• Toxicological Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.285-291
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• 2010

Recently, reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of bisphenol A (BPA) have been documented, and thus a review was requested for BPA management direction by the government. Therefore, this study was performed to establish a Korean tolerable daily intake (TDI) for BPA. An expert committee, consisting of specialists in fields such as toxicology, medicine, pharmacology, and statistics, was asked to evaluate BPA health based guidance values (HbGVs). Although many toxicological studies were reviewed to select a point of departure (POD) for TDI, rat and mouse reproductive studies by Tyl et al. (2002, 2006), which were performed according to GLP standards and OECD guidelines, were selected. This POD was the lowest value determined from the most sensitive toxicological test. The POD, a NOAEL of 5 mg/kg bw/day, was selected based on its systemic toxicity as critical effects. An uncertainty factor of 100 including interspecies and intraspecies differences was applied to calculate the TDI. According to the evaluation results, a TDI of BPA for Korean was suggested at 0.05 mg/kg bw/day. In addition, the BPA exposure level based on food consumption by the Korean population was estimated as 1.509 ${\mu}g/kg$ bw/day, and the HI was evaluated at 0.03 when the TDI of 0.05 mg/kg bw/day was applied. This HI value of 0.03 indicated that hazardous effects would not be expected from BPA oral exposures. Although highly uncertain, further studies on low dose neurobehavioral effects of BPA should be performed. In addition, it is recommended that the 'as low as reasonably achievable' (ALARA) principle be applied for BPA exposure from food packaging materials in newborn infants and children.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.43-55
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• 2011

Objectives : Sokmyeung-tang(SMT) has been used for treatment of CVA in traditional oriental medicine, so this study was designed to evaluate the effect of SMT's protection on brain cell damage against the oxidative stress that was affected by CVA, We also investigated the effect of motor function improvement and neurotrophic factor in ischemic cerebral damaged rats. Methods : We measured cell viability after administrating SMT, chemicals(Paraquat, SNP, rotenone, and $H_2O_2$) which cause oxidative stress, and both SMT and chemicals. We carried out neurobehavioral evaluation(Rotarod test, Beam-walking test, postural reflex test) and observed BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) expression by injecting SMT into ischemic cerebral damaged rat. Results : Through this study, we observed the following three results. First, brain cell death caused by paraquat, rotenone, and $H_2O_2$ significantly decreased with the treatment of SMT. Second, neuronal movement function in ischemic cerebral damaged rats was significantly improved by the treatment of SMT. Third, BDNF in ischemic cerebral damaged rats increased with the treatment of SMT. Conclusions : SMT protects brain cells from damage induced by oxidative stress (Paraquat, rotenone, $H_2O_2$). SMT also improves neuronal movement function and increases BDNF in ischemic cerebral damaged rats.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.62-69
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• 2014

Background: Neuromodulation therapy has been used to an adjunctive treatment promoting motor recovery in stroke patients. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on neurobehavioral recovery and evoked potentials in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion. Methods: Seventy Sprague-Daley rats were induced permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke model and successful stroke rats (n=56) assigned to the rTMS (n=28) and sham (n=28) group. The 10 Hz, high frequency rTMS gave on ipsilesional forepaw motor cortex during 2 weeks in rTMS group. The somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) and motor evoked potential (MEP) were used to evaluate the electrophysiological changes. Behavioral function of the stroke rat was evaluated by the Rota rod and Garcia test. Results: Forty rats ($N_{rTMS}=20;\;N_{sham}=20$) completed all experimental course. The rTMS group showed better performance than sham group in Rota rod test and Garcia test at day 11 (p<0.05) but not day 18 (p>0.05). The amplitude of MEP and SSEP in rTMS group was larger than sham group at day 18 (p<0.05). Conclusions: These data confirm that the high frequency rTMS on ipsilesional cerebral motor cortex can help the early recovery of motor performance in permanent middle cerebral artery stroke model and it may simultaneously associate with changes in neurophysiological activity in brain.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.355-365
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• 2017

