• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.393-398
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The association between tea consumption and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) remains controversial. This study aimed to determine whether tea consumption has an effect on CHD risk in Chinese adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this hospital-based case-control study, 267 cases of CHD and 235 non-CHD controls were enrolled. Blood samples from all cases were examined. Cardiac function indices (left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase of the muscle or brain type), blood lipid index (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and blood coagulation function indices (fibrinogen and activated partial thromboplastin time) were recorded. Tea consumption of study participants was assessed by a specifically designed questionnaire. The baseline characteristics of the study populations were recorded, and CHD-related biomarkers were detected. Differences in baseline characteristics of the study participants were examined using t-tests for continuous variables and chi-squared tests for categorical variables. Unconditional logistic regression was used to measure the association between tea and CHD. RESULTS: There were significant differences in cardiac function indices, blood lipid index, and blood coagulation indices between CHD cases and controls (P < 0.05). We found tea consumption reduced CHD risk in female participants (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.484, 95% CI: 0.242-0.968, P = 0.0403). Regarding the type of tea consumed, the risk of CHD was reduced in women who drank partially fermented tea (adjusted OR = 0.210, 95% CI: 0.084-0.522, P = 0.0008). Analytic results for the amount of tea consumed per unit time showed CHD risk was reduced in women who consumed 1-2 cups of tea per day (adjusted OR = 0.291, 95% CI: 0.131-0.643, P = 0.0023). A tea-drinking frequency of > 6 days/week was beneficial for CHD prevention (adjusted OR = 0.183, 95% CI: 0.049-0.679, P = 0.0112). When analyzed according to the duration of tea consumption, the risk of CHD was reduced in participants who had been drinking tea for 10-20 years (adjusted OR = 0.360, 95% CI: 0.137-0.946, P = 0.0382). CONCLUSIONS: Tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of CHD in female but not male populations in Guangzhou.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2018

Orinithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most common inborn error of the urea cycle with resulting hyperammonemia, which is medical emergency in newborns.We recently had a case of a boy that presented with lethargy, seizure, hyperammonemia and hypocalcemia in neonatal period. He was diagnosed with OTC deficiency by two consequent ways which are initial biochemical phenotype including hyperammonemia and an increased orotic acid in his urine and genetic analysis of the OTC gene. The OTC gene showed a novel hemizygous mutation c.913C>T (p.Pro305Ser). He was treated by low protein intake, sodium benzoate, phenylbutyrate sodium, L-arginine, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). After discharge, he has a relatively good prognosis without notable developmental delay. For good prognosis, the duration of hyperammonemia should be shorten. And it can be reached by an early diagnosis. For early detection of OTC deficiency, targeted exome sequencing will be a important role as well as biochemical tests.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.2-8
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the quality of life reported by patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to the patients' quality of life as reported by their caregivers. In addition, it aimed to examine how emotional problems, including depression and anxiety, and the severity of the symptoms affect the quality of life reported by the patients and their caregivers. Methods: The patients' quality of life and their degree of depression and anxiety were measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Child Self-Report, the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, respectively. The caregivers' perception of the patients' quality of life and severity of the ADHD symptoms were measured using the PedsQL 4.0 Parent Proxy Report and the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), respectively. A total of 66 participants completed the survey. The independent-samples t-test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: The mean score of the PedsQL 4.0 Child Self-Report was significantly higher than the mean score of the PedsQL 4.0 Parent Proxy Report. However, for school function, the PedsQL 4.0 Child Self-Report score was significantly lower than that of Parent Proxy Report. The correlation between the PedsQL 4.0 Child Self-Report and PedsQL 4.0 Parent Proxy Report scores was significant only for emotional function and social function. The multiple regression analysis showed that the PedsQL 4.0 Child Self-Report and PedsQL 4.0 Parent Proxy Report scores were significantly predicted by the CDI and CPRS scores, respectively. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that there are clear differences between the quality of life reported by the patient themselves and that reported by their caregivers. In addition, the findings suggest that it is critical to treat the patients' accompanying depressive symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.587-593
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• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of roasted rice bran (RRB) on the rheological properties of bread dough. According to farinograph analysis, the consistency of the control sample was greatest. There were no significant differences in water absorption (p<0.05). Lower values of development time, stability, and time to breakdown, which were affected, by the addition of RRB, were observed for RRB-containing dough samples, compared to the control dough sample. Addition of RRB significantly increased the mixing tolerance index (MTI). According to rheofermentometer analysis, the values of H'm, $T^{\prime}_1$, and retention volume decreased with increase in the amount of RRB added. According to the rapid visco analyzer (RVA) analysis, peak viscosity, holding strength, and setback values were greater in the control than in the RRB-containing samples. The addition of RRB to the flour influenced rheological properties like fermentation volume and acidity. The total acidity increased with the increase in the amount of RRB added. The present study has indicated that there was no significant difference between the rheological properties of the control and 5% RRB-containing dough samples. Therefore, the addition of 5% RRB could be an effective way to produce functional flour bread without affecting its desirable physical properties.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2019

