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E-Commerce in the Historical Approach to Usage and Practice of International Trade ("무역상무(貿易商務)에의 역사적(歷史的) 어프로치와 무역취인(貿易取引)의 전자화(電子化)")

  • Tsubaki, Koji
    • THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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    • v.19
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    • pp.224-242
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    • 2003
  • The author believes that the main task of study in international trade usage and practice is the management of transactional risks involved in international sale of goods. They are foreign exchange risks, transportation risks, credit risk, risk of miscommunication, etc. In most cases, these risks are more serious and enormous than those involved in domestic sales. Historically, the merchant adventurers organized the voyage abroad, secured trade finance, and went around the ocean with their own or consigned cargo until around the $mid-19^{th}$ century. They did business faceto-face at the trade fair or the open port where they maintained the local offices, so-called "Trading House"(商館). Thererfore, the transactional risks might have been one-sided either with the seller or the buyer. The bottomry seemed a typical arrangement for risk sharing among the interested parties to the adventure. In this way, such organizational arrangements coped with or bore the transactional risks. With the advent of ocean liner services and wireless communication across the national border in the $19^{th}$ century, the business of merchant adventurers developed toward the clear division of labor; sales by mercantile agents, and ocean transportation by the steam ship companies. The international banking helped the process to be accelerated. Then, bills of lading backed up by the statute made it possible to conduct documentary sales with a foreign partner in different country. Thus, FOB terms including ocean freight and CIF terms emerged gradually as standard trade terms in which transactional risks were allocated through negotiation between the seller and the buyer located in different countries. Both of them did not have to go abroad with their cargo. Instead, documentation in compliance with the terms of the contract(plus an L/C in some cases) must by 'strictly' fulfilled. In other words, the set of contractual documents must be tendered in advance of the arrival of the goods at port of discharge. Trust or reliance is placed on such contractual paper documents. However, the container transport services introduced as international intermodal transport since the late 1960s frequently caused the earlier arrival of the goods at the destination before the presentation of the set of paper documents, which may take 5 to 10% of the amount of transaction. In addition, the size of the container vessel required the speedy transport documentation before sailing from the port of loading. In these circumstances, computerized processing of transport related documents became essential for inexpensive transaction cost and uninterrupted distribution of the goods. Such computerization does not stop at the phase of transportation but extends to cover the whole process of international trade, transforming the documentary sales into less-paper trade and further into paperless trade, i.e., EDI or E-Commerce. Now we face the other side of the coin, which is data security and paperless transfer of legal rights and obligations. Unfortunately, these issues are not effectively covered by a set of contracts only. Obviously, EDI or E-Commerce is based on the common business process and harmonized system of various data codes as well as the standard message formats. This essential feature of E-Commerce needs effective coordination of different divisions of business and tight control over credit arrangements in addition to the standard contract of sales. In a few word, information does not alway invite "trust". Credit flows from people, or close organizational tie-ups. It is our common understanding that, without well-orchestrated organizational arrangements made by leading companies, E-Commerce does not work well for paperless trade. With such arrangements well in place, participating E-business members do not need to seriously care for credit risk. Finally, it is also clear that E-International Commerce must be linked up with a set of government EDIs such as NACCS, Port EDI, JETRAS, etc, in Japan. Therefore, there is still a long way before us to go for E-Commerce in practice, not on the top of information manager's desk.

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Organic Matter Analysis and Physicochemical Properties of Leachate from a Foot-and-Mouth Disease Landfill Site (구제역 가축 매몰지 침출수의 물리 화학적특성과 유기물질 성상분석)

