Salicylic Acid Reduces OmpF Expression, Rendering Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium More Resistant to Cephalosporin Antibiotics / 전남의대학술지

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is one of the most important bacterial pathogens causing diarrhea. The resistance of S. typhimurium to antimicrobial agents, which has recently been isolated from patients, is causing serious problems. We investigated the effects of salicylic acid (Sal) and acetyl salicylate (AcSal) on the susceptibility of S. typhimurium to cephalosporin antibiotics, which are known to increase resistance to cephalosporin and quinolone antibiotics. The MIC of cephalosporin antibiotics was higher than that of the media without Sal. The rate of accumulation of ethidium bromide (EtBr) in the bacteria by the outer membrane protein (Omp) was not different from that of the bacteria cultured in the medium containing Sal. However, Carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), an inhibitor of bacterial efflux pumps, significantly reduced the rate of accumulation of EtBr in bacteria cultured on Sal containing medium. In the medium containing CCCP, the MIC of the antimicrobial agent tended to decrease as compared with the control. In addition, the MIC of the bacteria treated with CCCP and Sal was higher than that of the antimicrobial agent against the CCCP treated experimental bacteria. These results suggest that Sal decreases the expression of OmpF in the Omp of S. typhimurium and reduces the permeability of cephalosporin antibiotics to bacteria, which may induce tolerance to cephalosporin antibiotics.

Adipogenic and Lipolytic Effects of Ascorbic Acid in Ovariectomized Rats

PURPOSE: Ascorbic acid has been reported to have an adipogenic effect on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, while evidence also suggests that ascorbic acid reduces body weight in humans. In this study, we tested the effects of ascorbic acid on adipogenesis and the balance of lipid accumulation in ovariectomized rats, in addition to long-term culture of differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Murine 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and ovariectomized rats were treated with ascorbic acid at various time points. In vitro adipogenesis was analyzed by Oil Red O staining, and in vivo body fat was measured by a body composition analyzer using nuclear magnetic resonance. RESULTS: When ascorbic acid was applied during an early time point in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation and after bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) in rats, adipogenesis and fat mass gain significantly increased, respectively. However, lipid accumulation in well-differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed a significant reduction when ascorbic acid was applied after differentiation (10 days after induction). Also, oral ascorbic acid administration 4 weeks after OVX in rats significantly reduced both body weight and subcutaneous fat layer. In comparison to the results of ascorbic acid, which is a well-known cofactor for an enzyme of collagen synthesis, and the antioxidant ramalin, a potent antioxidant but not a cofactor, showed only a lipolytic effect in well-differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, not an adipogenic effect. CONCLUSION: Taking these results into account, we concluded that ascorbic acid has both an adipogenic effect as a cofactor of an enzymatic process and a lipolytic effect as an antioxidant.

Oral administration of red ginseng powder fermented with probiotic alleviates the severity of dextran-sulfate sodium-induced colitis in a mouse model / 中国天然药物

Red ginseng is a well-known alternative medicine with anti-inflammatory activity. It exerts pharmacological effects through the transformation of saponin into metabolites by intestinal microbiota. Given that intestinal microflora vary among individuals, the pharmacological effects of red ginseng likely vary among individuals. In order to produce homogeneously effective red ginseng, we prepared probiotic-fermented red ginseng and evaluated its activity using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in mice. Initial analysis of intestinal damage indicated that the administration of probiotic-fermented red ginseng significantly decreased the severity of colitis, compared with the control and the activity was higher than that induced by oral administration of ginseng powder or probiotics only. Subsequent analysis of the levels of serum IL-6 and TNF-α, inflammatory biomarkers that are increased at the initiation stage of colitis, were significantly decreased in probiotic-fermented red ginseng-treated groups in comparison to the control group. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and mRNAs for inflammatory factors in colorectal tissues were also significantly decreased in probiotic-fermented red ginseng-treated groups. Collectively, oral administration of probiotic-fermented red ginseng reduced the severity of colitis in a mouse model, suggesting that it can be used as a uniformly effective red ginseng product.

