• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.257-263
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• 2009

This study aimed to investigate whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) attenuate brain injury and facilitate recovery following photothrombotic cortical ischemia in mice. Male ICR mice were anesthetized and systemically administered Rose Bengal. Permanent focal ischemia was induced in the medial frontal and somatosensory cortices by irradiating the skull with cold light laser. The animals were treated with fluoxetine or sertraline once a day for 14 d starting 1 h after ischemic insult. Treatment with fluoxetine and sertraline significantly reduced the infarct size. The Evans blue extravasation indices of the fluoxetine- and sertraline-treated groups were significantly lower than that of the vehicle group. Treatment with fluoxetine and sertraline shifted the lower limit of the mean arterial blood pressure for cerebral blood flow autoregulation toward normal, and significantly increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 ${\alpha}$ (HIF-1 ${\alpha}$) proteins in the ischemic region. These results suggest that SSRIs, such as fluoxetine and sertraline, facilitate recovery following photothrombotic cortical ischemia via enhancement of HO-1 and HIF-1 ${\alpha}$ proteins expression, thereby providing a benefit in therapy of cerebral ischemia.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2021

5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a representative photosensitizer used in numerous fields including cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, experiments were conducted to optimize the growth of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and production of ALA through LED irradiation of various wavelengths, addition of organic acid precursors of ALA, and changes in glucose concentration. After 72 h cultivation, the 850 nm wavelength LED irradiated at the same light intensity as the incandescent lamp increased the growth of R. sphaeroides and the production of ALA about 1.5- and 1.8-fold as compared with the control, respectively (p <0.0001 and p <0.0001). As a result of culturing R. sphaeroides by irradiating an LED with a wavelength of 850 nm after adding organic acid to the final concentration of 5 mM in culture medium, the production of ALA was increased about 2.8-fold in medium supplemented with pyruvic acid compared with the control (p <0.0001). In addition, the growth of the strain and the production of ALA were increased about 2.9- and 3.4-fold in medium supplemented with 40 mM glucose compared to the control which added only 5 mM pyruvic acid, respectively (p <0.0001 and p <0.0001). The yield of ALA per cell dry mass was about 1.4 folds higher than that of the control in 20 and 40 mM glucose, respectively (p <0.001). In conclusion, the growth of R. sphaeroides and production of ALA were increased by 850 nm wavelength LED irradiation. It also optimized the growth of R. sphaeroides and production of ALA through organic acid addition and glucose concentration changes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.312-319
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• 2021

Photothermal therapy is a treatment that necrotizes selectively the abnormal cells, in particular cancer cells, which are more vulnerable to heat than normal cells, using the heat generated when irradiating light. In this study, we synthesized a reduced graphene oxide with carboxyl groups (CRGO)-gold nanorod (AuNR) nanocomposite for photothermal treatment. Graphene oxide (GO) was selectively reduced and exfoliated at high temperature to synthesize CRGO, and the length of AuNR was adjusted according to the amount of AgNO₃, to synthesize AuNR with a strong absorption peak at 880 nm, as an ideal photothermal agent. It was determined through FT-IR, thermogravimetric and fluorescence analyses that more carboxyl groups were conjugated with CRGO over RGO. In addition, CRGO exhibited excellent stability in aqueous solutions compared to RGO due to the presence of carboxylic acid. The CRGO-AuNR nanocomposites fabricated by electrostatic interaction have an average size of ~317 nm with a narrow size distribution. It was confirmed that under radiation with a near-infrared 880 nm laser which has an excellent tissue transmittance, the photothermal effect of CRGO-AuNR nanocomposites was greater than that of AuNR due to the synergistic effect of the two photothermal agents, CRGO and AuNR. Furthermore, the results of cancer cell toxicity by photothermal effect revealed that CRGO-AuNR nanocomposites showed superb cytotoxic properties. Therefore, the CRGO-AuNR nanocomposites are expected to be applied to the field of anticancer photothermal therapy based on their stable dispersibility and improved photothermal effect.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a GafChromic film applied to stereotactic radiosurgery with a linear accelerator could provide information on the value for acceptance testing and quality control on the absolute dose and relative dose measurements and/or calculation of treatment planning system. Materials and methods: A spherical acrylic phantom, simulating a patient's head, was constructed from three points. The absolute and relative dose distributions could be measured by inserting a GafChromic film into the phantom. We tested the use of a calibrated GafChromic film (MD-55-2, Nuclear Associate, USA) for measuring the optical density. These measurements were achieved by irradiating the films with a dose of 0-112 Gy employing 6 MV photon. To verify the accuracy of the prescribed dose delivery to a target isocenter using a five arc beams (irradiated in 3 Gy per one beam) setup, calculated by the Linapel planning system the absolute dose and relative dose distribution using a GafChromic film were measured. All the irradiated films were digitized with a Lumiscan 75 laser digitizer and processed with the RIT113 film dosimetry system. Results: We verified the linearity of the Optical Density of a MD-55-2 GafChromic film, and measured the depth dose profile of the beam. The absolute dose delivered to the target was close to the prescribed dose of Linapel within an accuracy for the GafChromic film dosimetry (of $\pm$3$\%$), with a measurement uncertainty of $\pm$1 mm for the 50$\~$90$\%$ isodose lines. Conclusion: Our results have shown that the absolute dose and relative dose distribution curves obtained from a GafChromic film can provide information on the value for acceptance. To conclude the GafChromic flim is a convenient and useful dosimetry tool for linac based radiosurgery.