• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-125
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• 2024

Gliomas are the most common malignant brain tumor and cause the most deaths. Manual brain tumor segmentation is expensive, time-consuming, error-prone, and dependent on the radiologist's expertise and experience. Manual brain tumor segmentation outcomes by different radiologists for the same patient may differ. Thus, more robust, and dependable methods are needed. Medical imaging researchers produced numerous semi-automatic and fully automatic brain tumor segmentation algorithms using ML pipelines and accurate (handcrafted feature-based, etc.) or data-driven strategies. Current methods use CNN or handmade features such symmetry analysis, alignment-based features analysis, or textural qualities. CNN approaches provide unsupervised features, while manual features model domain knowledge. Cascaded algorithms may outperform feature-based or data-driven like CNN methods. A revolutionary cascaded strategy is presented that intelligently supplies CNN with past information from handmade feature-based ML algorithms. Each patient receives manual ground truth and four MRI modalities (T1, T1c, T2, and FLAIR). Handcrafted characteristics and deep learning are used to segment brain tumors in a Global Convolutional Neural Network (GCNN). The proposed GCNN architecture with two parallel CNNs, CSPathways CNN (CSPCNN) and MRI Pathways CNN (MRIPCNN), segmented BraTS brain tumors with high accuracy. The proposed model achieved a Dice score of 87% higher than the state of the art. This research could improve brain tumor segmentation, helping clinicians diagnose and treat patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.311-316
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• 2007

Objective : The objective of this study is to investigate the safety, surgical efficacy, and advantages of a polyaxial screw-rod system for posterior occipitocervicothoracic arthrodesis. Methods : Charts and radiographs of 32 patients who underwent posterior cervical fixation between October 2004 and February 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Posterior cervical polyaxial screw-rod fixation was applied on the cervical spine and/or upper thoracic spine. The surgical indication was fracture or dislocation in 18, C1-2 ligamentous injury with trauma in 5, atlantoaxial instability by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in 4, cervical spondylosis with myelopathy in 4, and spinal metastatic tumor in 1. The patients were followed up and evaluated based on their clinical status and radiographs at 1, 3, 6 months and 1 year after surgery. Results : A total of 189 screws were implanted in 32 patients. Fixation was carried out over an average of 3.3 spinal segment (range, 2 to 7). The mean follow-up interval was 20.2 months. This system allowed for screw placement in the occiput, C1 lateral mass, C2 pars, C3-7 lateral masses, as well as the lower cervical and upper thoracic pedicles. Satisfactory bony fusion and reduction were achieved and confirmed in postoperative flexion-extension lateral radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scans in all cases. Revision surgery was required in two cases due to deep wound infection. One case needed a skin graft due to necrotic change. There was one case of kyphotic change due to adjacent segmental degeneration. There were no other complications, such as cord or vertebral artery injury, cerebrospinal fluid leak, screw malposition or back-out, or implant failure, and there were no cases of postoperative radiculopathy due to foraminal stenosis. Conclusion : Posterior cervical stabilization with a polyaxial screw-rod system is a safe and reliable technique that appears to offer several advantages over existing methods. Further biomechanical testings and clinical experiences are needed in order to determine the true benefits of this procedure.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 1994

In the course of the study on strain inprovement by protoplast fusion, Lactobacillus acidophilus 88 protoplasts production and regeneration conditions were investigated. This strain produced a bacteriocin that revealed strong inhibitory activity against various indicator strains, especially L. helveticus CNRZ 1096. Protoplasts of L. acidophilus 88 strains were very efficiently obtained by treatment with 125 $\mu $g/ml lysozyme in a protoplast forming buffer containing 20 mM N-2 hydroxy-ethtl-piperazine-N'-2-ethane-sulfonic acid(HEPES, pH 7.0) and 1M sucrose at 37$\circ $C for 30 min. Hovever, treatment with mutanolysin was not effective for the production of L. acidophilus 88 protoplasts under the same conditions. High protoplast yield was obtained form the cells at the middle to late logarithmic growth phase in the de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe(MRS) medium. Regeneration was efficiently accomplished with the MRS medium containing 10% sucrose.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.76-80
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• 2013

