Ginsan Enhances Humoral Antibody Response to Orally Delivered Antigen

BACKGROUND: There have been several reports describing the capability of ginseng extracts as an adjuvant. In this study, we tested if ginsan, a polysaccharide extracted from Panax ginseng, was effective in enhancing antibody response to orally delivered Salmonella antigen. METHODS: Ginsan was treated before oral salmonella antigen administration. Salmonella specific antibody was determined by ELISA. mRNA expression was determined by RT-PCR. Cell migration was determined by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. COX expression was detected by western blot. RESULTS: Ginsan treatment before oral Salmonella antigen delivery significantly increased both secretory and serum antibody production. Ginsan increased the expression of COX in the Peyer's patches. Various genes were screened and we found that CCL3 mRNA expression was increased in the Peyer's patch. Ginsan increased dendritic cells in the Peyer's patch and newly migrated dendritic cells were mostly found in the subepithelial dome region. When COX inhibitors were treated, the expression of CCL3 was reduced. COX inhibitor also antagonized both the migration of dendritic cells and the humoral immune response against oral Salmonella antigen. CONCLUSION: Ginsan effectively enhances the humoral immune response to orally delivered antigen, mediated by CCL3 via COX. Ginsan may serve as a potent vaccine suppliment for oral immunization.

Protective Effect of Ginsan Against Vibrio vulnificus Infection

Ginsan, a botanic polysaccharide extracted from Panax ginseng, has recently been reported to modulate mucosal immune response. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of Ginsan against fatal Vibrio vulnificus mucosal infection. A lethal dose of V. vulnificus (1.0 x 106 CFU/mouse) was nasally inoculated to mice. The bacterial count in the nasal associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) of the mouse was significantly reduced in the Ginsan-treated group. The Ginsan-treated group showed improved survival compared to the control group (100% vs 18%). To elucidate the effect of Ginsan on modulating host immune response, cytokine mRNA expressions involved in mediating inflammation were determined by semiquantitative RT-PCR in the NALTs of the infected mice. Most of the cytokine mRNAs were similarly expressed as the control group. However, COX-1 mRNA expression level was higher in Ginsan-treated group compared to the control group. The protective effect of Ginsan was antagonized by treating with a specific COX-1 inhibitor, SC-560. Thus, these data suggest that the protective effect of Ginsan against V. vulnificus infection is partly mediated by modulating COX-1 expression.

Quantitative Analysis of Weissella cibaria against Periodontopathic Bacteria by Real-time PCR

The objective of this study was to analyze quantitatively whether Weissella cibaria could affect the proliferation of five periodontopathic bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Fusobacterium nucleatum, after incubation for 8~48 h. In addition, by using real-time PCR with a dual-labeled probe, each growth of bacteria was examined under different growth media conditions. The proliferation of periodontopathic bacteria was significantly inhibited by W. cibaria after incubation for 24~48 h (p < 0.05), whereas the growth of W. cibaria was not affected by these pathogenic bacteria. The growth of P. gingivalis, T. forsythia and T. denticola significantly increased in each growth media after incubation for 24 h (p < 0.05), as compared to the culture in mixed growth media. However, no differences in the growth of five periodontopathic bacteria were observed between each growth media and mixed media after incubation for 48 h. The growth and pH of W. cibaria culture significantly were changed in MRS after incubation for 24~48 h (p < 0.05), as compared to the bacterial culture in mixed growth media. The pH of P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum culture significantly was changed in both growth media and mixed media after incubation for 24~48 h (p < 0.05). Our data indicate that W. cibaria significantly inhibits the proliferation of five periodontopathic bacteria and each growth of bacteria is quantitatively analyzed under various media conditions by real-time PCR.

A Study on Burden and Well-being of Primary Caregivers of Patients with a Stroke / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSES: The purposes of this study were to identify factors related to burden and well-being in primary caregivers of patients who have had a stroke and examine the correlation between burden and well-being of the caregivers. METHODS: Between April 2006 to June 2007 data were collected using self-report questionnaires and interviews with 85 primary caregivers of stroke patients in C University Hospital. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Duncan test and Pearson's correlation with SPSSWIN 15.0. RESULTS: Factors related to burden of primary caregivers were sex and activities of daily living of the patients, and age, education level and satisfaction with income of the caregivers. The factors related to well-being of primary caregivers were sex of patients, and age and education level of caregivers as well as cohabitation with the patient. A negative correlation was found between burden and well-being of the caregivers (r= -.393, p<.001). CONCLUSION: These results indicate a need to develop a nursing intervention program for caregivers and education program for other family members to reduce caregiver burden. These programs should lead to improvements in the well-being of the caregiver.

The Effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus on the Primary Prevention of Asthma in a Murine Asthmatic Model / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: Recent studies have demonstrated that probiotics are effective in the management of allergic diseases, but there have been few reports about their preventive effects in asthma. We examined the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) and its mechanism in the primary prevention of asthma. METHODS: Before allergen sensitization, newborn Balb/c mice orally received 1x10(9) colony forming unit (CFU) LA per day every 2 days for consecutive 4 weeks starting from birth. After ovalbumin sensitization and challenge from day 36, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine, influx of inflammatory cells to the lung, serum total IgE levels, cytokine levels in the supernatant of splenocytes culture, and expression of FoxP3 mRNA in the peribronchial lymph nodes were assessed. RESULTS: The AHR showed a tendency to decrease in LA group, however, there was no statistical significance. The eosinophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum total IgE were significantly reduced in LA group compared with asthma control group. LA effectively induced IFN-gamma secretion and inhibited IL-4, IL-5 and TGF-beta1 secretion compared with asthma control group. The expression of FoxP3 mRNA in peribronchial lymph nodes did not show any difference between LA and asthma control group. CONCLUSION: Oral LA administration in murine model of asthma attenuated AHR and significantly suppressed eosinophilic inflammation in the airway. These effects of LA were mediated by suppressing Th2 immune response and enhancing Th1 immune response. The results may suggest the possible role of LA in the primary prevention of asthma.

A Case of Pancreatic Arteriovenous Malformation Presenting Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding / 대한소화기내시경학회지

A pancreatic arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a very rare disease entity that is usually asymptomatic; however, it may present with a massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Recent advances in cross-sectional imaging and the widespread availability of angiography have contributed to the diagnosis of this condition. A patient was transferred to our clinic due to unknown origin gastrointestinal bleeding and upper abdominal pain. Double balloon enteroscopy and duodenoscopy revealed a bleeding pancreatico-cholangio-duodenal fistula. We were able to diagnose an arteriovnous malformation with a pancreatico-cholangio-duodenal fistula by the use of angiography and from the post-operative pathological findings.

Analysis of Performance on Activities in Critical Pathway of Total Hip Replacement Surgery / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of performance on activities in critical pathway (CP) according to eight domains and six admission days on nursing records of patients who received total hip replacement surgery. METHODS: We reviewed 90 nursing records of patients who received total hip replacement surgery from June, 2004 to July, 2005 at C University Hospital. Data were collected using Hong's CP (2002) and were analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: The domain of diet was valued the highest in CP performance scoring, followed by the domains of assessment, activities, and test. There were differences in the performance scores according to the period of admission in all of the domains. Among 132 activities in the CP, 18 activities were completely performed, of which most included activities belonging to the domain of assessment on the admission day. Twelve activities were never performed, of which most included activities belonging to the domain of treatment on the day of operation and the first day after operation. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, further studies on the development of a new system to increase CP utilization and on updating the contents of CP from the best practice based on evidence is recommended.