• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.695-698
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• 2011

Purpose: Since spinal tuberculosis is increasing in prevalence, it appears that a repair of spinal soft tissue defect as a complication of spinal tuberculosis can be a meaningful work. We report this convenient and practical reconstructive surgery which use bilateral latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous advancement flap. Methods: Before the operation, $13{\times}9.5$ cm sized skin and soft tissue defect was located on the dorsal part of a patient from T11 to L3. And dura was exposed on L2. Under the general endotrachel anesthesia, the patient was placed in prone position. After massive saline irrigation, dissection of the bilateral latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps was begun just upper to the paraspinous muscles (at T11 level) by seperating the paraspinous muscles from overlying latissimus dorsi muscles. The plane between the paraspinous muscles fascia and the posterior edge of the latissimus dorsi muscle was ill-defined in the area of deformity, but it could be identified to find attachment of thoracolumbar fascia. The seperation between latissimus dorsi and external oblique muscle was identified, and submuscular plane of dissection was developed between the two muscles. The detachment from thoracolumbar fascia was done. These dissections was facilitated to advance the flap. The posterior perforating vasculature of the latissimus dorsi muscle was divided when encountered approximately 6 cm lateral to midline. Seperating the origin of the latissimus dorsi muscle from rib was done. The dissection was continued on the deep surface of the latissimus dorsi muscle until bilateral latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps were enough to advance for closure. Once this dissection was completely bilateraly, the bipedicled erector spinae muscle was advanced to the midline and was repaired 3-0 nylon to cover the exposed vertebrae. And two musculocutaneous units were advanced to the midline for closure. Three 400 cc hemovacs were inserted beneath bilateral latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps and above exposed vertebra. The flap was sutured with 3-0 & 4-0 nylon & 4-0 vicryl. Results: The patient was kept in prone and lateral position. Suture site was stitched out on POD14 without wound dehiscence. According to observative findings, suture site was stable on POD55 without wound problem. Conclusion: Bilateral latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous advancement flap was one of the useful methods in repairing of large spinal soft tissue defect resulting from spinal tuberculosis.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.380-384
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• 2010

Purpose: Distinguishing different types of implants and assessing the position and size of implants by radiologic exam after orbital wall reconstruction is important in determining the surgery outcome and forecasting prognosis. We observed time-dependent density changes in three types of implants (porous polyethylene, resorbing plate and titanium mesh plate) by performing facial bone CT after orbital wall reconstructions. Methods: A total of 32 patients, who had underwent orbital wall fracture surgery from October 2006 to March 2009 and received facial bone CT as outpatients at 1 postoperative year were included in the study. Follow-up facial bone CT was performed on the patients pre- operatively, 1 month post-operatively, and 1 year post-operatively to observe the status of the orbital implants. Medpor $^{(R)}$ (Porex Surgical, Inc., Newnan, Ga.) was used as porous polyethylene and followed-up in 14 cases; for resorbing plate, Synthes mesh plate (Synthes, Oberdorf, Switzerland) was used in the reconstruction, and followed-up in 11 cases; and titanium mesh plate usage was followed-up in 7 cases. Computed tomographic scan (CT) and water's view were done for radiography, and hounsfield unit (HU) was used to compare density of those facial bone CT. Wilcoxon signed rank test was applied to statistically verify measurement difference in each group of hounsfield units. Results: Facial bone CT examination performed in 1 month post-operative showed that the density of porous polyethylene, resorbing plate and titanium mesh plate were -42.07, 105.67 and 539.48 on average, respectively. Among the three types of implants, titanium mesh plate showed the highest density due to its radiopaque feature. Following up the density of three types of implants in CT during 1 year after the orbital wall fracture surgery, the density of porous polyethylene increased in 10.52 House Field Units and the resorbing plate was decreased in 26.87 HouseField Units. There were no significant differences between densities in 1 month post-operatively and 1 year post-operatively in each group ($p{\geq}0.05$). Conclusion: We performed facial bone CT on patients with orbital fractures during follow-up period, distinguishing the types of implants by the different concentration of implant density, and the densities showed little change even at 1 year post-operative. To observe how implant densities change in facial bone CT, further studies with longer follow-up periods should be carried out.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.328-332
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• 2006

