• Title/Summary/Keyword: Molecular Communication

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Blood-neural Barrier: Intercellular Communication at Glio-Vascular Interface

  • Kim, Jeong-Hun;Kim, Jin-Hyoung;Park, Jeong-Ae;Lee, Sae-Won;Kim, Woo-Jean;Yu, Young-Suk;Kim, Kyu-Won
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.39 no.4
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    • pp.339-345
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    • 2006
  • The blood-neural barrier (BNB), including blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-retinal barrier (BRB), is an endothelial barrier constructed by an extensive network of endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons to form functional 'neurovascular units', which has an important role in maintaining a precisely regulated microenvironment for reliable neuronal activity. Although failure of the BNB may be a precipitating event or a consequence, the breakdown of BNB is closely related with the development and progression of CNS diseases. Therefore, BNB is most essential in the regulation of microenvironment of the CNS. The BNB is a selective diffusion barrier characterized by tight junctions between endothelial cells, lack of fenestrations, and specific BNB transporters. The BNB have been shown to be astrocyte dependent, for it is formed by the CNS capillary endothelial cells, surrounded by astrocytic end-foot processes. Given the anatomical associations with endothelial cells, it could be supposed that astrocytes play a role in the development, maintenance, and breakdown of the BNB. Therefore, astrocytes-endothelial cells interaction influences the BNB in both physiological and pathological conditions. If we better understand mutual interactions between astrocytes and endothelial cells, in the near future, we could provide a critical solution to the BNB problems and create new opportunities for future success of treating CNS diseases. Here, we focused astrocyte-endothelial cell interaction in the formation and function of the BNB.

Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes for Advanced Photonics Applications

  • Eom, Yu Kyung;Ryu, Jung Ho;Kim, Hwan Kyu
    • Rapid Communication in Photoscience
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.1-9
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    • 2012
  • Luminescent lanthanide complexes have been overviewed for advanced photonics applications. Lanthanide(III) ions ($Ln^{3+}$) were encapsulated by the luminescent ligands such as metalloporphyrins, naphthalenes, anthracene, push-pull diketone derivatives and boron dipyrromethene(bodipy). The energy levels of the luminescent ligands were tailored to maintain the effective energy transfer process from luminescent ligands to $Ln^{3+}$ ions for getting a higher optical amplification gain. Also, key parameters for emission enhancement and efficient energy transfer pathways for the sensitization of $Ln^{3+}$ ions by luminescent ligands were investigated. Furthermore, to enhance the optophysical properties of novel luminescent $Ln^{3+}$ complexes, aryl ether-functionalized dendrons as photon antennas have been incorporated into luminescent $Ln^{3+}$ complexes, yielding novel $Ln^{3+}$-cored dendrimer complex such as metalloporphyrins, naphthalenes, and anthracenes bearing the Fr$\acute{e}$chet aryl-ether dendrons, namely, ($Er^{3+}-[Gn-Pt-Por]_3$ (terpy), $Er^{3+}-[Gn-Naph]_3$(terpy) and $Er^{3+}-[Gn-An]_3$(terpy)). These complexs showed much stronger near-IR emission bands at 1530 nm, originated from the 4f-4f electronic transition of the first excited state ($^4I_{13/2}$) to the ground state ($^4I_{15/2}$) of the partially filled 4f shell. A significant decrease in the fluorescence of metalloporphyrins, naphthalenes and anthracene ligand were accompanied by a strong increase in the near IR emission of the $Ln^{3+}$ ions. The near IR emission intensities of $Ln^{3+}$ ions in the lanthanide(III)-encapsulated dendrimer complexes were dramatically enhanced with increasing the generation number (n) of dendrons, due to the site-isolation and the light-harvesting(LH) effects. Furthermore, it was first attempted to distinguish between the site-isolation and the light-harvesting effects in the present complexes. In this review, synthesis and photophysical studies of inert and stable luminescent $Ln^{3+}$ complexes will be dealt for the advanced photonics applications. Also, the review will include the exploratory investigation of the key parameters for emission enhancement and the effective energy transfer pathways from luminescent ligands to $Ln^{3+}$ ions with $Ln^{3+}$-chelated prototype complexes.

Current Status of Nanotechnology Development for Space Exploration (우주탐사용 나노기술 개발 동향)

  • Lee, Ho-Sung;Chae, Yeon-Seok
    • Current Industrial and Technological Trends in Aerospace
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.90-98
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    • 2008
  • Nanotechnology(NT) refers to a field of advanced micro-technology covering the creation and manufacturing of materials on the atomic and molecular scale and requires interdisciplinary study with various fields including materials science, physics, chemistry, electronics and others. Whileas nanotechnology is a kind of micro and small scaled science, space technology(ST) is one of the larger and system technologies utilizing broad fields of mechanical, materials, electronics and communication technologies. It is necessary to select and concentrate the functional items of nanotechnology for efficient application to be utilized in space technology, due to the cross-sectional characteristics of nanotechnology within nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, and nanomanufacturing. This paper provides the current state of art of nanotechnology in space technology by evaluating NASA's activities and the 9th frame of the project ANTARES(Analysis of Nanotechnology Applications in Space Developments and Systems) with the support of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Space Flight Management, Division Technology for Space Systems and Robotics. It has shown that it is necessary to apply nanotechnology to space technology in order to achieve international competitiveness, for the nanotechnology can bring the previously impossible things to reality. Since KARI plans to send an unmanned probe to the moon's orbit and land a probe on the moon's surface in 2025, it is urgently needed to incorporate nanotechnology to national space development plan.

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Development of a Primary Tissue Culture Method having Greater Reliability than Isolated Cell Cultures - Steroid-Responsiveness of Uterine Myometrial and Myomatous(Leiomyomatous) Cells (자궁근종세포의 최적 초기배양 조건 확립 - 정상 자궁근세포와 자궁근종세포의 스테로이드에 대한 반응)

  • Lee, Eun-Ju;Bajracharya, Prati;Hyun, Jin-Hee;Kim, Hang-Jin;Song, Gun-Ho;Cho, Kyung-Hyun;Lee, Dong-Mok;Lee, Taek-Hoo;Chun, Sang-Sik;Choi, In-Ho
    • Development and Reproduction
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    • v.11 no.3
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    • pp.205-217
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    • 2007
  • As an initial step toward better understanding of the molecular mechanism of estrogen-dependent growth in myoma, an optimal primary cell culture condition has been developed and examined by this study. Myoma and myometrium were cultured by two different methods. Culture stability and $E_2$-responsiveness in stable culture were studied. The culture of digested tissue pieces(Method 2) was found to be a stable culture method for the myoma and myometrium showing a favorable response to estrogen. mRNA expression of PR, IGF-1 and IGF-1 receptor genes was enhanced by $E_2$. The gene responses to $E_2$ were higher in myoma compared with myometrium. Moreover, these responses were more expressive in tissues than in the surrounding cells in primary culture of normal myometrium and myoma, implying a vital role of cell communication through the extracellular matrix in maintaining the estrogen-responsiveness. The development of an improved cell culture system for myoma provides an in vitro tool to further investigate the basis of the tumor formation.

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Optical Characteristics of Near-monolayer InAs Quantum Dots

  • Kim, Yeong-Ho;Kim, Seong-Jun;No, Sam-Gyu;Park, Dong-U;Kim, Jin-Su;Im, In-Sik;Kim, Jong-Su
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2011.08a
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    • pp.293-294
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    • 2011
  • It is known that semiconductor quantum-dot (QD) heterostructures have superior zero-dimensional quantum confinement, and they have been successfully applied to semiconductor laser diodes (QDLDs) for optical communication and infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) for thermal images [1]. The self-assembled QDs are normally formed at Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode utilizing the accumulated strain due to lattice-mismatch existing at heterointerfaces between QDs and cap layers. In order to increase the areal density and the number of stacks of QDs, recently, sub-monolayer (SML)-thick QDs (SQDs) with reduced strain were tried by equivalent thicknesses thinner than a wetting layer (WL) existing in conventional QDs (CQDs) by S-K mode. Despite that it is very different from CQDs with a well-defined WL, the SQD structure has been successfully applied to QDIP[2]. In this study, optical characteristics are investigated by using photoluminescence (PL) spectra taken from self-assembled InAs/GaAs QDs whose coverage are changing from submonolayer to a few monolayers. The QD structures were grown by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on semi-insulating GaAs (100) substrates, and formed at a substrate temperature of 480$^{\circ}C$ followed by covering GaAs cap layer at 590$^{\circ}C$. We prepared six 10-period-stacked QD samples with different InAs coverages and thicknesses of GaAs spacer layers. In the QD coverage below WL thickness (~1.7 ML), the majority of SQDs with no WL coexisted with a small amount of CQDs with a WL, and multi-peak spectra changed to a single peak profile. A transition from SQDs to CQDs was found before and after a WL formation, and the sublevel of SQDs peaking at (1.32${\pm}$0.1) eV was much closer to the GaAs bandedge than that of CQDs (~1.2 eV). These revealed that QDs with no WL could be formed by near-ML coverage in InAs/GaAs system, and single-mode SQDs could be achieved by 1.5 ML just below WL that a strain field was entirely uniform.

