• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2022

Purpose: The present study measured changes in arteriolar and venular capillary flow and structure in the gingival tissues during the development of plaque-induced gingival inflammation by combining dynamic optical coherence tomography (OCT), laser perfusion, and capillaroscopic video imaging. Methods: Gingival inflammation was induced in 21 healthy volunteers over a 3-week period. Gingival blood flow and capillary morphology were measured by dynamic OCT, laser perfusion imaging, and capillaroscopy, including a baseline assessment of capillary glycocalyx thickness. Venular capillary flow was estimated by analysis of the perfusion images and mean blood velocity/acceleration in the capillaroscopic images. Readings were recorded at baseline and weekly over the 3 weeks of plaque accumulation and 2 weeks after brushing was resumed. Results: Perfusion imaging demonstrated a significant reduction of gingival blood flow after 1 and 2 weeks of plaque accumulation (P<0.05), but by 3 weeks of plaque accumulation there was a more mixed picture, with reduced flow in some participants and increased flow in others. Participants with reduced flux at 3 weeks also demonstrated venular-type flow as determined by perfusion images and evidence of the development of venular capillaries as assessed by the velocity/acceleration ratio in capillaroscopic images. After brushing resumed, these venular capillaries were broken down and replaced by arteriolar capillaries. Conclusions: After 3 weeks of plaque accumulation, there was wide variation in microvascular reactions between the participants. Reduced capillary flow was associated with the development of venular capillaries in some individuals. This is noteworthy, as an early increase in venous capillaries is a key vascular feature of cardiovascular disease, psoriasis, Sjögren syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis-diseases with a significant association with the development of severe gingival inflammation, which leads to periodontitis. Future investigations of microvascular changes in gingival inflammation might benefit from accurate capillary flow velocity measurements to assess the development of venular capillaries.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.194-210
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• 2022

The user-centered EV charging infrastructure construction policy the government is aiming for can increase convenience for electric vehicle users and bring new electric vehicle users into the market. This study was conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of the charging behaviors of actual electric vehicle users, which can be used as basic information for the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Based on charging diary data collected for a week, the charging of electric vehicles was analyzed on a daily and weekly basis, and sequence analysis and latent class analysis were used. As a result, five daily charging profiles and four weekly charging profiles were identified, which are expected to contribute to revitalizing the electric vehicle market by providing key information for decision-making by potential electric vehicle users as well for establishing user-centered charging infrastructure policies in the future.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.126-136
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• 2022

Liver fibrosis is part of the wound healing process to help the liver recover from the injuries caused by various liver-damaging insults. However, liver fibrosis often progresses to life-threatening cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. To overcome the limitations of current in vivo liver fibrosis models for studying the pathophysiology of liver fibrosis and establishing effective treatment strategies, we developed a new mouse model of liver fibrosis using polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG-p), a humidifier sterilizer known to induce lung fibrosis in humans. Male C57/BL6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with PHMG-p (0.03% and 0.1%) twice a week for 5 weeks. Subsequently, liver tissues were examined histologically and RNA-sequencing was performed to evaluate the expression of key genes and pathways affected by PHMG-p. PHMG-p injection resulted in body weight loss of ~15% and worsening of physical condition. Necropsy revealed diffuse fibrotic lesions in the liver with no effect on the lungs. Histology, collagen staining, immunohistochemistry for smooth muscle actin and collagen, and polymerase chain reaction analysis of fibrotic genes revealed that PHMG-p induced liver fibrosis in the peri-central, peri-portal, and capsule regions. RNA-sequencing revealed that PHMG-p affected several pathways associated with human liver fibrosis, especially with upregulation of lumican and IRAK3, and downregulation of GSTp1 and GSTp2, which are closely involved in liver fibrosis pathogenesis. Collectively we demonstrated that the PHMG-p-induced liver fibrosis model can be employed to study human liver fibrosis.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2022

Caring for patients with cancer is highly stimulating and rewarding, attracting health professionals to the field who enjoy the challenge of managing a complex illness. Health professionals often form close bonds with their patients as they confront ongoing disease or treatment impacts, which may be associated with multiple losses involving function and/or eventual loss of life. Ongoing exposure to patient loss, along with a challenging work setting, may pose significant stress and impact health professionals' well-being. The prevalence rates of burnout and compassion fatigue (CF) are significant, yet health professionals have little knowledge on these topics. A 6-week continuing education program consisting of weekly small-group video-conferencing sessions, case-based learning, and an online community of practice was delivered to health care providers providing oncology care. Program content included personal, organization and team-related risk and protective factors associated with CF, grief models, and strategies to mitigate against CF. Content analysis was completed as part of the program evaluation. In total, 189 participants (93% nurses) completed the program, which was associated with significant improvements in confidence and knowledge of CF and strategies to support self and team resilience. Qualitative themes and vignettes from experiences with the program are presented. Key themes included knowledge gaps, a lack of support related to CF and strategies to support resilience, organization-and team-based factors that can inhibit expression about the impacts of clinical work, the health professional as a "person" in caregiving, and the role of personal variables, self-skill practices, and recommendations for education and support for self and teams.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2024

