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Increase in Neurogenesis of Neural Stem Cells Cultured from Postnatal Mouse Subventricular Zone by Nifedipine (L-type 칼슘 채널을 저해하는 저해제, nifedipine에 의한 쥐 뇌실하 영역 신경줄기세포의 신경세포로의 분화 촉진)

  • Park, Ki-Youb;Kim, Man Su
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.108-118
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    • 2022
  • The subventricular zone (SVZ) in the brain contains neural stem cells (NSCs) that generate new neurons throughout one's lifetime. Many extracellular and intracellular factors that affect cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation of NSCs are already well-known. Recently, L-type calcium channels have been reported to regulate neural development and are present in NSCs, differentiating neuroblasts, and mature neurons in the SVZ. Nifedipine, a blocker of L-type calcium channels, has been long used as a therapeutic drug for hypertension. However, studies on the use of nifedipine to inhibit L-type calcium channels of NSCs are lacking. Herein, we treated NSCs cultured from mouse postnatal SVZ with nifedipine during neuronal differentiation. Nifedipine increased the number of Tuj1-positive neurons but did not significantly change the number of Olig2-positive oligodendrocytes. Nifedipine increased cell division during early differentiation, which was detected using the 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation assay and immunocytochemistry assessment by staining the cells with phosphorylated histone H3, a mitosis marker. Nifedipine increased the transcription of Dlx2, a neurogenic transcription factor, and the level of Mash1, a marker for early neurogenesis. In addition to nifedipine, verapamil, which is also an L-type calcium channel blocker, showed a slight increase in neurogenesis, but its statistical significance was very low. In contrast, pimozide, a T-type calcium channel blocker, did not affect neurogenesis, although T-type calcium channel genes Cav3.1, Cav3.2, and Cav3.3 were expressed. In summary, nifedipine might promote the neuronal fate of NSCs during early differentiation and calcium signaling through L-type calcium channels might be involved in neuronal differentiation, especially during the early stages of differentiation.

The impact of anthropogenic factors on changes in discharge and quality of water in the Hadano basin, Japan (인위적인 요인이 하천의 유량과 수질변화에 미친 영향 - 일본 하다노 분지를 사례 로 -)

  • ;Yang, Hea-Kun
    • Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.242-254
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    • 1995
  • The Hadano Basin is located at a distance of about 70kms and 60kms from Tokyo and Yokohama and lies in the south-west part of the Kanto region in Japan. The basin area, which correspoends to the catchment of the Kaname River, is about areal size of 60.7$\textrm{km}^2$ and extends about length of 8kms in E-W direction and about width of 5kms in N-S direction (Fig.1). The Hadano basin is filled with thick pile of the alluvum from deposits composed of volcanic materials, mostly came from the Hakone Volcano and overlain by Fuji Volcanic ashes. Fluvial deposits form the good aquifer, therefore water resources of Handano City has been largely depending upon the eroundwater. Urbanization and industrialization of the basin has been rapid in the last thirty years, after activation of "Factory Attraction Policy of Hadano City" in 1956. Growth in population and number of factory due to urbanization changed the land-use pattern of the basin rapidly and increased the water demands. Therefore, Hadano City exploited a new source of water supply, and have introduced the prefectureal waterworks since 1976. On the other hand, the rapid urbanization has brought about the pollution of streams in the basin by domestic sewage and industrial waste water. Diffusion rate of sewerage systems in Hadano City is 38% in 1993. In ordcr to examine the impact of anthropogenic factors on river environments, the author took up the change of land-use and diffusion area of sewerage as parameters, and performed field surveys on water discharge and quality. The survey has been made at upstream and downstream of the main stream regularly per month, to get informati ons about the variation of discharge and water quality aiong the stream and its diurnal fluctuation. Annual variation has been analyzed based the data from Hadano City Office. The results are summarized as follows. 1. Stream discharge has been increasing by urbanization (Fig.3). Water quality (C $l^{-10}$ , N $H^{+}$$_{ 4}$-N, BOD) has been improving gradually after the application of sewerage service, yet water pollution load at the lower station has increased than that at the upper one because of the larger anthropogenic discharge volumes (Fig.4). 2. Corrclation coefficient of discharges between upper and lower was 0.81-0.92. Pollutant loads of the R. Kamame after the confluence with R. Kuzuha grew up by 2.4-3.7 times as compared with its upper reaches, and it increased to 3.7-6.9 times after the confluence with the R. Muro (Fig.5). 3. The changes of water quality along the stream can be divided into two groups (Fig.6a). First: water quality of the R. Kaname and R. Shijuhachisse is becoming worse towards the lower reaches because the water from branches are polluted. Second: water quality are improved in the lower where spring and small branch streams supply clear water, for example R. Mizunashi, R. Muro and R. Kuzuha. 4. Measured discharge at the upper station in the R. Shijuhachisse is 0.153㎥/sec, and about 55% of this is recharged until it reaches to the lower point. The R. Mizunashi has a discharge of 1.155㎥/sec at the upper point, is recharged 0.24㎥/sec until the midstream and groundwater spring 0.2㎥/sec at the lower reaches. R. Kuzuha recharged all the mountain runoff (0.2㎥/sec) at the upper reaches. The R. Muro is supplied by many springs and the estimated discharge of spring was 0.47㎥/sec (Fig.6b). 5. Diurmal variations in discharge and water quality are influenced clearly by domestic and industrial waste waters (Fig.7, 8).ed clearly by domestic and industrial waste waters (Fig.7, 8).

