• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.143.2-144
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• 2003

Recent studies suggest that inflammatory events are implicated in a variety of ailments such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, and certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have beneficial effects for the treatment or prevention of these disorders. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the rate-limiting enzyme in the prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, is induced by various pro-inflammatory stimuli including nitric oxide (NO) and has been reported to cause and/or aggravate neuronal cell death. (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.23-25
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• 2019

Recent research suggests that the brain has capable of remarkable plasticity and physical activity can enhance it. In this editorial letter, we summarize the role of hippocampal plasticity in brain functions. Furthermore, we briefly sketched the factors and mechanisms of motion that influence brain plasticity. We conclude that physical activity can be an encouraging intervention for brain restoration through neuronal plasticity. At the same time, we suggest that a mechanistic understanding of the beneficial effects of exercise should be accompanied in future studies.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.99-105
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• 2000

Lithium, a simple monovalent cation, is the mainstay in the treatment of manic-depressive illness, but despite extensive research, its mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. Because lithium requires chronic administration for therapeutic efficacy and because its beneficial effects last well beyond its discontinuation, it has been postulated that lithium may exert major effects at the genomic level. We have previously shown that Yungmijihwangwon (YM) increase TH protein expression through antioxidant activity and unknown effects in vivo. In the pressent study, we have sought to determine if lithium in herbal medicine also increases the expression of endogenous gene known to be regulated by AP-1 and have therefore investigated the effects of herbal medicine on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels. Male mice were treated with LiCl and herbal medicine for 30 days, and TH levels and dopamine level were measured in striatum using immunoblotting and ECD-HPLC. Herbal medicine treatment resulted in statistically nonsignificant increase in TH levels in mouse striatum. The precise therapeutic relevance of these effects is presently unknown.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.689-699
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• 2017

Purpose: This research aimed to investigate the effects of a cognitive rehearsal program (CRP) on workplace bullying among nurses. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was performed. Participants were 40 nurses working in different university hospitals in B city, South Korea. The experimental group was provided with a 20-hour CRP comprising scenarios on bullying situations, standard communication, and role-playing. To evaluate effects of the CRP, we measured interpersonal relationships, workplace bullying, symptom experience, and turnover intention at preand post-intervention. Follow-up effect was measured in the experimental group only at 4 weeks after the intervention. Results: After the intervention, there were significant differences in interpersonal relationships (F=6.21, p=.022) and turnover intention (F=5.55, p=.024) between experimental and wait-list groups. However, there was no significant difference in workplace bullying or symptom experience between the 2 groups. The beneficial effects on interpersonal relationships and turnover intention lasted at least up to 4 weeks after CRP. Conclusion: The CRP for workplace bullying improves interpersonal relationships and decreases turnover intention. So it can be utilized as one of the personal coping strategies to reduce the the turnover among nurses. Further studies on the effects of unit- or hospital-based CRP and on the long-term effects of CRP are necessary.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.637-653
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• 2023

The physiology of most organisms, including Drosophila, is heavily influenced by their interactions with certain types of commensal bacteria. Acetobacter and Lactobacillus, two of the most representative Drosophila commensal bacteria, have stimulatory effects on host larval development and growth. However, how these effects are related to host immune activity remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the Drosophila development-promoting effects of commensal bacteria are suppressed by host immune activity. Mono-association of germ-free Drosophila larvae with Acetobacter pomorum stimulated larval development, which was accelerated when host immune deficiency (IMD) pathway genes were mutated. This phenomenon was not observed in the case of mono-association with Lactobacillus plantarum. Moreover, the mutation of Toll pathway, which constitutes the other branch of the Drosophila immune pathway, did not accelerate A. pomorum-stimulated larval development. The mechanism of action of the IMD pathway-dependent effects of A. pomorum did not appear to involve previously known host mechanisms and bacterial metabolites such as gut peptidase expression, acetic acid, and thiamine, but appeared to involve larval serum proteins. These findings may shed light on the interaction between the beneficial effects of commensal bacteria and host immune activity.

