• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.250-255
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• 2011

As part of our continuing search for novel bioactive natural products, antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of the aqueous ethanolic extract of Polygonum aviculare were investigated. In addition, the total phenolic content was quantified by a spectrophotometric method. The antioxidant properties of the extract were evaluated by radical scavenging assays such as DPPH and $ABTS^+$ radicals. The anti-obesity efficacy of P. aviculare extract was tested by porcine pancreatic lipase assay. All tested samples showed a dose-dependent pancreatic lipase inhibitory and radical scavenging activities. In terms of the $IC_{50}$ value, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) soluble portion was most potent than other solvent soluble portions. The results suggested that P. aviculare could be considered as a new potential source of natural antioxidant and anti-obesity agent for food, nutraceutical, cosmetics industries.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.421-426
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• 2014

In this study, the antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of aqueous methanolic (70% methanol) extract from the roots of Anemarrhena asphodeloides were investigated. The extracts of four solvent fractions (the n-hexane layer, EtOAc layer, n-BuOH layer, and $H_2O$ layer) of the 70% methanol extract were also investigated. Furthermore, the total phenolic content was quantified using a spectrophotometric method. All the tested samples showed dose-dependent radical scavenging and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. In particular, the pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of the ethyl acetate soluble portion (the EtOAc layer) from the rhizomes of the A. asphodeloides was higher than that of the other solvent-soluble portions. The antioxidant property of the extracts was evaluated using radical scavenging assays with DPPH and $ABTS^+$ radicals. 1000 mg/ml of the n-BuOH layer extract showed 91.2% DPPH radical scavenging activity. The EtOAc layer extract and the n-BuOH layer extract showed $IC_{50}=20.5{\pm}1.7mg/ml$ and $IC_{50}=50.5{\pm}0.7mg/ml$ $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activities, respectively. The anti-obesity efficacy of the A. asphodeloides extract was tested via porcine pancreatic lipase assay. A pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity ($IC_{50}$) of $31.3{\pm}0.1mg/ml$ was obtained from the EtOAc layer extract. These results suggest that A. asphodeloides can be considered a new potential source of natural antioxidant and anti-obesity agents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.2037-2042
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• 2013

Background: Different methods of diagnosis have been found to be inefficient in terms of screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer. Cancer cells produce proteins whose serum levels may be elevated during the early stages of cancer development. Therefore, those proteins may be recognized as potential cancer markers. The aim of this study was to differentiate healthy individuals and lung cancer cases by analyzing their serum protein profiles and evaluate the efficacy of this method in the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Materials and Methods: 170 patients with lung cancer, 53 under high risk of lung cancer, and 47 healthy people were included in our study. Proteomic analysis of the samples was performed with the SELDI-TOF-MS approach. Results: The most discriminatory peak of the high risk group was 8141. When tree classification analysis was performed between lung cancer and the healthy control group, 11547 was determined as the most discriminatory peak, with a sensitivity of 85.5%, a specificity of 89.4%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 96.7% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 62.7%. Conclusions: We determined three different protein peaks 11480, 11547 and 11679 were only present in the lung cancer group. The 8141 peak was found in the high-risk group, but not in the lung cancer and control groups. These peaks may prove to be markers of lung cancer which suggests that they may be used in the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.216-220
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• 2011

PURPOSE. Heat of composite polymerization (HP) indicates setting efficacy and temperature increase of composite in clinical procedures. The purpose of this in vitro experimental study was to evaluate the effects of 5 temperatures on HP of two new composites. MATERIALS AND METHODS. From each material (Core Max II [CM] and King Dental [KD]), 5 groups of 5 specimens each were prepared and their total HPs (J/gr) were measured and recorded, at one of the constant temperatures $0^{\circ}C$, $15^{\circ}C$, $23^{\circ}C$, $37^{\circ}C$ and $60^{\circ}C$ ($2{\times}5{\times}5$ specimens) using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyzer. The data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA, a Tukey's test, an independent-samples ttest, and a linear regression analysis (${\alpha}=0.05$). RESULTS. No polymerization reactions occurred at $0^{\circ}C$; then this temperature was excluded from statistical analyses. The mean HP of the remaining 20 KD specimens was $20.5{\pm}14.9$ J/gr, while it was $40.7{\pm}12.9$ J/gr for CM. The independent-samples t-test showed that there were significant differences between the HP of the two materials at the temperatures $15^{\circ}C$ (P=.0001), $23^{\circ}C$ (P=.0163), $37^{\circ}C$ (P=.0039), and $60^{\circ}C$ (P=.0106). Linear regression analysis showed statistically significant correlations between environment temperatures and HP of CM ($R^2=0.777$). CONCLUSION. Using CM is advantageous over conventional composite because of its better polymerization capacity. However due to its high HP, further studies should assess its temperature increase in vivo. Preheating KD is recommended. Refrigerating composites can negatively affect their polymerization potential.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.218-224
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• 2018

