• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2008

Background: Acinetobacter infections are difficult to treat as they often exhibit multiple resistance to the antibiotics that are currently available for the treatment of pneumonia. Colistin is active against gram-negative bacteria, including the multiple drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter species. However, intravenous administration of colistin was abandoned because of its nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. The aims of this study were to examine the efficacy and safety of colistin administered by aerosol in the treatment of pneumonia caused by MDR Acinetobacter baumannii. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from Dec. 2006 to Aug. 2007 who had been diagnosed as suffering from pneumonia due to MDR Acinetobacter baumannii and had been treated with nebulized colistin. Results: 31 patients received aerosolized colistin. The average duration of the treatment was $14{\pm}7$ days and the daily dose of ranged from 225 mg to 300 mg. All patients received concomitant intravenous antimicrobial agents. The average length of the stay in the ICU was $34{\pm}21$ days and in the hospital $58{\pm}52$ days. The overall microbiological eradication was observed in 25 patients (80.6%). 14 of these (56%) were cured, and 11 (44%) were infected with other microorganisms. The overall crude mortality of the ICU was 48%. Nephrotoxicity and significant bronchial constriction did not occur in any patient during neublized colistin treatment. Conclusion: Nebulized colistin may be a safe and effective option in the treatment of pneumonia due to MDR Acinetobacter baumannii. Its role in therapy warrants further investigation in comparative studies.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1297-1308
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• 2015

In Korea, the local traffic safety master plan has been established and implemented according to the Traffic Safety Act. Each local government is required to establish a customized traffic safety policy and share roles for improvement of traffic safety and this means that local governments lead and promote effective local traffic safety policies fit for local circumstances in substance. For implementing efficient traffic safety policies, which accord with many-sided characteristics of local governments, the prediction of community-based traffic accidents, which considers local characteristics and the analysis of accident influence factors must be preceded, but there is a shortage of research on this. Most of existing studies on the community-based traffic accident prediction used social and economic variables related to accident exposure environments in countries or cities due to the limit of collected data. For this reason, there was a limit in applying the developed models to the actual reduction of traffic accidents. Thus, this study developed a local traffic accident prediction model, based on smaller regional units, administrative districts, which were not omitted in existing studies and suggested a method to reflect traffic safety facility and policy variables that traffic safety policy makers can control, in addition to social and economic variables related to accident exposure environments, in the model and apply them to the development of local traffic safety policies. The model development result showed that in terms of accident exposure environments, road extension, gross floor area of buildings, the ratio of bus lane installation and the number of crossroads and crosswalks had a positive relation with accidents and the ratio of crosswalk sign installation, the number of speed bumps and the results of clampdown by police force had a negative relation with accidents.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2007

Acer tegmentosum (Acereaceae) has been used a source of traditional medicines for the treatment of hepatic disorders in Korea. This research was conducted to determine biofunctional activities of A. tegmentosum stem extract and to identify its bioactive components. Methanolic extract from A. tegmentosum stem was partitioned by using organic solvents, including n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water. Two compounds were isolated by using an ODS column chromatography from ethyl acetate soluble fraction shown to the strongest antioxidant activity ($RC_{50}=3.15\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) among the fractions. The isolated compounds were analyzed by $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ NMR, IR, UV/VIS, MS spectrum data and identified as catechin, ${\rho}-Hydroxyphenethyl$ alcohol $1-O-{\beta}-_D-(6'-O-galloyl)-glucopyranoside$. The compounds have shown strong antioxidant activity, with similar activity to BHA ($RC_{50}=2\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$). Especially, ${\rho}-Hydroxyphenethyl$ alcohol 1-O-{\beta}-_D-(6'-O-galloyl)-glucopyranoside$ was shown strong anti-lipid peroxidative activity. However, the compounds were not shown antimicrobial activities. In antimicrobial activity assays, ethyl acetate soluble fraction was effective to bacterial inhibition, such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, with minimum inhibitory concentrations in $125\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. Otherwise, antifungal activity against Candida albicans was shown in n-hexane soluble fraction exhibiting $63\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ of minimum inhibitory concentration. In anticomplementary activity assays, water soluble fraction was the most effective exhibiting 24% inhibitory activity.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.359-369
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• 2007

