• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.5-11
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• 2013

Acute gastric ulcer is caused by the unbalance between cell proliferation and apoptosis in gastric mucosa. Platycodin D (PD) has been reported to have a variety of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and antiin-flammatory effect. In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of PD on the basis of cell proliferation/apoptosis and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in the acute gastric ulcer induced by ibuprofen in Rats. Acute gastric damage was induced by the repeated treatment of ibuprofen (200 mg/kg) with 8 hrs interval in a day. PD was orally administrated at concentrations of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg every day for 5 days before the induction of acute gastric ulcer. Macroscopically, ibuprofen caused a significant increase in the number of lesions in the gastric mucosa. But pretreatment of PD significantly reduced ibuprofen-induced gastric lesion score and prevented excessive mucus depletion in gastric mucosa. Also, pretreatment of PD counteracted significantly Ki-67 decrease in the proliferating zone of gastric glandular portion and highly reduced or delayed apoptotic cells on TUNEL assay. In addition, COX-2 expression was increased in gastric mucosa bearing erosions or ulcers but pretreatment of PD reduced COX-2 expression in gastric lesions. These results show that pretreatment of PD has a protective effect against ibuprofen-induced gastric damage, not only by counteracting a decrease of cell proliferation, but also by inhibiting or delaying apoptosis via regulation of COX-2 within the gastric mucosa.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 1997

Cytogenetic observations of loss of the distal portion of the Y chromosome long arm were found to be associated with disrupted spermatogenesis. The existence of a gene involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis, the azoospermia factor (AZF), was postulated. In this study, we screened the AZF region including DAZ and DAZH genes and observed the expression pattern of DAZ and DAZH transcript in infertile men with azoospermia and oligospermia by using a sequence-tagged site (STS)-based PCR method. PCR primers were synthesized for 11 STSs that span Yq interval 6, SRY, DAZ, and DAZH, functional DAZ homologue on chromosome 3. Microdeletions were detected in 4/32 (12.5%) azoospermic men and 1/11 (9%) severe oligospermic men. Only 2 of 5 patients had microdeletions of Yq that contained the DAZ gene, whereas the other 3 patients had deletions extending from intervals 5L-6F proximal to the DAZ gene on Yq. Testis biopsies of the azoospermic patients revealed a variety from Sertoli cell-only syndrome to testicular maturation arrest. Of 4 men with clinical data available, average testis size was R: 13.8 cc, L: 13.8 cc, serum T was $4.0{\pm}1.25$ ng/ml, LH was $3.63{\pm}1.90$ mIU/ml, and FSH was $8.85{\pm}5.13$ mIU/ml. These values did not differ significantly from the remainder of the patients tested. We could not observed the DAZ transcript in 2 patients, who have no mature spermatozoa. In 11.6% of patients microdeletions of the AZF could be detected. These deletions in the AZF region seem to be involved causing spermatogenic failure. But the frequency of microdeletions proximal to DAZ suggests that DAZ is not the only gene associated with spermatogenic failure.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.463-472
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among three factors such as the family health, school adjustment and internet addiction, and their subordinated factors. The research is going to clarify if school adjustment has mediating effect in the relationship between the family health and internet addiction. 371 of elementary school students resideing in Dadjeon-city completed questionnaires assessing family health, school adjustment and internet addiction. The sample variance-covariance matrix was analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 20.0, the mazimum likelihood minimization function. The goodness of fit was evaluated using the SRMR, RMSEA and its 90% confidence interval, CFI, and TLI. The results are as follows: First, there were significant correlations among family health, school adjustment and internet addiction. Second, the subordinated factors in the family health, school adjustment, and internet addiction regulation are also closely related in the statistically significant positive relationship excepting school adjustment. After conducting the Covariance Structure Analysis to verify the mediating effect of school adjustment in the relationship between the family health and internet addiction, we found that it was appropriate to explain our findings with the structural equation model. when the family health has an effect on internet addiction, the school adjustment partially influences this process. Finally, educational implications and suggestions for future studies are addressed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.121-126
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• 1996

