• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.531-536
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• 2010

A quantitative analytical method has been established for the measurement of inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) activity in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by ion-pair reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography equipped with ultraviolet detection (HPLC/UV). IMPDH is a ${\beta}$-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrate (NAD+)-dependent dehydrogenase in which the enzyme converts inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) into xanthosine 5'-monophosphate (XMP). Its activity was measured by quantifying a HPLC chromatogram corresponding to XMP produced during the incubation of lysed PBMCs with IMP as a substrate and $NAD^+$ as a coenzyme. XMP produced was detected at a wavelength of 260 nm. The mobile phase was composed of a mixture of 37 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate containing 7 mM tetra-n-butylammonium hydrogen sulfate adjusted to pH 5.5 and methanol (85:15, v/v) with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The calibration curve was linear ($r^2$=0.999999) in the range of $0.2-50.0\;{\mu}M$ and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was $0.2\;{\mu}M$. The intra- and inter-day precisions were between 0.88-1.47% and 0.85-5.24%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were between 98.74-99.99% and 99.95-101.65%, respectively. IMPDH activity in 11 Korean healthy volunteers ranged from 18.29 to 36.60 nmol/h/mg protein (mean = $27.70{\pm}6.28\;nmol/h/mg$ protein).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.334-342
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• 1992

Background: The activated T lymphocyte by inhalaed mycobacterial antigen may evoke cell-mediated immunity in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. These activated lymphocyte may influence the response of tuberculin-purified protein derivative (PPD) in skin test. But occasionally, anergy to PPD appear in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in spite of active stage. Thus we evaluated the effect of change of subtypes of lymphocyte in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and peripheral blood on anergy to PPD in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. Method: We performed tuberculin skin test and flow-cytometry analysis of lymphocytes obtained from BAL fluid and peripheral blood in 11 healthy normal volunteers and 20 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: 1) The composition of lymphocyte significantly increased in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis when compared with that in healthy control ($25.2{\pm}4.8$ vs $6.5{\pm}1.3%$, p<0.01), but composition of monocyte significantly decreased ($69.6{\pm}5.7$ vs $89.2{\pm}1.4%$, p<0.05) in analysis of BAL fluid. 2) There were no differences in compositions of cells in BAL fluid between responders and no-responders to PPD. 3) The compositions of CD3 (+), CD4 (+), CD3 (+) IL-2R (+), CD3 (+) HLA-DR (+) significantly increased in BAL fluid when compared with those in peripheral blood in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. But the composition of CDS (+), CD4/CDS were not different between BAL fluid and peripheral blood. 4) There were no correlations between response to PPD and compositions of cells and lymphocyte subtypes in BAL fluid and peripheral blood in all patients with tuberculosis, responders, and no-responders, respectively. Conclusion: From these results, we suggest no direct relationship between compositions of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and we could not rule out the possibility of compartmentalization of activated lymphocyte involving in anergy to PPD in skin test in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.1357-1363
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• 2003

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of chicken egg containing IgY against H. pylori in patients with gastritis. Sixty three H. pylori-infected volunteers (20∼43 year, Male Female=49 : 14) were randomized into four groups which were treated with one chicken egg containing IgY b.i.d. (IgY group; n=17) or omeprazole 20 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1.0 g b.i.d. and clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. (OAC group; n=17) or omeprazole 20 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1.0 g b.i.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. and one chicken egg containing IgY b.i.d. (OAC with IgY group; n=16) for 2 weeks or lyophilized IgY 1 g b.i.d (lyophilized IgY group) for 1 month. $\Delta$$^{13}$ $CO_2$ before and after treatment, the eradication rate of H. pylori and histologic change including H. pylori density, acute and chronic inflammation activity, intestinal metaplasia and glandular atrophy by updated sydney system were evaluated. Eradication rate of OAC with IgY group (94%) was higher than IgY group (0%), lyophilized IgY group (0%) and OAC group (88%). $\Delta$$^{13}$ $CO_2$at 2 weeks after treatment in one patient of IgY group was decreased. But that was not changed in the other patients. $\Delta$$^{13}$ $CO_2$ at 1 week after treatment in 15 patients of OAC with IgY group was significantly lower than pretreatment level (p<0.05), and $\Delta$$^{13}$ $CO_2$ at 1 week and 2 week after treatment was decreased in the other patient. Acute inflammation activity at antrum was significantly decreased after treatment in IgY and lyophilized IgY group (p<0.01), H. pylori density at antrum was significantly decreased after treatment in IgY and lyophilized IgY group (p<0.05). Chronic inflammation activity at body was decreased after treatment in lyophilized IgY group. Intestinal metaplasia and glandular atrophy at antrum and body were not changed after treatment in IgY group. Mild intestinal metaplasia in one patient of lyophilized IgY group changed to normal after 1 month treatment. Gandular atrophy at antrum and body were not changed after treatment in lyophilized IgY group.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.28-48
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• 2002

