• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: It is known that impacts of climate change on damage occurrence by insect pests and diseases are increasing. The negative effects of climate change on production will threaten our food security. It is needed that on the basis of analysis of the impacts, proper strategies in response to climate change are developed. METHODS AND RESULTS: The objective of this paper is to estimate impacts of climate change on rice damage occurrence by insect pests and diseases, using the panal model which analyzes both cross-section data and time series data. The result of an analysis on impacts of climate change on rice damage occurrence by pest insect and disease showed that the damage occurrence by Rice leaf roller and Rice water weevil increased if temperature increased, and damage occurrence by Stripe, Sheath blight, and Leaf Blast increased if precipitation(or amount of sunshine) increased(or decreased). CONCLUSION: Adaptation strategies, supplying weather forecasting information by region, developing systematical strategies for prevention of damage occurrence by pest insect and disease, analyzing the factors of damage occurrence by unexpected pest insect and disease, enforcing international cooperation for prevention of damage occurrence are needed to minimize the impacts of damage occurrence on rice production.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2021

Objects : In this study, I aimed to determine the size and administration Method of pills preparation in Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases. Methods : I investigated the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases, Newly Revised Materia Medica, Variorum of the Classic of Materia Medica, The Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia, and recent studies. Results : There were four kinds of pills preparation. Each size of pill preparation was equal to the Odongja, Tanwhan, Yolk, and quarter of daily dosage of Decoction. One pill of Tanwhan was equivalent to 16 pills of Odongja, and one Yolk was equal to 40 pills of Odongja. The Diameter of Odongja was 6.5 mm, Tanwhan was 16.37897 mm, and Yolk was 22.11484 mm. Jeodangwhan was equal to one quarter daily dosage of Jeodangtang. Maximum size to swallow with water was Odongja and daily dosage, which was 16 pills, includes one square-inch-spoon of powder preparation. When we made the pill preparation, it is difficult to make 16 pills using one square-inch-spoon of powder. Therefore, Zhang Zhongjing made one dosage started from 10 pills to 20 pills to find out optimum dose. Due to the difficulty of making precise size of pills and considerable amount of daily dosage, there was no smaller size than Odongja. When the size of Pill preparation was larger than Odongja, it was ground or boiled slightly to make suspensions. Conclusions : These results suggest that the sizes of Pill preparation in the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases were true compared with reality.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.635-644
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• 2023

Objectives: This study analyzed laboratory serum data results before and after patients took herbal medicine to confirm the clinical safety of herbal medicine. In addition, in the event of liver damage, the case was analyzed to confirm the characteristics of liver damage and the possibility of liver damage caused by herbal medicine. Methods: A retrospective chart review of the effects of herbal medicine on liver function in patients diagnosed with functional dyspepsia was conducted. The electronic medical records of 128 patients in a single hospital were reviewed. Results: The statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in liver function-related laboratory serum data after taking herbal medicine (p<0.05). In addition, among 128 patients, there were two cases of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) (1.56%). Conclusion: Taking herbal medicine prescribed by experts does not significantly affect liver function in patients with functional dyspepsia. Rather, the liver levels of the subjects showed a significant decrease after taking herbal medicine. To support these results, further large-scale multicenter prospective studies are necessary.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.172-182
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• 2022

Background: The coronavirus problem is an ecological problem stemming from a sudden change in the relationship between parasites and hosts. Ecologists judge organisms that are established out of their original territory as exotic species. Unlike in their original habitat, these exotic species become very aggressive in their newly settled habitat. Coronavirus infection damage was bigger in Europe or the United States than that in the country of its origin, China, and its neighboring countries. Therefore, coronavirus infection damage resembles the damage due to the invasive species. Results: Exotic species are found in places with similar environmental conditions to those of their origin when introduced to other ecological regions. However, there are few ecological ill effects in their place of origin, while the damage is usually severe in the ecological regions in which it is introduced. According to historical records, exotic infectious diseases, such as European smallpox and measles, also showed a similar trend and caused great damage in newly established places. Therefore, it is expected that measures to manage exotic species could be used for the prevention of exotic infectious diseases such as the coronavirus. Conclusions: Prevention comes first in the management of exotic species, and in order to come up with preventive measures, it is important to collect information on the characteristics of related organisms and their preferred environment. In this respect, ecosystem management measures such as exotic species management measures could be used as a reference to prevent and suppress the spread. To put these measures into practice, it is urgently required to establish an international integrated information network for collecting and exchanging information between regions and countries. Furthermore, a systematic ecosystem-management strategy in which natural and human environments could continue sustainable lives in their respective locations may serve as a countermeasure to prevent infectious diseases.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.441-456
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• 2022

