• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.411-418
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• 2009

To evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical markers. We evaluated the BMD of femoral neck and lumbar spines of 998(male 568, female 430) persons who took a regular health screening in Woosuk University Hospital from September 2007 to March 2008 by dual energy bone mineral densitometry. Results of BMD are different in terms of biochemical markers. Especially aged people showed osteoporotic change progressively. Degree of osteoporosis increases with age. A steep decrease of BMD can be found in postmenopausal women who have low level of female hormone. More persistent effort is needed to find out the factors that can reduce BMD values for prevention of problems by osteoporosis. In essence, research on factors related to other biochemical markers must be studied continuously.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.297-309
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• 2005

As a number of potential endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are released into the environment, recently growing attention has been drawn to them. Therefore sensitive and reliable analytical methods are essential to monitor those compounds. In this study, complementary CC-MS and LC-MS were employed to analyze the endocrine disrupters, and the results of two methods were compared for di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), benzylbutylphthalate (BBP), pentachlorophenol (PCP), and 4,4'-Isopropylidenediphenol (Bisphenol-A, or BPA). The results indicate that it was possible to lower the detection limits of EDCs by LC-MS. Also, LC-MS enabled to identify the EDCs as almost intact molecules. Furthermore, this study presented a nanofiltration membrane (MWCO 250) and a ultrafiltration membrane (MWCO 1,000) filtration system as methods far removing EDCs from drinking water containing $\gamma$-BHC, p,p'-DDE, BBP, p,p'-DDT, DEHP, PCP, and BPA. Cross-flow type nanofiltrations showed $100\%$ removal of EDCs, and the result implies that MWCO 250 nanofilter was sufficient for treatment of EDCs. The ratio of permeate flux to mass transfer coefficient of nanofiltration, high flux ultrafiltration, and low flux ultrafiltration with ultrapure water were 0.67, 3.4, and 0.44, respectively. It was found that nanofiltration and low flux ultrafiltration were operated at a diffusion dominant condition, and the high flux ultrafiltration was operated at a convection dominant condition. Furthermore, a diffusion dominant process attained reasonable rejection of EDCs. The removal in the ultrafiltration was depending on the molecular weight of an EDC, and the filtration was governed by diffusion-dominant hydrodynamic conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.1286-1292
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA) isolated from Ligularia fischeri against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Antioxidative effects of 3,5-DCQA were determined by measuring antioxidant enzyme [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] expression levels against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress using real-time PCR analysis. 3,5-DCQA treatment significantly increased gene expression levels of SOD, CAT, and GPx in a dose-dependent manner ($10{\sim}30{\mu}g/mL$) in HepG2 cells. Hepatoprotective effects were analyzed by measuring glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities using a biochemistry analyzer in hydrogen peroxide-treated HepG2 cells. 3,5-DCQA treatment significantly reduced GOT, LDH, and GGT activities in a dose-dependent manner ($10{\sim}30{\mu}g/mL$) against increased liver function index enzyme activities induced by hydrogen peroxide oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. The results reveal that 3,5-DCQA compound isolated from Ligularia fischeri can be useful for the development of an effective hepatoprotective agent.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

Xenotransplantation involves multiple steps of immune rejection. The present study was designed to produce nuclear transfer embryos, prior to the production of transgenic pigs, using fibroblasts carrying transgenes human complement regulatory protein hCD59 and interleukin-18 binding protein (hIL-18BP) to reduce hyperacute rejection (HAR) and cellular rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. In addition to the hCD59-mediated reduction of HAR, hIL-18BP may prevent cellular rejection by inhibiting the activation of natural killer cells, activated T-cell proliferation, and induction of $IFN-{\gamma}$. Transgene construct including hCD59 and ILI-18BP was introduced into miniature pig fetal fibroblasts. After antibiotic selection of double transgenic fibroblasts, integration of the transgene was screened by PCR, and the transgene expression was confirmed by RT-PCR. Treatment of human serum did not affect the survival of double-transgenic fibroblasts, whereas the treatment significantly reduced the survival of non-transgenic fibroblasts (p<0.01), suggesting alleviation of HAR. Among 337 reconstituted oocytes produced by nuclear transfer using the double transgenic fibroblasts, 28 (15.3%) developed to the blastocyst stage. Analysis of individual embryos indicated that 53.6% (15/28) of embryos contained the transgene. The result of the present study demonstrates the resistance of hCD59 and IL-18BP double-transgenic fibroblasts against HAR, and the usefulness of the transgenic approach may be predicted by RT-PCR and cytolytic assessment prior to actual production of transgenic pigs. Further study on the transfer of these embryos to surrogates may produce transgenic clone miniature pigs expressing hCD59 and hIL-18BP for xenotransplantation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2016

