• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.396-402
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• 2021

Stainless steel, a type of steel used for high-temperature parts, may cause damage when exposed to high temperatures, requiring additional coatings. In particular, the Cr₂O₃ product layer is unstable at 1000℃ and higher temperatures; therefore, it is necessary to improve the oxidation resistance. In this study, an aluminide (Fe₂Al₅ and FeAl₃) coating layer was formed on the surface of STS 630 specimens through Al diffusion coatings from 500℃ to 700℃ for up to 25 h. Because the coating layers of Fe₂Al₅ and FeAl₃ could not withstand temperatures above 1200℃, an Al₂O₃ coating layer is deposited on the surface through static oxidation treatment at 500℃ for 10 h. To confirm the ablation resistance of the resulting coating layer, dynamic flame exposure tests were conducted at 1350℃ for 5-15 min. Excellent oxidation resistance is observed in the coated base material beneath the aluminide layer. The conditions of the flame tests and coating are discussed in terms of microstructural variations.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.640-645
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• 2020

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) exhibit diverse anti-inflammatory effects. Since ROS acts as a critical mediator of inflammation, we have investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of SOCS via ROS regulation in monocytic/macrophagic cells. Using PMA-differentiated monocytic cell lines and primary BMDMs transduced with SOCS1 or shSOCS1, the LPS/TLR4-induced inflammatory signaling was investigated by analyzing the levels of intracellular ROS, antioxidant factors, inflammasome activation, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The levels of LPS-induced ROS and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines were notably down-regulated by SOCS1 and up-regulated by shSOCS1 in an NAC-sensitive manner. SOCS1 up-regulated an ROS-scavenging protein, thioredoxin, via enhanced expression and binding of NRF-2 to the thioredoxin promoter. SOCS3 exhibited similar effects on NRF-2/thioredoxin induction, and ROS downregulation, resulting in the suppression of inflammatory cytokines. Notably thioredoxin ablation promoted NLRP3 inflammasome activation and restored the SOCS1-mediated inhibition of ROS and cytokine synthesis induced by LPS. The results demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in macrophages are mediated via NRF-2-mediated thioredoxin upregulation resulting in the downregulation of ROS signal. Thus, our study supports the anti-oxidant role of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in the exquisite regulation of macrophage activation under oxidative stress.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2021

Background: With increasing economic evaluation studies on the treatment of or screening tools for liver diseases that cause hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), interest in the analysis of the medical utilization and costs of HCC treatment is increasing. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the medical utilization and costs of HCC patients, and calculate the cost of main procedures for HCC treatment, including liver transplant (LT), hepatic resection (HR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods: We analyzed claim data from January to December 2018 from the Health Insurance and Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS-2018) dataset, including data of patients diagnosed with HCC (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases code C22.0) who had at least one inpatient claim for HCC. Results: A total of 715 HCC patients were identified. In 2018, the yearly average medical cost per HCC patient was ₩18,460K (thousand), of which ₩14,870K was attributed to HCC. Among the total medical costs of HCC patients, the inpatient cost accounted for the largest portion of both the total medical and HCC-related costs. The major procedures of HCC treatment occurred most frequently in the order of TACE, RFA, HR, and LT. The average medical cost per treatment episode was the highest for LT (₩87,280K), followed by HR (₩10,026K), TACE (₩4,047K), and RFA (₩2,927K). Conclusion: By identifying the medical costs of HCC patients and the costs of the main procedures of HCC treatment, our results provide basic information that could be utilized for cost estimation in liver disease-related economic evaluation studies.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.159-162
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• 2021

