Anti-Streptococcus mutans and anti-inflammatory effects of ginsenoside Compound K and enzyme-treated red ginseng extract (BTEX-K).

Objectives: Dental caries, or tooth decay, is an oral health issue worldwide. Oral healthcare researchers are considering how to develop safe and effective preventive measures and treatments for dental caries. This study evaluated the potential applications of Compound K and BTEX-K, a Compound K-rich red ginseng extract, for the prevention and treatment of dental caries.

Combined treatment of Taraxaci Herba and R7050 alleviates the symptoms of herpes simplex virus-induced Behçet's disease in rats.

Background: Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease that affects multiple organs. The causes of BD are still unknown, but it is primarily characterized by autoimmune reaction in the blood vessels. Current research focuses on treatments that can reduce the non-typical inflammatory responses of BD.

Does work time limit for resident physician affect short-term treatment outcome and hospital length of stay in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage?: a two-year experience at a single training hospital in South Korea.

Objective: To compare short-term treatment outcomes at hospital discharge and hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) before and after introduction of resident physician work time limit (WTL).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients treated for sICH at our institution between 2016 and 2019. Then we dichotomized these patients into two groups, pre-WTL and post-WTL.

Structural and Functional Alterations at Pre-Epileptic Stage Are Closely Associated with Epileptogenesis in Pilocarpine-induced Epilepsy Model.

Pilocarpine-induced rat epilepsy model is an established animal model that mimics medial temporal lobe epilepsy in humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate neuroimaging abnormalities in various stages of epileptogenesis and to correlate them with seizure severity in pilocarpine-induced rat epilepsy model. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were subject to continuous video and electroencephalographic monitoring after inducing status epilepticus (SE) and seizure severity was estimated by frequency and total durations of class 3 to 5 spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) by modified Racine's classification.

Ultraviolet- and infrared-induced 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activating skin photoaging is inhibited by red ginseng extract containing high concentration of ginsenoside Rg3(S).

Background: Sun irradiation is one of major extrinsic stressors responsible for premature skin aging through activation and expression of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), which converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of red ginseng extract containing high concentrations of ginsenoside Rg3 (S) (GERg3) on 11β-HSD1-induced skin photoaging.

Methods: To evaluate the inhibitory effects of GERg3 on ultraviolet- (UV) or infrared (IR)-induced skin photoaging, human dermal fibroblasts or a normal human 3D skin model was exposed to UV or an IR.

Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Deficits Reduce Glucose Metabolism and Function of Cholinergic and GABAergic Systems in the Cingulate Cortex.

Purpose: Reduced brain glucose metabolism and basal forebrain cholinergic neuron degeneration are common features of Alzheimer's disease and have been correlated with memory function. Although regions representing glucose hypometabolism in patients with Alzheimer's disease are targets of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons, the interaction between cholinergic denervation and glucose hypometabolism is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate glucose metabolism changes caused by cholinergic deficits.

Therapeutic potentials of human adipose-derived stem cells on the mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

The treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) using stem cells has long been the focus of many researchers, but the ideal therapeutic strategy has not yet been developed. The consistency and high reliability of the experimental results confirmed by animal models are considered to be a critical factor in the stability of stem cell transplantation for PD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the preventive and therapeutic potential of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASC) for PD and was to identify the related factors to this therapeutic effect.

[Effects of Silver-Care-Robot Program on Cognitive Function, Depression, and Activities of Daily Living for Institutionalized Elderly People].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects on cognitive function, depression, and activities of daily living of Silver-Care-Robot Program for institutionalized elders.

Methods: This study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 42 institutionalized elders (17 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group).

Longitudinal FDG microPET imaging of neuropathic pain: does cerebellar activity correlate with neuropathic pain development in a rat model?

Background: We used [F-18] FDG microPET imaging as part of a longitudinal study to investigate changes in the brain.

Methods: Glucose metabolism during the development of neuropathic pain after tibial and sural nerve transection (TST) model rats. MicroPET images were obtained 1 week before operation and then weekly for 8 weeks post-operation.

Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng improves vascular function in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Background: Panax ginseng has distinct and impressive health benefits, such as improved blood pressure and immune system functioning. Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng (REKRG) isolated from Korean Red Ginseng contains a high percentage of Rg3.

Methods: In this study, we examined the effects of REKRG on endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation and adhesion molecules in endothelial cells and vascular function in rats.

Performance of on-site pilot static granular bed reactor (SGBR) for treating dairy processing wastewater and chemical oxygen demand balance modeling under different operational conditions.

The performance and operational stability of a pilot-scale static granular bed reactor (SGBR) for the treatment of dairy processing wastewater were investigated under a wide range of organic and hydraulic loading rates and temperature conditions. The SGBR achieved average chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and total suspended solids (TSS)-removal efficiencies higher than 90% even at high loading rates up to 7.3 kg COD/m(3)/day, with an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 9 h, and at low temperatures of 11 °C.

