• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2024

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a significant risk factor in the global disease burden. The stem bark of the Betulaceae plant Alnus japonica, which is indigenous to Korea, has been used as a popular folk medicine for hepatitis and cancer. However, the preventive effect of Alnus japonica leaf extracts on alcohol-related liver damage has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of the extracts of Alnus japonica leaf (AJL) against ethanol-induced liver damage in HepG2/2E1 cells. Treatment with AJL significantly prevented ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2/2E1 cells by reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). This protective effect was likely associated with antioxidant potential of AJL, as evidenced by the attenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production and restoration of the depleted glutathione (GSH) levels in ethanol-induced HepG2/2E1 cells. Our findings suggest that FCC might be considered as a useful agent in the prevention of liver damage induced by oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant defense mechanism.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.35
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• pp.7-13
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• 2023

Purpose: In this study, we evaluated the effect of using a customized bolus on dose delivery in the treatment plan when cervical cancer protruded out of the body along with the uterus and evaluated reproducibility in patient set-up. Materials & Methods: The treatment plan used the Eclipse Treatment Planning System (Version 15.5.0, Varian, USA) and the treatment machine was VitalBeam (Varian Medical Systems, USA). The radiotherapy technique used 6 MV energy in the AP/PA direction with 3D-CRT. The prescribed dose is 1.8 Gy/fx and the total dose is 50.4 Gy/28 fx. Semiflex TM31010 (PTW, Germany) was used as the ion chamber, and the dose distribution was analyzed and evaluated by comparing the planned and measured dose according to each position movement and the tumor center dose. The first measurement was performed at the center by applying a customized bolus to the phantom, and the measurement was performed while moving in the range of -2 cm to +2 cm in the X, Y, and Z directions from the center assuming a positional error. It was measured at intervals of 0.5 cm, the Y-axis direction was measured up to ±3 cm, and the situation in which Bolus was set-up incorrectly was also measured. The measured doses were compared based on doses corrected to CT Hounsfield Unit (HU) 240 of silicon instead of the phantom's air cavity. Result: The treatment dose distribution was uniform when the customized bolus was used, and there was no significant difference between the prescribed dose and the actual measured value even when positional errors occurred. It was confirmed that the existing sheet-type bolus is difficult to compensate for irregularly shaped tumors protruding outside the body, but customized Bolus is found to be useful in delivering treatment doses uniformly.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.35
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• pp.23-31
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of Non-Treat Functionality Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy(NTF-VMAT) and Treat Functionality VMAT(TF-VMAT) treatment plans in reducing the low-dose area during radiation therapy for patients with multiple metastatic cancers. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on an Arccheck phantom, treatment planning target locations were set in pairs at intervals of 2 cm, 4 cm, and 6 cm on the X, Y, and Z axes. Based on these location settings, the volume of the low-dose area in NTF-VMAT and TF-VMAT was measured and compared. Results: The results of the study showed that, within a prescription dose range of 10% ~ 70%, the difference in low-dose area volumes across each axis was as follows: On the X-axis, there was a maximum difference of -47.6% and a minimum difference of -2.2%. On the Y-axis, there was a maximum difference of -17.5% and a minimum difference of -7.3%. The Z-axis showed a maximum difference of -39.7%, with the smallest difference being -6.8%. Conclusion: In radiation therapy for patients with multiple metastatic cancers, the TF-VMAT treatment plan was able to reduce the low-dose area by 10-40% compared to NTF-VMAT. This suggests that utilizing Treat Functionality, which includes the Island block technique, improves dose distribution and minimizes side effects, making it beneficial for the treatment of patients with multiple metastatic cancers.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2018