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A Study on the Types and Causes of Medication Errors and Related Drugs - by Analyzing AJNs Medication Error 73 Cases - (임상에서의 투약오류원인과 관련 의약품 분석 - AJN에 기고된 Medication Error 기사의 73사례를 중심으로 -)

  • Cho Won Sun
    • Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.176-189
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    • 2002
  • The purpose of this study were to illustrate the various medication error types and causes and identified to related drugs to provide basic data for preventing nurses' medication error by analysing 73 cases of AJN 'medication Error' column(1993, Oct -2000, Nov). Nurses' types of medication error were classified into 7 types. The most frequent error types are wrong medication$(21.9\%)$ and the wrong dose$(21.9\%)$ together. The others are wrong $time(4.1\%)$, $omission(2.7\%)$, mechanical $error(2.7\%)$, incorrect IV $rate(1.4\%)$. wrong route $administration(1.4\%)$ in order. Nurses' causes of medication error were 9 kinds. The most frequent type is confusing between similar drug shape, color, size, name, injection devices and patient's $name(43.9\%)$ and the others are lack of knowledge about $drugs(26.8\%),\; slips(7.3\%),\; miscalculating\;dose(4.9\%)$, incorrect adjusts $devices(4.9\%)$, difficulty to read or illegible decimal $point(4.9\%),$ $abbreviation(2.4\%)$, fatigue with $overwork(2.4\%)$ and no communication with $patient(2.4\%)$ in order. Related drugs with medication error are as follows. - dose unit(IU. minims. mcg/min. mEq) : Heparin. insulin. synthetic calcitonin, some enzymes and hormones, vitamins, some antibiotics, tuberculin injection. MgSO4 injection. nitroglycerin - similar size, color and shape drug : $0.9\%$ N/S and acetic acid $0.25\%$ for irrigation. premixed 2mg lidocaine sol. and $0.9\%$ N/S, gentamycin 20mg/2mL for children and 80mg/2mL for adult, dextroamphetamine 5mg and 10mg capsule. sedatives chloral hydrate 250mg/5mL and 500mg/5mL - similar name :Aredia(pamidronate disodium) and Adriamycin(doxorubicin), Lamictal (lamotrigine) and Lamisil 250mg. Elderpryl and enalapril, cefotaxime and cefoxitin, carboplatin and cisplatin, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan, Celebrex and Celexa, Humulin and Humalog, Percodan and Percocet, Diabeta and Diabinese, Epivir and Retrovir, Xanax(alprazolam) and Zantac(ranitidine) - decimal point : low molecular weight warfarin, methotrexate - unfamiliar drug uses of familiar drug ; methotrexate. droperidol, imipramine, propranolol - number of drug name(misleading chemical name) : 6-thioguanine, 6-mercaptopurine, 5-fluorouracil - type of administration route : Oxycodone(OxyContin). - administration time : acarbose(Precose). - injection way (Z-track method): hydroxyzine - epidural cathether : LMWHs(enoxaparin, dalteparin), - ADD Vantage self contained delivery system : ceftriaxone(Rocephin)

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Comparative study on the Shape between a Customized Finger Made by 3D Printing Technology, Real Small Finger, a plaster Small Finger, Based on CT Data (CT data 기반 3D 프린팅으로 제작된 Small Finger, 실제 Small Finger 그리고 석고 Small Finger 형상 비교 연구)

  • Choi, Hyeun-Woo;An, Do-Hyun;Rhee, Do-byung;Lee, Jong-Min;Seo, Anna
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.153-158
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    • 2019
  • The purpose of this study is to compare and analyse the differences between a customized small finger made by 3D printing technology, a real small finger, and the other made from plaster of an orthotic company. The areas and the volumes of each cross-section were measured by Computer tomography(CT) and a 3D scanner and analysis of variance was performed to find out the differences of each shape. The areas of the point of 15.69mm, Distal Interphalangel Joints, were measured 30 times respectively using the caliper toll function of Picture Archiving Communication System(PASC) program. The volumes were measured by Configure Units of Meshmixer Program. There was no significant difference in the areas between three of them and there was 0.2 mm gap in the volume, which was more than the significance probability. Therefore, the result of this study shows the availability of finger orthoses made by 3D printing technology in the medical field.

