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A Pharmacogenomic-based Antidepressant Treatment for Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Results from an 8-week, Randomized, Single-blinded Clinical Trial

  • Han, Changsu;Wang, Sheng-Min;Bahk, Won-Myong;Lee, Soo-Jung;Patkar, Ashwin A.;Masand, Prakash S.;Mandelli, Laura;Pae, Chi-Un;Serretti, Alessandro
    • Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.469-480
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    • 2018
  • Objective: Pharmacogenomic-based antidepressant treatment (PGATx) may result in more precise pharmacotherapy of major depressive disorder (MDD) with better drug therapy guidance. Methods: An 8-week, randomized, single-blind clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of PGATx in 100 patients with MDD. All recruited patients were randomly allocated either to PGATx (n=52) or treatment as usual (TAU, n=48) groups. The primary endpoint was a change of total score of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) from baseline to end of treatment. Response rate (at least 50% reduction in HAMD-17 score from baseline), remission rate (HAMD-17 score ${\leq}7$ at the end of treatment) as well as the change of total score of Frequency, Intensity, and Burden of Side Effects Ratings (FIBSER) from baseline to end of treatment were also investigated. Results: The mean change of HAMD-17 score was significantly different between two groups favoring PGATx by -4.1 point of difference (p=0.010) at the end of treatment. The mean change in the FIBSER score from baseline was significantly different between two treatment groups favoring PGATx by -2.5 point of difference (p=0.028). The response rate (71.7 % vs. 43.6%, p=0.014) were also significantly higher in PGATx than in TAU at the end of treatment, while the remission rate was numerically higher in PGATx than in TAU groups without statistical difference (45.5% vs. 25.6%, p=0.071). The reason for early drop-out associated with adverse events was also numerically higher in TAU (n=9, 50.0%) than in PGATx (n=4, 30.8%). Conclusion: The present study clearly demonstrate that PGATx may be a better treatment option in the treatment of MDD in terms of effectiveness and tolerability; however, study shortcomings may limit a generalization. Adequately-powered, well-designed, subsequent studies should be mandatory to prove its practicability and clinical utility for routine practice.

Situation and Outlook of the U.S. Organic Produce and Foods (미국의 유기농식품 -현황과 전망)

  • Heo, Jang
    • Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.25-39
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    • 2002
  • This paper aims to provide quite recent information on the organic industry in the U.S. Major focuses are on the development of cultivation and marketing of fresh and processed organic produce and foods, newly enforced certification program, consumers' purchasing behaviors toward organic foods, and social survey results administered to the organic farmers in the U.S. The U.S. recorded 8 billion dollars' sale of organic foods in 2000, which was the largest in the world and showed 23% growth compared to the previous year. Yet the organic industry is still a niche market, occupying merely 1.5% of total food sale amount. The natural foods markets have not been so concentrated in the U.S., but it is changing and a few wholesale mart such as Whole Foods is emerging. Recent introduction of new certification program provide unified and sole standard at the federal level to which every certifier needs to adjust itself in order to be acceredited by the government. According to a social survey, consumers purchase organic foods because they concern about health, they stick to their own modes of life favoring natural foods, and so on. Another social survey shows that most organic farmers sell their produces to wholesalers, distributers, or producer coop, and direct sale to visitors at their own farm comprises of about 8 percent of their organic land.

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Forkhead Genes are Key Regulators of Developmental Processes in Aspergillus nidulans

  • Oh, Dong-Soon;Kim, Jong-Hwa;Han, Dong-Min;Han, Kap-Hoon
    • 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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    • 2014.05a
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    • pp.39-39
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    • 2014
  • In a homothallic filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, sexual and asexual developments are largely affected by the genetic and environmental factors. To regulate the complex subsets of genes involved in the developmental processes accurately, tight regulations of transcription factors are required. The forkhead type transcription factors are the class of regulators that function in a broad spectrum of cellular and developmental processes in many species from yeast to human. Here, we identified the fkhA and fkhB genes that encode a conserved forkhead transcription factors. The fkhA deletion resulted in the complete loss of fruiting body formation under all conditions favoring sexual development, suggesting that the fkhA gene is required for sexual development in A. nidulans. Overexpression of fkhA resulted in enhanced formation of fruiting bodies under induction condition not only in the normal condition but also in the condition of presence of 0.6 M KCl, which strongly inhibits sexual development. To know the function of the fkhB gene, we also generated fkhB knock-out strain in A. nidulans. Deletion of fkhB resulted in abnormal conidiophore formation under standard conditions and delayed sexual development process, suggesting that the fkhB gene plays an important role in conidiophore morphogenesis Taken together, these results suggest that the fkhA gene is necessary and sufficient for regulating sexual development and the fkhB gene is a transcription factor related in asexual developmental process in A. nidulans.

