• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.10
• /
• pp.771-777
• /
• 2022

Dopaminergic (DA) cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been attributed to multiple, distinct genetic and environmental factors. In rare familial PD loss of parkin function mutations play a key role in nigral DA neuron-specific pathogenesis primarily via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In more prevalent sporadic PD, environmental exposure to pesticides has a significant epidemiological role. However, it is largely unknown how environmental exposure to xenobiotics is etiologically linked with the known etiology in familial PD. In the present study biochemical evidence for a common pathogenic mechanism between sporadic and familial PD has been identified employing the recently characterized mesencephalic DA cell line, N27-A. Dieldrin, an organochlorine pesticide epidemiologically implicated in sporadic PD, induced the markers of ER stress response such as a chaperone BiP/Grp78, heme oxygenase-1 and especially, parkin. Accordingly, dieldrin activated the ER resident Caspase-12, a mediator of ER stress-specific apoptosis, during cell death of N27-A cells. Of great interest the dieldrin-induced DA neuronal cell death was synergistically rescued by the overexpression of ER resident neuroprotective proteins, parkin and Bcl-2. The present findings implicate that accumulation of ER stress could be one of common pathogenic mechanisms in idiopathic and familial PD, and some ER proteins, such as parkin and Bcl-2 may effectively attenuate ER stress-mediated N27-A DA cell death.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.545-556
• /
• 2022

This study is a preliminary experiment to test on the effect of musical harmony on the suppression of the discomfort from tinnitus. The experiment was conducted on 25 adults with normal hearing. They listened to the three types (1. original music, 2. melody only, 3. harmony only) of Brandenburg concerto no. 3, G Major (J S Bach) and rated tinnitus annoyance scales. The results show that the tinnitus annoyance was significantly reduced when they listened to the tinnitus sound and any of the three types of the same musics compared to when listening to the tinnitus sound only (p < 0.019). Suppression of tinnitus was observed to be greater in the original music containing harmony and the harmony part only than in the music excluding the harmony part (the melody part only) (p < 0.012). The suppression effect was slightly better in the original music including the harmony part than in the harmony part only, but there was no statistical significance (p = 0.189). The experimental results suggest that the harmony in music plays an important role in suppressing tinnitus annoyance, compared to the melody. Validations with tinnitus patients are necessary to underpin the findings, which can enable us to embark further studies for making use of them for clinical applications.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.570-588
• /
• 2022

We scrutinized the acoustic outputs from the 70 shock wave generators of the 15 product models whose technical documents were available, among the 46 ballistic extracorporeal shock wave therapeutic devices of 11 domestic and 6 foreign manufacturers, approved by the Minster of Food & Drug Safety (Rep. Korea). We found that the acoustic Energy Flux Density (EFD), the most popular exposure parameter, was different by up to 563.64 times among shock wave generators at their minimum output settings and by up to 74.62 times at their maximum settings. In the same product model, the EFD was shown to vary depending on shock wave transmitters by up to 81.82 times at its minimum output setting and by up to 46.15 times at its maximum setting. The lowest EFD 0.013 mJ/mm² at the maximum output settings was much lower (2.1 %) than the maximum value 0.62 mJ/mm² at the minimum settings. The Large acoustic output differences (tens to hundreds of times)from the therapeutic devices approved for the same clinical indications imply that their therapeutic efficacy & safety may not be assured. The findings suggest the regulatory authority to revise her guideline to give clearer criteria for clinical approval and equality in performance, and recommend the authority to initiate a post-approval surveillance as well as a test in conformance between the data in technical documents and the real acoustic outputs clinically used.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.10
• /
• pp.812-820
• /
• 2022

Depression is a psychiatric disorder characterized by depressed mood, anhedonia, fatigue, and altered cognitive function, leading to a decline in daily functioning. In addition, depression is a serious and common mental illness not only in an individual's life but also in society, so it must be actively treated. Autophagy is involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of mental illness. According to a recent study, it is known that autophagy-induced apoptosis affects neuroplasticity and causes depression and that antidepressants regulate autophagy. Autophagy is a catabolic process that degradation and removes unnecessary organelles or proteins through a lysosome. And, it is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Autophagy is activated in stress conditions, and depression is a stress-related disease. Stress causes damage to cellular homeostasis. Recently, although the role of autophagy mechanisms in neurons has been investigated, the autophagy of depression has not been fully studied. This review highlights the new evidence for the involvement of autophagy in the pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment of depression. To highlight the evidence, we present results from clinical and preclinical studies showing that autophagy is associated with depression. Understanding the relevance of autophagy to depression and the limitations of research suggest that autophagy regulation may provide a new direction for antidepressant development.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.21.1-21.14
• /
• 2022

