• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.220-232
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• 2003

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang and combinations of constituent herbs on the arterial contraction. Methods : In order to investigate the effects Scutellariae Radix. Coptidis Rhizoma, Phellodendri Cortex and Gardeniae Fructus, in which one of them, two of them, and all of them, were used to exam. Results : The results were summarized as follows; 1. HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang significantly inhibited the contraction of artery induced by Norepinephrine(NE). However the atonic effect was slightly blunted when the vascular endothelial cell was removed. No significant change in the atonic effect of HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang was found when $_L-NNA$ was used as a preliminary treatment. These results indicate that the vascular atonic effect by HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang is slightly dependent on the endothelial cell, and that the HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang works directly to the vascular smooth muscle in creating the vascular atonic effect. 2. The pretreatment of HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang extract significantly inhibited the contractile response to additive application of $Ca^{2+}$ in the strips which were contracted by NE in $Ca^{2+}$-free solution. 3. HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang extract increased the contraction of arterial smooth muscle induced by KCl. Therefore, it can be concluded that HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang may block the NE-receptor or receptor-operated $Ca^{2+}$ channel. 4. It was determined that Scutellariae Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Cortex among the ingredients of HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang have a vascular atonic effect. In addition, those ingredients plays a role in strengthening the atonic effect by working with other herbal medicines. Gardeniae Fructus causes the blood vessel to contract. but it does not influence the atonic effects of other herbal medicines. However Gardeniae Fructus tends to inhibit the vascular atonic effect of Phellodendri Cortex. Conclusion : Based on the above results, it can be said that HwangRyunHaeDok-Tang can be applied to cure hypertension considering those three herbs have significant effects of relaxation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.452-464
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• 1990

It is well known that extracellular Calcium plays a very important role in several steps of smooth muscle excitability and contractility, and there have been many concerns about factors influencing the distribution of extracellular Ca++ and the Ca++ flux through the cell membrane of the smooth muscle. Based on the assumption that Mg++ may also play an important role in the excitation and contraction processes of the smooth muscle by taking part in affecting Ca++ distribution and flux, many researches are being performed about the exact role of Mg++, especially in the vascular smooth muscle. But yet the effect of Mg++ in the smooth muscle activity is not clarified, and moreover the mechanism of Mg++ action is almost completely unknown. Present study attempted to clarify the effect of Mg++ on the excitability and contractility in the multiunit and unitary smooth muscle, and the mechanism concerned in it. The preparations used were the guinea-pig aortic strip as the experimental material of the multiunit smooth muscle and the rat uterine strip as the one of the unitary smooth muscle. The tissues were isolated from the sacrificed animal and were prepared for recording the isometric contraction. The effects of Mg++ and Ca++ were examined on the electrically driven or spontaneous contraction of the preparations. And the effects of these ions were also studied on the K+ or norepinephrine contracture. All experiments were performed in tris-buffered Tyrode solution which was aerated with 100% 02 and kept at 35oC. The results obtained were as follows: 1] Mg++ suppressed the phasic contraction induced by electrical field stimulation dose-dependently in the guinea-pig aortic strip, while the high concentration of Ca++ never recovered the decreased tension. These phenomena were not changed by the a - or b - adrenergic blocker. 2]Mg++ played the suppressing effect on the low concentration [20 and 40 mM] of K+-contracture in the aortic muscle, but the effect was not shown in the case of 100mM K+-contracture. 3] Mg++ also suppressed the contracture induced by norepinephrine in the aortic preparation. And the effect of Mg++ was most prominent in the contracture by the lowest [10 mM] concentration of norepinephrine. 4] In both the spontaneous and electrically driven contractions of the uterine strip, Mg++ decreased the amplitude of peak tension, and by the high concentration of Ca++ the amplitude of tension was recovered unlike the aortic muscle. 5] The frequency of the uterine spontaneous contraction increased as the [Ca++] / [Mg++] ratio increased up to 2, but the frequency decreased above this level. 6] Mg++ decreased the tension of the low[20 and 40mM] K+-contracture in the uterine smooth muscle, but the effect did not appear in the 100mM K+-contracture. From the above results, the following conclusion could be made. 1] Mg++ seems to suppress the contractility directly by acting on the smooth muscle itself, besides through the indirect action on the nerve terminal, in both the aortic and uterine smooth muscles. 2] The fact that the depressant effect of Mg++ on the K+-contracture is in inverse proportion to an increase of K+ concentration appears resulted from the extent of the opening state of the Ca++ channel. 3] Mg++ may play a depressant role on both the potential dependent and the receptor-operated Ca++ channels. 4] The relationship between the actions of Mg++ and Ca++ seems to be competitive in uterine muscle and non-competitive in aortic strip.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.115-125
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• 1992

