• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2008

Parkinson's disease (PD) progresses severely by a gradual loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Epidemiological studies showed that the incidences of PD were reduced by smoking of which the major component, nicotine might be neuroprotective. But the function of nicotine, which might suppress the incidences of PD, is still unknown. Fortunately, recently it was reported that a glial reaction and inflammatory processes might participate in a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the SN. The levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ synthesised by astrocytes and microglia are elevated in striatum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in PD. TNF-${\alpha}$ kills the cultured dopaminergic neurons through the apoptosis mechanism. TNF-${\alpha}$ release from glial cells may mediate progression of nigral degeneration in PD. Nicotine pretreatment considerably decreases microglial activation with significant reduction of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA expression and TNF-${\alpha}$ release induced by lipopholysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Thus, this study was intended to explore the role of nicotine pretreatment to inhibit the expressions of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA in human fetal astrocytes (HFA) stimulated with IL-$1{\beta}$. The results are as follows: HFA were pretreated with 0.1, 1, and $10{\mu}g/mL$ of nicotine and then stimulated with IL-$1{\beta}$ (100 pg/mL) for 2h. The inhibitory effect of nicotine on expressions of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA in HFA with pretreated $0.1{\mu}g/mL$ of nicotine was first noted at 8hr, and the inhibitory effect was maximal at 12 h. The inhibitory effect at $1{\mu}g/mL$ of nicotine was inhibited maximal at 24 h. Cytotoxic effects of nicotine were noted above $10{\mu}g/mL$ of nicotine. Moreover, Nicotine at 0.1, 1 and $10{\mu}g/mL$concentrations significantly inhibited IL-$1{\beta}$-induced TF-${\kappa}B$ activation. Collectively, these results indicate that in activated HFA, nicotine may inhibit the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA through the pathway which suppresses the NF-${\kappa}B$ activation. This study suggests that nicotine might be neuroprotective to dopaminergic neurons in the SN and reduce the incidences of PD.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.4 s.48
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• pp.677-691
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• 1994

To evaluate the validity of serum pepsinogen levels as a screening tool for gastric cancer and adenoma, immunoradiometric assays of serum pepsinogen I level (PG I), II level (PG II) and esphagogastroduodenal endoscopies were done in 757 health examinees. Serum PG I level was higher in subjects with active duodenal ulcer (n=45, $75.2{\pm}34.3{\mu}g/l(mean{\pm}standard\;deviation)$, p<0.01) and gastroduodenal ulcers (n=8, $75.6{\pm}19.8{\mu}g/l$, p<0.05), and was lower in those with gastric adenoma(n=4, $37.7{\pm}37.2{\mu}g/l$, p<0.2) than those with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars (n=378, $56.6{\pm}24.9{\mu}g/l$. Serum PG II level was higher in subjects with active duodenal ulcer($17.2{\pm}13.8{\mu}g/l$, p<0.2), active gastro-duodenal ulcers ($18.3{\pm}7.4{\mu}g/l$, p<0.2) and gastric carcinoma (n=3, $23.8{\pm}10.9{\mu}g/l$, p<0.05) than those with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars $(14.5{\pm}7.9{\mu}g/l)$. Serum PG I/PG II ratio was higher in subjects with active duodenal ulcer($5.1{\pm}1.6$, p<0.05) and was lower in those with chronic gastritis(n=107, $4.1{\pm}1.7$, p<0.05), gastric polyp(n=19, $3.9{\pm}1.4$, p<0.2), gastric adenoma(n=4, $2.1{\pm}1.9$, p<0.01) and gastric carcinoma(n=3, $2.7{\pm}1.2$, p<0.1) than those with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars ($4.5{\pm}1.7$). Serum PG II level increased with age until 6th decade, whereas serum PG I/PG II ratio decreased with age in 378 subjects with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars. The screening criteria of serum PG I<$70{\mu}g/l$ and PG I/PG II ratio<3.0 for detecting gastric cancer and adenoma gave a positive rate of 15.7%, sensitivity of 57.1% and specificity of 84.7%.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.248-254
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• 2003

