• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

In all female mammals, reproductive system is one of the first biological systems to show age-related decline. Female mammals in reproductive aging, though the phenomena is somewhat species-specific, start to show declining fertility and changes of numerous physiological functions. This review will present a current information on the aging of the female reproductive hormonal axis and introduce three useful rodent models for studying this field. Middle age($8{\sim}12$ months old) in female rats and mice is comparable to the stage prior to the entry of menopause in human. In this period pulsatile and surge GnRH secretion from hypothalamus gradually attenuated, then reduced pulsatile and surge LH secretion is followed consequently. This age-related defects in GnRH-LH neuroendocrine axis seem to be highly correlated with the defects in brain signals which modulate the activities of GnRH neuron. Many researchers support the idea which the age-related hypothalamic defects are the main cause of reproductive aging, but some ovarian factors such as inhibin response also could contribute to the induction of reproductive senescence. Some rodent models are quite valuable in studying the reproductive aging. The follitropin receptor knockout(FORKO) mice, both of null and haploinsufficient state, could produce depletion of oocyte/follicle with age. Dioxin/aryl hydrocarbon receptor(AhR) knockout mice also show severe ovarian defects and poor reproductive success early in their life compared to the age-matched normal mice. Further studies on the reproductive aging will be a great help to evaluate the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy(HRT) and to improve the safety of HRT.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1192-1198
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• 2004

Sasang Constitutional Medicine is a major branch of Korean Traditional Medicine. The differences of disease susceptibility to be shown in Sasang constitution may be due to genetic factors. Therefore, I examined interrelationship among cerebral infarction (CI), apolipoprotein E (apo E) gene polymorphism, and Sasang constitutional classification. Apo E is a key protein modulating the highly atherogenic apoB containing lipoproteins and is a candidate gene for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The ε2 and/or ε4 alleles were the first to be implicated in premature CAD, which resulted in this polymorphism being extensively studied. I investigated the association between apo E genotype and CI by case-control study in a Korean population. I also classified CI patients and control group into groups according to Sasang Constitutional Medicine. 218 CI patients and 379 controls without CI were examined. Apo E genotype was determined by 8% polyacrylamide gel separation after DNA amplification. A frequency of apo E ε3/ε3 in the apo E genotype distribution was higher in the CI patients compared with that in controls. Also, it was widely known that Taeumin was easily attacked with CI, but there was no association between apo E polymorphim and Taeumin. However, the Taeumin constitution did not enhance the relative risk for CI in the subjects with apo E ε2 and/or ε4 alleles. No differences in the apo E genotypes frequencies were observed in the Taeumin compared with that in the other constitutions. In addition, I investigated whether the DD(deletion/deletion) or ID(insertion/deletion) genotype of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene, a candidate gene for CI, was associated with CI, Taeumin constitution, and apo E polymorphism. As a result, the frequency of Taeumin constitution was significantly higher in CI patients with both apo E ε3/ε4 and ACE ID/DD genotypes than in the remaining Sasang constitutions. In summary, it was concluded that the apo E polymorphism is a major risk factor for CI in Koreans and the ACE ID/DD genotype enhanced the relative risk for CI in the subjects with apo E ε3/ε4 genotype and Taeumin constitution.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.611-616
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• 2013

