• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2011

In this study, immunohistochemistry was used to examine the changes in the density of colonic endocrine cells - argyrophil and argentaffin cells, chromogranin A (CGA), serotonin, somatostatin and glucagon-containing cells in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced rat colitis. Ulcerative colitis was induced by the instillation of 10 mg of TNBS into the colonic lumen through the anus. To confirm the inducement of ulcerative colitis, the macroscopic and microscopic scores as well as the colonic myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities were monitored for 8 days after TNBS instillation in the colonic lumens. In addition, the number of argyrophil and argentaffin cells, CGA, serotonin, somatostatin and glucagon-immunoreactive cells were counted in the colonic mucosa, respectively. After TNBS instillation into the lumen of the colon from the anus in rats, increases in macroscopic and microscopic scores in the colon tissues were observed along with increases in the colonic MPO activities. Therefore, ulcerative colitis was relatively well induced by the TNBS instillations. Marked decreases in the number of colonic endocrine cells were detected in the TNBS-treated animal compared to the sham control. These results suggest that colonic endocrine cells were also disrupted by TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.258-262
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• 2006

To investigate additive effects of endocrine disruptors, we have histopathologically studied the exchanges of the reproductive organ to ovariectomized ICR mice. Female ICR mice were ovariectomized and then treated with endocrine disruptors after two weeks. Macroscopic exchanges, which were body weight, feed and water intake, of all groups were not seen during experiment period. Histopathological changes of uterine epithelial cells, vaginal epithelial cells, mammary glands and the diameter in uterine tubles were observed. In the results, the histopathological sensitivity to endocrine disruptors effect was more seen to the vaginal epithelial cell height than others. The additive estrogenic effects of endocrine disruptors, which were combinations of DEHP, DBP and BPA, were seen with E2 and BPA treatments. These results offers a sysmatic and mechanistically informative approach to assessing estrogenicity. It provides a useful profile of activity using a reasonable amount of resources and is compatible with the study of individual chemicals as well as the investigation of interactions among combinations of chemicals.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.83-95
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• 2008

Objective : The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of Lung, Shenmen, and Endocrine point which were treated with auricular acupuncture therapy to stop smoking. Methods : 120 volunteers who wanted to be treated with auricular acupuncture therapy to stop smoking were divided into three groups; the treatment method for group A consisted of acupuncturing Lung point, group B consisted of acupuncturing Shenmen point and group C consisted of acupuncturing Endocrine point. The treatment was given twice per week for 8 weeks and the changes in amount of daily smoking, desire to smoking, taste of smoking and nicotine dependence as well as subjective symptoms were studied. Results : Statistically, the study showed that changes in amount of daily smoking, desire for smoking, taste of smoking and nicotine dependence were decreased significantly in all groups. Desire to smoke in group B and taste of smoking in group C were markedly decreased. The study of the subjective symptoms showed an improvement. Many participants said that they breathed easier after the treatment and group A had the highest rate. Group B fell asleep easier and Group C improved the appetite. Conclusion : Acupuncturing Lung, Shenmen, and Endocrine point showed the effects on decreasing smoking rates and the effects of individual characteristics. Therefore the acupuncture treatment with 3 points is expected to decrease smoking and to improve the health of smokers.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.181-182
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• 2003

Exposure to some synthetic environmental chemicals and their metabolites cause reproductive problems in a variety of vertebrate via endocrine mechanisms. However, in most cases, the link between these compounds and adverse effects on humans, fish, and wildlife has not been established, which necessitates a closer look at the molecular, functional, and clinical implications of these chemicals in the environment. Calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) is a member of a largo family of intracellular calcium binding proteins that have high affinities for calcium. It was reported that the estrogen level of uterus affected the expression of the CaBP-9k gene in rat uterus. We examined the dose-dependent CaBP-9K gene expression in the uterus for three-days injection of methoxychlor (HC) in the overectomized immature rats and the relation with uterotrophic response of the compoundsand compared the responses induced by MC according to the route of administration.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.353-361
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• 1993

This study was taken to examine external changes, behavioral changes, and endocrine changes such as estradiol-17$\beta$, progesterone, T4 and T3 of female Oreochromis niloticus living in 0$\textperthousand$, 10$\textperthousand$, 20$\textperthousand$, and 30$\textperthousand$ salt concentrations, respectively. The results obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows. In seawater obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows. In seawater challenge test, any fish didn't die in each group such as 10$\textperthousand$, 20$\textperthousand$ and 30$\textperthousand$. When fish were adapted from 0$\textperthousand$ to 10$\textperthousand$, 20$\textperthousand$ and 30$\textperthousand$, external body color of fish changed from dark-striped to light-grey color. At the same time, thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations significantly(P<0.05) increased, and then were at the highest level in 30 salinity. When fish were adapted from 0$\textperthousand$ to 10$\textperthousand$, feed intake of fish started from the fourth day. From 0$\textperthousand$ to 10$\textperthousand$, 20$\textperthousand$ and 30$\textperthousand$, estradiol-17$\beta$ levels were increased gradually. When fish was adapted from 0$\textperthousand$ to 10$\textperthousand$, 20$\textperthousand$ and 30$\textperthousand$, the levels of each progesterone didn't show significant change, and especially showed the lowest peak in 20$\textperthousand$. The greatest thyroxine activity(T4) was observed in 30$\textperthousand$. The levels of and triiodothyronine(T3) significantly changed in all salinities, and its level was at the highest peak in 30$\textperthousand$ salinity. Correlation coefficients between serum progesterone and triiodothyronine in 10$\textperthousand$ and 30$\textperthousand$ were ＋0.677 and ＋0.843, respectively. Correlation coefficient of serum thyroxine(T4) and triiodothyronine(T3) individuals in 10$\textperthousand$ was ＋0.768, and ＋0.843, respectively.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.313-317
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• 2001

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan has set up six research groups concerning the endocrine disrupting chemicals. One of these projects was "A study on development of testing methodology for health effects due to exposure of environmental endocrine disruptors". In this paper, three topics are described. In OECD collaboration for pre-validation of uterotrophic assay, the most sensitive response to ethnyl estradiol was noted in the ovarectomized rats treated subcutaneously for 7 days. Secondly, it was suggested that changes of the serum $\alpha_{2u}$-globulin level may be a sensitive parameter for detecting the estrogenic activities of chemicals. Finally, development of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of preoptic area in the brain oj male rats was inhibited by the treatment with estrogenic chemicals, and their masculine behaviors and reproductive abilities were impaired after sexual maturation. In conclusion, these parameters are considered to be sensitive endpoints for testing estrogenic chemicals.chemicals.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.147-162
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• 2015

Objectives: The objective of this review was to summarize the primary role of three representative endocrine axes in aquatic vertebrates and discuss the effects on endocrine systems and their interactions in teleost fish after exposure to environmental contaminants. Methods: We summarized individual traits and mechanisms for hormonal and transcriptional interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad (HPG), hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT), and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes in fish. We also provided a brief discussion on the effects of nonylphenol-induced toxicity on endocrine systems and their interactions in fish as a demonstration of holistic explanation. Results: Currently-available data showed that thyroid dysfunction is associated with reproductive toxicity due to changes in steroidogenic gene expressions and sex hormone levels as well as gonad glands in fish. As an example, we demonstrated that exposure to nonylphenol could induce estrogenicity in male fish by decreasing thyroid hormones, which contributes to increased aromatase expression. Although the mechanisms are complicated and involved in multiple ways, a number of studies have shown that sex steroids influence the HPT axis or the HPA axis in fish, indicating bi-directional crosstalk. Critically missing is information on the primary target or toxicity mechanisms of environmental contaminants among the three endocrine axes, so further studies are needed to explore those possibilities. Conclusions: This review highlights the interactions between the HPG, HPT, and HPA axes in fish in order to better understand how these endocrine systems could interact with each other in situations of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.137-142
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• 2011

Extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) have the ability to produce a variety of behavioral and physiological changes in animals. The stomach, as the most sensitive part of the neuroendocrine organ of the gastrointestinal tract, is crucial for the initiation of a full stress response against all harmful stress. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine whether ELF-MF stimuli induce changes in the activity of neuroendocrine cells, considering their involvement in endocrine or paracrine effect on surrounding cells. The exposure to ELF-MF (durations of 24 h and 1 or 2 weeks, 60 Hz frequency, 0.1 mT intensity) altered the distribution and occurrence of gastrin, ghrelin and somatostatinpositive endocrine cells in the stomach of rats. The change, however, in the secretion of those hormones into blood from endocrine cells did not appear significantly with ELF-MF exposure. Comparing with sham control, ELF-MF exposure for 1 and 2 week induced an increase in $BaSO_4$ suspension propelling ratio of gastrointestinal tract, indicating that ELF-MF affects gastrointestinal motility. Our study revealed that ELF-MF exposure might influence the activity of endocrine cells, an important element of the intrinsic regulatory system in the digestive tract. The pathophysiological character of these changes and the mechanism responsible for neuroendocrine cell are still unclear and require further studies.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 1998

Although there has been a considerable research in psychoneuroendocrinology, particularly in relation to the biology of mood disorders, there has been a paucity of research regarding the effects of psychological factors on endocrine diseases. Of the existing literature, the most research is focused on diabetes mellitus, graves' disease. Especially diabetes appears to be the only endocrine disease that has been the focus of recent research studies. Most of the studies had retrospective designs or several methodological flaw. There has been no consistent results demonstrating that psychological factors affect the onset of diabetes mellitus. Several studies have suggested that psychological factors affect the course of diabetes. A small number of studies showed some evidence that psychological stress was associated with changes in glucose regulation in a subset of diabetic patients. There was also evidence to suggest that some temperament and coping skill influence glycemic control in child, adolescent diabetics. Studies of behavioral or psychosocial intervention on diabetic control have been small and have produced mixed results. There was a few controlled study suggested that stressful life events might be a causal role in Cushing's disease and Graves'disease, but there is no presently sufficient evidence to suggest that psychological factors affect the onset and the course of Cushing's disease and Graves' disease. In future, there is need for a well-designed biopsychosocial research with prospective designs, well defined patient population and control groups to study the relationship between psychological factors and endocrine diseases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.119-123
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• 2016

Thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine neoplasia, consists of four main types of carcinomas: papillary, follicular, and anaplastic, all with thyroid follicular origin, and medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) related to para-follicular cells. Cronic diseases such as diverse cancers may be associated with cachexia, especially at advanced stage. Cancer-induced cachexia is associated with diminished quality of life, functional performance, reduced response to antitumor therapy, and increased morbidity and mortality. Myostatin (Mst) is one of the outstanding molecules in the skeletal muscle loss process in cancer and it may be released by both skeletal muscle and cachexia-inducing tumors. Recently changes in serum levels of Mst have been identified as an important factor of cancer-induced cachexia. The goal of this study was to assessserum Mst levels in MTC patients. In this descriptive and case-control study, 90 participants were selected, comprising 45 MTC patients (20 males, $29{\pm}13.9years$, 25 females, $29{\pm}14.5years$) and 45 control individuals (25 males, $23.1{\pm}11.6years$, 20 females, $31.5{\pm}14.4years$). Serum Mst was determined using an ELISA kit and body mass index (BMI) was calculated by weight and height measurements. The Kolmogorov Simonov test showed a normal distribution for log transformed Mst serum levels in both case and control groups. Geometric means were 5.9 and 8.2 ng/ml respectively, and a significant difference was found according to the independent t-test results (P<0.01). There was also a significant difference mean of Mst between females in control and MTC groups, but not for the males. Pearson correlation test showed no correlation between age and BMI with Mst serum levels. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that Mst serum levels may have a potential ability for early diagnosis of cachexia in MTC patients, especially in females.