• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.13-19
• /
• 1992

This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of using uniconazole,[(E)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)-1-penten-3-ol)] as a phytoprotectant against $SO_2$ injury in snap been (Phaseolus vulgaris L. 'Strike'). Thirteen days prior to $SO_2$ fumigation, plants were given a 100 ml soil drench of uniconazole solution at concentrations of 0.02, 0.10, 0.25 and 0.50 mg/pot. All four uniconazole concentrations were significantly effective in providing protection against $SO_2$ exposure(3 h at 1.5 ppm), but uniconazole treatment above 0.02 mg/pot severely reduced stem elongation, leaf enlargement, flowering date and pod number and weight. Uniconazole treatment had little or no effect on stomatal conductance but reduced transpiration rate on a whole plant basis by nearly 40%. This may reflect an alteration in canopy structure by reducing stem elongation and leaf enlargement. Although uniconazole did not increase the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and peroxidase(POD) in non-$SO_2$-fumigated plants, it significantly increased those enzyme activities in $SO_2$-fumigated plants. Chlorophyll concentration on the basis of unit area was increased 50-60% by uniconazole. However, the difference was not detected on the basis of dry weight. $SO_2$ increased variable chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv) 48% after 1.5 h of exposure in non-uniconazole treated plants but decreased Fv in the plants after 3 h of exposure. By appliing uniconazole, it was possible to maintain high Fv values in the latter group of plants. These results suggest that the phytoprotective effects of uniconazole are related to its growth-retarding properties as an anti-gibberellin as well as the increase of activites of free radical scavengers such as SOD and POD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.867-872
• /
• 2016

Background: Esophageal cancer is one of the most serious malignancies. Due to the aggressive nature of this cancer, the prognosis is poor. A network meta-analysis with simultaneous comparison of multiple treatments can help determine better treatment options that have higher effects on overall survival of patients with lower adverse events. The aim of this review is to simultaneously compare efficacy and adverse events of treatment interventions for esophageal cancer. Materials and Methods: In this review, only randomized control trials (RCT) will be considered for network meta-analysis. All international electronic databases including Medline, Web of Sciences, Scopus, Cochran's library, EMBASE and Cancerlit will be searched to find randomized control trials which compared two or more treatment interventions for esophageal cancer. A network plot will be drawn for visual representation of all available treatment interventions. Bayesian approach will be used to combine the direct and indirect evidence. Treatment effects (e.g. hazard ratio for time to event outcomes, risk ratio for binary outcomes, and rate ratio for count outcomes with 95% credible interval) will be reported. Moreover, cumulative probability of the treatment ranks will be reported using the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) graphs. Consistency assumption will be assessed by the loop-specific and design-by-treatment interaction approaches. Conclusions: The results of this study may be helpful for the patients, clinicians and health policy makers in selecting treatments that have the best effect on survival and lowest adverse events.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.23-28
• /
• 2016

Background: Sacral nerve stimulation is a therapeutic option with demonstrated efficacy for conditions presenting with perineal pain caused by different etiologies. We aimed to assess whether a sacral electrode ($Interstim^{(R)}$, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) inserted through the caudal pathway is able to offer an acceptable level of sacral stimulation and rate of catheter migration. Methods: We present 12 patients with pelvic pain who received sacral neuromodulation via the sacral hiatus with the InterStim electrode. We evaluated patient satisfaction as well as migration and removal of the electrode, if necessary. Results: Our experience included 12 patients, 10 women and two men, with a mean age of 60 years. In eight of the 12 patients, the initial therapy was effective, and the final system implantation was performed. During subsequent follow-up, patient satisfaction was good. To date, there have been no cases of electrode displacement or migration. Conclusions: The caudal insertion of the InterStim electrode, with its own fixation system, and initially designed for transsacral insertion, appears in our experience to be a satisfactory option which can minimize electrode displacements, achieving similar results in therapeutic efficacy and causing no difficulties in removal.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.661-667
• /
• 2015

