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Purpose : This study aimed to identify the effects of a multifaceted pediatric delirium education program for pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses on their delirium knowledge, confidence in delirium nursing, and delirium evaluation accuracy.Methods : This study used a one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 50 nurses in two units of the PICU at S General Hospital in Seoul. All participants took a 1-hour lecture with case-based practice for the first two weeks, and received feedback as they applied the program to clinical practice over the next two weeks. Test measures were completed before and after the four week intervention period for all participants. The delirium evaluation accuracy was measured using the Korean version of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium. Data were analyzed using the chi-square and paired t-tests.Results : After the Pediatric Delirium Education Program, nurses’ delirium knowledge (x2 =11.65, p =.001), confidence in delirium nursing (t=9.71, p＜.001), and delirium evaluation accuracy (t=6.07, p＜.001) improved significantly.Conclusions : Pediatric delirium education programs for PICU nurses were effective. For active application of the program in clinical practice in the future, various cases of childhood delirium and specific strategies for each subject must be developed. To achieve this, long-term intervention and research for multiple organizations are required.

The skin structure of sensor pod mounted on the exterior of aircraft can be exposed to the acoustic dynamic load and static load such as aerodynamic pressure and inertial load during flight. Fatigue life prediction of structural model under acoustic load should be performed and also differential stiffness of model modified by static load should be considered. The acoustic noise test spectrum of MIL-STD-810G was applied to the structural model and the stress response power spectral density (PSD) was calculated. The frequency response analysis was performed with or without prestress induced by inplane static load, and the response spectrum was compared. Time series data was generated using the calculated PSD, and the time and frequency domain fatigue life were predicted and compared. The variation of stress response spectrum due to static load and predicted fatigue life according to the different structural model considering mean stress were examined and decreasing fatigue life was observed in the model with prestress of compressive static load.

In the treatment of diseases using medical bone scaffolds, it is necessary to design a customized bone scaffold according to the type of individual damage to restore normal bone function based on the damage information of each patient. In addition, the bone scaffold should serve to promote the regeneration of damaged bone in the patient. Compared to a rigid scaffold, a patterned scaffold inserted into a living body promotes bone formation more effectively. Therefore, using a metal 3D printer, it is important to incorporate artificial voids by controlling process variables so that the metal scaffold that replaces damaged bone can form a good bond with live tissue cells. In this study, Ti-6Al-4V ELI, which is actively used in the fields of medical implants and medical devices because of its excellent biocompatibility, was used to fabricate a metal hybrid scaffold that also provides external support. As for the process method, specimen production was conducted by controlling process parameters of the selective laser melting (SLM) method, which is one of the metal 3D printing techniques. Specimens fabricated for each scenario were analyzed by measuring flexural strength, and by imaging via optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For OM analysis, the porosity was measured for each case and compared with the flexural strength. Thus, it was possible to adjust the strength by varying the internal pores via the process variables of the metal 3D printer. Accordingly, basic research was conducted to fabricate a metal osseous scaffold with strength similar to that of bone.

Perilla, also termed as purple mint, Chinese basil, or Perilla mint, is a flavoring herb widely used in East Asia. Both crude oil and essential oil are employed for consumption as well as industrial purposes. Fatty acids (FAs) biosynthesis and oil body assemblies in Perilla have been extensively investigated over the last three decades. Recent advances have been made in order to reveal the enzymes involved in the fatty acid biosynthesis in Perilla. Among those fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid retained the attention of scientists mainly due to its medicinal and nutraceutical properties. Lipids synthesis in Perilla exhibited similarities with Arabidopsis thaliana lipids’ pathway. The homologous coding genes for polyunsaturated fatty acid desaturases, transcription factors, and major acyl-related enzymes have been found in Perilla via de novo transcriptome profiling, genome-wide association study, and in silico whole-genome screening. The identified genes covered de novo fatty acid synthesis, acyl-CoA dependent Kennedy pathway, acyl-CoA independent pathway, Triacylglycerols (TAGs) assembly, and acyl editing of phosphatidylcholine. In addition to the enzymes, transcription factors including WRINKLED, FUSCA3, LEAFY COTYLEDON1, and ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3 have been suggested. Meanwhile, the epigenome aspect impacting the transcriptional regulation of FAs is still unclear and might require more attention from the scientific community. This review mainly outlines the identification of the key gene master players involved in Perilla FAs biosynthesis and TAGs assembly that have been identified in recent years. With the recent advances in genomics resources regarding this orphan crop, we provided an updated overview of the recent contributions into the comprehension of the genetic background of fatty acid biosynthesis. The provided resources can be useful for further usage in oil-bioengineering and the design of alpha-linolenic acid-boosted Perilla genotypes in the future.

This study presents hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of leather waste (LW) to produce hydrochar and feasibility of using produced hydrochar as solid fuel. The results showed that a relatively low HTC treatment temperature (180–200 °C) improved both the hydrochar product yield (>82.9% by dry weight) and its potential use as a solid fuel with in terms of its physicochemical properties and heating value. Furthermore, the hydrochar showed a higher heating value (5807–6508 kcal kg −1 ) compared to that of low-ranked coals ( i.e., sub-bituminous and lignite), and stable combustion characteristics at a higher temperature. This allows the hydrochar to be considered as a suitable alternative to conventional fossil fuel. In addition, the decrease of nitrogen content in the hydrochar during the HTC treatment, and the inherent low sulfur content of LW could make hydrochar a more appealing clean energy source. The findings of this study suggest that the conversion of LW through HTC can be a useful method for waste management and energy recovery from abandoned biomass.

This paper revisits the question of whether investors can benefit from consensus recommendations of stock market analysts in US equity markets. To examine the profitability net of transactions cost, we calculate several measures of transactions costs based on effective tick spreads and others. We find that transactions cost becomes noticeably lower from 2001 and the strategy of purchasing ‘strong buy’ stocks and shorting ‘strong sell’ stocks yields the abnormal returns of 4.7–5.8% per year during the period of 2001–2016, even after accounting for transactions cost. We also find that ‘strong buy (sell)’ stocks are growth (value) firms and short-term winners (losers). We discuss our empirical results in the context of market efficiency.

In this study, an open pond constructed in Myanmar, a region with tropical climate and favorable environmental conditions for algae growth, was considered to conduct field experiments on sewage inflow river water. The nutrient removal efficiency and productivity of Hydrodictyon reticulatum (H. reticulatum) were analyzed, and the maximum fermentation limit concentration for bioethanol production was determined. Three ponds were operated in batch mode to investigate the effect of light intensity. Photoinhibition was caused due to excessive light intensity in summer season in the region with tropical climate resulting in reduced facility efficiency in the absence of shade. For light blocking, a transparent film was found to be more effective than a translucent film. In the transparent film shading facility, the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies were maintained above 76% and 81%, respectively, and the productivity of H. reticulatum was 2.27 g m

Although microalgae are seen as a potential alternative source of energy and other materials currently sourced from petroleum, issues still remain with industrialization because of difficulties in developing commercially operational microalgal production systems. We set up a pilot-scale study that involved the simultaneous reuse of wastewater and production of algae under different light and harvesting conditions. We cultivated Hydrodictyon reticulatum (H. reticulatum), a type of water-net algae, using secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant in a raceway open pond combined with an underwater light device. Experimental results showed that the underwater light device maintained some level of underwater light throughout the year. Photoinhibition of algal growth only occurred when the sunlight exceeded 1270 μmol m−2 s−1. During the non-harvest process, the maximum algal concentration was 1700 mg L−1 at 20 days after the experiment began, the maximum specific growth rate was 0.18 d−1 and the maximum productivity was 21.3 g m−2 d−1. Conversely, periodic harvesting decreased the concentration of nutrients in the effluent more as the days of cultivation increased, but the productivity of algae also decreased to 11.7 g m−2 d−1. The maximum yield of bioethanol using three kinds of fermentation strains was 93.5% and, thus, the commercial value of H. reticulatum as a raw material for energy production was excellent.