This in vitro study was performed to assess the effect of surface sealing on the microleakage of class V composite resin restorations that underwent several aging treatments. Class V cavities were prepared on the buccal surface of 100 sound extracted premolars and restored with a hybrid light-cured composite resin according to the manufacturer's instructions. They were randomly divided into two groups consisting of 50 samples: group I, without surface sealing, and group II, in which margins were etched and surface sealant was applied. After thermocycling, each group was divided into five subgroups, respectively, to represent the five aging treatments: group A = no further treatment (only thermocycling), B = toothbrushing, C = load cycling, D = toothbrushing followed by load cycling, and E = aging treatment in deionized water for six months. Microleakage was assessed by examining the penetration of 2% methylene blue dye. The following results were obtained: 1. At occlusal and cervical margins in groups without surface sealing, there was no significant difference in microleakage after the several aging treatments (p>0.05). 2. The occlusal margins of groups with surface sealing showed no significant differences after the several aging treatments (p>0.05). 3. In the cervical margins of groups with surface sealing, microleakage significantly increased after load cycling or aging in deionized water for six months (p<0.05). 4. The no-further-treatment group and the toothbrushing group with surface sealing showed less microleakage than the corresponding groups without surface sealing (p<0.05). 5. The surface-sealed groups with load cycling or aging in deionized water showed no significant difference in microleakage to the corresponding groups without surface sealing (p>0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the surface sealant infiltrating through the gap of the cervical margin exerted a positive effect on microleakage at the initial stage, but the effect was not sufficient to overcome the stress generated by the cuspal flexure during occlusal loading and water absorption.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.419-424
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• 2004

Background : Although bronchodilator reversibility testing is widely performed to diagnose asthma or COPD, there is debate upon its usefulness and methods to differentiate asthma from COPD. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the role of bronchodilator reversibility testing in differentiating asthma from COPD and to confirm which method is better at evaluating bronchodilator reversibility. Methods : 26 asthma patients and 31 COPD patients were reviewed retrospectively. Spirometry was performed before and after bronchodilator inhalation to get $FEV_1$, FVC. To evaluate bronchodilator reversibility, the increase in $FEV_1$ or FVC was expressed as three methods, 'percentage of the baseline value', 'percentage of the predicted value', or 'absolute value'. Area under the ROC curve was measured to compare the three methods. In addition, the criteria of American Thoracic Society (ATS) for bronchodilator reversibility were compared to those of European Respiratory Society (ERS). Results : 1. In differentiating asthma from COPD, 'percentage of the predicted value', or 'absolute value' method was useful but 'percentage of the baseline value' was not. However, the ability to differentiate was weak because areas under the ROC curves by all methods were less than 0.75. 2. The criteria of ERS were superior to those of ATS for bronchodilator reversibility to differentiate asthma from COPD because likelihood ratio (LR) of a positive test by ERS criteria was greater than ATS criteria and because LR of a negative test by ERS criteria was less than ATS criteria. Conclusion : In differentiating asthma from COPD, bronchodilator reversibility testing has a weak role and should be considered as an adjunctive test.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2020

Objective : The aim of this study was to investigate the care burden and life quality in family caregivers of community-dwelling patients using home mechanical ventilator(HMV) in Yeognam region. Methods : Survey performed to family caregivers of the patients using HMV in Yeognam region, Korea. The questionnaire is composed with patient care and the burden on caring. Korean version of Short Form Zarit Burden Interview(K-ZBI-12) and 3-Level version of EuroQol-5 Dimension applying Korean weight(KEQ-5D-3L) were also investigated. Statistical significance was accepted for p<.05. Results : A total 98 out of 150 questionnaires were analyzed. The K-ZBI-12(33.08±10.34) had a correlation with KEQ-5D-3L(0.71±0.25) negatively(p=.038). Patients' age, duration of HMV, financial burden and professional caregivers' care time had correlations with K-ZBI-12 positively(p<.05). KEQ-5D-3L correlated duration of HMV negatively(p=.017). Invasive ventilator group had lower KEQ-5D-3L than the non-invasive ventilator group(p=.008). K-ZBI-12 was lower in more than one caregiver care of patients than in one(p=.001). Conclusion : This study revealed high care burden and low quality of life in family caregivers of the patients with HMV in Yeongnam region, Korea. Efforts are needed to continually identify the needs of patients and their families, and the socioeconomic support and medical services associated with HMV.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.1562-1568
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• 2011

We studied the amounts of trans fatty acids and saturated fatty acids in child-favored foods. Confectioneries, breads, donuts and hamburgers were included in this study. The total fatty acid content and the amount of each type of fatty acid were determined by gas chromatography with a flame-ionized detector. Confectioneries were shown to have the highest content of crude fat. The mean content was 24.2${\pm}$6.9 (range: 4.6~41.1) g/100 g food. The mean content of crude fat in donuts, bread and hamburgers was 23.9${\pm}$5.8 (range: 14.1~39.5) g/100 g food, 15.7${\pm}$7.9 (range: 1.4~30.0) g/100 g food, and 9.5${\pm}$3.4 (range: 4.5~18.5) g/100 g food, respectively. Bread had the most trans fatty acids at 1.3 g/100 g food. This result inferred that manufacturers have tried to reduce the trans fat content. The mean content of saturated fatty acids in confectioneries, donuts, bread, and hamburgers was 11.6${\pm}$4.8 (range: 2.0~22.7) g/100 g food, 11.2${\pm}$4.0 (range: 4.8~23.2) g/100 g food, 6.9${\pm}$4.1 (range: 0.6~15.4) g/100 g food, 3.0${\pm}$1.0 (range: 1.0~5.8) g/100 g food, respectively. This content depended on crude fat. The composition of fatty acids varied according to the oil and fat used in the manufacturing process of each food, and the natural content. Foods that were fried in vegetable oil tended to be especially low in saturated fat.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2014

