• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.84-89
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• 2011

The present study was undertaken to determine whether combined treatment with prokinetic trimebutine and mosapride has a synergic effect on gastrointestinal motility and visceral pain associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. To develop effective gastroprokinetic agents with greater potencies than trimebutine or mosapride for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract disease, a mixture of trimebutine and mosapride was designed and prepared. In the present study, treatment with trimebutine alone showed a dose-dependent effect on propelling movements of normal small and large intestine in mice, whereas mosapride effected only small intestine motility. Co-administration of trimebutine with mosapride, a well-established prokinetic drug, produced a synergistic influence on normal small intestine motility, but demonstrated an unclear effect on large intestine motility, with a slight tendency to reduce the propelling time. In a stress model, the small and large intestine motilities were significantly decreased. The reduction of intestine motility was restored to a normal level and the restoring effect was more pronounced in the combined treatment with trimebutine plus mosapride than treatment with trimebutine or mosapride alone. Furthermore, treatment with trimebutine plus mosapride significantly decreased acute visceral pain which was not controlled by trimebutine or mosapride alone. These data suggest that combination therapy with trimebutine plus mosapride has a synergic effect on small and large intestine motility and visceral pain control in gastrointestinal disorders.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.4 s.84
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• pp.587-592
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• 2007

Manipulation of the mouse genome by activating or inactivating the gene has contributed to the understanding of the function of the gene in the subset of cells during embryonic development or postnatal period of life. Most of all, gene targeting, which largely depends on the availability of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, is the milestone of development of animal models for human disease. Recombinase-mediated genome modification (Cre-LoxP and Flp-Frt etc) and the ligand-dependent regulation system, more accurate and elaborate manipulation tools, have been successfully developed and applied to dissect the mechanisms governing complex biological processes and to understand the role of protein in temporal-and spatial aspects of development. As technologies concerning refined manipulation of mouse genome are developed, they are expected to open new opportunities to better understand the diverse in vivo functions of genes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

Responses of Botryosphaeria dothidea to interrupted wetness periods were investigated under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Conidia of B. dothidea were allowed to germinate on apple fruits under wetting condition at $25^{\circ}C$ for 5 hr. They were air-dried for 0, 1, 2 or 4 hr, and then rewetted at $25^{\circ}C$ for 5 hr. Following an initial wetness period of 5 hr, 83% of the conidia germinated. The percent conidial germination increased to 96% when wetting was extended continuously another 5 hr. However, no further conidial germination was observed when wetting was interrupted by dry periods of 1, 2 and 4 hr, resulting in 83, 81 and 82%, respectively. The mean length of the germ tubes was $37{\mu}m$ after 5 hr of wetting and elongated to $157{\mu}m$ after 10 hr of continuous wetting. On the other hand, interruption of wetting by a dry period of 1 hr or longer after the 5 hr of initial wetting arrested the germ tube elongation at approximately $42{\mu}m$ long. Prolonged rewetting up to 40 hr did not restore germ tube elongation on slide glasses under substrate treatments. Model simulation using weather data sets revealed that ending infection periods by a dry period of at least 1 hr decreased the daily infection periods, avoiding the overestimation of infection warning. This information can be incorporated into infection models for scheduling fungicide sprays to control apple white rot with fewer fungicide applications.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.213-219
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• 2017

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease characterized by chronic and relapsing inflammatory dermatitis with immunological disturbances. Spleen deficiency (脾虛) is one of the major causes of AD, so development of animal model is required for AD research that reflects the pattern identification. The groups that we have used in this study included Senna folium extracts (SFE), 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), and normal mice. Therefore, the present study was developed to atopic dermatitis mouse model with spleen deficiency in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and senna leaves extracts induced AD in NC/Nga mice. The results demonstrated that senna leaves extract treatment significantly increased the dermatitis clinical score and epidermal thickness in AD-like skin lesions. We also proved beyond doubt that there was occurrence of erythema and skin moisture indices in the senna leaves extract groups. Further, we also found that the level of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the senna leaves extract-treated group was increased. The amount of IL-4, IL-13, $TNF-{\alpha}$ and $TGF-{\beta}$ mRNA determined by real-time PCR was increased remarkably when senna leaves extract groups were treated on dorsal skin. Senna leaves extract groups significantly promoted the number of CD11B+/Gr-1 cell in skin, as well as the number of CD4+/CD8+ cell in dorsal skin compared with control. The review summarizes recent process in our understanding of the immunopathophysiology of spleen deficiency AD and the implications for spleen deficiency mouse models of AD on drug discovery from medical plants.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effects of aged black garlic (ABG) in rodent models of liver injury. ABG inhibited carbon tetrachloride-induced elevation of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), which are markers of hepatocellular damage, in SD rats. D-galactosamine-induced hepatocellular damage was also suppressed by ABG treatment. However, ABG does not affect the elevation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a marker of hepatobilliary damage, in rats treated with carbon tetrachloride or D-galactosamine. We also examined the effect of ABG on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced fatty liver and subsequent liver damage. ABG had no significant effect on body weight increase and plasma lipid profile in HFD-fed mice. However, HFD-induced increase in AST and ALT, but not ALP, was significantly suppressed by ABG treatment. These results demonstrate that ABG has hepatoprotective effects and suggest that ABG supplementation might be a good adjuvant therapy for the management of liver injury.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2004