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Although much progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of ALD, there remains no effective therapy for it. Accumulated evidence indicates that oxidative stress is the main pathological factors in the development of ALD. Ethanol administration causes accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide, hydroxyl radical, and hydrogen peroxide. ROS, in turn, cause lipid peroxidation of cellular membranes, and protein and DNA oxidation, which results in hepatocyte injury. In addition to pro-oxidants formation, antioxidants depletion caused by ethanol administration also results in oxidative stress. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of Shiryung-tang extract on the chronic alcoholic liver injury induced by EtOH. Male Sprague Dawley rats were used in this study. All rats were maintained under standard laboratory conditions ($23{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, 12h light/12h dark cycles). All animals (n=30) were randomly divided into following groups: (1) Normal group, treated with distilled water (n=10); (2) Control group, treated with ethanol (n=10); (3) Sample group, treated with ethanol + pharmacopuncture (n=10). For oral administration of ethanol in Control and Sample group, the ethanol was dissolved in distilled water in concentrations of 25%(v/v). Throughout the experiment of 8 week, the rats were allowed free access to water and standard chow. Sample group were administrated by Shiryung-tang extract daily for 8 weeks. Control group were given normal saline for same weeks. As a results, the oral administration of ethanol for 8 weeks leads to hepatotoxicity. The levels of hepatic marker such as HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were altered. The ethanol also increased lipid peroxidation and depletion of antioxidant enzyme activities as well as hepatic tissue injury. However, the treatment of Shiryung-tang extract prevented all the alterations induced by ethanol and returned their levels to near normal. These data suggest that Shiryung-tang extract could have a beneficial effect in inhibiting the oxidative damage induced by chronic ethanol administration. Therefore, Shiryung-tang extract can be a candidate to protect against EtOH-induced liver injury.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.45-58
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• 2001

Subjective mental workload assessment technique becomes a standard human factors and human-machine interface evaluation tool for the evaluation of ITS(Intelligent Transport Systems)-oriented information systems as well as the drivers visual activity analysis, physiological indices(GSR, EEG, ECG, etc.), secondary task performance, reaction time. vehicle control parameters(speed, steering behavior, accelerator control) that are widely applied for transportation and vehicle systems to evaluate the safety, to decide the system or design alternatives, and to establish the design guidelines. This paper reviewed and compared the most globally employed four mental workload assessment techniques that have been designed for the use of various human-machine systems and ITS-oriented in-vehicle information systems. NASA-TLX(National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index). SWAT(Subjective Workload Assessment Technique), MCH(Modified Cooper-Harper) scale, and recently developed RNASA-TLX(Revision of NASA-TH) were compared in terms of sensitivity and subjective evaluations to derive the human-machine interface evaluation guidelines for the application of ITS-oriented in-vehicle information systems. Then, experiment results supported that RNASA-TLX is the prospective tool for the mental workload assessment of ITS-oriented in-vehicle information systems.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.133-143
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• 1998

Myofascial pain syndrome is one of the pain syndrome resulted from myofascia which covered muscles and clinically characteristic feature by sensitive trigger point in skeletal muscles and referred pain reactivated by stimulating each trigger point. The origin of headache are local lesion such as head, chest, abdominal organ, systemic lesion with fever or in toxic state. the other factors are consciousness, personality, anxiety, depression, which cause muscle strain in physiological environment. The Oriental Medical therapy for headache has herb medication and acupuncture. especially acupuncture therapy has not only classical systemic acupuncture(體鍼) but also neo-acupuncture(新鍼) such as commonly using auricular acupuncture(耳鍼) and manual acupuncture (手鍼), recently trigger point acupuncture is used. The author analyzed 27 cases of patient with headache treated by trigger point acupuncture therapy in Dong-yu Oriental Medical Hospital from March 1st 1997 to February 28th 1998. The following results were obtained. 1. The sex ratio of the female was 59.26%(16 cases) and male was 40.74%(11 cases), the ratio of high school student was 62.96%(17cases) as first. 2. The headache duration ratio of 2-3 years was 37.04%(10 cases) as first, 1-2 years was 25.93%(7 cases) as second. 3. The portion ratio of whole headache was 33.33%(9 cases) as first, lateral headache was 29.63%(8 cases) as second 4. The combined symptoms ratio of anorexia was 40.74%(11 cases) as first, fatigue was 33.33%(9 cases) as second, neck stiffness and dizziness was each 25.93%(7 cases) as third. 5. The therapeutic duration ratio of below 1 week was 29.63%(8 cases) as first, 2-3 weeks was 22.22%(6 cases) as second, 1-2 weeks and 3-4 weeks was each 18.52%(5 cases) as third. 6. The ratio of family history was 11 cases(40.74%). mother with headache was 6 cases, father was 3 cases, and brothers & sisters was 2 cases. 7. The herb medication ratio of Chungsanggyuntongtang(淸上?痛湯) was 37.04%(10 cases), Kamiondamtang(加味溫膽湯) was 22.22%(6 cases), Hyangsapyunguisan(香砂平胃散) was 18.25%(5 cases) etc. 8. The remedial effect ratio of good was 25.93%(7 cases), fair was 48.15%(13 cases), not improved was 7.41%(2 cases), side effect was 3.70%(1 cases), and unknown was 14.81%(4 cases).

