• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.14
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• 2022

We aimed to investigate associations of dietary diversity (DD) with gut microbial diversity and the development of hen's egg allergy (HEA) in infants. We enrolled 68 infants in a high-risk group and 32 infants in a control group based on a family history of allergic diseases. All infants were followed from birth until 12 months of age. We collected infant feeding data, and DD was defined using 3 measures: the World Health Organization definition of minimum DD, food group diversity, and food allergen diversity. Gut microbiome profiles and expression of cytokines were evaluated by bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. High DD scores at 3 and 4 months were associated with a lower risk of developing HEA in the high-risk group, but not in the control group. In the high-risk group, high DD scores at 3, 4, and 5 months of age were associated with an increase in Chao1 index at 6 months. We found that the gene expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-8 were higher among infants who had lower DD scores compared to those who had higher DD scores in high-risk infants. Additionally, high-risk infants with a higher FAD score at 5 months of age showed a reduced gene expression of IL-13. Increasing DD within 6 months of life may increase gut microbial diversity, and thus reduce the development of HEA in infants with a family history of allergic diseases.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.326-341
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that leads to the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. Current clinical therapeutic strategies are moderately effective at relieving OA-associated pain but cannot induce chondrocyte differentiation or achieve cartilage regeneration. We investigated the ability of wedelolactone, a biologically active natural product that occurs in Eclipta alba (false daisy), to promote chondrogenic differentiation. Methods and Results: Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical staining, and immunofluorescence staining assays were used to evaluate the effects of wedelolactone on the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). RNA sequencing, microRNA (miRNA) sequencing, and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation analyses were performed to explore the mechanism by which wedelolactone promotes the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. We found that wedelolactone facilitates the chondrogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs and rat bone-marrow MSCs. Moreover, the forkhead box O (FOXO) signaling pathway was upregulated by wedelolactone during chondrogenic differentiation, and a FOXO1 inhibitor attenuated the effect of wedelolactone on chondrocyte differentiation. We determined that wedelolactone reduces enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2)-mediated histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation of the promoter region of FOXO1 to upregulate its transcription. Additionally, we found that wedelolactone represses miR-1271-5p expression, and that miR-1271-5p post-transcriptionally suppresses the expression of FOXO1 that is dependent on the binding of miR-1271-5p to the FOXO1 3'-untranscribed region. Conclusions: These results indicate that wedelolactone suppresses the activity of EZH2 to facilitate the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs by activating the FOXO1 signaling pathway. Wedelolactone may therefore improve cartilage regeneration in diseases characterized by inflammatory tissue destruction, such as OA.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.20.1-20.15
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• 2024

Background: Avian influenza (AI) is a contagious disease that causes illness and death in poultry and humans. High pathogenicity AI (HPAI) H5N6 outbreaks commonly occur in Quang Ninh province bordering China. In June 2021, the first HPAI H5N8 outbreak occurred at a Quang Ninh chicken farm. Objectives: This study examined the risk factors associated with HPAI H5N6 and H5N8 outbreaks in Quang Ninh. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted in Quang Ninh from Nov 2021 to Jan 2022. The cases were households with susceptible poultry with two or more clinical signs and tested positive by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The controls were households in the same village as the cases but did not show clinical symptoms of the disease. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess the risk factors associated with HPAI outbreaks at the household level. Results: There were 38 cases with H5N6 clade 2.3.4.4h viruses (n = 35) and H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses (n = 3). Compared to the 112 controls, raising poultry in uncovered or partially covered ponds (odds ratio [OR], 7.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44-39.27), poultry traders visiting the farm (OR, 8.66; 95% CI, 2.7-27.69), farms with 50-2,000 birds (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.06-8-51), and farms with ≥ 2,000 birds (OR, 11.35; 95% CI, 3.07-41.94) were significantly associated with HPAI outbreaks. Conclusions: Combining biosecurity measures, such as restricting visitor entry and vaccination in farms with more than 50 birds, can enhance the control and prevention of HPAI in Quang Ninh and its spread across borders.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.509-523
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• 2024