Comparison of commonly used ICR stocks and the characterization of Korl:ICR / 한국실험동물학회지

Mouse is a commonly used animal in life science studies and is classified as outbred if genetically diverse and inbred if genetically homogeneous. Outbred mouse stocks, are used in toxicology, oncology, infection and pharmacology research. The National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS; former the Korea National Institute of Health) have bred ICR mice for more than 50 years. We investigated to provide users with information and promote accountability to the Korl:ICR. To secure the indigenous data, biological characteristics of Korl:ICR were identified by comparing with other ICR stocks. This domestic ICR stock was denominated as ‘Korl:ICR’. Phylogenetic analysis using SNPs indicated that the population stratification of the Korl:ICR was allocated different area with other ICR. In addition, we measured litter size, body weight, body length, various organ weight, hematology and clinical blood chemistry of the Korl:ICR compared to other ICR. Otherwise, there are no significant differences among the biological phenotypes of Korl:ICR and other ICR. These results suggest that as a genetically indigenous source colony, the Korl:ICR is seperated (or independent) stock with other ICR. Also, we confirmed that there is no difference among the Korl:ICR and other ICR on biological phenotypes. Therefore, the Korl:ICR source colony might be a new stock in distinction from other ICR, it is a good milestone in securing ownership of the national laboratory animal resource. The NIFDS expects that the Korl:ICR mice will be useful animal resource for our domestic researchers.

Comparison of the response using ICR mice derived from three different sources to ethanol/hydrochloric acid-induced gastric injury / 한국실험동물학회지

Animal models for gastric ulcers produced by physical, pharmacological and surgical methods have been widely employed to evaluate therapeutic drugs and investigate the mechanism of action of this disease. ICR mice were selected to produce this model, even though several mice and rats have been widely used in studies of gastric ulcers. To compare the responses of ICR mice obtained from three different sources to gastric ulcer inducers, alterations in gastric injury, histopathological structure, and inflammation were measured in Korl:ICR (Korea NIFDS source), A:ICR (USA source) and B:ICR (Japan source) treated with three concentrations of ethanol (EtOH) (50, 70, and 90%) in 150 mM hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution. Firstly, the stomach lesion index gradually increased as the EtOH concentration increased in three ICR groups. Moreover, a significant increase in the level of mucosal injury, edema and the number of inflammatory cells was similarly detected in the EtOH/HCl treated group compared with the vehicle treated group in three ICR groups. Furthermore, the number of infiltrated mast cells and IL-1β expression were very similar in the ICR group derived from three different sources, although some differences in IL-1β expression were detected. Especially, the level of IL-1β mRNA in 50 and 90EtOH/HCl treated group was higher in Korl:ICR and A:ICR than B:ICR. Overall, the results of this study suggest that Korl:ICR, A:ICR and B:ICR derived from different sources have an overall similar response to gastric ulcer induced by EtOH/HCl administration, although there were some differences in the magnitude of their responses.

Preventive Effect of Korean Red Ginseng for Acute Respiratory Illness: A Randomized and Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is a functional food and has been well known for keeping good health due to its anti-fatigue and immunomodulating activities. However, there is no data on Korean red ginseng for its preventive activity against acute respiratory illness (ARI). The study was conducted in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in healthy volunteers (Clinical Trial Number: NCT01478009). Our primary efficacy end point was the number of ARI reported and secondary efficacy end point was severity of symptoms, number of symptoms, and duration of ARI. A total of 100 volunteers were enrolled in the study. Fewer subjects in the KRG group reported contracting at least 1 ARI than in the placebo group (12 [24.5%] vs 22 [44.9%], P = 0.034), the difference was statistically significant between the two groups. The symptom duration of the subjects who experienced the ARI, was similar between the two groups (KRG vs placebo; 5.2 +/- 2.3 vs 6.3 +/- 5.0, P = 0.475). The symptom scores were low tendency in KRG group (KRG vs placebo; 9.5 +/- 4.5 vs 17.6 +/- 23.1, P = 0.241). The study suggests that KRG may be effective in protecting subjects from contracting ARI, and may have the tendency to decrease the duration and scores of ARI symptoms.

