• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.3547-3554
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to take hold of the present situation as well as the perspective of the domestic alcohol specialized hospitals. The structured questionnaire was prepared to understand the type of services, manpower and systematic programs. Among eight hospitals that stand for the alcohol addiction specialized hospitals, six hospitals agreed to participate in the survey, which was made from Jun. 17 to July 15, 2010. The average number of beds of the surveyed hospitals was 208. They were mostly private ones(66.7%), located in urban area(50%), and had experiences of alcohol treatment less than five years(50%). While all of them practiced both the inpatient and outpatient services, only 33% provided the systematic outpatient program that was at least 2 or 3 hours per week. All hospitals practiced the physical and individual psychological evaluations, but only 16.1% had the daytime programs. The beds of protective ward were 72% of all beds, and the beds of night and day occupied 7.6% and 2.6% respectively. It was found that although the average number of mental health social worker and mental health nurse was larger than that required in the regulation of mental health law there are significant deviations between hospitals. However, the manpower of psychiatrists and nurses were comparatively large. The first problem indicated by clinical experts was the patient's refusal of care, which results in an inefficiency in the treatment. The next problem was the lack of local health care institutions that can attend on the discharged patients were important issues. Also the low reimbursement and indifferences to the alcohol abuse were considered as important issues.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2007

Objetives : Identification of target genes for ethanol in neurons is important for understanding its molecular and cellular mechanism of action and the neuropathological changes seen in alcoholics. The purpose of this study is to identify of altered gene expression after acute treatmet of ethanol in rat gliom cells. Methods : We used high density cDNA microarray chip to measure the expression patterns of multiple genes in cultured rat glioma cells. DNA microarrays allow for the simultaneous measurement of the expression of several hundreds of genes. Results : After comparing hybridized signals between control and ethanol treated groups, we found that treatment with ethanol increased the expression of 15 genes and decreased the expression of 12 genes. Upregulated genes included Orthodenticle(Drosophila) homolog 1, procollagen type II, adenosine A2a receptor, GATA bindning protein 2. Downregulated genes included diacylglycerol kinase beta, PRKC, Protein phosphatase 1, clathrin-associated protein 17, nucleoporin p58, proteasome. Conclusion : The gene changes noted were those related to the regulation of transcription, signal transduction, second messenger systems. modulation of ischemic brain injury, and neurodengeneration. Although some of the genes were previously known to be ethanol responsive, we have for the most part identified novel genes involved in the brain response to ethanol.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2019

Objectives: Insomnia is not only the most common sleep-related disorder, but also is one of the most important. Knowledge of the comorbidities of insomnia is essential for proper treatment including pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to prevent disease chronification. This study aimed to determine sleep clinic patients' knowledge of insomnia. Methods: This study recruited 44 patients (24 males and 20 females; mean age $54.11{\pm}16.30years$) from the sleep clinic at National Center for Mental Health. All subjects were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire about their reasons for visiting a sleep clinic and about their knowledge of treatment and comorbidities of insomnia. Results: The reasons for visiting the sleep clinic were insomnia symptoms of daytime sleepiness, irregular sleeping time, nightmares, snoring, and sleep apnea, in that order. Of the responders, 72.7% had a comorbidity of insomnia, and 22.7% showed high-risk alcohol use. In addition, 70.5% of responders chose pharmacological treatment of insomnia as the first option and reported collection of information about treatment of insomnia mainly from the internet and medical staff. More than half (52.3%) of the respondents reported that they had never heard about non-pharmacological treatments of insomnia such as cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT-I) or light therapy. The response rate about comorbidities of varied, with 75% of responders reporting knowledge of the relation between insomnia and depression, but only 38.6% stating awareness of the relation between insomnia and alcohol use disorder. Of the total responders, 68.2% were worried about hypnotics for insomnia treatment, and 70% were concerned about drug dependence. Conclusion: This study showed that patients at a sleep clinic had limited knowledge about insomnia. It is necessary to develop standardized insomnia treatment guidelines and educational handbooks for those suffering from insomnia. In addition, evaluation of alcohol use disorders is essential in the initial assessment of sleep disorders.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2024

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a significant risk factor in the global disease burden. The stem bark of the Betulaceae plant Alnus japonica, which is indigenous to Korea, has been used as a popular folk medicine for hepatitis and cancer. However, the preventive effect of Alnus japonica leaf extracts on alcohol-related liver damage has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of the extracts of Alnus japonica leaf (AJL) against ethanol-induced liver damage in HepG2/2E1 cells. Treatment with AJL significantly prevented ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2/2E1 cells by reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). This protective effect was likely associated with antioxidant potential of AJL, as evidenced by the attenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production and restoration of the depleted glutathione (GSH) levels in ethanol-induced HepG2/2E1 cells. Our findings suggest that FCC might be considered as a useful agent in the prevention of liver damage induced by oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant defense mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2002

