• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1186-1191
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• 2004

The root of Saussurea lappa includes sesquiterpene lactones such as costunolide and dehydrocostus lactone, and has been shown to be anti-tumorigenic with being used in traditional medicinal therapy in the Eastern Asia. However, the molecular basis of the effects of Saussurea lappa on fate of gastric carcinoma, which incur very frequently in the area, has not been well identified. In this study, the cytostatic effects of Saussurea lappa were examined using gastric AGS cancer cells. Cell viability was dramatically reduced by Saussurea lappa, in a dose-dependent manner. As time passed after its treatment, apoptotic population was increased and clearly showed G2-arrest. Being consistent, its treatment resulted in maintaining of G1 and S-phase cyclins D1, E, and A even until a significant apoptotic population was observed, for example, at 24h after treatment. However, G2/M phase cyclin B1 was reduced even at 12 h after treatment. In addition, its treatment increased expression of p53, p21/sup Wafl / cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI), and Bax, resulted in cleavages of procaspase 3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase(PARP), indicating that such G2 arrest- and apoptosis-related molecules are involved. Therefore, these suggest that extracts of Saussurea lappa root may be a safer and effective reagent to deal with gastric cancers either by traditional herbal therapy or combinational therapy with conventional chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7441-7447
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• 2015

Objective: This study evaluated the safety and objective response of combining $^{131}I$-labeled-metuximab (Licartin) with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: In a multicenter open-label clinical trial, 341 enrolled patients with stage III/IV HCC according to TNM criteria were nonrandomly assigned to a trial group (n=167) and a control group (n=174), undergoing TACE following hepatic intra-arterial injection of licartin or TACE alone from July 2007 to July 2009. Radiopharmaceutical distribution was evaluated. The primary endpoint was overall survival; secondary endpoints included time-to-progression (TTP), toxicity and adverse events (AEs). Results: The radiobiological distribution demonstrated better localization of licartin in liver tumors than other tissues (P<0.01). The organ absorbed doses to liver and red marrow were $3.19{\pm}1.01Gy$ and $0.55{\pm}0.22Gy$, respectively. The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher [79.47% vs. 65.59%, hazard ratio (HR), 0.598, P=0.041] and TTP significantly improved ($6.82{\pm}1.28$ vs. $4.7{\pm}1.14months$, P=0.037) compared with the control group. Patients at stage III achieved more benefit of one year survival than stage IV in the trial group (86.9% vs. 53.8%, P<0.001). There were significant different toxicities in leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia and increased total bilirubin level [P<0.001, P=0.013, P<0.01, relative risk (RR) 1.63, 1.33, 1.43], but no differences in severe AEs of upper GI hemorrhage and severe liver dysfunction between the groups (5.39% vs. 2.3%, P=0.136). Conclusions: Owing to excellent tumor-targeting, promised efficacy and favourable toxicity profile, the novel combination therapy of licartin and TACE could be applied in patients with unresectable HCC.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effects of a strength coaching program on nursing students' clinical competence, self esteem, and practice satisfaction. The study was designed using a nonequivalent control group pretest-post test design, and data were collected between January 7 and February 1, 2019. The participants consisted of 41, 3-year nursing students in G City who were assigned to an experimental group (n=21) or a control group (n=20). The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, a t-test, χ² test, and paired t-test with the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. After receiving the strength coaching program, a difference was observed in self esteem(t=5.53, p<0.038), and practice satisfaction (t=7.66, p<0.019) of the experimental group. The results of this study indicate that the strength coaching program was effective at increasing self esteem and practice satisfaction in nursing students.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.318-335
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• 2023

It is important to understand the biological aspects of fish for fishing management. This study was conducted from February through October 2021. A total of 1,629 fishes were collected using different fishing gears. The length-weight relationship is a power curve for all fishes and showed a significant (r² > 0.8). All fishes revealed a negative allometric growth pattern except Labeobarbus intermedius. Oreochromis niloticus (1.714 ± 0.009) was found in better condition than other fish species (analysis of variance [ANOVA], p < 0.05). The length at maturity was 24.0 cm and 25.4 cm total length (TL), 28.9 cm and 28.2 cm fork length, and 53.2 cm and 57.5 cm TL for females and males of O. niloticus, L. intermedius and Clarias gariepinus, respectively. Fecundity was ranged between 100-947 eggs/g with absolute fecundity (AF) of 468-3,832 eggs, 200-1,000 eggs/g with AF of 2,752-136,420 eggs, and 505-900 eggs/g with AF of 2,000-6,404 eggs for O. niloticus, C. gariepinus, and L. intermedius, respectively. Their respective mean fecundity was 1,490 ± 91, 23,330 ± 5,070, and 3,096 ± 273 eggs, respectively. Mean fecundity revealed a significant variation between size classes and species (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The fecundity length and fecundity-body weight relationships except (O. niloticus) of fishes were curvilinear while the gonad weight (GW)-fecundity relationship was linear for all fish species. The fecundity was moderately associated with increasing length than body weight, and GW for all fishes (r² > 0.6). In conclusion, a tangible management setup is required to sustain the use of fish in the reservoir.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Health Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1654-1659
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• 2024

