• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.272-281
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• 2010

The objective of this research was to find out the weed management techniques in environment-friendly rice paddy fields through the study on herbicidal effects and problems of various organic materials. This experiment was conducted under different conditions of weed species and weed densities in environment-friendly rice paddy fields. There was no difference in weedy efficacy on golden apple snail (GAS), paper mulching (PM), and machine weeding (MW) between low and high weed densities. However, the effect of weed control in rice bran (RB) and effective microorganism (EM) + molasses was higher in high weed density than in low weed density. In general, the effect of weed control as affected by various organic materials was in the order of GAS (97-100%) > PM (93-98%) > RB (15-80%) > EM (7-31%). GAS provided excellent control of all weed species tested except for Persicaria hydropiper. PM gave acceptable control of the weed species except for Echinochloa crus-galli, Ludwigia prostrata, and Eleocharis kuroguwai. However, MW gave fair control (70% biomass reduction) of all weed species tested. BR followed by MW or EM followed by MW treatments had similar effect on weed control compared to each treatment alone. However, BR followed by GAS or EM followed by GAS provided 100% control of weed species tested. The level of rice foliar injury caused by various organic materials was in the order of GAS and MW (10-20%) > RB (10-15%) > PM and EM (5-7%). Typical symptoms of organic materials are wilting, inhibition of growth, missing hill, and reduction of tiller. Cost for weed control of GAS, RB, EM, and PM were 2.1, 3.1, 2.3, and 13.2 times higher than that of the herbicide. These data indicate that GAS was the best method for weed management in environmentfriendly rice paddy fields. Further study is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the rice injury as affected by GAS.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2007

Purpose: Recently well-developed anorectal function tests have revealed that there is an obvious pelvic floor dyssynergia (PFD) pattern in pediatric patients with constipation, as well as in adult's. The use of biofeedback therapy (BT) has been widely implemented in adult PFD patients; however, this approach has only rarely been considered for pediatric PFD patients. Therefore, we assessed the effectiveness of BT in children with PFD. Methods: We studied 70 children with PFD, who were referred to the department of pediatrics at the Asan Medical Center for the management of soiling or chronic constipation from September 2002 to February 2005. Diagnosis of PFD and assessment of the efficacy of BT for PFD treatment were carried out along with several ano-rectal function tests (cine-defecography, ano-rectal manometry, balloon expulsion test and intra-anal EMG); in addition, a questionnaire was administered. The BT based intra-anal EMG was performed. A follow-up telephone interview was performed more than 6 months later. Results: Most of the symptoms and results of the ano-rectal function tests were statistically improved after BT. In comparisons between the BT and control groups (BT refusal group due to poor compliance), the symptoms were statistically improved at follow-up. Therefore, for the shortterm improvement of symptoms, BT was better than conservative therapy alone. The negative feelings associated with ano-rectal function testing and BT were directly associated with failure or success of therapy. Conclusion: Pediatric patients with constipation or soiling that presented with an obvious PFD pattern showed that BT was a useful therapeutic tool for rapid improvement of symptoms.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 1998

Purpose : The best prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma can be achieved with surgical resection. However, the number of resected cases is limited due to the advanced lesion or associated liver disease. A trial of combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE) and local radiotherapy(RT) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) was prospectively conducted and its efficacy and toxicity were investigated. Materials and Methods : From 1992 to 1994, 30 Patients with unresectable HCC due either to advanced lesion or to associated cirrhosis were entered in the study Exclusion criteria included the presence of extrahepatic metastasis, liver cirrhosis of Child's class C, tumors occupying more than two-thirds of the whole liver, and an ECOG scale of more than 3. Patient cHaracteristics were : mean tumor size $8.95\pm3.4cm$, serum AFP+ in all patients, portal vein thrombosis in all patients, liver cirrhosis in 22 patients, and UICC stage III and IVA in 10 and 20 patients, respectively. TACE was performed with the mixture of Lipiodol(5ml) and Adriamycin(50mg) and Gelfoam embolizatin. RT(mean dose $44.0\pm9.3Gy$) 10 days with conventional fractionation. Results : An objective response was observed in 19 patients($63.3\%$). Survival rates at 1 2, and 3 years were $67\%,\;33.3\%$ and $22.2\%$, respectively. Median survival was 17 months. There were 6 patients surviving more than 3 years. Distant metastasis occurred in 10 patients, with 8 in the lung only and 2 in both lung and bone, Toxicity included transient elevation of liver function test in all patients, fever in 20, thrombocytopenia in 4, and nausea and vomiting in 1. There was no treatment-related death. Conclusion : Combined TACE and RT appear to produce a favorable response and survival results with minimal toxicity.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.752-759
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• 1997

