• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.284-296
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• 2018

Obesity is considered as a primary health problem over the past century in line with life environmental changes. It is mainly associated with increased risk of numerous chronic diseases which may significantly reduce health-related quality of life. Therefore, efforts to reduce weight should be performed. This study suggested a novel approach to reduce body fat by applying external stimulation which is micro-current stimulation (MCS). In this clinical study, we evaluated the potential effects of MCS for reduction of abdominal fat and weight loss. Prior to the clinical test, computational simulation was conducted to find the proper MCS conditions that allow externally applied stimulation to reach the internal fat section from the external skin. Particularly, the clinical study evaluated the unilateral effects of MCS for body fat loss and lipolysis without any additional limitations such as physical exercise and dietary therapy. The results showed that whole body fat, waist circumferences, and abdominal fat are gradually decreased after intervention in proportion to the time. From the results, we can estimate that MCS can be effective on the body fat loss by activation of lipolysis in human adipose.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제82권4호
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• pp.298-305
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• 2019

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) causes substantial health burden to the Korean military. This study aims to assess the impact of infectious TB cases on close and casual contacts in the Korean Army settings based on contact investigation data. Methods: Six Army units with infectious TB cases from September 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled in the study. We analyzed the clinical data from close and casual contacts screened using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube to identify latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) cases. For the control group, 286 military conscripts with no reported TB exposure were tested by TST only. Results: Of the 667 contacts of index cases, LTBI cases identified were as follows: 21.8% of close contacts of smearpositive cases (71/326), 8.5% of casual contacts of smear-positive cases (26/305), and 2.8% of close contacts of smearnegative cases (1/36). In the control group, 16.8% showed positivity in TST. In a multivariate analysis, having stayed in the same room or next room with TB patients was identified as a risk factor of LTBI. Conclusion: Using the data from TB contact investigations in the Korean Army units, we found an overall LTBI rate of 14.7% among the contacts screened. This study demonstrates that contacts living in the same building, especially the same room or next room, with TB patients are at a high risk of acquiring LTBI, serving as additional evidence for defining close and casual contacts of a TB patient with regard to Army barrack settings.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• 제58권4호
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• pp.243-252
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• 2021

The present study aims to investigate the interaction of a wire-type turbulence stimulator and the laminar boundary layer on a flat plate by flow field measurement. For the towing tank tests, a one-dimensional Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) attached on a two-axis traverse was used to measure the streamwise velocity component of the boundary layer flow in zero pressure gradient, disturbed by a turbulence stimulator. The wire diameter was 0.5 and 1.0 mm according to the recommended procedures and guidelines suggested by the International Towing Tank Conference. Turbulence development by the stimulator was identified by the skin friction coefficient, mean and Root Mean Square (RMS) of the streamwise velocity. The laminar boundary layer with the absence of the wire-type stimulator was similar to the Blasius solution and previous experimental results. By the stimulator, the mean and RMS of the streamwise velocity were increased near the wall, showing typical features of the fully developed turbulent boundary layer. The critical Reynolds number was reduced from 2.7×10⁵ to 1.0×10⁵ by the disturbances caused by the wire. As the wire diameter and the roughness Reynolds number (Rek) increased, the disturbances by the stimulator increased RMS of the streamwise velocity than turbulent boundary layer.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제46권6호
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• pp.685-693
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• 2020

Objectives: Recent data indicate that sensitization to mold contributes to the severity and persistence of asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between indoor mold concentrations and pulmonary function parameters in asthmatic children with mold sensitization. Methods: Asthmatic subjects who had a positive result in skin-prick testing to more than one mold allergen, such as Alternaria, Aspergillus, or Penicillium, were enrolled. Their pulmonary function and methacholine challenge test results were collected. Measurements of blood eosinophil, serum IgE, and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) were taken. Indoor levels of VOC, CO2, PM10 and PM2.5 in each subject's house were measured. We counted mold and bacteria colonies from the subjects' house air samples. Results: The mean levels of FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, and FEF25-75 were 82.8±19.7, 87.3±17.9, 85.8±8.3, and 82.3±28.9%, respectively. The mean FeNO level was 19.8±11.2 ppb and the geometric mean (range of one SD) of methacholine PC20 was 3.99 mg/mL (0.67-23.74 mg/mL). The average indoor air pollutant levels were below the recommended levels set by the Ministry of Environment for multiplex buildings. Indoor mold levels showed a significant inverse correlation with methacholine PC20, but not with the baseline pulmonary function parameters. Conclusion: Indoor mold concentrations are a risk factor for increased bronchial hyperresponsiveness among asthmatic children with mold sensitization. Targeted environmental intervention should be considered for selected asthmatic children with mold sensitization for avoiding severe airway hyperresponsiveness.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.111-117
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• 2021

The study was aimed at developing an alternative therapeutic agent against acne vulgaris, one of the most common skin diseases, to meet the continuing demand for new therapies. Acne vulgaris is often associated with the acne-causing bacteria such as Cutibacterium acnes. To investigate the safety of agents against acne vulgaris, we evaluated the potential antibacterial activities of edible seaweeds against C. acnes in Korea. Forty-one edible seaweeds, including the brown, green, and red varieties, were selected for the antibacterial test. In comparison with other seaweeds, 70% ethanolic extracts of brown seaweeds, such as Cladophora wrightiana var. minor, Eisenia bicyclis, Ecklonia cava, Ishige foliacea, Ishige okamurae, Sargassum filicinum, and Sargassum miyabei Yendo, exhibited potential antibacterial activity against C. acnes with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging between 64 and 128 ㎍/mL. To investigate the active anti-acne agents and to enhance our understanding of the antibacterial activities against C. acnes, further solvent-fractionation experiments are warranted. The findings imply that brown seaweeds can be a potential source of natural agents against acne vulgaris.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.87-95
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• 2021

