• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.258-267
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• 2019

Purpose: Upper respiratory tract infections are major causes of the common cold throughout the world. Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) is a well-known functional food for its anti-fatigue and immunomodulating activities. On the other hand, there are no reports on the protective effect against upper respiratory tract infections (URI). This study was a 12 week randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial in healthy volunteers. Methods: A total of 100 subjects 20 ~ 70 years of age with a history of at least two colds in the year were enrolled in the study. The participants were required to record any adverse events and rate any cold-related incidents in a diary during the investigation period. The efficacy end point was the symptoms and incidence of URI, and changes in cytokines, IgA and natural killer (NK) cell activity. Results: The Cordyceps militaris group over 12 weeks showed no significant impact on the incidence and symptomatology of URI compared to the placebo group. On the other hand, the experimental group showed significantly higher NK cell activity (p = 0.047) and IgA level (p = 0.035) compared to the placebo group. The NK-cell activity and IgA level were increased significantly by Cordyceps militaris over 12 weeks. Conclusion: The results suggest the possible beneficial immunomodulating effects, but the protective effects on URI could not be demonstrated under these conditions. Additional research will be needed to determine the efficacy and mechanisms of Cordyceps militaris function.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.209-218
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• 2019

This study was aimed to evaluate orofacial morphologies on the cases of developmental disorders of maxillary first molars. Panoramic radiographs, lateral cephalographs, and clinical photos of 2983 children who attended the Pediatric Dental Clinic of Pusan National University Dental Hospital from 2006 to August 2017 were assessed retrospectively. 34 patients were selected whose maxillary first molars were missed or developmentally delayed unilaterally or bilaterally. Demirjian's method was used for estimating dental age, then which was compared to chronologic age of children. Parameters expressing skeletal and dentoalveolar disharmony were checked and compared with control. Additionally, occlusion relationship was evaluated. Maxillary dental age was significantly delayed compared to chronologic age. Several parameters which show skeletal open-bite tendency and skeletal class III malocclusion with maxillary retrusion were statistically significant. Anterior crossbite and edge-bite were expected in most of these cases, but compensation by occlusion and soft tissue was also verified which might mask skeletal class III tendency. Congenital missed or developmentally delayed maxillary first molars might be related with declined growth of maxilla. If developmental disorders of maxillary first molars were verified during clinical examination, careful monitoring of orofacial growth was necessary during puberty and timed orthopedic and orthodontic intervention were considered.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.147-157
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• 2019

This study aimed to evaluate skeletodental characteristics of patient with maxillary lateral incisor agenesis (MLIA) in mixed dentition. It involved the children in early mixed dentition who visited Pusan National University dental hospital for orthodontic purposed and had intact primary canines. 38 children with MLIA and 38 controls with the same chronological age satisfying the inclusion criteria were selected. The craniofacial structures and dental arch dimensions of the MLIA were evaluated using model & cephalometric analysis and compared to controls. The rate of unilateral MLIA was high in male and the rate of bilateral MLIA was high in female. In model analysis, the width / length ratio of maxillary anterior portion of the MLIA group were higher and arch perimeter of the maxilla of the MLIA group were smaller than those of the control group (p = 0.003, 0.04). Cephalometric analysis showed that there were no significant differences in terms of skeletal, dental analysis. In soft tissue profile, nasolabial angle was larger in MLIAs than in controls (p = 0.039). Considering these skeletodental characteristics of MLIA, early diagnosis and proper management is highly recommended to minimize the possibility of functional defect.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2021

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a slowly progressive hereditary degenerative disease and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired immune-mediated disorder characterized by weakness and sensory deficits. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the electrophysiological characteristics observed in sensory nerve conduction studies (SNCS) of both diseases. A retrospective study of 65 patients with a diagnosis of CIDP (N=35) and CMT type I (N=30) was performed. This study analyzed No potentials ratio, distal compound nerve action potential (dCNAP) of various nerve types, and a correlation coefficient analysis of the sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). As a result, I found that CMT 1 was more severe systemic demyelinating and axonal polyneuropathy better than CIDP (P<0.05). In a quantitative analysis of dCNAP and SNCV, especially sural nerve was the most severe nerve injury observed in both diseases. In correlation and scatter plot analysis, CMT 1 showed relatively high correlations compared to CIDP based on the correlation coefficient analysis (Fisher's Z test) of SNCV. The results of this study suggested that CMT 1 showed the slowness in SNCV, one of the characteristics of demyelinating polyneuropathy, and this slowing had a uniform pattern. In conclusion, electrophysiological characteristic of SNCS may be useful in the diagnosis and research between patients with CMT 1 and CIDP.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.771-777
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• 2021

