• 한국자원식물학회지
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• 제31권6호
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• pp.612-621
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• 2018

Honey used as conventional medicine has various pharmacological properties. In the honey and anti-inflammatory effect, Gelam honey and Manuka honey has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory activity. However, the anti-inflammatory effect and potential mechanisms of acacia honey (AH) are not well understood. In this study, we investigated anti-inflammatory activity and mechanism of action of AH in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. AH attenuated NO production through inhibition of iNOS expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. AH also decreased the expressions of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ as pro-inflammatory cytokines, and MCP-1 expression as a pro-inflammatory chemokine. In the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms, AH decreased LPS-mediated $I{\kappa}B$-${\alpha}$ degradation and subsequent nuclear accumulation of p65, which resulted in the inhibition of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in RAW264.7 cells. AH dose-dependently suppressed LPS-mediated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, AH significantly inhibited ATF2 phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of ATF2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. These results suggest that AH has an anti-inflammatory effect, inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS, $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, $IL-1{\beta}$ and MCP-1 via interruption of the $NF-{\kappa}B$ and MAPK/ATF2 signaling pathways.

• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.150-156
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• 2018

This study aims to develop an improved Feldkamp-Davis-Kress (FDK) reconstruction algorithm using anisotropic total variation (ATV) minimization to enhance the image quality of low-dose cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The algorithm first applies a filter that integrates the Shepp-Logan filter into a cosine window function on all projections for impulse noise removal. A total variation objective function with anisotropic penalty is then minimized to enhance the difference between the real structure and noise using the steepest gradient descent optimization with adaptive step sizes. The preserving parameter to adjust the separation between the noise-free and noisy areas is determined by calculating the cumulative distribution function of the gradient magnitude of the filtered image obtained by the application of the filtering operation on each projection. With these minimized ATV projections, voxel-driven backprojection is finally performed to generate the reconstructed images. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated with the catphan503 phantom dataset acquired with the use of a low-dose protocol. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that the proposed ATV minimization provides enhanced CBCT reconstruction images compared with those generated by the conventional FDK algorithm, with a higher contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), lower root-mean-square-error, and higher correlation. The proposed algorithm not only leads to a potential imaging dose reduction in repeated CBCT scans via lower mA levels, but also elicits high CNR values by removing noisy corrupted areas and by avoiding the heavy penalization of striking features.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.69-74
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• 2021

Background In inferomedially rotated zygomatic fractures sticking in the maxillary sinus, it is often difficult to achieve complete reduction only by conventional intraoral reduction. We present a new intraoral reduction technique using a Kirschner wire and its clinical outcome. Methods Among 39 inferomedially impacted zygomatic fractures incompletely reduced by a simple intraoral reduction trial with a bone elevator, a Kirschner wire (1.5 mm) was vertically inserted from the zygomatic body to the lateral orbital rim in 17 inferior-dominant rotation fractures and horizontally inserted to the zygomatic arch in nine medial-dominant and 13 bidirectional rotation fractures. A Kirschner wire was held with a wire holder and lifted in the superolateral or anterolateral direction for reduction. Following reduction of the zygomaticomaxillary fracture, internal fixation was performed. Results Fractures were completely reduced using only an intraoral approach with Kirschner wire reduction in 33 cases and through an additional lower lid or transconjunctival incision in six cases. There were no surgical complications except in one patient with undercorrection. Postoperative 6-month computed tomography scans showed complete bone union and excellent bone alignment. Four patients experienced difficulty with upper lip elevation; however, these problems spontaneously resolved after manual tissue lump massage and intralesional steroid (Triamcinolone) injection. Conclusions We completely reduced infraorbital rim fractures, zygomaticomaxillary buttresses, and zygomaticofrontal suture fractures in 84% of patients through an intraoral approach alone. Intraoral Kirschner wire reduction may be a useful option by which to obtain effective and powerful reduction motion of an inferomedially rotated zygomatic body.