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Microbe Hunting: A Curious Case of Cryptococcus

  • Bartlett, Karen H.;Kidd, Sarah;Duncan, Colleen;Chow, Yat;Bach, Paxton;Mak, Sunny;MacDougall, Laura;Fyfe, Murray
    • Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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    • 2005.06a
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    • pp.45-72
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    • 2005
  • C. neoformans-associated cryptococcosis is primarily a disease of immunocompromised persons, has a world-wide distribution, and is often spread by pigeons in the urban environment. In contrast, C. gattii causes infection in normal hosts, has only been described in tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world, and has a unique niche in river gum Eucalyptus trees. Cryptococcosis is acquired through inhalation of the yeast propagules from the environment. C. gattii has been identified as the cause of an emerging infectious disease centered on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. No cases of C. gattii-disease were diagnosed prior to 1999; the current incidence rate is 36 cases per million population. A search was initiated in 2001 to find the ecological niche of this basidiomycetous yeast. C. gaftii was found in the environment in treed areas of Vancouver Island. The highest percentage of colonized-tree clusters were found around central Vancouver Island, with decreasing rates of colonization to the north and south. Climate, soil and vegetation cover of this area, called the Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, is unique to British Columbia and Canada. The concentration of airborne C. gattii was highest in the dry summer months, and lowest during late fall, winter, and early spring, months which have heavy rainfall. The study of the emerging colonization of this organism and subsequent cases of environmentally acquired disease will be informative in planning public health management of new routes of exposure to exotic agents in areas impacted by changing climate and land use patterns. Cryptococcosis is an infection associated with an encapsulated, basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The route of entry for this organism is through the lungs, with possible systemic spread via the circulatory system to the brain and meninges. There are four cryptococcal serogroups associated with disease in humans and animals, distinguished by capsular polysaccharide antigens. Cryptococcus neoformans: variety grubii (serotype A), variety neoformans (serotype D), and variety gattii (serotypes B and C) (Franzot et at. 1999). C. neoformans variety gattii has recently been elevated to species status, C. gattii. C. neoformans val. grubii and var. neoformans have a world-wide distribution, and are particularly associated with soil and weathered bird droppings. In contrast, C. gattii (CG) is not associated with bird excrement, is primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates, and has a restricted environmental niche associated with specific tree species. (Ellis & Pfiffer 1990) Ellis and Pfeiffer theorize that, as a basidiomycete, CG requires an association with a tree in order to become pathogenic to mammals. In Australia, CG has been found to be associated with five species of Eucalypts, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, E. blakelyi, E. gomphocephala, and E. rudis. Eucalypts, although originally native to Australia, now have a world-wide distribution. CG has been found associated with imported eucalypts in India, California, Brazil, and Egypt. In addition, in Brazil and Columbia, where eucalypts have been naturalized, native trees have been shown to harbour CG (Callejas et al. 1998; Montenegro et al. 2000). In British Columbia, Canada, since the beginning of 1999, there have been 120 confirmed cases of cryptococcal mycoses associated with CG in humans, including 4 fatalities (data from British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), and over 200 cases in animal pets in BC (data from Central Laboratory for Veterinarians). What is remarkable about the BC outbreak of C. gattii-cryptococcosis is that all of the cases have been residents of, or visitors to, a narrow area along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, BC, from the tip of the island in the south (Victoria) to Courtenay on the north-central island as illustrated in Figure 1. Of the first 38 human cases, 58% were male with a mean age of 59.7 years (range 20 - 82): 36 cases (95%) were Caucasian. Ten cases (26%) presented with meningitis, the remainder presented with respiratory symptoms. Cultures recovered from cases of cryptococcosis associated with the outbreak were typed as serogroup B, which is specific to CG (Bartlett et al. 2003). This was the first reported outbreak of CVG in Canada, or indeed, the world. Where infection with CG is endemic, for example, Australia, the incidence of cryptococcosis ranges from 1.8 - 4.7 per million between the southern and northern states (Sorrell 2001). However, the overall incidence of cryptococcosis in immunocompenent individuals has been estimated at 0.2 per million population per year (Kwon-Chung et al. 1984). The population of Vancouver Island is approximately 720,000,consequently, even if the organism were endemic, one would expect a maximum of 0.15 cases of cryptococcal disease annually.

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REMINERALIZATION DEPTH OF CPP-ACP ON DEMINERALIZATION HUMAN ENAMEL IN VITRO (탈회된 법랑질에서 CPP-ACP의 재광화 깊이)

