseng berries polysaccharides (GBP) were isolated and their immunomodulatory activities were investigated using cyclophosphamide (CY)-induced immunosuppressive BALB/c mice. In CY-treated mice, oral administration of GBP (50-500 mg/kg BW) remarkably increased their spleen sizes and spleen indices and activated NK cell activities. GBP also resulted in the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes (coordinating with ConA: plant mitogen which is known to stimulate T-cell or LPS: endotoxin which binds receptor complex in B cells to promote the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines) in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, GBP significantly stimulated mRNA expression levels of immune-associated genes including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in CY-treated mice. These results indicate that GBP is involved in immune effects against CY-induced immunosuppression. Thus, GBP could be developed as an immunomodulation agent for medicinal or functional food application.

Anti-inflammatory activities of the mixture of strawberry and rice powder as materials of fermented rice cake on RAW264.7 macrophage cells and mouse models.

Rice cake is a traditional food in Korea, and is made by rice alone, or with other grain powder. To improve the health benefits of fermented rice cake, the rice powder was supplemented with strawberry powder. Anti-inflammatory activities of the mixture of strawberry and rice powder were evaluated. Treatment with the mixture significantly decreased the production of nitric oxide (NO). The mixture of strawberry and rice powder in the ratio 10: 90 effectively and dose-dependently reduced the immune-associated genes iNOS, IL-1ß, IL-6, COX-2, and TNF-α. Furthermore, carrageenan-injected mice were used to study the anti-inflammatory effect of the mixture. Pre-oral administration of the mixture of strawberry and rice powder at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg BW significantly reduced paw edema induced by carrageenan. These results suggest that for fermented rice cake production and processing, the strawberry and rice powder mixture may be a potential source of anti-inflammatory activity.

Radiologic Comparison of Humeral Position according to the Implant Designs Following Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty: Analysis between Medial Glenoid/Medial Humerus, Lateral Glenoid/Medial Humerus, and Medial Glenoid/Lateral Humerus Designs.

BACKGROUND: The currently available reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) designs can be classified into medial glenoid/medial humerus (MGMH), lateral glenoid/medial humerus (LGMH), and medial glenoid/lateral humerus (MGLH) prosthesis designs. The purpose of this study was to radiologically analyze the effect of different RSA designs on humeral position following RSA. METHODS: A total of 50 patients who underwent primary RSA were retrospectively analyzed. Among 50 patients, 33 patients (group A: MGMH) underwent RSA with Aequalis system (Wright, Inc, Bloomington, MN, USA), 6 (group B: LGMH) with Aequalis system using bony increased offset, and 11 (group C: MGLH) with Aequalis Ascend Flex system. The acromiohumeral distance, acromioepiphyseal distance (AED), lateral humeral offset (LHO), LHO from the center of rotation (LHOCOR), and deltoid length were radiologically measured to quantify the distalization and lateralization of the humerus. RESULTS: The increment in postoperative AED was 19.92 ± 3.93 mm in group A, 24.52 ± 5.25 mm in group B, and 25.97 ± 5.29 mm in group C, respectively (p=0.001). The increment in postoperative LHO was 0.13 ± 6.30 mm, 8.00 ± 12.14 mm, and 7.42 ± 6.88 mm, respectively (p=0.005). The increment in postoperative LHOCOR was 20.76 ± 6.06 mm, 22.04 ± 5.15 mm, and 28.11 ± 4.14 mm, respectively (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The radiologic analysis of the effect of different RSA designs on humeral position following RSA showed significant differences in the increment in postoperative AED, LHO, and LHOCOR between the 3 groups. Therefore, MGLH design seems to be more effective for humeral distalization and lateralization compared to original Grammont design.

Factors increasing the risk for psychosocial stress among Korean adults living in rural areas: using generalized estimating equations and mixed models.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to analyze the distribution of the psychosocial well-being index among adults living in two rural communities in Korea and to examine its correlation with lifestyle variables such as sleep duration, regular exercise, and sedentary time. METHODS: Using the cohort data of the Atherosclerosis Risk of a Rural Area Korean General Population, this study examined 3631 participants living in Wonju and Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province; their preliminary data were established from 2005 to 2007 while their follow-up data were collected 3 years later. This study investigated demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, disease history, Psychosocial Well-being Index-Short Form (PWI-SF) scores, sleep duration, regular exercise, and sedentary time during work. Using repeated measures ANOVA, this study examined how the variables and PWI-SF scores changed over the course of 3 years and identified the correlation between them based on mixed model analysis. Afterwards, using the generalized estimation equation, this study identified each variable's risk towards the PWI-SF high-risk group and performed a stratified analysis by occupation after dividing the participants into farmers and non-farmers. RESULTS: The PWI-SF high-risk group was found to be 18.9% of the participants from preliminary data and 15.5% from follow-up data. The odds ratio towards the PWI-SF high-risk group was 1.503 (95% CI 1.241-1.821) in the short sleep duration group and 1.327 (95% CI 1.136-1.550) in the non-regular exercise group. A stratified analysis by occupation showed that middle and long sedentary time in the white-collar group increased the risk toward the PWI-SF high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Short sleep duration, no regular exercise, and long sedentary time in the white-collar group were identified as risk factors toward the PWI-SF high-risk group in the rural communities, and policy interventions are needed to address this issue.

