• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.388-394
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• 2017

Although several analytical methods for measuring total antioxidant capacity (TAC) have been applied to biological samples, there were often dissimilar results due to the different principles of methods applied. Thus, this study aimed to validate four conventional analytical methods for measuring plasma TAC, including the ABTS assay, DPPH assay, FRAP assay, and ORAC assay, by comparing with urinary 8-isoprostane concentration. In addition, TAC results were compared with antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocyte, and catalase in plasma. Plasma TAC measure by ABTS assay was strongly correlated with the result by FRAP assay. Plasma TAC by FRAP and ORAC assays were negatively correlated with erythrocyte SOD activity. The agreement among the four TAC assay methods and 8-isoprostane was determined using 95% prediction limits of linear regression, expressed as the mean of 8-isoprostane ${\pm}95%$ prediction limits. The ABTS method better agreed with 8-isoprostane than the other methods, demonstrating narrow prediction of limits. Furthermore, only plasma TAC determined by the ABTS assay was inversely correlated with urinary 8-isoprostane (r = -0.35, p < 0.05). In summary, the ABTS assay would be an appropriate method to measure overall plasma antioxidant capacity and predict the body's antioxidant status.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2004.03a
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• pp.287-293
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• 2004

A numerical simulation is presented for investigating the effects of pressure ratio of $D_2$ injector to supersonic nozzle on the population inversion in the DF chemical laser cavity, while a lasing concurrently takes place. The laser beam is generated between the mirrors in the cavity and it is important to obtain stronger population inversion and more uniform distribution of the excited molecules in the laser cavity in order to produce high power laser beam with good quality. In this study, these phenomena are investigated by means of analyzing the distributions of the DF excited molecules and the F atom used as an oxidant, while simultaneously estimating the maximum small signal and saturated gains and power in the DF chemical laser cavity. For the numerical solution, an 11-species (including DF molecules in various excited states of energies), 32-step chemistry model is adopted for the chemical reaction of the DF chemical laser system. The results are discussed by comparison with two $D_2$injector pressure cases; 192 torr and 388.64 torr. Major results reveal that in the resonator, stronger population inversions occur in the all transitions except DF(1)-DF(0), when the $D_2$injection pressure is lower. But, the higher $D_2$injection pressure provides a favorable condition for DF(1)-DF(0) transition to generate the higher power laser beam. In other words, as the pressure of $D_2$injector increases, the maximum small signal gain in the $V_{1-0}$ transition, which is in charge of generating most of laser power, becomes higher. Therefore, the total laser beam power becomes higher.r.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.380-388
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• 2005

In this study, the immunological effect of a traditional Korea herbal medicine, Sochungyong-tang (SCRT) that has been widely used for the treatment of various immunological disorders including allergic asthma in Korea, was examined in vitro. In our previous study demonstrated that SCRT decreases the expression of IL-4 mRNA, that plays pivotal role in Th2 cell development, while increases $IFN-{\gamma}{\tilde{a}}expression$, which is one of the key cytokines for Th1 lineage development in Th0 condition. That study strongly implies that SCRT can correct Th2 dominant condition directly affecting to the CD4+ T cell development. Present study designated to further evaluate the SCRT on helper T cell development by monitoring Th1/Th2 specific cytokine secretion patterns in artificially induced Th1 or Th2 polarized condition. The results demonstrated that Th2 cells were dramatically under-populated in Th2 driven condition with SCRT treatment, while Th1 cells were not altered in Th1 skewed condition. Furthermore, under Th2-skewed conditions the levels of and IL-4 were considerably decreased with SCRT treatment. However, the expression of GATA-3, a transcription factor that plays pivotal role in Th2 lineage programming, was not changed with SCRT, suggesting that the suppression of Th2 cell development by SCRT was not mediated by GATA-3. Present study implies that the effect on CD4+ T cell may be the one of key pharmacological effect point for treating IgE medicated allergic asthma by SCRT. These results also suggest that SCRT might be desirable agent for the correction of Th2 dominant pathological disorders.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 2013

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the serious complications in patients with either type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus but current treatments remain unsatisfactory. Results of clinical research studies demonstrate that Panax ginseng can help adjust blood pressure and reduce blood sugar and may be advantageous in the treatment of tuberculosis and kidney damage in people with diabetes. The heat-processing method to strengthen the efficacy of P. ginseng has been well-defined based on a long history of ethnopharmacological evidence. The protective effects of P. ginseng on pathological conditions and renal damage associated with diabetic nephropathy in the animal models were markedly improved by heat-processing. The concentrations of less-polar ginsenosides (20(S)-Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1) and maltol in P. ginseng were significantly increased in a heat-processing temperature-dependent manner. Based on researches in animal models of diabetes, ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and maltol were evaluated to have therapeutic potential against diabetic renal damage. These effects were achieved through the inhibition of inflammatory pathway activated by oxidative stress and advanced glycation endproducts. These findings indicate that ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and maltol are important bioactive constituents of heat-processed ginseng in the control of pathological conditions associated with diabetic nephropathy.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.377-388
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• 2021

