• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.34-41
• /
• 1990

Effects of grain size and cold rolling degree on shape memory ability and transformation temperature were studied in Fe-35% Mn-6% Si shape memory alloy. Md point of the alloy was determined by variation of yield stress with test temperature. The Md point measured in this way was linearly increased with increasing grain size. Shape memory ability of the alloy was decreased with increasing grain size, showing a minimum value at around $63{\mu}m$, and then increased with increasing grain size. From this result, it was concluded that the shape memory ability in the grain size smaller than a critical value is controlled by amount of retained ${\gamma}$ and prior ${\varepsilon}$ phase, but that the shape memory ability in the grain size greater than the critical value is mainly dominated by grain boundary area in unit volume of parent phase. The shape memory ability was decreased with increasing deformation degree. This was because the ${\gamma}$ content being available for the formation of ${\varepsilon}$ martensite during bending was decreased with increasing deformation degree.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.804-809
• /
• 1996

The bactericidal effectiveness of radiation alone or in combination with heat against 8 strains associated with food hygiene were evaluated. In the case of radiation alone, D$_{10}$ values of micro-organisms were 0.14~0.48 kGy, and inactivation factors were 4.54~21.43 at the doses of 2~3 kGy. Escherichia coli was the most sensitive among the tested strains, resulting in a D$_{10}$ value of 0.14 kGy. D$_{min}$ values of tile strains were 10~40 minutes at $50\pm1^{\circ}C,$ and 5~10 minutes at $60\pm1^{\circ}C.$ Combination with heat and radiation showed D$_{10}$ values of 0.04~0.31. Inactivation factors were 6.45~75 at the doses of 2 to 3 kGy. Therefore, heat treatment prior to irradiation significantly increased mactivation rate by increasing radiation sensitivity of microorganisms.ganisms.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.359-366
• /
• 2007

Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition associated with severe episodic lancinating facial pain subject to remissions and relapses. Trigeminal neuralgia is often associated with blood vessel cross compression of the root entry zone or more rarely with demyelinating diseases and occasionally with direct compression by neoplasms of the posterior fossa. If initial medical management fails to control pain or is associated with unacceptable side effects, a variety of surgical procedures offer the hope for long-lasting pain relief or even cure. For patients who are healthy without significant medical co-morbidities, direct microsurgical vascular decompression [MVD] offers treatment that is often definitive. Other surgical options are effective for elderly patients not suitable for MVD. Percutaneous retrogasserian glycerol rhizotomy is a minimally invasive technique that is based on anatomic definition of the trigeminal cistern followed by injection of anhydrous glycerol to produce a weak neurolytic effect on the post-ganglionic fibers. Other percutaneous management strategies include radiofrequency rhizotomy and balloon compression. More recently, stereotactic radiosurgery has been used as a truly minimally invasive strategy. It also is anatomically based using high resolution MRI to define the retrogasserian target. Radiosurgery provides effective symptomatic relief in the vast majority of patients, especially those who have never had prior surgical procedures. For younger patients, we recommend microvascular decompression. For patients with severe exacerbations of their pain and who need rapid response to treatment, we suggest glycerol rhizotomy. For other patients, gamma knife radiosurgery represents an effective management strategy with excellent preservation of existing facial sensation.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.65-74
• /
• 2010

Dairy cow undergoes major adaptations in glucose and lipid metabolism to meet fetal and mammary nutrient requirements during the periparturient period. These adaptations are characterized by major changes in response to the homeostatic signal of insulin. In response to insulin, fatty acids are mobilized to meet energy demand. And cow develop insulin resistance during the late prepartum period to facilitate glucose sparing for the fetus and mammary gland. Insulin resistance is an important adaptation and may be partly responsible for the large increase in plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) that occurs prior to parturition and coincides with the characteristic decrease in dry matter intake (DMI). Modulation of insulin resistance by administration of thiazolidinedione (TZD) during the periparturient period, likely through the activation of $PPAR{\gamma}$, has substantial potential to minimize energy and immune-related metabolic disorders, and thus may result in increased productivity and improved health of dairy cows.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.1241-1251
• /
• 2018

