• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.24-40
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• 2007

Background : Accumulating evidence shows that interleukin(IL)-1 plays a critical role in inflammation and connective tissue destruction observed in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. IL-1 induces gene expression related to cytokines, chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases by activation of many different transcription factors. Materials and Methods : The chondrosarcoma cell line, SW1353, is known to be a valuable in vitro system for investigating catabolic gene regulation by IL-$1{\beta}$ in chondrocytic cells. To explore and analyze the changes in gene expression by IL-1 responsible for arthritis, SW1353 was treated with IL-1 for 1, 6 and 24 h and then total RNAs were purified for each time. The changes in gene expression were analyzed with 17k human cDNA microarrays and validated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results : Greater than a two-fold change was observed in 1,200 genes including metallothioneins, matrix metalloproteinases, extracellular matrix proteins, antioxidant proteins, cytoskeleton proteins, cell cycle regulatory proteins, proteins for cell growth and apoptosis, signaling proteins and transcription factors. These changes appeared to be correlate with the pathophysiological changes observed in early osteoarthritis. Conclusion : cDNA microarray analysis revealed a marked variability in gene expression, and provided insight into the overall molecular changes. The result of this study provide initial information for further studies to identify therapeutic targets in osteoarthritis pathogenesis.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2005

Purpose : In order to investigate the functional brain anatomy associated with mental calculation, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed. Materials and Methods : In six normal right handed subjects, functional MR images were obtained using a 1.57 MR scanner and the EPI BOLD technique. The study included experiment I and experiment II. Each experiment consisted of five resting and four activation periods with each period of 30 seconds. During the activation period of both experiment I and II, calculation equations[an example: $(4+5)\times8=72$] were presented and the subjects were instructed to decide true or false of them. During the resting period of experiment I, the subjects were instructed to visually fixate on a crosshair. During the resting period of experiment II, two diagrams (an example: $(\bullet,\;\blacksquare)$)were presented and the subjects were instructed to decide they are same or not. For the post-processing of images, the SPM program was used, with the threshold of significance set at p<0.00001. The activated areas during the tasks were assessed. Results : In experiment 1, the inferior frontal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, promoter area, supplementary motor area, and intraparietal sulcus including superior parietal cortex were activated bilaterally. Although these areas were also activated in experiment II, the activated signals in the right frontal and parietal lobes were lessened. Conclusion : The left inferior frontal gyrus and prefrontal cortex and bilateral intraparietal sulci were activated during mental calculation. The right frontal and parietal lobes might be related to attention and decision making.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2007

Purpose : To determine the diagnostic accuracy of four different sequences : moderately T2 weighted, two heavily T2-weighted single shot turbo spin-echo sequence and breath-hold axial-2D balanced turbo field-echo sequence(bFFE) for characterization of focal lesions. Materials and Methods : During the 3-month period between June and August 2005, seventy-six patients were proved to have ninety-three focal hepatic lesions on MR imaging. The patients consisted of 49 men and 27 women (age range, 15-75 years; mean age, 56.23 years). All MR images were acquired on a 1.5-T MR using the following sequences: 1. A breath-hold axial T2-weighted single shot turbo spin-echo sequence, 2. a breath-hold axial-2D balanced turbo field-echo sequence. Two radiologists performed quantitative analysis. Another radiologist measured the lesion-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio at the region-of-interest in the four sequences. Results : There was no significant difference in inter-observer variability between the four sequences. The accuracy for both cyst and malignancy of moderate T2 weighted MRI (echo time: 80 msec) was also highest. There was significant difference for lesion characterization between moderate T2 weighted MRI and balanced steady state procession (p-value: 0.004) in the second reader. For longer echo time, the CNR of cystic lesions were markedly increased in comparison to lesions of other component. Conclusion : The accuracy and inter-observer variability of single shot turbo spin echo T2 weighted sequence was higher than bFFE. Although there was no statically significant difference, moderate T2 weighted MRI (echo time: 80 msec) was more accurate than heavily T2 weighted sequence (echo time: 300 msec). If the results for lesion characterization is equivocal in TE 80, the addition of heavily T2 weighted MRI (echo time: 180 msec) can be helpful.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.299-314
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• 2008

