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Artificial lighting in office buildings accounts for about 30% of the total building energy consumption. Lighting energy is important to reduce building energy consumption since artificial lighting typically has a relatively large energy conversion factor. Therefore, previous studies have proposed a dimming control using daylight. When applied dimming control, method based on building modeling does not need illuminance sensors. Thus, it can be applied to existing buildings that do not have illuminance sensors. However, this method does not accurately reflect real-time weather conditions. On the other hand, solar power generation from a PV (photovoltaic) panel reflects real-time weather conditions. The PV panel as the sensor improves the accuracy of dimming control by reflecting disturbance. Therefore, we compared and analyzed two types of sensorless dimming controls: those based on the building modeling and those that based on solar power generation using PV panels. In terms of energy savings, we found that a dimming control based on building modeling is more effective than that based on solar power generation by about 6%. However, dimming control based on solar power generation minimizes the inconvenience to occupants and can also react to changes in solar radiation entering the building caused by dirty window.

Angiomyolipomas (AMLs) are relatively rare hamartomatous or benign tumors that occasionally occur as part of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Mutations in either of the two genes, TSC 1 and TSC 2, have been attributed to the development of TSC. Between 1994 and January 2009, 83 patients were diagnosed with AML at the Samsung Medical Center. In that group of patients, 5 (6%) had AML with TSC (AML-TSC). Mutational analysis of the TSC 2 gene was performed using 7 samples from the 5 AML-TSC patients and 14 samples from 14 patients with sporadic AML without TSC (AML-non-TSC). From this analysis, mutations in TSC genes were identified in 5 samples from the AML-TSC patients (mutation detection rate = 71%) and 3 samples from AML-non-TSC patients (mutation detection rate = 21%). In the case of AML-TSC, 6 mutations were found including 3 recurrent mutations and 3 novel mutations, while in the case of AML-non-TSC, 4 mutations were identified once, including 1 novel mutation. Also MLPA analysis of the TSC2 gene showed that TSC2 exon deletion is more frequently observed in AML-TSC patients than in AML-non-TSC patients. This is the first mutation and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analyses of TSC 2 in Korean AMLs that focus on TSC. This study provides data that are representative of the distribution of mutations and exon deletions at TSC genes in clinically diagnosed AML-TSC cases of the Korean population.

We report a simple technique for the fabrication of dots-on-spheres (DoS) structures in which conjugated polymer dots (CPdots) are immobilized on the surface of silica spheres via charged interaction. Red-, green-, and blue-emissive conjugated polymers were synthesized and employed to validate the feasibility of an approach to develop a DoS system with emission across the visible range. The robust binding of CPdots to silica particles provides a buffer resistance and good stability to photoirradiation and mechanical agitation. Further bioconjugation of the DoS system is achieved by the introduction of polyarginine and neu antibody that is specific for the HER2 receptor, leading to their successful application to targeted imaging of SKBR-3 breast cancer cells overexpressing HER2. Moreover, DoS with simultaneous multicolor emissions of red, green, and blue can be easily synthesized and used to demonstrate the versatility of this strategy for multicolor cellular imaging based upon a single excitation source. We believe that this hybrid DoS strategy and the easy fabrication of organic polymer nanoparticles with silica substrates will facilitate their effective integration of organic and inorganic materials into versatile applications.

Illustrations in text books are the most influential material to students. So we have to analyze illustrations in text books. In this study, the number, sort, purposes of illustrations in the Unit ‘The Human in the nature’ of highschool Life Science textbooks was analyzed. The sort consists of ‘photograph (49.3 %)’ and many of ‘drawings’ and ‘graphs’. The main purpose of illustrations is for ‘providing materials 2’, followed by ‘motivation’, ‘providing materials 1’. According to the analysis of the purpose depending on the sort, ‘photograph’ is mainly used for ‘motivation’, ‘providing materials’, other illustrations like ‘drawing’ and ‘graph’ are mainly used for ‘providing materials’. The result of this study was very similar to existing studies, but there are some differences in ‘graph’. The Unit ‘The Human in the nature’ uses more graphs than any other subjects because it contains connections between various factors. For providing understandable and easily usable textbook, we have to increase the number of illustrations used for experiments. And we need more various illustrations that suit the learning situations for 고등학교 생명 과학I 교과서 ‘자연 속의 인간’ 단원 삽화 분석 93 motivating students effectively.

