• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.435-442
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• 2001

Poly(3-hydroxy-5-phenylvalerate) [P(3HPV)] was efficiently accumulated from 5-phenylvalerate (5PV) in Pseudomonas putida BM01 in a mineral salts medium containing butyric acid (BA) as the cosubstrate. A nove aromatic copolyester, poly(5 mol% 3-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyrate-co- 95 mol% 3-hydroxy-6-phenylhexanoate) [P(3HPB-co-3HPC)] was also synthesized from 6-phenylhexanoate (6PC) plus Ba. The two aromatic polymers, P(3HPV) and P(3HPB-co-3HPC), were found to be amorphous and showed different glass-transition temperatures at $15^{\circ}C$ and $10^{\circ}C$, respectively. When the bacterium was grown ina medium containing 20 mM 5PV as the sole carbon source for 140 h, 0.4 g/l of dry cells was obtained in a flask cultivation and 20 wt% of P(3HPV) homopolymer was accumulated in the cells. However, when it was grown with a mixture of 2 mM 5PV and 50 mM BA for 40 h, the yield of dry biomass was increased up to 2.5 g/l and the content of P(3HPV) in the dry cells was optimally 56 wt%. This efficient production of P(3HPV) homopolymer from the mixed substrate was feasible because BA only supported cell growth and did not induce any aliphatic PHA accumulation. The metabolites released into the PHA synthesis medium were analyzed using GC or GC/MS. Two $\beta$-oxidation derivatives, 3-phenylpropionic acid and trans-cinnamic acid, were found in the 5V-grown cell medium and these comprised 55-88 mol% of the 5PV consumed. In the 6PC-grown medium containing Ba, seven ${\beta}$-oxidation and related intermediates were found, which included phenylacetic acid, 4-phenylbutyric acid, cis-4-phenyl-2-butenoic acid, trans-4-phenyl-3-butenoic acid, trans-4-phenyl-2-butenoic acid, 3-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid, and 3-hydroxy-6-phenylhexanoic acid. Accordingly, based on the metabolite analysis, PHA synthesis pathways from the two aromatic carbon sources are suggested.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.4049-4057
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• 2016

Background: High-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV), particularly types 16 and 18, have been found to play an important role in head and neck cancer, including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). p16, a cell cycle inhibitor, has been postulated as a surrogate marker for HR-HPV, since p16 is aberrantly overexpressed in such lesions, especially in HR-HPV-positive OPSCC. However, p16 as a surrogate marker for HR-HPV infection in cancers of the oral cavity remains controversial. Objective: The objectives of the study were to investigate the expression of p16 and the presence of HR-HPV in OSCC and oral verrucous carcinoma (VC) and to determine if p16 could be used as a surrogate marker for HR-HPV. Materials and Methods: Forty one formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of OSCC (n=37) or VC (n=4) with clinical and histopathologic data of each case were collected. Expression of p16 was determined by immunohistochemistry, focusing on both staining intensity and numbers of positive cells. The presence of HPV types 16 and 18 was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Descriptive statistics were employed to describe the demographic, clinical, and histopathologic parameters. Associations between p16 overexpression, HR-HPV and all variables were determined by Fisher's exact test, odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In addition, the use of p16 as a surrogate marker for HR-HPV was analyzed by sensitivity and specificity tests. Results: p16 was overexpressed in 8/37 cases (21.6%) of OSCC and 2/4 cases (50%) of VC. HPV-16 was detected in 4/34 OSCC cases (11.8%) and HPV-18 was detected in 1/34 OSCC cases (2.9%). Co-infection of HPV-16/18 was detected in 1/4 VC cases (25%). Both p16 overexpression and HR-HPV were significantly associated with young patients with both OSCC and VC (p<0.05, OR 20, 95% CI 1.9-211.8; p<0.05, OR 23.3, 95% CI 2.4-229.7, respectively). p16 was able to predict the presence of HPV-16/18 in OSCC with 40% sensitivity and 79.3% specificity and in VC with 100% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity, respectively. Conclusions: p16 overexpression was found in 24.4% of both OSCC and VC. HR-HPV, regardless of type, was detected in 15.8% in cases of OSCC and VC combined. The results of sensitivity and specificity tests suggest that p16 can be used as a surrogate marker for HR-HPV in OSCC and VC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6077-6081
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• 2012

