• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.199-205
• /
• 2001

Background and Purpose : Transcranial doppler ultrasonography(TCD) is a noninvasive and nonradioactive technique for evaluation of the hemodynamics in large cerebral vessels. Sahyangsohap-won(SS) has been considered to be effective for the treatment of various disease, especially cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, and psychosomatoform disorders. But, there is no study about the effect of SS on the cerebral hemodynamics in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of SS on the changes in cerebral hemodynamics and the dose-dependant effect by using TCD. Subjects and Methods : 30 healthy subjects were randomly divided into three group: group 1 took no drug, group 2 took SS one pill, and group 3 took SS 2 pills. Changes in the mean blood flow velocity(MBFV) and pulsatility index(PI) in the middle cerebral artery were evaluated by means of TCD. We obtained hypercapnia with breath-holding and evaluated cerebrovascular reactivity with the breath-holding index(BHI). Systolic blood pressure(SBP), diastolic blood pressure(DBP), and heart rate(HR) were measured by means of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. In group 2 and group 3, the evaluations were performed during the baseline and were repeated at 20, 40, and 60 minutes after SS administration. In group 1, the evaluation was performed at corresponding time intervals. Results : In mean values of MSFV, PI, SSP, DBP, and HR, no stastically significant differences were found between the 3 groups. However, BHI values were significantly lower in groups 2 and 3 than in group 1 at 40 minutes after SS administration(P<0.05, group 1 vs group 2, group 1 vs group 3 by post-hoc analysis: Scheffe's test) but in dose-dependant effect, there was no difference between group 2 and group 3. Conclusion : These results suggest that SS can decrease vascular resistance in cerebral small arteries or arterioles and enhance their distensibility. Further studies on larger numbers of subjects are needed to confirm these effects and the dose-dependant effects.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.187-193
• /
• 2016

In this study, we performed the carotid artery ultrasound targeting 140 subjects who have conducted to evaluate the changes in intima-media thickness(IMT) and plaque correlated with the presence or absence of a hematological test of the carotid artery. Considering that the IMT thickness more than 1mm is abnormal based on the carotid artery ultrasound to assess the presence or absence of plaque, and examined the correlation by classifying the blood lipid value and the fasting blood glucose level through the serum test. Consequently, the fasting blood glucose level is being analyzed as independent predictors of causing dental plaque(p=0.033), cut off value was determined as 126 mg/dL(sensitivity 56.25%, specificity 68.38%) in ROC curve analysis. Furthermore, the odds ratio appeared 1.01 times the value in the Logistic regression. Therefore, it seemed that the necessity to prospective studies in a number of subjects are considered, and also taking into account a number of blood test values along with the sonography of the carotid artery as a valuable part for effective primary prevention and follow-up observation of the cardiac and brain vascular disease is highly recommended.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
• /
• 1994.06a
• /
• pp.11-26
• /
• 1994

Crown gall of stonefruit and nut trees is one of the very few plant diseases subject to efficient biological control. The disease is caused by the soil-inhabiting bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes and the original control organism was a non-pathogenic isolate of A. rhizogenes strain K84. Control is achieved by dipping planting material in a cell suspension of strain K84 which specifically inhibits pathogenic strains containing a nopaline Ti plasmid. Because the agrocin 84-encoding plasmid (pAgK84) is conjugative, it can be transmitted from the control strain to pathogenic strains which, as a result, become immune to agrocin 84 and cannot be controlled. To prevent this happening, the transfer genes on pAgK84 were located and then largely eliminated by recombinant DNA technology. The resulting construct, strain K1026, is transfer deficient but controls crown gall just as effectively as does strain K84. Field data from Spain confirm that pAgK84 can transfer to pathogenic recipients from strain K84 but not from strain K1026. The latter has been registered in Australia as a pesticide and is the first genetically engineered organism in the world to be released fro commercial use. It is recommended as a replacement for strain K84 to prevent a breakdown in the effectiveness of biological control of crown gall. Several reports indicate that both strains K84 and K1026 sometimes control crown gall pathogens that are resistant to agrocin 84. A possible reason for this is that both strains produce a second antibiotic called 434 which inhibits growth of nearly all isolates of A. rhizogenes, both pathogens and non-pathogens. Crown gall of grapevine is caused by another species, Agrobacterium vitis. It is resistant to agrocin 84 and cannot be controlled by strains K84 or K1026. It is different from other crown gall pathogens in several characteristics, including the fact that, although a rhizosphere coloniser, its also lives systemically in the vascular tissue of grapevine. Pathogen free propagating material can be obtained from tissue culture or, less surely, by heat therapy of dormant cuttings. A number of laboratories are searching for a biocontrol strain that will prevent, or at least delay, reinfection. A non-pathogenic A. vitis strain F/25 from South Africa looks very promising in this regard.