We prepared pyrene-labeled peptide amphiphiles (PAs) consisting of a hydrophobic linear- or branched-alkyl chain (for 1 or 2, respectively) and a hydrophilic histidine-rich peptide of HGGGHGHGGGHG (HG12). Both peptides have a strong tendency to form nanofibrils (NFs) in aqueous media. The resulting histidine-coated NFs show a great binding affinity to Cu2+ as a fluorescence “light-off” sensor. Interestingly, the emission spectra of the pyrene probe show that the different supramolecular assemblies between 1 and 2 can significantly affect the binding affinity to specific metal ions. In particular, “light-up” fluorescent Ag+ detection of NFs of 2 through inhibition of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) was observed even at a low concentration of PA solution. As a means to determine the biological responsibility of 2 to Ag+, intracellular detection using the “turn-on” response was performed. A considerable enhancement of fluorescence in NF-loaded HeLa cells was observed. In addition, the NFs were used as a template scaffold for the production of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) with high monodispersity and stability. The NFs decorated with AgNPs are shown to possess highly effective and long-term antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and -positive bacteria.

Energy saving starts by knowing how much energy is being consumed. A building factor is easier than any other things in energy saving. Since, especially, it is closely connected with user`s space-use-patterns and manager`s utility-operation-style. An energy metering system lets building users know about energy consumption pattern in buildings and measure energy in real time. Development and materialization of metering systems need more careful plans, so that they depend on a demand of individual facilities and available infrastructures they used to use. But, so far, there is no guidelines how to install metering systems. This paper suggested how to install meters and researched a method for how to analyze by using metered data. For that, Green Building in KIER is used as a test bed. As the results, nevertheless the smallest number of meters is basically one for the whole building energy measuring, it is too limited in analysis. So we needed to add the sort of fuel and utility types and found that it depends on all cases. For this reasons, a guideline should be created in order to install meters as soon as possible. It would be suggest a way to save more energy in building factor.

Demand response(DR) is potential generation alternative to improve the reliability indices of system and load points. However, when demand resources scheduled in DR market fail to reduce demand, it can create new problems associated with maintaining a reliable supply. In this paper, a reliability model of demand resource is constructed considering customers' behaviors in the same form as conventional generation units, where availability and unavailability are associated with the simple two-state model. As a result, the generalized reliability model of demand resources is represented by multi-state model. Key Words : Power system, Demand response, Demand resource, Reliability, Transition rate, Unavailability, Ramp rate*Dept. Electrical Engigeering, Hanyang University, Korea†Corresponding Author : Dept. Electrical Engigeering, Hanyang University, KoreaE-mail : jokim@hanyang.ac.krReceived : March 29, 2013; Accepted : June 19, 2013 1. 서 론 전력 시스템의 신뢰도 문제를 해결하기 위하여 많은 국가들이 피크 부하 시 종래의 발전기의 대체재로써 수요반응을 도입하고 있다. 수요반응(DR, demand response)은 전기 가격의 변화에 따른 소비자의 전기 사용의 변화를 유도하는 가격 기반 수요반응과 시스템의 신뢰도가 악화되거나 도매시장에서의 전기 가격이 높게 형성된 경우 인센티브를 통한 전기 사용의 변화를 유도하는 인센티브 기반 수요반응으로 구분한다 [1-2]. 일반적으로 풀 기반의(pool-based) 전기 에너지 시장과 마찬가지로 수요반응도 풀 기반의 수요반응 시장에서 거래가 되며 [3], 수요반응 시장에서 거래가 성사된 수요자원은 부하 감축에 대한 의무를 가진다. 그러나 만약 수요반응 시장에서 정산된 수요자원이 부하 감축에 실패하게 된다면 전력 계통의 신뢰도에 좋지 않은 영향을 끼치게 될 것이다. 이러한 계통의 신뢰도 관점에서 수요반응에 관한 연구들이 최근에 진행되어 왔다. 수요반응에 따른 각 부하 버스에서의 전기 가격과 신뢰도 지수를 계산하고 신뢰도 영향력을 분석하였고 [4-5] 수요반응을 고려한 스마트 그리드의 신뢰도 영향력을 분석하였다 [6]. 또한 수요반응의 지리적 이점과 빠른 반응 속도 때문에 수요자원의 운영 예비력으로 활용하는 방안도 소개되었다 [7]. 하지만 기존의 모든 연구들이 소비자의 행동 패턴이 불확실하고 그 예측이 가능하지 않으며 소비자가 쉽게 마음을 바꿀 수 있다는 사실을 간과하였다. 심지어 소비 패턴에 관한 과거 데이터를 축적하여 소비 패턴을 계량화 한다고 하더라도 그들의 다음 소비 패턴을 예측하는 것은 거의 불가능할 것이다. 이러한 소비자 행동의 불확실성은 시스템의 신뢰도에 부정적인 영향을 끼치고 때때로 심각한 상정사고를 야기할 지도 모른다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 기존 발전기의 가용성(availability), 비가용성(unavailability)의 고장상태 모델처럼 소비자의 행동의 불확실성에 따른 상태천이 모델을 소개하고 [8-9] 이를 다단 상태 모델로 확장하여 전력시스템에 투입되는 수요자원의 신뢰성을 판단하는 방법을 제안한다.

