• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.2
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• pp.134-139
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• 2021

Background: Intrapleural urokinase is one of the most widely used fibrinolytic agents in the treatment of complicated parapneumonic effusion (CPPE). However, little research has been performed on the optimal urokinase dosage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment efficacy of half dose urokinase compared with conventional dose urokinase. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 92 patients with CPPE or empyema who underwent intrapleural urokinase treatment at two tertiary hospitals. Patients received antibiotics, chest tube drainage, and other treatments as part of routine care. The primary outcome was the treatment success rate in the half dose urokinase group (50,000 IU daily for maximal 6 days) and the conventional dose urokinase group (100,000 IU daily). Treatment success was defined as clinical and radiological improvements without surgical treatment or re-admission within one month. Results: Forty-four patients received half dose urokinase, whereas 48 patients were treated with conventional dose urokinase. Both groups were relatively well matched at baseline, excluding higher serum white blood cell count and higher empyema prevalence in the half dose urokinase group. The treatment success rate was not different between the two groups (p=0.048). There were no differences in the rate of in-hospital death and surgical treatment, hospitalization duration, and indwelling catheter duration. In the multivariate analysis, urokinase dose was not a predictor of treatment success. Conclusion: Half dose intrapleural urokinase is equally effective conventional dose urokinase in treating patients with CPPE or empyema.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.304-308
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• 2018

The interest in and development of healthy foods and nutraceuticals have increased because of the trend for a health-oriented society. Cinnamon is used as a food ingredient as well as a herbal medicine because of its functional properties. In this study, flavoring compounds and antioxidative activities of cinnamon extracts were investigated with different extraction solvents and extraction methods. The contents of flavoring compounds such as coumarin, cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde, and cinnamyl alcohol were investigated. The contents of courmarin, cinnamic acid, and cinnamylaldehyde in 70% ethanol extract were higher than those in hot water and subcritical water extracts. The contents of courmarin, cinnamic acid, and cinnamaldehyde in subcritical water extract were higher than those in hot water extract, whereas the content of cinnamyl alcohol was lower. DPPH scavenging activity increased with increasing concentration of the extracts, and the 70% ethanol extract showed the highest antioxidant activity. The ascorbic acid content of the 70% ethanol extract was largest in the antioxidative activity measurement by FRAP analysis. The ascorbic acid contents of the hot water and subcritical water extracts were similar.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.290-295
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• 2017

Objectives: Dental plaque emits red fluorescence under a visible blue light near the ultra-violet end of the light spectrum. The fluorescence characteristics of each microorganism have been reported in several studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in red fluorescence of oral microorganisms that is affected by blood in the culture media. Methods: The gram-positive Actinomyces naeslundii (AN, KCTC 5525) and Lactobacillus casei (LC, KCTC 3109) and gram negative Prevotella intermedia (PI, KCTC 3692) that are known to emit red fluorescence were used in this study. Each bacterium was activated in broth and cultivated in different agar media at $37^{\circ}C$ for 7 days. Tryptic soy agar with hemin and vitamin $K_3$ (TSA), TSA with sheep blood (TSAB), basal medium mucin (BMM) medium, and BMM with sheep blood (BMMB) were used in this study. Fluorescence due to bacterial growth was observed under 405-nm wavelength blue light using the quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D) device. The red, green, and blue fluorescence values of colonies were obtained using image-analysis software and the red to green ratio (R/G value) and red to total RGB ratio (R/RGB value) were calculated for quantitative comparison. Results: The QLF-D images of the AN, LC, and PI colonies showed red fluorescence in all media, but the fluorescence of all bacteria was reduced in TSA and BMM media, compared with in TSAB and BMMB media. Both the R/G and the R/RGB values of all bacteria were significantly reduced in growth media without blood (P<0.001). Conclusions: Based on this in vitro study, it can be concluded that red fluorescence of oral bacteria can be affected by growth components, especially blood. Blood-containing medium could be a significant factor influencing red fluorescence of oral bacteria. It can be further hypothesized that bleeding in the oral cavity can increase the red fluorescence of dental plaque.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.587-594
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• 2020

