• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.7-20
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• 2006

The major event in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is the death of many cells related to host immune response. The demise of these cells is normally explained by cell suicide mechanism, apoptosis. Interestingly, the decrease in the number of immune cells, such as non-CD4+ cells as well as CD4+ T cells, in HIV infection usually occurs in uninfected bystander cells, not in directly infected cells. It has, therefore, been suggested that several soluble factors, including viral protein R (Vpr), are released from the infected cells and induce the death of bystander cells. Some studies show that Vpr interacts directly with adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) to induce mitochondrial membrane permeabilization (MMP). The MMP results in release of some apoptogenic factors such as cytochrome-c (cyt-c) and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). Vpr also has indirect effect on mitochondria through enhancing the level of caspase-9 transcription and suppressing nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$). The involvement of p53 in Vpr-induced apoptosis remains to be studied. On the other hand, low level of Vpr expression has anti-apoptotic effect, whereas it's high level of expression induces apoptosis. Extracellular Vpr also exhibits cytotoxicity to uninfected bystander cells through apoptotic or necrotic mechanism. The facts that Vpr has cytotoxic effect on both infected cells and bystander cells, and that it exhibits both proand anti-apoptotic activity may explain its role in viral survival and disease progression.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.285-290
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to prove how magnetic field (MF) acts on sympathetic neuro-transmissions using thermal response. Mice were divided into two groups and each one was exposed to MF (20 G, 24 hrs) or sham. Every vehicle or drugs were treated a half hour before the thermal response test. The pain threshold was lowered by MF (20 G, 24 hrs) alone. This reduction of pain threshold by MF was not blocked by a single treatment of $\alpha$-receptor antagonist (prazosin), $\alpha$$_2$-receptor agonist (clonidine, guanabenz), $\beta$$_1$-receptor antagonist (atenolol) or $\beta$$_1$,$\beta$$_2$-receptor antagonist (propranolol). But administration of $\alpha$$_2$-receptor antagonist (yohimbine) completely inhibited the decrease in pain threshold by MF. Moreover, it increased by high dose of yohimbine over normal condition. These results suggest that MF acts on sympathetic nerve terminal to induce hyperalgesia, in which pre-synaptic az receptor might be involved.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.04a
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• pp.69-69
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• 2019

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) is one of the main quality features of this crop because of its sense of pungency, which is due to the presence of capsaicinoids. This compound is synthesized as a secondary metabolite and found only in the placental tissue of spicy fruit (Suzuki et al., 1980). Stewart et al. (2005) concluded that Pun1 encodes for the acyltransferase AT3 and they demonstrated its involvement in capsaicinoids metabolism. It was analyzed that the capsaicinoids content and PUN1 genotype in pepper genetic resources which were selected with excellent phenotype in field evaluation. The number of pepper genetic resources analyzed was 135, and species were C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens. The content of capsaicinoid ranged from 0 mg/100g to 828 mg/100g. The content of 0 mg/100g was the sweet pepper type, the highest content is IT 158530, the capsaicinoid content of which was 828 mg/100g and species was C. annuum. PUN1 gene analysis showed 117 pungent, 5 hetero, and 13 non-pungent. PUN1 analysis showed that 5 out of 13 non-pungent accessions were detected with low levels of capsaicinoid.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.154-166
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• 2019

Consumers believe it is more profitable to buy products at a discount price than at a fixed price. However, consumers who miss an opportunity for a discount would experience regret; consequently, they may also forgo a purchase despite experiencing regret if a subsequent opportunity was no more attractive than the initial one. This phenomenon has been conceptualized as inaction inertia. In this study we investigate if consumers showed behavior of inaction inertia under the situation of fashion products purchase as well as if price and involvement had a moderating effect on product purchase. The following are the results of the research based on an empirical investigation. First, according to the results of influence of inaction inertia on purchase intention, respondents exposed to scenario of experiencing similar price discount in the past, both under high-price situations and low-price situations, made statistically fewer responses than those exposed to situations without such experience; therefore, effect of inaction inertia could be confirmed. Second, the moderating effect of product price on relationships between inaction inertia and purchase intention was not statistically significant.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2022

The government is in the process of pursuing various resident-driven rural development projects for rural development. Accordingly, the government is promoting various software projects to enhance social capital in order to effectively involve residents in rural development projects. However, residents' participation in rural development projects is still passive, while passive residents' involvement creates various problems such as conflicts among residents in the process of project implementation and poor operation after project implementation. This study is intended to be a basis for inducing voluntary community participation in rural development projects by disclosing the intention of residents to participate in the community's internal solidarity with social capital and connection with external communities. According to the analysis of 195 rural residents, three groups were divided according to the level of social capital awareness. While individualist groups with low integration and social capital were 25.1%, they were more integrated, but the average family-oriented group was 42.5%, and social-development groups with high integration and linked social capital were 32.3%. This study is meaningful in that it revealed that the social capital of the resident community is an important factor in both the internal solidarity (integrity) and the external community connection (connectivity) in the rural area development project.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2022

