• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2 s.66
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• pp.96-102
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• 2006

Background & Purpose : Acupuncture with aromatherapy (AA) is a branch of complementary or alternative therapy recently growing in use. As the use of aromatherapy itself has grown so rapidly in recent years, studies about its safety have been accumulating. However, safety of AA has not been studied clinically and the treatment method which has the needles inserted after spreading essential oils exposes the human body more directly to components than aromatherapy. Therefore, we examined the safety of AA on patients treated thereby and physicians practising it. Methods : We observed all inpatients treated with AA from November 21, 2005 to March 31, 2006, in Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center. During treatment, we monitored all of the newly developed signs from the patients to assess the adverse effects of AA. The patients' and physicians' general characteristics (gender, age, present illness, and treatment days) were obtained from medical records and analyzed to assess the clinical safety of AA in detail. Results : There were 440 patients treated with AA; clinical adverse effects appeared in 3 of them, which can be assessed as 0.7%. The major symptom was chest discomfort and choking originated from smell aversion condition (2 patients), and the other adverse effect was sensation of itching and reddening. However, none of them seemed to have direct relation with AA. A total of eight physicians applied AA and there were no symptoms related to it among them. Conclusions : We suggest that our results will contribute to confirming the safety of AA by offering clinical evidence.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2000

Transition metal ions including $Se^{2+},\;Cd^{2+},\;Hg^{2+}\;or\;Mn^{2+}$ have been thought to disturb the bone metabolism directly. However, the mechanism for the bone lesion is unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that MC3T3E1 osteoblasts, exposed to various transition metal ions; selenium, cadmium, mercury or manganese, generated massive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The released ROS were completely quenched by free radical scavengers-N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), reduced glutathione (GSH), or superoxide dismutase (SOD). First, we have observed that selenium $(10\;{\mu}M),$ cadmium $(100\;{\mu}M),$ mercury $(100\;{\mu}M)$ or manganese (1 mM) treatment induced apoptotic phenomena like DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation and caspase-3-like cysteine protease activation in MC3T3E1 osteoblasts. Concomitant treatment of antioxidant; N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), reduced-form glutathione (GSH), or superoxide dismutase (SOD), prevented apoptosis induced by each of the transition metal ions. Catalase or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) has less potent inhibitory effect on the apoptosis, compared with NAC, GSH or SOD. In line with the results, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) stain shows that each of the transition metals is a potent source of free radicals in MC3T3E1 osteoblast. Our data show that oxidative damage is associated with the induction of apoptosis in MC3T3E1 osteoblasts following $Se^{2+},\;Cd^{2+},\;Hg^{2+}\;or\;Mn^{2+}$ treatment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.208.2-208.2
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• 2016

Many researchers have paid attention to the studies on the interaction between non-thermal plasma and aqueous solutions for biomedical applications. The gas composition in the plasma is very important. Oxygen and nitrogen are the main gases of interest in biological applications. Especially, we focus on the oxygen concentration. In this experiment, we studied the role of oxygen concentration in plasma induced chemical reactions in solution. At first, the amount of ions are measured according to changing the oxygen concentration. And we checked the relationship between these ions and pH value. Secondly, when the oxygen concentration is changed, it identified the type and amount of radical generated by the plasma. In order to confirm the effect of these chemical property change to biological material, hemoglobin and RBCs are chosen. RBCs are one of the common basic biological cells. Thirdly, when plasma treated according to oxygen concentration in nitrogen feeding gas, oxidation of hemoglobin and RBC is checked. Finally, membrane oxidation of RBC is measured to examine the relation between hemoglobin oxidation and membrane damage through relative hemolysis and Young's modulus. Our results suggest that reactive species generated by the plasma differsdepending on the oxygen concentration changes. The pH values are decreased when oxygen concentration increased. OH decrease and NO increase are also observed. These reactive species makes change of chemical properties of solution. We also able to confirm that the difference in these reactive species to affect the oxidation of the Hb and RBCs. The Hb and RBCs are more oxidized with the high oxygen concentration conditions. But membrane is damaged more by plasma treatment with only nitrogen gas. It is shown that red blood cells membrane damage and oxidation of hemoglobin are not directly related.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.141-147
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• 2013

