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BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of monosymotomatic nocturnal enuresis (MSNE) with reduced bladder capacity in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (NE) and to suggest treatment outcomes. METHODS This study retrospectively evaluated 54 children (30 males, 24 females; median age: 8; range: 5-14) who were newly diagnosed with primary NE from November 2017 to October 2019. Reduced bladder capacity in MSNE was defined when a patient's maximal voided volume (MVV) from his or her voiding diary was 75% or less than estimated functional bladder capacity ([age + 1] x 30 mL) for his or her age and there were no daytime lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as assessed using history taking and questionnaires. RESULTS Nineteen (35.2%) of 54 children with newly diagnosed primary NE did not report daytime LUTS. Fifteen children (27.8%) had a reduced bladder capacity and were prescribed anticholinergic or beta-3 agonist. After three months of medication, MVV significantly increased from 117.5 mL to 183.3 mL (P = 0.010), but frequency showed no significant change from 5.7 to 4.9 times a day. Improvement in enuresis occurred completely and partially in 41.7% and 25% of participants, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of reduced bladder capacity without daytime voiding symptoms was relatively high as 27.8% in children newly diagnosed with primary NE. In primary MSNE, reduced bladder capacity should be investigated using a frequency-volume chart in addition to thorough history taking or questionnaires. Anticholinergics or beta-3 agonists for MSNE with reduced bladder capacity are effective at increasing the bladder capacity of these patients.

There is growing interest in conservative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture. However, the majority of experimental studies of Achilles tendon have been performed by open tenotomy. More appropriate model of conservative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture is required. We performed experimental study to evaluate whether outcomes differ between open tenotomy and percutaneous tenotomy of the Achilles tendon in rats. The Achilles tendons of 48 rats were transected. The animals were divided into two groups according to surgical technique: open tenotomy or microscopy-assisted percutaneous tenotomy. After 1, 2, and 4 weeks, functional, biomechanical, and histological analyses were performed. Western blot was performed for quantitative molecular analysis at 1 week. The Achilles functional index was superior in the percutaneous tenotomy group, compared with the open tenotomy group, at 1 week. The cross-sectional area was significantly larger in the percutaneous tenotomy group than in the open tenotomy group at 4 weeks. Relative to the native tendons, load to failure and stiffness yielded comparable results at 2 weeks in the percutaneous tenotomy group and at 4 weeks in the open tenotomy group. The histological score was significantly better in the percutaneous tenotomy group than in the open tenotomy group at 1 week. At 1week, interleukin-1β expression in the open tenotomy group was higher than in the percutaneous tenotomy group. In summary, Achilles tendon healing was substantially affected by the tenotomy method. We presume that our percutaneous tenotomy method might constitute a useful experimental animal model for conservative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Aims Changes in serotonergic sensory modulation associated with overexpression of 5-HT3 receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve damage. 5-HT3 receptor antagonists such as ondansetron can potentially alleviate neuropathic pain, but have limited effectiveness, due potentially to limited CNS access. However, there is currently limited information on CNS disposition of systemically-administered 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. This study evaluated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disposition of ondansetron, as a surrogate of CNS penetration. Methods Fifteen patients were given a single 16 mg intravenous 15 minute infusion of ondansetron, followed by serial blood and a single CSF sampling. Population pharmacokinetic (PK) modelling was implemented to describe the average and individual plasma and CSF profiles of ondansetron. A two-compartmental model was used to capture ondansetron plasma PK with a single CSF compartment to describe distribution to the CNS. Results The individual model-estimated CSF to plasma partition coefficients of ondansetron were between 0.09 and 0.20. These values were mirrored in the calculated CSF penetration ratios, ranging from 0.08 to 0.26. Conclusions After intravenous administration, CSF concentrations of ondansetron were approximately 7-fold lower than those observed in the plasma. A model could be developed to describe individual CSF concentration-time profiles of ondansetron based on a single CSF data point. The low CSF penetration of ondansetron may explain its limited analgesic effectiveness, and affords an opportunity to explore enhancing its CNS penetration for targeting conditions such as neuropathic pain.