Wogonin, extracted from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been shown to suppress collagen deposition in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). This study was performed to investigate the role and mechanism of wogonin underlying vascular remodeling in SHRs. After injection of SHRs with 40 mg/kg of wogonin, blood pressure in rats was measured once a week. Masson's trichrome staining was conducted to observe the changes in aortas and mesenteric arteries. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) isolated from rat thoracic aortas were treated with Angiotensin II (Ang II; 100 nM) in the presence or absence of varying concentrations of wogonin. The viability and proliferation of VSMCs were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay, respectively. The migration of VSMCs was examined using wound healing assay and transwell assay. We found that wogonin administration alleviated hypertension, increased lumen diameter, and reduced the thickness of the arterial media in SHRs. Ang II treatment enhanced the viability of VSMCs, which was inhibited by wogonin in a concentration-dependent manner. Wogonin reversed Ang II-induced increases in the viability, proliferation, and migration of VSMCs. Moreover, wogonin inhibited Ang II-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in VSMCs. Overall, wogonin repressed the proliferative and migratory capacity of VSMCs by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby attenuating vascular remodeling in hypertensive rats, indicating that wogonin might be a therapeutic agent for the treatment of vascular diseases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.232-237
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• 2024

This study investigated how adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) respond to chondrogenic induction using droplet-based single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). We analyzed 37,219 high-quality transcripts from control cells and cells induced for 1 week (1W) and 2 weeks (2W). Four distinct cell clusters (0-3), undetectable by bulk analysis, exhibited varying proportions. Cluster 1 dominated in control and 1W cells, whereas clusters (3, 2, and 0) exclusively dominated in control, 1W, and 2W cells, respectively. Furthermore, heterogeneous chondrogenic markers expression within clusters emerged. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes unveiled cluster-specific variations in key biological processes (BP): (1) Cluster 1 exhibited up-regulation of GO-BP terms related to ribosome biogenesis and translational control, crucial for maintaining stem cell properties and homeostasis; (2) Additionally, cluster 1 showed up-regulation of GO-BP terms associated with mitochondrial oxidative metabolism; (3) Cluster 3 displayed up-regulation of GO-BP terms related to cell proliferation; (4) Clusters 0 and 2 demonstrated similar up-regulation of GO-BP terms linked to collagen fibril organization and supramolecular fiber organization. However, only cluster 0 showed a significant decrease in GO-BP terms related to ribosome production, implying a potential correlation between ribosome regulation and the differentiation stages of AT-MSCs. Overall, our findings highlight heterogeneous cell clusters with varying balances between proliferation and differentiation before, and after, chondrogenic stimulation. This provides enhanced insights into the single-cell dynamics of AT-MSCs during chondrogenic differentiation.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.141-149
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• 2009

The elderly population in Korea is growing rapidly and their needs for long-term care has also increased. By the year 2018, our society will be approaching aged society and by 2026 it will be a super-aged society. The purpose of this study was to employ conjoint analysis to establish the relative importance of foodservice encounters in terms of determining the utility values of hospital foodservice for elderly patients. According to the results pearson's R(0.420) and Kendall's tau(0.402) statistics showed that the model fits the data well(p<0.05). The relative importance scores of hospital foodservice encounters were as follows: dietary counseling with dietetics(51.2%), foodservice personnel(48.7%), and food(0.1%). A soft cooking method(0.001) was preferred to a general cooking method(0.001), and kind foodservice personnel(0.086) were preferred to quick service(-0.086). Finally, counseling with a dietitian once a week(-0.138) was preferred to counseling twice a week (-0.276). Based on this conjoint analysis, the most preferable model for foodservice at a long-term care facility would be; soft cooking methods, kind service by foodservice personnel, and dietetic counseling once a week. Overall, a better understanding of the specific needs of our institutionalized elderly is one of the key elements that can help our long-term care system develop improved foodservice programs.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.177-182
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• 2008

Background: Isoniazid (INH, H) is a key drug of the standard first-line regimen for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), yet some reports have suggested that treatment efficacy was maintained even though INH was omitted from the treatment regimen. Methods: One hundred forty C57BL/6 mice were infected with the H37Rv strain of M. tuberculosis with using a Glas-Col aerosol generation device, and this resulted in depositing about 100 bacilli in the lung. Four weeks after infection, anti-TB treatment was initiated with varying regimens for 4-8 weeks; Group 1: no treatment (control), Group 2 (4HREZ): 4 weeks of INH, rifampicin (R), pyrazinamide (Z) and ethambutol (E), Group 3: 1HREZ/3REZ, Group 4: 4REZ, Group 5: 4HREZ/4HRE, Group 6: 1HREZ/3REZ/4RE, and Group 7: 4REZ/4RE. The lungs and spleens were harvested at several time points until 28 weeks after infection, and the colony-forming unit (CFU) counts were determined. Results: The CFU counts increased steadily after infection in the control group. In the 4-week treatment groups (Group 2-4), even though the culture was negative at treatment completion, the bacilli grew again at the 12-week and 20-week time points after completion of treatment. In the 8-week treatment groups (Groups 5-7), the bacilli did not grow in the lung at 4 weeks after treatment initiation and thereafter. In the spleens of Group 7 in which INH was omitted from the treatment regimen, the culture was negative at 4-weeks after treatment initiation and thereafter. However, in Groups 5 and 6 in which INH was taken continuously or intermittently, the bacilli grew in the spleen at some time points after completion of treatment. Conclusion: TThe exclusion of INH from the standard first-line regimen did not affect the treatment outcome in a murine model of TB in the early stage of disease. Further studies using a murine model of chronic TB are necessary to clarify the role of INH in the standard first-line regimen for treating TB.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.35-82
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• 2014

