• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.504-507
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• 2015

Objective : Our aim was to evaluate the histopathological effects of tissue adhesives on peripheral nerve regeneration after experimental sciatic nerve transection in rats and to search whether these tissue adhesives may possess a therapeutic potential in peripheral nerve injuries. Methods : This experimental study was performed using 42 female Wistar-Albino rats distributed in 6 groups subsequent to transection of right sciatic nerves. Group I underwent external circumferential neurolysis; Group II received suture repair; Group III had local polymeric hydrogel based tissue adhesive administration; Group IV received suture repair and polymeric hydrogel based tissue adhesive application together; Group V had gelatin based tissue adhesive application and Group VI had suture repair and gelatin based tissue adhesive together. After a 6-week follow-up period, biopsies were obtained from site of neural injury and groups were compared with respect to histopathological scoring based on inflammatory, degenerative, necrotic and fibrotic changes. Results : There were remarkable differences between control group and study groups with respect to inflammation (p=0.001), degeneration (p=0.002), necrosis (p=0.007), fibrosis (p<0.001) and vascularity (p=0.001). Histopathological scores were similar between study groups and the only noteworthy difference was that Group V displayed a lower score for necrosis and higher score in terms of vascularization. Conclusion : Our results imply that tissue adhesives can be useful in repair of peripheral nerve injuries by decreasing the surgical trauma and shortening the duration of intervention. Results with gelatin based tissue adhesive are especially promising since more intense vascularity was observed in tissue after application. However, trials on larger series with longer durations of follow-up are essential for reaching more reliable conclusions.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.445-454
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• 2015

Objective : In the present study we analyzed neuroprotective and antiapoptotic effect of the difumarate salt S-15176, as an anti-ischemic, an antioxidant and a stabilizer of mitochondrial membrane in secondary damage following spinal cord injury (SCI) in a rat model. Methods : Three groups were performed with 30 Wistar rats; control (1), trauma (2), and a trauma+S-15176 (10 mg/kg i.p., dimethyl sulfoxide) treatment (3). SCI was performed at the thoracic level using the weight-drop technique. Spinal cord tissues were collected following intracardiac perfusion in 3rd and 7th days of posttrauma. Hematoxylin and eosin staining for histopatology, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay for apoptotic cells and immunohistochemistry for proapoptotic cytochrome-c, Bax and caspase 9 were performed to all groups. Functional recovery test were applied to each group in 3rd and 7th days following SCI. Results : In trauma group, edematous regions, diffuse hemorrhage, necrosis, leukocyte infiltration and severe degeneration in motor neurons were observed prominently in gray matter. The number of apoptotic cells was significantly higher (p<0.05) than control group. In the S-15176-treated groups, apoptotic cell number in 3rd and 7th days (p<0.001), also cytochrome-c (p<0.001), Bax (p<0.001) and caspase 9 immunoreactive cells (p<0.001) were significantly decreased in number compared to trauma groups. Hemorrhage and edema in the focal areas were also noticed in gray matter of treatment groups. Results of the locomotor test were significantly increased in treatment group (p<0.05) when compared to trauma groups. Conclusion : We suggest that difumarate salt S-15176 prevents mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis and protects spinal cord from secondary injury and helps to preserve motor function following SCI in rats.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2015

Objective : To investigate the causes for failed anterior cervical surgery and the outcomes of secondary laminoplasty. Methods : Seventeen patients failed anterior multilevel cervical surgery and the following conservative treatments between Feb 2003 and May 2011 underwent secondary laminoplasty. Outcomes were evaluated by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) Scale and visual analogue scale (VAS) before the secondary surgery, at 1 week, 2 months, 6 months, and the final visit. Cervical alignment, causes for revision and complications were also assessed. Results : With a mean follow-up of $29.7{\pm}12.1$ months, JOA score, recovery rate and excellent to good rate improved significantly at 2 months (p< 0.05) and maintained thereafter (p>0.05). Mean VAS score decreased postoperatively (p<0.05). Lordotic angle maintained during the entire follow up (p>0.05). The causes for secondary surgery were inappropriate approach in 3 patients, insufficient decompression in 4 patients, adjacent degeneration in 2 patients, and disease progression in 8 patients. Complications included one case of C5 palsy, axial pain and cerebrospinal fluid leakage, respectively. Conclusion : Laminoplasty has satisfactory results in failed multilevel anterior surgery, with a low incidence of complications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.673-679
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• 2003

