Publications by authors named "Hee-Young Kim"

Background: Monitoring core temperature is important for patients under anesthesia. Esophageal and pulmonary artery blood temperatures can be used for measuring core temperature during general anesthesia. However, these methods pose challenges, especially when the placement of an esophageal thermometer and pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is either impractical or not the preferred approach.

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  • The trigeminal sensory system includes the trigeminal nerve, ganglion, and sensory nuclei, which process sensory signals from the face and mouth.
  • Understanding this system is crucial for grasping the nature of orofacial pain, which involves various processing pathways and synaptic interactions.
  • The review details the function of each nucleus in the system and explores four types of orofacial pain to clarify their connection to the trigeminal sensory pathways.
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Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) used to treat cancer, is a significant side effect with a complex pathophysiology, and its mechanisms remain unclear. Recent research highlights neuroinflammation, which is modulated by the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and associated with glial activation, and the role of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in CIPN. This study aimed to investigate the effects of JZL195, an inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), and explore the connection between cannabinoid receptors and TLR4 in glial cells.

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Background: Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula primarily utilized for treating gut disorders. GQD showed therapeutic effects on several diseases in clinical and animal studies by targeting gut microbes. Our recent studies also found that GQD efficiently alleviated anxiety in methamphetamine-withdrawn mice via regulating gut microbiome and metabolism.

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Background: Herbal medicine Ja-Geum-Jeong (JGJ) has been used for the treatment of detoxification in Eastern Asia. However, the mechanisms involved are not clearly defined. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if herb medication inhibits Methamphetamine (METH)'s reinforcing effect and also examined if a combination of herb medication and acupuncture produces a synergistic effect on METH.

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Despite clinical data stretching over millennia, the neurobiological basis of the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating diseases of the central nervous system has remained elusive. Here, using an established model of acupuncture treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) model mice, we show that peripheral acupuncture stimulation activates hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons via nerve conduction. We further identify two separate neural pathways originating from anatomically and electrophysiologically distinct MCH neuronal subpopulations, projecting to the substantia nigra and hippocampus, respectively.

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Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), particularly leucine, are indispensable AAs for immune regulation through metabolic rewiring. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. Our investigation revealed that T-cell receptor (TCR)-activated human CD4 T cells increase the expression of BCAT1, a cytosolic enzyme responsible for BCAA catabolism, and SLC7A5, a major BCAA transporter.

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Trained immunity is the long-term functional reprogramming of innate immune cells, which results in altered responses toward a secondary challenge. Despite indoxyl sulfate (IS) being a potent stimulus associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related inflammation, its impact on trained immunity has not been explored. Here, we demonstrate that IS induces trained immunity in monocytes via epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, resulting in augmented cytokine production.

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Background: Ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is commonly used for pain control in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, significant pain persists, affecting patient recovery and sleep quality on the day of surgery. We compared the analgesic effect of ultrasound-guided TAP block with or without rectus sheath (RS) block in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy using the visual analog scale (VAS) scores.

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Drug addiction therapies commonly fail because continued drug use promotes the release of excessive and pleasurable dopamine levels. Because the connection between pleasure and drug use becomes hard-wired in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which interfaces motivation, effective therapies need to modulate this mesolimbic reward system. Here, we report that mice with knockdown of the cation channel TRPA1 (transient receptor potential ankyrin 1) were resistant to the drug-seeking behavior and reward effects of cocaine compared to their wildtype litter mates.

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Methamphetamine (METH) withdrawal anxiety symptom and relapse have been significant challenges for clinical practice, however, the underlying neuronal basis remains unclear. Our recent research has identified a specific subpopulation of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) neurons localized in the external lateral portion of parabrachial nucleus (eLPB), which modulates METH primed-reinstatement of conditioned place preference (CPP). Here, the anatomical structures and functional roles of eLPB projections in METH withdrawal anxiety and primed reinstatement were further explored.