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Four Cases of Scrub Typhus Treated with Azithromycin in Children (소아에서 발생한 쯔쯔가무시 열에서 Azithromycin 치료 완치 4례)

  • Kim, Eun Jung;Lee, Chang Yoo;Oh, Yeon Gyun;Yun, Hyang Suk;Kim, Jong Duck
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.188-191
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    • 2003
  • Tsutsugamushi fever is a serious febrile disease outwardly similar to malaria and various arboviral infections. The endemic area is Asia-Pacific. This disease are generally associated with disturbed habitats favoring large populations of vector larval trombiculid mites. Therapy with tetracycline, chloramphenicol or ciprofloxacin is currently recommanded. Unfortunately these drugs is suboptimal for children and pregnant women. Recently, azithromycin has been proven to be effective in therapy of scrub typhus. There is no evidence that azithromycin causes adverse reaction to developing fetus or children. We report four cases of tsutsugamushi fever in children successfully treated with azithromycin. This is the first report describing clinical application of azithromycin to tsutsugamushi fever in Korean children.

Examining SENKs' Mathematical Attitude and Recognition about Mathematics Learning (탈북학생의 수학적 태도 및 수학 학습 인식에 대한 조사)

  • Park, Kyung-Mee;Na, Gwi-Soo;Park, Young-Eun
    • Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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    • v.24 no.4
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    • pp.499-514
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    • 2014
  • In this study, we conducted the survey to 116 SENKs (students who emigrated from North Korea to South Korea) about mathematical attitude and recognition on mathematics learning and mathematics lesson in South Korea. As the results of the study, SENKs' had positive index on mathematical attitude and recognition about mathematics lesson, but negative index on the recognition about their mathematics learning. SENKs' showed the favoring pictures about mathematics lesson and the needed supports for improving their mathematics understanding. Based on the results, we discussed the implications for teaching and learning of SENKs.

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Evaluation of Potential Reference Genes for Quantitative RT-PCR Analysis in Fusarium graminearum under Different Culture Conditions

  • Kim, Hee-Kyoung;Yun, Sung-Hwan
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.301-309
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    • 2011
  • The filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum is an important cereal pathogen. Although quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR) is commonly used to analyze the expression of important fungal genes, no detailed validation of reference genes for the normalization of qRT-PCR data has been performed in this fungus. Here, we evaluated 15 candidate genes as references, including those previously described as housekeeping genes and those selected from the whole transcriptome sequencing data. By a combination of three statistical algorithms (BestKeeper, geNorm, and NormFinder), the variation in the expression of these genes was assessed under different culture conditions that favored mycelial growth, sexual development, and trichothecene mycotoxin production. When favoring mycelial growth, GzFLO and GzUBH expression were most stable in complete medium. Both EF1A and GzRPS16 expression were relatively stable under all conditions on carrot agar, including mycelial growth and the subsequent perithecial induction stage. These two genes were also most stable during trichothecene production. For the combined data set, GzUBH and EF1A were selected as the most stable. Thus, these genes are suitable reference genes for accurate normalization of qRT-PCR data for gene expression analyses of F. graminearum and other related fungi.

Multispecies Interactions in Biofilms and Implications to Safety of Drinking Water Distribution System

  • Reuben, Rine Christopher;Roy, Pravas Chandra;Sarkar, Shovon Lal;Ha, Sang-Do;Jahid, Iqbal Kabir
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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    • v.47 no.4
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    • pp.473-486
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    • 2019
  • In the aquatic environment, microorganisms are predominantly organized as biofilms. Biofilms are formed by the aggregation of microbial cells and are surrounded by a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by the microbial cells. Biofilms are attached to various surfaces, such as the living tissues, indwelling medical devices, and piping of the industrial potable water system. Biofilms formed from a single species has been extensively studied. However, there is an increased research focus on multispecies biofilms in recent years. It is important to assess the microbial mechanisms underlying the regulation of multispecies biofilm formation to determine the drinking water microbial composition. These mechanisms contribute to the predominance of the best-adapted species in an aquatic environment. This review focuses on the interactions in the multispecies biofilms, such as coaggregation, co-metabolism, cross-species protection, jamming of quorum sensing, lateral gene transfer, synergism, and antagonism. Further, this review explores the dynamics and the factors favoring biofilm formation and pathogen transmission within the drinking water distribution systems. The understanding of the physiology and biodiversity of microbial species in the biofilm may aid in the development of novel biofilm control and drinking water disinfection processes.

