• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권14호
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• pp.5729-5732
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• 2014

Background: Cervical cancer is the third most common gynecological cancer and a widespread malignancy in women, accounting for a large proportion of the cancer burden in developing countries. We compared accuracy of MRI staging with clinical staging and also concordance between the two methods for newly diagnosed patients with cervical cancer, using clinical staging as the reference. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 27 newly diagnosed patients with cervical cancer from Imam Khomeini hospital from June 2012 to Feb 2014. New cases of cervical cancer with positive PAP test were staged separately with a clinical exam based on the FIGO system by a gynecologist, oncologist and also with MRI by an expert radiologist. Then we compared the predicted stage for each patient with the two methods. Results: Based on clinical staging 9 patients (33%) were observed at stage 1. MRI staging was in coordination with clinical staging in eight of them and for one patient MRI accorded stage 2B (88% concordance). Conclusions: MRI is a reliable noninvasive method with high accuracy for cervical cancer staging. Also presently it is easily obtainable, so we recommend using this technique along with clinical examination for staging cervical cancer patients. We also recommend to radiologists and residents of radiology to get experience with this method of staging.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.9-16
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• 2013

Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is included in the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family, which methylates histone arginine residues through posttranslational modification. It has been proposed that CARM1 may up-regulate the expression of pluripotency-related genes through the alteration of the chromatin structure. Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) are pluripotent and have the ability to self-renew. The cells are mainly used to study the genetic function of novel genes, because the cells facilitate the transmission of the manipulated genes into target mice. Since the up-regulated methylation levels of histone arginine residue lead to the maintenance of pluripotency in embryos and stem cells, it may be suggested that CARM1 overexpressing mESCs elevate the expression of pluripotency-related genes in reconstituted embryos for transgenic mice and may resist the differentiation into trophectoderm (TE). We constructed a fusion protein by connecting CARM1 and 7X-arginine (R7). As a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), can translocate CARM1 protein into mESCs. CPP-CARM1 protein was detected in the nuclei of the mESCs after a treatment of 24 hours. Accordingly, the expression of pluripotency-related genes was up-regulated in CPP-CARM1-treated mESCs. In addition, CPP-CARM1-treated mESC-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) showed an elevated expression of pluripotency-related genes and delayed spontaneous differentiation. This result suggests that the treatment of recombinant CPP-CARM1 protein elevates the expression of pluripotency-related genes of mESCs by epigenetic modification, and this protein-delivery system could be used to modify embryonic fate in reconstituted embryos with mESCs.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제10권8호
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• pp.577-582
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• 2016

본 연구는 MR Sialography 검사 시 사용되는 타액분비촉진제를, 새로운 고체 자극제로 대체하더라도 신호강도는 차이가 없다는 것을 증명함으로써, 기존 액체 자극제의 사용으로 인해 발생되는 문제점을 개선하고자 하였다. 연구방법은 2016년 1월부터 동년 8월까지 타액선 질환이 없는 60명을 대상으로, 액체 자극제와 고체 자극제를 적용한 그룹으로 나누어 각각 영상을 획득한 후, 자극제의 종류에 따른 이하선 관의 신호강도를 비교 평가하였다. 연구결과, 기존의 액체 자극제($59.42{\pm}15.74$)에 비해 새로운 고체 자극제($61.80{\pm}13.99$)를 사용했을 경우 신호강도는 4.01%(2.38) 증가하였으나, 통계적으로 유의한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 결론적으로 자극제의 종류에 따른 신호강도는 차이가 없음으로 새로운 고체 자극제를 사용하면 기존의 액체 자극제의 사용으로 인해 발생되는 여러 가지 문제점을 개선할 수 있다.