Objective : This study was conducted in order to investigate predictors of smoking cessation in outpatients. Method : Subjects were 40f adult smoking patients who saw their doctors in the outpatient setting at a university hospital, regardless of their willingness of otherwise in smoking cessation. Physicians delivered a brief, stop smoking prompt to all patients who smoked one or more cigarettes a day. Then they referred to on-site counselors who provided a brief, nurse assisted intervention with a survey to a randomly assigned intervention group (200 smoking patients), whom the counselors telephoned later to prevent relapse or promote the motivation to quit, or gave only a survey to a control group (201 smoking patients). After at least 5 months, self-reported current smoking cessation was confirmed later using cut-off values of 7 ppm or less in expired alveolar air after breath holding portable CO analyzer. Results : After 5 months, subjects in the intervention group were 1.56 times (95% C.I. 0.89-2.73) more likely to quit smoking than those in the non-intervention group (14.0% vs. 9.0%). Willingness to quit smoking in a month, scheduled admission in a month, self efficacy score and FTND (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence) score were all significantly related with smoking cessation. In stepwise multiple logistic regression, previous attempts to quit smoking were significant instead of self efficacy score. In the intervention group who had willingness to quit smoking in a month (132 smoking patients), FTND score, whether quit date was today, and whether quit promise paper was submitting were all significantly related with smoking cessation. In stepwise multiple logistic regression, scheduled admission in a month and whether quit date was today were significant predictor variables, Smoking cessation treatment should be tailored to individual smoking patients considering these predictors.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2010

Field study to find appropriate species for phytoremediation and phytomonitoring with higher plants was carried out at four abandoned metalliferous mines. In order to know the tolerant degree of plant resources collected at heavy metal polluted sites, soil and plants were sampled at same sites and metal concentrations were determined. Most serious heavy metal polluted in the sites was As that showed range from 29.1 to 1372.2 mg $kg^{-1}$ in investigated area. The dominant species were Oenothera biennis, Commelina communis, Persicaria senticosa, Conyza annuus, Artemisia princeps, and Erigeron canadensis. These species were predominant species that were proliferated in any survey area. Compared with other sites, vegetational characteristics of Dal-Seong, a mine site abandoned early in 1973, showed higher diversity index and lower dominance index. Distributions of weed species according to life cycle indicated that the proportions of perennial plants were lowered in every investigated site. Although the polluted areas were distant from each other, similarity indices among these vegetation were relatively similar. These results means the vegetations of abandoned mine areas were beginning stage of vegetational succession, and the vegetations were adversely affected by disturbance with heavy-metals and lack of water in soil.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.304-308
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• 2004

Immune enhancing activities of water and ethanol extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. (HP) were examined. HP extracts inhibited the growth of human hepatocarcinoma, human gastric cancer cell and human breast cancer cells in concentration-dependent mammers over a concentration range of $0.05{\sim}1.0\;mg/ml$, showing inhibiton of more than 80% with the concentration of 1.0 mg/ml. However, HP the same concentration. Overall selectivity of the extracts on the three human cancer lines was over 3.5, which is higher than those from the conventional herbs. The growth of human immune B and T cells was enhanced up to 1.4 to 2.0 folds by the addition of the extracts for 4 days, compared to controls. Ethanol extracts of HP after 6 days incubation increased the secretions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha $(TNF-{\alpha})$ from T cells and interleukin-6 (IL-6) from B cells to 6.7 pg/cell and 6.8 pg/cell, respectively. These results suggest that HP has a potent immune enhancing effect.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2004

The anticancer activities of the extracts from Acanthopanax senticosus Harms, Ephedra sinica Stapf, Rubus coreanus Miq and Artemisia capillaris Thunb were compared according to extract systems. About 70% of the growth of human hepatocarcinoma cancer cell was inhibited in adding 1.0 mg/ml of the water extract from Rubus coreanus Miq with ultrasonification at $60^{\circ}C$. The growth of human normal lung cell was limited to 25% in adding the extracts with ultrasonification at $60^{\circ}C$. The effect of extracts obtained by only water and with ultrasonification on different of human promyelocytic leukemia cells was also observed.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2007