For further improvement of osseo-integration of bone crystal with a dental implant, a design optimization study is carried out for various holes inside its body to deliver bioactive materials and the effect of bioactive material injection on the bone crystal growing. When bioactive material is absorbed, the bone crystal can grow into holes, which would increase the strength of implant bonding as well as a surface integration. The stress concentrations near the uppermost outlet holes were reduced with increasing the number of outlet holes. A design improvement in the uppermost outlet was shown to be effective in reducing the stress concentration. For design parameters under consideration in this study, total area of outlet of 6.38 $mm^2$ and maximum stress of 1.114 MPa, which corresponds to type 6-C. It is due to the minimization of maximum stress and total area of outlet. The design of the outlet facing down was more effective in reducing the maximum stress value compared with a horizontal symmetry.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.716-721
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• 2008

To explore the effects of deregulated expression of the EBNA1 binding protein 2 (EBP2) on cell growth, we generated human HEK293 stable clones constitutively expressing an EBP2-EGFP fusion protein. We found both RNA and protein levels of cyclin E1, a dominant oncoprotein, were elevated in the EBP2- EGFP stable clones. These findings were confirmed by flow cytometry bivariate analysis of cyclin expression versus DNA content. Moreover, the increase in p21 expression and the specific phosphorylation at Ser1981 of ATM and Ser15 of p53 were also observed in these stable clones, and these observations may explain the failure to observe an increase in Cdk2 kinase activity. In addition, after one year of passage culture, the EBP2-EGFP stable clones tended to lose 4 to 5 chromosomes per cell when compared to that of control cells. All of these findings provide a possible link between deregulated expression of EBP2 and tumor development.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.79-82
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• 2000

We have isolated a cDNA encoding a calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) in Nicotiana tabacum, which was designated NtCDPK1. Accumulation of the NtCDPK1 mRNA was stimulated by various stimuli, including phytohormones, CaCl$_2$ wounding, fungal elicitors, chitin and methyl jasmonate. The NtCDPK1 gene encodes a functional Ser/Thr protein kinase of which phosphorylation activity is strongly induced by calcium. By analyzing expression of the NtCDPK1-GFP fusion protein and by immunoblotting with antibody which reacts with NtCDPK1, we found that NtCDPK1 is localized in membrane and nucleus in plant cells. Silencing expression of the NtCDPK1 transgene resulted in marked decrease of lateral root development in the transgenic tobacco plants. Yeast two hybrid screening using NtCDPK1 as a bait identified a tobacco homologue of proteasome regulatory subunit 21D7, designated Nt21D7. The 21D7 mRNA has been shown to be predominantly expressed in proliferating tissues in the cell cycledependent manner in carrot. The recombinant NtCDPK1 protein associated with Nt21D7 in vitro, and could phosphorylate the Nt21D7 protein in vitro in the presence of calcium, suggesting that Nt21D7 protein is a natural substrate of NtCDPK1 in tobacco. These results suggest that NtCDPK1 may regulate tell proliferation processes, such as lateral root formation, by regulating specificity and/or activity of proteasome-mediated protein degradation pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.160-165
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• 2020

The root meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana is protected by the root cap, the size of which is tightly regulated by the balance between the formative cell divisions and the dispersal of the outermost cells. We isolated an enhancer-tagged dominant mutant displaying the short and twisted root by the overexpression of ZINC-FINGER OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA1 (ZAT1) encoding an EAR motif-containing zinc-finger protein. The growth inhibition by ZAT1 was shared by ZAT4 and ZAT9, the ZAT1 homologues. The ZAT1 promoter was specifically active in the outermost cells of the root cap, in which ZAT1-GFP was localized when expressed by the ZAT1 promoter. The outermost cell-specific expression pattern of ZAT1 was not altered in the sombrero (smb) or smb bearskin1 (brn1) brn2 accumulating additional root-cap layers. In contrast, ZAT4-GFP and ZAT9-GFP fusion proteins were distributed to the inner root-cap cells in addition to the outermost cells where ZAT4 and ZAT9 promoters were active. Overexpression of ZAT1 induced the ectopic expression of PUTATIVE ASPARTIC PROTEASE3 involved in the programmed cell death. The EAR motif was essential for the growth inhibition by ZAT1. These results suggest that the three related ZATs might regulate the maturation of the outermost cells of the root cap.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.139-144
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• 2010

