• Title/Summary/Keyword: Degenerative diseases

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Multiple Inputs Deep Neural Networks for Bone Age Estimation Using Whole-Body Bone Scintigraphy

  • Nguyen, Phap Do Cong;Baek, Eu-Tteum;Yang, Hyung-Jeong;Kim, Soo-Hyung;Kang, Sae-Ryung;Min, Jung-Joon
    • Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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    • v.22 no.12
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    • pp.1376-1384
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    • 2019
  • The cosmetic and behavioral aspects of aging have become increasingly evident over the years. Physical aging in people can easily be observed on their face, posture, voice, and gait. In contrast, bone aging only becomes apparent once significant bone degeneration manifests through degenerative bone diseases. Therefore, a more accurate and timely assessment of bone aging is needed so that the determinants and its mechanisms can be more effectively identified and ultimately optimized. This study proposed a deep learning approach to assess the bone age of an adult using whole-body bone scintigraphy. The proposed approach uses multiple inputs deep neural network architectures using a loss function, called mean-variance loss. The data set was collected from Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. The experiment results show the effectiveness of the proposed method with a mean absolute error of 3.40 years.

$\alpha$-Phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone Protects Oxidative Damage to HepG2 Cells

  • Kim, Sun-Yee;Kim, Ryung-Hyo;Huh, Tae-Lin;Park, Jeen-Woo
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.43-46
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    • 2001
  • $\alpha$-Phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone (PBN) is one of the most widely used spin-trapping compounds for investigating the existence of free radicals in biological systems. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the antioxidant nature of PBN on degenerative diseases, presumably related to oxidative stress. In the present study, the protective effect of PBN on the HepG2 cell line under oxidative stress was investigated. When the HepG2 cells were exposed to oxidant, such as hydrogen peroxide, menadione, or ethanol, the protective role of PBN was manifested as a reduction in trypan blue uptake and a decrease in the endogenous production of oxidants, as measured by the oxidation of 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescin. The modulation of activity of major antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, was not significantly different either in the presence or in the absence of PBN. This indicates that PBN acts as a direct scavenger of reactive oxygen species.

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Anti-Oxidant Efficiency and Memchanisms of Phytochemicals from Traditional Herbal Medicine (한약재-식물성천연화학물질의 항산화 효능 및 기전)

  • Kim, Jong-Bong
    • Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.103-118
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    • 2008
  • Antioxidants are compounds that protect cells against the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Some ROS, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, are normally produced in cells as by-products of biochemical reactions or as signaling molecules. When ROS-generating reactions are activated excessively, pathological quantities of ROS are released to create an imbalance between antioxidants and ROS, called as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, which may result in cellular damage, has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other degenerative conditions. In humans the first line of antioxidant defence are the antioxidant enzymes, especially SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and to a lesser extent catalase, as well as the tripeptide glutathione(GSH). These enzymes will help destroy ROS(reactive oxygen species) such as hydroxyl radical, $H_2O_2$ and lipid peroxides, while GSH protects against oxidized protein. Many herbal medicines possess antioxidant properties. Herbal antioxidants may protect against these diseases by contributing to the total antioxidant defense system of the human body. Here, many herbal medicines including Ginseng, Licorice, Ligusticum Chuanxiong, Ginkgo biloba and many others was reviewed in terms of anti-oxidant efficiency related to their components.

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Should We Start Treating Chronic Low Back Pain with Antibiotics Rather than with Pain Medications?

  • Birkenmaier, Christof
    • The Korean Journal of Pain
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.327-335
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    • 2013
  • For those of us who have read the 2 recently published articles by a Danish - British research group, it might appear that we are observing an impending paradigm shift on the origins of chronic low back pain. The results of this research indicate, that chronic low back pain associated with bone marrow edema in vertebral endplates that are adjacent to herniated intervertebral discs may be caused by infections with anaerobic bacteria of low virulence. According to these articles, treatment with certain antibiotics is significantly more effective than placebo against this low back pain. If these findings are to hold true in repeat studies by other researchers, they stand to fundamentally change our concepts of low back pain, degenerative disc disease and in consequence the suitable therapies for these entities. It may in fact require pain specialists to become familiarized with the details of antibiotic treatments and their specific risks in order to be able to properly counsel their patients. While this seems hard to believe at first glance, bacteria have been implicated in the pathogenesis of other conditions that do not primarily impose as infectious diseases such as gastric ulcers. While the authors refer to a few previous studies pointing into the same direction, the relevant research is really only from one group of collaborating scientists. Therefore, before we start prescribing antibiotics for chronic low back pain, it is imperative that other researchers in different institutions confirm these results.

