• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.269-273
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• 2001

This study presents a new formulation method for improving DNA transfection effi-ciency using a fusogenic peptide and polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine. Succinimidyls succinate polyethylene glycol (PEG-SSA) was conjugated with polyethylenimine(PEL). PEL is well known for a good endosomal escaping and DNA condensign agent. The positively charged syn-thetic fusogenic peptide, KALA was coated on the negatively charged PEG-g-PEI/DNA and PEI/DNA complexes. The KALA/PEI/ DNA complexes exhibited aggregation behavior at higher KALA coating amount with an effective diameter of around 1,000 nm. However, the LALA/PEG-g-PEI/DNA complexes were 100-300 nm in size with a surface zeta-potential (ζ)value of about +20mV. The conjugated PEG molecules suppressed any KALA-mediated inter-particle aggregation, and thereby improved the transfection efficiency, Consequently, the transfection efficiency of the KALA/PEG-g-PEI/DNA complexes was obtained by utilizing both the fusogenic activity of KALA and the steric repulsion effect of PEC.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.189-191
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• 2014

Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar is an endemic parasitic disease in some parts of the world which is characterized by fever, splenomegaly, and pancytopenia in most of the cases. Herein we report an 11 month-old male infant with diagnosis of kala-azar who presented with pallor, hepatosplenomegaly, failure to gain weight, and no history of fever. Surprisingly, fever started after beginning of meglumine antimoniate treatment in this patient. As far as we are aware of, this is a rare presentation of visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, clinicians especially in endemic areas are highly recommended to include kala-azar among differential diagnosis of unexplained anemia without fever to prevent misdiagnosis of this potentially fatal, but treatable condition.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 1983

Kala-azar는 우리나라에는 분포하지 않는 것으로 인정되고 있으나 과거 중국에서 감염되어 국내에서 관찰된 보고가 있는 질병이다. 최근에 중동 지방에서 감염되어 귀국하고 발병하였다고 생각되는 예를 보고한다. 서울에 주소를 둔 26세의 한국인 남자가 1년간 사우디 아라비아에서 건설기능공으로 근무하고 1981년 9월 귀국하여 약 8개월 후인 1982년 5월 경부터 심한 피로감, 전신쇠약, 복부의 수물등을 느끼기 시작하였다. 환자가 국립서울병원을 거쳐 서울대학교병원에 1982년 9월 17일 입원할 당시에는 간과 비장이 모두 14cm정도 만져질 만큼 부어있었고, 심한 체중 감소(4개월간 14kg의 감소), 적혈구, 백혈구, 혈소판등 모든 혈구의 감소등이 관찰되었다. 간생검을 통해 amastigote가 관찰되고 이는 투사전자현미경을 통해서 전형적인 amastigote형으로 확인되었다. 환자는 국외에서 구한 약제인 sodium antimony gluconate(Pentostam )와 각종 보조요법에 의해 치료를 받았다. 퇴원 직전에 시행한 간생검에서 괴사된 간 조직이 섬유화로 대치된 것이 확인되었고 충체는 관찰되지 않았다. 이 Kala-azar 에는 1952년 만주에 유입되어 보고된 3예 이후로는 처음 관찰된 것으로 중동에서 유입된 것으로는 첫번째 보고례이다. 최근 급격히 늘어난 해외 인력진출을 감안하면 해당 지역의 열대 풍토병에 대한 다각적인 대책이 절실히 요청된다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.245-246
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• 2010

Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a rare disease. This is a solitary case report from Orissa, India. We describe a case of PKDL in a 55-year-old male who presented with multiple nodular lesions over face, trunk, and extremities. The patient had been to an endemic area of kala-azar and had a previous history of leishmaniasis. Fine needle aspiration cytology samples from skin nodules revealed Leishmania amastigotes.

• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.711-719
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: Collagen organization within tissues has a critical role in wound regeneration. Collagen fibril diameter, arrangements and maturity between connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) small interfering RNA (siRNA) and mismatch scrambled siRNA-treated wound were compared to evaluate the efficacy of CTGF siRNA as a future implement for scar preventive medicine. METHODS: Nanocomplexes of CTGF small interfering RNA (CTGF siRNA) with cell penetrating peptides (KALA and $MPG^{{\Delta}NLS}$) were formulated and their effects on CTGF downregulation, collagen fibril diameter and arrangement were investigated. Various ratios of CTGF siRNA and peptide complexes were prepared and down-regulation were evaluated by immunoblot analysis. Control and CTGF siRNA modified cells-populated collagen lattices were prepared and rates of contraction measured. Collagen organization in rabbit ear 8 mm biopsy punch wound at 1 day to 8 wks post injury time were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and histology was investigated with Olympus System and TS-Auto software. CONCLUSION: CTGF expression was down-regulated to 40% of control by CTGF siRNA/KALA (1:24) complexes (p<0.01) and collagen lattice contraction was inhibited. However, down-regulated of CTGF by CTGF $siRNA/MPG^{{\Delta}NLS}$ complexes was not statistically significant. CTGF KALA-treated wound appeared with well formed-basket weave pattern of collagen fibrils with mean diameter of $128{\pm}22nm$ (n = 821). Mismatch siRNA/KALA-treated wound showed a high frequency of parallel small diameter fibrils (mean $90{\pm}20nm$, n = 563). CONCLUSION: Controlling over-expression of CTGF by peptide-mediated siRNA delivery could improve the collagen orientation and tissue remodeling in full thickness rabbit ear wound.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.379-383
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• 2015

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar mainly affects children in endemic areas. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of VL using direct agglutination test (DAT) in children living in rural districts of Alborz Province located 30 km from Tehran capital city of Iran. Multi-stage cluster random sampling was applied. Blood samples were randomly collected from 1,007 children under 10 years of age in the clusters. A total of 37 (3.7%) of the studied population showed anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies with titers of ${\geq}1:800$. There was a significant association between positive sera and various parts of the rural areas of Alborz Province (P<0.002). Two children with anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies titers of ${\geq}1:3,200$ indicated kala-azar clinical features and treated with anti-leishmaniasis drugs in pediatric hospital. The findings of this study indicated that Leishmania infection is prevalent in rural areas of Alborz Province. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the awareness and alertness among physicians and public health managers, particularly in high-risk rural areas of the province in Iran.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.149-157
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• 2008

The reduction of leakage is a major issue of the South Korea water industry. The inclusion of pressure dependent leakage terms in network analysis allows the application of optimization techniques to identify the most effective means of reducing water leakage in distribution networks. This paper proposes a method to find optimal setting and location of control valve for reducing leakage efficiently. The proposed search method differs from previous methods for addressing optimal valve location problem and improves the GA simulation time with guaranteeing for getting the global optimal solution. The strength of this method has been demonstrated by means of case studies. This allows the procedure of optimization to be more robust and computational efficient.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.150-152
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• 2006

The ethanol extract of Sida acuta Burm. (ALSA) whole plant was studied for its anti-ulcer activity against aspirin plus pylorous ligation induced gastric ulcer, HCl-ethanol induced ulcer, and water immersion stress induced ulcer (WISIU) in rats. We found that ALSA at a dose of 300 mg/kg, (orally) markedly decrease the incidence of ulcers in the first two models. ALSA showed reduction in gastric volume, free acidity, and ulcer index (53.69%). It has not reduced the total acidity significantly and no significant change in pH. It also showed 55.14% gastro protective activity, wheres standard drug sucralfate showed 94.85%. WISIU showed protection index 24.4%, whereas standard drug omeprazole (OMEZ) showed protection index 100%.

• International Journal of Reliability and Applications
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2013

A stress-strength model is formulated for a multi-component system consisting of k identical components. The k components of the system with random strengths ($X_1$, $X_2$, ${\ldots}$, $X_k$) are subjected to one of the r random stresses ($X_{k+1}$, $X_{k+2}$, ${\ldots}$, $X_{k+r}$). The estimation of system reliability based on maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) and Bayes estimators in k component system are obtained when the system is either parallel or series with the assumption that strengths and stresses follow exponential distribution. A simulation study is conducted to compare MLE and Bayes estimator through the mean squared errors of the estimators.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.37 no.1_2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2019

Let G be a (p, q) graph. Let $f:V(G){\rightarrow}\{1,2,{\ldots},k\}$ be a map where $k{\in}{\mathbb{N}}$ and k > 1. For each edge uv, assign the label gcd(f(u), f(v)). f is called k-Total prime cordial labeling of G if ${\mid}t_f(i)-t_f(j){\mid}{\leq}1$, $i,j{\in}\{1,2,{\ldots},k\}$ where $t_f$(x) denotes the total number of vertices and the edges labelled with x. A graph with a k-total prime cordial labeling is called k-total prime cordial graph. In this paper we investigate the 4-total prime cordial labeling of some graphs.