Poisoning by Phytolacca esculenta commonly occurs by misidentification as other edible plants. The root of Phytolacca esculenta is similar to other roots, such as kudzu, balloon flower, codonopsis lanceolata, and ginseng. The author experienced four cases of Phytolacca esculenta intoxication due to misidentification as a ginseng. We report on these cases with a review of the literature.
Codonopsis ; Panax* ; Phytolacca americana ; Phytolacca* ; Plant Poisoning ; Plants, Edible ; Platycodon ; Poisoning ; Pueraria

OBJECTIVES: Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics (Restor Dent Endod; RDE) is an English-language journal published by the Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry, and it has been online since 2012 with quarterly publications. The purpose of this paper was to review and analyze the publications in this journal since its inception and over the 7-year period from 2012 to 2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This paper assessed the number, type, and subject of articles published, as well as authorship patterns and article citations of the journal over a 7-year period. The citation indicator for the journal (h-index) was assessed using Google Scholar. RESULTS: The number of articles per issue has remained relatively consistent in the 7 years that were analyzed. An analysis of the article types revealed various categories of review articles. Original research articles accounted for the most articles per volume. Twice as many articles per volume were on endodontic topics than on restorative subjects. Articles published in RDE have been widely cited in Synapse, Crossref, and PubMed Central. A country-wise mapping of authors' institutions revealed significant contributions from authors around the world. With an h-index of 24, RDE ranks third among journals in its specialty. The most cited articles were open lectures on statistics and research articles on recent concepts, technology, and materials. CONCLUSION: Over the last 7 years, RDE has served as a platform for a large number of manuscripts in the field of restorative dentistry and endodontics.
Authorship ; Bibliometrics ; Dentistry ; Endodontics ; Lectures ; Phytolacca dodecandra ; Publications ; Synapses

The in vivo and in vitro humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of lymphocytes of BALB/c mouse exposed to mercury chloride(HgC12) were investigated. In vitro exposure of the splenocytes to mercury chloride produced overt cytotoxicity in 3 hours period. The IC50(the concentration required to inhibit a splenocyte viability by 50%) for mercury chloride was >0.1mM for cytotoxicity. In vivo mercury chloride exposed mice were significantly depressed delayed type hypersensitivity(DTH) response to sheep red blood cells(SRBC) in a dose-dependent manner compared with control group. Mercury chloride inhibited the proliferative responses of splenocytes to lipopolysaccharide. pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin in a dose-dependent manner. Hemagglutinin response to SRBC in mercury chloride exposed mice was significantly depressed in a dose-dependent manner compared with control group. After 7 weeks of mercury chloride exposure in vivo. mercury chloride induced an increase of nonspecific serum IgG1 and IgE levels in BALB/c mice.
Animals ; Concanavalin A ; Hemagglutinins ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Lymphocytes ; Mice* ; Phytolacca americana ; Sheep

PURPOSE: Although Pokeweed intoxication is relatively less severe, thereis little data onthe clinical presentation ofPokeweed intoxication in Korea. This study examined the clinical aspectsto providebasic data for evaluating Pokeweed intoxication. METHODS: A retrospective study by a chart review was performedon 19 patients who ingested Pokeweed and presented to anacademic emergency department with an annual census of 40,000 between March 2012 and May 2012. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were identified. All patients wereintoxicated unintentionally. The most common symptoms were vomiting with diarrhea and abdominal pain. The onset time varied, but occurs 30 minutes to 5 hours post ingestion of Pokeweed. All patients were discharged without fatal complications. CONCLUSION: Compared to previous reports, mostpokeweed poisoning patients complain of gastrointestinal symptoms. Supportive care is the mainstay of the management of pokeweed intoxication. All symptoms were resolved over a 24 to 48 hour period.
Abdominal Pain ; Censuses ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Korea ; Phytolacca americana ; Plant Poisoning ; Retrospective Studies ; Vomiting

Phytolacca americana poisoning is a benign plant intoxication that causes gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Other signs and symptoms include diaphoresis, salivation, visual disturbance, and seizures or mental changes. We report two cases of patients who experienced confusion and abdominal pain, vomiting, and hematemesis after oral ingestion of pokeweed. A 60-year-old female with confusion and a 67-year-old female with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea were admitted to the emergency department after pokeweed poisoning. After supportive treatment of hydration and gastrointestinal medication, the two patients showed full recovery within 24 h and were discharged from the hospital.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Colic ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Emergencies ; Female ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Phytolacca ; Phytolacca americana ; Plant Poisoning ; Plants ; Salivation ; Seizures ; Vomiting

