• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.196-201
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• 2017

Objective: Musculoskeletal neck pain have many symptoms which include decreased range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength, and increased pain. However, the management methods are controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of three interventions on ROM, strength, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) with musculoskeletal neck pain. Design: Pretest-posttest design. Methods: Thirty subjects participated in this experiment. They were randomly assigned to thefollowing groups: passive stretching (PS) group (n=10), massage (MASS) group (n=10), and muscle energy technique (MET) group (n=10). The treatment were applied bilaterally on the upper trapezius. The PS was applied 3 times for 30 seconds each time. The MASS was applied using two different techniques for 2 minutes per technique. For MET, the subjects performed 2 sets of 3 repetitions of isometric resistance exercise that was maintained for 10 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. ROM, strength, and PPT parameters were measured after intervention. Results: In the MASS group, there was a significant improvement in all outcomes except for muscle strength (p<0.05). In the MET group, ROM and strength significantly improved compared to the pre-treatment results (p<0.05). As result of measuring the amount of change in each group, there was a significant difference in ROM (flexion) in the PS group compared with the MASS and MET group, a significant difference in strength in the MET group compared with the PS and MASS groups, and a significant difference in PPT in the MASS groups compared with the PS and MET groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that PS, MASS, and MET are effective methods for improving ROM, strength, and PPT for musculoskeletal neck pain. Therefore, various therapeutic interventions for improving ROM, strength, and pain are suggested.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.61-65
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• 2014

Objectives: In this study, we investigated the oral toxicity of Gami-Jakyak Gamcho buja Decoction (Mecasin) to develop safe treatments. Methods: All experiments were conducted at the Medvill, an institution authorized to perform non-clinical studies, under the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. In order to investigate the oral toxicity of Mecasin, we administered Mecasin orally to rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of five male and five female animals per group: group 1 being the control group and groups 2, 3, and 4 being the experimental groups. Doses of Mecasin, 500 mg/kg, 1,000 mg/kg and 2,000 mg/kg, were administered to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, 10 mL/kg, was administered to the control group. We examined the survival rate, weight, clinical signs, and gross findings. This study was conducted under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. Results: No deaths or abnormalities occurred in any of the four groups. Although slight decreases in the weights of some female rats were noted on the third day, no significant changes in weights or gross findings between the control group and the experimental groups were observed. To check for abnormalities in organs, we used microscopy to examine representative histological sections of each specified organ; the results showed no significant differences in any of the organs. Conclusion: The results showed that administration of 500 - 2,000 mg/kg of Mecasin did not cause any changes in weight or in the results of necropsy examinations. It also did not result in any mortalities. The above findings suggest that treatment with Mecasin is relatively safe. Further studies on this subject are needed to yield more concrete evidence.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.127-133
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of foam roller (FR) stretching, kinesiotaping (KT), and dynamic stretching (DS) on gait parameters after inducing muscle fatigue in the ankle joint. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The subjects were thirty healthy young adults between the ages of 20 and 31 years at Baekseok University who voluntarily participated in this study. The participants were randomly assigned to either the FR group, KT group, or the DS group after inducing muscle fatigue of the ankle joint. Fatigue induction of the ankle joint muscles was performed by alternating a heel up and down exercise with the standing posture on the ground. The speed was maintained at 40 beats/minute using a metronome. Subsequently, the respective intervention was applied to each group. Gait parameters were measured before and after ankle muscle fatigue induction, and after intervention using the GAITRite system. One-way ANOVA was used to compare gait parameters among groups, while repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare gait parameters within each intervention group. Results: The FR group increased significantly in velocity, step length, and stride length except for cadence after intervention compared to after ankle muscle fatigue induction (p<0.01). Furthermore, the KT group showed significant increases in velocity, cadence, step length, and stride length after intervention, especially in cadence group (p<0.05). All intervention groups showed significant increases in stride length after intervention, especially the DS group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, we suggest that KT, FR, and DS can be an effective intervention on gait parameters when the ankle joint is unstable and injured.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.275-281
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• 2009

The effects of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), a GABA receptor antagonist, were studied on passive avoidance learning and expression of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), neuroglobin, and fatty acid binding protein-7 (fabp-7) genes. Zebrafish were trained to stay in a dark compartment to avoid a weight dropping in an acryl shuttle box with a central sliding door. In two training sessions of 2 h interval, each consisting of 3 trials, the crossing time was significantly increased from $43.2{\pm}14.4s$ to $149.3{\pm}38.5s$ in the first training session and remained $116.1{\pm}36.0s$ s in the first trial of the second training session in the control. In zebrafish treated with PTZ before the first training session, the crossing time was significantly increased neither in the first nor in the second training session. However, the increased crossing time was maintained in the second training session when 10 mM PTZ was treated three times for 10 min at 30 min intervals between the first and second training session. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that expression level of hsp70 mRNA increased two to eight fold over that of control in the brain at 0-24 h after termination of PTZ treatment. No change in expression of neuroglobin and fabp-7 mRNA was shown in PTZ-treated zebrafish. Our studies suggest that PTZ impairs learning ability in avoidance response and also modifies expression of genes related to the neuroprotection.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.273-281
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• 2007

Ceramide is involved in cell death as a lipid mediator of stress responses. In this study, we developed an improved method of ceramide quantification based on added synthetic ceramide and thin layer chromatography (TLC) separation, and applied to biological samples. Lipids were extracted from samples spiked with N-oleoyl-D-erythro-sphingosine ($C_{17}$ ceramide) as an internal standard. Ceramide was resolved by TLC, complexed with fatty-acidfree bovine serum albumin (BSA), and deacylated by ceramidase (CDase). The released sphingosine was derivatized with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The limit of detection for ceramide was about 1-2 pmol and the lower limit of quantification was 5 pmol. Ceramide recovery was approximately 86-93%. Ceramide concentrations were determined in biological samples including cultured cells, mouse tissues, and mouse and human plasma. TLC separation of ceramide provides HPLC chromatogram with a clean background without any interfering peaks and the enhanced solubility of ceramide by BSAceramide complex leads to the increased deacylation of ceramide. The use of an internal standard for the determination of ceramide concentration in these samples provides an accurate and reproducible analytical method, and this method can be applicable to diverse biological samples.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.209-214
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• 2004

