• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.63 no.2
• /
• pp.319-331
• /
• 2021

Heat stress (HS) causes adverse impacts on pig production and health. A potential biomarker of HS is required to predict its occurrence and thereby better manage pigs under HS. Information about the saliva metabolome in heat-stressed pigs is limited. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the effects of acute HS on the saliva metabolome and identify metabolites that could be used as potential biomarkers. Growing pigs (n = 6, 3 boars, and 3 gilts) were raised in a thermal neutral (TN; 25℃) environment for a 5-d adaptation period (CON). After adaptation, the pigs were first exposed to HS (30℃; HS30) and then exposed to higher HS (33℃; HS33) for 24 h. Saliva was collected after adaptation, first HS, and second HS, respectively, for metabolomic analysis using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Four metabolites had significantly variable importance in the projection (VIP > 1; p < 0.05) different levels in TN compared to HS groups from all genders (boars and gilts). However, sex-specific characteristics affected metabolites (glutamate and leucine) by showing the opposite results, indicating that HS was less severe in females than in males. A decrease in creatine levels in males and an increase in creatine phosphate levels in females would have contributed to a protective effect from protein degradation by muscle damage. The results showed that HS led to an alteration in metabolites related to energy and protein. Protection from muscle damage may be attributed to the alteration in protein-related metabolites. However, energy-related metabolites showed opposing results according to sex-specific characteristics, such as sex hormone levels and subcutaneous fat layer. This study had shown that saliva samples could be used as a noninvasive method to evaluate heat-stressed pigs. And the results in this study could be contributed to the development of a diagnostic tool as a noninvasive biomarker for managing heat-stressed pigs.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.495-507
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study examined regional differences in the intake of dietary total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) and their food sources among Korean adults. We also investigated the associations of SFA intake with metabolic diseases by region. Methods: This study included 13,926 adults (≥ 19y) who participated in the 2016 ~ 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The regions were divided into urban and rural areas according to the administrative districts where the participants lived. Using dietary data obtained from a 24-h recall, intake of total fat and SFA and their food sources were assessed by region. Metabolic diseases included obesity, abdominal obesity, and elevated total cholesterol and their association with SFA intake by region were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the participants, 19.6% lived in rural areas. In urban areas, the total fat and SFA intakes were higher than in rural areas: 21.2% of energy (%E) came from total fat and 6.9%E from SFA in urban areas, whereas 18.0%E came from total fat and 5.8%E from SFA in rural areas. The percentage of participants who exceeded the dietary reference intakes for total fat and SFA in urban areas was 16.5% and 41.9%, respectively, but 43.4% of participants in rural areas showed lower intake levels for total fat compared to the reference level. Young adults did not show regional differences in fat intake, and the percentage of subjects who exceeded the reference for SFA was high both in urban (58.5%) and rural (55.7%) areas. Among middle-aged and older adults, intake of fatty acids except for n-3 fatty acid was significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. About 69% of older adults in rural areas showed a lower intake of total fat compared to the reference level. The food sources for total fat and SFA were meat, soybean oil, eggs, and milk in both areas. The intake of fat from eggs, milk, mayonnaise, and bread was higher in urban areas, but the intake of fat from white rice and coffee mix was higher in rural areas. The SFA intake was positively associated with elevated serum total cholesterol in urban areas (4th quartile vs. 1st quartile, OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.40, P for trend: 0.043), but not in rural areas. Conclusions: Regional differences in total fat and SFA intakes and their food sources were observed among Korean adults. Our findings may help plan nutritional strategies to ameliorate regional health disparities.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.61-74
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the short-term effects of bilateral masticatory training using an intraoral device on memory and concentration, which is an advanced form of Gochi, compared to the unilateral form with gum. Methods: Thirty young healthy participants (age, 16-30 years) were screened and randomly assigned to one of two sequences in a crossover design. The participants assigned to sequence A (n=15) performed bilateral mastication using an intraoral device with a total of 300 taps, followed by unilateral mastication using gum with the same number of repetitions and frequency, separated by a 7-day washout period. A reverse order was used for sequence B. The primary and secondary outcomes were the digit span test result and the symbol digit modality test and the word list recall results, respectively, which were conducted before and after each intervention. Results: Symbol digit modality test scores increased by 12.03±8.33 with bilateral mastication, which was significantly higher than that obtained with chewing gum (5.17 points;95% confidence interval: 0.99, 9.34; p<0.05). Changes in the digit span test and word list recall scores were not significantly different between the two groups. In the digit span test forward, symbol digit modality test, and word list recall test, bilateral mastication was not inferior to unilateral mastication in improving memory and concentration. Conclusions: Bilateral masticatory exercises using an intraoral device are not inferior to unilateral mastication with gum for improving memory in healthy young individuals. Further research is needed to determine the efficacy of bilateral masticatory training on cognitive function.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.623-631
• /
• 2023

