• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.6_1
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• pp.1467-1475
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• 2023

The public-interest direct payment program involves providing direct payments to agricultural producers and rural residents through public funds, premised on performing public functions such as environmental conservation, stable food supply, and maintaining rural communities via agricultural activities. Scientific estimation of crop cultivation areas and production levels is crucial for formulating agricultural policies linked to regulating food supply, which increasingly impacts the national economy. Conducting comprehensive on-site inspections for compliance monitoring of direct payment programs has shown very low efficiency in relation to budget and time. The expansion of areas subject to compliance monitoring and various challenges in on-site inspections necessitate streamlining current monitoring methods and devising effective strategies. As a solution, the application of Remote Sensing technology and spatial information utilization, allowing swift acquisition of necessary information for policies without overall on-site visits, is being discussed as an efficient compliance monitoring method. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential use of remote sensing for improving operational efficiency in monitoring compliance with public-interest direct payment programs. Using satellite images during farming seasons in Gimje and Hapcheon, vegetation indices and spatial variations were utilized to identify cultivated areas, presence of mixed crops, validated against on-site inspection data.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.469-482
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• 2023

Purpose: Obesity has emerged as a critical global public health concern as it is associated with and increases susceptibility to various diseases. This condition is characterized by the excessive enlargement of adipose tissue, primarily stemming from an inequity between energy intake and expenditure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of sweet pumpkin powder in mitigating obesity and metabolic disorders in leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice and to compare the effects of raw sweet pumpkin powder (HNSP01) and heat-treated sweet pumpkin powder (HNSP02). Methods: Leptin-deficient obese mice were fed a diet containing 10% HNSP01 and another containing 10% HNSP02 for 6 weeks. Results: The supplementation of ob/ob mice with HNSP01 and HNSP02 resulted in decreased body weight gain, reduced adipose tissue weight, and a smaller size of lipid droplets in the adipose tissue and liver. Furthermore, the ob/ob-HNSP01 and ob/ob-HNSP02 supplemented groups exhibited lower levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and insulin, as well as a reduced atherogenic index in comparison with the control group. Molecular analysis also demonstrated that the intake of HNSP01 and HNSP02 resulted in a diminished activation of factors associated with fatty acid synthesis, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase, while concurrently enhancing factors associated with lipolysis, including adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase, in the adipose tissue. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings collectively demonstrate the potential of sweet pumpkin powder as a functional food ingredient with therapeutic properties against obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.177-182
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• 2023

Total 158 Conger myriaster were examined and the range of Preanal length (PaL) was 8.2~40.1 cm and average Preanal length was 17.3 cm. Proportion of the empty stomach was 30.4% and individuals, which the prey items were found in stomach, were 110. The most important prey component in the diets of C. myriaster was Pisces that constituted 54.4% in %IRI (Index of relative importance). Engraulis japonicus was the most important prey component in Pisces. Macrura was the second largest prey component and Crangon hakodatei was the most important prey component in Macrura. The result of analysis in ontogenetic changes significantly exhibited among three size classes (<15.0 cm, 15.0~20.0 cm, ≥20.0 cm). The proportion of Macrura decreased as increasing body size, whereas the consumption of Pisces increased gradually. As body size of C. myriaster increased, the mean weight of prey per stomach (mW/ST) increased (one way-ANOVA, P<0.05).

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.61-78
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• 2003

The researcher examined the relationship between dating violence and drinking behaviors. Study participants included 440 Korean College students(184 males and 256 females) currently involved in heterosexual dating relationships. Participants' ages ranged from 17 to 30(M=20.08, SD=1.89). Questionnaires and psychological tests used included: Straus' Conflict Tactics Scale, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test(AUDIT), Cooper's Revised Drinking Motives Questionnaire(DMQ), and Index of Family Alcohol Use. Research designs were 2(gender) × 2(experience of inflicting dating violence), i.e. 2-way MANOVAs. Results suggest students who drink one or more times a week are more likely to commit acts of violence toward their dating partners than students drinking less often. The study revealed males tend to drink with higher social, enhancement, conformity and coping motives than females. The study also showed that students inflicting dating violence drank with higher coping motives than students who did not. Males showed more hazardous, dependent and harmful drinking patterns than females. Also, students who had inflicted dating violence showed a higher degree of these characteristics (hazardous, dependent and harmful drinking patterns) along with a greater family history of alcohol use than participants who had not inflicted dating violence. The findings showed significant 2-way interactions in dependent and harmful drinking patterns. Simple main effect analysis revealed that differences in dependent and harmful drinking patterns in males are more significant than the same differences in females.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.152-157
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• 2006

