• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.1111-1116
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• 2006

Medical science is an area of study that focuses on maintaining health and treating disease. However, modern medicine focuses on treating disease and neglects methodology of maintaining health. Although the definition of heal this defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and as the concept of harmonizing Yin and Yang in Korean medicine, there is no specific details regarding the definition. Thus, the following conclusion was obtained after the concept of health is viewed through Yin-Yang(陰陽), Vital Essence(精), Qi(氣), and Healthy Person(平人). Although Yin and Yang have opposite properties, they work very closely, maintaining the overall balance and harmony. Secondly, Vin and Yang would each function by the effects of one another, and the body could maintain normal physiological activities through this function. Thirdly, it maintains normal physiological state through the ascending Kidney-Water and descending Heart-Yang(水升火降). Fourthly, Vital Essence is divided into the congenital Essence(先天之精) and the acquired Essence(後天之精) in which the former is related with reproduction and the latter, nourishing. Fifthly, Qi is resistant to pathogens and related with the physique so that Qi and physique should be balanced. Sixthly, Healthy Person is the state where the exchange of Qi-Blood is active.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.154-161
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• 1996

General pharmacological properties of LB-00014, an erythropoietin which was produced by recombinant DNA technique in Biotech Research Institute, LG Chemical Ltd. were examined. The administration of LB-00014 (60, 600, 6000 IU/kg, iv) in mice had no effect in general behavior and central nervous system, and no influences on normal body temperature, writhing syndromes induced by 0.7% acetic acid solution and chemoshock produced by strychnine and pentetrazole solution. LB-00014 (60, 600, 6000 IU/kg, iv) given to anesthetized rabbits showed no effect on blood pressure of carotid artery and respiration rates, and it did not influence the responses produced by injection of acetylcholine or epinephme. The administration of LB-00014 (601, 600, 6000 IU/kg, iv) in rats had no effect on the plasma prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and hemolytic action. The platelet aggregation induced by collagen in human plasma was not influenced by LB-00014 (10, 100, 1000 lU/kg, iv). It showed no direct effect at 100 and 1000IU/m1 in isolated stomach fundus and uterus of rats and ileum of guinea-pig, and it also had no inhibition of contraction produced by acetylcholine, oxytocin, serotonin and histamine in the above-mentioned preparations. It did not influence gastric secretion, pH and acid output at 6000 IU/kg, iv in rats, but showed a significant increase in intestinal propulsion of mice at 6000 IU/kg, iv. Its administration (60, 600, 6000 lU/kg, iv) caused no effect on urine and electrolyte excretion in rats. These results indicate that LB-00014 does not exsert any of serious pharmacological effects.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.349-355
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• 2009

Biomarkers are characteristic biological properties that can be detected and measured in a variety of biological matrices in the human body, including the blood and tissue, to give an indication of whether there is a threat of disease, if a disease already exists, or how such a disease may develop in an individual case. Along the continuum from exposure to clinical disease and progression, exposure, internal dose, biologically effective dose, early biological effect, altered structure and/or function, clinical disease, and disease progression can potentially be observed and quantified using biomarkers. While the traditional discovery of biomarkers has been a slow process, the advent of molecular and genomic medicine has resulted in explosive growth in the discovery of new biomarkers. In this review, issues in evaluating biomarkers will be discussed and the biomarkers of environmental exposure, early biologic effect, and susceptibility identified and validated in epidemiological studies will be summarized. The spectrum of genomic approaches currently used to identify and apply biomarkers and strategies to validate genomic biomarkers will also be discussed.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1313-1320
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• 2005

Stenosed coronary artery may play an important role in various coronary heart diseases. However, it has not been known how much stenosed coronary artery affects coronary circulation system, quantitatively. The present study developed a mathematical model for microcirculation in the left common coronary artery (LCCA) with adopting a previously measured morphological data and mechanical properties of the coronary vessels. We examine the effect of percent diameter stenosis on blood flow rate and shear stress for two cases. Case I comprised of one-stenosed element at $10^{th}$ order ($\%$ diameter stenosis are 10, 30, and 50, respectively). Case II consisted of completely occluded element at $10^{th}$ order (number of occluded elements are 0, 1, and 2 out of 8, respectively). As the level of stenosis becomes severe, the shear stress increases significantly but the flow rate reduction was relatively small. However, for the occluded case, there was linearly proportional reduction of flow rate according to number of occluded elements. Either such high shear stress associated with coronary artery stenosis or reduced flow rate due to occlusion may cause atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia.

• CELLMED
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.4.1-4.5
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• 2019

The medicinal plants are extensively used for curing variegated malady in day to day life. There is an emergent demand for plant based medicines, food supplements, health products, pharmaceuticals etc. Mochrus (Bombax ceiba Linn.) is one of the valuable medicinal plants used in Unani system of medicine since relic belongs to family Bombacaceae. It is a tall tree and widely distributed through India, Africa, Australia and tropical Asia. Many parts of the plant (root, stem bark, gum, leaf, prickles, flower, fruit, seed and heartwood) are used for the treatment of a variety of ailments. It is reported to possess nafe sailanur reham (beneficial in leucorrhea), mujaffif (siccative), muqawwi reham (uterine tonic), qabiz (constipative), muallide mani (production of semen), mumsik wa mughalliz mani (increase consistency of semen), dafe fasaad khoon wa safra (purifies blood and bile) etc. It is used in asthma, diarrhoea, wound, leprosy, boils and many other skin diseases. Also possess some important pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, analgesic, antipyretic, antibacterial, diuretic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, hypoglycaemic and hypotensive etc. It is reported to contain phytoconstituents like polysaccharides, naphthoquinones, anthocyanins, lupeol and naphthol etc. This paper provides a compendium review on pharmacological, phytochemical properties and therapeutic benefits of the plant.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.368-372
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• 2020