This study was conducted to develop microsatellite markers in Parapristipoma trilineatum using next-generation sequencing. A total of 402,244,934 reads were generated on the Illumina Hiseq X Ten System, yielding 60,738,985,034 bp of sequences. The de novo assembly resulted in 1,320,995 contigs. A total of 952,326 contigs (0.016%) including 151 microsatellite loci were derived from the 1,320,995 contigs longer than 640 bp. A total of 34 primer sets were designed from the 151 microsatellite loci. As a result, 15 microsatellite loci were chosen and used for assuming population genetic parameters in the wild and farmed populations. The mean number of effective alleles was 12, ranging from 6 to 25. The observed heterozygosity (H_O) and the expected heterozygosity (H_E) ranged between 0.530 and 0.873, with an average of 0.750, and from 0.647 to 0.895, with an average of 0.793, respectively. According to these results, the developed set of 15 microsatellite markers is expected to be useful for the analysis of genetic characteristics in the population of P. trilineatum in Korea. There are requirements now for further genetic information, fishery resource management, breeding guidelines, support with the selection of breeds and studies on the effects of release, all of which will improve species conservation, and through future research, we aim to offer genetic foundational data with that goal.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
• /
• 2002.09a
• /
• pp.53-60
• /
• 2002

Motion of lung tumors from respiration has been reported in the literature to be as large as of 1-2 cm. This motion requires an additional margin between the Clinical Target Volume (CTV) and the Planning Target Volume (PTV). While such a margin is necessary, it may not be sufficient to ensure proper delivery of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) to the CTV during the simultaneous movement of the DMLC. Gated treatment has been proposed to improve normal tissues sparing as well as to ensure accurate dose coverage of the tumor volume. The following questions have not been addressed in the literature: a) what is the dose error to a target volume without gated IMRT treatment\ulcorner b) what is an acceptable gating window for such treatment. In this study, we address these questions by proposing a novel technique for calculating the 3D dose error that would result if a lung IMRT plan were delivered without gating. The method is also generalized for gated treatment with an arbitrary triggering window. IMRT plans for three patients with lung tumor were studied. The treatment plans were generated with HELIOS for delivery with 6 MV on a CL2100 Varian linear accelerator with a 26 pair MLC. A CTV to PTV margin of 1 cm was used. An IMRT planning system searches for an optimized fluence map ${\Phi}$ (x,y) for each port, which is then converted into a dynamic MLC file (DMLC). The DMLC file contains information about MLC subfield shapes and the fractional Monitor Units (MUs) to be delivered for each subfield. With a lung tumor, a CTV that executes a quasi periodic motion z(t) does not receive ${\Phi}$ (x,y), but rather an Effective Incident Fluence EIF(x,y). We numerically evaluate the EIF(x,y) from a given DMLC file by a coordinate transformation to the Target's Eye View (TEV). In the TEV coordinate system, the CTV itself is stationary, and the MLC is seen to execute a motion -z(t) that is superimposed on the DMLC motion. The resulting EIF(x,y)is inputted back into the dose calculation engine to estimate the 3D dose to a moving CTV. In this study, we model respiratory motion as a sinusoidal function with an amplitude of 10 mm in the superior-inferior direction, a period of 5 seconds, and an initial phase of zero.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.28-34
• /
• 2023