• 한국사회정책
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.99-123
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This study empirically investigates the utilization and expenditure of health care and long-term care at the last year of life for long-term care beneficiaries in Korea. Methods: This study used National Health Insurance and Long-term Care Insurance claims data of 271,474 LTCI beneficiaries, who died from July 2008 to December 2012. Their cause of death, place of death, health care costs, and the provision of aggressive care were analyzed. Results: Cardio-vascular disease(29.8%) and cancer(15.3%) were reported as their major cause of death, and hospital(64.4%), home(22.0%), social care facility(9.2%) were analyzed as the place of death. 99.3% of subjects used both health care and long-term care during the last 1 year of life. The average survival period were 516.2 days after they were LTCI beneficiaries. The health care expenditure gradually increased near the death, and the last month were three times more rather than the first month. Furthermore, 31.8% experienced some aggressive cares(CPR, blood transfusion, hemo-dialysis, etc.) at the last month of life. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that it is important to develop the end of life care policies(for example, hospice, advanced care directives) for the LTCI beneficiaries. They might contribute to the improvement of quality of life and the reduction of health care expenditure of the elderly at the end-of-life.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.379-385
• /
• 2019

Osteoporosis is a disease that increases the risk of fractures by inducing a decrease in bone strength by the changes in hormones and a decrease in minerals. Recent reports have indicated that the long-term administration of Adefovir dipivoxil (ADV), which is used as a treatment for the hepatitis virus and AIDS, may have osteoporotic side effects. On the other hand, there are few studies on the cytopathic correlation of these causes. In this study, the biological relevance of ADV was evaluated using osteoblast hFOB1.19 and vascular endothelial cell HUVEC. First, the cells were treated with ADV at different concentrations, and DAPI and crystal violet staining were performed for morphological analysis of each cell and nucleus. A CCK-8 assay, real-time PCR, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, and activity was performed to evaluate the drug effects on cell proliferation, gene expression, and osteoblast differentiation. As a result, ADV induced cell hypertrophy in hFOB1.19 cells and HUVEC cells. Furthermore, ADV not only inhibited cell proliferation and TGF-${\beta}$ expression but was also involved in osteoblast differentiation. Overall, these results provide basic data to help better understand the mechanism of ADV-induced osteoporosis and its clinical implications.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.248-262
• /
• 2021

This study examined the effect of the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet of the Korean multi-domain dementia prevention program on the cognitive functions of the elderly with dementia risk factors. We developed the program including nutrition, exercise, cognitive training, vascular disease prevention, and motivation. One- hundred and fifty-three participants aged 60~79 years with at least 1 dementia risk factor were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to the facility-based intervention (FMI), home-based intervention (HMI), and the control group. The nutrition education program consisted of 10 classes over 24 weeks: the FMI received 7 group sessions and three 1:1 sessions, the HMI received 4 group sessions and three 1:1 sessions with 3 homework sessions. The Nutrition Quotient for Elderly (NQ-E) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were used to evaluate nutritional status. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), and the Cognitive Complaint Interview (CCI) were used to evaluate cognitive functions. A total of 136 people completed the program with an 11.1% dropout rate. The NQ-E (P=0.009) and RBANS (P=0.001) scores significantly increased in the FMI (N=45) and HMI (N=49) groups compared to the control group (N=42) after the study. The changes in the score of MNA and CCI did not differ significantly between groups. In conclusion, the nutritional intervention which focused on the MIND diet as a part of a multi-domain intervention program had a positive effect on the improvement of healthy eating habits and cognitive function scores in the high-risk dementia group.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.282-289
• /
• 2019

