• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.129-137
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• 2003

Clinical studies were carried out 29 cases through administration of Sanjointang added Grape Juice(ST+GJ) from December 1st 2002 to December 30th 2002. The results were summarized as follows; 1. There were significant decreases in physical symptoms of fatigue from $4.34{\pm}2.70$ to $2.34{\pm}1.78$ by administration of ST+GJ. 2. There were significant decreases in mental symptoms of fatigue from $5.10{\pm}2.74$ to $3.76{\pm}2.23$ by administration of ST+GJ. 3. There were significant decreases in neuro-sensory symptoms of fatigue from $3.66{\pm}2.13$ to $2.69{\pm}2.07$ by administration of ST+GJ. 4. There were significant decreases in total subjective symptoms of fatigue from $13.14{\pm}6.18$ to $8.79{\pm}4.63$ by administration of ST+GJ. 5. There were significant decreases in VAS of fatigue ratio, but not significant changes in VAS of concentration ratio by administration of ST+GJ. According to the results, we could suggest that ST+Gj is able to be applied to the relaxion of stress.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.179-186
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• 2015

Objectives Adrenergic alpha 1 and 2 receptors work as pathways to control the serotonergic neuron moderation and mirtazapine acts as antagonist of these receptors. The adrenoreceptor alpha 1a (ADRA1A) gene, which encodes adrenergic alpha 1 receptor, has Arg-347Cys genetic polymorphism and the polymorphism has strong relationship with many neuro-psychiatric diseases. In this study, we explored the relationship between ADRA1A R347C polymorphism and mirtazapine treatment response in Koreans with major depression. Methods 352 patients enrolled in this study, and the symptoms were evaluated by 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating (HAMD-17) scale. After 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks of mirtazapine treatment, the association between ADRA1A R347C polymorphism and remission/response outcomes was evaluated. Results Treatment response to mirtazapine was significantly better in T allele carriers than C allele homozygotes after 12 weeks of mirtazapine monotherapy. The percentile decline of HAMD-17 score in T allele carriers was larger than that of C allele homozygotes. ADRA1A R347C genotypes were not significantly associated with remission. Conclusions The result showed that treatment response to mirtazapine was significantly associated with ADRA1A R347C genetic polymorphism. T allele carriers showed better treatment response than C allele homozygotes. It can be supposed that T allele carriers have a trend of better treatment response to mirtazapine monotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.182-187
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• 2018

Many plant derived phytochemicals have been considered as the main therapeutic strategy against Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, and the most predominant cause of dementia in the elderly. Cholinergic deficit, senile plaque/${\beta}$-amyloid ($A{\beta}$) peptide deposition and oxidative stress have been identified as three main pathogenic pathways which contribute to the progression of AD. We screened many different plant species for their effective use in both modern and traditional system of medicines. In this study, we tested that MeOH extract of the stem bark of Hopea chinensis (Merr.) Hand.-Mazz. (HCM) affects on the processing of Amyloid precursor portein (APP) from the APPswe over-expressing Neuro2a cell line. We showed that HCM reduced the secretion level of $A{\beta}42$ and $A{\beta}40$ in a dose dependent manner. We found that HCM increased over 1.5 folds of the secretion level of $sAPP{\alpha}$, a metabolite of ${\alpha}$-secretase. Furthermore, we found that HCM inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity in vitro. We suggest that the stem bark of Hopea chinensis may be a useful source to develop a therapeutics for AD.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2013

Purpose: The study was done to define complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among primary brain tumor patients and factors influencing use. Methods: The study was conducted with convenience sampling in 5 neuro-oncology centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Data were collected using a 25-item questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results: Of 250 patients approached, 231 (92.4%) agreed to participate. Overall, 26.8% of the respondents used CAM and the average cost for CAM use was 300,000 KRW. More than 72% of CAM users did not disclose CAM use to their health care professionals. The most frequently used therapy was natural products including mushrooms. Logistic regression analysis revealed that an education level of university or higher (OR=2.92, 95% CI=1.56-5.44, p=.001), unemployment (OR=1.99, 95% CI=1.04-3.80, p=.037), and WHO grade III & IV tumors (OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.07-4.72, p=.048) were significant factors influencing CAM use. Conclusion: Three out of ten brain tumor patients spend substantial sum of money for CAM. In these situations, health care professionals should be aware of this phenomenon and provide adequate information and consultation to the patients.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.179-185
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• 2007

