• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.47.1-47.13
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• 2022

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative bacterium that is known for causing infection in nosocomial settings. As reported by the World Health Organization, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, a category that includes K. pneumoniae, are classified as an urgent threat, and the greatest concern is that these bacterial pathogens may acquire genetic traits that make them resistant towards antibiotics. The last class of antibiotics, carbapenems, are not able to combat these bacterial pathogens, allowing them to clonally expand antibiotic-resistant strains. Most antibiotics target essential pathways of bacterial cells; however, these targets are no longer susceptible to antibiotics. Hence, in our study, we focused on a hypothetical protein in K. pneumoniae that contains a DNA methylation protein domain, suggesting a new potential site as a drug target. DNA methylation regulates the attenuation of bacterial virulence. We integrated computational-aided drug design by using a bioinformatics approach to perform subtractive genomics, virtual screening, and fingerprint similarity search. We identified a new potential drug, koenimbine, which could be a novel antibiotic.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.20.1-20.10
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• 2023

Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are drugs that are widely used in treating estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer patients. Drug resistance is a major obstacle to aromatase inhibition therapy. There are diverse reasons behind acquired AI resistance. This study aims at identifying the plausible cause of acquired AI resistance in patients administered with non-steroidal AIs (anastrozole and letrozole). We used genomic, transcriptomic, epigenetic, and mutation data of breast invasive carcinoma from The Cancer Genomic Atlas database. The data was then separated into sensitive and resistant sets based on patients' responsiveness to the non-steroidal AIs. A sensitive set of 150 patients and a resistant set of 172 patients were included for the study. These data were collectively analyzed to probe into the factors that might be responsible for AI resistance. We identified 17 differentially regulated genes (DEGs) among the two groups. Then, methylation, mutation, miRNA, copy number variation, and pathway analyses were performed for these DEGs. The top mutated genes (FGFR3, CDKN2A, RNF208, MAPK4, MAPK15, HSD3B1, CRYBB2, CDC20B, TP53TG5, and MAPK8IP3) were predicted. We also identified a key miRNA - hsa-mir-1264 regulating the expression of CDC20B. Pathway analysis revealed HSD3B1 to be involved in estrogen biosynthesis. This study reveals the involvement of key genes that might be associated with the development of AI resistance in ER-positive breast cancers and hence may act as a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for these patients.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.241-254
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• 2015

A lot of reinforced concrete (RC) structures in Syria went out of service after a few years of construction. This was mainly due to reinforcement corrosion or chemical attack on concrete. The use of blended cements is growing rapidly in the construction industry due to economical, ecological and technical benefits. Syria is relatively rich in scoria. In the study, mortar/concrete specimens were produced with seven types of cement: one plain Portland cement (control) and six blended cements with replacement levels ranging from 10 to 35 %. Rapid chloride penetration test was carried in accordance with ASTM C 1202 after two curing times of 28 and 90 days. The effect on the resistance of concrete against damage caused by corrosion of the embedded steel has been investigated using an accelerated corrosion test by impressing a constant anodic potential. The variation of current with time and time to failure of RC specimens were determined at 28 and 90 days curing. In addition, effects of aggressive acidic environments on mortars were investigated through 100 days of exposure to 5 % $H_2SO_4$, 10 % HCl, 5 % $HNO_3$ and 10 % $CH_3COOH$ solutions. Evaluation of sulfate resistance of mortars was also performed by immersing in 5 % $Na_2SO_4$ solution for 52 weeks. Test results reveal that the resistance to chloride penetration of concrete improves substantially with the increase of replacement level, and the concretes containing scoria based-blended cements, especially CEM II/B-P, exhibited corrosion initiation periods several times longer than the control mix. Further, an increase in scoria addition improves the acid resistance of mortar, especially in the early days of exposure, whereas after a long period of continuous exposure all specimens show the same behavior against the acid attack. According to results of sulfate resistance, CEM II/B-P can be used instead of SRPC in sulfate-bearing environments.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.1
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• pp.20-30
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• 2020

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a threat to public health and is the leading cause of death globally. Isoniazid (INH) is an important first-line agent for the treatment of TB considering its early bactericidal activity. Resistance to INH is now the most common type of resistance. Resistance to INH reduces the probability of treatment success and increases the risk of acquiring resistance to other first-line drugs such as rifampicin (RIF), thereby increasing the risk of multidrug-resistant-TB. Studies in the 1970s and 1980s showed high success rates for INH-resistant TB cases receiving regimens comprised of first-line drugs. However, recent data have indicated that INH-resistant TB patients treated with only firs-tline drugs have poor outcomes. Fortunately, based on recent systematic meta-analyses, the World Health Organization published consolidated guidelines on drug-resistant TB in 2019. Their key recommendations are treatment with RIF-ethambutol (EMB)-pyrazinamide (PZA)-levofloxacin (LFX) for 6 months and no addition of injectable agents to the treatment regimen. The guidelines also emphasize the importance of excluding resistance to RIF before starting RIF-EMB-PZA-LFX regimen. Additionally, when the diagnosis of INH-resistant TB is confirmed long after starting the first-line TB treatment, the clinician must decide whether to start a 6-month course of RIF-EMB-PZA-LFX based on the patient's condition. However, these recommendations are based on observational studies, not randomized controlled trials, and are thus conditional and based on low certainty of the effect estimates. Therefore, further work is needed to optimize the treatment of INH-resistant TB.

