• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2005

In spite of the ongoing advances, standard therapies for oral cancer still has some limitations in efficacy and in ability to prolong survival rate of advanced disease and result in significant functional defect and severe cosmetic deformity. Currently gene therapy using tumor suppressor gene is considered as a potent candidate for new therapeutic approaches that can improve efficacy and reduce complications. The purpose of this research is to identify the role of adenoviral vector to transfer HCCS-1 tumor suppressor gene in oral cancer cells and to find out whether there is a possibility for it to serve in the field of gene therapy. The human SCC-25 cell line was used for transfection. To determine the efficiency of the adenovirus as a gene delivery vector cell line was transduced with LacZ gene and analysed with X-gal staining. Northern blot was performed to confirm the tranfection with HSCC-1 gene and cell viability was assessed by cell cytotoxicity assay. We had successfully construct the recombinant HSCC-1 adenovirus(Ad5CMV-HCCS-1). DNA extracted from Ad5CMV-HCCS-1 revealed HCCS-1 gene is incorporated. The transduction efficiencies were over than 50% of SCC-25 cells with a MOI of 2 and over 95% with a MOI of 50. Northern blot analysis showed that a single 0.6kb mRNA transcript was expressed in Ad5CMV-HCCS-1 transduced SCC-25 cells. There was no or very low transcription HCCS-1 mRNA in wild and Ad5CMV-LacZ transduced SCC-25 cells. Cells transduced with Ad5CMV-HCCS-1 showed significant growth inhibition. By day 6, Ad5CMV-HCCS-1 treated cell count was decreased to 30% of mock-infected cells, while that of Ad5CMV-LacZ treated cells was 90% of mock-infected cells (p<0.05). Finally, these result suggest that the Ad5CMV-HCCS-1 has potential as a gene therapy tool for oral cancer.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.346-352
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• 2006

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to propose a screening schedule for the early detection of breast cancer among Korean women, as based on the statistical model, and to compare the efficacy of the proposed screening schedule with the current recommendations. Methods: The development of the screening schedule for breast cancer closely followed the work of Lee and Zelen (1998). We calculated the age-specific breast cancer incidence rate from the Korea Central Cancer Registry (2003), and then we estimated the scheduling of periodic examinations for the early detection of breast cancer, using mammography, and based on the threshold method. The efficacy of the derived screening schedule was evaluated by the schedule sensitivity. Results: For estimating the screening schedule threshold method, we set the threshold value as the probability of being in the preclinical stage at age 35, the sensitivity of mammography as 0.9 and the mean sojourn time in the preclinical stage as 4 years. This method generated 14 examinations within the age interval [40, 69] of 40.0, 41.3, 42.7, 44.1, 45.4, 46.7, 48.0, 49.3, 51.0, 53.2, 55.3, 57.1, 59.0 and 63.6 years, and the schedule sensitivity was 75.4%. The proposed screening schedule detected 85.2% (74.5/87.4) of the cases that could have been detected by annual screening, but it required only about 48.7% (14.0/30.0) of the total number of examinations. We also examined the threshold screening schedules for a range of sensitivities of mammography and the mean sojourn time in the preclinical stage. Conclusions: The proposed screening schedule for breast cancer with using the threshold method will be helpful to provide guidelines for a public health program for choosing an effective screening schedule for breast cancer among Korean women.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.40-46
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of positive psychological capital on re-employment attitudes of youth in their 20s dealing with an unemployment rate of more than 10%. The effect of positive psychological capital on attitudes for re-employment was analyzed by domain, and is based on variables of positive psychological capital composed of self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism. As a result, hope (3.64) was the highest on the scale; however, resilience (at 3.37) was the lowest. In the analysis of positive psychological capital, the university graduate group (3.89) was the highest. But, the high school graduate group (3.25) was the lowest. In the results for re-employment attitude based on education level, the university graduate group (4.93) was the highest, but the high school graduate group (3.80) was lowest. The main variables influencing re-employment attitude were (in order): hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resilience. These factors have an explanatory power for the four variables of around 25%. Overall, young adults (in their 20s) have higher levels of positive psychological capital because they have a higher education level. Also, higher educated re-employed applicants have higher positive psychological capital and attitudes for re-employment, compared to the other groups.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2015