In this study, heavy metal-containing sunflower residues obtained from a phytoremediation site were hydrothermally carbonized at 160–260 °C. The properties of hydrochar thus produced were evaluated with respect to its potential as solid fuel. The results confirmed that hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) reduced the concentration of heavy metals in hydrochars, with the concentration lower than the maximum permissible level of domestic standards for bio-solid refuse fuel. Higher HTC temperatures resulted in improved energy-related properties of the hydrochar (i.e., coalification degree, fuel ratio, and higher heating value); however, HTC temperatures between 200 and 220 °C were deemed suitable for energy retention efficiency. Furthermore, as hydrochar contains low nitrogen and ash content, it can be considered as a clean energy source. The results of this study suggest a sustainable approach to the disposal and effective utilization of contaminant-containing biowastes. Moreover, this study suggests linking biomass cultivation for phytoremediation and converting the phytoremediated biomass into value-added solid fuel.

Although surgical techniques for treating acetabular fracture are evolving, the use of periacetabular screws is common, and their placement in acetabular surgery is still technically demanding. For instance, intraarticular screw perforation is a serious complication that may occur during surgical treatment of an acetabular fracture. Here, we describe the case of a 50-year-old female who experienced an intraarticular screw perforation after surgical treatment of a posterior acetabular wall fracture. Removal of the perforated screw was performed arthroscopically based on its ability to offer minimally invasive access to the hip joint. One year after removal of the screw, no radiological signs of osteoarthritic changes were observed. The patient regained normal ambulation without limitations to range of motion or hip pain. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of arthroscopy to treat intraarticular screw perforation after surgical treatment of an acetabular fracture.

In this study, cattle and pig slaughterhouse wastes (SHWs) were hydrothermally carbonized at 150–300 °C, and the properties of SHW-derived hydrochar were evaluated for its use as a solid fuel. The results demonstrated that increasing the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) treatment temperature improved the energy-related properties (i.e., fuel ratio, higher heating value, and coalification degree) of both the cattle and pig SHW-derived hydrochars. However, the improvements of cattle SHW-derived hydrochars were not as dramatic as that of pig SHW-derived hydrochars, due to the lipid-rich components that do not participate in the HTC reaction. In this regard, there was no merit of using HTC treatment on cattle SHW for the production of hydrochar or using the hydrochar as a solid fuel in terms of energy retention efficiency. On the other hand, a mild HTC treatment at approximately 200 °C was deemed suitable for converting pig SHW to value-added solid fuel. The findings of this study suggest that the conversion of SHWs to hydrochar using HTC can provide an environmentally benign method for waste treatment and energy recovery from abandoned biomass. However, the efficiency of energy recovery varies depending on the chemical composition of the raw feedstock.

Struvite precipitation has been proven to be an effective method in removing and recovering ammonia nitrogen (N) and phosphate phosphorus (P) from wastewater. In this study, effects of pH, molar ratios and pre-treatment of effluent of anaerobically digested swine wastewater were investigated to improve struvite crystallization. The magnesium : ammonium : phosphate ratio of 1.2 : 1.0 : 1.0 was found to be optimal, yet the molar ratio in the wastewater was 1 : 74.9 : 1.8. From the analysis, the optimum pH was between 8.0 and 9.0 for maximal phosphate P release and from 8.0 to 10.0 for maximal ammonia N and phosphate P removal from real wastewater. Analysis from Visual MINTEQ predicted the pH range of 7-11 for ammonia N and phosphate P removal and recovery as struvite. For pre-treatment, microwave pre-treatment was ineffective for phosphate P release but ultrasound pre-treatment showed up to 77.4% phosphate P release at 1,000 kJ/L of energy dose. Precipitates analysis showed that phosphorus and magnesium in the collected precipitate had almost same values as theoretical values, but the ammonia content was less than the theoretical value.

