• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2003

Ginsenosides, major active ingredients of Panax ginseng, are known to regulate excitatory ligand-gated ion channel activity such as nicotinic acetylcholine and NMDA receptor channel activity. However, it is not known whether ginsenosides affect inhibitory ligand-gated ion channel activity. We investigated the effect of ginsenosides on human recombinant $GABA_A$ receptor (${\alpha}_1{\beta}_1{\gamma}_{2s}$) channel activity expressed in Xenopus oocytes using a two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Among the eight individual ginsenosides examined, namely, $Rb_1$, $Rb_2$, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, $Rg_1$ and $Rg_2$, we found that Rc most potently enhanced the GABA-induced inward peak current ($I_{GABA}$). Ginsenoside Rc alone induced an inward membrane current in certain batches of oocytes expressing the $GABA_A$ receptor. The effect of ginsenoside Rc on $I_{GABA}$ was both dose-dependent and reversible. The half-stimulatory concentration ($EC_{50}$) of ginsenoside Rc was 53.2$\pm$12.3 $\mu$M. Both bicuculline, a $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, and picrotoxin, a $GABA_A$ channel blocker, blocked the stimulatory effect of ginsenoside Rc on $I_{GABA}$. Niflumic acid (NFA) and 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS), both $CI^{-1}$ channel blockers, attenuated the effect of ginsenoside Rc on I$I_{GABA}$. This study suggests that ginsenosides regulated $GABA_A$ receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes and implies that this regulation might be one of the pharmacological actions of Panax ginseng.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.189-197
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• 2020

Objectives: Our aim was to answer the following questions: (1) Can mental health variance be partitioned to individual and higher levels (e.g., neighborhood and district); (2) How much (as a percentage) do individual-level determinants explain the variability of mental health at the individual-level; and (3) How much do determinants at the neighborhood- or district-level explain the variability of mental health at the neighborhood- or district-level? Methods: We used raw data from the second round of the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool in Tehran (in 2012-2013, n=34 700 samples nested in 368 neighborhoods nested in 22 districts) and the results of the official report of Tehran's Center of Studies and Planning (in 2012-2013, n=22 districts). Multilevel linear regression models were used to answer the study questions. Results: Approximately 40% of Tehran residents provided responses suggestive of having mental health disorders (30-52%). According to estimates of residual variance, 7% of mental health variance was determined to be at the neighborhood-level and 93% at the individual-level. Approximately 21% of mental health variance at the individual-level and 49% of the remaining mental health variance at the neighborhood-level were determined by determinants at the individual-level and neighborhood-level, respectively. Conclusions: If we want to make the most effective decisions about the determinants of mental health, in addition to considering the therapeutic perspective, we should have a systemic or contextual view of the determinants of mental health.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2015

Cholecystokinin is known to be involved in the modulation of nociception and to reduce the efficacy of morphine analgesia. This study investigated the effects of intrathecal administration of morphine and the cholecystokinin type B antagonist CI-988 on below-level neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury in rats. We also examined the interaction of morphine and CI-988 in the antinociceptive effect. Both morphine and CI-988 given individually increased the paw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation in a dose-dependent manner. The combination of ineffective doses of intrathecally administered CI-988 and morphine produced significant analgesic effects and the combination of effective doses resulted in analgesic effects that were greater than the sum of the individual effects of each drug. Thus, morphine showed a synergistic interaction with CI-988 for analgesia of central neuropathic pain.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.149-153
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• 2008

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is unequivocally elevated in the kidney with ischemic acute renal failure (ARF), whereas ET receptors ($ET_AR$ and $ET_BR$) are variably expressed. Although renal functional and structural changes are similar between ischemic and nephrotoxic ARF, there are few reports on the alteration in the ET system in nephrotoxic ARF. This study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate changes in renal expression of ET-l and its receptors in nephrotoxic ARF induced by cisplatin. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with 16 mg of cisplatin/kg at a single dose, and the expression of mRNA and protein was then quantified by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was conducted for localization. Three days after treatment, ET-1 transcript in cisplatin-treated mice was thirteen times higher than that in controls, whereas ET-1 peptide was increased by 1.5-fold. Cisplatin caused a 2-fold increase in the levels of ETAR mRNA and protein. Most of the increased immunoreactive ET-1 and ETAR were localized in damaged tubules. Neither the expression of ETBR mRNA nor the abundance and immunoreactive level of ETBR protein were changed. The findings suggest that the individual components of the renal ET system are differentially regulated in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic ARF.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

