• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.33-44
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• 2019

Objectives : This study aims to record and conserve oral traditional knowledge of medicinal animals from the indigenous people living in the local communities of Songnisan National Park, Korea. Methods : Data was collected by participatory observations and in-depth interviews with semi-structured questionnaires. Quantitative comparative analyses were accomplished through data received from the following three methods: informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and network analysis. Results : The investigation reveals that the indigenous people have used 49 species of medicinal animals distributed within 45 genera, belonging to 39 families with 336 different usages. According to the distribution of recorded families, the most representative families were Scolpendridae and Phasianidae, which were utilized 36 times each (10.71 % each). The category with the highest degree of consensus from informants was disorders related to the nervous system (0.97). 16 species were classified with a fidelity level of 100 %. The network analysis revealed that a lack of vigor was related to 23 species, including Agkistrodon blomhoffii, Gallus domesticus, and Canis familiaris, among the total 49 species investigated. Conclusions : This documentation can help preserve the traditional knowledge and local health traditions of Korea that are disappearing due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and death of the elderly with traditional knowledge. Additionally, the animals investigated in this study can be developed into medicinal food and drug for treating specific health conditions through further research.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.452-455
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• 2023

Patients who have undergone mechanical valve replacement require anticoagulation therapy with warfarin to prevent thromboembolism. However, administering warfarin to pregnant patients increases their risk of warfarin embryopathy or central nervous system disorders. Consequently, safer alternatives, such as heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin injection, are substituted for warfarin. However, limited research has been conducted on this subject, with no large-scale studies and particularly few investigations involving multiparous patients. A patient who had previously undergone mechanical mitral valve replacement for atrial septal defect and mitral stenosis received anticoagulant therapy with enoxaparin during 2 pregnancies. Upon confirmation of pregnancy, warfarin was replaced with subcutaneously injected enoxaparin with a dosage of 1 mg/kg at 12-hour intervals. The enoxaparin dosage was controlled using an anti-factor Xa assay, with a target range of 0.3-0.7 IU/mL. Intravenous heparin injections were administered starting 3 days prior to the expected delivery date and were continued until delivery, after which warfarin was resumed. No complications were observed during the deliveries.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.527-537
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• 2022

Iron has a vital role in the human body, including the central nervous system. Increased deposition of iron in the brain has been reported in aging and important neurodegenerative diseases. Owing to the unique magnetic resonance properties of iron, MRI has great potential for in vivo assessment of iron deposition, distribution, and non-invasive quantification. In this paper, we will review the MRI methods for iron assessment and their changes in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on Alzheimer's disease. In addition, we will summarize the limitations of current approaches and introduce new areas and MRI methods for iron imaging that are expected in the future.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.385-393
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• 2023

In vertebrates, the entire central nervous system is derived from the neural tube, which is formed through a conserved early developmental morphogenetic process called neurulation. Although the perturbations in neurulation caused by genetic or environmental factors lead to neural tube defects (NTDs), the most common congenital malformation and the precise molecular pathological cascades mediating NTDs are not well understood. Recently, we have developed human spinal cord organoids (hSCOs) that recapitulate some aspects of human neurulation and observed that valproic acid (VPA) could cause neurulation defects in an organoid model. In this study, we identified and verified the significant changes in cell-cell junctional genes/proteins in VPA-treated organoids using transcriptomic and immunostaining analysis. Furthermore, VPA-treated mouse embryos exhibited impaired gene expression and NTD phenotypes, similar to those observed in the hSCO model. Collectively, our data demonstrate that hSCOs provide a valuable biological resource for dissecting the molecular pathways underlying the currently unknown human neurulation process using destructive biological analysis tools.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.3-14
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• 2002

Childhood psychic trauma appears to be a crucial factor in the development of serious disorders both in childhood and in adulthood. Traumatized children show strong tendency to revisualize or re-feel a traumatic events. Play and behavioral reenactments are frequent manifestations of both the single blow and the long-standing traumas in childhood. Those children who suffer the results of single, intense terror appear to exhibit detailed memory, retrospective reworkings and misperceptions. In long-standing or repetitive trauma, children would show psychic numbing, self-hypnosis, dissociation and rage. Child's brain is undergoing critical and sensitive periods of differentiation. During this time, developing central nervous system is exquisitely sensitive to stress. Stressor-activated neurotransmitters and hormones can play major roles in neurogenesis, migration, synaptogenesis, and neurochemical differentiation. Internal opiate system operates in some trauma and causes the victim to fail to respond, to avoid, to shut off feelings. Evidence is also accumulating in traumatology that dysfuntion of locus coeruleus and ventral tegmental neucleus system leads to catecholamine receptors hypersensitivity. This change result in hypervigilance, increased startle, affective lability, and increased autonomic nervous system hyperreactivity. Another site of action of trauma on the brain is hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Individuals with PTSD do not have enough cortisol to halt the alarm reaction. When children are exposed to long-standing extreme events, massive attempts to protect the psyche and to preserve the self are put into gear. These developmental traumas mobilize various kinds of defense mechanisms. Massive denial, dissociation, self anesthesia, identification with aggressor and aggression turned against the self often lead to profound character changes in the youngsters.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.237-247
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• 2021