Gut microbiome have recently provided evidence that the gut microbiota are capable of greatly influencing all aspects of physiology and immunology. Although a number of recent studies have shown that probiotics can modulate gut microbiota structure, the mechanism underlying this effect remains to be elucidated. In a disease state, the relative abundances of beneficial gut bacteria are generally reduced, which is restored by constant probiotic supplementation. Oral administration of probiotics improved the disease state by (1) inducing differentiation and function of regulatory T cells, (2) reducing inflammatory response, (3) modulating the gut environment, and (4) increasing the proportions of short-chain fatty acid- or beneficial metabolite-producing gut microbiota including the genera Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia, etc. In this review, current knowledge on how probiotics can influence host's health by altering gut microbiota structure and on how probiotics and beneficial gut bacteria can be applied as next-generation probiotics will be discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.15-25
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• 2019

The study was conducted to compare the chemical properties and microbial activity of soil and the crop productivity by applying homemade liquid fertilizers (LF) used in leading cucumber farms as well as to evaluate the eco-friendly LFs to substitute for a chemical fertilizer. Three homemade LFs, EM, starfish, and native microbes, and a chemical LF were regularly fertigated per three days during the growing season. Chemical LF contained the highest pH, EC (electrical conductivity), and concentrations of T-N, $P_2O_5$, K, Ca, and Mg, while the lowest EC level was observed for EM LF. Soil EC was the highest to the 3.0 dS/m for chemical LF-plots, with lowering soil pH, OM (organic matter), and Mg concentration. Soil chemical properties mostly increased in native microbes LF-plots. However, soil microbial properties were not significantly different among the LF treatment plots. OTU (operational taxonomic units), richness estimator, and diversity index of bacteria and fungi increased in the chemical LF and EM LF based on the pyrosequencing analysis. SPAD and PS II values on the treated-cucumber leaves were seasonally decreased from 32 to 60 days after transplanting, with the rapid decline observed at 45 days after transplanting. Number of leaves and crop height increased in the treatments with EM and native microbes LF. LF treated-cucumber crops were not significantly different for total fresh weight and fruit yield.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.212-223
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• 2019

This study is to investigate the relationship between microstructural factors and tensile properties after aging heat treatment of the 15-5PH stainless steel at the temperature range of $450^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ for various time. For the aging time of 2 hours, hardness showed maximum at $450^{\circ}C$ and then decreased with increasing aging temperature. While, hardness decreased gradually during aging $450^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ from 1 hour to 5 hours but the hardness nearly unchanged until the 100 hours after 5 hours aging. When aging at $450^{\circ}C$, Cu atoms preferentially aggregated at the prior austenite grain boundaries and martensite lath boundaries, and Cu concentration at those boundaries was nearly unchanged even after aging for 100 hours. Therefore it was suggested that the coherency is still maintained after 100 hours aging at $450^{\circ}C$. Aging at $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ results in an increase in the concentration of Ni at the martensite lath boundaries and prior austenite grain boundaries, resulting in the formation of reversed austenite. Especially, when aged at $550^{\circ}C$ for 100 hours, the concentration of Ni remarkably increased at those boundaries, and thus the microstructure of herring bone shape was appeared. Considering the migration of Ni atom to the lath boundaries and prior austenite grain boundaries, Ni atoms contributed greatly to the formation of reversed austenite. On the other hand, it was found that Cu atoms hardly moving to those boundaries may not be contributed to the formation of reversed austenite. When aging at $450^{\circ}C$, the coarsening of the precipitated Cu atoms proceeded very slowly with increasing aging time, therefore the decrease in strengths were small but the reduction area was considerably increased due to the softening of the matrix. At the aging temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$, the strengths decreased and the elongation and reduction area increased due to the appearance of the reversed austenite. Especially, the increase of reduction area was remarkable.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.78-87
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• 2021