The influenza A viruses have high mutation rates and cause a serious health problem worldwide. Therefore, this study focused on genome characterization of the viruses isolated from Thai patients based on the next-generation sequencing technology. The nasal swabs were collected from patients with influenza-like illness in Thailand during 2017-2018. Then, the influenza A viruses were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and isolated by MDCK cells. The viral genomes were amplified and sequenced by Illumina MiSeq platform. Whole genome sequences were used for characterization, phylogenetic construction, mutation analysis and nucleotide diversity of the viruses. The result revealed that 90 samples were positive for the viruses including 44 of A/H1N1 and 46 of A/H3N2. Among these, 43 samples were successfully isolated and then the viral genomes of 25 samples were completely amplified. Finally, 17 whole genomes of the viruses (A/H1N1, n=12 and A/H3N2, n=5) were successfully sequenced with an average of 232,578 mapped reads and 1,720 genome coverage per sample. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the A/H1N1 viruses were distinguishable from the recommended vaccine strains. However, the A/H3N2 viruses from this study were closely related to the recommended vaccine strains. The nonsynonymous mutations were found in all genes of both viruses, especially in hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes. The nucleotide diversity analysis revealed negative selection in the PB1, PA, HA, and NA genes of the A/H1N1 viruses. High-throughput data in this study allow for genetic characterization of circulating influenza viruses which would be crucial for preparation against pandemic and epidemic outbreaks in the future.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.226-236
• /
• 2021

PURPOSE. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating zirconium oxide nanoparticles (nano-ZrO₂) in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) denture base resin on flexural properties at different material thicknesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Heat polymerized acrylic resin specimens (N = 120) were fabricated and divided into 4 groups according to denture base thickness (2.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.0 mm). Each group was subdivided into 3 subgroups (n = 10) according to nano-ZrO₂ concentration (0%, 2.5%, and 5%). Flexural strength and elastic modulus were evaluated using a three-point bending test. One-way ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc, and two-way ANOVA were used for data analysis (α = .05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for fracture surface analysis and nanoparticles distributions. RESULTS. Groups with 0% nano-ZrO₂ showed no significant difference in the flexural strength as thickness decreased (P = .153). The addition of nano-zirconia significantly increased the flexural strength (P < .001). The highest value was with 5% nano-ZrO₂ and 2 mm-thickness (125.4 ± 18.3 MPa), followed by 5% nano-ZrO₂ and 1.5 mm-thickness (110.3 ± 8.5 MPa). Moreover, the effect of various concentration levels on elastic modulus was statistically significant for 2 mm thickness (P = .001), but the combined effect of thickness and concentration on elastic modulus was insignificant (P = .10). CONCLUSION. Reinforcement of denture base material with nano-ZrO₂ significantly increased flexural strength and modulus of elasticity. Reducing material thickness did not decrease flexural strength when nano-ZrO₂ was incorporated. In clinical practice, when low thickness of denture base material is indicated, PMMA/nano-ZrO₂ could be used with minimum acceptable thickness of 1.5 mm.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.312-318
• /
• 2020

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the effects of long-term and short-term embryo culture to assess whether there is a correlation between culture duration and clinical outcomes. Methods: Embryos were divided into two study groups depending on whether their post-warming culture period was long-term (20-24 hours) or short-term (2-4 hours). Embryo morphology was analyzed with a time-lapse monitoring device to estimate the appropriate timing and parameters for evaluating embryos with high implantation potency in both groups. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust the confounding factors across groups. The grades of embryos and blastocoels, morphokinetic parameters, implantation rate, and ongoing pregnancy rate were compared. Results: No significant differences were observed in the implantation rate or ongoing pregnancy rate between the two groups (long-term culture group vs. short-term culture group: 56.3% vs. 67.9%, p=0.182; 47.3% vs. 53.6%, p=0.513). After warming, there were more expanded and hatching/hatched blastocysts in the long-term culture group than in the short-term culture group, but there was no significant between-group difference in embryo grade. Regarding pregnancy outcomes, the time to complete blastocyst re-expansion after warming is shorter in women who became pregnant than in those who did not in both culture groups (long-term: 2.19±0.63 vs. 4.11±0.81 hours, p=0.003; short-term: 1.17±0.29 vs. 1.94±0.76 hours, p=0.018, respectively). Conclusion: The outcomes of short-term culture and long-term culture were not significantly different in vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer. Regardless of the post-warming culture time, the degree of blastocyst re-expansion 3-4 hours after warming is an important marker for embryo selection.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.1-20
• /
• 2022