Lead has long been considered as a toxic environmental pollutant that severely damages the central nervous system. In various neurogenerative diseases, actrocytes become activated by proinflammatory cytokines. In the present study, we investigated whether lead (Pb$^{2+}$) affects inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in activated glial cells. Rat primary glial cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 ${\mu}$g/ml) plus IFN$_{\gamma}$(100 U/ml). Pre-treatment of Pb$^{2+}$ increased nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS/IFN$_{\gamma}$-stimulated glial cells. Lead itself, however, suppressed the basal production of NO in control glial cells. Addition of the iNOS inhibitors L-NAME (1 mM) and L-NNA (800 ${\mu}$M) prevented the Pb$^{2+}$-induced increase in NO production. Western blot analysis showed that pre-treatment of Pb$^{2+}$ augmented LPS/IFN$_{\gamma}$-induced increase in iNOS immunoreactivity, which was well correlated with the increased NO production. In addition, pre-treatment of Pb$^{2+}$ synergistically increased the iNOS mRNA expression induced by LPS and IFN${\gamma}$. The present results indicate that lead intoxication adversely affect brain function by potentiating iNOS expression and NO production in activated glial cells observed in various neurodegenerative diseases.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.167-174
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• 2017

Based on advances in biotechnology and neuroscience, neuromodulation is poised to gain clinical importance as a treatment modality for psychiatric disorders. In addition to old-established electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), clinicians are expected to understand newer forms of neurostimulation, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). Given the growing interest in non-invasive neuromodulation technologies, clinicians may seek sufficient information about neuromodulation to inform their clinical practice. A growing literature suggests that applications of non-invasive neuromodulation have evidence particularly for indications where treatments are currently insufficient, such as drug-resistant depression. However, positive neuromodulation studies require replication, and the precise interactions among stimulation, antidepressant medication, and psychotherapy are unknown. Further studies of long-term safety and the impact on the developing brain are needed. Non-invasive neuromodulatory devices could enable more individualized treatment. However, do-it-yourself (DIY) stimulation kits require a better understanding of the effects of more frequent patterns of stimulation and raise concerns about clinical supervision, regulation, and reimbursement. Wide spread enthusiasm for therapeutic potential of neuromodulation in clinical practice settings should be mitigated by the fact that there are still research gaps and challenges associated with non-invasive neuromodulatory devices.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2016

Purpose: This study examined thickness changes in abdominal muscles according to difficulty level of core stabilization exercise in healthy subjects. Methods: Thirty healthy subjects (age range: 21-30 years) volunteered under three conditions. In the first condition, the subjects performed an abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM). In the second condition, they performed the ADIM during quadruped exercise using a suspension device without extending their lower limbs. In the third condition, the subjects performed the ADIM during quadruped exercise using a suspension device while extending both lower limbs. The changes in thickness of transverse abdominis (TrA), internal oblique (IO), and external oblique (EO) muscles were measured by ultrasonography (US) imaging during the three experimental conditions, and US was used to measure the improvement ratio of muscle thickness at rest. The interventions were conducted over three trials in each condition, and measurements were performed on each subject by one examiner. Results: Our results showed a significantly greater increase in the muscle thickness of TrA and IO muscles after performance of quadruped exercise using a suspension device without knee extension (p<0.05) compared to the other conditions. The results also showed a significantly greater increase in the thickness changes of EO muscle in those who performed the ADIM during quadruped exercise using a suspension device with knee extension (p<0.05) compared with the ADIM only. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated positive evidence that a low-level core stabilization exercise could improve thickness of abdominal muscles.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1171-1177
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of neurofeedback training on adolescence groups that are different in sex. The experiment was carried out with 45 students who living in Yong-in of Kyonggi Province. From November 2009 to March 2010, each were under training about 20-25 times, 2-3 times a week, during 20 to 50 minutes, was conducted by limiting training. Statistical data collected were processed with the SPSS 12.0. For the purposes of t-test showed that differences in the effects of sex. The result, The effects of neurofeedback training, according to the sex differences were confirmed. only boys showed stress resistance quotient, only girls showed emotional quotient. they also have differences in some part of cerebral cortex that are responsible for stress and emotion. As a result, neurofeedback training affects the prefrontal lobe.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.82-87
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• 2015

Objective : The aim of this study was to investigate voluntary wheel running behavior in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to 2 groups : 6-OHDA group (n=17) and control group (n=8). The unilateral 6-OHDA rat model was induced by injection of 6-OHDA into unilateral medial forebrain bundle using a stereotaxic instrument. Voluntary wheel running activity was assessed per day in successfully lesioned rats (n=10) and control rats. Each behavioral test lasted an hour. The following parameters were investigated during behavioral tests : the number of running bouts, the distance moved in the wheel, average peak speed in running bouts and average duration from the running start to the peak speed. Results : The number of running bouts and the distance moved in the wheel were significantly decreased in successfully lesioned rats compared with control rats. In addition, average peak speed in running bouts was decreased, and average duration from the running start to the peak speed was increased in lesioned animals, which might indicate motor deficits in these rats. These behavioral changes were still observed 42 days after lesion. Conclusion : Voluntary wheel running behavior is impaired in the unilateral 6-OHDA rat model and may represent a useful tool to quantify motor deficits in this model.