• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.1 s.38
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• pp.60-70
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• 1986

Distributions of serum dopamine-${\beta}$-hydroxylase(DBH) activity and thermostability in a randomly selected population of Korean adults were studied to investigate the genetic factor which could exert an influence on the serum DBH activity and thermostability. The results were followings: 1. The mean serum DBH activity in a randomly selected population of adults was $18.3{\pm}4.5$ umol/min/l($mean{\pm}SD;n=327$) which showed no age or sex variation. 2. The frequency distribution showed no isolated subgroup with very low serum DBH activity. 3. When the ratio of enzyme activity after heating $55^{\circ}C$ for 20 minutes to that before heating (heated-to-control or H/C ratio). was used as a measure of thermostability, the mean serum DBH H/C ratio in a randomly selecfld population, of adults was $0.90{\pm}0.17(mean{\pm}SD; n=327)$ which showed no age or sex variation. 4. Serum DBH H/C ratio showed unimodal, homogeneous distribution. 5. There was significant negative correlation between serum DBH activity and H/C ratio(r=-0.39. p<0.01). 6. Subjects with H/C ratio less than 0.1 had significantly higher basal enzyme activity $(22.2{\pm}4.5)$ $(mean{\pm}SD;n=33)$ umo1/min/1 than those with H/C ratio more than 1.09 $(15.5{\pm}3.3)$ $(mean{\pm}SD;n=32)$ umo1/min/1. This study shows that the distribution patterns of serum DBH activity and thermostability of Korean population are considerably different from those of Caucasian and it might be a line of evidence for the different inheritance pattern of plasma DBH enzyme between these racial groups.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.184-195
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• 1999

Objectives : As traumatic brain injury(TBI) leaves chronic sequelae in mind and body, the injured patients should rectify the meaning and object that they have pursued in their lives and set up a new purpose in life that they may make the rest of their lives meaningful. This study was designed to investigate the purpose and quality of life levels and the influence of demographic and clinical variables on the levels in the patients with TBI, and to be of some help to their rehabilitation. Methods : In order to assess the purpose in life(PIL) and the quality of life(QOL) levels, Purpose-in-Life Test, Sickness Impact Profile, Quality of Life Index, Head Injury Symptom Ckecklist, and Neurobehavioral Rating Scale were administered to the subjects. The subjects were thirty-two patients with TBI and the same numbered normal controls. The TBI group was composed of 16 to 65 year-aged patients who had received mild or severe TBI at least 12 months before, and the controls were siblings or friends of the patients whose age, sex, and educational level were similar to them. Results : 1) The PIL and QOL levels of the patients with TBI remained significantly lower than that of control group after their symptoms of injury were stabilized(p<.01, p<.01). 2) The mean PIL score of TBI group was $58.8{\pm}23.2$, which was to be regarded as the level of existential vacuum. 3) The PIL level of TBI group was significantly correlated with the QOL level(p <.01). 4) The subgroup with lower PIL level in patients with TBI has significantly higher rate of female than that with higher PIL(p<.05), the PIL level of female patients was significantly lower than that of male patients(p <.05). 5) The significant differences in PIL levels were not found, in which comparison was performed between each pair of subgroups of patients with TBI divided by severity of injury(mild vs severe), marital status(married vs unmarried), and occupational status prior to injury(employed vs unemployed). Conclusion : The PIL of patients with TBI still remained the level of existential vacuum after symptoms of sequelae had been stabilized, The QOL level was also extremely low, and as the PIL level was low the QOL was also low. The demographic and clinical variables except sex did not have influence on the PIL level in brain-injured patients. It is suggested that every patient should admit their mental and physical limitations caused by brain injury and revise their purpose in life for successful rehabilitation.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.211-221
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• 2010

Proteoglycan is highly hydrophilic and negatively charged which enable them attract the water. The objective of study was to investigate the effects of Proteoglycan on microtensile bond strength of dentin adhesives and on architecture of dentin collagen matrix of acid etched dentin by removing the chondroitin sulphate attached on Proteoglycan. A flat dentin surface in mid-coronal portion of tooth was prepared. After acid etching, half of the specimens were immersed in 0.1 U/mL chondroitinase ABC (C-ABC) for 48 h at $37^{\circ}C$, while the other half were stored in distilled water. Specimens were bonded with the dentin adhesive using three different bonding techniques (wet, dry and re-wet) followed by microtensile bond strength test. SEM examination was done with debonded specimen, resin-dentin interface and acid-etched dentin surface with/without C-ABC treatment. For the subgroups using wet-bonding or dry-bonding technique, microtensile bond strength showed no significant difference after C-ABC treatment (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, the subgroup using rewetting technique after air dry in the Single Bond 2 group demonstrated a significant decrease of microtensile bond strength after C-ABC treatment. Collagen architecture is loosely packed and some fibrils are aggregated together and relatively collapsed compared with normal acid-etched wet dentin after C-ABC treatment. Further studies are necessary for the contribution to the collagen architecture of noncollagenous protein under the various clinical situations and several dentin conditioners and are also needed about long-term effect on bond strength of dentin adhesive.