Background/Aims: To estimate the level of agreement and positivity rates of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) tests prior to the use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in relation to underlying rheumatic diseases and endemic tuberculosis levels. Methods: The Ovid-Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Libraries were searched for articles before October 2013 involving LTBI screening in rheumatic patients, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and psoriatic arthritis. Results: In pooled analyses, 5,224 rheumatic patients had undergone both a tuberculin skin test (TST) and an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) before TNF inhibitors use. The positivity of TST, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube (QFT-GIT), and T-SPOT.TB (T-SPOT) tests were estimated to be 29%, 17%, and 18%, respectively. The agreement percentage between the TST and QFT-GIT, and between the TST and T-SPOT were 73% and 75%. Populations from low-to-moderate endemic TB presented with slightly less agreement (71% between TST and QFT-GIT, and 74% between TST and T-SPOT) than patients from high endemic countries (73% between TST and QFT-GIT, and 81% between TST and T-SPOT). By underlying disease stratification, a lower level of agreement between TST and QFT-GIT was found among AS (64%) than among JIA (77%) and RA patients (73%). Conclusions: We reaffirm the current evidence for accuracy of LTBI test done by TST and IGRA among rheumatic patients is inconsistent. Our stratified analysis suggests different screening strategies might be needed in clinical settings considering the endemic status in the patient's country of origin and the precise nature of underlying diseases.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.177-183
• /
• 2011

The radioprotective efficacy of a methanol extract of the red algae Polyopes lancifolia (Harvey) kawaguchi et wang (mPL) was evaluated in mice subjected to total-body gamma irradiation. mPL protection against radiation-induced oxidative stress was examined by histological evaluation of intestinal crypt-cell survival and liver activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). mPL (100 mg/kg body weight) administered intraperitoneally at 24 h and 1 h prior to irradiation protected jejunal crypt cells from radiation-induced apoptosis (p < 0.01). The pretreatment of mPL attenuated a radiation-induced decrease in villous height (p < 0.05), and improved jejunal crypt survival (p < 0.05). The dose reduction factor was 1.14 at 3.5 days after irradiation. Treatment with mPL prior to irradiation resulted in significantly higher (p < 0.01) levels of SOD and CAT activities, compared to those levels of irradiated control mice with vehicle treatment. These results suggest that mPL is a useful radioprotective agent capable of defending intestinal progenitor cells against total-body irradiation, at least in part through mPL antioxidative activity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.18 no.8
• /
• pp.1098-1104
• /
• 2005

The trial was carried out on twenty-one Friesian cows at the end of eight months gestation, nine multiparous and twelve primiparous; allocated into three groups (1 control, 2 and 3 experimental). The same diet was administred to all three groups before partum (12.8 kg DM/head/day) and after partum (18.8 kg DM/head/day). The cows in groups 2 and 3 received two different daily quantities of amino-acid chelated chromium (0.6 and 1.2 mg Cr/kg DM) from 4 weeks prior to presumed parturition to 6 weeks after. The milk yield control was carried out at 15, 30, 42 and 60 days. All animals were immunised two weeks prior to the presumed parturition and two weeks after with the following antigens: ovalbumin and brucellergene. Blood samples were collected weekly to monitor humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. When analysing the results of antibody immunity (ovalbumin) in the sixth blood collection both treated groups significantly increased compared to group 1 (0.5230 and 0.4536 vs. 0.1812 OD; p<0.05). The results of the cell-mediated immune response (brucellergene) had significant differences (p<0.10) in correspondence to the third (between group 2 and control) and the fifth (between groups 3 and 2) blood collection. Significant differences in fat corrected milk were observed at 42 days between group 3 and the other two groups (31.01 vs. 26.99 and 28.66 kg/d, p<0.05) and at 60 days between group 3 and control (30.88 vs. 26.69 kg/d, p<0.05). Before partum and at partum a positive immune response was obtained with a lower dose of chromium. After partum a positive immune response, anti-OVA indicator, was obtained with the higher dose of chromium while, $\gamma$-IFN indicator, with the lower dose. A significant increase of the milk yield resulted at both 42 and 60 days with the highest level of chromium.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.213-223
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to arrange the life data analysis literatures based on the Bayesian method quantitatively and provide it as tables. Methods: The Bayesian method produces a more accurate estimates of other traditional methods in a small sample size, and it requires specific algorithm and prior information. Based on these three characteristics of the Bayesian method, the criteria for classifying the literature were taken into account. Results: In many studies, there are comparisons of estimation methods for the Bayesian method and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), and sample size was greater than 10 and not more than 25. In probability distributions, a variety of distributions were found in addition to the distributions of Weibull commonly used in life data analysis, and MCMC and Lindley's Approximation were used evenly. Finally, Gamma, Uniform, Jeffrey and extension of Jeffrey distributions were evenly used as prior information. Conclusion: To verify the characteristics of the Bayesian method which are more superior to other methods in a smaller sample size, studies in less than 10 samples should be carried out. Also, comparative study is required by various distributions, thereby providing guidelines necessary.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.116-125
• /
• 2001