This research work presents an experimental study's outcomes to reveal the impact of an O-ring on the flow control over a sphere placed in a turbulent boundary layer. The investigation is performed quantitatively and qualitatively using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and dye visualization. The sphere model having a diamater of 42.5 mm is located in a turbulent boundary layer flow over a smooth plate for gap ratios of 0≤G/D≤1.5 at Reynolds number of 5 × 10³. Flow characteristics, including patterns of instantaneous vorticity, streaklines, time-averaged streamlines, velocity vectors, velocity fluctuations, Reynolds stress correlations, and turbulence kinetic energy (), are compared and discussed for a naked sphere and spheres having O-rings. The boundary layer velocity gradient and proximity of the sphere to the flat plate profoundly influence the flow dynamics. At proximity ratios of G/D=0.1 and 0.25, a wall jet is formed between lower side of the sphere and flat plate, and velocity fluctuations increase in regions close to the wall. At G/D=0.25, the jet flow also induces local flow separations on the flat plate. At higher proximity ratios, the velocity gradient of the boundary layer causes asymmetries in the mean flow characteristics and turbulence values in the wake region. It is observed that the O-ring with various placement angles (𝜃) on the sphere has a considerable alteration in the flow structure and turbulence statistics on the wake. At lower placement angles, where the O-ring is closer to the forward stagnation point of the sphere, the flow control performance of the O-ring is limited; however, its impact on the flow separation becomes pronounced as it is moved away from the forward stagnation point. At G/D=1.50 for O-ring diameters of 4.7 (2 mm) and 7 (3 mm) percent of the sphere diameter, the -ring exhibits remarkable flow control at 𝜃=50° and 𝜃=55° before laminar flow separation occurrence on the sphere surface, respectively. This conclusion is yielded from narrowed wakes and reductions in turbulence statistics compared to the naked sphere model. The O-ring with a diameter of 3 mm and placement angle of 50° exhibits the most effective flow control. It decreases, in sequence, streamwise velocity fluctuations and length of wake recovery region by 45% and 40%, respectively, which can be evaluated as source of decrement in drag force.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.35-41
• /
• 2021

Natural dyeing has traditionally been used in many countries around the world, and as natural dyes are diversified, the diversity of dyeing patterns is also expanding. This study tried to establish standardization by providing numerical values that could provide quantified information to the Internet of Things by more accurately analyzing the color changes of dyes and mordants for the four natural dyes. The addition of copper acetate, iron II sulfate and potassium dichromate to the dye extracted from Juglans regia Linn changed the original color of brown to other colors of purple, khaki and dark brown, respectively. Except for potassium dichromate added to Sophora japonica L. or Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht, the concentration of other mordants was reduced, but the color difference of the dyed silk was very large. However, although there is a difference in degree, copper acetate and iron sulfate induced color changes of 35% and 15%, respectively. In summary, it was confirmed that the highest color change was induced when 15 grams of copper acetate was added to J. regia Linn, S. japonica L. and P. amurense Ruprecht and 150 grams of iron to Phytolacca americana. The results of this study suggested that the accurate color change by various mordants can be utilized as important information that enables more accurate color induction by dyes and mordants.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.12
• /
• pp.1120-1127
• /
• 2021

Depression has a negative impact on social functioning due to its high prevalence and increased suicide rate, and is a disease with a high economic burden. Depression is related to diverse brain-related phenomena, such as neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive deficit. As antidepressant drugs used in clinical trials have shown poor therapeutic effects, antidepressant drugs that show rapid efficacy urgently need to be developed. Although studies on various genes, proteins, and signaling pathways related to depression have been conducted, the pathogenesis of depression has not been clearly elucidated. Sirtuin 1 is a nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide- (NAD+-) dependent histone deacetylase and is involved in cell differentiation, apoptosis, autophagy, and cancer metabolism. Recent genetic studies found that sirtuin 1 is a potential target gene for depression. In addition, preclinical studies reported that sirtuin 1 signaling affects depression-like behavior. In this review, we attempt to present up-to-date knowledge of depression and sirtuin 1. We describe the various roles of sirtuin 1 in the regulation of glial activation, circadian rhythm, neurogenesis, and cognitive function and the effects of its expression on depression. Further, we discuss the effect of sirtuin 1 on the impairment of neural plasticity, one of the key mechanisms of depression, and the associated mechanisms of sirtuin 1.