This study estimates connectedness index among the US, China, Europe, Japan, and South Korea using monthly economic policy uncertainty (EPU) data from January 2000 to December 2023. The connectedness index allows us to analyze the effect of global economic uncertainty on domestic economic uncertainty. The EPU is used as a proxy for economic uncertainty. Inter-country connectedness index is computed from variance decomposition. The findings from forecast error variance decomposition show that three-fourths of total uncertainty comes from economic uncertainty in the own country and one-fourth of total uncertainty comes from economic uncertainty in the others. The analysis on net pairwise connectedness reveals that, even though the extent of the effect of economic uncertainty in one country from economic uncertainty in another country varies over time, economic uncertainty in South Korea, a small-open economy, is mainly affected by economic uncertainty in the others. The reverse situation rarely happens except in the specific occurrence such as the collapse of the credit bubble in 2003 and the subsequent years, the inter-Korean summit and North Korea-the US summit in 2018, and the period from the first outbreak of COVID-19 on the implementation of the government's severe regulation against COVID-19.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.35-42
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• 2020

17β-estradiol (E₂) is a natural hormone secreted by ovary, and continuously discharged from household and livestock wastewater into aquatic environment. Due to its strong estrogenic activity, it has adverse effects on development and reproduction in crustacean as an endocrine disrupting chemical. Although ecdysteroid signaling pathway play a key role in development in crustacean, little information on transcriptional modulation of ecdysteroid-related genes in response to E₂ is available in small crustacean. Here, we investigated the acute toxicity of E₂ to obtain 24-h LC_x values in the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis. Time-dependent expression patterns of seven ecdysteroid pathway - related genes (CYP314a1, EcRA, EcRB, USP, ERR, Vtg, VtgR) were further examined using quantitative real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). As results, 24-h LC₅₀ and LC₁₀ values were 9.581 mg/l and 4.842 mg/l, respectively. The mRNA expression of CYP314a1, EcRA, USP, VtgR was significantly up-regulated at 12 or 24 h after exposure to E₂. These findings indicate that E₂ can affect their molting and reproduction by modulating the expression of ecdysteroid pathway - related in D. celebensis. This study will be useful for better understanding of molecular mode of action of endocrine disrupting chemicals on molting process in small crustacean.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.18
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• pp.1-27
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• 1975