In this study, we analyzed glucosinolates and their metabolites in the inner and outer parts of napa cabbage (NC; Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) and napa cabbage kimchi (NKC) using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. In the extracts from NC and NKC, glucobrassicanapin (m/z 386), glucoalyssin (m/z 450), glucobrassicin (m/z 447), 4-methoxyglucobrassicin (m/z 477), and neoglucobrassicin (m/z 477) were detected using the MS scan mode ([M-H]-), and gluconapin (m/z 372→97), progoitrin (m/z 388→97), glucoiberin (m/z 422→97), 4-methoxyglucobrassicin (m/z 477→97), and neoglucobrassicin (m/z 477→447) were detected using the MS/MS MRM mode ([M-H]-). Ascorbigen (m/z 306→130) and indole-3-carboxaldehyde (I3A; m/z 146→118), which were metabolites of glucobrassicins, were detected using the MS/MS MRM ([M+H]+) mode. The peak intensities of ascorbigen in the extract from the inner and outer parts of NC were significantly higher than those of the NKC extract (p<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in I3A peak intensity between the NC and NKC extracts.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.417-424
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• 2020

This study aimed to explore the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), produced by engineered immortalized mesenchymal stem cells (imMSC), on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a rat model with neurogenic bladder (NB). Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the following groups: Sham control, LUTS, LUTS+imMSC (treated with immortalized MSC), and LUTS+BDNF-eMSC (treated with BDNF-expressing MSC) groups. LUTS was induced by a crush injury to the major pelvic ganglion (MPG). Bladder function was tested under anesthesia, and bladder tissue strips were collected thereafter for contractility test and western blot analysis. Western blot results showed that the expression of both Angiopoietin 1 (Ang 1) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) increased with MSC injection. The effect of treatment with BDNF-eMSC on LUTS was also evaluated, and the results were found to be better than those with imMSC (P<0.05). BDNF-eMSC prevented fibrosis in the bladder tissue and significantly reduced caspase-3 levels. In conclusion, high expression of BDNF in vivo resulted in recovery of bladder function and contractility, along with the inhibition of apoptosis in a rat model.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2021

Background: To evaluate the demographics, clinical and radiographic features of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder in the Korean population, specifically focusing on the incidence of coexisting rotator cuff tear. Methods: Between October 2014 and January 2015, we performed a prospective multicenter study with 506 patients from 11 training hospitals in Korea. We collected data of demographics and radiographic analysis based on simple radiographs, clinical assessments based on visual analog scale (VAS) and the American Shoulder Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and treatment modalities that are used currently. We also evaluated coexisting rotator cuff tear by ultrasonography (US) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. Results: There were 402 female patients (79%) with mean age of 55 years (range, 31-87 years). Mean duration of symptoms was 16 months. Mean size of calcific materials was 11.4 mm (range, 0-35 mm). Mean value of VAS and ASES scores were 6.5 (range, 1-10) and 47 (range, 8-95), respectively. Of 383 patients (76%), 59 (15%) had rotator cuff tear including 15 full-thickness tears on US or MRI. Patients with rotator cuff tears were significantly associated with older age, recurrent symptoms, menstrual disorders in females, and having undergone calcification removal surgery and rotator cuff repair (all p<0.05). Conclusions: This study reported demographic, radiographic, and clinical features of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder in Korean population, which were not different from those of Western population. Coexisting rotator cuff tear was found with 15% incidence in this large series, suggesting that further radiographic study to evaluate rotator cuff tear might be needed in some calcific tendinitis patients of older age and presenting with recurrent symptoms.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1105-1115
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• 2021

