Reliability analysis of the Korean version of the trunk control measurement scale in cerebral palsy.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to translate the Trunk Control Measurement Scale into a Korean version and to analyze the intra- and inter-rater reliability. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen children with spastic cerebral palsy and four physical therapists with over 10 years of clinical experience participated in this study. A Korean-American physical therapist translated the trunk control measurement scale from English into a Korean version.

Assessing the safety of an Ephedrae Herba aqueous extract in rats: A repeat dose toxicity study.

Ephedrae Herba (EH) has been used in Asian traditional herbal medicine to cure bronchial asthma, cold, flu, chills, fever, headache, nasal congestion, and cough. In this study, we evaluated the subchronic toxicity of an Ephedrae Herba aqueous extract (EHAE) in male and female F344 rats. The EHAE was administered orally daily at doses of 0, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg bw/day for 13 weeks.

Alterations of Gefitinib Pharmacokinetics by Co-administration of Herbal Medications in Rats.

Objective: To evaluate the potential pharmacokinetic interactions of the anticancer agent gefitinib (Iressa®) and the oriental medications Guipi Decoction (, GPD, Guibi-tang in Korean) and Bawu Decoction (, BWD, Palmul-tang in Korean).

Methods: Methylcellulose (MC, control), GPD (1,200 mg/kg), or BWD (6,000 mg/kg) was orally administered to rats either as a single dose or multiple doses prior to gefitinib administration. To examine the effects of a single dose of the herbal medicines, gefitinib (10 mg/kg) was orally administered after 5 min or 1 h of MC or the herbal medicine pretreatments.

Alterations in Pharmacokinetics of Gemcitabine and Erlotinib by Concurrent Administration of Hyangsayukgunja-Tang, a Gastroprotective Herbal Medicine.

Gemcitabine and erlotinib are the chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of various cancers and their combination is being accepted as a first-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Hyangsayukgunja-tang (HYT) is a traditional oriental medicine used in various digestive disorders and potentially helpful to treat gastrointestinal adverse effects related to chemotherapy. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of HYT on the pharmacokinetics of gemcitabine and erlotinib given simultaneously in rats.

Effect of Sipjeondaebo-Tang on the Pharmacokinetics of S-1, an Anticancer Agent, in Rats Evaluated by Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling.

S-1 (TS-1) is an oral fluoropyrimidine anticancer agent containing tegafur, oteracil, and gimeracil. Sipjeondaebo-tang (SDT) is a traditional oriental herbal medicine that has potential to alleviate chemotherapy-related adverse effects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of SDT on the pharmacokinetics of S-1.

Layer-by-layer assembly of hierarchical nanoarchitectures to enhance the systemic performance of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel.

Although protein-bound paclitaxel (PTX, Abraxane) has been established as a standard PTX-based therapy against multiple cancers, its clinical success is limited by unfavorable pharmacokinetics, suboptimal biodistribution, and acute toxicities. In the present study, we aimed to apply the principles of a layer-by-layer (LbL) technique to improve the poor colloidal stability and pharmacokinetic pattern of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX). LbL-based nab-PTX was successfully fabricated by the alternate deposition of polyarginine (pARG) and poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly (L-aspartic acid) (PEG-b-PLD) onto an albumin conjugate.

A subchronic toxicity study of Radix Dipsaci water extract by oral administration in F344 rats.

Radix Dipsaci, the dried root of Dipsacus asperoides C.Y. Cheng & T.

Placental transfer and mammary excretion of a novel angiotensin receptor blocker fimasartan in rats.

Background: Fimasartan (FMS) is a potent angiotensin receptor blocker for the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the transfer of FMS to fetus and breast milk in rats.

Methods: In order to study the transfer to the fetus and nursing pup, pregnant and nursing maternal rats were administered with FMS by a constant intravenous infusion to reach target plasma concentrations of 200 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL.

Rag GTPase in amino acid signaling.

Rag small GTPases were identified as the sixth subfamily of Ras-related GTPases. Compelling evidence suggests that Rag heterodimer (RagA/B and RagC/D) plays an important role in amino acid signaling toward mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), which is a central player in the control of cell growth in response to a variety of environmental cues, including growth factors, cellular energy/oxygen status, and amino acids. Upon amino acid stimulation, active Rag heterodimer (RagA/B(GTP)-RagC/D(GDP)) recruits mTORC1 to the lysosomal membrane where Rheb resides.

Effects of seat surface inclination on respiration and speech production in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

Background: Respiratory and speech problems are commonly observed in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this study was to identify if inclination of seat surface could influence respiratory ability and speech production in children with spastic diplegic CP.