The variation of flow pattern caused by the topographical change of Kwangyang bay, is analyzed using the numerical tidal model for the depth-integrated two- dimensional long wave equation. The results of study are as follows. Due to pier construction, the area of water surface is deceased and the water inflow into the Kwangyang bay is reduced. For this result, at the outer bay of Myo island, the tidal range is slightly increased. And at the inner bay, water level is dropped generally, and especially at the time of low water tide, the phenomena of water level drop obviously appears. According to the variation pattern, flow velocities is lower than those of non-construction condition over the Kwangyang bay. But at the channel(from Kwangyang east stream) flowing into the east Kwangyang bay, for the contraction of channel profile, flow velocity is increased. The study based on the 100 year frequency design flood discharge from Sueocheon(river) and Dongcheon(river) which are flowing into the bay and Seomjin River flowing along the boundary of the bay is also performed. During the spring tide condition, the results showed the rise of water level about 1.2 m at Seomjin River Estuary and 0.3 m at inner bay is occurred.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.328-335
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• 2006

Imperatoxin A ($IpTx_a$), a 3.7 kDa peptide from the African scorpion Pandinus imperator, is an agonist of the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RyR1). In order to study the structure of the toxin and its effect on RyR1, $IpTx_a$ cDNA was PCR-amplified using 3 pairs of primers, and the toxin was expressed in E. coli. The toxin was further purified by chromatography, and various point mutants in which basic amino acids were substituted by alanine were prepared by site-directed mutagenesis. Studies of single channel properties by the planar lipid bilayer method showed that the recombinant $IpTx_a$ was identical to the synthetic $IpTx_a$ with respect to high-performance liquid chromatography mobility, amino acid composition and specific effects on RyR1. Mutations of certain basic amino acids ($Lys^{19}$, $Arg^{23}$, and $Arg^{33}$) dramatically reduced the capacity of the peptide to activate RyRs. A subconductance state predominated when $Lys^8$ was substituted with alanine. These results suggest that some basic amino acid residues in $IpTx_a$ are important for activation of RyR1, and that $Lys^8$ plays an important role in regulating the gating mode of RyR1.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.437-446
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• 2012

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by recurrent episodes of colonic inflammation and tissue degeneration in human or animal models. The contractile force generated by the smooth muscle is significantly attenuated, resulting in altered motility leading to diarrhea or constipation in IBD. The aim of this study is to clarify the altered contractility of circular and longitudinal smooth muscle layers in proximal colon of trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis mouse. Colitis was induced by direct injection of TNBS (120 mg/kg, 50% ethanol) in proximal colon of ICR mouse using a 30 G needle anesthetized with ketamin (50 mg/kg), whereas animals in the control group were injected of 50% ethanol alone. In TNBS-induced colitis, the wall of the proximal colon is diffusely thickened with loss of haustration, and showed mucosal and mucular edema with inflammatory infiltration. The colonic inflammation is significantly induced the reduction of colonic contractile activity including spontaneous contractile activity, depolarization-induced contractility, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated contractile response in circular muscle layer compared to the longitudinal muscle layer. The inward rectification of currents, especially, important to $Ca^{2+}$ and $Na^+$ influx-induced depolarization and contraction, was markedly reduced in the TNBS-induced colitis compared to the control. The muscarinic acetylcholine-mediated contractile responses were significantly attenuated in the circular and longitudinal smooth muscle strips induced by the reduction of membrane expression of canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channel isoforms from the proximal colon of the TNBS-induced colitis mouse than the control.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.209-215
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• 2022

