• 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.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.207-219
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• 2004

Objectives : We investigated to find the relationship between single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL4R, IL-10 and bee venom therapy efficacy in patients with RA treated with bee venom for 8 weeks. Methods : Korean RA patients (n=114) and healthy subjects (n=109) were included in this prospective study. Korean bee venom was dissolved in saline (diluted 1:3000) and administrated into acupuncture points. Bee venom therapy was applied twice a week and continued for 8 weeks. The clinical response was evaluated using various assessments before and after treatment. Disease severity was measured by determining the number of tender joints and swollen joints. Laboratory studies included ESR, CRP, and rheumatoid factor. Genotyping for IL-4R and IL-10 polymorphism was done by pyrosequencing analysis. Results : 1. In IL4R genotypes, there was significant difference between RA ptitients tind controls group. 2. In IL4R genotypes, there was significant difference among Good, Mild and Bad responders to in RA patients, but in the frequency of alleles and carriers, there were no significant difference. 3. There was no significant difference between RA patients and controls group in IL-10 gene genotypes. 4. In IL-10 genotypes, there was no significant difference among Good, Mild and Bad responders to in RA patients. 5. There was no significant difference in the improvement of ESR, CRP and KHAQ scores after bee venom therapy in RA patients among the IL4R or IL-10 genotypes. Conclusions : In IL-4R genotypes, there was significant difference between RA patients and control group, and among Good, Mild and Bad responders in RA patients. However, in IL-10 genotypes, there was no significant difference between RA patients and controls group and among Good, Mild and Bad responders in RA patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 1997

The ability of neurotropic alpha herpesviruses to replicate within synaptically linked neurons has made these pathogens valuable tools for transneuronal analysis. Recent studies suggest that unique gene products expressed by genetically engineered strains of virus may permit the use of multiple strains in complex tracing paradigms. In the present study we have examined the invasiveness of two genetically engineered strains of the swine pathogen known as pseudorabies virus(PRV). The two strains were isogenic with the attenuated Bartha strain of PRV; in one strain a lacZ reporter gene was inserted into the gC locus (PRV-BaBlu; $4.75\times10^8pfu/ml$) contrained a PRV envelope glycoprotein gene that was absent in PRV-BaBlu. Simultaneous or temporally separated sequential injection of $4\mu\ell$ of each strain into the ventral wall of the stomach produced a predictale course of retrograde synaptic infection. The results were as follows: 1. PRV-BaBlu and PRV-D infected the dorsal motor nucleus of vagus nerve(DMV) and paraventricular nucleus(PVN). 2. Invasion and replication of PRV-D occured at a faster rate than the parental strain or PRV-BaBlu. 3. PRV-D was much more virulent than PRV-BaBlu or the parental strain. 4. Co-injection of PRV-D and PRV-BaBlu produced an infection that was more virulent than that produced by the parental strain (PRV-Bartha), 5. Neurons in DMV were permissive to co-infection with PRV-D and PRV-BaBlu when they were injected simultaneously into the same site. 6. Replication of PRV-BaBlu was compromised by prior infection of the same circuit with PRV-D. 7. Prior infection of neurons with PRV-D maked them resistant to infection with PRV-BaBlu.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.60-70
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• 2017

Glaucoma is characterized by a slow and progressive degeneration of the optic nerve, including retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons in the optic nerve head (ONH), leading to visual impairment. Despite its high prevalence, the biological basis of glaucoma pathogenesis still is not yet fully understood, and the factors contributing to its progression are currently not well characterized. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only modifiable risk factor, and reduction of IOP is the standard treatment for glaucoma. However, lowering IOP itself is not always effective for preserving visual function in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. The second messenger cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) regulates numerous biological processes in the central nervous system including the retina and the optic nerve. Although recent studies revealed that cAMP generated by adenylyl cyclases (ACs) is important in regulating aqueous humor dynamics in ocular tissues, such as the ciliary body and trabecular meshwork, as well as cell death and growth in the retina and optic nerve, the functional role and significance of cAMP in glaucoma remain to be elucidated. In this review, we will discuss the functional role of cAMP in aqueous humor dynamics and IOP regulation, and review the current medications, which are related to the cAMP signaling pathway, for glaucoma treatment. Also, we will further focus on cAMP signaling in RGC growth and regeneration by soluble AC as well as ONH astrocytes by transmembrane ACs to understand its potential role in the pathogenesis of glaucoma neurodegeneration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.125-135
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• 2012

