and Its Compounds as Complementary Therapy for Dyslipidemia: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Efficacy and In Silico Mechanistic Insights.

Dyslipidemia is a significant risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), a leading cause of death worldwide. Burge is widely used in East Asia for cardiovascular health, showing potential benefits in lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation. This study systematically reviewed and conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the clinical effectiveness of in treating dyslipidemia.

Vacuum-powered soft actuator with oblique air chambers for easy detachment of artificial dry adhesive by coupled contraction and twisting.

A gecko foot-inspired, mushroom-shaped artificial dry adhesive exploiting intermolecular forces between microstructure and surface has drawn research attention for its strong adhesive force. However, the high pull-off strength corresponding to the adhesive force matters when detaching fragile substrates. In this study, we report a vacuum-powered soft actuator having oblique air chambers and a dry adhesive.

Economic benefits of preventing bird collisions in South Korea: findings from a choice experiment survey.

Bird deaths due to collisions with artificial structures, such as glass windows of buildings and transparent noise barriers, are continuing to occur in South Korea. The government is trying to prevent bird collisions by increasing the attachment of specially designed tapes to help birds avoid windows. This article estimates the economic benefits arising from the prevention of collisions by applying a choice experiment (CE).

Public willingness to pay for eradicating a harmful marine organism: the case of Aurelia aurita in South Korea.

Aurelia aurita (AA), a legally registered harmful marine organism in South Korea, is damaging marine human leisure activities, local residents' tourism income, fisheries, and cooling water intake at power plants. The government is therefore seeking to eradicate AA by removing AA-attached larvae (polyps). This article looks into the public willingness to pay (WTP) for the eradication, utilizing a contingent valuation.

Monetary valuation of air quality improvement with the stated preference technique: A multi-pollutant perspective.

Air pollution is an important global issue, and governments are making efforts to reduce air pollutant emissions. The elaborate calculation of the social costs of air pollution is essential for justifying the substantial public expenditure on air pollution control policies. This study aims to derive the monetary value of reducing different kinds of air pollutants through the public's willingness to pay (WTP).

Surface roughness and chemical composition changes of resin-modified glass ionomer immersed in 0.2% sodium fluoride solution.

Background/purpose: Glass ionomers undergo degradation when exposed to fluoride, which changes the physico-chemical characteristics of the materials. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface changes of resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) when immersed in a sodium fluoride (NaF) solution according to pH and time.

Materials And Methods: 120 RMGI specimens were prepared, and 30 specimens were placed in four types of storage solutions for four weeks; pH 7 artificial saliva with or without 0.

Public preference toward an energy transition policy: the case of South Korea.

South Korea is pursuing an energy transition policy (ETP) of expanding the use of renewable energy and natural gas and decreasing that of nuclear energy and coal in total generation. An investigation of whether the public is for or against the ETP is needed by the government. This article explores the public preference toward the ETP employing the data collected through a survey of 1000 individuals.

Public perspectives on reducing the environmental impact of onshore wind farms: a discrete choice experiment in South Korea.

Onshore wind farms have the advantage of a lower cost than offshore wind farms, but their negative environmental impact has been pointed out as a problem. If this environmental impact can be lessened, public acceptance of onshore wind farms will be significantly increased. This study investigates public attitudes to the lessening of the environmental impact of onshore wind farms, focusing on three specific attributes: visual impact, ecosystem destruction and noise pollution.

How much value do people place on preserving the Seocheon coastal wetland in South Korea?

The ecosystem of the Seocheon coastal wetland (SCW), one of the wetland protected areas in South Korea, was registered in the Ramsar Wetlands in 2009 as an area rich in biodiversity and inhabited by endangered wild animals and plants. Since then, preserving the ecosystem of the SCW has emerged as an important task. Thus, the South Korean government is carrying out various research and management projects to preserve the ecological integrity of the SCW.

Does combined heat and power mitigate CO emissions? A cross-country analysis.

Combined heat and power (CHP), which produces both heat and electricity at the same time, is so efficient that it can reduce energy use and emit less carbon dioxide (CO) than conventional fossil fuel use. This article attempts to look empirically into the impact of CHP share in total electricity generation on CO emissions in a cross-country context. Data from 35 countries during the period 2009-2015 are used.

Assessing the external benefits of contaminated soil remediation in Korea: a choice experiment study.

Korean government has made and will continue to make a considerable investment in contaminated soil remediation to rectify the problems that arise from soil pollution. Quantitative information on the benefits of contaminated soil remediation is widely demanded by the public as well as the government. This article aims to assess the external benefits of contaminated soil remediation.

Gold nanoparticles as a potent radiosensitizer in neutron therapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of gold nanoparticles as radiosensitizer for use in neutron therapy against hepatocellular carcinoma. The hepatocellular carcinoma cells lines Huh7 and HepG2 were irradiated with γ and neutron radiation in the presence or absence of gold nanoparticles. Effects were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, cell survival, cell cycle, DNA damage, migration, and invasiveness.

Biological effect of an alternating electric field on cell proliferation and synergistic antimitotic effect in combination with ionizing radiation.

Alternating electric fields at an intermediate frequency (100~300 kHz), referred to as tumour-treating fields (TTF), are believed to interrupt the process of mitosis via apoptosis and to act as an inhibitor of cell proliferation. Although the existence of an antimitotic effect of TTF is widely known, the proposed apoptotic mechanism of TTF on cell function and the efficacy of TTF are controversial issues among medical experts. To resolve these controversial issues, a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of TTF on cell function and the differences between the effects of TTF alone and in combination with other treatment techniques is essential.

Tumor treating fields inhibit glioblastoma cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis.

Treatment with alternating electric fields at an intermediate frequency (100-300 kHz), referred to as tumor treating fields (TTF) therapy, inhibits cancer cell proliferation. In the present study, we demonstrated that TTF application suppressed the metastatic potential of U87 and U373 glioblastoma cell lines via the NF-kB, MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Wound-healing and transwell assays showed that TTF suppressed cell migration and invasion compared with controls.

Combination effects of tissue heterogeneity and geometric targeting error in stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung cancer using CyberKnife.

We have investigated the combined effect of tissue heterogeneity and its variation associated with geometric error in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. The treatment plans for eight lung cancer patients were calculated using effective path length (EPL) correction and Monte Carlo (MC) algorithms, with both having the same beam configuration for each patient. These two kinds of plans for individual patients were then subsequently recalculated with adding systematic and random geometric errors.

Reconstruction of the limbal vasculature after limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation in pterygium surgery: an angiography study.

Purpose: We evaluated the angiographic features of the affected limbus in patients with pterygia and assessed limbal reconstruction outcomes after limbal-conjunctival autograft (LCA) transplantation in terms of vascular remodeling.

Methods: We studied prospectively 31 eyes of 31 patients who underwent pterygium excision and LCA transplantation; 28 eyes of 28 normal participants served as controls. Anterior segment indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) was performed for each participant preoperatively and at 1 week, and 1 and 3 months postoperatively.

Effective generation of the spread-out-Bragg peak from the laser accelerated proton beams using a carbon-proton mixed target.

Conventional laser accelerated proton beam has broad energy spectra. It is not suitable for clinical use directly, so it is necessary for employing energy selection system. However, in the conventional laser accelerated proton system, the intensity of the proton beams in the low energy regime is higher than that in the high energy regime.

Esophageal tolerance to high-dose stereotactic radiosurgery.

Purpose: Esophageal tolerance is needed to guide the safe administration of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). We evaluated comprehensive dose-volume parameters of acute esophageal toxicity in patients with spinal metastasis treated with SRS.

Materials And Methods: From May 2008 to May 2011, 30 cases in 27 patients with spinal metastasis received single fraction SRS to targets neighboring esophagus.

Estimation of optimal margin for intrafraction movements during frameless brain radiosurgery.

Purpose: To examine the dosimetric effect of intrafraction movements occurred during image-guided frameless brain radiosurgery and to derive the optimal margin recipe to compensate the movement.

Methods: The patients' movements during image-guided radiosurgeries were measured using skull-tracking method incorporated in the CyberKnife system. The dosimetric changes with the movements were computed using the six different dynamic-arc treatment plans based on the dose-grid analysis method.