• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.237-245
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• 2018

Toxoplasma gondii can infect all the vertebrates including human, and leads to serious toxoplasmosis and considerable veterinary problems. T. gondii heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) is associated with the activation of antigen presenting cells by inducing initial immune responses and releasing inflammatory cytokines. It might be a potential DNA vaccine candidate for this parasite. A pVAX-HSP60 DNA vaccine was constructed and immune responses was evaluated in Kunming mice in this study. Our data indicated that the innate and adaptive immune responses was elicited by successive immunizations with pVAX-HSP60 DNA, showing apparent increases of CD3e+CD4+ and CD3e+CD8a+ T cells in spleen tissues of the HSP60 DNA-immunized mice ($24.70{\pm}1.23%$ and $10.90{\pm}0.89%$, P<0.05) and higher levels of specific antibodies in sera. Furthermore, the survival period of the immunized mice ($10.53{\pm}4.78day$) were significantly prolonged during the acute T. gondii infection. Decrease of brain cysts was significant in the experimental group during the chronic infection (P<0.01). Taken together, TgHSP60 DNA can be as a vaccine candidate to prevent the acute and chronic T. gondii infections.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.512-519
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• 2004

Hybrid barriers using reduction and immobilization were tested to remediate the groundwater contaminated with multi-pollutants in this study. Iron filings and HDTMA(hexadecyltrimethylammonium)-bentonite were simulated in columns to assess the performance of hybrid barriers for remediation of trichloroethylene(TCE)-contaminated water. TCE reduction rate for the mixture of iron filings and HDTMA-bentonite was about 7 times higher than that for iron filings, only suggesting the reduction of TCE was accelerated when HDTMA-bentonite was mixed with iron filings. TCE reduction rate for the two layers of iron and HDTMA-bentonite was nearly similar to that for iron filings alone, but the partition coefficient($K_d$) for the two layers was 4.5 times higher than for that iron filings only. TCE was immobilized in the first layer with HDTMA-bentonite, and then dechlorinated in the second layer with iron filings. HDTMA-bentonite may contribute to the increase in TCE concentration on iron surface so that more TCE can be reduced. Also, TCE removal in the hybrid barriers was not affected by chromate and naphthalene while the reduction rate of TCE with the co-existing contaminants by iron filings was significantly decreased. Significant TCE removal in this research indicates that the proposed hybrid barrier system has the potential to become the effective remediation alternative during the occurrence of oil shock. Also, if subsurface environments are contaminated with multi-pollutants that contain non-reducible compounds as well as reducible compounds such as TCE, the conventional reactive barriers cannot be applied to this subsurface environment, while the proposed hybrid system can be applied successfully.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2005

Falls from a height are the leading cause of injury and death among urban children. This study describes the incidence, clinical characteristics, and treatment results of children under 15 year of age who fell from a height of more than one meter and were admitted for abdominal injury. The medical records of 585 consecutive patients treated between January 1997 and December 2003 at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The falling heights were 1 to 31.2 meters, and 28 patients(4.8 %) suffered from blunt abdominal trauma. The male to female ratio was 2.1: 1. The median age of the victims was 5.5 years, and the median height fallen was 3 meters. Fifteen patients (53.6 %) were injured during the summer and seventy-nine percent of the falls occurred between noon and 9 pm. Eighteen (64.3 %) of falls occurred in residential place and 19(67.8 %) of patients arrived at the emergency department within 30 minutes of the accident. Only 16 patients (57.1 %) complained of abdominal pain. Liver injuries were found in 12(42.9 %), spleen injuries in 5(17.9 %), kidney injuries 3(10.7 %), pancreatic injuries in 1(3.6 %) and nonspecific abdominal injuries in 9(32.1 %) cases. Increased SGOT and SGPT were found in 23(82.2 %) and 18(64.3 %) cases. Eleven patients (39.3 %) had associated head injuries. Limb injuries were present in 17.9% and thoracic injuries in 7.1%. Twenty-five patients (89.3 %) recovered without operation. The median length of hospital stay was 6 days (2 -20 days). Despite the absence of abdominal symptoms or shock, falls from a height in children may carry significant intra-abdominal organ injuries. The height falling could not predict the degree of the abdominal injury. For the evaluation of potential abdominal injuries, CT scan should be utilized.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.481-490
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• 2010

