• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2013

Objectives : In present study, we investigated the effects of ginsenoside Rg3 on early-stage inflammatory response in spinal cord compression of rodents. Methods : Spinal cord injury(SCI) was induced by a vascular clip method(30 g, 5 min) on the spinal cord of mice. Rg3 was treated orally at 1 hour prior to the SCI induction. Messenger ribonucleic acid(mRNA) expression of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$(TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-1${\beta}$(IL-1${\beta}$), interleukin-6(IL-6) and cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) was measured by the real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Microglia in the spinal cord tissue, neurophils and COX-2 in the peri-lesion and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) expression in the ventral horn of SCI induced rats were measured by immunohistochemical stain. Results : 1. Rg3 significantly reduced the mRNA expression of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$, and COX-2 in the spinal cord tissue compared with SCI group(p<0.05, p<0.01). 2. Rg3 significantly reduced the total number of activated microglia and proportion of phagocytic form in the total activated microglia compared with SCI group(p<0.05, p<0.01). 3. Rg3 significantly reduced myeloperoxidase(MPO) positive neurophil in the peri-lesion compared with SCI group(p<0.05). 4. Rg3 reduced the COX-2 expression in the tissue and motor neurons compared with SCI group. 5. Rg3 significantly reduced iNOS positive motor neurons in the ventral horn compared with SCI group(p<0.01). Conclusions : In conclusion, we demonstrated at first that treatment of ginsenoside Rg3 could reduce significantly the levels of inflammatory mediators in a spinal cord compression model of rodents. Therefore, these results suggested that ginsenoside Rg3 may be a useful antimiflamatory therapeutic candidate for SCI.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2006

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common benign tumor in older men; the etiology of this disease remains poorly understood. Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) both act as androgen via a single androgen receptor. Testosterone is converted to DHT by $5{\alpha}$-reductase in prostatic stromal cells. Progesterone has been reported to inhibit DHT conversion; howevwe, its effect on prostatic stromal cells remains to be elucidated. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, we investigated the effect of progesterone on androgen receptor expression induced by DHT. We also tested the effect of progesterone on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, as well as prostate stromal cell proliferation using the cell count kit-8. Results: Progesterone did not cause an increase of prostate stromal cell proliferation. The mRNA expression of the androgen receptor and COX-2 were not changed by progesterone; the expressions of androgen receptor and COX-2 proteins were decreased by progesterone in prostate stromal cells. Conclusion: These results suggest that in prostate stromal cells, progesterone decreases androgen receptor protein expression, which results in decrement of COX-2 protein expression. This effect might be mediated by post-transcriptional regulation.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.351-357
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• 2007

Regions (about 3.7-3.8 kb) of the mitochondrial genomes (rrnL-cox1) of two tardigrades, a heterotardigrade, Batillipes pennaki, and a eutardigrade, Pseudobiotus spinifer, were sequenced and characterized. The gene order in Batillipes was $\underline{rrnL}-\underline{V}-\underline{rrnS}-\underline{Q}-\underline{I}$-M-nad2-W-$\underline{C}-\underline{Y}$-cox1, and in Pseudobiotus it was $\underline{rrnL}-\underline{V}-\underline{rrnS}-\underline{Q}$-M-nad2-W-$\underline{C}-\underline{Y}$-cox1. With the exception of the trnI gene, the two tardigrade regions have the same gene content and order. Their gene orders are strikingly similar to that of the chelicerate Limulus polyphemus (rrnL-V-rrnS-CR-I-Q-M-nad2-W-C-Y-cox1), which is considered to be ancestral for arthropods. Although the tardigrades do not have a distinct control region (CR) within this segment, the trnI gene in Pseudobiotus is located between rrnL-trnL1 and trnL2-nad1, and the trnI gene in Batillipes is located between trnQ and trnM. In addition, the 106-bp region between trnQ and trnM in Batillipes not only contains two plausible trnI genes with opposite orientations, but also exhibits some CR-like characteristics. The mitochondrial gene arrangements of 183 other protostomes were compared. 60 (52.2%) of the 115 arthropods examined have the M-nad2-W-C-Y-cox1 arrangement, and 88 (76.5%) the M-nad2-W arrangement, as found in the tardigrades. In contrast, no such arrangement was seen in the 70 non-arthropod protostomes studied. These are the first non-sequence molecular data that support the close relationship of tardigrades and arthropods.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.491-497
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• 2007