• ALGAE
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.253-263
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• 2011

Phenotypic plasticity was examined in the economically and ecologically important brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum in southwestern Nova Scotia, considering specifically how nutrient loading affected its vegetative and reproductive features. To determine this, we examined morphometric changes in A. nodosum from two sites receiving direct effluent impacts from a land-based finfish aquaculture facility and from two control sites, approximately 2 km away from the aquaculture facility in opposite directions. Fronds from test sites were significantly younger than from control sites (5 y vs. 8 y); however, fronds from farm sites were significantly larger (219 g vs. 90 g) because of their higher growth rates. Thalli from farm sites had greater reproductive potential, as shown by numbers of receptacle initials (797 initials vs. 281 initials). These results suggest limited nutrient inflows from land-based aquaculture may positively affect adjacent Ascophyllum populations by inducing higher growth rates. We conclude that the coordination of effluent management from land-based aquaculture with natural resource harvesting of A. nodosum may be beneficial. Further study is necessary to determine the limits of nutrient loading for this potentially beneficial outcome.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.212-220
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, is highly consumed in South Asia. However, curry that contains turmeric as its main spice might be the major source of curcumin in most other countries. Although curcumin consumption is not as high in these countries as South Asia, the regular consumption of curcumin may provide a significant health-beneficial effect. This study evaluated whether the moderate consumption of curry can affect blood glucose and lipid levels that become dysregulated with age. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study used data obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 2012 to 2013, to assess curry consumption frequency as well as blood glucose and blood lipid levels. The levels of blood glucose and lipids were subdivided by age, sex, and body mass index, and compared according to the curry consumption level. The estimates in each subgroup were further adjusted for potential confounding factors, including the diagnosis of diseases, physical activity, and smoking. RESULTS: After adjusting for the above confounding factors, the blood glucose and triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the moderate curry consumption group compared to the low curry consumption group, both in older (> 45) male and younger (30 to 44) female overweight individuals who have high blood glucose and triglyceride levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that curcumin consumption, in an ordinary diet, can have health-beneficial effects, including being helpful in maintaining blood glucose and triglyceride levels that become dysregulated with age. The results should be further confirmed in future studies.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.108-113
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• 2009

Taurine supplementation has been shown to have a beneficial effect on femur bone mineral content in ovariectomized rats. It therefore seemed desirable to find out whether the beneficial effect of taurine on ovariectomized rats fed calcium deficient diet could also be reproduced. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, One group was OVX and the other group received sham operation (SHAM), and received either control diet or a taurine supplemented diet for 6 weeks. All rats were fed on calcium deficient diet (AIN-93: 50% level of calcium) and deionized water. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured in spine and femur. The serum and urine concentrations of calcium and phosphorus were determined, Bone formation was measured by serum osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations, Bone resorption rate was measured by deoxypyridinoline (DPD) crosslinks immunoassay and corrected for creatinine. Urinary calcium and phosphorus excretion, osteocalcin in blood and cross link value were not significantly different among the groups. Within the OVX group, the taurine supplemented group had not higher femur bone mineral content than the control group. This study established the need for a study on the taurine effect on bone with different calcium levels.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.539-544
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• 2004

Herbal medicine has been used in the Eastern world for 2,000 years, and is beneficial for numerous diseases. There have been reports pertaining to the safety of herbal medicine, but there have been few reports about herbal medicine induced liver injury in Eastern or Western medicine. Most are descriptions of hepatotoxicity of certain toxic herbs. We experienced one case of drug induced liver injury in the treatment of cerebral infarction with Chungsim Yeonja-tang. Although the patient had not used medication and Chungsim Yeonja-tang has no toxic herbs in it. patient's ALP, AST, ALT, GGT was twice elevated after 20 days on medication. This was diagnosed as drug induced liver injury, possibly due to incorrect diagnosis of Sasang constitution. So no herbal medicine was given for seven days. Then Gagam Saeng Gan-tang was given. Gagam Saeng Gan-tang have been used to treat hepatic disease and have been known to have beneficial effects. After 25 days on medication, the clinical symptoms and liver function improved. So, this case is presented to bring more attention to the toxicity of herbal medicines.

• CELLMED
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.24.1-24.6
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• 2020

Kushta Jast (KJ) is a unique herbo-mineral preparation of the Unani System of Medicine (USM) which is prepared by taklis (calcination) and prescribed by the practitioners of USM for the treatment of various ailments, including the respiratory ailments. It is used as muqawwi (tonic) to boost the immunity (Muqawwi-i-badan), and can increase the phagocyte activity of the immune cells, thereby, promoting the growth and spread of lymphocytes and increasing circulating antibodies to neutralize a harmful pathogen and reduce humma or body fever (Dafi'-i-humma). Incidentally, the principal mineral component of KJ, zinc, has been widely acknowledged for its beneficial influence on the immune function, and decrease the risk of developing serious respiratory illnesses. In this manuscript, we provide a glimpse of the literature on KJ and postulate its potential beneficial effects in respiratory infections, including COVID-19.