Shiga toxins (Stxs) are major virulence factors from the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a subset of Stx-producing Escherichia coli. Stxs are multi-functional, ribosome-inactivating proteins that underpin the development of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and central nervous system (CNS) damage. Currently, therapeutic options for the treatment of diseases caused by Stxs are limited and unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning toxin-induced inflammation remain unclear. Numerous works have demonstrated that the various host ribotoxic stress-induced targets including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, its downstream substrate Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2, and apoptotic signaling via ER-stress sensors are activated in many different susceptible cell types following the regular retrograde transportation of the Stxs, eventually leading to disturbing intercellular communication. Therapeutic options targeting host cellular pathways induced by Stxs may represent a promising strategy for intervention in Stx-mediated acute renal dysfunction, retinal damage, and CNS damage. This review aims at fostering an in-depth understanding of EHEC Stxs-mediated pathogenesis through the toxin-host interactions.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.349-360
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• 2024

Oxidative stress contributes to the onset of chronic diseases in various organs, including muscles. Morroniside, a type of iridoid glycoside contained in Cornus officinalis, is reported to have advantages as a natural compound that prevents various diseases. However, the question of whether this phytochemical exerts any inhibitory effect against oxidative stress in muscle cells has not been well reported. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate whether morroniside can protect against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in murine C2C12 myoblasts. Our results demonstrate that morroniside pretreatment was able to inhibit cytotoxicity while suppressing H₂O₂-induced DNA damage and apoptosis. Morroniside also significantly improved the antioxidant capacity in H₂O₂-challenged C2C12 cells by blocking the production of cellular reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide and increasing glutathione production. In addition, H₂O₂-induced mitochondrial damage and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress were effectively attenuated by morroniside pretreatment, inhibiting cytoplasmic leakage of cytochrome c and expression of ER stress-related proteins. Furthermore, morroniside neutralized H₂O₂-mediated calcium (Ca²⁺) overload in mitochondria and mitigated the expression of calpains, cytosolic Ca²⁺-dependent proteases. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that morroniside protected against mitochondrial impairment and Ca²⁺-mediated ER stress by minimizing oxidative stress, thereby inhibiting H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity in C2C12 myoblasts.

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2017

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a group of rare inherited metabolic disorders caused by the deficiency of specific lysosomal enzymes and subsequent accumulation of substrates. Enzyme deficiency leads to progressive intra-lysosomal accumulation of the incompletely degraded substances, which cause dysfunction and destruction of the cell and eventually multiple organ damage. Patients have a broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes which are generally not specific for some LSDs, leading to missed or delayed diagnosis. Due to the availability of treatment including enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for some LSDs, early diagnosis is important. ERT products have been approved with optimal outcomes for some LSDs in the recent decades, including Gaucher, Fabry, mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) I, Pompe, MPS VI, MPS II, and MPS IVA diseases. ERT can stabilize the clinical condition, prevent disease progression, and improve the long-term outcome of these diseases, especially if started prior to irreversible organ damage. Based on the availability of therapy and suitable screening methods in the recent years, some LSDs, including Pompe, Fabry, Gaucher, MPS I, MPS II, and MPS VI diseases have been incorporated into nationwide newborn screening panels in Taiwan.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.490-500
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• 2022

Aging is defined as physiological dysfunction of the body and a key risk factor for human diseases. During the aging process, cellular senescence occurs in response to various extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as radiation-induced DNA damage, the activation of oncogenes, and oxidative stress. These senescent cells accumulate in many tissues and exhibit diverse phenotypes, such as resistance to apoptosis, production of senescence-associated secretory phenotype, cellular flattening, and cellular hypertrophy. They also induce abnormal dysfunction of the microenvironment and damage neighboring cells, eventually causing harmful effects in the development of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, pharmacological interventions targeting senescent cells, called senotherapeutics, have been extensively studied. These senotherapeutics provide a novel strategy for extending the health span and improving age-related diseases. In this review, we discuss the current progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of senotherapeutics and provide insights for developing senotherapeutics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.43-43
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• 2002

Mass spectrometric study of oxidant damage: Generation of endogenous oxidizing species have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of diseases from cancer to Alzheimer's Disease to Inflammatory bowel diseases. Antioxidant compounds may therefore be useful in treating or preventing these diseases.(omitted)

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.87-91
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• 2009

"Treatise on cold damage and miscellaneous disease" is a ancient formula records on keeping in good health, provided "Internal classic" is a ancient codes on keep in good health. It can be inferred that Zhang Zhongjing was a first inheritor of academic ideology from "formula followed by establishment of the therapeutic principles". Before writing and compiling the "Treatise on cold damage and miscellaneous disease", Zhang zhongjing got the essence of "Internal classic" after composing and utilizing "Plain Questions", "Miraculous pivot and classic of difficult issues", so all the theory foundations of "Treatise on cold damage and miscellaneous disease" came from "Internal classic". The keynote of internal classic lies in obeying the Yin and Yang in natural world and preserving and maintaining the yang-qi of human body to attain the longest life-span. Zhang assimilated the essence of "Internal classic" and then generated a new ideological system - "Treatise on cold damage and miscellaneous disease" when studying it. This article is to expound ideology inheritance of keeping in good health by protecting Yang in "Internal classic" from analyzing the usage of Guizhi in "treatise on cold damage diseases".