Samples of Meretrix lusoria were collected monthly from the tidal flat of Simpo, Puan-gun, Chollabuk-do, west coast of Korea from April 2004 to March 2005. Age of M. lusoria was determined from the rings on the shell. The relationship between shell length and ring radius in each ring group was expressed as a regression line. Therefore, there is a correspondence in each ring formation. Based on the monthly variations in the marginal index (MI') of the shell, it is assumed that the ring of this species was formed once a year during the period of February to April. The relationship between shell length (SL) and shell height (SH; mm) was highly correlated with shell height as the following equation: SH = 0.8103 SL + 0.5145 $(r^2=0.991)$. The shell length (SL) - shell width (SW) relation was also expressed by the following equation: SW = 0.4897 SL + 0.0315 $(r^2=0.976)$. Shell length (SL; mm) and total weight (TW; g) was expressed by the following equation: $TW=2.9195\times10^{-4}\;SL^{2.9547}\;(R^2=0.991)$. Shell length (SL) and shell height (SH; mm) was highly correlated with shell height as the following equation: $SH=0.8103\;SL+0.5145\;(R^2=0.991)$ The shell length (SL) - shell width (SW) relation was also expressed by the following equation: $SW=0.4897\;SL+0.0315\;(R^2=0.976)$. Growth curves for shell length and total weight fitted to the von Bertalanffy's growth curve were expressed respectively as: $SL_t=104.9[l-e^{-0.2235(t+0.7677)}],\;TW_t=280.8[l-e^{-0.2235(t+0.7677)}]^{2.9547}$.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.16
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• 2024

We have reported that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury leads to the differential dysregulation of the complement system in the synovium as compared to meniscus tear (MT) and proposed this as a mechanism for a greater post-injury prevalence of post traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). To explore additional roles of complement proteins and regulators, we determined the presence of decay-accelerating factor (DAF), C5b, and membrane attack complexes (MACs, C5b-9) in discarded surgical synovial tissue (DSST) collected during arthroscopic ACL reconstructive surgery, MT-related meniscectomy, osteoarthritis (OA)-related knee replacement surgery and normal controls. Multiplexed immunohistochemistry was used to detect and quantify complement proteins. To explore the involvement of body mass index (BMI), after these 2 injuries, we examined correlations among DAF, C5b, MAC and BMI. Using these approaches, we found that synovial cells after ACL injury expressed a significantly lower level of DAF as compared to MT (p<0.049). In contrast, C5b staining synovial cells were significantly higher after ACL injury (p<0.0009) and in OA DSST (p<0.039) compared to MT. Interestingly, there were significantly positive correlations between DAF & C5b (r=0.75, p<0.018) and DAF & C5b (r=0.64 p<0.022) after ACL injury and MT, respectively. The data support that DAF, which should normally dampen C5b deposition due to its regulatory activities on C3/C5 convertases, does not appear to exhibit that function in inflamed synovia following either ACL injury or MT. Ineffective DAF regulation may be an additional mechanism by which relatively uncontrolled complement activation damages tissue in these injury states.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the current use of Korean medicine for obesity and its effect for women in climacteric period. Methods: We studied women aged 45-55 who visited Daejeon Korean medicine Hospital of Daejeon University to lose body weight from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 via an analysis of the medical records. The treatment duration was continuous for more than 2 weeks, and a body composition was measured by Inbody 770 at 2 to 4 weeks after the first visit. Results: 28 patients were finally selected and their average age was 49.32±3.38 years. Based on the body mass index (BMI) classification, 19 were in the 1st obesity group, 5 in the 2nd obesity group, 3 in the overweight group and 1 in the normal group. Patients usually complained comcomitant symptoms, and the symptoms of menopausal disorder was the most frequent. The average treatment duration was 3.68±0.67 weeks and the average treatment frequency was 3.93±0.98 times. All patients took herbal medicines Gambi-tang and 23 took modified fasting therapy including Gamro-su. 14 were treated by whole body far-infrared therapy and 6 were gotten partial obesity treatment. Among patients treated for accompanying symptoms, menopausal disorders were the most common (35.71%), and herbal medicine such as Gamisoyou-san, Hominis Placenta Pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, and cupping were used. After treatment, on average, body composition changed significantly; body weight 3.28±1.82 kg, BMI 1.36±1.04 kg/m², body fat 1.70±1.67 kg, skeletal muscle mass 0.81±0.91 kg, abdominal circumference 2.04±2.6 cm, and visceral fat area 8.91±12.83 cm². Conclusions: We analyzed general characteristics, BMI distribution, types of Korean medicine treatment and change of body composition. This study could be used as reference to provide practical data of treatment for obese women in climacteric period.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.719-728
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• 2019

