• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.607-613
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• 2005

Background : Early death is an important problem associated with the management of community-acquired pneumonia. However, there is little information on the risk factors associated with it. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with early death in community-acquired pneumonia patients. Methods : From January 1999 to July 2004, 1,487 adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were admitted to the pulmonary department via emergency center were examined. Early death was defined as those who died within 2 days of hospitalization. The clinical and laboratory aspects of the patients who died early (n = 30) were compared with those of an age and gender matched control population (n = 60). Results : In the early death group, respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significant higher (p < 0.05 for all), while the arterial pH, systolic pressure, and $PaO_2$ were significant lower (p < 0.05 for all) than the control. The independent factor significantly associated with early death was tachypnea (OR, 7.049). Conclusion : The importance of an early clinical assessment in emergency center with community-acquired pneumonia needs to be emphasized in order to recognize patients at risk of early death.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.665-675
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• 2018

A total of 80 pigs [(Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire) ${\times}$ Duroc] with an average body weight of $72.9{\pm}2.6kg$ were used in the present study to investigate the effects of fermented whole crop wheat and barley with or without supplementing inoculums throughout the restricted feeding in finishing pigs. There were 4 replicate pens per treatment. Pigs were fed ad libitum throughout the experiment as the control (CON), and the other four groups were restricted to 10% in the CON diet and fed ad libitum fermented whole crop cereals: fermented whole crop barley with inoculums; fermented whole crop barley without inoculums; fermented whole crop wheat with inoculums; and fermented whole crop wheat without inoculums. During the entire experiment, the average daily feed intake (ADFI) decreased in the fermented barley and fermented wheat groups compared to the CON, while no difference was observed in the average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency (gain : feed ratio, G : F) between the control and fermented whole crop barley, wheat diet group. Dry matter and nitrogen digestibility did not show a significant difference among the treatments. In the blood constituents, concentrations of blood urea nitrogen were significantly lower in pigs fed fermented whole crop barley without inoculum diets compared with the other treatments. In conclusion, restricted feeding with fermented whole crop barley and wheat regardless of the supplementing inoculums showed no significant difference in growth performance compared to the CON. This suggests that there is a possibility that fermented whole crop barley and wheat could replace part of the conventional diets.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1066-1077
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• 2020

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of herbal medicine on blood glucose in diabetic patients. Methods: The subjects were patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) who had been admitted to Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital for more than 8 weeks for a primary diagnosis other than DM and who had taken herbal medicine for more than 8 weeks from January 2010 to February 2020. The medical records were analyzed retrospectively to confirm the characteristics of the subjects, and examination results included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine. Changes in HbA1c before and after taking herbal medicine and changes according to subgroups were analyzed. Results: A total of 149 subjects with type 2 DM were selected as participants. After taking the herbal medicine, the HbA1c value was significantly decreased, and the statistical significance was maintained even when the effect of controlling antidiabetic agents was excluded. The decrease in HbA1c was higher in the poor glycemic control group. Liver and kidney functions did not show any significant changes after taking the herbal medicine. Conclusions: Administration of herbal medicine for a long period of 8 weeks or longer did not increase HbA1c in patients with DM complicated by other various diseases.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.670-681
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress is caused by reactive oxygen species and free radicals that accelerate inflammatory responses and exacerbate fatigue. Tormentic acid (TA) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, the aim of present study is to determine the fatigue-regulatory effects of TA in H₂O₂-stimulated myoblast cell line, C2C12 cells and treadmill stress test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST) animal models. MATERIALS/METHODS: In the in vitro study, C2C12 cells were pretreated with TA before stimulation with H₂O₂. Then, malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) activity, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glycogen, and cell viability were analyzed. In the in vivo study, the ICR male mice were administered TA or distilled water orally daily for 28 days. FST and TST were then performed on the last day. In addition, biochemical analysis of the serum, muscle, and liver was performed. RESULTS: TA dose-dependently alleviated the levels of MDA, LDH, CK activity, TNF-α, and IL-6 in H₂O₂-stimulated C2C12 cells without affecting the cytotoxicity. TA increased the SOD and CAT activities and the glycogen levels in H₂O₂-stimulated C2C12 cells. In TST and FST animal models, TA decreased the FST immobility time significantly while increasing the TST exhaustion time without weight fluctuations. The in vivo studies showed that the levels of SOD, CAT, citrate synthase, glycogen, and free fatty acid were increased by TA administration, whereas TA significantly reduced the levels of glucose, MDA, LDH, lactate, CK, inflammatory cytokines, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, and cortisol compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: TA improves fatigue by modulating oxidative stress and energy metabolism in C2C12 cells and animal models. Therefore, we suggest that TA can be a powerful substance in healthy functional foods and therapeutics to improve fatigue.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.911-920
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• 2022

