Ethanol Extract of A. Berger (Crassulaceae) Protects Against Type 2 Diabetes by Reducing Insulin Resistance and Hepatic Inflammation in Mice.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a threaten human health problem, and accompanied by hyperglycemia and disorder of insulin secretion, is a major cause of abnormalities in maintaining blood glucose homeostasis. Also, low-grade inflammation, as well as insulin resistance (IR), is a common feature in patients with T2D. Numerous causes of the outbreak of T2D have been suggested by researchers, who indicate that genetic background and epigenetic predisposition, such as overnutrition and deficient physical activity, hasten the promotion of T2D milieu.

Orostachys japonicus ameliorates acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Orostachys japonicus A. Berger (O. japonicus), referred to as Wa-song in Korea is a traditional and herbal medicine.

A 12-week, randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of liver function after using fermented ginseng powder (GBCK25).

Background: Recently, clinical research has suggested that red ginseng components play a role in liver protection and combating fatigue. However, fermented ginseng has not been analyzed for liver-protective or anti-fatigue effects.

Objective: This study evaluates the positive effects of fermented ginseng powder (GBCK25) on liver function.

Fermented ginseng, GBCK25, ameliorates steatosis and inflammation in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis model.

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the chronic inflammatory liver diseases and a leading cause of advanced liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The main purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of GBCK25 fermented by GB-07 and pectinase, on NASH severity in mice.

Methods: Six-wk-old male mice were fed either a normal diet (ND) or a Western diet (WD) for 12 wks to induce NASH.

GBCK25, fermented ginseng, attenuates cardiac dysfunction in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

The fermentation of medicinal herbs facilitated by microbes is assumed to exert promising therapeutic efficacy on the absorption, bioavailability, and pharmacological effects by speeding up the making or conversion of active constituents into their metabolites. We examined the cardioprotective potential of fermented ginseng, GBCK25, against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic and functional illnesses as following the essential analysis such as electrocardiographic parameters, alterations of body and organ weights, and echocardiographic studies. The results exhibited that body weights were significantly reduced and the gain of different organ weights were partly eased by GBCK25 treatment.

Tumescent local anesthetic technique for inguinal hernia repairs.

Purpose: We evaluated the adequacy and feasibility of a tumescent solution containing lidocaine and bupivacaine for inguinal hernia repairs.

Methods: The medical records of 146 consecutive inguinal hernia patients with 157 hernia repairs using the tumescent local anesthesia technique performed by a single surgeon between September 2009 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The mean operation time (±standard deviation) and hospital stay were 64.

Severe acute pancreatitis due to tamoxifen-induced hypertriglyceridemia with diabetes mellitus.

The side effects of tamoxifen are generally mild, including the effect on lipoprotein metabolism. However, there are few cases of severe tamoxifen induced hypertriglyceridemia. Hypertriglyceridemia is a marked risk factor for acute pancreatitis and approximately 2% to 5% of cases of acute pancreatitis are related to drugs.

Circulating cell-free DNA as a promising biomarker in patients with gastric cancer: diagnostic validity and significant reduction of cfDNA after surgical resection.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine whether levels of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) increase according to cancer progression, whether they are restored after surgical resection, and to evaluate cfDNA in gastric cancer patients as a useful biomarker.

Methods: A case-control study design was used. Thirty gastric cancer patients and 34 healthy subjects were enrolled from two hospitals in South Korea.

Differences in the Survival of Gastric Cancer Patients after Gastrectomy according to the Medical Insurance Status.

Purpose: In Korea, the entire population must enroll in the national health insurance system, and those who are classified as having a lower socioeconomic status are supported by the medical aid system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the medical insurance status of gastric cancer patients with their survival after gastrectomy.

Materials And Methods: A total of 247 patients who underwent surgical treatment for gastric cancer between January 1999 and December 2010 at the Seoul Medical Center were evaluated.

A Peterson's hernia and subsequent small bowel volvulus: surgical reconstruction utilizing transverse colon as a new Roux-en-Y limb - 1 case.

Peterson's hernia is an internal hernia that can occur after Roux-en-Y anastomosis. It often accompanies small bowel volvulus and is prone to strangulation. Reconstruction of intestinal continuity after massive small bowel resection in a patient who undergoes near total gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y anastomosis can be difficult.

Localized pseudomembranous colitis in the cecum and ascending colon mimicking acute appendicitis.

A 61-year-old male was admitted to our hospital due to right lower abdominal pain and watery diarrhea for 3 d. Beginning 3 wk before he arrived in our hospital, he took 3(rd)-generation cephalosporin (cefixime) for 2 wk due to chronic left ear otitis media. Colonoscopic examination revealed yellowish patches of ulcerations and swelling covered with thick serosanguineous exudate in the cecum and ascending colon.

Clinical Correlation between Gastric Cancer Type and Serum Selenium and Zinc Levels.

Purpose: We conducted this study to study the clinical correlation between the characteristics of gastric cancer and serum selenium and zinc levels.

Materials And Methods: The following data were measured in the baseline serum selenium and zinc levels of 74 patients with curative gastrectomy subsequent to confirmed gastric cancer, from March 2005 to August 2012.

Results: Among the 74 gastric cancer patients, 53 patients were male.

Urachal cyst presenting with huge abscess formation in adults.

Urachal disease, a disorder where embryonic remnant of the cloaca and the allantois present after birth as a midline fibrous cord, is usually detected in infancy and childhood. But urachal disease in adults is rare. We report a case of a huge abscess derived from a urachal cyst in an adult.