  • Choi, Han-Ju;Choi, Yeong-Chul;Kim, Kwang-Chul;Choi, Sung-Chul
    • Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.278-286
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    • 2008
  • Many studies regarding Casein phosphopeptides-amorphous calcium phosphate(CPP-ACP) have demonstrated the remineralization ability on the demineralized enamel surface. A question is still remained that how deep can the calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) ions supplied by the CPP-ACP paste penetrate into the enamel subsurface. The aims of this study were to measure the penetrating depth of Ca and P ions in the demineralized human enamel in vitro, and were to determine the amount and depth of Ca and P ions according to the duration. The amount and depth of Ca and P ions were measured by microscopic observation with Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM; LEO SUPRA 55, Carl Zeiss, Germany) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS; GENESIS 2000, EDAX, USA: Linescan of Calcium and Phosphorus). Freshly extracted four human 1st premolars were obtained from the Dept. of Pediatric Dent., Kyung Hee Univ. Buccal surfaces of the 1st premolars were covered with nail varnish to form a window on the middle third of buccal surface. All of the teeth with enamel windows were immersed in a solution of 0.1 M lactic acid, Carbopol C907 (carboxypolymethylene BF Goodrich, Cleveland, OH, USA) at pH 4.8, and then incubated for 7 days. Each tooth crown was sawn in half through the midline of buccal window along the long axis of premolar. The four blocks of premolars were immersed in a 10-times diluted solution of CPP-ACP paste (Tooth Mousse, GC Corp., Tokyo, Japan) for 1, 2, 3 and 5 weeks while the rests were immersed in a placebo solution (distilled water) for the same duration. Each specimen was embedded in epoxy resin, and was sectioned perpendicular to the window, using a water-cooled diamond blade saw. The spectrum density indices of Ca and P were measured in the sound, de- and remineralized enamels by FE-SEM and EDS. The Student's t test was performed to compare the Spectrum Density Indices (SDI) of sound, re-and demineralized enamels, and to compare the differences among the durations. Followings are the conclusion : 1. The penetration depth of the remineralizing ions (Ca & P) of CPP-ACP paste is related to the depth of demineralized enamel (approximately $1050{\sim}1350{\mu}m$). It is revealed that the penetration depth of both ions reaches full thickness of decalcification and even slightly into the sound enamel. 2. The Ca & P levels of remineralized enamels in 1, 2 weeks were significantly higher than those of the sound enamels (p<0.05). 3. No statistically significant difference of Ca & P levels was found in relation with the increasing duration of remineralization (p>0.05).

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Study on the Improvement of Gill Nets and Trap Nets Fishing for the Resource Management at the Coastal Area of Yellow Sea - On the Entrapping Behavior of Fishes into Trap Nets in the Water Tank Experiment - (서해구 자원관리형 자망ㆍ통발 어구어법 기술개발에 관한 연구 - 수조에서의 통발에 대한 어군의 입롱행동 -)

  • 장호영;조봉곤;고광수;한민숙
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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    • v.39 no.1
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    • pp.56-62
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    • 2003
  • To investigate the entrapping behavior of blue crab, rock shell and green ling, which are mainly caught with the other trap nets in the coastal area of Yellow Sea, by the using duration of trap nets through the water tank experiment. We select the three kinds of trap nets which have different using duration such as new, 6 months and 12 months used one, and observe the entrapping ratio into the trap nets, respectively. In the mean while, in order to obtain the basic data for the estimate of mesh selectivity of the other trap nets, the entrapping behavior into the trap nets for green ling which has high activity compared to blue crab and rock shell, are examined to the three kinds of mesh size (35mm, 50mm and 65mm). The results are as follows ; 1. The mean entrapping ratio of blue crab by the using duration of trap nets in high with 4.4 fishes (44.0%) in the 6 months used one, become lower with 2.9 fishes (28.0%) in the new one, and with 2.0 fishes (20.0%) in the 12 months used one. 2. The mean entrapping ratio of rock shell by the using duration of trap nets in high with 7.3 fishes (36.7%) in the new one, and become lower with 7.2 fishes (35.8%) in the 6 months used one, and with 5.7 fishes (28.3%) in the 12 months used one. 3. The mean entrapping ratio of green ling by the using duration of trap nets in high with 3.4 fishes (34.0%) in the 6 months used one, and become lower with 3.0 fishes (30.0%) in the new one, and with 2.8 fishes (28.0%) in the 12 months used one. 4. The mean residual ratio of green ling by the mesh size of trap nets is high with 2.4 fishes (24.0%) in the 35mm mesh size, and become lower with 2.2 fishes (22.0%) in the 50mm mesh size and 2.0 fishes (20.0%) in the 65mm mesh size.

Effects of Various Diets on Growth and Body Composition of Juvenile Parrot Fish, Oplegnathus fasciatus (먹이 종류가 돌돔 Oplegnathus fasciatus 치어의 성장 및 체성분에 미치는 영향)

  • Moon Lee, HaeYoung;Nam, Myung-Mo
    • Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.293-299
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    • 2015
  • The feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of one experimental diet (EDP) and five different commercial diets (CEPs) on growth and body composition for juvenile parrot fish, Oplegnathus fasciatus. An EDP was formulated to contain 50% crude protein (CP) from fishmeal, casein, zein and wheat flour and 15% crude lipid (CL) from squid liver oil. Five CEPs for seawater fish were two domestic E commercial diet (DECD) and C commercial diet (DCCD), three imported H commercial diet (IHCD), L commercial diet (ILCD) and O commercial diet (IOCD) containing 53.1~66.6% CP and 10.7~14.6% CL, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of juvenile parrot fish initially weighing $1.14{\pm}.01g/fish$ (mean${\pm}$SD) in a flow-through seawater system with a water temperature of $19.0{\sim}25.0^{\circ}C$. Weight gain (WG) and feed efficiency (FE) were significantly greatest in fish fed the DCCD and IOCD; intermediate responses were observed for fish fed the ILCD, while the IECD, IHCD, and the EDP produced the lowest WG and FE values. Survival with no significant difference approached 100% for fish fed the all six diets in this experiment. Whole-body moisture, protein, lipid and ash contents were not affected by the different type of diets. Therefore, type of diets appeared to be important factor in influencing WG and FE of juvenile parrot fish; the best diets for juvenile parrot fish was determined to be the domestic commercial C and the imported commercial O diets containing high protein (61.3, 66.6%) and lipid (14.6, 13.0%) in natural seawater based on highest WG, and FE, respectively. This study indicates that the two commercially formulated diets containing two highest proteins and lipids used in this experiment could be practical diets for juvenile parrot fish; these differences of growth performance between experimental diet and commercial diets may be reason for different dietary protein and lipid levels.

