• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.187-202
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• 2018

Objectives : Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation is one of therapeutic interventions to change in neural excitability of the cortex. Transcranial electro-acupuncture (TEA) can modulate brain functions through changes in cortical excitability as a model of non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation. Some composites of fermented Scutellaria baicalenis (FSB) can activate intercellular signaling pathways for activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor that is critical for formation of neural plasticity in stroke patients. This study was aimed at evaluation of combinatory treatment of TEA and FSB on behavior recovery and cortical neural excitability in rodent focal stroke model. Methods : Focal ischemic stroke was induced by photothrombotic injury to the motor cortex of adult rats. Application of TEA with 20 Hz and $200{\mu}A$ in combination with daily oral treatment of FBS was given to stroke animals for 3 weeks. Motor recovery was evaluated by rotating bean test and ladder working test. Electrical activity of cortical pyramidal neurons of stroke model was evaluated by using multi-channel extracellular recording technique and thallium autometallography. Results : Compared with control stroke group who did not receive any treatment, Combination of TEA and FSB treatment resulted in more rapid recovery of forelimb movement following focal stroke. This combination treatment also elicited increase in spontaneous firing rate of putative pyramidal neurons. Furthermore expression of metabolic marker for neural excitability was upregulated in peri-infract area under thallium autometallography. Conclusions : These results suggest that combination treatment of TEA and FSB can be a possible remedy for motor recovery in focal stroke.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.229-236
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• 2022

Objective: Jowiseunggi-tang (JWSGT) is a traditional herbal medicine commonly used for purgative activity in constipation. This study evaluates JWSGT for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC), the most common and debilitating gastrointestinal effect of opioid use. Methods: A 64-year-old man with floor of mouth cancer was hospitalized for OIC, and JWSGT was administered orally twice a day for 10 days, along with acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping. The primary outcome measures were defecation type according to the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) and the frequency of bowel movements. The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) were used as secondary measures. Results: After three days of JWSGT administration, spontaneous bowel movements were observed two to three times per week with improved BSFS from type 2 to 4. A reduction in BFI score (8.7 to 2.0) and an increase in FACT-G score (44.3 to 59.0) suggested an improvement in fatigue level and quality of life. Conclusion: This is the first report to assess the efficacy of JWSGT for the management of OIC in patients with cancer, and JWSGT may be an effective option to improve symptoms and quality of life in this group.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2019

Objectives : Amyloid ${\beta}(A{\beta})$ could induce cognitive deficits through oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuron death in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study was investigated the effect of Angelica keiskei KOIDZUMI (AK) on memory in $A{\beta}$-induced an AD model. Methods : AK was extracted uses 70% ethanol solvent. Total polyphenol and flavonoids content were obtained by the Folin-Ciocalteu and the Ethylene glycol colorimetric methods, respectively. The antioxidant activities were assessed through free radical scavenging assays using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) methods. Intracerebroventrical (i.c.v) injection of $A{\beta}$ 1-42 was used to induce AD in male ICR mice, followed by administrations of 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg AK on a daily. Animals were subjected to short and long term memory behavior in Y-maze and passive avoidance test. Results : The total polyphenol and flavonoids contents of the AK extract were $88.73{\pm}6.36mg$ gallic acid equivalent/g, $84.21{\pm}5.04mg$ rutin equivalent/g, respectively. The assays of DPPH and ABTS revealed that AK extract in treated concentrations (31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500, $1000{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) increased antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent manner. Oral administration of AK extract significantly reversed the $A{\beta}$ 1-42-induced decreasing of the spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze test and $A{\beta}$ 1-42-induced shorting of the step-through latency in the passive avoidance test. Conclusions : The findings suggest that AK indicated the antioxidant protective effects against $A{\beta}$-induced memory deficits, and therefore a potential lead natural therapeutic drug or agent for AD.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.805-822
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to explore the patterns of group model development about blood flow in the heart and reasoning process by small group interaction. The subjects were 14, 8th graders in a Science Gifted Center. The group discussion was made possible by using triggering questions that can be answered based on experiences of hands-on activities such as a siphon pump analogy model activity and a dissection of pigs' hearts. Despite participating in same activities, the groups showed different model development patterns: unchanged, persuasive, and elaborated. Due to the critical revising, the group's explanatory model was elaborated and developed in the added and elaborated pattern. As critical revising is a core element of the developing model, it is important to promote a group interaction so that students become critical and receptive. The pedagogical analogy model and conflict situation enabled students to present elaborated reasoning. The Inquiry activity with the pedagogical analogy model promote students' spontaneous reasoning in relation to direct experience. Therefore offering a pedagogical analogy model will help students evaluate, revise and develop their models of concerned phenomena in science classroom. Conflict situation by rebuttal enable students to justify more solid and elaborate a model close to the target model. Therefore, teachers need to facilitate a group atmosphere for spontaneous conflict situation.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.214-219
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• 2005

As part of Korean retinal prosthesis project, we have provided preliminary experimental results regarding voltage parameters for the stimulation of chemically degenerated rabbit retina. Since our APB-treated chemically degenerated retina is only ON-pathway blocked, now we switch our experiments to more appropriate retinal degeneration model, genetically degenerated retina model (RD mouse: rd/rd (C3H/HeJ)). Before studying with RD mouse, we started control experiments with normal SD rat to understand characteristics of retinal ganglion ceil activity with postnatal maturation in rodents. Ganglion cell activities were recorded with 8${\times}$8 multi-electrode array. Moving spontaneous bursts appeared until postnatal day of 15. During pre-eye opening period, no light evoked response appeared. After postnatal day of 2 weeks (post-eye opening period), ON-, OFF- and ON/OFF response appeared. The fractional distributions of ON, OFF, and ON/OFF ganglion cell is about $40\%,\;50\%$, and $5\%$. The percentage ($\%$) of light evoked response in each dorso-temporal, ventral, and dorso-nasal area of eye is about $50\%,\;37.5\%$ and $12.5\%$, respectively. We concluded that the optimal period for experiment in rodent is about postnatal day of 2${\~}$3 weeks.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 1980