Objects : There is considerable interest in the role of serotonin(5-HT) in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Cimetidine, $H_2$ antagonist, produces transient increase in serum prolactin(PRL) levels by indirect serotonergic mechanism in man following intravenous administration. Therefore the authors investigated the effects of cimetidine on serum PRL levels of male unmedicated schizophrenics. Method : Baseline serum prolactin level and psychopathology were measured at 9:00 AM. in the two groups(12 positive schizophrenics, 7 negative schizophrenics) and $T_{30}$ levels were measured 30 minutes after intravenous injection of cimetidine (ie, 9:30 AM) Results: 1) Baseline prolactin levels were not different in the three groups. 2) Prolactin levels of 30 minutes after intravenous injection of cimetidine($T_{30}$) compared with baseline prolactin levels were increased all in the three groups. 3) Degrees of interval change from baseline to $T_{30}$ were significantly different between normal control and negative schizophrenics(p<0.05). Conclusion : The prolactin response to cimetidine was significantly blunted in negative male schizophrenics than normal control. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of an abnormality of serotonergic activity, including down-regulation $5-HT_2$ receptors, in male negative schizophrenics.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.35-47
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• 1984

Contents of immunoreactive ${\beta}-endorphin$ and maximum of $^3H-morphine$ binding was measured in the rat midbrain homogenates from different subgroups at 24 hour interval over 24 hours. Animals were adapted to the light-dark cycle(L : D, 12: 12) or constant darkness (D : D, 12 : 12) for 3 weeks. After the adaptation, 0.5ml of physiologic saline or drug was administered twice a day for 2 weeks. A highly significant circadian rhythm with the peak$(94.8{\pm}7.7\;fmole/mg\;protein)$ at 06:00 and the nadir $(27.6{\pm}2.4\;fmole/mg\;protein)$ at 18:00 was observed in constant of group. Constant dark or treatment of reserpine, pargyline, imipramine, amphetamine and chlorpromazine modified the diurnal rhythm in the time of peak and nadir, shape, phase amplitude and 24 hour mean of ${\beta}-endorphin$ contents. Opiate receptor binding by $^3H-morphine$ also showed highly significant diurnal change in control and constant dark adapted rats. Statistical analysis by one-way analysis of variance and two-way analysis of variance indicates that the·re are highly significant differences between the diurnal change of ${\beta}-endorphin$ in control and those constant dark adapted and drug treated groups. However diurnal change of Maximum $^3H-morphine$ binding is closely related to the change of ${\beta}-endorphin$ contents. The results are interpreted with regard to the circadian rhythm of beta-endorphin contents, its modification by psychoactive drugs and possible mechanism of diurnal change of opiate receptor in brain.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.223-227
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• 2003

Survey on plant diseases occurring on cucumber cultivated in plastic film house of experimental farm in Suwon was conducted. Through the survey, occurrence of damping-off, downey mildew, powdery mildew and Fusarium wilt was observed. Especially downey mildew caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis was the most severe foliar disease of cucumber. To control the disease effectively, effects of installation of ventilation fan and optimal spray timing of a chemical, dimethomorph+copper oxychloride WP, were investigated. Two ventilation fans installed at the front and at the back of plastic film house reduced air relative humidity by about 6.4% and downey mildew incidence by 55.7%. Downey mildew incidence on cucumber from untreated chemicals plot in plastic film house installed with ventilation fan was on a equal level with that from treated chemicals plot with three times application of dimethomorph+copper oxychloride WP in plastic film house without ventilation fan. Meanwhile in order to select optimal chemical application time, dimethomorth+copper oxychloride WP was treated three times at 7 days-interval from three days before the disease occurred, right after the disease occurred, and two days after the disease occurred, respectively. The result showed that dimethomorth+copper oxychloride WP applied to cucumber leaves and stems from three days prior to, right after, two days after occurrence of downey mildew reduced downey mildew incidence by 72.9, 61.8, and 23.7%, respectively. The above results showed that regulation of environmental factors like air relative humidity and preventive application of chemicals should be considered to establish control strategy to downey mildew.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.386-389
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• 2015

