• Title/Summary/Keyword: laboratory markers

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Adaptive planar vision marker composed of LED arrays for sensing under low visibility

  • Kim, Kyukwang;Hyun, Jieum;Myung, Hyun
    • Advances in robotics research
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.141-149
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    • 2018
  • In image processing and robotic applications, two-dimensional (2D) black and white patterned planar markers are widely used. However, these markers are not detectable in low visibility environment and they are not changeable. This research proposes an active and adaptive marker node, which displays 2D marker patterns using light emitting diode (LED) arrays for easier recognition in the foggy or turbid underwater environments. Because each node is made to blink at a different frequency, active LED marker nodes were distinguishable from each other from a long distance without increasing the size of the marker. We expect that the proposed system can be used in various harsh conditions where the conventional marker systems are not applicable because of low visibility issues. The proposed system is still compatible with the conventional marker as the displayed patterns are identical.

The Clinical Significance of Serum Ferritin in Pediatric Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

  • Na, Ji Hoon;Park, So Won;Kang, Yunkoo;Koh, Hong;Kim, Seung
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.248-256
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    • 2014
  • Purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children has become an important public health issue because of its high prevalence and severity. Several noninvasive methods for estimating NAFLD are under investigation. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of serum ferritin as a biomarker of severity of pediatric NAFLD patients. Methods: A total of 64 NAFLD patient were enrolled from Severance Children's Hospital from March 2010 to February 2013. Serum ferritin levels, liver related laboratory tests, liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (2-dimensional [2D] proton density-fat fraction) and NAFLD severity markers were compared between obese group and overweight group. Correlation analyses were performed between serum ferritin and laboratory values including NAFLD severity markers. Results: In obese group, serum ferritin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR), MRI 2D proton density-fat fraction, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis- 4 (FIB-4) (an index score calculated from platelet count, ALT, AST and age) were significantly higher than those of overweight group. NAFLD severity markers, APRI and FIB-4, and liver specific important laboratory values, AST, ALT, INR, cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein show significant correlation with serum ferritin in NAFLD patients. Conclusion: Serum ferritin concentrations could be a candidate of useful severity marker in the pediatric NAFLD patients.

Preoperative Levels of Hematological and Biochemical Indices Affect Perioperative Variables in Adult Patients with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

  • Choi, Seok-Cheol;Cho, Byung-Kyu;Lee, Yong-Hwan;Chang, Kyung-Soo
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.247-258
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    • 2010
  • The objective of this research was to evaluate the relationships of preoperative (Pre-OP) levels of hematological and biochemical indices to perioperative variables in patients that underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Pre-OP levels of hematological factors [total white blood cells (T-WBC), erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glycohemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), or platelet] were negatively or positively related with biochemical indices [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, glucose, fructosamine, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)]. Pre-OP levels of hematological factors and biochemical indices were negatively or positively correlated with echocardiographic variables. Pre-OP level of HbA1c had a relationship with C-reactive protein. Pre-OP levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ALT, HDL, glucose, fructosamine, or blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were positively or negatively associated with Pre-OP levels of cardiac markers (brain natriuretic peptide, troponin-I, creatine kinase isoenzyme 2, or CRP). Pre-OP levels of hematological factors (excepting T-WBC) related with operation time (OPT), postoperative mechanical ventilation time (POMVT), intensive care unit-period (ICU-period) or hospitalization. Pre-OP levels of AST, ALT, bilirubin, triglyceride, HDL, low dwensity lipoprotein, fructosamine, or BUN were positively or negatively correlated with OPT, graft numbers, POMVT, ICU-period or hospitalization. Retrospective this study reveals that Pre-OP levels of hematological and biochemical markers are associated with echocardiographic variables, several cardiac markers and postoperative outcomes, suggesting that Pre-OP levels of hematological and biochemical markers may be useful predictors for the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease.