Macroglossia is an obstacle in regard to general prosthodontic restoration. Not only is it difficult to obtain support and stability from dentures manufactured from normal protocol, obtaining efficacy from basic mastication is also difficult. In such cases, realizing harmony between the occlusion and surrounding muscle structures may be important with regard to manufacture of stable full dentures, and it is necessary to form the appropriate polished surface for this case. The neutral zone is defined as the potential area resulting from the neuromuscular function that results in equilibrium between the outward force exerted by the tongue and the inward force exerted by the lips and cheeks. The artificial teeth of the full denture lies in this area, and if the polished zone follows the anatomic form of the dynamic muscles, the movement of the muscles simply acts as an element of stabilizing the dentures improving the esthetics through facial support.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.1265-1270
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• 2009

Pathogens contaminated on the surface of utensils could contribute to the occurrence of outbreaks due to cross-contamination to foods during the food preparation process. Therefore, the efficacy of chemical sanitizers (chlorine-based and alcohol-based commercial sanitizers) and dry-heat ($71^{\circ}C$) on inhibiting biofilms of five foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus) on the surface of stainless steel and polypropylene were investigated in this study. Initial populations of pathogens were 8.8$\sim$9.3 and 9.4$\sim$10.3 log CFU/coupon on the surface of stainless steel and polypropylene coupon, respectively, and these populations were not significantly reduced when they were treated with water for 5 min at room temperature. Treatments with chlorine sanitizer and dry-heat were not effective on inactivating pathogens on the surfaces of stainless steel and polypropylene. In contrast, treatments with alcohol sanitizer were very effective on inactivating pathogens on the surfaced of stainless steel and polypropylene. Reduction levels ranged from 3.4 to 6.4 log and from 5.5 to 7.4 log CFU/coupon in stainless steel and plastic coupons, respectively. From these results, alcohol-based sanitizer could be used as a potential way for controlling microbial contamination on the surface of utensils, cooking equipment, and other related environments.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.3
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• pp.151-161
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• 2012

Background: Adequate assessment and control of sedation play crucial roles in the proper performance of mechanical ventilation. Methods: A total of 30 patients with various pulmonary diseases were prospectively enrolled. The study population was randomized into two groups. The sedation assessment group (SAG) received active protocol-based control of sedation, and in the empiric control group (ECG), the sedation levels were empirically adjusted. Subsequently, daily interruption of sedation (DIS) was conducted in the SAG. Results: In the SAG, the dose of midazolam was significantly reduced by control of sedation (day 1, $1.3{\pm}0.5{\mu}g/kg/min$; day 2, $0.9{\pm}0.4{\mu}g/kg/min$; p<0.01), and was significantly lower than the ECG on day 2 (p<0.01). Likewise, on day 2, sedation levels were significantly lower in the SAG than in the ECG. Significant relationship was found between Ramsay sedation scale and Richmond agitation-sedation scale (RASS; $r_s$=-0.57), Ramsay Sedation Scale and Bispectral Index (BIS; $r_s$=0.77), and RASS and BIS ($r_s$=-0.79). In 10 patients, who didn't require re-sedation after DIS, BIS showed the earliest and most significant changes among the sedation scales. Ventilatory parameters showed significant but less prominent changes, and hemodynamic parameters didn't show significant changes. No seriously adverse events ensued after the implementation of DIS. Conclusion: Active assessment and control of sedation significantly reduced the dosage of sedatives in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. DIS, conducted in limited cases, suggested its potential efficacy and tolerability.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.289-301
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• 2006

