• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 1995

Background: Nasal applied continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) is a highly effective method of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. More than a decade of accumulated experience with this treatment modality confirmed that it is unquestionably the medical treatment of choice for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. However it takes long time to reach optimal CPAP pressure. To save the time to reach optimal pressure, it is necessary to clarify the time to reach optimal pressure for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Method: CPAP pressure is titrated during an overnight study according to a standardized protocol. Just before the presleep bio-calibration procedures, the technician applies the nasal mask and switches on the clinical CPAP unit. Initial positive for pressure is typically 3.0 centimeters of water pressure. After sleep onset, the technician gradually increases the pressure until sleep-disordered breathing events disappear or become minimal. The pressure must maintain maximal airway patency during both NREM and REM sleep to be considered effective. Before recommending a final pressure setting, sleep recording and oximetry data are reviewed by an American Board of Sleep Medicine certified Sleep Specialist and a Registrered Polysomnographic Technologist. Results: We examined the time required to reach optimal pressure during routine CPAP titration in 127 consecutively evaluated individuals diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing. Results indicate that 33% of patients required more than four hours to attain satisfactory titration. This indicates that a four-hour session is marginally enough time, at best, to determine a proper CPAP pressure setting. Moreover, 60 of 127 patients required further adjustment after optimal pressure was reached. These additional pressure trials were needed to confirm that higher pressures were not superior for eliminating sleep-disordered breathing events. Conclusions: The data presented underscore the logistical difficulty of titrating CPAP during split-night studies without modifying the titration procedure. Futhermore, the time needed to reach optimal pressure makes it improbable that proper CPAP titration can be performed during a 2-3 hour nap study.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.172-183
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• 1999

Background: Nitric oxide is a short-lived effector molecule derived from L-arginine by the nitric oxide synthase(NOS). Nitric oxide plays a role in a number of physiologic and pathophysiologic functions including host defense, edema formation, and regulation of smooth muscle tone. Some kinds of cells including macrophage are known to produce large quantities of nitric oxide in response to inflammatory stimuli such as interleukin-$1\beta$(IL-$1\beta$), tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$(TNF-$\alpha$), interferon-$\gamma$(IFN-$\gamma$) and lipopolysaccharide(LPS). Reactive oxygen species are also known to be important in the pathogenesis of acute cell and tissue injury such as acute lung injury model Methods: Using the RA W264.7 cells, we have examined the ability of oxidant hydrogen peroxide($H_2O_2$) to stimulate nitric oxide production and inducible NOS mRNA expression. Also, we have examined the effects of NOS inhibitors and antioxidants on $H_2O_2$ induced nitric oxide production. Results: Stimulation of RAW264.7 cells with combinations of 100 ng/ml IL-$1\beta$, 100 ng/ml TNF-$\alpha$, and 100 U/ml IFN-$\gamma$ or 100 U/ml IFN-$\gamma$ and $1{\mu}g/ml$ LPS induced the synthesis of nitric oxide as measured by the oxidation products nitrite($NO_2^-$) and nitrate($NO_3^-$). Addition of $250 {\mu}M-2$ mM $H_2O_2$ to the cytokines significantly augmented the synthesis of $NO_2^-$ and $NO_3^-$(p<0.05). When cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of $H_2O_2$ in the presence of IL-$1\beta$, TNF-$\alpha$ and IFN-$\gamma$ at constant level, the synthesis of $NO_2^-$ and $NO_3^-$ was dose-dependently increased(p<0.05). $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME), dose dependently, significantly inhibited the formation of $NO_2^-$ and $NO_3^-$ in cells stimulated with LPS, IFN-$\gamma$ and $H_2O_2$ at constant level(p<0.05). Catalase significantly inhibited the $H_2O_2$-induced augmentation of cytokine-induced $NO_2^-$ and $NO_3^-$ formation(p<0.05). But, boiled catalase did not produce a significant inhibition in comparison with the native enzyme. Another antioxidant 2-mercaptoethanol and orthophenanthroline dose-dependently suppressed $NO_2^-$ and $NO_3^-$ synthesis(p<0.05). Northern blotting demonstrated that H:02 synergistically stimulated the cytokine-induced iNOS mRNA expression in RA W264.7. Conclusion: These results suggest that $H_2O_2$ contributes to inflammatory process by augmenting the iNOS expression and nitric oxide synthesis induced by cytokines.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.561-570
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• 2008

