• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.32-41
• /
• 2004

Purpose : To measure the NMR relaxation properties of MnPC, to observe the characteristics of liver enhancement patterns on MR images in experimentally implanted rabbit VX2 tumor model, and to estimate the possibility of tissue specific contrast agent for MnPC in comparison with the hepatobiliary agent. Materials and Methods : Phthalocyanine (PC) was chelated with paramagnetic ions, manganese (Mn). 2.01 g (5.2 mmol) of phthalocyanine was mixed with 0.37 g (1.4 nlmol) of Mn chloride at $310^{\circ}C$ for 36 hours and then purified by chromatography ($CHCl_3:\;CH_3OH=98:2$, volume ratio) to obtain 1.04 g $(46\%)$ of MnPC (molecular weight = 2000 daltons). The T1/T2 relaxivity (R1/R2) for MnPC were determined at a 1.5 T (64 MHz) MR spectrometer. VX2 tumor model was experimentally implanted in the liver parenchyma of rabbits. All MR studies were performed on 1.5 T. The human extremity radio frequency coil of a bird cage type was employed. MR images were acquired at 17 to 24 days after VX2 carcinoma implantation.4 mmol/kg MnPC and 0.01 mmol/kg Mn-DPDP were injected via the ear vein of rabbits. T1-weighted images were obtained with spin-echo (TR/TE=516/14 msec) and fast multiplanar spoiled gradient recalled (TR/TE : 80/4 msec, $60^{\circ}$ flip angle) pulse sequence. Fast spin-echo (TR/TE=1200/85 msec) was used to obtain the T2-weighted images. Results : The value of T1/T2 relaxivity (R1/R2) of MnPC was $7.28\;mM^{-1}S^{-1}$ and $55.56\;mM^{-1}S^{-1}$ respectively at 1.5 T (64 MHz). Because the T2 relaxivity of MnPC that bonded strongly, covalently manganese with phthalocyanine was very high, the signal intensity of liver parenchyma was decreased on postcontrast T2-weighted images and we could easily distinguish the VX2 carcinoma within the liver parenchyma. When MnPC was administrated intravenously, the tumor margin delineation was more remarkable than Mn-DPDP-enhanced images. The enhancement of liver parenchyma with MnPC persisted at relatively high levels over at least one hour after injection of the contrast agents. Conclusion : The hepatic uptake and biliary excretion of MnPC, which are similar to Mn-DPDP, suggest that this agent is a new liver-specific agent. Also, MnPC seems to be used as a dual contrast agent (T1 and T2) with high T2 relaxivity. However, it is warranted that MnPC needs further investigation as a potential contrast agent for MR imaging of the liver. That is, further characterizations of MnPC are needed in vivo and in vitro before clinical trials. The diagnostic potential of MnPC will also have to be examined more in the animal models of additional types.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.257-264
• /
• 2009

A neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) has been widely used to create animal model for Parkinson's disease (PD) due to its specific toxicity against dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Since DA signals modulate a broad spectrum of CNS physiology, one can expect profound alterations in neuroendocrine activities of both PD patients and 6-OHDA treated animals. Limited applications of 6-OHDA injection model, however, have been made on the studies of hypothalamuspituitary neuroendocrine circuits. The present study was performed to examine whether blockade of brain catecholamine (CA) biosynthesis with 6-OHDA can make any alteration in the transcriptional activities of hypothalamus-pituitary hormone genes in adult male rats. Three-month-old male rats (SD strain) were received 6-OHDA ($200{\mu}g$ in $10{\mu}\ell$ of saline/animal) by intracerebroventricular (icv) injection, and sacrificed after two weeks. To determine the mRNA levels of hypothalamuspituitary hormone genes, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative RT-PCRs. The mRNA levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme for the catecholamine biosynthesis, were significantly lower than those from the control group (control:6-OHDA=1:0.72${\pm}$0.02AU, p<0.001), confirming the efficacy of 6-OHDA injection. The mRNA levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) in the hypothalami from 6-OHDA group were significantly lower than those from the control group (GnRH, control:6-OHDA=1:0.39${\pm}$0.03AU, p<0.001; CRH, control:6-OHDA=1:0.76${\pm}$0.07AU, p<0.01). There were significant decreases in the mRNA levels of common alpha subunit of glycoprotein homones (Cg$\alpha$), LH beta subunit (LH-$\beta$), and FSH beta subunit (FSH-$\beta$) in pituitaries from 6-OHDA group compared to control values (Cg$\alpha$, control:6-OHDA=1:0.81${\pm}$0.02AU, p<0.001; LH-$\beta$, control:6-OHDA=1:0.68${\pm}$0.04AU, p<0.001; FSH-$\beta$, control:6-OHDA=1:0.84${\pm}$0.05AU, p<0.001). Similarly, the level of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) transcripts from 6-OHDA group was significantly lower than that from the control group (control: 6-OHDA=1:0.86${\pm}$0.04AU, p<0.01). The present study demonstrated that centrally injected DA neurotoxin could downregulate the transcriptional activities of the two hypothalamus-pituitary neuroendocrine circuits, i.e., GnRH-gonadotropins and CRH-ACTH systems. These results suggested that hypothalamic CA input might affect on the activities of gonad and adrenal through modulation of hypothalamus-pituitary function, providing plausible explanation for frequent occurrence of sexual dysfunction and poor stress-response in PD patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.39 no.10 s.267
• /
• pp.739-748
• /
• 2006

Background: The purpose of this study is to ascertain the neuroprotective effect of cyclosporin A on the 25-min surgical ischemia model in the spinal cords of rabbits with neuropathological correlation and histoimmunochemical analyses, Material and Method: Thirty-two New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: Rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: the control 12 group (n=8), the control 17 group (n=8), the cyclosporin Cs2 group (n=8), and the cyclosporin Cs7 group (n=8). The 12 group underwent a 25-min aortic cross- clamp without intervention and were sacrificed on the 2nd day postoperatively, while the 17 group underwent a 25- min of aortic cross-clamp without intervention and were sacrificed on the 7th day postoperatively. The Cs2 group received cyclosporin A (25 mg/kg) intravenously 15 min after the 25-min cross-clamp and were sacrificed on the End day postoperatively, while the Cs7 group received cyclosporin A (25 mg/kg) intravenously 15 min after the 25-min cross-clamp and were sacrificed on the 7th day postoperatively. The rabbits underwent 25-min surgical aortic cross-clamp. Neurologic functions were evaluated on the 2nd day and 7th postoperative day using Tarlov scoring system. After scoring neurologic function, all rabbits were sacrificed for histopathologic observation. Result: All rabbits survived the experimental procedure. The values of Tarlov score did not show any differences between the control and cyclosporin groups on the 2nd day. The scores of group Cs7 ($2.75{\pm}0.89$) were significantly higher than those of group 17 ($1.25{\pm}1.39$) on the 7th day (p<0,05). On the histologic exanminations, specimens of the spinal cord showed necrosis and apoptosis. The pathologic scores of group Cs7 ($1,0{\pm}0.53$) was less than those of group 17 ($2.13{\pm}1.36$, p<0.05). TUNEL staing showed apoptosis of the specimen in group 12 and Cs2 but there was no stastically significant difference between groups on the score. There were more overexpression of HSP70 and nNOS in cyclosporine group than in control group. Conclusion: We think that cyclosporin A may decrease neuronal cell death with induced upregulation of HSP70 against 25-min ischemia of the spiral cord in the rabbit.

