• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2008

Purpose: Aneuploidy is the cause of diseases such as Down syndrome or Edward syndrome and, more generally, is a major cause of mental retardation and fetal loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between MTHFR (C677T) or MTRR (A66G) polymorphisms and fetal aneuploidy. Materials and Methods: Data was collected from 37 women who had a fetus with aneuploidy (cases) and 78 women who had previously delivered at least two healthy children without aneuploidy and did not have a history of miscarriage or abnormal pregnancy (controls). The MTHFR (C677T) or MTRR (A66G) polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Results: The frequencies of the MTHFR 677 CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 30.7%, 48.7%, and 20.6% in the control group and 37.8%, 48.6%, and 13.5% in the case group, respectively. There were no significant differences in genotype frequencies between the two groups. For the MTRR A66G polymorphism, the frequencies of the AA, AG and GG genotypes were 50%, 46.1%, and 3.9% in the control group and 13.5%, 81.1%, and 5.4% in case group, respectively. The frequency of the MTRR AG mutant was significantly increased in the case group, with an odds ratio of 6.5 (95% CI: 2.3-18.6, P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that mother carriers with the MTRR G allele have an increased risk of fetal aneuploidy, while the MTHFR T allele is not associated with increased risk of fetal aneuploidy. The MTRR A66G polymorphism may be a risk factor for producing a child with chromosomal aneuploidy.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2015

There are various limiting factors that take part in the production of daughter plants, but the important thing for mother plants of strawberries is to undergo a sufficient period of dormancy during winter. It is a well known fact that many runners and daughter plants are generated from mother plants that have been through sufficient cold treatment, but such researches were not found in Korea. This experiment was conducted due to the recent need for a research on the effects of cold treatment using 'Seolhyang,' 'Maehyang' and 'Ssanta' cultivars bred in Korea for two years in 2012 and 2013. The strawberries were divided into 4 types treatments: cold treatment plants in which 1,000 hours have passed in the temperature of $5^{\circ}C$ and below; cold+heated treatment plants in which 1,000 hours have passed in the temperature of $5^{\circ}C$ and below, and then 2 weeks in the greenhouse; greenhouse treatment plants raised in the greenhouse; and plants in harvest treatment. The results of the 2012 experiment showed that 'Seolhyang' had the bigger number of daughter plants in the cold, cold+heated, and harvest than greenhouse. 'Maehyang' had the biggest number of daughter plants in the cold+heated, and lowest in the greenhouse and harvest. 'Ssanta' had no significant difference in all treatments. The results of the 2013 experiment showed that 'Seolhyang' and 'Maehyang' both had more daughter plants in cold and cold+heated than in the greenhouse and harvest. 'Ssanta' tended to show a similar result and cold+heated had statistically more daughter plants than greenhouse.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.344-353
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• 2020

Plants native in Korea have not only ornamental values but also have excellent environmental adaptability, so they can be used as garden plants. Studies on proper volumetric water content (VWC) of substrates have been reported, but many have been conducted in glasshouse conditions where environmental factors were controlled. When considering garden planting, it is necessary to perform the automated irrigation system in outdoor conditions where rainfall occurs at frequent intervals. This research aimed to investigate the VWC suitable for the growth of Minuartia laricina, Arenaria juncea, and Corydalis speciosa in open filed. Sandy soil which consisted of particles of weathered rock was used, and the VWC of 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30 ㎥·m^-3 was maintained using an automated irrigation system with capacitance soil moisture sensors and a data logger. No significant differences in growth and antioxidant enzymes activity of A. juncea were observed among VWC treatments. However, the survival rate was low at VWC 0.30 ㎥·m^-3 treatment, which was the highest soil moisture content. Even considering the efficiency of water use, we recommended that VWC 0.15-0.20 ㎥·m^-3 is suitable for the cultivation of A. juncea. Minuartia laricina showed better growth with lower VWC. Because of frequent rainfall in open field, plant volume and survival rate was high even in VWC 0.15 ㎥·m^-3 treatment. In C. speciosa, the plant height, number of shoots and lateral shoots, and fresh and dry weight were higher in plants grown in VWC 0.25 ㎥·m^-3 as compared with that in the plants grown at 0.15, 0.20, and 0.30 ㎥·m^-3. Based on these results, M. laricina needed less water in open filed, and A. juncea and C. speciosa required higher VWC, but excessive water should be avoided.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.1427-1434
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• 2008

This study was aimed to compare nutrition knowledge, dietary attitude and habit of elementary school children with and without education. Eighty-four subjects with unbalanced eating behavior were selected and assigned to either control or education group. The subjects in education group participated in a nutrition education program once a week for 8 weeks. The contents of nutrition education were on food tower, balanced nutrition, nutrient function, food group, importance of breakfast, and nutrition label, etc and the program was performed by a school dietitian. The effects of education was assessed by self-administered questionnaire prior to and after nutritional education. Nutrition knowledge except on snack, dietary self-efficacy except on low fat/ low calorie, attitude except on functional food and favorite, and general dietary habits of children in education group were significantly improved while those in control group showed no changes. Also, factors for unbalanced eating was improved by nutrition education indicating the need for correction on unbalanced eating was diminished. However, children's adherence to snack, instant and fast food remained to be corrected. The dietary habit of balanced eating was improved by education reducing the percentage of unbalanced eating on grain and meat.fish.milk groups. The nutrition education appears to be effective to provide nutrition knowledge thereby to improve dietary attitude, dietary self-efficacy, and partly to reduce children's unbalanced eating factor.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.10
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• pp.995-1004
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• 2007