In this study, we investigated the effect of calcium sources with different solubilities and the carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzyme on carbonate mineralization reaction, and analyzed the reaction rate, the morphology of the formed precipitate, and the surface. The CO2 mineralization rate was affected by the rate of CO2 hydration and the rate of Ca ionization. For all of the calcium sources tested, CA improved the overall carbonate mineralization rate, but depending on the solubility of each calcium source, the reaction rates were in the order of CaCl2 > Ca(OH)2 > CaO. From CaCl2, calcium carbonate was generated rapidly. This was due to the high concentration of calcium ions in the solution because it was easily dissolved. But because of its high surface energy, calcite and vaterite coexisted. On the other hand, Ca(OH)2 and CaO had relatively low solubility and the rate of calcium carbonate production was slow, but after the reaction, CaCO3 with a calcite structure was formed. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clearance (CL) is the major pharmacokinetic parameter for evaluating systemic exposure of drugs in the body and, thus, for developing new drugs. To predict in vivo CL, the ratio between the maximal rate of metabolism and Michaelis‐Menten constant (V max/K M estimated from in vitro metabolism study has been widely used. This canonical approach is based on the Michaelis‐Menten equation, which is valid only when the K M value of a drug is much higher than the hepatic concentration of the enzymes, especially cytochrome P450, involved in its metabolism. Here, we find that such a condition does not hold for many drugs with low K M, and, thus, the canonical approach leads to considerable error. Importantly, we propose an alternative approach, which incorporates the saturation of drug metabolism when concentration of the enzymes is not sufficiently lower than K M. This new approach dramatically improves the accuracy of prediction for in vivo CL of high‐affinity drugs with low K M. This indicates that the proposed approach in this study, rather than the canonical approach, should be used to predict in vivo hepatic CL for high‐affinity drugs, such as midazolam and propafenone.

OBJECTIVES Patulous eustachian tube (ET) has been characterised by the visualisation of full-length ET on computed tomography (CT) results. We wanted to investigate the changes of visualised ET lengths by age in supine and sitting positions. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Tertiary care academic referral centre. PARTICIPANTS One hundred subjects who underwent cone beam CT (CBCT) in a sitting position and conventional CT in a supine position for non-otitis-related or dental complaints. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Visualised ET lengths from the nasopharyngeal orifice measured by different positions and ages. RESULTS Subjects did not show visualisation of full-length ET throughout the study. The visualised ET lengths (9.0 ± 2.5 mm) of the CBCT group were significantly larger than those (6.8 ± 2.3 mm) of the conventional CT group (P

Exposures to ionizing radiation (IR) may either be accidental or intentional, for medical purposes or even through terrorist actions. As certain populations emerge to be more radiosensitive than others, it is imperative to assess those individuals and treat them accordingly. To demonstrate the feasibility of rapid identification of such cases, we utilized the highly radiosensitive mouse model Atm-/- in the C57BL/6 background, and evaluated the urinary responses in 8-10 week old male mice at early time points (4, 24, and 72 h) after exposure to their respective LD50/30 doses [4 Gy for Atm-/- , and 8 Gy for wild type (WT)]. Urinary profiles from heterozygous animals exhibited remarkably similar responses to WT before and after radiation exposure. However, genotypic differences (WT or Atm-/- ) were the primary driver to responses to radiation. Putative metabolites were validated through tandem mass spectrometry and included riboflavin, uric acid, d-ribose, d-glucose, pantothenic acid, taurine, kynurenic acid, xanthurenic acid, 2-oxoadipic acid, glutaric acid, 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine, and hippuric acid. These metabolites mapped to several interconnected metabolic pathways which suggest that radiosensitive mouse models have underlying differences significantly impacting overall metabolism. This was further amplified by ionizing radiation at different time points. This study further emphasizes that genetically based radiosensitivity is reflected in the metabolic processes, and can be directly observed in urine. These differences in turn can potentially be used to identify individuals that may require altered medical treatment in an emergency radiological situation or modification of a regimen during a radiotherapy session. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:576-585, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Aspartame is widely used artificial sweeteners as food additives. Several researchers have pointed that the controversial report on the use of aspartame over more than decades. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential and unsaturated fatty acids, and it plays a remarkable role in vision, intelligence, neural development, and metabolism of neurotransmitters. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on aspartame treated renal cells. Experimental groups were divided into three such as sham control, aspartame treated, and aspartame with omega-3 fatty acids. Cell viability was determined by sulforhodamine-b assay and flow cytometric analysis. The experimental results showed that the aspartame induced altered cell viability were reduced following treatment of aspartame with omega-3 fatty acids. Altered cell morphology was recovered by omega-3 fatty acids. DNA damage appeared in the highest concentration of aspartame used in this study. DNA damage characteristics such as comet tail and tiny head sections did not appear in the omega-3 fatty acids treated cells. Several microvilli and vesicular structures were found in aspartame treated cells. Altered morphology such as rounding, microvilli, and formation of dome-like structures did not appear in the omega-3 fatty acids with aspartame treated cells. Caspase-3 mRNA and protein expression were increased in aspartame treated cells, and these levels were reduced following omega-3 fatty acids treatment. Taking all these data together, it is suggested that the omega-3 fatty acids may be a therapeutic agent to reduce the aspartame induced biochemical and morphological alterations in normal renal cells. © 2017 BioFactors, 43(6):847-857, 2017.

