• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.175-185
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• 2008

Objective : Acupuncture (from the Latin acus, "needle," and pungere, "to prick") is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine needles at specific points on the body. As a placebo acupuncture needle device was developed based on the visual impact of needling, it has been raised that it is useful only when acupuncture points and needling are visible to subjects. To examine the visual factor of the placebo acupuncture, the present study was aimed to compare the blinding index of the verum and placebo acupuncture between masked and unmasked situation. Methods : Thirty-six patients were randomly alloted to be stimulated with a verum or placebo acupuncture in a cross-over design. They were asked to guess a right answer whether they were stimulated with the verum or placebo acupuncture at LI4 in an unmasked or masked situation. The penetrating, pain, and deqi sensations were also measured after the stimulation using modified visual analogue scale. Results : The correct answer rate of the placebo acupuncture was 22.2% and 16.7% in an unmasked and masked situation, respectively (P>0.767). The blinding index of the placebo acupuncture was -0.56 (95%CI -0.84 to -0.27) and -0.67 (95%CI -0.91 to -0.42) in an unmasked and masked situation, respectively. The penetrating and deqi sensation of the verum acupuncture were significantly higher than those of the placebo acupuncture in both unmasked and masked situation. The pain sensation of the verum acupuncture was significantly higher than that of the placebo acupuncture in masked situation, but not in unmasked situation. Conclusion : Blinding of the placebo acupuncture was successful both in the unmasked and masked situation. These finding indicate that visual factor might not play a critical role in blinding of the placebo needle. We suggest that placebo needle would be also useful in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan even when the subject could not see the placebo needle.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.761-768
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• 2007

Serratia proteamaculans HY-3 isolated from the digestive tract of a spider produces an extracellular protease named arazyme, with an estimated molecular mass of 51.5 kDa. The purified enzyme was characterized as having high activities at wide pH and temperature ranges. We further characterized biochemical features of the enzymatic reactions under various reaction conditions. The protease efficiently hydrolyzed a broad range of protein substrates including albumin, keratin, and collagen. The dependence of enzymatic activities on the presence of metal ions such as calcium and zinc indicated that the enzyme is a metalloprotease, together with the previous observation that the proteolytic activity of the enzyme was not inhibited by aspartate, cysteine, or serine protease inhibitors, but strongly inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline and EDTA. The araA gene encoding the exoprotease was isolated as a 5.6 kb BamHI fragment after PCR amplification using degenerate primers and subsequent Southern hybridization. The nucleotide sequence revealed that the deduced amino acid sequences shared extensive similarity with those of the serralysin family of metalloproteases from other enteric bacteria. A gene(inh) encoding a putative protease inhibitor was also identified immediately adjacent to the araA structural gene.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.821-825
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• 2009

Recently, transparent ZnO-based TFTs have attracted much attention for flexible displays because they can be fabricated on plastic substrates at low temperature. We report the fabrication and characteristics of ZnO TFTs having different channel thicknesses deposited at low temperature. The ZnO films were deposited as active channel layer on $Si_3N_4/Ti/SiO_2/p-Si$ substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at $100^{\circ}C$ without additional annealing. Also, the ZnO thin films deposited at oxygen partial pressures of 40%. ZnO TFTs using a bottom-gate configuration were investigated. The $Si_3N_4$ film was deposited as gate insulator by PE-CVD at $150^{\circ}C$. All Processes were processed below $150^{\circ}C$ which is optimal temperature for flexible display and were used dry etching method. The fabricated devices have different threshold slop, field effect mobility and subthreshold slop according to channel thickness. This characteristics are related with ZnO crystal properties analyzed with XRD and SPM. Electrical characteristics of 60 nm ZnO TFT (W/L = $20\;{\mu}m/20\;{\mu}m$) exhibited a field-effect mobility of $0.26\;cm^2/Vs$, a threshold voltage of 8.3 V, a subthreshold slop of 2.2 V/decade, and a $I_{ON/OFF}$ ratio of $7.5\times10^2$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.666-672
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• 2011

The a-Si:H/c-Si hetero-junction (HJ) solar cells have a variety of advantages in efficiency and fabrication processes. It has already demonstrated about 23% in R&D scale and more than 20% in commercial production. In order to further reduce the fabrication cost of HJ solar cells, fabrication processes should be simplified more than conventional methods which accompany separate processes of front and rear sides of the cells. In this study, we propose a simultaneous deposition of intrinsic thin a-Si:H layers on both sides of a wafer by dual hot wire CVD (HWVCD). In this system, wafers are located between tantalum wires, and a-Si:H layers are simultaneously deposited on both sides of the wafer. By using this scheme, we can reduce the process steps and time and improve the efficiency of HJ solar cells by removing surface contamination of the wafers. We achieved about 16% efficiency in HJ solar cells incorporating intrinsic a-Si:H buffers by dual HWCVD and p/n layers by PECVD.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.70-81
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• 2018

Objectives : To investigate the association of trial registration status with presence of reporting bias including publication bias and outcome reporting bias in recently published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture. Methods : A PubMed search for RCTs of acupuncture published from March 2016 to February 2017 was conducted. Primary outcomes were identified and the direction of the results was judged as positive (i.e., statistically significant) or negative. The trial registration was identified by manually screening the trial registration number in the main text of the published article and classified into 1) prospective registration; 2) retrospective registration based on the registration date or; 3) no registration. Results : Of the 125 included RCTs, only 40 studies (32.0%) prospectively registered the study protocols. Among 65 RCTs that adequately reported the primary outcome, unregistered trials were more likely to report positive results than the registered ones (p=0.013). Of the 40 prospectively registered studies, 19 trials (47.5%) had the discrepancies between the registered and published primary outcomes and furthermore, 40% of them reported the positive findings. Conclusions : Unregistered trials were more likely to report positive results and the discrepancies between the registered and published primary outcomes were detected in about a half of the prospectively registered studies, 42.1% of which tended to report positive findings. Journal editors and researchers in this field should be alerted to various reporting biases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.6 s.73
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• pp.928-934
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• 2005

