• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2013

Objectives : To review the recent trend of randomized controlled clinical trials on insomnia and to provide information for future clinical trials. Methods : A total of 667 pieces of literature were searched using the key words 'insomnia' and 'randomized controlled trial' and using the title 'insomnia' with the topic 'trial or trials', published from 2008 to 2012 through Web of Science. Studies including randomized controlled clinical trials were sorted from the search result and finally 104 pieces of the literature were selected and examined. Results : Besides 104 clinical trials, 14 trials related to CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) were also reviewed. On average, 20 trials were annually conducted and they showed a growing trend. Participants were between 31 and 90 (34.6%), and were observed for less than 30 days (28.8%) in most trials. As intervention methods for clinical trials, non-pharmaceutical methods were used in 59 studies (56.7%), pharmaceutical drug in 43 studies (41.3%) and combinations in 2 studies (1.9%). In 60 studies, only insomnia without any underlying diseases was examined and other 44 studies involved other diseases. As diagnosis assessment tools, Sleep diary and Polysomnography were used. Conclusions : Randomized controlled trials relevant to insomnia were on the increase, but only a small number of clinical trials on Oriental Medicine have been performed. Larger scientific and well-founded randomized controlled trials are required for developing Oriental Medicine and establishing high-quality guideline going forward.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2012

Objective : To optimize the recanalization of acute cerebral stroke that were not effectively resolved by conventional intraarterial thrombolysis (IAT), we designed a double device technique to allow for rapid and effective reopening. In this article, we describe the feasibility and efficacy of this technique. Methods : From January 2008 to September 2009, twenty patients with acute cerebral arterial occlusion (middle cerebral artery : n=12; internal carotid artery terminus : n=5; basilar artery : n=3) were treated by the double device technique. This technique was applied when conventional thrombolytic methods using drug, microwires, microcatheters and balloons did not result in recanalization. In the double device technique, two devices are simultaneously placed at the lesion (for example, one microcatheter and one balloon or two microcatheters). Chemicomechanical or mechanicomechanical thrombolysis was performed simultaneously using various combinations of two devices. Recanalization rates, procedural time, complications, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results : The initial median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was 16 (range 5-26). The double device technique was applied after conventional IAT methods failed. Recanalization was achieved in 18 patients (90%). Among them, 55% (11 cases) were complete (thrombolysis in cerebral infarction 2B, 3). The median thrombolytic procedural time including the conventional technique was $135{\pm}83.7$ minutes (range 75-427). Major symptomatic hemorrhages (neurological deterioration ${\geq}4$ points in NIHSS) developed in two patients (10%). Good long term outcomes (modified Rankin Scale ${\leq}2$ at 90 days) occurred in 25% (n=5) of the cases. Mortality within 90 days developed in two cases (10%). Conclusion : The double device technique is a feasible and effective technical option for large vessel occlusion refractory to conventional thrombolysis.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.209-214
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• 2014

With the continuing demand for new solutions in the development of effective and safe candidiasis therapies, we investigated the efficacy of an antifungal agent from the marine brown alga Eisenia bicyclis. The methanolic extract of E. bicyclis evinced potential antifungal activity against Candida species. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc)-soluble extract from E. bicyclis demonstrated the strongest antifungal activity against Candida species among five solvent-soluble extracts. Indeed, the EtOAc-soluble extract showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 4 to 8 mg/mL. Furthermore, the EtOAc-soluble extract considerably reversed high-level fluconazole resistance of Candida species. The MIC values of fluconazole against Candida species decreased substantially (from 64 to $4{\mu}g/mL$) in combination with the MIC of the EtOAc-soluble extract (4 mg/mL). The fractional inhibitory concentration indices of fluconazole ranged from 0.531 to 0.625 in combination with 4, 2, or 1 mg/mL of the EtOAc-soluble extract against Candida isolates, indicating that these combinations exert a marked synergistic effect against Candida isolates. These findings imply that compounds derived from E. bicyclis can be a potential source of natural antifungal agents against Candida species.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.429-432
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• 2000

