Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Effects of Artemisinin Extracts from Artemisia annua L

The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of artemisinin derived from water, methanol, ethanol, or acetone extracts of Artemisia annua L. were evaluated. All 4 artemisinin-containing extracts had anti-inflammatory effects. Of these, the acetone extract had the greatest inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and proinflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta , IL-6, and IL-10) production. Antioxidant activity evaluations revealed that the ethanol extract had the highest free radical scavenging activity, (91.0+/-3.2%), similar to alpha-tocopherol (99.9%). The extracts had antimicrobial activity against the periodontopathic microorganisms Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. animalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. polymorphum, and Prevotella intermedia. This study shows that Artemisia annua L. extracts contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial substances and should be considered for use in pharmaceutical products for the treatment of dental diseases.

A case of allgrove syndrome / 대한내과학회지

Allgrove syndrome, also known as Tripple A syndrome is characterized by ACTH-resistant adrenal insufficiency, achalasia of esophagus and alacrima. Since its first description by Allgrove et al. (1978), more than 60 cases from all over the world have been reported. In Korea, however, there was no report of this Allgrove syndrome. We report studies on a 18-year old male patient with this rare triad. The patient had alacrima from birth; isolated glucocorticoids deficiency had been diagnosed at 6 years of age and achalasia at age 18. We report the case with the review of literature.

A Case of Malignant Lymphoma in Patient with Ulcerative Colitis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Ulcerative colitis has been recognized as a premalignant condition because a considerable proportion of patients with colitis eventually develop colorectal carcinoma at the site of the inflammatory disease. Malignant lymphoma occurring in cases of long-standing ulcerative colitis is rare. Cancer risk is positively correlated with duration and anatomic extent of colitis, but do not appear to be increased by early age at onset of disease. Patients with chronic ulcerative colitis should have periodic rectal and colonoscopic biopsies, and those with moderate to marked dysplasia require colectomy because of the increased risk of colon carcinoma. We report a case of malignant lymphoma in patient with ulcerative colitis.

The Effect of Propofol for Sedation during Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This research was conducted in order to study the clinical usefulness and stability of the propofol used for sedation during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. METHODS: The objective of this research was to study one hundred patients, who were chosen based upon their preference to be examined through diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy accompanied with propofol from July 1998 to August 1998, and who showed normality in the pulmonary function test and ECG. The elements observed were hemodynamic variations, injection dosage, injection time, recovery time and side effects. RESULTS: All patatints had no recollection of the procedure during gastrointestinal endoscopy. It was found that the older the patients were, the less amount of propofol sleep was indued. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and the mean arterial blood pressure were lowered noticeably after sleep, compared with those before the injection of propofol, while the heart rate hardly changed. CONCLUSIONS: Profopol is believed to be a useful sedative for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. As blood pressre can be lowered however, a cautious attitude should be considered when injecting propofol in the elderly or in patients who have cardiovascular disease.