• The Korean Nurse
• /
• v.20 no.4 s.112
• /
• pp.39-49
• /
• 1981

기존 간호 영역 내 간호는 질적으로, 양적으로 급격히 팽창 확대되어 가고 있다. 많은 나라에서 건강관리체계가 부적절하게 분배되어 있으며 따라서 많은 사람들이 적절한 건강관리를 제공받지 못하고 있어 수준 높은 양질의 건강관리를 전체적으로 확대시키는 것이 시급하다. 혹 건강관리의 혜택을 받는다고 해도 이들 역시 보다 더 양질의 인간적인 간호를 요하고 있는 실정이다. 간호는 또한 간호영역 자체 내에서도 급격히 확대되어가고 있다. 예를들면, 미국같은 선진국가의 건강간호사(Nurse practitioner)는 간호전문직의 새로운 직종으로 건강관리체계에서 독자적인 실무자로 그 두각을 나타내고 있다. 의사의 심한 부족난으로 고심하는 발전도상에 있는 나라들에서는 간호원들에게 전통적인 간호기능 뿐 아니라 건강관리체계에서 보다 많은 역할을 수행하도록 기대하며 일선지방의 건강센터(Health center) 직종에 많은 간호원을 투입하고 있다. 가령 우리 한국정부에서 최근에 시도한 무의촌지역에서 졸업간호원들이 건강관리를 제공할 수 있도록 한 법적 조치는 이러한 구체적인 예라고 할 수 있다. 기존 간호영역내외의 이런 급격한 변화는 Melvin Toffler가 말한 대로 ''미래의 충격''을 초래하게 되었다. 따라서 이러한 역동적인 변화는 간호전문직에 대하여 몇가지 질문을 던져준다. 첫째, 미래사회에서 간호영역의 특성은 무엇인가? 둘째, 이러한 새로운 영역에서 요구되는 간호원을 길러내기 위해 간호교육자는 어떤 역할을 수행해야 하는가? 셋째 내일의 간호원을 양성하는 간호교육자를 준비시키기 위한 실질적이면서도 현실적인 전략은 무엇인가 등이다. 1. 미래사회에서 간호영역의 특성은 무엇인가? 미래의 간호원은 다음에 열거하는 여러가지 요인으로 인하여 지금까지의 것과는 판이한 환경에서 일하게 될 것이다. 1) 건강관리를 제공하는 과정에서 컴퓨터화되고 자동화된 기계 및 기구 등 새로운 기술을 많이 사용할 것이다. 2) 1차건강관리가 대부분 간호원에 의해 제공될 것이다. 3) 내일의 건강관리는 소비자 주축의 것이 될 것이다. 4) 간호영역내에 많은 새로운 전문분야들이 생길 것이다. 5) 미래의 건강관리체계는 사회적인 변화와 이의 요구에 더 민감한 반응을 하게 될 것이다. 6) 건강관리체계의 강조점이 의료진료에서 건강관리로 바뀔 것이다. 7) 건강관리체계에서의 간호원의 역할은 의료적인 진단과 치료계획의 기능에서 크게 탈피하여 병원내외에서 보다 더 독특한 실무형태로 발전될 것이다. 이러한 변화와 더불어 미래 간호영역에서 보다 효과적인 간호를 수행하기 위해 미래 간호원들은 지금까지의 간호원보다 더 광범위하고 깊은 교육과 훈련을 받아야 한다. 보다 발전된 기술환경에서 전인적인 접근을 하기위해 신체과학이나 의학뿐 아니라 행동과학 $\cdot$ 경영과학 등에 이르기까지 다양한 훈련을 받아야 할 필요가 있다. 또한 행동양상면에서 전문직인 답게 보다 진취적이고 표현적이며 자동적이고 응용과학적인 역할을 수행하도록 훈련을 받아야 한다. 그리하여 간호원은 효과적인 의사결정자$\cdot$문제해결자$\cdot$능숙한 실무자일 뿐 아니라 소비자의 건강요구를 예리하게 관찰하고 이 요구에 효과적인 존재를 발전시켜 나가는 연구자가 되어야 한다. 2. 미래의 간호교육자는 어떤 역할을 수행해야 하는가? 간호교육은 전문직으로서의 실무를 제공하기 위한 기초석이다. 이는 간호교육자야말로 미래사회에서 국민의 건강요구를 충족시키기는 능력있는 간호원을 공급하는 일에 전무해야 함을 시사해준다. 그러면 이러한 일을 달성하기 위해 간호교육자는 무엇을 해야 하는가? 우선 간호교육자는 두가지 측면에서 이 일을 수정해야 된다고 본다. 그 하나는 간호교육기관에서의 측면이고 다른 하나는 간호교육자 개인적인 측면엣서이다. 우선 간호교육기관에서 간호교육자는 1) 미래사회에서 요구되는 간호원을 교육시키기 위한 프로그램을 제공해야 한다. 2) 효과적인 교과과정의 발전과 수정보완을 계속적으로 진행시켜야 한다. 3) 잘된 교과과정에 따라 적절한 훈련을 철저히 시켜야 한다. 4) 간호교육자 자신이 미래의 예측된 현상을 오늘의 교육과정에 포함시킬 수 있는 자신감과 창의력을 가지고 모델이 되어야 한다. 5) 연구 및 학생들의 학습에 영향을 미치는 중요한 의사결정에 학생들을 참여시키도록 해야한다. 간호교육자 개인적인 측면에서는 교육자 자신들이 능력있고 신빙성있으며 간호의 이론$\cdot$실무$\cdot$연구면에 걸친 권위와 자동성$\cdot$독창성, 그리고 인간을 진정으로 이해하려는 자질을 갖추도록 계속 노력해야 한다. 3. 미래의 간호원을 양성하는 능력있는 간호교육자를 준비시키기 위한 실질적이면서도 현실적인 전략은 무엇인가? 내일의 도전을 충족시킬 수 있는 능력있는 간호교육자를 준비시키기 위한 실질적이고 현실적인 전략을 논함에 있어 우리나라의 실정을 참조하겠다. 전문직 간호교육자를 준비하는데 세가지 방법을 통해 할 수 있다고 생각한다. 첫째는 간호원 훈련수준을 전문직 실무를 수행할 수 있는 단계로 면허를 높이는 것이고, 둘째는 훈련수준을 더 향상시키기 위하여 학사 및 석사간호교육과정을 발전시키고 확대하는 것이며, 셋째는 현존하는 간호교육 프로그램의 질을 높이는 것이다. 첫째와 둘째방법은 정부의 관할이 직접 개입되는 방법이기 때문에 여기서는 생략하고 현존하는 교과과정을 발전시키고 그 질을 향상시키는 것에 대해서만 언급하고자 한다. 미래의 여러가지 도전에 부응할 수 있는 교육자를 준비시키는 교육과정의 발전을 두가지 면에서 추진시킬 수 있다고 본다. 첫째는 국제간의 교류를 통하여 idea 및 경험을 나눔으로서 교육과정의 질을 높일 수 있다. 서로 다른 나라의 간호교육자들이 정기적으로 모여 생각과 경험을 교환하고 연구하므로서 보다 체계적이고 효과적인 발전체인(chain)이 형성되는 것이다. ICN같은 국제적인 조직에 의해 이러한 모임을 시도하는 것인 가치있는 기회라고 생각한다. 국가간 또는 국제적인 간호교육자 훈련을 위한 교육과정의 교환은 한 나라안에서 그 idea를 확산시키는데 효과적인 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 충분한 간호교육전문가를 갖춘 간호교육기관이 새로운 교육과정을 개발하여 그렇지 못한 기관과의 연차적인 conference를 가지므로 확산시킬 수도 있으며 이런 방법은 경제적인 면에서도 효과적일 뿐만 아니라 그 나라 그 문화상황에 적합한 교과과정 개발에도 효과적일 수 있다. 간호교육자를 준비시키는 둘째전략은 현존간호교육자들이 간호이론과 실무$\cdot$연구를 통합하고 발전시키는데 있어서 당면하는 여러가지 요인-전인적인 간호에 적절한 과목을 이수하지 못하고 임상실무경험의 부족등-을 보충하는 방법이다. 이런 실제적인 문제를 잠정적으로 해결하기 위하여 1) 몇몇 대학에서 방학중에 계속교육 프로그램을 개발하여 현직 간호교육자들에게 필요하고 적절한 과목을 이수하도록 한다. 따라서 임상실무교육도 이때 실시할 수 있다. 2) 대학원과정 간호교육프로그램의 입학자의 자격에 2$\~$3년의 실무경험을 포함시키도록 한다. 결론적으로 교수와 학생간의 진정한 동반자관계는 자격을 구비한 능력있는 교수의 실천적인 모델을 통하여서 가능하게 이루어 질수 있다고 믿는 바이다.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.173-198
• /
• 2020