Chitosan scaffold is widely applied to drug delivery and tissue engineering. We have developed chitosan scaffolds, with various pore size, by differing freezing temperature and duration of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, for reconstructing skin equivalent. Chitosan scaffold was coated with type I collagen, fibronectin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in various combinations and concentrations, to evaluate the effect of extracellular matrix (ECM) and bFGF on cell adhesion, growth and differentiation of dermal fibroblasts. Human dermal fibroblasts, isolated from newborn foreskin and passaged between 3 and 5, were seeded on the top of scaffolds and cultivated for 2 weeks. We examined the morphology and the secretion of ECM of fibroblasts using scanning electron microsopy (SEM) and histochemistry. A stellate morphology of fibroblasts were seen in all groups. The scaffold coated with either type I collagen and bFGF or type I collagen and fibronectin, however, showed the best condtion of dermal fibroblasts, in that the highest cell number and ECM secretion were seen. On the contrary, scaffolds coated with all three factors, type I collagen, bFGF and fibronectin, showed lower number of cells and ECM secretion than scaffolds with two factors. There was a tendency of dose-dependence in all three factors for fibroblast growth and ECM secretion. In conclusion, we may suggest that chitosan scaffold coated with either type I collagen/bFGF or type I collagen/fibronectin could provide more favorable environment for the growth and differentiation of dermal fibroblasts.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1972

One of the characteristics features of Chinese Medicine is recognized as the practical use of combinations of crude drugs in the forms of various prescriptions according to the symptoms of illness. Such crude drugs are mostly dried plant roots, rhizomes, leaves, fruits and seeds, sometimes dried animla organ preparations even fossils or minerals. In the oldest book of Chinese Medicine, Sang Han Ron, 113 prescriptions were described in which about 80 crude drugs were included, and in other old literature, Shin Nong Bon Tcho Keun, 363 crude drugs were recorded. Such drugs, in particular, those included in Sang Han Ron are generally low toxic, and the prescriptions are acting mild with less side effects, but obviously not so easy task to determine the effect of the indivisual drug from the total effects of various prescriptions which are generally consisted of many kinds of crude drugs. About 200 years ago, in the middle of Edo era, a Japanese medical doctor, Yoshimasu Todo wrote a series of books named "Yakucho", in which he described the essential various prescriptions in which the certain drugs plays the main role. This book is very suggestive to evaluate the effects of some Chinese drugs. The actual effects of Chinese medicine and drugs have widely been recognized by the East Asian peoples during their long age experiences, but still it has not been studied sufficiently by modern scientific methods to give generally acceptable evidences. During past some years, my collaborators and I have been engaged to study some well-known Chinese drugs chemically to find out the active principles in determining their chemical structures under the collaboration of pharmacologists, Prof. K. Takagi and his coworkers. In the present lecture, I would like to present two topics from our recent investigations: The studies on the principles of Paeony and Ginseng roots.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.198-215
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• 2018

Bronchodilators provide improvements in lung function and reductions in symptoms and exacerbations, and are the mainstay of pharmacological management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease strategy recommends the use of a combination of long-acting ${\beta}_2-agonist$/long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LABA/LAMA) as the first-line treatment option in the majority of symptomatic patients with COPD. This review provides an indirect comparison of available LABA/LAMA fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) through discussion of important efficacy and safety data from the key literature, with the objective of providing physicians with a framework for informed decision-making. LABA/LAMA FDCs provided greater benefits compared with placebo and similar or greater benefits compared with tiotropium and salmeterol/fluticasone in improving lung function, dyspnea, health-related quality of life, reducing rescue medication use and preventing exacerbations, although with some variability in efficacy between individual FDCs; further, tolerability profiles were comparable among LABA/LAMA FDCs. However, there is a disparity in the amount of evidence generated for different LABA/LAMA FDCs. Thus, this review shows that all LABA/LAMA FDCs may not be the same and that care should be taken when extrapolating individual treatment outcomes to the entire drug class. It is important that physicians consider the efficacy gradient that exists among LABA/LAMA FDCs, and factors such as inhaler devices and potential biomarkers, when choosing the optimal bronchodilator treatment for long-term management of patients with COPD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3471-3476
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• 2012

Background and Objective: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors represent a promising class of potential anticancer agents for treatment of human malignancies. In this study, we investigated the effect of trichostatin A (TSA), one such HDAC inhibitor, in combination with docetaxel (TXT), a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent or erlotinib, a novel molecular target therapy drug, on lung cancer A549 cells. Methods: A549 cells were treated with TXT, erlotinib alone or in combination with TSA, respectively. Cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle distribution were evaluated using MTT (3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, Hochst33258 staining and flow cytometry. Moreover, immunofluorescent staining and Western blot analysis were employed to examine alterations of ${\alpha}$-tubulin, heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and caspase-3 in response to the different exogenous stimuli. Results: Compared with single-agent treatment, co-treatment of A549 cells with TSA/TXT or TSA/erlotinib synergistically inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and caused cell cycle delay at the $G_2/M$ transition. Treatment with TSA/TXT or TSA/erlotinib led to a significant increase of cleaved caspase-3 expression, also resulting in elevated acetylation of ${\alpha}$-tubulin or hsp90 and decreased expression of EGFR, which was negatively associated with the level of acetylated hsp90. Conclusions: Synergistic anti-tumor effects are observed between TXT or erlotinib and TSA on lung cancer cells. Such combinations may provide a more effective strategy for treating human lung cancer.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2005