Thin perforated Steel Plate Shear Walls (SPSWs) are among the most common types of seismic energy dissipation systems to protect the main boundary components of SPSWs from fatal fractures in the high-risk zones. In this paper, the cyclic behavior of the different circular hole patterns under cyclic loading is reported. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that a change in the perforation pattern of the circular holes leads to a change in the locations of the fracture tendency over the web plate, especially at the plate-frame interactions. Accordingly, the cyclic responses of the tested specimens were simulated by finite element method using the ABAQUS package. Likewise, perforated shear panels with a new perforation pattern obtained by implementing Topology Optimization (TO) were proposed. It was found that the ultimate shear strength of the specimen with the proposed TO perforation pattern was higher than that of the other specimens. In addition, theoretical equations using the Plate-Frame Interaction (PFI) method were used to predict the shear strength and initial stiffness of the considered specimens. The theoretical results showed that the proposed reduced coefficients relationships cannot accurately predict the shear strength and initial stiffness of the considered perforated shear panels. Therefore, the reduced coefficients should be adopted in the theoretical equations based on the obtained experimental and numerical results. Finally, with the results of this study, the shear strength and initial stiffness of these types of perforated shear panels can be predicted by PFI method.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2022

Purpose: The aim of this review was to systematically analyze the available literature on the correlation between the gray values (GVs) of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and the Hounsfield units (HUs) of computed tomography (CT) for assessing bone mineral density. Materials and Methods: A literature search was carried out in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, and LILACS for studies published through September 2021. In vitro, in vivo, and animal studies that analyzed the correlations GVs of CBCT and HUs of CT were included in this review. The review was prepared according to the PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews, and the risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. A quantitative analysis was performed using a fixed-effects model. Results: The literature search identified a total of 5,955 studies, of which 14 studies were included for the qualitative analysis and 2 studies for the quantitative analysis. A positive correlation was observed between the GVs of CBCT and HUs of CT. Out of the 14 studies, 100% had low risks of bias for the domains of patient selection, index test, and reference standards, while 95% of studies had a low risk of bias for the domain of flow and timing. The fixed-effects meta-analysis performed for Pearson correlation coefficients between CBCT and CT showed a moderate positive correlation (r=0.669; 95% CI, 0.388 to 0.836; P<0.05). Conclusion: The available evidence showed a positive correlation between the GVs of CBCT and HUs of CT.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

Background: Oral frailty is defined as the functional decline of the oral function due to aging, and it is associated with frailty and chronic disease. Most of the frailty intervention is for adults aged 65 years and older. However, early intervention for preventive disorder is most important. The objective of this study was to identify the age at which oral frailty surpass the "normal" range. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 719 adults (aged 30~89 years) residing in Gangwon province in May 2023. Risk of oral frailty was assessed using criteria from The Korean Academy of Geriatric Dentistry including oral function such as swallowing and mastication, and frailty. Frailty was assessed using the Kihon Checklist. To determine when oral frailty surpass the "normal" status, statistical analysis including chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed using R (ver. 4.3.1). Results: There were 388 (54.0%) individuals who had a "normal" status risk of oral frailty. The risk of oral frailty was higher in the 50~54 age group compared to the 30~34 age group (odds ratio [OR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28~0.91), after adjusting for gender, education, income, occupation, and frailty (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22~0.94). This means that from 50~54 years old, regardless of gender, education, income, occupation, or frailty condition, there is a distinction from the "normal" status. Conclusion: We found that intervention for oral frailty is needed starting from age 50 years. This is the stage where early indications of oral frailty become apparent. Early intervention for oral frailty can lead to a decrease in the prevalence of diseases and medical expenditure. Therefore, early intervention in middle-aged adults of oral frailty is necessary to improve the quality of life related to oral health.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.454-462
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• 2019