Objectives: Aqueous leaf extract of Tridax procumbens (ALETP) has potent relaxant activity. However, this relaxant activity in respiratory smooth muscle remains uninvestigated. This study investigates the effect of ALETP on the contractile activity of tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) in adult male Wistar rats. Methods: Twelve male Wistar rats divided into 2 groups and were treated with either 100 mg/kg of ALETP (ALETP treatment group) or vehicle (distilled water; control group) through oral gavage for 4 weeks. Dose responses of TSM from the 2 groups to acetylcholine (10^-9 to 10^-5 M), phenylephrine (10^-9 to 10^-5 M), and potassium chloride (KCl; 10^-9 to 10^-4 M) were determined cumulatively. Furthermore, cumulative dose responses to acetylcholine (10^-9 to 10^-5 M) after pre-incubation of TSM with atropine (10^-5 M), L-NAME (10^-4 M), indomethacin (10^-4 M), and nifedipine (10^-4 M), were determined. Results: Treatment with ALETP substantially inhibited TSM contraction stimulated by cumulative doses of acetylcholine, phenylephrine, and KCl. Furthermore, preincubation of TSM from the 2 groups in atropine significantly inhibited contractility in TSM. Incubation in L-NAME and indomethacin also significantly inhibited contractility in TSM of ALETP-treated rats compared to that of controls. Contractile activity of the TSM was also inhibited significantly with incubation in nifedipine in ALETP-treated rats. Conclusion: ALETP enhanced relaxant activity in rat TSM primarily by blocking the L-type calcium channel and promoting endothelial nitric oxide release. ALETP contains agents that may be useful in disorders of the respiratory tract.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2005

To study the direct effect of somatostatin (SS) on calcium channel current ($I_{Ba}$) in guinea-pig gastric myocytes, $I_{Ba}$ was recorded by using whole-cell patch clamp technique in single smooth muscle cells. Nicardipine ($1{\mu}M$), a L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, inhibited $I_{Ba}$ by $98{\pm}1.9$% (n=5), however $I_{Ba}$ was decreased in a reversible manner by application of SS. The peak $I_{Ba}$ at 0 mV were decreased to $95{\pm}1.5$, $92{\pm}1.9$, $82{\pm}4.0$, $66{\pm}5.8$, $10{\pm}2.9$% at $10^{-10}$, $10^{-9}$, $10^{-8}$, $10^{-7}$, $10^{-5}$ M of SS, respectively (n=3∼6; $mean{\pm}SEM$). The steady-state activation and inactivation curves of $I_{Ba}$ as a function of membrane potentials were well fitted by a Boltzmann equation. Voltage of half-activation ($V_{0.5}$) was $-12{\pm}0.5$ mV in control and $-11{\pm}1.9$ mV in SS treated groups (respectively, n=5). The same values of half-inactivation were $-35{\pm}1.4$ mV and $-35{\pm}1.9$ mV (respectively, n=5). There was no significant difference in activation and inactivation kinetics of $I_{Ba}$ by SS. Inhibitory effect of SS on $I_{Ba}$ was significantly reduced by either dialysis of intracellular solution with $GDP_{\beta}S$, a non-hydrolysable G protein inhibitor, or pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PTX). SS also decreased contraction of guinea-pig gastric antral smooth muscle. In conclusion, SS decreases voltage-dependent L-type calcium channel current ($VDCC_L$) via PTXsensitive signaling pathways in guinea-pig antral circular myocytes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 1993

