• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.181-187
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• 2009

Oral diseases may hinder people from living a healthy life by causing obstacles in the nutrition supply of the human body. This study aims at the found out the eating habits and recognition factors of people who are currently suffering from denial pain, and made a predictive modeling using neural network, which is a data mining. The oral health condition for maintaining and improving oral health has been examined and analyzed through a survey and the groups were divided based on the presence and the absence of dental pain. This study observed on eating habits, exercise and oral habits. The study results of neural network modeling input parameter was selected significant survival factors. As a result of making a predictive modeling using the neural network, the fitness of the predictive modeling of dental pain factors was 88.7%. As for the people who are likely to experience dental pain predicted by the neural network model, preventive measures including proper eating habits, education on oral hygiene, and stress release must precede any dental treatment.

• Gut and Liver
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.722-727
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• 2018

Background/Aims: Although endoscopic bilateral stent-instent placement is challenging, many recent studies have reported promising outcomes regarding technical success and endoscopic re-intervention. This study aimed to evaluate the technical accessibility of stent-in-stent placement using large cell-type stents in patients with inoperable malignant hilar biliary obstruction. Methods: Forty-three patients with inoperable malignant hilar biliary obstruction from four academic centers were prospectively enrolled from March 2013 to June 2015. Results: Bilateral stent-in-stent placement using two large cell-type stents was successfully performed in 88.4% of the patients (38/43). In four of the five cases with technical failure, the delivery sheath of the second stent became caught in the hook-cross-type vertex of the large cell of the first stent, and subsequent attempts to pass a guidewire and stent assembly through the mesh failed. Functional success was achieved in all cases of technical success. Stent occlusion occurred in 63.2% of the patients (24/38), with a median patient survival of 300 days. The median stent patency was 198 days. The stent patency rate was 82.9%, 63.1%, and 32.1% at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, respectively. Endoscopic re-intervention was performed in 14 patients, whereas 10 underwent percutaneous drainage. Conclusions: Large cell-type stents for endoscopic bilateral stent-in-stent placement had acceptable functional success and stent patency when technically successful. However, the technical difficulty associated with the entanglement of the second stent delivery sheath in the hook-cross-type vertex of the first stent may preclude large cell-type stents from being considered as a dedicated standard tool for stent-in-stent placement.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.1.1-1.14
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• 2019

Hypoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ ($HIF-1{\alpha}$) mediates tumor cell adaptation to hypoxic conditions and is a potentially important anticancer therapeutic target. We previously developed a method for synthesizing a benzofuran-based natural product, (R)-(-)-moracin-O, and obtained a novel potent analog, MO-460 that suppresses the accumulation of $HIF-1{\alpha}$ in Hep3B cells. However, the molecular target and underlying mechanism of action of MO-460 remained unclear. In the current study, we identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2B1 (hnRNPA2B1) as a molecular target of MO-460. MO-460 inhibits the initiation of $HIF-1{\alpha}$ translation by binding to the C-terminal glycinerich domain of hnRNPA2B1 and inhibiting its subsequent binding to the 3'-untranslated region of $HIF-1{\alpha}$ mRNA. Moreover, MO-460 suppresses $HIF-1{\alpha}$ protein synthesis under hypoxic conditions and induces the accumulation of stress granules. The data provided here suggest that hnRNPA2B1 serves as a crucial molecular target in hypoxiainduced tumor survival and thus offer an avenue for the development of novel anticancer therapies.

• Gut and Liver
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.714-721
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• 2018

Background/Aims: Recently reported prognostic models for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have been shown to be effective in Western populations but have not been well-validated in Asian patients. This study aimed to compare the performance of prognostic models in Korean patients and to investigate whether inflammation-based scores can further help in prognosis prediction. Methods: This study included 271 consecutive patients diagnosed with PBC in Korea. The following prognostic models were evaluated: the Barcelona model, the Paris-I/II model, the Rotterdam criteria, the GLOBE score and the UK-PBC score. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was analyzed with reference to its association with prognosis. Results: For predicting liver transplant or death at the 5-year and 10-year follow-up examinations, the UK-PBC score (areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUCs], 0.88 and 0.82) and GLOBE score (AUCs, 0.85 and 0.83) were significantly more accurate in predicting prognosis than the other scoring systems (all p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the performance of the UK-PBC and GLOBE scores. In addition to the prognostic models, a high NLR (>2.46) at baseline was an independent predictor of reduced transplant-free survival in the multivariate analysis (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.74; p<0.01). When the NLR was applied to the prognostic models, it significantly differentiated the prognosis of patients. Conclusions: The UK-PBC and GLOBE scores showed good prognostic performance in Korean patients with PBC. In addition, a high NLR was associated with a poorer prognosis. Including the NLR in prognostic models may further help to stratify patients with PBC.

