• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.417-422
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• 2007

Background: It is not known with certainty whether patients with persistently positive sputum smear results who have also had negative sputum culture results require prolongation of treatment for tuberculosis in order to avoid an increased risk of eventual relapse. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively describe the treatment characteristics and evaluate the appropriate duration of treatment in these patients. Methods: Sixty of 69 patients with sputum smear positive and culture negative tests at 5 months after first line anti-tuberculous chemotherapy from 2002 to 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria included incomplete treatment or resistance to rifampicin or two additional antibiotics, as determined by a drug susceptibility test (DST). Results: Smear conversion of the study subjects was observed after $8.3{\pm}2.3$ months treatment, and the patients were culture negative after $2.0{\pm}0.8$ months. The relapse rates of the study subjects were 3.8, 10.0, and 25.8% after 1, 2, and 5 years of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, respectively. The relapse rates were not significantly affected by a series of risk factors such as age, sex, presence of diabetes, a sputum culture examination after 2 months treatment, previous treatment history, chest radiograph, and duration of the treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion: Regimen change is not required for patients with persistent smear positive but culture negative tests in the fifth month for first line antituberculous treatment. However, a further study will be needed to clarify the high relapse rate in this specific group of patients.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2009

19 strains, which could be identified as Lactobacillus sp. were isolated. The Cucurbita maxima has been known as a traditional healthy food and variable positive effects on the human body were already reported. In this study we tried to develop a production process for a healthy fermented drink with Cucurbita maxima and strains originated from Kimchi. Many kinds of lacctobacci species existed in the fermented food cannot survive in the acidic conditions in the stomach. So we tried to search and select a strain, which can arrive to the small intestine. A species of a Lactobacillus named as C332 was identifed as Lactobacillus plantarum and selected for the fermentation process. With the treatment with artificial gastric juice and artificial bile the survival rate of the cells could be calculated. The physiological characteristics at the variable conditions have been tested. After fermentation process the sensoric tests on the product with panels were tried. The most of the cells could survive in the acidic conditions and falcultive anaerobe. Especially some antibacterial effects aganinst E.coli were also found. With all kinds of the results from our research the fermented Cucurbita maxima drink can be a successful item in the market.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.357-363
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• 2015

The development of the environment-friendly tire that meets the standard requirements according to tire labeling system can be improved through using highly homogeneous silica immobilized zinc oxide nanoparticles. In this study, a considerable amount of nanoporous silica was essentially added into nano zinc oxide to improve the physiochemical properties of the formed composite. The introduction of nanoporous silica materials in the composite facilitates the improvement of the wear-resistance and increases the elasticity of the tread. Therefore, the introduction of nanoporous silica can replace carbon black as filler in the formation of composites with desirable properties for conventional green tire. Herein, mesoporous silica immobilized zinc oxide nanoparticle with desirable properties for rubber compounds was investigated. Composites with homogeneous dispersion were obtained in the absence of dispersants. The dispersion stability was controlled through varying the molar ratio, ageing time and mixing order of the reactants. A superior dispersion was achieved in the sample obtained using 0.03 mol of zinc precursor as it had the smallest grain size (50.5 nm) and then immobilized in silica aged for 10 days. Moreover, the specific surface area of this sample was the highest ($649m^2/g$).