Typical non-CO2 greenhouse gases in clean development mechanism (CDM) projects include methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases (F-gases). The use of F-gases, such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), has increased sharply in the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industries. The global warming potential of F-gases is very high, ranging from 140 to 23 900. Therefore, there has been considerable interest in the reduction of F-gas emissions. This paper examines the emission sources, methodology, and reduction technologies of F-gases, using the project design documents of CDM projects registered in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In comparison to other non-CO2 gases, CDM projects have significantly reduced annual F-gas emissions. CDM projects achieved reductions of HFCs using thermal oxidation technology, mostly involving the chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) production process; conversely, PFC reductions targeted the aluminum smelting process to reduce the anode effect. The extent of SF6 reduction in CDM projects was relatively high in the liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturing process using thermal and catalytic oxidation, although SF6 recovery technology was much more effective in terms of capital and annual costs. Overall, large amounts of F-gases could be alleviated using thermal or catalytic oxidation. However, the economical reduction of F-gas emissions would be possible using recovery technology. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Second-order rate constants () for alkaline hydrolysis of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted benzenesulfonates (1a–1f) and Y-substituted phenyl 4-nitrobezenesulfonates (2a–2g) have been measured spectrophotometrically. Comparison of with the values reported previously for the corresponding reactions with has revealed that OH is only 103-fold more reactive than , although the former is 11 pK a units more basic than the latter. The Yukawa–Tsuno plot for the reactions of 1a–1f results in an excellent linear correlation with ρ X = 2.09 and r = 0.41. The Bronsted-type plot for the reactions of 2a–2g is linear with β lg = −0.51, which is typical for reactions reported to proceed through a concerted mechanism. The Yukawa–Tsuno plot for the reactions of 2a–2g exhibits excellent linearity with ρ Y = 1.85 and r = 0.25, indicating that a partial negative charge develops on the O atom of the leaving group in the transition state. Thus, the alkaline hydrolysis of 1a–1f and 2a–2g has been concluded to proceed through a concerted mechanism. Comparison of the ρ X and β lg values for the reactions with ions suggests that the reactions with hydroxide ion proceed through a tighter transition-state structure than those with azide ion.