Purpose: We investigated the safety and efficacy of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in terminally ill cancer patients. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients who underwent PICC at the hospice-palliative division of KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) Medical Center between January 2013 and December 2013. All PICCs were inserted by an interventional radiologist. Results: A total of 30 terminally ill cancer patients received the PICC procedure during the study period. Including one patient who had had two PICC insertions during the period, we analyzed a total of 31 episodes of catheterization and 571 PICC days. The median catheter life span was 14.0 days (range, 1~90 days). In 25 cases, catheters were maintained until the intended time (discharge, transfer, or death), while they were removed prematurely in six other cases (19%; 10.5/1000 PICC days). Thus, the catheter maintenance success rate was 81%. Of those six premature PICC removal cases, self-removal due to delirium occurred in four cases (13%; 7.0/1000 PICC days), and catheter-related blood stream infection and thrombosis were reported in one case, each (3%; 1.8/1000 PICC days). Complication cases totaled eight (26%; 14.1/1000 PICC days). The time to complication development ranged from two to 14 days and the median was seven days. There was no PICC complication-related death. Conclusion: Considering characteristics of terminally ill cancer patients, such as a poor general condition, vulnerability to trivial damage, and a limited period of survival, PICC could be a safe intravenous procedure.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.450-456
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• 2016

Rhizoctonia leaf blight (large patch) has become a serious problem in Korean lawn grass, which is extremely hard to treat and develops mostly from the roots of lawn grass to wither it away. Rhizoctonia leaf blight (large patch) is caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2 (IV). To develop zoysia japonica with strong disease tolerance against this pathogenic bacterium, ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ was cloned from zoysia japonica, which is one of the PR-Proteins known to play a critical role in plant defense reaction. ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ is known to be generated within the cells when plant tissues have a hypersensitive reaction due to virus or bacterium infection and secreted outside the cells to play mainly the function of resistance against pathogenic bacteria in the space between the cells. This study utilized the commonly preserved part in the sequence of corn, wheat, barley, and rice which had been researched for their disease tolerance among the ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ monocotyledonous plants. Based on the part, degenerate PCR was performed to find out the sequence and full-length cDNA was cloned. E.coli over-expression was conducted in this study to mass purify target protein and implement in vitro activation measurement and antibacterial test. In addition, to interpret the functions of ZjGlu1 gene, each gene-incorporating plant transformation vectors were produced to make lawn grass transformant. Based on ZjGlu1 protein, antibacterial activity test was conducted on 9 strains. As a result, R. cerealis, F. culmorum, R.solani AG-1 (1B), and T. atroviride were found to have antibacterial activity. The gene-specific expression amount in each organ showed no huge difference in the organs based upon the transformant and against 18s gene expression amount.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.438-447
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• 2017

Flowering is one of the most important development traits related to the production of Brassica rapa crops. After planting, a sudden low temperature triggers premature flowering, which leads to a reduction in the yield and quality of harvested production. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of flowering control is important in the agricultural productivity for preventing Brassica rapa crops. Vernalization is generally known as the main factor of flowering in the Brassica plant. However, in the subspecies of Brassica rapa, some accession such as Yellow sarson and Komatsuna display the flowering phenotype without vernalization. Circadian genes, which diurnally regulate plant physiology, have a role for photoperiodic flowering but are related to the regulation of the vernalizarion mechanism. In this report, the 22 B. rapa accession were divided into two groups, vernalization and non-vernalization, and the sequenced circadian gene, BrPRR1s. Among them, the BrPRR1b gene was found to have deletion regions, which could classify the two groups. The PCR primer was designed to amplify a short band of 422bp in the vernalization type and a long band of 451bp in the non-vernalization type. This primer set was applied to distinguish the flowering types in the 43 B. rapa accession and 4 Brassica genus crop, Broccoli, cabbage, mustard, and rape. The PCR analysis results and flowering time information of each crop demonstrated that the primer set can be used as marker to discern the flowering type in Brassica crops. This marker system can be applied to the B. rapa breeding when selecting the flowering character of new progenies or introducing varieties at an early stage. In addition, these results displayed that the circadian clock genes can be a good strategy for the flowering control of B. rapa crops.