We report the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) of transdermal drug delivery in human skin. The time evolution of transdermal nicotine delivery in nicotine patches was assessed by detecting the transmission coefficient of sub-picosecond THz pulses and using a semi-analytic model based on the single-layer effective medium approximation. Using commercial nicotine patches (Nicoderm CQ^®, 7 mg/24 h), THz transmission coefficients were measured to quantitatively analyze the cumulative amounts of nicotine released from the patches in the absence of their detailed specifications, including multilayer structures and optical properties at THz frequencies. The results agreed well with measurements by conventional in vitro and in vivo methods, using a diffusion cell with high-performance liquid chromatography and blood sampling respectively. Our study revealed the ability of the THz-TDS method to be an effective alternative to existing methods for noninvasive and label-free assessments of transdermal drug delivery, showing its high promise for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.487-494
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• 1995

Solid lipid microspheres (SLMs) were prepared using various lipids and solidifying agents, in order to enhance the gastrointestinal absorption of Cyclosporine A (Cs A) which is a practically water-insoluble drug with low systemic bioavailability. Egg lecithin and HCO-60 (polyoxyethylated 60 mol, hydrogenated castor oil) were used as lipids. Stearic acid and stearyl alcohol were used as solidifying agents. Emulsion concentrates containing Cs A were prepared by mixing the melted lipid and solidifying agent with water, employing bile salts as a cosurfactant. SLMs were obtained by dispersing the warm emulsion concentrate in cold distilled water under mechanical stirring, followed by freeze drying. Physical characteristics of each SLM were investigated by particle size analysis, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Mean particle size of SLMs was in the range of 30 to 40.mu.m. The SLMs were in good appearance with spherical shape before freeze drying, but were deformed partially after freeze drying. Drug loading efficiencies of SLMs were observed as high as 80 to 90% in average. The systemic bioavailability of Cs A from different SLM formula was investigated in rats following oral administration. Cs A in whole blood was extracted and assayed by HPLC. SLMs revealed the higher bioavailabilities than the standard formula based on the marketed product. SLMs might have several advantages over standard formula for enhanced gastrointestinal absorption, controlled release properties, high loading capacity of the water-insoluble drug, and feasibility of solid dosage forms with better stability in storage.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.790-796
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• 2004

Ginseng is a shade-loving perennial herb that is cultivated mainly in Korea, Japan, and China. The ginseng root has been used as a tonic remedy, and its antidiabetic activity has been demonstrated as early as 1920s. Although wild ginseng was anecdotally thought to be superior to cultivated ginseng as far as pharmacological properties were concerned, there have been no prior reports on the antidiabetic effect of wild ginseng. In this study, we investigated the preventative anti-diabetic and anti-obese effects of wild ginseng ethanol extract (WGEE). In the preventive experiment, WGEE co-administered with a high fat diet significantly inhibited body weight gain, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, and free fatty acid levels in a dose dependent manner. WGEE-treated mice at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg improved the insulin resistance index by 55％ and 61％ compared to the high fat diet (HFD) control, respectively. Diameters of white and brown adipocytes were also decreased by 62％ and 46％ in the WG500-treated group compared to those in HFD fed control mice. Taken together, WGEE has potential as a preventive agent for type 2 diabetes mellitus (and possibly obesity) and deserves clinical trial in the near future.

• Psychiatry investigation
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1130-1134
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• 2018

Objective Trichotillomania is a relatively common illness whose neurobiology is poorly understood. One treatment for adult trichotillomania, n-acetyl cysteine (NAC), has antioxidative properties, as well as effects on central glutamatergic transmission. Preclinical models suggest that excessive oxidative stress may be involved in its pathophysiology. Methods Adults with trichotillomania provided a blood sample for analysis of compounds that may be influenced by oxidative stress [glutathione, angiotensin II, ferritin, iron, glucose, insulin and insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1), and hepcidin]. Participants were examined on symptom severity, disability, and impulsivity. The number of participants with out-of-reference range oxidative stress measures were compared against the null distribution. Correlations between oxidative stress markers and clinical measures were examined. Results Of 14 participants (mean age 31.2 years; 92.9% female), 35.7% (n=5) had total glutathione levels below the reference range (p=0.041). Other oxidative stress measures did not have significant proportions outside the reference ranges. Lower levels of glutathione correlated significantly with higher motor impulsiveness (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale sub-score) (r=0.97, p=0.001). Conclusion A third of patients with trichotillomania had low levels of glutathione, and lower levels of glutathione correlated significantly with higher motor impulsiveness. Because NAC is a precursor for cysteine, and cysteine is a rate limiting step for glutathione production, these results may shed light on the mechanisms through which NAC can have beneficial effects for impulsive symptoms. Confirmation of these results requires a suitable larger follow-up study, including an internal normative control group.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2019

Sweat-based glucose sensors are being widely investigated and researched as they facilitate painless and continuous measurement. However, because the concentration of sweat glucose is almost a hundred times lower than that of blood glucose, it is important to develop electrochemical sensing electrode materials that are highly sensitive to glucose molecules for the detection of low concentrations of glucose. The preparation of a flexible and ultra-sensitive sensor for detection of sweat glucose is presented in this study. Oxygen and nitrogen are removed from the surface of a polyimide film by exposure to a CO2 laser; hence, laser-induced graphene (LIG) is formed. The fabricated LIG electrode showed favorable properties of high roughness and good stability, flexibility, and conductivity. After the laser scanning, Pt nanoparticles (PtNP) with good catalytic behavior were electrodeposited and the glucose sensor thus developed, with a LIG/PtNP hybrid electrode, exhibited a high order of sensitivity and detection limit for sweat glucose.