In this study, the application of a medical compression sleeve of Moisture Responded Transformable(MRT) fibers to the treatment of lymphedema after surgery in breast cancer patients was investigated. MRT fibers were manufactured with PET and Nylon6 bi-component cross-section yarns, and compression sleeves of sleeves 1, 2, 3, and 4 were knitted in order of size, and then the physical properties and clinical tests were evaluated. As a result, the pressure of compression sleeve in wrinkle was the lowest in sleeve 1 with 3.81 kPa, and the highest in sleeve 4 with 5.22 kPa. Elastic recovery rate is that all parts except the top of the sleeve 1 exhibited 100%. The air permeability was good at 12.1 ~ 16.1 cm³/cm²/sec, and peeling was also comparatively excellent as grade 3. In addition, the weight of the compression sleeves 1, 2, and 3 decreased as 18.3 ~ 23.0 g/m² depend on size, while the compared sample was heavier with 17.39 ~ 32.61 g/m². In lymphoscintigraphy test, it was confirmed that the function of remaining lymph node was good in all patients. Although there were no differences between samples in skin irritation and tightness in wearing comfort, the manufactured sleeves showed better fit, lightness, fashion and breathability than the comparable sleeves.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.53-58
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• 2021

Kerma Area Product (KAP) is best indicator of radiation monitoring on radiographic examinations. KAP can be measured differently depending on the X-ray irradiation area, air kerma, souce-skin distance, type of equipment, etc. The major factors are exposure area and the air krema. The KAP currently used only considers the exposure area with X-rays and has a problem that KAP is always excessively overestimated from the dose received by an actual subject. Therefore, in this study, in order to measure the accurate KAP, a new area dose calculation that can be calculated by dividing the area where the actual X-ray is irradiated is presented, and the KAP is the real area. We compared and analyzed how much it was overestimated compared to the dose. The Skull AP projection and seven other projection were compared and analyzed, and the KAP was overestimated in each test by 52% to 60%. In this way, the effective KAP (EKAP) calculation developed through this study should be utilized to prevent extra calculation of the existing KAP, and only the accurate patient subject area should be calculated to derive the accurate area dose value. EKAP is helpful for control the patient's exposure dose more finely, and it is useful for the quality control of medical radiation exposure.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제50권2호
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• pp.277-282
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• 2022

Whitening effect of the extract of Phaseolus angularis (PA) shell was investigated for its potential application as a functional ingredient for cosmetic products. The tyrosinase inhibitory effect, which is related to whitening, was 76.4% at a concentration of 1,000 ㎍/ml. Cell viability of melanoma cells was measured to test toxicity of the PA shell extract at concentrations showing at least 90% viability. In addition, western blot and RT-PCR assays of the PA shell extract showed concentration-dependent decreases of MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2 and tyrosinase protein and inhibitory effect of mRNA expression. These findings suggested that extract from PA shell has great potential as a cosmeceutical ingredient with whitening effect.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.23-27
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• 2022

Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) is a multisystemic disorder of autoimmune etiology. SLE can occur commonly in young women, and the early symptoms include fever, myalgia, arthralgia, weight loss, lymphadenopathy and these nonspecific symptoms develop into skin rash, splenomegaly, serositis and encephalopathy. Diagnosis of SLE requires clinical and serologic criteria, and treatment choices are hydroxyquinolone and NSAIDs for mild disease, corticosteroids and immunosuppressant for severe disease. In lupus patient, the prevalence of lymphadenopathy is 12~59%. Although lymphadenopathy is common finding in SLE, it is hard to distinguish in early phase of SLE. A 38-year-old woman visited our hospital for cervical lymphadenopathy with polyarthritis and malaise. Multiple cervical lymph nodes enlargement was found on Neck CT, and serologic laboratory test including ANA, antiphospholipid antibody, and anti-dsDNA was positive. For excluding lymphoma, PET-CT and excisional biopsy were performed. The patient finally diagnosed with SLE, and got regular follow-up without complication.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.19-25
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• 2019

Objectives : Thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol), a natural monoterpenoid phenol, is one of the major odorant constituents found in natural essential oils of various herbal plants, such as Thymus quinquecostatus and Thymus vulgaris. Multiple biological activities of thymol, including antioxidative, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects, have been reported in numerous in vitro studies, and recently it was suggested that thymol may could inhibit oxidization of L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) to dopaquinone required in melanogenesis pathway, as an antioxidant. Methods : MTT assay was performed to test the cytotoxic effect of thymol in B16F10 cells. Inhibitory effect of thymol to tyrosinase activities were examined using both mushroom tyrosinase and intracellular tyrosinase. Expression level of tyrosinase in B16F10 cells were investigated by western blot analysis. Results : The cell viability was decreased by thymol treatment in dose-dependant manner, leading significant cytotoxicity in 500 and $1000{\mu}M$ thymol-treated groups. In the alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (${\alpha}$-MSH)-induced melanogenesis, administration of thymol significantly decreased extracellular (secreted) melanin content in dose-dependent manner. Cellular tyrosinase activity assay and western blot analysis of intracellular tyrosinase showed that thymol has a strong anti-melanogenic effect by inhibition of tyrosinase activity and by decreasing expression of tyrosinase that contribute to melanin synthesis in the B1610 cells. Conclusions : As the first functional study that prove anti-melanogenic effect of thymol and its underlying mechanism in the living cells, our study suggests the applicability of fragrance as the functional materials of cosmetics or health supplement, not as just an additive.