The aim of this study was to investigate the relaxant effect of ethanol extract, fractions from Epimedium koreanum (E. koreanum) on penile corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (PCCSM) in a rabbit. The contractility on PCCSM was also evaluated with icariin, active major compound, from E. koreanum quantified using HPLC analysis. The pre-contracted PCCSM with 10 μM phenylephrine (Phe) was accumulatively treated with extract and fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) from E. koreanum at concentrations of 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/mL. Icariin was performed with final concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μM. The interaction of icariin with phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, udenafil, was also examined on PCCSM contractility. Extract and three fractions had the relaxant effect on PCCSM in a dose-dependent manner and the maximum relaxation was obtained in ethyl acetate fraction. Icariin dose-dependently relaxed the PCCSM and efficiently enhanced the udenafil-induced relaxation at least two-fold. These results indicate the possibility that icariin fromE. koreanum may be a candidate for a new or alternative medicine in erectile dysfunction patients who do not completely respond to PDE-5 inhibitors.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Male hypogonadism is a condition where the body does not produce enough testosterone and significantly impacts health. Age, obesity, genetics, and oxidative stress are some physiological factors that may contribute to testosterone deficiency.Previous studies have shown many pharmacological benefits of Schisandra chinensis (S. chinensis) Baillon as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. However, the molecular mechanism of attenuating hypogonadism is yet to be well established. This research was undertaken to study the effects of S. chinensis extract (SCE) on testosterone deficiency.MATERIALS/METHODS: S. chinensis fruit was pulverized and extracted using 60% aqueous ethanol. HPLC analysis was performed to analyze and quantify the lignans of the SCE. RESULTS: The 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) scavenging assays confirmed that the SCE and its major lignans (schisandrol A and gomisin N) inhibit oxidative stress. Effects of SCE analysis on the testosterone level under oxidative stress conditions revealed that both schisandrol A and gomisin N were able to recover the lowered testosterone levels. Through mRNA expression of TM3 Leydig cell, we observed that the SCE lignans were able to induce the enzymes involved in testosterone biosynthesis-related genes such as 3β-HSD4 (P < 0.01 for SCE, and P < 0.001 for schisandrol A and gomisin N), 17β-HSD3 (P < 0.001 for SCE, schisandrol A and gomisin N), and 17, 20-desmolase (P < 0.01 for schisandrol A, and P < 0.001 for SCE and gomisin N). CONCLUSIONS These results support that SCE and its active components could be potential therapeutic agents for regulating and increasing testosterone production.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) which has various pathological mechanisms, recently, it is attracting attention to the mechanism via microbiome-gut-brain axis. 6-Shogaol, a representative compound of ginger, have been known for improving PD phenotypes by reducing neuroinflammatory responses. In the present study, we investigated whether 6-shogaol and ginger attenuate degeneration induced by Proteus Mirabilis(P. mirabilis) on the intestine and brain, simultaneously. C57BL/6J mice received P. mirabilis for 5 days. Ginger (300 mg/kg) and 6-shogaol (10 mg/kg) were treated by gavage feeding for 22 days including the period of P. mirabilis treatment. Results showed that 6-shogaol and ginger improved motor dysfunction and dopaminergic neuronal death induced by P. mirabilis treatment. In addition, they suppressed P. mirabilis-induced intestinal barrier disruption, pro-inflammatory signals such as toll-like receptor and TNF-α, and intestinal α-synuclein aggregation. Moreover, ginger and 6-shogaol significantly inhibited neuroinflammation and α-synuclein in the brain. Taken together, 6-shogaol and ginger have the potential to ameliorate PD-like motor behavior and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons induced by P. mirabilis in mice. Here, these findings are meaningful in that they provide the first experimental evidence that 6-shogaol might attenuate PD via regulating gut-brain axis.

Major depressive disorder is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with few treatment options. Non-targeted antidepressants have low efficacy and can induce series of side effects. While a neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), is known to exhibit regulator of affective state, no study to date has assessed the anti-depressive effects of MCH in a stress-induced depression model. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological effects of intranasal administration of MCH on depression-related behavior in stressed rats and mice. Using a number of behavioral tests, we found that MCH treatment significantly decreased anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors induced by stress. Notably, the effects of MCH were equivalent to those of fluoxetine. MCH treatment also restored the activity of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway and normalized the levels of synaptic proteins, including postsynaptic density 95, glutamate receptor 1, and synapsin 1, which were all downregulated by stress. Interestingly, the protective effects of MCH were blocked by the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin. These results suggest that MCH exhibits antidepressant properties by modulating the mTOR pathway. Altogether, this study provides an insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the antidepressant-like effects of MCH, thereby paving the way for the future clinical application of MCH.