A Case of Osseous Choristoma of Thyroid Gland / 대한이비인후과학회지

Osseous choristoma rarely occurs, but when it does, the oral cavity of the head and neck lesion is the most common site. It appears as a mass of normal bony structure, consisting of mature osteocytes in an ectopic position. Appearing as a calcification of thyroid mass on radiologic examinations, it could be a benign lesion, chronic inflammation, or carcinoma; the final diagnosis can only be obtained by a pathologic confirmation. Histologically, the lesions show a well-circumscribed mass of vital bone. The treatment of choice is surgical excision. We report a case of osseous choristoma that occurred on the thyroid gland. To our knowledge, such has not been reported previously as a site of osseous choristoma.

A Case of External Approach Treatment of Pott's Puffy Tumor / 대한이비인후과학회지

Pott's puffy tumor is a rare clinical entity, which has been described as a subperiosteal abscess in the frontal bone secondary to frontal osteomyelitis. Pott's puffy tumor can be associated with venous thrombosis, epidural abscess, subdural empyema, and brain abscess. In the present paper, we describe our experience of treating a 59-year old man who complained of a headache and a swelling of forehead. Because of bilateral lesion and obstruction of frontal recess, an external approach of the frontal sinus was carried out. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Pott's puffy tumor involving the bilateral frontal sinus.

Sudden Hearing Loss Subsequent to the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / 대한이비인후과학회지

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is otologic emergency, accompanying tinnitus and vertigo occasionally within several hours or a few days. Many etiologic theories such as viral infection, vascular occlusion, cochlear membrane break, bacterial infection, autoimmune disorder and neurologic diseases and so forth have been suggested. The risk of cerebrovascular accident in cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention is less than 0.5%. The main mechanism of injury results from microembolism and hypoperfusion. A 66-years-old male with long-standing history of ischemic heart disease was presented complaining profound hearing loss, ear fullness, and tinnitus in his right ear and mild vertigo subsequent to the percutaneous coronary intervention in the right side. There was sensory deficit on the right facial side and impairment of eyeball movement on the same side. The T1, T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed acute infarction of the right pons. Heparin was infused intravenously for 5 days. On the 8th day of treatment, the hearing threshold level was completely recovered to the level of the opposite ear. We report a case of hearing loss subsequent to coronary intervention with a review of literature.

Non-Traumatic Organizing Hematoma on Supraclavicular Fossa in a Child: A Case Report / 대한이비인후과학회지

Organizing hematoma occurs in many locations and simulate neoplasms. They have similar histologic features such as having a central mass of blood, granulation tissue, and dense, fibrous tissue at the periphery. There have been sporadic reports of organizing hematoma found not only in the soft tissue but also in the brain, adrenal gland, lung and maxillary sinus. We report a case of nontraumatic organizing hematoma encountered in a child -on the supraclavicular fossa. To our knowledge it is a site that has not been previously reported.

A Spatial Index Analysis for Decision on the First Opening of Facial Recess in Posterior Tympanotomy / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Temporal bone is a complicated structure anatomically. Highresolution computed tomography (HRCT) provides a good method for examination of the middle ear, inner ear anatomy and pathologic changes in the temporal bones. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relations of facial nerve and other structures in temporal bone and factors influencing access to posterior tympanotomy according to the age, sex and degree of temporal bone pneumatizaton. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A total of 133 ears of temporal bone computer tomograph (TBCT) were analyzed. We measured the distances and angle between important surgical landmarks, and compared the data according to the age, sex and mastoid pneumatization. RESULTS: We presented the angle between the posterior wall of external auditory canal and the facial nerve with the index for facial nerve preservation in posterior tympanotomy. This angle is 10.05 degrees other indices are not related statistically. CONCLUSION: This results may enable preoperative assessment and provide background knowledge to prevent facial nerve injury when performing a posterior tympanotomy.