The bioequivalence and pharmacokinetics of alendronate sodium tablets were examined by determining the plasma concentration of alendronate. Two groups, consisting of 24 healthy volunteers, each received a 70 mg reference alendronate sodium tablet and a test tablet in a $2{\times}2$ crossover study. There was a 6-day washout period between doses. The plasma alendronate concentration was monitored for 7 h after the dose, using HPLC-Fluorescence Detector (FD). The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to the last sampling time at 7 h $(AUC_{0-7h})$ was calculated using the linear-log trapezoidal rule. The maximum plasma drug concentration $(C_{max})$ and the time to reach $C_{max}(T_{max})$ were derived from the plasma concentration-time data. Analysis of variance was performed using logarithmically transformed $AUC_{0-7h}\;and\;C_{max}$, and untransformed $T_{max}$. For the test medication versus the reference medication, the $AUC_{0-7h}\;were\;87.63{\pm}29.27\;vs.\;102.44{\pm}69.96ng\;h\;mL^{-1}$ and the $C_{max}$ values were $34.29{\pm}13.77\;vs.\;38.47{\pm}24.39ng\;mL^{-1}$ respectively. The $90\%$ confidence intervals of the mean differences of the logarithmic transformed $AUC_{0-7h}$ and $C_{max}$ values were log 0.8234-log 1.1597 and log 0.8222-log 1.1409, respectively, satisfying the bioequivalence criteria guidelines of both the US Food and Drug Administration and the Korea Food and Drug Administration. The other pharmacokinetic parameters for the test drug versus reference drug, respectively, were: $t_{1/2},\;1.87{\pm}0.62\;vs.\;1.77{\pm}0.54\;h;\;V/F,\;2061.30{\pm}986.49\;vs.\;2576.45{\pm}1826.05\;L;\;CL/F,\;835.32{\pm}357.35\;vs.\;889.48{\pm}485.87\;L\;h^{-1}; K_{el},\;0.42{\pm}0.14\;vs.\;0.40{\pm}0.18\;h^{-1};\;Ka,\;4.46{\pm}3.63\;vs.\;3.80{\pm}3.64\;h^{-1};\;and\;T_{lag},\;0.19{\pm}0.09\;vs.\;0.18{\pm}0.06\;h$. These results indicated that two alendronate formulations(70-mg alendronate sodium) were biologically equivalent and can be prescribed interchangeably.

• Archives of Hand and Microsurgery
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.254-261
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• 2018

Purpose: Favorable results have been reported after the direct repair of chronic ulnar collateral ligament ruptures of the thumb metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint, but the results for radial ligament seem rather controversial. The purpose of this study is to compare the results of ligament reattachment between chronic rupture of the ulnar and the radial collateral ligament (RCL) of the joint. Methods: We reviewed retrospectively the radiologic and clinical results of ligament reattachment with suture anchors for chronic (more than 6 weeks) rupture of the collateral ligament of the thumb MP joint with averaged 22-month follow-up. The data between 6 radial and 8 ulnar ligament repairs were compared statistically. Results: The average of postoperative ulnar deviation angle was $13.3^{\circ}$ in radial ligament and $2.0^{\circ}$ in ulnar ligament (p=0.020) in the last follow-up plain X-ray. Postoperative ligament instability was positive in 4 out of the 6 radial repairs and no case with instability was observed in ulnar ligament. In postoperative follow-up, sustained joint subluxation was observed only in 2 out of the 6 radial repairs. Conclusion: The delayed repair of the RCL of the thumb MP joint resulted in less favorable outcomes and ligament instability was observed postoperatively in more than half of the cases.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.359-392
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• 2023

Digital citizenship includes an evolving set of knowledge and skills related to effectively and ethically using technology, especially when interacting with other people, information, and media in the online context. As public libraries have long provided access to and training with a variety of technologies, this study explores how digital citizenship has been covered in public library programming to identify potential trends and best practices. A purposive sampling of public library recipients of the American Library Association (ALA) and Information Today Inc.'s Library of the Future Award over the past 11 years (2013-2023) identified 7 case libraries to review. The titles and descriptions of 337 relevant library programs for audiences of school-aged children (5 years old and up) to seniors were collected for a 2-month period from each library's website and analyzed using Ribble & Parks (2019) 9 elements of digital citizenship. The findings suggest that programming related to digital citizenship most often addresses themes connected to digital access and digital fluency through coverage of topics related to computer and technology use. Based on themes and examples from the findings, public libraries are encouraged to expand upon existing programs to integrate all elements of digital citizenship, strive for inclusive and accessible digital citizenship education for all ages, and leverage resources and expertise from relevant stakeholders and community partnerships.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1065-1072
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• 2004