A 5-year-old, intact male, poodle dog with right external auditory canal obstruction and subaural mass was presented. Physical examination revealed that right external auditory canal opening was absent and right head tilt was identified. Aspiration in right subaural mass revealed a small amount of dark brown exudate. Streptococcus canis and Staphylococcus spp. were identified on the microbial culture. Radiography of the skull was revealed absence of air-filled ear canal at the right external ear canal (EEC) level. Computed tomography (CT) revealed well capsulated, hypoattenuated mass in the right EEC region. On the contrast enhanced CT images, rim enhancement around the mass and ear canal obstruction were identified. Fluid attenuated material filled with right bulla. Mild thickening of the right tympanic bulla wall with mild lytic lesion of the ventral wall were found. Based on the images findings, the case was tentatively diagnosed as right external auditory canal atresia with otitis media. Total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy was performed. The entire ear canal was removed, numerous hair in the canal and the thickening wall were founded. Right ear canal was sent for histopathological evaluation and found to otitis externa. The patient was followed up for two weeks and there were no complications. This report described the CT diagnosis of right EEC atresia with otitis media rarely reported in small breed dogs.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.827-836
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• 2021

Objective : Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most common causes of facial pain. Our aim is to investigate the efficacy and borders of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Methods : Between May 2007 and April 2017, 156 patients with trigeminal neuralgia were treated with radiofrequency thermocoagulation. These 156 patients underwent 209 procedures. In our study, we investigated the early and late results of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation under guiding fluoroscopic imaging in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain scale was used for grading the early results. In addition, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess long-term outcomes. Of the 156 patients who underwent radiofrequency thermocoagulation for trigeminal neuralgia, 45 had additional disease. Patients with this condition were evaluated with their comorbidities. Early and late results were compared with those without comorbidity. Results : In 193 of 209 interventions BNI pain scale I to III results were obtained. Out of the 193 successful operation 136 patients (65.07%) were discharged as BNI I, 14 (6.70%) as BNI II, 43 (20.58%) as BNI III. Sixteen patients (7.65%) remained uncontrolled (BNI IV and V). While the treatment results of trigeminal neuralgia patients with comorbidity seem more successful in the early period, this difference was not observed in follow-up examinations. Conclusion : Finally, we concluded that percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the Gasserian ganglion is a safe and effective method in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. However, over time, the effectiveness of the treatment decreases. Neverthless, the reapprability of this intervention gives it a distinct advantage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.15-21
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated the dynamics of a droplet impacting rough hydrophobic surfaces through high-speed imaging. Micrometer-sized structures with grooves and pillars were fabricated on smooth Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces by laser ablation. We used Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquid droplets to study the drop impact dynamics. De-ionized water and aqueous glycerin solutions were used for the Newtonian liquid droplet. The solutions of xanthan gum in water were prepared to provide elastic property to the Newtonian droplet. We found that the orientation of the surface structures affected the maximal spreading diameter of the droplet due to the degree of slippage. During the droplet retraction, the dynamic receding contact angles were measured to be around 90° or less. It resulted in the formation of the micro-capillary bridges between the receding droplet and the surface structures. Then, the rupture of the capillary bridge led to the formation of micrometer-sized droplets on top of the surface structures. The size of the microdroplets was found to increase with increasing the impacting velocity and viscosity of the Newtonian liquid droplets. However, the size of the isolated microdroplets decreased with enhancing the elasticity of the droplets, and the size of the non-Newtonian microdroplets was not affected by the impacting velocity.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.176-185
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• 2022

Data augmentation is general approach to solve overfitting of machine learning models by applying various data transformations and distortions to dataset. However, when data augmentation is applied in GAN-based model, which is deep learning image generation model, data transformation and distortion are reflected in the generated image, then the generated image quality decrease. To prevent this problem called augmentation leak, we propose a scheme that can prevent augmentation leak regardless of the type and number of augmentations. Specifically, we analyze the conditions of augmentation leak occurrence by type and implement auxiliary augmentation task classifier that can prevent augmentation leak. Through experiments, we show that the proposed technique prevents augmentation leak in the GAN model, and as a result improves the quality of the generated image. We also demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme through ablation study and comparison with other representative augmentation leak prevention technique.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.26.1-26.7
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• 2022

