• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.471-475
• /
• 2004

Tamsulosin has been frequently used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. To avoid dose-dependent side effects of tamsulosin upon oral administration, the development of sustained-release delivery system is required, that can maintain therapeutic drug levels for a longer period of time. The aim of this study was therefore to formulate sustained-release tamsulosin matrix tablets and assess their formulation variables. We designed enteric coated sustained-release tamsulosin matrices to fulfill above statement. Aqueous microchannels in the enteric film need to be formed in order to obtain tamsulosin release even in an acidic environment such as gastric region. In the sustained-release tamsulosin matrix, low viscosity hydroxypropylmethylcellulose was used as a rate controller. Povidone K30 was also added to the matrices to facilitate water uptake so that a decrease in the release rate of tamsulosin as time elapses was prevented, possibly leading to pseudo zero-order release of the drug. The matrices were enteric-coated with hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP), along with povidone K30 as an aqueous microchannel former. With the aqueous microchannels formed within the enteric film, tamsulosin could be released in an acidic condition. The release of tamsulosin decreased with increasing thickness of HPMCP membrane while the release rates of tamsulosin from those having different HPMCP thickness in pH 7.2 aqueous media were not considerably different, indicating that the enteric film was promptly dissolved at pH 7.2. These results clearly suggest that the sustained-release oral delivery system for tamsulosin could be designed with satisfying drug release profile approved by the KFDA.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.244-252
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study is to investigate the overall operations of National Hospital Food service after it was benefited by National Health Insurance (NHI). The survey was conducted between July and August, 2007. Among questionnaires mailed to 2,558 medical care institutions, 2,090 returned (81%) questionnaires were analyzed by descriptive statistics, $x^2$-test and ANOVA using the SPSS 13.0. The general foodservice characteristic of medical care institutions were as follows. The type of foodservice operations were 'self-operated' (86.9%), 'contracted' (10.5%) and 'Both' (2.6%). Only 6.4% of medical care institutions provided 'hospital food menu not benefited by NHI'. The number of dietitians and cook for medical care institutions were 1.1 and 1.0, respectively. The cost of a general diet meal was 4,205 won and therapeutic diet meal was 4,434 won. The overall operations of hospital foodservice were different depending on the types of medical care institution. After hospital foodservice was benefited by NHI, the overall quality of hospital foodservice including manpower, facilities, and environment was improved. The future direction of hospital foodservice should 1) differentiate the cost of hospital foodservice by the types of medical care institution, 2) increase in co-payment, and 3) provide same service with equal expenses in each party as medical aid or NHS beneficiary.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.23-28
• /
• 2017

Arctigenin is the main active ingredient of Fructus Arctii, which has been reported with a variety of therapeutic activities including anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-virus, and anti-obesity effects. In this study, a simple and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of arctigenin in rat plasma. The assay utilized a simple protein precipitation with methanol and the mobile phase consisted of 100% methanol and water containing 0.1% formic acid (65:35 v/v). Arctigenin and the internal standard (psoralen) were monitored using a positive electrospray turbo ionspray mode with multiple reaction monitoring transitions of m/z $373.2{\rightarrow}136.9$ and m/z $187.2{\rightarrow}130.9$, respectively, and total chromatographic run time was within 5 min. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of arctigenin was 5 ng/mL in the rat plasma. The intra- and inter-day accuracy of arctigenin at LLOQ and matrix-matched quality control samples ranged 97.4 - 104.8% and 97.2 - 102.0%, respectively. The intra-day precision was within 4.80% and the inter-day precision was within 5.92%. Application of the present method was demonstrated through a pharmacokinetic study after intravenous and oral administration of arctigenin in male Sprague Dawley rats.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.101-104
• /
• 2018

