• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권12호
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• pp.5287-5294
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is a worldwide public health concern and is the most prevalent type of cancer in women in the United States. This study concerned the best fit of statistical probability models on the basis of survival times for nine state cancer registries: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington. Materials and Methods: A probability random sampling method was applied to select and extract records of 2,000 breast cancer patients from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database for each of the nine state cancer registries used in this study. EasyFit software was utilized to identify the best probability models by using goodness of fit tests, and to estimate parameters for various statistical probability distributions that fit survival data. Results: Statistical analysis for the summary of statistics is reported for each of the states for the years 1973 to 2012. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Anderson-Darling, and Chi-squared goodness of fit test values were used for survival data, the highest values of goodness of fit statistics being considered indicative of the best fit survival model for each state. Conclusions: It was found that California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, New Mexico, and Washington followed the Burr probability distribution, while the Dagum probability distribution gave the best fit for Michigan and Utah, and Hawaii followed the Gamma probability distribution. These findings highlight differences between states through selected sociodemographic variables and also demonstrate probability modeling differences in breast cancer survival times. The results of this study can be used to guide healthcare providers and researchers for further investigations into social and environmental factors in order to reduce the occurrence of and mortality due to breast cancer.

• Diabetes and Metabolism Journal
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• 제42권6호
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• pp.496-512
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• 2018

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between the presence and severity of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and development of long-term glucose fluctuation in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus who received cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests (CARTs) at baseline and at least 4-year of follow-up with ${\geq}6$ measures of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were included. The severity of CAN was categorized as normal, early, or severe CAN according to the CARTs score. HbA1c variability was measured as the standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation, and adjusted SD of serial HbA1c measurements. Results: A total of 681 subjects were analyzed (294 normal, 318 early, and 69 severe CAN). The HbA1c variability index values showed a positive relationship with the severity of CAN. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that CAN was significantly associated with the risk of developing higher HbA1c variability (SD) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes duration, mean HbA1c, heart rate, glomerular filtration rate, diabetic retinopathy, coronary artery disease, insulin use, and anti-hypertensive medication (early CAN: odds ratio [OR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 2.43) (severe CAN: OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.47 to 5.56). This association was more prominent in subjects who had a longer duration of diabetes (>10 years) and lower mean HbA1c (<7%). Conclusion: CAN is an independent risk factor for future higher HbA1c variability in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Tailored therapy for stabilizing glucose fluctuation should be emphasized in subjects with CAN.

• 보건의료기술평가
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.114-122
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• 2018

Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the typical anti-smoking advertisement on smoking cessation intention in citizens of Ulsan Metropolitan City. Methods: A total of 700 citizens (600 adults and 100 high school student) participated in face-to-face interviews survey using paper questionnaire. Three anti-smoking advertisements were used in this study; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient video advertisement, tobacco hazard information advertisement, and COPD patient voice advertisement. Each participant randomly evaluated only one of the three non-smoking anti-smoking advertisements. Participants were asked whether they had seen or heard anti-smoking advertisements before and asked whether they understood the advertisement well. They also assessed the effectiveness of non-smokers to maintain smoking cessation and how effective it would be to help smokers quit. Results: Among the three anti-smoking advertisements, 54.8% of participants said that they watched COPD patient video advertisement before. More than 95% of participants said they can understood anti-smoking advertisements. Among the three anti-smoking advertisements, tobacco hazard information advertisement was evaluated to be most effective to maintain non-smokers' smoking cessation (234, 92.5%). Tobacco hazard information advertisement was also evaluated to be most effective to make smokers quit smoking (216, 84.7%). Conclusion: Anti-smoking advertisements have a positive effect on non-smoker's willingness to keep smoking and smokers' willingness to quit smoking. In future studies, it would be meaningful to look at the long-term effects of smoking cessation or to evaluate the effectiveness of the more various anti-smoking advertisements.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제35권3호
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• pp.241-248
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• 2019

Pesticide exposure may induce biochemical alterations including oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. However, in the context of developmental origin of health and disease, putative trans-generational effect of exposure to pesticides are insufficiently studied. We therefore aimed to evaluate the biochemical effect of gestational exposure to four pesticides on female Wistar rats and their offspring at adult age. We studied 30 female nulliparous Wistar rats divided into 5 equal groups. Group 1 served as the control group and received distilled water while group 2, 3, 4 and 5 received orally pesticide 1 (imidacloprid), pesticide 2 (chlorpyrifos), pesticide 3 (imidacloprid + lambda cyhalothrin) and pesticide 4 (oxamyl) respectively once daily throughout gestation at a dose equivalent to 1/10 lethal dose 50. The mothers were followed up until one month post gestation. The offspring were followed up from birth until adult age (12 weeks). In all animals at each time point we evaluated malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidative stress and liver function enzymes. There was similar variation of total body weight in all the groups during and after gestation. However, Female Wistar rats of the exposed groups had significant alterations in liver SOD (-30.8% to +64.1%), catalase (-38.8% to -85.7%) and GSH (-29.2% to -86.5%) and; kidney catalase (> 100%), GSH (> 100%). Moreover, MDA, alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels were significantly higher in pesticide exposed rats compared to the control group. Similar alterations in antioxidant enzymes, MDA and liver function enzymes were observed in offspring of treated rats evidenced at weaning and persisting until adult age. Exposure to pesticides causes oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in exposed female Wistar rats and their offspring. The persistence in offspring at adult age suggests transgenerational adverse effects.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제53권3호
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• pp.249-256
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• 2021