Environment-Friendly Cultural and Mechanical Practices for Weed Management (잡초처리(雜草處理)를 위한 환경친화적(環境親和的) 재배기술(栽培技術))

  • Pyon, J.Y.;Guh, J.D.;Ku, Y.C.
    • Korean Journal of Weed Science
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    • v.17 no.1
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    • pp.124-134
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    • 1997
  • As control of plant diseases, insects and weeds were heavily relied on pesticides, residues of pesticides in environment and food supply were recently focused by environmentalists and consumer groups. The reduction of pesticide use was implemented in Sweden, Denmark, Netherland, England, and United States. Therefore, it is very important to discuss environmentally sound systems of weed management including cultural, mechanical, and integrated weed control. Mechanical methods using tillage, cultivation, mulching, burning, mowing, solarization, and UHF are used as one of most effective environmentally sound weed management systems. Cultural practices favoring the crops are excellent weed management measures. Correct seedbed preparation for the soil and cultural system, and use competitive cultivars contribute to weed management. Increasing crop density by higher seeding rate or by narrowing row width and careful attention to optimum fertility to produce vigorous crop plants increase competitiveness of crops against weeds. Crop rotation breaks life cycles of weeds by alternating the crop it must associate with. Herbicides are efficient and profitable to control weeds, but must be part of a total weed management program with use of minimum rate. The best weed management will be an integrated approach including two or more methods to manage weed problems.

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Effects of Gultamate Synthesized during Photorespiration on Photosynthetic Carbon Metabolism (광호흡 과정에서 생성된 Glutamate가 광합성 탄소대사에 미치는 영향)

  • 이인철
    • Journal of Plant Biology
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.277-288
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    • 1988
  • The effects of ammonium ion and glutamate on CO2 fixation abilities and related carbon metabolism were investigated in pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Sparkle) leaf discs under conditions favoring photorespiration (21% O2, 0.03% CO2) and nonphotorespiration (5% O2, 0.03% CO2). A concentration of more than 10 mM of NH4+ decreased the photosynthetic CO2 fixation and those inhibitory effects were more remarkable in 21% O2 than in 5% O2 conditions. The effect of glutamate on CO2 fixation was found to be independent of the O2 level, as glutamate increased the CO2 fixation under both 21% and 5% O2 conditions. L-methionine-dl-sulfoximine, an irreversible inhibitor of glutamate synthetase, however, inhibited the CO2 fixation markedly under 21% O2, but did not affect it under 5% O2 conditions. The treatment with NH4+ elevated the relative amounts of 14C incorporated into soluble components from 14CO2 with no relation to O2 levels, while glutamate increased 14C into insoluble components and neutral sugars. Glutamate, especially, seemed to stmulate the biosynthesis of starch under 5% O2 condition. These results indicated that NH4+ stimulated the degradation of sugar or starch and this proposal was confirmed by the increasing of pyruvate kinase activity in leaf discs treated with ammonium ion.

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Development of fillet-type seasoner and mixed powder-type seasoner using smoked mackerel (훈제 고등어를 이용한 필렛형 조미료 및 복합 분말조미료의 개발)

  • 오영주;오혁수
    • Culinary science and hospitality research
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    • v.7 no.3
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    • pp.145-161
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    • 2001
  • In odor to develop fillet-type seasoner and mixed powder-type seasoner using smoked mackerel as primary material, processing conditions of the mackerel meat and flavoring extract from various materials were examined. The approximate composition of mackerel meat and mixed powde-type seasoner using mackerel as primary material were 10.9 and 11.7%, for moisture 79.1 and 57.2% for crude protein, 5.3 and 2.9% for crude lipid, and 4.3 and 24.6% for crude ash, respectively. It was suitable to simmer raw mackerel in 3% chitooligosaccaride solution at 8$0^{\circ}C$ for 10 min., for the enhancement of reaction their meat and chitooligosaccharide. Considering effect of type of woodsmoke on organoletic properties of mackerel after smoking, oak and mixture(oak wood + citrus wood = 1 : 1) were superior to another woodsmoke, the smoking conditions favoring the most overall preference were 8$0^{\circ}C$, 25min. for smoking time, 20$0^{\circ}C$, 20min. for baking, and 10$0^{\circ}C$. 4hrs. for drying. The optimal material mixing ratio for mixed powder-type seasoner was powder of smoked mackerel 60%, dried anchovy 15%, dried sea tangle 10%. The most appropriate extraction condition of mixed powder seasoner with packing tea bag(10g/bag) was 98$^{\circ}C$ for 5min. in the boiling water.

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