The advances of medical technologies have not only prolonged human life span, but also extended suffering period for the patients with incurable medical diseases. Hospice movement was developed to help these patients keep dignity and lives peaceful at the end of their life. Since many patients prefer to spend the last moment of life at home with their family, hospice home care has become very popular worldwide. The purpose of this study for a promotion and development of hospice home care in Korea, and features basic research on medical profession's knowledge and attitudes to hospice home care. This study which was used for the research questionnaires developed by the researcher that were answered by 100 physicians and 127 nurses in a general hospital. Data were collected from April 22, 2002 to May 10, 2002. The SPSS was used to make a comparative analysis of the frequency, percentile, ANOVA, and x2-test. The results of the study were as follows; 1.The medical profession showed high level of knowledge of the definition and philosophy of hospice. However, the physician group of the examinees showed insufficient knowledge of the fact that hospice care includes bereavement care, while the nurse group's response to the same question showed a significant difference(x2=10.752, p=.001). 2.For whom the hospice home care is provided, 95.6% of the respondents showed very high level of knowledge as answering that the incurable terminal illness patients and their families are the beneficiaries of hospice care. The respondents counted nurses, volunteers, pastors, physicians and social workers, consecutively, as hospice care providers. More nurse were positive toward pastors than physicians in regarding as a hospice care provider by a significant difference(x2=11.634, p=.001). 3.For when to referral hospice home care to the patients, only 34.2% answered that patients with less than 6 months of survival time are advised to receive hospice care, reflecting very low level of knowledge. 23.0% of the physicians and 48.0% of the nurses answered that hospice care should be provided when death is imminent, making a significant difference between the two groups(x2=6.413, p=.000). 4.To promote hospice activities, 87.2% pointed out that it is crucial to make general people, including those engaging in the medical field, more aware of hospice. 79.7% answered that a national hospice management should be developed, marking a significant difference between the physician group and nurse group(x2=10.485, p=.001). 5.Advantages of hospice home care are 87.2% responded that patients can have better rest at home receiving hospice home care. Economical merit was brought forward as one of the advantages also, where there was a significant difference between the physicians group and nurse group(x2=7.009, p=.008). 6.The medical professions' attitude to hospice home care are 92.8% of the physicians answered that they would advise incurable terminally ill patients to be discharged from hospital, with 44.3% of them advising the patients to receive hospice home care after leaving the hospital. From the nurses' point of view, 20.9% of the terminally ill patients are being referred to hospice home care after discharge, which makes a significant difference from the physicians' response(x2=19.121, p=.001). 7. 30.6% of physicians have referred terminally ill patients to hospice home care, 75.9% of whom were satisfied with their decision. Those physicians who have never referred their patients to hospice home care either did not know how to do it(66.7%) or were afraid of losing trust by giving the patients an impression of giving up(27.3%). 94.9% of the physicians responded that they would refer their last stage patients to a doctor who is involving palliative care. 8.Only 36.2% of nurses have suggested to physicians that refer the terminally ill patients discharged from the hospital to hospice home care. Once suggested, 95.8% of the physicians have accepted the suggestion. Nurses were reluctant to suggest hospice home care to the physicians, as 48.8% of the nurses said they did not want to. From the result of this study the following conclusion can be drawn, the medical profession's awareness of general hospice care has been increased greatly compared to the results of the previously performed studies. However, this study result also shows that their knowledge of hospice home care is not good enough yet. There is a need for high recommended that medical education institute and develop regular courses on various types of hospice care. Medical field training courses for physicians and nurses will be very helpful as well. It is also important to train hospice experts such as palliative physicians and develop a national hospice management urgently in order to improve the hospice care in Korea.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.247-255
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of botulinum toxin type A on masseter muscle atrophy and the extent of masseter muscle affected from the injection site in relation to injection dose, with and without occlusal splint therapy through computed tomographic measurement. 32 volunteers were divided into four groups - group 25U (injection dose of 25 unit), group 25Us (injection dose of 25 unit with occlusal splint), group 35U (injection dose of 35 unit), group 35Us (injection dose of 35 unit with occlusal splint). Each group consisted of 8 people. 3 positions (position 1, 2, 3 - 10mm, 20mm and 40mm from the inferior border of the mandible, respectively) were selected for the evaluation of the masseter muscle change. The following results were obtained. 1. The thickness and the cross-sectional area of the masseter muscle had reduced in all groups except for the right side thickness at position 3 of group 25U and group 25Us, and the right side thickness as well as the left side cross-sectional area at position 3 of group 35Us. In group 35Us, the thickness and the cross-sectional area of the masseter muscle had reduced significantly in all positions (P < 0.05). 2. There was no significant difference in the masseter muscle change between the injection dose of 25unit and that of 35unit. 3. The groups with occlusal splint showed greater reduction of the masseter muscle thickness than the other groups (P < 0.05). From the above results, botulinum toxin type A injection together with occlusal splint therapy in the treatment of masseter muscle hypertrophy would be clinically effective.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.177-185
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• 2007

