• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.298-313
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of natural compounds in improving athletic ability has attracted attention in both sports and research. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) leaves are used to make traditional herbal medicines in Asia. The active components of G. pentaphyllum, dammarane saponins, or gypenosides, possess a range of biological activities. On the other hand, the anti-fatigue effects from G. pentaphyllum extract (GPE) and its effective compound, gypenoside L (GL), remain to be determined. MATERIALS/METHODS: This study examined the effects of GPE on fatigue and exercise performance in ICR mice. GPE was administered orally to mice for 6 weeks, with or without treadmill training. The biochemical analysis in serum, glycogen content, mRNA, and protein expressions of the liver and muscle were analyzed. RESULTS: The ExGPE (exercise with 300 mg/kg body weight/day of GPE) mice decreased the fat mass percentage significantly compared to the ExC mice, while the ExGPE showed the greatest lean mass percentage compared to the ExC group. The administration of GPE improved the exercise endurance and capacity in treadmill-trained mice, increased glucose and triglycerides, and decreased the serum creatine kinase and lactate levels after intensive exercise. The muscle glycogen levels were higher in the ExGPE group than the ExC group. GPE increased the level of mitochondrial biogenesis by enhancing the phosphorylation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) protein and the mRNA expression of nuclear respiratory factor 1, mitochondrial DNA, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ, superoxide dismutase 2, and by decreasing the lactate dehydrogenase B level in the soleus muscle (SOL). GPE also improved PGC-1α activation in the SOL significantly through AMPK/p38 phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that GPE supplementation enhances exercise performance and has anti-fatigue activity. In addition, the underlying molecular mechanism was elucidated. Therefore, GPE is a promising candidate for developing functional foods and enhancing the exercise capacity and anti-fatigue activity.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2019

Background and Objectives Skin and soft tissue defects can be treated according to a range of strategies, such as local flap, skin graft, biological dressing, or free flap. On the other hand, free tissue transfer usually leaves a distinct scar with an inconsistency of color or hypertrophy. This problem is highlighted if the defect is located on the face, which could have devastating effects on a patient's psychosocial health. Materials and Methods The authors used an erbium : yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser to resurface the free flap skin and match the color with the surrounding facial skin. This study evaluated the effectiveness of laser skin resurfacing on the harmonious color matching of transferred flap. Patients who had undergone laser resurfacing on facial flap skin between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. An ablative 2,940-nm fractional Er:YAG laser treatment was delivered to the entire flap skin at 21 J/cm² with the treatment end-point of pinpoint bleeding. Several months later, the clinical photographs were analyzed. The L^*a^*b^* color co-ordinates of both the flap and surrounding normal skin were measured using Adobe Photoshop. The L^*a^*b^* color difference (ΔE) for the scar and normal surrounding skin were calculated using the following equation: ${\Delta}E=\sqrt{({\Delta}L)^2+({\Delta}a)^2+({\Delta}b)^2}$ Results All five patients were satisfied with the more natural appearance of the flaps. The ΔE values decreased significantly from the pre-treatment mean value of 19.64 to the post-treatment mean value of 11.39 (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p = 0.043). Conclusion Ablative laser resurfacing can improve the aesthetic outcome of free tissue transfer on the face.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.80-87
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• 2022

Purpose: Proton therapy has different relative biological effectiveness (RBE) compared with X-ray treatment, which is the standard in radiation therapy, and the fixed RBE value of 1.1 is widely used. However, RBE depends on a charged particle's linear energy transfer (LET); therefore, measuring LET is important. We have developed a LET measurement method using the inefficiency characteristic of an EBT3 film on a proton beam's Bragg peak (BP) region. Methods: A Gafchromic EBT3 film was used to measure the proton beam LET. It measured the dose at a 10-cm pristine BP proton beam in water to determine the quenching factor of the EBT3 film as a reference beam condition. Monte Carlo (MC) calculations of dose-averaged LET (LET_d) were used to determine the quenching factor and validation. The dose-averaged LETs at the 12-, 16-, and 20-cm pristine BP proton beam in water were calculated with the quenching factor. Results: Using the passive scattering proton beam nozzle of the National Cancer Center in Korea, the LET_d was measured for each beam range. The quenching factor was determined to be 26.15 with 0.3% uncertainty under the reference beam condition. The dose-averaged LETs were measured for each test beam condition. Conclusions: We developed a method for measuring the proton beam LET using an EBT3 film. This study showed that the magnitude of the quenching effect can be estimated using only one beam range, and the quenching factor determined under the reference condition can be applied to any therapeutic proton beam range.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.397-408
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• 2023