A murime monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for the envelope glycoprotein gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus type-I (HIV-1) was chemically coupled to pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) from Phytolacca americana. The immunotoxin was purified by FPLC using 5200 colum. The purified immunotoxin efficiently bound to HIV-infected T cells as evidenced by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. The immunotoxin selectively killed human T lymphoid lines infected with HIV-lIIIB at less than 250 pM of the immunotoxin cells, while PAP or mAb alone did not have any significant effect on infected cells. The uninfected control T cell lines were not affected. Human cells infected with HIV-2 or other HIV-1 strains were not killed, suggesting that the killing depends completely on the antibody used for coupling. These in vitro results suggest that the PAP-mAb conjugate may be used to selectively remove cells expressing viral antigens from individuals infected with HIV.
Antigens, Viral ; Cell Line ; Glycoproteins ; HIV ; HIV-1 ; HIV-2 ; Homicide ; Humans* ; Immunotoxins ; Phytolacca americana* ; T-Lymphocytes*

Anesthesia and operation may impair the immune system so that bacterial growth and tumor cells spread can occur more rapidly and host response to transplanted tissue may be altered. In order to evaluate the influence of inhalation anesthetics on immune function, mitogen induced lymphocyte transformation and colony formation of T lymphoctye of peripheral blood in rats were studied. The experimental animals were divided into 4 groups according to inhaled anesthetics such as control, 0.8% halothane, 1.65% enflurane and 1.05% isoflurane 6 hours inhaled group. One day after inhalation of anesthetics, 5 ml of blood was sampled from inferior vena cava and the lymphocytes were isolated and cultured. Spontaneous and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM) induced lymphocte transformation were measured by the titration of H-thymidine uptake and the number of colony forming unit-T lymphocyte (CFU-TL) were counted. The results were as follows: Spontaneous lymphocyte transformation was increased by halothane and decreased by enflurane significantly but not differed by isoflurane compared with the control group. Lymphocyte transformation were decreased significantly before and after PHA stimulation in all of the anesthetic groups respectively compared with the control group. 3) Lymphocyte transformation by PWM stimulation also decreased in all of the anesthetic groups. 4) The numbers of CFU-TL cluster and colony decreased in all of the anesthetic groups compared with the control group. In conclusion, inhalation anesthetics such as halothane, enflurane and isoflurane decreased immune competence and that halothane was the most, isoflurane was the least immunosuppressive among these three inhalation anesthetics.
Anesthesia ; Anesthetics ; Anesthetics, Inhalation* ; Animals ; Enflurane ; Halothane ; Immune System ; Inhalation* ; Isoflurane ; Lymphocyte Activation* ; Lymphocytes* ; Mental Competency ; Phytolacca americana ; Rats ; Vena Cava, Inferior

It has been postulated that seminal plasma contains a potent immunosuppressive factor(s) which play a critical role h preventing sensitization of females to sperm antigens after insemination. It has been shown that human seminal plasma (HuSePl) inhibited phytohemagglutinin(PHA) and Concanavalin A(ConA) induced blast transformation of normal peripheral blood lymphocytes. To analyze protein fractions of HuSePl and to observe suppression of cell-mediated immune response by each fraction, the authors performed the Sephadex G-100 chromatography and the lymphocyte transformation with parameters of purified PHA(PHA-P) and pokeweed mitogen(PWM) stimulation test. The results were as follows; 1. Sephadex G-100 chromatography of HuSePl yielded five fractions(Fr. 1-5). 2. The molecular weight of each fraction, assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS.PAGE), was from 14,000 daltons(D) to more than 85,000 D in Fr. 1, 42,000 D and 33,000 D in Fr. 2, 43,000 D in Fr. 3, 20,000 D in Fr. 4 and 19,000 D in Fr. 5. 3. The mean percentages .of suppression in PHA-P stimulation test by fractions isolated from HuSePl in male (n=I3) were 59.8+10.1% in Fr. 1, 59.5+23.0% in Fr. 2, 84.2+9.4% in Fr. 3, 60.9+/-2l.4% in Fr. 4, 49.4+/-23.2% in Fr. S(F=6.=8, P <0.01) and in female (n=13) were 64.6+/-11.7 % in Fr. 1, 65.4+13.1% in Fr. 2, 82.9+9.2% in Fr. 3, .55.4+21.5% in Fr. 4, 59.2+/-26.0% in Fr. 5(F=4.76, P <0.01). 4. The mean percentages of suppression in PWM stimulation test by fractions isolated from HuSePl in male (n=11) were 15.8+/-17.1% in Fr. 1, 45.1+18.6% in Fr. 2, 80.4+2.7% in Fr. 3, 61.7 + 4.2 % in Fr. 4, 63.5+/-12.8% in Fr. 5(F=38.91, P<0.01) and in female (n=11) were 9.5+/-15.3% in Fr. 1,32.9+/-20.5% in Fr. 2, 78.7+4.5% in Fr. 3,59.9+/-10.0% in Fr. 4, 55.3+15.2% in Fr. 5(F =39.65, P <0.01). 5. The sex difference was not significant in PHA and PWM stimulation test with each fraction (P>0.05). The results revealed that the Fr. 3 has the strongest suppressive effect on lymphocyte transformation activity and these observations support the concept that a local immune response against sperm in the female reproductive tract is actively suppressed by a component in seminal plasma.
Chromatography ; Female ; Humans* ; Infertility ; Insemination ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Molecular Weight ; Phytolacca americana ; Semen* ; Sex Characteristics ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate ; Spermatozoa ; T-Lymphocytes*

