• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.546-554
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• 2021

Background: Diabetes mellitus and hypertension often occur together, amplifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and emphasizing the need for a multitargeted treatment approach. American ginseng (AG) and Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) species could improve glycemic control via complementary mechanisms. Additionally, a KRG-inherent component, ginsenoside Rg3, may moderate blood pressure (BP). Our objective was to investigate the therapeutic potential of coadministration of Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng (Rg3-KRG) and AG, added to standard of care therapy, in the management of hypertension and cardiometabolic risk factors in type-2 diabetes. Methods: Within a randomized controlled, parallel design of 80 participants with type-2 diabetes (HbA1c: 6.5-8%) and hypertension (systolic BP: 140-160 mmHg or treated), supplementation with either 2.25 g/day of combined Rg3-KRG + AG or wheat-bran control was assessed over a 12-wk intervention period. The primary endpoint was ambulatory 24-h systolic BP. Additional endpoints included further hemodynamic assessment, glycemic control, plasma lipids and safety monitoring. Results: Combined ginseng intervention generated a mean ± SE decrease in primary endpoint of 24-h systolic BP (-3.98 ± 2.0 mmHg, p = 0.04). Additionally, there was a greater reduction in HbA1c (-0.35 ± 0.1% [-3.8 ± 1.1 mmol/mol], p = 0.02), and change in blood lipids: total cholesterol (-0.50 ± 0.2 mmol/l, p = 0.01), non-HDL-C (-0.54 ± 0.2 mmol/l, p = 0.01), triglycerides (-0.40 ± 0.2 mmol/l, p = 0.02) and LDL-C (-0.35 ± 0.2 mmol/l, p = 0.06) at 12 wks, relative to control. No adverse safety outcomes were observed. Conclusion: Coadministration of Rg3-KRG + AG is an effective addon for improving BP along with attaining favorable cardiometabolic outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Ginseng derivatives may offer clinical utility when included in the polypharmacy and lifestyle treatment of diabetes. Clinical trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier, NCT01578837;

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.208-217
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to provide information on the treatment and management of diabetic patients using all the available data of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2013-2015) on the serological and complication patterns of cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to the duration of diabetes mellitus (DM). KNHANES consists of health questionnaires, screenings, and nutrition surveys. The study subjects were 1,316 persons who were aged between 18 and 80 years and who answered the duration of DM. DM was classified as 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, and over 20 years according to duration of DM. The longer the duration of DM, the older the BMI, the lower the smoker, the higher the HbA1c and the lower the glomerular filtration rate. Total cholesterol, LDL-C and triglyceride levels were low and HDL-C levels were similar. The proportion of patients receiving insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents increased. The longer the duration of DM, the worse blood glucose control and the increased risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications. To prevent these complications, intensive care and monitoring should be used to control the risk factors.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2022

Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is a new index reflecting central lipid accumulation and is known to be a strong independent indicator for identifying the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes mellitus (DM). This study was conducted to assess the relationship between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and LAP according to the presence or absence of obesity in Korean adults. The study was carried out using data from the 2019 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and included 6,090 adults aged 20 years or older. There were several key findings. First, after adjusting for related variables, the mean of the HOMA-IR levels (M±SE, 95% confidence interval) was positively associated with the quartiles of LAP in the overall population (P<0.001), non-obese (P<0.001) or obese groups (P<0.001). Second, in all the groups (overall population, non-obese and obese groups), the mean value of the fasting blood glucose (all, P<0.001), insulin (all, P<0.001), and the metabolic syndrome score (all, P<0.001) increased with the increasing quartiles of LAP. Insulin resistance was thus positively associated with an increase in the LAP in Korean adults with or without obesity.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.134-153
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• 2022

Regardless of a trade-off relationship between energy density and safety, it is essential to improve both properties for future lithium secondary batteries. Especially, to improve the energy density of batteries further, not only thickness but also weight of separators including ceramic coating layers should be reduced continuously apart from the development of high-capacity electrode active materials. For this purpose, an attempt to replace conventional slurry coating methods with a deposition one has attracted much attention for securing comparable thermal stability while minimizing the thickness and weight of ceramic coating layer in the separator. This review introduces state-of-the-art technology on ceramic-coated separators (CCSs) manufactured by the deposition method. There are three representative processes to form a ceramic coating layer as follows: chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and physical vapor deposition (PVD). Herein, we summarized the principle and advantages/disadvantages of each deposition method. Furthermore, each CCS was analyzed and compared in terms of its mechanical and thermal properties, air permeability, ionic conductivity, and electrochemical performance.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.404-413
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• 2023