Objective:This study was to explore the relation of genetic polymorphisms of ALDH2 and CYP2E1 to clinical characteristics of alcoholic patients and alcohol induced liver damage. Methods:The genotype and allele frequencies of 128 male hospitalized patients who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence were compared with 128 healthy male control subjects. The genetic informations of ALDH2 and CYP2E1 were identified with the technique of polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. The clinical characteristics of the alcoholic patients were assessed and analyzed in relation to the family history of alcoholism. For the relation of CYP2E1 genetic polymorphism to the liver damage, the blood levels of various liver function indicators such as ALT, AST, and protein were checked out. Results:1) The alcoholic patients with the family history of alcoholism had the earlier onset of age (p=0.001), the longer duration of illness(p=0.045), and higher NCA scores(p=0.018) than those without the family history of alcoholism. 2) Most alcoholic patients were homozygous for $ALDH2^*1$, compared to control subjects.(p=0.000) 3) There was no difference of CYP2E1 distribution between alcoholic patients and control subjects. However, alcoholic patients having mutant c2 allele showed higher alcoholism severity scores(p=0.004) and more hospitalizations(p=0.014) than those having c1 allele. 4) There was no relationship between CYP2E1 genotype and the functional abnormalities of the liver. Conclusion:This study suggests that $ALDH2^*1$ is highly related with alcohol dependence. Also mutant c2 allele of CYP2E1 is correlated with the severity of alcoholism and the number of hospitalization. But genetic polymorphim of CYP2E1 seems to have no relation to liver damages.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the triallelic serotonin transporter gene and stressful life events to determine their effect on depression with alcohol dependence. Methods : Ninety-five hospitalized patients with alcohol dependence (73 male, 22 female) were enrolled in this study. Thirty-two (33.7%) of the total patients were diagnosed with major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder by Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV. The characteristics of stress were evaluated using the stressful life events scale, and depressive symptoms were assessed using the depression scale (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI). Alcoholism with depression (n = 32) and alcoholism without depression (n = 63) were genotyped for the triallelic serotonin transporter gene ($L_A$ : higher expressing allele, $L_G$/S : lower expressing allele). Results : There was no significant difference in the allele frequency between the depression group and the non-depression group (${\chi}^2$ = 0.345, p = 0.619). $L_G$/S alleles had more comorbid depression in the higher score of stressful life events scale [Mental-Haenszel (MH)-${\chi}^2$ = 4.477, p = 0.034]. But there was no significant difference in the comorbidity according to the scores from the stressful life event scale in the $L_A$ alleles (MH-${\chi}^2$ = 0.741, p = 0.399). In the results, alcohol-dependent individuals with $L_G$/S alleles had more comorbid depression than those with $L_A$ alleles when they had experienced severe stressful life events (MH-odds ratio = 2.699, p = 0.028). Conclusions : These results suggest that there is no direct relationship between triallelic serotonin transporter gene and depression in the alcohol dependent patients. But alcohol dependent individuals with the lower expressing alleles of the serotonin transporter gene were more susceptible to depression than those with the higher expressing alleles in response to stressful life events.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.123-139
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted to establish whether an ethanol extract of Lycium barbarum leaves (LLE) and an ethanol extract of Lycium barbarum leaves from which chlorophyll has been removed, denoted as LLE(Ch^-), have a protective effect against hepatic fat accumulation. Methods: The inhibitory effects of LLE and LLE(Ch^-) on liver fat accumulation were examined in C57BL/6 mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by an methionine and choline deficient diet and in HepG2 cells with palmitic acid-induced fat accumulation. Results: The plasma triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels were lower in the LLE(Ch^-) group, whereas the plasma ALT activity decreased significantly in the LLE group. In both the LLE and the LLE(Ch^-) groups, the triglyceride and cholesterol contents in the hepatic tissue were significantly reduced. A greater inhibitory effect on tissue fat accumulation was observed in the LLE(Ch^-) group than in the LLE group. In HepG2 cells, LLE and LLE(Ch^-) were non-toxic up to a concentration of 1,000 ㎍/mL. Compared to the control group, intracellular fat accumulation in the LLE and LLE(Ch^-) groups were significantly reduced at concentrations of 200 ㎍/mL and 500 ㎍/mL, respectively. The expression of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase in both LLE groups increased at the concentrations of 100 ㎍/mL and 500 ㎍/mL. The fatty acid synthase expression was suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner at 10 ㎍/mL. Conclusion: The examined two ethanol extracts of LLE inhibit hepatic fat accumulation in NAFLD. This effect was more pronounced in the LLE(Ch^-) group. Therefore, these 2 extracts have an anti-steatosis effect and can be used for NAFLD treatment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.8844-8852
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• 2015

