• The korean journal of orthodontics
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.160-170
• /
• 2024

Objective: Owing to the availability of 3D software, scanners, and printers, clinicians are encouraged to produce in-office aligners. Recently, a new direct-printing resin (Tera Harz TC-85DAC) has been introduced. Studies on its mechanical characteristics and biological effects have been published; however, evidence on its efficacy in orthodontic treatment remains scarce. This pilot study aimed to investigate the accuracy of teeth movement achieved with direct-printed aligners. Methods: Seventeen patients (eight males and nine females) with a mean age of 27.67 ± 8.95 years, presenting with dental rotations < 30° and spaces/crowding < 5 mm, were recruited for this study. The teeth movement was planned starting from a T0 digital dental cast. The 3D direct-printed aligners were produced using Tera Harz TC-85DAC resin. Once the orthodontic treatment was completed, a final digital cast was obtained (T1). The planned teeth positions were then superimposed onto the T0 and T1 digital models. The differences between the programmed movements and the achieved overall torque, tip, rotation, and transverse dimensions were assessed using the paired t test or Wilcoxon's signed rank test. Results: The overall accuracies for torque, tip, and rotation were 67.6%, 64.2%, and 72.0%, respectively. The accuracy of the change in transverse diameter was 99.6%. Conclusions: Within the limits of the present pilot study (difficulties with abnormally shaped teeth and use of attachments), it can be concluded that 3D printed aligners can be successfully printed in-house and utilized for mildly crowded cases, with a comparable accuracy of tooth movement to that of other aligners.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.16
• /
• pp.6871-6876
• /
• 2015

Background: The meningeal hemangiopericytoma (MHPC) is a vascular tumor arising from pericytes. Most intracranial MHPCs resemble meningiomas (MNGs) in their clinical presentation and histological features and may therefore be misdiagnosed, despite important differences in prognosis. Materials and Methods: We report 8 cases of MHPC and 5 cases of MNG collected from 2007 to 2011 from the Neuro-Surgery and Histopathology departments. All 13 samples were re reviewed by two independent pathologists and investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using mesenchymal, epithelial and neuro-glial markers. Additionally, we screened all tumors for a large panel of chromosomal alterations using multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA). Presence of the NAB2-STAT6 fusion gene was inferred by immunohistochemical staining for STAT6. Results: Compared with MNG, MHPCs showed strong VIM (100% of cases), CD99 (62%), bcl-2 (87%), and p16 (75%) staining but only focal positivity with EMA (33%) and NSE (37%). The p21 antibody was positive in 62% of MHPC and less than 1% in all MNGs. MLPA data did not distinguish HPC from MNG, with PTEN loss and ERBB2 gain found in both. By contrast, STAT6 nuclear staining was observed in 3 MHPC cases and was absent from MNG. Conclusions: MNG and MHPC comprise a spectrum of tumors that cannot be easily differentiated based on histopathology. The presence of STAT6 nuclear positivity may however be a useful diagnostic marker.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.67-70
• /
• 2019

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is a group of muscular dystrophies that has extremely heterogeneous clinical features and genetic background. The caveolin-3 gene (CAV3) is one of the causative genes. LGMD appears as a clinical continuum, from isolated skeletal muscle involvement to long QT syndrome. Here we report two patients without apparent muscle weakness in a family with CAV3 mutation. A 7-month-old Korean boy visited our muscle clinic because of an incidental finding of elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) concentration (680 IU/L, reference range, 20-270 IU/L) without clinical symptoms. The patient was born after an uneventful pregnancy and showed normal developmental milestones. He developed pseudohypertrophy of his calf muscle during the follow-up. We obtained a muscle biopsy at age 14 months, which showed size variations and degenerating/regenerating myofibers with endomysial fibrosis and immunohistochemical evidence of normal dystrophin. Under the impression of LGMD, we performed target panel sequencing and identified a heterozygous in-frame mutation of CAV3, c.307_312delGTGGTG (p.Val103_Val104del). Immunohistochemical staining of muscle indicated complete loss of caveolin-3 compared with normal control muscle, which supported the variant's pathogenicity. We performed segregation analysis and found that the patient's mother had the same variant with elevated serum CK level (972 IU/L). We report on autosomal dominant familial caveolinopathy caused by a pathogenic variant in CAV3, which was asymptomatic until the fourth decade. This case highlights the utility of next generation sequencing in the diagnosis of muscular dystrophies and the additive role of muscle biopsy to confirm the variants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.2597-2603
• /
• 2016

