• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.365-373
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• 2023

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.266-266
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• 2022

The outbreaks of blast, bacterial blight and viral diseases have been increasing in early maturing rice cultivating areas in the central northern regions, recently. As the occurrence of sudden insects pests and disasters increases due to global climate warming, it is urgent to develop a variety of disaster-tolerant, high-quality varieties in response. This study was carried out to elucidate the characteristics of early-maturing, high-quality and multiple disease resistant rice variety, Cheolweon109 that was adapted to cultivation in the mid-mountainous regions of the central northern regions. Cheolweon109 was derived from a cross between Suweon546, medium maturing variety, and Sangju44 which is early maturing and resistant to blast, bacterial blight and rice stripe virus. The heading date of Cheolweon109 was July 30, 3 days later than Odae. The culm length of Cheolweon109 was 79 cm, which was about 5 cm taller than Odae, and the ripening ratio was 85.1%, which was 10% higher than that of Odae. This variety had 5.54 MT/ha of milled rice productivity, which was 99% of the Odae. Although Cheolweon109 was tall, it was strong against lodging. It was strong against bacterial blight (K1, K2, K3 race), rice stripe virus, and the pre-harvest sprouting which rate was 2.4%. The appearance of the grains of rice was clean, the glossiness was 70.6, and the head rice ratio was 95.3% high. Because Cheolweon109 had superior disease resistance, disaster resistance, and high quality than Odae, it was expected that can be used to expand the diversity of early maturing and high-quality rice varieties in central northern regions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.9
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• pp.545-557
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• 2023

Sphingomyelinase (SMase) catalyzes ceramide production from sphingomyelin. Ceramides are critical in cellular responses such as apoptosis. They enhance mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) through self-assembly in the mitochondrial outer membrane to form channels that release cytochrome c from intermembrane space (IMS) into the cytosol, triggering caspase-9 activation. However, the SMase involved in MOMP is yet to be identified. Here, we identified a mitochondrial Mg²⁺-independent SMase (mt-iSMase) from rat brain, which was purified 6,130-fold using a Percoll gradient, pulled down with biotinylated sphingomyelin, and subjected to Mono Q anion exchange. A single peak of mt-iSMase activity was eluted at a molecular mass of approximately 65 kDa using Superose 6 gel filtration. The purified enzyme showed optimal activity at pH of 6.5 and was inhibited by dithiothreitol and Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Fe³⁺ ions. It was also inhibited by GW4869, which is a non-competitive inhibitor of Mg²⁺-dependent neutral SMase 2 (encoded by SMPD3), that protects against cytochrome c release-mediated cell death. Subfractionation experiments showed that mt-iSMase localizes in the IMS of the mitochondria, implying that mt-iSMase may play a critical role in generating ceramides for MOMP, cytochrome c release, and apoptosis. These data suggest that the purified enzyme in this study is a novel SMase.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.172-184
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• 2024

Purpose: The original eCura system was designed to stratify the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) after endoscopic resection (ER) in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). We assessed the effectiveness of a modified eCura system for reflecting the characteristics of undifferentiated-type (UD)-EGC. Materials and Methods: Six hundred thirty-four patients who underwent non-curative ER for UD-EGC and received either additional surgery (radical surgery group; n=270) or no further treatment (no additional treatment group; n=364) from 18 institutions between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively included in this study. The eCuraU system assigned 1 point each for tumors >20 mm in size, ulceration, positive vertical margin, and submucosal invasion <500 ㎛; 2 points for submucosal invasion ≥500 ㎛; and 3 points for lymphovascular invasion. Results: LNM rates in the radical surgery group were 1.1%, 5.4%, and 13.3% for the low-(0-1 point), intermediate- (2-3 points), and high-risk (4-8 points), respectively (P-fortrend<0.001). The eCuraU system showed a significantly higher probability of identifying patients with LNM as high-risk than the eCura system (66.7% vs. 22.2%; McNemar P<0.001). In the no additional treatment group, overall survival (93.4%, 87.2%, and 67.6% at 5 years) and cancer-specific survival (99.6%, 98.9%, and 92.9% at 5 years) differed significantly among the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories, respectively (both P<0.001). In the high-risk category, surgery outperformed no treatment in terms of overall mortality (hazard ratio, 3.26; P=0.015). Conclusions: The eCuraU system stratified the risk of LNM in patients with UD-EGC after ER. It is strongly recommended that high-risk patients undergo additional surgery.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.1-19
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• 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analysis the clinical study trends on Korean Medicine treatment for Bell's palsy during pregnancy. Methods: Key words such as 'facial palsy', 'Bell's palsy, 'Korean medicine', 'herbal medicine', 'acupuncture', 'pregnancy' were searched through the 'RISS', 'OASIS', 'KISS', 'PubMed' and 'CNKI' databases. Results: Ten clinical studies with 107 patients were selected, and 1 randomized controlled trial and 9 case reports were included as the target studies. In the 9 case reports, the gestational age at the onset of facial palsy was most common in the third trimester (29-42 weeks) in 38 cases (56.7%). The most commonly used Korean medicine interventions were acupuncture, with the most frequently used acupoints being ST4, ST2, ST6, BL2, TE23, LI20, GB1, GB14, SI18, and CV24. The herbal medicine treatment most commonly utilized was Geumgwedanggwi-san (金匱當歸散), which is related to the principles of clearing heat, nourishing blood, and stabilizing the fetus (淸熱養血安胎). Among the 65 participants evaluated using the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system, 81.5% showed complete recovery to grade 1, while 6% remained at grade 4 with no effect, indicating the efficacy of Korean medicine treatment for facial palsy during pregnancy. All the selected studies reported no abnormalities in the mothers or fetal growth, and all participants who had the reported delivery had full-term childbirth. Conclusions: The effect on Korean Medicine treatment for Bell's palsy during pregnancy had mostly positive results. However, further large, well-designed clinical trials are needed to establish the foundation of Korean Medicine treatment for Bell's palsy during pregnancy.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.529-540
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• 2022