Experiment I: A field experiment was conducted in an attempt to find the effect of top-dressing at heading time in different levels of nitrogen application and of different positioned leaf blades formed by the treatment of leaf defoliation at heading time on the ripening and the yield of rice. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Average number of ears per hill and average number of grains per ear in different levels of nitrogen application were increased as the amount of nitrogen applied was increased. while the rate of ripened grains the yield of rough rice and the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice were decreased respectively as the amount of nitrogen applied was increased. 2. The rate of ripened grains and the weight of 1.000 kernels of brown rice in different levels of nitrogen, top-dressing at heading time were larger than those in control and increased. The yield of rough rice although statistically significant differences were not recognized, were numerically increased. 3. The rate of ripened grains, the yield of rough rice, the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice and the rate of hulling in different treatments of leaf defoliation were remarkably decreased as the degree of leaf-defoliation became larger. 4. The rate of ripened grains, the yield of rough rice, the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice and the rate of hulling in different combinations of number of remained leaves positioned differently, formed the order of $L_1(flag leaf)>L_2>L_3>L_4$ when only one leaf blade was remained, and were increased as the positions of leaves were higher when two leaf blades. were, remained. 5. In case of decrease in the number of leaf blades positioned differently, by the treatment of leaf. defoliation, rate of ripened grains, the yield of rough rice, the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice and the rate of hulling were increased as the area of remained leaves became larger and the nitrogen content of a leaf blade was increased. 6. There was a tendency that the increase in the amount of fertilizer application made the rate of ripened grains and the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice reduced in any number of remained leaf blades, but the application of top-dressing at heading. time resulted in the reverse tendency. The yield of rough rice showed a tendency to be increased as the amount of basal dressing and top-dressing increased and for the application of top-dressing at heading time, the yield of rough rice was less at the smaller number of those. 7. The productivity effect of the rate of ripened grains and the yield of brown rice covered by leaf blades was more than 50 per cent and that of the. weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice was not more than 1.0 percent. As the amount of nitrogen application increased the. effect of leaf blades on the rate of ripened. grains and the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice was increased. The effect of leaf blades on the weight of brown rice was increased as the amount of basal dressing-application, but the effect was decreased as the amount of top-dressing at heading time increased, 8. The productivity effects of different positioned leaf blades on the rate of ripened grains, the yield of rough rice and the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice were in order of $L_1(flag leaf)>L_2>L_3>L_4$ the productivity effects of $L_1$ and $L_2$ had a tendency to be increased as the amount of nitrogen applied was increased. Experiment II: A field experiment was done in order to disclose the effect of the time of nitrogen application on yield component and the effect of different positioned leaves formed by leaf defoliation at heading time on the rate of ripened grains and the yield of rice. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Average number of ears per hill was increased in the treatment of nitrogen application from basal dressing to 22 days before heading and in the treatment of application distributed weekly. Number of grains was increased in the treatment of nitrogen application from 36 days to 15 days before heading. The rate of ripened grains was, lower in the treatment of nitrogen application from top-dressing to 15 days before heading than in that of non-application, was higher in the treatment of nitrogen application within 8 days before heading, and was the lowest in that of application 29 days before heading. The yield of rough rice was the highest in the treatment of nitrogen application from 29 days to 22 days before heading. The weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice was a little high in the treatment of application from 29 days to 8 days before heading. 2. The rate of ripened grains the yield of rough rice, the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice and the rate of hulling in different treatments of leaf defoliation were remarkably decreased as the degree of leaf defoliation got larger and there were highly significant differences among treatments. There was also a recognized interaction between the time of nitrogen application and leaf defoliation. 3. In relation to the rate of ripened grains, the weight of 1. 000 kernels of brown rice and the rate of hulling in different numbers of remained leaves positioned differently and their combinations, the yield components were in order of $L_1(flag leaf)>L_2>L_3>L_4$ when only one leaf was remained, which indicated that the components were increased as the leaf position got higher. When two laves were remained, the rate of ripened grains, the yield of rough rice and rate of hulling were high in case of the combinations of upper positioned leaves, and the increase in the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice appeared to be affected most]y by flag leaf. When three leaf blades were remained similarly the components were increased with the combination of upper positioned leaf blades. 4. In case of decreased different positioned leaf blades by treatment of leaf defoliation, there was a significant positive regression between the leaf area, the dry matter weight of leaf blades and the nitrogen contents of leaf blades, and rate of ripened grains and the yield of rough rice, but there was no constant tendency between the former components and the weight of 1. 000 kernels of brown rice. 5. The closer the time of fertilizer application to heading time, the more the rate of ripened grains and the weight of 1, 000 kernels was decreased by defoliation, and the less were the remained leaf blades, the more remarkable was the tendency. The rate of ripened grains and the weight of 1. 000 kernels was increased by the top-dressing after heading time as the number of remained leaf blades. When the number of remained leaf blades was small the yield of rough rice was increased as the time of fertilizer application was closer to heading time. 6. Discussing the productivity effects of different organs in different times of nitrogen application, the productivity effect of a leaf blade on the rate of ripened grains was higher as the time of nitrogen application got later, and in the treatment of non-fertilization the productivity effect of a leaf blade and that of culm were the same. In the productivity effect on the yield of brown rice, the effect of culm covered more than 50 percent independently on the time of nitrogen application, and the tendency was larger in the treatment of non-fertilizer. The productivity effect of culm on the weight of 1. 000 kernels of brown rice was more than 90 percent, and the productivity effect of a leaf blade was increased as the time of application got later. 7. The productivity effect of a leaf blade in different positions on the rate of ripened grains, the yield of rough rice and the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice had a tendency to be increased as the time of application got later and as the position of leaf blades got higher. In the treatment of weekly application through the entire growing period, the rate of ripened grains and the yield of rough rice were affected by flag leaf and the second leaf at the same level, the but the weight of 1, 000 kernels of brown rice was affected by flag leaf with more than 60 percent of the yield of total leaves.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.347-366
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• 2023