  • Kang, Mee-A;Kim, Mi-Sun;Choi, Byung-Woo;Sohn, Ho-Yong
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.128-134
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    • 2012
  • Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most notorious and contagious viral diseases afflicting cloven-hoofed animals. In this study, the physicochemical properties of leachate from a FMD landfill site at 773-1, Waryong, Andong, Korea and the ground water from 777, Waryong, Andong, Korea, were analyzed for 1 year from December $10^{th}$ 2010 to November $17^{th}$ 2011. The leachate was collected from the FMD landfill site during March, May, July, September and November, 2011 and changes in pH, brix, water content, insoluble solids, crude proteins, crude lipids, total and reducing sugars and ash content were determined. Considering the annual profiles of temperature and rainfall at the FMD landfill site, the dramatic changes in the physicochemical properties of the leachate from March to July, and especially from May to July, such as increases in pH, and a rapid reduction of brix and organic matter, may be closely linked to the growth of microorganisms in the leachate. The sharp decreases in the concentration of biominerals, such as Mg, Ca, and Fe from 1073, 4311 and 56.2 ppm in March to 151, 78, and 0.1 ppm in November, further suggest that decreases in organic matter in the leachate result from degradation by microorganisms originating from the intestines of the livestock. Analysis of the profiles of the organic materials in the leachate revealed that the properties of the leachate were similar to those of excremental matter-derived water. These results could be applied to a number of fields for the analysis of organic matter behavior, the development of the degradation process, and risk analysis in the environment for hygiene and food industries, of leachate from FMD landfill sites.

Sex Steroid Hormone and Ophthalmic Disease (성호르몬과 안질환)

  • Kim, Jin-Ju;Yu, Hyeong-Gon;Ku, Seung-Yup
    • Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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    • v.37 no.2
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    • pp.89-98
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    • 2010
  • Sex and its tropic hormones influence the lacrimal system, corneal anatomy and disease, aqueous humor dynamics and glaucoma, crystalline lens and cataract, and retinal disease. Dry eye occurs especially frequently during pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, and after menopause, during which androgen levels decrease. Androgen control development, differentiation, and lipid production of sebaceous glands throughout the body, and androgen deficiency also leads to meibomian gland dysfunction and evaporative dry eye. On the other hand, estrogen causes a reduction in size, activity, and lipid production of sebaceous glands. Sex and its tropic hormones also influence the corneal anatomy and disease, and corneal thickening occurred on the second day of the menstrual cycle and around the time of ovulation and appeared to be related to estrogen levels. Fuchs' dystrophy is more commonly seen in postmenopausal women than men and may be linked to hormonal changes that occur with aging. In addition, overexpression of estrogen and progesterone receptors in the conjunctiva of vernal keratoconjunctivitis patients. Serum progesterone levels also may be associated with intraocular pressure especially in pregnant women, and for the women. For women with cataracts, hormone levels were typical of menopause, and there was a significant negative correlation between estradiol and follicular stimulating hormone levels. In addition, serum testosterone levels are associated with the development of diabetic retinopathy. Although the role of sex hormones on the eye is largely unknown, and the results should be interpreted with caution until replicated, the functions of sex hormones in ocular disease remains to be investigated, because they may be involved in structure and function of the ocular components, which are important in the pathogenesis of ocular disease.

Impact of Allogenic and Autologous Transfusion on Immune Function in Patients with Tumors

