BACKGROUND: Green tea extracts are approved as nonprescription drug and available as health functional foods, health foods, and beverages. Clinical information on the products is lacking. METHODS: Information about the products on green tea nonprescription drugs was obtained from the website of the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center. The Naver, i.e., a top ranking online search portal, was used for compiling the list of the health functional food products using key words of ‘green tea catechin’ on August 23, 2018. The recommended daily dosages of catechins were calculated as 30% of the total dried mass of green tea and about 50% of the catechins were considered as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). RESULTS: A total of two types of nonprescription drugs containing green tea powder or extracts, nine health functional food products, and three types of health foods were found. The regulatory requirements of the EGCG exceeding 800 mg were reported to be associated with adverse effects of elevated liver enzyme. If consumers take several green tea products concurrently, such as nonprescription drugs with health functional foods or health foods, it could exceed the recommended amount of EGCG. CONCLUSION: The concurrent use of green tea products as nonprescription drugs, health functional foods, and healthy foods may lead to an increased exposure to EGCG. Pharmacists should be aware the availability of various types of green tea products and the potential risk of liver toxicity due to excessive consumption of EGCG.
Beverages ; Catechin ; Functional Food ; Humans ; Information Centers ; Korea ; Liver ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Pharmacists ; Tea* ; Weight Loss*

Helicobacter pylori-eliminating effects of FEMY-R7, composed of fucoidan and evening primrose extract, were investigated in mice and humans. Male C57BL/6 mice were infected with the bacteria by intragastric inoculation (1x10(9) CFU/mouse) 3 times at 2-day intervals, and simultaneously, orally treated twice a day with 10 or 100 mg/kg FEMY-R7 for 2 weeks. In Campylobcter-like organism-detection test, FEMY-R7 markedly reduced the urease-positive reactivity. In a clinical sudy, human subjects, confirmed to be infected with Helicobacter pylori, were orally administered twice a day with a capsule containing 150 mg FEMY-R7 for 8 weeks. FEMY-R7 significantly decreased both the Delta over baseline-value in urea breath test and the serum pepsinogens I and II levels. The results indicate that FEMY-R7 not only eliminates H. pylori from gastric mucosa of animals and humans, but also improves gastric function.
Animals ; Bacteria ; Breath Tests ; Gastric Mucosa ; Helicobacter ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Mice* ; Oenothera biennis* ; Pepsinogen A ; Pepsinogens ; Urea

Helicobacter pylori-eliminating effects of FEMY-R7, composed of Laminaria japonica and Oenothera biennis extracts, were investigated in mice and humans. Male C57BL/6 mice were infected with the bacteria by intragastric inoculation (1x10(9) CFU/mouse) 3 times at 2-day intervals, and simultaneously, orally treated twice a day with total 20, 64 or 200 mg/kg/day FEMY-R7 for 2 weeks. In Campylobcter-like organism (CLO)-detection tests on gastric mucosa and feces, FEMY-R7 reduced the urease-positive reactivity in a dose-dependent manner; i.e., the positivity ratios were decreased to 70, 20, and 10% for gastric mocosa and to 80, 50, and 20% for feces. In a clinical sudy, human subjects, confirmed to be infected with Helicobacter pylori, were orally administered twice a day with capsules containing total 100, 320 or 1,000 mg/man/day FEMY-R7 (matching doses for 20, 64 or 200 mg/kg/day, respectively, in mice from a body surface area-based dose translation) for 8 weeks. FEMY-R7 decreased the positivity ratios in feces to 70, 40, and 30%, respectively. In bacterial culture, H. pylori was identified from the CLO-positive stools of mice and humans. The bacterial identification ratios exhibited a good correlation between the matching doses in mice and humans. It is suggested that FEMY-R7 could be a promising functional food without tolerance as an adjunct to reduce the dosage of antibiotics for the treatment of recurrent H. pylori infection.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Capsules ; Feces ; Functional Food ; Gastric Mucosa ; Helicobacter ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Laminaria* ; Male ; Mice* ; Oenothera biennis*

