Publications by authors named "Mi Jin Park"

Endometriosis is a pathological condition in which endometrial cells proliferate outside the uterine cavity, resulting in pelvic pain and infertility. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been implicated in the progression of endometriosis, though the precise mechanisms remain largely undefined. Among EDCs, elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-126 have been strongly associated with endometriosis, particularly in patients with deep infiltrating disease.

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: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial endocrine disorder with significant clinical and reproductive implications. Identifying dose-response relationships between clinical, physical, and reproductive factors and PCOS can enhance diagnostic accuracy and inform treatment strategies. This study utilized a data-driven approach to analyze the associations between key factors, including age, weight, menstrual cycle length, Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) levels, and follicle count, with PCOS prevalence.

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Essential oils from citrus cultivars are widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, and they have been extensively studied in the last decades. This study investigates the antioxidant activities of essential oils from 21 citrus cultivars and the active antioxidant constituents of the oils. Essential oils are extracted from the peels of citrus cultivars via hydrodistillation, and their chemical compositions are analyzed by gas-chromatography-mass-spectroscopy.

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  • - This study investigated the link between late-onset depression (LOD) and amyloid deposition in the brain, comparing 40 LOD patients (diagnosed after age 60) with 21 healthy controls (HC) using PET imaging and neuropsychological tests.
  • - Results showed no significant differences in amyloid-beta (Aβ) levels between LOD patients and HC, and Aβ levels did not correlate with the severity of depressive symptoms; however, higher somatic anxiety was linked to lower Aβ levels in certain brain areas.
  • - While cognitive improvements were observed in LOD patients after three months of antidepressant treatment, these improvements did not correlate with changes in amyloid deposition, suggesting different underlying mechanisms for cognitive recovery and amy
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  • The study explored the link between narrowing of cerebral arteries (stenosis) and depressive symptoms in elderly patients over 65 years old, using data from a psychiatric clinic over nearly two decades.
  • Among 365 participants, 29.6% had cerebral artery stenosis, and those with stenosis had higher depression scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15).
  • Specifically, bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis and left posterior cerebral artery (PCA) stenosis were significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms, with bilateral MCA stenosis indicating a stronger correlation with depression severity.
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Essential oils derived from plants are major ingredients in the medical and cosmetic industry. Here, we evaluated nine types of plant essential oils to identify potential candidates with antioxidant and elasticity-enhancing properties. Seven essential oils showed at least 10% radical scavenging activity at the highest concentration.

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  • The increasing focus on environmental issues has led to exploring the use of waste materials, particularly forest biomass, for producing essential oils, offering cost-effective and sustainable management solutions.
  • This study examines specific essential oils derived from forest waste, analyzing their chemical compounds and potential applications in various industries.
  • The findings underscore the value of utilizing these native essential oils in South Korea, promoting sustainability and enhancing the economic value of unused forest resources.
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Citrus cultivars have remarkable health benefits, but only the anti-inflammatory activities of the major varieties have been studied. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of various citrus cultivars and their active anti-inflammatory components. The essential oils of 21 citrus peels were extracted via hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the chemical compositions of the essential oils were analyzed.

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Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3) is most strongly expressed in regulatory T cells (Tregs) and B cells, suggesting that it plays an important role in the regulation of Treg function. Using an aggressive E0771 mouse breast cell line syngeneic immune-intact murine model, we observed that breast tumors were "permanently eradicated" in a genetically engineered tamoxifen-inducible Treg-cell-specific SRC-3 knockout (KO) female mouse that does not possess a systemic autoimmune pathological phenotype. A similar eradication of tumor was noted in a syngeneic model of prostate cancer.

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Unlabelled: Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3) is most strongly expressed in regulatory T cells (Tregs) and B cells, suggesting that it plays an important role in the regulation of Treg function. Using an aggressive E0771 mouse breast cell line syngeneic immune-intact murine model, we observed that breast tumors were 'permanently eradicated' in a genetically engineered tamoxifen-inducible Treg-cell specific SRC-3 knockout (KO) female mouse that does not possess a systemic autoimmune pathological phenotype. A similar eradication of tumor was noted in a syngeneic model of prostate cancer.