  • Guo, Jian-Rong;Xu, Feng;Jin, Xiao-Ju;Shen, Hua-Chun;Liu, Yang;Zhang, Yi-Wei;Shao, Yi
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.467-474
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    • 2014
  • Objective: To observe the effects of allogeneic and autologous transfusion on cellular immunity, humoral immunity and secretion of serum inflammatory factors and perforin during the perioperative period in patients with malignant tumors. Methods: A total of 80 patients (age: 38-69 years; body weight: 40-78 kg; ASA I - II) receiving radical operation for gastro-intestinal cancer under general anesthesia were selected. All the patients were divided into four groups based on the methods of infusion and blood transfusion: blank control group (Group C), allogeneic transfusion group (group A), hemodiluted autotransfusion Group (Group H) and hemodiluted autotransfusion + allogenic transfusion Group (A+H group). Venous blood was collected when entering into the surgery room ($T_0$), immediately after surgery ($T_1$) and 24h ($T_2$), 3d ($T_3$) and 7d ($T_4$) after surgery, respectively. Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to assess changes of peripheral blood T cell subpopulations and NK cells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays were performed to determine levels of IL-2, IL-10, TNF-${\alpha}$ and perforin. Immune turbidimetry was employed to determine the changes in serum immunoglobulin. Results: Both CD3+ and NK cells showed a decrease at $T_1$ and $T_2$ in each group, among which, in group A, CD3+ decreased significantly at $T_2$ (P<0.05) compared with other groups, and CD3+ and NK cell reduced obviously only in group A at $T_3$ and $T_4$ (P<0.05). CD4+ cells and the ratio of D4+/CD8+ were decreased in groups A, C and A+H at $T_1$ and $T_2$ (P<0.05). No significant intra- and inter-group differences were observed in CD8+ of the four groups (P<0.05). IL-2 declined in group C at $T_1$ and $T_2$ (P<0.05) and showed a decrease in group A at each time point (P<0.05). Moreover, IL-2 decreased in group A + H only at $T_1$. No significant difference was found in each group at $T_1$ (P<0.05). More significant decrease in group ?? at $T_2$, $T_3$ and $T_4$ compared with group A (P<0.05), and there were no significant differences among other groups (P>0.05). IL-10 increased at $T_1$ and $T_2$ in each group (P<0.05), in which it had an obvious increase in group A, and increase of IL-10 occurred only in group A at $T_3$ and $T_4$ (P<0.05). TNF-${\alpha}$ level rose at $T_1$ (P<0.05), no inter- and intra-group difference was found in perforin in all groups (P<0.05). Compared with the preoperation, both IgG and IgA level decreased at $T_1$ in each group (P<0.05), and they declined only in Group A at $T_2$ and $T_3$ (P<0.05), and these parameters were back to the preoperative levels in other groups. No significant differences were observed between preoperative and postoperative IgG and IgA levels in each group at $T_4$ (P>0.05). No obvious inter- and intra-group changes were found in IgM in the four groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Allogeneic transfusion during the perioperative period could obviously decrease the number of T cell subpopulations and NK cells and the secretion of stimulating cytokines and increase the secretion of inhibiting cytokines in patients with malignant tumors, thus causing a Th1/Th2 imbalance and transient decreasing in the content of plasma immune globulin. Autologous transfusion has little impact and may even bring about some improvement oo postoperative immune function in patients with tumors. Therefore, cancer patients should receive active autologous transfusion during the perioperative period in place of allogeneic transfusion.

A Study on the Semiotic Discourse of Color Expression in Impressionism Paintings -Focus on Works of Impressionism - (인상주의 회화에서 색채 표현의 기호적 담론 연구 -인상주의 작품 분석을 중심으로 -)

  • Ryu, Joo-Hyun
    • Cartoon and Animation Studies
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    • s.40
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    • pp.521-549
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    • 2015
  • We recognize all objects by seeing. However, we are not sure that the things we see through our eyes are their essence. Here comes my question: What does it mean that humans see and recognize things? The things we see are images and so I consider recognizing an object as semiosis via our visual sensation and brain. That is because objects are defined not by their essence but as symbols we recognize. In the era of post-modernism art is a voluntary creative activity that creates a kind of spiritual value and plays an important role for appreciators who realize the fact to enjoy the life value. This paper focused on the art putting aesthetic value on humans' recognition and explored works of art in a visually perceptible way through semiosis. That is because art, an act of creating things, is symbolic and closely linked to semiotic system. Furthermore, derivative visual signs can be considered to be in line with the viewers' visual perception. If we interpreted by recognizing the works of art along with symbol, we can enjoy the works in depth through recognizing their color or shape. Therefore, I intended to discourse on color perception focusing on colors in order to analyze the relationship between art and symbol in the process of recognizing works of art. This paper looked into background of color recognition, status of colors and ways of expression for impressionist who painted with various colors and examined colors as a sensory language. In the process of interpreting art works by communication between the artist and viewers, the role of color is considered as visual symbol through the artist's experience, consciousness, emotions, and their senses. It can be interpreted the visual language through signification of the symbols when the colors are formed in works of art as a recognizable space. Therefore we expect to study in the Visual arts to be the colors symbolic analysis is extended to more effective communication tool.