Background and Objectives: Limited data are available regarding long-term clinical outcomes of iliac artery endovascular therapy (EVT) in real-world practice. This study investigated long-term outcomes according to Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) classifications. Methods: We analyzed data from 1,705 limbs of 1,364 patients from the retrospective cohort of the multicenter Korean Vascular Intervention Society Endovascular Therapy in Lower Limb Artery Disease registry. The primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization (TLR)-free survival. Results: TASC A, B, C, and D lesions were present in 19.4%, 26.2%, 28.7%, and 25.7% of the treated limbs, respectively. The technical success rate was 96.2% and did not differ between TASC lesion types. Complications occurred in 6.8% of cases and more occurred in TASC D (11.8%). Iliac artery EVT showed a 5-year TLR-free survival of 89.2%. The TASC D group had the lowest TLR-free rate of 79.3%. TASC D (hazard ratio [HR], 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.73; p=0.014), plain old balloon angioplasty (HR, 4.25; 95% CI, 2.03-8.88; p<0.001), current smoker (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.26-2.83; p=0.002), previous bypass surgery (HR, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.28-7.19; p=0.011), combined femoropopliteal treatment (HR, 4.89; 95% CI, 3.19-7.50; p<0.001), combined below the knee treatment (HR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.25-3.89; p=0.007), and complications (HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.07-3.24; p=0.028) were predictors for TLR. Conclusions: Iliac artery EVT achieved excellent technical success and 5-year TLR-free survival. TASC D showed a favorable but lower 5-year TLR-free survival rate and higher complication rate compared with other TASC groups.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.109-120
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• 2017

In order to examine how Radiological Technologists perceive the oriental doctor's use of Medical Imaging Equipment, surveys were conducted for the members of the Korean Radiological Technologists Association. The total number of respondents were 515 and 481, with 34 insincere responses removed caused of nonvalidated answer. The results of the analysis are as follows. Although there were no statistical significance in the difference in perception by location of residence, work place, and educational background, respondents with higher education showed a tendency to agree on the use of comprehensive medical imaging equipment, but tended to oppose the use of special medical imaging equipment. Differences in perception by gender showed a greater negative perception toward the oriental doctor's use of medical imaging equipment by women than men. In particular, women showed more negative tendency for oriental doctor's use of special medical imaging equipment such as MRI, CT, and ultrasound equipment compared to men, and this was statistically significant. The difference in perception by age showed that the oriental doctor's use of medical imaging equipment was negative in the 20~30s, neutral in the 40~50s, and positive in the 60s, which were statistically significant. The difference in perception by work experience showed that the longer the work experience was, the more positive it was toward oriental doctor's use of medical imaging equipment. Specifically, the most favorable tendency was found with work experience of more than 30 years, which was statistically significant. The results of this study revealed the Radiological Technologists' perceptions on the oriental doctor's use of Medical Imaging Equipment and this can contribute to the direction of public health promotion in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.200-208
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• 2005

