• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2021

Purpose: Problems related to the elderly's daily life, such as social isolation and absence of a place to go, are already widely recognized, but there are few domestic studies or support policies for this, and the elderly leisure welfare facilities provided by the state do not fully support the elderly's daily life. There are studies related to the elderly's neighborhood environment and facilities, which can be seen as the third place for the elderly in Korea, but these are mostly quantitative studies. In order to talk about the third place for daily support for the elderly in Korea, a detailed study of the use cases of the third place in Korea is needed. This study analyzes the third place of the elderly in Korea and discovers the characteristics and components. Based on the detailed analysis of the third place of the elderly, the characteristics of the third place of the elderly in Korea and the elements constituting it are found to be able to represent the specific necessary environment of the third place of the elderly. Methods: The research targets include 'A Mill' (located in Jungnang-gu, Seoul), and 'Roadside in front of Villa B'(located in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul), 'C-dong roadside park'(located in Dobong-gu, Seoul) within the range of repeated observations and meetings among the places used as a third place for the elderly was selected. The site survey consisted of in-depth interviews, observational surveys, and participatory observations. In-depth interviews were held for a total of 5 months, from October to December 2019 and from April to May 2020. Results: As a result, a total of 11 characteristics (adjacent to the residence, an open place, an independent space, a comfortable place to stay, a pleasant space, safety is guaranteed, a place that has been operated for a long time, a place that can be used autonomously, a place where social exchange occurs, No financial burden, fun activities) was discovered. Implications: This study is significant in that unlike the existing studies focusing on the use behavior of established institutions or facilities, the elderly identified the necessary environment through their own created places.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.7-22
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of virtual reality interventions (VRIs) on cognitive function in individuals with stroke through a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Methods : We reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) the last 10 years using academic databases. PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL were used for international studies, and DBpia, KISS, Kyoboscholar, and e-article were used for Korean studies. For the quantitative meta-analysis, subgroups of outcomes were classified into general cognitive function (G-CF), attention and memory (A&M), and executive function (EF). Results : Nine RCTs were analyzed. The total number of participants was 271 (140 in the experimental group). The effect size (Cohen's d) was estimated using a random effects model. The effect sizes of the outcome subgroups of were as follows: small to medium for G-CF (d=0.422; 95% CI: 0.101~0.742; p=0.010), small for A&M (d=0.249; 95% CI: -0.107~0.605; p=0.170), and medium for EF (d=0.666; 95% CI: 0.136~1.195; p=0.014). Conclusion : Considering the various stimuli provided by the virtual environment and the results from available research, virtual reality should be applied to interventions for integrated cognitive functions. In addition, it would be appropriate to be used as an additional intervention to traditional cognitive rehabilitation for stroke.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.14-32
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) has a central role in regulating muscle differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism. PGC-1α stimulates muscle growth and muscle fiber remodeling, concomitantly regulating lactate and lipid metabolism and promoting oxidative metabolism. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thumb.) has been widely employed as a traditional herbal medicine and possesses antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, hypoglycemic, and anticancer properties. We investigated whether G. pentaphyllum extract (GPE) and its active compound, gypenoside L (GL), affect muscle differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism via activation of the PGC-1α pathway in murine C2C12 myoblast cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: C2C12 cells were treated with GPE and GL, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot were used to analyze the mRNA and protein expression levels. Myh1 was determined using immunocytochemistry. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation was measured using the 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay. RESULTS: GPE and GL promoted the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes and elevated mRNA and protein expression levels of Myh1 (type IIx). GPE and GL also significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of the PGC-1α gene (Ppargc1a), lactate metabolism-regulatory genes (Esrra and Mct1), adipocyte-browning gene fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 gene (Fndc5), glycogen synthase gene (Gys), and lipid metabolism gene carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b gene (Cpt1b). Moreover, GPE and GL induced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase, p38, sirtuin1, and deacetylated PGC-1α. We also observed that treatment with GPE and GL significantly stimulated the expression of genes associated with the anti-oxidative stress response, such as Ucp2, Ucp3, Nrf2, and Sod2. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that GPE and GL enhance exercise performance by promoting myotube differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism through the upregulation of PGC-1α in C2C12 skeletal muscle.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.206-219
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• 2022

