• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1012-1018
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• 2010

This study investigated the functional effect by diets of Triticum aestivum sprout (TA) on the levels of blood glucose and lipid profiles in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Diabetes mellitus were induced by STZ intraperitoneal injection (50 mg/kg) into the male Balb/c mice. All mice fed AIN-93 diet for 3 weeks. Mice were divided to 4 groups: normal, diabetic control and two experimental groups (TA 5.0, diet with Triticum aestivum sprout 5.0% w/w; TA 2.5, diet with Triticum aestivum 2.5% w/w). The blood glucose level was decreased by TA intake in diabetic mice in the dose-dependant manner; 21.34% and 35.77% in TA 2.5 and TA 5.0 groups. The weight gain and feed efficiency ratio also were improved by TA intake compared with DM group. The weight gain was increased 1.28 and 1.09 folds in TA 5.0 and TA 2.5 groups, respectively. The weight of organs, including liver and kidney, was reduced but that of spleen and abdominal fat was increased by TA intake. Moreover, TA treatment increased the level of HDL but decreased the level of total cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood of diabetic mice. The blood of HbA1c also was significantly decreased without changing hematocrit by TA treatment compared with DM group. These results indicate the TA intake has the functional effects attenuating blood glucose and plasma lipid levels in insulin-dependent diabetes.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.228-235
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• 2010

This study was performed to investigate the memory enhancing effect of Poria cocos Wolf (Hoelen cum radix) against scopolamine-induced amnesia in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. To induce amnesia, scopolamine (0.75 mg/kg) was intraperitonically injected into SD rats 30 min before starting behavior tests. We have conducted Morris water-maze and Y-maze tests to monitor learning and memory functions. Poria cocos effectively reversed scopolamine-induced memory impairment in SD rats which was represented by an improvement of mean escape latency in water-maze test and spontaneous alterations in Y-maze test. To elucidate possible molecule mechanism, we have measured mRNA as well as protein expression of acetylcholine esterase (AchE), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAchR), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. Poria cocos increased mRNA levels of ChAT and mAchR in rat hippocampus compared with those in the scopolamine-injected amnesic group. In addition, protein expression of ChAT and BDNF was also elevated by Poria cocos intake. Furthermore, as an upstrem regulator, the activation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) was assessed by immunohistochemistry. In this immunohistochemical analysis, the phosphorylation of CREB (p-CREB) was reduced by scopolamine injection, which was restored back to control levels by administration of Poria cocos. These results suggest that Poria cocos may improve memory and cognitive deficit in amnesia and have therapeutic potentials through up-regulation of ChAT, mAchR, and BDNF, which seemed to be mediated by activation of CREB.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.313-326
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of effective microorganisms (EM) on growth, yield and fruit nutrient contents of two cultivars ('Muhanjilju' and 'Daetong') of hot pepper. The number of injection of EM cultivated are 6 times from the pepper plant seedlings until harvested in both cultivars. Stem girth was highest in the treatment of Lactobacillus plantarum whereas lowest in no EM control. In 'Muhanjilju', the number of branches was highest (79.3) in the treatment of Bacillus subtilis whereas in 'Daetong' was highest (119.0) as treated with Lactobacillus plantarum. Yield of the red hot pepper fruits that sum of two varieties was highest in the treatment of Rhodopseudomonas capsulatas (53.1kg FW per 10a). Regardless of EM treatments, average yield was 8% higher in 'Daetong' than is 'Muhanjilju' (33.8kg vs 31.2kg per 10a). The incidence of antracnose was lowest by the Rhodopseudomonas capsulatas treatment, which led to the highest yield. As for the effect on fruit mineral nutrients, total N and phosphorus concentrations were highest in the treatment of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis in both varieties, respectively. The highest content of total carotenoids was obtained from the treatment of Lactobacillus plantarum in both varieties.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 1995

