• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.418-423
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Spirulina, a blue-green alga, is widely produced and commercialized as a dietary supplement with bio- and immune-modulatory functions. We have previously shown that spirulina had favorable effects on lipid profiles, immune functions, and antioxidant capacity in healthy Korean elderly. Despite favorable effect of spirulina supplementation, some sub-populations have shown a poor response to supplementation. Obesity is a factor related to poor-response. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the immuno-modulation, antioxidant capacity, and lipid-lowering effect of spirulina in obese and non-obese Korean elderly. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 78 elderly aged 60-87 years. In a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled study, subjects were fed either placebo or spirulina daily, at 8 g for 12 weeks. Subjects were divided into the non-obese group and the obese group based on body mass index (BMI) criteria for Asians suggested by the International Obesity Task Force: $BMI<25kg/m^2$ (non-obese) and $BMI{\geq}25kg/m^2$ (obese). RESULTS: In the non-obese group, spirulina supplementation showed a significant lowering effect on plasma concentration of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, a significant increase in interleukin (IL)-2 concentration (P < 0.01) and a significant increment (P < 0.05) in IL-2/IL-6 ratio, and a significant increase in total antioxidant status level and a significant decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level. However, these effects were not observed in the obese group. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that blood lipid lowering and immune and antioxidant improving response for spirulina supplement was affected by obesity in Korean elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.137-140
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• 2011

Background: Although early reviews of clinical findings were mostly negative, there is still a widespread belief for the efficacy of preemptive analgesia among clinicians. In this study, we evaluated whether the preemptive use of ketamine decreases post operative pain in patients undergoing appendectomy. Methods: In double-blind, randomized clinical trials, 80 adult male patients undergoing an operation for acute appendicitis were studied. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. In the operating room, patients in the ketamine group received 0.5 mg/kg of ketamine IV 10 minutes before the surgical incision. In the control group, 0.5 mg/kg of normal saline was injected. The pain intensity was assessed at time 0 (immediately after arousal) and 4, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively using the 10 points visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Eighty patients (40 for both groups) were enrolled in this study. For all of the evaluated times, the VAS score was significantly lower in the ketamine group compared to the control. The interval time for the first analgesic request was $23.1{\pm}6.7$ minutes for the case group and $18.1{\pm}7.3$ minutes for the control (P = 0.02). The total number of pethidine injections in the first 24 hours postoperatively was $0.6{\pm}0.6$ for the case group and $2.0{\pm}0.8$ for the controls (P = 0.032). There were no drug side effects for the case group. Conclusions: A low dose of intravenously administered ketamine had a preemptive effect in reducing pain after appendectomy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2017

Background: Surgeon satisfaction and patient analgesia during the procedure of laparoscopic surgery are important issues. The aim of this work was to study if an intrathecal (IT) Bupivacaine combined with Magnesium sulfate may or may not provide good surgeon satisfaction in addition to improvement of intraoperative and postoperative analgesia. Methods: Sixty female patients were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial study. All patients were operated for gynecological laparoscopic surgery under spinal anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups (Bupivacaine and Magnesium). Group Bupivacaine (30 patients) received intrathecal Bupivacaine 0.5% only (15 mg), while 30 patients in group Magnesium received intrathecal Bupivacaine (15 mg) in addition to intrathecal Magnesium sulfate (50 mg). The sensory block level, the intensity of motor block, the surgeon satisfaction, the intraoperative visual analog scale (VAS) for pain assessment, the postoperative VAS, and side effects were recorded during the intraoperative period and within the first 24 hours after surgery in the post-anesthesia care unit. Results: Surgeon satisfaction, intraoperative shoulder pain, postoperative pain after 2 h, and perioperative analgesic consumption (ketorolac) were significant better in group Magnesium than in group Bupivacaine. (P < 0.05). The onset of motor and sensory blocks was significant longer in group Magnesium than the other one. The incidence of PONV, pruritus and urinary retention was insignificant statistically between both groups. Conclusions: Magnesium sulfate if used intrathecally as an adjuvant to Bupivacaine would provide a better surgeon satisfaction and would improve the analgesic effect of spinal anesthesia used for gynecological laparoscopic surgery.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-54
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• 2008