A clinicopathologic study was per formed on 14 cases of malignant nondysgerminomatous ovari an germ cell tumors(NDOGCT) treated at the department of obstetrics and gynecology in Korea Cancer Center Hospital between Jan. l987 and,Jun. 1992. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. Median age of the patients was 27.5 years (range, 5 to 54) 2.Clinical symptoms presented were abdminal pain(64.3%), abdominal palpable mass(42.9%), abdominal distension(28.5%) in order of frequency. 3. Histopathologically, 7 cases(50%) were irnmature teratoma, 4 cases(28.6%) were endoder mal sinus tumor, 1 case(7.1%) was embryonal cell carcinoma, 2 cases(14.3%) were mixed germ cell tumor. 4. Bystage, 6 casse(42.9%) were in stage I, 1 case(7.1%) in stage Il, 2 cases(14.3%) in stage III, 3 cases(21.4%) in stage IV, and 2 cases(14.3%) in recurrence. 5, Serum alphafetoprotein was elevated in all patients withendodermal sinus tumor or embryonal carcinoma, and serum CA125 was elevated in about one half of the patients with nondysgerminomatous gerrn cell tumr. 6. l0 cases were managed by salpingo-oophorectomy with poatoperative chemotherapy, 3 cases by hysterectamy and salpingo-oophorectomy with postoperative chemotherapy. 7. Durations of follow up ranged 5 to 66 months, in that period, 5 cases were died, 4 cases were alive with disease and 4 casee wero no evidence of disease. 1 case was loat follow up after operation. All 5 patients were alive who had been treated with REP regirnen. In conelusion, prognosis of malignant NDOGCT is still poor in spite of adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery, and study ineluding appropriate chemotherapeutic regimen may be needed.
Carcinoma, Embryonal ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Germ Cells* ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Korea ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal* ; Obstetrics ; Phytolacca dodecandra ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Teratoma

The cDNA sequence encoding pokeweed antiviral protein-II was cloned from the fresh summer leaves of phytolacca amercana by RT-PCR. The recombinant PAP-II was subcloned into the expression vector pET-28a(+) and expressed in E. coli BL21 after IPTG induction. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the expressed PAP-II existed in the form of inclusion bodies. The purified fusion protein was obtained after a series of steps including cell break, inclusion body solubilization, protein refolding and purification through BBST NTA resin column. The non-radioactive ELISA-based HIV-1 integrase assay showed that the recombinant pokeweed antiviral protein-II and RTA were able to inhibit HIV-1 integrase to some extent (IC50 = 303 microg/mL, 220 microg/mL respectively). MTT assay showed that cytotoxicity of pokeweed antiviral protein II for HEP-G2 cells and Hela cells was in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 s of 93 microg/mL and 102 microg/mL, respectively. The results suggested that pokeweed antiviral protein-II is a potent anti-tumor candidate. The finding of integrase inhibitory activity and the discovery of cytotoxicity provide more insights into the anti-HIV and the anti-tumor activities of PAP-II.
Cloning, Molecular ; HIV Integrase ; drug effects ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Phytolacca americana ; genetics ; Plant Leaves ; genetics ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1 ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology