• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.367-375
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• 2022

Background: Short-term hydroponic-cultured ginseng (sHCG), which is 1-year-old ginseng seedlings cultivated for 4 weeks in a hydroponic system, is a functional food item with several biological effects. However, the optimal extraction conditions for sHCG, and the bioactivity of its extracts, have not been evaluated. Methods: Chlorogenic acid (CGA) and ginsenoside contents were evaluated in sHCG, white ginseng (WG), and red ginseng (RG) using high-performance liquid chromatography. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction conditions (temperature and ethanol concentration) to maximize the yield of dry matter, CGA, and four ginsenosides (Re, Rg₁, Rb₁, and Rd) from sHCG. The optimal extraction conditions were applied to pilot-scale production of sHCG extracts. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interferon (IFN)-γ-induced thymic and activation-regulated chemokines (TARC/CCL17) were measured after treatment with sHCG, WG, and RG extracts, and the effects of their bioactive compounds (CGA and four ginsenosides) on human skin keratinocytes (HaCaTs) were evaluated. Results: CGA and four ginsenosides, which are bioactive compounds of sHCG, significantly inhibited TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced TARC/CCL17 expression. The optimal sHCG extraction conditions predicted by the RSM models were 80 ℃ and 60% ethanol (v/v). The sHCG extracts produced at the pilot scale under optimal conditions greatly alleviated TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced TARC/CCL17 production compared with WG and RG extracts. Conclusions: Pesticide-free sHCG extracts, which contain high levels of CGA and the ginsenosides Re, Rg₁, Rb₁, and Rd as bioactive compounds, may have therapeutic potential for atopic diseases.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.295-303
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• 2021

Idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) is considered a potentially treatable neurological disorder by shunt surgery and characterized by a triad of symptoms including gait disturbance, cognitive impairment and urinary dysfunction. Although disorders of white matter are generally viewed as the principal pathological features of INPH, analysis of cortical features are important since the destruction of neural tracts could be associated with cortical structural changing. The aim of the study was to determine whether there was any relationship between gait parameter and structural features of cerebral cortex in INPH patients. Gait parameters were measured as follows: step width, toe in/out angle, coefficient of variation (CV) value of stride length, CV value of stride time. After obtaining individual brain MRI of patients with INPH and hemispheric cortical surfaces were automatically extracted from each MR volume, which reconstructed the inner and outer cortical surface. Then, cortical thickness, surface area, and volume were calculated from the cortical surface. As a result, step width was positively correlated with bilateral postcentral gyrus and left precentral gyrus, and toe in/out was positively correlated with left posterior parietal cortex and left insula. Also, the CV value of stride length showed positive correlation in the right superior frontal sulcus, left insula, and the CV value of stride time showed positive correlation in the right superior frontal sulcus. Unique parameter of cerebral cortical changes, as measured using MRI, might underline impairments in distinct gait parameters in patients with INPH.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.50.3-51
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• 2021

The progenitor of Type Ia supernovae is largely expected as a close binary system of a carbon/oxygen white dwarf (WD) primary and its secondary non-degenerate (single degenerate; SD) or degenerate companion (double degenerate; DD). Here we present a high-cadence monitoring observation of SN 2021hpr in a spiral galaxy, NGC 3147. SN 2021hpr shows typical characteristics as a normal type Ia supernova from its photometric (Δm₁₅(B)=1.01±0.03, dust free M_B,max=-19.45±0.02) and spectroscopic data. To investigate its progenitor system, we fit the early part of BVRI-band light curve simultaneously with a combined version of ejecta-companion and simple power-law model. As a result, we found a significant feature of an early excess possibly from a 7.63±0.52R_⊙-sized companion at the optimal viewing angle while the fit is not successful at the common viewing angle. No possible red sources brighter than F555W=-7.01 AB mag is detected at the SN location in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) pre-explosion images, excluding massive stars with initial mass of >16M_⊙ as companions. We suggest the progenitor system of SN 2021hpr can be a fairly large companion such as a main sequence, a low mass subgiant, and a helium giant star. In addition, a possibility of the ejecta-Disk Originated Matter (DOM) interaction for the DD scenario considering linearly-rising early flux still remains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
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• 2021.07a
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• pp.701-702
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• 2021

The purpose of the study was to identify fiber changes induced by electrical stimulation of a certain neural substrate in the rat brain. In the stimulation group, the peripheral nerve was injured and the brain area associated to inhibit sensory information was electrically stimulated. There were sham and sham stimulation groups as controls. Then high-field diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was acquired. 35 features were taken from the DTI measures from 7 different brain pathways. To compare the efficacy of the classification for 3 animal groups, the linear regression analysis (LDA) and the machine learning technique (MLP) were applied. It was found that the testing accuracy by MLP was about 77%, but that of accuracy by LDA was much higher than MLP. In conclusion, machine learning algorithm could be used to identify and predict the changes of the brain white matter in some situations. The limits of this study will be discussed.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.136-145
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• 2023