Objective: To conserve and utilize the genetic resources of a traditional Chinese indigenous pig breed, Liangshan pig, we assessed the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and genetic distance in this study. Methods: We used 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip for SNP detection of 139 individuals in the Liangshan Pig Conservation Farm. Results: The genetically closed conserved population consisted of five overlapping generations, and the total effective content of the population (Ne) was 15. The whole population was divided into five boar families and one non-boar family. Among them, the effective size of each generation subpopulation continuously decreased. However, the proportion of polymorphic markers (P_N) first decreased and then increased. The average genetic distance of these 139 Liangshan pigs was 0.2823±0.0259, and the average genetic distance of the 14 boars was 0.2723±0.0384. Thus, it can be deduced that the genetic distance changed from generation to generation. In the conserved population, 983 runs of homozygosity (ROH) were detected, and the majority of ROH (80%) were within 100 Mb. The inbreeding coefficient calculated based on ROH showed an average value of 0.026 for the whole population. In addition, the inbreeding coefficient of each generation subpopulation initially increased and then decreased. In the pedigree of the whole conserved population, the error rate of paternal information was more than 11.35% while the maternal information was more than 2.13%. Conclusion: This molecular study of the population genetic structure of Liangshan pig showed loss of genetic diversity during the closed cross-generation reproduction process. It is necessary to improve the mating plan or introduce new outside blood to ensure long-term preservation of Liangshan pig.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.76-80
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• 2021

To develop a method for the differentiation of Pleurotus ostratus cultivars, the multiplex-simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer set based on the SSRs obtained from whole genomic DNA sequence analysis was designed with two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer sets. These SSR primer sets were employed to distinguish 10 cultivars and strains. Twenty polymorphic markers were selected based on the genotyping results. PCR with each primer produced 1-4 distinct bands ranging in size from 150 to 350 bp, which was within the expected range. However, since a sole SSR marker was unable to detect polymorphisms in every cultivar, multiplex PCRs with composite PCR primer sets were employed. The multiplex primer, "166+115," completely discriminated 12 cultivars and strains with 40 loci, which were 12 more than the simple arithmetic addition of each locus of the primers 115 and 166. These results might be useful to provide an efficient method for the differentiation of P. ostreatus cultivars with separate PCRs for the quality control of spawn and protection of breeders' rights.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2021

The objective of this study is to evaluate the practical application potential and limitations of the modified fly ash(MFA) by vibration grinding as a partial replacement of ordinary portland cement(OPC). The test parameters investigated were the replacement level of fly ash(FA) and FA for OPC, varying from 10% to 40%, and curing temperatures of 5, 20, and 40℃. The various characteristics(including slump, air content, bleeding, setting time, compressive strength development, and hydration products) of MFA concrete were measured and then compared with those of the concrete with conventional FA. Test resul ts showed that the MFA prefers to FA in reducing the bl eeding of fresh concrete and enhancing the compressive strength gain at an early age. The compressive strength ratios between MFA and FA concrete specimens at an age of 1 day were 135%, 146%, and 111% at the curing temperatures of 5, 20, and 40℃, respectively. The corresponding ratios at an age of 28 days were approximately 110%, regardless of the curing temperatures. The X-ray diffraction analysis also revealed less calcium hydroxide products in MFA pastes than in FA pastes.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.1706-1717
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of nursing ethics education on ethical values, nursing professional intuition and biomedical ethics of nursing students. Data collection period was from December 2, 2017 to December 31, 2017 and the data were collected from 186 nursing college students at 2 universities. Data were analyzed by t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis using the SPSS 21.0 program. The average score for the ethics values was 3.08±0.33 points. the average score of nursing professionalism was 3.22±0.84. The average score of consciousness of biomedical ethics was 2.86±0.22. It is necessary to develop case-centered textbooks in order to raise the competence to apply ethics management about biomedical issues in the course program of nursing ethics to improve the awareness of biomedical ethics for nursing college students.