A conventional Korean meal typically includes various roasted, steamed, stir-fried, and braised foods. For this study, we investigated the contents of water soluble vitamins, $B_1$ (thiamin), $B_2$ (riboflavin) and $B_3$ (niacin) in various roasted, steamed, stir-fried, and braised foods. Method validation for analytical data in this study showed a high linearity ($r^2$>0.999), and the limit of detection and quantification were 0.001-0.067 and $0.002-0.203{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. For accuracy and precision, analytical values using standard reference materials were in the certified ranges. Roasted foods contained 0.039-1.057 mg/100 g of thiamin, 0.058-0.686 mg/100 g of riboflavin and 0.021-21.772 mg/100 g of niacin. Steamed foods contained 0.049-1.066 mg/100 g of thiamin, 0.025-0.548 mg/100 g of riboflavin and 0.134-21.509 mg/100 g of niacin. Stir-fried foods contained 0.114-0.388 mg/100 g of thiamin, 0.014-1.258 mg/100 g of riboflavin and 0.015-2.319 mg/100 g of niacin. Braised foods contained 0.112-1.656 mg/100 g of thiamin, 0.024-0.298 mg/100 g of riboflavin and 0.322-2.157 mg/100 g of niacin. The data on water-soluble vitamins in this study can be used for a nutritional database of conventional Korean meals.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2008

Purpose : Phenylketonuria(PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism and a genetic disorder resulting from a deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase(PAH) and decreased activity of tetrahydrobiopterin(BH4).In this study the correlation between the DNA mutation and clinical manifestations was investigated and PAH DNA mutations were compared bewteen Asian and Caucasian populations. Methods : DNA was isolated from peripheral leukocytes. The PAH gene was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) and the sequence was analyzed with Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification(MLPA). Results : We characterized the PAH gene of 102 independent Korean patients with PKU. PAH nucleotide sequence analysis revealed 44 different mutations, including 10 novel mutations comprising 9 missense mutations(N207D, K95del, A447P, G344D, P69S, S391I, A202T, G103S, and I306L) and 1 novel splice-site variant mutation(IVS10-3C>G). R243Q was the most prevalent mutation in this study. A259T has not previously been reported in Asian populations, but we found that this mutation had a frequency of 10.1% in our study. Furthermore, the genotypes of $BH_4$ responsive patients were analyzed and were divided into two groups: $BH_4$ medication-only group and $BH_4$ medication with diet therapy group. In the $BH_4$ medication-only group and $BH_4$ medication with diet therapy group, R241C was the most common mutation. Conclusion : Novel mutations in the PAH gene of PKU patients are still being discovered. Additional information as to the frequency of mutations in the tetrahydrobiopterine responsive gene is also accumulating. We anticipate that knowledge of these PKU gene mutations will assist the diagnosis, genetic counseling, and therapeutic treatment of PKU patients in future.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.441-456
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument to measure hope for cancer patients in Korea. This Hope Scale(Kim & Lee Hope Scale ; KLHS ) was developed based on not only critical universal attributes explaining both basic hope (generalized hope) and specific hope but also particular characteristics varing from culture and situation, which were revealed in a comprehensive review of the literature. Initially 60 items were generated from three sources : 36 items from the Q-sample used in the Kim's study, 1992, 21 representative items(statements) from the rest Q-population of the above study, 3 items related to the newly discovered category in the new qualitative study using 10 open ended question(death and dying) from the new qualitative study on the 20 cancer patients. At first 3 items were eliminated by the critique of the content validity experts, who were high experienced nurse, nursing professors. And then 4 items were eliminated in consideration of corrected item total correlation coefficiency, theoretical framework of this study. After that, 14 items were eliminated in comparing two or three items identified with the same meaning in each factor by this research team with factor loading and communality. This Hope Scale was finally constructed with 39 items. Psychometric evaluation was done on 492 adults(104 cancer patients, 388 adults who imagined who were cancer patients ranging from 18 to 76 years old. The results revealed high internal consistency Alpha coefficiency of .9351. Princial Component Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotation resulted in 8 factors with more than 1.0 of Eigenvalue. Referring to Eigenvalues, percent of variances(>60%), reproduced correlation matrix, and our theoretical framework, we decided the eight factors were the best1 solution to represent hope dimensions sufficiently. The eight factors were "confidence in possibility of cure", "sense of internal satisfaction", "being in communion", "meaning of life", "Korean hope perspectives", "belief in god", "self confidence", "self-worth". Among these factors, "confidence in possibility of cure", "sense of internal satisfaction", "Korean hope perspectives" were identified as different hope dimensions from those of Nowotny Hope Scale and Herth Hope Scale. There was significant negative correlation of r=-.4736 between this hope scale and Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and significant positive correlation of r=.3685 between this hope scale and Life Orientation Test (LOT) which indicate convergent and discriminant validity. The range of hope scores was from 71 to 244, with a mean of 171.97(SD=28.16).