A program code was developed to calculate block hydraulic conductivity of the 2-D DFN(discrete fracture network) system based on equivalent pipe network, and implemented to examine the effect of joint orientation distribution on the hydraulic characteristics of fractured rock masses through numerical experiments. A rock block of size $32m{\times}32m$ was used to generate the DFN systems using two joint sets with fixed input parameters of joint frequency and gamma distributed joint size, and various normal distributed joint trend. DFN blocks of size $20m{\times}20m$ were selected from center of the $32m{\times}32m$ blocks to avoid boundary effect. Twelve fluid flow directions were chosen every $30^{\circ}$ starting at $0^{\circ}$. The directional block conductivity including the theoretical block conductivity, principal conductivity tensor and average block conductivity were estimated for generated 180 2-D DFN blocks. The effect of joint orientation distribution on block hydraulic conductivity and chance for the equivalent continuum behavior of the 2-D DFN system were found to increase with the decrease of mean intersection angle of the two joint sets. The effect of variability of joint orientation on block hydraulic conductivity could not be ignored for the DFN having low intersection angle between two joint sets.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is a legume and an important oil crop worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate the possible impact of transgenic soybean cultivation on the soil microbial community. METHODS AND RESULTS: Microorganisms were isolated from the rhizosphere soils. Microbial community was identified based on the culture-dependent and molecular biology methods. The total numbers of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycete in the rhizosphere soils cultivated with transgenic and non-transgenic soybeans were similar to each other, and there was no significant difference between transgenic and non-transgenic soybeans. Dominant bacterial phyla in the rhizosphere soils cultivated with transgenic or non-transgenic soybeans were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. The microbial communities in transgenic and non-transgenic soybean soils were characterized using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE profiles showed the different patterns, but didn't show significant difference to each other at 0.05 significance level. DNAs were isolated from soils cultivating transgenic or non-transgenic soybeans and analyzed for persistence of transgenes in the soil by using PCR. PCR analysis revealed that there were no amplified ${\gamma}$-tmt and bar gene in soil DNA. CONCLUSION(S): The results of this study suggested that microbial community of soybean field were not significantly affected by cultivation of the transgenic soybeans.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.403-411
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• 2000

This study described a method of thermoluminescence dating of pottery shards using subtraction method. TL measurement was achieved using two different types of samples prepared by quartz inclusion method and fine-grain technique. Fine grains (size range: $5-10{\mu}m$) were separated by suspending grounded pottery samples into acetone solution and sedimentation quantitatively. In quartz inclusion method quartz grains in the size range of 90 to $125{\mu}m$ diameter were obtained by extracting the quartz crystals embed in the pottery shards and etching them with 1.0 M HF solutions. The archaeological dose of both the quartz and fine grains was determined from the dose calibration curves obtained from sequential irradiation of $^{137}Cs$ gamma and $^{241}Am$ alpha source to the samples and TL measurement of natural samples, in which the alpha dose of 4.60 Gy for the Packjae pottery was obtained using subtraction method. Annual alpha dose rates ($3.05{\pm}0.11$ mGy/yr.) were determined by the analysis of U, Th contents in the pottery shards and evaluation of the values with Bell's equation. Dividing the alpha dose accumulated in the pottery shards by the annual alpha dose rate, we found age of approximately $1508{\pm}80$ years B.P. (AD. ca. 492 yr.) for the Packjae pottery. It matches well with the archeological age estimate (middle of 5th century) within 10 percent uncertainty and thereby conforms the age of the pottery sample.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.297-311
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• 2017

