Interaction of Veratrum nigrum

Obesity has become a major health threat in developed countries. However, current medications for obesity are limited because of their adverse effects. Interest in natural products for the treatment of obesity is thus rapidly growing. Korean Medicine (KM) is characterized by the wide use of herbal formulas. However, the combination rule of herbal formulas in KM lacks experimental evidence. According to Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica, the earliest book of herbal medicine, Veratrum nigrum (VN) has antagonistic features against Panax ginseng (PG), and the PG-VN pair is strictly forbidden. In this study, we have shown the effects of PG, VN, and their combination on obesity in high-fat (HF) diet-induced obese mice and in 3T3-L1 cells. PG, VN, and PG-VN combination significantly reduced weight gain and the fat pad weight in HF diet-induced obese mice. They also significantly decreased lipid accumulation and the expressions of two major adipogenesis factors, PPARγ and C/EBPα, in 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, the PG-VN combination had synergistic effects compared with the mixture of extracts of PG and VN on inhibition of PPARγ and C/EBPα expressions at lower doses. These results indicate a new potential anti-obese pharmacotherapy and also provide scientific evidence supporting the usage of herbal combinations instead of mixtures in KM

The Study of Policy for the Private Forestry on US

Since the vast landscape of American forests is increasingly threatened by the rising demand of commercial and residential uses, the major interests and goasl of policies for the privately owned forests in US are protecting them from converting for other uses. In order for protecting privately owned forests, the American Government uses three major tools; education, technical assistance, and financial aid. Two major aiding programs-Forest LAnd Enhancement Program (FLEP) and Forest Legacy Program (FLP)-are considered as the heart of aiding programs for the privately owned forests among more than 10 programs. Other aiding programs such as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)can be available for the privately owned forests although the forest can not be the major objects for aiding. Forest Service under the USDA has been the major government body of administrating policies for the private forests, while NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) deals with a part of them, mainly protection policies of the private forest. 미국의 사유림관리에 있어서 타용도 전용이 가장 큰 문제이다. 따라서 미국의 사유립 지원정책의 주요 목적은 사유림의 타용도 전용을 막기 위한 것으로 교육， 기술지원， 자금지원 등 세가지 주요 정책수단을 이용하고 있다. 사유림지원 프로그램은 약 10종류가 되는 데 이중 Forest Land Enhancement Program(FLEP) 과 Forest Legacy Program(FLP) 이 가장 중요하다. 그 외 다른 프로그램은 임업 이외의 부문에서 지원되고 있어 지원정도가 많지는 않다. 사유림 지원제도를 관리하는 주요 행정부는 산림청이고， 자연자원보전청은 사유림 보호와 직접적으로 관련된 지원제도에 대해서만 관리하고 있다

Experiences of financing sustainable use and conservation of forests in South Korea

노트 : volume title: Strategies and financial mechanisms for sustainable use and conservation of forests: experiences from Latin America and Asiachapter title: Chapter 5 - Experiences of financing sustainable use and conservation of forests in South Kore

Deep Learning-Based Diagnostic System for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Based on Videofluoroscopy in Patients with Repaired Cleft Palates

Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), which is the incomplete closure of the velopharyngeal valve during speech, is a typical poor outcome that should be evaluated after cleft palate repair. The interpretation of VPI considering both imaging analysis and perceptual evaluation is essential for further management. The authors retrospectively reviewed patients with repaired cleft palates who underwent assessment for velopharyngeal function, including both videofluoroscopic imaging and perceptual speech evaluation. The final diagnosis of VPI was made by plastic surgeons based on both assessment modalities. Deep learning techniques were applied for the diagnosis of VPI and compared with the human experts' diagnostic results of videofluoroscopic imaging. In addition, the results of the deep learning techniques were compared with a speech pathologist's diagnosis of perceptual evaluation to assess consistency with clinical symptoms. A total of 714 cases from January 2010 to June 2019 were reviewed. Six deep learning algorithms (VGGNet, ResNet, Xception, ResNext, DenseNet, and SENet) were trained using the obtained dataset. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the algorithms ranged between 0.8758 and 0.9468 in the hold-out method and between 0.7992 and 0.8574 in the 5-fold cross-validation. Our findings demonstrated the deep learning algorithms performed comparable to experienced plastic surgeons in the diagnosis of VPI based on videofluoroscopic velopharyngeal imaging. © 2023 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.TRU

Korean Red Ginseng improves atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions by suppressing expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in vivo and in vitro

Background: The prevalence of allergic inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD), asthma, and allergic rhinitis worldwide has increased and complete recovery is difficult. Korean Red Ginseng, which is the heat-processed root of Panax ginseng Meyer, is widely and frequently used as a traditional medicine in East Asia. In this study, we investigated whether Korean Red Ginseng water extract (RGE) regulates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines via the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway in allergic inflammation. Methods: Compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB)-induced AD-like skin lesion mice models were used to investigate the antiallergic effects of RGE. Human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) and human mast cells (HMC-1) were also used to clarify the effects of RGE on the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Results: Anaphylactic shock and DNFB-induced AD-like skin lesions were attenuated by RGE administration through reduction of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and interleukin (IL)-6 levels in mouse models. RGE also reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, and expression of chemokines such as IL-8, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) in HaCaT cells. Additionally, RGE decreased the release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 as well as expressions of chemokines including macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and IL-8 in HMC-1 cells. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that these inhibitory effects occurred through blockage of the MAPK and NF-κB pathway. Conclusion: RGE may be a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of allergic inflammatory diseases such as AD-like dermatitis

Irinotecan combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin as second-line chemotherapy for metastatic or relapsed gastric cancer

Objective: We analysed the efficacy and toxicity of irinotecan, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFIRI) chemotherapy as second-line treatment for metastatic or relapsed gastric cancer (MRGC) in a clinical practice setting. Factors to select patients who may benefit from salvage chemotherapy was also analysed. Methods: Patients with MRGC with progression on or within 6 months after discontinuing platinum-based chemotherapy received FOLFIRI as second-line therapy. The FOLFIRI regimen consisted of irinotecan (180 mg/m(2); day 1) combined with leucovorin (200 mg/m(2)), followed by 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m(2)) as a bolus and 600 mg/m(2) as a 22-h infusion on days 1 and 2 every 2 weeks. Results: Fifty-one patients received a total of 282 courses of chemotherapy. No patients had complete remission (CR), but 9 patients achieved partial remission (PR). Stable disease (SD) was documented in 15 patients. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 3.2 and 9.1 months, respectively. Toxicities were tolerable and grade 3/4 neutropenia was observed in 49 cycles (17%). In multivariate analysis, patients with less organ involvement by metastasis and good performance status (PS) were independently associated with a longer PFS and OS (P < 0.05). Disease control (CR, PR or SD) after first-line chemotherapy were related to a longer PFS (P = 0.02), but had no effect on OS. Conclusions: FOLFIRI was tolerable and showed modest activity as a second-line therapy in MRGC. Less organ involvement by metastasis or good PS may be optimal selection criteria for patients with MRGC who are suitable for second-line chemotherapy