• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.437-442
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• 2020

Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is critical for host defense as well as the progression of inflammatory diseases through the production of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, which is cleaved by active caspase-1. It has been reported that overactivation of the NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to the development and pathology of acne vulgaris. Therefore, inhibiting activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome may provide a new therapeutic strategy for acne vulgaris. In this study, we investigated whether auranofin, an anti-rheumatoid arthritis agent, inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation, thereby effectively treating acne vulgaris. Auranofin suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by Propionibacterium acnes, reducing the production of IL-1β in primary mouse macrophages and human sebocytes. In a P. acnes-induced acne mouse model, injection of P. acnes into the ears of mice induced acne symptoms such as redness, swelling, and neutrophil infiltration. Topical application of auranofin (0.5 or 1%) to mouse ears significantly reduced the inflammatory symptoms of acne vulgaris induced by P. acnes injection. Topical application of auranofin led to the downregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome activated by P. acnes in mouse ear skin. These results show that auranofin inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome, the activation of which is associated with acne symptoms. The results further suggest that topical application of auranofin could be a new therapeutic strategy for treating acne vulgaris by targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 1999

Through manifestation of the principles of commodity production spatial sharing of labour can be observed in the agriculture as well as in cattle production. Better adjustment of the production structure to the environment factors brings higher yields and more effective production. In being able to maximize the profit the entrepreneurs opt for producing output that closely matches to their featuring conditions. In contrary to the relatively high "mobility" of crop production animal husbandry and within this cattle production - as known - is strictly chained to forage production. On the basis of our economic research and as a result of multivariable analysis(factor analysis) it can be concluded that two variable groups(factors) are highly dominant in organizing profitable cattle production. First of them is the crop site factor (indicated by gold crown value), the second is the forage production feature(forage and grassland area and the yield of them). During recent years the weight of environmental factors suffered from devaluation. As a result of the central economic administration differentiating effects were suppressed and the chances of equalizing concepts strengthened. The outcome can be observed even today. In the regions, for example, being predominantly suitable for grass and forage cropping the milk and slaughter cattle production decreased. The same is ture for com and pig production regions. Unexploitment of local environmental features can be observed mainly in grassland management. Branches being potential user of grasslands hardly take them into consideration. Main method of rational use of grasslands is pasturing. Presence of pastures and the usage of them through cattle production is highly important not only for profitable production but also for maintaining ecological stability.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.179-184
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• 2010

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a food-borne pathogen that causes bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). We compared three selective media and evaluated the performance of immunomagnetic separation (IMS) for the detection of low levels of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef and radish sprouts with different levels of background flora. Bulk food samples (500 g for each trial) were artificially inoculated with nalidixic acid-resistant E. coli O157:H7 at the lowest dose that would generate 20 partial-positive samples of 25 g each. All samples were homogenized in mTSB (225 mL) and incubated overnight at $37^{\circ}C$. IMS was performed using the enriched mTSB samples (1 mL) along with conventional spreads plated onto three different selective media: Sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC), Sorbitol MacConkey agar with cefixime and tellulite (CT-SMAC), and Sorbitol MacConkey agar with nalidixic acid (NAL-SMAC) as the gold standard. Two suspicious colonies from each medium were selected and confirmed usinga serological test after transfer to tryptic soy broth with yeast extract (TSAYE). CT-SMAC was better than SMAC for detecting E. coli O157:H7 in all food types. Although there was no statistical difference in the number of positive samples when using IMS vs. non-IMS techniques, more positive samples were detected when IMS was used in both ground beef and radish sprouts. It appears that the improvement was more significant in radish sprouts, which had a higher level of background flora than ground beef. The results also suggest that the combination of CT-SMAC and IMS is sufficient to recover low levels of E. coli O157:H7 in high background flora food samples.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.710-718
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• 2017