Fire blight disease, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is a devastating affliction in apple cultivation worldwide. Chemical pesticides have exhibited limited effectiveness in controlling the disease, and biological control options for treating fruit trees are limited. Therefore, a relatively large-scale survey is necessary to develop microbial agents for apple trees. Here we collected healthy apple trees from across the country to identify common and core bacterial taxa. We analyzed the endophytic bacterial communities in leaves and twigs and discovered that the twig bacterial communities were more conserved than those in the leaves, regardless of the origin of the sample. This finding indicates that specific endophytic taxa are consistently present in healthy apple trees and may be involved in vital functions such as disease prevention and growth. Furthermore, we compared the community metabolite pathway expression rates of these endophyte communities with those of E. amylovora infected apple trees and discovered that the endophyte communities in healthy apple trees not only had similar community structures but also similar metabolite pathway expression rates. Additionally, Pseudomonas and Methylobacterium-Methylorobrum were the dominant taxa in all healthy apple trees. Our findings provide valuable insights into the potential roles of endophytes in healthy apple trees and inform the development of strategies for enhancing apple growth and resilience. Moreover, the similarity in cluster structure and pathway analysis between healthy orchards was mutually reinforcing, demonstrating the power of microbiome analysis as a tool for identifying factors that contribute to plant health.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.315-323
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• 2023

The objective of this study is to identify the selective application targets for reporting on details of supply of class 1 and 2 medical devices as part of the improvement of the reports on details of supply of medical device system, and to analyze its effectiveness. Therapeutic materials covered by health insurance and secondhand medical devices were chosen based on the transparency of health insurance coverage and the management of medical device distribution. As a result, approximately 85% of groups can be excluded from the reporting requirements compared to reporting all items under Class 1 and 2 medical devices. This is expected to enhance the efficiency of supply reporting tasks. Additionally, the information on supply details managed by the regulatory authority can be utilized for statistical analysis and periodic monitoring, serving as fundamental data for the development of medical device-related policies and research in the field of medical devices.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.428-442
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• 2023

In this study, we have a goal to develop usability evaluation guidelines for heuristic-based artificial intelligence-based Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) in the medical field. We conducted a gap analysis between medical hardware (H/W) and non-medical software (S/W) based on ten heuristic principles. Through severity assessments, we identified 69 evaluation domains and 112 evaluation criteria aligned with the ten heuristic principles. Subsequently, we categorized each evaluation domain into five types, including user safety, data integrity, regulatory compliance, patient therapeutic effectiveness, and user convenience. We proposed usability evaluation guidelines that apply the newly derived heuristic-based Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) evaluation factors to the risk management process. In the discussion, we also have proposed the potential applications of the research findings and directions for future research. We have emphasized the importance of the judicious application of AI technology in the medical field and the evaluation of usability evaluation and offered valuable guidelines for various stakeholders, including medical device manufacturers, healthcare professionals, and regulatory authorities.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to identify the applicability, main compounds, and target genes of Cnidii Fructus (CF) in the treatment of gastritis using network pharmacology. The compounds in CF were searched in Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and a database of medicinal materials and chemical compounds in Northeast Asian traditional medicine (TM-MC). The target gene information of the compounds was collected from pubchem and cross-compared with the gastritis-related target gene information collected from Genecard to derive the target genes. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed on the derived target genes. Afterwards, network analysis between compounds and disease target genes was performed using cytoscape. We identified 121 active compounds and 139 target genes associated with gastritis. Pathways derived from the GO biological process and KEGG pathway DB primarily focus on target genes related to inflammation (IL-6, IL-8, TNF production, NF-κB transcription factor activity, and NF-κB signaling pathway) and cell death (PI3K-Akt, FoxO). Major targets for CF treatment of gastritis include TP53, TNF, BCL2, EGFR, NFKB1, ABCB1, PPARG, PTGS2, IL6, IL1B, and SOD1, along with major compounds such as coumarin, osthol, hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and stigmasterol. This study provided CF's applicability for gastritis, related compounds, and target information. Evaluating CF's effectiveness in a preclinical gastritis model suggests its potential use in clinical practice for digestive system diseases.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.269-282
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• 2023