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.239-246
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• 2009

Animal welfare is of considerable importance to European consumers and citizens, this being most recently confirmed in EU barometer studies. Researchers and others have long proposed that animal-based measures (measures taken on animals, e.g. their health and behaviour) can provide a valid indicator of animal welfare; since welfare is a characteristic of the individual animal. Therefore, a welfare assessment can be essentially based on animal-based measures, but with use of resource measures to provide the capacity to assess 'risk factors'. The first goal of this project was to develop a welfare monitoring system that enables assessment of welfare status through standardised conversion of welfare measures into accessible and understandable information. The acquired information on one hand provides feedback to animal unit managers about the welfare status of their animals, and on the other, information on the welfare status of animal-related products for consumers and retailers. The second goal of Welfare $Quality^{(R)}$ was to improve animal welfare by minimising the occurrence of harmful behavioural and physiological states, improving human-animal relationships, and providing animals with safe and stimulating environments. The different measurable aspects of welfare to be covered are turned into welfare criteria. The criteria reflect what is meaningful to animals as understood by animal welfare science. Once all the measures have been performed on an animal unit, a bottom-up approach is followed to produce an overall assessment of animal welfare on that particular unit: first the data collected (i.e. values obtained for the different measures on the animal unit) are combined to calculate criterion-scores; then criterion-scores are combined to calculate principle-scores; and finally the animal unit is assigned to a welfare category according to the principle-scores it obtained.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.5_1
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• pp.667-677
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• 2020

Crop water stress can be detected based on soil moisture content, crop physiological characteristics and remote-sensing technology. The detection of crop water stress is an important issue for the accurate assessment of yield decline. The crop water stress index (CWSI) has been introduced based on the difference between leaf and air temperature. In this paper, drone-based thermal infrared image was used to map of crop water stress in water control plot (WCP) and water deficit plot (WDP) over spring chinese cabbage fields. The spatial distribution map of CWSI was in strong agreement with the abnormal growth response factors (plant height, plant diameter, and measured value by chlorophyll meter). From these results, CWSI can be used as a good method for evaluation of crop abnormal growth monitoring.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2018

Due to the critical location and physiological activities of the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell, it is constantly subjected to contact with various infectious agents and inflammatory mediators. However, little is known about the signaling events in RPE involved in Toxoplasma gondii infection and development. The aim of the study is to screen the host mRNA transcriptional change of 3 inflammation-related gene categories, PI3K/Akt pathway regulatory components, blood vessel development factors and ROS regulators, to prove that PI3K/Akt or mTOR signaling pathway play an essential role in regulating the selected inflammation-related genes. The selected genes include PH domain and leucine- rich-repeat protein phosphatases (PHLPP), casein kinase2 (CK2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1). Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), we found that T. gondii up-regulates PHLPP2, $CK2{\beta}$, VEGF, GCL, GST and NQO1 gene expression levels, but down-regulates PHLPP1 and PEDF mRNA transcription levels. PI3K inhibition and mTOR inhibition by specific inhibitors showed that most of these host gene expression patterns were due to activation of PI3K/Akt or mTOR pathways with some exceptional cases. Taken together, our results reveal a new molecular mechanism of these gene expression change dependent on PI3K/Akt or mTOR pathways and highlight more systematical insight of how an intracellular T. gondii can manipulate host genes to avoid host defense.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.528-533
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• 2004

