• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.356-362
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• 2019

Scutellaria baicalensis (SB) has widely used in the treatment for various brain diseases in the field of Oriental medicine. Biofermantation of SB can make major chemical constituents of SB to pass blood-brain barrier easily and to have more potent anti-oxidant ability. There is a little information about the contribution of fermented SB (FSB) to the formation or maintenance of the neural plasticity in the hippocampus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of FSB extract on hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) - induced impairments of the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP), an electrophysiological marker for the neural plasticity in the hippocampus. From hippocampal slices of rats, the field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were evoked by the electrical stimulation to the Schaffer collaterals - commissural fibers in the CA1 areas and LTP by theta-burst stimulation by using 64 - channels in vitro multi-extracellular recording system. In order to induce oxidative stress to hippocampal slices two different concentrations (200, 400 μM) of H₂O₂ were given to the perfused aCSF before and after the LTP induction, respectively. The ethanol extract of FBS with concentration of 25 ㎍/ml, 50 ㎍/ml was diluted in perfused aCSF that had 200 μM H₂O₂, respectively. Oxidative stress by the treatment of H₂O₂ resulted in decrease of the induction rate of LTP in the CA1 area with a dose - dependent manner. However, the ethanol extract of FSB prevented the reduction of the induction rate of LTP caused by H₂O₂ - induced oxidative stress with a dose - dependent manner. These results may support a potential application of FSB to ameliorate impairments of hippocampal dependent neural plasticity or memory caused by oxidative stress.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.2 s.54
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• pp.115-121
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• 1999

Effects of single and repeated administration of various nootropic candidates were examined on impaired acquisition by single oral administration of 3 g/kg ethanol (EtOH) in step through test. The inhibitory effect of EtOH on acquisition was significantly reduced by single picrotoxin, but not affected by diazepam, acetyl-L-carnitine and apomorphine. Single or repeated red ginseng total saponin and deprenyl, single piracetam, repeated N-methyl-D-glucamine, but not single or repeated protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol and centrophenoxine significantly ameliorated the impairment of acquisition by EtOH. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of repeated red ginseng total saponin but not that of repeated N-methyl-D-Glucamine, was significantly blocked by pretreatment of $\alpha$-methyl-$\rho$-tyrosine, a inhibitor of catecholamine synthesis. Whereas, the inhibitory effect of repeated deprenyl on EtOH amnesia was exaggerated by $\alpha$-methyl-$\rho$-tyrosine. These results suggest that the amelioration processes of drugs on ethanol amnesia involve complex mechanism between the central GABAergic and dopaminergic neuronal activity in memory and learning, although the effects of repeated drugs administration are not yet clear.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2016

Objectives : Polygalae Radix (POL) has an ameliorating effect on learning and memory impairment caused by cerebral hypoperfusion. In regard to POL's action mechanism, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of POL on oxidative damage and neuronal apoptosis induced by cerebral hypoperfusion in rats.Methods : The cerebral hypoperfusion was induced by permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (pBCAO) in Sprague-Dawley rats. POL was administered orally once a day (130 mg/kg of water-extract) for 28 days starting at 4 weeks after the pBCAO. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the brain tissue were measured using ELISA method. Expressions of 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) and 8-hydroxy-2'- deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were observed using immunohistochemistry. In addition, neuronal apoptosis was evaluated with Cresyl violet staining, TUNEL labeling, and immunohistochemistry against Bax and caspase-3.Results : POL treatment significantly increased SOD activities and significantly reduced MDA levels in the cerebral cortex. The up-regulations of 4HNE and 8-OHdG expression caused by pBCAO in the CA1 of hippocampus were significantly attenuated by POL treatment. POL treatment also restored the reduction of CA1 thickness and CA1 neurons caused by pBCAO and significantly attenuated the apoptotic markers including TUNEL-positive cells, Bax, and caspase-3 expression in the CA1 of hippocampus.Conclusions : The results show that POL attenuated the oxidative damage in brain tissue and neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus caused by the cerebral hypoperfusion. It suggests that POL can be a beneficial medicinal herb to treat the brain diseases related to cerebral hypoperfusion.

