• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.411-418
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• 2014

Vascular remodelling is an adaptive mechanism, which counteracts pressure changes in blood circulation. Nicotine content in cigarette increases the risk of hypertension. The exact relationship between nicotine and vascular remodelling still remain unknown. Current study was aimed to determine the effect of clinically relevant dosage of nicotine (equivalent to light smoker) on aortic reactivity, oxidative stress markers and histomorphological changes. Twelve age-matched male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups, i.e.: normal saline as control or 0.6 mg/kg nicotine for 28 days (i.p., n=6 per group). On day-29, the rats were sacrificed and the thoracic aorta was dissected immediately for further studies. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) of nicotine-treated vs. control were significantly increased (p<0.05). Nicotine-treated group showed significant (p<0.05) increase tunica media thickness, and decrease in lumen diameter, suggesting vascular remodelling which lead to prior hypertension state. The phenylephrine (PE)-induced contractile response in nicotine group was significantly higher than control group ($ED_{50}=1.44{\times}10^5M$ vs. $4.9{\times}10^6M$) (p<0.05~0.001). However, nicotine-treated rat showed significantly lower endothelium-dependent relaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh) than in control group ($ED_{50}=6.17{\times}10^7M$ vs. $2.82{\times}10^7M$) (p<0.05), indicating loss of primary vascular function. Malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation marker was significantly higher in nicotine group. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymatic activity and glutathione (GSH) were all reduced in nicotine group (p<0.05) vs. control, suggesting nicotine induces oxidative imbalance. In short, chronic nicotine administration impaired aortic reactivity, probably via redox imbalance and vascular remodelling mechanism.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.44-51
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• 2019

The paper presents the rotordynamic performance measurements and model predictions of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) air compressor supported on gas foil bearings (GFBs). The rotor has an impeller on one end and a thrust runner on the other end. The front (impeller side) and rear (thrust side) gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) are located between the impeller and thrust runner to support the radial loads, and a pair of gas foil thrust bearings are located on both sides of the thrust runner to support the axial loads. The test GFJBs have a partial arc shim foil installed between the top foil and bump strip layers to enhance hydrodynamic pressure generation. During the rotordynamic performance tests, two sets of orthogonally installed eddy-current displacement sensors measure the rotor radial motions at the rotor impeller and thrust ends. A series of speed-up and coast-down tests to 100k rpm demonstrates the dominant synchronous (1X) rotor responses to imbalance masses without noticeable subsynchronous motions, which indicates a rotordynamically stable rotor-GFB system. Finite element analysis of the rotor determines the rotor free-free (bending) natural modes and frequencies well beyond the maximum rotating frequency. The predicted damped natural frequencies and damping ratios of the rotor-GFB system reveal rotordynamic stability over the speeds of interest. The imbalance response predictions show that the predicted critical speeds and rotor amplitudes strongly agree with the test measurements, thus validating the developed rotordynamic model.

• Research in Vestibular Science
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.152-159
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• 2018

Objectives: The Korean Dizziness Handicap Inventory (KDHI), which includes 25 patient-reported items, has been used to assess self-reported dizziness in Korean patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Nevertheless, few studies have examined the KDHI based on item-response theory within this population. The aim of our study was to address the feasibility and clinimetric properties of the KDHI instrument using polytomous Rasch measurement analysis. Methods: The unidimensionality, scale targeting, separation reliability, item difficulty (severity), and response category utility of the KDHI were statistically assessed based on the Andrich rating scale model. The utilities of the orderedresponse categories of the 3-point Likert scale were analyzed with reference to the probability curves of the response categories. The separation reliability of the KDHI was assessed based on person separation reliability (PSR), which is used to measure the capacity to discriminate among groups of patients with different levels of balance deficits. Results: Principal component analyses of residuals revealed that the KDHI had unidimensionality. The KHDI had satisfactory PSR and there were no disordered thresholds in the 3-point rating scale. However, the KDHI showed several issues for inappropriate scale targeting and misfit items (items 1 and 2) for Rasch model. Conclusions: The KDHI provide unidimensional measures of imbalance symptoms in patients with PD with adequate separation reliability. There was no statistical evidence of disorder in polytomous rating scales. The Rasch analysis results suggest that the KDHI is a reliable scale for measuring the imbalance symptoms in PD patients, and identified parts for possible amendments in order to further improve the linear metric scale.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권11호
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• pp.1406-1415
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• 2022