The filamentous algal biomass, Hydrodictyon reticulatum (H. reticuatum) was used to evaluate the biogas production after hydrothermal pretreatment in batch anaerobic digestion. The effect of hydrothermal pretreatment at range of 50 ~ 280 o C was tested with filamentous algal biomass. The solubilization by pretreatment showed a higher degree of disintegrated filamentous algal biomass and the soluble COD was increased 12.8 fold than untreated sample at 280 o C. Solubilization due to hydrothermal pretreatment increased the specific biogas production and volatile solids reduction rates. Using the hydrothermal treatment approach, the specific methane production were 161.8, 169.1, 178.4, 191.7, 274.9, 285.2 and 364.4 mL/g-VS of the pretreated at raw, 50, 100, 120, 180, 230, and 280 o C, respectively. The volatile solids reduction was greater with increased temperature applied, and the degradation increased 69.7% at 280 o C from 45.8 % VS reduction of raw filamentous algal biomass.

Although struvite crystallization has been proven an effective process to recover nutrients from wastewater, this method has not been used widely because of the cost of the raw chemicals, such as magnesium chloride, required as supplements. In this study, in view of the high cost of supplementing magnesium, reject water from a seawater reverse osmosis process was investigated as a potential source of magnesium. The magnesium was used in the nutrient recovery process, by which struvite crystallization was performed from the anaerobically digested effluent of swine wastewater. The results of all the experiments were positive, indicating that struvite formation was successfully performed from the effluent, using the concentrate water as a magnesium source. Removal efficiencies of up to 94.5% for phosphate and 12.7% for ammonium were achieved under normal operating conditions. Seed materials were successfully used as nucleation sites to enhance the purity of the struvite and the crystal size. The remo...

This study investigated the effects on methane production of combining diverse organic wastes as a method to improve the anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Evaluation of methane production from the AD of selected organic wastes showed the AD of food waste (FW) attained the highest methane production (522.9 mL CH 4 /g VS), while the digestion of septage produced the lowest– (164.9 mL CH 4 /g VS). Type of substrate determined the microbial community, possibly relating to differences in chemical properties of intermediates produced from the AD of wastes. Compared to the AD of primary sludge alone, co-digestion of primary sludge with FW achieved 72% higher methane production, while co-digestion with septage exhibited 20% lower production. Thus, the anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge with FW can provide a viable alternative to circumvent problems of separate digestion in WWTPs.

We empirically investigate the effects of US unconventional monetary policy (UMP) on Korean bond markets using a high-frequency event-study approach. We find that: (1) Not every instance of UMP-related news affects the domestic bond yields at daily frequency; (2) UMP news affects only short-term foreign bond investment with high-frequency arbitrage opportunities; (3) Factor analysis suggests that net foreign bond investment is affected more by expectation on future US short-term policy rates compared to long-term risk premia in the US Treasury market; and (4) Credit default swap premium for South Korea, proxi of local risk factor, also affects net foreign bond investment. Based on our empirical findings, we conclude that, while push factors do not dominate pull factors, the Korean bond market is not a “safe haven” from the normalization of US monetary policy and regulators should examine closely the share and composition of foreign bond investment.

Food waste accounts for a substantial portion of the organic waste generated at an increasing rate worldwide. Organic waste, including food waste, is largely subjected to landfill disposal, incineration, and anaerobic digestion; however, more sustainable methods are needed for treating it. Treatment of organic waste using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae is an environmentally safe and cost-efficient method that has been attracting increasing attention worldwide. Black soldier fly decomposes various types of organic waste and converts them into high-value biomasses such as oils and proteins. This review introduces the trends in research related to the treatment of organic waste by black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) and their bioconversion efficiencies in Asian countries. Perspectives on the growth of BSFL during waste treatment operation and optimal rearing conditions are provided. The trends in studies related to the application of BSFL as biofuel and animal feed are also discussed. Such use of BSFL would be beneficial in Asia, especially in countries where the technology for processing organic waste is not readily available. This review may provide further directions of investigations including culture techniques for industrial scale applications of BSFL in food waste treatment and resource production in Asian countries.