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for cardiac surgery triggers the production and release of numerous chemotactic substances and cytokines, ensuing systemic inflammatory response that leads to postoperative major organ dysfunction. Traditionally, corticosteroids (steroid) have been administered to patients undergoing cardiac surgery to ward off these detrimental physiologic alterations. However, the majority of the studies have been performed on adult patients with high-dose steroid. We carried out a randomized, prospective, double-blind study to compare the efficacy of low-dose steroid with that of high-dose steroid and to determine the adequate dose of pretreated-steroid for prophylactic effects in pediatric cardiac surgery. Thirty pediatric patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to two groups; fifteen patients received low-dose methylprednisolone (10mg/kg intravenously, n=15, low-dose group) and the others received high-dose methylprednisolone (30mg/kg intravenously, n=15, high-dose group) 1 hour prior to CPB. Arterial blood samples were taken before CPB (Pre-CPB), 10 minutes after start of CPB (CPB-10), and immediately after CPB-end (CPB-OFF) for measuring total leukocyte counts (T-WBC) and diff-counts, platelet counts, interleukin-6 (IL-6), myeloperoxidase (MPO), total antioxidant (TAO), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), troponin I (TNI), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Other parameters such as volumes of urine output, pulmonary index $(PI,\;PaO_2/FiO_2)$, mechanical ventilating period, intensive care unit (ICU)-staying period, postoperative complications (fever, wound problem), postoperative 24 hrs and total volumes in blood loss, and hospitalized days were also assessed. All parameters were compared between two groups. There were no significant differences in T-WBC counts, monocyte fraction, platelet counts, TA levels, NSE levels, creatinine levels, BUN levels, the volumes of total urine output, PI, the incidences of fever and wound problem, postoperative 24hrs- and total-blood loss volumes and ICU-staying period between two groups (P>0.05). At CPB-OFF, neutrophil fraction, MPO level, TNI level, and AST level were higher in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group (P<0.05). IL-6 level at CPB-10 was higher in the high dose-group than in the low-dose group (P<0.05). Furthermore, mechanical ventilating periods and hospitalized days of the high-dose group were significantly longer than those of low-dose group (P<0.05). The high-dose group had significantly low lymphocyte fi-action at CPB-OFF compared with the low-dose group (P<0.001). These findings suggest that pretreatment of high-dose steroid is not superior to that of low-dose steroid regrading its potential benefits in pediatric cardiac surgery. Therefore, the conventional strategy of steroid treatment, high-dose pretreatment, should be modified in the cardiac surgery with CPB. However, further studies must be performed on the larger number of patients in as much as small number of patients in this study.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.432-437
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• 2010

LBH is a transcription factor as a candidate gene for CHD associated with partial trisomy 2p syndrome. To identify potential LBH-interacting partners, a yeast two-hybrid screen using LBH as a bait was performed with a human heart cDNA library. One of the clones identified encodes ${\alpha}B$-crystallin. Co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays showed that LBH interacts with ${\alpha}B$-crystallin, which is further confirmed by mammalian two-hybrid assays. Co-localization analysis showed that in COS-7 cells, ${\alpha}B$-crystallin that is cytoplasmic alone, accumulates partialy in the nucleus when co-transfected with LBH. Transient transfection assays indicated that overexpression of LBH or ${\alpha}B$-crystallin reduced the transcriptional activities of p53 and p21, respectively, Overexpression of both ${\alpha}B$-crystallin and LBH together resulted in a stronger repression of the transcriptional activities of p21 and p53. These results showed that the interaction of LBH and ${\alpha}B$-crystallin may inhibit synergistically the transcriptional regulation of p53 and p21.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.93-114
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• 2012

Objective : This study aimed to review the performance of traditional herbal prescriptions for treating dementia and present a strategy for research on dementia therapy utilizing herbal medicine. Methods : A definition was made to clarify the technology regarding the development of herbal prescriptions for treating dementia. The queries were compounded based on the initial keywords provided by experts in the field, then applied to the Web of Science database search engines from January 1986 to September 2011 to search related scientific articles. Before performing the analysis, papers were extracted from the initial search reviewed by experts and 80 articles were selected. Then, the selected papers were analyzed in terms of publish year, country, and type of herbal prescriptions. Furthermore, the research performance evaluation for treating dementia by herbal prescriptions was also created in terms of country and organization based on forward citation analysis. In addition to, for the evaluation regarding research quality, we classified and reviewed papers into two types: clinical studies and experimental studies. Results : According to the quantitative information analysis of 80 articles, the number of papers has increased by 21.9% per the yearly mean from 1995, and Japan had the largest portion within this research field. There were 34 kinds of traditional herbal prescriptions, among them Ukgansan had the highest number of studies followed by Jodeungsan, Dangkisoosan and so on. In addition, quality index as calculated by cites per paper is higher than average in Switzerland, Turkey and Japan. In the view of the evaluation on quality there were 12 clinical studies, 8 RCT reported that herbal prescriptions had efficacy at cognition, behavioral & psychological symptoms (BPSD) and activity of daily life (ADL) in various type of dementia. In experimental studies most of the studies were performed using animal models. The studies using Ukgansan were aimed at improving BPSD. The papers studied with Jodeungsan and Dangkisoosan targeted vascular dementia. Conclusions : In this study, research to develop traditional herbal prescriptions for treating dementia has the potential to improve symptoms since herbal medicines work as both multi-function and multi-target in dementia with multiple pathological or neurotoxic pathways. Therefore, the results of the research should be used in order to establish strategies to develop technology for treating dementia with traditional herbal prescriptions in the future.