Fluidized bed incineration of sewage sludge could produce large amounts of N2O due to the relatively high nitrogen content of the sewage sludge and low incineration temperatures. In this study, N2O and NOx emissions released during the fluidized bed incineration of dried sewage sludge powder were investigated. Sewage sludge feeding rate was about 8∼10 kg/h, and bed aspect ratio was fixed to ca. 1.2. Superficial velocity was adjusted to ca. 1.9 m/s. The concentrations of N2O and NOx in the exhaust gas were greatly influenced by bed temperature in a range between 850 °C and 950 °C. In the simultaneous catalytic reduction of N2O and NOx on an Fe/BEA pellet catalyst with NH3, most of the N2O and NOx were removed when heated above the inlet reaction temperature 410 °C. Thus, simultaneous catalytic reduction was shown to be a promising N2O abatement technology for the fluidized bed incineration of sewage sludge. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The second-order rate constants for reactions of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted-benzenesulfonates (4a–4f) and Y-substituted-phenyl-4-nitrobenzenesulfonates (5a–5f) with ion have been measured spectrophotometrically. The reactions of 4a–4f proceed through SO and CO bond fission pathways competitively. Fraction of the SO bond fission decreases rapidly as the substituent X in the benzenesulfonyl moiety changes from an electron-withdrawing group to an electron-donating group. The Hammett plots for reactions of 4a–4f are linear with ρX = 1.87 and 0.56 for the SO and CO bond fission, respectively. The fact that the substituent X is further away from the reaction site of the CO bond fission than that of the SO bond fission is one reason for the smaller ρX value. The nature of the reaction mechanism (i.e., a stepwise mechanism in which expulsion of the leaving group occurs after the rate-determining step) is also responsible for the smaller ρX value obtained from the CO bond fission. The Bronsted-type plot for the reactions of 5a–5f is linear with βlg = −0.63, which is typical for reactions reported previously to proceed through a concerted mechanism. Effects of substituents X and Y on regioselectivity and reaction mechanism are discussed in detail.

Background Chronic alcohol intake affects liver function and causes hepatic pathological changes. It has been shown that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα)-null mice developed more pronounced hepatic changes than wild-type (WT) mice after chronic exposure to a diet containing 4% alcohol. The remarkable similarity between the histopathology of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in Ppara-null model and in humans, and the fact that PPARα expression and activity in human liver are less than one-tenth of those in WT mouse liver make Ppara-null a good system to investigate ALD. Methods In this study, the Ppara-null model was used to elucidate the dynamic regulation of PPARα activity during chronic alcohol intake. Hepatic transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were used to examine alterations of gene expression and metabolites associated with pathological changes. The changes triggered by alcohol consumption on gene expression and metabolites in Ppara-null mice were compared with those in WT mice. Results The results showed that in the presence of PPARα, 3 major metabolic pathways in mitochondria, namely the fatty acid β-oxidation, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the electron transfer chain, were induced in response to a 2-month alcohol feeding, while these responses were greatly reduced in the absence of PPARα. In line with the transcriptional modulations of these metabolic pathways, a progressive accumulation of triglycerides, a robust increase in hepatic cholic acid and its derivatives, and a strong induction of fibrogenesis genes were observed exclusively in alcohol-fed Ppara-null mice. Conclusions These observations indicate that PPARα plays a protective role to enhance mitochondrial function in response to chronic alcohol consumption by adaptive transcriptional activation and suggest that activation of this nuclear receptor may be of therapeutic value in the treatment for ALD.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical effect and safety of α1A-adrenoceptor blocker, silodosin, in patients with voiding dysfunction caused by neurogenic bladder. Methods From April 2011 to January 2012, patients who were diagnosed as potential voiding dysfunction associated with neurogenic bladder, aged ≥ 20 years were enrolled. Silodosin (8 mg/day) was administered once daily in the morning with food. The efficacy was assessed at the baseline and after 12 weeks of the treatment having following parameters of international prostate symptom score and other measures including the maximum flow rate and the postvoid residual urine volume. Results A total of 97 patients were screened and 95 were enrolled. Of these 95 patients, 82 patients were completed and included in analysis. After 12-weeks of treatment, mean total international prostate symptom score decreased significantly from 22.23 ± 6.80 to 14.98 ± 9.48 (P = 0.0002). Voiding symptoms and storage symptoms were also improved by decreasing in international prostate symptom score-QoL from 4.62 ± 0.92 to 3.48 ± 1.63 (P

BACKGROUND Ambrosia trifida L. (buffalo-weed) is a ubiquitous invasive plant species in Korea, causing severe allergy problems to humans and reduction in crop yields. Converting buffalo-weed biomass to biochar and its use as an adsorbent for the depuration of trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated water could help resolve two existing environmental issues simultaneously. RESULTS The plant biomass was converted to biochar at 300 °C (BC300) and 700 °C (BC700). The pyrolysis temperature strongly influenced the properties of resulting biochars. The higher temperature resulted in a higher degree of C-enrichment. The loss of H- and O-containing functional groups shifted the BC700 composition towards a less polar, more aromatic carbon structure evidenced by lower O/C (0.06) and H/C (0.15) values compared with those of BC300 (0.07 and 0.65, respectively). These properties of BC700 further highlighted its greater efficiency of TCE removal (88.47%) from water, compared with that of BC300 (69.07%). The TCE adsorption data was well described by the Hill isotherm model indicating the mechanism of adsorption to be cooperative interaction. Linear correlations between model parameters and biochar properties were also observed. CONCLUSIONS Buffalo-weed can be converted to value-added biochar that can be used as an effective adsorbent for the treatment of TCE contaminated groundwater. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

