• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.497-506
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• 2021

Besides using for hair removal, depilatory agents have been considered to be used as a penetration enhancer for transepidermal drug delivery. To examine the effect in hair follicles (HFs), two commercially available depilatory creams were tested on the dorsal skin of mice to monitor the effect deep into the skin structure. Fifteen male BALB/c mice were used in this study. Depilatory creams were applied to the dorsal skin of the same animal using shaved and untouched treatments as controls to minimize individual differences. Skin samples were collected at three days, one week and two weeks (n = 5 for each) after the treatment, and subjected for hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunohistochemical analysis for proinflammatory cytokines. The morphological examination showed an increase in the thickness of epidermal layer of the depilatory cream-treated skin at early time points and in the subcutis at two weeks. Depilatory cream promoted entry of anagen phase and increased the number of hair follicles in the subcutis at one and two weeks. Immunohistochemistry showed elevated percentages of dermal fibroblasts expressing interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and tumor necrosis factor-β. Shaving process increased the thickness of epidermis and dermis as depilatory creams did, but did neither induce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the dermal fibroblasts nor the number of HFs. The results suggested that the commercially available depilatory creams caused a transient minor inflammatory response of the skin and increased the levels of cytokines that might subsequently affect hair growth.

• Korean Journal of Ornithology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.133-135
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• 2018

Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) is a small cuckoo species in Family Cuculidae that is mainly distributed in the Oriental Region. On May 1. 2016, one juvenile Plaintive Cuckoo was found at Somaemuldo Island, Korea ($34^{\circ}37^{\prime}38.73^{{\prime}{\prime}}N$ $128^{\circ}33^{\prime}0.44^{{\prime}{\prime}}E$). The bird was identified as C. merulinus by its morphological traits, especially primary projection, the shape of bars on tertials, and pale supercilium. These characteristics were distinctive from other similar small cuckoos in genus Cacomantis and Cuculus, during the field observation and examination of photographs. This record is the first of this species in Korea, and the northernmost record of this species.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.119-125
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• 2021