Background: This study was performed to analyze the prognostic implications of pretreatment or preoperative thrombocytosis in women with gynecologic malignancies. Material and Methods: We surveyed 2 medical databases, PubMed and EMBASE, to identified all relevant studies. A total of 14 (n=3,490) that evaluated the link between thrombocytosis and 5-year survival were included. REVMAN version 5.1 was used for our analysis and publication bias was evaluated using the Begg's funnel plot and tested by STATA 11.0. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) generated by the random effect model were used to assess the strength of any association. Results: 709(20.3%) of the 3,490 patients exhibited thrombocytosis (platelet counts > $400{\times}10^9/L$) at primary diagnosis, and their mortality was 1.62-fold higher compared with the others (RR=1.62, 95%CI=[1.28-2.05], p<0.0001). Thrombocytosis failed to have a stronger effect on the survival of advanced patients of stages III to IV in our study (n=478, RR=1.29, 95% CI=[1.13-1.48], p=0.0003), nor in women with cervical cancer in stage IB (n=1371, RR=1.73, 95% CI=[1.71-2.58], p=0.007). In addition, when adjusted for different carcinoma, it was associated with worse prognosis for all except the ones with vulvar cancer (n=201, RR=0.43, 95% CI=[0.14-1.29], p=0.13). Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that thrombocytosis might be associated with a worse prognosis for patients with gynecologic malignancies but without specificity or sensitivity for the ones in advanced stage. When adjusted for different gynecologic malignancies, it showed a significant effect on survival of all except vulvar cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4243-4247
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• 2013

The relationship between the X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) Thr241Met polymorphism and gliomas remains inclusive or controversial. For better understanding of the effect of XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism on glioma risk, a meta-analysis was performed. All eligible studies were identified through a search of PubMed, Elsevier Science Direct, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) before May 2013. The association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and gliomas risk was conducted by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). A total of nine case-control studies including 3,533 cases and 4,696 controls were eventually collected. Overall, we found that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of gliomas (T vs. C: OR=1.10, 95%CI=1.01-1.20, P=0.034; TT vs. CC: OR=1.30, 95%CI=1.03-1.65, P=0.027; TT vs. TC/CC: OR=1.29, 95%CI=1.01-1.64, P=0.039). In the subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, the significant association was found in Asian under four models (T vs. C: OR=1.17, 95%CI=1.07-1.28, P=0.00; TT vs. CC: OR=1.79, 95%CI=1.36-2.36, P=0.00; TT vs. TC/CC: OR=1.75, 95%CI=1.32-2.32, P=0.00; TT/TC vs. CC: OR=1.11,95% CI=1.02-1.20). This meta-analysis suggested that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is a risk factor for gliomas, especially for Asians. Considering the limited sample size and ethnicities included in the meta-analysis, further large scale and well-designed studies are needed to confirm our results.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.382-395
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• 2016