• 모자간호학회지
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 1992

The purpose of this study was to explore the stressors in pediatric intensive care unit and impaired psychological responses of children after open heart surgery. Sixteen children aged 6 to 11, who were admitted to the hospital for open heart surgery during the period from July, 1991 to February, 1992 were the subjects of the study. Observations, drawings, and interviews were used to collect data for study. Behavioral responses about intensive care unit phenomena were analyzed according to the 4 categories identified to assess children's perceived stressors in ICU. Impaired psychological responses were examined using observational and interview data. Drawings were analyzed by content and color by this researcher and validated by the psychologist. The findings were as follows : 1. The most frequently perceived stressors by children in ICU were the physical stressors causing pain and discomfort(68.5%). It was followed by social stressors which denote disruption of relationship with family and friends(13.0% ), environmental stressors which denote unfamiliar surroundings, noise, staff, and other patients (11.2%), and psychological stressors which denote factors affecting self-esteem such as inability to communicate and inadquate knowledge of the situation (7.3%). 2. 81.3% of the children showed of least one of the impaired psychological responses. Three children (18.8%) experienced time disorientation. An equal number of subject experienced perceptual illusion. Two children(12.5%) experienced hallucination. Vivid dream about ICU phenomena was reported by 2 children. Seven children(43.8%) were identified as having exaggerated fear. They feared about oxygen mask and ICU environment in general. Seven children(43.8%) experienced impairment of memory about treatments, procedures, and environment of ICU. 3. The analysis of children's drawing revealed that 56.3% of children experienced fear in the ICU. 75% of children included nurses in the drawings and 62.5% of children drew other children. 81.3% of children drew and identified himself in the drawing. The colors used most by children were green, purple, and brown. From this result, it is recommended to prepare children before open heart surgery to reduce their stressors and impaired psychological responses in ICU.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2007

Selected cognitive ability test and survey of basic & problem characteristics were conducted on 110 hospitalized senile dementia patients to extract important problem features. Twenty important problem features were extracted by the factor analysis. In this study, the precedence of the risk of 20 problem features was determined for care of senile dementia patients. Questionnaire was conducted on 32 clinical psychologists who had experienced the diagnosis and treatment of senile dementia patients. Using AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), relative risk levels were studied and the precedence of risk was determined by making 20 important problem features in order of the risk. Results of two analyses indicated that during normal daily activities of senile dementia patients the cognitive problem such as memory impairment, judgement disorder and disorientation is the most dangerous risk factor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.2044-2051
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• 2017

The main pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid-beta ($A{\beta}$) peptides in the brain. $A{\beta}$ has been widely used to mimic several aspects of Alzheimer's disease. However, several characteristics of amyloid-induced Alzheimer's disease pathology are not well established, especially in mice. The present study aimed to develop a new Alzheimer's disease model by investigating how $A{\beta}$ can be effectively aggregated using prokaryotes and eukaryotes. To express the $A{\beta}42$ complex in HEK293 cells, we cloned the $A{\beta}42$ region in a tandem repeat and incorporated the resulting construct into a eukaryotic expression vector. Following transfection into HEK293 cells via lipofection, cell viability assay and western blotting analysis revealed that exogenous $A{\beta}42$ can induce cell death and apoptosis. In addition, recombinant His-tagged $A{\beta}42$ was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and not only readily formed $A{\beta}$ complexes, but also inhibited the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells and E. coli. For in vivo testing, recombinant His-tagged $A{\beta}42$ solution ($3{\mu}g/{\mu}l$ in $1{\times}PBS$ containing $1mM\;Ni^{2+}$) was injected stereotaxically into the left and right lateral ventricles of the brains of C57BL/6J mice (n = 8). Control mice were injected with $1{\times}PBS$ containing $1mM\;Ni^{2+}$ following the same procedure. Ten days after the sample injection, the Morris water maze test confirmed that exogenous $A{\beta}$ caused an increase in memory loss. These findings demonstrated that $Ni^{2+}$ is capable of complexing the 50-kDa amyloid and that intracerebroventricular injection of $A{\beta}42$ can lead to cognitive impairment, thereby providing improved Alzheimer's disease models.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.178-186
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• 2020

Background: Cognitive impairment is a public health burden. Our objective was to investigate associations between work hours and cognitive function. Methods: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants (n = 2,497; 50.7% men; age range 44-84 years) reported hours per week worked in all jobs in Exams 1 (2000-2002), 2 (2002-2004), 3 (2004-2005), and 5 (2010-2011). Cognitive function was assessed (Exam 5) using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (version 2), a measure of global cognitive functioning; the Digit Symbol Coding, a measure of processing speed; and the Digit Span test, a measure of attention and working memory. We used a prospective approach and linear regression to assess associations for every 10 hours of work. Results: Among all participants, associations of hours worked with cognitive function of any type were not statistically significant. In occupation-stratified analyses (interaction p = 0.051), longer work hours were associated with poorer global cognitive function among Sales/Office and blue-collar workers, after adjustment for age, sex, physical activity, body mass index, race/ethnicity, educational level, annual income, history of heart attack, diabetes, apolipoprotein E-epsilon 4 allele (ApoE4) status, birth-place, number of years in the United States, language spoken at MESA Exam 1, and work hours at Exam 5 (β = -0.55, 95% CI = -0.99, -0.09) and (β = -0.80, -1.51, -0.09), respectively. In occupation-stratified analyses (interaction p = 0.040), we also observed an inverse association with processing speed among blue-collar workers (adjusted β = -0.80, -1.52, -0.07). Sex, race/ethnicity, and ApoE4 did not significantly modify associations between work hours and cognitive function. Conclusion: Weak inverse associations were observed between work hours and cognitive function among Sales/Office and blue-collar workers.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2020