Hydrangea petiolaris, belonging to the family Hydrangeaceae, is a vine plant distributed in Ulleung, Jeju, and other southern islands of Korea. In October 2017, a rust fungus was discovered on H. petiolaris in Jeju Island, Korea. To identify the rust fungus, we performed a morphological examination and molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer and 28S large subunit rDNA sequences. As a result, the fungus was identified as Pucciniastrum hydrangeae-petiolaris, consistent with previous reports from Japan and Russia, but showed a significant phylogenetic distance from Pucciniastrum hydrangeae reported on Hydrangeae spp. in North America. This is the first record of P. hydrangeae-petiolaris on H. petiolaris in Korea.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.252-271
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to expand satirical expressions that appear in a wide range of arts into fashion and to analyse and present satirical expressions that appear in contemporary fashion through the collections of Thom Browne. Theoretical examination of satirical concepts were made of domestic and foreign academic theses, dissertations, precious studies, and publications related to satire. Analysis was conducted on cases in which satirical expressions were applied in literature, painting, sculpture, and fashion. Based on these studies, analysis was conducted on satirical expressions appearing in Thom Browne's work. Material was gathered from collection reviews, interview articles, professional books, and internet photo material from professional fashion magazines encompassing 16 years of Thom Browne's collections officially recorded in the international fashion magazine 'Vogue', ranging from the 2006 S/S collection to the 2021 S/S collection. From this, a total of 1,753 photos were collected as data. Characteristics of satirical expression were analyzed and the results were as follows. A fluid reconstruction of 'gender fluid', dual meanings of metaphorical allegories, playful expressions of visual wit, constructions made of overlapped disassembled material, and borrowing of morphological distortion were all identified. Accordingly, satirical approaches as social aspects and objects in the flow of modern thought appear as positive forms based in humor that hope to be improved. This study anticipate the concept of satire will expand into a positive form as a new direction of fashion.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.383-388
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the root canal morphology of mesial roots of mandibular first molars. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted mandibular first molars were used in this study. The morphological examination of root canals was conducted in accordance with the Vertucci classification using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Any aberrant root canal configurations not included in the Vertucci classification were recorded, and their frequency was established using descriptive statistics. Intra-observer reliability was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, while inter-observer reliability was assessed using the Cohen kappa test. Significance was evaluated at the P<0.05 level. Results: The mesial roots of mandibular first molars had canal configurations of type I (15%), type II (7.5%), type III (25%), type IV (10%), type V (2.5%), type VI (7.5%), and type VII (7.5%). The images showed 10 (25%) additional configuration types that were not included in the Vertucci classification. These types were 1-3-2-3, 1-2-3-2-3, 2-3-1, 2-3, 1-2-3-1, 2-1-2-3, 3-2-1, 1-2-3-1, 2-3-2-3, and 1-2-1-2-1. The intra-observer differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05) and the kappa value for inter-observer agreement was found to be 0.957. Conclusion: Frequent variations were detected in mesial roots of mandibular first molars. Clinicians should take into consideration the complex structure of the root canal morphology before commencing root canal treatment procedures to prevent iatrogenic complications. Micro-CT was a highly suitable method to provide accurate 3-dimensional visualizations of root canal morphology.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Objectives : Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most significant chronic complications of diabetes. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been implicated in the development of diabetic nephropathy. GS-E3D is an enzymatic modified red ginseng extract by pectin lyase and has an increased concentration of the ginsenoside Rd compared to an unmodified red ginseng extract. In this study, we evaluated the preventive effects of GS-E3D on renal dysfunction in the type 2 diabetic db/db mice. Methods : GS-E3D (100 or 250 mg/kg body weight per day) was given to db/db mice through oral gavage for 6 weeks. Body weight and blood glucose levels were examined. At the end of the experiment, albuminuria was measured. The renal tissues were collected for histological examination, and immunohistochemical staining was used to detect renal accumulation of AGEs and podocyte loss Results : In the db/db mice, severe hyperglycemia developed, and albuminuria was significantly increased. Diabetes induced markedly morphological alterations to the renal glomerular cells. AGE accumulations and podocyte loss were detected in renal glomeruli. No difference in blood glucose levels was noted between GS-E3D-treated and vehicletreated diabetic db/db mice. However, GS-E3D treatment significantly reduced albuminuria and AGE accumulations in diabetic mice. Moreover, the loss of podocytes was restored by GS-E3D treatment. Conclusions : GS-E3D might be beneficial for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. The ability of GS-E3D on to attenuate albuminuria and podocyte dysfunction in the db/db mice may be mediated by the inhibition of AGE accumulation.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.25-32
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• 2019

Objectives : Ephedra regeliana, although similar to the other E. sinica, E. intermedia, and E. equisetina, is not authorized by The Korean Pharmacopoeia and yet has also been imported under the name of 'Ma-Hwang'. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative anatomical evaluation of Ephedrae Sinicae Herba (ESH), Ephedrae Intermedicae Herba (EIH), Ephedrae Equisetinae Herba (EEH) and Ephedrae Regelianae Herba (ERH). Methods : Permanent paraffin-embedded specimens were produced using the paraffin-tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) method, to visualize their anatomical features via light microscopy. Results : ESH and ERH transverse sections were in the shape of a long ellipse, while those of EIH and EEH were in the shape of a circle. These anatomical characteristics substantiated the results of external morphological examination. The sections revealed that each of the four samples showed significantly different cortexes. The cortex of ESH was wider than two thirds of the section, unlike that of the other samples which was relatively narrow. The xylems of ERH, EIH, and EEH demonstrated interconnectivity with other adjacent xylems, contrary to those in ESH. Therefore, the characteristic development of the xylems over time was used to distinguish ERH from the other. Furthermore, parenchymal morphology in the central cylinder was also a good criterion to differentiate between EIH and EEH, since EIH demonstrated parenchymal cells that were shaped like a rounded-triangle, whereas EEH parenchymal cells were chrysanthemum-shaped. Conclusions : The identification-keys established in this study would facilitate the accurate identification of microscopic features of the four varieties of 'Ma-Hwang'.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.116-126
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• 2023

