• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.124-132
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• 2011

Background: Antiplatelet agent administration is critical in managing coronary-artery disease, but there is a concern regarding operation-related bleeding and an increase in blood transfusion in such, especially when delivering combined antiplatelet agents. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the administration of antiplatelet agents on off-pump coronary-artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). Methods: From March 2003 to December 2009, 49 patients who had undergone OPCAB were collected retrospectively. The patients were divided into three groups according to the administration of antiplatelet agents before the OPCAB operation: 21 patients were given an aspirin agent (group 1), 19 patients were given combined agents (aspirin+clopidogrel) (group 2), and nine patients were not given any antiplatelet agent (group 3). The three groups' perioperative hematologic and coagulation profiles, including their platelet counts, hemoglobin levels, hematocrit, prothrombin times, and aPTTs (activated partial thromboplastin times), and their postoperative bleeding, related complications, transfusion requirements, and operation times, were compared. Results: The operation time in group 2 was 4.3 hours, longer than those in the two other groups, and urgent operation was significantly most frequent in group 2 (63%). The amount of blood loss and the number of patients who received blood transfusion were not different in the three groups. The perioperative hemoglobin level, hematocrit, platelet count, prothrombin time, and aPTT were also not significantly different among the three groups. Conclusion: The continuous administration of antiplatelet agents to the patients in this study did not increase their postoperative bleeding or operation-related complications. Therefore, OPCAB may well be considered even if combined antiplatelet agents are being administered.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.392-399
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• 2007

Objective : Arsenic trioxide ($As_2O_3$) has been used as an anticancer agent in traditional Chinese medicine for thousand years and berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid present that has indicated significant antimicrobial activity. We have examined the combined anticancer effects of $As_2O_3$ and berberine against the human neuroblastoma (HNB) SH-SY5Y cells in vitro, and to elucidate underlying molecular mechanism. Methods : HNB SH-SY5Y cells were treated with $2\;{\mu}M\;As_2O_3$ and $75\;{\mu}g/ml$ berberine, and their survival, cell death mechanism as well as synergistic cytotoxic effects were estimated by using MTT assay, DAPI staining, agarose gel electrophoresis, flow cytometric analysis, and western blot analysis. Results : The combined treatment of two drugs also markedly decreased cell viability. The cytotoxic effects of two drugs were revealed as apoptosis characterized by chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. The apoptotic cytotoxicity was accompanied by activation of caspase-3 protease as well as decreased the expression of Bcl-2, Bid, and Bcl-x/L. In addition, the cells treated with combination of two drugs also showed significantly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and lipid peroxidation compared to cells $As_2O_3$or berberine only. Conclusion : Combined treatment of $As_2O_3$ with berberine induced activation of apoptotic signaling pathways in HNB SH-SY5Y cells. These results suggest that the possibility of the combined treatment of two chemotherapeutic agents with low concentration improving cytotoxic effect for cancer cells with minimal side effects.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.9 no.4 s.35
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• pp.349-356
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• 2006

At present, the selecting system and analytic estimation criterion on repair materials and methods of the deteriorated RC structures have not yet been set up in domestic. Under these circumstances, deterioration such as shrinkage crack, corrosion of rebar has been often occurred after repair, and this finally results in too frequent repairs. In this study, three types of repair methods were experimentally investigated by the accelerating test in a combined deterioration chamber and long-term field exposure test. Three types of repair methods applied in this study belong to a group of polymer cement mortar, which is commonly used in repair works. According to the results of this study, durability of repair mortar layers and corrosion properties of recovered rebar could be investigated in short period by the accelerating test in a combined deterioration chamber, which can simulate the condition of repeated high-and-low temperature and repeated dry-and-wet environment, spraying chloride solution and emitting $CO_2$ gas. After 36 month long-term filed exposure test in the coastal area, harmful macro-cracks are observed in the polymer cement mortar layer of some repair methods. These crack are considered to result from drying shrinkage of polymer cement mortar. Also, after 36 month exposure, amount of corrosion area and weight loss of rebar are found to be different according to the types of repair methods.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.765-775
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• 2001