천식은 만성 염증성 기도 폐쇄 질환이다. 질병 발생 요인은 다양하며 특히, 유전적 요인과 환경적 요인이 천식 발병에 영향을 미치는 것으로 추정된다. MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)경로는 Th1/Th2의 균형을 조절하며, 천식 발생에 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 MAPK 경로를 조절하는 NDFIP2 유전자와 천식 발병과의 상관관계를 분석하였다. 193건의 천식 환자와 3,228건의 정상 대조군의 유전형 데이터를 사용하였다. 그 결과 NDFIP2 안에 있는 4개의 SNP이 천식과 유의한 상관관계와 높은 상대적 위험도를 보였다. 특히 NDFIP2의 rs2783122는 천식과 통계적으로 가장 유의한 연관성을 나타냈다(P-value=9.76×10^-6, OR=1.67, 95% CI=1.33~2.10). NDFIP2 유전자에 대한 SNP imputation 결과 16개의 SNP가 추가 발견되었으며, 모두 유의한 상관 관계와 높은 상대적 위험도를 나타냈다. 유전자형 기반 mRNA 발현 분석을 통해 rs1408049가 minor allele을 가질 경우 유전자 발현이 증가됨을 알 수 있었다. 증가된 NDFIP2 발현은 MAPK 경로를 활성화시켜 천식 발병에 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 결론적으로 NDFIP2의 다형성은 천식 발병과 관련이 있으며, 이는 한국 인구의 천식 관리에 대한 새로운 지침을 제공할 수 있다.

• 정신신체의학
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.99-107
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• 2020

섬유근통은 피로, 수면장애, 기분변화, 인지장애 및 만성 전신통증을 핵심 증상으로 하는 질환이다. 섬유근통은 유전적 취약성, 통증 처리과정 및 스트레스 반응 체계의 변화 등을 포함하는 생물학적 요인과 불안, 우울, 분노, 스트레스 등의 심리적 요인, 그리고 감염, 발열 질환, 외상 등의 환경적 요인이 함께 작용하여 발생하는 것으로 알려져 있으며, 핵심 병인으로 감각 자극이 인식되는 과정에서 증폭되어 통증이 증진되는 중추성 감작의 역할이 강조되고 있다. 가이드라인들은 개별 환자의 필요에 따라 선택된 다원적 접근을 권고하며, 임상의는 충분한 교육을 통해 지적 이해의 틀을 제공하고 자기 관리의 중요성을 강조해야 한다. 섬유근통에서 정신건강 문제의 유병률은 일반인구집단의 7~9배로 유의하게 높으며, 특정 정신병리 및 수면장애와의 관련성도 제기되고 있다. 정신과적 상태는 섬유근통과 양방향성 상호작용을 하며 경과에 영향을 주고, 취약성을 공유하며 서로의 위험 요인으로 작용할 수 있으므로, 동반질환을 면밀히 평가하여 보다 통합적인 관리가 필요할 것이다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.259-271
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• 2021

Many bacteria metabolize aromatic compounds via catechol as a catabolic intermediate, and possess multiple genes or clusters encoding catechol-cleavage enzymes. The presence of multiple isozyme-encoding genes is a widespread phenomenon that seems to give the carrying strains a selective advantage in the natural environment over those with only a single copy. In the naphthalene-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida ND6, catechol can be converted into intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle via either the ortho- or meta-cleavage pathways. In this study, we demonstrated that the catechol ortho-cleavage pathway genes (catBICIAI and catBIICIIAII) on the chromosome play an important role. The catI and catII operons are co-transcribed, whereas catAI and catAII are under independent transcriptional regulation. We examined the binding of regulatory proteins to promoters. In the presence of cis-cis-muconate, a well-studied inducer of the cat gene cluster, CatRI and CatRII occupy an additional downstream site, designated as the activation binding site. Notably, CatRI binds to both the catI and catII promoters with high affinity, while CatRII binds weakly. This is likely caused by a T to G mutation in the G/T-N11-A motif. Specifically, we found that CatRI and CatRII regulate catBICIAI and catBIICIIAII in a cooperative manner, which provides new insights into naphthalene degradation.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.361-369
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• 2020