Vibrio harveyi is one of the most serious pathogens causing vibriosis in larval and grow-out shrimp culture. This study was performed to investigate the bactericidal effect of a monopersulfate compound against V. harveyi and its toxicity in Litopenaeus vannamei. The monopersulfate compound was prepared at 0, 0.15, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, and 2.4 ppm for the bactericidal efficacy study, and then V. harveyi was added at a rate of 1×10⁶ CFU/mL. Subsequently, five shrimps/dose were added to the water bath. The other groups of shrimp were exposed to monopersulfate, but not to the bacterium. None of the shrimps exposed to any of the monopersulfate treatment doses without bacteria died, and no changes in their movement were detected for 7 days. However, shrimps exposed to bacteria without monopersulfate showed decreased movement and lethargy, but no death. The total number of other bacteria and V. harveyi at the different concentrations decreased significantly by 4-6 log values compared to that in the bacterial control group. The monopersulfate compound completely inhibited V. harveyi growth beginning 1 h after exposure to 2.4 ppm. These results show that the monopersulfate compound is an efficient disinfectant against naturally occurring marine bacteria and V. harveyi without being toxic to shrimp.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1707-1716
• /
• 2019

The development of new antimicrobial agents is essential for the effective treatment of diseases such as sepsis. We previously developed a new short peptide, Pap12-6, using the 12 N-terminal residues of papiliocin, which showed potent and effective antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we investigated the antimicrobial mechanism of Pap12-6 and a newly designed peptide, Pap12-7, in which the 12^th Trp residue of Pap12-6 was replaced with Val to develop a potent peptide with high bacterial selectivity and a different antibacterial mechanism. Both peptides showed high antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the two peptides showed similar anti-inflammatory activity against lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, but Pap12-7 showed very low toxicities against sheep red blood cells and mammalian cells compared to that showed by Pap12-6. A calcein dye leakage assay, membrane depolarization, and confocal microscopy observations revealed that the two peptides with one single amino acid change have different mechanisms of antibacterial action: Pap12-6 directly targets the bacterial cell membrane, whereas Pap12-7 appears to penetrate the bacterial cell membrane and exert its activities in the cell. The therapeutic efficacy of Pap12-7 was further examined in a mouse model of sepsis, which increased the survival rate of septic mice. For the first time, we showed that both peptides showed anti-septic activity by reducing the infiltration of neutrophils and the production of inflammatory factors. Overall, these results indicate Pap12-7 as a novel non-toxic peptide with potent antibacterial and anti-septic activities via penetrating the cell membrane.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2018

Background: This study was performed to review the efficacy of national and international randomized controlled trials (RCT) investigating Chuna manipulative treatment for ankle sprains. Methods: Online databases (PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, CNKI, NDSL, OASIS), were searched for studies where Chuna treatment was performed for ankle sprains up to October 12th, 2017. Only RCT were selected that fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: There were 676 studies retrieved from the databases, resulting in analysis of 24 RCT. There was an average of 7 treatment visits over a 7 day period and the most frequent evaluation tool used was efficacy rate, with drug therapy being the most common control used in the trials. In 15 RCT, several Chuna methods were used in combination, amongst which, the osteopathic technique was most common. Statistically significant improvement in evaluation indices was reported in 19 RCT, and in 3 RCT, statistically significant improvement was reported, but not for all indices. In the remaining 2 RCT, there were no significant differences in any of the evaluation indices. No adverse reactions were reported in any of the RCT, although it was unknown whether all the trial protocols indicated that adverse reactions should be monitored, and for this reason, the risk of bias was unclear. Conclusion: The review of 24 studies suggest that Chuna manipulative treatment for ankle sprains was effective in most cases, although, potential bias in these studies was difficult to evaluate.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.123-129
• /
• 2010