In this research, we studied the development of a SUS304 microneedle array based on microfabrication technology and the applicability of Parylene-C thin film, a medical polymer material. First of all, four materials commonly used in the field of medical engineering (SUS304, Ti, PMMA, and PEEK) were selected and a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C thin film was deposited. The applicability of Parylene-C coating to each material was confirmed through SEM analysis, contact angle measurement, surface roughness(Ra) measurement, and adhesion test according to ASTM standards for each specimen. Parylene-C thin film was deposited based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C deposition process was established through trial and error. Through characteristic experiments to confirm the applicability of Parylene-C, SUS304 material, which is the easiest to apply Parylene-C coating without pretreatment was selected to develop a microneedle array based on CNC micromachining technology. The CNC micromachining process was divided into a total of 5 steps, and a microneedle array consisting of 19 needles with an inner diameter of 200 ㎛, an outer diameter of 400 ㎛, and a height of 1.4 mm was designed and manufactured. Finally, a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C coated microneedle array was developed, which presented future research directions in the field of microneedle-based drug delivery systems.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.255-260
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• 2023

As demanding the detection of explosive molecules, it is required to develop rapidly and precisely responsive sensors with ultra-high sensitivity. Since two-dimensional semiconductors have an atomically thin body nature where mobile carriers accumulate, the abrupt modulation carrier in the thin body channel can be expected. To investigate the effectiveness of WSe₂ semiconductor materials as a detection material for TNT (Trinitrotoluene) explosives, WSe₂ was synthesized using thermal chemical vapor deposition, and afterward, WSe₂ FETs (Field Effect Transistors) were fabricated using standard photo-lithograph processes. Raman Spectrum and FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectroscopy reveal that the adsorption of TNT molecules induces the structural transition of WSe₂ crystalline. The electrical properties before and after adsorption of TNT molecules on the WSe₂ surface were compared; as -50 V was applied as the back gate bias, 0.02 μA was recorded in the bare state, and the drain current increased to 0.41 μA with a dropping 0.6% (w/v) TNT while maintaining the p-type behavior. Afterward, the electrical characteristics were additionally evaluated by comparing the carrier mobility, hysteresis, and on/off ratio. Consequently, the present report provides the milestone for developing ultra-sensitive sensors with rapid response and high precision.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.38.1-38.10
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• 2023

Background: Hearing loss (HL) is linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The pathogeneses of HL and CVD commonly involve inflammatory responses. Previous studies investigated elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers in subjects with HL, however, their findings did not demonstrate statistical significance. In our cross-sectional and longitudinal study, we investigated the correlation between HL and increased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels to determine how HL is associated with CVDs. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with workers aged over 18 years who underwent health check-ups at our institution between 2012 and 2018 (n = 566,507), followed by conducting a longitudinal study of workers aged > 18 who underwent health checkups at least twice at our institution between 2012 and 2018 (n = 173,794). The definition of HL was as an average threshold of ≥ 20 dB in pure-tone air conduction at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz in both ears. The incidence of increased hsCRP levels throughout the follow-up period was defined as a level exceeding 3 mg/L. Logistic regression and generalized estimating equations were performed to estimate the risk of increased hsCRP levels according to the occurrence of HL in groups stratified by age. Results: In the cross-sectional study, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.34); the OR was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.80-1.22) in those under 40 and 1.28 (1.08-1.53) in those over 40. In the longitudinal study, the multivariable-adjusted OR was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.92-1.19); the OR was 1.10 (95% CI: 0.90-1.35) in those under 40 and 1.20 (1.01-1.43) in those over 40. Conclusions: This cross-sectional and longitudinal study identified an association between HL and increased hsCRP levels in workers aged over 40 years.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.348-353
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• 1997