Electronics manufacturing industries have rapidly developed in South Korea. To reduce the use of fluorinated gases having high global warming potential (GWP) in their processes, companies have recently attempted to replace these gases with nitrous oxide (N2O). Unfortunately, N2O itself has a GWP of 310 and is one of the main greenhouse gases. The electronics manufacturing industries should therefore consider reducing N2O emissions from their processes. This study measured the N2O emission from a large display manufacturing plant in South Korea and investigated the removal of N2O at the site of the plant by either a catalytic decomposition process or a reduction process. We suggest a hybrid N2O reduction process to effectively reduce the N2O emissions of the electronics manufacturing industries. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Objective: We carried out a nationwide epidemiological study to evaluate the prevalence and effect of varicoceles on testicular volume in South Korean adolescents. We also investigated the correlation between varicoceles and body mass index (BMI). Methods: In this prospective study, physical examinations were carried out to assess the presence and severity of varicoceles in middle school boys from six regions of South Korea. Testicular volume, height and weight of all boys were measured. The prevalence of varicoceles was assessed. The associations between age, testicular volume, BMI, and the presence and severity of varicoceles were examined. Results: A total of 1938 boys with a mean age of 14.1 years (range 13–16 years) were screened. A varicocele was found on the left side in 295 (15.2%) boys and on the right side in 8 (0.4%) boys. Bilateral varicoceles were found in 17 (0.9%) individuals. Of the subjects with a left varicocele, 151 (51.2%), 80 (27.1%) and 64 (25.1%) boys had a grade 1, 2 or 3 varicocele, respectively. The prevalence of varicoceles did not increase with age. The proportion of boys with testicular size discrepancies increased with the severity of the varicocele. After adjusting for age, BMI had a negative correlation with the presence of varicoceles. Conclusions: The prevalence of varicoceles in South Korean middle school boys is 16.5%. The presence of varicoceles seems to have a negative effect on testicular growth. BMI has a significant inverse relationship with the occurrence of varicoceles.

Severe Clonorchis sinensis infection is a significant risk factor for malignant changes in bile ducts and surrounding liver tissues occurring as a result of direct contact with C. sinensis worms and their excretory-secretory products (ESP). However, the intrinsic molecular mechanisms involved in these processes remain obscure. To determine the effects of C. sinensis infection on protein expression in host bile duct epithelium, we examined proteomic profile changes in the human cholangiocarcinoma cell line (HuCCT1) treated with ESP at 24 h. Using a combination of 2-DE, quantitative image and MALDI-TOF MS analysis, we identified 83 proteins that were translationally modulated in response to ESP, among which 49 were up-regulated and 34 down-regulated. These proteins were classified under various biological categories, including metabolism, cell structure and architecture, proteolysis, protein modification, transport, signal transduction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification. In particular, ESP induced the expression of redox-regulating proteins, including peroxiredoxins (Prdx 2, 3, and 6) and thioredoxin 1 (Trx 1), possibly via intracellular ROS generation. Application of the proteomic approach to identify ESP response proteins should be a prerequisite before further investigation to clarify the molecular pathways and mechanisms involved in C. sinensis infection of host cells.

We have developed novel growth technique for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by using resist assisted patterned growth. The CNTs can be grown directly on the patterned catalyst surface without diffusion barrier. The growth site patterns were fabricated on Ni/Si substrate by a conventional lithography method using photo-patternable resist. The CNTs are uniformly grown on various islands, which defined by selective positioning technology. Various numbers of island-emitters were grown and measure the electron emission properties by using diode structure. The total electron emission characteristic shows very linear with number of island emitters. Emission current of the one-emitter island is 7.8 nA at 9 V/μm with 40 μm pitch, 10 μm island diameter.

