• CELLMED
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.3.1-3.8
• /
• 2014

Spa represents a treatment widely used in many rheumatic diseases (RD). The mechanisms by which immersion in mineral or thermal water ameliorates RD are not fully understood. The net benefit is probably the result of a combination of factors, among which the mechanical, thermal and chemical effects are most prominent. Buoyancy, immersion, resistance and temperature play important roles. According to the gate theory, pain relief may be due to the pressure and temperature of the water on skin; heat may reduce muscle spasm and increase the pain threshold. Mud-bath therapy increases plasma ${\beta}$-endorphin levels and secretion of corticotrophin, cortisol, growth hormone and prolactin. It has recently been demonstrated that thermal mud-bath therapy induces a reduction in circulating levels of prostaglandin E2, leukotriene B4, interleukin-$1{\beta}$ and tumour necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, important mediators of inflammation and pain. Furthermore, balneotherapy has been found to cause an increase in insulin-like growth factor-1, which stimulates cartilage metabolism, and transforming growth factor-${\beta}$. Beneficial anti-inflammatory and anti-degenerative effects of mineral water were confirmed in chondrocytes cultures, too. Various studies in vitro and in humans have highlighted the positive action of mud-packs and thermal baths, especially sulphurous ones, on the oxidant/antioxidant system. Overall, thermal stress has an immunosuppressive effect. Many other non-specific factors may also contribute to the beneficial effects observed after spa therapy in some RD, including effects on cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. adipokines) and changes in the environment, pleasant surroundings and the absence of work duties.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.1850-1855
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this report is to investigate the electroacupuncture effect on the cholinergic neuronal activation in the hippocampal CA1 section. The electroacupuncture was performed on S36 of white rats and its consequencies were investigated by immunohistochemical method. Hippocampal CA1 sections of Sprague Dawley white male rats electroacupunctured on S36 at 20㎐ and 100㎐ are stained by cresyl violet to show that the values of 100㎐ and 20㎐ group increased significantly compared to sham group's one. Especially, 100㎐ group shows stronger neuronal activation compared to 20㎐ group. Induction of AChE, a neurotransmitter, in hippocampal CA1 is increased significantly in 100㎐ and 20㎐ group compared to sham group. Especially 20㎐ group shows higher AChE immunoreaction than 100㎐ does, although it wasn't significant enough. Induction of NGF(Nerve Growth Factor) in hippocampal CA1 sections was observed higher in 20㎐ and 100㎐ group than in sham group. Especially, 20㎐ group shows higher NGF immunoreaction compared to 100㎐. The facts above indicate that the eletroacupucture is effect to the cholinergic neuronal activation of hippocampus induced by focal ischemia.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2001

Objectives : A substantial number of craniopharyngiomas recur despite gross total excision. The purpose of our study was to investigate pattern of recurrence and to verify prognostic factors for recurrence after gross total excision of craniopharyngiomas in children. Methods : A series of 36 patients with craniopharyngiomas were reviewed. All patients had undergone gross total excision and none of them received radiotherapy after initial surgery. Fifteen were girls and twenty-one were boys, with a mean age of 7.3 years(range, one to 15 years). The mean follow-up period was 52 months(range, one to 149 months). Recurrence was noted in 14 patients within 83 months(mean 31.4 months). Results : The overall three-year recurrence free survival rate was 65%, and the five-year recurrence-free survival rate was 55%. Regular neuroimaging follow-up at six to 12-month intervals detected tumor recurrence of a smaller size before symptoms developed(p<0.05). At the first surgical procedure, the optic nerve/chiasm(n=23) was the most common adhesion site. The most frequent sites of recurrence were the optic nerve/chiasm(n=6) and the pitiutary fossa(n=6). Tumor location was the single significant clinical predictor of recurrence. The five-year recurrence-free survival rate was 39% for those who had an intrasellar tumor component and 81% for those who did not (p<0.05). Conclusion : Craniopharyngiomas with intrasellar components should be followed cautiously and regular followup of patients should be emphasized, even when the tumors are totally resected.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.50-58
• /
• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study was to analyze relationship between post-stroke depression (PSD) and cold, heat, deficiency and excess patterns. Methods : Twenty-eight PSD patients were recruited from STROKE center and measured with questionnaires for cold, heat, deficiency and excess patternvalues and saliva for cortisol awakening response (CAR). Saliva samples were collected immediately, 15, 30 and 45 min after awakening. In addition, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were conducted for PSD severity. We conducted correlation analysis to find the relationship between cold, heat, deficiency and excess patterns and CAR or BDI and HDRS. Results : Deficiency and excess patterns werepositively correlated with area under the curve with respect to the increase (AUCi), but not with area under the curve with respect to the global (AUCg), in CAR. Furthermore, it was negatively correlated with BDI and HDRS, while cold and heat patterns were not correlated with CAR, BDI and HDRS. Conclusions : In terms of deficiency and excess patterns, the higher the PSD severity, the higher the deficiency and the lower the PSD severity, the higher the excess. However, there was not a significant relationship between PSD and cold and heat patterns.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2699-2703
• /
• 2012

