Epimedium koreanum Nakai and its main constituent icariin suppress lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes / 中国天然药物

Obesity is associated with a number of metabolic abnormalities such as type 2 diabetes and has become a major health problem worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Epimedium koreanum Nakai (Herba Epimedii, HE) and its main constituent icariin on the adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. HE extract and icariin significantly reduced lipid accumulation and suppressed the expressions of PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP-1c in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. They also inhibited fatty acid synthase (FAS), acyl-Co A synthase (ACS1), and perilipin. Moreover, HE extract and icariin markedly increased the phosphorylation of AMPK. These results indicated that HE extract and icariin can inhibit the adipocyte differentiation through downregulation of the adipogenic transcription factors, suggesting that HE containing icariin may be used as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment and prevention of obesity.

Gender Based Health Inequality and Impacting Factors

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to identify gender-based health inequality and explore impacting factors on health inequality in one province in Korea. METHODS: This was an explanatory study using the secondary data on Chungnam province from the Fifth Community Health Survey from August 16 to Oct 31, 2012. Variables included in this analysis were education level, poverty, marital status, and residential community for socio-cultural characteristics and subjective health status as an indicator of health inequality. Data were analyzed by chi2-test, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: There were gender inequalities and disparities in health, and these inequalities were greater in woman than in man (chi2=161.8, p<.001). The impacting factors were education level, poverty, marital status, and residential community, which was accounted for 22.6% of variances of health inequality. Among these variables, gender showed the largest influence in health inequalities. CONCLUSION: To solve health inequalities, it should be considered gender differences based on social determinants of health. It is necessary to develop long term project based on these results and the social determinants model of World Health Organization.

Transplantation of betacellulin-transduced islets improves glucose intolerance in diabetic mice

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by permanent destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells and requires lifelong exogenous insulin therapy. Recently, islet transplantation has been developed, and although there have been significant advances, this approach is not widely used clinically due to the poor survival rate of the engrafted islets. We hypothesized that improving survival of engrafted islets through ex vivo genetic engineering could be a novel strategy for successful islet transplantation. We transduced islets with adenoviruses expressing betacellulin, an epidermal growth factor receptor ligand, which promotes beta-cell growth and differentiation, and transplanted these islets under the renal capsule of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Transplantation with betacellulin-transduced islets resulted in prolonged normoglycemia and improved glucose tolerance compared with those of control virus-transduced islets. In addition, increased microvascular density was evident in the implanted islets, concomitant with increased endothelial von Willebrand factor immunoreactivity. Finally, cultured islets transduced with betacellulin displayed increased proliferation, reduced apoptosis and enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the presence of cytokines. These experiments suggest that transplantation with betacellulin-transduced islets extends islet survival and preserves functional islet mass, leading to a therapeutic benefit in type 1 diabetes.

The efficacy of SPA0355 in protecting beta cells in isolated pancreatic islets and in a murine experimental model of type 1 diabetes

Cytokines activate several inflammatory signals that mediate beta-cell destruction. We recently determined that SPA0355 is a strong anti-inflammatory compound, thus reporting its efficacy in protecting beta cells from various insults. The effects of SPA0355 on beta-cell survival were studied in RINm5F cells and primary islets. The protective effects of this compound on the development of type 1 diabetes were evaluated in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. SPA0355 completely prevented cytokine-induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and cytotoxicity in RINm5F cells and isolated islets. The molecular mechanism of SPA0355 inhibition of iNOS expression involves the inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB and Janus kinase signal transducer and activator of transcription pathways. The protective effects of SPA0355 against cytokine toxicity were further demonstrated by normal insulin secretion and absence of apoptosis of cytokine-treated islets. In experiments with NOD mice, the occurrence of diabetes was efficiently reduced when the mice were treated with SPA0355. Therefore, SPA0355 might be a valuable treatment option that delays the destruction of pancreatic beta cells in type 1 diabetes.