Purpose: Alendronate has been proposed as a local and systemic drug treatment used as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) for the treatment of periodontitis. However, its effectiveness has yet to be conclusively established. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of SRP with alendronate on periodontitis compared to SRP alone. Methods: Five electronic databases were used by 2 independent reviewers to identify relevant articles from the earliest records up to September 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SRP with alendronate to SRP with placebo in the treatment of periodontitis were included. The outcome measures were changes in bone defect fill, probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) from baseline to 6 months. A fixed-effect or random-effect model was used to pool the extracted data, as appropriate. Mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochrane ${\chi}^2$ and $I^2$ tests. Results: After the selection process, 8 articles were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with SRP alone, the adjunctive mean benefits of locally delivered alendronate were 38.25% for bone defect fill increase (95% CI=33.05%-43.45%; P<0.001; $I^2=94.0%$), 2.29 mm for PD reduction (95% CI=2.07-2.52 mm; P<0.001; $I^2=0.0%$) and 1.92 mm for CAL gain (95% CI=1.55-2.30 mm; P<0.001; $I^2=66.0%$). In addition, systemically administered alendronate with SRP significantly reduced PD by 0.36 mm (95% CI=0.18-0.55 mm; P<0.001; $I^2=0.0%$) and increased CAL by 0.39 mm (95% CI=0.11-0.68 mm; P=0.006; $I^2=6.0%$). Conclusions: The collective evidence regarding the adjunctive use of alendronate locally and systemically with SRP indicates that the combined treatment can improve the efficacy of non-surgical periodontal therapy on increasing CAL and bone defect fill and reducing PD. However, precautions must be exercised in interpreting these results, and multicenter studies evaluating this specific application should be carried out.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1299-1307
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary antioxidant and energy density on performance and antioxidative status in transition cows. Forty cows were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments in a $2{\times}2$ factorial design. High or low energy density diets (1.43 or 1.28 Mcal $NE_L$/kg DM, respectively) were formulated with or without antioxidant (AOX, a dry granular blend of ethoxyquin and tertiary-butylhydroquinone; 0 or 5 g/cow per d). These diets were fed to cows for 21 days pre-partum. During the post-partum period, all cows were fed the same lactation diets, and AOX treatment followed as for the pre-partum period. Feeding a high energy diet depressed the DMI, milk yield, and 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM) of cows. However, AOX inclusion in the diet improved the milk and 4% FCM yields. There was an interaction of energy density by AOX on milk protein, milk fat and total solids contents. Feeding a high energy diet pre-partum increased plasma glucose and ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate, whereas dietary AOX decreased plasma ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate value during the transition period. There were also interactions between time and treatment for plasma glutathione peroxidase activity and malondialdehyde content during the study. Cows fed high energy diets pre-partum had higher plasma glutathione peroxidase activity 3 days prior to parturition, compared with those on low energy diets. Inclusion of AOX in diets decreased plasma glutathione peroxidase activity in cows 3 and 10 days pre-partum. Addition of AOX significantly decreased malondialdehyde values at calving. Energy density induced marginal changes in fatty acid composition in the erythrocyte membrane 3 days post-partum, while AOX only significantly increased cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid composition. The increase in fluidity of the erythrocyte membrane was only observed in the high energy treatment. It is suggested that a diet containing high energy density pre-partum may negatively affect the anti-oxidative status, DMI and subsequent performance. Addition of AOX may improve the anti-oxidative status and reduce plasma ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate, eventually resulting in improved lactation performance; the response to AOX addition was more pronounced on the high energy diet.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4335-4338
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• 2015

Background: Oral cancer is the third most common malignancy in Saudi Arabia, the highest incidence of which is reported from Jazan province. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of various locally used substances, especially shamma, with oral cancer in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was designed and patient records were scanned for histologically confirmed oral cancer cases. Forty eight patients who were recently diagnosed with oral cancer were selected as cases. Two healthy controls were selected for each observed case and they were matched with age (+/- 5 years) gender and location. Use of different forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, pipe-smoking and shamma (smokeless-tobacco) was assessed. Khat, a commonly used chewing substance in the community was also included. Descriptive analysis was first performed followed by multiple logistic regression (with and without interaction) to derive odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs). Results: Mean age of the study sample (56% males and 44% females) was 65.3 years. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that shamma use increased the odds of developing oral cancer by 29 times (OR=29.3; 10.3-83.1). Cigarette (OR=6.74; 2.18-20.8) was also seen to have an effect. With the interaction model the odds ratio increased significantly for shamma users (OR=37.2; 12.3-113.2) and cigarette smokers (OR=10.5; 2.88-3.11). Khat was observed to have negative effect on the disease occurrence when used along with shamma (OR=0.01; 0.00 - 0.65). Conclusions: We conclude that shamma, a moist form of smokeless tobacco is a major threat for oral cancer occurrence in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. This study gives a direction to conduct further longitudinal studies in the region with increased sample size representing the population in order to provide more substantial evidence.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.856-862
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• 1995