It was main objectives to find the learners characteristics and educational effects of cyber agricultural technology courses in RDA. For the research, it was followed by literature reviews and internet based survey methods. In internet based survey, two staged stratified sampling method was adopted from cyber training members database in RDA along with some key word as open course or certificate course, and enrollment years. Instrument was composed through literature reviews about cyber education effects and educational effect factors. And learner characteristics items were added in survey documents. It was sent to sampled persons by e-mail and 316 data was returned via google survey systems. Through the data cleaning, 303 data were analysed by chi-square, t-test and F-test. It's significance level was .05. The results of the research were as followed; First, the respondent was composed of mainly man(77.9%), and monthly income group was mainly 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 won(24%), bachelor degree(48%), fifty or forty age group was shared to 75%, and their job was changed after learning(12.2%). So major respondents' job was not changed. Their major was not mainly agriculture. Learners' learning style were composed of two or more types as concrete-sequential, mixing, abstract-random, so e-learning course should be developed for the students' type. Second, it was attended at 3.2 days a week, 53.53 minutes a class, totally 172.63 minutes a week. They were very eager or generally eager to study, and attended two or more subjects. The cyber education motives was for farming knowledge, personal competency development, job performance enlarging. They selected subjects along with their interest. A subject person couldn't choose more subjects for little time, others, non interesting subject, but more subject persons were for job performance benefits and previous subjects effectiveness. Most learner was finished their subject, but a fourth was not finished for busy (26.7%). And their entrying behavior was not enough to learn e-course and computer or internet using ability was middle level as software using. And they thought RDA cyber course was comfort in non time or space limit, knowledge acquisition, and personal competency development. Cyber learning group was composed of open course only (12.5%), certificate only(25.7%), both(36.3%). Third, satisfaction and academic achievement of e-learning learners were good, and educational service offering for doing job in learning application category was good, but effect of cyber education was not good, especially, agricultural income increasing was not good because major learner group was not farmer, so they couldn't apply their knowledge to farming. And content structure and design, content comprehension, content amount were good. The more learning subject group responded to good in effects, and both open course and certificate course group satisfied more than open course only group. Based on the results, recommendation was offered as cyber course specialization before main course in RDA training system, support staff and faculty enlargement, building blended learning system with local RDA office, introducing cyber tutor system.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.835-845
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• 1998

Background: Silica-induced lung diseases is characterized by the accumulation of inflammatory cells at early stage and fibrosis in pulmonary parenchyma and interstitium at late stage. As a consequence of inflammation, silicosis is accompanied with the expansion of interstitial collagen and the formation of fibrotic nodule. In this process, several kinds of lung cells produce cytokines which can amplify and modulate pulmonary fibrosis. The alveolar macrophage is a potent source of proflammatory cytokines and growth factor. But in the process of silicotic inflammation and fibrosis, there are many changes of the kinetics in cytokine network. And the sources of cytokines in each phase are not well known. Method: 2.5 mg of silica was instillated into the lung of C57BL/6J mice. After intratracheal instillation of silica, the lungs were removed for imunohistochemical stain at 1, 2, 7 day, 2, 4, 8, 12 week, respectively. We investigated the expression of IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$ and TGF-$\beta$ in lung tissue. Results: 1) The expression of IL-6 increased from 1 day after exposure to 8 weeks in vascular endothelium. Also peribronchial area were stained for IL-6 from 7 days and reached the peak level for 4 weeks. 2) The IL-1 $\beta$ was expressed weakly at the alveolar and peribronchial area through 12 weeks. 3) The TNF-$\alpha$ expressed strongly at alveolar and bronchial epithelia during early stage and maintained for 12 weeks. 4) TGF-$\beta$ was expressed strongly at bronchial epithelia and peribronchial area after 1 week and the strongest at 8 weeks. Conclusion: The results above suggests IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$ appear to be a early inflammatory response in silica induced lung fibrosis and TGF-$\beta$ play a major role in the maintenance and modulation of fibrosis in lung tissue. And the regulation of TNF-$\alpha$ production will be a key role in modultion of silica-induced fibrosis.