• Gut and Liver
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.664-673
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• 2018

Background/Aims: Regulatory dendritic cells (rDCs), which can be induced by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), play an important role in inducing and maintaining homeostasis of regulatory T cells and exhibit anti-inflammatory functions. In this study, we investigated whether MSCs could differentiate DCs into rDCs and compared the therapeutic effects of rDCs and MSCs on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced chronic colitis mice. Methods: Immature DCs (imDCs) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mature DCs (mDCs) were co-cultured with MSCs for 48 hours, and then the profiles of surface markers and cytokines and regulatory roles of these DCs for primary splenocytes were analyzed. In addition, the therapeutic effects of MSCs and DCs co-cultured with MSCs were compared in chronic colitis mice. Results: After co-culture of imDCs (MSC-DCs) or LPS-treated mDCs (LPS+MSC-DCs) with MSCs, the expression of CD11c, CD80, CD86, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), and interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$), was decreased, but that of CD11b, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-${\beta}$ (TGF-${\beta}$) was increased. Furthermore, MSC-DCs and LPS+MSC-DCs induced the expression of CD4, CD25, and Foxp3 in primary splenocytes isolated from mice. In DSS-induced colitis mice, MSCs and MSC-DCs increased colon length, body weight, and survival rate and induced histological improvement. Moreover, in the colon tissues, the expression of IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, and IFN-${\gamma}$ decreased, but that of IL-10, TGF-${\beta}$, and Foxp3 increased in the MSC- and MSC-DC-injected groups. Conclusions: Our data suggest that MSCs differentiate DCs into rDCs, which ameliorate chronic colitis. Thus, rDCs stimulated by MSCs may be therapeutically useful for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.189-197
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• 2012

This study was carried out to develop the improved useful mutants for yield or composition of stevia plants using the gamma ray or chemical mutagens treatments. The seeds of stevia 'Suwon No. 11' were irradiated up to 400 Gy of gamma ray. Chemical mutagens were treated on the seeds of the 'Suwon No. 11' using 0.07% colchicine, 10 mM sodium azide, or 10 mM NMU for various durations. The germination rate, and shoot and root growth of seedling were estimated at 30 days after gamma ray irradiation or chemical mutagen treatment, and the plant height, the number of branches, and leaf length and width were examined at 3 months after mutagenesis treatments. In the case of gamma ray treatments, the germination rate and early-stage growth were decreased as the increase of radiation dose, and the 50% lethal dose was found to be 200 Gy. the plant height was decreased as the increase of radiation dose, while the number of branches per plant and leaf length were increased. Leaf shape was modified to the relatively longer one compared to the control, which was identified more apparently at the treatments of higher than 150 Gy. In the treatment of chemical mutagens, the rate of germination and survival were decreased as the increase of incubation time. The 50% lethal dose for germination rate were identified as the conditions of the 15 hours incubation in 0.07% colchicine, the 4 hrs in 10 mM sodium azide, and the 2 hrs in 10 mM NMU, in the three chemical mutagens treatments. Chemical mutagens had no influence on shoot growth, while root growth was increased, especially as the incubation time was extended. The highest root growth occurred in the NMU treatment at 6 hrs incubation time. The plant height was decreased as the increase of incubation time in the chemical mutagens treatments. Among the chemical mutagens, NMU was the most effective to induce the mutants with long-shaped or the least lobed leaves.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2008