Septic wastewater treatment using recycled rubber particles as biofiltration media.

Performance of the laboratory-scale recycled rubber particles (RRP) biofilter was compared to a conventional gravel system and a peat biofilter for treatment of septic tank effluent. During the study, the RRP biofilter provided similar or better performance than other systems in terms of organic removal and hydraulic capacity. After the start-up period, RRP biofilter achieved removal efficiencies for BOD5, total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia nitrogen of 96%, 93%, and 90%, respectively, over the range of hydraulic loading rates of 57-204 L/m2/d.

Auditory adaptation to sound intensity in conscious rats: 2-[F-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET study.

Despite the importance of the adaptive process for discriminating the broad range of sound intensity, there have been few systemic investigations targeting the auditory mechanisms. In this study, the adaptation effect of sound intensity on the change in glucose metabolism in rat brains was examined using a PET technique. In the first experiment, broadband white noise sound (40, 60, 80, or 100 dB sound pressure level) was given for 30 min after an 2-[F-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose injection in an awake condition.

Analgesic mechanism of electroacupuncture in an arthritic pain model of rats: a neurotransmitter study.

Purpose: We investigated what kinds of neurotransmitters are related with electroacupuncture (EA) analgesia in an arthritic pain model of rats.

Materials And Methods: One hundred rats were assigned to six groups: control, EA, opioid, adrenergic, serotonin and dopamine group. A standardized model of inflammatory arthritis was produced by injecting 2% carrageenan into the knee joint cavity.

The effect of robo-horseback riding therapy on spinal alignment and associated muscle size in MRI for a child with neuromuscular scoliosis: an experimenter-blind study.

Purpose: This case study was conducted to highlight the clinical and radiological features of a patient with progressive neuromuscular scoliosis before and after robo-horseback riding therapy (HBRT).

Design: A clinical, laboratory, and radiological analysis of a single case.

Subject: An 11-year-old child, dignosed right thoracolumbar neuromuscular scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy.

Evaluation of an on-site pilot static granular bed reactor (SGBR) for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater.

An on-site pilot-scale static granular bed reactor (SGBR) system was evaluated for treating wastewater from a slaughterhouse in Iowa. The study evaluated SGBR reactor suitability for slaughterhose wastewater having high particulate COD concentration (7.9 ± 4.

Spatial distribution of glucose hypometabolism induced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin in monkeys.

Intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (icv-STZ) in rodents induces cellular and behavioral features mimicking Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the effect of icv-STZ in terms of regional cerebral glucose metabolism has not yet been examined in vivo. Given that regionally specific hypometabolism of glucose is a consistent neuroimaging marker in early AD, we monitored 18F-deoxyglucose uptake using a high-resolution micro-PET after icv-STZ in non-human primates.

Comprehensive Hand Repetitive Intensive Strengthening Training (CHRIST)-induced morphological changes in muscle size and associated motor improvement in a child with cerebral palsy: an experimenter-blind study.

Purpose: This case study was conducted to determine Comprehensive Hand Repetitive Intensive Strengthening Training (CHRIST)-induced morphological changes in the commonly affected extensor carpi radialis (ECR) and triceps brachii (TRI) muscle and associated muscle strength and motor performance in a child with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (CP) using standardized clinical tests and ultrasound imaging.

Design: A single case study with pre-/post-test.

Subject: A 4.

Differential activation of face memory encoding tasks in alcohol-dependent patients compared to healthy subjects: an fMRI study.

It has been hypothesized that the right hemisphere of the brain is more sensitive to alcohol-related damage than the left hemisphere. The present study tested this hypothesis, using functional MRI to determine whether the pattern for right hemispheric activity is different for alcohol-dependent patients, compared to normal healthy individuals. Two different types of memory encoding tasks were performed separately: word and face encoding for both alcohol-dependent patients and normal healthy volunteers.

Pain-relieving effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture in an animal model of arthritic pain.

The effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on an animal model of arthritic pain were examined. Under halothane anesthesia, arthritic pain was induced by the injection of carrageenan into the knee joint cavity of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Behavioral performance was tested before and after the termination of acupuncture or electroacupuncture.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of class II fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from Thermus caldophilus.

In this study, we have crystallized class II fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) from Thermus caldophilus (Tca). Purified Tca FBA is a tetrameric enzyme of 305 residues, which crystallizes in the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) (cell dimensions a = 98.9, b = 113.

Activation of selective transcription factors and cytokines by water-soluble extract from Lentinus lepideus.

We isolated a water-soluble extract, PG101, from cultured mycelia of Lentinus lepideus. Treatment of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with PG101 increased levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-10, and IL-12 by 100- to 1000-fold, whereas GM-CSF and IL-18 were activated by an order of magnitude. On the contrary, IFN-gamma and IL-4 were not affected.