This research has been conducted from June 1, 2017 to August 25, 2017 for the dental hygienists working in Busan and Gyeongnam area, to provide necessary basic data for the purpose of revision of the relating laws from the analysis of their understanding and perspective on such laws through 262 subjects' questionnaire. Its analysis of their perspectives are as follows. 1. The common characteristics of the subjects are that 40.1% of them are under 25, and their working period was under three years with the 38.9%, and as for their marital status, 70.2% were single, the final education of 80.2% were associated degrees. Their working areas are centered in Gyeongsangnam-do province with 91.2%, the workplace type is for the dental clinic with 80.2%. 2. The comparison of the view point of the medical(technician) law according to the characteristics of the research subjects differed only whether or not the completion of the education, and as a result of the comparison according to the characteristics of those subjects understanding the details of the medical(technician) law, there was a significant difference saying "the current law has clear job description" depending on the working area or "the job duty is definite" depending on the job experience and job details. As for those saying "the job duty is definite", there was also significant difference depending upon marital status, final education and work details. There was no significant difference in all characteristics from findings of the necessity of legal system according to the subjects not understanding the medical(technician) law. 3. As a result of comparing the necessity of the medical(technician) law according to the characteristics of the research subjects, it was found that all the subjects accepted the necessity of the medical law revision including the dental hygienist in the medical person. The "necessity of the professional dental hygienist system" showed a significant difference depending upon the final education and medical institution type. Among the triggering factors in its amendment, there showed significant difference in the "cooperation of other organizations" and "solution of medical law problems" only in the final education. 4. As a result of comparison of the needs of the medical(technician) law revision according to the characteristics of the research subjects, it was found that the significant traits related to the age and job details showed "Legal responsibility would be increased" when the medical law is revised, in case that "it will help broaden the job extension", there showed a significant difference in career, final education, and working institution, and job details. "Legal protection is possible" showed significant difference except the age group and working area, and "it help the system settlement" showed in the final education. There was a significant difference in career, final education, and job details that "I can regulate the education and field practice", and the same in "my status will be improved" depending upon the final education, work area, and job details. Accordingly, in this research, for the establishment of more professional and comprehensive dental health service as suggested from the demand and necessity toward the medical(technician) Law by the dental hygienists.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.7.1-7.19
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• 2024

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019. In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×10⁵ plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×10² PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×10² PFU-virus-infected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×10⁵ PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×10⁵ PFU; however, 1×1² PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) is an economically important root crop and a valuable source of nutrients, processed foods, animal feeds, and pigment materials. However, during post-harvest storage, storage roots of sweet potatoes are susceptible to decay caused by various microorganisms and diseases. Post-harvest curing is the most effective means of healing wounds and preventing spoilage by microorganisms during storage. In this study, we aimed to identify proteins involved in the molecular mechanisms related to curing and study proteomic changes during the post-curing storage period. For this purpose, changes in protein spots were analyzed through 2D-electrophoresis after treatment at 33℃ (curing) and 15℃ (control) for three days, followed by a storage period of eight weeks. As a result, we observed 31 differentially expressed protein spots between curing and control groups, among which 15 were identified. Among the identified proteins, the expression level of 'alpha-amylase (spot 1)' increased only after the curing treatment, whereas the expression levels of 'probable aldo-keto reductase 2-like (spot 3)' and 'hypothetical protein CHGG_01724 (spot 4)' increased in both the curing and control groups. However, the expression level of 'sporamin A (spot 10)' decreased in both the curing and control treatments. In the control treatment, the expression level of 'enolase (spot 14)' increased, but the expression levels of 'chain A of actinidin-E-64 complex+ (spot 19)', 'ascorbate peroxidase (spot 22)', and several 'sporamin proteins (spot 20, 21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, and 31)' decreased. These results are expected to help identify proteins related to the curing process in sweet potato storage roots, understand the mechanisms related to disease resistance during post-harvest storage, and derive candidate genes to develop new varieties with improved low-temperature storage capabilities in the future.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2024

Purpose: Mitochondria play a crucial role in preserving skeletal muscle mass, and damage to mitochondria leads to muscle mass loss. This study investigated the effects of oxypeucedanin hydrate, a furanocoumarin isolated from Angelica dahurica radix, on myogenesis and mitochondrial function in vitro and in zebrafish models. Methods: C2C12 myotubes cultured in media containing 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 ng/mL oxypeucedanin hydrate were immunostained with myosin heavy chain (MHC), and then multinucleated MHC-positive cells were counted. The expressions of markers related to muscle differentiation, muscle protein degradation, and mitochondrial function were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. To investigate the effects of oxypeucedanin hydrate on mitochondrial dysfunction, Tg(Xla.Eef1a1:mito-EGFP) zebrafish embryos were treated with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) with or without oxypeucedanin hydrate and analyzed for mito-EGFP intensity and mitochondrial length. Results: Oxypeucedanin hydrate significantly increased MHC-positive multinucleated myotubes (≥ 3 nuclei) and increased the expression of the myogenic marker myosin heavy chain 4. However, it decreased the expressions of muscle-specific RING finger protein 1 and muscle atrophy f-box (markers of muscle protein degradation). Furthermore, oxypeucedanin hydrate enhanced the expressions of markers of mitochondrial biogenesis (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha, transcription factor a mitochondrial, succinate dehydrogenase complex flavoprotein subunit A, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) and mitochondrial fusion (optic atrophy 1). However, it reduced the expression of dynamin-related protein 1 (a mitochondrial fission regulator). Consistently, oxypeucedanin hydrate reduced FOLFIRI-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the skeletal muscles of zebrafish embryos. Conclusion: The study indicates that oxypeucedanin hydrate promotes myogenesis by improving mitochondrial function, and thus, suggests oxypeucedanin hydrate has potential use as a nutritional supplement that improves muscle mass and function.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