Population aging and the usage of small devices in implant prosthetic procedures have led to many incidents of dental aspiration and ingestion. Various preventive measures have been introduced to prevent these accidents. However, accidents can occur at any time. Dental aspiration and ingestion lead to fatal consequences if the issue is not promptly and appropriately dealt with. Preparing a collaborative system for dealing with accidents before they occur can prevent further sequelae. This study involves ingestion and aspiration accidents that occurred during dental treatment: two ingestion cases and one aspiration case. All dental foreign bodies were removed according to the guidelines presented in our review. With the cooperation of other medical departments, the issues were quickly resolved. Simple and accurate protocols should be provided to all dentists and dental staff to respond to such dental emergencies. In addition, collaboration among other medical departments should be established before any accidental ingestion and aspiration events occur.

Background: In Korea, tests for evaluating respiratory muscle strength are based on other countries’ clinical experience or standards, which can lead to subjective evaluations. When evaluating respiratory function based on the standards of other countries, several variables, such as the race and cultures of different countries, make it difficult to apply these standards. The purpose of this study was to propose objective respiratory muscle strength standards and predicted values for healthy Korean adults based on age, height, weight, and muscle strength, by measuring maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and peak cough flow (PCF). Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed MIP, MEP, and PCF in 360 people, each group comprising 30 adult men and women aged 20–70, diagnosed as healthy after undergoing medical check-ups at a general hospital. Hand grip strength (HGS) and the five times sitto-stand test (FTSST) results were also recorded. Correlations among respiratory muscle strength, participant demographics, and overall muscle strength were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The predicted values of respiratory muscle strength were calculated using multiple regression analysis. Results: Respiratory muscle strength differed from the values reported in studies from other countries. In the entire samples, both MIP and MEP had the highest correlations with peak HGS (r= 0.643, r = 0.693; P < 0.05), while PCF had the highest correlation with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (r = 0.753; P < 0.05). Age, body mass index, peak HGS, and FTSST results were independent variables affecting respiratory muscle strength. A predictive equation for respiratory muscle strength was developed using the multiple regression equation developed in this study. Conclusion Respiratory muscle strength index may differ by country. For more accurate diagnoses, standard values for each country are required. This study presents reference values for Korea, and a formula for estimation is proposed when no respiratory muscle strength measurement equipment is available.Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0006778

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study evaluated the outcome following surgery for carotid artery stenosis in a single institution during a 10-year period and the relevance of aging to access to surgery. METHODS: Between January 2001 and December 2010, 649 carotid endarterectomies (CEAs) were performed in 596 patients for internal carotid artery occlusive disease at our institution; 596 patients received unilateral CEAs and 53 patients received bilateral CEAs. Data regarding patient characteristics, comorbidities, stroke, mortality, restenosis, and other surgical complications were obtained from a review of medical records. Since elderly and high-risk patients comprise a significant proportion of the patient group undergoing CEAs, differences in comorbidity and mortality were evaluated according to age when the patients were divided into three age groups: <70 years, 70-79 years, and > or =80 years. RESULTS: The mean age of the included patients was 67.5 years, and 88% were men. Symptomatic carotid stenosis was observed in 65.7% of patients. The rate of perioperative stroke and death (within 30 days of the procedure) was 1.84%. The overall mortality rate was higher among patients in the 70-79 years and >80 years age groups than among those in the <70 years age group, but there was no significant difference in stroke-related mortality among these three groups. CONCLUSIONS: CEA over a 10-year period has yielded acceptable outcomes in terms of stroke and mortality. Therefore, since CEA is a safe and effective strategy, it can be performed in elderly patients with acceptable life expectancy.
Aged* ; Aging ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Carotid Stenosis ; Comorbidity ; Endarterectomy ; Endarterectomy, Carotid* ; Humans ; Life Expectancy ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies* ; Stroke

