• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 1993

Recent studies have shown that a GABAergic mechanism in the brain modulates arterial blood pressure (BP) through alterations of sympathetic activity in the brain. The purpose of the present study was to determine if this modulation is involved in the pressor response to raised intracranial pressure (ICP). The pressor response to raised ICP was abolished by pretreatment of anesthetized rabbits with intracerebroventricular (icv) muscimol (a GABA agonist) as well as with icv clonidine $(an\;{\alpha}_2-agonist)$. Raising ICP in the hypertensive state after icv yohimbine $(an\;{\alpha}_2-antagonist)$ did not cause an additional increase in the BP, whereas raising ICP in the hypertensive state following icv bicuculline (a GABA antagonist) produced a further increase. Bicuculline produced an increase of the BP which had been lowered by muscimol or by clonidine, whereas it failed to increase the hypertensive state induced by either previous yohimbine or raised ICP. Yohimbine reversed the BP which had been made low by clonidine but was incapable of raising the hypotensive state after muscimol. Yohimbine failed to increase the heightened BP due to raised ICP, whereas bicuculline-induced pressor state was further elevated by yohimbine. Muscimol, besides the bicuculline-antagonizing property, inhibited the pressor response to yohimbine, suggesting participation of a GABAergic mechanism in the pressor action of yohimbine. From these results it was inferred that there were three ways in which BP could be increased via raised ICP: inactivation of the inhibitory sympathetic activity through (1) ${\alpha}_{2}-adrenoceptors$, (2) bicuculline-sensitive GABA receptors, (3) yohimbine-sensitive, clonidine-acting GABAergic sites.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 1990

Mechanical obstruction of the common hepatic duct includes the following causes ; choledocholithiasis, sclerosis, cholangitis, pancreatic carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, postoperative stricture, primary hepatic duct carcinoma, enlarged cystic duct lymph nodes, and metastatic nodal involvement of the porta hepatis. Partial mechanical obstruction of the common hepatic duct caused by impaction of stones and inflammation surrounding the vicinity of the neck of the gallbladder had been reported on the "syndrome del conducto hepatico" in 1948 by Mirizzi. Nowadays, this disease was named by Mirizzi syndrome. Mirizzi syndrome is a rare entity of common hepatic duct obstruction that results from an inflammatory response secondary to a gallstone impacted in the cystic duct or neck of the gallbladder. It results from an almost parallel course and low insertion of the cystic duct into the common hepatic duct. In a varient of Mirizzi's syndrome, the cause of the common hepatic duct obstruction was a primary cystic duct carcinoma rather than gallstone disease. A 71-year-old man was admitted with a four-day history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Past medical history was unremarkable. On physical examination, the patient had a temperature of $38^{\circ}C$, icteric sclera and right upper quadrant tenderness. Pertinent laboratory findings included WBC 18,000/$cm^2$;albumin 2.6g/dl(normal 3.9-5.1) ; SGOT 183u/L(normal 0-50) ; SGPT167u/L(normal 0-65) ; bilirubin, 8.2mg/dl(normal 0-1) with the direct bilirubin, 4.4mg/dl(normal 0-0.4). Ultrasonography revealed a dilated extrahepatic biliary tree. ERCP showed that the superior margin was angular and more consistent with a calculus causing partial CHD obstruction(Mirizzi syndrome). At surgery a diseased gallbladder containing calculi was found. In addition, there was two calculi partially eroding through the proximal portion of the cystic duct and compressing the common hepatic duct. A cholecystectomy and excision of common bile duct was performed, with Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. The postoperative course was uneventful.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.177-184
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• 1988

The pattern of progesterone production and secretion of frog(R. dybowskii) follicles was investigated in follicle culture in vitro. Involvement of cAMP in the regulation of the steroid production by the follicles was also investigated by manipulating endogeneous cAMP level with forskolin and/or 3-isoburyl- 1 - methylxanthine(IBMX). Endogeneous follicular progesterone level increased rapidly in one hour of culture by treatment of frog pituitary homogenate(FPH) and reached peak level at 2 hours or later. But the absolute amount of progesterone produced (60-300 pg/follicle) or the peak time of the honnone level was different between individual animals. Basal level of progesterone in untreated sister follicles was very low (around 10 pg/follicle) and nearly undetectable in most cases regardless of culture lime. Secretion level of progesterone by the follicles obtained by measunng the honnone in the culture media was just the reflection of the intrafollicular level. Exogeneously added forskolin, an adenylate cyclase stimulator, and/or IBMX, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, could mimic FPH action in terms of progesterone production and secretion. Thus, it seems clear that FPH regulates progesterone production via cAMP system in the follicle cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.948-955
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• 2005

Glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) in diverse renal diseases undergo cell proliferation and/or hypertrophy, and gangliosides have been reported to play an important role in modulating cell structure and function. This study compared the effects of transforming growth $factor-\beta\; (TGF­\beta1)$ and the effects of the application of exogenous gangliosides on GMCs and investigated whether the application of exogenous gangliosides regulated cellular proliferation and hypertrophy. Human GMCs were cultured with exogenous gangliosides and $TGF-\beta1$ in a media containing $10\%$ fetal bovine serum and in a media without the fetal bovine serum. Exogenous gangliosides biphasically changed the proliferation of human GMCs (0.1-1.0 mg/mL). A low concentration (0.1 mg/mL) of gangliosides mainly increased the number of human GMCs, whereas cellular proliferation was significantly reduced by raising the concentration of exogenous gangliosides. $TGF-\beta1$ greatly reduced the number of human GMCs in a concentration­dependent manner (1-10 ng/mL). Serum deprivation accelerated the gangliosides- and $TGF­\beta1-induced$ inhibition of mesangial cell proliferation to a greater extent. Gangliosides (1.0 mg/ mL) and $TGF-\beta1$ (10 ng/mL) both caused a significant increase in the incorporation of $[^3H]leucine$ per cell in the serum-deprived condition, whereas it was completely reversed in serum­supplemented condition. Similar results to the $[^3H]leucine$ incorporation were also observed in the changes in cell size measured by flow cytometric analysis. These results show that exogenous gangliosides modulate cell proliferation and hypertrophy in cultured human GMCs, and these cellular responses were regulated differently based on whether the media contained serum or not. Results from the present study raise new possibilities about the potential involvement of gangliosides in the development of mesangial cell proliferation and hypertrophy.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.103 no.1
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• pp.137-146
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• 2014

We have developed the Forest Carbon Sink Index on afforestation and reforestation activities, a regulation stated in article 26 of the 'Law on the maintenance and enhancement of carbon sink (Carbon Sink Law)', which took effect on March, 2013. According to the legal purpose to evaluate the performance of individual forest carbon offset projects and to compare each other at a certain point, values of the forest carbon sink index were calculated by the scoring method. Three criteria were established based on the Carbon Sink Law: 'Carbon' (real greenhouse gas reduction), 'Human' (socio-economic effect) and 'Nature' (environmental effect). Continuously, 9 indicators from the three criteria were selected by top-down approach; the adequacy of each criteria and indicators were reviewed through on-line Delphi survey; and finally weighted value of each criteria and indicators were assigned. To reflect the characteristics of the domestic forest carbon offset projects, which focus on corporate social responsibility-typed projects, we applied the score weighting method to minimize gaps among criteria and ones among indicators. After applying our newly developed forest carbon sink index to five domestic forest carbon offset projects, we could confirm that the criteria of 'Human' and 'Nature', which criteria are in relatively low weight, can play a role as an actual incentive to reduce negative socio-economic and environmental impacts. Based on performance evaluation of the five forest carbon offset project by the forest carbon sink index, the best or good performance project developers could be rewarded, and further the performance evaluation would work as an incentive to stimulate the involvement of domestic project developers in the field of forest carbon offset project.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.268-282
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• 2012

International marriage migrants from developing to developed countries are to seek a better economic condition. There are only a few empirical research on comparing and analyzing economic condition of marriage migrants before and after marriage. This study attempted to analyze the relationship between the cognition on the change of economic condition before and after marriage and the socio-economic characteristics of Vietnamese international marriage female migrants. About 80% of interviewees of this study were motivated to marry Korean men for economic reasons; however, their household economic level was relatively low. Reflecting the household economic level, about half the Vietnamese women considered that there was very little difference in the economic condition before and after marriage; while, the percent of women considering the current economic condition as getting better were more than 4 times of that of women considering as becoming worse. The cognition on the economic condition change before and after marriage was positively correlated with the level of education attainment of husbands and themselves, the Korean language ability, state of occupation in Korea, the level of husband's income, involvement of management of living expenses and length of residence in Korea. The occupation in Vietnam and the state of remittance were not significantly related to the cognition on the economic condition change before and after marriage. Vietnamese marriage female migrants were highly motivated to have a job out of home to improve the economic condition of their own family and natal family. Concreted alternative programs should be made to help those women to work out of home.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2016

Purpose: The aim of this work was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with localized prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients who received radical hypofractionated IMRT were retrospectively reviewed. Based on a pelvic lymph node involvement risk of 15% as the cutoff value, we decided whether to deliver treatment prostate and seminal vesicle only radiotherapy (PORT) or whole pelvis radiotherapy (WPRT). Sixteen patients (41%) received PORT with prostate receiving 45 Gy in 4.5 Gy per fraction in 2 weeks and the other 23 patients (59%) received WPRT with the prostate receiving 72 Gy in 2.4 Gy per fraction in 6 weeks. The median equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions to the prostate was 79.9 Gy based on the assumption that the ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ ratio is 1.5 Gy. Results: The median follow-up time was 38 months (range, 4 to 101 months). The 3-year biochemical failure-free survival rate was 88.2%. The 3-year clinical failure-free and overall survival rates were 94.5% and 96.3%, respectively. The rates of grade 2 acute genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities were 20.5% and 12.8%, respectively. None of the patients experienced grade ${\geq}3$ acute GU and GI toxicities. The grade 2-3 late GU and GI toxicities were found in 8.1% and 5.4% of patients, respectively. No fatal late toxicity was observed. Conclusion: Favorable biochemical control with low rates of toxicity was observed after hypofractionated IMRT, suggesting that our radiotherapy schedule can be an effective treatment option in the treatment of localized prostate cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.164-173
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• 2016