Immune responses in the central nervous system (CNS) function as the host's defense system against pathogens and usually help with repair and regeneration. However, chronic and exaggerated neuroinflammation is detrimental and may create neuronal damage in many cases. The NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain―containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a kind of NOD-like receptor, is a cytosolic multiprotein complex that consists of sensors (NLRP3), adaptors (apoptosis-associated speck like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain, ASC) and effectors (caspase 1). It can detect a broad range of microbial pathogens along with foreign and host-derived danger signals, resulting in the assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Upon activation, NLRP3 inflammasome leads to caspase 1-dependent secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, as well as to gasdermin D-mediated pyroptotic cell death. NLRP3 inflammasome is highly expressed in CNS-resident cell types, including microglia and astrocytes, and growing evidence suggests that NLRP3 inflammasome is a crucial player in the pathophysiology of several neuroinflammatory and psychiatric diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and major depressive disorder. Thus, this review describes the molecular mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and its crucial roles in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.3
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• pp.31-40
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• 1993

The objective of this study was examine sick leave rates of hospital employees. The sick leave data of 2,123 employees in three(3) general hospitals located in Seoul during the period from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1992 was analyzed to achieve the study objective. The sick leave rates were computed in compliance with the standards recommended by the International Association on Occupational Health. Univariate analysis methods($X^2$-test and ANOVA) were used to assess the sourse of variance in the rates. The results were as follows : 1. The total annual rates of sick leave were 4.8% in frequency(persons), 0.23% in lost time, 0.68 days in duration and 14.0 days in severity. 2. The sick leave rates of frequency(person). duration and lost time were significantly higher in female than male, in groups of 40-49 years than in the other age group, the married than the unmarried and in the long employment of 8 years or above than the short employment. But there was no significant difference in the rate of severity. Only the sick leave rate of frequency(person) was significantly related to the educatial status, but there was no significant difference in other analytical factors of sick leave rate. 3. The main causes of sick leave were injury and poisoning(24.3%), and disease of the digestive system, disease of the nervous system and sense organs, and complications of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium(respectively 11.6%). The severity rate was the highest in neoplasms(32.2 days), and followed by endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disease and immunity disorders, injury and poisoning, and infections and parasitic disease in descending order. 4. The sick leave rates of frequency(person), duration and lost time were the highest in nutritional workers followed by registered nurses. However, severity rate was the highest in doctors and pharmacists and followed by in nutritional works. 5. The main cause of sick leave was complication of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium in registered nurses(26.3%), injury and poisoning in nutritional workers(78.6%) and disease of respiratory system and digestive system in other workers.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2015

Recently, change of Western pattern diet and lifestyle is caused by various metabolic disorders and chronic diseases. These diseases need to take medicine regularly. Also, many people take health functional food, various vitamins and nutritional supplements in order to maintain a healthy life. But, there was no study about affects taking medicines against bacteria with gastrointestinal relevance. This study was performed by antibacterial activity test to evaluate the influence of a long time or commonly used medication. As a result, medicines of Vitamins & Minerals or Central nervous system show antibacterial activity against beneficial enteric bacteria and harmful enteric bacteria. Dexibuprofen of the Anti-inflammatory Drugs that acts on the central nervous system has shown high antibacterial activity at beneficial enteric bacteria strains (Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus) and harmful enteric bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). Also, fenofibric acid of the antilipemic agents that acts on the Cardiovascular & Hematopoietic system has shown high antibacterial activity at beneficial enteric bacteria strains (Lactobacillus casei). Vitamins & Minerals appeared antibacterial activity against most intestinal bacteria. Vitamin B-Complex/with C and vitamin C were especially high with beneficial enteric bacteria strains (Bifidobacterium infantis) and harmful enteric bacteria (E. coli, E. aerogenes, S. flexneri, S. Typhimurium, S. aureus). Therefore, these results indicate that variously taking medicines have generally antibacterial activity against harmful enteric bacteria strains and beneficial enteric bacteria strains.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 2005

Background and Objectives : Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as substance abuse and mental dysfunction. Clinical trials are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and raised the possibility that both of these effects may be linked to the same or closely overlapping the mesolimbic dopamine systems. Neiguan (PC6) point on the pericardium channel which is associated with the brain and its mental function, has been used to treat mental, psychosomatic disorders and gastroenterological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and to measure the effect of acupuncture on Fos-like immunoreactivity. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) points for 1 min after the morphine challenge. Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint PC6, but not at control points (tail and HE8) significantly decreased Fos-like immunoreactivity induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single s.c. morphine injection in the morphine-repeated animals. Results and Conclusions : These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts. Moreover, in a more general sense these results suggest that acupuncture can be used as a therapeutic intervention for correcting reversible malfunction of the body by direction of brain pathway and thus acupuncture can contribute to the biochemical balance in the central nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.982-992
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• 2005

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as substance abuse and mental dysfunction. Clinical trials are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and raised the possibility that both of these effects may De linked to the same or closely overlapping the mesolimbic dopamine systems. Neiguan (PC6) point on the pericardium channel which is associated with the brain and its mental function, has been used to treat mental, psychosomatic disorders and gastroenterological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and to measure the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced behavioral changes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) points for 1min after the morphine challenge. Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint PC6, but not at control points (tail and HE8) significantly decreased both dopamine release, behavior induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single s.c. morphine injection in the morphine-repeated animals. These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts. Moreover, in a more general sense these results suggest that acupuncture can be used as a therapeutic intervention for correcting reversible malfunction of the body by direction of brain pathway and thus acupuncture can contribute to the biochemical balance in the central nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters.