• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was done to analyze how a death preparation education program have the effects on awareness of hospice palliative care and withdrawing life sustaining treatment in older adults. Methods: This study employed a non-equivalent control group design among quasi-experimental designs. The experimental group was comprised with 35 adults and the control group with 40 adults. The death preparation program consisted of five two-hour sessions and was administered once a week for five straight weeks. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, Fisher's exact test, and ANCOVA using SPSS version 18.0. Results: The mean age of the participants was 66.2 years. A significant difference between the experimental and control groups was observed in withdrawing life sustaining treatment (F=3.380, P=0.040). However, no significant difference was found in awareness of hospice palliative care (F=0.163, P=0.850). Conclusion: The study results indicate that death preparation training could positively affect people's awareness of withdrawing life sustaining treatment. More studies should be conducted to explore effects of death preparation education for all ages and help people better understand hospice palliative care.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2965-2972
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• 2016

Background: China carries a heavy burden of cervical cancer (CC) and substantial disparities exist across regions within the country. In order to reduce regional disparities in CC, the government of China launched the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program in Rural Areas (NCCSPRA) in 2009. Critical to the success of the program are the health care workers who play a pivotal role in preventing and managing CC by encouraging and motivating women to use screening services and by providing identification and treatment services. This study aimed to assess cervical cancer knowledge among these health care workers at the county level in maternal and child health (MCH) hospitals across different socio-economic regions of China. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted and self-administered questionnaires were sent to all health care workers (a total of 66) providing cervical cancer screening services in 6 county level MCH hospitals in Liaoning, Hubei and Shaanxi provinces, representing eastern, central and western regions of China; 64 (97.0%, 64/66) of the workers responded. ANOVA and Chi-square test were used to compare the knowledge rate and scores in subgroups. Results: The knowledge level of the respondents was generally low. The overall combined knowledge rate was 46.9%. The knowledge rates for risk factors, prevention, clinical symptoms, screening and diagnostic tests and understanding of positive results were 31.3%, 37.5%, 18.1%, 56.3% and 84.4%, respectively. Statistically significant differences in scores or rates of CC knowledge were seen across the different regions. The total and sectional scores in the less developed regions were statistically significantly lower than in the other regions. Conclusions: The majority of the health care workers who provide CC screening service in NCCSPRA at county level MCH hospitals do not have adequately equipped with knowledge about CC. Given the importance of knowledge to the program's success in reducing CC burden in rural women in China, efforts are needed to improve the knowledge of health care workers, especially in less developed regions.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2009

This study was performed to compare the effects of immuno-modulating activities of Rhodiola sachalinensis A. Bor. fractionized by consecutive solvent separation. The Cytotoxicity of all fractionized extracts on human kidney cell (HEK293) was lower than crude extracts. Generally, the butanol and chloroform extracts showed less cytotoxicity on about 10.07% and 9.67% than the crude extracts. For human immune B and T cell growth, chloroform fraction showed the highest cell growth compared to the control. The secretion of cytokines (IL-6, $TNF-\alpha$) on human B and T cells were increased by adding chloroform extracts. Also, NK cell growth was significantly improved up to nearly 30% by adding the supernatant of B cell medium grown with the chloroform fraction. It was also found that chloroform fraction could yield higher nitric oxide production from macrophage than untreated control cells. Differentiation of HL-60 cells was increased up to 131.9% after treatment with chloroform fraction extracts, compared to the control. These results indicate that the chloroform fraction of R. sachalinensis have high immune activation activity than others fractions and the crude extracts, implying that this chloroform fractions could be used a new functional material.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.6.1-6.12
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• 2018

Morphine tolerance remains a challenge in the management of chronic pain in the clinic. As shown in our previous study, the dopamine D2 receptor (D2DR) expressed in spinal cord neurons might be involved in morphine tolerance, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In the present study, selective spinal D2DR blockade attenuated morphine tolerance in mice by inhibiting phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase (Akt)-mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in a ${\mu}$ opioid receptor (MOR)-dependent manner. Levo-corydalmine (l-CDL), which exhibited micromolar affinity for D2DR in D2/CHO-K1 cell lines in this report and effectively alleviated bone cancer pain in our previous study, attenuated morphine tolerance in rats with chronic bone cancer pain at nonanalgesic doses. Furthermore, the intrathecal administration of l-CDL obviously attenuated morphine tolerance, and the effect was reversed by a D2DR agonist in mice. Spinal D2DR inhibition and l-CDL also inhibited tolerance induced by the MOR agonist DAMGO. l-CDL and a D2DR small interfering RNA (siRNA) decreased the increase in levels of phosphorylated Akt and MAPK in the spinal cord; these changes were abolished by a PI3K inhibitor. In addition, the activated Akt and MAPK proteins in mice exhibiting morphine tolerance were inhibited by a MOR antagonist. Intrathecal administration of a PI3K inhibitor also attenuated DAMGO-induced tolerance. Based on these results, l-CDL antagonized spinal D2DR to attenuate morphine tolerance by inhibiting PI3K/Akt-dependent MAPK phosphorylation through MOR. These findings provide insights into a more versatile treatment for morphine tolerance.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.907-915
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• 2019