Depression is associated with a dysfunctional serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) system. More recently, several lines of evidence suggest that an important factor in the development of depression may be a deficit in the function and expression of $5-HT_{1A}$ receptors. The present study assessed if Nelumbinis Semen (N. s.) had an anti-depression effect through reversing a decrease in $5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding in rats with depression-like symptoms induced by chronic mild stress. Using a $5-HT_{1A}$ receptor binding assay, with a specific $5-HT_{1A}$receptor agonist, 8- OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin), the mechanism of the anti-depression effect of N. s. on rats was investigated, and the effects compared with two well-known antidepressants, Hyperium Perforatum (St. Johns Wort) and fluoxetine (Prozac). Animals were divided into five groups: the normal (N) group without chronic mild stress (CMS), the control (C) group under CMS for 8 weeks, the Nelumbinis Semen (N. s.) treatment group under CMS for 8 weeks, the Hyperium Perforatum (H. p.) treatment group under CMS for 8 weeks and finally, the fluoxetine (F) treatment group under CMS for 8 weeks. Each treatment was administered to rats during the last 4 weeks of the 8-week CMS. A sucrose intake test was performed to test the anti-depression effect of N. s. The N. s. treatment significantly reversed the decreased sucrose intake under CMS (P<0.05 compared to control group under CMS). In the CA2 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus, both N. s. and H. p. reversed the CMS-induced decrease in $5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding. In the I to II regions of the frontal cortex, N. s. and H. p. also reversed the CMS-induced decrease in$5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding, and even showed a significant increase in $5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding compared to the F treatment group (N. s. vs. P, p<0.05, H. p. vs. P, p<0.05). However, in the hypothalamus, all treatments reversed the CMSinduced decrease in $5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding. This reversal effect of N. s. on the decrease in $5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding in the frontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus of rat brains was very similar to that of H. p, but different from that of F. It is concluded that N. s. presents an anti-depression effect through enhancing $5-HT_{1A}$receptor binding.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.645-650
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• 1998

The dual drug-loaded alginate beads simultaneously containing drug in inner and outer layers were prepared by dropping plain (single-layered) alginate beads into $CaCl_2$ solution. The release characteristics were evaluated in simulated gastric fluid for 2 h followed by intestinal fluids thereafter for 12 h. The surface morphology and cross section of dual drug-loaded alginate beads was also investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The poorlv water-soluble ibuprofen was chosen as a model drug. The surface of single-layered and dual drug-loaded alginate beads showed very crude and roughness, showing aggregated particles, surface cracks and rough crystals. The thickness of dual drug-loaded alginate beads surrounded by outer layer was ranged from about 57 to 329mcm. The distinct chasm between inner and outer layers was also observed. In case of single-layered alginate bead, the drug was not released in gastric fluid but was largely released in intestinal fluid. However, the release rate decreased as the reinforcing $Eudragit^{\circledR}$ polymer contents increased. When the plasticizers were added into polymer, the release rate largely decreased. The release rate of dual drug-loaded alginate beads was stable in gastric fluid for 2 h but largely increased when switched in intestinal fluid. The drug linearly released for 4 h followed by another linear release thereafter, showing a distinct biphasic release characteristics. There was a difference in the release profiles between single-layered and dual drug-loaded alginate beads due to their structural shape. However, this biphasic release profiles were modified by varying formulation compositions of inner and outer layer of alginate beads. The release rate of dual drug-loaded alginate beads slightly decreased when the outer layer was reinforced with $Eudragit^{\circledR}$ RS1OO polymers. In case of dual drug-loaded alginate beads with polymer-reinforced outer layer only, the initial amount of druc released was low but the initial release rate (slope) was higher due to more swellable inner cores when compared to polymer-reinforced inner cores. The current dual drug-loaded alginate beads may be used to deliver the drugs in a time dependent manner.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.910-916
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• 2002