Nanotechnology has penetrated into the various branches of research and development and it is particularly of benefit to the particle size engineering. It has been widely known that the particle size of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is critical in determining the bioavailability and processability of pharmaceutical formulation. However, the window of appropriate particle size has been limited mainly due to related processing difficulties. The windows have been widened by the recent development of nanotechnologies, resulting in diversified drug delivery systems. The impact of this development is far more fundamental than what can be expected from conventional particle size engineering. It is the case that the preparation and use of nanoparticles will soon be a common task in the particle engineering step of pharmaceutical unit operations. In this chapter, the basic principles of variouspreparation techniques will be discussed in detail. Regardless of processing details, the preparation methods of pharmaceutical nanoparticles mainly concern how to deal with the extra energy related with particle size. Depending on the ways of treating the e103 energy, preparation methods can be classified into two major classes, i.e.. thermodynamic and kinetic approaches. The recent progresses have shown the possibilities of much more complex combinations of different approaches and the use of new types of energy and nanostructures.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.110-117
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and is closely associated with metabolic syndrome. In the present study, we observed the effect of ethanol extract of Allium fistulosum (EAF) on NAFLD and have suggested the possibility of using EAF as a natural product for application in the development of a treatment for NAFLD. MATERIALS/METHODS: The preventive effect on hepatic lipid accumulation was estimated by using an oleic acid (OA)-induced NAFLD model in vitro and a Western diet (high-fat high-sucrose; WD)-induced obese mouse model. Animals were divided into three groups (n = 7): normal diet group (ND), WD group, and WD plus 1% EAF group. RESULTS: EAF reduced OA-stimulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells in the absence of cellular cytotoxicity and significantly blocked transcriptional activation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 and fatty acid synthase genes. Subsequently, we investigated these effects in vivo in mice fed either ND or WD in the presence or absence of EAF supplementation. In comparison to the ND controls, the WD-fed mice exhibited increases in body weight, liver weight, epididymal fat weight, and accumulation of fat in hepatocytes, and these effects were significantly attenuated by EAF supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Allium fistulosum attenuates the development of NAFLD, and EAF elicits anti-lipogenic activity in liver. Therefore, EAF represents a promising candidate for use in the development of novel therapeutic drugs or drug combinations for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.809-819
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• 1996

This study was conducted to identify the effects of caffeine or combinations of caffeine and iron or vitamin E on the lipid and protein components in the MDBK(Mardin-Darby Bovine Kidney) cells. For the In vitro test, MDBK cells in ${\alpha}$-MEM(Minimum Essential Medium) were divided into 4 treatment groups according to drug types and dosages as follows; the control(group A), group B was treated with 0.3mM caffeine, group C was treated with 0.3mM caffeine and 0.3mM ferric chloride, group D was treated with 0.3mM caffeine and 0.3mM vitamin E. Those groups were further divided into 5 subgroups according to the time lapsed(control, 4hrs, 8hrs, 24hrs and 48hrs lapsed group). The concentrations of the carbonyl group and malondialdehyde(MDA) and the patterns of the SDS-PAGE(Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis) and fatty acid compositions were analyzed to determine the oxidative damages and metabolic changes on the lipid and protein components in the MDBK cells. The results obtained from this study were summarized as follows; 1. The concentrations of carbonyl group and malondialdehyde in MDBK cells of group C were significantly higher(p<0.01) in comparison to the control, and increased according to the time lapsed. But the results of groups B and D were little different in comparison to the group C. 2. As the analytical results of fatty acid compositions in MDBK cells, the proportions of palmitoleic acid and linoleic acid in groups B, C and D were lower in comparison to the control, while the proportion of arachidonic acid in groups B, C and D were significantly higher(p<0.01) in comparison to the control. 3. In order to determine the oxidative damages to the protein in MDBK cells, the patterns of the SDS-PAGE were examined and the patterns of SDS-PAGE in groups C and D were significantly different between 43kd and 200kd of molecular weight.