This study was aimed to evaluate the prophylactic anti-glaucoma effect of topical 5% betaxolol (BTX) and 2% dorzolamide (DRZ) on the second eye in dogs with unilateral primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). Medical records of 60 dogs with unilateral PACG who received prophylactic anti-glaucoma eyedrops in the second eye, from 2016 to 2021, were reviewed. The prophylactic effects of BTX were maintained on 28/60 (46.7%) eyes until last visit and BTX failure was observed on median 510 (range, 53-1,927) days in 32/60 (53.3%) eyes. After DRZ instillation in BTX failure eyes, the prophylactic effects were extended at median 610 (range, 157-2,270) days in 21/32 (65.6%) eyes. DRZ failure eyes (17/21, 81.0%) eyes required chemical ablation or surgical intervention due to uncontrolled intraocular pressure. The duration of prophylactic effects was decreased with aging (R² = 0.334, p = 0.006). The predominant breeds were Shih-Tzu (41.9%) and American Cocker Spaniel (30.6%) with no significant differences in survival curves (p = 0.210). The average prophylactic effects of BTX persisted more than 1.5 year and could be selected the first prophylactic eye drop in unilateral PACG. Also, early surgical intervention should be considered in prophylactic medications failure cases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.364-377
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• 2022

An anatomical understanding of the atrial myocardium is crucial for surgeons and interventionists who treat atrial arrhythmias. We reviewed the anatomy of the inter-nodal and intra-atrial conduction systems. The anterior inter-nodal route (#1) arises from the sinus node and runs through the ventral wall of the atrial chambers. The major branch of route #1 approaches the atrioventricular node from the anterior aspect. Other branches of route #1 are Bachmann's bundle and a vestibular branch around the tricuspid valve. The middle inter-nodal route (#2) begins with a broad span of fibers at the sinus venarum and extends to the superior limbus of the oval fossa. The major branch of route #2 joins with the branch of route #1 at the anterior part of the atrioventricular node. The posterior inter-nodal route (#3) is at the terminal crest and gives rise to many branches at the pectinate muscles of the right atrium and then approaches the posterior atrioventricular node after joining with the vestibular branch of route #1. The branches of the left part of Bachmann's bundle and the branches of the second inter-nodal route form a thin myocardial network at the posterior wall of the left atrium. These anatomical structures could be categorized into major routes and side branches. There are 9 or more anatomical circles in the atrial chambers that could be structural sites for macro re-entry. The implications of normal and abnormal structures of the myocardium for the pathogenesis and treatment of atrial arrhythmias are discussed.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.347-352
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• 2021

Background Mastectomy leaves unsightly scarring, which can be distressing to patients. Laser therapy for scar prevention has been consistently emphasized in recent studies showing that several types of lasers, including fractional ablation lasers, are effective for reducing scar formation. Nonetheless, there are few studies evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of ablative CO₂ fractional lasers (ACFLs). Methods This study had a randomized, comparative, prospective, split-scar design with blinded evaluation of mastectomy scars. Fifteen patients with mastectomy scars were treated using an ACFL. Half of each scar was randomized to "A," while the other side was allocated to group "B." Laser treatment was conducted randomly. Scars were assessed using digital photographs of the scar and Vancouver scar scale (VSS) scores. Histological assessments were also done. Results The mean VSS scores were 2.20±1.28 for the treatment side and 2.96±1.40 for the control side. There was a significant difference in the VSS score between the treatment side and the control side (P=0.002). The mean visual analog scale (VAS) scores were 4.13±1.36 for the treatment side and 4.67±1.53 for the control side. There was a significant difference in VAS score between the treatment side and the control side (P=0.02). Conclusions This study demonstrated that early scar treatment using an ACFL significantly improved the clinical results of the treatment compared to the untreated scar, and this difference was associated with patient satisfaction.