Profound hypothermia protects . cerebral function during total circulatory arrest(TCA) in the surgical treatment of a variety of cardiac and aortic diseases. Despite its importance, there is no ideal technique to monitor the brain injury from ischemia. Since 1994, we have developed compressed spectral array(CSA) of electroencephalography(EEG) and monitored cerebral activity to reduce ischemic injury. The purposes of this study are to analyse the efficacy of CSA and to establish objective criteria to consistently identify the safe level of temperature and arrest time. We studied 6 patients with aortic dissection(AD, n=3) or aortic arch aneurysm(n=3, ruptured in 2). Body temperatures from rectum and esophagus and the EEG were monitored continuously during cooling and rewarming period. TCA with cerebral ischemia was performed in 3 patients and TCA with selective cerebral perfusion was performed in 3 patients. Total ischemic time was 30, 36 and 56 minutes respectively for TCA group and selective perfusion time was 41, 56 and 92 minutes respectively for selective perfusion group. The rectal temperatures for flat EEG were between 16.1 and 22. $1^{\circ}C$ (mean: 18.4 $\pm$ 2.0): the esophageal temperatures between 12.7 and $16.4^{\circ}C$ (mean $14.7\pm1.6).$ The temperatures at which EEG reappeared $5~15.4^{\circ}C$ for esophagus. There was no neurological defic t and no surgical mortality in this series. In summary, the electrical cerebral activity Teappeared within 23 minutes at the temperature less than $16^{\circ}C$ for rectum. It seemed that $15^{\circ}C$ of esophageal temperature was not safe for 20 minutes of TCA and continuous monitoring the EEG with CSA to identify the electrocerebral silence was useful.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.263-268
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• 2002

Bacillus polyfermenticus SCD, which is commonly called a 'Bisroot' strain, has been appropriately used for the treatment of long-term intestinal disorders, since the live strains, in the form of active endospores, can successfully reach the target intestine. Goal of this study was to develop an industrial medium for growth and sporulation of B. polyfermenticus SCD. From the results of effect of mixed carbon sources on growth and sporulation of B. polyfermenticus SCD, glucose 2% and starch 2% was particularly found to be the most effective for the maximum number of spore production, resulting in spore cells of $4.3{\times}10^9\;spores/mL$ with a sporulation yield of 91%. For the effect of nitrogen sources, the maximum spore cells of $5.7{\times}10^9\;spores/mL$ of B. polyfermenticus SCD with a sporulation yield of 97% was obtained when B. polyfermenticus SCD was cultivated in an optimum nitrogen source medium containing 5% soybean flour. A medium involving proper phosphate salt yielded the maximum number of a spore cells of $6.0{\times}10^9\;spores/mL$ with a sporulation yield of 95%. Finally, the efficacy of an industrial medium (KH5 medium) on growth and sporulation of B. polyfermenticus SCD was investigated in jar fermenter. The higher number of viable cells $(3.3{\times}10^{10}\;cells/mL)$ and spore cells $(3.0{\times}10^{10}\;spores/mL)$ were obtained in 5 L fermenter when compared with a 500 mL baffle flask cultivation. Thus, KH5 medium developed in this study shows promise as an industrial medium because of higher cells and sporulation yield.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.790-800
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• 2017