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine Correlation analysis of central corneal thickness, anterior chamber volume, and anterior chamber depth in Koreans aged 20 to 24 years using the Pentacam tool. Methods: The subjects of this study were 53 Korean adults with healthy eyes. The central corneal thickness(CCT), anterior chamber volume(ACV), and anterior chamber depth(ACD) was measured with Pentacam device. Data was analyzed by means of the Pearson's correlation cofficient. P-values<0.001 were considered statistically significant. Results: Mean age of subjects was 22.0±2.01 years. The mean +/- central corneal thickness of the right eye and left eye were 546.66±32.221mmg and 545.70±32.759mm, respectively. Also The mean central cornea thickness was 546.19 um in the whole sample. The mean anterior chamber volume the right eye and left eye was 181.66±33.738 mm³ and 180.12±30.84 mm³, respectively. The mean anterior chamber depth was 3.158±0.257 mm and 3.122±0.233 mm in right eye and left eye, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between anterior camber volume and anterior chamber depth(p<0.001, Pearson's correlation). However there was no statistically significant difference between central cornea thickness and anterior chamber volume. Also there was no statistically significant difference between central cornea thickness and anterior chamber depth. Conclusion: The results of this study could be used as a clinical reference data for diagnosis and treatment of cornea in Korean adolescents.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2024

Background: Stingless bee propolis is a popular traditional folk medicine and has been employed since ancient times. This study aimed to evaluate the antinociceptive activities of the chemical constituents of aqueous propolis extract (APE) collected by Trigona thoracica in a nociceptive model in mice. Methods: The identification of chemical constituents of APE was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Ninety-six male Swiss mice were administered APE (400 mg/kg, 1,000 mg/kg, and 2,000 mg/kg) before developing nociceptive pain models. Then, the antinociceptive properties of each APE dose were evaluated in acetic acid-induced abdominal constriction, hot plate test, and formalin-induced paw licking test. Administration of normal saline, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, 100 mg/kg, orally), and morphine (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) were used for the experiments. Results: HPLC revealed that the APE from Trigona thoracica contained p-coumaric acid (R² = 0.999) and caffeic acid (R² = 0.998). Although all APE dosages showed inhibition of acetic acid-induced abdominal constriction, only 2,000 mg/kg was comparable to the result of ASA (68.7% vs. 73.3%, respectively). In the hot plate test, only 2,000 mg/kg of APE increased the latency time significantly compared to the control. In the formalin test, the durations of paw licking were significantly reduced at early and late phases in all APE groups with a decrease from 45.1% to 53.3%. Conclusions: APE from Trigona thoracica, containing p-coumaric acid and caffeic acid, exhibited antinociceptive effects, which supports its potential use in targeting the prevention or reversal of central and peripheral sensitization that may produce clinical pain conditions.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2016

Purpose: To develop a technique for quantifying the $^{13}C$-metabolites by performing frequency-selective hyperpolarized $^{13}C$ magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in vitro which combines simple spectrally-selective excitation with spectrally interleaved acquisition. Methods: Numerical simulations were performed with varying noise level and $K_p$ values to compare the quantification accuracies of the proposed and the conventional methods. For in vitro experiments, a spectrally-selective excitation scheme was enabled by narrow-band radiofrequency (RF) excitation pulse implemented into a free-induction decay chemical shift imaging (FIDCSI) sequence. Experiments with LDH / NADH enzyme mixture were performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed acquisition method. Also, a modified two-site exchange model was formulated for metabolism kinetics quantification with the proposed method. Results: From the simulation results, significant increase of the lactate peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) was observed. Also, the quantified $K_p$ value from the dynamic curves were more accurate in the case of the proposed acquisition method compared to the conventional non-selective excitation scheme. In vitro experiment results were in good agreement with the simulation results, also displaying increased PSNR for lactate. Fitting results using the modified two-site exchange model also showed expected results in agreement with the simulations. Conclusion: A method for accurate quantification of hyperpolarized pyruvate and the downstream product focused on in vitro experiment was described. By using a narrow-band RF excitation pulse with alternating acquisition, different resonances were selectively excited with a different flip angle for increased PSNR while the hyperpolarized magnetization of the substrate can be minimally perturbed with a low flip angle. Baseline signals from neighboring resonances can be effectively suppressed to accurately quantify the metabolism kinetics.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.123-131
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• 2020