In the present study, the vegetation was classified using the phytosociological method and canonical-correlation analysis (CCA) was implemented to analyze correlation between community structure and environmental factors in the natural habitats of forest byproducts, especially medicinal plants, such as Cudrania tricuspidata, Sorbus commixta, and Hovenia dulcis, in 2021-2022 to provide primary ecological data to establish environmental conditions for wild vegetable cultivation. A total of 11 plots in five regions, 8 plots in three regions, and 17 plots in 5 regions were selected for the natural habitats of C. tricuspidata in southern Korea, S. commixta in high mountains, and H. dulcis in valleys of central Korea, respectively. The importance value in each community was respectively analyzed as follows, in C. tricuspidata community, the importance value of C. tricuspidata (61.10) was the highest, followed by Celtis sinensis, Pinus thunbergii, Neolitsea aciculata, Styrax japonica, Carpinus coreana, Quercus serrata, and Q. acutissima. In Sorbus commixta community, Q. mongolica (57.21) was the highest, followed by, S. commixta (42.58), Betula ermani, Tilia amurensis, A. pseudosieboldianum, A. tschonoskii var. rubripes, Cornus controversa, Magnolia sieboldii, and Taxus cuspidata. In H. dulcis community, H. dulcis (64.58) was the highest, followed by Zelkova serrata, Cornus controversa, A. mono, Q. serrata, C. cordata, and Juglans mandshurica. As the result of the analysis on DBH of the major species having the high importance value, in C. tricuspidata community, C. tricuspidata, C. sinensis, Neolitsea aciculata, and C. coreana show the density of normal distribution, so the dominant status of these species is likely to continue. In S. commixta community, S. commixta show the density of reverse J-shaped curve, so the dominant status of these species is likely to be stable, and Q. mongolica, B. ermani and T. amurensis, show the density of normal distribution, so the dominant status of these species is likely to continue. In H. dulcis community, C. cordata, and J. mandshurica show the density of reverse J-shaped curve, so the dominant status of these species is likely to be stable, and H. dulcis, Z. serrata, C. controversa and A. mono had a formality distribution, suggesting a continuous domination of these species over the other species for the time being. The results of CCA ordination analysis using 11 environmental factors and 30 communities of three taxa classified by TWINSPAN analysis revealed that the altitude showed the strongest correlation with the vegetation. C. tricuspidata community was distributed on the moderate and gentle northeastern slope at low altitude with the highest pH, C.E.C, Ca²⁺, and Mg² and various P₂O₅, whereas S. commixta community was distributed on the steep slope at high altitude with the highest O.M and T-N and lower P₂O₅, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, C.E.C and pH, which is the opposite tendency of the environment of C. tricuspidata community. H. dulcis community was distributed on the gentle northern slope at lower altitude with an average pH, O.M, T-N, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and C.E.C, except higher P₂O₅.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.253-260
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• 2014