In this paper, we design a two-step scheduling algorithm to support multiple bandwidth allocation policies for upstream channel access in an Ethernet passive optical network. The proposed scheduling algorithm allows us a simultaneous approach for multiple access control policies: static bandwidth allocation for guaranteed bandwidth service and dynamic bandwidth allocation for on-demand, dynamic traffic services. In order to reduce the scheduling complexity, we separate the process of the transmission start- time decision from the process of grant generation. This technique does not require the timing information of other bandwidth allocation modules, so respective modules are free from a heavy amount of timing information or complex processing.

The Her-2/neu oncogene, which encodes a growth factor receptor, was implicated in the malignancy of human adenocarcinomas. Antibodies directed to this molecule have been previously shown to have an antitumor effect in vivo. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms of the antitumor activity, we generated 2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), HRO G1 and HRT G1, that recognize different epitopes on Her-2/neu. Both of the mAbs bound HER2/neu on the tumor surface, resulting in phosphorylation of HER2/neu. We also generated IgG2a and IgG2b mAbs from these 2 mAbs, respectively. The results of in vitro studies showed that these anti-Her-2/neu mAbs could not inhibit the growth of the tumor cells that express Her-2/neu molecules by themselves. However, in an antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity study using mouse splenocytes as effector cells, HRT mAbs had antitumor activities superior to those of HRO mAbs, indicating that the epitope specificity may also partake in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity with antibody isotype. In a complement-dependent cytotoxicity study, the IgG2a and IgG2b mAbs showed stronger effects than IgG1 isotype mAbs irrespective of the epitope specificities. The results of in vivo studies also showed that HRT mAbs had superior antitumor activity to those of HRO mAbs. The antitumor activity was most prominent in the HRT G2b isotype among HRT mAbs. HRT G1 also showed a moderate antitumor effect, while HRT G2a showed only slight inhibition effect. These data indicate that both the epitope specificity and the differences in Fc region of mAbs could play important roles in the antitumor activities. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1. Fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP), a glycolytic metabolite, is reported to ameliorate inflammation and inhibit the nitric oxide production in murine macrophages stimulated with endotoxin. It is also reported that FDP has cytoprotective effects against hypoxia or ischaemia/reperfusion injury in brain and heart. However, underlying mechanisms of its various biological activities are not completely understood. 2. In this study, we examined the effects of FDP on UVB-induced prostaglandin production in HaCaT keratinocytes. 3. Ultraviolet B (UVB, 280-320 nm) irradiation (30 mJ cm(-2)) increased prostaglandin E(2)(PGE(2)) production, which was significantly decreased by FDP in a concentration dependent manner. NS-398, a cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitor completely inhibited UVB-induced PGE(2) production showing that COX-2 activity is responsible for the increase in PGE(2) production under our experimental conditions. 4. UVB irradiation increased total COX activity and COX-2 mRNA in HaCaT keratinocytes, which were significantly blocked by FDP in a concentration dependent manner. 5. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) significantly attenuated UVB-induced PGE(2) production, COX activity and COX-2 mRNA expression indicating oxidative components might contribute to these events. 6. FDP reduced UVB-induced increase in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level although it did not show direct radical scavenging effect in the experiment using 1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazil (DPPH). FDP preserved the cellular antioxidant capacity including catalase activity and GSH content after irradiation. 7. Our data obtained hitherto suggest that FDP may have a protective role in UVB-injured keratinocyte by attenuating PGE(2) production and COX-2 expression, which are possibly through blocking intracellular ROS accumulation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of mothers’ dietary behaviors on children’s nutritional status in Korea. Women aged 蠅19 years were selected and their children were matched using...

