A Fruit Extract of Paeonia anomala Attenuates Chronic Alcohol-induced Liver Damage in Rats

Prolonged alcohol consumption causes alcoholic liver damage due to the generation of reactive oxygen species, the accumulation of fatty acids, and an increase in inflammatory cytokines in the liver. In this study, the protective effect of a fruit extract of Paeonia anomala (FEPA) against chronic alcohol-induced liver damage was evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats fed an ethanol or a control Lieber-DeCarli diet for 5 weeks to induce alcoholic liver damage. FEPA (50, 25, and 10 mg/kg body weight/day) as well as the reference control silymarin (25 mg/kg body weight/day) were administered along with the ethanol diet. FEPA protected against increases in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in serum and attenuated alcohol-induced increases in triglycerides, tumor necrosis factor alpha, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and cytochrome P450 2E1 enzyme activity in the liver compared with the group treated with ethanol only. Anti-oxidative defenses such as the total glutathione level and glutathione peroxidase activity were increased by FEPA treatment. These results suggest that FEPA exerts protective effects against chronic alcohol-induced liver damage by attenuating hepatosteatosis and pro-inflammatory cytokine production and enhancing anti-oxidative defense mechanisms in the liver.

Kretzschmaria quercicola sp. nov., an Undescribed Fungus from Living Oak in Mt. Daeryong, Korea

We encountered an unfamiliar ascomycete fruiting body, fitting characteristics of the genus Kretzschmaria, which features in a stipitate ascigerous stroma with carbonaceous interior and disintegrating perithecia. In this study, we report and characterize a new species of the decaying fungus. Compared to other species, one of the notable features of this specimen (TPML150908-046) is its stromatal size (up to 15 cm). Although TPML150908-046 is morphologically similar to K. milleri and K. sandvicensis, it differs sharply from both species in apical ring size (TPML150908-046, 6.5~10.5 µm; K. milleri, 11~16 µm) and ascospore width (TPML150908-046, 10.5~17 µm; K. sandvicensis, 8.5~11.5 µm). Phylogenetic trees based on β-tubulin, ITS, and RPB2 sequences showed that our collection clustered with K. sandvicensis, with the respective similarities for these sequences being 95.6%, 91.3%, and 97.7%, signifying it as another species. With these results, we report it as a new species, which we call Kretzschmaria quercicola sp. nov.

Distribution of Serum Lipoprotein(a) Level and its Association with Other Risk Factors in Apparently Healthy Korean

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have demonstrated that lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] plays an important role in atherothrombogenesis and to be associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the distribution of Lp (a) and its association with cardiovascular risk factors, by conducting a cross sectional survey of 14,516 apparently healthy Koreans. The study group consisted of 8,007 men and 6,509 women, aged 20 years and over. RESULTS: The mean, medium and 75th percentile Lp (a) levels were 20.1, 13.2 and 23.8 mg/dL, respectively. The distribution of Lp (a) was highly skewed toward a lower level. The Lp (a) level was positively associated with age (p<0.001) and low density lipoprotein (LDL)(p<0.001). The body mass index (BMI)(p=0.006), log (triglyceride)(p<0.001) and alcohol consumption more than 3 times per week (p<0.047) were inversely related to the Lp (a) level. However, no relationship was seen with smoking, gender, exercise, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP). CONCLUSION: The Lp (a) level was positively associated with age and low density lipoprotein (LDL). The body mass index (BMI) and log (triglyceride) were inversely related to the Lp (a) level. However, the association between Lp (a) and cardiovascular disease in the general Korean population should be confirmed via large scale prospective cohort studies.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of microalbuminuria in Koreans: a population-based cross-sectional study / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria (MA) is independent predictor of cardiovascular disease and it cause mortality regardless of the presence of diabetes (DM) and hypertension (HTN). However, few published studies on this topic have been reported in Korea. Therefore, we investigated the MA prevalence and relationship between MA, insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factor. METHODS: A total of 5,915 (3,053 men and 2,852 women) health screen examinees were enrolled in this study. We measured the anthropometric and biochemical parameters of the atherogenic indexes. RESULTS: The MA prevalence was 7.7% in all participants. The prevalence of MA in the men and women was 9.5% and 5.7%, respectively. Elevated levels of serum fasting glucose, serum fasting insulin, HOMA index, total cholesterols, LDL cholesterol, TG, Body Mass Index (BMI) and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly associated with MA. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis about MA showed that frequent drinking, low BMI, newly diagnosed DM and elevated levels of HOMA index and blood pressure were significantly associated with MA prevalence. Also, excluding newly diagnosed diabetic and hypertensive subjects, the MA prevalence was 5.7% (6.9% in men, 4.7% in women) and in multiple logistic regression analysis, the MA prevalence significantly increased in the individuals with pre-HTN rather than in the normotensives. CONCLUSIONS: The MA prevalence was 7.7% in all subjects. Except the newly diagnosed diabetic and hypertensive subjects, it was 5.7%. The MA prevalence was significantly increased in the individuals with pre-HTN rather than in the normotensives and MA was related with insulin resistance.