• 식물병연구
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.202-209
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• 2020

유기농업은 지속가능한 농업을 위해서 필요하며, 생물 다양성 유지를 위해 필수적인 경작 방법으로 전 세계적으로 성장하고 있는 농업 분야 중 하나이다. 유기농업은 인류의 건강과 환경에 유해한 영향을 끼질 수 있는 화학적 제재의 사용을 줄이고, 친환경적 동·식물성 비료, 식물 추출물, 미생물 제재 등이 사용되기 때문에 소비자에게 안전한 농산물을 제공할 수 있다. 노지 고추를 대상으로 3년간 유기농업 환경과 관행농업 환경에서 주요 병해 발생과 토양 미생물상의 조사하였다. 토양 미생물상의 차이는 차세대 염기서열 분석 기법을 활용하여 조사하였으며, 유기농업에 사용되는 제제의 종류에 따라 토양 미생물상이 다르게 형성되었다. 바이러스, 탄저병에 대해서는 관행농업에서의 병 발생률이 낮았으나, 청고병은 미생물 제재 사용에 의해 병 발생률이 낮게 나타났다. 미생물 제재를 사용한 토양에서 투입된 미생물이 토양 미생물에서 검출되었으며, 이는 미생물이 실제 토양에 정착했음을 시사한다.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.208-212
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• 2021

Background There are currently no guidelines for the postoperative wound management of the hard-palate donor site in cases involving mucosal harvesting. This study describes our experiences with the use of an artificial dermis for early epithelialization and transparent plate fixation in cases involving hard-palate mucosal harvesting. Methods A transparent palatal plate was custom-fabricated using a thermoplastic resin board. After mucosal harvesting, an alginic acid-containing wound dressing (Sorbsan) was applied to the donor site, which was then covered with the plate. After confirming hemostasis, the dressing was changed to artificial dermis a few days later, and the plate was fixed to the artificial dermis. The size of the mucosal defect ranged from 8×25 to 20×40 mm. Results Plate fixation was adequate, with no postoperative slippage or infection of the artificial dermis. There was no pain at the harvest site, but a slight sense of incongruity during eating was reported. Although the fabrication and application of the palatal plate required extra steps before and after harvesting, the combination of the artificial dermis and palatal plate was found to be very useful for protecting the mucosal harvest site, and resulted in decreased pain and earlier epithelialization. Conclusions The combination of artificial dermis and a transparent palatal plate for wound management at the hard-palate mucosal donor site resolved some of the limitations of conventional methods.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.100-106
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• 2021

Measuring Intima-media thickness (IMT) with ultrasound images can help early detection of coronary artery disease. As a result, numerous machine learning studies have been conducted to measure IMT. However, most of these studies require several steps of pre-treatment to extract the boundary, and some require manual intervention, so they are not suitable for on-site treatment in urgent situations. in this paper, we propose to use deep learning networks U-Net, Attention U-Net, and Pretrained U-Net to automatically segment the intima-media complex. This study also applied the HE, HS, and CLAHE preprocessing technique to wireless portable ultrasound diagnostic device images. As a result, The average dice coefficient of HE applied Models is 71% and CLAHE applied Models is 70%, while the HS applied Models have improved as 72% dice coefficient. Among them, Pretrained U-Net showed the highest performance with an average of 74%. When comparing this with the mean value of IMT measured by Conventional wired ultrasound equipment, the highest correlation coefficient value was shown in the HS applied pretrained U-Net.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.129-143
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• 2022