Dissociation of Polyethylene Liner of the Dual Mobility Acetabular Component after Closed Reduction of Dislocation: A Case Report.

A dual mobility acetabular component has a structure that combines a polyethylene liner and a femoral head, unlike the general design of acetabular cups, making the dissociation of a polyethylene liner highly unlikely. In addition, it increases the range of motion and reduces the possibility of dislocations by increasing a jump distance. A fifty-one-year-old male who had received total hip arthroplasty with the dual mobility acetabular component visited a hospital for a posterior hip dislocation 10 weeks after the operation. At the emergency room, closed reduction was performed and the dislocation was reduced. However, plain imaging test revealed polyethylene liner dissociation after the closed reduction. Revision surgery was performed. We will report a rare case of early dislocation of the dual mobility acetabular component and dissociation of polyethylene liner accompanied with a literature review.

Pharmacokinetic comparison of amlodipine adipate/valsartan fixed-dose combination with amlodipine besylate/valsartan fixed-dose combination in healthy volunteers.

The aim of this study was to compare pharmacokinetic characteristics of fixed-dose combination (FDC) of two different salt form of amlodipine, amlodipine adipate/valsartan and amlodipine besylate/ valsartan, in healthy Korean volunteers under fasting conditions. A randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-treatment, two-way crossover study with a 14-day wash-out period was conducted. Plasma samples were collected for up to 144 hours for amlodipine and 24 hours for valsartan. Plasma concentrations of amlodipine and valsartan were analyzed using a validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry. A non-compartmental method was used to calculate pharmacokinetic parameters. Vital signs and adverse events were monitored and physical examinations, laboratory tests, and electrocardiograms were conducted to evaluate safety. 44 subjects completed the study. The 90% CIs for the geometric mean ratio of Cmax and the AUC0-t were 93.5 - 100.4% and 93.2 - 98.3% for amlodipine, and 92.1 - 121.3% and 94.1 - 115.2% for valsartan, respectively. 17 adverse events occurred in 15 subjects during the study; 5 and 7 adverse drug reactions from the 5 and 6 subjects were considered to probably be related to the test and reference treatments respectively. All adverse drug reactions were in line with those known for the reference drug. All subjects recovered fully with no sequelae. A FDC of amlodipine adipate/valsartan and amlodipine besylate/valsartan combination tablets met the regulatory criteria for bioequivalence. In addition, no significant difference was observed in the safety assessments between two treatments. Thus, the newly developed FDC of amlodipine adipate/valsartan seems to be interchangeable with amlodipine besylate valsartan combination.

Dynamic proteomic profile of potato tuber during its in vitro development.

Potato tuberization is a complicated biochemical process, which is dependent on external environmental factors. Tuber development in potato consists of a series of biochemical and morphological processes at the stolon tip. Signal transduction proteins are involved in the source-sink transition during potato tuberization. In the present study, we examined protein profiles under in vitro tuber-inducing conditions using a shotgun proteomic approach involving denaturing gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 251 proteins were identified and classified into 9 groups according to distinctive expression patterns during the tuberization stage. Stolon stage-specific proteins were primarily involved in the photosynthetic machinery. Proteins specific to the initial tuber stage included patatin. Proteins specific to the developing tuber stage included 6-fructokinase, phytoalexin-deficient 4-1, metallothionein II-like protein, and malate dehydrogenase. Novel stage-specific proteins identified during in vitro tuberization were ferredoxin-NADP reductase, 34 kDa porin, aquaporin, calmodulin, ripening-regulated protein, and starch synthase. Superoxide dismutase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and catalase I were most abundantly expressed in the stolon; however, the enzyme activities of these proteins were most activated at the initial tuber. The present shotgun proteomic study provides insights into the proteins that show altered expression during in vitro potato tuberization.