The effects of water activity, oxygen, light and storage temperature on the color degradation of dried red pepper were investigated during storage. Some packing materials were used for improving the storage life of red pepper by minimizing those factors. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. The critical water activity to the capsanthin of red pepper was 0.75. 2. Color degradation of dried red pepper was the most severe by U.V. light among 100 watt infra-red lamp, 15 watt U.V. lamp and 200 watt glow lamp. 3. Effect of light was not significant in the presence of nitrogen, Main factor of color degradation of red pepper in storage appeared spontaneous oxidation by the existence of oxygen. 4. The capsanthin content and the lightness as hunter value in powder type storage of red pepper was higher than that in whole pod type during 3 month's storage. 5. The air and damp-proof packing materials showed better results than polyethylene film packing in capsanthin content and lightness during 3 month's storage.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.485-495
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• 2001

It was investigated whether $Ca^{2+}$ and $K^+$ channels were involved in the inhibitory action of nitric oxide (NO) on the contractile and slow wave activity of guinea pig gastric antral circular muscle. The gastric antral circular muscle showed spontaneous phasic contraction and slow wave. NO donors, 3-morpholinosydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1, $0.01{\sim}100{\mu}M$) and S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CysNO, $0.001{\sim}10{\mu}M$), reduced not only the amplitude of phasic contraction but also that of slow wave in a concentration-dependent manner. Both the perfusion of $Ca^{2+}$-free solution and the administration of $Ni^{2+}$, a nonselective $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, reduced the phasic contraction as well as the amplitude and frequency of the slow wave. The effects of these treatments were similar to those of NO donors. Nifedipine ($10{\mu}M$), a specific L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, abolished the phasic contraction and remarkably reduced the plateau of slow wave but had no profound effect on the upstroke of slow wave. In the whole-cell patch clamp mode, CysNO shifted the steady-state activation curve for L-type $Ca^{2+}$ current to the right and the steady-state inactivation curve to the left. Pretreatment of various $K^+$ channel blockers such as tetraethylammonium (1 mM), 4-aminopyridine (0.5 mM), glibenclamide (10 mM), apamin ($0.1{\mu}M$), and iberiotoxin ($0.1{\mu}M$) did not affect the inhibitory action of SIN-1. These results suggest that NO donors suppress mechanical and electrical activity of guinea pig gastric antral circular muscle by inhibition of L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel rather than by activation of $K^+$ channels.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.88-93
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• 2007

The preventive effect of Lentinus edodes extract (LE) against constipation was studied in rats. Rats were pretreated with LE contained in drinking water at the concentration of 10%, 20% and 40% over 30 days. Constipation was induced by subcutaneous injection of loperamide (4 mg/kg/day) 3 days prior to sacrifice. Treatment of loperamide resulted in decreases in the number and wet weight of fecal pellets, and increase in the number of fecal pellet in the distal colon and cecocolon weight. In contrast, the number and wet weight of fecal pellets were increased, and the number of fecal pellet in the distal colon and the cecocolon weight were decreased in LE-pretreated groups compared to the loperamide-treated group. Blood parameters such as white blood cell, red blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and serum alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities, and blood urea nitrogen and creatinine values were not significantly different between the groups. In addition, LE (0.5 mg/mL) increased spontaneous contractile activity, which was reduced by atropine or loperamide in isolated rat ileum. Theses results suggest that the improvement of constipation symptoms in LE-pretreated rats resulted from a stimulatory effect of LE on intestine contractile activity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.341-346
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• 2008

In the present study, we assessed the effects of white ginseng and red ginseng extract on the learning and memory impairments induced by scopolamine. The cognition-enhancing effect of ginseng extracts was investigated using the Morris water maze and Y-maze test. Drug-induced amnesia was induced by treating animals with scopolamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.), an antagonist of muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor. Tacrine was used a positive control. Ginseng extract (200 mg/kg, p.o.), tacrine (10 mg/kg, p.o.) administration significantly reduced the escape latency during training in the Morris water maze (p<0.05). At the probe trial session, scopolamine significantly increased the escape latency on day 5 in comparison with control (p<0.01). The effect of ginseng extracts on spontaneous alternation in Y-maze was similar to that of scopolamine treated group. In addition, numbers of arm entries were similar in all experimental groups. Moreover, red ginseng extract significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity in the cortex and serum (p<0.05). Brain ACh contents of ginseng extract treated groups increased more than that of scopolamine group, which did not show statistically significant. These results suggest that ginseng extract may be useful for the treatment of cognitive impairment.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.218-223
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• 2001

This study was conducted to evaluate the functional properties of onion, rosemary and thyme extracts which are the ingredients of onion Kimchi. Onion extract showed a significant difference in antioxidative effect based on peroxide value and thiocyanate method. Antioxidative activity of rosemary extract was similar to those of BHA and BHT. but thyme extract did not show any antioxidative effect.. Onion, rosemary, and thyme extracts showed antimicrobial activities against gram positive bacteria but onion and thyme extracts did not against E. coli, Candida, and molds. Rosemary extract demonstrated a strong activity against L. plantarum which is a major lactobacillus in Kimchi fermentation, and Micrococcus luteus. Onion, rosemary, and thyme extracts showed an effect or hangover relief effect by lowering the alcohol concentration of blood in rat. Blood pressure of the male spontaneous hypertensive rat was suppressed by onion extract after 3 days of feeding, but rosemary and thyme extracts were not effective for lowering blood pressure.