Ovarian cancer is a highly malignant neoplasm with high mortality rates. Research to identify markers facilitating early detection has been pursued for many years. Currently, diagnosis is based on the CA 125 and HE4 markers, as well as the ROMA algorithm. The search continues for new proteins that meet the criteria of good markers A total of 90 patients were included in the present study, allocated into: group 1, ovarian cancer, with 29 patients; group 2, endometrial cysts, with 30s; and group 3, simple ovarian cysts, with 31. Following histopathological verification, the CA 125, HE4, and metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3) levels were determined and the ROMA algorithm was calculated for all patients. The mean concentrations of all determined proteins, CA 125, HE4, and MMP3, as well as the ROMA values, were significantly higher in group 1 (ovarian cancer) compared to group 3 (simple ovarian cysts). The highest significant differences for the CA 125 levels (p<0.000001) and ROMA (p<0.000001) values were observed in postmenopausal women. For HE4, statistical significance was at the level of p=0.00001 compared to p=0.002 for MMP3. For the differentiation between ovarian cancer and endometrial cysts, the respective AUC ratios were obtained for CA 125, HE4, and MMP3 levels, as well as the ROMA values ( 0,93 / 0,96 / 0,75 / 0,98). After removing the post-menopausal patients, the MMP3 AUC value for ovarian cancer vs. benign ovarian cysts increased to 0.814. For post-menopausal women, the MMP3 AUC value for ovarian cancer vs. endometrial cysts was 0.843. As suggested by the results above, both the CA 125 and HE4 markers, as well as the ROMA algorithm, meet the criteria of a good diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. MMP3 seems to meet the criteria of a good diagnostic test, particularly in postmenopausal women; however, it is not superior to the tests used to date.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.498-504
• /
• 2014

Mammalian hyaluronidases (HAase, EC 3.2.1.35) are a family of enzymes that hydrolyse N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (1-4) glycosidic bonds in hyaluronic acid, which is found in skin, cartilage, and the vitreous body. Although HAase is generally present in an inactive form within subcellular lysosomes, it is released in an active form in some types of inflammation and tissue injuries, thereby contributing to the inflammatory response. The HAase inhibitory activity of 500 methanolic extracts of 500 species from medicinal plants was screened using a Morgan microplate assay. The viscosity of the hyaluronic acid was measured with an Ubbelohde viscometer. Three MeOH extracts inhibited more than 50% of HAase activity at a concentration of 2 mg/ml. HAase inhibitory rates (%) of three species of medicinal plant extracts, Styrax japonica, Deutzia coreana, and Osmanthus insularis were 57.28%, 53.50%, and 53.19%, respectively. The rate of HAase inhibition of the extracts was dose dependent. In the HAase inhibitory assay using the Ubbelohde viscometer, the results were in good agreement with the results from the Morgan assay. The results suggest that HAase inhibitory compounds extracted from the stem of S. japonica, D. coreana, and O. insularis might be multifunctional and prevent the degradation of hyaluronic acid and the induction of allergic reactions and inflammation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.33-38
• /
• 2012

Germanium biotite, a natural mineral, has been used as a feed supplement to reinforce innate immune ability. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of germanium biotite on the adsorptive and inhibition of growth abilities against Escherichia (E.) coli and Salmonella spp. in vitro. Two strains of enterotoxigenic E. coli and four strains of two Salmonella serotypes (Salmonella Derby and Salmonella Typhimurium), major bacterial diarrheal pathogens, were used for this experiment. The absorptive ability of germanium biotite against most Salmonella used in present experiment was observed weakly. The germanium biotite, however, showed significant effect of bacterial growth inhibition in most experiment bacteria. These results suggest that the use of the germanium biotite as feed supplement could alleviate diarrhea following inhibition of bacteria growth. It is also presumed that antibiotics usage for farm animals, considered as causes of antibiotic residue in meat and emerging antibiotic resistance, could be reduced through the use of germanium biotite as a feed supplement, in place of antibiotics used for the prevention of diarrhea.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.1621-1625
• /
• 2015

