• BMB Reports
• /
• v.52 no.10
• /
• pp.595-600
• /
• 2019

Cardiac fibrosis is a common feature in chronic hypertension patients with advanced heart failure, and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is known to promote Angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated cardiac fibrosis. Previous studies have suggested a potential role for the transcription factor, ETS-1, in Ang II-mediated cardiac remodeling, however the mechanism are not well defined. In this study, we found that mice with endothelial Ets-1 deletion showed reduced cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy following Ang II infusion. The reduced cardiac fibrosis was accompanied by decreased expression of fibrotic matrix genes, reduced EndMT with decreased Snail, Slug, Twist, and ZEB1 expression, as well as reduced cardiac hypertrophy and expression of hypertrophy-associated genes was observed. In vitro studies using cultured H5V cells further confirmed that ETS-1 knockdown inhibited $TGF-{\beta}1$-induced EndMT. This study revealed that deletion of endothelial Ets-1 attenuated Ang II-induced cardiac fibrosis via inhibition of EndMT, indicating an important ETS-1 function in mediating EndMT. Inhibition of ETS-1 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of heart failure secondary to chronic hypertension.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.38-43
• /
• 2011

The recent global warming may be estimated to give lots of impacts to the human society and biosphere of influencing climate change included by the natural climate variations through the human activity which can directly and/or indirectly play a major role of total atmospheric composition overall. Therefore it currently appears evidences such as hot wave, typhoon, and biosphere disturbance, etc. over the several regions to be influenced by global warming due to increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through inducing forest destruction, fossil fuel combustion, greenhouse gases emission, etc. since industrial revolution era. Through the working group report of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) for climate change was analyzed by the individual country's current status and figure out the important issues and problems related to the future trend of climate change science with advanced countries preparedness and research, In this study, the first working group report of IPCC focuses on those aspects of the current understanding of the physical science of climate change that are judged to be most relevant to policymakers. As this report was assessed and analyzed by including the progress of climate change science, the role of climate models and evolution in the treatment of uncertainties. This consists of the changes in atmospheric constituents(both aerosols and gases) that affect the radiative energy balance in the atmosphere and determine the Earth's climate, considering the interaction between biogeochemical cycles that affect atmospheric constituents and climate change, including aerosol/cloud interactions, the extensive range of observations snow available for the atmosphere and surface, for snow, ice, and frozen ground and for the oceans, respectively and changes in sea level, the paleoclimate perspective and assessment of evidence for past climate change and the extension, the ways in which physical processes are simulated in climate models and the evaluation of models against observed climate, the development plans and methods of improving expert and building manpower urgently and R&D fund expansion in detail for climate change science in Korea will be proposed.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.101-119
• /
• 2021

The demand for clean water is virtually present in all modern human societies even as our society has developed increasingly more advanced and sophisticated technologies to improve human life. However, as global climate change begins to show more dramatic effects in many regions in the world, the demand for a cheap, effective way to treat wastewater or to remove harmful bacteria, microbes, viruses, and other solvents detrimental to human health has continued to remain present and remains as important as ever. Well-established synthetic membranes composed of polyaniline (PANI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and others have been extensively studied to gather information regarding the characteristics and performance of the membrane, but recent studies have shown that making these synthetic membranes conductive to electrical current by doping the membrane with another material or incorporating conductive materials onto the surface of the membrane, such as allotropes of carbon, have shown to increase the performance of these membranes by allowing the adjustability of pore size, improving antifouling and making the antibacterial property better. In this review, modern electrically conductive membranes are compared to conventional membranes and their performance improvements under electric fields are discussed, as well as their potential in water filtration and wastewater treatment applications.

• Journal of Breast Cancer
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.371-381
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Immune suppression is common in patients with advanced breast cancer but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we aimed to identify B7 family members that were able to predict the immune status of patients, and which may serve as potential targets for the treatment of breast cancer. We also aimed to identify microRNAs that may regulate the expression of B7 family members. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas data from 1,092 patients with breast cancer, including gene expression, microRNA expression and survival data, were used for statistical and survival analyses. Polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure messenger RNA and protein expression, respectively. Luciferase assay was used to investigate direct microRNA target. Results: Bioinformatic analysis predicted that microRNA (miR)-93, miR-195, miR-497, and miR-340 are potential regulators of the immune evasion of breast cancer cells, and that they exert this function by targeting CD274, PDCD1LG2, and NCR3LG1. We chose CD274 for further investigations. We found that miR-195, miR-497, and CD274 expression levels were inversely correlated in MDA-MB-231 cells, and miR-195 and miR-497 expressions mimic inhibited CD274 expression in vitro. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-195 and miR-497 directly target CD274 3' untranslated region. Conclusion: Our data indicated that the level of B7 family members can predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients, and miR-195/miR-497 regulate CD274 expression in triple negative breast cancer. This regulation may further influence tumor progression and the immune tolerance mechanism in breast cancer and may be able to predict the effect of immunotherapy on patients.