Morinda officinalis (Rubiaceae) is a medicinal herb that has traditionally been used for the treatment of skin inflammation. The present study was to investigate the inhibitory efficacy of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1) of the extracts of the root of M. officinalis, which was autoclaved at $132^{\circ}C$ and $1.2kgf/cm^2$ for 15 min using an autoclave. The composition of the extracts were compared with that prepared without autoclaved treatment. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were analyzed for the autoclaved M. officinalis root extract (AME) and M. officinalis root extract (ME). Results showed that the autoclaved AME contained total phenol and flavonoid contents 1.5-fold times more than those from ME. AME showed DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging activities as 79.25% and 94.5%, respectively, at the concentration of $500{\mu}g/mL$. In anti-inflammatory assay, AME inhibited the activity of COX-2 and 5-LOX metabolites. In addition, AME showed higher an inhibition rate in MMP-1 expression than ME in UVA-irradiated human dermal fibroblast (HDF) without any significant cytotoxicity. UVB-induced cytotoxicity and cell death were effectively suppressed by AME. In conclusion, autoclaving the M. officinalis root increased the phenol and flavonoid contents. The extracts of the autoclaved M. officinalis enhanced the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-MMP-1 effects. Thus, the extracts could be an useful active ingredient in cosmetics.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.258-267
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• 2019

Purpose: Upper respiratory tract infections are major causes of the common cold throughout the world. Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) is a well-known functional food for its anti-fatigue and immunomodulating activities. On the other hand, there are no reports on the protective effect against upper respiratory tract infections (URI). This study was a 12 week randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial in healthy volunteers. Methods: A total of 100 subjects 20 ~ 70 years of age with a history of at least two colds in the year were enrolled in the study. The participants were required to record any adverse events and rate any cold-related incidents in a diary during the investigation period. The efficacy end point was the symptoms and incidence of URI, and changes in cytokines, IgA and natural killer (NK) cell activity. Results: The Cordyceps militaris group over 12 weeks showed no significant impact on the incidence and symptomatology of URI compared to the placebo group. On the other hand, the experimental group showed significantly higher NK cell activity (p = 0.047) and IgA level (p = 0.035) compared to the placebo group. The NK-cell activity and IgA level were increased significantly by Cordyceps militaris over 12 weeks. Conclusion: The results suggest the possible beneficial immunomodulating effects, but the protective effects on URI could not be demonstrated under these conditions. Additional research will be needed to determine the efficacy and mechanisms of Cordyceps militaris function.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.138-146
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aims to compare and evaluate the reduction efficiency of disinfectants used in the domestic meat processing industry to reduce bioaerosol exposure of meat industry workers and to use this as basic data for establishing work environment management measures. Methods: Thirteen disinfectants sold in South Korea were selected for evaluation and the bacterial reduction effect of the disinfectants was investigated. Bacterial suspension and surface disinfection tests were conducted to compare and analyze the antibacterial strength of the disinfectants. Pork carcasses, cutting boards, benches, and conveyor belts were selected for surface sterilization tests. Results: As a result of the bacterial suspension experiment test, all disinfectants had a bacterial reduction efficiency of more than 86%. Among them, the bacterial reduction efficiency of chlorine disinfectants was 99.93% on average. In the results of the pork carcass surface sterilization test, the rate of reduction of disinfectants made of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) was the highest. Tests of plastic cutting boards showed that chlorine disinfectants had the best sterilization effect. Experiments on stainless steel benches showed the best bacterial reduction efficiency for chlorine dioxide and QACs disinfectants. In the conveyor belt made of urethane, QACs disinfectants showed excellent sterilization effects. Conclusions: The study evaluated the disinfection power of disinfectants against bacteria occurring in domestic meat processing plants. All disinfectants were found to be effective in bacterial suspension experiments, and chlorine disinfectants were particularly effective. In surface sterilization experiments, sterilizing agents with QACs as the main ingredient were excellent.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.676-683
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• 2019