Objective : In this study, we investigated the effects of Sweet Bee Venom(SBV) and Bee Venom(BV) at a acupoint, HT7(Shinmun) on the Heart Rate Variability(HRV) in the healthy man. And we tried to observe how Sweet Bee Venom and Bee Venom affects on the balance of the autonomic nervous system. Methods : We investigated on 22 heathy volunteers consisted of 10 subjects in SBV group and 12 subjects in BV group. Study form was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. 22 subjects of each group were injected SBV and BV at HT7(Shinmun). And we measured HRV by QECG-3:LXC3203 (LAXTHA Inc. Korea) on 7 times : before and after injection per 5minutes during 30minutes. Results : 1. After SBV injection, Mean-RR was significantly high from 0 to 10 minutes, Mean-HRV was significantly low from to 10 minutes, SDNN was significantly high after 25minutes, Complexity was significantly high from 5 to 10 minutes and RMSSD was significantly high from 5 to 10minutes. 2. Complexity of SBV Group significantly decreased from 20 to 25minutes, RMSSD of SBV Group significantly increased from 10 to 15minute and from $20{\sim}25$minutes, SDSD of SBV Group significantly increased from 10 to 15 minute and from $20{\sim}25$minutes compared with that of BV group. 3. After SBV injection, Ln(VLF) was significantly from 25 to 30minutes. Conclusions : The results suggest that SBV in heathy adult man tend to activate the autonomic nervous system compared to BV within normal range.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.393-399
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Thin children may have insufficient intake of energy and nutrients, resulting in reduced immune function and growth. This study aimed to identify the effects of multiple herb formula SEC-22 supplementation on growth, dietary changes, and picky eating behaviors in thin children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 79 children aged 2-5 years with poor appetites, BMI percentile < 25, and without any illness. Subjects were given either SEC-22 (n = 35) or placebo (n = 44) for 2 months and followed for an additional 2 months. Three-day dietary records, questionnaires on picky eating behaviors, and anthropometric measures were collected. RESULTS: Energy, carbohydrate intake, and feeding difficulty improved in both groups during the intervention period. However, changes were maintained only in the SEC-22 group after 2 months of follow-up post-supplementation. 'Frequency of trying to feed' was improved in the SEC-22 group compared to the placebo group after the first month of follow-up (P < 0.05). Intakes of potassium and thiamine were improved in the SEC-22 group compared to the placebo group after the first month of intervention (P < 0.05). 'Frequency of food reward', eating amount, and intakes of carbohydrate, potassium, and vitamin C showed significant improvement compared to the placebo group after the second month of follow-up (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SEC-22 supplementation can improve parental feeding difficulty resulting from insufficient eating amount or picky eating as well as increase nutrient intake in thin children. Although these improvements were observable at least 2 months after supplementation, effects beyond this time frame need to be confirmed.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.155-160
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of micronutrient supplementation on the growth of preschool children in China. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 156 growth retarded preschool children who were randomly assigned to the following five groups : supplemental control (S-control; n=28); zinc supplementation (＋Zn; 3.5mg Zn/day, n=34); zinc and calcium supplementation (＋ZnCa; 3.5mg Zn ＋ 250mg Ca/day, n=37); zinc, calcium and vitamin A supplementation (＋ZnCaVA; 3.5mgZn ＋ 250mgCa ＋ 200gVA/day, n=28); and calcium and vitamin A supplementation (＋CaVA; 250mgCa ＋ 200gVA/day, n=29). Another 34 children of normal height were selected as a normal control (N-control). Supplementation continued for twelve months. After supplementation, the height gains in the ＋Zn group (7.84cm per year) and the ＋ZnCa group (7.70 cm per year) were significantly higher than that in the S-control group (6.74 cm per year, P＜0.05). The weight gain in the ＋ZnCaVA group (2.55kg per year) and the ＋CaVA group (2.57 kg per year) was also significantly higher than that in the S-control group (2.19 kg per year, P＜0.05). The average number of days of illness in each group taking supplements was lower than that in the S-control group (13 days per year compared with 23 days per year). No significant differences in bone maturity were observed between the groups. In conclusion, in this study Zinc and Zinc ＋ Calcium supplementation improved the height gain, and vitamin A improved the weight gain, in growth retarded preschool children, but these supplements did not affect the maturity of bone. Micronutrient supplementation also lowered the morbidity of these children.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.151-157
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• 2004

