• 생물정신의학
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.164-171
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• 2012

The placebo effect, a response observed during the placebo arm of a clinical trial, is produced by the psychobiological action of the placebo as well as by other potential contributors to symptom amelioration such as spontaneous improvement, regression to the mean, biases, concurrent treatments, and study design. From a psychological viewpoint, there are many mechanisms that contribute to placebo effects, including expectations, conditioning, learning, and anxiety reduction. Placebo responses are also mediated by opioid and non-opioid mechanisms including dopamine, serotonin, cholecystokinin, and immune mediators. During recent years, a trend towards increased placebo effects in clinical trials of neuropsychiatric drugs has been noted. Indeed, the placebo effects observed in clinical trials constitute an increasing problem and interfere with signal-detection analyses of potential treatments. Several potential factors including protocol/study design and conduct related factors may account for the placebo effect observed in clinical trials. This paper reviews key issues related to this problem and aims to identify potential solutions.

• 한국건축시공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국건축시공학회 2002년도 학술논문발표회
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• pp.75-80
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to conduct researches on the aspects of reconstruction and remodeling of low-rise, dilapidated apartment buildings in the provinces, using comparative methodologies, consequently coming up with the findings in the following. 1) Unlike the rebuilding projects in which the movement process tends to be made in a bulk (in a simultaneous manner), it turns out that when it comes to remodeling, it would be advisable to attempt moving the inhabitants as a group either by the size of their residence or by the building. 2) Given the peculiarities of the construction management mechanism, remodeling projects might seem disadvantageous on the part of the management on account of inadequate accumulation of information and experience. Hence, based on the impeccable assessment of the current status of the subject buildings from the phase of planning, its imperative to closely look into and take into consideration a variety of direct and/or indirect factors in advance of the implementation. 3) A series of comparative researches from the perspective of economical efficiency that remodeling projects appear profitable considering the overall costs including financial expenses, varied taxes, and so on that will be eventually brought forth during the reconstruction period, and all the more so when allowing for the consequential effects which they ought to have upon the natural and human resources, environmental and ecological condition, business potentials, etc. Amelioration to be desired on the basis of the findings above.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권8호
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• pp.417-422
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• 2017

Cisplatin is the most effective and widely used chemotherapeutic agent for many types of cancer. Unfortunately, its clinical use is limited by its adverse effects, notably bone marrow suppression leading to abnormal hematopoiesis. We previously revealed that neuropeptide Y (NPY) is responsible for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function by protecting the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) fibers survival from chemotherapy-induced bone marrow impairment. Here, we show the NPY-mediated protective effect against bone marrow dysfunction due to cisplatin in an ovarian cancer mouse model. During chemotherapy, NPY mitigates reduction in HSC abundance and destruction of SNS fibers in the bone marrow without blocking the anticancer efficacy of cisplatin, and it results in the restoration of blood cells and amelioration of sensory neuropathy. Therefore, these results suggest that NPY can be used as a potentially effective agent to improve bone marrow dysfunction during cisplatin-based cancer therapy.

• 한국의학물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국의학물리학회 2003년도 제27회 추계학술대회
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• pp.74-74
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• 2003

Purpose: To investigate whether there are significant changes in regional brain metabolism in patients with Parkinson's disease after thalamotomy using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (lH MRS). Methods: Fifteen patients with Parkinson's disease of mean age 56.5 years (7 males and 8 females; mean age, 56.5 years) that have treated with levodopa were included. All patients with tremor experienced amelioration of their symptoms on the side contralateral to the thalamotomy. As a single-voxel technique, 1H MR spectra were obtained from the volume of interested regions in thalamus and primary motor cortex. Spectral parameters were: 20 ms TE, 2000 ms TR, 128 averages, 2500 Hz spectral width, and 2048 data points. Results: We found that NAA/Cho ratios showed generally low levels in thalamus in Parkinson's disease patients with clinical improvement following thalamotomy. Conclusions: 1H MRS may be a useful utility for the aid in better understanding the pathophy-siologic process in Parkinson's disease patients on the basis of the variation of NAA/Cho ratio. Acknowledgement: This study was supported by a grant of the Center for Functional and Metabolic Imaging Technology, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (02-PJ3-PG6-EV07-0002).

• 생명과학회지
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• 제18권10호
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• pp.1336-1341
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• 2008

기관지를 통하여 발병하는 염증은 대표적인 면역질환의 현상인데 천식이나 아토피 피부염 등에 나타난다. 신선초의 물 추출물이 항천식 활성을 나타내는지를 알아보기 위하여 ovalbumin으로 유도시킨 동물모델을 사용하였다. 마우스에 경구투여하여 폐의 조직을 Haematoxylin-Eosin 염색과 면역조직화학을 이용하여 인터루킨-4 및-13의 발현을 측정한 결과, 신선초의 물 추출물은 $CD4^+$ 세포의 수 및, 인터루킨-4 및 -13의 발현을 억제하는 것으로 나타났다. 이의 결과는 신선초의 물 추출물이 ovalbumin 으로 유도시킨 마우스의 천식 증상을 경감시키는 것으로 이의 활용이 기대된다.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.271-279
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• 2010