The NE-trending Honam shear zone is a broad, dextral strike-slip fault zone between the southern margin of the Okcheon Belt and the Precambrian Yeongnam Massif in South Korea and is parallel to the trend of Sinian deformation that is conspicuous in Far East Asia. In this paper, we report geochemical and isotopic(Sr and Nd) data of mylonitic quartz-muscovite Precambrian gneisses and surrounding foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids near the Myeongho area in the Yecheon Shear Zone, a representative segment of the Honam Shear Zone. Foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids commonly plot in the granodiorite field($SiO_2=61.9-67.1\;wt%$ and $Na_2O+K_2O=5.21-6.99\;wt%$) on $SiO_2$ vs. $Na_2O+K_2O$ discrimination diagram, whereas quartz-muscovite Precambrian orthogneisses plot in the granite field. The foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids are mostly calcic and calc-alkalic and are dominantly magnesian in a modified alkali-lime index(MALI) and Fe# [$=FeO_{total}(FeO_{total}+MgO)$] versus $SiO_2$ diagrams, which correspond with geochemical characteristics of Cordilleran Mesozoic batholiths. The foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids have molar ratios of $Al_2O_3/(CaO+Na_2O+K_2O)$ ranging from 0.89 to 1.10 and are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, indicating I type. In contrast, Paleoproterozoic orthogneisses have peraluminous compositions, with molar ratios of $Al_2O_3/(CaO+Na_2O+K_2O)$ ranging from 1.11 to 1.22. On trace element spider diagrams normalized to the primitive mantle, the large ion lithophile element(LILE) enrichments(Rb, Ba, Th and U) and negative Ta-Nb-P-Ti anomalies of foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids and mylonitized quartz-muscovite gneisses in the Yecheon Shear Zone are features common to subduction-related granitoids and are also found in granitoids from a crustal source derived from the arc crust of active continental margin. ${\varepsilon}_{Nd}(T)$ and initial Sr-ratio ratios of foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids with suggest the involvement of upper crust-derived melts in granitoid petrogenesis. Foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids in the study area, together with the Yeongju Batholith, show not changing contents of specific elements(Ti, P, Zr, V and Y) from shear zone to the area near the shear zone. These results suggest that no volume changes and geochemical alterations in fluid-rich foliated hornblende-biotite granitoids may occur during deformation, which mass transfer by fluid flow into the shear zone is equal to the mass transfer out of the shear zone.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.477-487
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• 2019

Objectives: Firefighters are known to be exposed to a variety of toxic substances, but little information is available on the exposure profile of firefighting activities. The aims of this study were to conduct exposure monitoring of toxic chemicals at fire scenes, to compare the concentrations of respective chemicals among firefighting tasks, and to assess the main factors influencing the concentrations of chemicals. Methods: Researchers performed sampling at firefighting scenes during four weeks in 2013. At the scene, we collected samples based on firefighters' own activities and examined the situation and scale of the accident. Collected samples were classified into three categories, including fire extinguishing and overhaul, and were analyzed in the laboratory according to respective analysis methods. Results: A total of fourteen fire activity events were surveyed: five fire extinguishing, six overhaul, and three fire investigations. Although no substance exceeded the ACGIH TLV, PAHs were detected in every sample. Naphthalene ranged from 0.24 to 279.13 mg/㎥ (median 49.6 mg/㎥) and benzo(a)pyrene was detected in one overhaul case at 10.85 ㎍/㎥. Benzene (0.01-12.2 ppm) was detected in every task and exceeded the ACGIH TLV. No significant difference in concentrations between tasks was shown. Conclusions: These results indicate that all firefighting tasks generated various hazardous combustion products, including possible carcinogens.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.664-671
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• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the environmental impact of the construction of the Yeongju Dam, located near the upper stream of the Nakdong River, on benthic macroinvertebrates. The investigation was conducted four times from 2015 to 2016 and the composition of the benthic macroinvertebrate fauna from the four surveyed sites was compared. After the dam construction, the number of benthic macroinvertebrate species decreased and the species composition ratio of the E.P.T taxa(Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) decreased, which favored the previous environment and the large riverbed structure. However, the species composition ratio of the O.C.H taxa (Odonata, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera), which favored the reservoir environment, increased. For the pattern of changes in the functional habitat groups, the proportion of 'Clinger(CL)' taxa decreased and the 'Burrower(BU), Climber(CB), Sprawler(SP), Swimmer(SW)' taxa increased in all surveys after the dam construction. A cluster stability comparison showed that the 'Stability Group II' species of St.2 and St.3 showed a drastic decrease. The average Benthic Macroinvertebrate Index(BMI) of all the survey sites in 2016 was lower than that in 2015. This research confirmed the temporal and spatial changes in the habitat type and community structure of the benthic macroinvertebrates resulting from the dam construction.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.148-154
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• 2012

