• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.197-203
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• 2005

Purpose : Changes in metalloproteinases(MMP) activity have been demonstrated in several disease states, including rheumatoid arthritis and tumor metastasis. More importantly, increased myocardial MMP activity has been reported to occur in both clinical and experimental forms of dilated cardiomyopathy. There was no report about MMP in adriamycin(ADR)-induced cardiomyopathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate gene expression of MMP and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases(TIMP) in ADR-induced cardiomyopathy and clarify the relationship between MMP and cytokines. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. The first group was control. The second group was given intraperitoneal injections of ADR(5 mg/kg) twice a week over two weeks. Serum concentrations of MMP, TIMP, interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-${\alpha}$ were measured. RNA extraction was performed from frozen rat hearts. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was employed. cDNA Microarray analysis was performed by using a set of 5,184 sequence-verified rat cDNA clones. Results : Serum MMP and TIMP levels were not significantly different between the two groups. IL-6 was $36.8{\pm}2.8pg/mL$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ $2.2{\pm}2.7pg/mL$ in the ADR group. They were significantly higher than in the control group. Serum MMP correlated significantly with TNF-${\alpha}$(r=0.41, P<0.05). There was no gene expression of MMP, IL-6 or TNF-${\alpha}$ in the hearts of both groups. Gene expression of TIMP was significantly depressed in the hearts of the ADR group. Conclusion : These results suggested a potential role for TNF-${\alpha}$ in the regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling in ADR induced cardiomyopathy. Rapid screening of multiple decreased gene expression by DNA chip may be a useful diagnostic test to detect early cardiac injury before developing ADR induced cardiomyopathy.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 2015

This study was carried out to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory effect of tuna oil (TO) using LPS-induced inflammation responses and mouse models. First, nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines levels were suppressed up to 50% with increasing concentrations of TO without causing any cytotoxicity. Also, the expression of a variety of proteins, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), was suppressed in a dosedependent manner by treatment with TO. Furthermore, TO also inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 protein kinase (p38). Moreover, in in vivo testing the formation of ear edema was reduced at the highest dose tested compared to that in the control, and a reduction of ear thickness and the number of mast cells was observed in histological analysis. In acute toxicity test, no mortalities occurred in mice administrated 5,000 mg/kg body weight of TO over a two-week observation period. Our results suggest that TO has a considerable anti-inflammatory property through the suppression of inflammatory mediator productions and that it could prove to be useful as a potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic material.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.247-254
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• 2007

Purpose : Continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT) has been the first choice for the treatment of acute renal failure in critically ill children not only in western countries but also in Korea. However, there are very few studies that have analyzed the outcome and prognosis of this modality in Korean children. We performed this study to evaluate the factors associated with the outcome and prognosis of patients treated with CRRT. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 32 children who had received CRRT at Severance hospital from 2003 to 2006. The mean age was 7.5 years(range 4 days-16 years) and the mean body weight was 25.8 kg (range 3.2-63 kg). Results : Eleven(34.4%) of the 32 patients survived. Bone marrow transplantation and malignancy were the most common causes of death and underlying disease leading to the need for CRRT Mean patient weight, age, duration of CRRT, number of organ failures, urine output, estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR), C-reactive protein, and blood urea level did not differ significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors. (1) Pediatric risk of mortality(PRISM) III score at CRRT initiation($9.8{\pm}5.3$ vs. $26.7{\pm}7.6$, P<0.0001), (2) maximum pressor number ($2.1{\pm}1.2$ vs. $3.0{\pm}1.0$, P=0.038), and (3) the degree of fluid overload($5.2{\pm}6.0$ vs. $15.0{\pm}8.9$, P=0.002) were significantly lower in survivers than in nonsurvivors. Multivariate analysis revealed that fluid overload was the only independent factor reducing survival rate. Conclusion : CRRT was successfully applied to the treatment of acute renal failure in a wide range of critically ill children. To improve survival, we suggest the early initiation of CRRT to prevent the systemic worsening and progression of fluid overload in critically ill children with acute renal failure. (J Korean Soc Pediatr Nephrol 2007;11:247-254)

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.370-376
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• 2014

Although the grasshopper Oxya chinensis sinuosa has long been used as food in Korea, there is little data on its functional effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of O. c. sinuosa ethanol extract (OCE) in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for induction of inflammation. First, we determined that there is no cytotoxicity at $2,000{\mu}g/ml$ or less of OCE in RAW 264.7 cells. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of OCE, we investigated expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ and interleukin (IL)-6, and pro-inflammatory enzymes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we examined whether OCE could inhibit translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 into the nucleus in LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells. As a result, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 decreased in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells after treatment with OCE in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we confirmed a $2,000{\mu}g/ml$ concentration of OCE inhibited translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 by immunnostaining and Western blot analysis, and a decrease in the protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2. Accordingly, we suppose that OCE has an anti-inflammatory effect through down-regulation of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2 related to ${\kappa}B$ p65 inflammatory signaling pathways.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2006