Contents of water soluble vitamin $B_6$ in a total of 62 agricultural products cultivated in local areas in Korea were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC/FLD). To verify the method of vitamin $B_6$ analysis, a quality control chart was formulated with in-house control using a mixture of broccoli and shiitake mushrooms. Among cereals, high content of vitamin $B_6$ measured $234.3{\sim}260.3{\mu}g/100g$ in dried mung bean and soybean. Vitamin $B_6$ content of non-glutinous and glutinous black rice measured $105.0{\mu}g/100g$ and $129.7{\mu}g/100g$, respectively. In vegetables, high content of vitamin $B_6$ were measured in passion fruit ($104.3{\mu}g/100g$), gat ($55.7{\sim}84.3{\mu}g/100g$), gomchwi ($31.3{\sim}88.0{\mu}g/100g$) and garlic ($72.7{\sim}98.3{\mu}g/100g$). Among fruits, gold kiwi 'Zespri' and green kiwi 'Hayward' revealed high vitamin $B_6$ content of $116.3{\mu}g/100g$ and $78.7{\mu}g/100g$, respectively. In persimmons, daebongsi had high vitamin $B_6$ content ($36.0{\sim}72.7{\mu}g/100g$) than bansi and sweet persimmon. Vitamin $B_6$ content in dried jujube and persimmon increased more than $86.7{\mu}g/100g$ compared to fresh materials. Among specialty crops, green tea powder ($64.7{\sim}251.0{\mu}g/100g$) and sansuyu ($172.3{\mu}g/100g$) revealed high content. Of mushrooms, vitamin $B_6$ content of Sparassis crispa ($139.3{\mu}g/100g$) was the highest. Vitamin $B_6$ content information of agricultural products in local areas in Korea collected from this experiment will be used as valuable preliminary data for grasp national nutritional status.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.307-316
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• 2008

The purpose of the study was to investigate nutritional status of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and to find out the differences according to the stages of disease. From March to October, 2006, 41 stable male patients of mild to severe COPD patients were recruited from Seoul National University hospital. The patients' of body weight and fat free mass were assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The nutritional status of the patients was also assessed by 3-day recall, index of nutritional quality (INQ), dietary diversity score (DDS), dietary variety score (DVS), food group index pattern and dietary quality index (DQI). The total of 41 patients were classified into three groups, stage I, stage II and stage III groups according to the classification of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) standard. The mean age of the patients in each stage were 67.2-66.9 years showing no significant difference. The ratio of $FEV_1$/FVC were $57.5{\pm}7.3$, $46.9{\pm}7.6$ and $38.2{\pm}6.8%$, respectively showing significant differences according to the stages of disease. The fat free mass of the stage II ($48.2{\pm}4.7kg$) and III ($47.3{\pm}4.5kg$) was significantly lower than that of stage I ($53.1{\pm}6.9kg$) patients. There were significant correlation of fat free mass with $FEV_{1}$, and BMI (body mass index) with $FEV_{1}$/FVC ratio (p < 0.05). COPD patients showed the diet-related clinical symptoms of anorexia, dyspnea, dyspepsia, and chewing difficulty. Daily intakes of calorie, K, vitamin $B_2$ and folate of the patients were very low ($83.8{\pm}20.7%$, $58.9{\pm}14.4%$, $70.7{\pm}19.6%$ and $74.4{\pm}10.2%$, respectively) however, they did not significantly different according to the stages of disease. Daily intake of calcium was significantly lower in the stage III patients (p < 0.05). The mean scores of dietary variety score was significantly lower in the stage III patients (p < 0.001). Dietary quality index of the patients were not different among the stages of disease and the scores indicated poor quality of diet. As a summary, we found that body fat free mass, regularity of exercise, frequency of having snacks and dietary variety score were significantly associated with the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.145
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• pp.195-215
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• 2018

Plato said that our cosmos was created from the union of nous and $anank{\bar{e}}$ in Timaeus. In addition to this, 'the third kind', namely $ch{\bar{o}}ra$, exists already with genesis before the birth of the cosmos. Plato explains this $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ with several metaphors. That is, 'receptacle', 'mother', 'gold', 'space', 'place' etc. From Aristotle to contemporary scholars, generally three types of interpretations are presented. First, $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ is a kind of a 'void.' Secondly, $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ is Aristotle's $prot{\bar{e}}$ $hyl{\bar{e}}$. Thirdly, $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ has two aspects of space and matter. I will accept the third opinion. Plato's $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ has both a spatial aspect and material aspect. $Ch{\bar{o}}ra$ is a place that accommodates all sensible things in itself. On the other hand, $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ seems to be a mother who nourishes sensible things like a child. In this, Plato lacks a logical consistency. The research of $ch{\bar{o}}ra$ can not deviate from the limits of $eik{\bar{o}}s$ logos.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.375-382
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• 1999

