• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.107-141
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• 2010

Visualization techniques are transformed into reliable representations through socio-technological processes which include the agreement on the instrument and the embodiment of practices in relevant scientific communities. Visual representations thus produced are justified by realistic and epistemic virtues in science. This paper analyzes different visual images presented in the scientific papers of two research groups who argue different theories about the mechanism of face perception. These two scientific groups use the same fMRI technology; yet, different experimental paradigms and visual stimuli change their hypotheses into distinct testable theories, which in turn lead to different evidences to support their own theories. Visual evidences are intermediate representations which lie between fMRI brain images and scientific theories, and theoretical models obtain the scientific value based on the consistency in the chain of visual representations. This study shows that representations in science tend to be good representations within the context of scientific communities. It will provide a chance to think of the value and limit of the scientific knowledge

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 1992

This study was designed to evaluate the responses of cardiovascular system to endothelin (ET) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in 12 week-old SHR treated with or without enalapril (ENP) for 6 weeks. The diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were lower in ENP-treated SHR than in control. The pressor response to intravenous, but not intracerebroventricular, ET or NPY was attenuated by ENP treatment. The chronotropic action induced by electrical stimulation was attenuated by ENP or ET. The negative chronotropic action of ET was blocked by yohimbine. The increase in aortic tension induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) was depressed in ENP-treated group as compared with non-treated group, and enhanced by ET, but not NPY, in the non-treated group. The ET-induced increase in tension was enhanced by removal of endothelium in the control group but not in ENP-treated group. The plasma concentration of norepinephrine and ET-induced increase in concentration of norepinephrine and epinephrine in plasma were decreased in ENP-treated group. These results suggest that preventive effect of enalapril on the development of hypertension may result from depressing vasoactive action of endothelin and neuropeptide Y, and sympathetic neurotransmission at peripheral nervous system.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2012

Burning mouth syndrome(BMS) refers to a chronic orofacial pain disorder usually unaccompanied by mucosal lesions or other clinical signs. Tongue(anterior and lateral border) is found to be the most common site for the burning sensations in the oral cavity, and various oral sites may be affected including hard palate and lips. The etiology of this disorder remains poorly understood, but the various factors might be related with the pathogenesis of the BMS. These factors have been devided into local, systemic and psychological. Recently, there have been increasing reports that the pain of BMS may be neuropathic in origin. The complex and multifactorial etiology of BMS necessitates multidisciplinary approach for the management of these patients. Recently, several studies have reported that oral parafunctional habits could be related the pathogenesis of BMS, and tried to control the symptom of BMS with various methods. We reported the cases who had the symptom of burning mouth syndrome with removable anti-nociceptive appliance in the lower dentition.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.277-286
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• 2001

Background: This study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of several muscles in repetitive nerve stimulation test (RNST) for myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 39 MG patients classified by modified Ossermann's classification. Using Stalberg's method, RNST was systematically performed in facial (orbicularis oculi and nasalis) and upper extremity (flexor carpi ulnaris, abductor digiti quinti and anconeus) muscles. Results: The significant electrodecremental response of RNST were noted in orbicularis oculi(58.9%), nasalis (51.3%), flexor carpi ulnaris(42%), anconeus(41%) and abductor digiti quinti muscles(27%). Among the 3 muscles of upper extremity(abductor digiti quinti, flexor carpi ulnaris and anconeus), the positive electrodecremental response of anconeus muscles was significantly higher than other two muscles(p<0.05) in type IIa, IIb and there were no statistical differences of the positive electrodecremental response between orbicularis oculi and nasalis muscles. The facial muscles showed more prominent decremental responses than upper extremity muscles in type I MG(p<0.05). In type IIa MG patients, there were no significant statistical differences between facial and upper extremity muscles but significant statistical differences among upper extremity muscles. In type IIb MG patients, there were no significant statistical differences in all tested muscles in spite of the increased positive electrodecremental response of RNST. Conclusion: On the basis of this study, RNST would be initially performed for the orbicularis or nasalis in type I MG and for the anconeus in type IIa or IIb MG.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.171-179
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• 1992

Effects of a $M_1$ receptor antagonist, pirenzepine, a $M_2$ receptor antagonist, AF-DX116, and a nicotinic receptor antagonist, mecamylamine on the pressor responses to preganglionic sympathetic nerve stimulation (PNS) and McN-A-343 and DMPP in spinal (pithed) rabbits were investigated, in order to elucidate a functional role of $M_1$, $M_2$ and nicotinic receptors in ganglionic transmission. Pirenzepine and AF-DX116 selectively inhibited the McN-A-343-induced pressor response in chlorisondamine-treated rabbit and the BCh-induced bradycardia, respectively. Electrical stimulations of preganglionic sympathetic outflow at T8 level produced increases in blood pressure. Pirenzepine $(3\;{\mu}g/kg)$ significantly inhibited the PNS-induced pressor response and the degree of inhibition was not changed by increasing the doses to $100\;{\mu}g/kg$. AF-DX116 $(100\;{\mu}g/kg)$ had no effect on the PNS-induced pressor response. Mecamylamine inhibited the PNS-induced pressor response in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory action of mecamylamine was significantly augmented by combined-treatment with pirenzepine $(30\;{\mu}g/kg)$ but AF-DX116 $(100\;{\mu}g/kg)$ did not affect the inhibitory action of mecamylamine. McN-A-343 and DMPP elicited pressor response in the spinal rabbit. Pirenzepine and AF-DX116 dose-dependently inhibited the McN-A-343-induced pressor response but they did not affect DMPP-induced pressor response. Mecamylamine inhibited both pressor responses induced by McN-A-343 and DMPP. These results suggest that not only nicotinic receptors but also $M_1$ receptors play a facilitatory role in ganglionic transmission but $M_2$ receptors do not contribute the transmission in spinal (pithed) rabbits.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.277-289
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• 2009

