• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.327-333
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• 1996

Yeast, like many other microbes, encounters large variations in ambient pH in their natural environments. Microorganisms capable of growing over a wide pH range require a versatile, efficient pH homeostatic mechanism protecting intracellular processes against extremes of pH. In several organisms, fusions to the bacterial lacZ gene have been extremely useful for the identification of genes expressed at different time during the life cycle or under different growth conditions. In this study, using the lacZ gene screening system, we surveyed a large number of yeast strains with lacZ insertion to identify genes regulated by pH. A yeast genomic library was constructed and inserted with lacZ by a shuttle mutagenesis procedure. The yeast transformants were individually picked up with a toothpick, replica-plated, and grown in alkaline pH medium. Among the 35,000 colonies screened, 10 candidate strains were identified initially by the $\beta$-gal assay. We finally confirmed two yeast strains carrying the genes whose expression are strictly dependent on pH of growth medium. One of the fusions showing a 10-fold induction in expression level in response to alkali pH was selected and further characterized. The pH-regulated gene was cloned by inverse PCR and a partial sequence of the gene was determined. Identification and characterization of the gene is currently under investigation.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.256-261
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• 2008

Purpose: Intra-abdominal fluid collection is one of the risk factors associated with postoperative morbidity or mortality for patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients with postoperative intra-abdominal fluid collection and to identify the indications for inserting a percutaneous drain (PCD) in patients with intra-abdominal fluid collection. Materials and Methods: Among the 1,277 patients who underwent operations for gastric cancer at Seoul National University Hospital between April 2005 and July 2006, the data of 117 patients with an intra-abdominal fluid collection were reviewed. Results: The number of patients' with pathologic stage I, II, III and IV disease was 42 (36.8%), 23 (20.2%), 16 (14%) and 33 (28.9%), respectively. Forty-three patients (36.3%) underwent PCD insertion and the other 43 patients received conservative management. A univariate analysis of multiple clinical variables revealed that age, gender, diabetes, liver disease, lymph node dissection, the pathologic stage and the body mass index (BMI, $kg/m^2$) were not significantly associated with PCD insertion (P>0.05). However, the univariate analysis showed that two characteristics were associated with a significantly high incidence of PCD insertion: a diameter of an intra-abdominal fluid collection greater than 4 cm and infectious signs such as leukocytosis, fever and bacteremia. Conclusion: About two thirds of the intra-abdominal fluid collections after surgery for gastric cancer were managed with only conservative method without other morbidities of mortality. Surgeons should consider performing PCD insertion if the largest diameter of an intra-abdominal fluid collection is over 4 cm or if infectious signs are seen.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.30 no.10A
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• pp.965-970
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• 2005

In this paper, SPDT Tx/Rx MMIC switch applicable to IEEE 802.11a WLAN systems is designed and fabricated using a specific designed epitaxial layered pHEMT wafer and ETRI's $0.5{\mu}m$ pHEMT switch process. The SPDT switch exhibits a low insertion loss of 0.68dB, high isolation of 35.64dB, return loss of 13.4dB, power transfer capability of 25dBm, and 3rd order intercept point of 42dBm at frequency of 5.8GHz and control voltage of 0/-3V. The comparison of the measured performances with commercial products based on the GaAs pHEMT technology for low voltage operating at ${\pm}$ 3V/0V shows that the return loss is somewhat inferior to the commercial products and insertion loss is compatible with each other however, isolation characteristics are much better than in conventional chips. Based on these performances, we can conclude that the developed SPDT switch MMIC has an enough potential for IEEE802.11a standard 5 GHz-band wireless LAN applications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2014