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  • The study explores the effects of Magnolia Cortex (MO) on obesity and its mechanisms, building on previous research linking MO to lipid metabolism.
  • Analysis highlighted that MO extract contains compounds Honokiol and Magnolol, which play a role in reducing lipid accumulation in fat cells.
  • Results showed that MO treatment boosted protein expression of SIRT1 and AMPK, leading to improved fat processing and reduced fatty liver in obese mice, suggesting MO could be beneficial for obesity management.
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In recent studies, brain stimulation has shown promising potential to alleviate chronic pain. Although studies have shown that stimulation of pain-related brain regions can induce pain-relieving effects, few studies have elucidated the mechanisms of brain stimulation in the insular cortex (IC). The present study was conducted to explore the changes in characteristic molecules involved in pain modulation mechanisms and to identify the changes in synaptic plasticity after IC stimulation (ICS).

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Environmental concerns, especially global warming, have prompted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Healthcare systems, including anesthesia practices, contribute to these emissions. Inhalation anesthetics have a significant environmental impact, with desflurane being the most concerning because of its high global warming potential.

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Nutritional support in critically ill patients is an essential aspect of treatment. In particular, the benefits of enteral nutrition (EN) are well recognized, and various guidelines recommend early EN within 48 hours in critically ill patients. However, there is still controversy regarding EN in critically ill patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors.

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After excluding 4 patients with an anesthesia duration of < 2 hours, data from 34 patients (1163 sets of tracheal and esophageal temperatures) were analyzed. Concordance correlation coefficient was 0.78.

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  • Previous studies indicated that neurogenic inflammatory spots function similarly to acupuncture points, showing therapeutic effects when stimulated, but the optimal stimulation depth is still unknown.
  • In a study using rats with induced hypertension, researchers applied electroacupuncture at depths of 1, 2, and 3 mm to see which would be most effective in lowering blood pressure.
  • The findings revealed that stimulation at a 3-mm depth was the most effective in reducing blood pressure by activating certain brain regions and triggering the release of specific neuropeptides like substance P and CGRP.
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Administration of cocaine increases synaptic dopamine levels by blocking dopamine reuptake and leads to increased locomotor activity and compulsive drug-seeking behaviour. It has been suggested that the lateral hypothalamus (LH) or lateral habenula (LHb) is involved in drug-seeking behaviours. To explore the role of the LH and the LHb in cocaine-induced psychomotor responses, we tested whether modulation of the LH or the LH-LHb circuit affects cocaine-induced locomotion.

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Background: The increase in internal diameter (ID) and cross-sectional area (CSA) may facilitate better arterial catheterization. Since an increase in body temperature can cause peripheral vasodilation, we aimed to determine if local warming of the radial artery (RA) catheterization site could improve the success rate of catheterization.

Methods: This randomized, controlled study enrolled 160 patients aged >18 years who were scheduled for heart surgery.

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Superoxide dismutase (SOD) can convert active oxygen to oxygen or hydrogen peroxide, and recent research has suggested that it can protect against lung damage and fibrosis. Clinical applications based on SOD remain limited however due to costs and low stability. We here investigated a potential new therapeutic delivery system for this enzyme in the form of SOD-overexpressing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens spores which we introduced into a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model.

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Background: Monitoring the oxygenation status is crucial during general anesthesia to ensure patient safety. Although noninvasive pulse oximetry is commonly used to monitor percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2), it may not accurately reflect changes in oxygen partial pressure when the latter is excessively high or low. The oxygen reserve index (ORi) provides real-time information about the oxygen reserve status.

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Backgound: Pyeongwi-san (PWS) is a widely used formula for treating digestive disorders in Korea and China. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by progressive inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Emerging evidence supports the protective effect of PWS against IBD, but specific mechanisms are still elusive.

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Blood group mismatch in veterinary medicine is a significant problem in blood transfusion, sometimes leading to severe transfusion reactions and even patient death. Blood groups vary from species to species and there are three known blood groups in cats: A, B and AB. While A-type cats are most common, there is a shortage of feline B-type blood groups in cats.

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