Hypoxia has been shown to promote inflammation, including the release of proinflammatory cytokines, but it is poorly investigated how hypoxia directly affects inflammasome signaling pathways. To explore whether hypoxic stress modulates inflammasome activity, we examined the effect of cobalt chloride ($CoCl_2$)-induced hypoxia on caspase-1 activation in primary mixed glial cultures of the neonatal mouse brain. Unexpectedly, hypoxia induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation or $CoCl_2$ treatment failed to activate caspase-1 in microglial BV-2 cells and primary mixed glial cultures. Of particular interest, $CoCl_2$-induced hypoxic condition considerably inhibited NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 activation in mixed glial cells, but not in bone marrow-derived macrophages. $CoCl_2$-mediated inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activity was also observed in the isolated brain microglial cells, but $CoCl_2$ did not affect poly dA:dT-triggered AIM2 inflammasome activity in mixed glial cells. Our results collectively demonstrate that $CoCl_2$-induced hypoxia may negatively regulate NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in brain glial cells, but its physiological significance remains to be determined.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.135-135
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• 2003

The fast evolution in the fold of optical communication systems demands powerful optical information treatment. These functions can be performed by integrated optical systems. A key component of such systems is erbium doped waveguide amplifier(EDWA). The intra 4f radiative transition of Er at 1.5 $\mu\textrm{m}$ is particularly interesting because this wavelength is standard in optical telecommunications. The fabrication of waveguide amplifier for integrated optics using sol-gel process has received an increasing attention. Potential advantage of lower cost by less capital equipment and easy processing makes this process an attractive alternatives to conventional technologies like flame hydrolysis deposition, ion exchange and chemical vapor deposition, etc. In addition, sol-gel process has been found to be extremely suitable for the control of composition and refractive index related directly with optical properties. The main drawback of such an amplifier with respect to the EDWA is the need for a much higher Er3+ concentration to compensate for the smaller interaction length. However, the high doping of Er might be resulted in the non-radiative relaxation by clustering of Er ions End co-operative upconversion. In order to solve this problem, we investigate the possibility of avoiding short Er-Er distances by encapsulation of Er3+ ions in hosts such as organic-inorganic hybrid materials. For inorganic-organic hybrid sols, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS), zirconyl chloride octahydrate and erbium(III) chloride hexahydrate were used as starting materials, followed by conventional sol-gel process. It was observed by TEM that nano sols having core/shell toplology were formed, depending on the mole ratio of Zr/Er. The surface roughness for the coatings on Si substrate was investigated by AFM as a function of Zr/Er ratio. The local environment and vibrational Properties of Er3+ ions were studied using Near-IR, FT-IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Nano hybrid coatings derived from polymer and Er doped encapsulation Eave the good luminescence at 1.55$\mu\textrm{m}$.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.16-44
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• 2003

Skeletal muscle regeneration is a vital process for various muscle myopathies and muscular adaptation to physiological overload. Angiogenesis is the key event in the process of muscle regeneration, and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) plays an important role in it. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of GaAlAs(830nm) laser and immunoreactivity of VEGF on angiogenesis after muscle contusion injury. Muscle contusion injury was induced in the triceps surae muscle by dropping a metal bead(31.4g). GaAlAs laser irradiation(power 20 mW, frequency 2000 Hz, treatment time 15 min) was applied directly to the skin of injured muscle daily for seven days. The experimental group I was irradiated immediately by laser after injury, whereas the experimental group II was irradiated after 1 day of injury. The control group was non-irradiated. The results of this study were as follows. 1. In morphological observation, there were no significant changes in experimental and control groups for 7 days. At 3 days, however, the splited muscle fibers were observed in experimental groups, and the muscle atrophy and granular tissue viewed at 7 days in control group. 2. The VEGF was expressed in muscle fiber that located in the interspace between gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. As the time coursed, the immunoreactivity of VEGF also seemed to be strong in the individual muscle fibers. 3. The experimental group I & II showed higher immunoreactivity of VEGF than control group(p<0.05). Then, the experimental group I showed higher than group II especially(p<0.05). These data suggest GaAlAs semiconduct diode laser irradiation(830nm) enhanced angiogenesis in the skeletal muscle induced contusion injury, and immediate laser irradiation after injury promoted the angiogenesis greatly than after 1 day of injury.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2006