We investigated the induction of resistance to Clonorchis sinensis infection by prior infection in rat and hamster models. Animals were challenged with C. sinensis metacercariae, then treated with praziquantel and reinfected. Worm recovery rate in reinfected animals was used to estimate resistance to reinfection. The determined resistance rates to reinfection in rats and hamsters were 97.7% and 10.3%, respectively. In rats, cure from the primary infection of C. sinensis increased resistant to reinfection, and the greatert the worm burden and the longer the duration of primary infection, the higher was the resistance rate. For primary infection doses of 10, 40 and 100 metacercariae per rat, the resistance rates were 87.4%, 93.8% and 98.4%, respectively. The resistance rates in rats after 2 or 8-week primary infection were 78.7% and 95.3%, respectively. All worms recovered from reinfected rats were immature. When cured rats were administered with methylprednisolone, resistance to reinfection became impaired. These findings indicate that rats develop a high degree of resistance to reinfection by C. sinensis after cure. The growths and maturations of reinfected worms were also impaired.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.156-162
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• 2001

In order to monitor local climatic information, twelve automated weather stations (AWS) were installed in alpine area by the Alpine Agricultural Experiment Station, Rural Development Administration (RDA), at the field of major crop located in around highland area, and collected data from 1993 to 2000. Hourly measurements of air and soil temperature (underground 10 cm,20 cm), relative humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, solar radiation and leaf wetness were automatically performed and the data could be collected through a public phone line. Datalogger was selected as CR10X (Campbell scientific, LTD, USA) out of consideration for sensers' compatibility, economics, endurance and conveniences. All AWS in alpine area were combined for net work and daily climatic data were analyzed in text and graphic file by program (Chumsungdae, LTD) on 1 km $\times$ 1 km grid tell basis. In this analysis system, important multi-functionalities, monitoring and analysis of local climatic information in alpine area was emphasized. The first objective was to obtain the output of a real time data from AWS. Secondly, daily climatic normals for each grid tell were calculated from geo-statistical relationships based on the climatic records of existing weather stations as well as their topographical informations. On 1 km $\times$ 1 km grid cell basis, real time climatic data from the automated weather stations and daily climatic normals were analyzed and graphed. In the future, if several simulation models were developed and connected with this system it would be possible to precisely forecast crop growth and yield or plant disease and pest by using climatic information in alpine area.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.364-374
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• 2011

There is a great public concern that higher consumption of eggs may increase the risk of chronic disease due to high levels of cholesterol in eggs. In contrast to this concern, limited studies have examined this relationship, and the study results have been inconsistent. This study was to evaluate the cross-sectional associations between egg consumption, blood markers and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. We analyzed data from the combined 2007-2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Egg intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was ascertained using criteria of the NCEP ATP III (2001) and abdominal obesity criteria of the WHO. In 5,548 subjects, 937 subjects were defined as having metabolic syndrome. In linear regression models, subjects reporting one or more egg consumption per day had significantly lower levels of triglyceride, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure, and a higher level of HDL cholesterol, compared to those who rarely consumed eggs (P-trends < 0.05). After adjustments for potential confounding factors, the associations were no longer significant except for total cholesterol, showing higher levels with frequent egg consumption. More frequent intakes of egg (1 egg or more/day) were associated with lower risk of metabolic syndrome in a logistic regression model (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50-0.96), but this association also became insignificant after adjustments for multiple confounding factors (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.71-1.57). In healthy Korean adults, frequent intakes of eggs did not adversely affect the risk of metabolic syndrome. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2015

The Korean native pig (KNP) have been considered as animal models for animal biotechnology research because of their relatively small body size and their presumably highly inbred status due to the closed breeding program. However, little is reported about the use of KNP for animal biotechnology researches. This study was performed to establish the somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) protocol for the production of swine leukocyte antigens (SLA) homotype-defined SCNT KNP. The ear fibroblast cells originated from KNP were cultured and used as donor cell. After thawing, the donor cells were cultured for 1 hour with 15 ${\mu}M$ roscovitine prior to the nuclear transfer. The numbers of reconstructed and parthenogenetic embryos transferred were $98{\pm}35.2$ and $145{\pm}11.2$, respectively. The pregnancy and delivery rate were 3/5 (60%) and 2/5 (40%). One healthy SLA homotype-defined SCNT KNP was successfully generated. The recipient-based individual cloning efficiency ranged from 0.65 to 1.08%. Taken together, it can be postulated that the methodological establishment of the production of SLA homotype-defined cloned KNP can be applied to the generation of transgenic cloned KNP as model animals for human disease and xenotransplantation researches.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2009

In Sasang constitutional medicine, both disease susceptibility and drug response are considered to be related to the characteristics of an individual's physiology and psychology: a theory which is central to traditional Korean medicine. Based on such observable characteristics, Sasang constitutional medicine classifies people into four constitutional types. Genetic studies of Sasang constitution would help reveal the inheritance patterns and models of the typological traits and, moreover, help with traditional medical diagnosis and treatment. To investigate the heritable aspect of Sasang constitution, we collected various pedigrees from South Korea. The study population has 101 pedigrees composed of 593 individuals. The determination of the Sasang constitution type of each individual was performed by doctors who diagnose the Sasang constitutional type of individuals as part of their professional practice. We calculated estimates of familial correlation and heritability. Parent-Offspring pairs showed the strongest familial correlation of Sasang constitutional type, with the correlation values of 0.21 and 0.28, followed by sibling pairs with the value ranging between 0.14 and 0.25. From the heritability analysis conducted with the Variance-Component method, the heritability of TE (Tae-Eum) type, SY (So-Yang) type, and SE (So-Eum) type were 55%, 41%, and 47%, respectively. This pattern of heritability was consistent with different set of analyses, which suggest the robustness of our result. Our result clearly shows that the Sasang constitution type is heritable, and further genetic analysis based on our result will shed light on the biological mechanism of Sasang constitution.