RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Korean medicine (KM) has been widely used in Korea. This study aimed to assess the general perceptions of KM, to investigate the patterns of its usage in 2014, and to compare the results with those of an earlier survey from 2011. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1000 Korean people. The questionnaire included items regarding trust in KM, reasons for distrust of KM, and visit frequency to KM clinics. This study used methods consistent with those of a 2011 survey to examine changes in attitudes over 3 years. RESULTS: Despite high rates of trust in KM, the visit frequency decreased from 69.3% in 2011 to 63.2% in 2014. Usage among young adults (in their 20s and 30s) was significantly reduced compared to all other age groups. The KM modality most commonly used by participants was acupuncture, whereas the use of moxibustion and cupping therapies has decreased since 2011. Men and women were most likely to distrust KM due to a "lack of scientific evidence" (59.3%) and "suspicion of KM safety" (47.4%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that KM use and trust in KM were slightly lower in 2014 than in 2011. The decreases were most notable among individuals in their 30s and in the use of moxibustion in KM therapy. This study aimed to produce practical insights by reviewing patterns of KM use and perceptions over time. Additional surveys must be considered to produce a more in-depth analysis.
Assuntos
Terapia por Acupuntura/psicologia , Medicina Tradicional Coreana , Moxibustão/psicologia , Confiança , Adulto , Atitude Frente a Saúde , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , República da Coreia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is characterized by systemic oxidative stress that is caused by either viral core protein or chronic inflammation. It is well recognized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as H2O2 can induce apoptotic cell death and can therefore function as anti-tumorigenic species. However, the detailed mechanisms by which ROS induce apoptotic cell death and HCV copes with the oxidative conditions are largely unknown. In the present study, we found that H2O2 induced apoptotic cell death in p53-positive human hepatocytes, but not in p53-negative human hepatocytes. For this effect, H2O2 upregulated levels of p14, increased ubiquitin-dependent degradation of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2), and reduced the interaction between MDM2 and p53 to prevent p53 degradation, resulting in accumulation of p53 and subsequent activation of p53-dependent apoptotic pathways. Interestingly, HCV core repressed p14 expression via promoter hypermethylation to abolish the potential of H2O2 to activate the p14-MDM2-p53 pathway. As a consequence, HCV core-expressing cells could overcome p53-mediated apoptosis provoked by H2O2. Taken together, HCV core could contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma formation by removing deleterious roles of ROS inducing cell death.
Assuntos
Apoptose/genética , Metilação de DNA , Hepacivirus/efeitos dos fármacos , Hepacivirus/genética , Peróxido de Hidrogênio/farmacologia , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p14ARF/genética , Proteínas do Core Viral/genética , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/metabolismo , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/virologia , Morte Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Morte Celular/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Hep G2 , Hepacivirus/metabolismo , Hepatite C/genética , Hepatite C/metabolismo , Hepatite C/virologia , Hepatócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Hepatócitos/metabolismo , Hepatócitos/virologia , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/virologia , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Estresse Oxidativo/genética , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-mdm2/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-mdm2/metabolismo , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p14ARF/biossíntese , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/genética , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/metabolismo , Proteínas do Core Viral/metabolismoRESUMO
All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), the most biologically active metabolite of vitamin A, has been extensively studied for the prevention and treatment of cancer; however, the underlying mechanism of its anti-cancer potential is still unclear. Here we found that ATRA induces apoptosis in p53-positive HepG2 cells, but not in p53-negative Hep3B cells. For this effect, ATRA activated p14 expression via promoter hypomethylation, resulting in ubiquitin-dependent degradation of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) and subsequent stabilization of p53. The potential of ATRA to stabilize p53 was almost completely abolished by knock-down of p14 in HepG2 cells and was not observed in p14-negative A549 cells. Upregulation of p14 also abolished the self-regulatory potential of p53 to repress p14 expression via DNA methylation and transcriptionally activate MDM2 expression. The accumulated p53 then activated several apoptosis-related molecules, including Bax, PUMA, caspase-9, Bid, caspase-8, caspase-3, and PARP. Ectopic expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 almost completely abolished the potential of ATRA to activate the p14-MDM2-p53 pathway and induce p53-dependent apoptosis. Therefore, we conclude that ATRA induces p14 promoter hypomethylation to trigger apoptosis.