For a long time, many studies have been conducted on predicting the success of campaigns for customers in academia, and prediction models applying various techniques are still being studied. Recently, as campaign channels have been expanded in various ways due to the rapid revitalization of online, various types of campaigns are being carried out by companies at a level that cannot be compared to the past. However, customers tend to perceive it as spam as the fatigue of campaigns due to duplicate exposure increases. Also, from a corporate standpoint, there is a problem that the effectiveness of the campaign itself is decreasing, such as increasing the cost of investing in the campaign, which leads to the low actual campaign success rate. Accordingly, various studies are ongoing to improve the effectiveness of the campaign in practice. This campaign system has the ultimate purpose to increase the success rate of various campaigns by collecting and analyzing various data related to customers and using them for campaigns. In particular, recent attempts to make various predictions related to the response of campaigns using machine learning have been made. It is very important to select appropriate features due to the various features of campaign data. If all of the input data are used in the process of classifying a large amount of data, it takes a lot of learning time as the classification class expands, so the minimum input data set must be extracted and used from the entire data. In addition, when a trained model is generated by using too many features, prediction accuracy may be degraded due to overfitting or correlation between features. Therefore, in order to improve accuracy, a feature selection technique that removes features close to noise should be applied, and feature selection is a necessary process in order to analyze a high-dimensional data set. Among the greedy algorithms, SFS (Sequential Forward Selection), SBS (Sequential Backward Selection), SFFS (Sequential Floating Forward Selection), etc. are widely used as traditional feature selection techniques. It is also true that if there are many risks and many features, there is a limitation in that the performance for classification prediction is poor and it takes a lot of learning time. Therefore, in this study, we propose an improved feature selection algorithm to enhance the effectiveness of the existing campaign. The purpose of this study is to improve the existing SFFS sequential method in the process of searching for feature subsets that are the basis for improving machine learning model performance using statistical characteristics of the data to be processed in the campaign system. Through this, features that have a lot of influence on performance are first derived, features that have a negative effect are removed, and then the sequential method is applied to increase the efficiency for search performance and to apply an improved algorithm to enable generalized prediction. Through this, it was confirmed that the proposed model showed better search and prediction performance than the traditional greed algorithm. Compared with the original data set, greed algorithm, genetic algorithm (GA), and recursive feature elimination (RFE), the campaign success prediction was higher. In addition, when performing campaign success prediction, the improved feature selection algorithm was found to be helpful in analyzing and interpreting the prediction results by providing the importance of the derived features. This is important features such as age, customer rating, and sales, which were previously known statistically. Unlike the previous campaign planners, features such as the combined product name, average 3-month data consumption rate, and the last 3-month wireless data usage were unexpectedly selected as important features for the campaign response, which they rarely used to select campaign targets. It was confirmed that base attributes can also be very important features depending on the type of campaign. Through this, it is possible to analyze and understand the important characteristics of each campaign type.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.337-343
• /
• 2014