A need for building energy efficiency is on the issue since energy demand in the building stock in Korea represents about 24% of the final energy consumption. As a way of improving the thermal performance of buildings for reducing maintenance costs and environmental conservation, a lot of effort is shown to improve the building energy efficiency by applying improvement of envelope insulation performance for buildings whose energy efficiency is low relatively through the remodeling. The windows of building envelopes are areas that lead to the biggest heat loss in the building. So windows are considered to be the primary target of energy efficiency in remodeling and various studies for windows have been done. Currently, however, only U-factor and airtightness of windows performance are regulated. Window wall ratio(WWR) and solar heat gain coefficient(SHGC) of windows are not considered when conducting the remodeling. In this study appropriate performance of windows(U-factor and SHGC) for existing residential is proposed according to the window wall ratio by using EnergyPlus. As the results of this study, the U-factor of windows representing the maximum energy savings is but in case of SHGC, the values that indicate the maximum energy savings are different depending on the window wall ratio. Therefore, when conducting the remodeling of windows, to determine energy efficiency by considering only the U-factor is inadequate so it is necessary that appropriate windows are applied to buildings by considering window wall ratio and windows properties(U-factor and SHGC).

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare nonfamilial polyposis syndrome characterized by epithelial disturbances both in the gastrointestinal tract and in the epidermis. The pathologic finding of the polyp is usually a hamartomatous polyp of the juvenile type; however, the possibility of serrated adenoma associated malignant neoplasm was reported in some Japanese cases. Up till now in South Korea, 13 CCS cases have been reported, but there was no case accompanied by the colon cancer. We report the first case of CCS associated with malignant colon polyp and serrated adenoma in Korea. A 72-year-old male patient who complained of diarrhea and weight loss was presented with both hands and feet nail dystrophy, hyperpigmentation, and alopecia. Endoscopic examination showed numerous hamartomatous polyps from the stomach to the colon. The pathologic results confirmed colon cancer and serrated adenoma. Helicobacter pylori eradication and prednisolone was used. Thus, the authors report this case along with a literature review.

In recent years, as the occurrence of torrential rainfall in urban area which caused by global climate change has increased, the flood damage also has increased. It`s because careful consideration of increase tendency for rainfall wasn`t given to the hydraulic structure design standard and the occurrence of rainfall which exceed the design probability rainfall has actually increased. This paper suggests the regression equation which presents the extreme rainfall value in a probability function. The regression equation is made from the observed data and it can be used in design. As a result of the research, it is possible to apply the regression equation to disaster safety assessment of extreme rainfall when the hydraulic structures are designed.

As the exterior of building has been considered one of th important parts, the use of glass that is suitable to express various appearances gets raised. However, windows have 6~7times lower insulating performance than insulated walls. Lately, highly efficient windows are required as the needs for reduction of energy consumption come to the force. Therefore, Nowadays more people use cooling systems in summer, more the use of Low-E glazing is increasing. Because it is good to block Solar Radiant Energy which can cause much of heat loss while cooling system is working. This study measures U-value of the double Low-E glazing window and commonly used single Low-E glazing window. And then the effect of each window on the efficiency rating has been analyzed applying to the certification system of the building energy efficiency rating which has implemented.

