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The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the outcome of paper patch myringoplasty for chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforations and to explore the predictive factors for a successful closure. A retrospective study was performed in a tertiary referral center. Data of the patients who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed: the treatment outcomes and the potential predictive factors including age, sex, the affected ear, hearing level, duration of perforation, causes, location and size of perforations, relationship between the perforation border and the malleus, status of TM surface, and the number of patch applications. Complete closure was achieved in 27 of the total 43 subjects. Among the 11 clinical and TM factors, only the perforation size remained significant as the predictor after multivariable logistic regression (p = 0.029, OR 4.4). The patients with perforation ≤5 % of the TM showed higher closure rate (78.3 %) than those with perforation >5 % (45.0 %). In conclusion, paper patch myringoplasty showed overall success rate of 62.8 %. In patients with perforations smaller than 5 % of the TM, the closure rate was 78.3 %. The predictor of the treatment outcome was the perforation size. We can try paper patch myringoplasty first in patients who had dry chronic perforations smaller than 5 % of the TM without middle ear disease.

This study explores the anti-obesity properties of a Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extract (SQE) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/6 mice and mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. SQE administration with HFD for 70 d significantly decreased the body weight gain, adipose tissue weight, and serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in comparison with the HFD group. SQE administration also reduced the serum levels of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase, and the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver, suggesting a protective effect against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. SQE administration restored the HFD-induced decreases with phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) in epididymal adipose tissue. SQE also induced AMPK phosphorylation in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These results suggest that SQE exerted an anti-obesity effect on HFD-induced obese mice by activating AMPK in adipose tissue and reducing lipid droplet accumulation in the liver.

Museums have continuously evolved according to the points to accommodate the needs of each period and created their own identities with the changes within them by shaping various types through spaces and media. Especially the literary museums are in a particular position to exhibit both the work, story itself and a story creator, the storyteller, committed to deliver the very specific meaning and its symbolism of the story. Therefore, the storytelling of literature museum requires both the approach to literature and the three-dimensional storytelling to implement the literacy. This Paper considers and suggests the ways to apply the characteristics the fairy tale-telling might have when they are exhibited and the guideline how to exhibit storytelling.

We previously showed that an ethanolic extract of the edible brown algae Petalonia binghamiae promotes the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and decreases hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Here, we report that a water-soluble extract of P. binghamiae thalli, prepared by enzymatic digestion, inhibits preadipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. In differentiating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, the extract (designated PBEE) decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins α and β, and fatty acid-binding protein aP2. It also inhibited the mitotic clonal expansion process of adipocyte differentiation, and it inhibited insulin-stimulated uptake of glucose into mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes by reducing phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1. In rats with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, PBEE exhibited potent anti-obesity effects. In this animal model, increases in body weight and fat storage were suppressed by the addition of PBEE to the drinking water at 500 mg/L for 30 days. PBEE supplementation reduced serum levels of glutamic pyruvic and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminases and increased the serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Moreover, it significantly decreased the accumulation of lipid droplets in liver tissue, suggesting a protective effect against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. Taken together, these data demonstrate that PBEE inhibits preadipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis in cultured cells and in rodent models of obesity.

Hypotension and hypertension are chronic diseases, which can be effectively prevented and controlled by constantly monitoring. In this study, personalized healthcare comment service for hypertension patients is proposed and implemented. We have developed algorithms of health state code generation and doctor's comments for patients on case-by-case basis. This prototype service shows how such personalized comments can manage patients with hypertension using blood pressure monitor and mobile device.

Robust pitch estimation is important in many areas of speech processing. In voice pathology, diverse statistics extracted form pitch estimation were commonly used to test voice quality. In this study, we compared several established pitch detection algorithms (PDAs) for verification of adequacy of the PDAs. In the database of total pathological voices of 99 and normal voices of 30, an analysis of errors related with pitch detection was evaluated between pathological and normal voices, or among the types of pathological voices. Pitch errors of all PDAs used in this study more or less showed some changes between pathological and normal voices. According to the results of pitch errors, gross pitch error showed some increases in cases of pathological voices; especially excessive increase in PDA based on nonlinear time-series. In an analysis of types of pathological voices classified by aperiodicity and the degree of chaos, the more voice has aperiodic and chaotic, the more growth of pitch errors increased. Consequently, it is required to survey the severity of tested voice in order to obtain accurate pitch estimates.