Power quality has always been a concern of power engineers. Certainly an argument can be successfully made that most parts of power engineering have the ultimate objective to improve power quality. AC motors were widely used in industrial and domestic applications. Generally, AC motors were of two types: Induction and Synchronous motors. In motor many parameters like different load cycling, switching, working in hot weather and unbalances creates harmonics which creates major reasons for temperature rise of the motors. Due to high peak value of voltage, harmonics can weaken insulation in cables, windings and capacitors and different electronic components. Higher value of harmonics increase the motor current and decrease the power factor which will reduce the life time of the motor and increase the overall rating of all electrical equipments. Harmonics reduction of all the motors in India will save more power. Coating of windings of the motor with nano fillers will reduce the amount of harmonics in the motor. Based on the previous project works, actions were taken to use the enamel filled with various nano fillers for the coating of the windings of the different AC motors. Ball mill method was used to convert the micro particles of Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, ZrO₂ and ZnO into nano particles. SEM, TEM and XRD were used to augment the particle size of the powder. The synthesized nano powders were mixed with the enamel by using ultrasonic vibrator. Then the enamel mixed with the nano fillers was coated to the windings of the several AC motors. Harmonics were measured in terms of various indices like THD, VHD, CHD and DIN by using Harmonic analyzer. There are many other measures and indices to describe power quality, but none is applicable in all cases and in many instances, these indices may hide more than they show. Sometimes power quality indices were used as a basis of comparison and standardization. The efficiency of the motors was increased by 5 – 10 %. The thermal withstanding capacity of the motor was increased by 5º to 15º C. The harmonics of the motors were reduced by 10 – 50%.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.272-281
• /
• 2020

Environmental agents, including viral and bacterial infectious agents, are involved in the alteration of physicochemical and biological parameters in the nasal epithelium. Hyaluronan (HA) has an important role in the regulation of tissue healing properties. High molecular weight HA (HMW-HA) shows greater anti-inflammatory responses than medium molecular weight HA (MMW-HA) and low molecular weight HA (LMW-HA). We investigated the effect of HMW-HA, MMW-HA and LMW-HA on the regulation of physicochemical and biological parameters in an "in vitro" model that might mimic viral infections of the nasal epithelium. Human nasal epithelial cell line RPMI2650 was stimulated with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) Poly(I:C) for 5 days in air-liquid-interface (ALI) culture (3D model of airway tissue). dsRNA Poly(I:C) treatment significantly decreased transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) in the stratified nasal epithelium of RPMI2650 and increased pH values, rheological parameters (elastic G' and viscous G''), and Muc5AC and Muc5B production in the apical wash of ALI culture of RPMI2650 in comparison to untreated cells. RPMI2650 treated with dsRNA Poly(I:C) in the presence of HMW-HA showed lower pH values, Muc5AC and Muc5B production, and rheological parameters, as well as increased TEER values in ALI culture, compared to cells treated with Poly(I:C) alone or pretreated with LMW-HA and MMW-HA. Our 3D "in vitro" model of epithelium suggests that HMW-HA might be a coadjuvant in the pharmacological treatment of viral infections, allowing for the control of some physicochemical and biological properties affecting the epithelial barrier of the nose during infection.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
• /
• s.44
• /
• pp.57-84
• /
• 2016

The image of woman shown in an animation was pretty extraordinary as Disney has kept the conservative tendency so far. The two princesses in were described as independent women getting out of the traditional gender role and dependence on men. For this reason, there is a tendency that interprets as a feminist work. Even though the character showing the image of independent woman could be an essential index to define feminist work, it is not enough to define the tendency of works. Thus, this study reviewed if it would be valid to interpret as a feminist work. First, the 'sisterhood' which is the main theme of contained the feminist concept as 'women's solidarity' on top of friendship between sisters. Therefore, when analyzed focusing on the core concept of women's solidarity like difference, empathy, and solidarity, reflected 'differences' in narration, character, and image, etc. When differences in sisters which became the cause for misunderstanding and conflict were acknowledge based on their true love, the process of forming empathy and solidarity was described. The solidarity between Elsa and Anna not only became the power to defeat the enemy, but also reflected the feminist value of forming the community of coexistence like Adelen which was rebuilt after getting back the spring. Thus, it was verified that is a feminist work.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.566-578
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine trends and achievements of domestic gamification studies and to suggest further research directions. For this purpose, I collect references in domestic gamification and then analyze them through a systematic literature review. Through search DB, 131 references were collected, the references were analyzed by year, purpose, research type, research methods, and research results. The results showed that the amount of gamification research has increased steadily, and academic discussion in the non-game context has increased sharply since 2015. The results of analysis by research purpose showed that the most research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy, program, and design of gamification. The results of research type showed solution, evaluation, position paper, and validation study in that order. In terms of research methods, literature research was the most common, followed by quantitative, qualitative and mixed research. In the analysis of 45 papers that reported the research results, it was found that there were 21 articles about psychological effects, 17 articles about behavioral effects, and 7 articles about psychological and behavioral effects. Further research directions are suggested based on the review results.