The surface of nanoparticles governs the overall properties of the nanoparticles because nanoparticles have a large surface-to-volume ratio. Charge, crystallinity, and chemical properties (such as hydrophilicity) of surfaces determine the stability, structure, and reactivity of nanoparticles. In this respect, it is essential to have a capability to control and modify the surfaces of nanoparticles. Among many nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are fascinating because of their unique plasmonic properties. Surface plasmons, collective oscillation of conduction electrons, permit a wide variety of applications of AuNPs in spectroscopy, imaging, energy, and biomedicine. AuNPs are typically synthesized using citrate-reduction of Au ions in an aqueous solution, which results in the AuNP surfaces covered with citrate anions. The citrate anions on the AuNP surface are weakly bound and thus easy to replace with more strongly binding thiol ligands. Changing the surface functionality of AuNPs from citrate anions (negative charge) to carboxylate (negative charge) or hydroxyl group (hydrophilic group) has been achieved using the corresponding organofunctional thiol compounds. More challenging in modifying the surface of citratecapped AuNPs is to impart positive charges to the surface. Simple ligand exchange using thiol with cationic functional groups (e.g., NH3 ) generally causes irreversible agglomeration of AuNPs due to multiple electrostatic crosslinking. Another formidable task is to conjugate hydrophobic materials to the AuNPs prepared in an aqueous phase. In this study, we aim to resolve these two issues, which will help us expand our ability to control and modify the surface of citratecapped AuNPs for further advanced applications. The molecule of choice for converting the surface charge from negative to positive was cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant with a positive ammonium head group and a long hydrocarbon tail. CTAB is a commonly used surface ligand in nanochemistry, particularly for the synthesis of gold nanorods or nanocubes. CTAB stabilizes Au nanorods by forming a stable bilayer on the surfaces with the cationic head groups exposed to the outside. When we added a CTAB solution to a solution of citratecapped AuNPs, we observed an anomalous concentrationdependent response of the AuNPs. Addition of a small amount of CTAB expectedly resulted in aggregation of AuNPs. The cationic CTAB head group binds to the negatively charged citrate-capped AuNPs via electrostatic interaction. Consequently, either surface charge neutralization or hydrophobic interaction causes the AuNPs to aggregate in an aqueous solution. When we increased the concentration of added CTAB, we obtained surprisingly unexpected results. Addition of a large amount of CTAB stabilized the AuNPs rather

A new bacterial strain isolated from activated sludge, identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa EMS1, produced a biosurfactant when grown on acidified soybean oil as the sole carbon source. An optimum biosurfactant production of 5 g/L was obtained with the following medium composition: 2% acidified soybean oil, 0.3% NH4NO3, 0.03% KH2PO4, 0.03% K2HPO4, 0.02% MgSO4.7H2O and 0.025% CaCl2.2H2O, with shaking at 200 rpm for an incubation period of 100 h at 30 degrees C. The production of the biosurfactant was found to be a function of cell growth, with maximum production occurring during the exponential phase. Hemolysis of erythrocytes and thin-layer chromatography studies revealed that the secreted biosurfactant was rhamnolipid. To overcome the complex environmental regulation with respect to rhamnolipid biosynthesis, and to replace the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa with a safe industrial strain, attempts were made to achieve rhamnolipid production in a heterologous host, Pseudomonas putida, using molecular cloning of rhlAB rhamnosyltransferase genes with the rhlRI quorum sensing system, assuming that a functional rhamnosyltransferase would catalyze the formation of rhamnosyl-6-hydroxydecanoyl-6-hydroxydecanoate (mono-rhamnolipid) in P. putida. It was shown that rhamnolipid can be produced in the heterologous strain, P. putida, when provided with the rhamnosyltransferase genes.