This study investigatedwhether occupational therapeutic craft activity improves cognitive function and hand function in patients with acute stroke, with the hope of providing clinically useful results for further studies. From March 2016 to November 2016, thirty acute patients with stroke at A general hospital and B rehabilitation hospital in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, Korea were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups. One group was treated with occupational therapeutic craft activity,and the other general exercise. The subjects performed each activity for 30 minutestwice weekly, for four weeks. To test the effect of intervention, hand function was tested with the Box & Block Test and the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test.Cognitive function measures were the NCSE and Trail-Making Test. Over the four weeks of treatment activities, in the occupational therapeutic craft activity group, hand function measures(p<.05) increased significantly,as did cognitive function measures(p<.05). This study shows that occupational therapeutic craft activity improves hand function and cognitive function effectively in patients with acute stroke. Occupational therapeutic craft activity programscan be based on this study to prepare intervention programs for further studies with acute stroke patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.103-121
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• 2004

Conversion disorder and factitious disorder should be ruled out before making diagnosis of malingering. For this work, inspection of patient's behavior along with complete neurological examinations, psychological tests, and meticulous psychiatric interview are necessary. Facial expression test, thermography, dynamometry were failed differentiating conversion disorders to the malingered pain and motor symptoms, however, controlled diagnostic block showed positive result partly in patients with regional or cervical pain syndrome. Chronic pain patients who are related to the process of litigation encounter stressful life situations which lead them into various neurobehavioral and psychosocial complications. Most of suspected malingered patients would not revealed pure form rather mixed with factitious and/or conversion features. At the time of increasing number of chronic patients associated with traffic accidents or industrial injuries who are involved in litigation, psychiatrist are needed sharp eyes and tenacity for evaluating malingering or medically unexplained symptoms.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.156-156
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• 2002

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 that are toxic and persistent in the ecosystem. A widely used insecticide, diazinon (O, O-diethyl O- (2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-pyrimidinyl) phosphorothioate), is highly neurotoxic to fish, and it is also well known that it causes vertebral malformation and behavioral changes of fish at relatively low concentrations. The fish behaviors were observed on a real time basis using an image processing and automatic data acquisition system. The genes potentially involved in the abnormal behaviors were cloned using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. The untreated individuals showed common behavioral characteristics. When the test fish was affected by diazinon at a concentration of 0.1 and 1 ppm, some specific patterns were observed in its behavioral activity and locomotive tracks. The typical patterns were enhanced surfacing activity, opercular movement, erratic movement, tremors and convulsions as reported previously. The number of genes up-regulated tty diazinon treatment were 97 which includes 27 of unknown genes. The number of down-regulated genes were 99 including 60 of unknown genes. These gene expression patterns will be analyzed by the artificial neural networks such as self organization map (SOM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP), revealing the role of genes responsible for the behaviors. These results may provide molecular biological and neurobehavioral bases of a biomonitoring system for diazinon using a model organism such as fish.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.201-210
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• 2021

Purpose : There is a lack of research on this field in the Republic of Korea, especially those that have seen the effect of interaction between transcranial direct current stimulation and computerized cognitive rehabilitation therapy. This study divided 30 dementia patients into a treatment group, which received transcranial direct current stimulation and computerized cognitive rehabilitation, and a control group, which received pseudo-transcranial direct current stimulation and pseudo-computerized cognitive rehabilitation. This study evaluated the effects of these treatments on the visual perception, cognition functions, and daily activities of dementia patients. Methods : Fifteen subjects were allocated to the treatment group and the other 15 subjects were allocated to the control group. Treatments were given at intervals of five sessions per week (30 minutes per session) for six weeks (30 times in total). This study used the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (NCSE) to examine cognitive functions, MVPT to evaluate visual perception, and FIM to test daily living activities before and after applying the treatments. Results : The results of this study showed that cognitive functions, visual perception, and daily living activities significantly (p<.05) improved after the intervention in the treatment group and the control group. The changes in cognitive functions, visual perception, and daily living activities due to the treatments were significantly different between the groups (p<.05). Conclusion : The results indicated that transcranial direct current stimulation and computerized cognitive rehabilitation therapy improved visual perception and daily living activities by increasing cognitive functions. Consequently, it was found that the simultaneous application of transcranial direct current stimulation in conjunction with a computerized cognitive rehabilitation program was an intervention method that could positively affect the visual perception, cognitive function, and daily living activities of dementia patients. Based on the results of this study, the study of arbitration protocols for demential will have to be more active.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.49-58
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• 2021

