Anti-Melanogenic Effects of Extract via p38 Signaling-Mediated Proteasomal Degradation of Tyrosinase.

fructus is widely used in traditional Oriental medicine for treating female genital disorders, male impotence, frigidity, and skin-related conditions in East Asia. However, the role of fructus extract (CMFE) in melanin synthesis is not well elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the anti-melanogenesis effect and mechanism of action of CMFE in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells.

Anti-influenza A virus activity by Agrimonia pilosa and Galla rhois extract mixture.

Influenza A virus (IAV) continues to threaten human health. To date, two classes of antiviral drugs have been approved to treat IAV infection, but the continuous emergence of the drug-resistant IAV mutant reinforces the need to develop new antiviral drugs. In this study, we aimed to investigate the anti-IAV activity of an aqueous mixture of Agrimonia pilosa and Galla rhois extracts (APRG64).

Innovative flat-plate solar collector (FPC) with coloured water flowing through a transparent tube.

Of all types of solar collector, the flat-plate collector (FPC) has the lowest performance, but is the most widely used because of its low cost and easy maintenance. To effectively collect solar light in the conventional FPCs, metal tubes with a high thermal conductivity are installed under an absorption plate. However, in this study, in order to take advantage of the sunlight absorption capacity of coloured water flowing through a tube, a transparent tube was installed on the absorbing plate.

A green chemical oligomerization of phloroglucinol induced by plasma as novel α-glucosidase inhibitors.

A new facile method was developed for simple green synthesis of methylene-bridged phloroglucinol oligomers using nonthermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in methanolic solution. The chemical structures of these newly generated oligomers 2-5 were determined by interpretation of the spectroscopic data, and the inhibitory activity toward α-glucosidase of all isolates was evaluated. The unusual phloroglcuinol pentamer 5 connected by four methylene linkages showed a much higher potential inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase than the other generated oligomers 2-4 and appeared to be a promising lead for development as a potential antidiabetic agent.

Anatomical location and somatotopic organization of the corticospinal tract in the corona radiata of the normal human brain: a diffusion tensor tractography study.

The anatomical location and somatotopic organization of the corticospinal tract (CST) in the corona radiata (CR) of the normal human brain have not been studied using diffusion tensor tractography so far. In this study, the anatomical location and somatotopic organization of the CST in the CR were evaluated by determining the highest probabilistic locations and distances between the upper and lower extremities in the slices of upper and lower CR in the brain. In the mediolateral direction, the average of the highest probabilistic locations for the upper and lower extremities were 40.

Behavior of particulate matter during high concentration episodes in Seoul.

The behavior of particulate matter (PM) during high-concentration episodes was investigated using monitoring data from Guui station, a comprehensive air monitoring station in Seoul, Korea, from January 2008 to March 2010. Five non-Asian dust (ND) episodes and two Asian dust (AD) episodes of high PM concentrations were selected for the study. During the ND episode, primary air pollutants accumulated due to low wind speeds, and PM2.

Descending necrotizing Mediastinitis caused by Kocuria rosea: a case report.

Background: Kocuria species are gram-positive, non-pathogenic commensals. However, in immunocompromised patients such as transplant recipients, cancer patients, or patients with chronic medical conditions, they can cause opportunistic infections.

Case Presentation: We report the first case of descending necrotizing mediastinitis in a 58-year-old, relatively healthy woman caused by Kocuria rosea.

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the pleura.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma, a type of sarcoma, is a malignant neoplasm with uncertain origin that arises in both the soft tissues and the bone. The occurrence of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the pleura is extremely rare. We report a case of a 65-year-old Korean man who is being diagnosed with primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the pleura.

Functional significance of a hepta nucleotide motif present at the junction of Cucumber mosaic virus satellite RNA multimers in helper-virus dependent replication.

Satellite RNAs (satRNA) associated with Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) have been shown to generate multimers during replication. We have discovered that multimers of a CMV satRNA generated in the absence of its helper virus (HV) are characterized by the addition of a hepta nucleotide motif (HNM) at the monomer junctions. Here, we evaluated the functional significance of HNM in HV-dependent replication by ectopically expressing wild type and mutant forms of satRNA multimers in planta either in (+) or (-)-strand polarity.

Clinical and laboratory predictors of all causes deaths and alcohol-attributable deaths among discharged alcohol-dependent patients.

Background: Alcohol dependence is associated with increased mortality, but it is not clear whether certain laboratory abnormalities on admission predict premature death in discharged alcoholic patients. We examined total deaths and alcohol-attributable deaths among discharged alcohol-dependent patients in Korea, and the associated risk factors including laboratory abnormalities.