Purpose : The aim of this study is to evaluate unwanted scattered dose to ovary by scattering and leakage generated from treatment fields of Tomotherapy for childbearing woman with breast cancer. Materials and Methods : The radiation treatments plans for left breast cancer were established using Tomotherapy planning system (Tomotherapy, Inc, USA). They were generated by using helical and direct Tomotherapy methods for comparison. The CT images for the planning were scanned with 2.5 mm slice thickness using anthropomorphic phantom (Alderson-Rando phantom, The Phantom Laboratory, USA). The measurement points for the ovary dose were determined at the points laterally 30 cm apart from mid-point of treatment field of the pelvis. The measurements were repeated five times and averaged using glass dosimeters (1.5 mm diameter and 12 mm of length) equipped with low-energy correction filter. The measures dose values were also converted to Organ Equivalent Dose (OED) by the linear exponential dose-response model. Results : Scattered doses of ovary which were measured based on two methods of Tomo helical and Tomo direct showed average of $64.94{\pm}0.84mGy$ and $37.64{\pm}1.20mGy$ in left ovary part and average of $64.38{\pm}1.85mGy$ and $32.96{\pm}1.11mGy$ in right ovary part. This showed when executing Tomotherapy, measured scattered dose of Tomo Helical method which has relatively greater monitor units (MUs) and longer irradiation time are approximately 1.8 times higher than Tomo direct method. Conclusion : Scattered dose of left and right ovary of childbearing women is lower than ICRP recommended does which is not seriously worried level against the infertility and secondary cancer occurrence. However, as breast cancer occurrence ages become younger in the future and radiation therapy using high-precision image guidance equipment like Tomotherapy is developed, clinical follow-up studies about the ovary dose of childbearing women patients would be more required.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.688-698
• /
• 2001

Objectives : Parkinson's disease is a well-known neurodegenerative disease characterized by dopaminergic cell death in the substantia nigra. The reactive gliosis by activated astrocytes and microglias is no more regarded as a simple sequel of neuronal cell death. Microglial activation takes place in a stereotypic pattern with graded morphologic and functional(resting, activated and phagocytic) changes. In Parkinson's disease animal model, the degree of microglial activation along the nigro-striatal dopaminergic tract has not been studied intensively. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the characteristics of microglial reaction and to grade its degree of activation at substantia nigra and corpus striatum using 6-hydroxydopamine induced rat model of Parkinson's disease. Methods : Using Sprague-Dawley rat, parkinsonian model was made by 6-hydroxydopamine(OHDA) induced destruction of medial and lateral substantia nigra(SN). The rat was sacrificed 3-, 5-, 7-, 14- and 21-day-after operation. For control group, we injected saline with same manner and sacrificed 3-day after operation. With immunohistochemistry, we examined dopaminergic neuronal cells and microglial expression using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and OX-42 antibodies, respectively. Also we performed in situ hybridization for osteopontin, a possible marker of subset in activated microglia. Results : 1) In lesioned side of substantia nigra and corpus striatum, the TH immunoreactivity was markedly decreased in whole experimental groups. 2) Using optical densitometry, microglia induced immunoreactivity of OX-42 was counted at SN and corpus striatum. At SN, it was increased significantly on the lesioned side in control and all time-dependent experimental groups. At striatum, it was increased significantly in post lesion 3-day group only(p <0.05). Compared to control group, immunoreactivity of OX-42 on lesioned side was increased in groups, except post lesion 21-day group, at SN. Only post lesion 3-day group showed significance at striatum(p <0.05). Compared to SN region, immunoreactivity of OX-42 was much weaker in striatum. 