• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.65-77
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• 2005

Present article reviews about clinical pharmacology of mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active form of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), as widely used component of immunosuppressive regimens in the organ transplantation field. MMF, used alone or concomitantly with cyclosporine or tacrolimus, has approved in reducing the incidence of acute rejection and has gained widespread use in solid organ such as kidney, heart and liver transplantation. The application of MPA and development of MMF has shown a considerable impact on immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplantation as a new immunosuppressive agent with different mechanism of action from other drugs after early 1990s. In particular aspect, use of MMF, a morpholinoethyl ester of MPA, represented a significant advance in the prevention of organ allograft rejection as well as allograft and patient survival. In considering MMF clinical data, it is important to note that there is a strong correlation between high MPA area under curve(AUC) values and a low probability of acute allograft rejection. Individual trials have shown that MMF is generally well tolerated and revealed that MMF decreased the relative risk of developing chronic allograft rejection compared with azathioprine. Recent clinical investigations suggested that improved effectiveness and tolerability will results from the incorporation of MPA therapeutic drug monitoring into routine clinical practice, providing effective MMF dose individualization in renal and heart transplant patients. Therefore, MMF has a selective immunosuppressive effect with minimal toxicity and has shown to be more effective that other agents as next step of immunosuppressive agents and regimens that deliver effective graft protection and immunosuppression along with a more favorable side effect.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.188-190
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• 1999

Background: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of gabapentin on postherpetic neuralgia. Gabapentin is a known anti-seizure medication, whose cellular mechanism of action is not well understood. Unlike other anticonvulsant, gabapentin has the advantage of a low toxicity and favorable side effect profile. If has been recently recommended for use in treatment of neuropathic pain. Methods: Twelve patients with a diagnosis of postherpetic neuralgia were prescribed gabapentin after failure of routine therapeutic regimens. The dose of gabapentin ranged 300~1800 mg per day, in three divided doses. If initial dose was ineffective and no side effects were noted, the dosages was increased by 300 mg a day in divided doses, to the maximum level for 2 weeks. Patients were evaluated for analgesia using visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score (0; no pain, 10; worst possible pain) and possible side effects. Results: A significant decrease in pain scores with gabapentin were noted. There were several mild side effects such as dizziness, somnolence, dry mouth, constipation and facial edema, without need of special treatment. Conclusions: Gabapentin may be a useful adjunct for treating intractable postherpetic neuralgia with a minimal side effects.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.118-123
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• 2005

Background: A nerve ligation injury may produce a tactile allodynia. The effects of intrathecally delivered lamotrigine on allodynia induced due to fifth and sixth lumbar spinal nerves ligation in rats, using lumbar intrathecal catheters were examined. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (body weight 160-180 g) were prepared by tightly ligating the fifth and sixth left lumbar spinal nerves, with the implantation of a chronic intrathecal catheter for drug administration. Mechanical allodynia and allodynic threshold were measured using von Frey filaments and the updown method, respectively. After the baseline hind paw withdrawal thresholds had been obtained, lamotrigine (10, 30, 100 and $300{\mu}g$) was administered intrathecally. Thereafter, the dose-response curves and 50% effective dose ($ED_{50}$) were obtained. Motor dysfunction was assessed by observing the righting/stepping reflex responses and abnormal weight bearing. Results: Intrathecal administration of lamotrigine produced a dose-dependent antiallodynic action ($ED_{50}=61.7{\mu}g$). Mild motor weakness was observed with $300{\mu}g$ lamotrigine, but no severe motor impairment was found. Conclusions: It is suggested that intrathecal lamotrigine could produce moderate antagonism of mechanical allodynia at the spinal level in a rat neuropathic pain model with minimal motor weakness.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.599-609
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• 2017