The Effect of the Dietary Carbohydrate on Lipid and Ca Metabolism, and the Immune Function in Aged Rats ($\cdot$저 탄수화물 식이로 사육된 흰 쥐의 노화과정중 나타나는 지방과 Ca 대사 및 면역능력에 미치는 영향연구)

  • 윤군애
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.135-144
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    • 1987
  • This study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietray carbohydrate level on the lipid and Ca metabolism, and on immune response in the process of aging. Sprag\ulcornerue - Dawley male rats of 12 months of age were fed either high carbohydrate or low carbohydrate diet for 9 months. With increasing age from 12 months to 21 months, there was no significant increase in body weight, however, the epididymal fat pat weight and total serum lipid tend to become higher, and the inorganic/organic matterratio in bone tends to become lower. This suggests that body fat accumulation increase and bone mass decrease with age. Rats fed low carbohydrate diet showed the higher epididymal fat pat weight, and the lower Ca content in femur and scapular compared to high carbohydrate diet fed rats. The immune response was also lower in low carbohydrate diet group judged by the lower thymus and spleen index and by the lower response to PHA and ConA stimulation. The results of this study suggests that the dietary level of carbohydrate and fat may play an important role in the process of aging. It could be recommended to practice high carbohydrate -low fat diet for the elderly to reduce the risk of degenerative diseases.

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Studies on Self-Selection of 3 macronutrients and the Effect of Electric Stress on Food Selection in Male Rats (3대 열량소를 스스로 선택하게 했을 때 흰쥐의 식이 선택성향 및 저전류 Stress가 이에 미치는 영향)

  • 장영애
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.23 no.7
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    • pp.504-512
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    • 1990
  • In experiment 1, dietary self-selection of the 3 macronutrients, protein, fat, and carbohydrate were examined in male rats given 3 food cups of 80% carbohydrate, 80% protein, and 70% fat diets simultaneously. All the rats showed normal growth pattern and organ weight, which means they have ability to select just right kinds and amounts of nurients in order to support their growth and development. Mean values of caloric intake, body weight gain, serum lipid values and empty carcass compositions were not significantly differ between the upper and lower quartile groups of fat proportion of empty carcass compared to the lower quartile group(LF). Same feeding design was employed in experiment 2 where the effect of mild electric stress on food selection was studied. The rats in both control and electric stress group revealed a normal growth curve and organ weights. The rats in both control and electric stress group revealed a normal growth curve and organ weights. The stress group showed higher caloric intake and body weight gain than control group, but no significant effects of stress on serum and empty carcass components was found. Even though normal rats seemed to select macronutrients according to their physiolosical needs, there were individual differences in food selection whether they were exposed to stress or not. Therefore life long individual food selection pattern may have a great influence on nutritional status and chronic degenerative diseases of eldery, and on aging process.

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Evaluation of the Antioxidant Contents of Korean Wild Leaf Vegetables

  • Ahn, Hee-Jung;Cho, Mun-Jung;Cho, Youn-Ok
    • Nutritional Sciences
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.98-102
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    • 2000
  • The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidative potential of Korean wild leaf vegetables. Antixoidative activity of chamchwi (Aster scaber), nurucchwi (Pleurospermum kamtschaticum) sumssukbujengee (Aster glheni), moshidae (Adenophora remotiflora), spinach (Spinacia oleracea)k was evaluated as a reference for commonly used synthetic antioxidant, BHA. We compared the content of $\beta$-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E as antioxidant vitamins, and total phenolic compound including flavonoid as non-vitamin compounds in Korean wild leaf vegetables and spinach. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value of Pleurospermum kamtschaticum, Aster scaber and Adenophora remotiflor was only 18-20% of control. TBA value of Aster glheni was 40% of control. On the basis of moles, the high level of vitamin C is the major contributor to the total antioxidant vitamin contents of Pleurospermum kamschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor. The amounts of flavonoid as well as total phenolic compound in Pleurospermum kamtschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor were also much higher than those of spinach. The amounts of flavonoid as well as total phenolic compound in Aster glheni were much higher than those of spinach while total amount of antioxidant vitamins was significantly lower than that of spinach. These results suggest that Pleurospermum kamtschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor could have antioxidative potency in food. Because of the higher content of antioxidant vitamins in Pleurospermum kamtschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor, these Korean wild leaf vegetables may have preventive effects on degenerative diseases, which have been associated with free radical mediated events.