Low T3 syndrome in Kawasaki disease: Relation to serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and NT-proBNP (가와사끼병에서의 저 T3 증후군 : 혈청 tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 및 NT-proBNP 농도와의 관계)

  • Cho, Hye Kyung;Sohn, Jin A;Kim, Hae Soon;Sohn, Sejung
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.52 no.2
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    • pp.234-241
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    • 2009
  • Purpose : We investigated the relationship between thyroid hormone and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin (IL-6) and N-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). Methods : Serum levels of thyroid hormone, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, and NT-proBNP were measured in 52 KD patients in the acute and subacute phase and 10 patients with acute febrile illness (control group). TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 were determined by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Echocardiography was performed to detect coronary artery lesions (CAL) in KD patients. Results : Low $T_3$ syndrome occurred in 63.5% of KD patients. $T_3$ in the acute phase of KD was lower than that in the control. In KD patients, $T_3$ was lowered in the acute phase and elevated in the subacute phase, whereas TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6 and NT-proBNP were elevated in the acute phase and decreased in the subacute phase. NT-proBNP, and IL-6 were higher in patients with low $T_3$ than in those with normal $T_3$. In addition, $T_3$ inversely correlated with IL-6 and NT-proBNP. Of the 4 patients with CAL, 3 had very low $T_3$. Compared with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-responsive patients, IVIG-resistant patients had lower $T_3$ and higher IL-6 and NT-proBNP. Conclusion : $T_3$ decreases in the acute phase of KD and normalizes in the subacute phase without thyroid hormone replacement. Low $T_3$ may be partially induced by IL-6 rather than TNF-${\alpha}$, and is strongly associated with high NT-proBNP. $T_3$ in KD may be used for the differential diagnosis, monitoring the activity of the disease, and predicting the severity of inflammation.

The usefulness of skin test in evaluation of immunity to varicella (수두에 대한 면역력 평가에 있어서 피부 시험의 유용성)

  • Kim, Ji-Young;Lee, Hye Jeen;Kim, Me Jin;Kim, Young Ho;Jung, Ji A;Yang, Seung;Hwang, Il Tae;Lee, Hae Ran
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.51 no.4
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    • pp.377-382
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    • 2008
  • Purpose : The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of skin test by an inactivated, 1/50 diluted solution of attenuated varicella vaccine in evaluating the immune status to varicella. Methods : Total 41 subjects (22 males, 19 females, aged 1-32 years) were enrolled from July to August, 2005. Past medical history including varicella infection, varicella vaccination were investigated through questionnaires. The skin test solution was prepared from solution of attenuated varicella vaccine(Oka strain) which was inactivated by exposure to room temperature for 10 days and diluted at 1/50 with normal saline. Skin test was done by injecting 0.1 mL of the solution intradermally into the volar surface of the right forearm and sterile normal saline was used as a control on the left forearm. Positive reaction was defined when the transverse diameter of the induration was 5 mm or more. Serum varicella zoster virus specific IgG antibody test by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was done. Results : In adults, the sensitivity of the varicella zoster virus skin test compared to ELISA was 94.7% and the positive predictive value was 100%. In children, both the positive predictive value and specificity were 100% but the sensitivity and the negative predictive value were 50% and 30.7% respectively. Children showed smaller skin test reactivity compared to adults. Conclusion : The varicella zoster virus skin test using inactivated, 1/50 diluted solution of attenuated varicella vaccine was proved as one of the useful tools for evaluating the immunity and susceptibility of the varicella zoster virus.

Comparison of Paraquat Actions on Oxygen Radical Generation and Lipid Peroxidation between Submitochondrial Particle and Microsome of Mouse Liver (Paraquat에 의한 산소 Radical 생성 및 지질과산화 작용의 Mouse 간 Submitochondria Particle과 Microsome에서의 비교)

