• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.735-740
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• 2022

In order to reduce side effects such as rectal bleeding in the Brachytherapy, the rectal retractor and wet gauze have been used to increase the distance between the rectum and the tandem. However, there were disadvantages that it was difficult to insert through a narrow entrance into the vagina and poor reproducibility. Also, based on the CT image of the selected catheter, the distance from the tandem to the rectum with or without the balloon catheter was checked and the reduction of the dose to the rectum was confirmed. As a result of the experiment, catheter No. 7 was selected considering the maximum balloon size at a level that does not affect the distance between the start point of the balloon and the end of the catheter, and the ovoid applicator. Based on the CT image of the selected catheter, the degree of expansion according to the presence or absence of the balloon catheter was compared, and it was found that the distance difference was 0.3 - 1 cm. In addition, it was confirmed that a decrease of about 32% was observed due to this distance difference. Therefore, the actual clinical application of the selected catheter can be used as a substitute for the existing rectal retractor and wet gauze.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.69-83
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• 2022

Objective : This study aimed to confirm the possibility of the clinical application of oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) protocol and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with Wallenberg syndrome. Methods : One patient with Wallenberg syndrome was treated with OMFT and NMES applied 40 times each, 5 days a week, twice a day for 4 weeks. The Comprehensive Oral-Facial Function Scale (COFFS), Korean-Mann Swallowing Ability Assessment (K-MASA), and Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) were used to compare the changes before and after the intervention. Data analysis was used to compare the score changes before and after the intervention. Results : Orofacial function and swallowing ability improved after the intervention in the individual who participated in this study. Among oral motor functions, relatively greater functional improvement was observed in tongue movement compared to other functions, which was evaluated to the extent that pharyngeal swallowing was possible. Conclusions : Early swallowing rehabilitation using systematic OMFT and NMES of exercise intensity confirmed the possibility of improving oral motor function and dysphagia. In the future, complementary studies on the effects of interventions applying the OMFT and NMES will be needed.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.287-294
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was, base on the observation that the leg movement has effect on muscles around trunk, to provide clinical fundamental data to develop effective abdominal draw-in technique by investigating the effect of abdominal draw-in exercise accompanying leg movement on the thickness of transversus abdominis muscle and trunk control ability in patients with stroke. The subjects were assigned randomly to experimental group I (n=9) on which the abdominal draw-in technique is applied and experimental group II (n=9) on which the abdominal draw-in technique accompanying leg movement is applied. The thickness of transversus abdominis muscle in the affected side and the trunk control ability were measured before and after treatment using ultrasonography and trunk impairment scale. A session of 30 minutes per day were performed four days a week for four weeks and the measured outcomes were analyzed. The in-group comparison showed significant difference both thickness of transversus abdominis muscle during abdominal draw-in technique application (p<0.01) and trunk control ability (p<0.001) between before and after treatment. The significant difference between two groups were observed only in trunk control ability (p<0.05). It was concluded that the abdominal draw-in technique accompanying leg movement is an intervention that has positive effect not only on transversus abdominis muscle but also on tunk control ability by inducing more efficient contraction reaction in muscles around trunk through autonomic pelvic movement caused by leg movement.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.71-90
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• 2021

