BackgroundDistressed individuals in Korea may benefit from the practice of mind–body exercises such as Qigong. However, the effectiveness of such techniques needs to be investigated.MethodsFifty participants who were eligible to this study were randomized into a group receiving a 4-week intervention of a brief Qigong-based stress reduction program (BQSRP) or a wait-list control group. Before and after the intervention period, saliva samples were collected and questionnaires were completed on perceived stress, anxiety, “Hwa-Byung” (anger syndrome), and quality of life. Salivary cortisol has emerged in mind-body therapy research as an easy-to-collect, relatively inexpensive, biologic marker of stress. Salivary corisol were collected to evaluate physiological effect of BQSRP. Between-group comparisons of change from baseline to study completion were analyzed by analysis of covariance for the Perceived Stress Scale and independent two sample t-tests for other measures.ResultsCompared with the control group, the BQSRP intervention group displayed significantly larger decreases in Perceived Stress Scale scores (p = 0.0006), State Anxiety scores (p = 0.0028), Trait Anxiety scores (p < 0.0001), personality subscale scores of the Hwa-Byung Scale (p = 0.0321), symptoms scores of the Hwa-Byung Scale (p = 0.0196), and a significantly larger increase in World Health Organization Quality of Life Abbreviated version scores (ps < .05). Salivary cortisol levels were not changed.ConclusionsThe BQSRP appears to be effective in reducing stress perception, anxiety, anger, and improving quality of life (KCT0000056).

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There have been many studies on the antitumoral effect of D-amygdalin (D-mandelonitrile-b-D-gentiobioside), generally known as Laetrile. [1][2][3] It was reported that D-amygalin in aqueous solution is racemized to neoamygdalin (L-mandelonitrile-b-D-gentiobioside), making it ineffective against cancer.4) Therefore it is necessary to examine the optimum conditions for prevention of racemization. We found that it was important to separate isoamygdalins completely to determine the index for the degree of inhibition of racemization. Many researchers have made an effort to separate isomers of amygdalin. The separation of isoamygdalin by gas chromatography 5) and capillary electrophoresis 6) was good enough to be used as a practical analytical method. Until now, attempts to separate isoamygdalins using HPLC were reported, but the baseline resolution of D-amygdalin and neoamygdalin was not obtained. [7][8][9] We developed a reversephase HPLC method using a C18 column to separate Damygdalin and neoamygdalin to baseline resolution.Traditional Oriental preparations are generally decocted with boiling water. A large portion of D-amygdalin is converted to neoamygdalin or destroyed with boiling. Therefore to overcome these problems, we established the optimum conditions for inhibiting the conversion to neoamygdalin by changing the pH. 4) On the basis of these results, we applied the method to Tōnin (Persicae Semen) generally used in Oriental preparations and established the optimum conditions for inhibiting the conversion to neoamygdalin of D-amygdalin in Tōnin. ExperimentalMaterials D-Amygdalin was obtained from Tokyo Kasei Chemical Co. (Tokyo, Japan). Acetonitrile was of HPLC grade. All other chemicals were of analytical reagent grade. Persicae Semen was purchased from a market in Chung Buk province, Korea, and the quality met that officially approved in the Korean Pharmacopoeia VII.Apparatus and Chromatographic Conditions The HPLC systems used were a M930 pump (Young Lin, Kyunggi, Korea) with an M720 UV detector (Young Lin) set at 214 nm. The column used was a Capcell Pak C18 UG120 (4.6 mmϫ250 mm, 5 mm, Shiseido, Tokyo, Japan). The column flow rate was 1 ml/min. The mobile phase was a 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 3.8) containing 1-butanol or acetonitrile.1 H-NMR spectra were recorded by using a Bruker Avance-600 (600 MHz) NMR spectrometer and FAB-HR spectra were recorded using a JMS-AX505WA mass spectrometer.Sample Preparation Neoamygdalin was prepared from D-amygdalin and aqueous ammonia as described by Fischer.10) D-Amygdalin was added to 10 ml of 0.005 M ammonia solution and the mixture was stored for 2 h at room temperature. During this period, D-L isomerization occured and equilibrium between D-amygdalin and neoamygdalin was achived.Neoamygdalin was purified by HPLC (Nucleosil 100-5 C18, 250 mmϫ10 mm i.d.; mobile phase, 6% acetonitrile; flow rate, 5 ml/min; column temperature, ambient) and characterized by FAB-HR mass and 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD) spectroscopy. Solutions containing amygdalin (0.6 mg/ml) in distilled wat...

Lateral force microscopy measures the lateral bending of the cantilever depending on the frictional force acting between the tip and surface. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the relationship between the surface roughness and frictional resistance of four archwire and bracket combinations consisting of the 0.016-inch NiTi and 0.019 × 0.025-inch stainless steel archwires interacting clinically with two representative self-ligating brackets, active-type Clippy-C(®) ceramic self-ligating brackets, and passive-type Damon(®) stainless steel self-ligating brackets, using the lateral force microscopy technique. A 0.016-inch NiTi archwire interacting with passive-type Damon(®) stainless steel self-ligating brackets showed the smoothest surface roughness and the lowest frictional resistance compared to other combinations. The archwires interacting with passive-type Damon(®) stainless steel self-ligating brackets showed significantly lower surface roughness and frictional resistance than those interacting with active-type Clippy-C(®) ceramic self-ligating brackets. The frictional force in the in vivo archwire and bracket system increased with increasing surface roughness of the archwire. This positive correlation suggests that surface roughness can be used as an evaluating marker for estimating the efficiency of orthodontic treatment, rather than the direct measurement of frictional force.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a classical music listening program, namely music listening with plays, for elementary grade one students on music preference, recognition of the main melody, and musical creativity. The classical music listening program organized for this study employed various musical experiences such as singing, playing, composing and moving. The participants of this study were 61 elementary grade one students from Kyong-gi Province, Korea, who attended the classical music listening program after school. The students were divided into the two groups, experimental and control, which consisted of 31 and 30 students respectively. The experimental group participated in a music listening program with plays for 12 sessions, while the control group participated in a passive music listening program for 12 sessions. The results revealed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of preference and recognition of the main melody. Further, there was a significant difference in their musical creativity.