As men get older, total testosterone levels decline gradually, and concentrations of free and bioavailable testosterone decline sharply with each decade beyond their 30s. Andropause or testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) is defined as a decrease in sexual satisfaction or decline in general well-being accompanied by low levels of testosterone in older men. This male climacteric is characterized by nervousness, reduced potency, decreased libido, irritability, fatigue, depression, memory problems, sleep disturbances, and hot flushes. Cirsium japonicum (CJ) is used as a traditional medicine for hemorrhage, blood congestion, and inflammation in Korea. However, there is no report on the efficacy of CJ treatment for TDS. In this study, we observed the mitigating effect of CJ extract (CE) and fermented CJ extract (FCE) on symptoms of TDS. In elderly male rats, total and testosterone levels, hind limbs muscles, forced swimming time, and total and motile sperm counts significantly increased after daily intake of CE and FCE for 6 weeks. In contrast, sex hormone binding globulin, retroperitoneal fat, total serum cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were significantly reduced in CE and FCE groups. However, there was no difference in prostate specific antigen, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels among all groups, which means CE and FCE did not have putative adverse effects. In a cell experiment, we also observed that CE and FCE enhanced expression of genes related to testosterone biosynthesis but reduced genes involved in testosterone conversion. On the whole, these positive effects on TDS were greater in FCE compared to CE. Thus, these results suggest the potential of FCE as a promising natural product for recovering testosterone levels and alleviating TDS.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2006

Background : Recently, there have been several studies showing that irinotecan hydrochloride, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, is effective against extensive disease(ED) small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We conducted a phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of irinotecan plus cisplatin as a 1st line therapy for both limited and extensive disease SCLC. Methods : The study was conducted between January 2002 and June 2004. Patients were treated with $60mg/m^2$ irinotecan on day 1, 8, 15 and $60mg/m^2$ cisplatin on day 1, every 4 weeks. During concurrent thoracic irradiation for limited disease (LD)-SCLC patients, dose of irinotecan was reduced to $40mg/m^2$. Prophylactic cranial irradiation was given to patients with complete remission (CR) after chemotherapy. Results : Median ages of LD- and ED- SCLC were 64 years and performance status (PS) was 0-2. In patients with LD-SCLC, the response rate after concurrent chemoradiotherapy was 85% (CR, 6; Partial response [PR], 11). The median survival was 20 months (95% CIs, 15.6 to 24.4) with 1-and 2-year survival rates of 85% and 35%, respectively. Median progression free survival (PFS) was 12 months (95% CIs, 6.2 to 18.1) with 1- year PFS of 36%. In ED-SCLC, the response rate was 83.4% (CR, 1; PR, 14). The median survival was 14.5 months (95% CIs, 8.8 to 20.1) with 1-year survival rates of 75%. Median PFS was 6.3 months (95% CIs, 5.6 to 7.1) with 1- year PFS of 20%. The major toxicities (grade 3 or 4) of this regimen included leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea without life threatening complication. Conclusion : Our data shows that the combination of irinotecan plus cisplatin as a first line therapy is effective and tolerable in the treatment of both LD- and ED- SCLC.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.367-377
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• 2009