Purpose: While regurgitation is a common and often benign phenomenon in infants and younger children, it can also be a presenting symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). If untreated, GERD can lead to dangerous or lifelong complications. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been published to inform clinical diagnosis and management of pediatric GERD, but to date there has been no comprehensive review of guideline quality or methodological rigor. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed, and a total of eight CPGs pertaining to pediatric GERD were identified. These CPGs were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation instrument. Results: Three CPGs were found to be "high" quality, with 5 of 6 domains scoring >60%, one "average" quality, with 4 of 6 domains meeting that threshold, and the remaining four "low" quality. Conclusion: Areas of strength among the CPGs included "Scope and Purpose" and "Clarity and Presentation," as they tended to be well-written and easily understood. Areas in need of improvement were "Stakeholder Involvement," "Rigor of Development," and "Applicability," suggesting these CPGs may not be appropriate for all patients or providers. This analysis found that while strong CPGs pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric GERD exist, many published guidelines lack methodological rigor and broad applicability.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.247-256
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• 2023

The aim of this report is to present a case of chondroblastic osteosarcoma located in the right maxillary premolar region of a 17-year-old female patient. The initial clinical presentation and 2-dimensional (2D) radiographic methods proved inadequate for a definitive diagnosis. However, a cone-beam computed tomography scan revealed a hyperdense, heterogeneous lesion in the right maxillary premolar region, exhibiting a characteristic "sun-ray" appearance. To assess soft tissue involvement, a medical computed tomography scan was subsequently conducted. A positron emission tomography scan detected no metastasis or indications of secondary tumors. T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed signal heterogeneity within the lesion, including areas of low signal intensity at the periphery. Histological examination conducted after an incisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of highgrade chondroblastic osteosarcoma. The patient was then referred to an oncology department for chemotherapy before surgery. In conclusion, these findings suggest that early diagnosis using 3-dimensional imaging can detect chondroblastic osteosarcoma in its early stages, such as before metastasis occurs, thereby improving the patient's prognosis.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.509-519
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• 2007

Private financing is playing an increasing role in public infrastructure construction projects worldwide. However, private investors/operators are exposed to the financial risk of low profitability due to the inaccurate estimation of facility demand, operation income, maintenance costs, etc. From the operator's perspective, a sound and thorough financial feasibility study is required to establish the appropriate capital structure of a project. Operators tend to reduce the equity amount to minimize the level of risk exposure, while creditors persist to raise it, in an attempt to secure a sufficient level of financial involvement from the operators. Therefore, it is important for creditors and operators to reach an agreement for a balanced capital structure that synthetically considers both profitability and repayment capacity. This paper presents an optimal capital structure model for successful private infrastructure investment. This model finds the optimized point where the profitability is balanced with the repayment capacity, with the use of the concept of utility function and multi-objective GA (Generic Algorithm)-based optimization. A case study is presented to show the validity of the model and its verification. The research conclusions provide a proper capital structure for privately-financed infrastructure projects through a proposed multi-objective model.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.85-98
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• 2016

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are key regulators of cell growth and survival in physiological and pathological processes. Aberrant MAPK signaling plays a critical role in the development and progression of human cancer, as well as in determining responses to cancer treatment. The MAPK phosphatases (MKPs), also known as dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs), are a family of proteins that function as major negative regulators of MAPK activities in mammalian cells. Studies using mice deficient in specific MKPs including MKP1/DUSP1, PAC-1/DUSP2, MKP2/DUSP4, MKP5/DUSP10 and MKP7/DUSP16 demonstrated that these molecules are important not only for both innate and adaptive immune responses, but also for metabolic homeostasis. In addition, the consequences of the gain or loss of function of the MKPs in normal and malignant tissues have highlighted the importance of these phosphatases in the pathogenesis of cancers. The involvement of the MKPs in resistance to cancer therapy has also gained prominence, making the MKPs a potential target for anti-cancer therapy. This review will summarize the current knowledge of the MKPs in cancer development, progression and treatment outcomes.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2022

The tensor tympani muscle is structurally important in the middle ear, specifically through its involvement in the impedance of sound in response to intense auditory and non-auditory stimuli. Despite numerous studies, its true function has been debated for many years; questions still remain about its role in auditory and non-auditory reflexes and in sound damping. Some studies suggest that the tensor tympani muscle contracts as a result of non-auditory stimulation such as facial or head movements; others suggest that it contracts due to input from the cochlear nucleus, therefore by way of auditory stimulation. Whatever the cause, contraction of the tensor tympani muscle results in low frequency mixed hearing loss, either to protect the inner ear from loud sounds or to desensitize the ear to self-generated sounds. A review of these studies indicated that the tensor tympani muscle has a wide range of functions, yet the mechanisms of some of them have not been clearly demonstrated. One major question is whether the tensor tympani muscle contributes to sound damping; and if it does, what specific role it serves. The primary purpose of this review article is to explore the functions of the tensor tympani muscle in light of recent research advances.