To investigate the effects of endosulfan on cytochrome P-450 enzymes in mouse(Balb c.), endosulfan was given by an intraperitoneal dose of 7.5 mg/kg. The treatment of endosulfan increased the cytochrome P-450 content by 3.3 to 4.2 fold, cytochrome $b_5$ content by 2.3 to 3.8 fold, NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase activity by 5.3 to 6.4 fold and total haem content by 3.1 to 3.6 fold of mouse liver after 48 hrs of intraperitoneal injection. Endosulfan cytochrome P-450 absorption spectrum exhibited miximum at 387 nm and 389 nm and broad near 407 nm in the liver microsome. Reduced P-450-CO spectrum of the liver microsome exposed by the treatment of endosulfan showed maximum at 449 nm and 450 nm compared to that of the control having maximum at 451 nm, which indicated endosulfan induced cytochrome P-450 new isozymes. Aldrin epoxidase activities in the mouse liver and kidney were increased by 2.8 and 2.1 fold by the treatment of endosulfan. Also 7-ethoxyresorufin dealkylase activities in the mouse liver and kidney were elevated by 1.7 and 1.8 fold by treatment of endosulfan.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2007

This study was conducted to identify optimistic primordial germ cells'(PGCs) migration activity using heat activated busulfan treatment for the increasing germline chimerism. Donar PGCs viability tests of important conditions for useful germ line chimerism indicated approximately $70{\sim}80%$ viability was time dependent. Transplantation experiments of PGCs into recipient embryos after busulfun treatment, showed the treatment group having 23.5% viability. By comparison, the control group showed 4.8% viability. The 96 hour treatment group and the 118 hour treatment group of the cultured PGCs showed high migration activity. Generally, the transplantation method would consider morphological and physiological characteristics before transplantation. In the present study, the effect of busulfan on migration activity showed viability highest at 53.4% after 48-hour incubation time. However, a previous study showed the best condition for transplantation time to be prior to the 48-hour incubation period, when the chicken embryo does not yet have a developed blood vessel system. In conclusion, an important condition for the production of a transgenic chicken is that most donor PGCs migrate into the recipient embryo without any inhibitory factors. The present results suggest, perhaps by using this modified method of transplantation, it can produce a more efficient chimeric germ line, transgenic chicken.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.3 s.70
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• pp.505-512
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• 2005

Excitotoxicity and epileptogenesis have often been associated with glutamate receptor activation. Accumulating evidences indicates that topiramate (TPM), an antiepileptic drug with multiple mechanisms of action has neuroprotective activity. We explored the neuroprotective effect of TPM on the status epilepticus (SE)-induced hippocampal neuronal death. After development of SE by kainite injection (15 mg/Kg), rats were treated with TPM (10mg/kg) for 1 week. The neuronal death was detected by Apop tag in situ detection kit, and the expression levels of glutamate receptors were semi-quantitatively analyzed by immunoblot. Kainate-induced SE caused a significant neuronal death and cell loss in CAI and CA3 regions of hippocampus at 1 week. However, treatment of TPM for 1 week after SE markedly reduced hippocampal neuronal death. The expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit 1, was increased by SE, but was not affected by 1 week treatment of TPM. The expressions of NMDA receptor subunit 2a and 2b were not changed by either SE or TPM. As for ${\alpha}-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate$ (AMPA) glutamate receptors (GluR), kainate-induced SE markedly up-regulated GluR1 expression but down-regulated GluR2 expression, leading to increased formation of $Ca^{2+}$ permeable GluR2- lacking AMPA receptors. TPM administration for 1 week attenuated SE-induced expression of both the up-regulation of GluR1 and down-regulation of GluR2, reversing the ratio of GluR1/GluR2 to the control value. In conclusion, TPM protects neuronal cell death against glutamate induced excitotoxicity in kainate-induced SE model, supporting the potential of TPM as a neuroprotective agent.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-48
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to analyze medical expenses by decedents in their last year of life and compare them with those by survivors during the year 2008. This study is conducted firstly in Korea, except some studies focusing on medical cost of decedents from specific diseases. To study this, national health insurance(NHI) claims data was used with medicaid claims data. The study group(decedents) was selected from the insurance entitlement file who were dropped out from January to December of 2008. The control group(survivors) was selected from the entitlement file by stratified sampling with keeping age-sex composition of the study group. The medical expenses of decedents during one year before death were measured and compared with those of survivors by sex and age. And the medical expenses were analyzed by causes of death, and also the expenses were examined by each item of medical services. On average, the medical expense amounted to 11 million Korean Won per decedent during their last year of life in 2008. The medical expense per decedent was 9.3 higher than that of survivor. The death-related expense of under the age 35 was about 16 million Won, compared with 4 million Won in the case of over the age 95, in average. The death-related expense is higher in younger ages. This means that more medical resources are put in to save life in younger ages. Total death-related expenditure took 8.3 percent in total NHI expenditures. Of the death-related medical expenses, the largest one was injection-related cost which shares twenty five percent, and the second largest one was hospitalization charges, and then the third one was surgery cost. The results of this study suggested that we should pay attention to the medical expenses in the last of year of life when we study health care expenditure in Korea. In addition, we have to deliberate health care policy to cope with medical expenditures before death in more efficient way.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2000