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chicory fructan fiber supplementation on bone mineral density, apparent absorption of minerals and serum parameters related to bone turnover in postmenopausal women. Twenty-six healthy Korean postmenopausal women participated in the study. 1be participants were randomly divided into two groups in a double-blind parallel design and took one of the supplements for 3 months; either a placebo of 8g maltodextrins/sucrose mixture (control group) or 8g chicory fructan fiber (fructan group). During the 3-month experimental period no differences were found in bone mineral density (BMD) between the two groups. Apparent calcium absorption significantly increased by 42% in the fructan group, while that of the control group decreased by 29% as compared to the values at baseline. Urinary calcium excretion was not significantly different between the group;;. After 3 months, the level of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly lower in the fructan group than in the control group and deoxypyridinolin showed a trend toward a slight reduction. In conclusion, intake of chicory fructan fiber with a regular increases apparent calcium absorption in postmenopausal women.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2009

Anti-inflammatory factor(AIF) is a water soluble extract of three herbs, Panax notoginseng(Burk.) F. H. Chen, Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and Eleutherococcus senticosus. The present study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of herb extracts, AIF, on Korean knee osteoarthritis patients for six weeks. Fifty seven patients with knee osteoarthritis, ranging from 43 to 73 years of age, who fulfilled the "American College of Rheumatology"(ACR) classification of idiopathic osteoarthritis of knee and radiographic criteria were randomly selected and enrolled for the study. After initial screening and resting period, two capsules each of AIF(Each capsule contains; 400 mg) and similar identical placebo were administered twice a day to both groups. Pain intensity at second, fourth, and sixth weeks of study as well as one week after discontinuation of drugs was assessed by using 100 mm visual analogue scale(VAS). Changes in the Korean version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities(K-WOMAC) index score were compared at the initiation and completion of the study. VAS assessed by patients were significantly reduced(at visit 2; $54.64{\pm}14.72$, at visit 4, $37.32{\pm}16.58$, p<0.001) after AIF administration. Results showed an improvement in the physical function of K-WOMAC scale which was significantly higher(p=0.013) in AIF than placebo group, and decreases of total K-WOMAC score were also significantly higher(p=0.030) in AIF groups than placebo group. No serious adverse effect was observed, and there was no difference in incidence of adverse effect between AIF and placebo groups. In this population of Korean patients with knee osteoarthritis, AIF was found to be safe, tolerable and effective for symptomatic improvement of pain and physical function.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.531-540
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 4-weeks intervention using a monitor-based virtual reality game intervention(VRI) on the cognitive function and activities of daily living of individuals with acute stroke. Methods: For this study, 19 individuals with acute stroke were recruited. To compare the effectiveness of the VRI and the computer based cognitive intervention(CBCI), Each of the two groups were provided different interventions a 30 minutes a day, 5 times per week for 4 weeks, and to measure the effects of the intervention, the TMT A&B, DST, RKMT and K-MBI were performed before and after interventions. Results: Both the VRI and the CBCI were found to have significantly improved the cognitive function and activities of daily living, and the difference in change compared between groups showed that the effectiveness of the VRI was significantly higher. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, the monitor-based VRI is anticipated to prove useful as an effective intervention for the cognitive function and activities of daily living of stroke patients. Furthermore, the utility of monitor-based VRI is likely to be high in clinical occupational therapy.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.645-658
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• 2003

We evaluated activities of various plant leaf extracts and found the availability against skin aging in the leaf extract of star fruit (Averrhoa carambola L), and developed Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30 as an ingredient of cosmetics. Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30 was found to show scavenging activities of reactive oxygen species and an inhibitory effect on the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-1. It showed increasing activity of type I collagen and recovery effect from damage of UV-B irradiation in human fibroblast. We performed the separation of the active principal from Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30 to give isofurcatin 2"-Ο-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside, which showed increasing activity of type I collagen. To examine the anti-wrinkle effect of Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30, seven volunteers applied a Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30 1 ％ cream in double blind manner to one-side of the corner of their eye and the placebo cream to the opposite side. Clinical evaluation of wrinkling was performed every week for 5 weeks using a silicone rubber replica. A statistically significant improvement of Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30-treated site was seen in decreased wrinkles. Star Fruit Leaf Extract BG30 results in clinically visible improvement in wrinkling when used topically for 5 weeks.