Methods: Sixteen children with spastic diplegic CP, ages 6 to 12 years old, participated in this study.

Influence of selenium on radiogenic collagen destruction and the degree of collagen tissue maturation in stage III oral squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing therapeutic irradiation.

Introduction: We set out to assess whether selenium, an antioxidant mineral could influence radiogenic collagen maturation.

Materials And Methods: The study comprise of normal (Group I), untreated oral carcinoma cases (Group II) (n = 20), cases who underwent radiotherapy (Group IIa) n = 10 and cases supplemented with selenium along with radiotherapy (Group IIb) n = 10.

Results: Spectrophotometric estimation and luminescence spectral assignment of collagen showed improved collagen maturation status.

Diversity and density of butterfly communities in urban green areas: an analytical approach using GIS.

Background: Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, habitat degradation, and fragmentation. Urban development negatively affects biodiversity. We clarified changes in butterfly communities due to urbanization in urban green areas.

Trogopterins A-C: Three new neolignans from feces of Trogopterus xanthipes.

Seven compounds, including three neolignans 1-3, a norlignan 4, and three diterpenoids 5-7, were isolated from the feces of Trogopterus xanthipes. Structures of these compounds were identified by 1D and 2D NMR as well as MS. The absolute configurations of compounds 1, 2, and 4 were determined by comparing CD spectra and optical rotations.

Pharmacokinetic alteration of baclofen by multiple oral administration of herbal medicines in rats.

The potential pharmacokinetic (PK) interaction of conventional western drug, baclofen, and oriental medications Oyaksungisan (OY) and Achyranthes bidentata radix (AB) extract for the treatment of spasticity has been evaluated. Rats were pretreated with distilled water (DW), OY, or AB extract by oral administration every day for 7 days. After 10 min of the final dose of DW or each herbal medication, baclofen (1 mg/kg) was given by oral administration and plasma concentrations of baclofen were determined by LC/MS/MS.

Aspartame downregulates 3T3-L1 differentiation.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as an alternate for sugar in several foods and beverages. Since aspartame is 200 times sweeter than traditional sugar, it can give the same level of sweetness with less substance, which leads to lower-calorie food intake. There are reports that consumption of aspartame-containing products can help obese people lose weight.

Cortisol effect on heat shock proteins in the C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells.

The present study was carried out to understand the effect of cortisol on heat shock protein system (Hsps) in the C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells under co-culture system. Cells were co-cultured by using Transwell inserts with a 0.4-μm porous membrane to separate C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells.

Antiangiogenic effects of cucurbitacin-I.

Cucurbitacin-I is a naturally occurring tetracyclic triterpenoid compound with diverse physiological actions that include inducing apoptosis and blocking cell cycle progression of various cancer cells. However, its antiangiogenic activity has not yet been examined. Accordingly, we investigated the antiangiogenic efficacy and associated mechanisms of cucurbitacin-I in vitro using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Enhancing performance of a miniaturized surface plasmon resonance sensor in the reflectance detection mode using a waveguide-coupled bimetallic chip.

The characteristics of a waveguide-coupled bimetallic (WcBiM) chip in a miniaturized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor and its detection capability for a low molecular weight biomolecule were investigated. The configuration of the WcBiM chip was gold (Au)/waveguide (ZnS-SiO2)/silver (Ag). In the intensity measurement mode, the sensitivity could be improved by reducing the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the reflectance curve.

Mapping genetic and environmental influences on cortical surface area of pediatric twins.

Cortical surface area has been largely overlooked in genetic studies of human brain morphometry, even though phylogenetic differences in cortical surface area between individuals are known to be influenced by differences in genetic endowment. In this study, we examined the relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences on cortical surface areas in both the native and stereotaxic spaces for a cohort of homogeneously-aged healthy pediatric twins. Bilateral hemispheric surface and all lobar surface areas except the occipital lobes in native space showed high heritable estimates, while the common environmental effect on bilateral occipital lobes reached statistical significance.

Study on the hypochlolesterolemic and antioxidative effects of tyramine derivatives from the root bark of Lycium chenese Miller.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypocholesterolemic effect and potential of tyramine derivatives from Lycii Cortex Radicis (LCR), the root bark of lycium (Lycium chenese Miller) in reducing lipid peroxidation. The activities of enzymes, hepatic 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl (HMG) CoA reductase and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and LDL oxidation were measured in vitro and animal experiments were also performed by feeding LCR extracts to rats. The test compounds employed for in vitro study were trans-N-p-coumaroyltyramine (CT) and trans-N-feruloyltyramine (FT), LCR components, N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin (CS) and N-feruloylserotonin (FS) from safflower seeds, ferulic acid (FA) and 10-gingerol.