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a severe neuropsychiatric abnormality in patients with either acute or chronic liver failure. Typical brain magnetic resonance imaging findings of HE are bilateral basal ganglia high signal intensities due to manganese deposition in chronic liver disease and hyperintensity in T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, or diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with hemispheric white matter changes including the corticospinal tract. Low values on apparent diffusion coefficient mapping of the affected area on DWI, indicating cytotoxic edema, can be observed in acute HE. However, neuropsychological impairment in HE ranges from mild deficits in psychomotor abilities affecting quality of life to stupor or coma with higher grades of hepatic dysfunction. In particular, the long-lasting compensatory mechanisms for the altered metabolism in chronic liver disease make HE imaging results variable. Therefore, the clinical relevance of imaging findings is uncertain and differentiating HE from other metabolic diseases can be difficult. The recent introduction of concepts such as "acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF)," a new clinical entity, has led to a change in the clinical view of HE. Accordingly, there is a need to establish a corresponding concept in the field of neuroimaging diagnosis. Herein, we review HE from a historical and etiological perspective to increase understanding of brain imaging and help establish an imaging approach for advanced new concepts such as ACLF. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide an understanding of HE by reviewing neuroimaging findings based on pathological and clinical concepts of HE, thereby assisting in neuroimaging interpretation.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1352-1368
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• 2021

Objective: For an accurate dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI analysis, exact baseline T1 mapping is critical. The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters of DCE MRI using synthetic MRI with those using fixed baseline T1 values. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 102 patients who underwent both DCE and synthetic brain MRI. Two methods were set for the baseline T1: one using the fixed value and the other using the T1 map from synthetic MRI. The volume transfer constant (K^trans), volume of the vascular plasma space (v_p), and the volume of the extravascular extracellular space (v_e) were compared between the two methods. The interclass correlation coefficients and the Bland-Altman method were used to assess the reliability. Results: In normal-appearing frontal white matter (WM), the mean values of K^trans, v_e, and v_p were significantly higher in the fixed value method than in the T1 map method. In the normal-appearing occipital WM, the mean values of v_e and v_p were significantly higher in the fixed value method. In the putamen and head of the caudate nucleus, the mean values of K^trans, v_e, and v_p were significantly lower in the fixed value method. In addition, the T1 map method showed comparable interobserver agreements with the fixed baseline T1 value method. Conclusion: The T1 map method using synthetic MRI may be useful for reflecting individual differences and reliable measurements in clinical applications of DCE MRI.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.225-235
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• 2023

Background: Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is introduced species that has caused aquatic ecology activity both in vitro and in vivo were investigated for the possibility of application of the bass extract as an alternative feed ingredient. Methods: The bass oil was extracted using a 1-L supercritical extractor, while the protein was extracted from 250 g of bass dry matter, which was dissolved in 1 mL of H₂O at 50℃. Both oil and protein extracts were evaluated antioxidant activities and the level of DPPH radical scavenging assay and nitric oxide (NO) production assay with lipopolysaccharide response. Oral administration of 6.6 µL/g bass protein and 5.38 µL/g bass oil conducted for investigating serological and physiological effect. Results: DPPH radical scavenging showed similar radical scavenging ability of 50 µM of ascorbic acid at 200 ㎍ of protein and 10% of oil treatment. NO concentration was diminished by the treatment of bass oil. Oral administration of both bass oil and proteins to mice showed that the body weight increase rate of the bass oil treated group was significantly reduced by 1.55 g compared to the other groups. The number of white blood cells (WBC) was increased by 4.52 k/µL in the bass protein-treated group and 4.44 k/µL in the bass oil-treated group compared to the control group. However, the serum IgG level did not show a significant difference between the bass extract-treated groups and the control group. Conclusions: These studies demonstrate that both bass oil and proteins extracted from the bass not only provide excellent effects of antioxidant and immune activity but can also be used as functional food supplements.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.486-507
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• 2022

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) includes vascular lesions detected on brain MRI, such as white matter hyperintensities, lacunar infarctions, microbleeds, or enlarged perivascular spaces. There is accumulating evidence that vascular changes may play an important role in development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and CSVD lesions detected on brain MRI were reported to be associated with β-amyloid and tau proteins accumulation. As the vascular contribution has therapeutic potential, it is important to understand the association of CSVD with AD and AD biomarkers. This review begins with a brief introduction of AD and AD biomarkers, explains the association between AD and vascular changes, and then details the pathogenesis and MR imaging findings of CSVD. Afterwards, we discuss the association of CSVD with AD and AD biomarkers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.972-978
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• 2020

Fentanyl intoxication has occasionally been reported since fentanyl patches became available for medical use. Delayed post-hypoxic leukoencephalopathy is a complication of hypoxia. However, its neuropsychiatric symptoms can be delayed, and it can progress to leukoencephalopathy even after full recovery from coma due to acute intoxication. Herein, we report a case of fentanyl intoxication in a 65-year-old man who was presented to the hospital because of unconsciousness for 13 hours after using ten fentanyl patches simultaneously. Initial brain CT findings were non-specific. Twenty days later, delayed neuropathologic symptoms manifested, and MRI showed bilaterally symmetrical, heterogeneous, confluent high signal intensities on T2-weighted/fluid attenuated inversion recovery MRI in the cerebral white matter with diffusion restriction. This was followed by rapid exacerbation of neuropathological symptoms with diffuse severe cerebral atrophy over 1 year.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.985-989
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• 2020

Chlorfenapyr is widely used as an insecticide, despite it being fatal to humans. However, chlorfenapyr-induced central nervous system toxicity has rarely been reported. We report the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a rare case of chlorfenapyr-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy. A 71-year-old man who had ingested chlorfenapyr approximately two weeks prior visited our hospital and presented with bilateral lower motor weakness and voiding dysfunction that had developed two days before admission. Brain MRI revealed extensive bilateral white matter abnormalities involving the corpus callosum, internal capsule, brain stem, and bilateral middle cerebellar peduncle. Furthermore, spine MRI revealed diffuse swelling and hyperintensity on the T2-weighted images.