• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.220-226
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• 2005

The present study was performed to evaluate combination effect of 7$\beta$-hydroxycholesterol (7$\beta$-OHC) and $\gamma$-radiation in NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells. 7$\beta$-OHC in combination with $\gamma$-irradiation has an enhanced effect in decreasing clonogenic survival and increasing cellular DNA damage. Pretreatment of cells with 7$\beta$-OHC enhanced radiation-induced apoptosis. Apoptosis of the cells by combined treatment of 7$\beta$-OHC and $\gamma$-irradiation was associated with reactive oxygen species generation and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, resulting in the activation of caspase 9 and caspase 3. The combined treatment also resulted in an increased G1 cell cycle distribution. These results indicate that 7$\beta$-OHC shows the additive effect of radiation sensitivity in human lung carcinoma cells in vitro.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

Purpose: To evaluate the value and limitation of modified Mau osteotomy through the review of 30 feet treated by this procedure. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 30 cases treated with modified Mau osteotomy since 2002. The mean duration of follow-up was 10 months. We reviewed medical records to describe each case and select several clinical factors which related with surgical procedure and could influence on final results. We measured radiographic parameters such as hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA), sesamoid position and also assessed clinical outcomes by AOFAS score and satisfaction degrees. Results: The mean preoperative HVA and IMA were $40.4^{\circ}$, $17.4^{\circ}$ and the mean amounts of correction were $31.2^{\circ}$ and $11.5^{\circ}$. Amounts of delayed loss of correction were 16.8% in HVA and 19.2% in IMA. Initial HVA, rotational angle and translation distance of the distal fragment, stability of fixation, first ray instability were revealed as significant factors for the final result from this procedure. DMAA was increased by rotation of the distal fragment and decreased by adding translation on the rotation. Conclusion: Modified Mau osteotomy is an effective procedure to get enough correction. But, it is important to try to avoid excessive rotation of the distal fragment because it may worse joint congruity. It may be worthwhile to pay close attention to the direction of saw and stability of fixation.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.711-714
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• 2006

Purpose: Contralateral reduction mammaplasty at the time of breast reconstruction using autogenous tissue gives aesthetically improved results in the patients with mammary hypertrophy or ptosis. It also reduces required flap size for reconstruction and permits discarding zones of poor perfusion, decreasing flap size-related problems such as partial flap loss or fat necrosis. Considering the high rate of bilaterality of breast cancer, it also provides a good opportunity for exploration and occult cancer diagnosis in such high risk group patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 45 consecutive patients who underwent simultaneous breast reconstruction and contralateral reduction mammaplasty was performed about surgical technique, pathologic diagnosis, and subsequent treatment. Results: Three occult breast cancers were found in 45 patients(6.7%); one was microinvasive, and the other two were invasive carcinomas and their mean diameter was 1.2 cm. One patient underwent subsequent breast conserving mastectomy, adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy. The others underwent only radiation and hormone therapy. They were followed up for 10 to 42 months without evidence of recurrence or metastasis. Conclusion: Occult breast cancer diagnosed in reduction mammaplasty specimen will lead to good prognosis due to its early detection. Treatment options depend on pathologic finding, stage, marginal status, and the timing of diagnosis. We recommend adequate markings for orientation and margins, excision with sufficient margin, and confirmation by frozen biopsy for suspected lesions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.248-258
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• 2020

The vaginal microbiota may be important for pregnancy prognosis because vaginal dysbiosis during pregnancy appears to be related to preterm birth (PTB) or pregnancy loss. Previous reports have indicated that a Lactobacillus-poor microbial flora in the vagina and intrauterine infection by diverse anaerobes ascending from the vagina are associated with undesirable delivery outcomes. However, no research has involved the use of pyrosequencing analysis to examine vaginal microbiota profiles or their potential associations with high-risk pregnancy in Korean women. Vaginal swabs were collected from 500 Korean women for the identification of community state types (CSTs). Of these, 137 samples were further analyzed using a Roche/454 GS Junior pyrosequencer. Three distinct CSTs were identified based on the dominant vaginal microbes: CST I (Lactobacillus crispatus dominated), CST III (Lactobacillus iners dominated), and CST IV (with diverse species of anaerobes). Twelve of the 67 pregnant women had undesirable pregnancy outcomes (four miscarriages and eight PTBs). The dominant microbe in the vaginal microbiota of women who gave birth at full-term was L. crispatus. In contrast, L. iners was the dominant vaginal microbe in women who miscarried. Most (n = 6/8) vaginal microbiota profiles of women who experienced PTB could be classified as CST IV, with diverse bacteria, including anaerobic vaginal species. The present study provides valuable information regarding the characteristics of the vaginal microbiota of Korean women related to high-risk pregnancy. Investigation of the vaginal microbiotic structure in pregnant Korean women is necessary to enable better prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2012

Glutamate excitotoxicity is emerging as a contributor to degeneration of spinal cord motoneurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently, we have reported that ghrelin protects motoneurons against chronic glutamate excitotoxicity through the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-$3{\beta}$ pathways. Previous studies suggest that activated microglia actively participate in the pathogenesis of ALS motoneuron degeneration. However, it is still unknown whether ghrelin exerts its protective effect on motoneurons via inhibition of microglial activation. In this study, we investigate organotypic spinal cord cultures (OSCCs) exposed to threohydroxyaspartate (THA), as a model of excitotoxic motoneuron degeneration, to determine if ghrelin prevents microglial activation. Exposure of OSCCs to THA for 3 weeks produced typical motoneuron death, and treatment of ghrelin significantly attenuated THA-induced motoneuron loss, as previously reported. Ghrelin prevented THA-induced microglial activation in the spinal cord and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and interleukin-$1{\beta}$. Our data indicate that ghrelin may act as a survival factor for motoneurons by functioning as a microglia-deactivating factor and suggest that ghrelin may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders where inflammatory responses play a critical role.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.651-658
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• 2017