In this study, two types of sewage sludge (primary sludge and waste activated sludge) were hydrothermally treated at 125–250 °C to enhance the lipid extraction efficiency and obtain a higher biodiesel yield. The enhanced efficiency of the lipid extraction method was compared with the efficiency of the organic solvent extraction method. The results confirmed that a hydrothermal reaction could be an appropriate option for disrupting sludge cell walls and increasing the lipid extraction from sewage sludge. The highest lipid recovery efficiency was observed at 200 °C, and the lipid recovery efficiency of primary sludge and waste activated sludge increased from 7.56% and 5.35% to 14.01% and 11.55% by weight, respectively. Furthermore, transesterified lipids, such as biodiesel from sewage sludge, mostly consist of C16 and C18 methyl esters, and have features similar to those of jatropha oil-based biodiesel. During the hydrothermal treatment, the carbon content in the sludge decreased as the carbon transformed into lipids and the lipids were extracted. The volatile matter and fixed carbon content in the solid residue decreased and increased, respectively, through chemical dehydration and decarboxylation reactions under hydrothermal reaction conditions.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of lignocellulosic biomass is appealing because of the abundance and ease of obtaining the biomass locally. However, the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass presents an obstacle in the hydrolysis step of AD and lowers the process efficiency. In this study, sunflower, which is a model lignocellulosic biomass, was pretreated by thermal (hydrothermal pretreatment, HTP) and non-thermal (milling) methods; the methane yield and biodegradability of the pretreated biomass were determined using a series of batch tests. The thermal pretreatment method showed a significantly higher methane yield (213.87–289.47 mL g−1 VS) and biodegradability (43–63%) than those of the non-thermally pretreated biomass, and the optimum pretreatment effect was observed at an HTP temperature of 180 °C. However, at an HTP temperature exceeding 200 °C, the induced formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural significantly lowered the methane yield and biodegradability. This study revealed that the HTP temperature is closely related to the formation of lignocellulosic biomass-degrading byproducts, which potentially hinder the methanogenesis step in AD; severe HTP conditions may have the opposite effect on the AD performance of lignocellulosic biomass.

Electrodialysis has been used for treating toxic substances such as heavy metals and minimizing secondary environmental pollution problems effectively. However, electrodialysis depends on the operating parameters as well as fluid dynamics and electrical properties. This study provides design elements for the treatment of heavy metal-containing wastewater by electrodialysis. We found that the limiting current density (LCD) is proportional but not completely linear to the diluate concentration over a threshold value. In contrast, it is linear to the linear flow velocity for the whole range. As the number of cell pairs increases, because linear flow velocity and LCD increase, the removal efficiency of heavy metals also increases. Therefore, for highly concentrated wastewater, increasing the linear flow velocity, the applied voltage, and the number of cell pairs can effectively improve removal efficiency. It was found that the current efficiency is as low as 17% when the removal efficiency of heavy metals exceeds 95%. Thus, it is necessary to select an operating range that optimizes the operating and initial investment costs for the effective removal of heavy metals using electrodialysis.

This paper considers the transfer alignment in the inertial navigation system which has lever-arm and the time delay in the velocity measurement. We suggest a method to improve the performance of the velocity matching. First, we analyze the estimation performance of the velocity matching through the tuning of the two covariance matrices of process noise and measurement noise. Next we provide some maneuvering conditions of the vehicles to improve the estimation performance using the observability analysis. The analysis results are verified using the computer simulations, which show that cruise movements do not provide the azimuth estimation of the vehicles, while east or north accelerating movement can provide.