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Improvement of Memory by Dieckol and Phlorofucofuroeckol in Ethanol-Treated Mice: Possible Involvement of the Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase

  • Myung Chang-Seon;Shin Hyeon-Cheol;Bao Hai Ying;Yeo Soo Jeong;Lee Bong Ho;Kang Jong Seong
    • Archives of Pharmacal Research
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    • v.28 no.6
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    • pp.691-698
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    • 2005
  • Phlorotannins, the polyphonic compounds found in brown Eisenia and Ecklonia algae, have several pharmacologically beneficial effects such as anti-inflammation. In addition, our recent data show that these compounds may improve the cognitive functions of aged humans suggesting the potential ability to enhance memory in several neurodegenerative disorders. To examine the experimental hypothesis that two effective components of Ecklonia cava, dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol (PFF), have memory-enhancing abilities, both were administered orally to mice before a passive avoidance test. The repeated administration of either dieckol or PFF dose-dependently reduced the inhibition of latency by the administration of ethanol. To investigate the mode of memory-enhancing actions, the levels of major central neurotransmitters in three different regions (striatum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex) of the mouse brain were measured. The levels of some of the neurotransmitters were significantly changed by ethanol. Both dieckol and PFF altered the levels of some neurotransmitters modified by the ethanol treatment. It is noteworthy that both dieckol and PFF increased the level of acetylcho-line, and they exerted anticholinesterase activities. Overall, the memory-enhancing abilities of dieckol and PFF may result from, at least in part, the increment of the brain level of acetylcho-line by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase.

Heat Processing of Edible Plants Grown in Korea Has Differential Effects on Their Antioxidant Capacity in Bovine Brain Homogenate

  • Oh, Sang-Hee;Sok, Dai-Eun;Lee, Kun-Jong;Kim, Mee-Ree
    • Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.378-385
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    • 2002
  • Oxidant radicals are implicated as a causal factor in the pathogenesis of neurobiological disorders and neuro-degenerative diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of edible plants against oxidative stress in bovine brain tissue. Fifty five kinds of edible plants grown in Korea were dried either by freeze-drying or hot-air drying (7$0^{\circ}C$), and evaluated for their antioxidant activity by measuring TBARS (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances) in brain homogenates subjected to Fe$^{+2}$_mediated lipid peroxidation with or without the addition of botanical extracts. Heat-drying decreased the antioxidant activity of most plant extracts by 10~81%, compared with freeze-drying. However, Aruncus americanus, Ligularia stenocephala, Artemisia princceps var. orientalis, Petasites japonicus and Aster scaber showed very strong antioxidant activities regardless of processing, with or without heat treatment. The $IC_{50}$/ values of the methanol extracts from these edible plants were in the range of 0.093~0.379 mg/$m\ell$, which was lower than that of ascorbic acid (0.79 mg/$m\ell$). Thermal processing of some edible plants enhanced their antioxidant activity.

Introduction To Basic Molecular Biologic Techniques for Molecular Imaging Researches (분자영상연구를 위한 분자생물학 기법 소개)

  • Kang, Joo-Hyun
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.115-120
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    • 2004
  • Molecular imaging is a rapidly growing field due to the advances in molecular biology and imaging technologies. With the introduction of imaging reporter genes into the cell, diverse cellular processes can be monitored, quantified and imaged non-invasively in vivo. These precesses include the gene expression, protein-protein interactions, signal transduction pathways, and monitoring of cells such as cancer cells, immune cells, and stem cells. In the near future, molecular imaging analysis will allow us to observe the incipience and progression of the disease. These will make us easier to give a diagnosis in the early stage of intractable diseases such as canter, neuro-degenerative disease, and immunological disorders. Additionally, molecular imaging method will be a valuable tool for the real-time evaluation of cells in molecular biology and the basic biological studies. As newer and more powerful molecular imaging tools become available, it will be necessary to corporate clinicians, molecular biologists and biochemists for the planning, interpretation, and application of these techniques to their fullest potential. in order for such a multidisciplinary team to be effective, it is essential that a common understanding of basic biochemical and molecular biologic techniques is achieved. Basic molecular techniques for molecular imaging methods are presented in this paper.