Full mouth rehabilitation of the patient with severely worn dentition: a case report

The severe wear of anterior teeth facilitates the loss of anterior guidance, which protects the posterior teeth from wear during excursive movement. The collapse of posterior teeth also results in the loss of normal occlusal plane and the reduction of the vertical dimension. This case report describes 77-year-old female, who had the loss of anterior guidance, the severe wear of dentition, and the reduction of the vertical dimension. Occlusal overlay splint was used after the decision of increasing vertical dimension by anatomical landmark, facial and physiologic measurement. Once the compatibility of the new vertical dimension had been confirmed, interim fixed restoration and the permanent reconstruction was initiated. This case reports that a satisfactory clinical result was achieved by restoring the vertical dimension with an improvement in esthetics and function.

Codelivery of IL-7 Augments Multigenic HCV DNA Vaccine-induced Antibody as well as Broad T Cell Responses in Cynomolgus Monkeys

BACKGROUND: A crucial limitation of DNA vaccines is its weak immunogenicity, especially in terms of eliciting antibody responses in non-human primates or humans; therefore, it is essential to enhance immune responses to vaccination for the development of successful DNA vaccines for humans. METHODS: Here, we approached this issue by evaluating interleukin-7 (IL-7) as a genetic adjuvant in cynomolgus monkeys immunized with multigenic HCV DNA vaccine. RESULTS: Codelivery of human IL-7 (hIL-7)-encoding DNA appeared to increase DNA vaccine-induced antibody responses specific for HCV E2 protein, which plays a critical role in protecting from HCV infection. HCV-specific T cell responses were also significantly enhanced by codelivery of hIL-7 DNA. Interestingly, the augmentation of T cell responses by codelivery of hIL-7 DNA was shown to be due to the enhancement of both the breadth and magnitude of immune responses against dominant and subdominant epitopes. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings suggest that the hIL-7-expressing plasmid serves as a promising vaccine adjuvant capable of eliciting enhanced vaccine-induced antibody and broad T cell responses.

Sulfuretin protects against cytokine-induced beta-cell damage and prevents streptozotocin-induced diabetes

NF-kappaB activation has been implicated as a key signaling mechanism for pancreatic beta-cell damage. Sulfuretin is one of the main flavonoids produced by Rhus verniciflua, which is reported to inhibit the inflammatory response by suppressing the NF-kappaB pathway. Therefore, we isolated sulfuretin from Rhus verniciflua and evaluated if sulfuretin could inhibit cytokine- or streptozotocin-induced beta-cell damage. Rat insulinoma RINm5F cells and isolated rat islets were treated with IL-1beta and IFN-gamma to induce cytotoxicity. Incubation of cells and islets with sulfuretin resulted in a significant reduction of cytokine-induced NF-kappaB activation and its downstream events, iNOS expression, and nitric oxide production. The cytotoxic effects of cytokines were completely abolished when cells or islets were pretreated with sulfuretin. The protective effect of sulfuretin was further demonstrated by normal insulin secretion of cytokine-treated islets in response to glucose. Treatment of mice with streptozotocin resulted in hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia, which was further evidenced by immunohistochemical staining of islets. However, the diabetogenic effects of streptozotocin were completely prevented when mice were pretreated with sulfuretin. The anti-diabetogenic effects of sulfuretin were also mediated by suppression of NF-kappaB activation. Collectively, these results indicate that sulfuretin may have therapeutic value in preventing beta-cell damage.

Coptidis rhizoma extract protects against cytokine-induced death of pancreatic beta-cells through suppression of NF-kappa B activation

We demonstrated previously that Coptidis rhizoma extract (CRE) prevented S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine-induced apoptotic cell death via the inhibition of mitochondrial membrane potential disruption and cytochrome c release in RINm5F (RIN) rat insulinoma cells. In this study, the preventive effects of CRE against cytokine-induced beta-cell death was assessed. Cytokines generated by immune cells infiltrating pancreatic islets are crucial mediators of beta-cell destruction in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The treatment of RIN cells with IL-1beta and IFN-gamma resulted in a reduction of cell viability. CRE completely protected IL-1beta and IFN-gamma-mediated cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. Incubation with CRE induced a significant suppression of IL-1beta and IFN-gamma-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, a finding which correlated well with reduced levels of the iNOS mRNA and protein. The molecular mechanism by which CRE inhibited iNOS gene expression appeared to involve the inhibition of NF-kappa B activation. The IL-1beta and IFN-gamma-stimulated RIN cells showed increases in NF-kappa B binding activity and p65 subunit levels in nucleus, and IkappaBalpha degradation in cytosol compared to unstimulated cells. Furthermore, the protective effects of CRE were verified via the observation of reduced NO generation and iNOS expression, and normal insulin-secretion responses to glucose in IL-1beta and IFN-gamma-treated islets.