This study was conducted to figure out characteristics of the children of problematic drinkers by reviewing the studies on those children reported in nursing studies in Korea and incorporating the results. The research method was integrated literature review, and for the study, eleven articles were selected by searching with key words such as 'problematic drinking', 'alcoholic', 'alcohol dependence', 'children', and 'nursing' in three research databases, spanning between 2000 and 2014. The research results are as follows: For the domestic nursing studies on the children of problematic drinkers, there were many descriptive research using survey method, requiring introduction of various research methods in order to know characteristics and lives of the children of problematic drinkers in depth. For main characteristics of the children of problematic drinkers, they have lower ability to cope with, many of them suffer from psychological and mental health problems, are very sensitive in interpersonal relationships with higher hostility. In addition, it is reported that the children of problematic drinkers are likely to have more problematic drinking, show higher depression and lower emotional perception and expression, social support, and social competence. Based on the results of this study, considering the fact that there are extremely few studies on the children of problematic drinkers, it requires more active studies and researches in nursing. Through the study with accurate results, it will contribute to nurses' capability in both clinical settings and local community as a guideline.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 1990

Three kinds of hydrogel membranes were prepared by the copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) with acrylamide, N, N-dimethylamide and methylmethacrylate in the presence of solvent and crosslinker respectively. The equilibrium water content, relative permeability and partition coefficient of the membranes for alcohol solutes were measured. It has been found that the permeation of organic solute occurs through the water-filled regions in the hydrogel membrane, and that the gpermeability coefficient of organic solute depends on the molecular size. But the permeability of organic solute was controlled by the interaction of solute-membrane at the low water content. By the partition data, it has been shown that the partition of solute is only controlled by hydrophobic interaction between solute and membrane. The diffusion coefficient data were interpreted on the basis of water-solute interaction. It has been found that the diffusion of organic solute is determined by the free volume of water in the membrane, and that hardly depends on polarity-polarizability and hydrogen bonding ability between water and solute.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2006

날트렉손은 ${\mu}-opioid$ 수용체에 특이적이고 선택적으로 길항작용을 나타내어 마약이나 마약성 진통제의 강한 의존성 치료에 쓰일 뿐만 아니라, 알코올 의존성 치료에도 쓰이는 약물이다. 본 연구는 날트렉손 제제인 레비아 정 (50 mg tablet, 제일약품) 을 대조약으로 하여 시험약인 명인 제약의 트락손 50 mg정의 생물학적 동등성 평가를 하기 위해 22명의 건강한 지원자를 모집하였다. 지원자를 두 군으로 나누어 1정씩 투여하였고 $2{\times}2$ 교차시험을 실시하였다. 날트렉손의 혈장 중의 농도를 정량하기 위하여 발리데이션된 LC/MS/MS를 사용하였다. 채혈 시간은 투약 전 및 투약 후 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12 시간에 걸쳐 시행하였다. 생물학적 동등성을 판정하기 위한 파라미터로 12시간까지의 혈장 중 농도 곡선 하 면적$(AUC_{12hr})$과 최고 혈중 농도 $(C_{max})$를 사용하였다. $AUC_{12hr}$의 평균은 $43.45ng{\cdot}hr/ml$ (시험약)과 $43.31ng{\cdot}hr/ml$ (대조약) 으로 관찰되었고, $C_{max}$의 경우 각각 12.01 ng/m1 (시험약)과 12.27 ng/ml (대조약)으로 관찰되었다. $AUC_{12hr}$의 경우 로그변환 한 평균치 차의 90%의 신뢰구간이 log0.95-log1.07이었고, $C_{max}$의 경우 log0.87-log1.14로 계산되어 두 항목 모두 log0.8-log1.25이어야 한다는 식품의약품 안전청과 FDA의 기준을 모두 만족시켰다. 이상의 결과를 종합하면 시험약 트락손 정 50mg 은 대조약 레비아 정 50 mg에 대하여 생물학적으로 동등한 것으로 판정되었다.