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) production has been described as a double-edged sword eliciting both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects in different immune reactions. This work was undertaken to investigate the immunoregulatory role of NO in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) and experimental allergic uveitis (EAU). Method: We examined whether molsidomine (MSDM), a NO donor, administration to the myelin basic protein (MBP)- or interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP)-immunized rats could suppress EAE development by shifting toward the Th2 cytokine response. In the EAE experiments, the rats were treated orally with MSDM (10 mg/kg/day) at the early stage (-1~4 days) or throughout the experimental period (-1~15 days). Results: This resulted in significant amelioration of the disease and mild clinical symptoms, while MBP-immunization without MSDM administration showed severe EAE development. A marked reduction in inflammation was also observed in the spinal cord, indicating the crucial role of NO in the pathogenesis of EAE in in vivo. In the EAU experiments, a 24 h pre-treatment with MSDM prior to IRBP immunization resulted in significant inhibition of the disease. Furthermore, MSDM administration for 2 1 days completely reduced the incidence and severity of EAU. To investigate whether MSDM could modulate cytokine switching from Th 1 to Th2, culture supernatants of MBP- or IRBP-stimulated inguinal lymphocytes were analyzed. MSDM treatment enhanced IL-10 secretion but decreased IFN-${\gamma}$. IL-4 was undetectable in all groups. In contrast, the MBP-or IRBP-immunized rats without MSDM secreted high concentrations of IFN-${\gamma}$, but low concentrations of IL-10. Conclusion: In conclusion, NO administation suppresses EAE and EAU by modulating the Th1/Th2 balance during inflammatory immune responses. This work further suggests that NO may be useful in the therapeutic control of autoimmune disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.11
• /
• pp.5773-5775
• /
• 2012

Objective: To assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of AFP and des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin (DCP) in combination and alone for hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and Methods: A case control study carried out in the Department of Biochemistry of Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal between $1^{st}$ January 2010 and $31^{st}$ December 2011. The variables collected were age, gender, BMI, total proteins, albumin, AST, ALT, total bilirubin, DCP, AFP. Approval for the study was obtained from the institutional research ethical committee. Estimation of AFP was performed by ELISA reader for all cases. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics and confidence interval (CI). The data was analyzed using Excel 2003, R 2.8.0 Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows Version 16.0 (SPSS Inc; Chicago, IL, USA) and the EPI Info 3.5.1 Windows Version. Results:The mean age of HCC cases was $53.6{\pm}14.93$ yrs. The percentage of females was less than males in both cases (23%) and controls (29%). The specificity of DCP reached 100% when its values was equal or greater than 150 (MAU/ml) for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 months preceding the diagnosis of HCC. Similarly, the specificity for AFP was also nearly 100% when its value was equal or greater than 200 ng/ml 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 months earlier to the finding of HCC. The specificity of DCP (${\geq}40MAU/mL$) and AFP(${\geq}20$ ng/mL) in combination was 93%, 97%, 95%, 96%, 97% in respect to 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 months prior to the diagnosis of HCC. Conclusion: The combination of both DCP and AFP will improve the finding of initial HCC and the sensitivity of these markers was utmost at the time of HCC identification and noticeably lesser at former time points.