• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2020

The present study was aimed to explore the neuroprotective role of imatinib in global ischemia-reperfusion-induced cerebral injury along with possible mechanisms. Global ischemia was induced in mice by bilateral carotid artery occlusion for 20 min, which was followed by reperfusion for 24 h by restoring the blood flow to the brain. The extent of cerebral injury was assessed after 24 h of global ischemia by measuring the locomotor activity (actophotometer test), motor coordination (inclined beam walking test), neurological severity score, learning and memory (object recognition test) and cerebral infarction (triphenyl tetrazolium chloride stain). Ischemia-reperfusion injury produced significant cerebral infarction, impaired the behavioral parameters and decreased the expression of connexin 43 and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3) in the brain. A single dose administration of imatinib (20 and 40 mg/kg) attenuated ischemia-reperfusion-induced behavioral deficits and the extent of cerebral infarction along with the restoration of connexin 43 and p-STAT3 levels. However, administration of AG490, a selective Janus-activated kinase 2 (JAK2)/STAT3 inhibitor, abolished the neuroprotective actions of imatinib and decreased the expression of connexin 43 and p-STAT3. It is concluded that imatinib has the potential of attenuating global ischemia-reperfusion-induced cerebral injury, which may be possibly attributed to activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway along with the increase in the expression of connexin 43.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.87-87
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• 2002

목적： Writer's cramp를 가진 환자와 정상 성인에서 뇌 활성화를 비교 하고자 한다. 대상 및 방법： Writer's cramp를 가진 1명의 환자와 정상 성인 4명에서 글을 쓰는 과제를 시행하여 관련된 대뇌영역의 활성화를 유도하였다. resting, writering을 반복하는 자극을 시행하였다. 자기공명영상은 3.0T 초전도 자기공명 영상장치에서 EPI BOLD기법을 이용하여 얻었다. 영상 후 처리는 SPM 분석 프로그램을 사용하였다.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.8
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• pp.429-430
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• 2015

Angiogenesis is a complex process involving dynamic interaction of various cell to cell interactions. Endothelial cell interactions regulated by growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, or hemodynamic stress are critical for balancing vascular quiescence and activation. Yes-associated protein (YAP), an effector of Hippo signaling, is known to play significant roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis. However, its role in endothelial cells for angiogenic regulation remains relatively unexplored. We demonstrated the critical role of YAP in vascular endothelial cells and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in angiogenic regulation of YAP. YAP was expressed in active angiogenic regions where endothelial cell junctions were relatively loosened. Consistently, YAP subcellular localization and activity were regulated by VE-cadherin-mediated PI3K/Akt pathway. YAP thereby regulated endothelial sprouting via angiopoietin-2 expression. These results provide an insight into a model of coordinating endothelial junctional stability and angiogenic activation through YAP. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(8): 429-430]

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1707-1714
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• 2015

The neural bases underlying within or between-language picture naming was investigated by using event-related fMRI. The present suudy explorered the following two goals: The first is to compare cortical activation areas relevant to naming process in native and foreign language, and to decide whether the activation pattern of the foreign word will be the same as native words or not. The next is to find the cerebral areas involved only in alternating language switching between native and foreign language condition. Differential activation patterns were observed for language switching against one-language. Both naming tasks all activated the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) as expected. However the differences in naming between languages were reflected in the activation amount of the LIFG, namely more activation in naming the native language than the foreign language. Especially, naming of the foreign word from English showed the similar area and size in activation with native language suggesting that the process of borrowed noun resembles that of native common noun. And the language switching between languages newly activated the right middle frontal gyrus as well as the left inferior frontal areas. The right middle frontal gyrus engagement in switching conditions obviously identified that right hemisphere is recruited in code switching possibly with respect to meta-cognition controlling language index at a subconscious level.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.97-109
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• 2021

Neonatal hypoxia/ischemia (H/I), injures white matter, results in neuronal loss, disturbs myelin formation, and neural network development. Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress have been reported in neonatal hypoxic brain injuries. We investigated whether Paeoniflorin treatment reduced H/I-induced inflammation and oxidative stress and improved white matter integrity in a neonatal rodent model. Seven-day old Sprague-Dawley pups were exposed to H/I. Paeoniflorin (6.25, 12.5, or 25 mg/kg body weight) was administered every day via oral gavage from postpartum day 3 (P3) to P14, and an hour before induction of H/I. Pups were sacrificed 24 h (P8) and 72 h (P10) following H/I. Paeoniflorin reduced the apoptosis of neurons and attenuated cerebral infarct volume. Elevated expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bad were regulated. Paeoniflorin decreased oxidative stress by lowering levels of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species generation and while, and it enhanced glutathione content. Microglial activation and the TLR4/NF-κB signaling were significantly down-regulated. The degree of inflammatory mediators (interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor-α) were reduced. Paeoniflorin markedly prevented white matter injury via improving expression of myelin binding protein and increasing O1-positive olidgodendrocyte and O4-positive oligodendrocyte counts. The present investigation demonstrates the potent protective efficiency of paeoniflorin supplementation against H/I-induced brain injury by effectually preventing neuronal loss, microglial activation, and white matter injury via reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.700-709
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• 2022