Objective: ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL is a novel prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting tracer based on Glu-Urea-Lys derivatives conjugated to a 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N''-triacetic acid (NOTA) chelator via a thiourea-type short linker. This phase I clinical trial of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL was conducted to evaluate the safety and radiation dosimetry of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL in healthy volunteers and the lesion detection rate of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: We designed a prospective, open-label, single-arm clinical trial with two cohorts comprising six healthy adult men and six patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Safety and blood test-based toxicities were monitored throughout the study. PET/CT scans were acquired at multiple time points after administering ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL (2 MBq/kg; 96-165 MBq). In healthy adults, absorbed organ doses and effective doses were calculated using the OLINDA/EXM software. In patients with prostate cancer, the rates of detecting suspicious lesions by ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT and conventional imaging (CT and bone scintigraphy) during the screening period, within one month after recruitment, were compared. Results: All 12 participants (six healthy adults aged 31-32 years and six prostate cancer patients aged 57-81 years) completed the clinical trial. No drug-related adverse events were observed. In the healthy adult group, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL was rapidly distributed, with the highest uptake in the kidneys. The median effective dose coefficient was calculated as 0.025 mSv/MBq, and cumulative activity in the bladder had the highest contribution. In patients with metastatic prostate cancer, 229 suspicious lesions were detected using either ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT or conventional imaging. Among them, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT detected 199 (86.9%) lesions and CT or bone scintigraphy detected 114 (49.8%) lesions. Conclusion: ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL can be safely applied clinically and has shown a higher detection rate for the localization of metastatic lesions in prostate cancer than conventional imaging. Therefore, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL is a valuable option for prostate cancer imaging.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.547-561
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• 2024

In this study, we aim to investigate the precise alterations in the gut microbiota during the onset and advancement of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and examine the impact of Ruminococcus gnavus (R. gnavus) on DN. Eight-week-old male KK-Ay mice were administered antibiotic cocktails for a duration of two weeks, followed by oral administration of R. gnavus for an additional eight weeks. Our study revealed significant changes in the gut microbiota during both the initiation and progression of DN. Specifically, we observed a notable increase in the abundance of Clostridia at the class level, higher levels of Lachnospirales and Oscillospirales at the order level, and a marked decrease in Clostridia_UCG-014 in DN group. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Oscillospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae at the family level. Moreover, oral administration of R. gnavus effectively aggravated kidney pathology in DN mice, accompanied by elevated levels of urea nitrogen (UN), creatinine (Cr), and urine protein. Furthermore, R. gnavus administration resulted in down-regulation of tight junction proteins such as Claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1, as well as increased levels of uremic toxins in urine and serum samples. Additionally, our study demonstrated that orally administered R. gnavus up-regulated the expression of inflammatory factors, including nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) and Interleukin (IL)-6. These changes indicated the involvement of the gut-kidney axis in DN, and R. gnavus may worsen diabetic nephropathy by affecting uremic toxin levels and promoting inflammation in DN.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.231-240
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• 2009

Sixteen ruminally cannulated Korean native steers (Hanwoo; $626.2\pm47.72$ kg) were used to investigate the effects of polyclonal antibodies against abdominal (AAb) and subcutaneous adipocyte membrane proteins (SAb) on ruminal fermentation patterns and blood metabolites. The body weight (BW) of Hanwoo was decreased 2-weeks after AAb and SAb injection, BW reduction was also observed in control and non-immunized serum groups, indicating that stress induced by other factors (e.g. blood sampling etc.) rather than antibodies injection may affect the BW reduction. Antibodies treatment did not affect (P > 0.05) rumen pH, volatile fatty acids and ammonia-N concentration. The ranges were similar with typical ranges of those in Hanwoo. Compared with control, blood urea N concentration was decreased in AAb group and increased (P < 0.05) in SAb group before antibodies treatment. However, none of the groups were significantly (P > 0.05) affected at 2- or 4-weeks after the treatment. Concentration of plasma glucose in the non-immunized serum group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the other groups at 0-week after treatment. However, antibodies treatment did not affect the concentration of plasma glucose. Concentration of plasma triglyceride showed no difference (P > 0.05) between the groups and ranged from 11.4 to 19.9 mg/dl, which is the perfect range of plasma triglyceride of Hanwoo fed concentrate based diets. In conclusion, these results may indicate that the present AAb and SAb have safety in nutritional physiological metabolism in Hanwoo. Further study on in vivo fat reduction of the antibodies against abdominal and subcutaneous adipocytes PMPs of Hanwoo is required for inedible fat-reduced high quality beef production.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 2011