Purpose: This retrospective study compares higher-dose whole-brain radiotherapy (hdWBRT) with reduced-dose WBRT (rdWBRT) in terms of clinical efficacy and toxicity profile in patients treated for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). Materials and Methods: Radiotherapy followed by high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based chemotherapy was administered to immunocompetent patients with histologically confirmed PCNSL between 2000 and 2016. Response to chemotherapy was taken into account when prescribing the radiation dose to the whole brain and primary tumor bed. The whole brain dose was ≤23.4 Gy for rdWBRT (n = 20) and >23.4 Gy for hdWBRT (n = 68). Patients manifesting cognitive disturbance, memory impairment and dysarthria were considered to have neurotoxicity. A median follow-up was 3.62 years. Results: The 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 70.0% and 48.9% with rdWBRT, and 63.2% and 43.2% with hdWBRT. The 3-year OS and PFS among patients with partial response (n = 45) after chemotherapy were 77.8% and 53.3% with rdWBRT, and 58.3% and 45.8% with hdWBRT (p > 0.05). Among patients with complete response achieved during follow-up, the 3-year freedom from neurotoxicity (FFNT) rate was 94.1% with rdWBRT and 62.4% with hdWBRT. Among patients aged ≥60 years, the 3-year FFNT rate was 87.5% with rdWBRT and 39.1% with hdWBRT (p = 0.49). Neurotoxicity was not observed after rdWBRT in patients aged below 60 years. Conclusion: rdWBRT with tumor bed boost combined with upfront HD-MTX is less neurotoxic and results in effective survival as higher-dose radiotherapy even in partial response after chemotherapy.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.353-359
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• 2000

${\alpha}_2$-Adrenoceptor antagonists, which can enhance synaptic norepinephrine levels by blocking feedback inhibition processes, are potentially useful in the treatment of disease states such. as depression, memory impairment, impotence and sexual dysfunction. (10bS)-1,2,3,5,6,10b-Hexahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline oxalate (YSL-3S) was evaluated in several in vitro biological tests to establish its pharmacological profile of activities as an ${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptor antagonist. Saturation binding assay revealed that$^{3}[H]$rauwolscine bound to the $\alpha$$_2$-adrenoceptors with a Kd value of 6.3$\pm$0.5 nM and a Bmax value of 25l$\pm$39 fmol/mg protein in rat cortical synaptic membranes. Competitive binding assay showed that YSL-3S inhibited the binding of$^3[H]$rauwolscine (1 nM) in a concentration-dependent manner with a Ki value of 98.2$\pm$12.1 nM while it did not inhibit the binding of [$^3$H]cytisine (1.25 nM) to neuronal nicotinic cholinergic receptors. The Ki values of yohimbine, clonidine and norepinephrine for $^3[H]$rauwolscine binding were 15.8$\pm$1.0, 40.1$\pm$5.9 and 40.0$\pm$11.5 nM, respectively. In addition, the binding affinity of YSL-3S for ${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptors was higher than that of its antipode and the racemic mixture. The functional activity of YSL-3S at the presynaptic ${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptors was assessed using the prostatic portion of the rat vas deferens. Clonidine inhibited field-stimulated contractions of the vas deference in a dose-dependent manner. The presence of YSL-3S or yohimbine caused a parallel, rightward the dose-response curve of clonidine in a dose-dependent manner, indicating an antagonistic action at the presynaptic ${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptors. The $pA_2$values of yohimbine and YSL-3S were 7.66$\pm$0.13 and 6.64$\pm$0.18, respectively. The results indicate that YSL-3S acts as a competitive antagonist at presynaptic ${\alpha}_2$ -adrenoceptors with a potency approximately ten times lower than yohimbine, but is devoid of binding affinity for neuronal nicotinic cholinergic receptors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.629-635
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• 2019

In term of the factors affecting psychosocial adjustment of breast cancer patients, their quality of life after surgical operation, radiation, and chemotherapy were systematically meta-analyzed. As a result, their qualities of life of the patients that had radiation therapy was the lowest right after the therapy, and gradually increased after the end of the therapy. However, after six months, their quality of life failed to reach the same level before the therapy. They had depression and side effects the most right after the therapy, and somewhat reduced them after the end of the therapy. In case of surgical operation, the more they were educated, the more they had psychosocial adjustment, and the more they had a medical examination and took out an insurance policy, the more they had psychosocial adjustment. In case of chemotherapy, their cognitive function is influenced so that they have impairments in memory, learning, and thinking stages. Since subjective cognitive impairment has a relationship with depression, it is necessary to monitor depression of chemotherapy patients. Given the results of this systematic meta-analysis, when three types of therapies (surgical operation, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy) are applied to patients with breast cancer, it is necessary to recognize their psychosocial adjustment, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in the nursing and radiation therapy fields and thereby to introduce an intervention program for a holistic approach.