It is known that the pathological features of acute irritant contact dermatitis are specific according to the irritant. However, in chronic irritant contact dermatitis, it is not clear whether specific patterns exist. To investigate whether the specific pathology of acute irritant contact dermatitis is sustained in chronic irritant contact dermatitis, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and croton oil were applied 3x a week for 2 weeks on the dorsal skin of hairless mice using Finn Chambers. The pathologic changes induced by irritants at various concentrations were evaluated using H&E and Luna's staining, as well as immunohistochemistry for 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), keratin 6 and loricrin. Our results showed that epidermal hyperplasia and inflammatory infiltration were relatively marked in the groups treated with higher concentrations of irritants. These features were more prominent in the 1% croton oil treated group than in the 0.25% SLS treated group. However, lower concentrations of irritants resulted in very similar histological changes, characterized by epidermal hyperplasia with minimal inflammatory infiltration, irrespective of the chemical. Our results suggest that the histological responses to irritants vary with concentration in cumulative irritation, as in acute irritation, but repetitive mild irritation may evoke common histological changes, characterized by epidermal hyperplasia with minimal inflammatory infiltration, irrespective of the chemical used.

5-Amino-2-acyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-ones 2–1 can be synthesized from 5-amino-2H-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-one (1–1) via a selective acylation with an acid anhydride in pyridine. The 1H nmr spectral characteristics of 5-amino-2-acyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-ones 2–1 is in particular, compared with 5-amino-2H-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-one (1–1) and 5-amino-2-alkyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-ones 1–2, 1–3. The 5-amino group of 2–1 appeared as two peaks in its 1H nmr spectrum, which merged to a single peak at a higher temperature, while those of compound 1–1, 1–2 and 1–3 appear only as a single peak. The restricted rotation of the C(5)-N(5) (at amino) bond of 5-amino-2-acetyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-one (2a-1) is about 14.5 Kcal/mol.

The major metabolite of duloxetine is a glucuronide conjugate of 4-hydroxy duloxetine (4-HD). However, interestingly, there have been no reports determining concentrations of 4-HD and no fully validated method has been established for measuring duloxetine and 4-HD in rat plasma. We developed a method for the simultaneous quantification of duloxetine and its metabolite in rat plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Duloxetine and 4-HD were analyzed on a reverse-phase C18 analytical column after protein precipitation of the plasma sample with methanol, using carbamazepine as an internal standard. The isocratic mobile phase of 5 mm ammonium acetate-methanol (4:6, v/v) was eluted at 0.4 mL/min. Quantification was performed on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer using electrospray ionization, and the ion transition monitored in selective reaction monitoring mode. The coefficient of variation for assay precision was

5-Amino-2-acyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-ones 2–1 can be synthesized from 5-amino-2H-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-one (1–1) via a selective acylation with an acid anhydride in pyridine. The 1H nmr spectral characteristics of 5-amino-2-acyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-ones 2–1 is in particular, compared with 5-amino-2H-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-one (1–1) and 5-amino-2-alkyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-ones 1–2, 1–3. The 5-amino group of 2–1 appeared as two peaks in its 1H nmr spectrum, which merged to a single peak at a higher temperature, while those of compound 1–1, 1–2 and 1–3 appear only as a single peak. The restricted rotation of the C(5)-N(5) (at amino) bond of 5-amino-2-acetyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolin-3-one (2a-1) is about 14.5 Kcal/mol.

We report on the field emission from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) produced by a triode-type direct current (dc) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The deposition system was designed to impose bias to mesh, which located in between the two electrodes. The density and diameter of CNTs could be controlled by mesh bias voltage. The CNTs grown with a mesh bias of +200 V exhibited the CNT density of ∼109/cm2 with 250 nm average length, a turn-on field of 0.6 V/ μm, a current density of 1.5 mA/cm2 at 2.7 V/μm, and uniform electron emission.

We have developed a selective growth technique of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on stainless steel (SS) using a patterned amorphous silicon (a-Si) buffer layer by inductively coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD). The deposition of a 30 nm thick a-Si on SS gives a uniform growth of multi-walled CNTs, aligned vertically to the substrate with an average diameter of 70 ∼ 200 nm and a length of ∼1 μm. The CNTs exhibited a turn-on field of 0.9 V/μm, a current density of 1 mA/cm2 at 3.5 V/μm and uniform electron emission

We have developed a low temperature carbon nanotube (LT-CNT) growing process that can be used for electron emitter of field emission display (FED). Using this process technology, we successfully demonstrated a 5.4 inch LT-CNT FED using conventional 0.7 mm glass substrate without any distortion due to the thermal shrinkage of the glass substrate.