• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.8
• /
• pp.647-658
• /
• 2022

Particulate matter (PM) is known to be involved in the onset and progression of various diseases by promoting oxidative and inflammatory reactions as air pollutants containing various small particles that are harmful. In this study, the protective efficacy of herbal medicines was evaluated in human corneal epithelial cells (hCECs) to select natural products that can protect the eye, the primary organ directly exposed to external pollutants from PM. As a result, five candid ate herbal medicines [Cheonmundong, Asparagus Rhizome; Seokchangpo, Aciru Gramineri Rhizoma; Hwangryeon, Coptidis Rhizoma; Gamgug, Chrysanthemi Indici Flos; and Geumjanhwa (Marigold flower petals)] which showed inhibitory efficacy on PM_2.5-induced cytotoxicity, were selected from among 12 candidate herbal medicines. To evaluate the antioxidant activity of these candidate substances, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability was investigated, and it was found that the extracts of Seokchangpo, Cheonmundong and Hwangryeon showed a significant inhibitory effect on PM_2.5-induced ROS production, which was correlated with the preservation of mitochondrial activity. In addition, it was confirmed that they could block DNA damage caused by PM_2.5 through analysis of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine generation and phosphorylated-H2A histone family member X (γ- H2AX) expression. Furthermore, the increase in inflammasome activity and inflammatory response in PM_2.5-treated hCECs was also canceled in the presence of these extracts. Although additional studies are needed, the results of this study will be used as primary data to find novel natural compounds that protect hCECs from PM.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.143-150
• /
• 2021

The recent spread of novel and highly variant pathogenic viruses, including the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has increased the demand for diagnostic testing for rapid confirmation. This has resulted in investigating the functional capability of each space, and preparing facility guidelines to secure the safety of medical technologists. During viral evaluations, there is a requirement of negative pressure facilities along with thread separation, during pre-treatment of samples and before nucleic acid amplification. Space composition therefore needs to be planned by considering unidirectional air flow. This classification of safety management facilities is designated as biosafety level 2, and personal protective equipment is placed accordingly. In case of handling dangerous materials, they need to be carried out of the biosafety cabinet, and sterilizers are required for suitable disposal of infectious agents. A common feature of domestic laboratories is maintenance of the sample pre-treatment space at a negative pressure of -2.5 Pa or less, and arranging separate pre-treatment and reagent preparation spaces during the test process. We believe that the data generated in this study is meaningful, and offers an efficient direction and detailed flow for separation of the inspection process and space functions. Moreover, this study introduces construction of the laboratory by applying the safety management standards.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.179-185
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data on the negative factors of oral health in masks and the importance of oral health management according to the use of masks to prevent novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). From May 3 to 31, 2021, 232 adults aged 20 to 59 across the country were surveyed and statistically analyzed. As for the mask selection, 63.9% of men and 61.3% of women chose the KF_94 mask for both men and women, and it was found that the older they were, the more they chose the KF_94 mask. Self-recognition of dry mouth and bad breath due to wearing a mask showed that the group wearing a cotton mask felt high dry mouth, and there was a statistically significant difference. There was a significant positive correlation between mask type, dry mouth(r=.142, p<.05), and age(r=.234, p<.01). There was a significant positive correlation between mask wearing time and age(r=.158, p<.05), and it was found to be negatively correlated according to occupation, and was statistically significant(r=-.472, p< .01). Dry mouth had a statistically significant positive correlation with bad breath(r=3.04, p<.01) and age(r=.224, p<.01).

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.29-41
• /
• 2022

In this paper, we introduce a novel real-time, interactive animation system which uses real-time motion inputs from a low-cost motion-sensing device Kinect. Our system generates interaction motions between the user character and the counterpart character in real-time. While the motion of the user character is generated mimicking the user's input motion, the other character's motion is decided to react to the user avatar's motion. During a pre-processing step, our system analyzes the reference motion data and generates mapping model in advance. At run-time, our system first generates initial poses of two characters and then modifies them so that it could provide plausible interacting behavior. Our experimental results show plausible interacting animations in that the user character performs a modified motion of user input and the counterpart character properly reacts against the user character. The proposed method will be useful for developing real-time interactive animation systems which provide a better immersive experience for users.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.145-154
• /
• 2022