There were many studies on the development of radiation measuring instruments to detect the presence of radiation. In particular, the signal processing method and treatment without loss of the detection signal are very important. The common feature for these studies is the peak-hold method that keeps the peak value of input signal uniform for a short time, readouts its value, discharges electrical value, and then waits for next signal. We propose the new methodology to capture the pulse peak value from the radiation detector and read the value directly other than peak-hold method. This method has merit of accurate reading the input signal pulse peak value without complicate process of holding for a period or initializing of input signal, and then be verified to be adequate through simulation of actual example.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.333-338
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• 2011

Black ginseng (BG) has been widely used as herbal treatment for improving physiological function. In order to investigate the neuroprotective action of this herbal medicine, we examined the influence of BG on the learning and memory of rats using the Morris water maze, and we studied the effects of BG on the central cholinergic system and neural nitric oxide synthesis in the hippocampus of rats with neuronal and cognitive impairment. After middle cerebral artery occlusion was applied for 2h, the rats were administered BG (100 or 400 $mgkg^{-1}$, p.o.) daily for 2 weeks, followed by training and performance of the Morris water maze test. The rats with ischemic insults showed impaired learning and memory on the tasks. Treatment with BG produced improvement in the escape latency to find the platform. Further, the BG groups showed a reduced loss of cholinergic immunoreactivity and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d)-positive neurons in the hippocampus compared to that of the ISC group. These results demonstrated that BG has a protective effect against ischemia-induced neuronal and cognitive impairment. Our results suggest that BG might be useful for the treatment of vascular dementia.

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• v.9
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• pp.75-82
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• 1999

TE$_{01\;{\delta}}$ mode Cavity Resonators with a low loss dielectric rod and YBa$_2Cu_3O_{7-{\delta}}$ (YBCO) endplates were prepared and their microwave properties were studied at temperatures above 30 K. Both sapphire and rutile were used as the dielectrics. The TE$_{01\;{\delta}}$ mode Q$_0$ of the resonator, designed to work as a tunable resonator with variations in the gap distance (s) between the dielectric rod and the top YBCO, was more than 1000000 at s = 0 mm and at 30 K and .the resonant frequency of 19.56GHz when a sapphire rod was used for the dielectric. The TE$_2Cu_3O_{7-{\delta}}$ mode resonant frequency (f$_0$) appeared to decrease as the temperature is raised. Meanwhile, the temperature dependence of the TE$_2Cu_3O_{7-{\delta}}$ mode f$_0$ of the rutile-loaded resonator appeared different with f$_0$ increasing according to the temperature and Q$_0$ more than 300000 at 30 K and f$_0$ = 8.56 CHz. Comparisons were made between the microwave properties of the sapphire-loaded and the rutile-loaded resonators. Also, applications of the TE$_2Cu_3O_{7-{\delta}}$ mode cavity resonator for a tunable resonator with a very high Q$_0$ as · well as a characterization tool for surface resistance measurements of HTS films are described.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.458-465
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• 2016

The purpose of this research is to improve the thermal effiency of solar collector and to quantitatively analyze its performance. Solar thermal systems have been limited to water heating systems mainly using low-temperature range. However, through diverse developments, the application has been extended to medium- and high-temperature fields such as solar heating, solar air conditioning, and solar thermal industrial process. Among the diverse research, this research is specially focusing on enhancement of the thermal performance by minimizing the heat loss coefficient of flat plate solar collectors. In order to do it, a front-side glazing material and a back-side insulation material with high insulated structure is proposed and based on computational analysis, the performance of energy collecting volume of the proposed solar collector is analyzed. The research shows that the proposed structure has the excellent performance at medium- and high-temperature range. therefore, it is expected that the proposed structure can easily replace existing technologies.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.650-656
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• 2014

We propose a novel active fiber design for selectively generating cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) or cylindrical vector modes (CVMs) which can be applied to conventional fiber lasers. A fiber is designed to have a ring-shaped core refractive index profile which can lead to the best overlap between the active dopant distribution profile and the lowest-order CVM (LCVM) field profile. Therefore, the overlap factor (OVF) of the LCVM becomes even higher than that of the fundamental mode. We emphasize that this condition cannot be satisfied by a conventional step-index core fiber (SICF) but by the ring-doped core fiber (RDCF). Because the lasing threshold is inversely proportional to the OVF, the LCVM can predominantly be stimulated even without going through special procedures to impose extra loss mechanisms to the fundamental mode. We numerically verify that the OVF of the LCVM with the doped ions can significantly exceed that of the fundamental mode if the proposed fiber design is applied. In addition, an RDCF of the proposed fiber design can also operate in a regime containing no higher-order modes besides the LCVM, so that it can selectively and efficiently generate the LCVM without being disrupted by the parasitic lasing of the higher-order modes. We highlight that an optimized RDCF can lead to a >30 % higher OVF ratio than a SICF having the same doped area. The proposed model is expected to be useful for enhancing the efficiency of generating CVBs in an all-fiber format.