• Title/Summary/Keyword: human disease

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Analysis and Verification of Ancient DNA (고대 DNA의 분석과 검증)

  • Jee, Sang-hyun;Seo, Min-seok
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.40
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    • pp.387-411
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    • 2007
  • The analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) has become increasingly considerable anthropological, archaeological, biological and public interest. Although this approach is complicated by the natural damage and exogenous contamination of a DNA, archaeologists and biologists have attempted to understand issues such as human evolutionary history, migration and social organization, funeral custom and disease, and even evolutionary phylogeny of extinct animals. Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) is powerful technique that analyzes DNA sequences from a little extract of an ancient specimen. However, deamination and fragmentation are common molecular damages of aDNA and cause enzymatic inhibition in PCR for DNA amplification. Besides, the deamination of a cytosine residue yielded an uracil residue in the ancient template, and results in the misincorporation of an adenine residue in PCR. This promotes a consistent substitution (cytosine thymine, guanine adenine) to original nucleotide sequences. Contamination with exogenous DNA is a major problem in aDNA analysis, and causes oversight as erroneous conclusion. This report represents serious problems that DNA modification and contamination are the main issues in result validation of aDNA analysis. Now, we introduce several criterions suggested to authenticate reliance of aDNA analysis by many researchers in this field.

Skin Protection Seminars to Prevent Occupational Skin Diseases: Results of a Prospective Longitudinal Study in Apprentices of High-risk Professions

  • Wilke, Annika;Brans, Richard;Nordheider, Kathrin;Braumann, Antje;Hubner, Anja;Sonsmann, Flora K.;John, Swen M.;Wulfhorst, Britta
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.9 no.4
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    • pp.398-407
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    • 2018
  • Background: Occupational skin diseases (OSDs) are frequent in professions with exposure to skin hazards. Thus, a health educational intervention for apprentices of high-risk professions was conducted. It was the aim of this study to gain insight into possible effects of this intervention. Methods: A one-time skin protection seminar was conducted in 140 apprentices of health-related and non-health-related professions [trained cohort (TC)]. In addition, 134 apprentices of the same occupations were monitored [untrained cohort (UTC)]. The OSD-specific knowledge and the skin condition of the hands were assessed at baseline (T0), after the seminar (T1), and after 6 (T2) and 12 months (T3). Results: The OSD-specific knowledge increased in all cohorts from T0 to T3, but we found a significantly higher knowledge in the TC at T2 (p < 0.001, t = 3.6, df = 196, 95% confidence interval = 0.9, 3.3) and T3 (p < 0.001, t = 3.8, df = 196, 95% confidence interval = 1.0, 3.2) compared to the UTC. Our results indicated a better skin condition of the hands in the TC of the health-related professions but not in the non-health-related professions. Conclusion: The study indicates that an educational intervention may positively influence the disease-specific knowledge and the prevalence of OSD in apprentices. However, definite conclusions cannot be drawn because of the heterogeneous study cohorts and the study design. Future research should aim at tailoring primary prevention to specific target groups, e.g., in view of the duration and frequency of skin protection education, different professions, and gender-specific prevention approaches.

The Effect of Emotional Experiences on Biological Aging (정서경험과 생체노화)

  • Paik, Seo Chae;Kim, Jong Sung
    • Korean journal of health promotion
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.147-158
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    • 2018
  • Background: This study was designed to investigate the effects of usual negative emotional experiences on biological aging progression of human. Methods: A total of 237 subjects who visited the Health Promotion Center at Chungnam National University Hospital from May 2013 through September 2013 was enrolled. Each subject had been drawn up a structured questionnaire about usual experiences of depression, anxiety, anger, and anger expression. The degree of biological aging progression of each subject was computed by a specific formula which consisted of chronological age and biological age reflecting obesity and aging of main organs. Results: Trait anger and low education level showed the significant correlations with biological aging (r=0.160, P=0.014, and r=-0.189, P=0.024, respectively). Trait anger and low education level solely displayed the significant $R^2s$ for biological aging in consequence of multivariate analyses; $R^2=0.044$, P=0.020, and $R^2=0.022$, P=0.038, respectively. Conclusions: This study suggests that the significant relationship between usual anger experience (i.e., trait anger) and biological aging would be present. In addition, lower education level may be related with biological aging.