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Citrus is one of the most popular and widely grown fruit crops in the world. However, the bioactivity of only certain species of citrus cultivars is studied. In this study, the effects of essential oils from 21 citrus cultivars on melanogenesis were investigated in an effort to identify active anti-melanogenesis constituents.

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Background: Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disease that involves various organs. The clinical manifestation-based diagnosis of BD is a time-consuming process, which makes it difficult to distinguish from patients with similar symptoms. Moreover, an authentic biomarker has not been developed for accurate diagnosis yet.

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Background: Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory reproductive disease. Therefore, systematic estrogen depletion and anti-inflammatory drugs are the current treatment for endometriosis. However, current endometriosis treatments have low efficacy and cause adverse effects in endometriosis patients.

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Background: Prior literature examining the association between cigarette smoking and postpartum depression (PPD) has focused primarily on smoking behaviors during pregnancy or postpartum. However, there is a dearth of studies assessing pre-pregnancy smoking in relation to PPD.

Method: A retrospective national cohort data from the National Health Insurance of South Korea were analyzed.

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Changes in the levels of female sex hormones are associated with mood disorders in middle-aged women. This study investigated the association between female reproductive factors and the development of newly diagnosed bipolar disorder (BD). We used a South Korean nationwide medical records database.

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  • Alterations in stress response are linked to the development of psychiatric disorders, prompting this study to explore if baseline peripheral biomarkers can predict stress reduction in major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD).
  • The study involved 41 MDD patients, 52 PD patients, and 59 healthy controls, who were assessed over 12 weeks using the Stress Response Inventory (SRI) and blood tests to measure various biomarkers.
  • Results showed that higher baseline adiponectin levels were associated with a greater reduction in stress response among PD patients, indicating that different treatment approaches for MDD and PD may be necessary.
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  • Early life traumas are linked to a higher risk of developing major depressive disorder (MDD) in adulthood, with this study focusing on a nationwide sample from Korea.
  • The research involved 4,652 participants and assessed early life trauma using established diagnostic interviews, revealing that those who experienced trauma had a 3.7 times greater chance of developing MDD.
  • Specifically, bullying trauma significantly contributed to this risk, especially for individuals who faced multiple types of early life traumas.
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Background: Body weight variability (BWV) negatively affects the incidence and outcomes of various diseases, but the nature of the association between BWV and depression remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that BWV is associated with the risk of new-onset depression.

Methods: Data from a nationwide population-based cohort in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database were analyzed for 6 598 570 adults with no history of depression and reports of at least three health examinations.

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The present study investigated the anti‑melanogenic activity of 10 essential oils using the B16F10 cell model. Initially, a wide range of concentrations of these essential oils were screened in order to determine their toxicity levels. The assigned non‑toxic concentrations of the tested essential oils were then used to evaluate their effects on melanogenesis.

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Changes in lifestyle factors are known to affect mood. However, there is insufficient evidence supporting the association between smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and depression in middle-aged women who are likely to experience rapid hormonal changes. We used a nationwide database of medical records in South Korea.

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  • * A study evaluated cold-pressed lime oil (CpO) and found it notably effective in reducing the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), a key factor in vascular diseases.
  • * Results indicated that lime CpO not only decreased harmful cell proliferation but also altered specific cell signaling pathways, suggesting its potential as a natural treatment for vascular obstructive diseases.
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Background: The effect of dynamic changes in metabolic parameters over time on the development of depression has yet to be examined. In this study, we aimed to determine the association between the variability of metabolic parameters and the development of depression using nationally representative data.

Methods: We used health examination data provided by the South Korean National Health Insurance System (NHIS) and included those who underwent the examination ≥ 3 times within five years of enrollment, without a previous history of depression (n = 9,058,424).

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The human microbiome plays an important role in various diseases, including Behçet's disease (BD). However, the effects of disease activity and covariates influencing the microbial composition have not yet been investigated. Therefore, we investigated the fecal and salivary microbiomes of BD patients compared to those of recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU) patients, as well as dietary habit-matched healthy controls (HCs) selected from immediate family members using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

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