• Journal of Sleep Medicine
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.37-42
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• 2018

Objectives: To assess the effect and safety of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in primary chronic insomnia. Methods: A one-month, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial was performed. A total of 7 patients with primary chronic insomnia received tDCS using anodal (n=3), cathodal (n=2), or sham stimulation (n=2). They were followed up at 1 week and 1 month after treatment. The primary outcome measures included improvement in total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL), and sleep efficiency (SE) at 1 month follow-up. Results: TST and SE were improved with tDCS at 1 month follow-up in all patients (100%) of the anodal group, one (50%) of the cathodal group, and one (50%) of the sham group. tDCS improved SL at 1 month follow-up in two patients (67%) of the anodal group, one (50%) of the cathodal group, and none (0%) of the sham group. With respect to adverse events, transient itching sensation occurred in one patient of the anodal group. None of the other groups reported adverse events. Conclusions: Our results suggest that tDCS may be effective and safe for treatment of primary chronic insomnia. A larger controlled study needs to be further investigated.

• Brain Tumor Research and Treatment
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.60-67
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• 2018

Background Recently, modern technology such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), neuro-navigation and intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IOM) have been actively adopted for the treatment of thalamic tumors. We evaluated surgical outcomes and efficacy of the aforementioned technologies for the treatment of pediatric thalamic tumors. Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from 37 children with thalamic tumors between 2004 and 2017. There were 44 operations (27 tumor resections, 17 biopsies). DTI was employed in 17 cases, neuro-navigation in 23 cases and IOM in 14 cases. All diagnoses were revised according to the 2016 World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated, and relevant prognostic factors were analyzed. The median follow-up duration was 19 months. Results Fifteen cases were gross total resections (GTR), 6 subtotal resections (STR), and 6 partial resections (PR). Neurological status did not worsen after 22 tumor resections. There were statistically significant differences in terms of the extent of resection between the groups with DTI, neuro-navigation and IOM (n=12, GTR or STR=12) and the group without at least one of the three techniques (n= 15, GTR or STR=9, p=0.020). The mean PFS was $87.2{\pm}38.0$ months, and the mean OS $90.7{\pm}36.1$ months. The 5-year PFS was 37%, and the 5-year OS 47%. The histological grade ($p{\leq}0.001$) and adjuvant therapy (done vs. not done, p=0.016) were significantly related to longer PFS. The histological grade (p=0.002) and the extent of removal (GTR/STR vs. PR/biopsy, p=0.047) were significantly related to longer OS. Conclusion Maximal surgical resection was achieved with acceptable morbidity in children with thalamic tumors by employing DTI, neuro-navigation and IOM. Maximal tumor resection was a relevant clinical factor affecting OS; therefore, it should be considered the initial therapeutic option for pediatric thalamic tumors.

• ANNALS OF ANIMAL RESOURCE SCIENCES
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.56-63
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• 2017

This study was conducted to determine the effects of supplementary levels of dietary betaine and energy on nutrient digestibility and physiological responses in growing pigs exposed to heat stress. A total of 12 barrows ($L{\times}Y{\times}D$; initial BW, $67.1{\pm}0.98kg$) were allocated into individual metabolic crates. Experimental design was a $4{\times}4$ Latin square with dietary energy and betaine levels (3,300 and 3,400 kcal/kg; 0 and 0.5%, respectively) and the experimental period (n=4). Feeding trial was performed during summer season (July and August). Digestibility of crude fat was higher (p<0.01) in the ME 3,400 kcal/kg than the ME 3,300 kcal/kg, but did not differ by betaine (p>0.05). Blood corpuscles and biochemical components were not influenced by dietary energy and betaine levels (p>0.05). Serum IgG was greater (p<0.05) in the ME 3,400 kcal/kg than the ME 3,300 kcal/kg, but cortisol was not differ among the treatment groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, our results showed positive effects by energy levels rather than betaine. Thus, further study need investigation of effects of high energy level in the pigs exposed to heat stress.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.339-345
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• 2021

'Gondalbi' (Ligularia stenocephala (Maxim.) Matsum. & Koidz.) is the most cultivated Gomchwi species because of higher yield and low in aromatic flavor and bitter taste, But 'Gondalbi' is susceptible to powdery mildew disease and leaf shriveling after harvest in Summer. To improve powdery mildew disease resistance and post-harvest leaf shriveling problem in 'Gondalbi', 'Handeari-gomchwi' resistant to powdery mildew disease and having higher yield potential used as a paternal trait donor. Powdery mildew disease resistance and post-harvest leaf shriveling as well as agronomic performance of a new variety, 'Greenbear' were tested under field and green house conditions in Pyungchang, Korea from 2007 to 2016. Expression of both maternal and paternal characteristics in 'Greenbear' including purple colored petiole ears, glossy leaf and paternal, petiole trichome, absent at the back of a leaf were confirmed. Plant size and flowering time of 'Greenbear' were similar to check line, 'Gommany', while leaf number per plant and yield were higher in 'Greenbear'. 'Greenbear' has thinner leaves (0.66mm) compared to 'Gommany (0.69 mm)', and hardness appeared slightly higher in 'Greenbear(25.1 kg/cm²)'. The resistance to powdery mildew disease of the 'Greenbear' variety was slightly lower than that of the 'Gommany' variety, but somewhat showed high resistance.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제64권1호
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• pp.78-87
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• 2021