Nitrogen fertilizers applied to agricultural lands for crop cultivation can be volatilized as ammonia. The released ammonia can catalyze the formation of ultrafine dust (particulate matter, PM2.5), classified as a short-lived climate change pollutant, in the atmosphere. Currently, one of the prominent methods for fertilizer application in agricultural lands is soil surface application, which comprises spraying the fertilizers onto the soil surface, followed by mixing the fertilizers with the soil. Owing to the low nitrogen absorption rate of crops, when nitrogen fertilizers are applied in this manner, they can be lost from land surfaces through volatilization. Therefore, investigating a new fertilization method to reduce ammonia emissions and increase the fertilizer utilization efficiency of crops is necessary. In this study, to develop a method for reducing ammonia emissions from nitrogen fertilizers applied to soil surfaces, deep fertilization was conducted using a newly developed deep fertilization device, and ammonia emissions from barley, garlic, and onion fields were examined. Conventional fertilization (surface application) and deep fertilization (soil depth of 25 cm) were conducted for analysis. The fertilization rate was 100% of the standard fertilization rate used for barley, and deep fertilization of N, P, and K fertilizers was implemented. Ammonia emissions were collected using a wind tunnel chamber, and quantified subsequently susing the indole-phenol blue method. Ammonia emissions released from the basal fertilizer application persisted for approximately 58 d, beginning from approximately 3 d after fertilization in conventional treatments; however, ammonia was not released from deep fertilization. Moreover, barley, garlic, and onion yields were higher in the deep fertilization treatment than in the conventional fertilization treatment. In conclusion, a new fertilization method was identified as an alternative to the current approach of spraying fertilizers on the soil surface. This new method, which involves injecting nitrogen fertilizers at a soil depth of 25 cm, has the potential to reduce ammonia emissions and increase the yields of barley, garlic, and onion.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.204-215
• /
• 2023

The thermolabile haemolysin (tlh) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vptlh) from V. parahaemolyticus is a multiple-function enzyme, initially describes as a haemolytic factor activated by lecithin and phospholipase A2 enzymatic activity (Shinoda, 1991; Vazquez-Morado, 2021; Yanagase et al., 1970). Until now, the tlh structure has hypothesized including N-terminal and C-terminal domain, but what domain of the Vptlh structure does the haemolytic activity has not been refined yet. In this study, a 450-bp VpTLH nucleotide sequence of the entire Vptlh gene encoded the C-terminal domain cloned firstly to examine its responsibility in the activity of the Vptlh. The C-terminal domain fused with a 6-His-tag named the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was expressed successfully in soluble form in the BL21 (DE3) PlysS cell. Remarkably, both expression and purification results confirmed a high agreement in the molecular weight of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was 47 kDa. This work showed the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain lysed the erythrocyte membranes in the blood agar and the phosphate buffered saline (0.9%) media without adding the lecithin substrate of the phospholipase enzyme. Haemolysis occurred at all tested diluted concentrations of His-tag-VpC-terminal domain (p < 0.05), providing evidence for the independent haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain. The content of 100 ㎍ of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain brought the highest haemolytic activity of 80% compared to that in the three remaining contents. Significantly, the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain demonstrated not to involve the phospholipase activity in Luria-Bertani agar supplemented with 1% (vol/vol) egg yolk emulsion. All results proved the vital responsibility of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain in causing the haemolytic activity without the required activation by the phospholipase enzyme. Raw extracts of Phellinus igniarus and Phellinus pipi at 10^-1 mg/mL inhibited the haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain from 67.7% to 87.42%, respectively. Hence applying the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain as a simple biological material to evaluate quickly potential derivatives against the Vptlh in vivo conditions will accessible and more advantageous than using the whole of the Vptlh.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.129-135
• /
• 2022

Purpose: A full-energy-peak (FEP) efficiency correction is required through a Monte Carlo simulation for accurate radioactivity measurement, considering the geometrical characteristics of the detector and the sample. However, a relative deviation (RD) occurs between the measurement and calculation efficiencies when modeling using the data provided by the manufacturers due to the randomly generated dead layer. This study aims to optimize the structure of the detector by determining the dead layer thickness based on Monte Carlo simulation. Methods: The high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector used in this study was a coaxial p-type GC2518 model, and a certified reference material (CRM) was used to measure the FEP efficiency. Using the MC N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) code, the FEP efficiency was calculated by increasing the thickness of the outer and inner dead layer in proportion to the thickness of the electrode. Results: As the thickness of the outer and inner dead layer increased by 0.1 mm and 0.1 ㎛, the efficiency difference decreased by 2.43% on average up to 1.0 mm and 1.0 ㎛ and increased by 1.86% thereafter. Therefore, the structure of the detector was optimized by determining 1.0 mm and 1.0 ㎛ as thickness of the dead layer. Conclusions: The effect of the dead layer on the FEP efficiency was evaluated, and an excellent agreement between the measured and calculated efficiencies was confirmed with RDs of less than 4%. It suggests that the optimized HPGe detector can be used to measure the accurate radioactivity using in dismantling and disposing medical linear accelerators.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2022.09a
• /
• pp.74-74
• /
• 2022

