• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.108-113
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• 2006

In case of Wilson's disease complicated with hemolytic anemia and fulminant hepatic failure; plasma exchange or liver transplantation should be considered. We report an 11 year-old male with fulminant Wilson's disease who developed hemolytic crisis. He was recovered by exchange transfusion after 6 times of plasma exchange.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2006

In this study, adsorption properties of oxidized NO by plasma using aminated polyolefin-g-GMA hybrid anion exchange fibers were investigated. The maximum conversion of $NO_2$ by plasma was 49% at the conditions of 200 ppm NO, 10% $O_2$ and 30 L/min of flow rate. The adsorption content for N02 of hybrid anion exchange fibers increased with increasing the swelling ratio and the highest value was 1.5 g $H_2O/g$ IEF. The adsorption of $NO_2$ by hybrid anion exchange fibers were very fast until 10 min and reached its maximum value of 80% at 120 min. Ion exchange capacity of hybrid anion exchange fibers increased with increasing the swelling ratio and it showed the highest 0.6 mmol/g IEF values at L/D=5. The adsorption isotherm model for hybrid anion exchange fibers were closer to Freundlich than Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. It was shown that adsorption of the multi-molecular layer was dominant.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.386-392
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• 2023

In this work, we describe the reduction kinetics of gold nanoparticles synthesized by plasma discharge in aqueous solutions with varied voltages and precursor (HAuCl₄) concentrations. The reduction rate of [AuCl₄]^- was determined by introducing NaBr to the gold colloidal solution synthesized by plasma discharge, serving as a catalyst in the reduction process. We observed that [AuCl₄]^- was completely reduced when its characteristic absorption peak at 380 nm disappeared, indicating the absence of [AuCl₄]^- for ligand exchange with NaBr. The reduction rate notably increased with the rise in discharge voltage, attributable to the intensified plasma generated by ionization and excitation, which in turn accelerated the reduction kinetics. Regarding precursor concentration, a lower concentration was found to retard the reduction reaction, significantly influencing the reduction kinetics due to the presence of active H⁺ and H radicals. Therefore, the production of strong plasma with high plasma density was observed to enhance the reduction kinetics, as evidenced by optical emission spectroscopy.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.225-231
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• 2021

In biofloc culture for olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, the possibility of antibiotics treatment was investigated against edwardsiellosis. After inducing edwardsiellosis by immersion in Edwardsiella tarda 1.2 × 10⁵/mL suspension, the survival trends on various biofloc water management and some physiological changes were observed. For biofloc water management, six types of water treatments were carried out, which were no exchange without antibiotics as negative control, the exchange to stored biofloc water, the exchange to stored biofloc water with 20% flow-through, the exchange to fresh biofloc water, half fresh biofloc water and half sea water, and the complete flow-through. There was no significant physicochemical change on water qualities in any type. The exchange to fresh biofloc water was shown the highest survival ratio as 72.3%, and in case of stored biofloc water with 20% flow-through, the survival ratio was also significantly high as 62%. Plasma glucose, cholesterol, total protein, calcium, and magnesium were analyzed as physiological index. Mostly, there was no significant change, but plasma cholesterol showed an initial decrease in low survival group, and an initial increase with high survival group. Consequently, antibiotic treatment against a bacterial disease during biofloc culture is possible as long as the biofloc water management follow along properly.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.114-120
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• 2022

Objectives: Antivenom serums have been used extensively for over a century and are the only effective treatment option for snake bites and other dangerous animal envenomations. In therapeutic serum centers, a wide range of antivenoms is made from animal serum, mainly equine and sheep, that are immunized with single or multiple venoms. This work aimed to use caprylic acid (CA) to purify therapeutic snake antivenom. Methods: Plasma was obtained from equine immunized with a mixture of venoms. Immunized plasma was obtained by precipitation of different concentrations (2-5%) of CA. This methodology was compared to that based on ammonium sulfate (AS) precipitation. Sediment plasma proteins were purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Protein assay, SDSPAGE, and agar gel diffusion were performed. Results: The total protein precipitation with AS was higher than precipitation with CA, but the best results were obtained when CA was added to the plasma until a final CA concentration of 5% was reached. Chromatography and electrophoresis indicated a stronger band for the 5% CA, and the gel diffusion assay showed antigen-antibody interaction in the purified serum. Conclusion: The use of CA compared to the routine method for purifying hyperimmune serums is a practical and cost-effective method for preparing and producing therapeutic serums. It constitutes a potentially valuable technology for alleviating the critical shortage of antivenom in Iran.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.109-126
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• 2013

Surface modification by low-pressure ammonia ($NH_3$) plasma on commercial thin-film composite (TFC) membranes was investigated in this study. Surface hydrophilicity, total surface free energy, ion exchange capacity (IEC) and zeta (${\zeta}$)-potentials were determined for the TFC membranes. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the membrane surface chemistry were conducted by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy. Results showed that the $NH_3$ plasma treatment increased the surface hydrophilicity, in particular at a plasma treatment time longer than 5 min at 50 W of plasma power. Total surface free energy was influenced by the basic polar components introduced by the $NH_3$ plasma, and isoelectric point (IEP) was shifted to higher pH region after the modification. A ten (10) min $NH_3$ plasma treatment at 90 W was found to be adequate for the TFC membrane modification, resulting in a membrane with better characteristics than the TFC membranes without the modification for water treatment. The thin-film chemistry (i.e., fully-aromatic and semi-aromatic nature in the interfacial polymerization) influenced the initial stage of plasma modification.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1276-1284
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• 2012

