• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.522-529
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• 2000

Backgrounds : Assessment of the presence and degree of reversibility of airflow obstruction is clinically important in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The measurement of peak expiratory flow(PEF) is a simple, fast, and cheap method to assess the severity of obstruction and its degree of reversibility. Assessing the reversibility of airflow obstruction by peak expiratory flow(PEF) measurements is practicable in general practice, but its usefulness has not been well investigated. We compared PEF and $FEV_1$ in assessing reversibility of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma and developed a practical criterion for assessing the presence of reversibility in general practice. Methods : PEF measurements were performed (Spirometry) in 80 patients(aged 24-78) with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease before and after the inhalation of 200 g salbutamol. The change in PEF was compared with the change in forced expiratory volume in one second($FEV_1$). Reversible airflow obstruction was analyzed according to American Thoracic Society(ATS) criteria. Results : A 12% increase above the prebronchodilator value and a 200ml increase in either FVC or $FEV_1$ reversibility were observed in 45%(36) of the patients. Relative operating characteristic(ROC) analysis showed that an absolute improvement in PEF of 30 l/min gave optimal discrimination between patients with reversible and irreversible airflow obstruction(the sensitivity and specificity of an increase of 30 l/min in detecting a 12% increase above the prebronchodilator value and a 200ml increase in either FVC or $FEV_1$ were 72.2% and 72.7% respectively, with a positive predictive value of 68.4%). Conclusions : Absolute changes in PEF can be used to diagnose reversible airflow obstruction.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.564-573
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• 1999

Background: With variable symptoms and nonspecific radiographic appearances, pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent and often undiagnosed cause of mortality and morbidity. The Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) study suggested that the majority of patients undergoing ventilation-perfusion (V-Q) scan would require additional studies to establish or to exclude the diagnosis of PE. Pulmonary angiography has been regarded as gold standard for diagnosis of PE. However, it is an invasive procedure that may be associated with significant notable morbidity and mortality. Thus, availability of an accurate, noninvasive screening examination is highly desirable. Method: From October 1994 to February 1997, twenty patients (male 13, female 7, range 23-91 years, median 58 years) who were suspected as pulmonary embolism on the basis of clinical evidence and underwent the spiral volumetric computed tomography (spiral CT), were studied retrospectively to evaluate the effectiveness of spiral CT as a diagnostic tool in PE. Results: PE could be excluded with spiral CT in 4 patients ; diagnoses of these patients were lung cancer, pneumonia with lung abscess, bilateral pleural effusion due to congestive heart failure, nonspecific pulmonary abnormality retrospectively. One patient who disclosed high probability in V/Q scan, could be diagnosed as pneumonia with lung abscess and underlying emphysema with spiral CT. Among 4 patients who showed intermediate and low probability in V/Q scan, 3 patients could be confirmed as PE with spiral CT. Spiral CT was helpful in 3 patients, in whom V/Q scan could not be performed due to other reasons (e.g. night time, mechanical ventilation) to confirm the diagnosis of PE. Spiral CT could demonstrate embolus above lobar artery level in 11 patients, and up to segmental artery level in 5 patients. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that spiral CT could allow accurate demonstration of thrombotic clots in centrally localized embolism. Spiral CT could be effective, specific, noninvasive and useful diagnostic screening modality for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 2006

Influence of the increasing carbon dioxide concentration in seawater on various marine organisms is assessed in this article with regard to the impacts of anthropogenic $CO_2$ introduced into surface or deep oceans. Recent proposals to sequester $CO_2$ in deep oceans arouse the concerns of adverse effects of increased $CO_2$ concentration on deep-sea organisms. Atmospheric introduction of $CO_2$ into the ocean can also acidify the surface water, thereby the population of some sensitive organisms including coral reefs, cocolithophorids and sea urchins will be reduced considerably in near future (e.g. in 2100 unless the increasing trend of $CO_2$ emission is actively regulated). We exposed bioluminescent bacteria and benthic amphipods to varying concentrations of $CO_2$ and also pH for a short period. The ${\sim}l.5$ unit decrease of pH adversely affected test organisms. However, amphipods were not influenced by decreasing pH when HCl was used for the seawater acidification. In this article, we reviewed the biological adverse effects of $CO_2$ on various marine organisms studied so for. Theses results will be useful to predict the potential risks of the increase of $CO_2$ concentrations in seawater due to the increase of atmospheric $CO_2$ emission and/or sequestration of $CO_2$ in deep oceans.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.167-172
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• 2012