Endotoxin tolerance reduces the capacity of monocytes to produce proinflammatory cytokines, results in cellular immune paralysis, and down-regulates the production of helper T (Th)1 type cytokines with a shift toward a Th2 cytokine response. Prostaglandin (PG)E$_2$ in the immune system also results in macrophage inactivation and the suppression of Th1 activation and the enhancement of Th2 activation. However, the inhibitory effects of PGE$_2$ on the altered polarization of the Th cell and macrophage interleukin (IL)-6 production characterized in part by cellular immune paralysis in a state of endotoxin tolerance is unclear. This study was undertaken, using indomethacin, to investigate the role of endogenous PGE$_2$ on the Th cytokines and macrophage IL-6 production in a state of endotoxin tolerance compared to those with endotoxemia mice, wherein, in this latter case, the increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and PGE$_2$ is exhibited. Endotoxemia was induced by injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 mg/kg in saline) i.p. once in BALB/c mice, and endotoxin tolerance was induced by pretreatment with LPS (1 mg/kg in saline) injected i.p. daily for two consecutive days and then with LPS 10 mg/kg on day 4. Splenocytes or macrophages were obtained from endotoxemia and endotoxin tolerance models pretreated with indomethacin, and then cytokine production was induced by Con A-stimulated splenocytes for the Th cytokine assays and LPS-stimulated macrophages for the IL-6 assay. Our results showed that endotoxemia led to significantly reduced IL-2 and IL-4 production, to significantly increased IL-6 production, whereas interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}$ production was not affected. Indomethacin in the case of endotoxemia markedly attenuated $IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-6 production and didnt reverse IL-2 and IL-4 production. Endotoxin tolerance resulted in the significantly reduced production of IL-2 and $IFN-{\gamma}$ and the significantly increased production of IL-4 and IL-6. Indomethacin in endotoxin tolerance greatly augmented IL-2 production, significantly decreased IL-4 production, and slightly attenuated IL-6 production. These findings indicate that endogenous PGE$_2$ may mediate the suppressed Th1 type immune response, with a shift toward a Th2 cytokine response in a state of endotoxin tolerance, whereas endotoxemia may be regulated differentially. Also, endogenous PGE$_2$ may mediate macrophage IL-6 production in the case of endotoxemia to a greater extent than in the case of endotoxin tolerance.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.429-467
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• 2019

Various digital literacy and critical competencies are crucial for success in the information and media-rich 21st century game of life. This study explores and describes the digital literacy practices of role-players in WildStar, a science fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). Active role-players create and participate in group-driven interactive stories while in-character. A hybrid ethnographic method integrating overt participant observation and engagement, collection of community artifacts across multiple sites (such as wikis, discussion boards, and social media), and semi-structured interviews was employed to understand how role-players seek, use, evaluate, and manage information, media, and technology. Role-players used various media and technologies to supplement, simplify, and make role-playing more immersive. The relative digital literacy skill levels of individuals varied, leading role-players to leverage the skills of more proficient or experienced community members. Given the broad appeal of online games and educational benefits of role-playing, implications and applications for digital literacy skills instruction and library programming are also discussed.

• Archives of design research
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• v.20 no.3 s.71
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• pp.141-150
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• 2007

This study began with the question: "what influence would the width of river surface have on visual preference, provided that the environment surrounding the river does not change?" to evaluate the visual preference factors of the river scenery which could vary according to the change of water level. To estimate the minimum flow needed for river sceneries, field survey of Youngsan river was carried out to collect the field data and evaluated the visual preference factors to obtain a most preferred W/B ratio. At Youngsan bridge location, the feeling of open space factors, physical characteristic factors and complexity factors appeared to have significant relations to visual preferences. At Imgok bridge location, complexity factors, aesthetic factors and physical characteristic factors have significance to visual preferences. As a result of multi regression modeling, it was found that physical factors affected visual preferences the most at urban river locations and complexity factors affected the most visual preferences at rural river locations. As a results of this study, the most preferred W/B ratio was estimated as which vary from 0.5 to 0.7 and this results can contribute to the field of river landscape design to maximize the users' satisfaction level.