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2014

The structures of reinforced concrete has been extensively increased with rapid development of industrial society. Futhermore, these reinforced concretes are easy to expose to severe corrosive environments such as sea water, contaminated water, acid rain and seashore etc.. Thus, corrosion problem of inner steel bar embedded in concrete is very important in terms of safety and economical point of view. In this study, multiple mortar test specimen(W/C:0.4) with six types having different cover thickness each other was prepared and was immerged in seawater solution for five years to evaluate the effect of cover thickness and immersion years to corrosion property of embedded steel bar. And the polarization characteristics of these embedded steel bars was investigated using electrochemical methods such as measuring corrosion potential, cathodic polarization curve, and cyclic voltammogram. At the beginning of immersion, the corrosion potentials exhibited increasingly nobler values with increasing cover thickness. However, after immersed for 5 years, the thicker cover of thickness, the corrosion potentials shifted in the negative direction, and the relationship between corrosion potential and cover thickness was not in good agreement with each other. Therefore, it is considered that the thinner cover of thickness, corrosive products deposited on the surface of the embedded steel bar plays the role as a resistance polarization which is resulted in decreasing the corrosion rate as well as shifting the corrosion potential in the positive direction. As a result, it seemed that the evaluation which corrosion possibility of the reinforced steel would be estimated by only measuring the corrosion potential may not be a completely desirable method. Therefore, it is suggested that we should take into account various parameters, including cover thickness, passed aged years as well as corrosion potential for more accurate assessment of corrosion possibility of reinforced steel which is exposed to partially or fully in marine environment for long years.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2010

This study examined the effect of adhesive tape supplemented with sodium fluoride on the prevention of dental erosion in vitro. Sound bovine tooth samples were selected and divided randomly into the following 4 groups according to the material treatments: group 1, APF gel; group 2, fluoride varnish; and groups 3 and 4, fluoride tape supplemented with 5% NaF in either a methyl cellulose or poly vinyl acetate carrier, respectively. All specimens were submitted to alternate cycles of acid exposure in a cola beverage (pH 4.3) and artificial saliva for $6\;{\times}\;5\;min/day$ over a 5 day period. The micro-hardness was recorded each day and the lesion depth was measured after 5 days. The micro-hardness of the experimental sides of groups 2, 3 and 4 were significantly higher than that of their control sides and the experimental side of group 1 during the experimental period (p<0.05) except on the 5th day. The enamel surfaces of treatment groups 2, 3 and 4 showed significantly higher resistance to mineral loss in terms of the erosion depth (p<0.05) than group 1 and their control sides. There was no statistically significant difference among group 2, 3 and 4, indicating that the fluoride varnish and tapes produce similar results. Fluoride adhesive tapes are effective in reducing the progression of erosion and can be recommended for young patients who are more susceptible to dental erosion.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.246-254
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• 2004

Physicochemical properties of bread dough added with silkpeptide were investigated. Protein content of silkpeptide was 90.83%. In amino acid analysis, glycine content was highest at 18,760.04 mg%. Alanine, serine, and tyrosine contents were much higher in silkpeptide flour than wheat flour. Mixed silkpeptide showed low lightness and redness values and high yellowness. Farinograph water absorption decreased as silkpeptide content increased. Both arrival and development times of silkpeptide-added dough were longer than those of wheat flour, As silkpeptide content increased, degree of weakness increased, Maximum viscosity of amylograph decreased gradually with addition of silkpeptide, while gelatinization temperature was not affected. Extensograph showed extensibility and resistance to extension of dough increased, while ratio of resistence to extensibility highly increased with increasing amount of silkpeptide. Silkpeptide added to bread dough showed oxidation effect, indication that it could be used as natural additive for improving bread dough quality.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2012

Background: The prevalence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is steadily decreasing in South Korea. However, PTB is a disease with relatively high mortality and morbidity rates throughout Korea. Although there are many studies and statistics about the risk factors of PTB mortality in many countries, there are only a limited number of domestic papers on this topic. The aim of this study is to determine predictive factors for mortality among in-hospital patients associated with PTB. Methods: From December 2006 to January 2011, we reviewed medical records of 2,122 adult patients diagnosed with tuberculosis at a single tertiary hospital in a suburban area. In this study period, 960 patients were diagnosed with PTB by positive Acid fast bacilli smear and/or mycobacterial culture of the respiratory specimen. We compared the groups of patients deceased and patients discharged alive with PTB. The number of dead patients was 82 (47 males, 35 females). Results: Mortality was significantly associated with increased values of white blood cells (WBC), blood urine nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), numbers of involved lung field, and length of hospitalization. Also, it was associated with the decreased values of hemoglobin, lymphocyte, sodium, albumin, and cholesterol. Furthermore, admission through the emergency department, initial intensive care unit admission, and drug resistant PTB affected mortality in PTB patients. Independent predictors associated with PTB mortality are BUN, initial intensive care unit care, and admission during treatment of tuberculosis. Conclusion: In our study, mortality of pulmonary tuberculosis was related with parameters associated with nutritional status, disease severity at the time of admission, and drug resistance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.833-839
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• 2005