Lipoprotein Analysis in the Elderly Men with Tinnitus / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus is the conscious experience of sound that originates in the head or neck, and without voluntary origin obvious to that person. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dyslipoproteinemias and its correlation with subjective tinnitus in the healthy elderly men (especially in men older than 60 years). SUBJECTS AND METHOD: From January 2007 to January 2008, we randomly selected 150 men at our office visit. Of these men, only 102 complained of subjective tinnitus. All men underwent pure tone audiogram, pitch-match and loudness-balance test for tinnitus, simple X-ray (mastoid series), blood sampling such as total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride and lipoprotein(a) etc, and if necessary, temporal bone imaging study, and vestibular function test. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS version 15.0, and the p-value was considered significant when less than 5%. RESULTS: The prevalence of hyperlipoproteinemia had no significant difference between the tinnitus group and the control group. Although there was no correlation between loudness (r=0.008, p>0.05) and pitch (r=0.026, p>0.05) for tinnitus with the serum lipoprotein(a) level, the mean value of serum lipoprotein(a) was significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The high level of serum lipoprotein(a) may have influence on the subjective tinnitus as a risk or aggravation factor in the healthy elderly men.

Epidemiology of central venous catheter related blood stream infections in pediatric patients / 소아과

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the pathogens of central venous catheter-related blood stream infections and search for the association among the insertion site, the duration and the underlying conditions with the prevalence of central venous catheter-related blood stream infections under 15 years old. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed from Jan, 2003 to Dec, 2003 in Severance Hospital on 112 patients who undertook central venous catheter insertions. RESULTS: We examined 112 patients who undertook central venous catheter insertion. The mean age of patients was 4.77+/-4.12 years old. Coagulase negative Staphylococci was the most common organism of central venous catheter-related blood stream infections accounting for 33.9 percent, followed by Eenterococcus faecium(9.3 percent), and Staphylococcus aureus(7.5 percent), The most common insertion site was the right femoral vein, followed by the right jugular vein and the left femoral vein. The mean insertion period was 14.17+/-12.00 days. CONCLUSION: Central venous catheter-related blood stream infections were not only related to the underlying conditions, but also to the insertion site. We need to study the clinical importance of coagulase negative Staphylococci as it is part of the normal flora of the skin. In future, more studies are needed to take preventive measures and improve treatment methods.

Expression of Toll-like Receptor-2 on the Peripheral Blood Monocytes in Kawasaki Disease Patients / 소아과

OBJECTIVE: Toll like receptor(TLR) is known to be involved in innate immunity. Many microbial antigens stimulate TLR, and as a result of intracellular signal transduction, they activate nuclear factor-kB which produces diverse inflammtory cytokines. Until now, many research topics in Kawasaki disease focused on cytokine increasement. In this study, we aim to reveal TLR increasement which might be associated with initiation of inflammatory response. METHODS: We obtained the peripheral blood of ten patients who were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in Yonsei University College of Medicine from March 2003 to August 2003, as well as those of a febrile control group and the same number of a normal control group. Flow cytometry was done in all samples for quantification of TLR-2 expression in CD14 positive monocyte. And we also extracted total RNA of periphral monocyte and quantificated expression of TLR-2 mRNA by RT- PCR. RESULTS: The expression of TLR-2 in Kawasaki disease increased significantly compared with the normal control group but not when compared with the febrile control group. And the expression decreased slightly in the subacute phase of Kawasaki disease compared with the acute phase, but this was statistically insignificant. mRNA expression of TLR-2 in peripheral blood monocyte also increased in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease. CONCLUSION: Expression of TLR-2 in Kawasaki disease increased when compared with the normal control group, which means that innate immunity is associated with the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease.