• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.200-205
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• 2023

Objective: Polycystic ovary (PCO), a diagnostic component of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), requires either an ovarian volume (OV) criterion or a follicle number per ovary (FNPO) criterion. This study investigated the association of OV and FNPO criteria with various manifestations of PCOS. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a university hospital among 100 patients newly diagnosed with PCOS (according to the revised Rotterdam criteria). Fasting blood samples were collected to measure glucose, total testosterone (TT), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), lipid, insulin, and hemoglobin A1c levels. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Transabdominal or transvaginal ultrasound of the ovaries was done, depending on patients' marital status. All investigations were conducted in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. OV >10 mL and/or FNPO ≥12 indicated PCO. A homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (IR) value ≥2.6 indicated IR, and metabolic syndrome (MS) was defined according to the international harmonization criteria. Results: Seventy-six participants fulfilled the OV criterion, 70 fulfilled the FNPO criterion, and 89 overall had PCO. Both maximum OV and mean OV had a significant correlation with TT levels (r=0.239, p=0.017 and r=0.280, p=0.005, respectively) and the LH/FSH ratio (r=0.212, p=0.034 and r=0.200, p=0.047, respectively). Mean OV also had a significant correlation with fasting insulin levels (r=0.210, p=0.036). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that IR (odds ratio [OR], 9.429; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.701 to 52.271; p=0.010) and MS (OR, 7.952; 95% CI, 1.821 to 34.731; p=0.006) had significant predictive associations with OV alone, even after adjustment for age and body mass index. Conclusion: OV may be more closely related to the androgenic and metabolic characteristics of PCOS than FNPO.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2023

In this work, we investigated the thickness of Ag precursor layer to improve the performance of flexible CIGSe solar cells grown on stainless steel (STS) substrates through three-stage co-evaporation with Ga grading followed by alkali treatments. The small amount of incorporated Ag in CIGSe films showed enhancement in the grain size and device efficiency. With an optimal 6 nm-thick Ag layer, the best cell on the STS substrate yielded more than 16%, which is comparable to the soda-lime glass (SLG) substrate. Thus, the addition of controlled Ag combined with alkali post-deposition treatment (PDT) led to increased open-circuit voltage (VOC), accompanied by the increased built-in potential as confirmed by capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. It is related to a reduction of charge recombination at the depletion region. The results suggest that Ag alloying and alkali PDT are essential for producing highly efficient flexible CIGSe solar cells.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2024

To increase industrial applicability of Astragalus membranaceus (AM) as immunostimulating materials, hot-water extract (AME) was prepared from AM and fermented with Kimchi-lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus sakei & Leuconostoc mesenteroides) to prepare fermented AM-postbiotics (FAME). Although FAME prepared from AM-postbiotics did not show a significant enhancement in macrophage stimulating activity compared to non-fermented AME, crude polysaccharide (FAME-CP) fractionated by EtOH precipitation from FAME showed significantly higher macrophage stimulating activity than AME-CP. Compared to AME-CP, FAME-CP showed dramatic changes in component sugar and molecular weight distribution. FAME-CP was a polysaccharide with a major molecular weight distribution of 113.4 kDa containing Man (44.2%), Glc (19.3%), Gal (10.2%), GalA (10.2%), and Ara (7.4%) as sugar components. FAME-CP with enhanced macrophage stimulatory activity not only increased expression levels of mRNA genes encoding macrophage-activated factors (iNOS, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, and COX-2), but also led the nuclear translocation of activated p65 and c-Jun. In conclusion, crude polysaccharide from AM-postbiotics fermented with lactic acid bacteria could increase industrial applicability as a functional material with enhanced immunostimulating activity than AME-CP.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.77-89
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• 1999