Reliability of a Cobalt Silicide on Counter Electrodes for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (코발트실리사이드를 이용한 염료감응형 태양전지 상대전극의 신뢰성 평가)

  • Kim, Kwangbae;Park, Taeyeul;Song, Ohsung
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2017
  • Cobalt silicide was used as a counter electrode in order to confirm its reliability in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices. 100 nm-Co/300 nm-Si/quartz was formed by an evaporator and cobalt silicide was formed by vacuum heat treatment at $700^{\circ}C$ for 60 min to form approximately 350 nm-CoSi. This process was followed by etching in $80^{\circ}C$-30% $H_2SO_4$ to remove the cobalt residue on the cobalt silicide surface. Also, for the comparison against Pt, we prepared a 100 nm-Pt/glass counter electrode. Cobalt silicide was used for the counter electrode in order to confirm its reliability in DSSC devices and maintained for 0, 168, 336, 504, 672, and 840 hours at $80^{\circ}C$. The photovoltaic properties of the DSSCs employing cobalt silicide were confirmed by using a simulator and potentiostat. Cyclic-voltammetry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry analyses were used to confirm the catalytic activity, microstructure, and composition, respectively. The energy conversion efficiency (ECE) as a function of time and ECE of the DSSC with Pt and CoSi counter electrodes were maintained for 504 hours. However, after 672 hours, the ECEs decreased to a half of their initial values. The results of the catalytic activity analysis showed that the catalytic activities of the Pt and CoSi counter electrodes decreased to 64% and 57% of their initial values, respectively(after 840 hours). The microstructure analysis showed that the CoSi layer improved the durability in the electrolyte, but because the stress concentrates on the contact surface between the lower quartz substrate and the CoSi layer, cracks are formed locally and flaking occurs. Thus, deterioration occurs due to the residual stress built up during the silicidation of the CoSi counter electrode, so it is necessary to take measures against these residual stresses, in order to ensure the reliability of the electrode.

The Effect of Nonspecific Endothelin-1 Receptor Blocker ($Bosentan^{(R)}$) on Paraquat Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rat (Paraquat에 의한 백서의 폐섬유화증에서 비선택적 Endothelin-1 receptor blocker($Bosentan^{(R)}$)의 치료효과)

  • Jeong, Hye-Cheol;Jung, Ki-Hwan;Kim, Byung-Gyu;Lee, Seung-Heon;Kim, Min-Kyung;Kim, Chung-Yeul;Park, Sang-Myun;Lee, Sin-Hyung;Shin, Chol;Cho, Jae-Youn;Shim, Jae-Jeong;In, Kwang-Ho;Kim, Han-Gyum;Yoo, Se-Hwa;Kang, Kyung-Ho
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.50 no.2
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    • pp.182-195
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    • 2001
  • Background : Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF) is a devastating illness for which there is little effective treatment. The key cytokines currently implicated in the fibrotic process are the transforming growth factor-${\beta}_1$(TGF-${\beta}_1$), tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$(TNF-$\alpha$), endothelin-1(ET-1) and interferon-$\gamma$(IFN-$\gamma$). The rat model for paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis was chosen to investigate the role of ET-1 in this disease. Both ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression in lung lesions were examined using immunohistochemical staining. After $Bosentan^{(R)}$ administration, an orally active ET-$l_A$ and ET-$1_B$ receptor antagonist, the degree of pulmonary fibrosis and ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression were analyzed. Method : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, the control group, the fibrosis group, and the fibrosis-$Bosentan^{(R)}$-treated group. The animals were sacrificed periodically at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 days after administering saline or paraquat. The effects between groups were compared with the results of light microscopy and immunohistochemical staining for ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$. The degree of fibrosis was evaluated by H&E and Masson's trichrome staining, which were graded by a computerized image analyzer. The degree of immunohistochemical staining was categorized by a semi-quantitative analysis method. Results : The lung collagen content had increased in the paraquat instillated animals by day 3, and continued to increase up to day 14. A daily treatment by gavage with $Bosentan^{(R)}$ (100mg/kg) did not prevent the increase in collagen deposition on the lung that was induced by paraquat instillation. There were increased immunohistochemical stains of ET-1 on the exudate, macrophages, vascular endothelial cells and pneumocytes in the paraquat instillated group. Furthermore, TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression was higher on the exudate, macrophages, some inflammatory cells, pneumocytes( type I, and II), vascular endothelium and the respiratory epithelial cells around the fibrotic area. After Bosentan treatment, there were no definite changes in ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression. Conclusion : Fibrosis of the Paraquat instillated group was more advanced when compared with the control group. In addition, there was increased ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression around the fibrotic area. ET-1 is associated with lung fibrosis but there was little effect of the ET-1 receptor blocker($Bosentan^{(R)}$) on antifibrosis.Background : Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF) is a devastating illness for which there is little effective treatment. The key cytokines currently implicated in the fibrotic process are the transforming growth factor-${\beta}_1$(TGF-${\beta}_1$), tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$(TNF-$\alpha$), endothelin-1(ET-1) and interferon-$\gamma$(IFN-$\gamma$). The rat model for paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis was chosen to investigate the role of ET-1 in this disease. Both ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression in lung lesions were examined using immunohistochemical staining. After $Bosentan^{(R)}$ administration, an orally active ET-$1_A$ and ET-$1_B$ receptor antagonist, the degree of pulmonary fibrosis and ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression were analyzed. Method : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, the control group, the fibrosis group, and the fibrosis-$Bosentan^{(R)}$-treated group. The animals were sacrificed periodically at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 days after administering saline or paraquat. The effects between groups were compared with the results of light microscopy and immunohistochemical staining for ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$. The degree of fibrosis was evaluated by H&E and Masson's trichrome staining, which were graded by a computerized image analyzer. The degree of immunohistochemical staining was categorized by a semi-quantitative analysis method. Results : The lung collagen content had increased in the paraquat instillated animals by day 3, and continued to increase up to day 14. A daily treatment by gavage with $Bosentan^{(R)}$ (100mg/kg) did not prevent the increase in collagen deposition on the lung that was induced by paraquat instillation. There were increased immunohistochemical stains of ET-1 on the exudate, macrophages, vascular endothelial cells and pneumocytes in the paraquat instillated group. Furthermore, TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression was higher on the exudate, macrophages, some inflammatory cells, pneumocytes( type I, and II), vascular endothelium and the respiratory epithelial cells around the fibrotic area. After Bosentan treatment, there were no definite changes in ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression. Conclusion : Fibrosis of the Paraquat instillated group was more advanced when compared with the control group. In addition, there was increased ET-1 and TGF-${\beta}_1$ expression around the fibrotic area. ET-1 is associated with lung fibrosis but there was little effect of the ET-1 receptor blocker($Bosentan^{(R)}$) on antifibrosis.

