• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.672-676
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• 1997

Microsomal phospholipase D (PLD) in rat brain was solubilized employing 0.2 % taurodeoxycholate in high ionic strength. Phopholipase D activity was determined by measuring product phophatidic acid (PA) using isotope-labelled dipalmitoylphophatidylcholine as a substrate. The solubilized PLD showed an optimal pH of 6.5 and the highest activity at 30$^{\circ}C.$ These properties were similar to those of microsomal PLD before solubilization. The stimulatory effect of oleic acid was observed at the concentration of 4 mM. When effects of metal ions on PLD activity were examined, alkaline earth metals such as $Mg^{2+},\; Ca^{2+},\; Sr^{2+}, \;Ba^{2+}$ promoted the PA production but $Cu^{2+},\; Cd^{2+},\; Al^{3+},\; Ni^{2+},\; V^{5+}$ showed inhibitory effects.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2015

Objectives The power spectral analysis of electroencephalogram has been widely used to reveal the pathophysiology of the alcoholic brain. However, the results were not consistent and the three dimensional study can be hardly found. The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of the three dimensional electroencephalographic (EEG) activity of alcohol dependent patients using standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Methods The participants consisted of 30 alcohol dependent patients and 30 normal healthy controls. All the participants were males who had refrained from alcohol at least one month and were not taking any medications. Thirty two channel EEG data was collected in the resting state with eyes-closed condition during 30 seconds. The three dimensional data was compared between two groups using sLORETA for delta, theta, alpha, beta1, beta2, and beta3 frequency bands. Results sLORETA revealed significantly increased brain cortical activity in alpha, beta1, beta2, and beta3 bands each in alcohol dependent patients compared to normal controls. The voxels showing the maximum significance were in the left transverse temporal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, left anterior cingulate, and left fusiform gyrus in alpha, beta1, beta2, and beta3 bands respectively. Conclusions These results suggest that chronic alcohol intake may cause neurophysiological changes in cerebral activity. Therefore, the measuring of EEG can be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of cognitive impairements in alcohol dependence.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.294-300
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• 2011

Takju is a Korean alcoholic beverage made from rice, and is brewed with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of exercise training and moderate Takju consumption on learning ability in 6-week old Sprague-Dawley male rats. The rats were treated with exercise and alcohol for 4 weeks in six separate groups as follows: non-exercised control (CC), exercised control (EC), non-exercised consuming ethanol (CA), exercised consuming ethanol (EA), non-exercised consuming Takju (CT), and exercised consuming Takju (ET). An AIN-93M diet was provided ad libitum. Exercise training was performed at a speed of 10 m/min for 15 minutes per day. Ethanol and Takju were administered daily for 6-7 hours to achieve an intake of about 10 ml after 12 hours of deprivation, and, thereafter, the animals were allowed free access to deionized water. A Y-shaped water maze was used from the third week to understand the effects of exercise and alcohol consumption on learning and memory. After sacrifice, brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was analyzed. Total caloric intake and body weight changes during the experiment were not significantly different among the groups. AChE activity was not significantly different among the groups. The number of errors for position reversal training in the maze was significantly smaller in the EA group than that in the CA and ET groups, and latency times were shorter in the EA group than those in the CC, EC, CT, and ET groups. The latency difference from the first to the fifth day was shortest in the ET group. The exercised groups showed more errors and latency than those of the non-exercised groups on the first day, but the data became equivalent from the second day. The results indicate that moderate exercise can increase memory and learning and that the combination of exercise and Takju ingestion may enhance learning ability.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.145-153
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• 2003

The goal of this study is to develop a biomarker used in monitoring abnormal behaviors of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) as a model organism caused by hazardous chemicals. Japanese medaka was treated by copper of appropriate sublethal concentrations after starvation for 48 hr. The untreated individuals showed common behavioral characteristics (i.e. , smooth and linear movements). Locomotive activity of the fish was monitored using an image processing and automatic data acquisition system. When treated with copper (100 ppb), the fish showed shaking patterns more frequently. As the concentration of copper increased to 1,000 ppb, activity decreated, and the fish showed an erratic movement. Fish were exposed to copper at various concentrations (0,100 and 1,000 ppb) for 24 hrs, and acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity was observed. When fish were exposed to 1,000 ppb of copper, the body AChE activities appeared to decrease but the head AChE activities showed little change. Expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein in the different organs from both head (brain) and body (kidney) portions affected by the copper treatment were analyzed using immunohistochemical technique compared with control. Five organs of the fish (olfactory bulb, hyothalamus, optic lobe, pons and myelencephalon regions) showed a relatively strong TH protein expression in the control experiment. A differential expression of TH, however, was observed in the treatment (100 ppb and 1,000 ppb). The treatment (1,000 ppb) significantly suppressed TH protein production in the brain regions. In kidney, however, the same treatment caused little suppression compared with the control. Copper appeared to be less effective in suppression of TH than diazinon, a known TH suppressor. It was concluded that TH could be used at a potential biomarker to monitor the acute copper toxicity in Japanese medaka.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 1990