Objective : We report our surgical experience in the treatment of 16 consecutive patients with benign craniovertebral junction (CVJ) tumor, observed from 2003 to 2008 at our department. Methods : We had treated 6 foramen magnum meningiomas, 6 cervicomedullary hemangioblastomas, 1 accessory nerve schwannoma, 1 hypoglossal nerve schwannoma, 1 C2 root schwannoma, and 1 cavernous hemangioma. Clinical results were evaluated by Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) and all patients underwent preoperative neuroradiological evaluation with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI). Angiography was performed in 15 patients and preoperative embolization was done in 2 patients. Results : Five far-lateral, 1 supracondylar and 10 midline suboccipital approaches were performed. Gross total removal was achieved in 15 cases (94%) and subtotal removal in 1 patient (6%). None of the patients required occipitocervical fusion. Radiological follow-up showed no recurrence in cases totally removed. Postoperative decrease of KPS scores was recorded in only 1 patient. The treatment of cervicomedullary solid hemangioblastoma presented particular issues : by preoperative embolization, we removed tumor totally without an excessive bleeding or brainstem injury. In one of foramen magnum meningioma, we carried out subtotal removal due to hard tumor consistency and encasement of neurovascular structures. Conclusion : The choice of surgical approaches and the extent of bone resection should be defined according to the location and size of individual tumors. Moreover, we emphasize that preoperative neuroradiological evaluations on presumptive tumor type could be helpful to the surgeon in tailoring the technique and providing the required exposure for different lesions, without unnecessary surgical steps.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2008

Purpose : This study was designed to clarify the mechanism of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome patients by using puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) nephrosis model. Methods : Following administration of various concentrations of PAN and antioxidants we observed the changes of podocyte cytoskeletons in cultured rat glomerular epithelial cells (GEpC) by method of scanning electron microscope, reactive oxyten species (ROS) analysis, permeability assay, confocal microscope, and Western blot assay. Results : PAN not only induced the ultrastructural changes of GEpC, such as shortening and fusion of microvilli, but also separated the intercellular gaps and linear ZO-1. PAN induced oxidative stresses in time and dose dependent manners and increases of intercellular permeability in anti-oxidants inhibitable manners. High concentration of PAN induced not only actin polymerization and disorganization, but also the conglomerulation and internal dislocation of ${\alpha}-actinin$ protein. The intensities of fluorescences of ZO-1 protein were diminished and internalized by PAN in a dose-dependent manner, which were inhibited by anti anti-oxidants. Conclusion : PAN induced the changes of podocytes cytoskeleton and junctional barriers by way of increasing ROS in GEpC that resulted in increasing their permeability in a antioxidatn-inhibitable manner. Glomerular hyperpermeability induced by PAN mediateing through oxidative stresses is thought to take part in the mechanism of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.3407-3412
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• 2012

The Ti incorporation at Fe-site in the double perovskite lattice of $Sr_2FeNbO_6$ (SFNO) system is studied. The Ti concentration optimization yielded an efficient photocatalyst. At an optimum composition of Ti as x = 0.07 in $Sr_2Fe_{1-x}Ti_xNbO_6$, the photocatalyst exhibited 2 times the quantum yield for photolysis of $H_2O$ in presence of $CH_3OH$, than its undoped counterpart under visible light (${\lambda}{\geq}420nm$). Heavily Ti-doped $Sr_2Fe_{1-x}Ti_xNbO_6$ lattice exhibited poor photochemical properties due to the existence of constituent impurity phases as observed in the structural characterization, as well as deteriorated optical absorption. The higher electron-density acquired by n-type doping seem to be responsible for the more efficient charge separation in $Sr_2Fe_{1-x}Ti_xNbO_6$ (0.05 < x < 0.4) and thus consequently displays higher photocatalytic activity. The Ti incorporated structure also found to yield stable photocatalyst.