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by systemic inflammation through production of inflammatory mediators and signaling abnormalities between T- and B- cells, leading to autoantibody production and multiorgan injuries. This study was investigated whether bamboo culm extract (BC) attenuates development of lupus systemic inflammation in the early stage in pristane-induced lupus mice. The pristane-induced lupus mice were administrated with BC 0.5 ml/kg or PBS and healthy mice with PBS orally once a day for 14 days. Our results showed that BC remarkably attenuated levels of serum TNF-$\alpha$, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-$\gamma$, $PGE_2$, and VEGF, production of macrophages IL-6 and $PGE_2$ and expression of macrophages IL-6 and COX-2 mRNA in the presence or absence of LPS in pristane-induced lupus mice. Also, BC remarkably reduced expression of CD40L on the splenic T cells and CD80 on the splenic B cells and upregulated the reduced apoptosis of splenic T cells and CD4+ T cells in pristane-induced lupus mice. Therefore, these findings suggest that BC may attenuate early development of lupus systemic inflammation via downregulation of inflammatory mediators and amelioration of abnormal signaling between T cells and B cells.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.311-322
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• 1994

This study was conducted to compare the effects of four types of dietary fiber supplementations (cellulose, pectin, guar gum, and polydextrose) on gastrointestinal function, diabetic symptom amelioration and lipid & glucose metabolism in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Six groups of male rats were fed ad libitum dietary fiber-free control diet or one of experimental diets containing 5% dietary fiber for four weeks. All types of dietary fiber supplementation seemed to protect the diabetic animals from the loss of body weight. The primary diabetic symptoms such as polydipsia, polyphasia, polyuria and urinary glucose excretion were ameliorated by cellulose, pectin, and guar gum, but not by polydextrose. Gastrointestinal transit time was significantly shortened and fecal dry weight was significantly increased in all the dietary fiber-supplemented groups except the polydextrose group. Large intestine was significantly lengthened by dietary fiber feeding. The serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were effectively lowered by pectin, guar gum and polydextrose. Regardless of their types, the fiber supplementation had no effect on serum HDL-cholesterol. Whereas fasting blood glucose level was significantly lowered by all types of fiber supplementations, glucose tolerance was more effectively improved by pectin and guar gum.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제8권5호
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• pp.516-520
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Carnosic acid (CA), found in rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) leaves, is known to exhibit anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory activities. However, whether its anti-inflammatory potency can contribute to the amelioration of obesity has not been elucidated. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of CA on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathways in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with CA ($0-20{\mu}M$) for 1 h, followed by treatment with LPS for 30 min; mRNA expression of adipokines and protein expression of TLR4-related molecules were then measured. RESULTS: LPS-stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed elevated mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and CA significantly inhibited the expression of these adipokine genes. LPS-induced up regulation of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88, TNF receptor-associated factor 6, and nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$, as well as phosphorylated extracellular receptor-activated kinase were also suppressed by pre-treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with CA. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study suggest that CA directly inhibits TLR4-MyD88-dependent signaling pathways and decreases the inflammatory response in adipocytes.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.141-150
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• 2018

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to understand the adaptive responses of different modes of physical exercises utilizing skeletal muscle and the comprehensive relevance of AMPK signaling that can be activated by physical exercise as a potential molecular target in human health problems such as neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). METHODS: Most of the contents in this review article are based on recent publications concerning the main topics of interest. The reference literatures cited were obtained by basic searches of overseas academic databases such as PubMed and ScienceDirect using EndNote X7.8. RESULTS: The phenotypic adaptive responses of skeletal muscle during endurance- and resistance-based exercise training (ET and RT respectively) appear to be distinct. To explain the adaptive responses in each single mode of exercises (ET, RT) along with combined exercise training (CT), AMPK signaling is proposed as an important molecular link among those differential modes of exercise and a promising molecular target of NMDs. CONCLUSION: Based on the available evidence, intracellular AMPK signaling activated by diverse stimuli including physical exercise can be a potential and promising therapeutic target for the prevention, amelioration or cure of various human health problems including NMDs and may also be beneficial for physical rehabilitation and emergency situations that may elicit acute metabolic stresses.

• Journal of Multimedia Information System
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.133-142
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• 2014

In the revised 2015 curriculum, it is emphasized that fostering of the students as the capable 'creativity-convergent' individuals can be achieved by offering them the opportunities to cultivate the basic knowledge in liberal arts, society and scientific technologies through schooling. While retaining the basic principle of 'fostering creative people', this fundamentally-reformed curriculum involves improvements in the elementary and middle school curriculums in response to the national and social demands in which active responses to the changes in the educational environments and amelioration of the problems posed in the field applications are required. Accordingly, a novel future-oriented curriculum is necessary for the classroom teaching, and to realize the goal, the 'Competence-oriented Social Multimedia Computer Network Curriculum' adopting the virtualization and the 'Bottom-up' methods has been proposed in this paper as a feasible and practical curriculum. Our curriculum will be compared with the recent Cisco high school curriculum and analyzed contemplating recent curriculums in US, UK, Japan and India. Two 1-year practice courses are examined to prove the validity of the proposed curriculum for a period of two years as a qualitative research project. The results of the comparative analysis will show that our proposed curriculum is superior to the Cisco high school curriculum in the aspects of economic feasibility and learning satisfaction.