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High Resolution HC$_3$N Observations toward the Central Region of Sagittarius B2

  • H.S-Ching;Oh, M.ishi;M.Morimoto
    • Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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    • 1993.10a
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    • pp.17-17
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    • 1993
  • The wall shear stress in the vicinity of end-to end anastomoses under steady flow conditions was measured using a flush-mounted hot-film anemometer(FMHFA) probe. The experimental measurements were in good agreement with numerical results except in flow with low Reynolds numbers. The wall shear stress increased proximal to the anastomosis in flow from the Penrose tubing (simulating an artery) to the PTFE: graft. In flow from the PTFE graft to the Penrose tubing, low wall shear stress was observed distal to the anastomosis. Abnormal distributions of wall shear stress in the vicinity of the anastomosis, resulting from the compliance mismatch between the graft and the host artery, might be an important factor of ANFH formation and the graft failure. The present study suggests a correlation between regions of the low wall shear stress and the development of anastomotic neointimal fibrous hyperplasia(ANPH) in end-to-end anastomoses. 30523 T00401030523 ^x Air pressure decay(APD) rate and ultrafiltration rate(UFR) tests were performed on new and saline rinsed dialyzers as well as those roused in patients several times. C-DAK 4000 (Cordis Dow) and CF IS-11 (Baxter Travenol) reused dialyzers obtained from the dialysis clinic were used in the present study. The new dialyzers exhibited a relatively flat APD, whereas saline rinsed and reused dialyzers showed considerable amount of decay. C-DAH dialyzers had a larger APD(11.70${\pm}$1.32mmHg/min)compared to CF dialyzers(4.32${\pm}$0.55mmHg/min)(p<0.05). However, there was no observable difference in the UFR between the two dialyzers. Neither APD nor UFR showed any significant increase with an increasing number of reuses for up to more than 20reuses. A substantial number of failures observed in APD(larger than 20mmHe/min)on the reused dialyzers(2 out of 40 CP and S out 26 C-DAK) were attributed to the Possible damage on the fibers. The CF 15-11 HFDs which failed APD test did not show changes in the UFR compared to normal dialyzers indicating that APD is a more sensitive test than UFR test to evaluate the integrity of the fibers. 30527 T00401030527 ^x For quantitative measurement of reflected light from a clinical diagnostic strip, a prototype old reflectance photometer was designed. The strip loader and cassette were made to obtain more accurate reflectance parameters. The strip was illuminated at 45˚c through optical fiber and the intensity of reflected light was determined at rectanguLat angle using a photodiode. The kubelka-munk coefficient and reflection optical density were determined ar four different wavelengths(500,550,570 and 610nm) for blood glucose strip. For higher concentration than 300mg/41 about glucose, a saturation state of abforbance was observed at 500,550 and 570nm. The correlation between glucose concentration and parameters was the best at 610nm. 30535 T00401030535 ^x Radiation-induced fibrosarcoma tumors were grown on the flanks of C3H mice. The mice were divided into two groups. One group was injected with Photofrin II, intravenously (2.5mg/kg body weight). The other group received no Photofrin II. Mice from both groups were irradialed for approximately 15 minutes at 100,300, or 500 mW/cm2 with the argon (488nm/514.5 nm), dye(628nm) and gold vapor (pulsed 628 nm) laser light. A photosensitizer behaved as an added absorber. Under our experimental conditions, the presence of Photolfrin II increased surface temperature by at least 40% and the temperature rise due to 300 mW/cm2 irradiation exceeded values for hyperthermia. Light and temperature distributions with depth were estimated by a computer model. The model demonstrated the influence of wavelength on the thermal process and proved to be a valuable tool to investigate internal temperature rise. 30536 T00401030536 ^x We investigated the structural geometry of thirty-eight Korean femurs. The purpose of this study is to identify major geometrical differences between Korean femurs 3nd others that we believe belong to Caucasians so that we would be able to get insights into the femoral component design that fits Asians including Koreans. We utilized computerized tomography (CT) images of femurs extracted from cadavers. The CT images were transformed into bitmap data by using a film scanner, and then analyzed by using a commercially available software called Image v.1.0 and a Macintosh IIci computer.The resulting data were compared with already published data. The major results show that the geometry of the Korean femurs is significantly different from that of Caucasians: (1) the anteversion angle and the canal flare index are greater by the amount of approximately 8˚ and 0.5, respectively, (2) the shape of the isthmus cross section is more round, and (3) the distance between the teaser trochanter and the proximal border of the isthmus is shelter by about 15 mm. The results suggested that the femoral component suitable for Asians should be different from the currently-used components designed and manufactured mostly by European or American companies. 30537 T00401030537 ^x It is well known that nonlinear propagation characteristics of the wave in the tissue may give very useful information for the medical diagnoisis. In this paper, a new method to detect nonlinear propagation characteristics of the internal vibration in the tissue for the low frequency mechanical vibration by using bispectral analysis is proposed. In the method, low frequency vibration of f0( = 100Hz) is applied on the surface of the object, and the waveform of the internal vibration x (t) is measured from Doppler frequency modulation of silmultaneously transmitted probing ultrasonic waves. Then, the bispectra of the signal x (t) at the frequencies (f0, f0) and (f0, 2f0) are calculated to estimate the nonlinear propagation characteristics as their magnitude ratio, w here since bispectrum is free from the gaussian additive noise we can get the value with high S/N. Basic experimental system is constructed by using 3.0 MHz probing ultrasonic waves and the several experiments are carried out for some phantoms. Results show the superiority of the proposed method to the conventional method using power spectrum and also its usefulness for the tissue characterization. 