The efficacy of standard therapeutic strategies for Helicobacter pylori infection is decreasing over time due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains. At the our previous study, we reported that the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei HP7 isolated from kimchi - a fermented vegetable dish widely consumed in Korea - had inhibitory effects against H. pylori in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we are aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of probiotic HP7 and the extracts of Perilla frutescens (PFE) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (GGE) to alleviate Helicobacter pylori-induced damages. H. pylori infection in KATO III cells decreased mucin gene expression over time. The reduction of mucin gene expression was significantly recovered at 6 hours when GGE, PFE, and Lactobacillus HP7 were co-treated. H. pylori infection of C57BL/6 mice was demonstrated by H. pylori-IgG concentration, and results showed significant increase in mice post-infected with H. pylori. Blood Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α levels were elevated 4 weeks after H. pylori inoculation. However, the treatment of a combined mixture of HP7 including GGE and PFE induced significant decrease of TNF-α level (p<0.01) and showed significant decrease of TNF-α level as compared as the level by the positive control Glycyrrhiza glabra acetone extract (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice, DGL) treatment (p<0.05). Additionally, the treatment of a combined mixture of HP7 including GGE and PFE decreased gastric inflammation and mucosal lesions in the stomach of H. pylori-infected mice. These results demonstrate that he treatment of a combined mixture of HP7 including GGE and PFE treatment can inhibit H. pylori growth and is thus a promising treatment for patients with gastric symptoms such as gastritis that are caused by H. pylori infection.

Runt related transcription factors (RUNX), a family of well-known transcription factors, play key regulatory roles in diverse biological processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and DNA repair. Of RUNX family, RUNX3 is the least well characterized of the three family members. Nevertheless, the role of RUNX3 as a key regulator in essential biological pathways has been reported and inactivation of RUNX3 leads to a variety of disease, such as cancer, via regulation of Wnt signaling and K-ras mutations in many mammalian tissues. Recent studies using RUNX3-deficient cells and mice revealed an association with hematopoiesis and hypersensitivity to granulocytecolony stimulating factor. Nevertheless, protein dynamics associated with RUNX3 remain poorly understood. In the present study, we performed a large-scale protein study from Runx3 knockout (KO) mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) using a stable isotope labeling by amino acids (SILAC)-based quantitative proteomics approach. The results showed that 67 proteins were significantly up and downregulated after Runx3 KO. Bioinformatic analyses that revealed that these proteins have diverse biological functions, such as substances transport and cellular structure. Thus, our results enhance our current understanding of the function of RUNX3 in mESCs and suggest potential roles for RUNX proteins in diverse diseases. Additionally, our results can be used as a database to help us understand the mechanism of action of RUNX3.

The standardization of the veterinary terms carried out so that Japanese or Chinese terms established in the Japanese Emperor Era modified into Korean character (Hangeul). The standardization of the terminology has been performed in veterinary medicine as well as various fields of study such as medicine, food sciences, biology, chemistry etc. The most appropriate terms were selected according to ‘the principle of establishment on veterinary medical terminology’ following a comparison between veterinary medical and medical terminology, and references with various dictionaries and specialty publications. Thereafter, the opinions of various organizations and academies on the selected terms were converged through the public hearing. The standardization of the veterinary terms has made progress, for example the publication of ‘Veterinary Anatomical Terminology (2013)’, which is Korean version of NAV/NEV. The Korean-English terms for veterinary medicine, which has contained approximately 46,900 terms, published at 2018. Veterinary terms are widely related with not only medicine and pharmacology but also with various fields of the society including livestock industry, food industry and quarantine. Therefore, the discretion should be required in the selecting appropriate Korean veterinary terms. The standardization of the veterinary terms should be progress in the regularly revision in a timely manner.

Melia azedarach is commonly used in traditional and folk medicine in Korea and China to treat a variety of diseases including diarrheal, diabetic, rheumatic, and hypertensive disease. The aim of this study was to determine the potential prophylactic and therapeutic effects of Melia azedarach against a broad spectrum of viruses in in vitro cell culture model and the protective effect against different influenza A subtypes in BALB/c mice model. An effective dose of pre-treatment, co-treatment, and post-treatment of Melia azedarach significantly reduced the replication of coxsackievirus, herpes simplex virus, influenza A virus, enterovirus, and bovine rhinovirus in both epithelial and macrophage cell lines. Melia azedarach treatment remarkably promoted the phosphorylation of the key molecules associated with the type-1 interferon and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, it induced the secretion of type-1 interferon and pro-inflammatory cytokines and the subsequent stimulation of the antiviral state in both epithelial and macrophage cells. Interestingly, oral inoculation of an effective dose of herb extract significantly improved viral clearance in the lungs of BALB/c mice, thus exhibiting protection against several subtypes of influenza A virus. Together with our results indicate that an extracts of Melia azedarach and its components could exhibit a potential natural source of an antiviral drug candidate for a broad spectrum of viruses in animal and humans.

A 4-year-old, female, Maltese dog with bilateral hind limb ataxia was brought to Gyeongsang National University Animal Medical Center (GAMC). Based on the previous medical and imaging records, the patient was presumptively diagnosed with a primary brain tumor of the right temporo-occipital lobe on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a local animal hospital. Hydroxyurea and prednisolone therapy was initiated, and the neurological signs transiently improved. Approximately 5 months after the treatment, ataxia recurred and the patient was referred to GAMC. Upon admission, MRI at the same anatomic level as in the previous MRI was performed. Results showed inflammatory brain lesions, not brain neoplastic changes. Considering this finding, the dog was tentatively diagnosed with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUE). We added oral imatinib mesylate (10 mg/kg every 24 h), and the dosage of prednisolone was increased to 1 mg/kg twice daily. Hydroxyurea was discontinued. A rapid improvement in neurological signs was observed after the initiation of imatinib mesylate treatment. Approximately 2 months after the treatment, the size of the inflammatory lesion remarkably decreased on repeat MRI. The patient had been doing well, and there were no overt neurological signs 259 days after the initiation of imatinib mesylate therapy. We describe a case of MUE in a dog that was successfully managed with imatinib mesylate.