아토피성 피부염은 피부장벽 기능장애, 염증 및 만성 소양증을 특징으로 하는 다인성의 염증성 피부질환이다. 아토피성 피부염은 유전적, 면역학적, 환경적 요인 등의 복합적인 요인으로 피부장벽 기능과 면역기능의 장애를 유발한다고 알려져 있다. 고삼 추출물은 중국전통의학에서 사용되고 있으나, 이의 항아토피 효능에 대한 연구는 거의 진행되지 않았다. 본 연구에서는 아토피성 피부염의 주요 증상인 피부장벽 기능과 면역이상 개선에 대한 고삼추출물의 효과를 평가하였다. 고삼추출물은 피부장벽 기능에서 중요한 역할을 하는 각질세포막의 형성을 강화하는 결과를 나타내었다. 또한 피부의 보습작용에 있어서 중요한 히알루론산의 발현을 증가시키는 결과를 나타내었다. 아토피성 피부염 병변에서 특이적으로 증가하는 황색포도상구균에 대한 고삼추출물의 효능도 확인하였으며, 고삼추출물이 황색포도상구균으로부터 유도된 전염증성사이토카인의 생성을 억제함을 확인하였다. 또한 피부 스트레스 등으로 부터 생성되는 신경전달 물질인 substance P에 의해 유도된 전염증성사이토카인의 발현도 억제하는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과들은 고삼추출물이 피부장벽기능과 면역반응 개선을 통해 아토피 피부염 치료에 사용될 수 있는 잠재적 후보물질임을 제시한다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권11호
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• pp.1583-1590
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• 2021

Studies have demonstrated that PE_PGRS45 is constitutively expressed under various environmental conditions (such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia, and low pH) of the in vitro growth conditions examined, indicating that PE_PGRS45 protein is critical to the basic functions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, there are few reports about the biochemical function and pathogenic mechanism of PE_PGRS45 protein. The fact that this M. tuberculosis gene is not easily expressed in E. coli may be mainly due to the high content of G+C and the use of unique codons. Fusion tags are indispensable tools used to improve the soluble expression of recombinant proteins and accelerate the characterization of protein structure and function. In the present study, His6, Trx, and His6-MBP were used as fusion tags, but only MBP-PE_PGRS45 was expressed solubly. The purification using His6-MBP tag-specific binding to the Ni column was easy to separate after the tag cleavage. We used the purified PE_PGRS45 to immunize New Zealand rabbits and obtained anti-PE_PGRS45 serum. We found that the titer of polyclonal antibodies against PE_PGR45 was higher than 1:256000. The result shows that purified PE_PGRS45 can induce New Zealand rabbits to produce high-titer antibodies. In conclusion, the recombinant protein PE_PGRS45 was successfully expressed in E. coli and specific antiserum was prepared, which will be followed by further evaluation of these specific antigens to develop highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for tuberculosis.

• 대한토목학회논문집
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.379-389
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• 2022

COVID-19로 인해 대중교통 이용객이 큰 폭으로 감소한 것으로 나타났다. 이에 본 연구에서는 COVID-19로 인한 시민들의 통행행태에 변화에 미친 영향 요인을 파악 하고자 설문을 통하여 통행특성에 대한 자료를 수집하고 수단전환에 대한 로지스틱 회귀 분석을 진행하였다. 또한, 중요도-만족도 분석을 실시하여 대중교통 운영·시설 개선방안에 대해 고찰하였다. 연구의 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, COVID-19에 대한 불안감을 가질수록(+), 대중교통에서의 감염 불안을 가질수록(+) 개인교통수단으로 전환하는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 개인속성으로 운전면허가 없는 응답자에 비해 운전을 할수록(+), 가구에 차량이 없는 응답자에 비해 가구에 차량을 보유할수록(+), 온라인 쇼핑이 증가한 집단일수록(+), 통행목적이 출근인 집단보다 여행인 집단 일수록(+) 수단 전환이 더 많이 일어난 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 백신 접종을 하지 않은 집단보다 백신을 접종한 집단일수록(-), 가구원 수가 많을수록(-) 수단전환을 하지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 현재 잘 이루어지고 있는 대중교통 내 마스크의 무착용, 손 소독·방역, 버스·도시철도 쾌적성 유지에 대해 지속적인 노력이 필요한 것으로 나타났다. 아울러 높은 중요도에 비해 만족도가 낮은 대중교통 내의 혼잡도 및 환기에 대한 우선적 개선이 중요한 것으로 도출되었다. 본 연구의 결과는 현 시점 및 향후 전염병 발생 시 대중교통 운영 및 관리 대책수립의 기초자료로서 활용성이 기대된다.