Objectives : This study intends to assess the associations among perceived stigma at the time of infection, coping strategies adopted 12 months later and depressive and posttraumatic symptoms 24 months later in Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) survivors. Methods : A nationwide cohort study was conducted on 63 survivors of 2015 MERS outbreak. Demographic data, illness severity of MERS, depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms, coping strategies and MERS-related stigma were collected 12 and 24 months after the MERS outbreak, respectively. Results : Higher levels of perceived stigma at the time of outbreak were associated with higher levels of dysfunctional coping strategies after 12 months (p=0.003) and more severe depressive (p=0.058) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (p=0.011) after 24 months. Moreover, higher levels of dysfunctional coping strategies after 12 months were significantly associated with more severe depressive (p=0.002) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (p<0.001) after 24 months. Conclusions : Social stigma against people who have contracted an emerging infectious disease can leave a negative impact on the mental health of the survivors in the long term. In case of novel pandemics in the future, prompt rectification of stigma and promotion of adaptive coping strategies in survivors are needed.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.65 no.5
• /
• pp.741-750
• /
• 2022

Objective : In March 2020, World Health Organization declared a global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The disease caused by this virus is called COVID-19. Due to its high contagiousness, many changes have occurred in overall areas of our daily life including hospital use by patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on volume of spine surgery in South Korea using the National Health Insurance database and compare it with the volume of a homologous period before the pandemic. Methods : Data of related to spine surgery from January 2019 to April 2021 were obtained from the National Health Insurance and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Primary outcomes were total number of patients, rate of patients per 100000 population, and total number of procedures. The number of patients by hospital size was also analyzed. Results : COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in South Korea in March, August, and December of 2020. Compared to the previous year, the total number of patients who underwent spinal surgery showed a decrease for 2-3 months after the first and second outbreaks. However, it showed an increasing trend after the third outbreak. The same pattern was observed in terms of the ratio of the number of patients per 100000 population. Between 2019 and 2021, the mean number of spine surgeries per month tended to increase. Mean annual medical expenses increased over the years (p=0.001). When the number of spine surgeries was analyzed by hospital size, proportion of tertiary general hospital in 2021 increased compared to those in 2019 and 2020 (vs. 2019, p=0.012; vs. 2020, p=0.016). The proportion of general hospital was significantly decreased in 2020 compared to that in 2019 (p=0.037). Conclusion : After the COVID-19 outbreak, patients tended to postpone spinal surgery temporarily. The number of spinal surgeries decreased for 2-3 months after the first and second outbreaks. However, as the ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic at the hospital and society-wide level gradually increased, the number of spine surgeries did not decrease after the third outbreak in December 2020. In addition, the annual number of spine surgeries continued to increase. However, it should be noted that patients tend to be increasingly concentrated in tertiary hospitals for spinal surgery.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.130-135
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Smart insoles are wearable devices that are inserted into shoes. Smart insoles with built-in pressure and acceleration sensors can measure the plantar pressure, stride length, and walking speed. This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the plantar pressure measurements of smart insoles during walking on flat ground. Materials and Methods: Twenty one subjects were included in this study. After wearing smart insoles, I-SOL^® (Gilon, Seongnam, Korea), the subjects walked a 10 m corridor six times at a rate of 100 steps/min, and the middle three steps, free from direction changes, were chosen for data analysis. The same protocol was repeated after wearing Pedar-X (Novel Corporation, Munich, Germany), an insoletype plantar pressure measurement equipment with proven validity. The average maximum pressure (P_peak, kPa) and the time at which P_peak appeared (P_time, %stride) were calculated for each device. The validity of smart insoles was evaluated by using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of P_peak and P_time between the two instruments, and Cronbach's alpha was obtained from the P_peak values to evaluate the reliability. Results: The ICC of P_peak was 0.651 (good) in the hallux, 0.744 (good) in the medial forefoot, 0.839 (excellent) in the lateral forefoot, and 0.854 (excellent) in the hindfoot. The ICC of P_time showed 0.868 (excellent) in the hallux, 0.892 (excellent) in the medial forefoot, 0.721 (good) in the lateral forefoot, and 0.832 (excellent) in the hindfoot. All ICC values showed good or excellent results. The Cronbach's alpha of P_peak measured in the smart insoles was 0.990 in the hallux, 0.961 in the medial forefoot, 0.973 in the lateral forefoot, and 0.995 in the hindfoot; all indicated excellent reliability in all areas. Conclusion: The plantar pressure measurements of smart insoles during walking on a flat ground showed validity compared to Pedar-X, and high reliability after repeated measurements.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.233-247
• /
• 2023