This study aimed to determine the effects of freeze-dried onion powder (OP) which contains rich in quercetin (22 mg/10 g) on hyperlipidemic participants. Fourteen participants (total cholesterol level in plasma $270.8{\pm}21.4mg/dL$) $40{\sim}59$ years of age who were diagnosed as hyperlipidemia by a physician at Fatima Hospital in Changwon took part in this study for 12 weeks. We investigated the anthropometric data and dietary habit by using questionnaires. Also, blood samples were collected from the patients in fasting before and after this 12 weeks intervention study. 78.6% of the patients showed interest in health diet management and weight control; however, they also showed some problems in their dietary habit (meal irregularity, food choice, calorie nutrient balance, high fat and cholesterol etc.) and life style (smoking, eating out, alcohol intake) that could have adverse effect on hyperlipidemic therapy. Most participants (85.7%) thought that OP was good for their health. The total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol significantly decreased with OP intake. The HDL-cholesterol increased and the Atherogenic index (AI) significantly decreased. Regarding the correlations of dietary habit and life style with anthropometric and biochemical factors, the alcohol intake level was significantly correlated with the frequency of eating out and body mass index (BMI). Exercise level showed positive correlation with HDL-cholesterol and negative correlation with atherogenic index (AI). These results suggest that the intake of polyphenol rich onion may decrease the risk of hyperlipidemia by reducing cholesterol level. We consider these hypolipidemic effects of OP as a possible functional food. However, further research such as a well designed longterm clinical study with experimental and placebo groups is needed.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.469-487
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• 2007

Grain-Size Trend Analysis is the methodology to identify net sediment transport pathways, based on the assumption that the movement of sediment from the source to deposit leaves the identifiable spatial pattern of mean, sorting, and skewness of grain size. It can easily be implemented with low cost, so it has great potentials to contribute to geomorphological research, whereas it can also be used inadequately without recognition of its limitations. This research aims to compare three established methods of grain-size trend analysis to search for the adequate way of application, and also suggest the research tasks needed in improving this methodology 1D pathway method can corporate the field experience into analyzing the pathway, provide the useful information of depositional environments through X-distribution, and identify the long-term trend effectively. However, it has disadvantage of the dependence on subjective interpretation, and a relatively coarse temporal scale. Gao-Collins's 2D transport vector method has the objective procedure, has the capability to visualize the transport pattern in 2D format, and to identify the pattern at a finer temporal scale, whereas characteristic distance and semiquantitative filtering are controversial. Le Roux's alternative 2D transport vector method has two improvement of Gao-Collins's in that it expands the empirical rules, considers the gradient of each parameters as well as the order, and has the ability to identify the pattern at a finer temporal scale, while the basic concepts are arbitrary and complicated. The application of grain sire trend analysis requires the selection of adequate method and the design of proper sampling scheme, based on the field knowledge of researcher, the temporal scale of sediment transport pattern targeted, and information needed. Besides, the relationship between the depth of sample and representative temporal scale should be systematically investigated in improving this methodology.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.779-795
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• 2002

Internet, a world wide network of computers, is considered as a sea of information because it allows people to share information beyond the barriors of time and space. However, in spite of the unmeasurable potential applications of the internet, its use in the field of biology education has been extremely limited mainly due to the scarcity of good biology-related sites. In order to provide useful guidelines for constructing user-friendly study sites, which can help high school students with different intellectual levels to study biology, comparative studies were performed on selected educational sites. Initially, hundreds of related sites were examined, and, subsequently, four distinct sites were selected not only because they are well organized, but also because each is unique in its contents. Also, a survey was carried out against the users of each site. The survey results indicated that the high school students regard the web-based biology study tools as effective teaching methods although there might be some bias in criteria for selecting target sites. In addition to the detailed biology topics and the related biology informations, multimedia data including pictures, animations and movies are found to be one of the important ingredients for desirable biology study sites. Thus, the inclusion of multimedia components should also be considered when developing a systematic biology study site. Overall, the role of the cyber space is expected to become more and more important. Since the development of the user-satisfied and self-guided sites require interdisciplinary collaborational efforts which should be made to promote extensive communication among teachers, education professionals, and computer engineers. Furthermore, the introduction of good biology study sites to the students by their teachers is also important factor for the successful web-based education.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.93-99
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• 2003