Nitrate contamination of groundwater is an important issue in rural areas. In this study, an electrolytic method for the denitrification of groundwater was investigated in a laboratory reactor. We used an ion-exchange membrane, employing a titanium oxide anode and five kinds of cathode for the investigation. The nitrate removal efficiencies with Cu, Pb, Ti/Ir/Ru, Ti/Ir/Ta, and Zn cathodes were 30.0%, 59.9%, 73.8%, 23.3%, and 80.6%, respectively. A cation-selective membrane was employed to separate the electrode compartments, and only the proton produced in the anode side was permitted to the cathode side in order to avoid reversible reactions. In terms of the nitrate removal, good experimental results were obtained by using the membrane reactor equipped with the Zn cathode. The nitrate concentration level dropped from 30 to 6 mg/L, which is below the limit for drinking water. The pH was not affected significantly by the current density and it increased up to 9.0 at 100 mA/cm2. The nitrate removal efficiency showed the highest value with 1 mM of NaCl as an electrolyte. The impression was that membrane electrolysis made it possible to avoid the re-oxidation problem. It appears clear that electrolytic denitrification with an ion-exchange membrane is a very effective process with a mean energy consumption of only between 26.9 and 112.9 kWh/kg-NO3.

This study is an assessment of hydrothermal pre-treatment of waste activated sludge for enhancement of biogas production by anaerobic digestion. This assessment was carried out in order to ascertain the optimal hydrothermal pre-treatment temperature. Anaerobic digestion efficacy was investigated by biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests and subsequent statistical analyses. Hydrothermal pre-treatment was found to improve solubilization of waste activated sludge and increase the response surface, resulting in increased biogas production. BMP tests revealed that hydrothermal pre-treatment of waste activated sludge increased COD solubilization (30–37%) and soluble COD (SCOD) levels; in addition, it reduced volatile solids (VS), and improved final methane yields. The optimum temperature for hydrothermal pre-treatment using subcritical water was found to be ∼180–210 °C. Methane yields of 130.2 (180 °C pre-treatment) and 126.6 (210 °C pre-treatment) ml CH 4 /g-VS were measured following hydrothermal pre-treatment. In pre-treated waste activated sludge samples, methane composition was found to be 63.4 and 58.8% (180 and 210 °C pre-treatment, respectively) and VS removal was measured to be ∼60 and 58% (180 and 210 °C pre-treatment, respectively). These findings show that in order to achieve high conversion efficiency, an accurately designed pre-treatment step must be included in the overall anaerobic digestion process for wastewater treatment.

This study investigates the possibility of applying food waste leachate to a municipal solid waste incinerator in order to effectively dispose of the material and to reduce the environmental impact. The spray positions and the quantity of the food waste leachate in municipal solid waste incinerator were adjusted to examine the stability of the process and the environmental effect. The rear of the first combustion chamber was found to be the desirable location for an environmental perspective in this study. At a food waste leachate injection rate of 2 m 3 /h, the concentration of the emitted NOx decreased from 130 ppm to 40 ppm. The consumption of ammonia water was reduced by about 36% after adding the food waste leachate. The inclusion of the food waste leachate to the municipal incinerator also increased the amount of steam that was produced. The results of this research indicated that a positive outcome can be expected in terms of diversifying the treatment options for food waste leachate. The results also provide guidance for institutional framework to manage the incineration of the food waste leachate.

The ultimate goal of developing body is revealed the “lightweight” at latest EuroCarBody conference 2012 and the most core technology is joining process to make lightweight car body design. Accordingly, in this study, the car body assembly line for the assembly process applies to any introduction, particularly in the assembly of aluminum alloy and composite materials applied by the process for the introductory approached. Process were largely classified by welding (laser, arc, resistance, and friction stir welding), bonding (epoxy bonding) and mechanical fastening (FDS, SPR, Bolting and clinching). Applications for each process issues in the case and the applicable award was presented, based on the absolute strength of the test specimens and joining characteristics for comparative analysis were summarized. Finally, through this paper, we would tried to establish the characteristics of the joint for lightweight structure.Key Words : Lightweight, Joining technology, Mechanical fastening, Adhesive bonding, Euro car body, Tensile shear strengthISSN 1225-6153Online ISSN 2287-8955