Purpose Alpha fetoprotein(AFP) is a fetal serum protein that increases in germ cell tumors derived from liver cancer or egg yolk. AFP test has been used for screening of liver cancer, determination of tumor stage, determination of therapeutic effect, and fetal congenital malformations. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of the four kits, identify the advantages and disadvantages of each kit, and select the appropriate kits for our laboratory. Materials and Methods Blood samples were obtained from 89 patients attending the Seoul national university hospital. Experiments were carried out in accordance with manufacturer's instructions of four companies(A, B, C, D). The precision, recovery, linearity, and sensitivity test were performed for each kit. Results In case of the precision within the measurement, the CV value of the C kit was less than 5% at the low, middle, and high concentrations. The A, B and D kit's the CV value was less than 5% at the concentrations except the low concentration. The recovery rates of the A, B, C, and D kits were $100{\pm}15%$, $100{\pm}30%$, $100{\pm}16%$ and $100{\pm}14%$, respectively. All kits showed good linearity. Sensitivity was measured as 0.5 IU/mL for A, 0.4 IU/mL for B, 0.98 IU/mL for C, and 0.3 IU/mL for D. Conclusion The CV values of the four kits were within 10%, and the correlation coefficients were close to 1 for $R^2=0.978$, $R^2=0.992$ and $R^2=0.8957$. As a result, they are clinically available. Therefore, each laboratory should select the appropriate kit for their experiment's environment.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.184-195
• /
• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to characterize the relationship between parental stress and nurses' communication as perceived by parents of high-risk newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The participants were 54 parents of high-risk newborns in a NICU. Data were collected from January to March 2018. Parental stress and parents' perceptions of nurses' communication ability and styles were measured using a questionnaire. Results: The average scores for parental stress and nurses' communication ability were 3.39 and 4.38 respectively, on a 5-point scale. Parents most commonly reported that nurses showed a friendly communication style, followed by informative and authoritative styles. Mothers and fathers reported significantly different levels of parental stress. Parental stress showed a negative correlation with nurses' perceived verbal communication ability. Higher scores for nurses' verbal communication ability and for friendly and informative communication styles were associated with lower parental stress induced by the environment, the baby's appearance and behaviors, and treatments in the NICU. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that nurses need to offer proper information for parents and to support parents by encouraging them to express their emotions of stress and by providing parents with therapeutic communication and opportunities to participate in care.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
• /
• v.34 no.10
• /
• pp.83-94
• /
• 2018

In many theoretical and empirical studies on the design issues of therapeutic healthcare facilities, spatial configuration that promotes users' wayfinding behavior, has been emphasized as a significant factor to mitigate stressful experiences and to enhance restorative quality in the healthcare environment. This is also applicable to the healthcare setting for children. However, not much evidence has been reported with regard to the relationship between spatial configuration and wayfinding behaviors in this specific setting. Moreover, healthcare facilities for children with physical disabilities need more attention to provide easy wayfinding due to various physical restrictions. The aim of this study is therefore, to unfold the relationship between spatial configuration and visual cognitive qualities of outpatient spaces in the selected children's rehabilitation hospitals in Seoul, by examining visual cognitive attributes such as visibility, accessibility, and intelligibility. In the first phase, the spatial layout of the hospitals was analyzed, with an emphasis on the major outpatient areas such as the entrance lobby, doctors' examination, and physical therapy zones. In the second phase, a space syntax tool was implemented to examine visual cognitive characteristics of the spatial configuration. The spatial configuration parameters measured were integration, integration core, visual isovist field continuity, correlation between integration and step depth, and the correlation between integration n and integration 3. As a result, the integration was higher in the hall type configuration. Circulation intersections acted mostly as integration cores for better visibility. Some areas showed the lack of continuity in the visual isovist fields overlap and irregular correlation between integration and step depth. The intelligibility was higher in the circulation area and social interaction spaces such as a cafe, reception waiting, and therapy waiting areas. Based on the analysis, design implication and possible future improvement were discussed to enhance wayfinding experiences in the hospitals for children with physical disabilities.