In this study, we investigated the protective effects of a Neutrase enzymatic hydrolysate derived from Korea pen shell Atrina pectinata (APN) against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative damage in hepatocytes. First, we confirmed that APN has antioxidant activities by scavenging 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid radical (ABTS⁺) and H₂O₂ and increasing oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value. Also, the treatment of APN increased the cell viability by reducing the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in H₂O₂-stimulated hepatocytes. In addition, APN decreased the sub-G₁ DNA contents and the apoptotic body formation increased by H₂O₂ stimulation. Moreover, APN modulated the protein expression of apoptosis related molecules (Bcl-2, Bax and p53) by suppressing the activation of nuclear factor NFkB and ERK/p38 signaling in H₂O₂-stimulated hepatocytes. Furthermore, APN led to the activation of Nrf2/HO-1signaling known as antioxidant systems. These results suggest APN protects hepatocytes against oxidative damages caused by H₂O₂ stimulation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.26.1-26.7
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• 2022

This study was aimed to evaluate the prophylactic anti-glaucoma effect of topical 5% betaxolol (BTX) and 2% dorzolamide (DRZ) on the second eye in dogs with unilateral primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). Medical records of 60 dogs with unilateral PACG who received prophylactic anti-glaucoma eyedrops in the second eye, from 2016 to 2021, were reviewed. The prophylactic effects of BTX were maintained on 28/60 (46.7%) eyes until last visit and BTX failure was observed on median 510 (range, 53-1,927) days in 32/60 (53.3%) eyes. After DRZ instillation in BTX failure eyes, the prophylactic effects were extended at median 610 (range, 157-2,270) days in 21/32 (65.6%) eyes. DRZ failure eyes (17/21, 81.0%) eyes required chemical ablation or surgical intervention due to uncontrolled intraocular pressure. The duration of prophylactic effects was decreased with aging (R² = 0.334, p = 0.006). The predominant breeds were Shih-Tzu (41.9%) and American Cocker Spaniel (30.6%) with no significant differences in survival curves (p = 0.210). The average prophylactic effects of BTX persisted more than 1.5 year and could be selected the first prophylactic eye drop in unilateral PACG. Also, early surgical intervention should be considered in prophylactic medications failure cases.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.77-84
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• 2014

Biodegradable nanocomposites were fabricated with poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and Nanomer$^{(R)}$ I.44P using ultrasonication (US). Processing conditions were optimized to obtain the maximum tensile properties of the nanocomposites. Poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) was used as a plasticizer to avoid the brittleness of nanocompsoties. In order to disperse nanoclay into the PLA matrix, PEG and Nanomer$^{(R)}$ I.44P were firstly mixed and dispersed in the chloroform and followed by ultrasonication for 1 min With 10% PEG 400, tensile stress and Young's modulus of the nanocomposites decreased from 53.5 MPa and 2225 MPa to 37.0 MPa and 1757 MPa, respectively, while the elongation was increased from 4% to 21%. Tensile stress, Young's modulus, and elongation of nanocomposites were also increased with nanoclay concentration up to 2% (w/w) and were decreased with further increase in the nanoclay concentration. Transmittance of nanocomposites were significantly decreased from 62.5% for pure PLA film to 7.8% for 5% nanoclay containing nanocomposites. Water vapor permeability of the nanocomposites was also significantly decreased with nanoclay concentration and the minimum WVP of $3.5{\times}10^{-11}g{\cdot}m/m^2{\cdot}s{\cdot}Pa$ was obtained with 5% (w/w) nanoclay concentration. The PLA/Nanomer$^{(R)}$ I.44P nanocomposites showed a great potential as a environmental friendly food packaging material.