Purpose : Kawasaki disease is a systemic vasculitis, leading cause of pediatric acquired heart disease. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has functions as vascular permeability factor, plays an important role in coronary artery lesion (CAL). We studied the clinical significance of serum VEGF in Kawasaki disease. Methods : Kawasaki group was 49 patients, and control group was 15 patients. Diagnosis followed AHA (American Heart Association) diagnostic criteria, with blood sampling in acute, subacute, and convalescent phase. Echocardiographic abnormalities were defined and the definition of intravenous gamma globulin (IVGG)-responsive and IVGG-resistant was determined. Results : Serum VEGF of Kawasaki group was significantly higher than of control group. Comparison of serum VEGF between CAL and non-CAL group, between carditis group and non-carditis group showed no significant differences. Subacute serum VEGF was statistically higher in IVGG-resistant group than in IVGG-responsive group, and serum VEGF of IVGG-resistant group in subacute phase was statistically higher than in the other phases. Serum VEGF of convalescent CAL and non-CAL group in acute and subacute phase had meaningful differences. Total fever duration and subacute serum VEGF had positive correlation. Acute serum VEGF had positive correlation with ESR and CRP, all phases serum VEGF had also positive correlation with WBC. Acute and subacute serum VEGF had negative correlations with hemoglobin and albumin. Conclusion : Serum VEGF can help to determine the severity of Kawasaki disease, especially subacute serum VEGF seems to be used as a prognostic factor of coronary complication. Afterward, further studies needed with more strict diagnostic criteria and more study groups.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2000

Purpose : Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) can deliver highly focused radiation to a small and spherical target lesion with very high degree of mechanical accuracy. For non-spherical and large lesions, however, inclusion of the neighboring normal structures within the high dose radiation volume is inevitable in SRT This is to report the beam shaping using the partial closure of the independent jaw in SRT and the verification of dose calculation and the dose display using a home-made soft ware. Materials and Methods : Authors adopted the idea to partially close one or more independent collimator jaw(5) in addition to the circular collimator cones to shield the neighboring normal structures while keeping the target lesion within the radiation beam field at all angles along the arc trajectory. The output factors (OF's) and the tissue-maximum ratios (TMR's) were measured using the micro ion chamber in the water phantom dosimetry system, and were compared with the theoretical calculations. A film dosimetry procedure was peformed to obtain the depth dose profiles at 5 cm, and they were also compared with the theoretical calculations, where the radiation dose would depend on the actual area of irradiation. Authors incorporated this algorithm into the home-made SRT software for the isodose calculation and display, and was tried on an example case with single brain metastasis. The dose-volume histograms (DVH's) of the planning target volume (PTV) and the normal brain derived by the control plan were reciprocally compared with those derived by the plan using the same arc arrangement plus the independent collimator jaw closure. Results : When using 5.0 cm diameter collimator, the measurements of the OF's and the TMR's with one independent jaw set at 30 mm (unblocked), 15.5 mm, 8.6 mm, and 0 mm from th central beam axis showed good correlation to the theoretical calculation within 0.5% and 0.3% error range. The dose profiles at 5 cm depth obtained by the film dosimetry also showed very good correlation to the theoretical calculations. The isodose profiles obtained on the home-made software demonstrated a slightly more conformal dose distribution around the target lesion by using the independent jaw closure, where the DVH's of the PTV were almost equivalent on the two plans, while the DVH's for the normal brain showed that less volume of the normal brain receiving high radiation dose by using this modification than the control plan employing the circular collimator cone only. Conclusions : With the beam shaping modification using the independent jaw closure, authors have realized wider clinical application of SRT with more conformal dose planning. Authors believe that SRT, with beam shaping ideas and efforts, should no longer be limited to the small spherical lesions, but be more widely applied to rather irregularly shaped tumors in the intracranial and the head and neck regions.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 1979

Two types of fiat-plate collector were designed and constructed for utilizing the solar energy as heating source of red pepper drying. It was performed to investigate the basic factors on using the collectors and the drying effect on various types of red pepper, and the results obtained are summarized as follows. 1. The optimum tilted angles of the collector in Daejeon area were ${\phi}-15^{\circ}$ in summer season and ${\phi}+15^{\circ}$ in winter season when it was adjusted two times per a year: 2. In the conditions during experiment period, average atmospheric temperature and relative humidity were $25.6^{\circ}C$ and 52.6%, respectively, and $42.0^{\circ}C$, 74.2% in the control chamber. The temperature in the drying chamber connected to the water heater was the highest but relative humidity in the chamber connected to the air heater was the lowest among the chambers. 3. The drying velocity of whole red pepper in the chamber connected to the water heater was the fastest as 2.3 times as compared to the whole type on the mat drying followed by air heater and control in decreasing order. The horizontally cut red pepper in the chamber connected to the water heater was dried exceedingly fast among twelve plots. 4. The content of capsaicine as pungent principle and of capsanthine as red pigment in the red pepper were reduced during drying but there were no differences significantly on the drying method, and it could not affect much on the quality of dried product.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.14 no.3 s.24
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• pp.111-131
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• 1975