Background: Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been widely used as an effective medical treatment for pain and for postoperative analgesia. However, improper dose errors in intravenous (IV) administration of narcotic analgesics from a PCA infusion pump can cause patient harm. Furthermore, opioid overdose is considered one of the highest risk factors for patients receiving pain medications. Therefore, accurate delivery of opioid analgesics is a critical function of PCA infusion pumps. Methods: We designed a microbalance method that consisted of a closed acrylic chamber containing a layer and an oil layer with an electronic balance. A commercially available infusion analyzer (IDA-5, Fluke Co., Everett, WA, USA) was used to measure the accuracy of the infusion flow rate from a commercially available smart PCA infusion pump (PS-1000, UNIMEDICS, Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea) and compared with the results of the microbalance method. We evaluated the uncertainty of the flow rate measurement using the ISO guide (GUM:1995 part3). The battery life, delay time of the occlusion alarm, and bolus function of the PCA pump were also tested. Results: The microbalance method was good in the short-term 2 h measurement, and IDA-5 was good in the long-term 24 h measurement. The two measurement systems can complement each other in the case of the measurement time. Regarding battery performance, PS-1000 lasted approximately 5 days in a 1 ml/hr flow rate condition without recharging the battery. The occlusion pressure alarm delays of PS-1000 satisfied the conventional alarm threshold of occlusion pressure (300-800 mmHg). Average accuracy bolus volume was measured as 63%, 95%, and 98.5% with 0.1 ml, 1 ml, and 2 ml bolus volume presets, respectively. A 1 ml/hr flow rate measurement was evaluated as 2.08% of expanded uncertainty, with a 95% confidence level. Conclusion: PS-1000 showed a flow accuracy to be within the infusion pump standard, which is ± 5% of flow accuracy. Occlusion alarm of PS-1000 was quickly transmitted, resulting in better safety for patients receiving IV infusion of opioids. PS-1000 is sufficient for a portable smart PCA infusion pump.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.413-424
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• 2022

Suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (SMAD) 4 is a pluripotent signaling mediator that regulates myriad cellular functions, including cell growth, cell division, angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell invasion, and metastasis, through transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-dependent and -independent pathways. SMAD4 is a critical modulator in signal transduction and functions primarily as a transcription factor or cofactor. Apart from being a DNA-binding factor, the additional SMAD4 mechanisms in tumor suppression remain elusive. We previously identified methyl malonyl aciduria cobalamin deficiency B type (MMAB) as a critical SMAD4 binding protein using a proto array analysis. This study confirmed the interaction between SMAD4 and MMAB using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay, proximity ligation assay (PLA), and conventional immunoprecipitation. We found that transient SMAD4 overexpression down-regulates MMAB expression via a proteasome-dependent pathway. SMAD4-MMAB interaction was independent of TGF-β signaling. Finally, we determined the effect of MMAB downregulation on cancer cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of MMAB affected cancer cell metabolism in HeLa cells by decreasing ATP production and glucose consumption as well as inducing apoptosis. These findings suggest that SMAD4 controls cancer cell metabolism by regulating MMAB.

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권5호
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• pp.205-212
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• 2022

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a debilitating chronic disorder characterized by suprapubic pain and urinary symptoms such as urgency, nocturia, and frequency. The prevalence of IC/BPS is increasing as diagnostic criteria become more comprehensive. Conventional pharmacotherapy against IC/BPS has shown suboptimal effects, and consequently, patients with end-stage IC/BPS are subjected to surgery. The novel treatment strategies should have two main functions, anti-inflammatory action and the regeneration of glycosaminoglycan and urothelium layers. Stem cell therapy has been shown to have dual functions. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising therapeutic option for IC/BPS, but they come with several shortcomings, such as immune activation and tumorigenicity. MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) hold numerous therapeutic cargos and are thus a viable cell-free therapeutic option. In this review, we provide a brief overview of IC/BPS pathophysiology and limitations of the MSC-based therapies. Then we provide a detailed explanation and discussion of therapeutic applications of EVs in IC/BPS as well as the possible mechanisms. We believe our review will give an insight into the strengths and drawbacks of EV-mediated IC/BPS therapy and will provide a basis for further development.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.382-389
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• 2022

In this study, the accuracy of the orthognathic surgical guides with single-stage split path was upgraded to realize orthognathic surgical guides with two-stage split path and simulated surgery was performed to verify its accuracy. As a result, the average error distance between the simulation model and the scan model was + 0.289 / - 0.468 mm (standard deviation 0.128), which was confirmed to be within ± 0.5 mm, which is a clinically acceptable level. Also, there was no significant difference compared with the average value of + 0.313 / - 0.456 mm (average standard deviation 0.106) of the conventional single-stage split path type device. It is judged that the use of this device can contribute to the reduction of surgical time and increase in accuracy since a separate finishing operation for bone preparation is unnecessary.