Iatrogenic injury following dental treatments and the use of local anesthetics may cause taste disorders. The aims of this study were to investigate quantitative and qualitative changes of taste due to unilateral inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia and further to evaluate potential effects on taste function related to anesthesia or hypoesthesia of inferior alveolar nerve, possibly occurring after dental procedure. 30 healthy volunteers in their twenties participated in this study (male to female = 1:1, mean age of $24.0{\pm}1.8$ years). Each subject received inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia on his or her right side with 2% lidocaine HCl containing 1:100,000 epinephrine. Before and after anesthesia, electrogustometric test and chemical localized test for salty, sweet, sour and bitter tastes were performed on the eight sites in the oral cavity; right and left anterior and lateral tongue and circumvallate papilla of the tongue and soft palate. Unilateral inferior alveolar nerve anesthesia produced elevation of electrical taste threshold and reduction of intensity ratings for all 4 tastes (salty, sweet, sour and bitter) over anterior and lateral tongue and circumvallate papilla on the ipsilateral side (p<0.05). Contralateral sides exhibited decreased intensity ratings for salty and sweet taste (p<0.05) on anterior and lateral tongue while there was no significant difference in electrogustometric testing. Based on the results of this study, it is assumed that unilateral local anesthesia on inferior alveolar nerve can affect chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerves on the same side, leading to taste deficits. Taste intensity on the contralateral side may, in part, be deteriorated as well.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1055-1086
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to identify the formation and evolution patterns of a trading zone and to explore the difficulties teachers experience in the trading zone and their perceptions of the experience. Seven teachers involved in the 'STEAM Teacher Community' in a middle school located in the southern part of South Korea participated in this study. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were carried out, and reflective essays were collected for analysis. The results show that teachers successfully formed a trading zone to share their expertise when they developed teaching materials for the convergence of different subject matters. Moreover, such a trading zone evolved in the order of pre-trading zone, trading zone under elite control, trading zone with boundary object, and trading zone of shared mental model. The difficulties teachers experienced in the trading zone were categorized under the difference of culture and opinion across subject matters, the lack of motivation for convergence, the hegemony of convergence and far-fetched factors for convergence, and difficulty of communication due to jargons. Also teachers in this study experienced perceptual changes in the trading zone. The trading zone model drawn from the results of this study bring forth implications for voluntary teachers' learning community activity for the convergence of different subject matters.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2005

