• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.975-981
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• 2015

Precise 3D spatial mapping of cells and their connections within living tissues is required to fully understand developmental processes and neural activities. Zebrafish embryos are relatively small and optically transparent, making them the vertebrate model of choice for live in vivo imaging. However, embryonic brains cannot be imaged in their entirety by confocal or two-photon microscopy due to limitations in optical range and scanning speed. Here, we use light-sheet fluorescence microscopy to overcome these limitations and image the entire head of live transgenic zebrafish embryos. We simultaneously imaged cranial neurons and blood vessels during embryogenesis, generating comprehensive 3D maps that provide insight into the coordinated morphogenesis of the nervous system and vasculature during early development. In addition, blood cells circulating through the entire head, vagal and cardiac vasculature were also visualized at high resolution in a 3D movie. These data provide the foundation for the construction of a complete 4D atlas of zebrafish embryogenesis and neural activity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.8
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• pp.671-685
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• 2020

The regulator of calcineurin (RCAN) was first reported as a novel gene called DSCR1, encoded in a region termed the Down syndrome critical region (DSCR) of human chromosome 21. Genome sequence comparisons across species using bioinformatics revealed three members of the RCAN gene family, RCAN1, RCAN2, and RCAN3, present in most jawed vertebrates, with one member observed in most invertebrates and fungi. RCAN is most highly expressed in brain and striated muscles, but expression has been reported in many other tissues, as well, including the heart and kidneys. Expression levels of RCAN homologs are responsive to external stressors such as reactive oxygen species, Ca²⁺, amyloid β, and hormonal changes and upregulated in pathological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, cardiac hypertrophy, diabetes, and degenerative neuropathy. RCAN binding to calcineurin, a Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, inhibits calcineurin activity, thereby regulating different physiological events via dephosphorylation of important substrates. Novel functions of RCANs have recently emerged, indicating involvement in mitochondria homeostasis, RNA binding, circadian rhythms, obesity, and thermogenesis, some of which are calcineurin-independent. These developments suggest that besides significant contributions to DS pathologies and calcineurin regulation, RCAN is an important participant across physiological systems, suggesting it as a favorable therapeutic target.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.179-187
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the effects of a recreation therapy program on burn rehabilitation patients to determine if the program is an effective nursing intervention which can affect mental health problems and heart rate variability. Methods: Subjects were 54 hospitalized burn rehabilitation patients (25 in the control group, 29 in the experimental group). The experimental group participated 6 times in a recreation therapy program led by a qualified instructor. Brief symptoms inventory-18 (somatization, anxiety, depression) questionnaire, and heart rate variability were checked before and after the recreation therapy program. Results: The mental health scale showed significant differences in somatization (p<.001), anxiety (p<.001) and depression (p<.001). There was no significant difference in heart rate variability (autonomic activity, autonomic balance, stress resistance, stress parameter and fatigue, mean heart rate, electro-cardiac stability). Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that a recreation therapy program is an effective nursing intervention to decrease the level of mental health problems of burn rehabilitation patients. However, a subsequent study is needed to develop an intervention program that will induce the effect of physiological parameters like heart rate variability (HRV).

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2011

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a widely accepted approach for monitoring of cardiac activity and clinical diagnosis of heart diseases. Since cardiologists have been well-trained to accept 12-lead ECG information, a huge number of ECG systems are using such number of electrodes and placement configuration to facilitate fast interpretation. Our goal is to design a wireless ECG system which renders conventional 12-lead ECG information.We propose the three-pad ECG system (W3ECG). W3ECG furthers the pad design idea of the single-pad approach. Signals obtained from these three pads, plus their placement information, make it possible to synthesize conventional 12-lead ECG signals.We provide one example of pad placement and evaluate its performance by examining ECG data of four patients available from online database. Feasibility test of our selected pad placement positions show comparable results with respect to the EASI lead system. Experimental results also exhibit high correlations between synthesized and directly observed 12-lead signals (9 out of 12 cross-correlation coefficients higher than 0.75).