Glutamine and urea, abundant in body fluids or plasma, yield net ammonium ions upon hydrolysis by ${\gamma}-glutamyl$ transpeptidase (${\gamma}-GTP$) and urease, respectively, and these two enzymes are largely produced from Helicobacter pylori. To investigate bacterial potential of ammonium production, we first quantified those in whole-cell systems and found that the relative ratio of their amounts varied greatly, especially with pH values and the cell's aging. During the H. pylori cultivation, the ratio appeared to be inversely proportional to each other, showing a progressive increase of the ${\gamma}-GTP$ with decreasing of the urease. Under the urease-defective conditions due to low pH or coccoids, the bacterial cells still possessed a considerable amount of ${\gamma}-GTP$, which was found exclusively in the external compartment, therefore, the cell's ammonium production was found to be solely dependent upon glutamine, and the external ammonium concentration was constant without any contribution of urea concentration. Such ammonium constancy would definitely have an adverse effect on the host, because of its absolute requirement for vacuolar degeneration by H. pylori VacA, maximized at approximately 10 mM $NH_4Cl$. It was also found that, by using the metal-saturated membrane vesicles, ammonium ions were likely to be involved in the pH-dependent cation-flux across the H. pylori membrane, where the role of ${\gamma}-GTP$ in ammonium homeostasis around cells was suggested, especially under the hostile conditions against H. pylori.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.335-341
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• 2015

Objective : The main causes of spinal cord ischemia are a variety of vascular pathologies causing acute arterial occlusions. We investigated neuro-protective effects of kefir on spinal cord ischemia injury in rats. Methods : Rats were divided into three groups : 1) sham operated control rats; 2) spinal cord ischemia group fed on a standard diet without kefir pretreatment; and 3) spinal cord ischemia group fed on a standard diet plus kefir. Spinal cord ischemia was performed by the infrarenal aorta cross-clamping model. The spinal cord was removed after the procedure. The biochemical and histopathological changes were observed within the samples. Functional assessment was performed for neurological deficit scores. Results : The kefir group was compared with the ischemia group, a significant decrease in malondialdehyde levels was observed (p<0.05). Catalase and superoxide dismutase levels of the kefir group were significantly higher than ischemia group (p<0.05). In histopathological samples, the kefir group is compared with ischemia group, there was a significant decrease in numbers of dead and degenerated neurons (p<0.05). In immunohistochemical staining, hipoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ and caspase 3 immunopositive neurons were significantly decreased in kefir group compared with ischemia group (p<0.05). The neurological deficit scores of kefir group were significantly higher than ischemia group at 24 h (p<0.05). Conclusion : Our study revealed that kefir pretreatment in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion reduced oxidative stress and neuronal degeneration as a neuroprotective agent. Ultrastructural studies are required in order for kefir to be developed as a promising therapeutic agent to be utilized for human spinal cord ischemia in the future.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.342-346
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• 2010

Objective : This study assessed the efficacy of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with cage alone compared with ACDF with plate instrumentation for radiologic and clinical outcomes in two-level cervical degenerative disease. Methods : Patients with cervical degenerative disc disease from September 2004 to December 2009 were assessed retrospectively. A total of 42 patients received all ACDF at two-level cervical lesion. Twenty-two patients who underwent ACDF with cage alone were compared with 20 patients who underwent ACDF with plate fixation in consideration of radiologic and clinical outcomes. Clinical outcomes were assessed using Robinson's criteria and posterior neck pain, arm pain described by a 10 point-visual analog scale. Fusion rate, subsidence, kyphotic angle, instrument failure and the degenerative changes in adjacent segments were examined during each follow-up examination. Results : VAS was checked during each follow-up and Robinson's criteria were compared in both groups. Both groups showed no significant difference. Fusion rates were 90.9% (20/22) in ACDF with the cage alone group, 95% (19/20) in ACDF with the plate fixation group (p = 0.966). Subsidence rates of ACDF with cage alone were 31.81% (7/22) and ACDF with plate fixation were 30% (6/20) (p = 0.928). Local and regional kyphotic angle difference showed no significant difference. At the final follow-up, adjacent level disease developed in 4.54% (1/22) of ACDF with cage alone and 10% (2/20) of ACDF with plate fixation (p= 0.654). Conclusion : In two-level ACDF, ACDF with cage alone would be comparable with ACDF with plate fixation with regard to clinical outcome and radiologic result with no significant difference. We suggest that the routine use of plate and screw in 2-level surgery may not be beneficial.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2013