Purpose: Owing to organophosphate-pyrethroid mixtures are widely used, suicidal or unintentional poisoning is common. But there have been relatively few reports of poisoning. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the difference of the severity and toxicity between organophosphate-pyrethroid mixtures poisoning and single organophosphate poisoning. Methods: From August 2005 to July 2006, 65 patients presented with organophosphate-pyrethroid mixtures poisoning to emergency medical center. Date were gathered by report form it was drawn up. Results: 65 patients were enrolled in 28 hospitals and their mean age was $56.5{\pm}16.2$ years old. The most common cause of poisoning was suicide, in 52 cases(80%). Chlorpyrifos-cypermethrin, malathion-esfenvalerate were the most frequent chemicals involved, and the mean ingestion amount was 135.4ml. The most common symptom of the patients was nausea/vomiting, in 16 patients. The average GCS score was 13. The mean ICU stay was $4.4{\pm}5.2$ days, and mortality was 3.1%. Conclusion: The severity and toxicity of organophosphate-pyrethroid mixture poisoning were lower than that of single organophosphate poisoning.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2001

Purpose: Bone scintigraphy with $^{99m}Tc$-labeled phosphates is one of the most common procedures in evaluation of various skeletal disorders. Metabolic bone diseases show involvement of the whole skeleton and are associated with increased bone turnover and increased uptake of $^{99m}Tc$-labeled phosphates. In this study, we investigated apparently normal women who were examined with routine bone scintigraphy applied bone densitometry to correlate it with skeletal uptake in bone scan. Materials and Methods: This study includes 79 women who were performed both of bone mineral density(BMD) and bone scintigraphy. We investigated the relation of bone scan findings and BMD of lumbar, femur, radius. Results: Regional BMD were negatively correlated with increased age. Among the bone scintigraphy findings representing metabolic bone disease, uptakes by the long bones, skull and mandible increased with age in women, while that in the costochondral junction decreased. Increased skull and mandible uptakes is associated with decreased BMD, and it has statistically significance. Conclusion: Our results show that increased radionuclide uptake in bone scintigraphy, especially skull and mandible uptake was associated with decreased lumbar, femur BMD in women. So that, increased skull and mandible uptake in women would be a scintigraphic sign of osteopenia of osteoporosis.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.151-163
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• 2011

Objectives : Our aim is to evaluate feasibility for massive clinical research and to make basic analysis of efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue. Methods : This study is a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. It was developed through literature searches and discussions among researchers. Results : Forty participants allocated to acupuncture group and wait-list group. Participants allocated to acupuncture group will be treated three times per week for a total of 12 sessions over four weeks. Eight points (GV20; bilatral GB20, BL11, BL13, BL15, BL18, BL20, BL23) have been selected for the acupuncture group. Participants in the wait-list group will not receive acupuncture treatment during study period and follow-up will be made in the 5th and 9th weeks after random allocation. Then the same acupuncture treatment as that performed to the acupuncture group will be made to the wait-list group. Fatigue Severity Scale, a short form of Stress Response Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Insomnia Severity Index will be used as outcome variables to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture. Safety will be assessed at every visit. Conclusions : The trial based on this study will be performed. The results of the trial will provide basis for the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.104-110
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• 2009

Purpose: Compared to soft tissue sarcoma, the relative risk of extraskeletal osteosarcoma is still not clear. The purpose of this study is to identify the difference in survival and local recurrence rate between two soft tissue sarcomas. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with pathologically confirmed extraskeletal osteosarcoma were analysed. For retrospective matched case-control study, we selected 72 patients who were confirmed as high grade soft tissue sarcoma and had similar tumor location, tumor size and age to extraskeletal osteosarcoma. Results: Median age was 50 years old. Five cases were located in upper extremity, four in the buttocks, three in the lower extremity. Overall survival rate of extraskeletal osteosarcoma group and high grade soft tissue sarcoma group at 5 years were 52% and 55%. There is no significant difference (p=0.8). Local recurrence rate and metastasis rate were 58%, 67% in extraskeletal osteosarcoma group and 36%, 51% in soft tissue sarcoma group, which were not stastistically significant(p=0.2, p=0.4). Conclusion: Extraskeletal osteosarcoma have similar local recurrence, metastasis and survival rate compare to high grade soft tissue sarcoma. The number of patients of this study were too small to identify outcome of extraskeletal osteosarcoma. Further multi-institutional study should be attempted.