The antimicrobial activities of $Smilax$ $china$ L. against spoilage bacteria isolated from $Mang-gae$ rice cake were investigated and the storage stability of the $Mang-gae$ rice cake was enhanced. Spoilage bacteria, which cause $Mang-gae$ rice cake to rot, were isolated from commercial $Mang-gae$ rice cake, and most of the isolated strains were identified as $Bacillus$ sp. After the leaves, roots, shoots, and stalks of the $Smilax$ $china$ L. were extracted using 50% ethanol as the solvent, their antimicrobial activities were investigated using the paper disc method by treating them with 50 ${\mu}L$ of $Bacillus$ $cereus$, which is known as a major pathogenic micro-organism in foods that contain starch, as the test organism. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were compared according to the size of the clear zones around the paper discs. The root extract showed significant antimicrobial activities. When red beans, which are used as stuffing for $Mang-gae$ rice cake, were treated with the root extract of the $Smilax$ $china$ L., the viable cell count of the $Mang-gae$ rice cake was 5.04 Log CFU/g after 48-hr storage, and the cake showed significantly slower growth of bacteria than with commercial products. These results show that treatment of red beans with $Smilax$ $china$ root extract could improve the storage stability of $Mang-gae$ rice cake.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2003

The cardiopulmonary and anesthetic effects of tiletamine/zolazepam(TZ, 10 mg/kg IV), xylazine-tiletamine /zolazepam(XTZ, X: 1.1 mg/kg IM, TZ: 10 mg/kg IV) and medetomid-ine-tiletamine/zolazepam(MTZ, M: 30$\mu\textrm{g}$/kg IM, TZ: 10 mg/kg IV) were evaluated to 15 healthy mongrel dogs (4.16$\pm$0.65 kg). These dogs were randomly assigned to the three treatment groups(Control, XTZ, MTZ) with 5 dogs in each group. All experimental animals were premedicated with atropine(0.03 mg/kg, IM). Xylazine or medetomidine were administered to dogs in XTZ group and MTZ group 10 minutes after atropine injection. TZ was administered 20 minutes after atropine injection in all groups. The loss of pain response at pedal reflex and ear pinching tests in XTZ and MTZ groups were much longer compared with those of Control group(P < 0.01). All dogs in this study showed head rocking and hypersalivation during recovery time. Body temperature decreased progressively during experimental period in all groups, but it was not significant. After TZ injection, heart beat rate significantly increased 10 and 20 minutes in Control group, and 20 and 40 minutes in XTZ group(P < 0.05). Respiratory rate significantly decreased 0,10,20 and 40 minutes after 72 injection in XTZ and MTZ groups. In Control group, systolic arterial pressure (SAP) 20 minutes. diastolic arterial pressure(DAP) 10 minutes and mean arterial pressures (MAP) 10 and 20 minutes after 72 injection significantly decreased(P < 0.05). In XTZ group, SAP, DAP and MAP significantly decreased 20 and 40 minutes after 72 injection(P < 0.05). Thus, it was considered that XTZ and MTZ were useful in a canine surgical treatment that requires long anesthetic duration and deep analgesia.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.329-335
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• 2014

Sophora flavescens, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Dictamnus dasycarpus have been widely used in folk medicine for several inflammatory disorders in Korea and China. In this study, we compared the anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanol extracts of S. flavescens (EESF), G. uralensis (EEGU) and D. dasycarpus (EEDS), and their mixtures (medicinal herber mixtures, MHMIXs) on production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Our data indicated that treatment with EESF, EEGU and EEDD significantly inhibited the excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The ethanol extracts and MHMIXs also attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) by suppressing their protein expression, respectively. Interestingly, MHMIX-1, which basic ingredients are EESF, EEGU and EEDS in the proportion 3:1:1, more safely and effectively inhibits the LPS-induced inflammatory status in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages compared to ethanol extracts of each medicinal herb and other MHMIXs without causing any cytotoxic effects. Our study provides scientific evidence to support that a berbal mixture, MHMIX-1 may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases by inhibiting inflammatory regulator responses in activated macrophages.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2011

Owing to the risk of fetal loss associated with prenatal diagnostic procedures (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling), noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) is ultimate goal of prenatal diagnosis. The discovery of circulating cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal plasma in 1997 has opened up new probabilities for NIPD by Dr. Lo et al. The last decade has seen great development in NIPD. Fetal sex and fetal RhD status determination by cffDNA analysis is already in clinical use in certain countries. For routine use, this test is limited by the amount of cell-free maternal DNA in blood sample, the lack of universal fetal markers, and appropriate reference materials. To improve the accuracy of detection of fetal specific sequences in maternal plasma, internal positive controls to confirm to presence of fetal DNA should be analyzed. We have developed strategies for noninvasive determination of fetal gender, and fetal RhD genotyping using cffDNA in maternal plasma, using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) including RASSF1A epigenetic fetal DNA marker (gender-independent) as internal positive controls, which is to be first successful study of this kind in Korea. In our study, accurate detection of fetal gender through gestational age, and fetal RhD genotyping in RhD-negative pregnant women was achieved. In this assay, we show that the assay is sensitive, easy, fast, and reliable. These developments improve the reliability of the applications of circulating fetal DNA when used in clinical practice to manage sex-linked disorders (e.g., hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), RhD incompatibility, and the other noninvasive pregnant diagnostic tests on the coming soon. The study was the first successful case in Korea using cffDNA in maternal plasma, which has created a new avenue for clinical applications of NIPD.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.608-615
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• 2015