Desalination plants have been recently constructed in many parts of the world due to water scarcity caused by population growth, industrialization and climate change. Most seawater desalination plants are designed with a submarine pipeline for intake and discharge. Submarine pipelines are installed directly on the bottom of the water body if the bottom is sandy and flat. Intake is located on a low-energy shoreline with minimal exposure to beach erosion, heavy storms, typhoons, tsunamis, or strong underwater currents. Typically, HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipes are used in such a configuration. Submarine pipelines cause many problems when they are not properly designed; HDPE pipelines can be floated or exposed to strong currents and wind or tidal action. This study examines the optimal design method for the trench depth of pipeline, analysis of on-bottom stability and dilution of the concentrate based on the desalination plant conducted at the Pacific coast of Peru, Chilca. As a result of this study, the submarine pipeline should be trenched at least below 1.8 m. The same direction of pipeline with the main wind is a key factor to achieve economic stability. The concentrate should be discharged as much as high position to yield high dilution rate.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.311-313
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• 2005

Generally, many Asian women tend to dislike the square jaw, as they believe it makes the face look wider, giving a stubborn and strong impression. Contouring of the mandible is therefore a relatively common aesthetic procedure among Asians. These days, the use of botulinum toxin for contouring of the lower face offer simple alternative to surgery. Motor point, which is the site over a muscle where its contraction may be elicited by a minimal intensity short duration electrical stimulus, is the optimal injection point of botulinum toxin. Study was undertaken to identify the location of motor point of the masseter muscle and the skin surface landmark. First, the thickest point of the masseter muscle was inspected through palpation and inspection by 3 different individual plastic surgeons and then compound muscle action potentials(CMAPs) of masseter muscle in 15 health volunteers were recorded using EMG. For the localization of the measured points, line between lateral canthus to the mandibular angle was used. Location of motor points were mapped to skin surface from lateral canthus in a percentage of the distance along the landmark line and in distance in millimeters. The clinical injection point was located at 71.69 percentile and 7.3 mm of the landmark line. The motor point test was located at 72.54 percentile and 7.1 mm of the landmark line. The depth of motor point was 16mm. There was no statistically significant difference between the clinical injection point and the motor point. We conclude that surface mapping of motor point of the masseter muscle would increase accessibility and accuracy in botulinum toxin injection for contouring of the lower face.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.666-675
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• 2013

Background Stem cells are a unique cell population characterized by self-renewal and cellular differentiation capabilities. These characteristics, among other traits, make them an attractive option for regenerative treatments of tissues defects and for aesthetic procedures in plastic surgery. As research regarding the isolation, culture and behavior of stem cells has progressed, stem cells, particularly adult stem cells, have shown promising results in both translational and clinical applications. Methods The purpose of this review is to evaluate the applications of stem cells in the plastic surgery literature, with particular focus on the advances and limitations of current stem cell therapies. Different key areas amenable to stem cell therapy are addressed in the literature review; these include regeneration of soft tissue, bone, cartilage, and peripheral nerves, as well as wound healing and skin aging. Results The reviewed studies demonstrate promising results, with favorable outcomes and minimal complications in the cited cases. In particular, adipose tissue derived stem cell (ADSC) transplants appear to provide effective treatment options for bony and soft tissue defects, and non-healing wounds. ADSCs have also been shown to be useful in aesthetic surgery. Conclusions Further studies involving both the basic and clinical science aspects of stem cell therapies are warranted. In particular, the mechanism of action of stem cells, their interactions with the surrounding microenvironment and their long-term fate require further elucidation. Larger randomized trials are also necessary to demonstrate the continued safety of transplanted stem cells as well as the efficacy of cellular therapies in comparison to the current standards of care.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.317-321
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• 2012

Background Many topical hemostatics are widely applied for bleeding control. They can be classified into two categories according to their mechanism of action on the clotting cascade in a biologically active or passive manner. Passive hemostatics include cellulose and gelatin. We performed an experimental study to compare the effect of passive hemostatics in wound healing by applying them to a rectus abdominis muscle defect of white mice. Methods Surgicel is a sterile absorbable knitted fabric prepared by the controlled oxidation of regenerated cellulose. Spongostan is an absorbable hemostatic gelatin sponge. In 30 mice, a $1{\times}1$ cm defect was created on the rectus abdominis muscle and the materials were applied in three ways: control group, cellulose (Surgicel) group, gelatin (Spongostan) group. For the histologic analysis, biopsies were performed at 3 and 28 days. Results After 3 days, the cellulose group showed limited granulation formation with acute inflammatory reactions similar to the control group. At the 28th day, moderate amounts of granulation tissue formation was observed with milder inflammatory reactions than the control group. In the gelatin group, after 3 days, gelatin remnants were observed surrounded by severe inflammatory changes. After 28 days, the same quantity of gelatin remnants could be still observed. Conclusions This study suggests that cellulose is associated with minimal morbidity in wound healing, while the use of gelatin shows severe adverse tissue reactions with delayed wound healing. Consequently, cellulose is better than gelatin when considering wound healing.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.183-190
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• 2010