Objective : Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) has been widely used during spine surgery to reduce or prevent neurologic deficits, however, its application to the surgical management for cervical myelopathy remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the success rate of IONM in patients with cervical myelopathy and to investigate the factors associated with successful baseline monitoring and the effect of increasing the stimulation intensity by focusing on motor evoked potentials (MEPs). Methods : The data of 88 patients who underwent surgery for cervical myelopathy with IONM between January 2016 and June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The success rate of baseline MEP monitoring at the initial stimulation of 400 V was investigated. In unmonitorable cases, the stimulation intensity was increased to 999 V, and the success rate final MEP monitoring was reinvestigated. In addition, factors related to the success rate of baseline MEP monitoring were investigated using independent t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, chi-squared test, and Fisher's exact probability test for statistical analysis. The factors included age, sex, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, smoking history, symptom duration, Torg-Pavlov ratio, space available for the cord (SAC), cord compression ratio (CCR), intramedullary increased signal intensity (SI) on magnetic resonance imaging, SI length, SI ratio, the Medical Research Council (MRC) grade, the preoperative modified Nurick grade and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score. Results : The overall success rate for reliable MEP response was 52.3% after increasing the stimulation intensity. No complications were observed to be associated with increased intensity. The factors related to the success rate of final MEP monitoring were found to be SAC (p<0.001), CCR (p<0.001), MRC grade (p<0.001), preoperative modified Nurick grade (p<0.001), and JOA score (p<0.001). The cut-off score for successful MEP monitoring was 5.67 mm for SAC, 47.33% for the CCR, 3 points for MRC grade, 2 points for the modified Nurick grade, and 12 points for the JOA score. Conclusion : Increasing the stimulation intensity could significantly improve the success rate of baseline MEP monitoring for unmonitorable cases at the initial stimulation in cervical myelopathy. In particular, the SAC, CCR, MRC grade, preoperative Nurick grade and JOA score may be considered as the more important related factors associated with the success rate of MEP monitoring. Therefore, the degree of preoperative neurological functional deficits and the presence of spinal cord compression on imaging could be used as new detailed criteria for the application of IONM in patients with cervical myelopathy.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.671-677
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• 2021

Interest in the everyday hazards of radon has recently increased as such, this study attempted to examine the dangers of radon in spilled groundwater by comparing the radon concentrations of the drained groundwater and tap water used in recirculating systems in Incheon Subway restrooms. At five stations of Incheon Subway Line 1 and three stations of Line 2, drained groundwater is recirculated and used in restrooms for toilet flushing. Stations restroom tap water for hand washing that used as a control and the measured values of each were compared. With the cooperation of Incheon Transportation Corporation, samples of spilled groundwater and tap water were collected sealed to prevent contact with the air, and a DURRIDGE RAD7 was used as the experimental equipment. The collected samples were subjected to radial equilibration for approximately 3.5 h, at which the radon concentration reached its maximum, and then calculated as 10 measurements using the RAD7 underwater radon measurement mode. In all eight stations, the radon concentration in tap water was lower than the recommended amount. However, in an average of 7 out of the eight stations, the radon concentration in the effluent groundwater was 100 times higher than that in tap water. Since high radon concentrations in groundwater runoff can be harmful to humans, and there is no accurate standard for radon concentrations in domestic water, it is necessary to continuously monitor radon in water and prepare a guidance of recommended values.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.3117-3129
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• 2022

Deeply understanding the phase change of thin liquid sodium film inside wick pore is very important for further studying high-temperature sodium heat pipe's heat transfer. For the first time, the evaporation and condensation of thin liquid sodium film are investigated by the Lennard-Jones potential of molecular dynamics. Based on the startup and normal operation of the sodium heat pipe, three different cases are simulated. First, the equilibrium is achieved and the Mass Accommodation Coefficients of the three cases are 0.3886, 0.2119, 0.2615 respectively. Secondly, the non-equilibrium is built. The change of liquid film thickness, the number of gas atoms, the net evaporation flux (J_net), the heat transfer coefficient (h) at the liquid-gas interface are acquired. Results indicate that the magnitude of the J_net and the h increase with the basic equilibrium temperature. In 520-600 K (the startup of the heat pipe), the h has approached 5-6 W m^-2 K^-1 while liquid film thickness is in 11-13 nm. The fact shows that during the initial startup of the sodium heat pipe, the thermal resistance at the liquid-gas interface can't be negligible. This work is the complement and extension for macroscopic investigation of heat transfer inside sodium heat pipe. It can provide a reference for further numerical simulation and optimal design of the sodium heat pipe in the future.