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) were inserted into the human genome millions of years ago but they are currently inactive and non-infectious due to recombinations, deletions, and mutations after insertion into the host genome. Nonetheless, recent studies have shown that HERV-derived elements are actually involved in physiological phenomena and certain diseases including cancers. Among the various physiological phenomena related to HERV-derived elements, it is necessary to focus on inflammatory response. HERV-derived elements have been reported to be directly involved in various inflammatory diseases, including autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Sjogren's syndrome. As a mechanism for regulating inflammation through HERV-derived elements, the possibility that HERV-derived elements may cause nonspecific innate immune processes and that HERV-derived RNA or proteins may cause selective signaling mechanisms through specific receptors can be considered. However, the mechanism through which HERV-derived elements regulate inflammatory response, such as how silent HERV elements are activated in inflammatory response and what factors and signaling mechanisms are involved in HERV-derived elements, have not been identified to date, making it difficult to study the onset of HERV-related inflammatory disease. In this review, we introduce HERV-related autoimmune diseases and propose the mechanisms of HERV-derived elements at the molecular level of HERV in inflammatory response.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.978-986
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• 2023

Inflammation by the innate immune system is a protective mechanism of the organism against infection-mediated environmental factors. It is also responsible for the pathogenesis of various human diseases, including the progression of cancer. Lichens are receiving increasing attention as a source of bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential for a variety of diseases. Additionally, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer potential of lichen and its secondary metabolites have been widely reported. However, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. In the present study, to investigate molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammation and anti-cancer activity in the Antarctic lichen, Usnea aurantiaco-atra, methanol extract of Usnea aurantiaco-atra (MEUS) was used in vitro assays in RAW 264.7 macrophages cell and HCT116 colon cancer cells. Based on our data, MEUS had the anti-inflammatory activity through the modulation of main inflammatory indicators such as COX-2, IL-6, iNOS, TNF-α and NO production in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, we observed that MEUS had cytotoxic activity against HCT116 colon cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner, leading to a significantly reduced proliferation of the cancer cells through apoptotic induction by activating caspase-3. Taken together, this work firstly reported the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of an Antarctic lichen, Usnea aurantiaco-atra, and MEUS may provide a new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying a link between inflammation and cancer.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.65-96
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• 2012