Objectives: We attempted to compare the performance of 2 commercially available actigraphies with focus on sleep parameters, using polysomnography as standard comparison tool. Methods: Fourteen normal volunteers (5 males and 9 females, mean age of $28{\pm}4.6\;years$) participated in this study. All the participants went through one night of polysomnography, simultaneously wearing 2 different kinds of actigraphies on each wrist. Polysomnographic and actigraphic data were stored, downloaded, and processed according to standard protocols and then statistically compared. Results: Both $ActiWatch^{(R)}$ and $SleepWatch^{(R)}$ tended to overestimate the total sleep time, compared to the polysomnography. $SleepWatch^{(R)}$ tended to underestimate the sleep latency. The two actigraphs and the polysomnograph did not show significant difference of sleep efficiency, when compared with one another. In addition, all of the sleep parameters from the instruments showed linear correlations except in $SleepWatch^{(R)}'s$ sleep latency. The sleep parameters from the two actigraphs did not show much noteworthy difference, and linear relationships were found between the sleep parameters from the two actigraphs. There was no significant distinction in the results of the two different actigraphs. Conclusion: The results of two actigraphies can be used interchangeably since the sleep parameters of the two different actigraphies do not show significant differences statistically. Overall, it is not legitimate to use actigraphy as a substitute for polysomnography. However, since sleep parameters except sleep latency show linear correlations, actigraphy might possibly be used to follow up patients after polysomnography.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.217-224
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• 2000

Background : It is well known that when macrophages are stimulated with endotoxin, they produce a wide variety of cytokine mediators, including TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$. However, there is an alteration in the macrophages' responsiveness when they are challenged with repeated bouts of endotoxin, termed "endotoxin tolerance" which is regarded as a self-protective phenomenon from continuous stimulation. In this study, endotoxin tolerance in the peripheral blood monocytes of sepsis patients was evaluated. Methods : Fourteen patients with organism-documented sepsis were included. The severity of illness was evaluated by APACHE II score. Peripheral blood monocytes were isolated from the patients and diluted to $1{\times}10^5$ well. After stimulation with endotoxin (LPS of E. coli O114 : B4, 100 ng/ml), they were incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ in 5% $CO_2$ incubator for 24 hours. Supernatant was collected for the measurement of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$ with ELISA method. Peripheral blood monocytes of seven healthy volunteers were used as control. Results : The APACHE II score (mean$\pm$SD) of the patients at the time of blood sampling was 12.2$\pm$5.7. The primary infection foci were urinary tract infection, pneumonia, subacute bacterial endocarditis, and catheter related infection, etc. The causative organisms were gram negative rods (10 cases), gram positive cocci (6 cases) with two cases of mixed infection. Serum TNF-$\alpha$ could be measured in 4 cases with 29.9$\pm$27.7 pg/ml. Serum IL-1$\beta$was measurable in only one patient. The TNF-$\alpha$ level of supernatant of cultured peripheral blood monocytes was 2,703$\pm$2,066 pg/ml in patients and 2,102$\pm$1914 pg/ml in controls. The IL-1$\beta$level of supernatant was 884$\pm$1,050 pg/ml in patients and 575$\pm$558 pg/ml in controls. There was no difference of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$ level between patients and controls. Conclusion : We cannot prove the phenomenon of endotoxin tolerance in this study. Future study needs to be focused on the more severe sepsis patients who were taken for sampling earlier. Addition of serum to the culture medium could be an another valuable option for the success of this study.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.352-362
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine portion sizes and nutritional quality of foods served to children at Community Child Centers (CCCs), July 2014, in Korea. A survey was administered to foodservice employees working at CCCs. Thirty-nine participants completed the self-administered questionnaire regarding CCCs foodservice practices. In the weight test, fifteen volunteers of demonstrated typical portion sizes for $5^{th}$ grade elementary school students. Nutrition knowledge scores were significantly different between foodservice employees with experience taking a foodservice class for one year (6.04 out of 10.0 points) and those without experience (4.58 points). Foodservice employees with experience taking a foodservice class scored significantly higher in performing meal serving practices, e.g., wearing a sanitary cap and apron when serving food, than those without experience. The amount of foods served for children did not meet standard serving sizes; portion sizes of rice, soup, main dish, side dish and kimchi served by foodservice employees were 87.3%, 63.2%, 56.5%, 37.1% and 81.3% of standard serving sizes, respectively. When energy and nutrient intakes from portion sizes were calculated, energy, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin and calcium intakes did not meet standards for nutrition control of school meals. However, protein, vitamin C and iron intakes met more than 100.0% of standards. These findings suggest that foodservice employees with experience taking a foodservice class apply their knowledge to foodservice practices. Although portion sizes can influence energy and nutrient intakes in children, the actual portion sizes served by CCCs foodservice employees were inadequate and did not meet standards for serving size and nutrition. Thus, all CCCs foodservice employees need to receive foodservice education and be provided guidelines regarding portion sizes for children.