This study was conducted to demonstrate whether dietary Ca and the soy isoflavones supplementation could reduce the bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency. Nine week-old female rats (SD) were ovariectomized and then fed on diet of low $(0.1\%)$ or normal $(0.5\%)$ Ca supplemented with soy isoflavones (80 and 160 ppm) for 6 weeks. The ovariectomized and sham-operated rats showed normal serum Ca and P levels, and dietary Ca and soy isoflavones did not changed them. The serum alkaline phosphatase activity was increased in all ovariectomized rats, especially in the rats fed low Ca diet regardless of isoflavone supplementation. The serum tartrate-resistance acid phosphatase was not significantly different among the ovariectomized rats and were not changed by dietary Ca and isoflavones. Breaking force of femur was higher in the rats fed the nomral Ca diets and not statistically changed by soy isoflavone supplementation. Femoral and lumbar Ca and P contents decreased in the ovariectomized rats and the soy isoflavones-80 ppm supplementation significantly enhanced bone minerals, but the soy isoflavones-160 ppm supplementation did not. Dietary Ca increased lumbar Ca and P contents. The results of this study have suggested that the soy isoflavones 80 ppm supplementation could be sufficient to prevent bone loss in ovariectomized rats and normal Ca supplementation could enhance the effect of soy isoflavones on bone protection.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.111-122
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• 2013

Sodium sulfur (NAS) battery is a high energy storage system (ESS). These days, as the use of renewable green energy like wind energy, solar energy and ocean energy is rapidly increasing, the demand of ESS is increasing and NAS battery is considered to be one of the most promising ESS. Since NAS battery has a high energy density(3 times of lead acid battery), long cycle life and no self-charge and discharge, it is a good candidate for ESS. A NAS battery consists of sulfur as the positive electrode, sodium as the negative electrode and ${\beta}$"-alumina as the electrolyte and a separator simultaneously. Since sulfur is an insulator, carbon felt should be used as conductor with sulfur and so the composition and property of the cathode could largely influence the cell performance and life cycle. Therefore, in this paper, the composition of NAS battery, the property of carbon felt and sodium polysulfides ($Na_2S_x$, intermediates of discharge), and the effects of these factors on cycle performance of cells are described in detail.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.221-231
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• 2017

This study aimed to investigate the physiological characteristics and anti-obesity effects of a newly isolated bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum K6. L. plantarum K6 showed good ${\alpha}-amylase$ inhibitory activity ($96.78{\pm}3.29%$), ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ inhibitory activity ($92.55{\pm}9.62%$), and lipase inhibitory activity ($85.17{\pm}0.79%$), and the strain inhibited the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells ($27.4{\pm}1.4%$) when present at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$. L. plantarum K6 was isolated from kimchi and its physiological characteristics were investigated. A comparison of the sensitivity of the isolate to 15 different antibiotics showed that L. plantarum K6 is highly sensitive to erythromycin and highly resistant to vancomycin, ampicillin, and polymyxin B. This strain also showed high arylamidase and ${\beta}-galactosidase$ activities. Moreover, it was relatively tolerant to bile acid and low pH, and displayed resistance to Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, with rates of 51.8%, 42.4%, 61.6%, and 54.9%, respectively. No bio genic amines were produced. L. plantarum K6 also showed high adhesion activity to HT-29 cells compared to L. rhamnosus GG. These results demonstrate that Lactobacillus plantarum K6 has potential as a probiotic with anti-obesity effects.