Purpose : Catecholamines are the neuro-transmitters in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and are activated by stress stimulus. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and Dopamine-${\beta}$-Hydroxylase (DBH) are very important enzymes in the catecholamine synthesis. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is released in the process of reacting to stresses. The aim of this study is to find out what effects immobilization stresses have on the expression of TH, BDH and CRH mRNA in a rat's brains. Methods : We compare expression levels in rat's brains of TH, DBH and CRH mRNA induced by immobilization stresses between the test group and controled group. The expression levels of TH, DBH and CRH mRNA are measured by RT-PCR and the Western Blotting Analysis (WBA). Results : In brains and adrenal glands of the immobilization stress group, the expression levels of TH and DBH mRNAs are significantly two to three times higher (P<0.01), and CRH mRNAs are approximately one and a half times higher (P<0.05) than those of controlled group. Conclusion : This study suggest that the expression levels of TH, DBH and CRH mRNAs are activated by stress stimulus in a rat's brains and adrenal glands.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.229-237
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• 1995

The purpose of this study is to define requisite content of physiology for nursing education. This study classifies the subjects of physiology into 15 areas. The areas are cell and cell membrane, body fluid, nervous system, special sense, muscular system, blood, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, urinary system, digestive system, energy metabolism, body temperature, immune system, endocrine system, and reproductive system. Each subject area is further classified into subarea, resulting in a total of 194 subarea. The importance of each subarea is measured with a 3-point scale using a questionnaire. The subjects of this study were full-time professors teaching nursing in Korean universities. The analysis of the data collected from 68 respondents is as follows. 1. The areas of physiology necessary for nursing education in the order of importance are : body fluid, blood, endocrine, immune system, body temperature, urinary system, respiratory system, digestive system, reproductive system, energy metabolism, nervous system, cardiovascular system, cell and cell membrane, muscular system, and special sense. 2. Depending on the specific areas of nursing(such as pediatric nursing, maternity nursing), the importance of each physiology area may differ. For instance, the most important area for maternity nursing is reproductive physiology, whereas one for the psychiatric nursing is neuro-physiology. 3. The importance of each physiology area does not determine the importance of its subarea. For example, while the importance of cell and cell membrane was relatively very low across the respondents from different areas of nursing science, the importance of such subarea as osmosis, diffusion, and filteration reported by most respondents were high.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.90-96
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• 2008

Objective: Delayed ischemic deficit or cerebral infarction is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The purpose of this study is to reassess the prognostic impact of intraoperative elements, including factors related to surgery and anesthesia, on the development of cerebral infarction in patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Methods: Variables related to surgery and anesthesia as well as predetermined factors were all evaluated via a retrospective study on 398 consecutive patients who underwent early microsurgery for ruptured cerebral aneurysms in the last 7 years. Patients were dichotomized as following; good clinical grade (Hunt-Hess grade I to III) and poor clinical grade (IV and V). The end-point events were cerebral infarctions and the clinical outcomes were measured at postoperative 6 months. Results: The occurrence of cerebral infarction was eminent when there was an intraoperative rupture, prolonged temporary clipping and retraction time, intraoperative hypotension, or decreased $O_2$ saturation, but there was no statistical significance between the two different clinical groups. Besides the Fisher Grade, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that temporary clipping time, hypotension, and low $O_2$ saturation had odds ratios of 1.574, 3.016, and 1.528, respectively. Cerebral infarction and outcome had a meaningful correlation (${\gamma}$=0.147, p=0.038). Conclusion: This study results indicate that early surgery for poor grade SAH patients carries a significant risk of ongoing ischemic complication due to the brain's vulnerability or accompanying cardio-pulmonary dysfunction. Thus, these patients should be approached very cautiously to overcome any anticipated intraoperative threat by concerted efforts with neuro-anesthesiologist in point to point manner.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.784-794
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• 2023