The tungsten oxo-nitrosyl complexes (n-Bu4N)2[W5O12(NO)2{RC(NH2)NHO}2{RC(NH)NO}2] (R=(CH3)2CH, CH3CH2CH2, CH3SCH2) have been synthesized by the reactions of polyoxotungsten complex (n-Bu4N)2[W6O19] and tungsten dinitrosyl monomeric complex [W(NO)2(acac)(CH3CN)2](BF4) with butylamidoxime derivatives. The prepared complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, UV-visible, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The pentanuclear species was formed by the interaction of the electron-withdrawing {W(NO)2}2+ unit between the two dinuclear tungsten {W2O5}2+ cores. We can estimate to exist large proton interactions viewed from the four doublet in 1H NMR spectrum of (n-Bu4N)2[W5O12(NO)2{(CH3)2CHC(NH2)NHO}2{(CH3)2CHC(NH)NO}2]. We also drew informations of the two different coordination mode and symmetry of the complexes because two ligands appear in 13C NMR spectra instead of four. The {W(NO)2}2+ unit has been cis-form and C2v symmetry in geometric structure.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.949-960
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• 2003

The marginal implicit price of air quality can be measured by taking a partial derivative of hedonic price function (HPF) with respect to the level of air quality. It has been pointed out that the size of the marginal implicit price varies with the use of different function forms, different estimation methods, and the different ways of measuring air quality level in estimating HPF. In addition to these factors, this study shows theoretically and empirically the way housing properties are represented on a digital map could differentiate the size of marginal implicit price of air quality when GIS is used to measure location attributes of the housing properties in the Korean apartment market. Furthermore, this study shows that the degree of difference in the marginal implicit price due to the manner in which housing properties are represented on a digital map can be larger than the degree of difference in the marginal implicit price due to using different function forms and estimation methods. The major implication from the results of this study is that one should carefully try diverse ways of representing housing properties in the Korean apartment market on a digital map in the process of estimating HPF, as he or she usually tries diverse function forms and estimation methods, to see if the value of the marginal implicit price of air quality varies substantially.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.372-379
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• 2023

Background: Laundry workers are known to be exposed to organic solvents in various works including dry cleaning. Long-term exposure to organic solvents may cause adverse health effects among laundry workers. Objectives: To investigate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain among laundry workers. Methods: The subjects were total 267 laundry workers who participated in the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Responses to exposure to 'inhalation of vapor from organic solvent' was categorized into two (non-exposed: rarely or absolutely not exposed during working hours; exposed: ≥1/4 working hours) or three (non-exposed; low exposure: 1/4 of the working hours; high exposure: ≥1/2 working hours) groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months among laundry workers. Odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for experience of the symptom of headache or eyestrain with adjustment for age, sex, education, workplace size (by the number of workers), working hours per week, and current working period (year). Results: The proportions of exposure groups, i.e., non-exposed, low exposure, and high exposure, were 80.4%, 11.1%, and 8.5%, respectively. The proportion of those who had symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months was 18.7%. There was a significant association between exposure to organic solvents and experience of headache or eyestrain (OR=3.2, 95% CI=1.4~7.4). And, the proportion of those who experienced symptom of headache or eyestrain tended to increase significantly as the level of exposure to organic solvents increased (P_trend=0.002). Conclusions: Our results suggest that exposure to organic solvents are associated with symptom of headache or eystrain among laundry workers in Korea. However, further studies with more relevant design is needed to replicate the association.