There are many methods to reduce the weight and the cost of the automobile body, among them, Tailor Welded Blank (TWB) is new welding method applied to body structure. It is necessary to evaluate mechanical properties of TWB structures or sheets for the application to automobile body parts. In this study, the stiffness of T-type and L-type joint structures, composite of TWB panel, which simplified two portions of side structure in automobile body were investigated. Additionally, the fatigue properties of TWB panels were obtained. Two types of welding technologies, laser and mash seam welding, were used to join mild panels with different thickness. This results are compared with conventional structures. The results are as follows: 1) The stiffness of joint structures, composite of TWB panel, is approximately 17% higher than that of conventional ones. 2) The location of welding line in TWB had a effect on the in plane bending stiffness, but not on the out of plane bending stiffness. 3) In terms of welding technology type, the mash seam welding show higher stiffness than the laser welding for in plane bending stiffness. But minimal differences in both types are revealed for out of plane bending stiffness. 4) The fatigue strength, composite of TWB panel, is lower than that of base steel. It is thought that defects in the welding zone had the action of notch in the fatigue test.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.102-111
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• 1996

LB10522 is a new parenteral broad spectrum cephalosporin with a catechol moiety at C-7 position of beta-lactam ring. This compound can utilize tonB-dependent iron transp ort system in addition to porin proteins to enter bacterial periplasmic space and access to penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) which are the lethal targets of ${\beta}$-lactam antibiotics. The chelating activity of LB10522 to metal iron was measured by spectrophotometrically scanning the absorbance from 200 to 900nm. When $FeCl_3$ was added, optical density was increased between 450 and 800nm. LB10522 was more active against gram-negative strains in iron-depleted media than in iron-replete media. This is due to the increased expression of iron transport channels in iron-depleted condition. LB10522 showed a similar activity against E. coli DC2 (permeability mutant) and E. coli DCO (wild type strain) in both iron-depleted and iron-replete media, indicating a minimal permeaility barrier for LB10522 uptake. LB10522 had high affinities to PBP 3 and PBP 1A, 1B of E. coli. By blocking these proteins, LB10522 caused inhibition of cell division and the eventual death of cells. This result was correlated well with the morphological changes in E. coli exposed to LB10522. Although the in vitro MIC of LB10522 against P. aeruginosa 1912E mutant (tonB) was 8-times higher than that of the P. aeruginosa 1912E parent strain, LB10522 showed a similar in vivo protection efficacy against both strains in the mouse systemic infection model. This result suggested that tonB mutant, which requires a high level of iron for normal growth, might have a difficulty in surviving in their host with an iron-limited environment.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2003

Backgrounds and Objectives: In the length-dependent axonal polyneuropathy like diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), the distal part of the longer axons are affected earlier. In cases of minimal distal axonal changes, nerve conduction studies (NCS) are frequently normal. If sural nerve is affected in the early stage of DPN, supportive parameters to detect the early axonal degeneration may be helpful. We investigated whether the sural/ulnar SNAP amplitude ratio (SUAR) may be a more sensitive indicator than sural amplitude alone in the diagnosis of early diabetic polyneuropathy. Methods: We analyzed medical records and electrophysiological studies of 141 patients with DM and 30 healthy subjects. The patients with early stage of DPN were defined as those having symptoms of neuropathy and normal NCS findings among the patients with DM. We compared SUAR between 57 patients with early stage of DPN and 71 agematched control subjects. Results: Fifty seven patients had an average SUAR of 0.8, compared to that of 1.1 in the 71 normal controls. The SUAR of less than 0.9 was supplementary predictor of axonal polyneuropathy, with the best balance of sensitivity and specificity (70%). The SUAR did not vary significantly with age, height or duration of DM. Conclusions: We conclude that the SUAR is a useful electrodiagnostic indicator to detect early stage of DPN.