The regulation of labelling criterion for genetically modified (GM) foods has been enforced since 2001 in Korea. Therefore, GM soybean (GMS) or GM maize (GMM) processed foods must be labeled as GMO derived. We surveyed to see whether this regulation is kept relevantly or not and the distributive statue of GM processed foods. Using the method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on endogenous gene (Le1n, SSIIb), promoter gene (P35S), terminator gene (NOS) and transgenic gene (RRS, Bt11, Bt176, GA21, T25, Mon810), we detected GMS and GMM processed foods circulating at the market in Busan area. Out of total 100 samples, 38 items were showed to be contaminated with recombinant gene by qualitative PCR. Among 82 domestic and 18 imported items, 32 (39.0%) and 6 (33.3%) items were detected with GM ingredients respectively. Also among the 80 soybean and 20 maize processed foods, 23 (28.7%) and 15 (75.0%) foods were sensitive to detect GMS and GMM ingredients respectively. For the qualitative PCR positive foods, we chased identity preservation (IP) certificates. And we verified that the PCR positive crops were grown up, harvested and shipped separately from GMO but just mixed with GMO in the threshold of the non attentional contamination levels (3%). Thus we can not find out any regulation-violent case at all. The results of this study will help to keep the regulations of GM labelling and be informative to consumers who want to know the laboratory results of GMO testing.

A novel chemical warfare agent sensor based on conjugated polymer dots (CPdots) immobilized on the surface of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-silica nanofibers was prepared with a dots-on-fibers (DoF) hybrid nanostructure via simple electrospinning and subsequent immobilization processes. We synthesized a polyquinoxaline (PQ)-based CP as a highly emissive sensing probe and employed PVA-silica as a host polymer for the elctrospun fibers. It was demonstrated that the CPdots and amine-functionalized electrospun PVA-silica nanofibers interacted via an electrostatic interaction, which was stable under prolonged mechanical force. Because the CPdots were located on the surface of the nanofibers, the highly emissive properties of the CPdots could be maintained and even enhanced, leading to a sensitive turn-off detection protocol for chemical warfare agents. The prepared fluorescent DoF hybrid was quenched in the presence of a chemical warfare agent simulant, due to the electron transfer between the quinoxaline group in the polymer and the organophosphorous simulant. The detection time was almost instantaneous, and a very low limit of detection was observed (∼1.25 × 10(-6) M) with selectivity over other organophosphorous compounds. The DoF hybrid nanomaterial can be developed as a rapid, practical, portable, and stable chemical warfare agent-detecting system and, moreover, can find further applications in other sensing systems simply by changing the probe dots immobilized on the surface of nanofibers.

Sphingomonas paucimobilis is an aerobic Gram-negative bacillus found in soil and water. Knowledge regarding the role of this infectious agent is limited because it is rarely isolated from human material. Furthermore, it is an unusual pathogen in cases of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis. The clinical courses and outcomes of peritonitis caused by S. paucimobilis are variable. Whereas some patients were cured with appropriate antibiotic therapy, others required catheter removal. Cases of PD-associated peritonitis caused by S. paucimobilis have been reported worldwide, and there was a case report of coinfection with S. paucimobilis and Chryseobacterium indologenes in Korea. However, there has been no case caused by S. paucimobilis as a single pathogen. We report a case of PD-associated peritonitis due to S. paucimobilis in which the patient recovered after catheter removal.

There have been increasing concerns about the ESS, in order effectively to deal with the volatility of the system. For those with renewable energy, resulting in the uncertainty of power output, the ESS can prevent possible negative outcomes from a sudden change of load in a short time and simultaneously reinforce electricity supply. In addition, considering the facilities in which the system is surrounded and the purpose of the installation, the accurate SOC of the ESS is determined, and it results in an increase of the efficiency of power supply and the reliability. In this paper, the efficiency for renewable energy is enhanced and at the same time, the ESS with the UPS features is adopted, so as to perform for unplanned blackout. In doing so, the operation algorithm of the ESS based upon renewable energy resources is suggested and the optimal SOC limit is also assessed. In the end, by estimating the reliability of the ESS that involves the UPS system, the quantitative comparison will be made between the existing system and the new system.

