• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary soluble fiber administration and/or high fat diet on serum and brain neurohormonal profiles, adipose tissue mass and body weight gain in Sprague-Dawley rats. Four groups of rats were respectively fed 10% fat diet (C), 10% fat plus pectin diet (P), 20% fat diet (HFC) and 20% fat plus pectin diet (HFP) for 4 weeks. In HFP group, the food and energy intake, body weight gain, FER including fecal excretion were the smallest (p<0.05). Serum HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose level were also the lowest in HFP group (p<0.05). The weight of brain, epididymal fat pad and adrenal gland except liver didn't show any significant differences among groups. Interestingly serum norepinephrine concentration of HFP group tended to be higher, but dopamine concentration tended to be lower than those of HFC group. However serum catecholamine concentration didn't show any significant differences among all groups. Norepinephrine and epinephrine contents of right portion of midbrain of P and HFP groups were remarkably lower than those of the C group. These results suggested that soluble fiber pectin consumption might affect neurohormonal profiles in serum and brain according to dietary fat level.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2009

Objectives : This study evaluates neuroprotective effect of Gastrodiae Rhizoma on apoptosis in the cerebral infarct. Methods : Cerebral infarct was induced by the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 hours with intraluminal thread method in Sprague-Dawley rats. Then ethanol extract of Gastrodiae Rhizoma was administered orally for 3 days. Infarct area and volume were evaluated with TTC staining. Neuronal apoptosis was identified with TUNEL labeling. Apoptosis modulatory effect was observed with immunohistochemical Bax, Bcl-2, iNOS, and MMP-9 expressions in penumbra. Results : 1. Ethanol extract of Gastrodiae Rhizoma reduced infarct size partly and volume significantly of in the MCAO rat brain. 2. Ethanol extract of Gastrodiae Rhizoma reduced TUNEL positive cell ratio in the penumbra of MCAO rat brain significantly. 3. Ethanol extract of Gastrodiae Rhizoma suppressed Bax, iNOS and MMP-9 expression in the penumbra of MCAO rat brain significantly. 4. Ethanol extract of Gastrodiae Rhizoma did not change Bcl-2 expression in the penumbra of MCAO rat brain. But expression ratio of Bcl-2 against Bax was increased in the Gastrodiae Rhizoma group. Conclusions : These results suggest that Gastrodiae Rhizoma plays an anti-apoptotic neuroprotective effect through suppression of Bax, iNOS, and MMP-9 expressions and relative up-regulation of Bcl-2 in the ischemic brain tissue.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.226-228
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• 2013

Elderly patients with acute subdural hematomas have higher mortality and lower functional recovery rates compared with those of other head-injured patients. Early and widely surgical decompression and active intensive care represent the best way to assist these patients. However, abrupt decompression of the hematoma can lead to brain disruption and secondary ischemia in the brain surrounding the craniectomy site. Acute brain swelling and brain extrusion, which take place shortly after decompression, can lead to a catastrophic situation during the operation due to the impossibility of appropriate closure of the dura and scalp. To avoid the deleterious consequences of disruption of brain tissue, we have adopted multiple fenestrations of the dura in a mesh-like fashion and gradual release of subdural clots through the small dural openings that are left open. This is especially important in cases in which there are massive amount of subdural hematomas with small parenchymal lesion and severe midline shifts in elderly patients. Further clinical experiences should be conducted in a more selected series patients to estimate the impact of this technique on morbidity and mortality rates.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.231-242
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• 1995

Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) increases the activity of acetylchohnesterase and decreases in brain acetylcholine levels. A large amount of free fatty acids accumulated in the brain tissue affects cerebral blood flow, brain edema and inflammation and results in brain injury. The present study examined the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and D,L-pyroglutamic acid (D,L-PCA) on the learning and memory deficit using the passive avoidance failure technique and on the change of acetylcholine and choline level in the cerebral cortex of ECS-induced mice. The application of ECS (25mA, 0.5sec) induced a significant decrease in memory function for 30 min. ECS-induced a significant decrease in cortical acetylcholine and choline levels 1 min following the ECS application, which were almost recovered to ECS control level after 30 min. DHA (20 mg/kg, i.p.). administered 24 hr before shock. prevented the ECS-induced passive avoidance failure and the decrease of acetylcholine level 1 min following the ECS application. DHA failed to elicit a change in cortical choline level. DHA did not affect memory function and the cortical Ach and choline level of normal mice. The administration of D,L-PCA (500 mg/kg, i.p.) increased the effect of DHA on memory function and the change of cortical acetylcholine level of ECS induced mice. These results suggest that DHA treatment may be contributed to the prevention against memory deficit, and to the activation of cholinergic system in the ECS induced mice.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.371-377
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• 2000

In order to investigate the pharmacological properties of fractions of Astragali Radix and Polygalae Radix, the effects of the fractions on cerebral ischemia and subsequent reperfusion were studied. Brain ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion in mongolian gerbil. Brains were recirculated for 30 mins after the 20 min occlusion. Methanol and butanol fractions of Astragali Radix and Polygalae Radix were administered orally 2 hrs before common carotid artery occlusion. Histological observations showed that brain ischemia induced severe brain damage evidenced by the presence of necrotic foci, edema and hemorrhage. This injury was prevented by the methanol fraction and butanol fraction of Polygalae Radix. The level of ATP in brain tissue significantly decreased in ischemic gerbils. This decrease was prevented by the pretreatment with butanol fraction of Polygalae Radix. In contrast, the levels of lactate and lipid peroxide were both elevated in ischemic gerbils. This elevation was inhibited by the pretreatments with methanol fraction and butanol fraction of Polygalae Radix. Our findings suggest that the Polygalae Radix improves ischemia-induced brain damage.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.541-545
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• 1998

This experiment carried out to compare the protective effects of some antioxidants to hydroxyl radicals in embryonic mouse whole brain tissue culture. The ICR mouse whole brain (13 embryonic day) was cultured in hydroxyl radical system in which radicals were generated by 20 mU / ml glucose oxidase (GO). In this experiment, to make ferrous iron from ferric iron, iron as an accelerator, and ascorbic acid as a reductant were used. For comparison of the protective effects to hydroxyl radicals, antioxidants such as desferrioxamine (DFX), laccase. water or ethanol extracts from Rhus Vemiciflua Stokes (RVS), and $\alpha$-tocopherol were used, because they relate to metal ion. The results of this experiment showed that all antioxidants protected effectively the cytotoxicity from hydroxyl radicals in the brain cultures. More than 70% of cell viabilities among different antioxidants was at 1 mM DFX, 1.43 $\mu\textrm{m}$ laccase, 12.5 $\mu\textrm{m}$ water extract, 12.5 $\mu\textrm{m}$ ethanol extract and 50 $\mu\textrm{m}$ $\alpha$-tocopherol individually, compared with 20 mU/ml GO alone. In comparison to the antioxidative activities of antioxidants, laccase and extracts from RVS showed strong antioxidative effects even at low concentration.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.133-137
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• 2001

Long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the human endogenous retrovirus K family (HERV-K) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of genes closely located nearby. We examined transcribed HERV-K LTR elements in human brain tissue. Using cDNA synthesized from mRNA of the human brain, we performed PCR amplification and identified ten HERV-K LTR elements. These LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity (92.4-99.7%) with the human-specific LTR elements. A phylogenetic tree obtained by the neighbor-joining method revealed that HERV-K LTR elements could be divided into two groups through evolutionary divergence. Some HERV-K LTR elements (HKL-B7, HKL-B8, HKL-B10) belonging to the group II from human brain cDNA were closely related to the human-specific HERV-K LTR elements. Our data suggest that HERV-K LTR element are active in the human brain; they could conceivably play a pathogenic role in human diseases such as psychosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.10-26
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• 2019