Purpose: Tc-99m labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacctic acid (DTPA)-coupled galactosylated human serum albumin (GSA) is a currently used imaging agent for asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) of the liver, but, it has several shortcomings. Recently a new ASGPR imaging agent, $^{99m}Tc$-lactosylated human serum albumin (LSA), with simple labeling procedure, high labeling efficiency, high stability was developed. In order to assess the feasibility of the $^{99m}Tc$-LSA as a ASGPR imaging radiopharmaceuticals, we performed biodistribution study of the tracer in liver injured mice model and the results were compared with histolgic data. Materals and Methods: To induce hepatic damage in ICR mice, diethylnitrosamine (DEN) ($60mg/kg/week{\times}5time$, low dose or $180mg/kg/week{\times}2times$, high dose) and thioacetamide (TAA) ($50mg/kg{\times}1time$) were administrated intraperitoneally. Degree of liver damage was evaluated by tissue hematoxilin-eosin stain, and expression of asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) was assessed by immunohistochemistry using ASGPR antibody. $^{99m}Tc$-LSA was intravenously administrated via tail vein in DEN or TAA treated mice, and biodistribution study of the tracer was also performed. Results: DEN treated mice showed ballooning of hepatocyte and inflammatory cell infiltration in low dose group and severe hapatocyte necrosis in high dose group, and low dose group showed higher ASGPR staining than control mice in immunohistochemical staining. TAA treated mice showed severe hepatic necrosis. $^{99m}Tc$-LSA Biodistribution study showed that mice with hepatic necrosis induced by high dose DEN or TAA revealed higher blood activity and lower liver activity than control mice, due to slow clearance of the tracer by the liver. The degree of liver uptake was inversely correlated with the degree of histologic liver damage. But low dose DEN treated mice with mild hepatic injury showed normal blood clearance and hepatic activity, partly due to overexpression of ASGPR in mice with mild degree hepatic injury. Conclusion: Liver uptake of $^{99m}Tc$-LSA was inversely correlated with degree of histologic hepatic injury in DEN and TAA treated mice. These results support that $^{99m}Tc$-LSA can be used to evaluate the liver status in liver disease patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2004

Acute poisoning is one of the diseases which need the most fastest emergency measures at the very beginning. However, at present, The Korea doesn't manage the toxication all over the country, and in particular, there is no guide to medical cure paying due regard to the traits of each area. This paper focused on the issue that the necessary data in preparing the facilities for the treatment of the poisoned patients and materials for medical treatment including antidote would have to be collected, after finding the special features of the symptoms by searching the present conditions of the poisoning in small towns next to farm villages in the North area of Youngseo, Kangwon province. This study was based on the questionnaires from 111 patients who were carried into the emergency room by the poisoning in two university hospitals of the North area of Youngseo, Kangwon, for one year, 2002. Upon investigation, the patients(111) visiting emergency room by the acute poisoning during the research period was found to be 0.37 percent of all patients(30,085) visiting emergency room. Among them, the most high percentage was given in their twenties and thirties at the rate of $39.6\%$, and the ratio($40.5\%$) of the poisoned patients after their fifties was much higher than a research($10\%$) of other areas. Many poisoned patients came to their rescue in an emergency room generally in spring and in winter, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Agricultural chemical of the toxic materials had a majority at a ratio of $57.7\%$, and paraquat of the agricultural chemicals was found to have a lot of toxicity by $31.7\%$. As the trace of the toxication, the oral poisoning was common by $89.2\%$, and $55.9\%$ in the case of operating gastric lavage and nasogastric irrigation, but only $14.4\%$ for prescribing antidote. The mortality of the acute poisoned patients was $17.2\%$, and the toxication by paraquat held a majority. As a result, the acute poisoning of the North area in Youngseo, Kangwon had both of the characteristics of the rural and the city, and the patients over their fifties by the population aging had more attack of the disease than other regions. Also, with the high ratio of the toxication by the agricultural chemicals, especially, the lethal agricultural chemical was used frequently. Therefore, these dangerous situations need to find the ways to cope with.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2005

To investigate whether there are estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities in various medicinal herbs and discover prominent chemo-preventive agents, we screened and compared the ethanol extracts of 9 plants through the recombinant yeast assay and MCF-7 human breast cancer cell assay, In recombinant yeast assay, seven medicinal herbs showed estrogenicity, and four extracts showed androgenecity. In MCF-7 proliferation assay, the growth of MCF-7 cells was inhibited by eight extracts before and even after co-treatment with bisphenol A. It is interesting that the extracts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Cassia tora, Syringa velutina, Zingiber officinale, Malva verticillata, and Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer exhibited inhibitory effects as phytoestrogens in estrogen-responsive human breast cancer cells. This study suggests that some Korean medicinal herbs might be considered as phytoestrogens and be useful to further analyze those plants which contain the estrogenic effect in order to identify the active principles.