Saprolegniasis is one of the most devastating oomycete diseases in freshwater fish which is caused by species in the genus Saprolegnia including Saprolegnia parasitica. In this study, we isolated the strain of S. parasitica from diseased rainbow trout in Korea. Morphological and molecular based identification confirmed that isolated oomycete belongs to the member of S. parasitica, supported by its typical features including cotton-like mycelium, zoospores and phylogenetic analysis with internal transcribed spacer region. Pathogenicity of isolated S. parasitica was developed in embryo, juvenile, and adult zebrafish as a disease model. Host-pathogen interaction in adult zebrafish was investigated at transcriptional level. Upon infection with S. parasitica, pathogen/antigen recognition and signaling (TLR2, TLR4b, TLR5b, NOD1, and major histocompatibility complex class I), pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin $[IL]-1{\beta}$, tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-8, interferon ${\gamma}$, IL-12, and IL-10), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP9 and MMP13), cell surface molecules ($CD8^+$ and $CD4^+$) and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase) related genes were differentially modulated at 3- and 12-hr post infection. As an anti-Saprolegnia agent, plant based lawsone was applied to investigate on the susceptibility of S. parasitica showing the minimum inhibitory concentration and percentage inhibition of radial growth as $200{\mu}g/mL$ and 31.8%, respectively. Moreover, natural lawsone changed the membrane permeability of S. parasitica mycelium and caused irreversible damage and disintegration to the cellular membranes of S. parasitica. Transcriptional responses of the genes of S. parasitica mycelium exposed to lawsone were altered, indicating that lawsone could be a potential anti-S. parasitica agent for controlling S. parasitica infection.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 1986

Using as assay for jejunal crypt stem cell survival, dose-response curves for the reproductive capacity of crypt stem cells of mouse jejunum exposed to multifractionated gamma-ray irradiation (single, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, and 16 fractions) were analyzed and single-dose survival curve of these cells was constructed. The following conclusion were drawn: 1) Survival curves for higher numbers of dose fractions were displaced to higher dose, and characterized by increasingly shallower slopes. 2) The single-dose survival curve had broad shoulder, Dq=460 cGy, remaining near-exponential over initial dose range 0 to 300 cGy, with initial slope 1Do=474 cGy. 3) At fractionated dose En the range of 180 to 450 cGy, the average recovered dose per fraction interval was approximately $50\%$ of the dose per fraction. 4) The value of $\alpha/\beta$ ratio by using of linear regression analysis for the reciprocal dose plots was 8.3 Gy which lied in the range of 6-14 Gy for early-reacting tissues. 5) The linear-quadratic model for dose-response formula offers valid approximations for at 1 doses to be used in radiotherapy, only two parameters to be determined, and considerable convenience in practical applications.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5287-5294
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is a worldwide public health concern and is the most prevalent type of cancer in women in the United States. This study concerned the best fit of statistical probability models on the basis of survival times for nine state cancer registries: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington. Materials and Methods: A probability random sampling method was applied to select and extract records of 2,000 breast cancer patients from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database for each of the nine state cancer registries used in this study. EasyFit software was utilized to identify the best probability models by using goodness of fit tests, and to estimate parameters for various statistical probability distributions that fit survival data. Results: Statistical analysis for the summary of statistics is reported for each of the states for the years 1973 to 2012. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Anderson-Darling, and Chi-squared goodness of fit test values were used for survival data, the highest values of goodness of fit statistics being considered indicative of the best fit survival model for each state. Conclusions: It was found that California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, New Mexico, and Washington followed the Burr probability distribution, while the Dagum probability distribution gave the best fit for Michigan and Utah, and Hawaii followed the Gamma probability distribution. These findings highlight differences between states through selected sociodemographic variables and also demonstrate probability modeling differences in breast cancer survival times. The results of this study can be used to guide healthcare providers and researchers for further investigations into social and environmental factors in order to reduce the occurrence of and mortality due to breast cancer.