In order to investigate the contamination characteristics of the heavy metals in the mine tailings of abandoned gold mine and its surrounding agricultural soils, a sequential extraction procedure of increasing reactivity in the dissolution processes of the heavy metals(Cd, Cu, and Pb) which were associated with solid and/or solution phase in soils was attempted to partition into six particulate fractions : exchangeable, bound to carbonate, bound to Fe-Mn oxides, bound to organic matter, residual, and soluble. Among indigenous heavy metals in the mine tailings, Pb was the most abundant and Cu and Cd were followed by. Fractionation result of Pb obtained from the triplicate samples of the mine tailings were in the order of Fe-Mn oxide> Carbonate> Residual> Organic> Exchangeable> Soluble, while Wolgok series were Exchangeable > Fe-Mn oxide > Carbonate> Organic> Residual> Soluable. However the other heavy metals studied were not followed this trend. The fractionation results of mine tailing and agricultural soils demonstrated that different geochemical fractions were operationally defined by an extraction sequence that generally followed the order of decreasing solubility. Therefore potential mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals as toxic pollution sources can be evaluated when studying the pollution levels of heavy metals in soils.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.392-399
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• 2007

This study was carried out to assess optimum conditions of peatmoss-based substrates for red pepper plug seedlings. Peatmoss-based substrates prepared by mixing of peatmoss with vermiculite, perlite, rice hull and zeolite at various mixing ratios were used for growing pepper plug seedlings. The physical and chemical properties of the peatmoss substrate were analyzed by the CEN(European committee for standardization) method. Fresh and dry weights (shoot, root), leaf area, root length and T/R ratio (dry shoot weight/dry root weight) were determined at 55 days after sowing. The results showed that the growing media PVSZ 6 (peatmoss:silver vermiculite: zeolite=6:3.9:0.1) and PVGZ 6 (peatmoss:gold vermiculite: zeolite=6:3.9:0.1) can successfully be used for red pepper plug seedlings judging from dry weight and T/R ratio of the plug seedlings. The optimal ranges of total pore space, water volume, air volume, easily available water content and water buffering capacity of the peatmoss based growing media for pepper plug seedlings were 87~93%, 52~71%, 20~41%, 10~37% and 0.6~10%, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2021

Objectives: Inorganic dust is known to be a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of smoking and pneumoconiosis. Adaptive and innate immunity, including lymphocyte infiltrate, are involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. The purpose of this study was to analyze the lymphocyte subsets in the blood of workers exposed to inorganic dust and confirm the influencing factors. Methods: The general characteristics of the subjects (n=107) were analyzed through a personal questionnaire. Diagnosis of COPD was established according to pulmonary function tests with FEV₁/FVC post bronchodilator lower than 70%, according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines. For lymphocyte analysis, blood was stained with a fluorescent CD marker and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: The increase in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes was associated with a decrease in age (𝛽=-0.273, p=0.008) and an increase in the cumulative smoking amount (𝛽=0.205, p=0.034). The increase in NK cells was associated with an increase in age (𝛽=0.325, p=0.001) and a decrease in cumulative smoking (𝛽=-0.220, p=0.019). The period of exposure to dust, %FVC predicted and %FEV₁/FVC, and the relative population of peripheral blood lymphocytes did not show a statistically significant relationship. Conclusions: CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD56⁺CD16⁺ NK cells in peripheral blood were more related to age and cumulative smoking than the duration of dust exposure. Age and smoking are major risk factors for the development of COPD, so it can be predicted that peripheral blood CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD56⁺CD16⁺ NK cells are related to the development of COPD in workers exposed to inorganic dust.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.147-156
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• 2021

There are various treatment options such as conventional complete denture, hybrid prosthesis and implant-supported fixed prosthesis for fully edentulous patients. In case of implant-supported fixed prosthesis, compared to removable prosthesis, it is difficult to place the implant in the correct position considering the anatomical contours of the final prosthesis. In this case, a full mouth rehabilitation with implant-supported fixed prosthesis was performed for a patient who required extraction of all remaining teeth due to dental caries and chronic periodontitis. In the implant placement stage, the implant was placed in the desired position using a surgical guide fabricated considering the anatomical contours of the final prosthesis, and the function and esthetics were evaluated through correction and re-fabrication of the fixed provisional restoration. A final restoration of porcelain fused to gold prosthesis was delivered to the patient based on the provisional restoration. To cope with complications such as loosening of screws and fracture of porcelain, a screw-retained type prosthesis was fabricated for the posterior part and a screw-cement-retained type prosthesis for the anterior part. As a result, the patient showed an improved prognosis in terms of functional and esthetics after the final prosthesis was delivered.