The formation of macrophage foam cells stimulated by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is deemed an important cause of atherosclerosis. Transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1), which is a universally expressed multifunctional protein, is closely related to cell metabolism disorders such as lipid metabolism, sugar metabolism, and bile acid metabolism. However, whether YY1 is involved in macrophage inflammation and lipid accumulation still remains unknown. After mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells were induced by ox-LDL, YY1 and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) expressions were found to be increased while low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) expression was lowly expressed. Subsequently, through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot analysis, Oil Red O staining and cholesterol quantification, it turned out that silencing of YY1 attenuated the inflammatory response and lipid accumulation in RAW264.7 cells caused by ox-LDL. Moreover, results from the JASPAR database, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, luciferase reporter assay and Western blot analysis suggested that YY1 activated PCSK9 by binding to PCSK9 promoter and modulated the expression of LDLR in the downstream of PCSK9. In addition, the results of functional experiments demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of YY1 interference on ox-LDL-mediated macrophage inflammation and lipid accumulation were reversed by PCSK9 overexpression. To sum up, YY1 depletion inhibited its activation of PCSK9, thereby reducing cellular inflammatory response, cholesterol homeostasis imbalance, and lipid accumulation caused by ox-LDL.

• 한국안광학회지
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.345-351
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• 2014

목적: 각 사위 그룹에서 가입렌즈에 따른 조절반응량과 근거리 수평사위도의 변화를 측정하여 자극 AC/A비와 반응 AC/A비를 조사하였다. 이에 자극 AC/A비와 반응 AC/A비를 비교 분석하여 임상에서의 양안시 검사 및 처방시에 유용한 자료로 제시하고자 한다. 방법: 평균 만 $20.89{\pm}1.92$세, 81명을 대상으로 주시거리 40 cm에서 개방형 자동굴절계(Nvision-K 5001, Shin nippon)와 수정된 토링톤 시표(MIM card; Muscle Imbalance Measure card, Bernell)를 이용하여 양안시 상태에서 조절반응량과 근거리 수평사위도를 측정하였다. 그리고 측정된 값을 토대로 자극 AC/A비와 반응 AC/A비를 경사 AC/A법으로 계산하였다. 결과: 주시거리 40 cm에서 조절반응량은 외사위 그룹이 $1.92{\pm}0.26$ D로 가장 크고, 정위 그룹 $1.72{\pm}0.26$ D, 내사위 그룹 $1.62{\pm}0.42$ D 순으로 작아졌고, 근거리 수평사위도의 변화폭은 내사위 그룹이 $23.24{\Delta}$로 가장 크고, 정위 그룹 $19.76{\Delta}$, 외사위 그룹 $15.14{\Delta}$ 순으로 작게 나타났다. 가입렌즈에 따른 자극 AC/A비와 반응 AC/A비의 차이는 외사위 그룹에서는 -2.00 D 렌즈를 가입하였을 때, $1.72{\Delta}/D$로 가장 컸고 내사위 그룹에서는 +1.00 D 렌즈를 가입하였을 때 $3.43{\Delta}/D$로 가장 크게 나타났다. 외사위 그룹에서 -2.00 D, -1.00 D 렌즈를 가입하였을 때, 내사위 그룹에서는 +3.00 D, +2.00 D, +1.00 D, -1.00 D 렌즈를 가입하였을 때 각각 통계적으로 유의한 차이를 보였다. 결론: 자극 AC/A비와 반응 AC/A비를 비교하였을 때, 외사위 그룹에서는 (-) 렌즈를 가입하였을 때의 차이가 더 크고, 내사위 그룹에서는 (+) 렌즈를 가입하였을 때의 차이가 더 크게 나타났다. 또한 내사위 그룹의 자극 AC/A비와 반응 AC/A비의 차이가 외사위 그룹의 차이보다 더 크게 나타났다.