The functional significance of the proteasome activator $REG{\gamma}$ in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis has been recognized. However, pathological contributions to tumor development remain to be elucidated. Both oncogenic proteins and tumor suppressors are targeted by $REG{\gamma}$ for proteasomal degradation. It has been proposed that the role of the $REG{\gamma}$ in the pathogenesis of cancer is cell- and context-specific. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential involvement of $REG{\gamma}$ in laryngeal carcinomas, comparing protein expression in tumor and adjacent tissues by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis. We also characterized the correlation between the expression of $REG{\gamma}$ and the previously identified substrates p53 and p21. We showed that $REG{\gamma}$ was abnormally highly expressed in cancer tissues. Statistical analysis revealed that there was a positive relationship between the level of $REG{\gamma}$ and the expression of p53 and p21. Our study suggests that $REG{\gamma}$ overexpression can facilitate the growth of laryngeal cancer cells.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.794-799
• /
• 2000

Objectives : The purpose of our study was to compare findings of brain SPECT representing crossed cerebellar diaschisis(CCD) with brain MRI, to evaluate relation between CCD and location of lesions on MRI and to elucidate clinically apparent cerebellar sign in patients with CCD. Methods : The study population was 20 patients representing CCD on SPECT. Percentage differences(${\triangle}%$) of activity on each cerebellar hemisphere were obtained from ipsilateral and contralateral cerebellum[${\triangle}%cbll=(IL-CL)/IL{\times}100$] and from cerebrum [${\triangle}%cbr=(CL-IL)/CL{\times}100$]. From MR studies, the percentage differences of signal intensity were also calculated as the same method. We compared the degree of percentage differences with location of cerebral lesions and with clinical cerebellar signs of the patients. Results : Among those representing CCD, the parietal lesions were the most common. There was significant correlation of the percentage differences in cerebellum between SPECT($18.8{\pm}7.22$) and MRI($4.4{\pm}3.38$) (p<0.05) and in cerebrum between SPECT($28.7{\pm}15.35$) and MRI($42.8{\pm}10.94$) (p<0.05). Cerebellar signs were observed in 3 of the 20 patients. However, there was no statistically significance between degree of percentage differences of each cerebellar hemisphere on SPECT and clinical cerebellar sign(p>0.05). Conclusion : Using the percentage differences in the cerebellum, the CCD evaluation can be easily done. On MRI, the signal changes of cerebellum were not as definite as SPECT. Despite of our assumption, there was no significant correlation between clinical cerebellar signs and CCD on SPECT.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.455-460
• /
• 2009

Glutamate-induced cobalt uptake reveals that non-NMDA glutamate receptors (GluRs) are present in rat taste bud cells. Previous studies involving glutamate induced cobalt staining suggest this uptake mainly occurs via kainate type GluRs. It is not known which of the 4 types of taste bud cells express subunits of kainate GluR. Circumvallate and foliate papillae of Sprague-Dawley rats (45~60 days old) were used to search for the mRNAs of subunits of non-NMDA GluRs using RT-PCR with specific primers for GluR1-7, KA1 and KA2. We also performed RT-PCR for GluR5, KA1, $PLC\beta2$, and NCAM/SNAP 25 in isolated single cells from taste buds. Taste epithelium, including circumvallate or foliate papilla, express mRNAs of GluR5 and KA1. However, non-taste tongue epithelium expresses no subunits of non-NMDA GluRs. Isolated single cell RT-PCR reveals that the mRNAs of GluR5 and KA1 are preferentially expressed in Type II and Type III cells over Type I cells.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.83-89
• /
• 2008