Effects of altering hepatic mixed-function oxidase (MFO) enzyme activities on the metabolism and acute toxicity of parathio were investigated in adult female rats. In vitro hepatic metabolism of parathion to paraoxon was increased by phenobarbital pretreatment (50 mg/kg/day, ip, for 4 consecutive days) and SKF 525-A (50 mg/kg, ip, 1 hr prior to sacrifice) decreased paraoxon formation indicating that phenobarbital induces that form(s) of cytochrome P-450 catalyzing conversion of parathion to paraoxon. Degradation of paraoxon to p-nitrophenol was increased by phenobarbital pretreatment, but not affected by SKF 525-A suggesting that MFO activities play only a minor role in the detoxification of the active metabolite of this insecticide. The phenobarbital-induced increase in paraoxon formation was partially antagonized by SKF 525-A. Significant activity for both parathion activation and paraoxon degradation was also observed in the lung preparation, however, this extrahepatic parathion and paraoxon metabolizing activity was not induced by phenobarbital or inhibited by SKF 525-A pretreatment. Phenobarbital pretreatment increased paraoxon level in livers of rats when measured 3 hr following parathion injection (2 mg/kg, ip). SKF 525-A did not alter parathion or paraoxon levels in brain, blood and liver. Phenobarbital pretreatment decreased the toxicity of parathion (4mg/kg, ip) or paraoxon (1.5 mg/kg, ip) as determined by decreases in lethality and inhibition of brain and lung acetylcholinesterases. An additional SKF 525-A treatment failed to decrease the protective effects of phenobarbital against parathion or paraoxon toxicity. These results suggest that some unknown factors other than hepatic MFO induction are involved in the protective action of phenobarbital against parathion and paraoxon toxicity.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.17-35
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• 1990

Effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT, serotonin) and its precursor tryptophan on the cell proliferation of brain and somite parts of 4 day chick embryo in Dulbeco's modified essential medium was examined morphologically at cellular level. It was realized that the externally added 5-HT and/or tryptophan disturbed cell proliferation and severve necrosis occured. Electron micrograph showed that the development of cell organelles were greatly impaired. The activities of both acetylcholine esterase and $Mg^{2+}$ -dependent ATPase of the brain tissues of 5 day chick embryo, which received 1mg of tryptophan and/or 0.1mg of 5-HT at primitive streak stage after 24 hrs incubation of the fertilized egg, were much lower(about 20-25%) than those of control group. These results were supported by the electron micrographs of chemically treated cells. Control cells showed clear densed bands of acetylcholine esterase activity around nucleus and rough endoplasmic reticulum but tryptophan or 5-HT treated groups showed discontinued activity bands. In the case of $Mg^{2+}$-ATPase, the control groups showed clear continuous activity bands but tryptophan and/or 5-HT treated groups were discontinuous. From the previous and present studies, it seems that the intracelluar 5-HT level is very important for the cell proliferation and normal morphogenesis.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.51-60
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• 2014