Update on the Taxonomy of Clinically Important Anaerobic Bacteria (임상적으로 중요한 무산소성 세균의 분류 업데이트)

  • Myungsook, Kim
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.54 no.4
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    • pp.239-248
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    • 2022
  • The taxonomy of bacteria in the field of clinical microbiology is in a state of constant flux. A large-scale revamping of the classification and nomenclature of anaerobic bacteria has taken place over the past few decades, mainly due to advances in molecular techniques such as 16S rRNA and whole genome sequencing (WGS). New genera and species have been added, and existing genera and species have been reclassified or renamed. A major role of the clinical microbiological laboratories (CMLs) is the accurate identification (ID) and appropriate antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for clinically important bacteria, and rapid reporting and communication of the same to the clinician. Taxonomic changes in anaerobic bacteria could potentially affect the choice of appropriate antimicrobial agents and the antimicrobial breakpoints to use. Furthermore, current taxonomy is important to prevent treatment failures of emerging pathogenic anaerobes with antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, CMLs should periodically update themselves on the changes in the taxonomy of anaerobic bacteria and suitably inform clinicians of these changes for optimum patient care. This article presents an update on the taxonomy of clinically important anaerobic bacteria, together with the previous names or synonyms. This taxonomy update can help guide antimicrobial therapy for anaerobic bacterial infections and prevent treatment failure and can be a useful tool for both CMLs and clinicians.

Current Status and Problems of PET/CT Data on CD for Inter-hospital Transfer (병원간 전송용 PET/CT 영상 CD자료의 현황 및 문제점)

  • Hyun, Seung-Hyup;Choi, Joon-Young;Lee, Su-Jin;Cho, Young-Seok;Lee, Ji-Young;Cheon, Mi-Ju;Cho, Suk-Kyong;Lee, Kyung-Han;Kim, Byung-Tae
    • Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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    • v.43 no.2
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    • pp.137-142
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    • 2009
  • Purpose: This study was performed to find the current problems of positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT) data on CD for inter-hospital transfer. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 746 consecutive $^{18}F$-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT data CDs from 56 hospitals referred to our department for image interpretation. The formats and contents of PET/CT data CDs were reviewed and the email questionnaire survey about this was performed. Results: PET/CT data CDs from 21 of 56 hospitals(37.5%) included all transaxial CT and PET images with DICOM standard format which were required for authentic interpretation. PET/CT data from the others included only secondary capture images or fusion PET/CT images. According to this survey, the main reason of limited PET/CT data on CD for inter-hospital transfer was that the data volume of PET/CT was too large to upload to the Picture Archiving and Communication System. Conclusion: The majority of hospitals provided limited PET/CT data on CD for inter-hospital transfer, which could be inadequate for accurate interpretation and clinical decision making. It is necessary to standardize the format of PET/CT data on CD for inter-hospital transfer including all transaxial CT and PET images with DICOM standard format.

Mammalian Reproduction and Pheromones (포유동물의 생식과 페로몬)

  • Lee, Sung-Ho
    • Development and Reproduction
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.159-168
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    • 2006
  • Rodents and many other mammals have two chemosensory systems that mediate responses to pheromones, the main and accessory olfactory system, MOS and AOS, respectively. The chemosensory neurons associated with the MOS are located in the main olfactory epithelium, while those associated with the AOS are located in the vomeronasal organ(VNO). Pheromonal odorants access the lumen of the VNO via canals in the roof of the mouth, and are largely thought to be nonvolatile. The main pheromone receptor proteins consist of two superfamilies, V1Rs and V2Rs, that are structurally distinct and unrelated to the olfactory receptors expressed in the main olfactory epithelium. These two type of receptors are seven transmembrane domain G-protein coupled proteins(V1R with $G_{{\alpha}i2}$, V2R with $G_{0\;{\alpha}}$). V2Rs are co-expressed with nonclassical MHC Ib genes(M10 and other 8 M1 family proteins). Other important molecular component of VNO neuron is a TrpC2, a cation channel protein of transient receptor potential(TRP) family and thought to have a crucial role in signal transduction. There are four types of pheromones in mammalian chemical communication - primers, signalers, modulators and releasers. Responses to these chemosignals can vary substantially within and between individuals. This variability can stem from the modulating effects of steroid hormones and/or non-steroid factors such as neurotransmitters on olfactory processing. Such modulation frequently augments or facilitates the effects that prevailing social and environmental conditions have on the reproductive axis. The best example is the pregnancy block effect(Bruce effect), caused by testosterone-dependent major urinary proteins(MUPs) in male mouse urine. Intriguingly, mouse GnRH neurons receive pheromone signals from both odor and pheromone relays in the brain and may also receive common odor signals. Though it is quite controversial, recent studies reveal a complex interplay between reproduction and other functions in which GnRH neurons appear to integrate information from multiple sources and modulate a variety of brain functions.

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