Background: When managing patients who require repeated venous access, gaining a viable intravenous route has been problematic. To improve the situation, various studies on techniques for venous access have been conducted. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical results of complications following totally implanted central venous access port (TICVAP) insertion. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 163 patients, from December 2008 to March 2013. The occurrence of complications was studied in three separate periods of catheter use: the intraoperative period, postoperative period, and period during the treatment. Results: A total of 165 cases of TICVAP insertions involving 156 patients were included in the final analysis. There were 35 complications (21%) overall. Among these, 31 cases of complications (19%) occurred during the treatment period and the other 4 cases were intraoperative and postoperative complications (2%). There were no statistically significant differences in age and gender of the patients between the two groups to be risk factors (p=0.147, p=0.08). Past history of chemotherapy, initial laboratory findings, and the locations of TICVAP insertion also showed no statistical significance as risk factors (p>0.05). Conclusion: Because the majority of complications occurred after port placement and during treatment, meticulous care and management and appropriate education are necessary when using TICVAPs.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.474-482
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• 2014

PURPOSE. To assess removable prosthetic restoration tolerance according to the patient section of the short form of the Gagging Problem Assessment Questionnaire (GPA-pa SF) and the influence of gender, education level and prosthesis type and denture-related mucosal irritation on the GPA-pa SF scores before treatment and over a period of two months after prosthesis insertion. MATERIALS AND METHODS. 130 participants who required removable prosthesis were surveyed with a standard form that included questions regarding age, gender, education level, dental attendance, and prosthetic restoration type. Participants answered the GPA-pa SF before restoration (T0) and 1 day (T1), 2 days (T2), 15 days (T3), 1 month (T4), and 2 months (T5) after prosthesis insertion. RESULTS. Of the 130 participants, 110 participants completed the prosthetic restoration procedure, but only 93 of these were able to use the prosthesis over the two-month period. The mean GPA-pa SF score obtained at T0 was higher than the scores obtained at the other periods in the total of the sample. Significant difference was present between mean scores obtained at T0-T1 and T2-T3 than scores obtained at other periods (P<.05). Female participants and participants with denture-related mucosal irritation had higher GPA-pa SF scores at all time points analysed. Significant difference was present between mean GPA-pa SF scores obtained at T2-T3 than scores obtained at other periods for females and participants with denture-related mucosal irritation (P<.05). Education level and prosthesis type did not significantly influence the GPA-pa SF score at any time point analysed (P>.05). CONCLUSION. GPA-pa SF scores were higher before the restoration procedure began, and decreased over time with the use of prosthesis. Gender and denture-related mucosal irritation affected the GPA-pa SF scores.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.470-476
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• 2008

In this paper, we describe the cause of TDMA noise and distinction method of TDMA noise source in a GSM mobile phone. The causes of TDMA noise are composed of RF(Radio Frequency) energy coupling and low frequency energy coupling by burst ripple. We propose the distinction method of TDMA noise source from output(TDMA noise measurement) and frequency response of a system(audio path). Especially we propose a method of insertion loss($S_{21}$) analysis and the improvement method for RF energy coupling. Capacitor(40 pF) is a solution to reduce RF energy coupling and therefore TDMA noise was reduced by 10 dB.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.6155-6158
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• 2015

Background: The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) gene is highly expressed in cancer pathologies and is one strategy used by tumor cells to escape immune surveillance. A 14-bp insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism of the HLA-G gene has been suggested to be associated with HLA-G mRNA stability and the expression of HLA-G. The aim of present study was to assess any genetic association between this polymorphism and breast cancer among Iranian-Azeri women. Materials and Methods: In this study 227 women affected with breast cancer, in addition to 255 age-sex and ethnically matched healthy individuals as the control group, participated. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis assays. The data were compiled according to the genotype and allele frequencies, compared using the Chi-square test. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: In this case-control study, no significant difference was found between the case and control groups at allelic and genotype levels, although there is a slightly higher allele frequency of HLA-G 14bp deletion in breast cancer affected group. However,when the stage I subgroup was compared with stage II plus stage III subgroup of affected breast cancer, a significant difference was seen with the 14 bp deletion allele frequency. The stage II-III subgroup patients had higher frequency of deletion allele (57.4% vs 45.8%) than stage I cases (${\chi}^2=4.16$, p-value=0.041). Conclusions: Our data support a possible action of HLA-G 14bp InDel polymorphism as a potential genetic risk factor for progression of breast cancer. This finding highlights the necessity of future studies of this gene to establish the exact role of HLA-G in progression steps of breast cancer.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.369-375
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• 2016