The virtual patient dataset is a collection of diagnostic data from various sources acquired from a single patient into a coordinate system of three-dimensional visualization. Virtual patient dataset makes it possible to establish a treatment plan, simulate various treatment procedures, and create a treatment planning delivery device. Clinicians can design and simulate a patient's smile on the virtual patient dataset and select the optimal result from the diagnostic process. The selected treatment plan can be delivered identically to the patient using manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, milling, and injection molding. The delivery of this treatment plan can be linked to the final prosthesis through mockup confirmation through provisional restoration fabrication and delivery in the patient's mouth. In this way, if the diagnostic data superimposition and processing accuracy during the manufacturing process are guaranteed, 3D digital smile design simulated in 3D visualization can be accurately delivered to the real patient. As a clinical application method of the virtual patient dataset, we suggest a decision-making method that can exclude occlusal adjustment treatment from the treatment plan through the digital occlusal pressure analysis. A comparative analysis of whole-body scans before and after temporomandibular joint treatment was suggested for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients with temporomandibular joint disease. Occlusal plane and smile aesthetic analysis based on the virtual patient dataset was presented when treating patients with complete dentures.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.712-720
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of rat corneal-derived epithelial cells as an in vitro model to evaluate the harmfulness of the cornea caused by particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5). To establish an experimental model for the effect of PM_2.5 on corneal epithelial cells, it was confirmed that primary cultured cells isolated from rat eyes were corneal epithelial cells through pan-cytokeratin staining. Our results showed that PM_2.5 treatment reduced cell viability of primary rat corneal epithelial (RCE) cells, which was associated with the induction of apoptosis. PM_2.5 treatment also increased the generation of reactive oxygen species due to mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, the production of nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokines was increased in PM_2.5-treated RCE cells. Furthermore, through heatmap analysis showing various expression profiling between PM_2.5-exposed and unexposed RCE cells, we proposed five genes, including BLNK, IL-1RA, Itga2b, ABCb1a and Ptgs2, as potential targets for clinical treatment of PM-related ocular diseases. These findings indicate that the primary RCE cell line is a useful in vitro model system for the study of PM_2.5-mediated pathological mechanisms and that PM2.5-induced oxidative and inflammatory responses are key factors in PM2.5-induced ocular surface disorders.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2022

Purpose: Acute pesticide poisoning is lethal and can lead to death. A few studies about the effects of acute pesticide poisoning have focused on the immune system. In the current study, we preliminarily investigated the changes in blood inflammatory cytokine levels in acute pesticide poisoning patients. Methods: In this study, we prospectively investigated the inflammatory cytokines in patients with acute pesticide poisoning. This study included patients admitted from February 2021 to November 2021 with a diagnosis of intentional poisoning by pesticide ingestion. The inflammatory cytokines measured were IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Results: Totally, 27 patients were enrolled in this study. The types of pesticide ingested were glufosinate (n=6), glyphosate (n=8), organophosphate (n=4), pyrethroid (n=2), and others (n=7). The levels of inflammatory cytokines obtained were as follows: IFN-γ 2.78±8.03 pg/ml, IL-1β 2.62±2.03 pg/ml, IL-6 44.58±80.16 pg/ml, and TNF-α 11.80±15.60 pg/ml. The overall mortality rate was 11.1% (3/27), and levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly higher in the death group compared to the survival group. Conclusion: Increased levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were observed in patients with acute pesticide poisoning. IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly higher in the death group as compared to the survival group. Our results indicate the occurrence of an inflammatory response due to the activation of immune cells by pesticide poisoning. Future large-scale studies need to be conducted to investigate the application of inflammatory cytokines as predictors and therapeutic targets.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.199-209
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• 2023

Background: Due to the interrupted blood supply in cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS), ischemic and hypoxia results in neuronal depolarization, insufficient NAD+, excessive levels of ROS, mitochondrial damages, and energy metabolism disorders, which triggers the ischemic cascades. Currently, improvement of mitochondrial functions and energy metabolism is as a vital therapeutic target and clinical strategy. Hence, it is greatly crucial to look for neuroprotective natural agents with mitochondria protection actions and explore the mediated targets for treating CIS. In the previous study, notoginseng leaf triterpenes (PNGL) from Panax notoginseng stems and leaves was demonstrated to have neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the potential mechanisms have been not completely elaborate. Methods: The model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) was adopted to verify the neuroprotective effects and potential pharmacology mechanisms of PNGL in vivo. Antioxidant markers were evaluated by kit detection. Mitochondrial function was evaluated by ATP content measurement, ATPase, NAD and NADH kits. And the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and pathological staining (H&E and Nissl) were used to detect cerebral morphological changes and mitochondrial structural damages. Western blotting, ELISA and immunofluorescence assay were utilized to explore the mitochondrial protection effects and its related mechanisms in vivo. Results: In vivo, treatment with PNGL markedly reduced excessive oxidative stress, inhibited mitochondrial injury, alleviated energy metabolism dysfunction, decreased neuronal loss and apoptosis, and thus notedly raised neuronal survival under ischemia and hypoxia. Meanwhile, PNGL significantly increased the expression of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) in the ischemic regions, and regulated its related downstream SIRT1/2/3-MnSOD/PGC-1α pathways. Conclusion: The study finds that the mitochondrial protective effects of PNGL are associated with the NAMPT-SIRT1/2/3-MnSOD/PGC-1α signal pathways. PNGL, as a novel candidate drug, has great application prospects for preventing and treating ischemic stroke.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.754-765
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• 2023

Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicle containing proteins and messenger and microRNAs; they are secreted by all cell types. Once released, exosomes are selectively taken up by other cells adjacent or at a distance, releasing their contents and reprogramming the target cells. Since exosomes are natural vesicles produced by cells as small sizes, it is generally accepted that exosomes have a non-toxic nature and non-immunogenic behaviors. Recently, exosomes have elicited scientific attention as drug delivery vehicles to the central nervous system. The central nervous system has a blood-brain barrier that makes it difficult for drugs to penetrate. Thus, the blood-brain barrier has been a major obstacle to the development of drugs for treating neurodegenerative diseases. However, accumulating evidence suggests that exosomes can cross the blood-brain barrier primarily through transcytosis. Consequently, exosomes are expected to become a new delivery vehicle that can cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver drugs into the brain parenchyma. In addition, since different types of exosomes are secreted depending on the cell type and disease state, exosomes can also be utilized as biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases in the central nervous system. In this review, we summarized recent research trends on exosomes, including clinical trials as biomarkers and treatment options for diseases in the central nervous system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.663-679
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• 2023

This review analyzes research trends related to new drug development using artificial intelligence from 2010 to 2022. This analysis organized the abstracts of 2,421 studies into a corpus, and words with high frequency and high connection centrality were extracted through preprocessing. The analysis revealed a similar word frequency trend between 2010 and 2019 to that between 2020 and 2022. In terms of the research method, many studies using machine learning were conducted from 2010 to 2020, and since 2021, research using deep learning has been increasing. Through these studies, we investigated the trends in research on artificial intelligence utilization by field and the strengths, problems, and challenges of related research. We found that since 2021, the application of artificial intelligence has been expanding, such as research using artificial intelligence for drug rearrangement, using computers to develop anticancer drugs, and applying artificial intelligence to clinical trials. This article briefly presents the prospects of new drug development research using artificial intelligence. If the reliability and safety of bio and medical data are ensured, and the development of the above artificial intelligence technology continues, it is judged that the direction of new drug development using artificial intelligence will proceed to personalized medicine and precision medicine, so we encourage efforts in that field.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.207-215
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• 2019

This study examines the effect of the height of cane that hemiplegic patients due to stroke use on their plantar pressure in standing position, gait speed. The study suggests a new standard for appropriate cane height that considers the change of average height of population. Research subjects included 12 patients hospitalized in S Medical Care Hospital located in Gwangju Metropolitan City in South Korea who were diagnosed with stroke. Group A uses a cane of the height of the greater trochanter of femur, group B uses a cane of 5cm above the height of the greater trochanter of femur, and group C is a cane of 10cm above the height of the greater trochanter of femur. In the study result, non-affected side plantar pressure and affected side plantar pressure showed a significant difference among the cases where the cane height was the same as the A group, B group, C group. In the post-hoc analysis result, a significant difference was observed between the case of A group and C group. Gait speed showed no significant difference among the case of the A group, B group, C group. The asymmetry of the stroke affects not only the posture but also the walking that is related to daily life. Changes in the height of the cane did not affect walking speed. The change in the height of the cane showed a change in the weight support ratio, which is thought to have a positive effect on the asymmetry. In future clinical setting, this study result will be able to provide fundamental data regarding the cane height in the standing or walking therapy for hemiplegic patients due to stroke with cane application.