Purpose : This study is designed to demonstrate the effects of circuit obstacle group gait training on walking ability and emotion in stroke patients. Methods : Twenty one patients with stroke were participated in this study. The subjects were divided into control group(n=10) and experimental group(n=11). Circuit obstacle group gait training consisted of walking around obstacles, walking over obstacles, walking up and down slopes and walking up and down stairs. Circuit obstacle group gait training was conducted five times per week, 1 hour per session, for 6 consecutive weeks. At pre-test and post-test, subjects were tested with 10 m walking test, timed up and go test, up and down 4 stairs test, depression and self esteem. Results : After 6 weeks of research, the experimental group showed statistically significant difference in all items when comparing prior to training and after training (p<.05), but the control group showed statistically significant difference in items other than depression and self esteem(p<.05). In the comparison between the two groups, the experimental group showed higher improvement than the control group in the 10 m walking test, timed up and go test, and up and down 4 stairs test, and there was statistically significant difference in decrease of degree in depression between the experimental group and control group(p<.05). Conclusion : This study have shown that circuit obstacle group gait training improves walking ability and emotion in stroke patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2008

Background: The intrathecal (IT) $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, bicuculline (BIC), results in tactile allodynia (TA) through disinhibition in the spinal cord. Such disinhibition is considered to be an important mechanism for neuropathic pain. Agmatine, an endogenous polyamine, has a neuro-protective effect in the central nervous system. We investigated the analgesic effects and mechanisms of agmatine action on BIC-induced TA. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighting 250-300 g, were subjected to implantations of PE-10 into the lumbar subarachnoid space for IT drug injection. Five days after surgery, either $10{\mu}l$ of normal saline (NS) or agmatine ($30{\mu}g$ or $10{\mu}g$) in $10{\mu}l$ NS were injected 10 min prior to BIC ($10{\mu}g$) or NMDA ($5{\mu}g$). We assessed the degree of TA (graded 0: no response, 1: mild response, 2: moderate response, 3: strong response) every 5 min for 30 min. Areas under curves and degree of TA were expressed as mean ${\pm}$ SEM. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey test for multiple comparisons. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: IT BIC-induced strong TA reached its peak and plateaued between 10 to 15 min. IT NS-NMDA induced mild transient TA for up to 15 min. Preemptive IT AG attenuated IT BIC-induced TA dose dependently and preemptive IT AG10 completely abolished the IT NMDA-induced TA. Conclusions: Preemptive IT AG attenuated the IT BIC-induced TA through inhibitory actions on postsynaptic NMDA receptor activation. AG might be a viable therapeutic option in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.477-483
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• 2008

The observations of difference and similarity in brain activities involved in processing different languages have fundamental importance in cognitive neuroscience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference and similarity in temporal brain activation patterns due to the language difference during visual perception of Korean and English words under priming. Especially, we tried to find the difference in evoked spectral power in gamma-band, which is known to reflect feature binding. The stimulation was visually presented as word pairs belonging to same or different categories so that N400 event-related potential(ERP) was evoked. Average ERP analysis and spectral analysis of gamma-band activity(GBA) were performed on 12 normal Korean subjects. Several ERP components such as P1, N1, N400, and P600 could be identified consistently, and the differences in N1, N400, and P600 were observed. From the spectral analysis, we found that the evoked GBA(eGBA) was significantly larger for English at ${\sim}100$ ms poststimulus. The latency of the eGBA was also considerably delayed for English. Overall, the results on the ERP components and eGBA analyses seem to be commensurate with subjects' familiarity of each language, and the difficulty of perceiving words of each language. The methods of this study can also be applied for clinical purposes considering that the language-related processing can be greatly altered for the patients with neurological or psychiatric diseases.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.555-570
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• 2011

In order to do morally right behavior that we cognitively know, prosocial moral motivation is necessary. Previous studies revealed emotion is important for prosocial moral motivation. This was supported by cognitive neuroscience studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) in which the activity of ventral striatum(VS) was observed when people made moral decision. VS was originally known as the core area of reward process but recently VS was found to respond also to social reward and even feeling of prosocial emotion itself. However it is not clear why VS was activated when people experience prosocial moral sentiments. The aims of this review article were to find situations in which people are prosocially and morally motivated and to understand more about the role of emotion as a moral motivator by examining evidence regarding the neural network, including VS, of prosocial moral motivation and moral decision-making.