Purpose : This study investigates the effects of the application of traditional occupational therapy and the korean computerized cognition training system on the cognitive function and performance of daily activities of stroke patients with cognitive impairment. Methods : From inpatients referred for rehabilitation treatment at L Rehabilitation Hospital located in Busan, 20 patients diagnosed with stroke from April 05. 2021 to May 02. 2021 (study period) were selected, They were divided into two, an experimental group consisting of 10 subjects who underwent a computerized cognitive rehabilitation program and traditional occupational therapy in combination and a control group of 10 subjects who underwent traditional occupational therapy alone. In order to measure the cognitive function of the subjects before the intervention, two assessment tests were conducted: a Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (NCSE), which evaluates stroke-related cognitive ability, and a Functional Independence Measure (FIM) test, which evaluates life activities. Then, both groups received a total of 20 training sessions at 30 minutes per session, five times a week for four weeks. Results : A statistically significant difference was found in cognitive function between before and after the cognitive training for both the experimental group and the control group. For the FIM scores, statistically significant differences were observed after intervention in the categories of handling personal matters and social cognition, and in the total score. The average scores of the remaining items also improved. Conclusion : The results of this study showed that both the computerized cognition rehabilitation program and the traditional occupational therapy had a positive effect on the improvement of cognitive function in stroke patients.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.151-158
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• 2017

Background: Chong-Myung-Tang (CMT) extract is widely used in Korea as a traditional herbal tonic for increasing memory capacity in high-school students and also for numerous body ailments since centuries. The use of CMT to improve the learning capacity has been attributed to various plant constituents, especially black ginseng, in it. Therefore, in this study, we have first investigated whether black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts affected spatial learning using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. Their molecular mechanism of action underlying improvement of learning and memory was examined in vitro. Methods: We used two types of black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts, designated as CM-1 and CM-2, and evaluated their efficacy in the MWM test for spatial learning behavior and their anti-inflammatory effects in BV2 microglial cells. Results: Our results show that both black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts improved the learning behavior in scopolamine-induced impairment in the water maze test. Moreover, these extracts also inhibited nitric oxide production in BV2 cells, with significant suppression of expression of proinflammatory cytokines, especially inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and $interleukin-1{\beta}$. The protein expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ pathway factors was also diminished by black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts, indicating that it not only improves the memory impairment, but also acts a potent anti-inflammatory agent for neuroinflammatory diseases. Conclusion: Our research for the first time provides the scientific evidence that consumption of black ginseng-enriched CMT extract as a brain tonic improves memory impairment. Thus, our study results can be taken as a reference for future neurobehavioral studies.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.184-195
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• 1999

Objectives : As traumatic brain injury(TBI) leaves chronic sequelae in mind and body, the injured patients should rectify the meaning and object that they have pursued in their lives and set up a new purpose in life that they may make the rest of their lives meaningful. This study was designed to investigate the purpose and quality of life levels and the influence of demographic and clinical variables on the levels in the patients with TBI, and to be of some help to their rehabilitation. Methods : In order to assess the purpose in life(PIL) and the quality of life(QOL) levels, Purpose-in-Life Test, Sickness Impact Profile, Quality of Life Index, Head Injury Symptom Ckecklist, and Neurobehavioral Rating Scale were administered to the subjects. The subjects were thirty-two patients with TBI and the same numbered normal controls. The TBI group was composed of 16 to 65 year-aged patients who had received mild or severe TBI at least 12 months before, and the controls were siblings or friends of the patients whose age, sex, and educational level were similar to them. Results : 1) The PIL and QOL levels of the patients with TBI remained significantly lower than that of control group after their symptoms of injury were stabilized(p<.01, p<.01). 2) The mean PIL score of TBI group was $58.8{\pm}23.2$, which was to be regarded as the level of existential vacuum. 3) The PIL level of TBI group was significantly correlated with the QOL level(p <.01). 4) The subgroup with lower PIL level in patients with TBI has significantly higher rate of female than that with higher PIL(p<.05), the PIL level of female patients was significantly lower than that of male patients(p <.05). 5) The significant differences in PIL levels were not found, in which comparison was performed between each pair of subgroups of patients with TBI divided by severity of injury(mild vs severe), marital status(married vs unmarried), and occupational status prior to injury(employed vs unemployed). Conclusion : The PIL of patients with TBI still remained the level of existential vacuum after symptoms of sequelae had been stabilized, The QOL level was also extremely low, and as the PIL level was low the QOL was also low. The demographic and clinical variables except sex did not have influence on the PIL level in brain-injured patients. It is suggested that every patient should admit their mental and physical limitations caused by brain injury and revise their purpose in life for successful rehabilitation.