Objective : Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) has been widely used during spine surgery to reduce or prevent neurologic deficits, however, its application to the surgical management for cervical myelopathy remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the success rate of IONM in patients with cervical myelopathy and to investigate the factors associated with successful baseline monitoring and the effect of increasing the stimulation intensity by focusing on motor evoked potentials (MEPs). Methods : The data of 88 patients who underwent surgery for cervical myelopathy with IONM between January 2016 and June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The success rate of baseline MEP monitoring at the initial stimulation of 400 V was investigated. In unmonitorable cases, the stimulation intensity was increased to 999 V, and the success rate final MEP monitoring was reinvestigated. In addition, factors related to the success rate of baseline MEP monitoring were investigated using independent t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, chi-squared test, and Fisher's exact probability test for statistical analysis. The factors included age, sex, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, smoking history, symptom duration, Torg-Pavlov ratio, space available for the cord (SAC), cord compression ratio (CCR), intramedullary increased signal intensity (SI) on magnetic resonance imaging, SI length, SI ratio, the Medical Research Council (MRC) grade, the preoperative modified Nurick grade and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score. Results : The overall success rate for reliable MEP response was 52.3% after increasing the stimulation intensity. No complications were observed to be associated with increased intensity. The factors related to the success rate of final MEP monitoring were found to be SAC (p<0.001), CCR (p<0.001), MRC grade (p<0.001), preoperative modified Nurick grade (p<0.001), and JOA score (p<0.001). The cut-off score for successful MEP monitoring was 5.67 mm for SAC, 47.33% for the CCR, 3 points for MRC grade, 2 points for the modified Nurick grade, and 12 points for the JOA score. Conclusion : Increasing the stimulation intensity could significantly improve the success rate of baseline MEP monitoring for unmonitorable cases at the initial stimulation in cervical myelopathy. In particular, the SAC, CCR, MRC grade, preoperative Nurick grade and JOA score may be considered as the more important related factors associated with the success rate of MEP monitoring. Therefore, the degree of preoperative neurological functional deficits and the presence of spinal cord compression on imaging could be used as new detailed criteria for the application of IONM in patients with cervical myelopathy.

• Journal of Korean Medical Ki-Gong Academy
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.15-67
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• 2020

Objective : The purpose of this study is to identify the trends of vibration(or wave) therapy in Korea, to actively utilize vibration(or wave) therapy, and to help research activities of vibration therapy in Korean Medicine. Methods : The following Korean words "진동기", "진동요법", "진동운동", "진동치료", "파동요법", "파동운동", "파동치료" were searched on three specialized search sites (RISS, NAL, DBpia). Trends of vibration therapy were analyzed through the selected researches suitable for this study among these searched researches in an overview format. Results : 1. A total of 8,116 studies were searched and a total of 365 studies were finally selected 2. From 2000 to 2019, when research began to increase in earnest, there were 17.45±10.28 studies per year, and the AGR(Average Annual Growth Rate) was 11.92%. 3. In the main field of research, the 'Medicine and Pharmacy' was the largest with 147(40.16%) studies. In the Middle Field, the 'Kinesiology' was the largest with 99(27.05%) studies. In the study design, 'RCT(Randomized Controlled trial)' was the largest with 138(47.75%) studies. In the Age Group, 'Youth' was the largest with 126(48.84%) studies. 4. The average of the number of participants was 24.90±17.44. 5. The most used Intervention was the 'WBV(Whole Body Vibration)' with 177(61.25%) studies. 6. The average of Intervention Period was 5.99±4.14 weeks, while the maximum was 36 weeks. 7. The journal that published the most research papers is 'K. J. of Sports Science(체육과학연구;13)', and the society is 'Rehabilitation Engineering And Assistive Technology Society of Korea(한국재활복지공학회; 14)'. The University that published the most dissertations is 'Sahmyook University(11)'. 8. The authors who published the most studies are Ju-Hwan O(8) as the main author and Tae Kyu Kwon(18) as the co-author (including the thesis Director). In an integrated analysis of the authors and co-authors, Tae Kyu Kwon published the most numerous studies(19) Conclusions : 1. The study of vibration or wave therapy has been increasing noticeably every year. 2. The major academic Fields studying vibration or wave therapy are the 'Kinesiologic Field', 'Physical Therapy Field', and 'Biomedical Engineering Field'. 3. The most chosen method of study design on vibration or wave treatment was 'RCT', and there was no significant change in the annual presentation rate. 4. Types of vibration or wave therapy could be classified as 'LVS(Local Vibration Stimulation)', 'WBV(Whole Body Vibration)', 'MV(Micro Vibration)', 'BV(Bio Vibration)' and 'SWV(Sound Wave Vibration)', and the study on Whole Body Vibration is most active. 5. Most of the studies of vibration or wave therapy were on musculoskeletal systems, but there were very few studies on internal diseases.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.26.1-26.14
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• 2020

