• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2005

Objectives : The purpose of this case-control research was to investigate the effects of acupuncture stimulation on autonomic nervous system for patients with PSV and to find out relationship with anti-stress effects. Methods : The study group consists of 24 patients with self-recognition of stress as the case group, and 20 normal person as the control group by similar age. We measured PSV of case and control groups before acupuncture stimulation, prick acupuncture in Hegu(LI4), Taichong(Liv3), Shenme(H7), Neiguan(P6), Zusanli(S36). After treating for 20 minutes, measurement values of PSV were compared for pre-acupuncture and post-acupuncture Results : 1. Pupil size of the case group were decreased significantly after acupuncture stimulation in the 1st 2nd experiments. Pupil size of the control group was decreased significantly after acupuncture stimulation in the 1st experiment. 2. Pupil size of the case group were decreased significantly between the 1st and 2nd experiments before acupuncture stimulation. Conclusion : The results suggest that acupuncture stimulation is associated with changed activity in the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Measurement values of PSV is suitable to estimate the activity of automatic nervous system.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.85-106
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• 2003

Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and it is suggested that both of these effects are mediated by the same or closely overlapping dopamine systems. Specifically, the mesolimbic dopamine system has been implicated in the reinforcing and sensitizing properties of morphine. In oriental medicine, Shenmen (HT7) point on the heart channel has been used to treat mental and psychosomatic disorders. This study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on acute and repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and morphine-induced behavioral changes. In the morphine sensitization experiment, male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Shenmen (HT7) points for 1 min after the morphine challenge. In the acute experiment, rats also received acupuncture for 1 min after an injection of morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint HT7, but not at control points (tail) significantly decreased both dopamine release and behavior induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single sc morphine injection in the acute animals. These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.156-163
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• 2000

Background: Peripheral nerve injury sometimes leads to chronic neuropathic pain such as causalgia. A subset of patients with causalgia have a sympathetically maintained pain which is often evoked by cooling stimuli. However, our knowledge on adrenergic receptor types responsible for cold-evoked pain that is sympathetically dependent is lacking. The present study was conducted to investigate subtypes of adrenoceptors involved in mediating cold-evoked pain that developed following peripheral nerve injury. Methods: Neuropathic surgery was performed by a unilateral ligation of L5 and L6 spinal nerves of rats. Behavioral sign of cold-evoked pain was examined for 5 min by measuring cumulative duration of time that the rat lifted its foot off a metal plate held at cold temperature ($5^{\circ}C$). Whether cold-evoked pain behavior was affected by antagonists of various subtypes of adrenoceptors, which were administered intraperitoneally before and after the ligation, was investigated. Results: After ligation, duration of foot lifting on the ligated side at cold temperature increased as compared to the pre-operative period. This increase maintained for the entire 40-day test period. Pretreatment with alpha-antagonist phentolamine produced a suppression of cold-evoked pain behavior that was not affected by beta-antagonist propranolol pretreatment. Prazosin, alpha-1 antagonist, suppressed cold- evoked pain behavior when treated either before or after nerve ligation. On the other hand, alpha-2 antagonist yohimbine was without effect on cold-evoked pain behavior whether it was treated before or after the ligation. Conclusions: The results suggest that peripheral nerve injury develops cold-evoked pain that is sympathetically dependent, and that alpha-1 adrenoreceptor plays a critical role for the generation of this type of pain in its initiation as well as maintenance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.778-781
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• 2003

투어멀린(Tourmaline)은 비대칭 쌍극자를 가진 유극성 결정체로 광물 중에서 영구적으로 전기분극의 특성을 띄고 있는 유일한 물질로써 일명 "전기석"이라고 알려져 있고, 자체의 미약전류(약 0,06mA)와 함께 음이온 및 원적외선의 발생으로 최근 들어 우리 주변에서 건강과 환경을 위한 관심고조의 대상인 육방정계의 압전성 및 초전성을 띄는 붕규산염(주요성분: Mg, Fe, B, Si, Ca)으로, 원석(면역지수 ~1000)에 비해 수백 배의 효력이 있는 투어말린 세라믹(면역지수 ~418,000)을 비롯하여 이것을 이용한 새로운 아이디어 신상품들이 계속 개발되고 있다. 뿐만 아니라, 물분자를 만나면 수소(H$^{+}$)와 수산기(OH$^{-}$)로 전기분해하여 친수기와 소수기 부분으로 구분하며, H$^{+}$와 OH$^{-}$는 각각 $H_2O$와 결합하여 활성이 강한 hydronium ion(H$_3$O$^{+}$ 과 계면활성 작용이 있는 hydroxyl ion(H$_3$O$_2$$^{-}$)을 생성하며, 물속에서 계속 불안정한 상태로 존재하는 수산기는 hydroxyl (-)ion을 형성하여 약 알카리성(pH~7.4)을 띄고 물의 클러스터 세분화와 미네랄을 공급해 줌으로 체내에 들어오면 살균, 항균능력이 있는 면역기능을 갖게 되며, 혈액을 정화하고 자율신경을 자극하여 교감신경의 흥분을 억제한. 이와 함께 전기분극을 띈 투어멀린 입자는 다른 물질에 비하여 경이적 수치의 원적외선을 발생하여 강력한 열 효과와 높은 침투력으로 인체의 혈액순환 촉진과 혈전용해 작용으로 건강과 활력에 도움을 주는 것으로 확인되어 많은 관심을 끌고 있다. 따라서 유익한 이용가치를 인정받고 있는 투어멀린을 유용한 타 물질과 혼합물을 구성하여 성형 또는 EPD 전착하여 소결한 뒤, 소결체의 특성을 분석하여 그 응용성을 개발, 확보하였다.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.19-26
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• 2006