Effect of Nutrition-Related Education on the Acceptance of TV Food Advertisement in Middle School Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was to investigate the effect of the education about general nutrition knowledge on the acceptance of TV food advertisements in adolescents. Twenty hours of nutrition related education in home economics classes were done during 3 months, to conveniently selected 784 first grade middle school students living in large and small cities and rural areas of Chungnam Province. The education effects were evaluated through questionnaire surveys before and after the education and their comparative analysis. Average TV watching time was 2.92 +/- 1.66 hours per day, which was about one hour longer on weekends. Nearly half of the subjects watched TV mainly after 9 PM. After nutrition education, nutrition knowledge scores of total subjects were significantly increased from 7.73 +/- 2.16 to 10.25 +/- 2.51 with a full score of 16. Food attitude and food habit scores also significantly increased from 32.45 +/- 4.65 (full score 50) to 33.93 +/- 4.68 and from 36.20 +/- 5.70 to 37.29 +/- 5.87, respectively. The general acceptance of TV food advertisements scored 25.25 +/- 4.44 (full score 40) before education and 26.90 +/- 4.55 after education, which was significantly raised by the education. Acceptance scores of TV food advertisements showed significant positive relationships with the scores of nutrition knowledge, food attitudes, and food habits. In addition, TV watching time had negative relationships with nutrition knowledge, food attitudes, and food habits scores, but not with acceptance score of TV food advertisements. The above results suggested that school-based nutrition education improved slightly but significantly the attitude of accepting TV food advertisements maybe through increasing nutrition knowledge and making food attitudes and habits better. Nutrition education focused on the evaluation and acceptance of food advertisements are further needed to improve the TV food advertisement acceptance of adolescents.

The Application of Impulse Oscillometry(IOS) in the Detection of Smoking Induced Early Airway Obstruction / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Impulse Oscillometry is a noninvasive and effort-independent test used to characterize the mechanical impedance of the respiratory system. The clinical potential of the 105 is rapid and demands only passive cooperation which makes it especially appealing for children, for epidemiologic surveys and for conditions in which quiet breathig instead of forced expiratory maneuvers are preferred. However, several studies have shown conflicting results that the role of 108 about detection of smoking induced small airway diseases or early airway obstruction METHODS: Study was to evaluate the clinical ability of the 108 to detect about smoking induced early airway obstruction in persons with normal spirometry test. Respiratory asymptomatic study groups were formed that one is non-smoking group, another is smoking group. RESULTS: The parameters of spirometry were not significantly differences between non-smoking group and smoking group. Among the parameters of 108, total resistance(non-smoking group: smoking group= 2.22 +/-1.20 : 2.58 +/-1.71), peripheral resistance( 1.25 +/-0.62 : 1.47 +/-0.10), bronchial compliance(0.44 +/-0.12: 0.47 +/-0.16) were not statistically significant different (p<0.05), but central resistance and lung compliance were not statistically significant different (unit ; resistance= hPa/l/s, compliance= 1/hPa). Resistance(Rrs) was not statistically significant different with changes of frequences(5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35Hz), but Reactance(Xrs) was statistically significant differenct with low frequences that X5(non-smoking group : smoking group= -0.62 +/-0.28 : - 0.76 +/-0.48, p<0.001) and X10(-0.06 +/-0.19 : -0.15 +/-0.33, p<0.013) (unit; hPa/l/s, hPa=cmH2O) CONCLUSION: Impulse oscillometer(IOS) is clinically available method to detect about smoking induced early airway obstruction. And clinically potential parameters of IOS were considers that total resistance, peripheral resistance, bronchial resistance, and reactance of low frequency at 5Hz, 10Hz.