Herein, we report a simple fabrication of hybrid nanowires (NWs) composed of a p-type conjugated polymer (CP) and n-type inorganic quantum dots (QDs) by exploiting the crystallization-driven solution assembly of poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P3HT-b-P2VP) rod-coil amphiphiles. The visualization of the crystallization-driven growth evolution of hybrid NWs through systematic transmission electron microscopy experiments showed that discrete dimeric CdSe QDs bridged by P3HT-b-P2VP polymers were generated during the initial state of crystallization. These, in turn, assemble into elongated fibrils, forming the coaxial P3HT-b-P2VP/QDs hybrid NWs. In particular, the location of the QD arrays within the single strand of P3HT-b-P2VP can be controlled precisely by manipulating the regioregularity (RR) values of P3HT block and the relative lengths of P2VP block. The degree of coaxiality of the QD arrays was shown to depend on the coplanarity of the thiophene rings of P3HT block, which can be controlled by the RR value of P3HT block. In addition, the location of QDs could be regulated at the specific-local site of P3HT-b-P2VP NW according to the surface characteristics of QDs. As an example, the comparison of two different QDs coated with hydrophobic alkyl-terminated and hydroxyl-terminated molecules, respectively, is used to elucidate the effect of the surface properties of QDs on their nanolocation in the NW.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a retinal disease associated with the development of neovascularization and occurs primarily in premature infants of low gestational age and low birth weight [1]. The disease is thought to result largely from an aberrant retinal response to hyperoxia during supplemental oxygen therapy, compounded by functional retinal hypoxia as oxygen therapy is withdrawn [2]. While guidelines for management and treatment have recently been refined, it remains difficult to identify those infants susceptible to the progressive stages of ROP that is a leading cause of childhood blindness [3-5]. Animal models of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) have been used for more than 40 years to yield insights into ROP. These models have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the human disease, as well as the mechanisms of normal retinal microvascular development [3]. The normal process of retinal development is driven by the local tissue hypoxia that accompanies retinal growth and maturation [6,7]. As retinal oxygen demand exceeds supply via diffusion from the choroidal circulation, a range of hypoxia-inducible angiogenic factors are released which further drive retinal vasculature formation. Exposure of neonatal rats to hyperoxia increases the diffusion of oxygen from the choroidal circulation, thereby abrogating retinal physiological hypoxia and allowing retinal development to continue in the presence of an attenuated circulation [8]. When hyperoxic exposure is terminated and animals are returned to the normoxia of room air, the mature but poorly vascularized retina becomes acutely hypoxic and the resultant surge in angiogenic factor release leads to aberrant retinal vascularization that resembles ROP [9]. Recent studies in an OIR model have demonstrated the significant changes in the mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neuropilin 1, neuropilin 2, and mouse telomerase reverse transcription [10-12]. The purpose of this study was to identify altered patterns of retinal mRNA expression in a rat model of OIR and identify potential therapeutic treatment for the neovascularization that occurs in retinopathy.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES) is characterized by gastrinoma and resultant hypergastrinemia, which leads to recurrent peptic ulcers. Because gastrinoma is the most common pancreatic endocrine tumor seen in multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN 1), the possibility of gastrinoma should be investigated carefully when patients exhibit symptoms associated with hormonal changes. Ureteral stones associated with hyperparathyroidism in the early course of MEN 1 are known to be its most common clinical manifestation; appropriate evaluation and close follow-up of patients with hypercalcemic urolithiasis can lead to an early diagnosis of gastrinoma. We report a patient with ZES associated with MEN 1, and urolithiasis as the presenting entity. A 51-year-old man visited the emergency department with recurrent epigastric pain. He had a history of calcium urinary stone 3 years ago, and 2 years later he had 2 operations for multiple jejunal ulcer perforations; these surgeries were 9 months apart. He was taking intermittent courses of antiulcer medication. Multiple peripancreatic nodular masses, a hepatic metastasis, parathyroid hyperplasia, and a pituitary microadenoma were confirmed by multimodal imaging studies. We diagnosed ZES with MEN 1 and performed sequential surgical excision of the gastrinomas and the parathyroid adenoma. The patient received octreotide injection therapy and close follow-up.

A paradoxical embolism is defined as a systemic arterial embolism requiring the passage of a venous thrombus into the arterial circulatory system through a right-to-left shunt, and is commonly related to patent foramen ovale (PFO). However, coexisting pulmonary embolisms, deep vein thromboses (DVT), and multipe systemic arterial embolisms, associated with PFO, are rare. Here, we report a patient who had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke, associated with PFO, which is complicated with a massive pulmonary thromboembolism, DVT, and renal infarctions, and subsequently, the patient was treated using a thrombolytic therapy.