The immune system acts to protect the host from infectious agents that exist in the environment and from other noxious insults. The immune system has two functional divisions: the innate and the acquired. Both components involve various factors such as cytokines. A number of methodologies exist to assess aspects of immune function. There are large inter-individual variations in many immune functions even among the healthy. Genetics, age, gender, smoking habits, habitual levels of exercise, alcohol consumption, diet, stage in the female menstrual cycle, stress, history of infections and vaccinations, and early life experiences are likely to be important contributors to the observed variation. While it is clear that individuals with immune responses significantly below 'normal' are more susceptible to infectious agents and exhibit increased infectious morbidity and mortality, it is not clear how the variation in immune function among healthy individuals relates to variation in susceptibility to infection. Oriental medicine is an important factor contributing to immune competence. The author investigated the immune enhancement effects of Bojungikkitanggami-bang (BITB). The forced swimming test (FST) has been used as a screening model for new immune enhancement agents. In the present study, the author investigated the effects of BITB on FST and blood biochemical parameters related to fatigue, glucose (Glc); blood urea nitrogen (BUN); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH); creatinine; and total protein (TP). The author found that BITB (1 g/kg) significantly reduced the immobility time in the FST compared to the control. In addition, the contents of Glc, LDH, BUN, TP in the blood serum were increased in BITB (1g/kg)-fed group. Also, the author investigated the effects of BITB on the production of cytokines in human T-cell line, MOLT-4 cells. BITB (1 mg/ml) significantly increased the interferon (IFN)-vproduction compared with media control (about 2.2-fold for IFN-γ) at 24 h. However, BITB has not affect the production of IL-2 and IL-4. In addition, BITB increased the protein expression level of IFN-γ in MOLT-4 cells. Thus, BITB may have therapeutic value in generating or enhancing immune function in a clinical setting.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.771-781
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• 2013

This study was performed to investigate the anti-photoaging effects of Persimmon leaf tea(PLT) in hairless mice(SKH-1) exposed to UVB irradiation. The animals were divided into non-treated group (normal, N) and UV-radiated groups. UV-radiated groups were divided into only UV-radiated group(control, C) and UV-radiated and PLT treated experimental groups[first extraction treated group(PLT-I), second extraction treated group(PLT-II), and third extraction treated group(PLT-III)]. Three PLT treated experimental groups of mice were treated with both oral administration(300 mg/Kg B.W./day) and topical application (100 ul of 2% conc./mouse/day) for 4 weeks. Anti-photoaging effects of Persimmon leaf were evaluated by anti oxidative reaction, stereomicroscopic and microscopic observations. The expression of photoaging skin related factors including mast cell tryptase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was examined by immunohistochemical staining. Treatment of PLT-I, -II, -III prevented the wrinkle formation as well as epidermal hyperplasia, inflammatory cells, disruption of collagen in photoaged skin induced by UVB radiation. It also reduced the PCNA and VEGF expression in the UVB irradiated dorsal skin. Furthermore, it significantly decreased the number of mast cells in the UVB irradiated dermis(p<0.05 and p<0.01). On the effects of oxidative stress and antioxidant function on the treatment with water extract from Persimmon leaf tea(PLT), the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD) was significantly increased in PLT-III group(p<0.05), and catalase(CAT) was significantly increased in PLT-I and PLT-III groups(p<0.05), and PLT-II group(p<0.001). These extracts showed relatively antioxidant activity and protective effect on UVB-induced oxidative stress in hairless mice(SKH-1). Our results suggest that Persimmon leaf tea may serve as an useful radical scavenging antioxidant and anti-photoaging skin agents in the UVB irradiated skin.