To build up data for mutation breeding of lily, sensitivity to irradiation of bulb, seed and pollen was investigated. The bulbs of seven cultivars including 'New Wave' were very sensitive to gamma rays. Non-irradiated bulbs produced plants with bloom as normal. However, irradiated bulbs showed retarded growth and did not flower. Bulbs of 'New Wave' and 'Tiny Dino' irradiated with 125Gy gamma rays survived, but their growth rate dropped considerably. Part or whole leaves of the other cultivars except 'New Wave' and 'Tiny Dino' withered. Moisture content of individual scale was 72~78% depending on cultivar. Bulblet formation from untreated scales was 100%. Among all irradiated scales only 'Siberia' scales showed 8.5% bulblet formation when irradiated with 50Gy gamma rays. Pollen germination as affected by gamma ray irradiation had no consistent tendency. When dosage of $F_1$ 'Augusta' seeds reached 300Gy, their survival ratio was drastically decreased. Bulblet formation in vitro was observed only in non-irradiated seeds. Lethal dose ($LD_{50}$) of seed was less than 100Gy. Height and width of $F_1$ 'Augusta' bulblets in vitro irradiated with gamma rays decreased as dosage increased regardless of the culture method. The percentage shoot formation was 100% in non-irradiated bulblets and 15~60% in irradiated ones.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.347-369
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• 2013

Quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS is significant as it concerns the treatment process, survival rate, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment as well. Prevalent prejudice in our society significantly lowers the quality of patient's life. There is a need for an intervention and the effort to eliminate the stigma in order to lessen the negative effects as well. However, there are very few researches that examine the quality of life when it comes to people living with HIV/AIDS; even less when it comes to research that examines the stigma that affects the quality of life negatively. Therefore, this research seeks to verify the moderating effects of social support that seek to eliminate the stigma upon the quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS. Research had been conducted with 102 people living with HIV/AIDS and the balancing effect of the social effort was verified through hierarchical regression analysis and a simple slope test. As the result of the research, control variables such as educational level and whether the patient has a job or not have significant effect and the stigma that the patient is aware of has significant negative effect. Social support had positive effect in quality of life and that it has a moderating effect on stigma which in turn affects the quality of life. Based on these results, social work related implications that were suggested are as follows; need for information and education as to better the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS and eliminate the social stigma and that group support program based on the local community which is needed for social support. Further research was advised based on the limitations of this research.

• Korean Journal of Comparative Education
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.27-55
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• 2008

Since quality assurance and enhancement (QAE) raises the fundamental issue of the survival of higher education institutions and national competitiveness, guides on quality assurance (QA) are popular both domestically and worldwide. Despite the focus in many countries on trying to establish and implement QA systems, no clear investigation has been conducted on what actually happens in the institutions. Therefore, the present study examines the quality control system of the UK at an institutional level by focusing on the case of Scotland QAE. As Scottish QAE especially emphasizes student engagement and quality culture, this study investigates the present QAE situation in the institution and current ideas for better future practices by analyzing the perceptions of internal stakeholders' from the University of Edinburgh, School of Education, based on the stakeholder theory and implications for other contexts. The stakeholder analysis results demonstrate the successful application of QAE with a high level of understanding and stakeholder interest. However, the current strategy is missing certain opportunities for staff and students. Therefore, further information disclosure, formative evaluation, better communication and administrational supports are required for improved practice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.26
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• pp.7-30
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• 2008

The survival rate of children with cancer has increased significantly from less than 30% in 1960s to 75% during the recent years with the development of modern medical technologies. As a result, the cancer of children today is no longer classified as incurable diseases. Rather, it is recognized as a chronic illness. However, children with cancer are still suffering from physical and psychosocial ailments caused by long-term hospitalization. In particular, teenagers are more likely to be affected by these problems because of interests on one's appearance and peer relationships This study investigated the relationship of the level of body distortion and disease adjustment of children with cancer, and how demographic factors, disease factors, and the level of body distortion affect disease adjustment. Data were collected between October 22, 2007 and November 16, 2007 and the total respondents consisted of 82 children, ages 10 to 18. SPSS 12.0 with descriptive statistics, t-test, correlation and multiple regression were used for data analysis. The results showed that the factors which influence the disease adjustment of children with cancer were age, school enrollment, and the level of body distortion. The result of this study has major implications for the government to provide support for children with cancer to stay in school. Additionally, programs that assist children to build positive body images need to be developed in accordance with their ages and psychosocial characteristics.