• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.429-435
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• 2023

Epidemiological studies suggest that maternal infection, maternal stress, and environmental risk factors during pregnancy increase the risk of brain development abnormalities associated with cognitive impairment in the offspring and increase susceptibility to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Several animal models have demonstrated that maternal immune activation (MIA) is sufficient to induce abnormal brain development and behavioral defects in the fetus. When polyinosine:polycytodylic acid (poly I:C) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is commonly used in maternal immune activation animal models, was introduced into a pregnant dam, an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines and microglial activity was observed in the offspring's brain. Microglia are brain-resident immune cells that play a mediating role in the central nervous system, and they are responsible for various functions, such as phagocytosis, synapse formation and branching, and angiogenesis. Several studies have reported that microglia are activated in MIA offspring and influence offspring behavior through interactions with various cytokines. In addition, it has been reported that they play an important role in brain circuits through interactions with neurons and astrocytes. However, there is controversy concerning whether microglia are essential to brain development or lead to behavioral defects, and the exact mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, for the potential diagnosis and treatment of brain developmental disorders, a functional study of microglia should be conducted using MIA animal models.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.90-98
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• 2023

Objectives : Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide and is characterized by the loss of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). In a previous in vitro study, we demonstrated that Sihogyeji-tang (SG), Sihosogan-tang (SS), and Sihocheonggan-tang (SC) have the potential to be candidate medicines for PD. This study aimed to compare the neuroprotective effect of SG, SS, and SC using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model. Methods : Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally administered with 30 mg/kg of MPTP for 5 days and orally administered SG, SS and SC for 12 days from the first MPTP injection. Motor function was assessed using the pole test and the rotarod test. Dopaminergic neuronal survival in the SN and striatum was evaluated through tyrosine-hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. Results : MPTP administration resulted in behavioral impairment and dopaminergic neuronal death in the SN and striatum. In the pole test, treatment with SG, SS, and SC alleviated the MPTP-induced motor dysfunction on day 5 and 12. In the rotarod test, SS and SG alleviated the MPTP-induced motor dysfunction on day 5, while only SS showed improvement on day 12. SS and SG significantly protected dopaminergic neurons in the SN from MPTP toxicity, and all three compounds (SG, SS, and SC) showed significant protection in the striatum. Notably, SS demonstrated superior efficacy in suppressing MPTP-induced motor dysfunction and dopaminergic neuronal death compared to SG and SC. Conclusions : These findings suggest that SS is the most effective formula among SG, SS, and SC for PD, indicating its potential role in the treatment of PD.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.458-468
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• 2023

Background: As a complication of Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of cognitive dysfunction are still undefined. Recent studies demonstrated that Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) has promising neuroprotective properties, but the effect and mechanism in diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction (DACD) deserve further investigation. Methods: After establishing the T2DM model with a high-fat diet and STZ intraperitoneal injection, Rg1 was given for 8 weeks. The behavior alterations and neuronal lesions were judged using the open field test (OFT) and Morris water maze (MWM), as well as HE and Nissl staining. The protein or mRNA changes of NOX2, p-PLC, TRPC6, CN, NFAT1, APP, BACE1, NCSTN, and Ab1-42 were investigated by immunoblot, immunofluorescence or qPCR. Commercial kits were used to evaluate the levels of IP3, DAG, and calcium ion (Ca²⁺) in brain tissues. Results: Rg1 therapy improved memory impairment and neuronal injury, decreased ROS, IP3, and DAG levels to revert Ca²⁺ overload, downregulated the expressions of p-PLC, TRPC6, CN, and NFAT1 nuclear translocation, and alleviated Aβ deposition in T2DM mice. In addition, Rg1 therapy elevated the expression of PSD95 and SYN in T2DM mice, which in turn improved synaptic dysfunction. Conclusions: Rg1 therapy may improve neuronal injury and DACD via mediating PLC-CN-NFAT1 signal pathway to reduce Aβ generation in T2DM mice.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.290-300
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• 2023