Pleurotus eryngii is one of the most promising mushrooms produced on the domestic farms. The quality as well as quantity of Eryngii is sensitively affected by micro climate factors such as temperature, relative humidity, $CO_2$ concentration, and light intensity. To safely produce high-quality Eryngii all the yew round, it is required that the environmental factors be carefully controlled by well designed structures equipped with various facilities and control systems. At the commercial mushroom cultivation houses of permanent frame type (A, B), this study was carried out to find out reasonable range of each environmental factor and yield together with economic and safe structures influencing on the optimal productivity of Eryngii. This experiment was conducted for about two-year ken Nov. 2003 to Dec. 2005 in cultivation house. Ambient temperature during the experiment period was not predominantly different from that of a normal year. The capacity of the hot water boiler and the piping systems were not enough. Because the capacity of electric heater and air circulation were not enough, air temperatures in cultivation house before improvement of system were maintained somewhat lower than setting temperature, and maximum air temperature difference between the upper and lower growth stage during a heating time period was about 5.1. But the air temperatures after system improvement were maintained within the limits range of setting temperature without happening stagnant of air. Air temperature distribution was generally distributed uniform. Relative humidity in cultivation house before , improvement was widely ranged about $44{\sim}100%$. But as the relative humidity after improvement was ranged approximately $80{\sim}100%$, it was maintained within the range of relative humidity recommended. And $CO_2$ concentration was maintained about $400{\sim}3,300mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ range. The illuminance in cultivation house was widely distributed in accordance with position, and it was maintained lower than the recommended illuminance range $100{\sim}200lx$. The acidity of midium was some lower range than the recommend acidity range of pH $5.5{\sim}6.5$. The yield was relatively ununiform. In case of bottle capacity of 1,300cc, the mushroom of the lowest grade was less than 3%. The consumption electric energy was quite different according to the cultivation season. The electric energy consumed during heating season was much more than that of cooling season.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1581-1590
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• 2009

Hizikia fusiforme is a kind of brown edible seaweed that mainly grows in the temperate seaside areas of the northwest pacific, including Korea, Japan and China, and has been widely used as a health food for hundreds of years. Recently, H. fusiforme has been known to exert pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticoagulant activities. However, the molecular mechanisms of H. fusiforme in malignant cells have not been clearly elucidated yet. In this study, the effects of ethyl alcohol extract of H. fusiforme (EAHF) on the anti-proliferative effects of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were investigated. EAHF treatment resulted in a concentration-dependent growth inhibition by including apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells and G1 phase arrest in MCF-7 cells, which could be proved by MTT assay, DAPI staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry analysis. In MDA-MB-231 cells, the increase in apoptosis induced by EAHF treatment correlated with up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax expression. EAHF treatment induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and a concomitant inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, $\beta$-catenin, phospholipase-${\gamma}1$ protein and DNA fragmentation factor 45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase. Taken together, these findings provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of H. fusiforme.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.517-530
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to find out a model to explain the process of students' science-related career choice by identifying the causal relationships between science career choice and related factors. Important factors of science-related career choice were identified through factor analysis. 'Perception about career related to science', 'preference for science learning' and 'participation in science related activity' were three main factors of science-related career choice. A questionnaire was developed to know the factors of students' science-related career choice, and so as to make it possible to be analysed by structural equation modeling. The subject were 947 grade 6, 9, and 11 students in Seoul. Numbers of boys and girls in each grade was almost same. According to the structural equation modeling, 4 corrected models were obtained. In all 4 corrected models, 'perception about career related to science' had direct influence, and 'preference for science learning' and 'participation in science related activity' had indirect influence on science-related career choice. In the most fitting model. 'perception about career related to science' had an effect on science-related career choice with standardized total effect coefficient 1.03(direct effect 0.82, indirect effect 0.21). 'Preference for science learning', which influence 'participation in science related activity', had an effect on science-related career choice with standardized indirect effect coefficient 0.65. 'Participation in science related activity', which influence 'perception about career related to science'. had an effect on science-related career choice with standardized indirect effect coefficient 0.79. The implication to school science education is that it is most effective to raise the 'perception about career related to science' in order to make more students choose science related career. It is also effective to have more students participate in science related activity and enhance the preference for science learning. To explain the process of science related career choice more fully, it is necessary to build a more comprehensive model containing more factors influencing science-related career choice. It is necessary to test and complement the structural equation model by enlarging the subject to science high school students and science related college students.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.7978-7989
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• 2015

Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for cardio-cerebrovascular disease. Although the prevalence among Korean adults is very high, its management is known to be poor. The aim of this study was to access the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of dyslipidemia according to treatment guideline rather than diagnostic criteria. The risk factors for cardio-cerebrovascular disease were evaluated to apply the appropriate risk-based threshold of the lipid treatment targets according to risk category. Analysis was done using nationally representative data (n = 16,263) collected from adults aged 20 years and older participating the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANS) 2010-2012. The age-standardized prevalence rate of dyslipidemia according to treatment criteria was 34.1%. Of these prevalent cases, however, only 19.2% were aware; 9.5% treated; and 8.7% controlled. The age-standardized control rate among treated persons was 47.5%. Men had a significantly higher prevalence than women (39.7% vs. 28.8%), but a significantly lower rate of awareness, treatment, and control (16.0% vs. 22.3%, 7.7% vs. 11.3%, and 6.1% vs. 11.2%, respectively). As the higher risk category, the prevalence rate was higher but the control rate was lower. The prevalence of patients with diabetes was 82.5% when applying the treatment criteria (LDL-cholesterol level of ${\geq}100mg/dL$ and triglyceride level of ${\geq}200mg/dL$). However, only 11.9 % of these were controlled, whose LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were lower than the treatment goals. Our findings suggest that effective strategies are required to decrease the gap between the prevalence of dyslipidemia and the following treatment. It would be worthwhile to strengthen the follow-up management of patients with dyslipidemia in the National Health Screening Program, especially in the high risk group of cardio-cerebrovascular disease.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2012

It is essential to evaluate the quality of Hanji record paper without damaging the record paper by previous destructive methods. The samples were Hanji record paper produced in the 1900s. Near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer was used as a non destructive method for evaluating the quality of record papers. Fourier transform (FT) spectrometer was used with 12,500 to 4,000 $cm^{-1}$ wavenumber range for quantitative analysis and it has high accuracy and good signal-to-noise ratio. The acidity and moisture content of Hanji record paper were measured by integrating sphere as diffuse reflectance type. The acidity (pH) of chemical factors as a quality evaluated factor of Hanji was correlated to NIR spectrum. The NIR spectrum was pretreated to obtain the coefficients of optimum correlation. Multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and First derivative of Savitzky-Golay were used as pretreated methods. The coefficients of optimum correlation were calculated by PLSR (partial least square regression). The correlation coefficients ($R^2$) of acidity had 0.92 on NIR spectra without pretreatment. Also the standard error of prediction (SEP) of pH was 0.24. And then the NIR spectra with pretreatment would have better correlation coefficient ($R^2$ = 0.98) and 0.19 as SEP on pH. For moisture contents, the linearity correlation without pretreatment was higher than the case with pretreatment (MSC, $1^{st}$ derivative). As the best result, the $R^2$ was 0.99 and SEP was 0.45. This indicates that it is highly proper to evaluate the quality of Hanji record papers speedily with integrated sphere and FT NIR analyzer as a non-destructive method.

• Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society
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• v.59 no.12
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• pp.1166-1172
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• 2018

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy, and identify predictors of success of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients after adjusting for intraocular pressure (IOP) changes in the untreated fellow eye. Methods: This retrospective chart review included 52 eyes of 52 OAG patients who underwent SLT in one eye and were followed-up for at least 1 year after the procedure. The IOP was measured before the treatment, at 1, 2, and 3 months posttreatment, and every 3 months thereafter. To account for the possible influence of IOP fluctuations on laser outcomes, post-laser IOP values of the treated eye of each patient were also analyzed, after adjusting for IOP changes in the untreated fellow eye. Success was defined as an IOP decrease ${\geq}20%$ of the pretreatment IOP. The success rate was determined based on Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and factors predictive of success were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: The mean pretreatment IOP was $23.17{\pm}6.96mmHg$. The mean IOP reduction was $5.59{\pm}4.78mmHg$ (29.7%) and the success rate was 65.4% at 1 year. The adjusted mean IOP reduction was $4.70{\pm}4.67mmHg$ (23.9%) and the adjusted success rate was 53.9%. Pretreatment IOP was associated with SLT success; the higher the pretreatment IOP, the greater the post-laser IOP reduction (p = 0.025). Age and mean deviation index did not show a significant association with SLT success (p = 0.066 and p = 0.464, respectively). Conclusions: SLT is a safe and effective alternative method of IOP reduction in OAG patients. Herein, pretreatment IOP was the only factor significantly associated with SLT success. IOP fluctuations of the untreated eye should be considered for a better understanding of the impact of treatment.