Mainly due to the slanted focus on the mechanism and regulation of neuronal aging, research on astrocyte aging and its modulation during brain aging is scarce. In this study, we established aged astrocyte culture model by long-term culturing. Cellular senescence was confirmed through SA-β-gal staining as well as through the examination of morphological, molecular, and functional markers. RNA sequencing and functional analysis of astrocytes were performed to further investigate the detailed characteristics of the aged astrocyte model. Along with aged phenotypes, decreased astrocytic proliferation, migration, mitochondrial energetic function and support for neuronal survival and differentiation has been observed in aged astrocytes. In addition, increased expression of cytokines and chemokine-related factors including plasminogen activator inhibitor -1 (PAI-1) was observed in aged astrocytes. Using the RNA sequencing results, we searched potential drugs that can normalize the dysregulated gene expression pattern observed in long-term cultured aged astrocytes. Among several candidates, minoxidil, a pyrimidine-derived anti-hypertensive and anti-pattern hair loss drug, normalized the increased number of SA-β-gal positive cells and nuclear size in aged astrocytes. In addition, minoxidil restored up-regulated activity of PAI-1 and increased mitochondrial superoxide production in aged astrocytes. We concluded that long term culture of astrocytes can be used as a reliable model for the study of astrocyte senescence and minoxidil can be a plausible candidate for the regulation of brain aging.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.208-215
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• 2023

Background: To evaluate the feasibility, inter-reader reliability, and intra-reader reliability for various morphological features reported to be related to iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS) on knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: A total of 145 patients with a clinical diagnosis and knee MRI findings consistent with ITBFS were included in the "study group" and 232 patients without knee pathology on both physical examination and MRI were included in the "control group". Various morphologic features on knee MRI were assessed including the patella shape, patella height, lateral epicondyle anterior-posterior (AP) width, lateral epicondyle height, ITB diameter (ITB-d), and ITB area (ITB-a). Results: Patients in the study group had significantly higher lateral epicondyle height (13.9 mm vs. 12.92 mm, P = 0.003), ITB-d (2.9 mm vs. 2.0 mm, P = 0.022), and ITB-a (38.5 mm² vs. 23.8 mm², P < 0.001) than the control group. ITB-a showed higher area under the curve index (0.849 with 74.1% sensitivity and 72.4% specificity at a 30.3 mm² cutoff) than ITB-d (0.710 with 70.8% sensitivity and 61.2% specificity at 2.4 mm cutoff) and lateral epicondyle height (0.776 with 72.4% sensitivity and 67.8% specificity at 13.4 mm cutoff). However, only the inter-reader agreement for ITB-a (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.65) was moderate, while the agreements for other morphologic features were good or excellent. Conclusions: Lateral epicondyle height seems to be a reliable and feasible morphologic feature for diagnosis of ITBFS.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.123-144
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• 1975

This study has been carried out to investigate the translocation-illuviation status of iron and manganese, which are striking phenomena in paddy soils, in relation to its morphological characteristics, and to find out a method to identify illuvial layer of iron quantitatively. Determination of active iron and easily reducible manganese content in surface soils of lowland paddy (266 samples) in Korea were conducted. The examination has been made on relationship between morphological, physico-chemical properties of the representative paddy soils (9 series) and iron and manganese content of their horizons. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The poorer the drainage, the higher concentration of active iron and easily reducible manganese were found, and under same drainage condition, the more the sand, the lower the content of them. 2. Irrespective of soil texture and drainage, highly signignificant positive correlation was found between the contents of active iron ($\hat{Y}$) and clay plus silt in surface soils. $$\hat{Y}=0.3929+(0.05352\;X\;clay%)+(0.0001023\;X\;silt%){\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;I$$ No correlation, however, was found between clay content and easily reducible manganese concentration. 3. Significant positive correlation was obtained between active iron ($\hat{Y}$) and total iron (x) content in each profiles of all soil series. Obtained regression equation is as follows; $$\hat{Y}=0.361x-0.480(r=0.651^{**}){\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;{\ldots}\;II$$ On the other hand, easily reducible manganese concentration had a tendency to increase, not significantly, with increasing total manganese concentration. 4. Accumulation of iron and manganese generally can be found in paddy soils, but distinct accumulation was found under moderately well drained fine loamy and clay soils, while surface accumulation occurred under poor drainage without regard to soil texture. 5. Profile description or determination of active iron in each horizon were found to be insufficient to designate illuvial layer of iron. Therefore, identification of illuvial layer of iron based on the ratio of total iron and active iron, and concentration of active iron estimated by the content of clay plus silt (Equation 1 above) was thought to be reasonable. Also, manganese accumulation layer would be estimated by total manganese and easily reducible manganese content and their ratio.