Vitamin D participates in the biological function of the innate and adaptive immune system and inflammation. We aim to specify the effectiveness of the vitamin D supplementation on the side effects BioNTech, Pfizer vaccination, and immunoglobulin G response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in subjects tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this multi-center randomized clinical trial, 498 people tested positive for COVID-19 were divided into 2 groups, receiving vitamin D capsules or a placebo (1 capsule daily, each containing 600 IU of vitamin D) over 14-16 weeks. Anthropometric indices and biochemical parameters were measured before and after the second dose of vaccination. Fourteen to 16 weeks after supplementation, the intervention group had an immunoglobulin G (IgG) increase of 10.89 ± 1.2 g/L, while the control group had 8.89 ± 1.3 g/L, and the difference was significant between both groups (p = 0.001). After the second dose of vaccination, the supplement group significantly increased their 25-hydroxy vitamin D from initially 28.73 ± 15.6 ng/mL and increased to 46.48 ± 27.2 ng/mL, and the difference between them was significant. Those with a higher body mass index (BMI) had the most of symptoms, and the difference of side effects according to BMI level was significantly different. In 8 weeks after supplementation obese participants had the lowest IgG levels than overweight or normal subjects. The proportion of all types of side effects on the second dose was significantly diminished compared with the first dose in the intervention group. Supplementation of 600 IU of vitamin D3 can reduce post-vaccination side effects and increase IgG levels in participants who received BioNTech, Pfizer vaccine.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to explore the compounds, targets and related diseases of garlic by the approaches of network pharmacology and bioinformatics in traditional chinese medicine. Methods : We investigated components and their target molecules of garlic using SymMap and TCMSP and they were compared with analysis platform. Results : 56 potential compounds were identified in garlic, 26 of which contained target information, and it was found that these 26 compounds and 154 targets interact with each other through a combination of 243 compounds. In addition, Apigenin was linked to the most targeted gene (78) in 26 compounds, followed by Kaempferol (61 genes), Nicotic Acid (14 genes), Geraniol (11 genes), Eee (10 genes), and Sobrol A (9 genes). Among 56 potential compounds, three compounds (Kaempferol, Dipterocarpol, and N-Methyl cytisine) corresponded to the active compound by screening criterion Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion (ADME). In addition, 12 compounds in 56 potential compounds were associated with gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorder. Among them, Kaempferol was a compound that met the ADME parameters and the rest were potential compounds that did not meet. Also, Kaempferol was closely related to GI motility disorder, indicating that this Kaempferol could be a candidate for potential medical efficacy. Conclusions : It shows the relationship between the compound of garlic, an herbal supplement, and the biological process associated with GI motility disorder. These results are thought to help develop strategies for treating GI motility disorders.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.35-42
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• 2024

Biomedical engineering is a discipline that diagnoses and treats human diseases using engineering techniques based on medical and biological understanding. Proper biomedical engineering education requires education on medical terminology, human anatomy, and human physiology, but students have a preconceived notion that these basic medical subjects are subjects to be memorized. In order to eliminate these students' preconceptions, various educational methods must be developed so that students can easily access basic medical subjects. In this paper, we present a method to increase learning effectiveness by introducing observation practice of a human anatomical model to the medical terminology subject. The half-body model of the human body is a form in which various organs are assembled and can be observed by disassembling them one by one. This observation exercise consisted of questions about the organs of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen, with students working in groups to find answers. After the practice, students evaluated that this practice motivated them to learn and made it easier to understand the lecture.