Sibutramine is an anorectic that has been banned since 2010 due to cardiovascular safety issues. However, counterfeit drugs or slimming products that include sibutramine are still available in the market. It has been reported that illegal sibutramine-contained pharmaceutical products induce cardiovascular crisis. However, the mechanism underlying sibutramine-induced cardiovascular adverse effect has not been fully evaluated yet. In this study, we performed cardiovascular safety pharmacology studies of sibutramine systemically using by hERG channel inhibition, action potential duration, and telemetry assays. Sibutramine inhibited hERG channel current of HEK293 cells with an $IC_{50}$ of $3.92{\mu}M$ in patch clamp assay and increased the heart rate and blood pressure ($76{\Delta}bpm$ in heart rate and $51{\Delta}mmHg$ in blood pressure) in beagle dogs at a dose of 30 mg/kg (per oral), while it shortened action potential duration (at $10{\mu}M$ and $30{\mu}M$, resulted in 15% and 29% decreases in $APD_{50}$, and 9% and 17% decreases in $APD_{90}$, respectively) in the Purkinje fibers of rabbits and had no effects on the QTc interval in beagle dogs. These results suggest that sibutramine has a considerable adverse effect on the cardiovascular system and may contribute to accurate drug safety regulation.

• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.51-84
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• 2008

We investigate the signaling effect of repurchase preceding new equity issue using Korean data. In a short time span, firms announce stock repurchases and equity offerings. The proximity of two events in Korean firms indicates that those are not independent of each other. In this paper, we test the signaling effect of repurchase on equity offerings on the two measures. One is announcement effect, which is measured as CAR(0, +2). The other is the effectiveness which is measured as CAR(0, +30) because the price movement during this window influences on the price of new issues. Previous studies that stock repurchase convey positive signal to equity offerings-Billet and Xue(2004) and Jung(2004)-construct sample without the limit of time interval between two events. This causes the unclear relation between those because of the long time interval. In this study we consider only samples of being within one year each other to reduce this problem and clarify the signal of repurchase on equity offerings. Korean firms are allowed to repurchase own shares with two different method. One is direct repurchase as same as open market repurchase. The other is stock stabilization fund and stock trust fund which trust company or bank buy and sell their shares on the behalf of firms. Generally, the striking different characteristic between direct repurchase and indirect repurchase is following. Direct repurchase is applied by more strict regulation than indirect repurchase. Therefore, the direct repurchase is more informative signal to the equity offering than the indirect repurchase. We construct two sample firms- firms with direct repurchase preceding-equity offerings and indirect repurchase-preceding equity offering, and one control firms-equity offerings only firms-to investigate the announcement effect and the effectiveness of repurchases. Our findings are as follows. Direct repurchase favorably affect the price of new issues favorably. CAR(0, +2) of firms with direct repurchase is not different from that of equity offerings only firms but CAR(0, +30) is higher than that of equity offerings only firms. For firms with indirect repurchase and equity offerings, Both the announcement effect and the effectiveness does not exist. Jung(2004) suggest the possibilities of how indirect stock repurchase can be regarded as one of unfair trading practices on based on the survey results that financial managers of some of KSE listed firms have been asked of their opinion on the likelihood of the stock repurchase being used in unfair trading. This is not objective empirical evidence but opinion of financial managers. To investigate whether firms announce false signal before equity offerings to boost the price of new issues, we calculate the long-run performance following equity offerings. If firms have announced repurchase to boost the price of new issues intentionally, they would undergo the severe underperformance. The empirical results do not show the severer underperformance of both sample firms than equity offerings only firms. The suggestion of false signaling of repurchase preceding equity offerings is not supported by our evidence.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.84-95
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• 2012

Background: In Korea, private health insurance has neglected to induce externality on national health insurance by moral hazard. Therefore, we conducted this study in order to explore the influence of private health insurance on unnecessary medical utilization among patients with cervical or lumbar sprain. Method: The study examined a population of 449 patients (admission, 384; out-patient; 85) diagnosed with simple cervical or lumbar sprain without neurological symptoms at 20 small hospitals or clinics in Gwangju and Jeollanam provinces from Jul. 1 to Aug. 31 2008. The data were collected using structured, self-administrated questionnaire which collected information such as whether or not the patient was admitted (as a dependent variable), whether or not they had private health insurance (as a independent variable), and covariates such as socio-demographic characteristics, the factors related to the sprain, and characteristics of the insurance provider. Results: From hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis, it was found that the admission rate of patient with private health insurance was higher than that those without it (Odds ratio=3.31, 95% Confidence interval; 1.14-9.58), meaning that private health insurance was an independent factor influencing the admission of patients with these conditions. Other determinants of admission were patient age and physician referral. Conclusions: This study is the first empirical study to explore the influence of private health insurance on inducing moral hazard in admission services, specifically among patients with cervical or lumbar sprain. Regulation of benefits provided by private health insurance may be necessary, as the effect of this moral hazard may mean existence of externality.