Inhibitory Effect of the Ethanol Extract of a Rice Bran Mixture Comprising Angelica gigas, Cnidium officinale, Artemisia princeps, and Camellia sinensis on Brucella abortus Uptake by Professional and Nonprofessional Phagocytes.

In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of a rice bran mixture extract (RBE) on Brucella abortus pathogenesis in professional (RAW 264.7) and nonprofessional (HeLa) phagocytes. We fermented the rice bran mixture and then extracted it with 50% ethanol followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the components in RBE. Our results clearly showed that RBE caused a significant reduction in the adherence of B. abortus in both cell lines. Furthermore, analysis of phagocytic signaling proteins by western blot assay revealed that RBE pretreatment resulted in inhibition of phosphorylation of JNK, ERK, and p38, leading to decline of internalization compared with the controls. Additionally, the intensity of F-actin observed by fluorescence microscopy and FACS was remarkably reduced in RBE-pretreated cells compared with control cells. However, the intracellular replication of B. abortus within phagocytes was not affected by RBE. Taken together, these findings suggest that the phagocytic receptor blocking and suppressive effects of RBE on the MAPK-linked phagocytic signaling pathway could negatively affect the invasion of B. abortus into phagocytes.

Fermented rice bran prevents atopic dermatitis in DNCB-treated NC/Nga mice.

The fermentation of natural plants has a favorable effect on the functional and biological activities of living systems. These include anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-platelet aggregation activities. This is attributed to the chemical conversion of the parent plants to functional constituents, which show more potent biological activity. In our study, rice bran along with oriental medicinal plants (Angelicae gigantis, Cnidium officinale, Artemisia princeps, and Camellia sinensis) was fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Pichia deserticola (FRBE). We evaluated the effects of oral administration of FRBE on atopic dermatitis in 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-treated NC/Nga mice. FRBE significantly ameliorated the macroscopic and microscopic appearance of skin lesions in DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis and reduced levels of serum immunoglobulin E and the differential white blood cell count. In addition, it reduced skin thickness compared to that of atopic dermatitis-affected skin. FRBE treatment also reduced mast cell incorporation in skin lesions of atopic dermatitis. The total cell number in dorsal skin tissue and the axillary lymph node increased following DNCB application, and this was normalized by FRBE treatment. Moreover, it decreased the levels of CD8(+) helper T cells and Gr-1(+)/CD11b(+) B cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and skin lesions in DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, we demonstrated that FRBE significantly inhibited mRNA expression of cytokines (e.g., interleukin-5 and interleukin-13) and cyclooxygenase-2 in AD skin lesions. These results suggest that FRBE could be a valuable herbal remedy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

[Pain relieving effect of yakson therapy for infants].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of Yakson therapy as a pain management tool on the physiologic and behavioral responses of infants with a painful heelstick procedure. METHOD: Infants were randomly assigned to a group that underwent a series of Yakson therapy and a control that received nothing before a heelstick. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, and NIPS were compared between the experimental (n=16) and control (n=16) infants during an undisturbed baseline and after a standard heelstick procedure. Yakson therapy consisted of laying a hand on the back, and caressing the abdomen by hand for 5 minutes. RESULT: The pain scores of the Yakson group were lower than the control group. For oxygen saturation, there were statistically significant differences between groups. For heart rate, there were no statistically significant differences between groups. CONCLUSION: This data suggests that Yakson therapy had a pain relief effect in behavior responses and SaO2. Accordingly, Yakson therapy should be used as a nursing intervention for simple pain management for a heel prick.