It was carried out to detect anti-impotence drug-like compounds, sibutramine and their analogues in dietary supplements, which are doubtful whether they include illegal compounds. A total of 51 food products were bought online and have been investigated. The separation was achieved on a C18 column, with the mobile phase made up of water (5 mM sodium hexanesulfonate and 0.1% phosphoric acid) and 95% acetonitrile, at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min with gradient elution using by HPLC-DAD. The UV signals were monitored at 220 nm and 291 nm. LC-ESI-tandom MS was utilized to confirm that detected compounds in samples are the same as the reference materials. Two nutrient supplement foods and ginseng products were found to contain 1.3-82.1 mg of sildenafil, dimethylthiolsildenafil and pseudovardenafil per serving size. In addition, two other processed products were detected to contain 1.7 and 2.2 mg of didesmethylsibutramine, derived from sibutramine per serving size.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.2 s.116
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• pp.145-156
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to evaluate biological health conditions and physicochemical status using multi-metric models at five sites of the Keum-Ho River during August 2004 and June 2005. The research approach was based on a qualitative habitat evaluation index (QHEI), index of biological integrity (IBI) using fish assemblage, and long-term chemical data (1995 ${\sim}$ 2004), which was obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Korea. For the biological health assessments, regional model of the IBI in Korea (An,2003), was applied for this study. Mean IBI in the river was 30 and varied from 23 to 48 depending on the sampling sites. The river health was judged to be "fair condition", according to the stream health criteria of US EPA (1993) and Barbour et al. (1999). According to the analysis of the chemical water quality data of the river, BOD, COD, conductivity, TP, TN, and TSS largely varied epending on the sampling sites, seasons and years. Variabilities of some parameters including BOD, COD, TP, TN, and conductivity were greater in the downstream than in the upstream reach. This phenomenon was evident in the dilution by the rain during the monsoon. This indicates that precipitation is a very important factor of the chemical variations of water quality. Community analyses showed that species diversity index was highest (H=0.78) in the site 1, while community dominance index was highest in the site 3, where Opsariichthys uncirostris largely dominated. In contrast, the proportions of omnivore and tolerant species were greater in the downstream reach, than in the upstream reach. Overall, this study suggests that some sites in the downstream reach may need to restore the aquatic ecosystem for better biological health.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.795-802
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• 2011

To determine the deacidification factor during carbonic maceration (CM), different temperature conditions were studied. The pH was higher in CM-$35^{\circ}C$ and CM-$25^{\circ}C$ and was lower in CM-$45^{\circ}C$. The total acid was inversely related to the pH. The malic-acid level decreased much more in CM-$35^{\circ}C$ than in CM-$45^{\circ}C$ while the lactic-acid level increased much more in CM-$35^{\circ}C$. The activity of the NADP-malic enzyme, which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of L-malate into pyruvate, $CO_2$, and NADPH, was higher in CM-$25^{\circ}C$ and CM-$35^{\circ}C$ while CM-$45^{\circ}C$ showed no NADP-malic enzyme activity. The malic-dehydrogenase (MDH) activity was higher in CM-$25^{\circ}C$ and CM-$35^{\circ}C$ while CM-$45^{\circ}C$ showed no MDH activity. The oxalacetate decarboxylase activity was similar to the NADP-malic-enzyme and MDH activities. Pyruvate decarboxylase activity was shown in all the CM treatments. The L-lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was not explored in the fermentation of pyruvate to lactate via LDH in the grapes during CM. In this study, it was confirmed that carbonic maceration reduced the malic acid during fermentation and was affected by the temperature. Moreover, it was assumed that the deacidification during the carbonic maceration of the grapes was probably correlated with the degradation enzyme activity of malic acid.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.568-573
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the analgesic effects on the oral cavity in dogs which are treated with xylazine and electroacupuncture (EA). Furthermore, this study aims to find out its effects on glucose (GLU), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) variation values, vital signs (rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate) and pain responses to the noxious stimuli. Eight healthy dogs were randomly assigned to receive either xylazine or EA. Xylazine group dogs with weight of 3.6${\pm}$1.0 kg received 1.5 mg/kg of xylazine intramuscularly. EA group dogs with weight of 3.9${\pm}$1.0 kg received 1 volt (10-15 hz) for 5 minutes, and then 1-9 Volts (25-30 hz) for 60 minutes totally. The acupoints used were LI-3 (San Jian), LI-4 (He Gu) and ST-7 (Xia Guan). All dogs were examined before and 10, 25, 40, 55 and 120 minutes after administration of xylazine or EA. The mean rectal temperatures of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 25, 40 and 55 minutes (p < 0.05). The mean heart rates of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 10, 25, 40 and 55 minutes (p < 0.05). The mean respiratory rates of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 55 and 120 minutes (p < 0.05). The mean GLU concentration of the EA group were significantly lower than those of xylazine group after 55 and 120 minutes (p < 0.05). The sum of mean pain scores (SMPS) of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 10, 25 40 and 55 minutes (p < 0.05). In this study, the pain control of the EA group was shown to be better than that of the xylazine group. Also, there do not appear to be any negative physiologic effects associated with acupuncture-induced surgical analgesia. So, it was considered that these acupoints of EA analgesia might be useful for minor oral surgery in weak patients.