Hyeonggaeyeongyo-tang (HYT; Jingjielianqiao-tang), is known to be effective in lowering wind-heat blended as a pathogen of kidney. HYT has been traditionally used for the treatment of a syndrome in kidney meridian, due to invasion of pathogenic wind and heat. Nowadays, this prescription is used to treat diseases marked by excessive wind and heat in the kidney meridian, such as acute otitis media, empyema, hypertrophic rhinitis, nasal bleeding, nasal obstruction, acne and tonsillitis. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of HYT on the regulatory mechanism of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) for the immunological activities in Raw 264.7 cells. After the treatment of HYT water extract, cell viability was measured by MTT assay, NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2_ and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were determined by immunoblot analysis, and levels of cytokine were analyzed by sandwich immunoassays. The production of No was significantly inhibited by pre-treatment (1h) with HYT(0.1-0.3 mg/ml) on LPS-activated Raw264.7 cells. The expression of iNOS and COX-2 protein were up-regulated by LPS, but the increased levels of iNOS and COX-2 were inhibited by pre-treatment of HYT (0.3-1.0 mg/ml), respectively. And the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6), cytokine released from macrophage, was reduced by HYT pre-treatment (0.3-1.0 mg/ml). Thus, the present data suggest that HYT may play an important role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.13-22
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• 2019

Objectives : Armeniacae semen is the seed of Prunus armenica L. var. ansu MAXIM, and this is classified into Rosaceae. Armeniacae semen has been used for centuries in traditional oriental medicine for the treatment of pain and inflammatory diseases. Amygdalin is the major compound of Armeniacae semen, and it is now being used for the treatment of pain and cancer. Methods : In the present study, we compared the effects of an aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen and a solution of amygdalin extracted from Armeniacae semen on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated prostaglandin E2 synthesis and nitric oxide production in mouse BV-2 microglial cells. For this study, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR), prostaglandin E2 immunoassay and nitric oxide detection were performed on mouse BV-2 microglial cells. Results : In the present study, an aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen and an amygdalin solution extracted from Armeniacae semen suppressed prostaglandin E2 synthesis and nitric oxide production by inhibiting the LPS-induced enhancement of cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) mRNA and the inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA in mouse BV-2 cells. For the cyclooxygenase-1(COX-1) expression, an aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen showed a more potent suppression effect compared to the amygdalin solution. However, the amygdalin solution more potently suppressed the LPS-induced COX-2 mRNA expression compared to the aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen. Conclusions : As a result, aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen and amygdalin exert anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.358-366
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• 2014

Background: To improve sinus rhythm conversion, the Cox maze III procedure with narrow mazes (width: ${\leq}3.0cm$) was performed in combination with left atrial volume reduction. Methods: From October 2007 to April 2013, 87 patients with atrial fibrillation (paroxysmal in 3, persistent in 14, and permanent in 70) underwent the Cox maze procedure concomitant with another cardiac procedure. They were followed-up with serial electrocardiographic and echocardiographic studies. We used 24-hour Holter monitoring tests to evaluate postoperatively symptomatic patients. Results: At the mean follow-up time of 36.4 months, 81 patients (94.2%) had sinus rhythm and two were on anti-arrhythmic medication (one on a beta-blocker and the other on amiodarone). Five patients (5.8%) with postoperative recurrent and persistent atrial fibrillation never experienced sinus rhythm conversion; however, they did not require any medication for rate control. On postoperative echocardiography, the left atrial A waves were more frequently observed after concomitant mitral valve repair than after concomitant mitral valve replacement (82.4% vs. 40.4%, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusion: For the Cox maze procedure, narrow mazes and atrial volume reduction resulted in excellent sinus rhythm conversion without the preventive use of anti-arrhythmic drugs, and they did not affect the presence of the left atrial A waves on echocardiography.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.36 no.3 s.134
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• pp.399-411
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• 2003