Recently, research on detecting objects in hidden spaces beyond the direct line-of-sight of observers has received attention. Most studies use optical equipment that utilizes the directional of light, but sound that has both diffraction and directional is also suitable for non-line-of-sight(NLOS) research. In this paper, we propose a novel method of detecting objects in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) areas using acoustic signals in the audible frequency range. We developed a deep learning model that extracts information from the NLOS area by inputting only acoustic signals and predicts the properties and location of hidden objects. Additionally, for the training and evaluation of the deep learning model, we collected data by varying the signal transmission and reception location for a total of 11 objects. We show that the deep learning model demonstrates outstanding performance in detecting objects in the NLOS area using acoustic signals. We observed that the performance decreases as the distance between the signal collection location and the reflecting wall, and the performance improves through the combination of signals collected from multiple locations. Finally, we propose the optimal conditions for detecting objects in the NLOS area using acoustic signals.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.56 no.3
• /
• pp.196-201
• /
• 2023

Renal fibrosis is the final manifestation of chronic kidney disease (CKD) regardless of etiology. Hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) is an important regulator of chronic hypoxia, and the late-stage renal tubular HIF-2α activation exerts protective effects against renal fibrosis. However, its specific role in progressive renal fibrosis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of the long-term tubular activation of HIF-2α on renal function and fibrosis, using in vivo and in vitro models of renal fibrosis. Progressive renal fibrosis was induced in renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) of tetracycline-controlled HIF-2α transgenic (Tg) mice and wild-type (WT) controls through a 6-week adenine diet. Tg mice were maintained on doxycycline (DOX) for the diet period to induce Tg HIF-2α expression. Primary TECs isolated from Tg mice were treated with DOX (5 ㎍/ml), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) (10 ng/ml), and a combination of both for 24, 48, and 72 hr. Blood was collected to analyze creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Pathological changes in the kidney tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, and Sirius Red staining. Meanwhile, the expression of fibronectin, E-cadherin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was observed using western blotting. Our data showed that serum Cr and BUN levels were significantly lower in Tg mice than in WT mice following the adenine diet. Moreover, the protein levels of fibronectin and E-cadherin and the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK were markedly reduced in the kidneys of adenine-fed Tg mice. These results were accompanied by attenuated fibrosis in Tg mice following adenine administration. Consistent with these findings, HIF-2α overexpression significantly decreased the expression of fibronectin in TECs, whereas an increase in α-SMA protein levels was observed after TGF-β1 stimulation for 72 hr. Taken together, these results indicate that long-term HIF-2α activation in CKD may inhibit the progression of renal fibrosis and improve renal function, suggesting that long-term renal HIF-2α activation may be used as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CKD.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
• /
• v.12 no.9
• /
• pp.407-418
• /
• 2023

The Multi-Object Goal Visual Navigation(MultiOn) is a visual navigation task in which an agent must visit to multiple object goals in an unknown indoor environment in a given order. Existing models for the MultiOn task suffer from the limitation that they cannot utilize an integrated view of multimodal context because use only a unimodal context map. To overcome this limitation, in this paper, we propose a novel deep neural network-based agent model for MultiOn task. The proposed model, MCFMO, uses a multimodal context map, containing visual appearance features, semantic features of environmental objects, and goal object features. Moreover, the proposed model effectively fuses these three heterogeneous features into a global multimodal context map by using a point-wise convolutional neural network module. Lastly, the proposed model adopts an auxiliary task learning module to predict the observation status, goal direction and the goal distance, which can guide to learn the navigational policy efficiently. Conducting various quantitative and qualitative experiments using the Habitat-Matterport3D simulation environment and scene dataset, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model.