The study has been carried out to investigate the occurrence, damage, characteristics of the pathogen, environmental conditions affecting the disease outbreak, varietal resistance, forecasting, and chemical control of bacterial leaf blight of rice in Korea since 1964. Bacterial leaf blight of rice became a major disease in Korea since 1960. A correlation was found between the annual increase of epidemics and increase of cultivation area of susceptible varieties, Jinheung, Keumnampung etc. Areal damage within the country showed that the more was at southern province, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam and western coast, and at flooded rice paddy. Yield reduction directly related with the amount of infection on upper leaves at heading stage. Fifty per cent of reduction resulted when the lesion area was more than 60 per cent. Less than 20 per cent of lesion area, however, was not affected so much on yield loss One hundred and six isolates collected from all over the country were classified as 8 strains by using 4 different bacteriophages in 1973. It was, however, only two in 1965. There were some specificities on varietal distributions among the strains such as that the Jinheung attacked mainly by strain A, B, C and I, those attack Kimmaze were A, B, H and I. Most strains were found from Tongil except D and E, whereas Akibare was only variety that attacked by strain E. Low temperature, high humidity, heavy rainfall and insutficient daylight favored the disease epidemics. Especially, typhoon and flooding at heading stage were critical factors. The earlier transplanting the more disease was resulted, and more nitrogen fertilizer application accerelated the diseased development in general. The resistance to the disease varied by growing stage of the sane plants. All of recommended varieties in Korea were susceptible to the disease except Norm No. 6 and Sirogane which moderately resistant. The pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae, was detectable from extract of healthy seedlings that were grown in the field with an heavy infection previous year. The more bacteriophage in irigation water resulted the more disease outbreak, and the existence of more than 50 bacteriophages in 1ml. of irrigation water were necessary to initiate the disease out break. The curves representing occurrence of bacteriophages and disease outbreak were similar with 15 days interval. The survey of bacteriophage occurrence can be utilized in forecasting of the disease two weeks ahead of disease outbreak. Three applications of chemicals, Phenazin and Sangkel, in weekly intervals at the early satage of out-break depressed the symptom development, and increased yield by 20per cent. Proper period for the chemical application was just before the number of bacteriophage reaches 50 in 1ml. of irrigation water.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.126-136
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the effects of a health education program for the aged on knowledge about the warning signs and symptoms of acute myocardial infarction and stroke. Methods: Data from 337 elderly people (159 participated and 178 non-participated) at senior centers in Jeju-si were collected by 1 to 1 interview from January to March 2012, one year after the education program provided. Two stages of study were performed: Cross-sectional, case-control study on the level of knowledge about the warning signs and symptoms; and multivariate logistic regression to fine out predictors of optimal awareness. Results: No significant discrepancy of knowledge level between case and control group was found. The knowledge level as high as a surge was shown in both groups one year later. A surge of knowledge had been shown after the education provided in one month. The factors affecting the optimal level of knowledge were education (Odds ratio 3.01; Confidence Interval 1.72-5.26; P-value <0.001) and 7 days of watching TV news per week (2.97; 1.68-5.23; P<0.001). However, participation in the health education was not significant (1.60; 0.98-2.61; P=0.059). Conclusions: The effects of a targeted program in high-risk groups for cardio-cerebrovascular disease are only guaranteed in the enhancement by a population-based mass-media education campaign.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.367-374
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• 2005

Background : The fact that only 10-20% of chronic cigarette smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) reflects the presence of genetic factors associated with the susceptibility to COPD. Recently, it was reported that the surfactant protein A increases the secretion of matrix metalloprotease 9, which degrades extracellular matrices of the lung, through a Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). In this context, possible role of TLR2 in the pathogenesis of COPD was postulated, and a functional dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in intron II of TLR2 was evaluated for any association with COPD. Method : Male patients with COPD and male smokers with a normal pulmonary function were enrolled in this study. The number of Guanine-Thymine repeats in intron II of the TLR2 gene were counted. Because the distributions of the repeats were trimodal, the alleles were classified into three subclasses, 12-16 repeats: short (S) alleles; 17-22 repeats: medium length (M) alleles; and 23-27 repeats: long (L) alleles. Result : 125 male patients with COPD and 144 age- and gender-matched blood donors with a normal lung function were enrolled. There were no differences in the distribution of each allele subclass (S, M and L) between the COPD and control group (p=0.75). The frequencies of the genotypes with and without each allele subclass in the COPD and control group were similar. Conclusion : A microsatellite polymorphism in intron II of TLR2 gene was not associated with the development of COPD in Koreans.