• Annals of Coloproctology
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.286-291
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Stage-IIIC colon cancer is an advanced disease; however, its oncologic outcomes and prognostic factors remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the predictors of disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with stage-IIIC colon cancer. Methods: From a multicenter database, we retrospectively enrolled 611 patients (355 men and 256 women) who had undergone a potentially curative resection for a stage-IIIC colon adenocarcinoma between 2003 and 2011. The primary endpoint was the 5-year DFS. Results: The median age was 62 years; 213 and 398 patients had right-sided colon cancer (RCC) and left-sided colon cancer (LCC), respectively. The 5-year DFS in all patients was 52.0%; median follow-up time was 35 months (range, 1-134 months). A multivariate Cox regression revealed that female sex (hazard ratio [HR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-1.90; P < 0.01), right-sided tumor location (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.29-2.11; P < 0.01), lymphatic invasion (HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.08-2.15; P < 0.01) and a high (${\geq}0.4$) metastatic lymph node ratio (HR, 3.72; 95% CI, 2.63-5.24; P < 0.01) were independent predictors of worse 5-year DFS. Female patients with RCC were 1.79 fold more likely to experience recurrence than male patients with LCC. Conclusion: Female sex and right-sided tumor location are associated with higher tumor recurrence rates in patients with stage-IIIC colon cancers. Aggressive treatment and close surveillance should be planned for patients in these groups.

• Archives of Hand and Microsurgery
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.223-229
• /
• 2018

Purpose: A number of procedures were introduced to stabilize the 1st metacarpal bone after resection of the trapezium in the thumb carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) arthroplasty. However, some surgical procedures may inevitably damage normal structures, such as harvesting tendons or drilling of a bone for tendon passage. Suture suspension arthroplasty is relatively less invasive and easier to perform than the previously described surgical methods. The purpose of this study was to report the therapeutic efficiency of the suture suspension arthroplasty. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 12 patients who underwent suture suspension arthroplasty for the treatment of thumb CMCJ arthritis. Pain visual analogue scale (VAS), satisfaction about surgical outcomes, and the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scores were measured to evaluate the functional outcomes and the Trapezial Space Ratios were measured. Satisfaction was measured in the range of "very dissatisfied" (0) to "very satisfied" (10). Results: The mean follow-up period was 23 months. Pain VAS score improved significantly from 7.0 to 2.9 (p<0.05). And mean satisfaction scale was 6.9. However, there was no significant difference in DASH scores between before and after surgery (p=0.06). The mean trapezial space ratio was calculated to be 0.45 before surgery, 0.33 immediately after surgery, 0.23 at the last follow-up. Conclusion: Suture suspension arthroplasty is a satisfactory surgical procedure. And compared with other procedures, there is no significant difference in the reduction of the trapezial space. It may be useful in advanced thumb CMCJ arthritis.

• Annals of Coloproctology
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.292-298
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This study compared the perioperative clinical outcomes of reduced-port laparoscopic surgery (RPLS) with those of conventional multiport laparoscopic surgery (MPLS) for patients with sigmoid colon cancer and investigated the safety and feasibility of RPLS performed by 1 surgeon and 1 camera operator. Methods: From the beginning of 2010 until the end of 2014, 605 patients underwent a colectomy for sigmoid colon cancer. We compared the characteristics, postoperative outcomes, and pathologic results for the patients who underwent RPLS and for the patients who underwent MPLS. We also compared the clinical outcomes of single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) and 3-port laparoscopic surgery. Results: Of the 115 patients in the RPLS group, 59 underwent SILS and 56 underwent 3-port laparoscopic surgery. The MPLS group included 490 patients. The RPLS group had shorter operating time ($137.4{\pm}43.2minutes$ vs. $155.5{\pm}47.9minutes$, P < 0.001) and shorter incision length ($5.3{\pm}2.2cm$ vs. $7.8{\pm}1.2cm$, P < 0.001) than the MPLS group. In analyses of SILS and 3-port laparoscopic surgery, the SILS group showed younger age, longer operating time, and shorter incision length than the 3-port surgery group and exhibited a more advanced T stage, more lymphatic invasion, and larger tumor size. Conclusion: RPLS performed by 1 surgeon and 1 camera operator appears to be a feasible and safe surgical option for the treatment of patients with sigmoid colon cancer, showing comparable clinical outcomes with shorter operation time and shorter incision length than MPLS. SILS can be applied to patients with favorable tumor characteristics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.57 no.4
• /
• pp.341-357
• /
• 2019