A previously healthy 50-year-old man was transferred to our hospital for evaluation of acute inflammation in his right eye after ocular trauma while using a grass mower. Slit lamp examination showed 1 mm-length full thickness corneal laceration without leakage, 4+ cells and inflammatory membrane in the anterior chamber, 10% hypopyon, posterior synechiae formation, and cataract change. Upon orbital computerized tomography, a metallic intraocular foreign body in the lens was indentified. Vitrectomy, phacoemulsification, foreign body removal, anterior chamber irrigation, and intravitreal antibiotics injections of vancomycin and ceftazidime were performed. In a culture of humor from the anterior chamber grew Pantoea species. More procedures were performed, including intravitreal antibiotics injection of ceftazidime. Upon administering a course of intravenous ceftazidime, fortified ceftazidime and moxifloxacin eye drops, and oral prednisolone, the patient improved.

Purpose: To report a patient with Coats' disease who presented with a premacular membrane that was peeled off after laser photocoagulation. Case summary: A 17-year-old male presented with decreased visual acuity of the right eye, and showed serous elevation, subretinal hemorrhage, telangiectasis and thick premacular membrane upon fundus examination. Upon diagnosis with Coats' disease, the telangiectatic area was treated with argon laser photocoagulation. Two weeks later, the premacular membrane was peeled off spontaneously and the decrease of macular thickness was verified by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The patient's visual acuity was improved to 1.0. Conclusions: The visual acuity of the patient with Coats' disease was improved by spontaneous peeling of the premacular membrane after photocoagulation.

In the heart, reactive oxygen species play a pivotal role in the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, which is one of the major factors for heart failure. Although there are several reports regarding the effect of vitamin C as an antioxidant scavenging free radicals on patients with cardiovascular disease, the specific mechanism is still being elucidated. In this study, the effects of vitamin C on the prevention and protection of heart failure are investigated under stressful conditions composed by cold water and restraint using Gulo(-/-) mice which could not synthesize vitamin C endogenously. Survival rates of mice checked under stressful conditions showed that Gulo(-/-) mice were more susceptible to stress than wild type or vitamin C-supplemented Gulo(-/-) mice. The levels of heart failure-related proinflammatory cytokines were examined, where the levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1 alpha, and IL-6 were increased in Gulo(-/-) mice without stress. In Gulo(-/-) mice under stressful conditions, not only the levels of IL-1 alpha, TNF-alpha and soluble Fas ligand but also lipid peroxidation were remarkably elevated. And, the extensive apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in cardiac tissues from dead Gulo(-/-) mice by stress was observed. Taken together, it is suggested that vitamin C could effectively prevent stress-induced heart failure through the regulation of heart failure-related cytokines and the inhibition of apoptosis of cardiomyocytes.

Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in elimination of altered self cell, such as tumor cells. Recently, vitamin C is an essential component for augmentation of NK cell activity, especially in cancer patients. In this study, the effects of vitamin C on the anti-tumor activity of NKDC (CD49b+CD11c+NK1.1+) were investigated in Gulo(-/-) mice, which can not biosynthesize vitamin C like human beings. Body weight and the size of spleen of vitamin C depleted Gulo(-/-) mice was significantly decreased at 2 weeks after vitamin C depletion, comparing to those of wild type or vitamin C-supplemented Gulo(-/-) mice. To investigate the function of NKDC, CD49b+cells from splenocytes were isolated by MACS and then analyzed by flow cytometry. As a result, the number of NKDC population was completely reduced in vitamin C depleted Gulo(-/-) mice, which showed decrease of a secretion of IFN-gamma ƒ×. In addition, Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L), which stimulates the expansion and differentiation of IKDCs, was significantly reduced in vitamin C depleted Gulo(-/-) mice serum. Finally, the anti-tumor function of splenocytes from vitamin C depleted Gulo(-/-) mice was decreased, compared with those of wild type or vitamin C supplemented Gulo(-/-) mice. Taken together, it suggests that vitamin C shows their anti-tumor activity through the maintenance of Flt3L and the number of IKDC population.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human oncogenic herpesvirus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma. KSHV maintains a latent phase in infected cells but undergoes lytic reactivation in response to various stimuli. Alloferon is an immunomodulating peptide originating from an insect which has been used clinically as antiviral drug in Russia and showed remarkable effect on the prevention of recurrent herpesvirus infections. However, its specific mechanism still remains unknown. The effects of alloferon on the regulation of viral activation and its specific mechanism in virus-infected cells are investigated. In this study, BCBL-1, a persistent KSHV-infected B lymphoma cell line is used, which is reactivated to lytic cycle by TPA treatment. The results tell that alloferon effectively suppressed the down-regulation of cell proliferation induced by TPA treatment, implying that the KSHV reactivation within BCBL-1 can be regulated by alloferon. The results showed that alloferon decreased the expression level of KSHV viral proteins, such as RTA, ORF45 and vIRF2. Furthermore, alloferon suppressed the increase of calcium influx in store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) induced by TPA treatment, which led us to investigate whether alloferon can regulate nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) activity in BCBL-1, since NF-kB is activated by viral infection as well as by calcium influx in immune cells. NF-kB activation in BCBL-1 was effectively inhibited by alloferon. Taken together, it is suggested that alloferon might be used as an effective antiviral agent on KSHV infection through the down-regulation of NF-kB activity.

