Knowledge of atopic dermatitis and food allergies, as well as health information literacy, among North Korean refugee mothers: a descriptive survey study

Purpose@#This study investigated knowledge of atopic dermatitis and food allergies, as well as health information literacy, among North Korean refugee mothers with preschool-age children and explored how these variables were related to participants' characteristics. @*Methods@#A descriptive study design was used. Data from 130 North Korean refugee mothers were collected between January and March 2023. @*Results@#The mean scores were 14.48 of 30 for atopic dermatitis knowledge; 2.77 of 10 for food allergy knowledge, and 56.95 of 80 for health information literacy. Significant differences were observed in knowledge of atopic dermatitis based on breastfeeding duration (F=4.12, p=.009), and in knowledge of food allergies based on mixed feeding (F=3.11, p=.049). Health information literacy showed significant relationships with education level (F=3.76, p=.026), occupation (F=3.99, p=.021), checking nutritional information (t=2.91, p=.004), mixed feeding (F=4.50, p=.014), and atopic dermatitis diagnosis (t=6.86, p=.001). Significant positive correlations were observed between atopic dermatitis knowledge, food allergy knowledge, and health information literacy. @*Conclusion@#Personalized educational programs should be implemented to improve awareness of allergies and health information literacy among North Korean refugee mothers, which would help them find, evaluate, and understand health-related information. These programs should focus on providing nutrition and dietary education to promote healthy growth in children and prevent diseases.

Awareness and Knowledge about Hepatitis B among North Korean Immigrants / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify awareness and knowledge about hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among North Korean immigrants who had resided in South Korea. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, community based study. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 198 North Korean immigrants aged 18 years old through 65 years old among those who had attended community centers, local churches, and gathering places in four cities. The questionnaire included 15 items about participants' knowledge on HBV infection and its consequences, mode of transmission, and preventive measures. RESULTS: The mean score of HBV knowledge was 6.3±3.8 (range 0~15). The items that over 60% of the respondents checked correct answer regarding knowledge about HBV were 'There is blood screening for hepatitis B infection', 'Hepatitis B can be transmitted through sharing needles with infected person'. Multivariate analysis showed that received education for the prevention of HBV infection and disease morbidity were significantly associated with the knowledge of HBV infection. Overall, approximately 11% of total variability in the knowledge of HBV infection could be explained by the 2 variables in this model (R²=.109, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed that North Korean immigrants need more education on HBV infection and prevention to improve their knowledge about HBV.

A Dunnione Compound MB12662 Improves Cisplatin-Induced Tissue Injury and Emesis

The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of MB12662, a synthetic dunnione compound, on cisplatin-induced vomiting reflexes and intestinal, renal, immune system, and hematopoietic toxicities in ferrets and mice, respectively. Male ICR mice were orally administered MB12662 (5, 10, 25 or 50 mg/kg) for 10 days, during which intraperitoneally challenged with cisplatin (3.5 mg/kg) from day 4 to 7, and sacrificed on day 10 for the pathological examination. Male ferrets were orally administered MB12662 (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg) for 7 days, subcutaneously challenged with cisplatin (5 mg/kg), and monitored for vomiting reflexes and survival of the animals. Four-day injection of cisplatin (3.5 mg/kg) to mice caused body weight loss and degeneration and atrophy of intestinal villi, reducing villi/crypt ratio to a half level of control animals. Cisplatin also induced renal and hepatic toxicities, and depletion of splenocytes and bone marrow progenitor cells. The systemic toxicities including decreased villi/crypt ratio, immune system atrophy, splenocyte depletion, and decreased cellularity in bone marrow were improved by MB12662. Cisplatin (5 mg/kg) induced retching and emetic responses of ferrets, which were remarkably attenuated by MB12662 in a dose-dependent manner. All the ferrets pretreated with MB12662 survived the challenge of cisplatin, in comparison with 40% mortality in vehicle-treated animals, and blood parameters of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity were markedly recovered. It is expected that MB12662 could be a candidate for the body protection against burden, including emesis, of chemotherapeutic agents.

Different Antiulcer Activities of Pantoprazole in Stress, Alcohol and Pylorus Ligation-Induced Ulcer Models / 한국실험동물학회지

Antiulcer effects of pantoprazole, a proton-pump inhibitor, on water-immersion restraint stress (WIRS)-, alcohol (ethanol)- and pylorus ligation-induced gastric ulcers were investigated in male rats. Rats were orally administered with pantoprazole 30 min prior to exposure to various types of ulcer inducers. In stress-induced ulcer model, rats were subjected to WIRS at 22degrees C for 4 hours, and the degree of ulcer (in mm) was evaluated. In alcohol-induced ulcer model, rats were orally administered with pure (100%) ethanol (1 mL/kg), and the ulcer lesions were measured 1 hour after ethanol challenge. In pylorus ligation-induced ulcer model, rats were subjected to pylorus ligation, and the degree of erosions and ulcers was scored 17 hours after the operation. Pantoprazole attenuated the ulcer lesions induced by WIRS in a dose-dependent manner, exhibiting a median effective dose (ED50) value of 0.78 mg/kg. By comparison, pantoprazole was effective at relatively-high doses for the improvement of ethanol-induced ulcers, showing an ED50 value of 20.5 mg/kg. Notably, pantoprazole was practically ineffective (ED50>50.0) in pylorus ligation model. Taken together, it was confirmed that pantoprazole showed inhibitory activity on gastric ulcers induced by stress and alcohol, but was ineffective on pylorus ligation-induced ulcer. Therefore, the results indicate that proton-pump inhibitors including pantoprazole might reveal highly-different effects according to the type of ulcer inducers, and that the prescription of antiulcer agents should be carefully selected.