Acanthamoeba, one of free-living amoebae (FLA), remains a high risk of direct contact with this protozoan parasite which is ubiquitous in nature and man-made environment. This pathogenic FLA can cause sight-threatening amoebic keratitis (AK) and fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) though these cases may not commonly be reported in our clinical settings. Acanthamoeba has been detected from different environmental sources namely; soil, water, hotspring, swimming pool, air-conditioner, or contact lens storage cases. The identification of Acanthamoeba is based on morphological appearance and molecular techniques using PCR and DNA sequencing for clinico-epidemiological purposes. Recent treatments have long been ineffective against Acanthamoeba cyst, novel anti-Acanthamoeba agents have therefore been extensively investigated. There are efforts to utilize synthetic chemicals, lead compounds from medicinal plant extracts, and animal products to combat Acanthamoeba infection. Applied nanotechnology, an advanced technology, has shown to enhance the anti-Acanthamoeba activity in the encapsulated nanoparticles leading to new therapeutic options. This review attempts to provide an overview of the available data and studies on the occurrence of pathogenic Acanthamoeba among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members with the aim of identifying some potential contributing factors such as distribution, demographic profile of the patients, possible source of the parasite, mode of transmission and treatment. Further, this review attempts to provide future direction for prevention and control of the Acanthamoeba infection.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.51 no.6
• /
• pp.485-492
• /
• 2018

About 300 thousand tones of oyster shells are produced annually and, thus, their massive recycling methods are required. Recently, a method, utilizing them as wet desulfurization materials after removal of organic matters and changing $CaCO_3$ phase into CaO through calcination, is under consideration. This study investigates the mineralogical changes (specific surface area, phase changes, surface state, etc.) of oyster shells by calcination and their characteristics were compared with those of limestone. Uncalcined oyster shells showed the higher specific surface area than limestone because the former are composed of platy and columnar structures. In contrast, investigated limestone showed a dense structure. The phase change of oyster shells occurred at lower temperature than that of limestone. The specific surface area of oyster shell decreased significantly after calcination while limestone depicted a drastic increase. Small amount of Na contained in oyster shell was suggested as the cause of this phenomenon; in that, it acted as a flux causing melting and sintering of oyster materials at lower temperature. Because of this, an additional phenomenon was observed that a part of shell materials remained untransformed even at higher calcination temperature and after longer treatment period due to the sintered surface, which covers the rest parts. Further studies investigating the effect of this phenomena from the perspective of desulfurization is required.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.19-31
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The aim of this study was to propose a standardized guideline for clinical training courses among dental hygiene departments of colleges in Korea. This study comparatively evaluated periods and durations of the curricula and specific domains, credits and hours of clinical training classes, and institutions providing practical lessons, and calculated the total credits and hours. Methods: From August 15 to September 15, 2017, a literature review was conducted in dental hygiene departments of 82 schools around the country in order to investigate the current conditions of clinical training in each educational system. Furthermore, 5 colleges were selected from each type of educational system, and their credits and hours for clinical training were analyzed in subjects of practical training for clinical dental hygiene, practical training for dental clinic, practical training for local community dental health, clinical training, and pre-clinical level practical training. The total credits and hours were calculated on the basis of analysis results. Results: The findings revealed that the hours of clinical training classes and hours per credit for practical training in the dental hygiene departments as well as the practical training institutions varied between the colleges. In some cases, the hours of practical training were not indicated. Standardized clinical training in the dental hygiene department was allotted 675 hours, whereas practical training in local community dental health studies was allotted 105 hours, which totaled to 780 allotted hours. Conclusions: There was a significant difference among the colleges in terms of the current conditions of clinical training in the dental hygiene department. The literature review revealed that a total of 780 hours was allotted to clinical training, and this was significantly more than the standard (500 hours) set by the. Moreover, these clinical training hours were lower than in advanced countries or other health and medical treatment occupations. Therefore, efficient improvement is required in order to provide a timely guideline for clinical training.