• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.229-238
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• 2012

Cyclooxygenase(COX-2) is an inducible enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) from arachidonic acid. Over-expression of COX-2 has been reported to be associated with progressive hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatic C infection and rat liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride($CCl_4$). Recently, it is well known that mast cell products can stimulate the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells and key players in liver fibrosis. But little is known regarding their role in $CCl_4$-induced liver fibrosis in rat. Our aim was to investigate the relation between COX-2 expression and mast cells during liver fibrosis after $CCl_4$ treatment. Thirty Wistar rats were divided into five groups (non-treated 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8-week after $CCl_4$-treatment). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the expression of ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin (${\alpha}$-SMA), collagen-1 and COX-2 in liver tissue from $CCl_4$-treated rats. The density of collagen and mast cells were determined using a computerized image analysis system in liver sections stained with picrosirius red and toluidine blue, respectively. The expression levels of ${\alpha}$-SMA, collagen-1 and COX-2 mRNA were significantly higher at 2 wk in $CCl_4$-treated groups than non-treated group. The number of mast cells in liver tissues increased gradually from 2 wk to 6 wk depending on the fibrosis severity but decreased abruptly at 8 wk. The significant increase of collagen-1 and ${\alpha}$-SMA mRNA expression in $CCl_4$-treated rats was continued until 6 wk while the COX-2 mRNA was significantly decreased at 8 wk. These results suggest that increased mast cells are closely associated with COX-2 over-expression during hepatic fibrogenesis of $CCl_4$-treated rats.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.553-562
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to analyze the key factors considered important by customers in the selection of a Korean restaurant through the use of conjoint analysis techniques. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed over a 2-week period in October 2011, of which 354 were completed (88.5%). Statistical analysis was then carried out using the Windows 18.0 Statistics package. The research was based on the analysis of two target areas - daily meals and special purpose meals. Responses were measured by using Zaichkowsky's Personal Involvement Inventory (PII) and a 7-point Likert Scale. Overall it was found that in all areas of the results regarding the involvement related analyses, daily meals scored lower than special purpose meals. This implied that the choice of daily meals is more applicable to customers with a low level of involvement, whereas high-involvement customers were more likely to focus on special purpose meals. The analysis of high-involvement customers revealed that the quality of food, price, service quality and physical environment, in order of priority, were the most important factors in selecting a restaurant. The use of the optimum attribute combination revealed the following results: delicious food (0.601); friendly staff (0.170); clean restaurant (0.191); price of 20,000 won (-0.513). Furthermore, low-involvement customers considered the following factors as important when selecting a Korean restaurant: quality of food, followed by price, physical environment and service quality in that order. In this instance, the optimum attribute combination showed the following outcomes: tasty food (0.645); friendly staff (0.418); clean restaurant (0.365); price of 5,000 won (-0.847). These results indicated the importance of developing a marketing plan which was based specifically on a customer's involvement level, focusing on their main selection criteria when choosing a Korean restaurant.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.416-424
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• 2011

The recent development of USN (Ubiquitous Sensor Network) technology has broadened its applications to many fields of industry. The USN technology enables the system to monitor and control the status of distributed sensor nodes based on the low-powered communications. Applying the USN in the train control domain, the operational efficiency can be enhanced, where the reliability and the safety of the system are the key challenges. This paper suggests the system design for evaluating and improving the reliability and safety of the gateway, which is a USN component that manages the radio network among the sensors and collects the information from them. For this purpose, the reliability and the level of safety integrity of a general gateway have been predicted quantitatively and the supplementary design has been proposed for the selected week points. The verification on the reliability and the safety of the improved gateway according to the related standards has been followed. With the results of the study, the applicability of USN gateway for train control systems has been reviewed.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.643-650
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• 2017