• 한국기계연구소 소보
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• s.17
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• pp.133-144
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• 1987

Since the towing tank was operated from early 1979, the test and analysis methods have been established and applied for the performance prediction of ships. Especially the analysis programs for the resistance test ('EHP') and self-propulsion test ('DHP') based on the 1978 ITTC performance prediction method was modified as a name of 'PPTT' in order to include the form factor calculation, two-dimensional analysis method, the prediction on multi-screw ship and the organization of data filing system. Recently the program 'PPTT' was improved to cover the procedure of data fairing, the analysis of propeller-open-water test results carried out at low and high Reynolds numbers, etc. This paper describes the newly improved analysis program 'PTI'.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.3
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• pp.168-174
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• 2015

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is still a major threat worldwide. However, recent scientific advances in diagnostic and therapeutic tools have improved the management of drug-resistant TB. The development of rapid molecular testing methods allows for the early detection of drug resistance and prompt initiation of an appropriate treatment. In addition, there has been growing supportive evidence for shorter treatment regimens in multidrug-resistant TB; and for the first time in over 50 years, new anti-TB drugs have been developed. The World Health Organization has recently revised their guidelines, primarily based on evidence from a meta-analysis of individual patient data (n=9,153) derived from 32 observational studies, and outlined the recommended combination and correct use of available anti-TB drugs. This review summarizes the updated guidelines with a focus on the medical management of drug-resistant TB.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.36.1-36.9
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• 2020

Since lung cancer is a major causative for cancer-related deaths, the investigations for discovering biomarkers to diagnose at an early stage and to apply therapeutic strategies have been continuously conducted. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are being exponentially studied as promising biomarkers of lung cancer. Moreover, supportive evidence provides the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network between lncRNAs and miRNAs participating in lung tumorigenesis. This review introduced the oncogenic or tumor-suppressive roles of lncRNAs and miRNAs in lung cancer cells and summarized the involvement of the lncRNA/miRNA ceRNA networks in carcinogenesis and therapeutic resistance of lung cancer.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.384-386
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• 2014

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that inhabits various natural and artificial environments, such as pathogenesis, water, soil and air. They can cause serious problems, such as pathogenic infection. In this study, 220 colonies were isolated from water and soil environment that assumed to be P. aeruginosa using a membrane filter method based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO/NP 16266). Identification of the isolates was determined by physiobiochemical characteristics using newly modified ISO method which includes the resistance to 1,10 phenanthroline test. Only one of 220 presumed P. aeruginosa strains isolated from effluence water using a drain swab was determined as P. aeruginosa-positive by the ISO/NP 16266 method. Subsequently, the resistance to 1,10 phenanthroline test, which was newly proposed by ISO in 2014 and applied in this study, was considered as more precise and improvable method for identification of P. aeruginosa.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 1991.10a
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• pp.5-10
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• 1991

This study was performed to find out the effect about the spacing factor and durability factor to evaluate the durability of concrete in high-strength concrete with freezing and thawing as following each condition, 1) unit cement content : 500kg/$\textrm{m}^3$, 550kg/$\textrm{m}^3$ 2) water/cement ratio : 25%, 30%, 35% 3) air content : below 1.5%, 1.6~3.5%, 4~6%, over 7% From the results tested, a variation of air content was more effective to the durability of concrete than that of water/cement ratio and unit cement content.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1549-1560
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• 2016

Today, all the countries of the world newly recognize importance of sea, which are focused on efforts for security of marine territory and fishes resources. Many of the coastal state, to strengthen the rights of their own country EEZ, marine survey and continental shelf development, travels through such maritime jurisdiction in the territorial sovereignty and the EEZ overlaps, deepening complex interests between neighboring countries cooperation activities of the fierce competition, the domestic and foreign been has been carried out. Under such circumstances, is devastated coastal of China, our territorial waters and EEZ has been violated more and more, in spite of the powerful crackdown maritime public power, illegal fishing more resistance intensified. They tend to be gradually organization, collectivization and atrocities. Currently, illegal fishing of Chinese fishing boats in the West Sea of Korea, including the waters near Yeonpyeong Island is prevalent as operating in the coast of the country. Furthermore regrettable one is illegal on a scale and the situation where South Korea of scale of damage caused by it have not been accurately grasp of the operation, but that there is damage of Korea official duty enforcement to crack down the increase to illegal operations year after year have occurred. Violent, illegal fishing of Chinese fishing boats, in order to eradicate the operations of insane at our sea, we investigated to the infringement situations of fisheries resources by multiple fields. each of problems presenting a specific preservation plan in accordance with the function and role of the maritime enforcement organization and other government organization the point. at the same time we will try to seek measures such as a scheme that it is possible to increase the capacity.