Brand has received much attention from considerable marketing research. When consumers consume product or services, they are exposed to a lot of brand related stimuli. These contain brand personality, brand experience, brand identity, brand communications and so on. A special kind of new crisis occasionally confronting companies' brand management today is the brand related rumor. An important influence on consumers' purchase decision making is the word-of-mouth spread by other consumers and most decisions are influenced by other's recommendations. In light of this influence, firms have reasonable reason to study and understand consumer-to-consumer communication such as brand rumor. The importance of brand rumor to marketers is increasing as the number of internet user and SNS(social network service) site grows. Due to the development of internet technology, people can spread rumors without the limitation of time, space and place. However relatively few studies have been published in marketing journals and little is known about brand rumors in the marketplace. The study of rumor has a long history in all major social science. But very few studies have dealt with the antecedents and consequences of any kind of brand rumor. Rumor has been generally described as a story or statement in general circulation without proper confirmation or certainty as to fact. And it also can be defined as an unconfirmed proposition, passed along from people to people. Rosnow(1991) claimed that rumors were transmitted because people needed to explain ambiguous and uncertain events and talking about them reduced associated anxiety. Especially negative rumors are believed to have the potential to devastate a company's reputation and relations with customers. From the perspective of marketer, negative rumors are considered harmful and extremely difficult to control in general. It is becoming a threat to a company's sustainability and sometimes leads to negative brand image and loss of customers. Thus there is a growing concern that these negative rumors can damage brands' reputations and lead them to financial disaster too. In this study we aimed to distinguish antecedents of brand rumor transmission and investigate the effects of brand rumor characteristics on rumor spread intention. We also found key components in personal acceptance of brand rumor. In contextualist perspective, we tried to unify the traditional psychological and sociological views. In this unified research approach we defined brand rumor's characteristics based on five major variables that had been found to influence the process of rumor spread intention. The five factors of usefulness, source credibility, message credibility, worry, and vividness, encompass multi level elements of brand rumor. We also selected product involvement as a control variable. To perform the empirical research, imaginary Korean 'Kimch' brand and related contamination rumor was created and proposed. Questionnaires were collected from 178 Korean samples. Data were collected from college students who have been experienced the focal product. College students were regarded as good subjects because they have a tendency to express their opinions in detail. PLS(partial least square) method was adopted to analyze the relations between variables in the equation model. The most widely adopted causal modeling method is LISREL. However it is poorly suited to deal with relatively small data samples and can yield not proper solutions in some cases. PLS has been developed to avoid some of these limitations and provide more reliable results. To test the reliability using SPSS 16 s/w, Cronbach alpha was examined and all the values were appropriate showing alpha values between .802 and .953. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted successfully. And structural equation modeling has been used to analyze the research model using smartPLS(ver. 2.0) s/w. Overall, R² of adoption of rumor is .476 and R² of intention of rumor transmission is .218. The overall model showed a satisfactory fit. The empirical results can be summarized as follows. According to the results, the variables of brand rumor characteristic such as source credibility, message credibility, worry, and vividness affect argument strength of rumor. And argument strength of rumor also affects rumor intention. On the other hand, the relationship between perceived usefulness and argument strength of rumor is not significant. The moderating effect of product involvement on the relations between argument strength of rumor and rumor W.O.M intention is not supported neither. Consequently this study suggests some managerial and academic implications. We consider some implications for corporate crisis management planning, PR and brand management. This results show marketers that rumor is a critical factor for managing strong brand assets. Also for researchers, brand rumor should become an important thesis of their interests to understand the relationship between consumer and brand. Recently many brand managers and marketers have focused on the short-term view. They just focused on strengthen the positive brand image. According to this study we suggested that effective brand management requires managing negative brand rumors with a long-term view of marketing decisions.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.39
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• pp.1-32
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• 2021

The purpose of this article is to explain the conceptual changes that the notion of Haewon (解冤) has undergone by examining the evolution of the usages of Haewon. In order to achieve this purpose, I reviewed the conceptual connotations and denotations of Haewon contained in data from the Joseon Dynasty (Section 2), the Japanese colonial period (Section 3), and the scriptures and major preceding research of Daesoon Jinrihoe (Section 4). The research results described in this article are as follows. First, Haewon is a term with historical, social, and cultural characteristics. This means that Haewon, a term that has been used since the Joseon Dynasty, was a concept used to solve collective problems but could also be applied on the individual level. This further means that, if culture is regarded as a collective consciousness or as a collection of material products, Haewon would be a term that contained social and cultural aspirations. Second, Haewon is not a concept that has been impervious to innovation throughout its history. This can be confirmed by the fact that Haewon's scope of application has changed depending on the problem domain (legal, natural disasters, an institutional domain, etc.). Third, Haewon has converted into religious language a doctrinal system that came about after the emergence of Jeungsan. This means that previously the concept of Haewon was mainly used at the legal level in the Joseon Dynasty, but after the emergence of Jeungsan, it became a term in religious language and in doctrine. The materials of Daesoon Jinrihoe show that this concept of Haewon was expanded to be included at the doctrinal level. These research results show a historical shift in the ideological thought contained in the concept of Haewon. As a term in religious language that is included in a doctrinal system, Haewon has an extension of denotations that is applied to the world beyond individuals and societies, yet it maintains connotations of resolving grievances. This concept of Haewon mediates the transformation of the world and creates a rationale by which training and ethical practice are necessary components of that process of transformation.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.30
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• pp.1-57
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• 2018