  • Choi, Jung-Hwan;Kim, Yong-Sik;Park, Jong-Hwan;Chung, Myung-Hee;Yunn, Chong-Ku
    • The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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    • v.27 no.2
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    • pp.155-166
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    • 1991
  • In order to evaluate a potential role of mitochondria in the mediation of toxicity of paraquat (PQ), submitochondrial particle and microsome of mouse liver were compared by oxygen radical generation and lipid peroxidation. With NADH in submitochondrial particle and NADPH in microsome as electron donors, PQ stimulated production of superoxide anion and $H_2O_2$ in both fractions. Under the same conditions, PQ enhanced the generation of ethylene from methional suggestiong stimulation of OH production by PQ. But these effects by PQ were somewhat lower in submitochondrial particle than in microsome. In addition, lipid peroxidation(measured as MDA production) was stimulated by PQ in both fractions. The stimulation of lipid peroxidation in both fractions seemed to occur by the same mechanism probably through perferryl ion. This was supported by the following findings: i) The lipid peroxidation in both fractions was partially inhibited by SOD and completely inhibited by DETAPAC(an iron chelator) but not by catalase or OH scavenger. ii) Addition of $ADP-Fe^{3+}$ further increased PQ-induced lipid peroxidation but decreased ethylene production from methional suggesting no correlation between OH production and lipid peroxidation. The redox-cycling of PQ in mitochondria appeared to be linked to NADH dehydrogenase, not to CoQ since all of the observed stimulations by PQ in submitochondrial particle were inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate(a NADH dehydrogenase inhibitor) but not affected by other respiratory chain blockers. The above results demonstrate that redox-cycling properties of PQ leading to oxygen radical generation and lipid peroxidation can also occur in mitochondria in the same manner as in microsome. Therefore, the observed actions of PQ in mitochondria suggest that mitochondria may also contribute to toxicity of this drug in vivo.

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Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids in Benign Breast Tumor and Breast Cancer (양성 유방 종양과 유방암 환자의 혈청 인지질 지방산 조성)

  • Shim, Eu-Gene;Ahn, Sei-Hyun;Hwang, You-Jeong;Leekim, Yang-Cha
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.42 no.3
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    • pp.213-220
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    • 2009
  • Studies on the relationship between blood fatty acids and the risk of breast cancer have not yielded definite conclusions. The role of fatty acids in the development and progression of breast cancer is unclear. We conducted a case-control study to determine serum phospholipid fatty acid composition in benign breast tumor and breast cancer. Subjects consisted of 27 benign breast tumor and 68 breast cancer patients, and 28 matched controls. The levels of fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography. Higher arachidonic and palmitic acids were observed in breast cancer patients as compared with control and benign breast tumor patients. The percentage of total saturated fatty acids in breast cancer was higher than in control and benign breast tumor patients. The level of stearic acid was lower in benign breast tumor and breast cancer patients. Saturation index, the ratio of stearic to oleic acid, was lower in benign breast tumor and breast cancer patients compared to the control. Moreover, stearic acid was negatively and arachidonic acid was positively correlated with the cancer stage. In conclusion, our results support that serum phospholipid compositions of specific fatty acids are associated with the risk of benign breast tumor as well as breast cancer. Further studies are necessary to investigate mechanisms linked to the breast cancer etiology.

Immunomodulatory effect of the water extract of Aster tataricus through mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway (Aster tataricus 물 추출물의 mitogen-activated protein kinase 신호 전달 경로를 통한 면역 조절 효과)

  • Lee, Chea Yeon;Park, Hyo Sung;Kong, Deok-Hoon;Kim, Young Kwan;Cho, Whajung
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.53 no.5
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    • pp.452-463
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    • 2020
  • Purpose: Aster tataricus (AT) is one of the Asteraceae perennial herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The herb contains various bioactive substances, such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic compounds in the roots, and exhibits a range of effects including anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of ethanol and water extracts of whole AT, except the roots, and analyzed the molecular mechanisms for the regulatory effects on cytokine secretion from THP-1 cells. Methods: The effects of AT extract on the cell viability and proliferation of THP-1 cells were analyzed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. The concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cell culture supernatant of the AT-treated THP-1 cells were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (IκBα), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation in the cell lysates were determined by western blotting. Results: The water extract and the ethanol extract of AT did not affect the cell viability, and increased the proliferation of THP-1 cells significantly compared to the vehicle. The water extract increased the secretion of IL-1β from THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but the ethanol extract had no effect. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS protein and the phosphorylation of MAPK and Akt were induced in AT-treated cells. In addition, IκBα was degraded by AT in a concentration-dependent manner. IL-1β secretion by AT was reduced by extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors, while TNF-α secretion was decreased by inhibitors of ERK, p38 MAPK, and JNK. Interestingly, the p38 MAPK inhibitor increased the production of IL-1β by AT further. Conclusion: The water extract of the above-ground parts of AT contains immunomodulatory bioactive substances that stimulate immune cells through the MAPK signaling pathway.