Purpose : Hypercalciuria has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of nocturnal enuresis associated with polyuria. We have measured the amount of calcium excretion in the urine from children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis and studied the association with enuresis. Methods : Thirty-six children (20 males and 16 females, age 5 to 15.6 years) presenting with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis were recruited for this study. Results : Among 36 patients, 6 patients had hypercalciuria, providing a 16.7% frequency. The mean Ca/Cr ratio of hypercalciuria group showed $0.23{\pm}0.10$ on daytime, and $0.33{\pm}0.10$ on nighttime showing higher values in nighttime, but it was not statistically significant. Average 24 hour calcium excretion was 8.95 mg/kg. Night/day time urine volume ratio in hypercalciuria group was $0.87{\pm}0.20$, and that in normocalciuria group was $0.81{\pm}0.33$, also showing no difference. Daytime Ca/Cr ratio and nighttime Ca/Cr ratio from all enuresis patients showed a significant correlation (P=0.0001). However, Ca/Cr ratio between daytime and nighttime urine volume had no significant correlation, respectively (daytime P=0.08; nighttime P=0.07). Also, daytime and nighttime Na concentration, urea concentration, and osmolality also had no significant correlation with urine Ca/Cr ratio, respectively. Conclusion: Hypercalciuria shown in some of enuresis patients is not directly caused by primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1460-1465
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• 2011

This study was conducted to determine the effects of total mixed fermentation (TMF) with bean curd dregs on body weight gain, feed intake and body size of growing Hanwoo heifers. Thirty Hanwoo heifers, 6 months of age and weighing $125.9{\pm}12.0$ kg, were randomly allocated to 3 experimental groups of 10 animals each for a 6-month feeding trial. The groups were T1 (rice straw offered ad libitum with restricted (1.7% BW/day) concentrate), T2 (TMF only offered ad libitum) and T3 (TMF and rice straw offered ad libitum with restricted (1.0% BW/day) concentrate). TMF feeds were composed of 60% bean curd dregs, 16.5% corn meal, 10.4% wheat bran, 5% rice straw, 7% rice hulls, 0.5% urea matter, 0.5% magnesia lime and 0.1% lactic acid bacteria. The chemical composition and pH value of TMF feeds were measured at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hr after storage. In TMF with bean curd dregs, there were no differences in concentrations of DM, EE, and CF according to storage periouds. The ADF and NDF at 72 hr of storage time showed a significant decrease (9.52 and 3.15 %, respectively) compared to 0h of storage time (p<0.05). The value of pH was gradually decreased during the storage periods. Body weight gain, feed intake and average daily gain were higher in the TMF groups (T2, T3) compared to the T1 group (p<0.05). Changes in body size were also higher in the TMF groups compared to the T1 group (p<0.05). Thus, the present results indicate that TMF with bean curd dregs may help improve growth performance in growing Hanwoo heifers.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.285-298
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• 2000

Objectives : To investigate the positive rate of Helicobacter pylori in patients with dyspepsia; medical compliance and related factors; the eradication rate a year after screening and related factors; the relationship between the eradication of Helicobacter pylori and the improvement of symptoms; and the estimated cost of three alternative approaches to treat Helicobacter pylori in the community. Methods : A total of 510 subjects with dyspeptic symptoms were selected and given the serological test in March 1998. The subjects were all adults over 30 years of age residing in Kyongju city. Results : Of the 510 selected subjects, 375 (73.5%) subjects proved positive for Helicobacter pylori on serological testing. Of these 304 (81.1%) who consented to an endoscopic examination, underwent a Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test. Of these 304 subjects, 204 (67.1%), who had positive CLO test results, were given the triple therapy - tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate, amoxicillin, and metronidazole. To determine the eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori, 181 (88.1%) out of the 204 subjects who were given the triple therapy completed a follow-up urea breath test one year later. Of these, the Helicobacter pylori of 87(48.1%) subjects was eradicated. Among the 122 subjects who were medication compliant, the Helicobacter pylori eradication rate was 57.4% (70 subjects), while the eradication rates was only 28.8% (17subjects) in the non-compliant group. The Helicobacter pylori eradication was significantly related to compliance (p<0.01), but not to other characteristics and habits. The symptom improvement rate tended to be higher 62.1%), in the Helicobacter pylori eradicated group than in the non-eradicated group (59.6%). Conclusions : When the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative treatment were considered in the light of cost, antibiotic tolerance and the number of patients to be treated, alternative II was favorable in terms of cost. Alternative III was favorable in terms of the number of patients to be treated, antibiotic tolerance and early detection of gastric cancer. Further long-term research analyzing the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of each treatment will be needed as supporting material in creating new policies.