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic validity of coronary computed tomography angiography (cCTA) in vasospastic angina (VA) and factors associated with discrepant results between invasive coronary angiography with the ergonovine provocation test (iCAG-EPT) and cCTA. Materials and Methods: Of the 1397 patients diagnosed with VA from 2006 to 2016, 33 patients (75 lesions) with available cCTA data from within 6 months before iCAG-EPT were included. The severity of spasm (% diameter stenosis [%DS]) on iCAGEPT and cCTA was assessed, and the difference in %DS (Δ%DS) was calculated. Δ%DS was compared after classifying the lesions according to pre-cCTA-administered sublingual nitroglycerin (SL-NG) or beta-blockers. The lesions were further categorized with %DS ≥ 50% on iCAG-EPT or cCTA defined as a significant spasm, and the diagnostic performance of cCTA on identifying significant spasm relative to iCAG-EPT was assessed. Results: Compared to lesions without SL-NG treatment, those with SL-NG treatment showed a higher Δ%DS (39.2% vs. 22.1%, p = 0.002). However, there was no difference in Δ%DS with or without beta-blocker treatment (35.1% vs. 32.6%, p = 0.643). The significant difference in Δ%DS associated with SL-NG was more prominent in patients who were aged < 60 years, were male, had body mass index < 25 kg/m², and had no history of hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. Based on iCAG-EPT as the reference, the per-lesion-based sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of cCTA for VA diagnosis were 7.5%, 94.0%, 60.0%, 47.1%, and 48.0%, respectively. Conclusion: For patients with clinically suspected VA, confirmation with iCAG-EPT needs to be considered without completely excluding the diagnosis of VA simply based on cCTA results, although further prospective studies are required for confirmation.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.78-92
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: This study aims to clarify the systems underlying regulation and regulatory roles of hydrogen combined with 5-Aza in the myogenic differentiation of adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs). Methods and Results: In this study, ADSCs acted as an in vitro myogenic differentiating mode. First, the Alamar blue Staining and mitochondrial tracer technique were used to verify whether hydrogen combined with 5-Aza could promote cell proliferation. In addition, this study assessed myogenic differentiating markers (e.g., Myogenin, Mhc and Myod protein expressions) based on the Western blotting assay, analysis on cellular morphological characteristics (e.g., Myotube number, length, diameter and maturation index), RT-PCR (Myod, Myogenin and Mhc mRNA expression) and Immunofluorescence analysis (Desmin, Myosin and 𝛽-actin protein expression). Finally, to verify the mechanism of myogenic differentiation of hydrogen-bound 5-Aza, we performed bioinformatics analysis and Western blot to detect the expression of p-P38 protein. Hydrogen combined with 5-Aza significantly enhanced the proliferation and myogenic differentiation of ADSCs in vitro by increasing the number of single-cell mitochondria and upregulating the expression of myogenic biomarkers such as Myod, Mhc and myotube formation. The expressions of p-P38 was up-regulated by hydrogen combined with 5-Aza. The differentiating ability was suppressed when the cells were cultivated in combination with SB203580 (p38 MAPK signal pathway inhibitor). Conclusions: Hydrogen alleviates the cytotoxicity of 5-Aza and synergistically promotes the myogenic differentiation capacity of adipose stem cells via the p38 MAPK pathway. Thus, the mentioned results present insights into myogenic differentiation and are likely to generate one potential alternative strategy for skeletal muscle related diseases.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.145-149
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• 2023

BACKGROUND: ¹⁸F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT) has been proven to be useful in identification of microcalcifications, which are stimulated by inflammation. Blood speckle imaging (BSI) is a new imaging technology used for tracking the flow of blood cells using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). We evaluated the relationship between turbulent flow identified by BSI and inflammatory activity of the aortic valve (AV) as indicated by the ¹⁸F-NaF uptake index in moderate aortic stenosis (AS) patients. METHODS: This study enrolled 18 moderate AS patients diagnosed within the past 6 months. BSI within the aortic root was acquired using long-axis view TEE. The duration of laminar flow and the turbulent flow area ratio were calculated by BSI to demonstrate the degree of turbulence. The maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean) and the total microcalcification burden (TMB) as measured by ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT were used to demonstrate the degree of inflammatory activity in the AV region. RESULTS: The mean SUVmean, SUVmax, and TMB were 1.90 ± 0.79, 2.60 ± 0.98, and 4.20 ± 2.18 mL, respectively. The mean laminar flow period and the turbulent area ratio were 116.1 ± 61.5 msec and 0.48 ± 0.32. The correlation between SUVmax and turbulent flow area ratio showed the most positive and statistically significant correlation, with a Pearson's correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.658 and a p-value of 0.014. CONCLUSIONS: The high degree of trans-aortic turbulence measured by BSI was correlated with severe AV inflammation.