Ginseng essence, a medicinal and edible herbal formulation, ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in rats

Lu, Kuan-Hung,Weng, Ching-Yi,Chen, Wei-Cheng,Sheen, Lee-Yan The Korean Society of Ginseng 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.3

Background: Ginseng essence (GE) is a formulation comprising four medicinal and edible herbs including ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera), and lily bulb (Lilium longiflorum). This study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective effect of GE against carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced liver injury in rats. Methods: We treated Wistar rats daily with low, medium, and high [0.625 g/kg body weight (bw), 1.25 g/kg bw, and 3.125 g/kg bw, respectively] doses of GE for 9 wk. After the 1st wk of treatment, rats were administered 20% $CCl_4$ (1.5 mL/kg bw) two times a week to induce liver damage until the treatment ended. Results: Serum biochemical analysis indicated that GE ameliorated the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase and albumin decline in $CCl_4$-treated rats. Moreover, $CCl_4$-induced accumulation of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride was inhibited. The hepatoprotective effects of GE involved enhancing the hepatic antioxidant defense system including glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. In addition, histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining showed that GE inhibited $CCl_4$-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin indicated that $CCl_4$-triggered activation of hepatic stellate cells was reduced. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that GE improves $CCl_4$-induced liver inflammation and fibrosis by attenuating oxidative stress. Therefore, GE could be a promising hepatoprotective herbal formulation for future development of phytotherapy.

Ginseng essence, a medicinal and edible herbal formulation, ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in rats

Kuan-Hung Lu,Ching-Yi Weng,Wei-Cheng Chen,Lee-Yan Sheen 고려인삼학회 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.3

Background: Ginseng essence (GE) is a formulation comprising four medicinal and edible herbs including ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera), and lily bulb (Lilium longiflorum). This study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective effect of GE against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in rats. Methods: We treated Wistar rats daily with low, medium, and high [0.625 g/kg body weight (bw), 1.25 g/ kg bw, and 3.125 g/kg bw, respectively] doses of GE for 9 wk. After the 1st wk of treatment, rats were administered 20% CCl4 (1.5 mL/kg bw) two times a week to induce liver damage until the treatment ended. Results: Serum biochemical analysis indicated that GE ameliorated the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase and albumin decline in CCl4-treated rats. Moreover, CCl4- induced accumulation of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride was inhibited. The hepatoprotective effects of GE involved enhancing the hepatic antioxidant defense system including glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. In addition, histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining showed that GE inhibited CCl4-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin indicated that CCl4-triggered activation of hepatic stellate cells was reduced. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that GE improves CCl4-induced liver inflammation and fibrosis by attenuating oxidative stress. Therefore, GE could be a promising hepatoprotective herbal formulation for future development of phytotherapy.

Influence of Residential Environment and Lifestyle on Multiple Primary Malignancies in Taiwan

Chang, Chih-Chun,Chung, Yi-Hua,Liou, Ching-Biau,Lee, Yi-Chen,Weng, Wei-Ling,Yu, Yun-Chieh,Yen, Tzung-Hai,Wu, Jiann-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.8

Background: Multiple primary malignancies (MPM) have become increasingly prevalent worldwide. This investigation was aimed at establishing the clinicopathological characteristics of MPM patients and evaluating the impact of the living environment on MPM in the Taiwanese population. Materials and Methods: From January 2009 to December 2013, a total of 8,268 cancer patients were identified in our institutional center. Of these, 125 were diagnosed as MPM and thus enrolled. Data for clinicopathological features and treatment approaches for these MPM patients living in urban or suburb zone were obtained. Findings for the air pollution status in Taiwan were also collected. Results: The most common cancer match of MPM was esophageal cancer with hypopharyngeal cancer (12.8%), followed by colorectal cancer with gastric cancer (6.4%) and colorectal cancer with breast cancer (5.6%). The air quality was significantly worse in the urban than in the suburban zone and there was a remarkably higher portion of MPM patients in the urban zone suffering from grade III and IV post-chemotherapeutic neutropenia (30.8% vs 15.1%, P=0.036). Conclusions: The tumor frequency and site distribution should be taken into the clinical evaluation because there is a relatively high risk of developing MPM. This study also highlighted the potential influence of environmental factors on post-chemotherapeutic neutropenia for patients with MPM.

A Tracking System Using Location Prediction and Dynamic Threshold for Minimizing SMS Delivery

Lai, Yuan-Cheng,Lin, Jian-Wei,Yeh, Yi-Hsuan,Lai, Ching-Neng,Weng, Hui-Chuan The Korea Institute of Information and Commucation 2013 Journal of communications and networks Vol.15 No.1

In this paper, a novel method called location-based delivery (LBD), which combines the short message service (SMS) and global position system (GPS), is proposed, and further, a realistic system for tracking a target's movement is developed. LBD reduces the number of short message transmissions while maintaining the location tracking accuracy within the acceptable range. The proposed approach, LBD, consists of three primary features: Short message format, location prediction, and dynamic threshold. The defined short message format is proprietary. Location prediction is performed by using the current location, moving speed, and bearing of the target to predict its next location. When the distance between the predicted location and the actual location exceeds a certain threshold, the target transmits a short message to the tracker to update its current location. The threshold is dynamically adjusted to maintain the location tracking accuracy and the number of short messages on the basis of the moving speed of the target. The experimental results show that LBD, indeed, outperforms other methods because it satisfactorily maintains the location tracking accuracy with relatively fewer messages.

A Tracking System Using Location Prediction and Dynamic Threshold for Minimizing SMS Delivery

Yuan-Cheng Lai,Jian-Wei Lin,Yi-Hsuan Yeh,Ching-Neng Lai,Hui-Chuan Weng 한국통신학회 2013 Journal of communications and networks Vol.15 No.1

In this paper, a novel method called location-based delivery (LBD), which combines the short message service (SMS) and global position system (GPS), is proposed, and further, a realistic system for tracking a target’s movement is developed. LBD reduces the number of short message transmissions while maintaining the location tracking accuracy within the acceptable range. The proposed approach, LBD, consists of three primary features: Short message format, location prediction, and dynamic threshold. The defined short message format is proprietary. Location prediction is performed by using the current location, moving speed, and bearing of the target to predict its next location. When the distance between the predicted location and the actual location exceeds a certain threshold, the target transmits a short message to the tracker to update its current location. The threshold is dynamically adjusted to maintain the location tracking accuracy and the number of shortmessages on the basis of themoving speed of the target. The experimental results show that LBD, indeed, outperforms other methods because it satisfactorily maintains the location tracking accuracy with relatively fewer messages.