This study was understood the risk mechanism of falls in the elderly and reviewed previous research data to see if the principle of Pilates rehabilitation exercise could have a positive effect on balance ability and postural stabilization in the elderly, and the purpose of this study is to present literature-based data on the fall prevention effect of rehabilitation Pilates exercise. First, the rehabilitation Pilates exercise makes it available for strengthening the center of the body to stabilize the spine and pelvis and stimulates the nerve root, thereby having an effect on the balance and the joint stabilization. Second, a proprioceptive sensory impairment and a musculoskeletal degenerative disease due to aging increase the loss of balance ability and the instability in posture maintenance, thereby coming to raise the risk of a fall damage caused by the difficulty in performing motor functions and by the gait disturbance. Third, the rehabilitation Pilates exercise leads to improving the core muscle strength in older adults, resulting in being capable of expecting the betterment in the balance and the reaction time motor function. And there is a positive impact on the improvement in body imbalance and on the stability in movement involved in the fall prevention, resulting in being able to suggest the possibility of likely contributing to a reduction in a fall risk rate. In conclusion, the rehabilitation Pilates as the elderly exercise program showed effects on the improvement in the body's muscular strength, on the upgrade in a sense of balance, and on the stabilization of core. Thus, it was considered to diminish the risk factors for a fall damage caused by musculoskeletal degeneration and to be capable of preventing a serious disorder of activity due to a chronic senile disease.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.81-103
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• 2022

The effects of therapeutic instrumental music performance (TIMP) using a ukulele were examined in adults with central nervous system damage and impaired hand functions. The participants were three adults with neurological damage who participated in 30-min sessions twice a week over 6 weeks. Changes in hand function was measured by the Box and Block Test (BBT), the 9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT), and the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT). Following the intervention, all three participants showed increases in the BBT and 9-HPT scores, indicating positive changes in fine motor coordination and dexterity. In terms of the JTHFT, all three participants showed increases in the "writing" and "card flipping" subtask scores, indicating that the intervention was effective in improving more coordinated finger movements. All participants reported the satisfaction with the intervention. They also pointed out that they were motivated to play the ukulele and that following the intervention used their affected hand more frequently in daily activities. These findings suggest that TIMP with a ukulele for patients with central nervous system damage can have positive effects on their functional hand movements and motivate these patients to practice their rehabilitation exercises.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.561-571
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• 2023

Background: Escalating evidence shows that ginseng possesses an antiaging potential with cognitive enhancing activity. As mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG) is cultivated without agricultural chemicals, MCG has emerged as a popular herb medicine. However, little is known about the MCG-mediated pharmacological mechanism on brain aging. Methods: As we demonstrated that glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is important for enhancing memory function in the animal model of aging, we investigated the role of MCG as a GPx inducer using GPx-1 (a major type of GPx) knockout (KO) mice. We assessed whether MCG modulates redox and cholinergic parameters, and memory function in aged GPx-1 knockout KOmice. Results: Redox burden of aged GPx-1 KO mice was more evident than that of aged wild-type (WT) mice. Alteration of Nrf2 DNA binding activity appeared to be more evident than that of NFκB DNA binding activity in aged GPx-1 KO mice. Alteration in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was more evident than that in acetylcholine esterase activity. MCG significantly attenuated reductions in Nrf2 system and ChAT level. MCG significantly enhanced the co-localization of Nrf2-immunoreactivity and ChAT-immunoreactivity in the same cell population. Nrf2 inhibitor brusatol significantly counteracted MCG-mediated up-regulation in ChAT level and ChAT inhibition (by k252a) significantly reduced ERK phosphorylation by MCG, suggesting that MCG might require signal cascade of Nrf2/ChAT/ERK to enhance cognition. Conclusion: GPx-1 depletion might be a prerequisite for cognitive impairment in aged animals. MCG-mediated cognition enhancement might be associated with the activations of Nrf2, ChAT, and ERK signaling cascade.

• The Journal of Bigdata
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2023

This research aimed to examine the public's perception of the "rate of sentence reduction for reasons of mental and physical weakness" and investigate if it aligns with the actual practice. Various sources, such as the Supreme Court's Courtnet search system, the number of mental evaluation requests, and the number of articles and comments related to "mental weakness" on Naver News were utilized for the analysis. The findings indicate that the public has a negative opinion on reducing sentences due to mental and physical weakness, and they are dissatisfied with the vagueness of the standards. However, this study also confirms that the court strictly applies the reduction of responsibility for individuals with mental disabilities specified in Article 10 of the Criminal Act based on the analysis of actual judgments and the number of requests for psychiatric evaluation. In other words, even though the recognition of perpetrators' mental disorders is declining, the public does not seem to recognize this trend. This creates a negative impact on the public's trust in state institutions. Therefore, law enforcement agencies, such as the police and prosecutors, need to enforce the law according to clear standards to gain public trust. The judiciary also needs to make a firm decision on commuting sentences for mentally and physically infirm individuals and inform the public of the outcomes of its application.