In order to assess inhibitory potentials of white rose petal extracts (WRPE) on the activities of enzymes related to dermal aging according to the extraction conditions, three extraction methods were adopted. WRPE was prepared by extracting dried white rose (Rosa hybrida) petals with 50% ethanol (WRPE-EtOH), Pectinex(R) SMASH XXL enzyme (WRPE-enzyme) or high temperature-high pressure (WRPE-HTHP). In the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-1, although the enzyme activity was fully inhibited by all 3 extracts at 100 microg/mL in 60 min, partial inhibition (50-70%) was achieved only by WRPE-EtOH and WRPE-enzyme at 50 microg/mL. High concentrations (> or =250 microg/mL) of all 3 extracts markedly inhibited the elastase activity. However, at low concentrations (15.6-125 microg/mL), only WRPE-EtOH inhibited the enzyme activity. Notably, WRPE-EtOH was superior to WRPE-enzyme and WRPE-HTHP in the inhibition of tyrosinase. WRPE-EtOH significantly inhibited the enzyme activity from 31.2 microM, reaching 80% inhibition at 125 microM. In addition to its strong antioxidative activity, the ethanol extract of white rose petals was confirmed to be effective in inhibiting skin aging-related enzymes. Therefore, it is suggested that WRPE-EtOH could be a good candidate for the improvement of skin aging such as wrinkle formation and pigmentation.
Aging ; Ethanol ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Pancreatic Elastase ; Pigmentation ; Skin Aging* ; Skin*

BACKGROUND: We investigated the protective effects of propofol in the HK-2 cell line of human kidney proximal tubular cells against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress. METHODS: After pretreatment with different concentrations of propofol (0 microM, 10 microM, 25 microM and 50 microM) for 30 minutes, HK-2 cells were exposed to 8 mM H2O2 for 4 hours. Cell death was assessed by measuring the percentage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and by counting viable cells. The nature of cell death was assessed by doubles-taining cells with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled Annexin V and propidium iodide, and then analyzing the cells using flow cytometry. RESULTS: After exposure to 8 mM H2O2 for 4 hours, the percentage of LDH release was 45.1 +/- 4.2% and the number of viable HK-2 cells was 5.2 +/- 6.0%. Pretreatment with propofol suppressed H2O2-induced LDH release in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing the percentage of LDH release to 38.1 +/- 5.6%, 33.5 +/- 6.3%, and 26.2 +/- 3.8% of the controls at 10 microM, 25 microM and 50 microM propofol, respectively. Numbers of viable cells increased following propofol pretreatment, with 11.4 +/- 10.9%, 19.5 +/- 16.1%, and 32.4 +/- 23.3% cell survival rates after pretreatment with 10 microM, 25 microM and 50 microM propofol, respectively. Analyses of flow cytometry showed that the propofol pretreatment decreased the percentage of necrotic and late apoptotic cells. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol protects HK-2 human kidney proximal tubular cells against H2O2-induced oxidative stress.
Annexin A5 ; Cell Death ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescein ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Kidney ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Oxidative Stress ; Propidium ; Propofol

Background: Chondroblastomas, which account for approximately 1% of all bone tumors, typically occur in long bones, such as the femur, humerus, and tibia. However, in extremely rare cases, they may also occur in the craniofacial region where the tumor is often found in the squamous portion of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and in the temporal bone.Case presentation: This case report describes a large chondroblastoma (diameter, approximately 37 mm) that occurred in the TMJ. The tumor was sufficiently aggressive to destroy the TMJ, mandibular condyle neck, external auditory canal (EAC), mandibular fossa of the temporal bone, and facial nerve. The tumor was completely excised using a pre-auricular approach. The EAC and surgical defect were successfully reconstructed using a temporoparietal fascia flap (TPFF) and an inguinal free fat graft. There was no local tumor recurrence at the 18-month follow-up visits. However, the patient developed sensory neural hearing loss, and his eyebrow paralysis worsened, eventually requiring plastic surgery. Conclusion Large, invasive chondroblastomas of the TMJ can be completely removed through a pre-auricular approach, and the resulting surgical defect can be reconstructed using TPFF and free fat grafts. However, preoperative evaluation of the facial nerve and auditory function is necessary. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is essential.