Anti-inflammatory effects of a Houttuynia cordata supercritical extract

Anti-inflammatory effects of Houttuynia cordata supercritical extract (HSE) were investigated in a carrageenan-air pouch model. HSE (200 mg/kg, oral) suppressed exudation and albumin leakage, as well as inflammatory cell infiltration. Dexamethasone (2 mg/kg, i.p.) only decreased exudation and cell infiltration, while indomethacin (2 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced exudate volume and albumin content. HSE lowered tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitric oxide (NO), as well as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Dexamethasone only reduced TNF-alpha and NO, while indomethacin decreased TNF-alpha and PGE2. The suppressive activity of HSE on NO and PGE2 production was confirmed in RAW 264.7. These results demonstrate that HSE exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting both TNF-alpha-NO and cyclooxygenase II-PGE2 pathways.

Ethanol extract of Angelica gigas inhibits croton oil-induced inflammation by suppressing the cyclooxygenase - prostaglandin pathway

The anti-inflammatory effects of an ethanol extract of Angelica gigas (EAG) were investigated in vitro and in vivo using croton oil-induced inflammation models. Croton oil (20 microgram/mL) up-regulated mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-I and COX-II in the macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, resulting in the release of high concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). EAG (1~10 microgram/mL) markedly suppressed croton oil-induced COX-II mRNA expression and PGE2 production. Application of croton oil (5% in acetone) to mouse ears caused severe local erythema, edema and vascular leakage, which were significantly attenuated by oral pre-treatment with EAG (50~500 mg/kg). Croton oil dramatically increased blood levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and PGE2 without affecting tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitric oxide (NO) levels. EAG pre-treatment remarkably lowered IL-6 and PGE2, but did not alter TNF-alpha or NO concentrations. These results indicate that EAG attenuates inflammatory responses in part by blocking the COX-PGE2 pathway. Therefore, EAG could be a promising candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Association of Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 G972R Variant with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Risk / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: The insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) is the primary docking molecule for the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR), and is required for activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K) pathway. IRS-1 activation of the (PI3K) pathway regulates IGF-mediated survival, enhancement of cellular motility and apoptosis. Therefore, we attempted to ascertain whether IRS-1 genetic variations affect an individual's risk for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Two-hundred and eighteen subjects, either diagnosed with NSCLC or control subjects, were matched by age, gender and smoking status. Genomic DNA from each subject was amplified by PCR and analyzed according to the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profile to detect the IRS-1 G972R polymorphism. RESULTS: The frequencies of each polymorphic variation, in the control population, were as follows: GG=103 (94.5%) and GR=6 (5.5%); for the NSCLC subjects, the genotypic frequencies were as follows: GG=106 (97.2%) and GR=3 (2.8%). We could not demonstrate statistically significant differences in the genotypic distribution between the NSCLC and the control subjects (p=0.499, Fisher's Exact test). The relative risk of NSCLC, associated with the IRS-1 G972R polymorphic variation, was 1.028 (95% CI; 0.63~9.90). In addition, we found no differences between polymorphic variants with regard to the histological subtype of NSCLC. CONCLUSION: We did not observe any noteworthy differences in the frequency of the IRS-1 G972R polymorphism in NSCLC patients, compared to control subjects. These results suggest suggesting that, in our study population, the IRS-1 G972R polymorphism does may not appear to be associated with an increased risk of NSCLC.

Natural Killer Cell Activity in North Korean Defectors with PTSD / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate an association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and altered immunity in North Korean defectors who were more likely to develop medical conditions and other stress-related psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Twenty-four North Korean defectors with PTSD and twenty-two controls without PTSD were recruited from the resettlement and training center for North Korean defectors in South Korea. Peripheral T lymphocyte subsets, natural killer (NK) cells, NK cell activity and plasma hormones (ACTH and cortisol) were obtained from all subjects. We also applied the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A) for all subjects. RESULTS: We found NK cell activity was relatively lower than number of NK cells in North Korean defectors with PTSD. Subjects with PTSD had higher HAM-D and HAM-A scores than controls. However, there were no statistical differences in ACTH, cortisol, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD19 and CD56 between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest North Korean defectors with PTSD show higher levels of depression, anxiety and impaired or weak immune function in NK cells.

Clinical significance of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor expression in stage I non-small-cell lung cancer: immunohistochemical analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. However, reports on the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) based on radioimmunoassays are conflicting, and its prognostic implications in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still controversial. METHODS: Seventy-one paraffin-embedded tissue sections from stage I NSCLC patients were stained using a mouse monoclonal antibody against human IGF-1R. RESULTS: The intensity and frequency of IGF-1R expression on the membrane and cytoplasm of cancer cells was evaluated and scored using a semiquantitative system. IGF-1R expression was detected in nine of 71 (12.7%) cases. No significant relationship was found between clinical/histopathological parameters and IGF-1R expression. None of the patients whose tumor expressed IGF-1R had experienced distant metastasis or cancer-related death, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that IGF-1R expression may not be a major prognostic factor for stage I NSCLC.