Purpose: The present study was conducted to investigate whether near work with smartphone could induce the change of accommodative function. Methods: Total 63 subjects(26 male and 37 female) in their 20s were firstly examined their visual functions related to accommodation and uncorrected spherical equivalent power as the control. After that, the subjects were asked to read a book for 30 min and sequentially watch a movie on smartphone for the same time after 30 min-break under the indoor light or as it was in the reverse order to avoid time-ordered effect. Their accommodative functions, 1) accommodative amplitude, 2) accommodative facility, 3) relative positive/negative accommodation, and 4) accommodative lag and their uncorrected spherical equivalent power were examined again following each task and compared with the control values. Results: The monocular accommodative amplitude was significantly decreased after smartphone watching compared with it after reading. The monocular and binocular accommodative facilities were tended to reduce after smartphone watching and book reading but were not significantly different. Neither significant change in positive relative accommodation was determined after smartphone watching nor book reading. Negative relative accommodation after smartphone watching was almost unchanged unlike reading a book. The accommodative lag after smartphone work was significantly higher than after book reading. Conclusions: The near work with a smartphone for 30 min induced the change of some accommodative functions, which was significantly greater than when reading under the same working environment.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.104-109
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• 2010

Purpose: $[^{18}F]$Fallypride plays an effective radiotracer for the study of dopamine $D_2/D_3$ receptor occupancy, neuropsychiatric disorders and aging in humans. This tracer has the potential for clinical use, but automated labeling efficiency showed low radiochemical yields about 5~20% with relatively long labelling time of fluorine-18. In present study, we describe an improved automatic synthesis of [$^{18}F$]Fallypride using different base concentration for routine clinical use. Materials and Methods: Fully automated synthetic process of [$^{18}F$]Fallypride was perform using the TracerLab $FX_{FN}$ synthesizer under various labeling conditions and tosyl-fallypride was used as a precursor. [$^{18}F$]Fluoride was extracted with various concentration of $K_{2.2.2.}/K_2CO_3$ from $^{18}O$-enriched water trapped on the ion exchange cartridge. After azeotropic drying, the labeling reaction proceeded in $CH_3CN$ at $100^{\circ}C$ for 10 or 30 min. The reaction mixture was purified by reverse phase HPLC and collected organic solution was exchanged by tc-18 Sep-Pak for the clinically available solution. Results: The optimal labeling condition of [$^{18}F$]Fallypride in the automatic production was that 2 mg of tosyl-fallypride in acetonitrile (1 mL) was incubated at $100^{\circ}C$ for 10 min with $K_{2.2.2.}/K_2CO_3$ (11/0.8 mg). [$^{18}F$]Fallypride was obtained with high radiochemical yield about $66{\pm}1.4%$ (decay-corrected, n=28) within $51{\pm}1.2$ min including HPLC purification and solid-phase purification for the final formulation. Conclusion: [$^{18}F$]Fallypride was prepared with a significantly improved radiochemical yield with high specific activity and shorten synthetic time. In addition, this automated procedure provides the high reproducibility with no synthesis failures (n=28).

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2016

Purpose: Enterovirus (EV) infection in children can manifest various diseases from asymptomatic infection to nonspecific febrile illness, hand-foot-mouth disease, and aseptic meningitis. This study was aimed to investigate epidemiology and clinical significance of various genotypes of EV infections in pediatric inpatient. Methods: We collected the stool samples from the admitted pediatric patients in Inha University Hospital from March 2014 to March 2015. EV detection and genotype identification were performed by real-time RT-PCR and semi-nested RT-PCR. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by neighbor joining method. Results: A total of 400 samples were collected during study period and 112 patients (28%) were diagnosed with EV infections. The mean age of EV positive patients was 2.66 years (0.1-14) and sex ratio was 1.73:1. Genetic sequences of EVs were identified; coxsackievirus B5 (17, 15.2%), coxsackievirus A16 (13, 11.6%), enterovirus 71 (10, 8.9%), and coxsackievirus A2 (9, 8.0%). Nonspecific febrile illness (96, 86%) was the most common clinical manifestation and the duration of fever was 0-11 days (mean 3.1 days). Rash (44, 39%) and meningitis (43, 38%) were followed. Patients who were attending daycare center or had siblings accounted for 82.1%. Phylogenetic relationship tree revealed 6 distinct genogroups among 56 types of EVs. Conclusions: This study is the report of epidemiology, serotype distribution and clinical manifestations of children with EV infection in Incheon. This data will be helpful for further study about the epidemiology of EV infection in Korea.