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the influence of local application of thymoquinone (TQ) on bone healing in experimental bone defects infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG). Methods: Forty-two female rats were randomly divided into 6 groups. A bone defect was created on the right tibia of all animals. The PG, PG/collagen membrane (COL) and PG/TQ/COL groups were infected with PG. In the COL and PG/COL groups, the defects were covered with a COL; in the TQ/COL and PG/TQ/COL groups, the defects were covered with a TQ-containing COL. After 28 days, all animals were sacrificed. Quantitative measurements of new bone formation and osteoblast lining, as well as semiquantitative measurements of capillary density and tissue response, were analyzed. Furthermore, the presence of bacterial infections in defect areas was evaluated. Results: The new bone formation, osteoblast number, and capillary density were significantly higher in the TQ groups than in the control groups (P<0.001, P<0.001, and P<0.01, respectively). In a comparison between the TQ/COL group, with a TQ-containing COL (TQ/COL), and the PG-infected TQ-containing COL (PG/TQ/COL) group, the newly formed bone and capillary density were higher in the TQ/COL group (P<0.01). When the control group was compared to the PG, PG/COL, and PG/TQ/COL groups in terms of tissue response, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001, P=0.02, and P=0.041, respectively). The intensity of the inflammatory cell reaction was higher in the PG, PG/COL, and PG/TQ/COL groups (P<0.05). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the local application of a TQ-containing COL positively affected bone healing even if the bone defects were infected. The results suggest that TQ increased angiogenesis and showed promise for accelerating bone defect healing. Further research is warranted to support these findings and reach more definitive conclusions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.217-226
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• 2022

In the view of the application of high-precision spatial information production, UAV (Umanned Aerial Vehicle)-Photogrammetry has a problem in that it lacks specific procedures and detailed regulations for quantitative quality verification methods or certification of captured images. In addition, test tools for UAV image quality assessment use only the GSD (Ground Sample Distance), not MTF (Modulation Transfer Function), which reflects image resolution and contrast at the same time. This fact makes often the quality of UAV image inferior to that of manned aerial image. We performed MTF and GSD analysis simultaneously using a siemens star to confirm the necessity of MTF analysis in UAV image quality assessment. The analyzing results of UAV images taken with different payload and sensors show that there is a big difference in σ_MTF values, representing image resolution and the degree of contrast, but slightly different in GSD. It concluded that the MTF analysis is a more objective and reliable analysis method than just the GSD analysis method, and high-quality drone images can only be obtained when the operator make images after judging the proper selection the sensor performance, image overlaps, and payload type. However, the results of this study are derived from analyzing only images acquired by limited sensors and imaging conditions. It is therefore expected that more objective and reliable results will be obtained if continuous research is conducted by accumulating various experimental data in related fields in the future.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_1
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• pp.1301-1314
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• 2022

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is utilized as an indicator to represent the vegetation condition on the land surface in various applications such as land cover, crop yield, agricultural drought, soil moisture, and forest disaster. However, satellite optical sensors for visible and infrared rays cannot see through the clouds, so the NDVI of the cloud pixel is not a valid value for the land surface. This study proposed a real-time correction of the underestimation noise for GEO-KOMPSAT-2A (GK2A) daily NDVI and made sure its feasibility through the quantitative comparisons with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) NDVI and the qualitative interpretation of time-series changes. The underestimation noise was effectively corrected by the procedures such as the time-series correction considering vegetation phenology, the outlier removal using long-term climatology, and the gap filling using rigorous statistical methods. The correlation with MODIS NDVI was higher, and the difference was lower, showing a 32.7% improvement compared to the original NDVI product. The proposed method has an extensibility for use in other satellite products with some modification.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.665-675
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• 2021

Background: Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), an active ingredient in ginseng, may be a potential agent for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the protective effect of Rg1 on neurodegeneration in AD and its mechanism of action are still incompletely understood. Methods: Wild type (WT) and APP/PS1 AD mice, from 6 to 9 months old, were used in the experiment. The open field test (OFT) and Morris water maze (MWM) were used to detect behavioral changes. Neuronal damage was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Nissl staining. Immunofluorescence, western blotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) were used to examine postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) expression, amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition, Tau and phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) expression, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and NAPDH oxidase 2 (NOX2) expression. Results: Rg1 treatment for 12 weeks significantly ameliorated cognitive impairments and neuronal damage and decreased the p-Tau level, amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression, and Aβ generation in APP/PS1 mice. Meanwhile, Rg1 treatment significantly decreased the ROS level and NOX2 expression in the hippocampus and cortex of APP/PS1 mice. Conclusions: Rg1 alleviates cognitive impairments, neuronal damage, and reduce Aβ deposition by inhibiting NOX2 activation in APP/PS1 mice.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2022