Recently, functional MRI has been used to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture and the specificity of acupoint. The group data tend to be regarded as more important than the individual data in the most of previous studies. This study was designed to investigate the effect of the variability of individual data on the group results. A functional MRI (fMRI) of the whole brain was performed in fifteen healthy subjects during placebo and acupuncture stimulations at the ST36 acupoint. After remaining at rest for 30 seconds, the acupuncture was inserted and twisted at the rate of 2 Hz for 45 seconds and then the acupuncture was removed immediately. This process was repeated three times. Individual and group analyses were performed by voxel-based analyses using SPM2 software. Visual inspections of the activation and deactivation maps from individual sessions have shown the large variability across fifteen subjects. This means that the group data reflected the brain activation responses of only a few subjects. We suggest that the individual data should be presented to demonstrate the effect of acupuncture.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2010

Objectives : We investigated the role of intracellular calcium chelator, bis-(2-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid(BAPTA), on the modulation of phosphorylation of the spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDAR) NR1 and NR2B subunits following electroacupuncture(EA). Methods : Bilateral 2 Hz EA stimulation with 1.0 mA was delivered at those acupoints corresponding to Zusanli(ST36) and Sanyinjiao(SP6) in man via needles for 30min. Results : EA analgesia was reduced by intra-peritoneal injection at a higher dose of BAPTA from termination of EA stimulation. At 60 min after EA treatment, the total number of c-fos-immunostained neurons in each regions of the dorsal horn in the $L_{4-5}$ segments was decreased by BAPTA injection, especially in nucleus proprius. The mean integrated optical density (IOD) of NR1 and NR2B subunits were increased only in superficial laminae of EA-treated rats when compared with normal rats. However, the mean IOD of pNR1 was significantly decreased by BAPTA injection in both the superficial laminae and neck region and pNR2B in the superficial laminae. Western blot analyses confirmed the decreased expression of pNR1 and pNR2B. Conclusions : We concluded that intracellular calcium may well play an important role in EA analgesia by modulating the phosphorylation state of spinal NMDAR subunits.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2005

The effects of various physicochemical stimuli in parturition induction were assayed on ovoviviparous freshwater melania snails, Semisulcospira libertina libertina and S. gottschei. Both of them did not respond to $NH_4OH$ and $H_2O_2$, but showed responses to the water temperature raising, serotonin and acetylcholine. S. gottschei showed stronger responses to the stimulants in parturition induction compared with S. libertina libertina. In case of S. libertina libertina exposed to $10^{-9}M$ acetylcholine, the number of newly born larvae and juveniles per adult and juvenile parturition rate were 68 individuals and 57.5%, which were the most among experimental groups, respectively. In the parturition induction with temperature raising of $9^{\circ}C$, S. gottschei bred 113 larvae and juveniles in which juvenile parturition rate was 56.3% and $10^{-12}M$ acetylcholine also induced very high juvenile parturition rate(61.7%) and 83 larvae and juveniles. It could be concluded that the treatment of acetylcholine has a high effectiveness in the parturition induction of S. libertina libertina and S. gottschei.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.23-40
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• 2002

This study is to examine brain regions that are involved in picture encoding in normal adults using fMRI methods. In Scan 1, the picture encoding was studied during a semantic categorization task in comparison with word. In Scan 2 task type effects were studied both during a picture naming task and during a semantic categorization task with pictures. Subjects were asked to make decision either by pressing a mouse button (Scan 1) or by responding subvocally (naming or saying yes/no) (Scan 2). Regardless of stimulus type, left prefrontal, bilateral occipital, and parietal activations were observed during semantic processing in comparison with fixation baseline. Processing of word stimulus relative to picture resulted in activations in prefrontal and parieto-temporal regions in the left side while that of picture stimulus relative to word resultd in activations in bilateral extrastriatal visual cortices and parahippocampal regions. In spite of the same task demands, stimulus-specific information processings were involved and mediated by different neural substrates; the word encoding was associated with more semantic/lexical processings than pictures and the picture processing associated with more perceptual and novelty related information processings than word. Activations of dorsal part of inferior prefrontal region, i.e., Broca's areas were found both during the picture naming and during the semantic tasks subvocally performed Especially, during the picture naming task, greater occipital activations were found bilaterally relative to the semantic categorization task. indicating a possibility that greater and higher visual processing was involved in retrieving the name referred by picture stimuli.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.169-180
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• 2013

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to setup a concuurent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-functional MRI (fMRI) system for understanding causality of the functional brain network. Materials and Methods: We manufactured a TMS coil holder using nonmagnetic polyether ether ketone (PEEK). We simulated magnetic field distributions in the MR scanner according to TMS coil positions and angles. To minimize image distortions caused by TMS application, we controlled fMRI acquisition and TMS sequences to trigger TMS during inter-volume intervals. Results: Simulation showed that the magnetic field below the center of the coil was dramatically decreased with distance. Through the MR phantom study, we confirmed that TMS application around inter-volume acquisition time = 100 miliseconds reduced imaging distortion. Finally, the applicability of the concurrent TMS-fMRI was tested in preliminary studies with a healthy subject conducting a motor task within TMS-fMRI and passive motor movement induced by TMS in fMRI. Conclusion: In this study, we confirmed that the developed system allows use of TMS inside an fMRI system, which would contribute to the research of brain activation changes and causality in brain connectivity.