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of surgical therapy combined with the usage of metronidazole gel in the treatment of juvenile periodontitis by comparing clinical indices of flap operation along with application of metronidazole gel and flap operation only. Comparing clinical indices of the baseline, 3 months after surgery, 6 months after surgery statistically, the results are as follows; 1. Bleeding on probing (BOP) was decreased significantly both in the experimental group and the control group at 3 months after surgery (p<0.05). BOP increased 0.9% in the control group 6 months after surgery, while in the experimental group, decreased 4.7% (p>0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in these groups (p>0.05). 2. Pocket probing depth (PPD) was decreased significantly both in the experimental group and the control group at 3 months after surgery (p<0.05). PPD increased 0.lmm in the control group 6 months after surgery, while in the experimental group, no increase of the depth could be observed (p>0.05). However, there was no statistically significant and difference in these groups (p>0.05). 3. Loss of attachment level(LOA) was decreased significantly both in the experimental group and the control group at 3 months after surgery (p<0.05). LOA increased 0.2mm in the control group 6 months after surgery, while in the experimental group, increased 0.3mm However, there was no statistically significant difference in these groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, flap operation was effective on the treatment of juvenile periodontitis. However, combined therapy of metronidazole gel could not give rise to any significant adjunctive effect on the treatment outcome.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.625-639
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• 2019

The concept of the combined seismic and energy retrofitting of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings was examined in this paper through a number of case studies conducted on model buildings (simulating buildings of the '60s-'80s in southern Europe) constructed according to outdated design standards. Specifically, seismic and thermal analyses have been conducted prior to and after the application of selected retrofitting schemes, in order to quantify the positive effect that retrofitting could provide to RC buildings both in terms of their structural and energy performance. Advanced materials, namely the textile reinforced mortars (TRM), were used for providing seismic retrofitting by means of jacketing of masonry infills in RC frames. Moreover, following the application of the TRM jackets, thermal insulation materials were simultaneously provided to the RC building envelope, exploiting the fresh mortar used to bind the TRM jackets. In addition to the externally applied insulation material, all the fenestration elements (windows and doors) were replaced with new high energy efficiency ones. Afterwards, an economic measure, namely the expected annual loss (EAL) was used to evaluate the efficiency of each retrofitting method, but also to assess whether the combined seismic and energy retrofitting is economically feasible. From the results of this preliminary study, it was concluded that the selected seismic retrofitting technique can indeed enhance significantly the structural behaviour of an existing RC building and lower its EAL related to earthquake risks. Finally, it was found that the combined seismic and energy upgrading is economically more efficient than a sole energy or seismic retrofitting scenario for seismic areas of south Europe.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.176-189
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• 2024

In femoral neuropathy, the femoral nerve is compressed or ischemic. Patients with femoral neuropathy experience muscle atrophy, difficulty flexing the hip joint and extending the knee, decreased sensation of the lower extremities, and loss of patellar tendon reflex. The prognosis of femoral neuropathy is reported to vary, as it takes several days to several months for neurological abnormalities to resolve. We describe a case of a 58-year-old female with a diagnosis of severe femoral neuropathy and complaints of motor weakness and hypoesthesia. The patient underwent combined Western-Korean medicine treatment. The Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Scoring System, Overall Neuropathy Limitations Scale, and Berg Balance Scale were used as evaluation tools during the treatment period. The combined Western-Korean medicine treatment led to a significant improvement in symptoms in this patient with severe femoral neuropathy where the cause was unclear and the prognosis was expected to be poor.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.31 no.10A
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• pp.1014-1019
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• 2006

The research deals with the measurement of electromagnetic wave propagation in subway tunnels at 2.65GHz. Measurements have been conducted in 4 different types of tunnel courses, a straight tunnel, two curved tunnels, with 245m and 500m radius of curvature, and a tunnel that has both straight and curved sections. we found that the path loss exponent for the line-of-sight(LOS) region inside all the tunnels is $1.31{\sim}2.19$. The path loss exponents for LOS regions in the tunnel is lower than $(3{\sim}4)$, which corresponds to the path loss exponent factor for outdoor cellular environments. The path loss exponents of the straight tunnel, two curved tunnels with 245m and 500m radius of curvature are 1.94, 2.92, and 4.34, respectively. This indicates that a smaller radius of curvature in tunnel results in a higher path loss exponent for nonline-of-sight(NLOS) region. The path loss exponents for the NLOS region in the combined and curved tunnel, which have the same radii of cuvature, are 5.88 and 4.34, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that the path loss characteristics in tunnel environments are infulenced by the radii of curvature as well as the LOS distance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1044-1052
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• 2015