Objectives：Sleep loss and excessive daytime sleepiness may have serious consequences, including traffic and industrial accidents, decreased productivity, learning disabilities and interpersonal problems. Yet despite these adverse effects, there are few epidemiological studies on sleep loss and daytime sleepiness in the general population of Korea. This study investigates the number of people who suffer from sleep insufficiency, how much recovery sleep occurs on weekends, and the relationship between the amount of recovery sleep and daytime sleepiness. Methods：A total 164 volunteers, aged 20 and over, were recruited by advertisement. The subjects were workers and college students living in Seoul, Korea. Subjects were excluded if they were aged over 60；if they had medical, neurological, psychiatric or sleep disorders that could cause insomnia or daytime sleepiness；if they were not following a regular sleep schedule；if they traveled abroad during the study；or if they did not leave home to work or were shift workers. They were interviewed and given a sleep log to complete on each of 14 consecutive mornings. They also completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) at noontime on the last day of the second week. All statistical data were analyzed by t-test, $X^2$-test or ANOVA, using SPSS/PC+. Results：The results showed that the subjects woke up at 6：50 (${\pm}1$：16) on weekdays, 7：09 (${\pm}1$：29) on Saturdays, and 8：12 (${\pm}1$：39) on Sundays and holidays. They took more frequent and longer naps on Sundays than on weekdays and Saturdays. The mean sleep duration was 6h 35 min. on week nights, with a mean increase of about 1h on weekends. Only 9.1% of the subjects spent more than 8h in bed on week nights, with 67% spending less than 7h, and 49.4% reported recovery sleep of more than 1h on Sundays. The subjects who reported recovery sleep of more than 2h on Sundays, showed significantly more excessive daytime sleepiness than those who reported less than 30 min (F=2.62, p<.05). Conclusions：These findings suggest that sleep insufficiency and excessive daytime sleepiness are relatively common in Korea, and that the people who get insufficient sleep on weekdays try to compensate for sleep loss with oversleeping and daytime napping on Sundays and holidays. It appeared that daily sleep insufficiency had a cumulative effect and increased daytime sleepiness.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.1
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• pp.102-110
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• 2010

This study was performed to find out the inhibitory effect of Rhus Verniciflua extract on lipid peroxidation and inflammatory cytokines during endurance exercise training for 8 weeks in rats. For this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups; sedentary (SED), exercise training (TRA), RVS extract ingestion (RVE), and RVS extract ingestion and exercise training (RVE-TRA). TRA and RVE-TRA were trained on treadmill with increasing speed gradually and administered 10 mL/kg/d of Rhus Verniciflua extract orally to RVE and RVE-TRA. In order to analyze antioxidant function, blood SOD (superoxide dismutase), GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase), and MDA (malondialdehyde) were examined. And, analysis of inflammatory cytokines were examined using IL-6 (interleukin-6), TNF-${\alpha}$ (tumor necrosis factor-alpha), CRP (C-reactive protein), and NO (nitric oxide). SOD in TRA was significantly higher than SED and RVE (p<0.05), and RVE-TRA was highest among the groups (p<0.05). The MDA content of TRA, RVE and RVE-TRA were significantly lower than SED. GSH-Px activity of SED was significantly lower than other groups (p<0.05). IL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ content of RVE and RVE-TRA were significantly lower than SED and TRA (p<0.05). CRP concentration of SED was the lowest among groups (p<0.05). Finally, NO concentration of SED and TRA were higher than RVE and RVE-TRA (p<0.05). These results suggested that it is efficient for rats to reduce lipid peroxidation and induce anti-inflammatory by taking RVS extract during exercise training. Afterwards, if studies on the properties of RVS extract can be made with various ways, use of Rhus Verniciflua trees might be made widely which are growing naturally in mountains in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.10
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• pp.1560-1566
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• 2013