A 12-wk experiment was conducted to examine the hematological changes, survival, and respiratory exchange in the olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, during starvation. The growth, survival and respiratory exchange rates of the starved group were lower than those of the fed group during the experiment. Blood analysis, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular volume, did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between the fed and starved groups at the end of the experiment. There were no significant differences in plasma cortisol, glucose, $Na^+$, $Cl^-$, $K^+$, or aspartate aminotransferase between the fed and starved groups (p>0.05). Alanine aminotransferase levels were higher in the starved group than in the fed group, whereas plasma osmolality was lower in the starved group than in the fed group. It was shown that starved fish had various problems after four weeks, which did not occur in the fed group. Long-term starvation is infrequent in aquaculture farms. However, starvation studies of this kind are very useful for a basic understanding of how physiological changes affect fish health, life expectancy, and growth.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2017

Purpose: The American Society for Apheresis provides clinical guidelines for therapeutic apheresis in adults, but there are no guidelines for children. This study aimed to analyze the effect of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in pediatric patients with various kidney diseases in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 16 children (up to 18 years of age) who were admitted to Severance Children's Hospital with refractory kidney disease. All patients received TPE between 1994 and 2016. Clinical and laboratory characteristics such as age, weight, sex, change in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine level before and after TPE, and complications after TPE were analyzed. Results: The mean age and weight of the 16 patients at the time of TPE was $11.3{\pm}4.0$ years and $34.6{\pm}17.5$ kg, respectively. The BUN level was 35.4 mg/dL before TPE and significantly decreased to 21.5 mg/dL (P=0.025) at 1 week and 20.5 mg/dL (P= 0.01) at 1 month after TPE. The creatinine level significantly decreased from 1.20 mg/dL before TPE to 0.90 mg/dL (P=0.02) at 1 week after TPE. Four complications (hypovolemia, anemia, hypocalcemia, and thrombocytopenia) were reported, but were not fatal. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that TPE is an effective therapeutic modality in children with refractory kidney disease and can be indicated for the treatment of various kidney diseases.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.481-488
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• 2022

Purpose: Liver transplantation (LT) is the only curative treatment for acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). In high-volume therapeutic plasma exchange (HV-TPE), extracorporeal liver support filters accumulate toxins and improve the coagulation factor by replacing them. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HV-TPE in pediatric patients with ALF and ACLF. Methods: We reviewed the records of children waiting for LT at Severance Hospital who underwent HV-TPE between 2017 and 2021. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total and direct bilirubin (TB and DB), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), ammonia, and coagulation parameter-international normalized ratio (INR) were all measured before and after HV-TPE to analyze the liver function. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26.0 (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Nine patients underwent HV-TPE with standard medical therapy while waiting for LT. One had neonatal hemochromatosis, four had biliary atresia, and the other four had ALF of unknown etiology. Significant decreases in AST, ALT, TB, DB, GGT, and INR were noted after performing HV-TPE (930.38-331.75 IU/L, 282.62-63.00 IU/L, 11.75-5.59 mg/dL, 8.10-3.66 mg/dL, 205.62-51.75 IU/L, and 3.57-1.50, respectively, p<0.05). All patients underwent LT, and two expired due to acute complications. Conclusion: HV-TPE could remove accumulated toxins and improve coagulation. Therefore, we conclude that HV-TPE can be regarded as a representative bridging therapy before LT.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.158-165
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• 1999

Effects of oral taurine supplementation (6g/day) on plasma concentration and urinary of free amino acids were evaluated in healthy female adults. Among twenty five female volunteers(23.6$\pm$0.3 years old) participated in the taurine supplementation program, twenty four subjects successfully completed the two supplementation program. Plasma and urinary levels of free amino acids were determined by using an automated amino acid analyzer based on ion-exchange chromatography. Two weeks of taurine supplementation resulted in a 65% increase in plasma taurine concentration (p<0.001), Changes in fasting plasma amino acid concentrations followed by taurine supplementation were not spectacular, and were all within the normal range for human aldults. Taurine supplementation significantly elevated urinary methionine, asparagine, hydorxyproline and phosphoserine excretions(31~280%), and significantly decreased the urinary excretions of isoleucine, glutamate and serine compared to the values prior to taurine supplementation. For almost every individual amino acids, 24 hr urinary excretion level was significantly correlated to the urinary excretion value expressed as nmol/mg creatinine(p<0.001). A significant negative correlation found between plasma glutamine concentration and urinary glutamine excretion level suggests that the decrease in plasma glutamine concentration might be associated with the enhanced glutamine excretion in urine followed by taurine supplementation.