The aim of this modelling study was to investigate the effect of large herd size (and land areas) on walking distances and milking interval (MI), and their impact on milk yield and economic penalties when 50% of the total diets were provided from home grown feed either as pasture or grazeable complementary forage rotation (CFR) in an automatic milking system (AMS). Twelve scenarios consisting of 3 AMS herds (400, 600, 800 cows), 2 levels of pasture utilisation (current AMS utilisation of 15.0 t dry matter [DM]/ha, termed as 'moderate'; optimum pasture utilisation of 19.7 t DM/ha, termed as 'high') and 2 rates of incorporation of grazeable complementary forage system (CFS: 0, 30%; CFS = 65% farm is CFR and 35% of farm is pasture) were investigated. Walking distances, energy loss due to walking, MI, reduction in milk yield and income loss were calculated for each treatment based on information available in the literature. With moderate pasture utilisation and 0% CFR, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in an increase in total walking distances between the parlour and the paddock from 3.5 to 6.3 km. Consequently, MI increased from 15.2 to 16.4 h with increased herd size from 400 to 800 cows. High pasture utilisation (allowing for an increased stocking density) reduced the total walking distances up to 1 km, thus reduced the MI by up to 0.5 h compared to the moderate pasture, 800 cow herd combination. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm reduced the total walking distances by up to 1.7 km and MI by up to 0.8 h compared to the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd combination. For moderate pasture utilisation, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in more dramatic milk yield penalty as yield increasing from c.f. 2.6 and 5.1 kg/cow/d respectively, which incurred a loss of up to $AU 1.9/cow/d. Milk yield losses of 0.61 kg and 0.25 kg for every km increase in total walking distance (voluntary return trip from parlour to paddock) and every one hour increase in MI, respectively. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm increased milk yield by up to 1.5 kg/cow/d, thereby reducing loss by up to $0.5/cow/d (c.f. the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd scenario). Thus, it was concluded that the successful integration of grazeable CFS with pasture has the potential to improve financial performance compared to the pasture only, large herd, AMS.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.221-226
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• 2013

Purpose: This study is to evaluate the efficacy of the autogenous tooth bone graft material, clinically and radiologically, as related to implant installation. Methods: In oral and maxillofacial surgery department of Ajou University Hospital, guided bone regeneration (GBR), implant placement combined with GBR, sinus graft, implant placement combined with sinus graft, and defect filling were performed in 46 patients, using autogenous tooth bone. Among these, 66 implants were inserted with autogenous tooth bone. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) was measured by Osstell Mentor (Integration Diagnostics, Goteborg, Sweden) on 39 implants on the operation date and 4 months later, and on 21 implants 9months on the average at the final setting of restoration. Twenty-eight implants with GBR and sinus graft (GBR group: n=14, sinus graft group: n=14) were evaluated radiologically to measure the resorption of grafted autogenous tooth bone after loading. Results: The average initial stabilization of the installed implants was 67 ISQ, and the average secondary stabilization at 4 months later was 76. The average bone loss of GBR group as measured 8.0 months after application of prosthesis loading was 0.29 mm and the average bone loss of the sinus graft group as measured 7.6 months after application of prosthesis loading was 0.66 mm, respectively. In the histological assessment, formation of the new bone and continuous trabecular bone pattern was identified around autogenous tooth bone. Conclusion: Based on these results, we concluded that autogenous tooth bone is an excellent bone graft material that can substitute the autogenous bone.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.626-633
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of precooling and application of gaseous $ClO_2$ on the retention of freshness and quality of 'Maehyang' strawberry fruits intended for export. 'Maehyang' strawberry fruits (Fragaria ${\times}$ ananassa Duch.) were grown in commercial greenhouses and then harvested. Fruits of uniform and medium size at 60% ripeness were selected and assigned to one of four treatment groups: non-treatment (control), precooling only (PO), gaseous $ClO_2$ only (GCO) or precooling combined with gaseous $ClO_2$ (P + C). Weight loss was lowest in the PO treatment and greatest in the GCO treatment after export. Compared to the control and PO treatment groups, strawberry fruits in the GCO treatment group maintained high brightness and high chroma. Six days after shipping, fruits in the P + C treatment group had the highest soluble solids content, even as high as $10.05^{\circ}Brix$; the lowest value was observed in the PO treatment. The incidence rate of gray mold in strawberry fruits was 20% and 17% in the control and the PO treatment, respectively; in the GCO treatment, the incidence rate of gray mold amounted to 10%. No gray mold was observed in the P + C treatment group. These results indicate that gaseous $ClO_2$ treatment combined with precooling (P + C) was effective in maintaining the freshness of 'Maehyang' strawberry fruits intended for export from South Korea to Hong Kong.