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is an emerging new technology with considerable potential to treat various neurological diseases. With refinement of ultrasound transducer technology and integration with magnetic resonance imaging guidance, transcranial sonication of precise cerebral targets has become a therapeutic option. Intensity is a key determinant of ultrasound effects. High-intensity focused ultrasound can produce targeted lesions via thermal ablation of tissue. MRgFUS-mediated stereotactic ablation is non-invasive, incision-free, and confers immediate therapeutic effects. Since the US Food and Drug Administration approval of MRgFUS in 2016 for unilateral thalamotomy in medication-refractory essential tremor, studies on novel indications such as Parkinson's disease, psychiatric disease, and brain tumors are underway. MRgFUS is also used in the context of blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening at low intensities, in combination with intravenously-administered microbubbles. Preclinical studies show that MRgFUS-mediated BBB opening safely enhances the delivery of targeted chemotherapeutic agents to the brain and improves tumor control as well as survival. In addition, BBB opening has been shown to activate the innate immune system in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid plaque clearance and promotion of neurogenesis in these studies suggest that MRgFUS-mediated BBB opening may be a new paradigm for neurodegenerative disease treatment in the future. Here, we review the current status of preclinical and clinical trials of MRgFUS-mediated thermal ablation and BBB opening, described their mechanisms of action, and discuss future prospects.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.206-213
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• 2004

This study was performed to evaluate the anticonvulsant, antioxidant effect of modified formulas Korean traditional medicine Gungchihwadam-Jeon(GCHDJ). The extract of GCHDJ was administered (p.o.) to mice for 14 days in anticonvulsant and antioxidant tests. The pretreatment of GCHDJ extract prohibited the pentylenetrazol(PTZ)-induced convulsion in PTZ-induced convulsion, lowered level of brain r-aminobutyric acid(GABA) was restored by the pretreatment of GCHDJ. Increased level of brain glutamic acid was lowered to normal state by GCHDJ, and increased activity of brain r-aminobutyric acid transaminase(GABA-T) was reduced by GCHDJ. In PTZ-induced convulsion, increased level of brain lipid peroxide was lowered to normal state by the pretreatment of GCHDJ. Increased activity of brain xanthine oxidase(XOD) was lowered to normal state by GCHDJ, and increased activity of brain aldehyde oxidase lowered to normal state by GCHDJ. In PTZ-induced convulsion, increased activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and catalase in brain were lowered by the pretreatment of GCHDJ, whereas increased level of glutathione and increased activity of gluthathione peroxidase in brain were not changed significantly. Above results suggest that GCHDJ have anticonvulsant. antioxidant effect. That seems to be strongly related with the levels of GABA, glutamate, lipid peroxide and the activities of GABA-T, XOD, aldehyde oxidase, SOD, catalase in brain tissue. From these results, GCHDJ could be applied to various convulsive disorders.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.171-179
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• 2000

The lengths of thick and thin filaments in the sarcomeres of most vertebrate skeletal muscles are precisely regulated and are important structural parameters in understanding muscle contraction. Nebulin is a usually large protein that spans the whole length of thin filaments in the sarcomeres of skeletal muscles. In this paper we used SDS-PAGE and immunoblot to identify nebulin isoform proteins in muscle and non-muscle tissues. We prepared embryonic chicken tissues including skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, brain, liver to compare nebulin isoform proteins. The proteins were divided into soluble and insoluble fraction. As a result, we identified tissue specific expression of various nebulin isoform proteins in muscle and non-muscle tissues of chicken. Nebulin was detected in skeletal muscle of adult chicken about 500 kDa. Nebulett was expressed in cardiac muscle of embryonic and adult chicken about 107 kDa. A giant protein with molecular mass of about 380 kDa was identified in brain of non-muscle of chicken. This giant protein was detected in the soluble fraction of chicken embryo. The unequal distribution of the nebulin isoform proteins suggests tissue specific regulation of the isoform expression and indicates a functional specialization of the encoded isoform subtypes.