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has been widely used as a treatment for the movement disturbances caused by Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite successful application of DBS, its mechanism of therapeutic effect is not clearly understood. Because PD results from the degeneration of dopamine neurons that affect the basal ganglia (BG) network, investigation of neuronal responses of BG neurons during STN DBS can provide informative insights for the understanding of the mechanism of therapeutic effect. However, it is difficult to observe neuronal activity during DBS because of large stimulation artifacts. Here, we report the observation of neuronal activities of the globus pallidus (GP) in normal and PD model rats during electrical stimulation of the STN. A custom artifact removal technique was devised to enable monitoring of neural activity during stimulation. We investigated how GP neurons responded to STN stimulation at various stimulation frequencies (10, 50, 90 and 130 Hz). It was observed that activities of GP neurons were modulated by stimulation frequency of the STN and significantly inhibited by high frequency stimulation above 50 Hz. These findings suggest that GP neuronal activity is effectively modulated by STN stimulation and strongly dependent on the frequency of stimulation.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.61-68
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• 2008

The development of urbanization in the twentieth century according to the rampant growth of industrialization not only brought about the improvement of life-quality but also induced us to reconsider the contemporary issues such as crisis of echo system which made us aware of the values and significance of the system and sustainable environments. As sustainability has been recognized as the holistic concept, it has been highlighted as one of the core concepts in the studies with the present ecological perspective. Particularly, as the plan of urbanization in Korea which had been based on the deconstruction has been converted into the regeneration, economic and cultural regeneration is also demanded for the future plan besides material regeneration. This study aims to scrutinize various attributes of socially sustainable designs in Yerba Buena Garden of San Francisco, USA which has been globally well known as a successful example of urban regeneration. By way of visit-and-observation of the place, the research for the study was conducted during the month of December, 2007. Three researchers visited Yerba Buena Garden to observe and take photographs and to obtain relevant data and public documents in local public library. Socially sustainable design was measured on the basis of such principles; social facilitation, permeability and accessibility, safely and emotional stability, softness and feminism, and child care convenience. Relevant data were systematically organized to support and prove the above principles. The result of the study is expected to effectively be utilized for Korean environment plan and design as a benchmarking guidelines against the crisis of degeneration and the aging society with the lowest birthrates in the world.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.4 s.48
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• pp.445-448
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• 2004

Aging is divided into intrinsic aging and photo-aging. Intrinsic aging is naturally occurred as the time passed and photo-aging is induced by the UV radiation of skin. The main reason of aging is the free radicals and the degeneration of the cellular materials by free radicals. In this paper, we checked the anti-aging effects of Mallotus japonicus bark extracts. It has the ability to scavenge free radicals and the SOD like activity. Also, it reduced the cell damage by hydrogen peroxide treatment. Mallotus japonicus bark extracts showed the excellent activity on inhibiting the UV induced cell damage and DNA damage. In conclusion, Mallotus japonicus bark extracts can be used as active ingredients for anti-aging cosmetics.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.387-412
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• 2003

Influence of gelatinase on basement membrane (BM) structure was investigated by using a skin equivalent (SE) model. The results showed that (1) gelatinase produced by cells degraded the BM and (2) the addition of matrix metalloproteinase-specific inhibitor to the SE medium accelerated the formation of BM structure, indicating that gelatinase is involved in BM impairment. The activity of gelatinase was also studied in healthy human facial skin tissues. The result of in situ zymography revealed gelatinase activity around the basal layer of the epidermis, where BM integrity was severely compromised. Therefore, this enzyme was suggested to be associated with BM decomposition in human facial skin. To assess the behavior of gelatinase in stratum corneum (SC) non-invasively, an immunological study was performed. Since positive immunostaining of pro-gelatinase B was observed in SC stripped from sun-exposed skin, whereas no positive staining detected in SC of non-irradiated skin, gelatinase in the epidermis could be non-invasively detected by measuring gelatinase in SC. Gelatinase in SC of healthy female volunteers was monitored using a special film that sensitively and conveniently detects gelatinase. Ninetr percent of SC from facial skin (l00 women, 40's-50's) was gelatinase-positive. On the other hand, SC from non-irradiated skin was negative. These results strongly suggest that (1) gelatinase is constantly produced in the facial epidermis of most middle-aged woman during their daily life, and (2) the enzyme might be involved in the aging-related degeneration of both BM and the matrix fibers of the upper layer of the dermis, acting as a very important aging factor. Strong inhibitory activity against gelatinase was found in turmeric extract and identified curcumin as the major ingredient. Topical application of cream containing turmeric extract significantly decreased the number of gelatinase-positive SC clusters in human facial skins. These results indicated that turmeric is an effective ingredient to prevent skin from photo aging by suppressing chlonically upregulated gelatinase activity by UV and to improve skin condition.