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a lethal cancer type that is associated with multiple gene mutations in somatic cells. Genetically engineered mouse is hardly applicable for developing a pancreatic cancer model, and the xenograft model poses a limitation in the reflection of early stage pancreatic cancer. Thus, in vivo somatic cell gene engineering with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats is drawing increasing attention for generating an animal model of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we selected Kras, Trp53, Ink4a, Smad4, and Brca2 as target genes, and applied Campylobacter jejuni Cas9 (CjCas9) and Streptococcus pyogens Cas9 (SpCas9) for developing pancreatic cancer using adeno associated virus (AAV) transduction. After confirming multifocal and diffuse transduction of AAV2, we generated SpCas9 overexpression mice, which exhibited high double-strand DNA breakage (DSB) in target genes and pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) lesions with two AAV transductions; however, wild-type (WT) mice with three AAV transductions did not develop PanIN. Furthermore, small-sized Cjcas9 was applied to WT mice with two AAV system, which, in addition, developed high extensive DSB and PanIN lesions. Histological changes and expression of cancer markers such as Ki67, cytokeratin, Mucin5a, alpha smooth muscle actin in duct and islet cells were observed. In addition, the study revealed several findings such as 1) multiple DSB potential of AAV-CjCas9, 2) peri-ductal lymphocyte infiltration, 3) multi-focal cancer marker expression, and 4) requirement of > 12 months for initiation of PanIN in AAV mediated targeting. In this study, we present a useful tool for in vivo cancer modeling that would be applicable for other disease models as well.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.48-56
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• 2023

Background: Few studies have assessed exposure to chemicals in the context of environmental vulnerability with a focus on exposure among populations living in certain geographical areas. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate cadmium exposure levels and kidney damage indices in environmentally and socioeconomically vulnerable populations, with further subgrouping according to economic status. Methods: Four areas were selected to represent geographical vulnerability (two environmentally vulnerable populations and two socioeconomically vulnerable populations). Among them, population groups with lower socioeconomic status (SES) were separately classified. Urinary cadmium (UCd), beta2-microglobulin (β2-MG), and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were analyzed in samples from 245 residents of these four areas. Results: Geometric means of concentrations of UCd (0.97~2.02 ㎍/g creatinine) in all selected populations (N, 245; mean age, 67.8~70.9 years old) were higher than the national reference values (0.39 for adults and 0.78 ㎍/g creatinine for people in their 60s). Participants with a lower SES had higher UCd and NAG concentrations than did non-low SES participants. In the lower SES group, there was a significant association between UCd and NAG concentrations; however, there was no such correlation in the non-low SES group. Conclusions: Consistent with the findings of previous studies evaluating chemical exposure and associated health effects in specific populations, the findings of this study suggest that individuals with a low SES may be more vulnerable to exposure and related health effects.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• 제25권12호
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• pp.57-67
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• 2009

Along with the advanced construction technologies, the maximum size of coarse aggregate used for dam construction ranges from several cm to 1m. Testing the original gradation samples is not only expensive but also causes many technical difficulties. Generally, indoor tests are performed on the samples with the parallel grading method after which the results are applied to the design and interpretation of the actual geotechnical structure. In order to anticipate the exact behavior characteristics for the geotechnical structure, it is necessary to understand the changes in the shear behavior. In this study, the Large Triaxial Test was performed on the parallel grading method samples that were restructured with river bed sand-gravel, with a different maximum size, which is the material that was used to construct Dam B in Korea. And the Stress - Strain characteristics of the parallel grading method samples and the characteristics of the shear strength were compared and analyzed. In the test results, the coarse-grained showed strain softening and expansion behavior of the volume, which became more obvious as the maximum size increased. The internal angle of friction and the shear strength appeared to increase as the maximum size of the parallel grading method sample increased.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• 제39권7호
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• pp.57-67
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• 2023

Slope failures during rainfall have been observed in mountainous areas of South Korea as a result of the presence of solar power facilities. The seepage behavior and pore pressure distribution differ from typical slopes due to the presence of impermeable solar panels, and the load imposed by the solar power structures also affects the slope behavior. This study aims to develop a method for evaluating the stability of slopes with solar power facilities and to analyze vulnerable points by considering the maximum slope displacement. To assess the slope stability and predict behavior while considering rainfall seepage, a combined seepage analysis and finite difference method numerical analysis were employed. For the selected site, various variables were assumed, including parameters related to the Soil Water Characteristic Curve, strength parameters that satisfy the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion, soil properties, and topographic factors such as slope angle and bedrock depth. The factors with the most significant influence on the factor of safety (FOS) were identified. The presence of solar power facilities was found to affect the seepage distribution and FOS, resulting in a decreasing trend due to rainfall seepage. The maximum displacement points were concentrated near the upper (crest) and lower (toe) sections of the slope.