The effects of a calcium channel blocker and an activator on the release of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) were investigated in rats. They were volume expanded (VE) up to 5% of the body weight over 30min by being infused with iso-oncotic saline. Following VE, plasma ANP concentration markedly increased in association with increases in the right atrial pressure. Addition of either nifedipine ($0.4{\mu}m/min$) or Bay K 8644 ($0.4{\mu}m/min$) in the infusate potentiated the VE-induced release, although neither of them affected the right atrial pressure. The nifedipine added group showed a lower mean arterial pressure than the Bay K added group throughout the infusion period. VE decreased plasma renin concentration, the magnitude of which was attenuated by nifedipine but not by Bay K. It may be hypothesized that a decrease in cytoplasmic calcium is primary stimulus far the ANP release, and an increase plays o role in secondary liberation of the ANP accumulated in the interstitium into the lumen of the atria through myocardial contraction. further studies will be needed to confirm the hypothesis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.347-355
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• 1992

The precise mechanism of the Excitation-Contraction Coupling is still uncertain. But the concept that Ca2+ induced Ca2+ release [CICR] from the Ryanodine receptor in the sarcoplasmic reticulum [foot structure] may play a major role in E-C coupling has been widely accepted since 1970`s. It is believed that increased cytosolic Ca2+ followed by CICR is main contributor for E-C coupling of striated muscle. Resulting phenomena of ischemic /post-reperfusion myocyte is increased cytosolic Ca2+, even to the absence of Ca2+ in reperfusate. So intracellular inhibitor to CICR might prevent the ischemic and reperfusion damage of myocardial cells. The relatively purified foot protein, especially heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum rich, of the skeletal muscle was incorporated into the black lipid bilayer [Phosphatidyl ethanolamine: Phosphatidyl serine=l: 1]. Under the steady state of membrane potential [+20 mV], ionic current through Ryanodine receptor was measured with Cs+ as charge carrier. In the cis chamber [Cytoplasmic side], Mg2+ strongly inhibited CICR of Ryanodine receptor[Kd=6.2 nM]. In conclusion, naturally existing intracellular free Mg2+ can inhibit CICR from intracellular Ca2+ reservior [heavy SR]. So post-ischemic or post-reperfusing myocardium could be preserved using additional free Mg2+ in cardioplegic solution or reperfusate, otherwise the optimal concentration is undetermined.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.734-739
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• 2009

낙동강하구둑은 바다로부터의 염수칩입을 방지하고 하구둑 상류의 지속적인 용수 공급을 위해 1987년에 건설되었으며 이로 인해 낙동강 상류로부터 유입되는 유사가 낙동강하구둑 근처에서의 유속 감소로 인해 상류 접근수로에 퇴적되는 문제가 발생하고 있다. 이러한 낙동강하구둑 상류의 퇴적되는 유사로 인해 낙동강하류의 하상이 상승되고 통수단면이 축소되는 현상이 발생할 수 있으며 이는 홍수범람의 위험성을 가중 시키는 원인이 될 수 있다. 따라서 매년 하구둑 상류 접근수로에서는 퇴적되는 유사를 제거하기 위해 하구둑 건설 이후에 매년 준설 작업이 수행되고 있으며 최근에 이를 대체할 수 있는 여러 방법들이 여러 연구를 통해 검토되고 있는 실정이다. 특히 하폭이 급격하게 증가하는 하구둑 상류 2 km 지점은 매년 준설 작업 전에 시행되는 측량 자료에 의하면 이 지점에 많은 양의 유사가 퇴적되는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 낙동강하구둑 접근수로에서 매년 준설되는 퇴사를 하구둑 상류 2 km 지점 우안 쪽을 매립함으로써 하도를 인위적으로 축소시켜 유속을 증가시키고 결과적으로 퇴사량을 경감 시킬 수 있을 것으로 예측된다. 이러한 하도 축소를 이용한 퇴사 저감 방법의 적용성 검토를 위해 2차원 수치모형인 RMA2 모형과 SED2D 모형을 이용하여 흐름 및 하상변동 분석하였다.