Development of COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibody (NAb) Detection Kits Using the S1 RBD Protein of SARS-CoV-2 (코로나 바이러스 감염증-19의 재조합 S1 RBD 단백질을 이용한 COVID-19 바이러스의 중화항체 검사 키트의 개발)

  • Choi, Dong Ok;Lee, Kang Moon
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.53 no.3
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    • pp.257-265
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    • 2021
  • The COVID-19 virus is a β-genus virus that causes infection by mediating the angiotensin convertible enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is distributed in large numbers in the human respiratory tract. The disease requires effective post-management of antibody production by complete healers and vaccinators because there is no perfect remedy for the virus infection. This study aimed to develop recombinant proteins specifically responsive to neutralizing antibodies in clinical specimens and use them to develop a rapid diagnostic kit to diagnose neutralizing antibodies quickly and conveniently against the COVID-19 virus and confirm the possibility of commercialization through a performance evaluation. Rapid diagnostic kits using COVID-19 S1 RBD recombinant proteins can be applied to rapid diagnostic kits, with positive percentage agreement (PPA) and negative percentage agreement (NPA) of 100% and 98.3%, respectively, compared to the U.S. FDA-approved ELISA kits. If the performance of the rapid diagnostic kit is improved and neutralizing antibodies can be analyzed quantitatively using quantitative analysis equipment, it can be used as important data to predict immunity to the COVID-19 virus and determine additional vaccinations.

Transforming Growth Factor β Inhibits MUC5AC Expression by Smad3/HDAC2 Complex Formation and NF-κB Deacetylation at K310 in NCI-H292 Cells

  • Lee, Su Ui;Kim, Mun-Ock;Kang, Myung-Ji;Oh, Eun Sol;Ro, Hyunju;Lee, Ro Woon;Song, Yu Na;Jung, Sunin;Lee, Jae-Won;Lee, Soo Yun;Bae, Taeyeol;Hong, Sung-Tae;Kim, Tae-Don
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.44 no.1
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    • pp.38-49
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    • 2021
  • Airway mucus secretion is an essential innate immune response for host protection. However, overproduction and hypersecretion of mucus, mainly composed of the gel-forming MUC5AC protein, are significant risk factors for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathway negatively regulates MUC5AC expression; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we showed that TGFβ significantly reduces the expression of MUC5AC mRNA and its protein in NCI-H292 cells, a human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line. This reduced MUC5AC expression was restored by a TGFβ receptor inhibitor (SB431542), but not by the inhibition of NF-κB (BAY11-7082 or Triptolide) or PI3K (LY294002) activities. TGFβ-activated Smad3 dose-dependently bound to MUC5AC promoter. Notably, TGFβ-activated Smad3 recruited HDAC2 and facilitated nuclear translocation of HDAC2, thereby inducing the deacetylation of NF-κB at K310, which is essential for a reduction in NF-κB transcriptional activity. Both TGFβ-induced nuclear translocation of Smad3/HDAC2 and deacetylation of NF-κB at K310 were suppressed by a Smad3 inhibitor (SIS3). These results suggest that the TGFβ-activated Smad3/HDAC2 complex is an essential negative regulator for MUC5AC expression and an epigenetic regulator for NF-κB acetylation. Therefore, these results collectively suggest that modulation of the TGFβ1/Smad3/HDAC2/NF-κB pathway axis can be a promising way to improve lung function as a treatment strategy for asthma and COPD.

'Jungmo2509', the First Rye Cultivar of Self-Fertility in the Korea (국내 최초의 자식성 호밀 품종 '중모2509')

  • Han, Ouk-Kyu;Kim, Jin-Jin;Kim, Dea-Wook;Ku, Ja-Hwan
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.41 no.2
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    • pp.77-83
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    • 2021
  • Rye (Secale cereal L.) is the most tolerant to abiotic stress including low temperature, drought, and unfavorable soil conditions among the winter cereals. Rye is the rapid growth of early spring results from increasing areas for the use of the forage and green manure in the middle part of Korea. "Jungmo2509", a rye cultivar was developed by the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), RDA in 2014. It was developed from a cross between "Olhomil", a self-compatible cultivar, and "Synthetic II", a self-incompatible line. "Jungmo2509" is an erect plant type and of a middle size, with a green leaf color, a yellowish-white colored culm, and a yellowish brown-colored, small-size grain. The heading date of "Jungmo2509" was April 23, which was 5 days later than that of "Gogu", respectively. But "Jungmo2509" showed greater resistance to lodging compared to that of the check cultivar, with similar to winter hardiness, wet injury, and disease resistance. "Jungmo2509" was a higher to than "Gogu" in terms of protein content (9.4% and 8.0%, respectively), total digestible nutrients (TDN) (55.7% and 55%, respectively). The seed productivity of "Jungmo2509" was approximately 2.08 ton 10a-1, which was 11% lower than that of the check. Almost all rye cultivars are out-crossing due to genes controlling incompatibility, but "Jungmo2509" is higher seed fertility (56%) than that of Gogu (0%). it has self-compatible genes. "Jungmo2509" is erect in plant type and resistance for lodging. Therefore, "Jungmo2509" can produce uniform seeds for processed grains of human consumption and utilize them as parents for breeding the rye hybrids with high forage yields.

Evaluation of NOx Reduction Performance by Photocatalytic (TiO2) Coating of Cement Mortar Mixed with Zeolite and Activate Hwangtoh (제올라이트와 활성 황토를 혼입한 시멘트 모르타르의 광촉매(TiO2) 코팅에 따른 NOx 저감성능평가)

  • Park, Jang-Hyun;Kim, Hyeok-Jung
    • Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.483-489
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    • 2020
  • Particulate matter is divided into PM10 (particle diameter of 10 ㎛ or less) and PM2.5 (particle diameter of 2.5 ㎛ or less), which are approximately 1/5 of the thickness of the hair. Due to its effect on the human body, lung disease, arteriosclerosis and heart It is known as a carcinogen that causes various diseases such as diseases. It is known that the main cause of such fine dust is nitrogen dioxide (NOx), which is emitted from automobiles in about 57.3% of urban roadsides. Therefore, in this study, as part of the development of functional construction materials to reduce NOx generated from road transport pollutants, comparative evaluation of NOx reduction performance was conducted according to the replacement rate of cement mortar in which cement was replaced with a porous material. In addition, the NOx reduction performance of cement mortar according to the photocatalyst application method and the number of applications was compared an d evaluated. As a result of the experiment, when activated ocher was substituted by 30%, it showed a reduction effect of about 32.7%, showing the best reduction performance.

Exploring the Thalamus of the Human Brain using Tractography Analysis at 3Tesla MRI (3 Tesla MRI에서 트랙토그래피 분석을 이용한 시상 탐색)

  • Im, Sang-Jin;Kim, Joo-Yeon;Baek, Hyeon-Man
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.555-564
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    • 2021
  • Thalamus is known to play an important role in the regulation of nerve function. Thalamus, located in the center of the brain, is involved in sleep, arousal, and emotional regulation, and has been reported to be associated with multiple sclerosis, essential tremors, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. In addition, it has been reported that iron deposits in the thalamus can cause depressive symptoms with age. Although there are discrepancies between studies, it can be deduced that the thalamus region has a clear effect on neurological disorders due to a strong relationship between the thalamus and neurological functions such as emotional control and processing. Through tractography analysis, the connectivity between the detailed areas of each subcortical region was investigated in the form of a matrix, showing strong connectivity and weak interhemispheric connectivity. In the 59> group, the WM connectivity of thalamus was found to be weaker than those of the two groups. Comparisons between the two groups showed that the young groups (10-39 and 40-59) had higher connection intensity than the 59> group and that statistically significant differences in 3 connection pathways were found in each hemisphere. A decrease in thalamus-related connection strength in aging has shown that it can affect emotional and neurological disorders such as anxiety and depression, and network measurements can help assess cognitive impairment across clinical conditions.

Analytical Methods for the Analysis of Structural Connectivity in the Mouse Brain (마우스 뇌의 구조적 연결성 분석을 위한 분석 방법)

  • Im, Sang-Jin;Baek, Hyeon-Man
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.507-518
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    • 2021
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a key technology that has been seeing increasing use in studying the structural and functional innerworkings of the brain. Analyzing the variability of brain connectome through tractography analysis has been used to increase our understanding of disease pathology in humans. However, there lacks standardization of analysis methods for small animals such as mice, and lacks scientific consensus in regard to accurate preprocessing strategies and atlas-based neuroinformatics for images. In addition, it is difficult to acquire high resolution images for mice due to how significantly smaller a mouse brain is compared to that of humans. In this study, we present an Allen Mouse Brain Atlas-based image data analysis pipeline for structural connectivity analysis involving structural region segmentation using mouse brain structural images and diffusion tensor images. Each analysis method enabled the analysis of mouse brain image data using reliable software that has already been verified with human and mouse image data. In addition, the pipeline presented in this study is optimized for users to efficiently process data by organizing functions necessary for mouse tractography among complex analysis processes and various functions.

A Preliminary Study on Family Function Components Affecting Individual Health and Disease: A Delphi Study (개인의 건강과 질병에 영향을 미치는 가족기능 구성요소에 관한 사전연구: 델파이 연구)

  • Kim, Ah-Ram;Jeong, Seong-Woo;Jeong, Jiin;Kim, Jung-Ran
    • Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.83-96
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    • 2021
  • Objective : This study aimed to determine Korea-type family function factors that affect individual growth and social activities, and examine check the appropriate contents and domestic culture components based on the McMaster model, a family function evaluation tool, through the Delphi technique. Methods : The Delphi technique was applied to 12 expert panels in fields related to family function. The period lasted 9 weeks, from May to June 2020. The Delphi survey was conducted twice. In the first survey, the domestic culture and appropriate contents of the McMaster model were selected and localized, and expert' opinions about the components were collected using closed and open-ended questions. In the second survey, the fitness and importance of the components were investigated. Results : As a result of the first Delphi investigation, 18 items were deleted from the 53 items presented. After adding 11 items and excluding any overlapping items, a total of 40 items were selected. Subsequently, sentences that were difficult to understand were revised to familiar vocabulary. A second survey was constructed, with an example sentence. In the second Delphi investigation, 33 items were selected. The average content validity ratio for the final selected component was 0.76, and the stability was 0.28. Conclusion : Family function and the factors influencing domestic family function identified though this study can be used to conduct family function evaluations and interventions in clinical sites or relevant research studies.