본 연구는 붉나무의 기능성 성분의 산업화 활용을 위한 고품질의 붉나무 1년생 용기묘 대량생산을 위해 실시되었다. 붉나무 1년생 용기묘의 묘목품질의 향상을 위해 다양한 농도의 시비처리하여 우량묘 생산에 적합한 시비수준을 구명하고자 하였다. 시비실험은 무시비구 포함하여 수용성 복합비료 (N:P:K=20:20:20, v/v)를 1,000mg·L^-1, 2,000mg·L^-1, 3,000mg·L^-1 수준으로 실시하였다. 시비처리는 붉나무 용기묘의 간장과 근원경 생장은 1,000mg·L^-1 시비처리구에서 생장이 가장 좋게 나타났으며 시비수준이 증가할수록 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 뿌리형태 특성분석에서도 전체뿌리길이, 투영단면적, 표면적 및 뿌리부피가 간장과 근원경 생장과 동일한 경향을 보이는 것으로 조사되었다. 건물 생산량은 부위별 잎, 줄기, 뿌리 및 전체가 모두 1,000mg·L^-1 시비처리구에서 가장 높았으며, 그 이상의 시비수준에서는 점점 감소하는 경향을 보였다. H/D(Hight/Root collar diameter)율은 전체가 3.82(무시비구) ~ 4.90, T/R(Top/Root)율은 전체가 0.56(1,000mg·L^-1 시비처리구) ~ 0.82로 조사되었다. 시비처리 에 의한 붉나무의 LWR(Leaf dry weight ratio)은 무시비구, SWR(Shoot dry weight ratio)은 3,000mg·L^-1 시비처리구, 그리고 RWR(Root dry weight ratio)은 1,000mg·L^-1 시비처리구에서 유의적 차이를 보이며 높게 나타났다. 묘목품질지수(QI)의 경우 1,000mg·L^-1 시비처리구에서 12.13으로 다른 시비수준들보다 월등히 높았다. 본 실험의 결과를 종합하면, 뿌리발달이 좋은 우량한 붉나무 생산에 적절한 시비수준은 1,000mg·L^-1 정도인 것으로 판단된다.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.8
• /
• pp.1240-1252
• /
• 2021

Objective: To compare the accuracy for detecting breast cancer in the diagnostic setting between the use of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), defined as DBT alone or combined DBT and digital mammography (DM), and the use of DM alone through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-Embase, Cochrane Library and five Korean local databases were searched for articles published until March 25, 2020. We selected studies that reported diagnostic accuracy in women who were recalled after screening or symptomatic. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. A bivariate random effects model was used to estimate pooled sensitivity and specificity. We compared the diagnostic accuracy between DBT and DM alone using meta-regression and subgroup analyses by modality of intervention, country, existence of calcifications, breast density, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category threshold, study design, protocol for participant sampling, sample size, reason for diagnostic examination, and number of readers who interpreted the studies. Results: Twenty studies (n = 44513) that compared DBT and DM alone were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-0.93) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.84-0.94), respectively, for DBT, which were higher than 0.76 (95% CI 0.68-0.83) and 0.83 (95% CI 0.73-0.89), respectively, for DM alone (p < 0.001). The area under the summary receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.95 (95% CI 0.93-0.97) for DBT and 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.88) for DM alone. The higher sensitivity and specificity of DBT than DM alone were consistently noted in most subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Conclusion: Use of DBT was more accurate than DM alone for the diagnosis of breast cancer. Women with clinical symptoms or abnormal screening findings could be more effectively evaluated for breast cancer using DBT, which has a superior diagnostic performance compared to DM alone.