• 한국의류산업학회지
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.331-336
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• 2003

This study is to research the influence of Caesalpinia sappan which was imported through the exchanges between the Chosun dynasty and Japanese envoys during the early Chosun dynasty. Korea interchanged politically and culturally with Japan since ancient times. Particularly, the good-neighbor foreign policy toward Japan grew into trade relations. The diplomatic mission, under the name of Tongshinsa, was dispatched 12 times in total. Plenty of goods were exchanged through the visiting of Japanese envoys as well as through the activities of Korean envoys. In other words, the Korean-Japanese relations were at first focused on the political and diplomatic etiquette and gradually evolved into economic exchanges. Trading goods were various, including food, clothing, etc. Caesalpinia sappan, a red dye, was the most imported goods from Japan, but it was sold at a very high price, which caused luxurious trends in clothing. However, these sumptuous moods of the upper classes were decreased in the 16th century. Some of the reasons are : the difficulties of Japan's trade with the Caesalpinia sappan producing countries in South-east Asia, the transition of the high classes' preference from red clothing into Chinese BaecSa and SaraNeungDan, and the comparative decrease in the demand of Caesalpinia sappan by the changed understanding of Honghwa. Therefore, the early Chosun dynasty's clothing trends were due to the relationships between the Chosun dynasty and Japan.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.71-74
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• 2015

Obesity and fitness have been identified as key health concerns among USA firefighters yet little is known about the current habits related to exercise and diet. In particular, high-intensity training (HIT) has gained increasing popularity among this population but limited quantitative data are available about how often it is used and the relationship between HIT and other outcomes. Using survey methodology, the current study evaluated self-reported HIT and diet practice among 625 male firefighters. Almost one-third (32.3%) of participants reported engaging in HIT. Body composition, as measured by waist circumference and percentage body fat, was significantly related to HIT training, with HIT participants being approximately half as likely to be classified as obese using body fat [odds ratio (OR) = 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.34-0.78] or waist circumference (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.37-0.98). Those who engaged in HIT were more than twice as likely as those who did not (OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.42-3.55) to meet fitness recommendations. Findings highlight directions for future prevention and intervention efforts.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.95-99
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• 2013

Background: Work-related stress is one of the major causes of occupational ill health. In line with the regulatory framework on occupational health and safety (OSH), adequate models for assessing and managing risk need to be identified so as to minimize the impact of this stress not only on workers' health, but also on productivity. Methods: After close analysis of the Italian and European reference regulatory framework and workrelated stress assessment and management models used in some European countries, we adopted the UK Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Management Standards (MS) approach, adapting it to the Italian context in order to provide a suitable methodological proposal for Italy. Results: We have developed a work-related stress risk assessment strategy, meeting regulatory requirements, now available on a specific web platform that includes software, tutorials, and other tools to assist companies in their assessments. Conclusion: This methodological proposal is new on the Italian work-related stress risk assessment scene. Besides providing an evaluation approach using scientifically validated instruments, it ensures the active participation of occupational health professionals in each company. The assessment tools provided enable companies not only to comply with the law, but also to contribute to a database for monitoring and assessment and give access to a reserved area for data analysis and comparisons.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.721-728
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• 2012

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer in developing countries. Rapid diagnosis and initiation of treatment of the HPV infection are critical. Various methods have been employed to reduce the immunogenicity of antibodies targeting HPV serotypes. Nanobodies are the smallest fragments of naturally occurring single-domain antibodies with their antigen-binding site compromised into a single domain. Nanobodies have remarkable properties such as high stability, solubility, and high homology to the human VH3 domain. In this study, a phagemid library was employed to enrich for nanobodies against the L1 protein of the human papilloma virus. Binding reactivity of the selected clones was evaluated using phage enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (phage-ELISA). Finally, two nanobodies (sm5 and sm8) with the best reactivity against the Gardasil vaccine and the purified HPV-16 L1 protein were expressed and purified using a $Ni^+$-NTA column. The accuracy of expression and purification of the nanobodies was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting assays. In vitro studies demonstrated that neutralization was achieved by the selected nanobodies. The ease of generation and unique features of these molecules make nanobodies promising molecules for the new generation of HPV diagnosis and therapy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권12호
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• pp.1653-1663
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• 2010