Background: High-dose chemotherapy is increasingly employed in many refractory malignant diseases. This therapy has been reported to increase response rate and survival benefits but it is also associated with higher treatment-related morbidity and mortality. We evaluated clinical characteristics and course of the pulmonary toxicity following high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Methods: Ninety-seven patients who had received high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation were evaluated. Five patients who developed lung lesions which were not related to infection nor primary malignant disease underwent transbronchial lung biopsy. The patients' clinical characteristics, treatments, and prognosis were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Five patients(5.1%) developed idiopathic pneumonia syndrome. The high dose chemotherapy regimens employed were cyclophosphamide, BCNU, and cisplatin in 3 cases, one case of BCNU, etoposide, Ara-C, and cyclophosphamide combination, and a regimen consisting of BCNU, etoposide, Ara-C, and melphalan. The total dose of BCNU used was 300-400 mg/$m^2$ and that of cyclophosphsmide was 6,000 mg/$m^2$. All of 5 patients received radiation therapy before this treatment. After an average duration of 14 weeks (4-26 weeks) of high-dose chemotherapy, patients developed cough, dyspnea and fever. The chest X-rays showed bilateral diffuse infiltration in 3 cases and the focal infiltration in the other 2 cases. All the patients received corticosteroid therapy as a treatment for the lung lesions. Two of them progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome and died. Three patients recovered without residual lung lesion but one of them died of dilated cardiomyopathy. Conclusion: High-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation especially which containing BCNU regimen may develop idiopathic pneumonia syndrome related to pulmonary toxicity and corticosteroid therapy may be bel1eficial in some cases.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 1999

Purposes : Renal involvement is a potentially serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There have been only few studies of lupus nephritis in pediatric age. In this study, the clinical manifestations, pathologic findings, response to treatment, and clinical course of lupus nephritis in children were analyzed. And the results will provide basic data for future nation-wide prospective multi-center study. Methods . The medical records of 46 children clinically and pathologically diagnosed to have lupus nephritis at Seoul National University Children's Hospital during 1986 to 1997 were analyzed retrospectively. Results : 1) The median age of diagnosis of lupus nephritis was 12.8 years ($2\;years\~\;15year$ 8months), and the sex ratio was 1:2.5. 2) FANA($85.7\%$), anti-ds-DNA antibody ($78.0\%$), and malar rash ($60.8\%$) were the most common findings among the classification criteria by ARA Decreased C3 was detected in $88.9\%$ of patients. 3) Hematuria ($87.0\%$) was the most common renal symptom, and WHO class IV lupus nephritis was identified in 41 cases by renal biopsy. 4) In most of patients, the disease activity was controlled relatively well with a single or combined therapy of prednisolone, azathioprine, or cyclophosphamide. The response revealed no difference according to the mode of treatment. 5) Infection, especially of Varicella-Zoster virus and candida, was the most common complication during the disease course. Conclusion : The renal involvement was noted in $87.0\%$ of childhood SLE, and $89.1\%$ of renal lesions was WHO class IV lupus nephritis known to associated with poor long-term prognosis. So, aggressive treatment using immunosuppressants in the early disease course may be helpful to increase long-term prognosis of lupus nephritis. A prospective multi-center study is necessary to analyze the therapeutic efficacy of various treatment modalities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.2 s.82
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• pp.198-203
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• 2007

DNA transfection is a powerful tool for studying gene functions. The $Ca^{2+}$-phosphate precipitation remains one of the most popular and cost-effective transfection techniques. Mature neurons are more resistant to transfection than young ones and most other cell types, and easy to die if microenvironment changes. Here, we report a transfection protocol for mature neurons. The critical modifications are inclusion of glial cells in culture and careful control of $Ca^{2+}$-phosphate precipitation under microscope. Cerebral glial cells were grown until ${\sim}70-80%$ confluence in DMEM/10% horse serum, which was thereafter replaced with serum-free Neurobasal/Ara-C, and 319 hippocampal neurons were plated onto the glial layer Formation of fine $DNA/Ca^{2+}$-phosphate precipitates was induced using Clontech $CalPhos^{TM}$ Mammalian Transfection Kit, and the size ($0.5-1\;{\mu}m$ in diameter) and density(about 10 particles/$100\;{\mu}m^2$) were carefully controlled by the time of incubation in the medium. This modified protocol can be reliably applied for transfection of mature neurons that are maintained longer than two weeks in vitro, resulting in 10-15 healthy transfected neurons per a well of 24-well plates. The efficacy of the protocol was verified by punctate expression of $pEGFP-CaMKII{\alpha}$, a synaptic protein, and diffuse expression of pDsRed2. Our protocol provides a reliable method for transfection of mature neurons in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.583-591
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• 2012