ATF2 is a cellular transcription factor which belongs to the CREB/ATF class and it is leucine zipper protein which generally binds to DNA as dimers. This paper presents the procedure for subcloning the ATF2 gene and the results of experiment used the expressed ATF2. The pET expression vector was used since it produced 6xHis fusion protein for easy purification using affinity column. The Nickel chelating chromatography was used for Purifying the expressed ATE2 from E- codi BL2l. Subsequen시y In vitro binding pull-down assay showed the binding specificity of ATF2 with AP-1 family factors such as BATF, c-Fos, c-Jun and ATF2 itselgf. ATF2 forms homodimer as well as strong heterodimer with BATF. It also forms stable dimer with c-Jun but barely binds with c-Fos.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.324-329
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• 2019

Background Multiple approaches for nipple reconstruction exist, and none is considered superior to all others. The star flap is one of the most popular methods for nipple reconstruction, but gradual height loss is a major concern. We present a new modification of the star flap that incorporates a de-epithelialized dermal flap, along with the associated surgical results. Methods We reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent nipple reconstruction using the modified star flap method. The design was different from the conventional star flap in that the lateral wings were changed into a trapezoidal shape and de-epithelialized dermal flaps were added. The patients were followed up at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, and nipple height was measured. The postoperative nipple height achieved using the modified method was compared with that obtained using the traditional method. Results From February 2013 to June 2017, 32 patients received surgery using the modified star flap, and 18 patients who underwent nipple reconstruction before 2013 comprised the conventional method group. All patients had undergone breast reconstruction with an abdominal tissue-based flap. The mean follow-up period was 14.4 months in the modified method group and 17.3 months in the conventional method group. The mean maintenance of projection at 12 months postoperatively was $56.28%{\pm}18.58%$ in the modified method group, and $44.23%{\pm}14.15%$ in the conventional method group. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions The modified method using a de-epithelialized dermal flap provides reliable maintenance of projection in patients who have undergone abdominal tissue-based breast reconstruction.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2019

The aim of this study was analyzed the setup error of breast cancer patients in intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) with deep inspiration breath holding(DIBH) and was analyzed the dose distribution due to setup error. A total of 45 breast cancer cases were performed a retrospective clinical analysis of setup error. In addition, the re-treatment planning was carried by shifting the setup error from the isocenter at the treatment. Based on this, the dose distribution of PTV and OARs was compared and analyzed. The 3D error for small breast group and medium breast group and large breast group were 3.1 mm and 3.7 mm and 4.1 mm, respectively. The difference between the groups was statistically significant(P=0.003). DVH results showed HI, CI for the PTV difference between standard treatment plan and re-treatment plan of 14.4%, 4%. The difference in $D_5$ and $V_{20}$ of the ipsilateral lung was 5.6%, 13% respectively. The difference in $D_5$ and $V_5$ of the heart of right breast cancer patients was 6.8%, 8% respectively. The difference in $D_5$, $V_{20}$ of the heart of left breast cancer patients was 7.2%, 23.5% respectively. In this study, there was a significant association between breast size and significant setup error in breast cancer patients with DIBH. In addition, it was found that the dose distribution of the PTV and OARs varied according to the setup error.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2022

Riboflavin (Rb), in the presence of methionine (Met) under light, generates superoxide radicals that can reduce nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) to its corresponding formazan. The Rb-Met/NBT system has been used to measure the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activities of various antioxidants. However, the reaction mechanisms have not been clearly defined, and the assay conditions are not consistent. In this study, the effects of different photosensitizers and amino acids on NBT reduction in different solvents were investigated. NBT reduction in the Rb-Met/NBT system was more pronounced in phosphate-buffered saline, compared to distilled water or Tris (pH 7.5); histidine (His) instead of Met also led to considerable Rb-induced NBT reduction. Among the photosensitizers, methylene blue with His caused potent NBT reduction in Tris. Rb-induced NBT reduction combined with Met or His was quantitatively inhibited by SOD or gallic acid, but did not affect MB-induced reduction sensitively.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2019

Background and Objectives Skin and soft tissue defects can be treated according to a range of strategies, such as local flap, skin graft, biological dressing, or free flap. On the other hand, free tissue transfer usually leaves a distinct scar with an inconsistency of color or hypertrophy. This problem is highlighted if the defect is located on the face, which could have devastating effects on a patient's psychosocial health. Materials and Methods The authors used an erbium : yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser to resurface the free flap skin and match the color with the surrounding facial skin. This study evaluated the effectiveness of laser skin resurfacing on the harmonious color matching of transferred flap. Patients who had undergone laser resurfacing on facial flap skin between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. An ablative 2,940-nm fractional Er:YAG laser treatment was delivered to the entire flap skin at 21 J/cm² with the treatment end-point of pinpoint bleeding. Several months later, the clinical photographs were analyzed. The L^*a^*b^* color co-ordinates of both the flap and surrounding normal skin were measured using Adobe Photoshop. The L^*a^*b^* color difference (ΔE) for the scar and normal surrounding skin were calculated using the following equation: ${\Delta}E=\sqrt{({\Delta}L)^2+({\Delta}a)^2+({\Delta}b)^2}$ Results All five patients were satisfied with the more natural appearance of the flaps. The ΔE values decreased significantly from the pre-treatment mean value of 19.64 to the post-treatment mean value of 11.39 (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p = 0.043). Conclusion Ablative laser resurfacing can improve the aesthetic outcome of free tissue transfer on the face.