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years. Garlic cultivars are completely sterile and propagated through vegetative method. Collection of a large number of fertile accessions of these genus is needed to explore genetic variability. In order to investigate genetic variation among Allium species and its possibilities for direct cultivation in Korea, we characterized 12 accessions of A. longicuspis, flowering wild garlic which had collected from Central Asia, the main center of garlic diversity. Most of A. longicuspis accessions showed higher over-wintering and bolting rate, longer scape length and more number of bulbils than Korean landraces cultivar, Danyang and Euiseong, but A. longicuspis accessions exhibited smaller size of bulbs and bulbils. Most accessions of A. longicuspis had more number of cloves per bulb, except K229596 and K248824 than Korean landraces. All the accessions of A. longicuspis from Central Asia had complete bolters having many flowers and topsets in umbel. Further studies of A. longicuspis should focus on securing true seeds through removal of topsets and crosses among accessions to create the genetic variability.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.383-390
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• 1984

The present paper was carried out to elucidate the effect of salt-treatment and the addition of some food additives on the histamine formation and histidine decarboxylase activity in mackerel muscle during storage under different conditions. The histamine formation was inhibited by salting and histamine was hardly formed regardless of the brine concentraction during storage at $5^{\circ}C$. While, during storage at $25^{\circ}C$, the inhibitory effect upon the histamine formation and histidine decarboxylase activity was in proportion to the increase of the brine concentration. The addition of accidulants such as citric acid, malic acid and succinic acid inhibited the histamine formation and histidine decarboxylase activity. Especially, the histamine contents in the muscle added $10\%$ of citric acid and malic acid was below the critical concentration of poisoning for histamine during storage at $25^{\circ}C$ for 10 days. The histamine formation and histidine decarboxylase activity were inhibited by the $10\%$ addition of D-sorbitol, while there was no significant effect in the case of $5\%$ addition. Generally, the histamine content was increased with histidine decarboxylase activity, but didn't reveal the quantitative correlation ship with the enzyme activity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1265-1273
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to prepare accelerated salt-fermented anchovy sauce using a shrimp processing byproducts (head, shell and tail) as a fermenting accelerator, and to investigate its physicochemical and enzymatic properties. Four types of sauces were prepared with 0, 10, 20, and 30$\%$ (w/w) addition of shrimp byproduct and fermented at 24$\pm$2$^{\circ}C$ for 360 days. During fermentation, all four type sauces decreased moisture content (67.5$\%$68.0$\%$ to 64.0$\∼$64.8$\%$) and pH (5.52$\∼$7.10 to 5.03$\∼$6.58), but showed increase in their crude protein (7.0$\∼$8.2 to 10.8$\%$) and volatile basic nitrogen contents (40$\∼$75 to 180$\∼$200 mg/100 g of sauce). The ratio of amino nitrogen to total nitrogen contents of control (0$\%$) and sauce with 10$\%$ shrimp byproducts (10$\%$ sauce) were maximized at 270 days, whereas 20$ \% $ and 30$\%$ added sauces were at 180 days. Endoprotease and exoprotease activities of anchovy sauces added with 20$\%$ and 30$\%$ of shrimp byproducts tend to be higher than those of control (0$\%$) and 10$\%$ addition. Proteolytic activities of sauces at pH 9 were about 2 times higher than those at pH 6. Amidolytic activities for LeuPNA decreased remarkably during fermentation, and control (0$\%$) almost lost their activity at 180 days, while additional sauces were relatively stable. These suggest that alkaline pretense of anchovy and shrimp byproducts as a endoprotease mainly contributed to the fermentation of salt-fermented sauces. The protein molecular weight distribution of sauces indicated 2 groups of peaks (peak 1,>70,000 da and peak 2, 3,000$\∼$29,000 da). As the fermentation proceeded, peak 1 tended to decrease in all of sauces, but peak 2 increased rapidly from 30 to 270 days. Optimum fermentation periods of control and 10$\%$ sauces were 270 days and those of 20$\%$ and 30$\%$ sauce were 180 days. The results suggest that shrimp byproduct can be used as accelerator of salt-fermented sauce.