CM1 (centrocyte/-blast marker 1) is expressed on the surface of activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Recently, we found that the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) from activated PBMCs was increased by CM1 stimulation via the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB). Therefore, this study was attempted to investigate the roles of CM1 in the regulation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PBMCs were purified from healthy donors, RA patients and degenerative osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and knee joint synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMCs) were purified from RA patients. The expression of CM1 on PBMCs and SFMCs were analyzed by flowcytometry. The production of inflammatory cytokines and PGE2 by CM1 stimulation was measured by ELISA and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and immunoblotting were performed to examine signaling mediators for inflammatory cytokines by CM1 stimulation. CM1 is highly expressed on PBMCs and SFMCs from RA patients, but not from OA patients. TNF-alpha, IL-1 alpha/beta, IFN-gamma and PGE2 production were markedly increased in PBMCs and SFMCs of RA patients upon CM1 stimulation. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was increased in PBMCs and SFMCs from RA patients in a time dependent manner after CM1 stimulation. In addition, the binding of NF-kB to the promoters of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta after CM1 stimulation was also confirmed by the ChIP assay. Our results strongly suggest that CM1 may play a critical role in the disease progression of RA via the induction of disease-related proinflammatory cytokines and PGE2 production.

It is known that vitamin C has anti-viral and anti-tumor activity via the activation of immune cells including T and NK cells. Even though the mechanisms of vitamin C on the activation of NK cells were extensively studied, but the effect of vitamin C on the activation of T cells is poorly understood, especially in vivo system. Therefore, we compared the surface marker and cytokine profiles of T cells from Gulo (-/-) mice, which cannot synthesize endogenous vitamin C, upon vitamin C depletion. First, we examined the phenotype and cytokine secretion of naïve T cells from wild type C57BL/6 mice, and vitamin C-depleted and supplemented Gulo(-/-) mice. Interestingly, the number of regulatory T cells were increased in vitamin C depleted Gulo(-/-) mice. Next, we investigated the changes on activated T cells in Gulo(-/-) mice upon vitamin C depletion. As a result, the expression of activation markers, CD25 and CD69, were relatively low, but there was no change on the level of IFN-gamma production. Taken together, when there was insufficient amount of vitamin C, the immune system might be suppressed by the increase of regulatory T cell population. In addition, T cells are not effectively activated when antigens were administered in vivo. Therefore, our results suggest that vitamin C maintains cell-mediated immunity via the suppression of the regulatory T cell development and plays a pivotal role during the process of T cells activation.

Purpose: To report the case of a child with triple X syndrome presenting with exotropia and chorioretinal coloboma. Case summary: A one-year-old female infant presented with 35PD exotropia in the primary position. The patient had poor fixation of the right eye, and a fundus examination showed chorioretinal coloboma in the inferior region of her right eye. The patient also exhibited syndactyly of the right hand. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined 2 cm cyst in the right cerebellum. Upon chromosomal study, the patient’s karyotype was found to be 47, XXX. Conclusions: When infants or children present with ophthalmologic findings such as strabismus and coloboma, systemic conditions and congenital problems should be considered.