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) are common diseases caused by human adenoviruses (HAdV) and enteroviruses, respectively, in South Korea. However, there are limited studies on the molecular epidemiology of viral conjunctivitis in South Korea. The main objective of this study was to characterize the genotypes of adenoviruses and enteroviruses causing viral conjunctivitis in the southwest region of South Korea. We collected conjunctival swabs from 492 patients with suspected cases of viral conjunctivitis from 6 ophthalmic hospitals in Gwangju Metropolitan City, in South Korea, between 2012 and 2016. Of the 492 samples tested, HAdVs and enteroviruses were detected in 249 samples (50.6%) and 19 samples (3.9%), respectively. The genotype analysis detected HAdV-8 in 183 samples (73.5%), HAdV-37 in 14 samples (5.6%), and HAdV-3, and HAdV-4 in 9 samples (3.6%) each. We detected coxsackievirus A24 (CVA24) and coxsackievirus B1 (CVB1) in 8 samples (42.0%) and 4 samples (21.0%), respectively. We also reported for the first time HAdV-56-infected cases of EKC in South Korea. Furthermore, we found three cases of coinfection with HAdV and enterovirus genotypes in our samples. HAdV-8 and CVA24, the main causes of EKC and AHC, respectively, worldwide, were also found to be the predominant genotypes in our study.
Adenoviridae ; Adenoviruses, Human ; Coinfection ; Conjunctivitis, Acute Hemorrhagic ; Conjunctivitis, Viral* ; Enterovirus ; Genotype ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Keratoconjunctivitis ; Korea* ; Molecular Epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal dose of remifentanil for minimizing hemodynamic changes during intubation and reducing propofol-induced pain in elderly patients. METHODS: In a randomized prospective study, 60 patients (ASA I-II, elder than 65 years) were enrolled to determine which of two target remifentanil blood concentrations (3 ng/ml, 5 ng/ml) was required to blunt hemodynamic changes during intubation and to reduce propofol-induced pain. After the target effect site concentration of remifentanil had been reached, the target controlled infusion of propofol was started and propofol-induced pain was recorded. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at baseline, just before intubation and 1, 3, 5 min after intubation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the hemodynamic parameters between two groups, but not in arterial pressure at just before intubation and 1 minute after intubation. However, the group R5 (5 ng/ml) showed significantly less intense pain induced by propofol than in the group R3 (3 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the group R5 provide more relief in propofol induced pain than the group R3, but showed great possibility of hypotension and bradycardia in both groups, which means it should be used with cautions in the elderly patients.
Aged ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Bradycardia ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Intubation ; Piperidines ; Propofol ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent works have demonstrated the existence of ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (OVEMPs), which reflects otolith-ocular reflex. The purpose of this study was to identify an appropriate gaze position to detect OVEMPs produced by air-conducted sound stimulation in healthy subjects. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Twenty four healthy subjects (35 ears) were included in this study. Surface electromyographic activity was recorded from active electrodes placed inferior to each eye. Stimulation with 500 Hz short tone bursts was used to activate the vestibular end-organs. RESULTS: Sound stimulation evoked negative-positive biphasic responses on both ipsilateral and contralateral eyes, while responses were contralateral eye-dominant. Contralateral eye responses had higher response incidence and larger amplitudes. Altering the direction of gaze generally changed the incidence and size of the inter-peak amplitudes. The higher incidence and larger amplitudes were recorded when the eyes are directed to the superior and ipsilateral side to the sound stimulation. In that gaze position, the amplitude was 5.3 micronV, the first negative peak latency was 10.5 ms and the following positive peak latency was 15.4 ms on the average. CONCLUSION: OVEMPs can be evoked using an air-conducted 500 Hz tone burst and are best recorded contralaterally with a upward gaze towards the source of sound stimulation. Further changes of the test parameters are needed for higher and consistent responses.