The first gene (${\alpha}$-gal1) encoding an extracellular ${\alpha}$-Dgalactosidase from the thermophilic fungus Talaromyces emersonii was cloned and characterized. The ${\alpha}$-gal1 gene consisted of an open reading frame of 1,792 base pairs interrupted by six introns that encoded a mature protein of 452 amino acids, including a 24 amino acid secretory signal sequence. The translated protein had highest identity with other fungal ${\alpha}$-galactosidases belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 27. The ${\alpha}$-gal1 gene was overexpressed as a secretory protein with an N-terminal histidine tag in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. Recombinant ${\alpha}$-Gal1 was secreted into the culture medium as a monomeric glycoprotein with a maximal yield of 10.75 mg/l and purified to homogeneity using Hisbinding nickel-agarose affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme was maximally active at $70^{\circ}C$, pH 4.5, and lost no activity over 10 days at $50^{\circ}C$. ${\alpha}$-Gal1 followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics ($V_{max}\;of\;240.3{\mu}M/min/mg,\;K_m\;of\;0.294 mM$) and was inhibited competitively by galactose ($K_m{^{obs}}$ of 0.57 mM, $K_i$ of 2.77 mM). The recombinant T. emersonii ${\alpha}$-galactosidase displayed broad substrate preference, being active on both oligo- and polymeric substrates, yet had strict specificity for the ${\alpha}$-galactosidic linkage. Owing to its substrate preference and noteworthy stability, ${\alpha}$-Gal1 is of particular interest for possible biotechnological applications involving the processing of plant materials.

• 동아시아식생활학회지
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.314-324
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• 2016

To improve the color stability of chlorophyll in young barley leaf used as functional green biomaterial, the absorption spectrum, color values, and antioxidative activities of young barley leaf (YBL) treated with zinc ion solutions were investigated. The small pieces of fresh YBL in aqueous solution mixtures were autoclaved twice at $110^{\circ}C$ for 30 min (pH 5). Distilled water (BLA), 0.01% zinc chloride (BLAZ), 0.01% zinc citrate (BLAC), and 0.01% zinc lactate (BLAL) solutions were used. Treated YBL powders were extracted with 80% EtOH for 4 h. Chlorophyll a and b contents differed with different treatments. BLA decreased chlorophyll a and b contents, whereas others were maintained. Absorbance spectrums of chlorophyll at 400~700 nm showed different maximum peak wavelengths. After heating in acidic and neutral solutions (pH 3, 5, and 7), the colors of YBL and BLA changed from green to olive green, whereas BLAZ, BLAC, and BLAL remained green color. The antioxidative activities showed higher values in YBL extract than in treated extracts. From the above results, autoclaved YBL in zinc solution would increase the color stability and maintain green color regardless of acid and heat treatments.

• 동아시아식생활학회지
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.457-465
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• 2016

Effects of soaking time on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of waxy rice flours and starches purified from flours using the alkaline steeping method were investigated. Korean cultivar Sinseonchal waxy rice was washed and soaked in tap water (1:2 w/w) and stored at room temperature for 15 days. On each day of soaking for 0, 1,2 3, 5, 10, and 15 days, pH of soaking water was measured and rice grains were dried, ground, and passed through 100 mesh sieve. The pH was reduced to 3.90 by day 5 and increased to 4.60 by day 15. The protein and ash contents, swelling powers and solubilities of flours and starches decreased with increasing soaking time. The water-binding capacities increased while trends were not similar to soaking time. The flour particle size distribution ranged from two to four peaks with increasing soaking times. Starch granule size decreased with increasing soaking time. The peak, trough, and final viscosities of flours and starches showed similar trends until 10 days and 15 days, respectively. The starches presented higher viscosities than the flours. The branch chain length distributions of amylopectin of starches showed an increaseed DP6~12 portion and decreased DP13~24 portion with increasing soaking time of waxy rice grains.