This study was conducted to find out the effects of aqueous extract from the leaves of Artemisia capillaris (AA) on the reduction of hepatotoxicity induced by ethanol in rats. In this experiment, Sprague Dawley rats were used in the experimental groups, which were divided into 5 groups; normal group, ethanol+UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid)-treated group (positive control), ethanol-treated group (control), ethanol+Artemisia capillaris aqueous extract-treated group (200 mg/kg of BW) and ethanol+Artemisia capillaris aqueous extract-treated group (400 mg/kg of BW). AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), GGT (gamma(${\gamma}$)-glutamyl transferase) and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) activities of the ethanol+Artemisia capillaris aqueous extract-treated group (400 mg/kg of BW) were significantly decreased compared to that of the ethanol-treated group (P<0.05). The triglyceride level of the ethanol-treated group was significantly increased and the HDL-cholesterol level was significantly decreased compared to the normal group (P<0.05). On the other hand, the triglyceride level was significantly decreased (P<0.05) and the HDL-cholesterol level was significantly increased (P<0.05) in the ethanol+Artemisia capillaris aqueous extract-treated groups. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was enhanced significantly (P<0.05) in the ethanol+Artemisia capillaris aqueous extract-treated groups. Also, malondialdehyde contents were decreased in this group (P<0.05). Histologically, in the control group, there was a mild degenerative change around central venule. The AA treated group showed well preserved lobular architectures with no evidence of steatosis or liver damage in aqueous extract from the leaves of Artemisia capillaris treated group (H&E, ${\times}20$). As the results of this study, it is thought that Artemisia capillaris aqueous extract may have effects on the improvement of hepatic damage by ethanol.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.10
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• pp.1552-1559
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• 2013

Rubus coreanus Miquel (RCM) has been used as one of the Korean traditional medicines for prostate health. In addition, recent studies have reported that RCM reduced chronic inflammatory diseases such as cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of unripe and ripe RCM on inflammationrelated gene expressions in LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. Mice were fed with 2% unripe RCM (U2), 10% unripe RCM (U10), 2% ripe RCM (R2), and 10% ripe RCM (R10) for 8 weeks. Peritoneal macrophages were isolated and stimulated with LPS then proinflammatory mediators (TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6), and prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$) productions were assessed. Moreover, gene expression profiles were analyzed by cDNA microarray method. Unripe and ripe RCM significantly reduced TNF-${\alpha}$ production but only unripe RCM decreased IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 production. RCM intake significantly reduced inflammatory-related gene expressions such as arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase, interleukin 11, and nitric oxide synthase 2. Furthermore, unripe and ripe RCM significantly decreased ceruloplasmin, tissue plasminogen activator, thrombospondin 1, and vascular endothelial growth factor A expression which modulates symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases. RCM intake also significantly increased hypoxia inducible factor 3, alpha which is the negative regulators of hypoxia-inducible gene expression. Furthermore, only unripe RCM reduced chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 8, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 14, and phospholipase A2 expression. In this study, we showed that RCM had anti-inflammatory effects by suppression of pro-inflammatory mediator expressions and may reduce chronic inflammatory disease progress through regulation of gene expressions. These findings suggest that RCM might be used as a potential functional material to reduce chronic inflammatory responses.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.130-141
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• 1995

Background: Endobronchial tuberculosis is one of the serious complications of pulmonary tuberculosis. Without early diagnosis and proper treatment of endobronchial tuberculosis, bronchostenosis can leave and lead to the collapse of distal lung parenchyme, bronchiectasis, and secondary pneumonia accompanied with moderate to severe dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, and localized wheezing. Therefore steroid therapy has been tried to prevent bronchostenosis. But the effect of steroid therapy on the endobronchial tuberculosis is not definite at present. We tried to elucidate the effect of steroid on the treatment of endobronchial tuberculosis for prevention of bronchostenosis. Methods: We observed the initial and sequential bronchoscopic findings, pulmonary function tests and simple chest roentgenograms in 58 patients diagnosed as endobronchial tuberculosis and admitted to Chung-Ang university hospital from 1988 to 1992. The patients in nonsteroid group (n=39) were treated with anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy only and steroid group(n=17) with combined steroid therapy. Sequential bronchoscopic findings, pulmonary function tests, and chest roentgenograms were comparatively analyzed between the two groups. Results: 1) The endobronchial tuberculosis was highly prevalent in young females especially in third decade. 2) Both actively caseating type and the stenotic type without fibrosis was the most common in the bronchoscopic classification. 3) The sequential bronchoscopic findings in steroid group 2 months after treatment showed no significant improvements compared with nonsteroid group. 4) There was no significant difference between the two groups in the sequential bronchoscopic improvements according to bronchoscopic types. 5) We did not find any significant difference in improvements on follow-up pulmonary function tests and simple chest roentgenograms between the two groups 2 month after treatment. 6) There was no significant adverse effect of steroid during the treatment. Conclusion: Combined steroid therapy provably would not influence outcome of the treatment of endobronchial tuberculosis.