We investigated the effects of 835-MHz electromagnetic field (EMF), one of the most popular communication frequency band in Korean code-division multiple-access (CDMA) mobile phone system, on cellular signal transduction. For this, we examined the change of intracellular calcium $([Ca^{2+}]_i)$, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and F-actin polymerization after exposure to 835-MHz EMF followed by the treatment of agonists in Rat-2 fibroblast cells. Culture cells were pretreated with serum-tree medium and concomitantly exposed to 835-MHz at specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4.0 W/kg for 24 hr in a specialized designed apparatus based on Transverse Electro Magnetics (TEM) wave theory. Intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ responses to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in Rat-2 fibroblast after exposure to 835-MHz EMF were shown to be similar pattern as observed in normal cultured cells. However, the LPA-induced calcium spiking was slightly delayed to 7 sec and sustained thereafter to a little higher ground level under 835-MHz EMF radiation compared to unexposed cells. ROS production level by LPA in the exposed cells was not different from that in control. Furthermore, LPA induced the production of stress fibers with no significant difference in the exposed and unexposed cells. These results suggest that mobile phone radiation (835-MHz, SAR 4.0 W/kg) may not be directly related to signal transduction in Rat-2 fibroblasts except the slight effect of calcium spiking in LPA-induced cells but remain to be further elucidated for possible indirect intervention.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2004

The commissioning of a model-based treatment planning system requires many parameters to fit the measured depth doses and transverse profiles. For the commissioning of the Pinnacle$^3$ system, through the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, the necessary parameters, including the photon spectrum, contaminant electrons, off-axis softening and fluency of photons, were observed. Through the simulation the parameters contained valuable information, but the calculated results of the Pinnacle$^3$ using the MC-derived parameters showed discrepancies with those measured for the off-axis softening and the fluency of photons. Even though the MC calculation produces reasonable values for the commissioning, the thorough physical basis of the Pinnacle$^3$'s commissioning process is needed in order to directly use the MC derived parameters.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2010

Objective : Paraclinoid segment internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms have historically been a technical challenge for neurovascular surgeons. The development of microsurgical approach, advances in surgical techniques, and endovascular procedures have improved the outcome for paraclinoid aneurysms. However, many authors have reported high complication rates from microsurgical treatments. Therefore, the present study reviews the microsurgical complications of the extradural anterior clinoidectomy for treating paraclinoid aneurysms and investigates the prevention and management of observed complications. Methods : Between January 2004 and April 2008, 22 patients with 24 paraclinoid aneurysms underwent microsurgical direct clipping by a cerebrovascular team at a regional neurosurgical center. Microsurgery was performed via an ipsilateral pterional approach with extradural anterior clinoidectomy. We retrospectively reviewed patients' medical charts, office records, radiographic studies, and operative records. Results : In our series, the clinical outcomes after an ipsilateral pterional approach with extradural anterior clinoidectomy for paraclinoid aneurysms were excellent or good (Glasgows Outcome Scale : GOS 5 or 4) in 87.5% of cases. The microsurgical complications related directly to the extradural anterior clinoidectomy included transient cranial nerve palsy (6), cerebrospinal fluid leak (1), worsened change in vision (1), unplanned ICA occlusion (1), and epidural hematoma (1). Only one of the complications resulted in permanent morbidity (4.2%), and none resulted in death. Conclusion : Although surgical complications are still reported to occur more frequently for the treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms, the permanent morbidity and mortality resulting from a extradural anterior clinoidectomy in our series were lower than previously reported. Precise anatomical knowledge combined with several microsurgical tactics can help to achieve good outcomes with minimal complications.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2018

In this study, the dimensional stability and mechanical properties of bamboo fiber-based composites (BFBCs) were studied at two pressing manufacturing processes, i.e., hot- and cold- pressing, and were compared with three density parameters (1.0, 1.1, and $1.2kg/m^3$). Width swelling ratio (WSR), thickness swelling ratio (TSR), and water absorption ratio (WAR) were calculated for water immersions of 4 and 28 h. WSR, TSR, and WAR for specimens immersed for 28 h were higher than those for 4 h treatment, which shows that the immersion time has a significant influence on the dimensional stabilities of BFBCs. Moreover, the positive linear relations between density and dimensional were observed at both the pressing ways, indicating that the WSR, TSR, and WAR decreased with an increase in the density of BFBCs. The compressive strength, shear strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE) were determined. The compressive strength, MOR, and MOE of hot-pressed specimens were significantly higher than those for the cold-pressed specimens, which are also directly proportional to density. Moreover, the samples with the highest density of $1.2kg/m^3$ performed high values on mechanical properties in both the manufacturing methods.