Halitosis is a generally accepted marker of diseases in the oral cavity and of systemic and gastrointestinal disorders. Based on these authors' previous findings (that (1) there is a close association between H. pylori infection and halitosis; (2) Korea red ginseng may suppress the colonization of H. pylori, fight H. pylori-induced cytotoxicity, and impose significant anti-inflammatory actions in patients with chronic gastritis; and (3) H. pylori infection is linked with the generation of significant levels of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), and the levels of VSCs correlate significantly with H. pylori-associated mucosal damages), in the current study, the authors documented the molecular mechanisms of Korea red ginseng's efficacy in ameliorating halitosis. When the RAW 264.7 cells were treated with the $H_2S$ releasing compound NaHS, the mRNA expression of cystathionine ${\gamma}$-lyase (CSE), IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS were more significantly induced compared with the vehicle-treated group. The cytoskeletal components of ezrin's and moesin's mRNA expressions were elevated by NaHS treatment accompanied by the activation of MAPK, p38, and ERK. Korea red ginseng pretreatment reduced both the NaHS-induced CSE expression and the proinflammatory genes (e.g., IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS) in a concentration-dependent manner. The ERM expression and the phosphorylation of p38 were also significantly reduced by Korea-red-ginseng pretreatment. Overall, Korea red ginseng pretreatment imposed significant anti-inflammatory effects through the downregulation of the NaHS-triggered proinflammatory gene expression, CSE, and ERM mRNA expression. Korea red ginseng could thus be said to be a key remedy of halitosis and to be effective in relieving gastric inflammation.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.94-99
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• 2005

This prospective study aimed to assess the efficacy of dexamethasone to prevent xylazine induced emesis in dogs. The antiemetic effect of graded, single high-dose intravenous dexamethasone against xylazine hydrochloride was studied. Clinically healthy mixed breed dogs that weighed $ 4.64\pm1.25kg$ were used in this study. Food and water were given 3 hours before the experiment. Venous blood specimens were collected from all experimental animals for hema-tological and blood chemical test pre- and post-experiment. Twenty-eight experimental animals were randomly divided into 4 groups; the group treated with 0.2ml/kg of normal saline (Control group), the groups treated with 1mg/kg (D1 group), 2mg/kg (D2 group) and 4 mg/kg of dexamethasone (D4 group). Three doses of the dexamethasone or normal saline was administered intravenousely to each group and after 5 minutes, xylazine (2.2 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly. The time until onset of the first emetic episode and rate of emesis were investigated. At the same time, the extent of sedation was scored subjectively 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes after injection of xylazine hydrochloride using Visual Sedation Score. The time until onset of the first emetic episode was $203.25\pm11.35$ sec in Control group, $187.33\pm48.0l$ sec in D1 group and 218.33± 13.58 sec in D2 group. The rate of xylazine induced emesis were $57\%$ in Control group and $43\%$ in D1 and D2 group respectively. On the other hand, any emetic episodes were not observed in 04 group. At extent of sedation score, all experimental animals especially including the animals in D1 group were highly sedated at 15 minutes after administration of xylazine hydrochloride. Hematological and blood chemical values showed normal ranges pre- and post-experiment. We concluded that prior treatment with 4 mg/kg of dexamethasone hardly caused xylazine-induced emesis without disturbing the sedative effect of xylazine in dogs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.801-809
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• 2015

Homotypic cell adhesion (homotypic aggregation) in activated monocytes plays a central role in physiological and pathological processes including inflammatory responses, differentiation and migration. The extract of the Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc. fruit (Maesil) has potential benefits to human health; such as anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer activities. Indeed, Maesil extract may modulate inflammatory responses via interference with homotypic aggregation in monocytes. In the present study, the molecular mechanisms underpinning the therapeutic efficacy of Maesil extract in inflammatory diseases were investigated. It was found that Maesil extract inhibited homotypic aggregation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated monocytes. This was mediated by reduction of nitric oxide (NO) production, partly via inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in LPS-activated THP-1 cells. It was confirmed that NO inhibition is a key mechanism in Maesil induced blockade of monocyte aggregation through identification of reversal of this inhibitory effect by the NO-producing agent S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP). In addition, Maesil extract significantly attenuated LPS-induced IκB-α phosphorylation and NF-κB translocation into the nucleus. In conclusion, Maesil extract exerts anti-inflammatory effects via inhibition of homotypic aggregation of LPS-activated monocytes through mechanisms involving the suppression of NO production and NF-κB activity, suggesting Maesil extract as a potential therapeutic candidate for the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.