Background: New beauty soaps are always subject to evaluation. Purposes: This study performed a human application test and safety evaluation on the cleaning effect of the fine dust mimic of the test product, Daziwar soap bar, on 52 women. Methods: The quantitative change measured the cleaning effect of fine dust before and after washing immediately after spraying the fine mimetic dust on the forearm of 22 women. In addition, the safety was evaluated at 30 minutes, 24 hours, and 48 hours after 24 hours after applying the patch to the woman's back. Results: After one time washing with the soap immediately after spraying dust on the inside of the arm, the amount of the remaining mimetic was statistically significantly decreased in both the test group and the control group (p < .001). However, the washing rate was 99.96% in the experimental group and 75.58% in the control group. The questionnaire was evaluated as 'Good' or higher in terms of efficacy. In the evaluating of adverse reactions after washing fine dust by a dermatologist, there were no reports or observations of specific skin adverse reactions or abnormal findings in the subjects. The safety evaluation was judged as non-irritating in the skin reaction evaluation at 30 minutes, 24 hours, and 48 hours after instillation on the back for 24 hours. Conclusions: The test product, Daziwar soap, was found to be very helpful in cleaning fine dust on the human body and was found to be safe for the human body.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.48-60
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the sex-associated differences in the dietary intake of gastric cancer patients in Korea. Methods: Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) the 7^th (2016-2018) were analyzed in the present study. The subjects included 122 gastric cancer patients aged over 40 years (75 male, 47 female). General characteristics (age, marital status, household income, education, food security, comorbidities, alcohol drinking, and smoking), anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, body mass index, and blood pressure), blood biochemical characteristics [fasting plasma glucose (FPG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol)], and quantity and quality of dietary intake were compared between male and female participants. Results: Males had higher rates of having a spouse, prevalence of hypertension, alcohol drinking, and smoking than females. The proportion of males with a normal range of FPG, BUN, and HDL-cholesterol was lower than that in females. The total cholesterol levels above the normal range were higher in females than in males. We also found that females had a higher percentage of intakes below the estimated energy requirement (EER) and intakes below the estimated average requirement (EAR) for carbohydrates, niacin, phosphorus, and iron than males. The index of nutritional quality (INQ) for phosphorus and folate, nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) for vitamin C, thiamine, niacin, folate, calcium, and phosphorus, and the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) were lower in females than males. Conclusions: In Korean gastric cancer patients, management of comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia, lowering FPG, and raising HDL-cholesterol level management is required for males, whereas management of lowering total cholesterol and raising hematocrit is required for females. The quantitative and qualitative nutritional intakes were poor in gastric cancer patients, especially in females, who had a lower nutritional intake than males. We suggest that nutritional interventions are needed to improve the overall nutritional intake in both male and female gastric cancer patients. In particular, we propose that support is urgently needed for females whose nutritional intake is lower than that of males. In addition, family, social, and national support for nutritional management of female gastric cancer patients is highly necessary.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.555-569
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• 2023

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of N⁶-Methyladenosine modification-circRNA-zinc finger protein 638 (m⁶A-circRNA-ZNF638) on the induced activation of secondary hair follicle (SHF) stem cells with its potential mechanisms in cashmere goats. Methods: The m⁶A modification of ZNF638 was analyzed using methylation immunoprecipitation with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique in SHF stem cells. The effects of circRNA-ZNF638 on the induced activation of SHF stem cells in m⁶A dependence were evaluated through the overexpression of circRNA-ZNF638/its m⁶A-deficient mutants in circRNA-ZNF638 knockdown SHF stem cells. The competitive binding of miR-361-5p to circRNA-ZNF638/Wnt5a 3'- untranslated region was analyzed through Dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: The m⁶A-circRNA-ZNF638 had significantly higher transcription at anagen SHF bulge of cashmere goats compared with that at telogen, as well as it positively regulated the induced activation of SHF-stem cells in cashmere goats. Mechanismly, m⁶A-circRNA-ZNF638 sponged miR-361-5p to heighten the transcriptional expression of Wnt5a gene in SHF-stem cells. We further demonstrated that the internal m⁶A modification within circRNA-ZNF638 is required for mediating the miR-361-5p/Wnt5a pathway to regulate the induced activation of SHF stem cells through an introducing of m⁶A-deficient mutant of circRNA-ZNF638. Conclusion: The circRNA-ZNF638 contributes the proper induced activation of SHF-stem cells in cashmere goats in m⁶A-dependent manner through miR-361-5p/Wnt5a axis.