Glutamate-induced cobalt uptake reveals non-NMDA glutamate receptors (GluRs) in rat taste bud cells. Previous studies suggest that glutamate-induced cobalt uptake in taste cells occurs mainly via kainate type GluRs. Cobaltstained cells were immunoreactive against GluR6 and KA1 subunits of GluRs. However, the functions of those type of receptors are not known yet. It is important question which types of taste cells are cobalt-stained when stimulated by glutamate and whether they express these kinds of GluRs. Circumvallate and foliate papilla of Sprague-Dawley rats (45-60 days old) were used. A cobalt-staining technique combined with immunohistochemistry against specific markers for taste bud cell types, such as blood group H antigen (BGH), $\alpha$-gustducin (Gus), or neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was employed. We also performed double labeling of GluR6 or KA1 subunits of GluR with each specific marker for taste bud cell types. Lots of cobaltstained taste bud cells expressed Gus-like immunoreactivity, and subsets of the cobalt stained cells appeared NCAM- or BGH-like immunoreactivity. Stimulation with 1 mM glutamate significantly increased the number of cobaltstained cells in Gus-like immunoreactive cells, but not in NCAM- or BGH-like immunoreactive cells. In the double labeling experiments, GluR6 and KA1 subunits of GluRs were mainly expressed with Gus. These results suggest that kainate glutamate receptors preferentially expressed in type II taste bud cells in rat.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.66-70
• /
• 1998

Apoptosis is a form of cell death in which the cells shrink and exhibit nuclear chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation, and yet maintain membrane integrity. Many lines of evidence have shown that brain neurons are vulnerable to degeneration by apoptosis. Also it has been suggested that apoptosis is one of the mechanism contributing neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease(AD), since the conditions in the disease($A{\beta}$ peptide, oxidative stress, low energy metabolism) are the inducers that activate apoptosis. Indeed some neurons in vulnerable regions of the AD brain show DNA damage, chromatin condensation, and apoptic bodies. Consistently, mutations in AD causative genes(Amyloid precursor protein, Presenilin-1 and Presenilin- 2) increase $A{\beta}$ $peptide_{1-42}(A{\beta}_{1-42})$ and sensitize neuronal cell to apoposis. However, several lines of evidence have shown that the location of neuronal loss and $A{\beta}$ peptide deposition is not correlated in AD brain and transgenic mice brain over-expressing $A{\beta}_{1-42}$. Taken together, these data may indicated that $A{\beta}$ peptide(and other causative factors of AD) can interact with other cellular insults or risk factors to exacerbate pathological mechansim of AD through apoptosis. Thus, this review discusses possible role and mechanism of apoptosis in AD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.1505-1510
• /
• 2012

To aim of this was to observe emodin-mediated cytotoxicity and its influence on Rad51 and ERCC1 expressionin non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC cells were cultured in vitro with emodin at various concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75 and $100\;{\mu}mol/L$) for 48h and the proliferation inhibition rate was determined by the MTT method. Then, NSCLC were treated with emodin (SK-MES-1 $40\;{\mu}mol/L$, A549 $70\;{\mu}mol/L$) or $20\;{\mu}mol/L$ U0126 (an ERK inhibitor) for 48 h, or with various concentrations of emodin for 48 h and the protein and mRNA expressions of ERCC1 and Rad51 were determined by RT-PCR and Western blot assay, respectively. Emodin exerted a suppressive effect on the proliferation of NSCLC in a concentration dependent manner. Protein and mRNA expression of ERCC1 and Rad51 was also significantly decreased with the dose. Vacuolar degeneration was observed in A549 and SK-MES-1 cell lines after emodin treatment by transmission electron microscopy. Emodin may thus inhibited cell proliferation in NSCLC cells by downregulation ERCC1 and Rad51.