• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.589-594
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• 2017

Ginseng effectively regulates the immune response and the hormonal changes due to stress, thus maintaining homeostasis. In addition to suppressing the occurrence of psychological diseases such as anxiety and depression, ginseng also prevents stress-associated physiological diseases. Recent findings have revealed that ginseng is involved in adjusting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and controlling hormones, thus producing beneficial effects on the heart and brain, and in cases of bone diseases, as well as alleviating erectile dysfunction. Recent studies have highlighted the potential use of ginseng in the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergic asthma. However, the mechanism underlying the effects of ginseng on these stress-related diseases has not been completely established. In this review, we focus on the disease pathways caused by stress in order to determine how ginseng acts to improve health. Central to our discussion is how this effective and stable therapeutic agent alleviates the anxiety and depression caused by stress and ameliorates inflammatory diseases.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.525-528
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• 1999

Abstract - In this paper, a segmentation method for brain Magnetic Resonance(MR) image using region clustering technique with statistical distribution of gradient image and fuzzy rules is described. The brain MRI consists of gray matter and white matter, cerebrospinal fluid. But due to noise, overlap, vagueness, and various parameters, segmentation of MR image is a very difficult task. We use gradient information rather than intensity directly from the MR images and find appropriate thresholds for region classification using gradient approximation, rayleigh distribution function, region clustering, and merging techniques. And then, we propose the adaptive fuzzy rules in order to extract anatomical structures and diseases from brain MR image data. The experimental results shows that the proposed segmentation algorithm given better performance than traditional segmentation techniques.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 1997

The hypertensive encephalopathy is one of sudden convulsive cause in patients with acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, but commonly, after the episode we can observe only mild to moderately hypertension in APSGN at ER. So these remains some question of what causes the convulsion in patients with APSGN. In this article, we report 3 cases of convulsion in APSGN with only moderate hypertension, the etiology of which proved to be due to hypertensive encephalopathy by the brain MRI. We believe that the brain MRI is a very useful test to diagnose the etiology of convulsion in APSGN and if brain edema in occipital lobe is detected by brain MRI, the convulsion would be due to hypertensive encephalopathy and the prognosis will be very good.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1018-1030
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• 2013

The corpus callosum is the largest connective structure in the brain, and its shape and size are correlated to sex, age, brain growth and degeneration, handedness, musical ability, and neurological diseases. Manually segmenting the corpus callosum from brain magnetic resonance (MR) image is time consuming, error prone, and operator dependent. In this paper, two semi-automatic segmentation methods are present: the active contour model-based approach and the active shape model-based approach. We tested these methods on an MR image of the human brain and found that the active contour approach had better segmentation accuracy but was slower than the active shape approach.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.154-159
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• 1999

Magnetoencephalography (MEG), the measurement of magnetic fields produced by neuronal current associated with normal and pathologic brain activities, is a totally noninvasive method for localizing functional regions of the brain. During the past several years, many clinical research centers are working to expand various fundamental functional brain regions, which can be easily localized, as well as to characterize magnetic abnormalities which accompany a wide variety of cerebral disease. At present, MEG is used in a number of clinical centers throughout the world for the presurgical functional localization of eloquent cortex, and for the non-invasive localization of epileptiform activity. And also, non-invasiveness means that it can be used for screening and repetitive follow-up measurement without concern for adverse effects. As procedures for activating various functional brain regions are standardized, and as the effects of specific cerebral diseases on the MEG are carefully documented in controlled studies, the number of routine neurological applications for MEG will increase significantly. In this paper, the basic principles of MEG are reviewed briefly with its clinical application to neurologic disease.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.266-272
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• 1987

It is reasonably well known that there is a relationship between myelin formation and methylation of myelin basic protein in nerve cells. One of the suggestions is that arginine methylation of myelin basic protein could be of aid in the conjugation of myelin protein with the nonpolar lipid to form myelin. Abnormality in methylation of myclin basic protein might induce the neurological diseases in experimental animals as well as in human being. In the biological system, the methylation reaction is catalyzed by protein methaylse I using S-adenosyl-L-methionine as methyl donor. In this study, we examined the changes of S-adenosyl-L-methionine concentration and protein methylase I activity in developing rat brain tissues. The results are sumraerized as followings: (1) In brain tissues of fetus rat, the concentration of S-adenosyl-L-methionine was gradually decreased until to birth. However, the concentration in brain tissues of infant rat was suddenly increased at 7th day(just before myelination occur) birth. (2) Protein methylase I activity was decreased until to birth in brain of fetus rat and increased temporally just after birth, However, the enzyme activity showed no changes around 7th day after birth.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.231-236
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• 2008

Heparin is a well-known anticoagulant widely used in various clinical settings. Interestingly, recent studies have indicated that heparin also has anti-inflammatory effects on neuroinflammation-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and meningitis. However, the underlying mechanism of its actions remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the anti-inflammatory mechanism of heparin in cultured cerebral endothelial cells (CECs), and found that heparin inhibited the tumor necrosis factor $\alpha$ ($TNF{\alpha}$)-induced and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$)-dependent expression of adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), which are crucial for inflammatory responses. Heparin selectively interfered with NF-${\kappa}B$ DNA-binding activity in the nucleus, which is stimulated by $TNF{\alpha}$. In addition, non-anticoagulant 2,3-O desulfated heparin (ODS) prevented NF-${\kappa}B$ activation by $TNF{\alpha}$, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of heparin action in CECs lies in heparin's ability to inhibit the expression of cell adhesion molecules, as opposed to its anticoagulant actions.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.564-569
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• 2022

Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) is the brain protecting system blocking the inflow of harmful substances into brain parenchyma from brain blood vessel. However, the BBB has a negative effect on the treatment of various brain diseases such as Alzheimer's dementia or brain tumors because it also prevents drug delivery into brain parenchyma. To overcome this problem, a brain drug delivery technique using Focused Ultrasound (FUS) which allows BBB to be temporarily opened by inducing the acoustic cavitation effect of microbubbles has been developed. Thus far, various studies using the FUS technique has been conducted to improve drug delivery efficiency, and therefore, this paper discusses recently developed drug delivery technologies using the FUS-induced BBB opening.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.204-204
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• 2022

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.287-291
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• 2014

Moyamoya disease is a cerebrovascular condition that results in the narrowing of the vessels of the circle of Willis and collateral vessel formation at the base of the brain. Although relationships between Graves' disease and cerebrovascular accidents in Moyamoya disease are obscure, the coexistence of the two diseases is noteworthy. Moyamoya disease has been rarely reported in adolescent patients with thyrotoxicosis. Recently, we encountered two adolescent Korean patients with Moyamoya disease associated with Graves' disease who presented with episodic right-sided hemiparesis and syncope. These two girls who had Graves' disease had no history of other diseases or head trauma. A thyroid function test revealed a euthyroid state and a high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibody titer at that time. The patients were diagnosed with Moyamoya disease based on brain magnetic resonance angiography and cerebral four-vessel angiography. The patients underwent cranial revascularization by encephalo-duroarterio-synangiosis as soon as a diagnosis was made, which resulted in successful symptom resolution. They fared well and had no additional neurological symptoms as of their last follow-up visits. Here, we report these two cases of confirmed Moyamoya disease complicated by Graves' disease with a review of the literature, and discuss the possible association between the two diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first report in South Korea on Moyamoya disease associated with Graves' disease in adolescents with a euthyroid.