There are three purposes to this study: first, to understand comprehensively the meaning of Haewon-sangsaeng (Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence) Thought, which can be taken as representative thought regarding peace in Korean new religions. Next, Haewon-sangsaeng Thought and the works for Haewon (resolving grievances) will be examined as principles and practical mechanisms for building the paradise of the Later World and understanding the structure of this system of thought. Lastly, logical inferences will be made regarding the future of humanity and the world through the ideological characteristics implied by Haewon-sangsaeng Thought. Haewon-sangsaeng Thought contains the complicated concepts of Haewon and Sangsaeng. Haewon is the resolution of the enmity and grievances that have accumulated in the realms of humanity and deities. Sangsaeng indicates the action of mutually benefiting one another or a state wherein people live in prosperity and peace. In Daesoon Jinrihoe, the concept of Haewon-sangsaeng is expressed explicitly and has broad applications. It can be expanded for the global peace and the harmony of all humanity. As the result of an integrated analysis of previous studies, it can be stated that Haewon-sangsaeng has values and meanings in terms of principles, laws, ethics, and ideology all of which are commonly connected to Injon (Human Nobility), Sangsaeng, peace, harmony, the Later World, and paradise. This indicates that its valuable for the future of humanity and world is deeper and wider than its mere etymological meaning. The common factor among paired ideas such as human nobility and Sangsaeng, peace and harmony, and Later World and paradise is the realization of humanity's greatest wish. This is the reason why the value and meaning of Haewon-sangsaeng can be expanded globally. The works of Haewon were a religious act of Kang Jeungsan who resolved the grievances of the Former World which was under the rule of mutual conflict and built a Later World that will operate according to mutual beneficence. Therefore, the principle of Haewon-sangsaeng has a motivative power, through the Reordering Works of the Universe, which can transform the future of humanity and the world. In this study, it can be inferred that as Haewon-sangsaeng 'fulfills human desires' and forms a 'harmonious relations of Sangsaeng' between humans and world, humans will be transformed into Injon (Human Nobility) while the world turns into a paradise, and the future turns into period of peace. Therefore, Haewon-sangsaeng Thought works as a principle that changes society, the world, and the universe. The social actualization of Haewon-sangsaeng is tantamount to bringing the future of Injon, paradise, and peace into objective reality. Previous studies on Haewon-sangsaeng Thought had been carried out under difficult circumstances by a small number of scholars. For all the above reasons, I anticipate that there will be more and more studies made on the topic of Haewon-sangsaeng Thought, which seeks the realization of Haewon (the Resolution of Grievances), Sangsaeng (Mutual Beneficence), human nobility, paradise, and peace. I hope it will emerge as a main subject in global religious thought.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.9
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• pp.1126-1133
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• 2002

Purpose : Prader-Willi syndrome(PWS) is a complex disorder affecting multisystems with characteristic clinical features. Its genetic basis is an expression defect in the paternally derived chromosome 15q11-q13. We analyzed the clinical features and genetic basis of PWS patients for early detection and treatment. Methods : We retrospectively studied 24 patients with PWS in Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, from September 1997 to September 2001. We performed cytogenetic and molecular genetic techniques using high resolution GTG banding techniques, fluorescent in situ hybridization and methylation-specific PCR for CpG island of SNRPN gene region. Results : The average birth weight of PWS patients was $2.67{\pm}0.47kg$ and median age at diagnosis was 1.3 years. The average height and weight of PWS patients under one year at diagnostic time were located in a 3-10 percentile relatively, and a rapid weight gain was seen between two and six years. Feeding problems in infancy and neonatal hypotonia were the two most consistently positive major criteria in over 95% of the patients. In 18 of the 24 cases(75%), deletion of chromosome 15q11-q13 was demonstrated and one case among 18 had an unbalanced 14;15 translocation. In four cases without any cytogenetic abnormality, it may be considered as maternal uniparental disomy and the rest showed another findings. Conclusion : We suggest diagnostic testing for PWS in all infants/neonates with unexplained feeding problems and hypotonia. It is necessary for clinically suspicious patients to undergo an early genetic test. As the genetic basis of PWS was heterogenous and complex, further study is required.