• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2019

The study was conducted to investigate the acute and sub-acute toxicity effect of Aquilaria malaccensis leaves aqueous extract (AEAM) towards male ICR mice in terms of body weight, relative organ weight, mortality rate and sperm parameters. In acute toxicity study, a single dose at of 2000 mg/kg was performed. In sub-acute toxicity study, the mice were received normal saline (control group), 50, 100, 150, 200, 500, or 1000 mg/kg of AEAM orally for 21 days of treatment. In sub-acute toxicity study, the number of abnormal sperm were significantly decreased in AEAM 100, 150, 200, 500, and 1000 when compared to the control group. While, the motility of sperm were found to be significantly increased in AEAM 100, 150, 200, and 1000 as compared to the control group. No mortality was recorded in the control group and treated groups in both toxicity studies except for one mouse from AEAM 1000 group. However, the mild sedative effect in terms of the tendency to sleep was clearly noticeable in both toxicity studies. Results indicated that the AEAM can be one of the useful alternative medicine to enhance fertility rate by increasing healthy sperm production.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.289-301
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• 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic airway inflammation characterized by fixed airflow limitation and chronic respiratory symptoms, such as cough, sputum, and dyspnea. COPD is a progressive disease characterized by a decline in lung function. During the natural course of the disease, acute deterioration of symptoms leading to hospital visits can occur and influence further disease progression and subsequent exacerbation. Moreover, COPD is not only restricted to pulmonary manifestations but can present with other systemic diseases as comorbidities or systemic manifestations, including lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary hypertension, sarcopenia, and metabolic abnormalities. These pulmonary and extrapulmonary conditions lead to the aggravation of dyspnea, physical inactivity, decreased exercise capacity, functional decline, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. In addition, pneumonia, which is attributed to both COPD itself and an adverse effect of treatment (especially the use of inhaled and/or systemic steroids), can occur and lead to further deterioration in the prognosis of COPD. This review summarizes the long-term outcomes of patients with COPD. In addition, recent studies on the prediction of adverse outcomes are summarized in the last part of the review.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.487-493
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• 2009

Available ecological and fishery data of sailfin sandfish, Arctoscopus japonicus, was examined to ascertain its population dynamic parameters in Korean waters. The instantaneous coefficient of total mortality (Z) was estimated to be 1.361/yr, and annual survival rate (S) was 0.256. The estimated instantaneous coefficient of natural mortality (M) was 0.482/yr, and the instantaneous coefficient of fishing mortality (F) for recent years was calculated to be 0.879/yr from Z and M values. Age at first capture was estimated to be 1.958 years. These parameters, in conjunction with catch landings data between 1991 and 2008, were used to estimate annual biomass using a biomass-based cohort analysis. The biomass of A. japonicus was estimated at approximately 7,600 mt in 1991, but since 1994 decreased to below 4,000 mt by 2001. After 2002 they started to increase gradually, and showed the level of more than 5,000 mt in recent years.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2011

Objective: Due to longer life spans, patients newly diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) are increasing in number. This study aimed to evaluate how management of UIAs in patients age 65 years and older affects the clinical outcomes and post-procedural morbidity rates in these patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 109 patients harboring 136 aneurysms across 12 years, between 1997 and 2009, at our institute. We obtained the following data from all patients: age, sex, location and size of the aneurysm(s), presence of symptoms, risk factors for stroke, treatment modality, and postoperative 1-year morbidity and mortality. We classified these patients into three groups: Group A (surgical clipping), Group B (coil embolization), and Group C (observation only). Results: Among the 109 patients, 56 (51.4%) underwent clipping treatment, 25 (23%) patients were treated with coiling, and 28 observation only. The overall morbidity and mortality rates were 2.46% and 0%, respectively. The morbidity rate was 1.78% for Clipping and 4% for coiling. Factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and family history of stroke were correlated with unfavorable outcomes. Two in the observation group refused follow-up and died of intracranial ruptured aneurysms. The observation group had a 7% mortality rate. Conclusion: Our results show acceptable favorable outcome of treatment-related morbidity comparing with the natural history of unruptured cerebral aneurysm. Surgical clipping did not lead to inferior outcomes in our study, although coil embolization is generally more popular for treating elderly patients, In the treatment of patients more than 65 years old, age is not the limiting factor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1536-1543
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• 2013

Proteases produced by Xenorhabdus are known to play a significant role in virulence leading to insect mortality. The present study was undertaken to purify and characterize protease from Xenorhabdus indica, an endosymbiont of nematode Steinernema thermophilum, and to decipher its role in insect mortality and its efficacy to control Helicoverpa armigera. A set of 10 strains of Xenorhabdus isolated from different regions of India were screened for protease activity on the basis of zone of clearing on gelatin agar plates. One potent strain of Xenorhabdus indica was selected for the production of protease, and the highest production (1,552 U/ml) was observed at 15-18 h of incubation at $28^{\circ}C$ in soya casein digest broth. The extracellular protease was purified from culture supernatant using ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography. The enzyme was further characterized by SDS-PAGE and zymography, which confirmed the purity of the protein and its molecular mass was found to be ~52 kDa. Further MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis and effect of metal chelating agent 1,10-phenanthrolin study revealed the nature of the purified protease as a secreted alkaline metalloprotease. The bioefficacy of the purified protease was also tested against cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) and resulted in $67.9{\pm}0.64%$ mortality within one week. This purified protease has the potential to be developed as a natural insecticidal agent against a broad range of agriculturally important insects.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.527-532
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• 2016

Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, infestation is an important public health problem in Egypt. Inadequate application of topical pediculicides and the increasing resistance to the commonly used pediculicides made the urgent need for the development of new agents able to induce irreversible changes in the exposed lice leading to their mortality. The aim of the present work is to evaluate pediculicidal efficacy of some natural products such as olive oil, tea tree oil, lemon juice, and ivermectin separately in comparison with tetramethrin-piperonyl butoxide (licid), as a standard pediculicide commonly used in Egypt. The effects of these products were evaluated by direct observation using dissecting and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). Results showed that after 1 hr exposure time in vitro, absolute (100%) mortalities were recorded after exposure to 1% ivermectin and fresh concentrate lemon juice. The mortalities were decreased to 96.7% after exposure to tea tree oil. Very low percentage of mortality (23.3%) was recorded after 1 hr of exposure to extra virgin olive oil. On the other hand, the reference pediculicide (licid) revealed only mortality rate of 93.3%. On the contrary, no mortalities were recorded in the control group exposed to distilled water. By SEM examination, control lice preserved outer smooth architecture, eyes, antenna, respiratory spiracles, sensory hairs, and legs with hook-like claws. In contrast, dead lice which had been exposed to pediculicidal products showed damage of outer smooth architecture, sensory hairs, respiratory spiracles and/or clinching claws according to pediculicidal products used.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.338-351
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• 2018

This study was conducted in a long-term experimental forest in the central hardwoods region of southwestern Michigan to retrospectively examine the role of past forest management practices and climate on red oak (Quercus rubra L.) productivity. Initially, in 1971, plots within the experimental forest were treated separately with a clearcut and shelterwood regeneration harvest in an attempt to increase red oak regeneration. From 1987-1989, a new study was initiated within a portion of the clearcut and shelterwood plots to evaluate the effectiveness of additional oak crop tree release using mechanical and chemical applications. Cumulative diameter and mortality rates of 719 red oaks were monitored across the four silvicultural treatments: Clearcut-A (clearcut without additional release treatment), Clearcut-B (clearcut with additional release treatment), Shelterwood-A (shelterwood without additional release), and Shelterwood-B (shelterwood with additional release) plus an untreated control. Increment cores were obtained from red oak trees and neighboring competitor species. Tree-ring analyses (dendrochronology) were applied to examine the effect of these silvicultural treatments and climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) on red oak productivity. The results indicated that crop tree release following a clearcut or shelterwood harvest reduced mortality rates and thus increased survival of red oak. Red oak in control plots or plots only receiving the initial regeneration harvesting treatment and no additional competition release were negatively affected by climatic stress, which included summer moisture stress. In contrast, red oak in plots that received the competition release treatment from shade tolerant tree species not only had higher tree level productivity (i.e., tree basal area) and lower mortality rates, but were also relatively more resilient to climatic stress by showing limited or no associations between climate and growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1136-1141
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• 2011

Effect of dietary essential oils on growth, feed utilization and meat yields of white leg shrimp L. vannamei was investigated. White shrimp fry weighing 0.62 g were kept in one of 12 tanks (75 head/500 L holding tank) in a closed recirculation system. Four experimental diets, a commercial diet (control), phytoncide oil (PO), oregano oil (OO) and fermented garlic liquid (GL) were fed for 16 weeks. The mean water quality values for the whole experimental period were $27.8{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, $7.6{\pm}0.3$, $15.5{\pm}0.3$ g/L and $6.1{\pm}0.3$ mg/L for water temperature, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen, respectively. At the end of the trial, 10 shrimp per tank were randomly sampled and meat yields (%) were evaluated after peeling the shell and removing the head. After a 16 week feeding trial, final weight of shrimp ranged from 21.9 g to 23.6 g. Feed conversion was not significantly different among groups (p>0.05), which was the lowest (1.95) in the control and highest (2.30) in the PO. Specific growth rate was also not significantly different (p>0.05) and ranged from 3.18% to 3.25%. Average daily gain of 0.2 g was obtained in all treatments. Mortality varied from 35.1% for control to 44.9% for OO. Meat yields maintained constant at 52.1% for control to 53.0% for PO. The study suggested that natural essential oils could not exert any improvement in growth performance, mortality and meat yields of white leg shrimp.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 1998

In order to obtain leading compound for the development of new pesticide through the organic synthesis of natural products, the synthesis of ricinine, an active compound of Ricinus communis, was established and biological activities of synthetic compounds against insects were examined. The synthetic scheme of ricinine was composed of four steps by the spontaneous condensation of the cyanoacetyl chloride. A modified synthetic process was also estabilshed to enhance the synthetic yield by simple cyclization of ethoxymethylene malononitrile. In the bioassay results of synthetic ricinine and intermediates on four insects, the mortality of ricinine on brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens) and pea weevil(PW, Bruchus rufimanus) was 80% and 75% at the concentration of 1,000 ${\mu}g/ml$ respectively. Chloronorricinine and chlororicinic acid having chloride group in molecular structure gave 60% mortality on two-spotted mite (TSSM, Tetranychus urticae) at the concentration of 500 ${\mu}g/ml$. The mortality of compounds on house mosquito (HM, Culex pipens pallens) was meager at 10 ${\mu}g/ml$ level.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.367-380
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• 2016

This study reviewed and compared methods for mapping aggregated low birth weight (LBW) and geographic variations in LBW in South Korea. Based on this review, we produced LBW maps in South Korea. Standardized mortality/morbidity ratios (SMRs) and crude mortality rates have been widely used for many years in epidemiological research. However, SMR-based maps are likely to be affected by sample size of unit area. Therefore, this study adopted a model-based approach using Bayesian estimates to reduce noisy variability in the SMR. By using a Bayesian model, we can calculate a statistically reliable RR values. We used the full Bayes estimator, as well as empirical Bayes estimators. As a result, variations in the two Bayes models were similar. The SMR-based statistics had the largest variation. The result maps can be used to identify regions with a high risk of LBW in South Korea.