Isotocin (IT), a nonapeptide homolog of oxytocin in mammals, has been suggested to be involved in physiological processes including social behaviors, stress responses, and osmoregulation in teleost fish. To study its structure and function, the gene encoding the IT precursor was cloned from the genomic DNA and brain cDNA of the cinnamon clownfish, Amphiprion melanopus. The IT precursor gene consists of three exons separated by two introns, and encodes an open reading frame of 156 amino acid (aa) residues, comprising a putative signal peptide of 19 aa, a mature IT protein of 9 aa, a proteolytic processing site of 3 aa, and 125 aa of neurophysin. Tissue-specific analysis of the IT precursor transcript indicated its expression in the brain and gonads of A. melanopus. To examine its osmoregulatory effects, the salinity of the seawater (34 ppt) used for rearing A. melanopus was lowered to 15 ppt. Histological analysis of the gills indicated the apparent disappearance of an apical crypt on the surface of the gill lamella of A. melanopus, as pavement cells covered the surface upon acclimation to the lower salinity. The level of Na⁺/K^+-ATPase activity in the gills was increased during the initial stage of acclimation, followed by a decrease to its normal level, suggesting its involvement in osmoregulation and homeostasis. The only slight increase in the level of IT precursor transcript in the A. melanopus brain upon low-salinity acclimation suggested that IT played a minor role, if any, in the process of osmoregulation.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.87-108
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• 2000

This study analyzes the factors influencing self-esteem of the gifted children. The factors are divided into the environmental ones and innate ones. The purposes of this study is presented as follows. 1) To analyze the environmental factors influencing self-esteem of the gifted children (1) whether the education period affects self-esteem of the gifted children? (2) what influences do the manners of parental child-rearing behavior make? (3) what influences do peer relationships make on self-esteem of the gifted children? 2) To analyze the innate factors influencing self-esteem of the gifted children (1) does the gender make a difference to self-esteem of the gifted children? (2) does the level of intelligence make a difference to self-esteem of the gifted children? (3) what influences does the locus of control make on the self-esteem of the gifted children? To solve these questions 120 gifted children were selected, who were taking a special education program at C Korea Academy of Gifted Education located at Yangjae-dong Seocho-gu. They were 1st to 3rd grades at elementary school. We used Hare Self-Esteem Scale developed by Bruce R. Hare in 1985, the Index of Peer Relations developed by Hudson in 1986, and Nowicki & Strickland Locus of Control Scale developed by Nowicki and Strickland in 1973. At the other hand the nursing behaviors of 120 mothers of the gifted, were also investigated, based on the Korean Maternal Behavior Inventory, developed by Sungyeon Park in 1989 with some modifications. For statistical analysis we adopted SPSS, a computer software, and calaulated the coefficient of internal appropriateness and the frequencies and percentages of general aspects of the cases. We analysed the factors influencing the self-esteem of the gifted children by way of Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis and Duncan for ex-post-facto approval. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. 1) Influences of the environmental factors on the self-esteem of the gifted children: (1) The duration of education period had a significant effect on the self-esteem; the longer the duration were, the higher self-esteem they possessed. (2) Of parental child-rearing behaviors, active involvement had positive influence on the self-esteem; on the contrary, authoritarian control and overprotection had negative influences on the self-esteem. (3) An acceptable peer relationship had a positive influence on the self-esteem of the gifted children. 2) Influences of individual innate characteristics on the self-esteem of the gifted children: (1) The gender made no difference on the self-esteem of the gifted. (2) The intelligence did not have a statistically significant effect on the self-esteem of the gifted. (3) When the locus of control was external, the self-esteem of the gifted tended to be low.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2001

Background: Power spectrum analysis method is a powerful noninvasive tool for quantifying autonomic nervous system activity. In this paper, we developed a data acquistion system for estimating the activity of the autonomic nervous system by the analysis of heart rate and respiratory rate variability using power spectrum analysis. Materials and methods: For the detection of QRS peak and measurement of respiratory rate from patient's ECG, we used low-pass filter and impedence method respectively. This system adopt an isolated power for patient's safety. In this system, two output signals can be obtained: R-R interval heart rate) and respiration rate time series. Experimental ranges are 30-240 BPM for ECG and 15-80 BPM for respiration. Results: The system can acquire two signals accurately both in the experimental test using simulator and in real clinical setting. Conclusion: The system developed in this paper is efficient for the acquisition of heart rate and respiration signals. This system will play a role in research area for improving our understanding of the pathophysiologic involvement of the autonomic nervous system in various disease states.