Methods: The subjects consisted of 442 patients who were admitted for alcohol dependence to a general hospital located in Seoul, Korea from January 1989 to December 2006.

Helper virus-independent transcription and multimerization of a satellite RNA associated with cucumber mosaic virus.

Satellite RNAs are the smallest infectious agents whose replication is thought to be completely dependent on their helper virus (HV). Here we report that, when expressed autonomously in the absence of HV, a variant of satellite RNA (satRNA) associated with Cucumber mosaic virus strain Q (Q-satRNA) has a propensity to localize in the nucleus and be transcribed, generating genomic and antigenomic multimeric forms. The involvement of the nuclear phase of Q-satRNA was further confirmed by confocal microscopy employing in vivo RNA-tagging and double-stranded-RNA-labeling assays.

Open-label study comparing the efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole and haloperidol in the treatment of pediatric tic disorders.

Due to its unique pharmacodynamic properties of dopamine partial agonist activity, and its association with few and mild side effects, aripiprazole is a candidate atypical antipsychotic for patients with tic disorders. This open-label study compared the efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole with haloperidol, a typical antipsychotic widely used to treat patients with tic disorders. Forty-eight children and adolescents with tic disorders were recruited from the outpatient clinic at South Korea and treated with aripiprazole (initial dose, 5.

Transgenic peppers that are highly tolerant to a new CMV pathotype.

The CMV (cucumber mosaic virus) is the most frequently occurring virus in chili pepper farms. A variety of peppers that are resistant to CMVP0 were developed in the middle of 1990s through a breeding program, and commercial cultivars have since been able to control the spread of CMVP0. However, a new pathotype (CMVP1) that breaks the resistance of CMVP0-resistant peppers has recently appeared and caused a heavy loss in productivity.

BAC-derived markers converted from RFLP linked to Phytophthora capsici resistance in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).

Phytophthora capsici Leonian, an oomycete pathogen, is a serious problem in pepper worldwide. Its resistance in pepper is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL). To detect QTL associated with P.

An open-label study of the efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole for children and adolescents with tic disorders.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole, an atypical antipsychotic with dual agonist and antagonist actions toward dopaminergic imbalance and partial serotonin-2A receptor antagonism, for treating children and adolescents with tic disorders.

Method: Twenty-four outpatients aged 7 to 18 years with DSM-IV-diagnosed tic disorders were treated with aripiprazole using an open-label, flexible dosing schedule for 8 weeks from January 2005 to August 2006. The Korean versions of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I), and the CGI-Severity of Illness scale (CGI-S) scores were used to measure the drug efficacy.

Temperament and character factors in Korean children with seizure disorders.

Although the organic and psychosocial consequences of seizure disorders are thought to affect temperament and character patterns, these patterns in children with seizure disorders have not yet been investigated. We therefore investigated temperament and character patterns in Korean children with seizure disorders and their associations with seizure-related variables. The Korean version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory was used to assess temperament and character factors of 65 children with seizure disorders (32 boys, 33 girls; mean age, 10.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after coronary artery bypass and valve replacement for post-infarction mitral regurgitation.

Most left ventricular inferior wall aneurysms are classified as false, and they have a narrow neck and exhibit rapid flow. Inferior wall pseudoaneurysms that develop soon after primary percutaneous intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting for acute myocardial infarction are rare. We report the case of a 64-year-old man who had a wide-necked left ventricular inferior wall pseudoaneurysm that developed soon after surgery for an acute myocardial infarction and post-infarction mitral regurgitation that occurred as a mechanical complication.

Floating thrombus in the proximal aortic arch.

Floating thrombus in the aortic arch is an unusual source of systemic embolism. Surgical removal of the thrombus is a therapeutic option, because thrombolytic therapy carries the risk of partial lysis and repeat embolization. We report a case involving a large floating thrombus that originated in the proximal aortic arch and extended into the left subclavian artery and the descending aorta, and we discuss the surgical management.

PPI1: a novel pathogen-induced basic region-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor from pepper.

We have isolated a full-length cDNA, PPI1 (pepper-PMMV interaction 1), encoding a novel basic region-leucine zipper (bZIP) DNA-binding protein, from expressed sequence tags differentially expressed in Capsicum chinense P1257284 infected with Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMV). PPI1 encodes a predicted protein of 170 amino acids and contains a putative DNA-binding domain that shares significant amino acid identity with ACGT-binding domains of members of the bZIP DNA-binding protein family. PPI1 was localized in the nucleus and had transcriptional activation activity in yeast.