The shock of melamine-contained food has been known with the incident of hospitalization or death of infants at the age of 11-month old in China. The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' risk perception, attitude and purchase behavior of melamine-contained food which recently came to the fore as a social issue, focusing on the relationship between consumers' attitude and purchase behavior based on physical risk, social risk, psychological risk, financial risk, consumers' attitude and purchase behavior. Study findings are as follows. First, the four factors of risk perception of melamine-contained food were significantly different by consumers. Consumers regarded social risk as most significant and it was followed by financial risk and psychological risk. And they regarded physical risk as most insignificant. Second, as for the difference of risk perception by demographic features, such factors as gender, age, marital status and schooling had no statistically significant influence. Third, the potential risk of melamine-contained food had a negative influence upon consumers' attitude and purchase behavior. In addition, consumers' attitude and purchase behavior were decided by perceived risks. This finding implies that consumers' attitude can accompany with negative or positive behavior and consumers' behavior can be related to social, financial and physical risks. Because the risk perception of melamine-contained food can cause consumers' distrust about all kinds of food in general, domestic manufacturers of milk product-contained confectionery and food can be harmed. In order to overcome this problem and make consumers purchase all the milk products and milk-contained food without fear, governmental agencies must reestablish systems with which the safety of imported raw materials and its processing can be insured and manufactures must improve the quality of products in a diverse and discriminative manner. This study seems to be meaningful in that it examined consumers' risk perception of melamine-contained food, a current social issue, and then looked into the influence of risk perception upon consumers" attitude and behavior, thus presenting the strategy of reestablishing the system of relationship between consumers and business entities in a desirable manner.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.150-162
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• 2009

Objectives: Inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ playa critical role in inflammatory immune response. Therefore, intervention of inflammatory mediator production promises therapeutic benefit for treatment of many chronic inflammatory diseases, such as allergic asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, septic shock and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, the pharmacological effects of the flower MeOH extract Panax notoginseng (Notoginseng Flos; NF) on inflammation were investigated to address potential therapeutic or toxic effects. Methods: RA W264.7 cells were treated with different concentrations of NF methanol (NF-M) extract in the presence or absence of LPS ($1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$). Results: NF-M extract significantly inhibited LPS-induced production of NO, $PGE_2$ and pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, NF-M extract suppressed mRNA expressions and protein levels of iNOS, COX-2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated RA W264.7 cells. Conclusion: These results indicated that NF-M extract inhibits LPS-induced production of inflammatory mediators in macrophages and demonstrated that NF-M extract possesses anti-inflammatory properties in vitro.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.770-775
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• 2006

Biofilters packed with various materials commonly show problems such as low performance and clogging in a long-term operation. Recently, a bioactive foam reactor(BFR) using surfactants has been suggested to ensure efficient and stable VOCs removal performance. This study was mainly conducted to investigate the feasibility of the BFR system using styrene as a model compound. An abiotic md a biotic tests were conducted to estimate a mass transfer coefficient($K_La$) and a specific substrate utilization coefficient(k) for the BFR, showing the rate of mass transfer was greater in the BFR than in other diffuser systems. A dynamic loading test also indicated that the performance of the BFR was stable under a shock loading condition. Furthermore, the maximum elimination capacity of the BFR was determined to be 109 $g/m^3/hr$ for styrene, which was much higher than those for biofilter systems generally reported in the literature. Overall, the experimental results suggest that the BFR be a potential alternative to the conventional packed-bed biofilters.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.32-35
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• 1996

