Abstract:Although chemotherapy has an important function in the treatment of most solid tumours, its clinical applications are limited by severe side effects such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, ototoxicity and neurotoxicity. Recently, a growing amount of attention has been focused on the investigation of the effects of chemopreventive agents on the inhibition of cancer cell growth and toxicity in combination with chemotherapeutics. The aim of this study was to determine whether licochalcone A (LCA) has the potential to serve as a beneficial supplement during cisplatin chemotherapy. We found that the administration of LCA alone significantly inhibited the size of the solid tumours in CT-26 cell-inoculated Balb/c mice, without any detectable induction of nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress. LCA also suppressed cell proliferation by reducing DNA synthesis of CT-26 murine colon cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. LCA did not affect the therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin. Furthermore, LCA inhibited the cisplatin-induced kidney damage characterized by increases in the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, as well as the cisplatin-induced liver damage characterized by increases in the serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. The repeated oral administration of LCA prior to cisplatin treatment exerted a preventive effect on the cisplatin-mediated increases in the serum nitric oxide and the tissue lipid peroxidation levels, and recovered the depleted reduced glutathione levels in the tissues. These results suggest that supplementation with LCA may be beneficial in counteracting the side effects of cisplatin therapy in cancer patients.

This study aimed to develop standard items for the Korean Dental Hygienists' Licensing Examination; these items were also earmarked for use in developing the curriculum for dental hygienists, and in writing a job description, based on a job analysis using the Developing A Curriculum Method (DACUM). It also aimed to understand the significance and frequency of task elements that dental hygienists perform. Data were collected by means of a mail survey, in the form of self-entry, from a sample of dental hygienists registered with the Korean Dental Hygienists' Association. In all, 260 responses were analyzed. The tasks of dental hygienists were divided into four categories, 93 tasks, and 494 task elements. There were 281 elements (61%) that scored higher than 3.5 in significance, in the 4-scale items, and 480 elements (98%) that scored higher than 3.0. There were 30 elements (6%) that scored higher than 3.5 in frequency, and 140 elements (29%) that scored higher than 3.0 in frequency. Overall, 130 out of 494 elements (27%) scored higher than 3.0 for both significance and frequency. Therefore, those 130 elements should be included as items in the Korean Dental Hygienists' Licensing Examination. The results can also be used for curriculum development and as the basis of a job description for dental hygienists.

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