Gastritis is an inflammatory disease involving the stomach and is caused by several factors, including stress, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, liquor, and Helicobacter pylori. In Korea, Leonurus japonicus Houttuyn (LJW) has been used as traditional medicine for vaginal bleeding, hematuria, and bruise. Previous studies have reported that LJW exhibited hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and anti-hyperlipidemic effect. However, the effect of the water extract of LJW on gastritis was not elucidated. Thus, we evaluated the anti-gastric effect and genotoxicity of LJW. LJW effectively prevented the degeneration of surface mucous cells and glandular epithelial cells and vascular congestion induced by HCl/EtOH. Micronucleus assay indicated that the rate of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes/polychromatic erythrocytes was not significantly different compared that of the control. Further experiments are required to determine the role of LJW in the gastric injury process such as cyclooxygenase signaling pathway and the secretion of mucus in the stomach.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.271-279
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of maximum and endurance resistance exercises on total work, blood viscosity, and erythrocyte volume ratio. The study subjects were selected as 15 men in their twenties with 12 months or more of resistance exercise experience, and the bench press 1RM was measured before the experiment, and the experiment for each condition was cross-allocated at intervals of one week, and the maximum repetition was performed in 6 sets. As a result, the total amount of exercise showed that the muscular endurance strength was higher than that of the maximum muscular strength (p<.001), and the blood viscosity and erythrocyte volume ratio were higher after exercise than before (p<.01) regardless of the total exercise amount. In summary, it was found that blood viscosity was not affected by exercise intensity and amount of exercise, and increased with one-time resistance exercise. This is clinically significant in constructing a resistance exercise program, and it is considered to be a reference material in creating an exercise program for clinical patients related to vascular disease.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2013

Objectives : The objective of the paper was to study cutting method of Gardeniae frutus, that tends to show symptom of separations in a packing, in accordance with the comparison experiment of quantification and antioxidant effect proceed with the intact Gardeniae fructus(Gf), seed of Gardeniae fructus (Gs) and the pericarp of Gardeniae fructus (Gp) separately. Methods : The Gf, Gs, and Gp were extracted using 80% MeOH, followed by quantizing geniposide contained in each group. A MTT assay was conducted and ROS generation and NO production were measured for comparing its antioxidant effect. Results : As a result of quantizing geniposide contained in the Gf, Gp, and Gs, respectively, the geniposide content was shown to be the highest in the Gs. MTT assay showed that no cytotoxicity was observed in the groups treated with Gf, Gp, and Gs, respectively, at a dose of 500 ${\mu}g/ml$. The ROS generation was shown to have more significantly decreased in the group pretreated with Gf 500 ${\mu}g/ml$ than in the group treated with LPS. The NO level was shown to have more significantly decreased in the group pretreated with Gp 500 ${\mu}g/ml$ than in the group treated with LPS. Conclusion : As the geniposide content and antioxidant effect of Gf varies according to its each part, it is recommended that Gf should be distributed as an intact form other than segregation in packing.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.108-114
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had major effects worldwide, including sudden and forceful setbacks to the healthcare system. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to changes in the plastic and reconstructive management of emergency cases, including those due to road traffic accidents. This study analyzed changes in patterns of plastic surgery emergencies and modifications in consultation policies to minimize the exposure of healthcare workers. Methods: Data on plastic surgery emergency calls received from the trauma and emergency department were collected for a period of 2 months before and during lockdown. The data were then analyzed with respect to the cause, mechanism, and site of the injury, as well as other variables. Results: During lockdown, there was a 40.4% overall decrease in the plastic surgery emergency case volume (168 vs. 100). The average daily number of consultations before lockdown was 2.8 as compared to 1.6 during lockdown. Road traffic accidents remained the most common mechanism of injury in both groups (45.8% vs. 39.0%) but decreased in number during the lockdown (77 vs. 39). Household accidents, including burns, were the second most common cause of injury in both phases (7.7% vs. 20.0%), but their proportion increased significantly from 7.7.% to 20.0% in the lockdown phase (P=0.003). The percentage of minor procedures done in the emergency department increased from 53.5% to 72.0% during lockdown (P=0.002). Procedures in the operating room decreased by 73.1% during lockdown (67 vs. 18, P=0.001). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown orders in India greatly influenced trends in traumatic emergencies as observed by the plastic surgery team at our tertiary care center. Amidst all the chaos and limitations of the pandemic period, providing safe and prompt care to the patients presenting to the emergency room was our foremost priority.