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is widely used for strengthening the immune system and fighting fatigue, especially in people with deficiency syndrome. However, there is concern that the long-term application or a high dose of KRG can cause "fireness" (上火 in Chinese) because of its "dryness" (燥性 in Chinese). The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a 4-week treatment with KRG in participants with deficiency syndrome. Methods: This was a 4-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 180 Chinese participants were randomly allocated to three groups: placebo control group, participants were given a placebo, 3.6 g/d; KRG 1.8 g and 3.6 g groups. The primary outcomes were the changes in fireness and safety evaluation (adverse events, laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram). The secondary outcomes were the efficacy of KRG on fatigue, which include the following: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scale and fatigue self-assessment scale. Results: Of the 180 patients, 174 completed the full study. After 4 weeks of KRG treatment, the Fire-heat symptoms score including Excess fire-heat score and Deficient fire-heat score showed no significant change as compared with placebo treatment, and no clinically significant changes in any safety parameter were observed. Based on the TCM syndrome score and fatigue self-assessment score, TCM symptoms and fatigue were greatly improved after treatment with KRG, which showed a dose- and time-dependent effect. The total effective rate was also significantly increased in the KRG groups. Conclusion: Our study revealed that KRG has a potent antifatigue effect without significant adverse effects in people with deficiency syndrome. Although a larger sample size and longer treatment may be required for a more definite conclusion, this clinical trial is the first to disprove the common conception of "fireness" related to KRG.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1100-1118
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of acupuncture as a treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR). We used a meta-analysis and systematic review to analyze the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that applied acupuncture to AR patients. Methods: The key question assessed the effects of acupuncture on patients with AR, and we included only RCTs. We searched the KoreaMed, NDSL, KMBASE, Koreantk, OASIS, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases, with no language restriction. We assessed risk of bias with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The random effects model was used to adjust for the heterogeneity of the included studies, and the effect sizes between two groups were reported as mean differences (MD) and risk ratios (RR). Results: Twelve RCTs were analyzed, with a total of 1788 participants; 824 participants were in the treatment group (i.e., acupuncture) and 964 were in the control group (sham acupuncture, western medicine, or waitlist). The meta-analysis results of 7 RCTs comparing the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture with that of sham acupuncture showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) and the Change of Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS). The meta-analysis of 4 RCTs comparing the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture with western medicine showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in the RQLQ but not in the changes in effective rate (p>0.05). Conclusions: Acupuncture can be an effective treatment for AR, but more studies are required to enhance the level of evidence and to confirm safety.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.283-309
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• 2021

Achieving profound anesthesia in mandibular molars with irreversible pulpitis is a tedious task. This review aimed at evaluating the success of buccal/lingual infiltrations administered with a primary inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) injection or as a supplemental injection after the failure of the primary injection in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with irreversible pulpitis in human mandibular molars. The review question was "What will be the success of primary and supplemental infiltration injection in the endodontic treatment of patients with irreversible pulpitis in human mandibular molars?" We searched electronic databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, and Ebsco host and we did a comprehensive manual search. The review protocol was framed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. We included clinical studies that evaluated and compared the anesthetic outcomes of primary IANB with primary and/or supplementary infiltration injections. Standard evaluation of the included studies was performed and suitable data and inferences were assessed. Twenty-six studies were included, of which 13 were selected for the meta-analysis. In the forest plot representation of the studies evaluating infiltrations, the combined risk ratio (RR) was 1.88 (95% CI: 1.49, 2.37), in favor of the secondary infiltrations with a statistical heterogeneity of 77%. The forest plot analysis for studies comparing primary IANB + infiltration versus primary IANB alone showed a low heterogeneity (0%). The included studies had similar RRs and the combined RR was 1.84 (95% CI: 1.44, 2.34). These findings suggest that supplemental infiltrations given along with a primary IANB provide a better success rate. L'Abbe plots were generated to measure the statistical heterogeneity among the studies. Trial sequential analysis suggested that the number of patients included in the analysis was adequate. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analyses, we concluded that the infiltration technique, either as a primary injection or as a supplementary injection, given after the failure of primary IANB, increases the overall anesthetic efficacy.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.288-294
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• 2021

Purpose: Despite aggressive medical and nutritional management, patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) often suffer from multi-organ damage. Early deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) has emerged as an intervention to prevent disease progression. We investigated the efficacy of living donor LT (LDLT) with a potential carrier of MMA and a small volume of graft in patients with MMA as an alternative to DDLT. Methods: Of five patients (three male, two female; median age 5.7 years; range, 1.3-13.7 years), four underwent carrier LDLT, while one underwent non-carrier auxiliary LDLT. All patients received pre- and post-LT continuous renal replacement therapy and were provided with minimal restriction diet according to serum MMA level after LT. MMA levels in the serum and urine, the incidence of metabolic crisis, and clinical findings before and after LT were compared. Results: The survival rate was 100% during 2.2 years of follow up period after LT. In all five cases, MMA titer in the serum after transplantation decreased with less restrictive diet. Metabolic crisis was not observed during the follow-up period. In addition, no patient showed progression of severe renal impairment requiring hemodialysis. Progression of delayed cognitive development was not observed. Social functioning with improved neuropsychiatric development was observed. Conclusion: This study showed that LDLT achieved improved quality of life with less restrictive diet, therefore it could be a feasible alternative option to DDLT for the treatment of patients with MMA, even with an auxiliary LT.