Vascular dementia (VaD) is a group of heterogeneous diseases with the common feature of cerebral hypoperfusion. To identify key factors contributing to VaD pathophysiology, we performed a detailed comparison of Wistar and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats subjected to permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAo). Eight-week old male Wistar and SD rats underwent BCCAo, followed by a reference memory test using a five-radial arm maze with tactile cues. Continuous monitoring of cerebral blood flow (CBF) was performed with a laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) system. A separate cohort of animals was sacrificed for evaluation of the brain vasculature and white matter damage after BCCAo. We found reference memory impairment in Wistar rats, but not in SD rats. Moreover, our LDPI system revealed that Wistar rats had significant hypoperfusion in the brain region supplied by the posterior cerebral artery (PCA). Furthermore, Wistar rats showed more profound CBF reduction in the forebrain region than did SD rats. Post-mortem analysis of brain vasculature demonstrated greater PCA plasticity at all time points after BCCAo in Wistar rats. Finally, we confirmed white matter rarefaction that was only observed in Wistar rats. Our studies show a comprehensive and dynamic CBF status after BCCAo in Wistar rats in addition to severe PCA dolichoectasia, which correlated well with white matter lesion and memory decline.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.109-122
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• 2004

As a long-term goal for the development of new prescriptions for hyperlipidemia, Cheungsimdodamtang(CSDDT) was examined in the present study using a rat model in which the hyperlipidemia was induced. The major parameters related to lipid metabolism were investigated and the key findings are summarized below. 1. CSDDT-treated animal group showed only a 4.5% body weight increase compared to normal animal group whereas hyper- lipidemia-induced control group increased body weight by 13.6% compared to normal animals. 2. CSDDT-induced animal group showed a significant decrease in cholesterol levels beginning one week after CSDDT treatment, compared to hyperlipidemia-induced control group. 3. Total cholesterol levels in CSDDT-treated animal group were significantly decreased compared to the hyperlipidemia-induced control group. 4. Glucose levels in CSDDT-treated animal group were significantly decreased compared to the hyperlipidemia-induced control group. 5. Triglyceride levels in CSDDT-treated animal group were significantly decreased compared to the hyperlipidemia-induced control group. 6. SGOT and SGPT levels in CSDDT-treated animal group were significantly decreased compared to the hyperlipidemia-induced control group. 7. HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly increased in CSDDT -treated animal group compared to the hypeiIipidemia-induced control group. 8. LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly decreased in CSDDT-treated animal group compared to the hyperlipidemia-induced control group.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.200-205
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• 2018

Exercise and resveratrol supplementation exhibit anti-obesity functions in the long term but have not been fully investigated yet in terms of their early potential effectiveness. Mice fed with high-fat diet were categorized into control (Cont), exercise (Ex), resveratrol supplementation (Res), and exercise combined with resveratrol supplementation (Ex + Res) groups. In the four-week period of weight loss, exercise combined with resveratrol supplementation exerted no additional effects on body weight loss but significantly improved whole-body glucose and lipid homeostasis. The combined treatment significantly decreased intrahepatic lipid content but did not affect intramyocellular lipid content. Moreover, the treatment significantly increased the contents of mtDNA and cytochrome c, the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha and its downstream transcription factors, and the activities of ATPase and citrate synthase. However, exercise, resveratrol, and their combination did not promote myofiber specification toward slow-twitch type. The effects of exercise combined with resveratrol supplementation on weight loss could be partly due to enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and not to fiber-type shift in skeletal muscle tissues.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.94-98
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• 2017

Background: Physical activity (PA) is ranked as a leading health indicator and the workplace is a key setting to promote PA. The purpose of this study was to examine how goal-setting and exercise self-efficacy (SE) during a health promotion program influenced PA level among Japanese workers. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, we surveyed 281 employees. The short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess PA level. Exercise SE was assessed using a partially modified version of Oka's exercise SE scale. Personal goals were assessed as the total numbers of "yes" responses to five items regarding "details of personal goals to perform PA". A mediational model was used to examine whether exercise SE mediates between the number of personal goals and PA level. Results: The mean age of the participants was 46.3 years, 76.2% were men, and the most common occupational category was software engineer (30.6%). The average PA level per week exceeded the recommended level in 127 participants (45.2%). One hundred and eighty-four participants (65.5%) set some form of concrete personal goal to perform PA. The relationship between the number of personal goals and PA level was mediated by exercise SE. Conclusion: Our study showed that exercise SE mediates goal-setting and increases PA. The results suggest that the components of PA promotion programs should be tailored to enhance participants' confidence in performing PA.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.160-164
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• 1994