30541 T00401030541 ^x This paper describes the implementation of a computerized radial pulse diagnosis by aids of a clinical expert. On this base, we composed of the radial pulse diagnosis system in korean traditional medicine. The system composed of a radial pulse wave detection system and a radial pulse diagnosis system. With a detection system, we detected Inyoung and Cheongu radial pulse wave and processed it. Then, we have got the characteristic parameters of radial pulse wave and also quantified that according to the method of Inyoung-Cheongu Comparison Radial Pulse Diagnosis. We defined the jugement standard of radial pulse diagnosis system and then we confirmed the possibility for realization of automatic radial pulse diagnosis in korean traditional medicine. 30545 T00401030545 ^x Microspheres are expected to be applied to biomedical areas such as solid-phase immunoassays, drug delivery systems, immunomagnetic cell separation. To synthesize microspheres for biomedical application, "two stage shot growth method" was developed. The uniformity ratio of synthesized microspheres was always smaller than 1.05. And the surface charge density (or the number of ionizable functional groups) of the microspheres synthesized by "two stage shot growth method" was 6~13 times higher than that of the microspheres synthesized by conventional seeded batch copolymerization. As a previous step for biomedical application, adsorption experiments of bovine albumin on microspheres were carried out under various conditions. The maximum adsorbed amount was obtained in the neighborhood of pH 4.5. Isoelectric point of bovine albumin is pH 5.0, so experimental result shows that it shifted to acid area. The adsorption isotherm was obtained, the plateau region was always reached at 2.Og/L (bulk concentration of bovine albumin).The effect of the kind and the amount of surface functional group was also examined. 30575 T00401030575 ^x A medical image workstation was developed using multimedia technique. The system based on PC-486DX was designed to acquire medical images produced by medical imaging instruments and related audio information, that is, doctors' reporting results. Input information was processed and analyzed, then the results were presented in the form of graph and animation. All the informations of the system were hierarchically related with the image as the apex. Processing and analysis algorithms were implemented so that the diagnostic accuracy could be improved. The diagnosed information can be transferred for patient diagnosis through LAN(local area network). 30592 T00401030592 ^x In the conventional infrared imaging system, complex infrared lens systems are usually used for directing collimated narrow infrared beams into the high speed 2-dimensional optic scanner. In this paper, a simple reflective infrared optic system with a 2-dimensional optic scanner is proposed for the realization of medical infrared thermography system. It has been experimentally proven that the intfrared thermography system composed of the proposed optic system has the temperature resolution of 0.1˚c under the spatial resolution of lmrad, the image matrix size of 256 X 240, and tile imaging time of 4 seconds. 30593 T00401030593 ^x In this paper, MIIS (Medical Image Information System) has been designed and implemented using INGRES RDBMS, which is based on a client/server architecture. The implemented system allows users to register and retrieve patient information, medical images and diagnostic reports. It also provides the function to display these information on workstation windows simultaneously by using the designed menu-driven graphic user interface. The medical image compression/decompression techniques are implemented and integrated into the medical image database system for the efficient data storage and the fast access through the network. 30594 T00401030594 ^x In this paper, computerized BEAM was implemented for the space domain analysis of EEG. Trans-formation from temporal summation to two-dimensional mappings is formed by 4 nearest point inter-polaton method. Methods of representation of BEAM are two. One is dot density method which classify brain electrical potential 9 levels by dot density of gray levels and the other is colour method which classify brain electrical 12 levels by red-green colours. In this BEAM, instantaneous change and average energy distribution over any arbitrary time interval of brain electrical activity could be observed and analyzed easily. In the frequency domain, the distribution of energy spectrum of a special band can easily be distinguished normality and abnormality. 30608 T00401030608 ^x Laboratory information system (LIS) is a key tool to manage laboratory data in clinical pathology. Our department has developed an information system for routine hematology using down-sized computer system. We have used an IBM 486 compatible PC with 16MB main memory, 210 MB hard disk drive, 9 RS-232C port and 24 pin dot printer. The operating system and database management system were SCO UNIX and SCO foxbase, respectively. For program development, we used Xbase language provided by SCO foxbase. The C language was used for interface purpose. To make the system use friendly, pull-down menu was used. The system connected to our hospital information system via application program interface (API), so the information related to patient and request details is automatically transmitted to our computer. Our system interfaced with fwd complete blood count analyzers(Sysmex NE-8000 and Coulter STKS) for unidirectional data tansmission from analyzer to computer. The authors suggests that this system based on down-sized computer could provide a progressive approach to total LIS based on local area network, and the implemented system could serve as a model for other hospital's LIS for routine hematology. 