Objectives: Presenteeism is known to be a much more economically damaging social cost than disease rest while going to work despite physical pain. Since COVID-19, social discussions on the sickness benefit have been taking place as a countermeasure against presenteeism, and in particular, farmers and fishermen do not have an institutional mechanism for livelihood support when a disease other than work occurs. This study attempted to examine the relationship between agricultural, fishing, and forestry workers and presenteeism using the 6th Korean Work Conditions Survey. Methods: From October 2020 to January 2021, data from the 6th working conditions survey conducted on 17 cities and provinces in Korea were used, and a total of 34,981 people were studied. Control variables were gender, age, self-health assessment, education level, night work, shift work, monthly income, occupation, working hours per week, and employment status. Results: As a result of the analysis, farmers and fishermen showed the characteristics of the self-employed and the elderly, and as a result of the regression analysis, when farmers and fishermen analyzed the relationship with presenteeism tendency compared to other industry workers, farmers and fishermen increased by 23% compared to other industry groups. Conclusion: This study is significant in that it has representation by utilizing the 6th working conditions survey and objectively suggests the need for a sickness benefit for farmers and fishermen who may be overlooked in the sickness benefit.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.402-412
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• 2023

To cope with climate change, we compared the quality of naked oats (Avena sativa L.) cultivated in different regions. Naked oats were collected from domestic farms in different cultivation regions grouped as G1 and G2 for 3 years (2020-2022). The appearance, quality, and nutritional and functional compounds in the samples were assessed. In terms of appearance quality, the brightness and yellowness of the samples from the G1 region were significantly lower than those of the samples from the G2 region in 2020; however, no differences were observed between cultivation regions in the other 2 years. The results of testing the vitality of naked oats seeds showed that the electrical conductivity value was significantly lower in the samples from the G1 region than in those from the G2 region only in 2022. Among the nutritional components, moisture content was higher in the G2 region than in the G1 region over all 3 years, and the crude protein content was significantly higher in the G2 region than in the G1 region over all years. Carbohydrate content was significantly higher in the G1 region than in the G2 region in all 3 years and was inversely proportional to the crude protein content. The crude fat content tended to be significantly higher in the G1 region than in the G2 region, except in 2022. The levels of beta-glucan, a functional compound rich in naked oats, ranged between 3.4% and 4.2%, and except in 2020, there was no significant difference between cultivation regions. In addition, the content of avenanthramides, representative functional compounds that exist only in oats, was assessed. Over 2 years, in 2021 and 2022, the avenanthramide content was in the range of 2.4-20.7 ㎍/g and tended to be significantly higher in the G2 region than in the G1 region in both years. According to a survey of the average and minimum temperatures during the growing season of naked oats from 2020 to 2022, the average and minimum temperatures in January in the G2 region, which is the cultivation-limit area, were similar to those in Haenam in the G1 region. In conclusion, differences in nutritional and functional compounds were observed in naked oats grown in different cultivation areas. Therefore, considering the cultivation area of naked oats is expanding because of climate change, changes in the compounds that affect quality should be investigated.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.2
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• pp.427-440
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• 2023

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the fat signal fraction (FF) of the fat-dominant bone tissue of the knee joint, measured using the MRI Dixon method (DIXON) technique, and bone mineral density (BMD). Materials and Methods Among the patients who underwent knee DIXON imaging at our institute, we retrospectively analyzed 93 patients who also underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry within 1 year. The FFs of the distal femur metaphyseal (Fm) and proximal tibia metaphyseal (Tm) were calculated from the DIXON images, and the correlation between FF and BMD was analyzed. Patients were grouped based on BMD of lumbar spine (L), femoral neck (FN), and common femur (FT) respectively, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was performed for FF. Results We identified a significant negative correlation between TmFF and FN-BMD in the entire patient group (r = -0.26, p < 0.05). In female patients, TmFF showed a negative correlation with FN-BMD, FT-BMD, and L-BMD (r = -0.38, 0.28 and -0.27, p < 0.05). In male patients, FmFF was negatively correlated with only FN-BMD and FT-BMD (r = -0.58 and -0.42, p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the TmFF between female patients grouped by BMD (p < 0.05). In male patients, there was a significant difference in FmFF (p < 0.05). Conclusion Overall, we found that FF and BMD around the knee joints showed a negative correlation. This suggests the potential of FF measurement using DIXON for BMD screening.