Functionalizing Liposomes with Dual Aptamers for Targeting of Breast Cancer Cells and Cancer Stem Cells

  • Park, Hee-Bin;You, Ji-Eun;Kim, Pyung-Hwan;Kim, Keun-Sik
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 2021
  • Cancer stem cells, which are known to drive tumor formation and maintenance, are a major obstacle in the effective treatment of various types of cancer. Trans-membrane glycoprotein mucin 1 antigen and cell surface glycogen CD44 antigen are well-known surface markers of breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cells, respectively. To effectively treat cancer cells and cancer stem cells, we developed a new drug-encapsulating liposome conjugated with dual-DNA aptamers specific to the surface markers of breast cancer cells and their cancer stem cells. These two aptamer (Apt)-targeted liposomes, which were prepared to encapsulate doxorubicin (Dox), were named "Dual-Apt-Dox". Dual-Apt-Dox is significantly more cytotoxic to both cancer stem cells and cancer cells compared to liposomes lacking the aptamers. Furthermore, we demonstrated the inhibitory efficacy of Dual-Apt-Dox against the experimental lung metastasis of breast cancer stem cells and cancer cells in athymic nude mice. We also showed the potent antitumor effects of dual-aptamer-conjugated liposome systems by targeting cancer cells as well as cancer stem cells. Thus, our data indicate that dual-aptamer-conjugated liposome systems can prove to be effective drug delivery vehicles for breast cancer therapy.

Molecular Markers and Their Application in Mulberry Breeding

  • Vijayan, Kunjupillai
    • International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.145-155
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    • 2007
  • Mulberry (Morus spp.) is an economically important tree crop being cultivated in India, China and other sericulturally important countries for its foliage to feed the silk producing insect Bombyx mori L. Genetic improvements of mulberry lag behind to the same in many other economically less important crops due to the complexity of its genetics, the breeding behavior, and the lack of basic information on factors governing important agronomic traits. In this review, the general usage and advantages of different molecular markers including isoenzymes, RFLPs, RAPDs, ISSRs, SSRs, AFLPs and SNPs are described to enlighten their applicability in mulberry genetic improvement programs. Application of DNA markers in germplasm characterization, construction of genetic linkage maps, QTL identification and in marker-assisted selection was also described along with its present status and future prospects.

A Phonological Study on Japanese Discourse Markers

  • Kawamori, Masahito;Shimazu, Akira;Kawabata, Takeshi
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Language and Information Conference
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    • 1996.02a
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    • pp.297-306
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    • 1996
  • A spontaneously spoken, natural Japanese discourse contains many instances of the so-called redundant interjections and of backchannel utterances. These expressions have not hitherto received much attention and few systematic analyses have been made. We show that these utterances are characterizable as discourse markers, and that they comprise a well-defined category, characterizable in a regular manner by their phonologico-prosodic properties. Our report is based on an experiment involving spontaneously spoken conversations, recorded in a laboratory environment and analyzed using digital devices. Prosodic patterns of discourse markers occurring in the recorded conversations have been analyzed. Several pitch patterns have been found that characterize the most frequently used Japanese discourse markers

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Developing Strain-Specific Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers for Chlorella sorokiniana

  • Mais Sweiss;Maen Hasan;Nidal Odat
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.34 no.9
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    • pp.1848-1856
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    • 2024
  • Chlorella sorokiniana green microalga offers many environmentally friendly applications, including wastewater treatment, biofertilizers, animal feed, and biofuel production. Different strains of C. sorokiniana have unique properties that may suit one application but not another. There is a need to distinguish between the many available strains of C. sorokiniana to choose the one that best fits the application. Consequently, our research goal was to develop strain-specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to differentiate between the different strains. Seventeen markers spanning ten out of the twelve chromosomes of the C. sorokiniana genome were developed and validated on eight different strains from culture collections and our lab, and were then analyzed by fragment analysis. The results demonstrate the potential of these polymorphic markers to detect the genetic differences between the strains of C. sorokiniana, and to serve as useful tools for the intra-species population genetic analysis and conservation genetics studies of C. sorokiniana.