Purpose: This study aimed the effects of percutaneous electric nerve stimulation (PENS) applied to different parts of the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats on the change of glucose and nerve. Methods: rats (ten weeks old) were selected as the subjects; the normal group was five rats, and the diabetes induction group II, III and IV were five rats, respectively, which were randomly sampled from the twenty-five streptozotocin-administered rats with more than $240\;d{\ell}/m{\ell}$ of blood sugar. For PENS, electric current with 2 Hz of stimulation frequency and $200\;{\mu}s$ of pulse duration was applied to the subjects for fifteen minutes a day, six days a week, for three weeks. Calculation of glucose and weight, and nerve conduction test were conducted forty-eight hours and three weeks after streptozotocin administration, respectively. Results: As for change of glucose and weight, the group III with stimulation to the acupoints and the group IV with stimulation to non-acupoints showed significant differences from the control group II (p<0.05). As for MNCV (motor nerve conduction velocity), the group III with stimulation to the acupoints showed significant differences from the group IV with stimulation to non-acupoints and the control group II (p<0.05). Conclusion: PENS had the effects of inhibiting increase of glucose, change of weight and decrease of nerve conductive function between the distal and proximal ends of the peripheral nerve in the STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.135-138
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• 2012

The pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorder(FGID) is not completely understood, but the importance of the 'Brain-Gut Axis(BGA)' model in FGID is being increasingly recognized. The BGA model is a bidirectional, hard-wired and homeostatic relationship between the central nervous system(CNS) and the enteric nervous system(ENS) via neural, neurohormonal and neuroimmunological pathways. In addition, the BGA model would provide a rationale for the use of psychotropics on FGID. The authors experienced two cases in which duloxetine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, was effective in relieving FGID symptoms as well as psychiatric symptoms such as depression and hypochondriacal anxiety. Therefore we discuss the vignettes from the perspective of BGA theory. Duloxetine showed efficacy in these two patients by reducing visceral hypersensivity (bottom-up regulation) and by relieving depression and anxiety(top-down regulation).

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2009

Clinical and animal studies have shown that free radical overload is an important cause for a variety of diseases. Although ginseng has been recognized as antioxidant, how it modulates anti-oxidative process at the molecular level remains unknown. Free radical production is induced by tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) under the stress condition, and (TNF-$\alpha$) release is activated by TNF-$\alpha$-converting enzyme (TACE). Since TACE inhibitor is also well known for anti-inflammatory agent, ginseng seems to show anti-oxidative activity by repressing TACE pathway. Further studies on signal transduction would be warranted to elucidate molecular action mechanisms of ginseng on anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.81-89
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• 2001

There are two independent mechanisms to control the segmental reflex gain in humans during gait. They are presynaptic inhibition and homosynaptic depression. Through the mechanism of the presynaptic inhibition, the muscle spindle afferent feedback can be properly gated during eccentric phase of gait. The modulation of the presynaptic inhibition is reflected in the level of H-reflex at a constant EMG level. During the eccentric muscle activation presynaptic inhibition should increase to account for the lower amplitude level of H-reflex at a constant level of EMG. Homosynaptic depression is another mechanism responsible for regulating the effectiveness of the muscle spindle afferent feedback. Both the presynaptic inhibition and the monosynaptic depression are responsible for modulating reflex gain during gait initiation. Reflex modulation is influenced not only as a passive consequence of the alpha motor neuron excitation level, but also through supraspinal mechanisms. Spastic paretic patients show the impaired soleus H-reflex modulation either during the initial stance phase, or during the swing phase. This abnormal modulatory mechanism can partially and artificially be restored by the application of peripheral stimulus to the sole of the foot, provided that the segmental circuitry remains functional.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2012

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism in biological research. Thanks to the availability of well-established knowledge about its neural connectivity, a wide range of studies have been attempted to uncover the relationship between behaviors and the responsible neurons. In our research, the adaptive behavior of C. elegans in solid environments with different surface rigidities is investigated, where the worm adapts to different mechanical stiffnesses by modulating its crawling waveform. The amplitude and wavelength of the crawling waveform decrease as the environment becomes more rigid. Interestingly, the mechanosensation-defective mutant shows different responses to the surface rigidity compared to those of the wild-type worm. To explain the adaptation process in mechanically different environments, we suggest a plausible neural circuit model.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.13-23
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• 2004

This study aimed at examining the effects of percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(PENS) applied to different parts of the streptozotocin(STZ) induced diabetic rats on the change of glucose level and spinal neuron excitability. A total of twenty-eight SD rats, divided into four groups, were used as experiment animal. Experiment group I, the normal control group, was composed of normal rats without diabetes induction. Experiment group was composed II of the rats without any treatment after experimental diabetes induction. Experiment group III was composed of the rats with 2 Hz and $200\;{\mu}s$ of PENS to the acupuncture points related with diabetes for 20 minutes after diabetes induction. Experiment group IV was composed of the rats with 2 Hz and $200\;{\mu}s$ of PENS to the parts unrelated with diabetes for 20 minutes after diabetes induction. The results can be summarized as follow: As for glucose level, the group I showed no change within normal range, and the group III showed significant increase, compared with other groups (p<0.05). As for the change of H latency, M and H amplitude, the group III showed significant differences in decrease of latency and amplitude (p<0.05). As for Hmax/Mmax ratio, the normal and other groups showed no significant differences in decrease of amplitude. It can be concluded from the above results that PENS to the acupuncture points of the STZ-induced diabetic rats was effective for spinal neurone excitability, in particular, for those of the group with PENS to the acupuncture points. This study was conducted in the period of acute diabetes induction, and therefore, further study should be conducted in the period of chronic diabetes to research both acute and chronic diabetes.