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of the arthroscopic exploration combined with modified Brostrom operation (MBO) for the treatment of chronic lateral ankle instability (CAI). Materials and Methods: Sixty patients who diagnosed a CAI were performed MBO. We divided to 2 groups, whether simultaneously inspected by arthroscopy (group B) or not (group A). The both group's results were compared according to American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-hindfoot score (AOFAS), functional ankle score and visual analog scale (VAS) at preoperative and final follow-up period. Results: There were no significant differences of AOFAS, functional ankle score and VAS between both groups at final follow-up. However, in group A, 2 cases associated with medial ankle instability and syndesmotic injuries were did not diagnosed preoperatively, showed poor prognosis. In group B, one case had a permanent peroneal nerve symptom. The match rate of intra-articular lesions between preoperative diagnosis and postoperative arthroscopic diagnosis was 30% in group B. Conclusion: Combination of arthroscopic exploration and MBO is effective strategy for intra-operatively discrimination of intra-articular associated lesions for CAI.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.277-287
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of enhancing deficient interdental papilla with hyaluronic acid gel injection by assessing the radiographic anatomical factors affecting the reconstruction of the interdental papilla. Methods: Fifty-seven treated sites from 13 patients (6 males and 7 females) were included. Patients had papillary deficiency in the upper anterior area. Prior to treatment, photographic and periapical radiographic standardization devices were designed for each patient. A 30-gauge needle was used with an injection-assistance device to inject a hyaluronic acid gel to the involved papilla. This treatment was repeated up to 5 times every 3 weeks. Patients were followed up for 6 months after the initial gel application. Clinical photographic measurements of the black triangle area (BTA), height (BTH), and width (BTW) and periapical radiographic measurements of the contact point and the bone crest (CP-BC) and the interproximal distance between roots (IDR) were undertaken using computer software. The interdental papilla reconstruction rate (IPRR) was calculated to determine the percentage change of BTA between the initial and final examination and the association between radiographic factors and the reconstruction of the interdental papilla by means of injectable hyaluronic acid gel were evaluated. Results: All sites showed improvement between treatment examinations. Thirty-six sites had complete interdental papilla reconstruction and 21 sites showed improvement ranging from 19% to 96%. The CP-BC correlated with the IPRR. More specifically, when the CP-BC reached 6 mm, virtually complete interdental papilla reconstruction via injectable hyaluronic acid gel was achieved. Conclusions: These results suggest that the CP-BC is closely related to the efficacy of hyaluronic acid gel injection for interdental papilla reconstruction.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.61 no.4
• /
• pp.191-215
• /
• 2009

The purposes of this study were to investigate the factors that influence the school drop-out of North Korean refugee youth and to generate recommendations for social work practice and the resettlement policies of the government to ameliorate the high school drop-out rate among North Korean refugee youth. This study examined the effects of the environmental factors such as the quality of parenting practice, peer attachment and the kind of school a youngster attends, and personal characteristics such as self-respect and acculturation stress level, and academic efficacy on the school drop-out intention. Gender, duration of stay in Korea, family economic status were established as control variables. The drop-out intention was used as a proxy for drop-out behavior. The study findings indicate that the personal characteristics such as gender, self-respect and acculturation stress, academic efficacy were the significant influencing factors, whereas environmental factors such as quality of parenting, peer attachment did not exert any statistically significant effect on the drop-out intention. At the conclusion, the implications of the study findings for research, social work practice and the government policies were discussed.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.177-181
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The International Organization for Standardization-5fluorouracil (FU) 10 trial found that bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin was not inferior to S-1 in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). Continuous 5-FU and the rapid injection of 5-FU have different anti-cancer effects. Thus, bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment might be useful for oral FU-resistant GC. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all patients with S-1 or capecitabine-resistant, unresectable, or recurrent GC treated with bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin between January 2010 and December 2015 at Hokkaido University Hospital. The bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin regimen consisted of intravenous l-leucovorin ($250mg/m^2/2h$) and bolus 5-FU ($600mg/m^2$) administered once weekly followed by a 2-week rest period; each cycle was repeated every 8 weeks. Results: A total of 14 patients were identified. The disease control rate was 35.7%. The median progression-free survival was 1.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3~2.0 months), and the median overall survival was 6.3 months (95% CI, 4.7~7.9 months). No patient died from treatment-related causes. The most common severe adverse event associated with bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin was neutropenia, which occurred in 21.4% of patients. Conclusions: Bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment might be useful for oral FU-resistant GC. We are planning a multi-center prospective phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment for pre-treated unresectable or recurrent GC to confirm the results of this limited, retrospective study.