Four kinds of makgeolli brewed with different proportions of rice and wheat flour were prepared to investigate the effects of the carbohydrates source on the storage properties, and to examine the chemical characteristics and BA (biogenic amine) contents in makgeolli stored over 30 days at 4, 10 and $20^{\circ}C$, respectively. The chemical properties and BA contents were sustained at a consistent level for those makgeolli stored at $4^{\circ}C$ over 30 days. The alcohol content was significantly higher for makgeolli brewed with higher proportions of rice (R) over wheat flour (WF) (R 100: WF 0, R 70: WF 30) when compared with those brewed with a high proportion of wheat flour (R 30: WF 70, R 0: WF 100), and increased with increasing storage temperature and duration. The free amino acid contents of makgeolli brewed with high proportion of rice were significantly lower under the same conditions. Among the 8 BAs examined, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine and phenylethylamine were detected, while tyramine and putrescine were mainly detected. Histamine was not detected throughout storage. Makgeolli brewed with rice as the only carbohydrate source exhibited very low levels of total BA during 30 days of storing at $20^{\circ}C$. Total BA contents of R100, R70, R30, R0 were 178.6, 682.9, 1186.7 and 1150.4 mg/L, respectively. These results suggest that makgeolli brewed with relatively higher proportions of rice have better storage properties and are safer for consumption.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.213-220
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• 2016

The needs for the utilization of space in the urban ara due to the increasing population and traffic volume. A Double-deck tunnel can be an appropriate solution. Geosynthetics are inevitably installed between ground and tunnel lining, therefore, geosynthetic-soil interface is also comprises. Dynamic shear behavior of geosynthetic-soil interface affects the dynamic behavior of tunnel, and experimental study is required since the behavior is very complicated. In this study, chemical factors such as acid and basic element in the groundwater and temperature are considered in the laboratory test. Multi-purpose Interface Apparatus(M-PIA) is utilized and submerging periods are 60 and 960 days. Consequently, dynamic shear degradation of geosynthetic-soil interface considering chemical and thermal factors are verified.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1988.08a
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• pp.141-146
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• 1988

Dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius L.) is a member of the ginseng family (Araliaceae). which is indigenous to North America and is distributed from Southern Canada to the Northern United States. In total. nine compounds were isolated from the leaves of Dwarf gineng. Of these. four were identified as flavonoids and five were found to be ginsenosides. Two of the flavonoids were identified to be kaempferol-3. 7-dirhamnoside and kaempferol-3-gluco-7-rhamnoside. Four of the ginsenosides were identified as notoginsenoside-Fe. ginsenoside-Rd. ginsenoside-Rc and $ginsenoside-Rb_1$ The common aglycone of these ginsenosides was shown to be (20S)-protopanaxadiol. The identification of flavonoids and ginsenosides from the root. stem. leaf. flower and fruit of Dwarf ginseng was detected by Two-Dimensional Thin-Layer Chromatography (2D-TLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The quantitation of flavonoids and ginsenosides from the root. stem. leaf. flower and fruit of Dwarf ginseng and related species such as Korean gineng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) was analyzed by HPLC only. Three flavonoids (Kaempferol derivatives) labelled compound 1 $(10.8\%)$, compound 3 ($2.8\%$), and compound 4 ($8.4\%)$ were found in the root of Dwarf ginseng but not found in the roots of Korean ginseng and American ginseng. This is the first time that flavonoids have been found and identified in roots of the ginseng family (Araliaceae).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 1973

Secondary amines and nitrites in various daily foods have been known as the precursors of potent carcinogenic nitroso compound produced in the human stomach when they were ingested simultaneouly in high concentration. In this report, the amounts and distribution of secondary amines and nitrites in Korean daily foods, kim-chi, fishes, fish eggs, sausages, canned fish foods and fish sauces (salted fish) were studied.Nitrite contents were low in most subjected foods except in sausages. Secondary amines showed low contents in kim-chi, fishes, but high in fish sauces, fish eggs and canned fish foods. The result of this study suggested that the possible formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines during manufacturing, storage and cooking of all Korean foods should be studied.