Patulous Eustachian tube is a benign, but bothersome condition, which can cause severe physi- cal and psychological problems. We investigated the clinical features and the therapeutic result of the surgery in three patients, whose patulous Eustachian tube symptom were treated by the surgical insertion of a specially designed, tripod-tipped-bone wax-filled angiocatheter into the bony orifice of the Eustachian tube. Immediate disappearance of the troublesome symptoms was observed in all six patients. No serious complications were observed during the follow-up peri- od. Factors considered for this surgical therapy and the method of designing our specific angio - catheter are introduced in detail. Surgical therapy for patients with serious patulous Eustachian tube symptoms by inserting the tripod-tipped-bone wax-filled angiocatheter seemed promising. Further studies on its long-term therapeutic effects might be necessary using a large number of the patients.�

분리종(choristoma)이란 그 발생부위에서 발견될 수 없는 정 상적인 세포들이 종양처럼 덩어리를 형성하고 있는 상태로서, 연골로 이루어진 분리종이 외이도에서 발견된 사례는 전세계 적으로 매우 드물게 보고되고 있다. 일반적인 연골성 종괴는 중년 성인의 손과 발에서 가장 많이 보고되었고, 두경부 영역에서는 혀에서 발생한 연골성 종괴가 가장 많이 보고된 바 있다. 연골성 분리종은 천천히 자라는 종 괴로 때때로 압통이나 통증을 유발할 수 있으며, 종양학적인 특 성을 보이지 않아 연골종과 분명히 구분되어야 하는 병변이지 만, 흔히 연골종으로 착오되어 보고된다고 알려져 있다. 현재 까지 외이도에서 발생한 연골성 종괴는 문헌에서 53예만이 보 고된 바 있으며, 1예를 제외하고 모두 아시아 국가에서 보고 되었고, 국내에서는 아직까지 한번도 보고되지 않았다. 저자들은 외이도에서 우연히 발견된 종괴가 자라는 양상을 보여 시행한 외과적 절제술 후 조직 검사에서 연골성 분리종으 로 진단된 희귀한 증례를 문헌고찰과 함께 보고하고자 한다.

We report an inverted structure of quantum-dot light emitting diodes (QLEDs) with cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3) doped aluminum-zinc-oxide (AZO) as the cathode buffer. The Cs2CO3 doped AZO with Cs2CO3 blending ratios (AZO : Cs2CO3) from 4 : 1 to 2 : 1 was used as an electron transport layer in QLEDs. It is found that the conductivity of the AZO : Cs2CO3 blended solution increases with the increase in the concentration of Cs2CO3 until a particular concentration, and the luminance intensity increases sharply from 9949 to 57 350 cd m−2. It is concluded therefore that Cs2CO3 doped AZO could be a good cathode buffer for inverted QLEDs.

Background and objectives Regeneration or replacement of damaged hair cells and neurons in the cochlea might be an ideal treatment for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), derived from the bone marrow of rats, could differentiate into auditory hair cells and neurons. Materials and methods The centrifuge gradient method was used to isolate MSCs from the bone marrow of rats. To confirm whether bone marrow-derived MSCs can differentiate into neuronal cells, culture medium with glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 for 14 days. In addition, immunofluorescence staining and RT-PCR were performed for characterization of the neurospheres and differentiated cells from 7 and 14 day cultures. Results The results showed that MSCs could differentiate into neuron-positive and hair cell-positive cells, using different compositions of growth factors. And RT-PCR result was identified high or low of gene expression all these differentiated cells. Conclusions Rat bone marrow-derived MSCs differentiated into neuronal progenitor cells. These cells might be useful for the treatment of SNHL.