An approach determining a confidence interval of Nash's observed mean instantaneous unit hydrograph is developed. In the approach, both two parameters are treated as correlated gaussian random variables based on the theory of Box-Cox transformation and the regional similarity relation, so that linear statistical parameter estimation is possible. A parametric bootstrap method is adopted to give the confidence interval of the mean observed hydrograph. The proposed methodology is also applicable to estimate the parameters of Nash's model for un-gauged basins. An application to a watershed has shown that the proposed approach is adequate to assess the uncertainty of the Nash's hydrograph and to evaluate parameters for un-gauged basins.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2006

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a group of positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid that have been used to reduce the incidence, growth and metastasis of breast, colon, prostate and gastric cancer in animals. CLA could reduce tumor growth by altering angiogenesis; a process requiring associated angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In this study, we determined whether CLA could modulate the expression of VEGF in murine mammary tumor cells and adipocytes. The c9, t11-CLA isomer reduced VEGF transcripts and protein when mammary tumor cells were stimulated with PMA. That isomer also reduced VEGF expression in un stimulated mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Since VEGF can be regulated by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), we determined whether CLA could alter COX-2 enzyme expression and $PGE_2$ production. The c9, t11-CLA isomer reduced not only COX-2 enzyme expression but also $PGE_2$ production. Thus, c9, t11-CLA could modulate neovascularization by alteration of VEGF expression from mammary tumor cells and adipocytes by reducing COX-2 metabolites.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.497-507
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• 2004

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Ikwitang extract on indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal lesions in mice. Experimental groups were classified into a non-treated group(NM group), a non-administered group(CON group), the Misoprostol-administered group(MI group) and the Ikwitang-extract-administered group(IW group). This study examined the morphological change, distribution of mast cells, mucous surface cells, acid mucose secreted cells, and apoptic cells, BrdU, COX-1, Hsp70, $NF-{\kappa}B\;p50$, PKC, COX-2 and IL-12B of gastric mucosa. Results : The results of this study were as follows: 1. In the Misoprostol-administered group and the Ikwitang-extract-administered group, the hemorrhagic erosion of gastric mucous and infiltrated mast cells decreased. 2. Mucous surface cells and acid mucose secreted cells abserved in the Misoprostol-administered group and the Ikwitang-extract administered group. 3. The distribution of apoptic cells, Hsp70, $NF-{\kappa}B\;p50$, PKC, COX-2, and IL-12B increased in the Control group, but decreased in the Misoprostol-administered group and Ikwitang-extract-administered group. 4. Cells proliferation of gastric mucosa and the COX-l positive cells decreased in the Control group, but increased in the Misoprostol-administered group and the Ikwitang-extract -administered group. The above results suggest the lkwitang extract had beneficial effects on indomethacin induced gastric mucosal lesions.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.683-688
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• 2015

Human diphyllobothriasis is a widespread fish-borne zoonosis caused by the infection with broad tapeworms belonging to the genus Diphyllobothrium. In mainland China, so far 20 human cases of Diphyllobothrium infections have been reported, and the etiologic species were identified as D. latum and D. nihonkaiense based on morphological characteristics or molecular analysis. In the present study, proglottids of diphyllobothriid tapeworms from 3 human cases that occurred in Heilongjiang Province, China were identified as D. nihonkaiense by sequencing mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nad5) genes. Two different cox1 gene sequences were obtained. One sequence showed 100% homology with those from humans in Japan. The remaining cox1 gene sequence and 2 different nad5 gene sequences obtained were not described previously, and might reflect endemic genetic characterizations. D. nihonkaiense might also be a major causative species of human diphyllobothriasis in China. Meanwhile, the finding of the first pediatric case of D. nihonkaiense infection in China suggests that infants infected with D. nihonkaiense should not be ignored.