Purpose of this study was to compare the easiness of insertion of three Supraglottic airway devices(SADs) in a neutral and cervical neck collar position in a manikin setting. Three different SADs-Laryngeal Mask Classic (LMA), I-gel and Streamlined Liner of the Pharynx Airway(SLIPA) were applied. Thirty nine emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who are working in Korea 119 rescue services were taught briefly about the use of the LMA, I-gel and SLIPA in a manikin setting. The time to effective ventilation was shorter in I-gel ($10.5{\pm}2.2$, $11.4{\pm}5.7$) and SLIPA ($12.3 {\pm}5.1$, $12.0{\pm}6.8$) than LMA ($17.2{\pm}3.2$, $18.5{\pm}5.5$) in a neutral and cervical neck collar position, respectively(p<0.05). There was no difference between head positions in each of the airways. In conclusion, in the speed of insertion, I-gel and SLIPA were superior to LMA in the neutral and cervical collar setting of a manikin.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.220-229
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• 2019

Background: The therapeutic potential of Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture (BVP) on acute ischemic cerebral infraction was determined in mice in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Analysis of acute ischemic cerebral infraction was performed using 7 week old male ICR mice (n = 20) and microglial BV-2 cells. Bee venom ($5{\mu}g/kg$) was injected into the caudal vein of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) mice (1 hour after reperfusion, 3 hours after MCAo probe insertion), and also used to treat LPS-stimulated microglial BV-2 cells (1, 2, $5{\mu}g/mL$). Markers of inflammation were monitored. Results: NO declined statistically significantly in BVP treated MCAo mice compared to the untreated MCAo group (p < 0.05). Compared to the MCAo group, the BVP-treated MCAo group showed a decreased production volume of malondialdehyde, but an increased glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio. Compared to the untreated MCAo group, the BVP treated MCAo group showed a statistically significant decline in TNF and $IL-1{\beta}$ levels (p < 0.05). BVP inhibited the levels of p65, p50, $p-I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$, and levels of p-ERK1/2, p-JNK2, p-P38 declined. Conclusion: BVP is effective at dampening the inflammatory response in vivo and in vitro and may supplement rt-PA treatment.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.373-377
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• 2014

Background: This paper aimed to verify the effects of renal replacement therapy on changing the levels of serum creatinine for different veno-arterial and veno-venous configurations in prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. Methods: The subjects were chosen 71 patients who had undergone more than 1,440 minutes (24 hours) of the therapy from among 117 patients who had undergone ECMO insertion between January 2008 and December 2012. The patients were separated into the veno-arterial configuration group I (51 patients) and the veno-venous configuration group II (20 patients). The difference in the level of serum creatinine (${\Delta}Cr$) between before or just after ECMO insertion ($Cr_I$) and the level when the pump time was between 2,880 and 4,320 minutes ($Cr_F$) was checked (${\Delta}Cr=Cr_F-Cr_I$), and the average ${\Delta}Cr$ for each group was compared using a Student t-test at the confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Results: The change in the level of serum creatinine was an increase of 0.341 mg/dL (${\sigma}$=0.9202) for group I and a decrease of 0.120 mg/dL (${\sigma}$=1.5292) for group II. The change was significantly high for group I (p=0.011, CI=95%). Meanwhile, within group I, when renal replacement therapy was not done, there was a significant increase in the level of serum creatinine (p=0.009, CI=95%). Conclusion: For ECMO insertion patients whose pump time was more than 1,440 minutes, there was a significant change in the level of serum creatinine when renal replacement therapy was not done, for the veno-arterial configuration of group I.