This study was conducted during the time period of September 1997 to February 1999. in order to provide data concerning important facets of horne care nursing and the degree to which practicing hospital and public health nurses believe themselves to be competent in each area. The study subjects consisted of 610 hospital nurses, 158 public health nurses and 21 other nurses from Seoul and the province of Kyunggi. Korea. Data was collected through self-reporting questionnaires which was used by Kim et al.(1999) to evaluate the status of home health nursing and the varying ideas of self-competence that practicing nurses have. The results of the study were as follows: 1) The mean scores of perceived important components and competencies on home health nursing measured on the Likert 4 point scale were $3.15{\pm}0.36$ for importance. and $2.56{\pm}0.36$ for competency. Of the four categories regarding nursing services, the 'Nursing skill' factor had the highest importance and competency. 2) There were significantly higher scores for hospital nurses' importance components and competencies of home care nursing as compared to those scores for public health nurses. 3) The significant factors of the importance component of home care nursing listed in order of priority were 'general infection control', 'bed sore care skill', 'rehabilitation care', 'keeping maintenance of the client's confidentiality', 'malpractice', 'diabetes patient care', 'ability for problem solving' respectively. In contrast, of low priority in the importance components of home care nursing were 'referring nursing as a job to others'. 'record keeping', 'family dynamics', 'medical equipment', 'economic problems', 'environmental assessment', 'suture removal', 'multidisciplinary coordination' respectively. 4) The high priority of the degree to which practicing nurses believe themselves to be competent in home health nursing were the 'blood sugar test', 'enema skill', 'injection skill', 'skin care', 'bed sore care skill', etc. In contrast, lower competence for home care nursing as perceived by nurses were 'AIDS care', 'family violence care', 'substance abuse care', 'mental health care' respectively.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 1999

To investigate the role of interleukin-l$\beta$ (IL-1$\beta$) in the embryonic development, in vivo and in vitro expression patterns of IL-1$\beta$ gene in the preimplantation mouse embryos were examined by RT-PCR, and the effects of explanted mouse ovi-duct and uterine epithelial cells on the expression of IL-1$\beta$ gene in the pleimplantation mouse embryos were examined by co-culture. IL-1$\beta$ mRNA was detected in the embryos from 4-cell stage to blastocyst stage in vivo and from morula stage to hatching blastocyst stage in vitro. This transcript was not detected from the GV stage to late 2-cell stage in vivo, and not at the 4-cell and 8-cell stages in vitro. For the co-culture of late 2-cell embryos with the explanted mouse oviduct and uterine epithelial cells, oviducts and uterine epithelial cells were isolated at 48 hour alter the hCG injection. The explanted oviduct and uterine epithelial cells in co-culture groups facilitated the IL-1$\beta$ gene expression of the mouse embryos in comparison with the control. Taken together these results suggest that the presence of IL-1$\beta$ plays an important role in preimplantation embryonic development. In addition, the up-regulation of IL-1$\beta$ gene expression by the explanted oviduct and uterine epithelial cells demonstrates that embryonic expression of IL-l$\beta$ gene may be regulated by the interaction with oviductal and uterine factor (s).

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.43 no.11
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• pp.984-997
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• 2015

Chang'e-3 consisting of a lunar lander and exploration rover was launched on December 1, 2013 aboard a Long March 3B rocket flying from Xichang space launch center. Chang'e-3 was inserted into the lunar orbit after about a 5-day transit to the Moon and landed on the targeted landing site after orbiting around the Moon for 8 days. The successful landing of the Chang'e-3 gives a lot of help to analyze the future needs of the subsystem technologies and to figure out the trajectory from launch to lunar landing as well as operation sequences in the development of Korean lunar exploration is scheduled. Therefore, the configuration and analysis of overall mission of Chang'e-3 is performed based on the public information from the press and website. As a result, overall mission trajectory is reconstructed by solving boundary condition and then estimating control variable. Visibility status and eclipse status also analyzes so communication and power charge condition is as good as to operate lunar lander. Mass budget of the lander is derived using ${\Delta}V$ according to specific impulse.