Damage in the periphery or spinal cord induces maladaptive plastic changes along the somatosensory nervous system from the periphery to the cortex, often leading to chronic pain. Although the role of neural circuit remodeling and structural synaptic plasticity in the 'pain matrix' cortices in chronic pain has been thought as a secondary epiphenomenon to altered nociceptive signaling in the spinal cord, progress in whole brain imaging studies on human patients and animal models has suggested a possibility that plastic changes in cortical neural circuits may actively contribute to chronic pain symptoms. Furthermore, recent development in two-photon microscopy and fluorescence labeling techniques have enabled us to longitudinally trace the structural and functional changes in local circuits, single neurons and even individual synapses in the brain of living animals. These technical advances has started to reveal that cortical structural remodeling following tissue or nerve damage could rapidly occur within days, which are temporally correlated with functional plasticity of cortical circuits as well as the development and maintenance of chronic pain behavior, thereby modifying the previous concept that it takes much longer periods (e.g. months or years). In this review, we discuss the relation of neural circuit plasticity in the 'pain matrix' cortices, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex and primary somatosensory cortex, with chronic pain. We also introduce how to apply long-term in vivo two-photon imaging approaches for the study of pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic pain.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.307-314
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• 2008

Retinal prostheses are being developed to restore vision for the blind with retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Among the many issues for prosthesis development, stimulation encoding strategy is one of the most essential electrophysiological issues. The more we understand the retinal circuitry how it encodes and processes visual information, the greater it could help decide stimulation encoding strategy for retinal prosthesis. Therefore, we examined how retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in in-vitro retinal preparation act together to encode a visual scene with multielectrode array (MEA). Simultaneous recording of many RGCs with MEA showed that nearby neurons often fired synchronously, with spike delays mostly within 1 ms range. This synchronized firing - narrow correlation - was blocked by gap junction blocker, heptanol, but not by glutamatergic synapse blocker, kynurenic acid. By tracking down all the RGC pairs which showed narrow correlation, we could harvest 40 functional connectivity maps of RGCs which showed the cell cluster firing together. We suggest that finding functional connectivity map would be useful in stimulation encoding strategy for the retinal prosthesis since stimulating the cluster of RGCs would be more efficient than separately stimulating each individual RGC.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.97-101
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• 1981

The early plasma gastrin responses to single oral glucose or casein solution were studied in the same normal subjects on different days. After an overnight fast, glucose or casein solution was ingested within few minutes at the breakfast time. The plasma gastrin responses to these solutions were compared and contrasted with the concentration when the subjects received glucose solution intravenously. Results were as follows: 1) Rapid intravenous glucose infusion did not produce any changes in the plasma gastrin concentration. 2) Plasma gastrin concentration rose and peaked within 10 minutes after an oral liquid ingestion and then decreased substantially by 15 minutes, but remained slightly above fasting levels at 60 minutes. 3) There was no significant difference between the mean plasma gastrin concentrations after glucose of casein ingestion, but each fluid produced a significant increase in serum gastrin above fasting levels. 4) The subjects who produced high plasma gastrin response to glucose solution did so to casein solution. Conversely a low response to one solution reflected a low response to the other solution. 5) From the above results, authors discussed that individual responsibility rather than the sorts of meals is the factor in the determination of the magnitude of the early gastrin response.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.262-267
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• 2006

We verified the reproducibility of constitution by IGM and the agreement rate between sasang constitution by QSCCII and constitution by IGM. We analyzed the results of 64 subject who were judged as identical sasang constitution by repeated QSCC II. First, we compared the two results of constitutions by IGM hat peformed by one O.M.D(Oriental Medicine Doctor) at an interval of one year. Second, we examined hypothesis established by one O.M.D, that is about relation of constitutions by IGM and QSCCII, such as I type-Taeeumin, II type-Soyangin and III type-Soeumin in constitutions. There were no statistical significances in reproducibility of constitution by IGM. Although there was a tendency of relevance of sasang constitution by QSCC II with constitution by IGM, there was no statistical significance. Hypothesis that is established by clinical experiences must be verified by an effective statistical method. And there is a necessity to complement the method including mechanical measurements about constitution classification which are performed by a diagnosis relying on individual intuition.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2005

This study aims to provide an opportunity to enhance public health through suggesting development of Health Promotion program for industrialization of Health Promotion Field in Oriental Medicine. Industial Model for Health Promotion Field in Oriental Medicine has been Development with following characteristics. Allowed easy application of Oriental Medicine through everyday life methods. efforts were made to industrialize and generalize Health Promotion Field in Oriental Medicine by shifting emphasis to mass training and edacation from individual training.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2005

This study aims to provide an opportunity to enhance public health through suggesting development of Health Management program for industrialization of Health Management Field in Oriental Medicine. Industial Model for Health Management Field in Oriental Medicine has been Development with following characteristics. Allowed easy application of Oriental Medicine through everyday life methods. Efforts were made to industrialize and generalize Health Management Field in Oriental Medicine by shifting emphasis to mass training and edacation from individual training. This will enable Oriental Medicine to participate in the public health program of 21st century and hence contribute to positive overall public health model.