• 한국축산식품학회지
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.1044-1054
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• 2023

Growing evidence indicates a crucial role of the gut microbiota in physiological functions. Gut-brain axis imbalance has also been associated with neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Studies have suggested that probiotics regulate the stress response and alleviate mood-related symptoms. In this study, we investigated the effects of the probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus IDCC3201 (L3201) on the behavioral response and fecal metabolite content in an unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) mouse model. Our study shows that chronic stress in mice for three weeks resulted in significant changes in behavior, including lower locomotor activity, higher levels of anxiety, and depressive-like symptoms, compared to the control group. Metabolomic analysis demonstrated that disrupted fecal metabolites associated with aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis by UCMS were restored with the administration of L3201. Oral administration of the L3201 ameliorated the observed changes and improved the behavioral alterations along with fecal metabolites, suggesting that probiotics play a neuroprotective role.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.137-147
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• 2020

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with intestinal immune imbalance and inflammatory response. Because dehydrolovastatin (DLVT), a derivative of lovastatin, has been recently shown to inhibit inflammation and relieve immune arthritis induced by chemical stimuli, we studied its effect and possible mechanism on UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium. The BALB/c mice were classified into six groups: normal control group, model group, DLVT high dose group, DLVT low dose group, salazosulfapyridine (SASP) group and lovastatin (LVT) group. The disease activity indices of UC and pathological changes were investigated. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in colon tissue and inflammatory factors such as IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, and TNF-α in the serum were analyzed by ELISA, while the expression of NF-κB p65 protein in colon tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot. DLVT relieved the disease activity indices and pathological damage of the UC mice. Furthermore, DLVT significantly decreased MPO activity and improved the imbalance of inflammatory cytokines through inhibiting the expression of NF-κB p65. Meanwhile, the positive drug of SASP has a similar effect to DLVT, but the effect of DLVT in both decreasing IL-17, TNF-α, and increasing IL-10 was significantly stronger than that of SASP. These results suggest that DLVT may ameliorates the symptoms of UC.

• 응용통계연구
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.457-469
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• 2010

우리나라의 부동산정책은 주거안정과 경기조절이라는 상반된 목표 사이에서 규제 완화와 강화를 반복해 왔으며, 주택정책이 부양책에서 2003년부터 규제책으로 전환되면서 각종 부작용을 유발하게 되었다. 본 연구는 부동산정책이 앞 정권의 관심사였다는 관점에서 부양책의 영향을 받던 정권 초기와 규제책의 영향이 가장 심했던 후기 수도권 및 광역시의 주택가격 변동에 어떠한 흐름이 존재했는가를 통계적으로 검정하여 그 차이를 비교, 분석해 보았다. 지역간 가격 변동의 연관관계는 규제의 효력이 발생하면서부터 전에 비해 현저히 단순화된 것으로 검정되며, 수도권의 가격 선도력이 강화되면서 경제력 편중으로 인한 지역간 불균형 현상이 뚜렷해진 현실을 시사한다.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.111-117
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• 2004

Hepatic microcirculatory failure is a major component of reperfusion injury in the liver. Recent data provided some evidence that endothelium-derived vasoconstrictors and vasodilators may be functionally important to the control of the total hepatic blood flow under these conditions of circulatory failure. Since Kupffer cells provide signals that regulate the hepatic response in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), the aim of this study was to investigate the role of Kupffer cells in the I/R-induced imbalance of vasoregulatory gene expression. Rats were subjected to 60 min hepatic ischemia, followed by 5 h of reperfusion. The Kupffer cells were inactivated by gadolinium chloride ($GdCl_3$, 7.5 mg/kg body weight, intravenously) 1 day prior to ischemia. Liver samples were obtained 5 hrs after reperfusion for RT-PCR analysis of the mRNA for genes of interest: endothelin-1 (ET-1), its receptors $ET_A and ET_B$, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). ET-1 mRNA expression was increased by I/R. mRNA levels for $ET_A$ receptors showed no change, whereas $ET_B$ receptor transcripts increased in the I/R group. The increases in ET-1 and $ET_B$ mRNA were not prevented by the $GdCI_3$ pretreatment. The mRNA levels for iNOS and eNOS significantly increased within the I/R group with no significant difference between the I/R group and the $GdCl_3$-treated I/R group. HO-1 mRNA expression significantly increased in the I/R group and this increase was attenuated by $GdCI_3$. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that an imbalance in hepatic vasoregulatory gene expression occurs during I/R. Our findings suggest that the activation of Kupffer cells is not required for I/R-induced hepatic microvascular dysfunction.