3) Microscopically, the microglias showed typically different activation pattern. At SN, numerous phagocytic microglias were found at pars compacta and reticularis of lesion side. At striatum, no phagocytic form was found and the intensity of staining was much weaker. 4) At SN, the immunoreactivity of osteopontin showed definite laterality and it was markedly increased at pars compacta of lesion side with relatively short duration time. At striatum, however, it was not detected by in situ hybridization technique. Conclusion : The nigral 6-OHDA induced rat model of Parkinson's disease revealed several characteristic patterns of microglial reaction. At SN, microglias was activated shortly after direct neuronal damage and maintained for about three weeks. In contrast, despite of sufficient dopaminergic insufficiency at striatum, activation of microglias was trivial, and distinguished 3 day later. Antegrade slow neuronal degeneration is major pathophysiology in striatal dopaminergic deficiency. So, the acuteness of neuronal damage and consequential degree of neuronal degeneration may be important factor for microglial activation in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Additionally, osteopontin may be a possible marker for several subsets of activated microglia, possibly the phagocytic form.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.27-35
• /
• 2005

This study was performed to determine the effect of three different concentrations of soy-isoflavones on excretions through urine and feces in either sham-operated or ovariectomized female rats. Seventy-two 16-week old Sprague-Dawley rats underwent sham operation or bilateral ovariectomy. They were provided diets containing different levels of soy isoflavones for 6 weeks: 50 ppm (low isoflavone intake; LI), 250 ppm (medium isoflavone intake; MI) and 500 ppm (high isoflavone intake; HI). The subsequent fecal and urinary excretions of daidzein and genistein were then measured. In the sham operated rats, body weight gains and food efficiency ratio of the MI and HI groups were significantly lower than control group, while food intake was not different. However, there was no significant difference in ovariectomized rats. The fecal excretion of daidzein was significantly higher in the HI group than the LI and MI groups, and that of genistein increased as dietary isoflavone intakes increased in both the sham operation and ovariectomy. The reverse tendency of fecal recovery was shown with dietary isoflavone dose only in genistein among ovariectomized rats. When dietary isoflavones were increased from 50 ppm to 500 ppm, the amounts of daidzein and genistein in the urine increased dose-dependently. The higher intakes of isoflavones leaded to lower recovery rates of daidzein and genistein in the urine in the sham-operated rats but not in the ovariectomized rats. The urinary recovery was significantly higher in the LI group than the MI and HI groups in the sham-operated rats. The excreted amounts and recovery of the two isoflavones in the urine were higher in the sham operated groups than in the ovariectomized groups, which implied an increased bioavailability of isoflavones by ovariectomy. Therefore, the results suggest that a more efficient use of soy isoflavones in ovariectomized conditions may occur, which indicates that a higher dose of soy isoflavones is necessary for the postmenopausal states.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.61 no.4
• /
• pp.374-383
• /
• 2006