30609 T00401030609 ^x To develop an artificial bone substitute that is gradually degraded and replaced by the regenerated natural bone, the authors designed a composite that is consisted of calcium phosphate and collagen. To use as the structural matrix of the composite, collagen was purified from human umbilical cord. The obtained collagen was treated by pepsin to remove telopeptides, and finally, the immune-free atelocollagen was produced: The cross linked atelocollagen was highly resistant to the collagenase induced collagenolysis. The cross linked collagen demonstrated an improved tensile strength. 30618 T00401030618 ^x This paper is a study on the design of adptive filter for QRS complex detection. We propose a simple adaptive algorithm to increase capability of noise cancelation in QRS complex detection with two stage adaptive filter. At the first stage, background noise is removed and at the next stage, only spectrum of QRS complex components is passed. Two adaptive filters can afford to keep track of the changes of both noise and QRS complex. Each adaptive filter consists of prediction error filter and FIR filter The impulse response of FIR filter uses coefficients of prediction error filter. The detection rates for 105 and 108 of MIT/BIH data base were 99.3% and 97.4% respectively. 30619 T00401030619 ^x To develop an artificial bone substitute that is gradually degraded and replaced by the regenerated natural bone, the authors designed and produced a composite that is consisted of calcium phosphate and collagen. Human umbilical cord origin pepsin treated type I atelocollagen was used as the structural matrix, by which sintered or non-sintered carbonate apatite was encapsulated to form an inorganic-organic composite. With cross linking atelocollagen by UV ray irradiation, the resistance to both compressive and tensile strength was increased. Collagen degradation by the collagenase induced collagenolysis was also decreased. 30620 T00401030620 ^x We have developed a monoleaflet polymer valve as an inexpensive and viable alternative, especially for short-term use in the ventricular assist device or total artificial heart. The frame and leaflet of the polymer valve were made from polyurethane, To evaluate the hemodynamic performance of the polymer valve a comparative study of flow dynamics past a polymer valve and a St. Jude Medical prosthetic valve under physiological pulsatile flow conditions in vitro was made. Comparisons between the valves were made on the transvalvular pressure drop, regurgitation volume and maximum valve opening area. The polymer valve showed smaller regurgitation volume and transvalvular pressure drop compared to the mechanical valve at higher heart rate. The results showed that the functional characteristics of the polymer valve compared favorably with those of the mechanical valve at higher heart rate. 30621 T00401030621 ^x Explosive evaporative removal process of biological tissue by absorption of a CW laser has been simulated by using gelatin and a multimode Nd:YAG laser. Because the point of maximun temperature of laser-irradiated gelatin exists below the surface due to surface cooling, evaporation at the boiling temperature is made explosively from below the surface. The important parameters of this process are the conduction loss to laser power absorption (defined as the conduction-to-laser power parameter, Nk), the convection heat transfer at the surface to conduction loss (defined as Bi), dimensionless extinction coefficient (defined as Br.), and dimensionless irradiation time (defined as Fo). Dependence of Fo on Nk and Bi has been observed by experiment, and the results have been compared with the numerical results obtained by solving a 2-dimensional conduction equation. Fo and explosion depth (from the surface to the point of maximun temperature) are increased when Nk and Bi are increased.To find out the minimum laser power for explosive evaporative removal process, steady state analysis has been also made. The limit of Nk to induce evaporative removal, which is proportional to the inverse of the laser power, has been obtained. 30622 T00401030622 ^x N1 and N2 gross neural action potentials were measured from the round window of the guinea pig cochlea at the onset of the acoustic stimuli. N1-N2 audiograms were made by means of regulating stimulant intensities in order to produce constant N1-N2 potentials as criteria for different input tone pip frequencies. The lowest threshold was measured with an input tone pip I5 dB SPL in intensity and 12 KHz in frequency when the animal was in normal physiological condition. The procedure of experimental measurements is explained in detail. This experimental approach is very useful for the investigation of the Cochlear function. Both noN1inear and active functions of the Cochlea can be monitored by N1-N2 audiograms. 30623 T00401030623 ^x In electrical impedance tomography(EIT), we use boundary current and voltage measurements toprovide the information about the cross-sectional distribution of electrical impedance or resistivity. One of the major problems in EIT has been the inaccessibility of internal voltage or current data in finding the internal impedance values. We propose a new image reconstruction method using internal current density data measured by NMR. We obtained a two-dimensional current density distribution within a phantom by processing the real and imaginary MR images from a 4.77 NMR machine. We implemented a resistivity mage reconstruction algorithm using the finite element method and sensitivity matrix. We presented computer simulation results of the mage reconstruction algorithm and furture direction of the research. 30624 T00401030624 ^x A new method of digital image analysis technique for discrimination of cancer cell was presented in this paper. The object image was the Thyroid eland cells image that was diagnosed as normal and abnormal (two types of abnormal: follicular neoplastic cell, and papillary neoplastic cell), respectively. By using the proposed region segmentation algorithm, the cells were segmented into nucleus. The 16 feature parameters were used to calculate the features of each nucleus. A9 a consequence of using dominant feature parameters method proposed in this paper, discrimination rate of 91.11% was obtained for Thyroid Gland cells. 