In this study, we investigeated the anticarcinogenicity of various types and ages of ginseng extracts as an extended study using Yun's anticarcinogenicity test. Fresh ginseng at 1.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years was dried and powdered. And white ginseng was processed in the same way that of fresh ginseng after removal fo the ginseng cortex and fine root. For red ginsneg, fresh ginseng was steamed and dried. Each ginseng powder was extracted and extracts was freeze dried. Newborn N:GP(S) mice were given a single subcutaneous injection of 0.5 mg of benzo(a)pyrene(BP). Various types and ages of ginseng extracts at 2.5mg/ml were orally administered. All the mice were sacrificed at the 9th week. The following results were obtained. In the dried fresh ginseng extract treated group, the incidence of lung adenoma induced by BP was 63.9% and its incidence was reduced to 48.3%, 52.5%, 51.8%, 47.5% and 44.1% after co-treatment with 1.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 year-dried fresh ginseng, respectively. The incidence of lung adenoma induced by BP on the white ginseng extract treated group was 41.3% and decreased to 31.0%, 46.0%, 44.0% and 26.5% after co-treatment with 3, 4, 5 and 6 year-white ginseng, respectively. In the red ginseng extract treated group, the incidence of lung adenoma induced by BP was 47.5% and its incidence diminished to 40.7%, 35.0%, 30.1%, 30.0% and 26.3% after co-treatment with 1.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 year-red ginseng, respectively. From the above results, we concluded that a statistically significant anticarcinogenic effect was observed in extracts of 6 year-dried fresh ginseng, 6 year-white ginseng, and 4, 5 and 6 year-red ginseng and it is suggested that the anticarcinogenicity of ginseng varies according to the types and ages Key words Ginseng extract, types and ages. anticarcinogenic, newborn mice, lung tumor.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.367-376
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The blue honeysuckle berry (Lonicera caerulea var. edulis L.) is a small deciduous shrub belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family that is native to Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. The berry of this shrub is edible, sweet and juicy and is commonly known as the blue honeyberry (BHB). This study examined the anti-diabetic potential of BHB on high-fat-diet-induced mild diabetic mice. The hypoglycemic, and nephroprotective effects of the 12-week oral administration of blue honeyberry extract were analyzed. MATERIALS/METHODS: The hypoglycemic effects were based on the observed changes in insulin, blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Furthermore, the changes in the weight of the pancreas, including its histopathology and immunohistochemical investigation were also performed. Moreover, the nephroprotective effects were analyzed by observing the changes in kidney weight, its histopathology, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine levels. RESULTS: The results showed that the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced control mice showed a noticeable increase in blood glucose, insulin, HbA1c, BUN, and creatinine levels. Furthermore, growth was observed in lipid droplet deposition related to the degenerative lesions in the vacuolated renal tubules with the evident enlargement and hyperplasia of the pancreatic islets. In addition, in the endocrine pancreas, there was an increase in the insulin-and glucagon-producing cells, as well as in the insulin/glucagon cell ratios. On the other hand, compared to the HFD-treated mice group, all these diabetic and related complications were ameliorated significantly in a dose-dependent manner after 84 days of the continuous oral administration of BHBe at 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg, and a dramatic resettlement in the hepatic glucose-regulating enzyme activities was observed. CONCLUSIONS: By assessing the key parameters for T2DM, the present study showed that the BHBe could act as a potential herbal agent to cure diabetes (type II) and associated ailments in HFD-induced mice.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.299-309
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• 2019

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of pre-applied orthodontic force on the regeneration of periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues and the underlying mechanisms in tooth replantation. Methods: Orthodontic force (50 cN) was applied to the left maxillary first molars of 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 32); the right maxillary first molars were left untreated to serve as the control group. After 7 days, the first molars on both sides were fully luxated and were immediately replanted in their original sockets. To verify the effects of the pre-applied orthodontic force, we assessed gene expression by using microarray analysis and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cell proliferation by using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunofluorescence staining, and morphological changes by using histological analysis. Results: Application of orthodontic force for 7 days led to the proliferation of PDL tissues, as verified on microarray analysis and PCNA staining. Histological analysis after replantation revealed less root resorption, a better arrangement of PDL fibers, and earlier regeneration of periodontal tissues in the experimental group than in the control group. For the key genes involved in periodontal tissue remodeling, including CXCL2, CCL4, CCL7, MMP3, PCNA, OPG, and RUNX2, quantitative RT-PCR confirmed that messenger RNA levels were higher at 1 or 2 weeks in the experimental group. Conclusions: These results suggest that the application of orthodontic force prior to tooth replantation enhanced the proliferation and activities of PDL cells and may lead to higher success rates with fewer complications.