This study aims to identify the most tolerant species under salinity stress from amongst Asteraceae and Poaceae. The seeds of six species were exposed to different concentrations of $CaCl_2$ (0, 9, 18, 45, 90 mM) and NaCl (0, 17, 34, 85, 170 mM), and germination was measured once every two days. The results indicated that percent germination of the six species of Asteraceae and Poaceae seeds were affected differently by changes in salinity concentration. Seed germination was reduced as salinity levels increase, and longer mean germination times correlated to lower percent germination and earlier germination cessation. Both Asteraceae and Poaceae seeds had the highest germination rates at 18 mM $CaCl_2$ and 34 mM NaCl, and seed germination and growth were severely reduced at salinities greater than 90 mM $CaCl_2$ and 170 mM NaCl. In the seeds of Poaceae, salt resistance was strong in the order of Miscanthus sinensis Andersson, Pennisetum alopecuroides (L.) Spreng., and Phragmites communis Trin. In the seeds of Asteraceae, salt resistance was strong in the order of Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum (Maxim.) Kitam, Aster yomena (Kitam.) Honda, and Dendranthema boreale (Makino) Ling ex Kitam.. Overall, the germination rate was higher in Asteraceae than in Poaceae. This study demonstrated that Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum (Maxim.) Kitam. is the most tolerant species and that a relationship exists between the salt tolerance of percent germination and the mean germination time in the leaves.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1734-1744
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• 2019

Objective: In this study, two glycosidases (XMosidases), ${\beta}$-xylosidase and ${\beta}$-mannosidase, were investigated on their in vitro hydrolysis activities of feed and on the improvement of growth performance in vivo in weanling pigs. Methods: Enzyme activities of XMosidases in vitro were evaluated in test tubes and simulation of gastric and small intestinal digestion, respectively, in the presence of NSPase. In vivo study was performed in 108 weaned piglets in a 28-d treatment. Pigs were allotted to one of three dietary treatments with six replicate pens in each treatment. The three treatment groups were as follows: i) Control (basal diet); ii) CE (basal diets+CE); iii) CE-Xmosidases (basal diets+ CE+${\beta}$-xylosidase at 800 U/kg and ${\beta}$-mannosidase at 40 U/kg). CE was complex enzymes (amylase, protease, xylanase, and mannanase). Results: In vitro XMosidases displayed significant activities on hydrolysis of corn and soybean meal in the presence of non-starch polysaccharide degrading enzymes (xylanase and ${\beta}$-mannanase). In vitro simulation of gastric and small intestinal digestion by XMosidases showed XMosidases achieved $67.89%{\pm}0.22%$ of dry matter digestibility and $63.12%{\pm}0.21%$ of energy digestibility at $40^{\circ}C$ for 5 hrs. In weanling pigs, additional XMosidases to CE in feed improved average daily gain, feed conversion rate (p<0.05), and apparent total tract digestibility of crude protein (p = 0.01) and dry matter (p = 0.02). XMosidases also altered the gut bacterial diversity and composition by increasing the proportion of beneficial bacteria. Conclusion: Addition of a complex enzyme supplementation (contained xylanase, ${\beta}$-mannanase, protease and amylase), XMosidases (${\beta}$-xylosidase and ${\beta}$-mannosidase) can further improve the growth performance and nutrient digestion of young pigs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.763-772
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• 2019

Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of periodontal tissues, especially alveolar bone. Common therapies cannot satisfactorily recover lost alveolar bone. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) possess the capacity of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation and are likely to recover lost alveolar bone. In addition, periodontitis is accompanied by hypoxia, and hypoxia-inducible $factor-1{\alpha}$ ($HIF-1{\alpha}$) is a master transcription factor in the response to hypoxia. Thus, we aimed to ascertain how hypoxia affects runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a key osteogenic marker, in the osteogenesis of PDLSCs. In this study, we found that hypoxia enhanced the protein expression of $HIF-1{\alpha}$, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and RUNX2 ex vivo and in situ. VEGF is a target gene of $HIF-1{\alpha}$, and the increased expression of VEGF and RUNX2 proteins was enhanced by cobalt chloride ($CoCl_2$, $100{\mu}mol/L$), an agonist of $HIF-1{\alpha}$, and suppressed by 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1, $10{\mu}mol/L$), an antagonist of $HIF-1{\alpha}$. In addition, VEGF could regulate the expression of RUNX2, as RUNX2 expression was enhanced by human VEGF ($hVEGF_{165}$) and suppressed by VEGF siRNA. In addition, knocking down VEGF could decrease the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, i.e., RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and type I collagen (COL1), and hypoxia could enhance the expression of ALP, COL1, and osteocalcin (OCN) in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs. Taken together, our results showed that hypoxia could mediate the expression of RUNX2 in PDLSCs via $HIF-1{\alpha}$-induced VEGF and play a positive role in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1946-1955
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• 2018

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of keratinase (KE) on the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) in rice bran, cottonseed meal (CSM), rapeseed meal (RSM), corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and peanut meal (PNM). Methods: Twelve crossbred barrows (Duroc${\times}$Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire, $50.5{\pm}1.4kg$ body weight [BW]) fitted with T-cannulas at the terminal ileum were allotted to a $12{\times}6$ Youden Square design with 12 diets and 6 periods. The treatment diets included rice bran, CSM, RSM, corn DDGS, PNM, or corn-soybean meal (cSBM) supplemented with 0.05% KE or not. Diets were given to pigs at a level of 3% BW in two equal meals. The endogenous AA losses were the mean results of three previously experiments determined by a same nitrogen-free diet fed to pigs. Pigs had free access to water during the experiment. Results: The KE supplementation improved (p<0.05) the AID and SID of Met, Thr, Val, Asp, Cys, and Tyr in rice bran. Inclusion of KE increased (p<0.05) the AID and SID of Met and Val in CSM. The KE supplementation decreased (p<0.05) the AID and SID of His in RSM and all measured AA except for Arg, Met, Trp, Val, Gly, and Pro in corn DDGS. There was an increase (p<0.05) in AID and SID of Leu, Ile, Met, Ala, Cys, Ser, and Tyr in PNM supplemented with KE compared with that without KE. Inclusion of KE increased (p<0.05) the AID and SID of crude protein, Leu, Ile, Phe, Thr, Asp, and Ser in cSBM. Conclusion: This study indicated that KE had different effects on ileal AA digestibility of feedstuffs for growing pigs, which can give some usage directions of KE in swine feed containing those detected feedstuffs.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.228-234
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• 2019

This study was conducted to evaluate the usability of serious-game apps for robots that are being developed for hospitals to add familiarity to hospital life for hospitalized patients. We conducted a usability test of 10 experts and 12 elementary school students with inpatient experience. The usability evaluation of the developed apps was based on the professional (MARS) evaluation tool and the user (uMARS) evaluation tool. The results of the usability test of the serious game robot app were $3.67{\pm}0.342$ for professionals and $3.68{\pm}0.592$ for children. The expert group obtained the highest score in the aesthetics category, and the user group obtained the highest score in the functionality category. In the subjective comments, the experts pointed out the game layout and the consistency of the style. According to the children, the methods were easy to learn, and the screen movement was mainly described. Both groups received low ratings in terms of engagement through participation. This study will provide useful reference material when the functional game app is actually installed in the robot and the usability test is conducted again after the results obtained in this study are considered.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.1573-1579
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• 2019

Objective: The research was conducted to determine the digestible (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) contents as well as the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients in corn, waxy corn and steam-flaked corn fed to growing pigs. Methods: Eighteen growing pigs with initial body weight of $15.42{\pm}1.41kg$ were randomly allotted to three diets including a corn diet, a waxy corn diet and a steam-flaked corn diet in a completely randomized design. Each treatment contained six replicates. The experiment lasted for 12 days, which comprised 7-d adaptation to diets followed by a 5-d total collection of feces and urine. The energy contents and the nutrient digestibility in three ingredients were calculated using direct method. Results: Compared to normal corn, both the amylose and dietary fiber contents in waxy corn were numerically lower, but the starch gelatinization degree was numerically greater. Moreover, the DE and ME contents as well as the ATTD of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in waxy corn were significantly greater (p<0.05) than those in normal corn when fed to growing pigs. Furthermore, the steam-flaked corn had greater (p<0.05) DE and ME contents, and ATTD of ether extract and ADF compared to normal corn. Conclusion: Both variety and processing procedure have influence on chemical compositions, energy contents and nutrient digestibility of corn. The waxy corn and steam-flaked corn had greater degree of starch gelatinization and DE and ME contents compared to normal corn when fed to growing pigs.