Objective: To determine whether dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced (DSC) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to evaluate posterior cerebral circulation in pediatric patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) who underwent anterior revascularization. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively included 73 patients with MMD who underwent DSC perfusion MRI (age, 12.2 ± 6.1 years) between January 2016 and December 2020, owing to recent-onset clinical symptoms during the follow-up period after completion of anterior revascularization. DSC perfusion images were analyzed using a dedicated software package (NordicICE; Nordic NeuroLab) for the middle cerebral artery (MCA), posterior cerebral artery (PCA), and posterior border zone between the two regions (PCA-MCA). Patients were divided into two groups; the PCA stenosis group included 30 patients with newly confirmed PCA involvement, while the no PCA stenosis group included 43 patients without PCA involvement. The relationship between DSC perfusion parameters and PCA stenosis, as well as the performance of the parameters in discriminating between groups, were analyzed. Results: In the PCA stenosis group, the mean follow-up duration was 5.3 years after anterior revascularization, and visual disturbances were a common symptom. Normalized cerebral blood volume was increased, and both the normalized time-topeak (nTTP) and mean transit time values were significantly delayed in the PCA stenosis group compared with those in the no PCA stenosis group in the PCA and PCA-MCA border zones. TTP_PCA (odds ratio [OR] = 6.745; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.665-17.074; P < 0.001) and CBV_PCA-MCA (OR = 1.567; 95% CI = 1.021-2.406; P = 0.040) were independently associated with PCA stenosis. TTP_PCA showed the highest receiver operating characteristic curve area in discriminating for PCA stenosis (0.895; 95% CI = 0.803-0.986). Conclusion: nTTP can be used to effectively diagnose PCA stenosis. Therefore, DSC perfusion MRI may be a valuable tool for monitoring PCA stenosis in patients with MMD.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.125-140
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• 2007

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the effects of acupuncture therapy(AT, AT-9), electro-acupuncture therapy(EAT) and low level laser acupuncture therapy(LAT) at LRJ on the focal ischemia-induced by intraluminal filament insertion in rats. Methods : In the present syudy, the focal ischemia was induced by Intraluminal filament insertion into left middle cerebral artery. The subjects were divided into five groups after focal brain ischemia. (n=15, in each group) : Control with no treatment, AT with acupuncture at $LR_3$, AT-9 with acupuncture at $LR_3$ and rotating 9 times in a clockwise direction, EAT with electro-acupuncture at $LR_3$ and LAT with invasive laser acupuncture at $LR_3$. Anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective effects of acupuncture were observed by mGluR5 mRNA, Bax mRNA, Bcl-2 mRNA, Cytochrome C protein, Cresyl violet-stain and Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-stain in the hippocampus. Results: 1. In LAT, mGluR5, Cresyl violet-stain and ChAT-stain were increased. 2. In LAT, Cytochrome C protein was decreased. 3. In AT-9, Bax, Cytochrome C protein and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were decreased. 4. In AT-9, Bcl-2, Cresyl violet-stain and ChAT-stain were increased. 5. In EAT, Bcl-2 and Cresyl violet-stain were increased. Conclusions: These results suggests that LAT and AT-9 show anti-apoptotic and neuro-protective effects and that LAT and AT-9 may be useful for managing stroke by focal brain ischemia.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.155-160
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• 2012

Background: We have developed an intradiscal pulsed radiofrequency (Disc PRF) technique, using Diskit $II^{(R)}$ needles (NeuroTherm, Wilmington, MA, USA), as a minimally invasive treatment option for chronic discogenic low back pain (LBP). The purpose of this study was to compare the representative outcomes of Disc PRF and Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET) in terms of pain relief and reduction of disability. Methods: Thirty-one patients with chronic discogenic LBP who underwent either Disc PRF (n = 15) or IDET (n = 16) were enrolled in the study. A Diskit $II^{(R)}$ needle (15-cm length, 20-gauge needle with a 20-mm active tip) was placed centrally in the disc. PRF was applied for 15 min at a setting of $5{\times}50$ ms/s and 60 V. The pain intensity score on a 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS) and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were assessed pretreatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment. Results: The mean NRS was significantly improved from $7.2{\pm}0.6$ pretreatment to$2.5{\pm}0.9$ in the Disc PRF group, and from $7.5{\pm}1.0$ to $1.7{\pm}1.5$ in the IDET group, at the 6-month follow-up. The mean RMDQ also showed significant improvement in both the Disc PRF group and the IDET group at the 6-month follow-up. There were no significant differences in the pretreatment NRS and RMDQ scores between the groups. Conclusions: Disc PRF appears to be an alternative to IDET as a safe, minimally invasive treatment option for patients with chronic discogenic LBP.