• Trans-
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• v.14
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• pp.35-63
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• 2023

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disease that affects even basic daily life movements due to impairment of body function caused by a lack of dopamine, which is charge of the body movement. Presently, it is hard to cure Parkinson's disease entirely with medical technology, so movement therapy as a solution to delay and prevent disease is getting more attention. Therefore, this study aims at desiging and disseminating a body movement program that concentrates on individual self-care and balacing the state of body and mind by applying the Feldenkrais Method® to patients with Parkinson's disease. The Feldenkrais Method® is a mind-body perceptual learning method using body movements. It is a methodology that re-educates the nervous system by connecting the brain and behavior as a function of neuroplasticity. In this study, the body movement program developed and verified by the researcher was modified and supplemented with a focus on the self-awareness of the Feldenkrais Method®. A 24-session physical exercise program was composed of 5 stages to improve the self-management ability of patients with Parkinson's disease. The stages include self-awareness, self-observation, self-organization, self-control, and self-care. The overall changes recognize one's condition and improve one's ability to detect modifications in the internal sense and external environment. In conclusion, the body movement program improves the body movement program improves mental and physical functions and self-care for Parkinson's disease patients through the Feldenkrais method. The availability of the program's on-site applicability remains a follow-up task. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish a systematic structure to spread it more widely through convergent cooperation with the scientific field applied with metaverse as a reference for the wellness of the elderly.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1239-1261
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• 2010

The main purposes of the study were to identify factors affecting health-related quality of life of elderly stroke survivors, and to suggest social work interventions for improving their quality of life. The participants were 328 elderly stroke survivors over 55 years old recruited from 18 long-term care hospitals and 13 nursing care facilities in Chung-Nam Province, Korea. The data was collected through a direct survey method from Dec. 16, 2008 to Jan. 17, 2009. Statistical analysis revealed that the overall health-related quality of life among participants was relatively low, especially in the social relationships domain. As a result of hierarchical multiple regression analysis, depression emerged as the most significant predictor of elderly stroke survivors' health-related quality of life, followed by financial burden in future, activities of daily living, acceptance of disability, comorbidity, and major financial supporter(spouse). Health-related quality of life of elderly stroke survivors in long-term care facilities was affected by a variety of variables from disease-related factors to environmental ones. Particularly psychosocial variables were the most powerful factors to predict HRQOL of elderly stroke survivors. Based on the results, social work implications were discussed in the context of developing clinical strategies to alleviate elderly stroke survivors' health-related quality of life in long-term care facilities. Living with chronic illness and disability is a great challenge to the elderly. Most of all long-term residence in care facilities can cause deterioration of quality of life in old age. From now on, studies on health-related quality of life of elderly with chronic illness and disability should be activated in social work field.

• Korean Journal of Health Psychology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.557-575
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• 2011

This study tried to examine the characteristics of attention deficits in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apenea(OSA) with different age levels, and to examine which indices of polysomnograms might be related to the indices of attention deficits in OSAs. Two age-level groups and a normal control group were subjected to two computerized attention tests, including a continuous performance test(CPT) and a change blindness task(CBT). In addition, the three groups were subjected to a Polysomnography to extract several sub-indicators of polysomnogram, and an Epworth Sleepiness Scale which measures subjective sleepiness. As results, the OSAs showed significantly more omission and commission errors in CPT, and they showed lower accuracy in CBT compared to the normal group. The results of a correlational analysis showed that attention deficits in OSA are significantly correlated with arterial oxygen saturation among sub-indicators of polysomnograms. In conclusion, OSAs seems to be less attentive, having difficulties in response inhibition, and having deficiencies in noticing important environmental changes. Age seems to make these deficiencies even worse. Especially, the relationship between attention deficiency and hypoxia which could cause irreversible cerebrum damage has an implication in cognitive impairment prevention through early treatment.