This double-blind study, as a human experiment of nonlocality, investigated the effects of senders' intention on the central nervous system of a distant human receiver and it explored the roles that motivation might have in modulating these effects. Whole brain activity was measured in the receiver whom was asked to relax in a distant room for 16 minutes; the sending person directed intention of oneness toward the receiver during repeated variable-second epochs separated by variable-second non-intention epochs. The total length of intention epochs and that of nonintention epochs were balanced. Eighteen sessions were conducted. In 9 of those sessions, the sender was the receiver's lover. In another 9 of those sessions, the sender was just acquainted with the receiver before the session. The receiver's whole brain activity recorded during the intention epochs were compared with the same measures recorded during the nonintention epochs used as controls. The statistical difference between the intentions versus controls across 18 sessions was examined by paired-t test. In addition, subgroup analysis for the 9 couple sessions and 9 non-couple sessions were additionally examined by the same test. The effect of distant intentionality decreased slow waves or increased EEG fast waves mainly in frontal regions, and increased EEG coherence during the intention epochs. The effects was not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction, but the couple sessions combined showed the largest effect followed by all sessions combined. Non-couple sessions combined showed the smallest effect. The changes in EEG power mean that receiver participants became more alert during the intention epochs and the change in EEG coherence might be evidence of coherent heart influence on EEG activity. Planned comparison with specific hypothesis testing for the suggested changes in this study have to be followed for an evidence of electroencephalographic changes in isolated subjects for the distant mental intention.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.210-210
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• 1996

Changs in the glutamatergic nervous system following AF64A injection into lateral ventricle were studied in rats. Rats were treated with the infusion of AF64A (3mM) into lateral ventricle At a week after the infusion of AF64A into lateral ventricle, rats were sacrified and each brain resions was dissected ; striatum, hippocampus and frontal cortex. At these resions, total glutamate and other amino acids levels. [$^3$H]Mk801 binding sites and glutamine synthetase activity were measured using HPLC-ECD, ligand binding assay and enzyme activity assay, respectively. The levels of total glutamate were decreased in striatum, hippocampus and frontal cortex Also, the levels of total glycine and taurine were decreased in all examined regions. Furthermore, the levels of total aspartate and GABA were decreased in both hippocampus and frontal cortex but these didn't alter in striatum. Additionally, the levels of total glutamine were decreased in both striatum and frontal cortex. The u\numbers of [$^3$H]MK801 binding sites were differently dffected in each brain resions ; the decrease in striatum, the increase in frontal cortex and no change in hippocampus Glutamine synthetase activity in striatum was significantly decreased. But, that in both hippocampus and frontal cortex didn't alter These results suggest that changes in the glutamatergic nervous system in three regions are induced by following AF64A injection into lateral ventricle in rats.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.515-520
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• 1999

Incubation of two types of glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins from bovine brain with the arginine-specific dicarbonyl reagent phenylglyoxal resulted in a biphasic loss of enzyme activity. Reaction of the glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins with phenylglyoxal caused a rapid loss of 53~62% of the enzyme activities and modification of two residues of arginine per enzyme subunit. Prolonged incubation of the glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins with phenylglyoxal resulted in the modification of an additional four residues of arginine per enzyme subunit without further loss of the residual activities. Partial protection against inactivation was provided by the coenzyme NADH or substrate 2-oxoglutarate. The most marked decrease in the rate of inactivation was observed by the combined addition of NADH and 2-oxoglutarate, suggesting that the first two modified arginine residues are in the vicinity of the catalytic site. However, inactivation of the glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins by phenylglyoxal appears to be partial with approximately 40% activity remained after an extended reaction time with excess reagent, suggesting that the modified arginine residues may not be directly involved in catalysis. The lack of complete protection by substrates also suggest the possibility that the modified arginine residues are not directly involved at the active site, and the partial loss of activity by the modification of arginine residues may be due to a conformational change. There were no significant differences between the two glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins in sensitivities to inactivation by phenylglyoxal, indicating that the microenvironmental structures of the glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins are very similar to each other.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.809-814
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• 2003

${\beta}-amyloid$ ($A{\beta}$) peptides from the proteolytic processing of ${\beta}-amyloid$ precursor protein (${\beta}-APP$) aggregates in the brain to form senile plaques, and their aggregation plays a key role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To isolate an active compound that has an $A{\beta}$ aggregation-inhibitory activity, 2,000 microbial metabolite libraries were screened based on their ability to inhibit $A{\beta}$ aggregation by using both Congo red and thioflavin T assays. As a result, a water-soluble fraction of a soil microorganism, KK565, showed a potent $A{\beta}$ aggregation-inhibitory activity. The strain was identified as Streptomyces species, based on the cultural and morphological characteristics, the presence of diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall, and the sugar patterns for the whole-cell extract. In addition, the purification of active principle resulted in identifying a heat-unstable protein responsible for the $A{\beta}$ aggregation-inhibitory activity.