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.308-311
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• 2020

Extracts of ginseng species show antihyperglycemic activity. We evaluated the inhibitory effects of diabetic complications for Korean Red Ginseng (KRG), which is enriched in ginsenosides using Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. The animals were divided into one of four groups (n = 6~9): Long-Evans-Tokushima-Otsuka rats (control rats), OLETF rats, rats given 200 mg/kg KRG, and rats given 400 mg/kg KRG. We examined the protective potential of KRG against type 2 diabetic illnesses. The results exhibited that KRG showed significant antihyperglycemic and antioxidative effects in KRG-treated OLETF rats. And, our results proposed the amelioration of cardiac function through normalized ejection fraction, fractional shortening, and vascular reactivity. Furthermore, histopathological abnormalities in the OLETF rats were prevented by KRG treatment.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.745-752
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• 2012

This study aims to show the change of Heart Rate Variability(HRV) and Pulse wave velocity(PWV) on menstruation in women at college. Heart Rate Variability(HRV) and Pulse wave velocity(PWV) of 122 women at college were measured at their menstruation and ordinary period. SDNN, RMSSD, SDSD, HRV Index(%), stress resistance and cardiac activity were significantly higher at their menstruation than ordinary period, but Total Power and pNN50(%) were opposite. The automatic nervous system balance and physical stress were decreased in groups without dysmenorrhea than with one. PWV(E-R) and PWV(E-L) were much higher at menstruation than ordinary period. PTT(F-R) and PTT(F-L) were decreased in groups without dysmenorrhea than with severe one. We demonstrated that menstruation can effect on Heart Rate Variability and Pulse wave velocity and dysmenorrhea can cause the imbalance of autonomic nervous system.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.581-586
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• 2017

The well-known Integral Pulse Frequency Modulation (IPFM) cardiac oscillator has been used to generate the heart beat fluctuations as a representation of the modulatory autonomic nervous activity in terms of sympathetic and parasympathetic state. The IPFM model produces heartbeats by integrating the modulated sinusoid signals and applying the threshold of unity or chaotic threshold levels. This study aims at evaluating the performance of IPFM model by analyzing the influence of the threshold level with comparatively applying preset threshold of unity and Logistic-map and Henon-map chaotic-threshold. Based on our simulated results with interpreting the spectral features of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), we can conclude that the IPFM model with preset threshold level of unity can generate the optimal heartbeat variations int the sense of clinically valid heartbeats.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.799-804
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• 2015

This study aims at the new analysis of heart beat fluctuations by applying physiological Heart Rate Variability Model with representing the cardiac control system in sympathetic and parasympathetic-coupling oscillator constants, C_s and C_p. To find the effects of coupling constants on the beat-to-beat fluctuations, Integral Pulse Frequency Modulation (IPFM) model is adopted to generate the time series data of ECG R-peaks and represent them by poincaré scattergram plot in the time domain and HRV in the frequency domain, respectively. The actual poincaré plots and HRV spectrum are also analyzed by acquiring the experimental data from the subjects exposed to the emotional-stress invoking environment and the function of the coupling constants are verified in terms of antagonism in sympathetic and parasympathetic activity.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.25-30
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• 1973

In 30 rats divided into salt, ethanol and salt plus ethanol groups, the effect of ethanol on the course of hypertension induction with the salt ingestion was studied. The results obtained from the present study are as follows. 1) In salt group mean arterial blood pressure elevated to plateau (about 140 mmHg) in two weeks and the increased blood pressure was well maintained throughout entire experimental period. 2) By four weeks after ethanol ingestion, mean arterial blood pressure of ethanol group was slightly decreased followed thereafter by slow restoration to control value. And it was believed that decline of blood pressure observed in this case probably was not resulted from cardiac depression. 3) As mean arterial pressure in salt plus ethanol group remained rather low compared with that of salt group, it was suggested that ethanol may have a dose reduction effect in the course of hypertension induction by excessive salt ingestion. It was, however, not possible from the result of present study to decide that low blood Pressure in this group was resulted whether from enhanced sodium excretion activity of ethanol or from effect on blood pressure of ethanol itself.

• Journal of Multimedia Information System
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 2018

We developed multimedia esophageal catheters for use with birds to measure and record ECG and angular velocity while anesthesized, at rest, and in flight. These catheters enable estimates of blood pressure based on readings given by an angular velocity sensor and by RR intervals of ECG affected by EMG. In our experiments, the catheters had the following characteristics: 1. Esophageal catheters offer a topological advantage with 8-dB SNR improvement due to elimination of electromyography (EMG). 2. We observed a very strong correlation between blood pressure and the angular velocity of esophageal catheter axial rotation. 3. The impulse conduction pathway (Purkinje fibers) of the cardiac ventricle has a direction opposite to that of the mammalian pathway. 4. Sympathetic nerves predominate in flight, and RR interval variations are strongly suppressed. The electrophysiological data obtained by this study provided especially the state of the avian autonomic nervous system activity, so we can suspect individual's health condition. If the change of the RR interval was small, we can perform an isolation or screening from the group that prevent the pandemics of avian influenza. This catheter shall be useful to analysis an avian autonomic system, to perform a screening, and to make a positive policy against the massive infected avian influenza.