Electrodes ; Evoked Potentials ; Eye ; Incidence ; Reflex ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; Saccule and Utricle ; Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To report the hearing results of tympanoplasty for chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: One hundred and seventy-five patients presenting chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma were involved in a retrospective study. Tympanoplasties were performed by the same surgeon over a 30-month period. Audiometric results were reviewed. Audiometric results according to the following techniques were measured: tympanoplasty type 1 (T1), interposition (Si) and/or columella (Sc) over stapedial head, and interposition or columella (Fic) over footplate. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 32 months. Audiological parameters using the average of four frequencies were assessed pre- and post-operatively. RESULTS: Overall hearing results showed postoperative air-bone gaps (ABG) < or =20 dB in 69% of cases. ABG was closed to within 20 dB in 89% for T1, 67% for Sc, 58% for Si, and 30% for Fic. ABG was closed to within 30 dB in 95% for T1, 67% for Sc, 83% for Si, and 70% for Fic. There was a significant improvement between preoperative and postoperative ABGs. The overall improvement of the air-bone gap was 8+/-13 dB. There was no significant functional difference between different surgical techniques. CONCLUSION: Our hearing results after tympanoplasties were similar to those from other studies. The hearing results observed in this study confirmed that successful results can be obtained by applying the current principles and approach to ossicular reconstruction.
Cholesteatoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Hearing ; Humans ; Otitis ; Otitis Media ; Retrospective Studies ; Tympanoplasty

BACKGROUND: Propofol produces anesthesia with rapid recovery but also causes pain on injection. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of two different concentrations of remifentanil for minimizing the pain caused by propofol and to compare the hemodynamic changes during propofol-remifentanil infusion. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind study of 80 patients, we compared the severity of the injection pain of propofol between two groups of patients. The initial effect-site target concentration of remifentanil was set at 4 ng/ml (the R4 group, n = 40) or 8 ng/ml (the R8 group, n = 40). After the effect-site concentration of remifentanil was achieved, the infusion of propofol was started with the concentration of 4 microgram/ml. The remifentanil-related complications were evaluated and the severity of the pain caused by propofol was compared by using a four-point scale during the propofol infusion. The heart rate and arterial blood pressure were measured at pre-induction, just before intubation and at 1 minute after intubation. RESULTS: The severity of injection pain of propofol was significantly lower in the R8 group than in the R4. There was no significant difference in the incidence of remifentanil-related complications between the two groups. Compared with the pre-induction values, the heart rate and arterial blood pressure were significantly lower at pre-intubation and at 1 minute after intubation in the R4 and R8 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with an effect-site concentration of 8 ng/ml remifentanil may be useful for minimizing the propofol injection pain compared with 4 ng/ml remifentanil.
Anesthesia ; Arterial Pressure ; Double-Blind Method ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Piperidines ; Propofol

OBJECTIVES: Air caloric results are supposed to be influenced by anatomic changes of the middle ear. The aims of our study were to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of abnormal air caloric results in patients with unilateral chronic otitis media and without any history of vertigo, and to compare caloric results with there of other vestibular function tests (VFTs). METHODS: Twenty five patients with unilateral chronic otitis media (COM) who were scheduled for surgery underwent VFTs preoperatively. Hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry and vestibular function was assessed using a set of VFTs: air caloric, head-shaking nystagmus (HSN), vibration-induced nystagmus (VIN), and subjective visual vertical (SVV) tests. RESULTS: Six patients (24%) showed pathologic canal paresis (CP) on COM-sided ears. Two patients showed pathologic CP on the contralateral side. However, both of the two showed inverted nystagmus to warm air stimulation on the COM-side and hyperactive nystagmus to cold air stimulation on the COM-side, which means that the COM-sided ear was stimulated too much. There was pathologic HSN in 12 patients (48%), pathologic VIN in 7 (28%), and pathologic SVV in 5 (20%). Overall, 20 (80%) patients showed abnormal findings through a set of VFTs. Patients with an interaural difference of bone-conduction hearing thresholds > or =10 dB tended to show more abnormal VFT results than those for whom the interaural difference of bone-conduction hearing thresholds was <10 dB. CONCLUSION: Our data show that one-fourth of patients with unilateral COM show abnormal caloric results on the COM side. However, subclinical latent vestibular imbalances were found to be common, which might be related to the gradual vestibular involvement in inflammatory processes, regardless of the caloric results. Results of a set of VFTs should be referred to when determining vestibular imbalance in patients with COM.
Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Cold Temperature ; Ear ; Ear, Middle ; Hearing ; Humans ; Incidence ; Otitis ; Otitis Media ; Paresis ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Function Tests ; Vibration