• Korean Journal of Play Therapy
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.449-471
• /
• 2018

This instrumental case study analysed the play engaged in during play therapy sessions provided for a child suffering from tension, embarrassment, and anxiety. The client, a 4-year-old girl, was referred to play therapy due to high levels of difficulties in expressing her thoughts, and her refusal to engage in group activities at a child care center. Child initiative play therapy and the consultation with the mother focused on building her child rearing skills and helping her create a facilitating environment for her child were employed as the therapeutic intervention. The teacher's weekly report focused on child behaviors at the child care center were continued during the sessions. 12 play therapy sessions were provided and there was a follow-up session after one month. The process of the play therapy itself and the themes thus revealed were analyzed on the basis of Erikson's developmental theory and the findings provide implications for mental health professionals.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.44 no.11
• /
• pp.784-794
• /
• 2021

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a mesenchymal malignancy with a complex karyotype. Despite accumulated evidence, the factors contributing to the development of LMS are unclear. Here, we investigated the role of tight-junction protein 1 (TJP1), a membrane-associated intercellular barrier protein during the development of LMS and the tumor microenvironment. We orthotopically transplanted SK-LMS-1 cells and their derivatives in terms of TJP1 expression by intramuscular injection, such as SK-LMS-1 Sh-Control cells and SK-LMS-1 Sh-TJP1. We observed robust tumor growth in mice transplanted with LMS cell lines expressing TJP1 while no tumor mass was found in mice transplanted with SK-LMS-1 Sh-TJP1 cells with silenced TJP1 expression. Tissues from mice were stained and further analyzed to clarify the effects of TJP1 expression on tumor development and the tumor microenvironment. To identify the TJP1-dependent factors important in the development of LMS, genes with altered expression were selected in SK-LMS-1 cells such as cyclinD1, CSF1 and so on. The top 10% of highly expressed genes in LMS tissues were obtained from public databases. Further analysis revealed two clusters related to cell proliferation and the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, integrated analyses of the gene expression networks revealed correlations among TJP1, CSF1 and CTLA4 at the mRNA level, suggesting a possible role for TJP1 in the immune environment. Taken together, these results imply that TJP1 contributes to the development of sarcoma by proliferation through modulating cell-cell aggregation and communication through cytokines in the tumor microenvironment and might be a beneficial therapeutic target.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.7
• /
• pp.825-834
• /
• 2022

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a global disease that is in increasing incidence. The gut, which contains the largest amount of lymphoid tissue in the human body, as well as a wide range of nervous system components, is integral in ensuring intestinal homeostasis and function. By interacting with gut microbiota, immune cells, and the enteric nervous system, the intestinal barrier, which is a solid barrier, protects the intestinal tract from the external environment, thereby maintaining homeostasis throughout the body. Destruction of the intestinal barrier is referred to as developing a "leaky gut," which causes a series of changes relating to the occurrence of IBD. Changes in the interactions between the intestinal barrier and gut microbiota are particularly crucial in the development of IBD. Exploring the leaky gut and its interaction with the gut microbiota, immune cells, and the neuroimmune system may help further explain the pathogenesis of IBD and provide potential therapeutic methods for future use.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
• /
• v.14 no.8
• /
• pp.391-396
• /
• 2020

This study was to examined the effect of chain types exercise of lower limbs on the motor performance differences for the life-carement. For this, twenty normal adult women participated and they were examined the differences of exercise effects about abdominal muscle activity and balance ability by applying two types of chain exercise. In order to identify the differences we let them conduct exercise for 4 weeks with each type of exercise. And we used paired t-test and Independent sample t-test for comparing the differences in the group and inter groups. There was a significant difference in the value of 0.05 to verify statistical significance. As a result of this research, it was found that closed chain exercise is more effective than open chain exercise in muscle activity and balance function. Therefore, in the clinical therapeutic environment, if you apply chain exercise for patient to improve lower limb motor performance, we would recommend the close kinematic chain exercise.