Stainless steel is used in automobile muffler and exhaust systems. However, in comparison with other steels it has a high thermal expansion rate and low thermal conductivity, and undergoes excessive thermal deformation after welding. To address this problem, we evaluated the use of arc brazing in place of welding for the processing of an exhaust system, and investigated the parameters that affect the joint characteristics. Muffler parts STS439 and hot-dipped Al coated steel were used as test specimens, and CuAl brazing wire was used as the filler metal for the cold metal transfer (CMT) welding machine, which is a low heat input arc welder. In addition, a Box-Behnken design of experiment was used, which is a response surface methodology. The main process parameters (current, speed, and torch angle) were used to determine the appropriate welding quality and the mechanical properties of the brazing part was evaluated at the optimal welding condition. The optimal processing condition for arc brazing was 135A current, 51cm/min speed and 74° torch angle. The process was applied to an actual exhaust system muffler and the prototype was validated by thermal fatigue, thermal shock, and endurance limit tests.

Ginseng has been shown to promote hair growth in several recent studies. However, its effects on human hair follicles and its mechanisms of action have not been sufficiently elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the hair growth-promoting effects of red ginseng extract (RGE) and its ginsenosides. The proliferative activities of cultured human hair follicles treated with RGE and ginsenoside-Rb1 were assessed using Ki-67 immunostaining. Their effects on isolated human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs) were evaluated using cytotoxicity assays, immunoblot analysis of signaling proteins, and the determination of associated growth factors. We examined the ability of RGE and ginsenosides to protect hair matrix keratinocyte proliferation against dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced suppression and their effects on the expression of androgen receptor. The in vivo hair growth-promoting effect of RGE was also investigated in C57BL/6 mice. Both RGE and ginsenoside-Rb1 enhanced the proliferation of hair matrix keratinocytes. hDPCs treated with RGE or ginsenoside-Rb1 exhibited substantial cell proliferation and the associated phosphorylation of ERK and AKT. Moreover, RGE, ginsenoside-Rb1, and ginsenoside-Rg3 abrogated the DHT-induced suppression of hair matrix keratinocyte proliferation and the DHT-induced upregulation of the mRNA expression of androgen receptor in hDPCs. Murine experiments revealed that the subcutaneous injection of 3% RGE resulted in more rapid hair growth than the negative control. In conclusion, RGE and its ginsenosides may enhance hDPC proliferation, activate ERK and AKT signaling pathways in hDPCs, upregulate hair matrix keratinocyte proliferation, and inhibit the DHT-induced androgen receptor transcription. These results suggest that red ginseng may promote hair growth in humans.

Keratinocyte stem/progenitor cells (KSCs) reside in the bulge region of the hair follicles and may be involved in hair growth. Hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) and outer root sheath (ORS) cells were treated with conditioned medium (CM) of KSCs. Moreover, the effects of KSC-CM on hair growth were examined ex vivo and in vivo. A human growth factor chip array and RT-PCR were employed to identify enriched proteins in KSC-CM as compared with CM from keratinocytes. KSC-CM significantly increased the proliferation of HFDPCs and ORS cells, and increased the S-phase of the cell cycle in HFDPCs. KSC-CM led to the phosphorylation of ATK and ERK1/2 in both cell types. After subcutaneous injection of KSC-CM in C3H/HeN mice, a significant increase in hair growth and increased proliferation of hair matrix keratinocytes ex vivo was observed. We identified six proteins enriched in KSC-CM (amphiregulin, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, Platelet-derived growth factor-AA, and vascular endothelial growth factor). A growth-factor cocktail that contains these six recombinant growth factors significantly increased the proliferation of HFDPCs and ORS cells and enhanced the hair growth of mouse models. These results collectively indicate that KSC-CM has the potential to increase hair growth via the proliferative capacity of HFDPCs and ORS cells.