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon(a-C:H) films were deposited on p-type Si(100) by DC saddle-field plasma enhanced CVD to investigate the effect of substrate bias on optical properties and structural changes. They were deposited using pure methane gas at a wide range of substrate bias at room temperature and 90 mtorr. The substrate bias voltage ($V_s$) was employed from $V_s=0 V$ to $V_s=400 V$. The information of optical properties was investigated by photoluminescence and transmitance. Chemical bondings of a-C:H have been explored from FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. The thickness and relative hydrogen content of the films were measured by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and elastic recoil detection (ERD) technigue. The growth rate of a-C:H film was decreased with the increase of $V_s$, but the hydrogen content of the film was increased with the increase of $V_s$. The a-C:H films deposited at the lowest $V_s$ contain the smallest amount of hydrogen with most of C-H bonds in the of $CH_2$ configuration, whereas the films produced at higher $V_s$ reveal dominant the $CH_3$ bonding structure. The emission of white photoluminescence from the films were observed even with naked eyes at room temperature and the PL intensity of the film has the maximum value at $V_s$=200 V. With $V_s$ lower than 200 V, the PL intensity of the film increased with V, but for V, higher than 200 V, the PL intensity decreased with the increase of $V_s$. The peak energy of the PL spectra slightly shifted to the higher energy with the increase of $V_s$. The optical bandgap of the film, determined by optical transmittance, was increased from 1.5 eV at $V_s$=0V to 2.3 eV at $V_s$=400 V. But there were no obvious relations between the PL peak and the optical gap which were measured by Tauc process.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.8
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• pp.641-646
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• 2001

The $CoSi_2$ layers have been in-situ grown on undoped poly-Si by the reactive chemical vapor deposition of $Co({\Eta}^5-C_5H_5)(CO)_2$ at $650^{\circ}C$ and their thermal stabilities have been investigated in the temperature range of 800 to $1000^{\circ}C$. The $CoSi_2$ layer grown by the in-situ method had grains with large area of (111) plane, while grains with little area of (111) plane appeared on the $CoSi_2$ layer grown by the conventional two-step method where $CoSi_2$ formed first and transformed to $CoSi_2$. The thermal stability of the $CoSi_2$ layer grown by the in- situ process was improved by more than $100^{\circ}C$ higher than that of the $CoSi_2$ layer grown by the conventional two-step process. The $CoSi_2$ layer grown in situ on a large-grained Poly-Si was stable up to $950^{\circ}C$. The effect of stability improvement by the in situ growth was more pronounced when the grain sizes of the poly-Si substrate were small. The improved thermal stability of the in-situ grown $CoSi_2$ layer could be mainly due to the formation of a uniform $CoSi_2$ layer with the $CoSi_2$ grains, which are in the form of epitaxial-like growth on the each poly-Si grains, causing a reduction of the interfacial energy of the system.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.209-220
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• 1996

This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of chronic disease and utilization of medical facility in rural area. 5,797 persons were randomly selected from 28,883 rural residents who were over 30 years old and living in Moonkyung city in Kyungsangpook Province during the period October 1 1983 to February 28 1994. The person prevalence rate was 336 per 1,000. The prevalence rate in men(278 per 1,000) was higher than that(388 per 1,000) in women. The spell prevalence rate in men(367) was significantly higher than that(429) in women (p<0.05). The prevalence was increased with the age, 106 in the 30's. 223 in the40's, 336 in the 50's, 407 in the 60's, and 457 in the age group of 70 above. Of all chronic diseases, the prevalence of neuralgia ranked first(128), chronic gastrointestinal disorders(64), degenerative arthritis(54). hypertension (44) and diabetes (14) were followed in descending order. In men, the prevalence of neuralgia ranked first, chronic gastrointestinal disorders, degenerative arthritis, hypertension and bronchial asthma were followed in descending order. In women, the prevalence of neuralgia ranked first, degenerative arthritis, chronic gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension and diabetes were followed in descending order. The prevalences of neuralgia, degenerative arthritis and hypertension were significantly higher in women than those in men, however, those of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary tuberculosis and liver cirrhosis in men were significantly higher than those in women(p<0.05). Most patients with chronic diseases were more likely to utilize hospital and/or local clinics than public health facility or community health providers. Patients with neuralgia, degenerative arthritis and bronchial asthma tended to utilizing local clinics initially, however, they were changed to visit public health facility or community health providers afterwards. Patients with hypertension or pulmonary tuberculosis were more likely to visit public health facility, however, those with diabetes, cancer, heart failure, CVD, liver cirrhosis were more likely to visit hospital.