Background: Ethyl pyruvate (EP) is a derivative of pyruvate that has recently been identified by both various in vitro and in vivo studies to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of EP on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Methods: 5 weeks old, male BALB/c mice were used. ALI was induced by an intratracheal instillation of LPS 0.5mg/Kg/$50{\mu}L$ of saline. The mice were divided into the control, LPS, EP+LPS, and LPS+EP groups. In the control group, balanced salt solution was injected intraperitoneally 30 minutes before or 9 hours after the intratracheal instillation of saline. In the LPS group, a balanced salt solution was also injected intraperitoneally 30 minutes before or 9 hours after instillation the LPS. In the EP+LPS group, 40mg/Kg of EP was injected 30 minutes before LPS instillation. In the LPS+EP group, 40mg/Kg of EP was injected 9 hours after LPS instillation. The TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and that of NF-$\kappa$B in the lung tissue were measured in the control, LPS and EP+LPS groups at 6 hours after instillation of saline or LPS, and the ALI score and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured in all four groups 24 and 48 hours after LPS instillation, respectively. Results: The TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 concentrations were significantly lower in the EP+LPS group than in the LPS group (p<0.05). The changes in the concentration of these inflammatory cytokines were strongly correlated with that of NF-$\kappa$B (p<0.01). The ALI scores were significantly lower in the EP+LPS and LPS+EP groups compared with the LPS group (p<0.05). In the EP+LPS group, the MPO activity was significantly lower than the LPS group (p=0.019). Conclusion: EP, either administered before or after LPS instillation, has protective effects against the pathogenesis of LPS-induced ALI. EP has potential theurapeutic effects on LPS-induced ALI.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.106 no.4
• /
• pp.397-407
• /
• 2017

This research aims to analyze and compare the drought resistance of 7 species of landscape trees commonly grown in Korea. The 7 species are: Camellia japonica, Rhaphiolepis indica, Quercus glauca, Machilus thunbergii, Daphniphyllum macropodum, Dendropanax morbifera and Cinnamomum camphora. In order to analyze their drought resistance, the samples were left without irrigation for 30 days (05/09/2016 ~ 05/10/2016), during which period their respective drought resistor, relative water content, electrolyte elution figures and proline content were measured. As the non-irrigation proceeded, C. camphora was the first to wither, followed by D. morbifera, then D. macropodum, then M. thunbergii, then Q. glauca, then R. indica then finally C. japonica. Of the 7 species, Q. glauca, C. japonica and R. indica can be considered highly drought resistant, since they survived for longer than 3 weeks without irrigation. Relative water content (RWC) plummeted dramatically after the first 15 days of non-irrigation. Whereas RWC readings of C. camphora, D. morbifera, D. macropodum and M. tunbergii dropped by 40% or more, the other 4 species reported a relatively low rate of decrease at 20% or lower. The Camellia japonica, the R. indica and Q. glauca, which were the species with relatively high drought resistance, showed low proline content and electrolyte elution figures, whereas those of C. camphora, D. macropodum, D. morbifera and M. tunbergii were higher. Analysis through the nonlinear regression analysis logistic model showed that non-irrigation proved fatal for the 7 sample species in a range of 22.7 to 37.6 days. The C. japonica, R. indica, Q. glauca and M. tunbergii demonstrated a high drought resistance of 30 days or longer, whereas C. camphora, D. morbifera and D. macropodum had a low resistance of 25 days or less to drought from lack of water. In conclusion, out of the 7 species of broad-leaved evergreen trees tested, C. japonica, R. indica and Q. glauca seem to be suitable for use as landscape trees, owing to their high drought resistance.