30625 T00401030625 ^x An electrical stimulator was designed to induce locomotion for paraplegic patients caused by central nervous system injury. Optimal stimulus parameters, which can minimize muscle fatigue and can achieve effective muscle contraction were determined in slow and fast muscles in Sprague-Dawley rats. Stimulus patterns of our stimulator were designed to simulate electromyographic activity monitored during locomotion of normal subjects. Muscle types of the lower extremity were classified according to their mechanical property of contraction, which are slow muscle (msoleus m.) and fast muscle (medial gastrocneminus m., rectus femoris m., vastus lateralis m.). Optimal parameters of electrical stimulation for slow muscles were 20 Hz, 0.2 ms square pulse. For fast muscle, 40 Hz, 0.3 ms square pulse was optimal to produce repeated contraction. Higher stimulus intensity was required when synergistic muscles were stimulated simultaneously than when they were stimulated individually. Electrical stimulation for each muscle was designed to generate bipedal locomotion, so that individual muscles alternate contraction and relaxation to simulate stance and swing phases. Portable electrical stimulator with 16 channels built in microprocessor was constructed and applied to paraplegic patients due to lumbar cord injury. The electrical stimulator restored partially gait function in paraplegic patients. 30626 T00401030626 ^x Two-Dimensional modelling of the Cochlear biomechanics is presented in this paper. The Laplace partial differential equation which represents the fluid mechanics of the Cochlea has been transformed into two-dimensional electrical transmission line. The procedure of this transformation is explained in detail. The comparison between one and two dimensional models is also presented. This electrical modelling of the basilar membrane (BM) is clearly useful for the next approach to the further. Development of active elements which are essential in the producing of the sharp tuning of the BM. This paper shows that two-dimension model is qualitatively better than one-dimensional model both in amplitude and phase responses of the BM displacement. The present model is only for frequency response. However because the model is electrical, the two-dimensional transmission line model can be extended to time response without any difficult. 30627 T00401030627 ^x A method has been proposed for the fully automatic detection of left ventricular endocardial boundary in 2D short axis echocardiogram using geometric model. The procedure has the following three distinct stages. First, the initial center is estimated by the initial center estimation algorithm which is applied to decimated image. Second, the center estimation algorithm is applied to original image and then best-fit elliptic model estimation is processed. Third, best-fit boundary is detected by the cost function which is based on the best-fit elliptic model. The proposed method shows effective result without manual intervention by a human operator. 30628 T00401030628 ^x The intelligent trajectory control method that controls moving direction and average velocity for a prosthetic arm is proposed by pattern recognition and force estimations using EMG signals. Also, we propose the real time trajectory planning method which generates continuous accelleration paths using 3 stage linear filters to minimize the impact to human body induced by arm motions and to reduce the muscle fatigue. We use combination of MLP and fuzzy filter for pattern recognition to estimate the direction of a muscle and Hogan's method for the force estimation. EMG signals are acquired by using a amputation simulator and 2 dimensional joystick motion. The simulation results of proposed prosthetic arm control system using the EMf signals show that the arm is effectively followed the desired trajectory depended on estimated force and direction of muscle movements. 30638 T00401030638 ^x A new neural network architecture for the recognition of patterns from images is proposed, which is partially based on the results of physiological studies. The proposed network is composed of multi-layers and the nerve cells in each layer are connected by spatial filters which approximate receptive fields in optic nerve fields. In the proposed method, patterns recognition for complicated images is carried out using global features as well as local features such as lines and end-points. A new generating method of matched filers representing global features is proposed in this network. 30659 T00401030659 ^x An implementation scheme of the magnetic nerve stimulator using a switching mode power supply is proposed. By using a switching mode power supply rather than a conventional linear power supply for charging high voltage capacitors, the weight and size of the magnetic nerve stimulator can be considerably reduced. Maximum output voltage of the developed magnetic nerve stimulator using the switching mode power supply is 3,000 volts and switching time is about 100 msec. Experimental results or human nerve stimulations using the developed stimulator are presented. 30768 T00401030768 ^x In this paper, we describe the design methodology and specifications of the developed module-based bedside monitors for patient monitoring. The bedside monitor consists of a main unit and module cases with various parameter modules. The main unit includes a 12.1" TFT color LCD, a main CPU board, and peripherals such as a module controller, Ethernet LAN card, video card, rotate/push button controller, etc. The main unit can connect at maximum three module cases each of which can accommodate up to 7 parameter modules. They include the modules for electrocardiograph, respiration, invasive blood pressure, noninvasive blood pressure, temperature, and SpO2 with Plethysmograph.

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