The pressure pulses generated from the underwater electric spark system ranged from 0.4 to 1.6kJ are measured with the variation of source depth and range. The characteristics of pressure pulses obtained through this experiment continue to show the same electric energy and depth dependence previously reported, but two particular phenomena are observed. First, it is observed that the peak pressure of the 1st bubble pulse induced from implosion is higher than that of the initial shock wave, which is particularily apparent to high electric energy more than 10kJ previous studies. Second, it has been reported that the energy ratio (potential energy of bubble/intrinsic energy of source) has some tendency to "droop" on the low electric energy as 0.02 for 5kJ and 0.01 for 1kJ but the results of the present experiment show that it continues to have the ratio of 0.01 near 1kJ again.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.74-86
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• 2017

Objectives : This study aimed to assess the scientific evidence for the use of Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang, a traditional herbal formula, in the treatment of rhinitis, and prepare the basis for the investigational new drug application by analyzing the experimental studies. Methods : Ten electronic databases were searched up to December, 2016 without language limitation. Experimental studies on the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang against rhinitis were included. We extracted data about study design, characteristics of intervention, outcomes, and pharmacological effects from the included studies and summarized them. Results : Eight hundred and thirty-three potentially relevant studies were identified, of which 18 experimental studies met our inclusion criteria. Of 18 included studies, 5 had conducted cell viability test, and all studies had reported that Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang was non-cytotoxic. Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang exhibits anti-inflammatory effect by regulating the inflammation-related cytokines including nitric oxide(NO), prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$, interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}(TNF-{\alpha})$ in vitro and in vivo. Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang exhibits anti-allergic effect by suppressing eosinophil, and histamine levels. Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang helps in the recovery of nasal mucous membrane by supressing goblet cells, heat shock protein 70, and substance P. Conclusions : This study suggests that Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang has the potential to be developed as therapeutic agent for rhinitis. Further experimental and clinical studies needed to be performed to prove the safety and efficacy.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 1999

The immunogenicity of the recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (rh-bFGF) was investigated by tests for active systemic anaphylaxis (ASA), passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA), passive hemagglutination (PHA) and guinea pig maximization test (GPMT) in mice or guinea pigs. Guinea pigs were sensitized with rh-bFGF ($100-1000\;\mu\textrm{g}/kg$) or rh-bFGF-CFA mixture ($1000\;\mu\textrm{g}/kg$). All animals sensitized with rh-bFGF alone or mixture with CFA showed symptoms of anaphylactic shock. IgE antibodies to rh-bFGF were detected in sera obtained from rh-bFGF and rh-bFGF-Alum ($1000\;\mu\textrm{g}/kg$) sensitized mice, indicating that rh-bFGF has immunogenicity eliciting potential. IgG and/or IgM antibodies to rh-bFGF were also detected in all the sera obtained from sensitized mice by PHA. In the GPMT for delayed type skin reaction, no skin reaction was observed in sensitized guinea pigs after intradermal injection and dermal application of 0.01% rh- bFGF. However, these positive reactions were consistent with the results of another rh-bFGF, showing that rh- bFGF is a heterogenous protein to rodents. Considering the fact that rh-bFGF is a genuine human protein of which structure is identical to the endogenous human bFGF, it is thought that rh-bFGF is rarely associated with immunological problems in clinical use.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.245-252
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• 2003

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease(PTLD) has emerged as a potential life-threatening complication of immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplantation. The occurrence of PTLD is usually associated with an Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) infection in patients who are treated by aggressive immunosuppressive therapy. PTLD is represented by diverse manifestations ranging from reactive lymphoid hyperplasia to high grade malignant lymphoma. This is a case report of a late PTLD in a child. The patient is a 14-year-old girl, who presented as malignant lymphoma 44 months after successful renal transplantation. There was no evidence of EBV infection. On bone marrow study, many neoplastic lymphoid cells were defected. Aggressive chemotherapy for PTLD had resulted in clinical remission. However the patient expired from uncontrolled sepsis and septic shock after 77 days.