Background: Ginsenoside Rd is a natural compound with promising neuroprotective effects. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not well-understood. In this study, we explored whether ginsenoside Rd exerts protective effects on cerebral endothelial cells after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) treatment and its potential docking proteins related to the underlying regulations. Method: Commercially available primary human brain microvessel endothelial cells (HBMECs) were used for in vitro OGD/R studies. Cell viability, pyroptosis-associated protein expression and tight junction protein degradation were evaluated. Molecular docking proteins were predicted. Subsequent surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology was utilized for validation. Flow cytometry was performed to quantify caspase-1 positive and PI positive (caspase-1+/PI+) pyroptotic cells. Results: Ginsenoside Rd treatment attenuated OGD/R-induced damage of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in vitro. It suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation (increased expression of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1β and GSDMD-N terminal (NT)) and subsequent cellular pyroptosis (caspase-1+/PI + cells). Ginsenoside Rd interacted with SLC5A1 with a high affinity and reduced OGD/R-induced sodium influx and potassium efflux in HBMECs. Inhibiting SLC5A1 using phlorizin suppressed OGD/R-activated NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis in HBMECs. Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rd protects HBMECs from OGD/R-induced injury partially via binding to SLC5A1, reducing OGD/R-induced sodium influx and potassium efflux, thereby alleviating NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.487-497
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a teaching approach influences student's ability of classification at the brain level. Twenty four healthy and right-handed college students participated in this study, which investigated a brain plasticity associated with category-generation and -understanding in classification learning. The participants were divided into one of two groups, one each for category-generation and -understanding learning programs, which were composed of twelve topics taught over a twelve-week period. To measure the change in student competence and brain activations, a paper and pencil test and an fMRI scanning session were administered before and after the training programs. Unlike the understanding group, the generation group showed significant changes in classification ability quotients and learning-related brain activations (cerebral cortex and basal ganglia were increased and prefrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus were decreased). Nevertheless, the understanding group showed an increased activation in the cerebral cortex and parahippocampal gyrus and a decreased activation in the right prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. Therefore, it can be concluded that teaching styles could influence students' brain activation patterns and classification ability. The results might also be used to develop a brain-compatible science education curriculum.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.05
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• pp.92-94
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• 1997

By measuring the increase of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during the activation tasks, we can describe the brain regions that participate in certain specific functions. In this study, we composed the functional maps of verbal and nonverbal memory by performing the rCBF positron emission tomography (PET) activation studies and analyzing the differences between control and each activation state. Successive four tasks, which consist of one control state and three different activation tasks, were performed on 6 normal volunteers. All images were spatially normalized on standard atlas and the differences between control and activation states were statistically analyzed. The verbal memory activated predominantly left-sided structures, especially left superior temporal cortex, and the nonverbal short-term memory activated the right frontal cortex. Also, some regions ,where is thought to be related with short-term memory system, such as cingulate gyrus and hippocampus were activated. We conclude that biological validity of the brain regions for verbal and nonverbal memory could be tested using rCBF PET imaging technique and statistical analysis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1 s.29
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• pp.281-294
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• 1995

The effect of Sam Hwa San on the Na-K-ATPase activity was evaluated in microsomal fraction prepared from rabbit cerebral cortex to determine whether Sam Hwa San affects Na-K-ATPase activity of nervous system. Sam Hwa San markedly inhibited the Na-K-ATPase activity in a dose-dependent manner with an estimated $I_{50}$ of 0.12%. Optimal pH for the Na-K-ATPase activity was at 7.5 in the presence or absence of Sam Hwa San. The degree of inhibition by the drug more increased at acidic and alkalic pHs than neutral pH. Kinetic studies of substrate and cationic activation of the enzyme indicate classic noncompetitive inhibition fashion for ATP, Na and K, showing significant reduction in Vmax without a change in Km. Dithiothreitol, a sulfhydryl reducing reagent, partially protects the inhibition of Na-K-ATPase activity by Sam Hwa San. Combination of Sam Hwa San and ouabain showed higher inhibition than cumulative inhibition. These results suggest that Sam Hwa San inhibits Na-K-ATPase activity in central nervous system by reacting with, at least a part, sulfhydryl group and ouabain binding site of the enzyme protein, but with different binding site from those of ATP, Na and K.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.930-936
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• 2004

Wogonin (5,7-dihydroxy-8-methoxyflavone), an active component originated from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been reported to possess antioxidant and anti-inflamma-tory properties. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of wogonin in a focal cerebral ischemia rat model. Wogonin markedly reduced the infarct volume after 2 h middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 22 h reperfusion. Wogonin decreased the production of nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 in lipopolisaccharide-stimu-lated microglial cells. While wogonin reduced the activity of NF-$textsc{k}$B, it did not change the activ-ity of mitogen-activated protein kinases family members, p38, ERK and JNK. The lipopolisaccharide-stimulated production of NO and cytokines was significantly blocked by vari-ous kinds of NF-$textsc{k}$B inhibitors such as N-acetyl cysteine, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate and MG-132. The data may indicate that wogonin has neuroprotective effect by preventing the over-activation of microglial cells, possibly by inactivating NF-$textsc{k}$B signaling pathway