A Study on the Underwater Energy Harvester with Two PVDFs Installed on the FTEH and CTEH at the End of the Support.

In this study, two thin rectangular PVDFs were installed in the form of a cantilever on a FTEH (funnel-type energy harvester), and a CTEH (cymbal-type energy harvester) was fabricated in a form coupled to the upper part of the support. As a result of measuring the energy harvesting sensitivity according to the installation direction of the CTEH, a high voltage was measured in the structure installed on top of the support across all flow velocity conditions. A composite structure PVDF energy harvester combining CTEH and FTEH was fabricated and the amount of power generated was measured.

Serum Peptide Immunoglobulin G Autoantibody Response in Patients with Different Central Nervous System Inflammatory Demyelinating Disorders.

Previous efforts to discover new surrogate markers for the central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating disorders have shown inconsistent results; moreover, supporting evidence is scarce. The present study investigated the IgG autoantibody responses to various viral and autoantibodies-related peptides proposed to be related to CNS inflammatory demyelinating disorders using the peptide microarray method. We customized a peptide microarray containing more than 2440 immobilized peptides representing human and viral autoantigens.

Serum FAM19A5 in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: Can it be a new biomarker representing clinical status?

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) targets astrocytes and elevates the levels of astrocyte-injury markers during attacks. FAM19A5, involved in reactive gliosis, is secreted by reactive astrocytes following central nervous system (CNS) damage.

Objective: To investigate the significance of serum FAM19A5 in patients with NMOSD.

Observational Study of Clinical and Functional Progression Based on Initial Brain MRI Characteristics in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful tool to predict the diagnosis and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially for primary physicians. However, the correlation between baseline MRI findings and AD progression has not been fully established.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between hippocampal atrophy (HA) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on initial brain MRI images and the degree of cognitive decline and functional changes over 1 year.

Increased expression of the Cbl family of E3 ubiquitin ligases decreases Interleukin-2 production in a rat model of peripheral neuropathy.

Background: Interleukin 2 (IL-2) influences the development and severity of pain due to its antinociceptive and immunomodulatory effects. Its production is influenced by the increased expression of c-Cbl (Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene) and Cbl-b E3 ubiquitin ligases. We evaluated the effects on IL-2-mediated changes in c-Cbl and Cbl-b expression in a rat model of chronic neuropathic pain.

Isolation and characterization of metabolites from Bacillus licheniformis MH48 with antifungal activity against plant pathogens.

In this study, we isolated Bacillus licheniformis MH48 from rhizosphere soil and demonstrated that this strain shows significant antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Phytophthora capsici. Our results showed that a 50% concentration of bacterial cell-free culture filtrate of B. licheniformis MH48 shows strong activity against fungal pathogens.

Separation of glycine-rich proteins from sea hare eggs and their anti-cancer activity against U937 leukemia cell line.

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-cancer effects of Sea hare eggs (SE) in U937 cells and its major active components. The aqueous extract of SE (ASE), which contained the highest protein content, dose-dependently inhibited the cancer cell's growth (IC50 value, 10.42 ± 0.

Peptide fragment of thymosin β4 increases hippocampal neurogenesis and facilitates spatial memory.

Although several studies have suggested the neuroprotective effect of thymosin β4 (TB4), a major actin-sequestering protein, on the central nervous system, little is understood regarding the action of N-acetyl-serylaspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP), a peptide fragment of TB4 on brain function. Here, we examined neurogenesis-stimulative effect of Ac-SDKP. Intrahippocampal infusion of Ac-SDKP facilitated the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus.

Vegetable intake, but not fruit intake, is associated with a reduction in the risk of cancer incidence and mortality in middle-aged Korean men.

Background: Few prospective studies have examined the preventive role of fruit and vegetable intakes against cancer in Asian populations.

Objective: This prospective study evaluated the associations between total fruit intake, total vegetable intake, and total fruit and vegetable intake and total cancer incidence and mortality.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 14,198 men 40-59 y of age enrolled in the Seoul Male Cohort Study from 1991 to 1993.

Effects of low-intensity ultrasound on oxidative damage in retinal pigment epithelial cells in vitro.

Oxidative stress in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is one of the key causative factors of RPE injury in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Low-intensity ultrasound (LIUS) less than 1 W/cm(2) in intensity has been found to have cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in many cell types and diseases. In this study, we investigated for the first time the feasibility of using LIUS to protect RPE cells from oxidative damage.

Cardiovascular health metrics and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among middle-aged men in Korea: the Seoul male cohort study.

Objectives: This study estimated the association of cardiovascular health behaviors with the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in middle-aged men in Korea.

Methods: In total, 12 538 men aged 40 to 59 years were enrolled in 1993 and followed up through 2011. Cardiovascular health metrics defined the following lifestyle behaviors proposed by the American Heart Association: smoking, physical activity, body mass index, diet habit score, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose.

Impact of internal spermatic artery preservation during laparoscopic varicocelectomy on recurrence and the catch-up growth rate in adolescents.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of laparoscopic varicocelectomy (LV) in adolescents with varicocele and analyze the impact of internal spermatic artery (ISA) preservation on surgical outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Data on 92 adolescents with left varicocele who underwent LV between December 1998 and January 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 13.

Neolitsea aciculata essential oil inhibits drug-resistant skin pathogen growth and Propionibacterium acnes-induced inflammatory effects of human monocyte leukemia.

This study examined the chemical composition of Neolitsea aciculata essential oil (NAE) and its biological activities. NAE was obtained by hydro-distillation of N. aciculata leaves collected in Jeju Island and analyzed by gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrometer detector.

Constituents with tyrosinase inhibitory activities from branches of Ficus erecta var. sieboldii King.

Phytochemical investigation of the branches of Ficus erecta var. sieboldii King resulted in the isolation of eight constituents: p-hydroxybenzoic acid (1), methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (2), vanillic acid (3), methyl vanillate (4), syringic acid (5), β-sitosterol (6), α-amyrin acetate (7), and ethyl linoleate (8). Their chemical structures were identified via spectroscopic means as well as by comparing their data with literature values.

Tardive dyskinesia: treatment with aripiprazole.

Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by choreiform movements, or rhythmic abnormal involuntary movements of the face, mouth, tongue, trunk, and limbs. It is frequently associated with the use of neuroleptic medications. The choreiform movements are irreversible in some patients, even after the drug is withdrawn.

Overexpression of FTL1/DDF1, an AP2 transcription factor, enhances tolerance to cold, drought, and heat stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Freezing temperatures control where and when plants can grow, and negatively influence crop quality and productivity. To identify key regulatory genes involved in cold adaptation, we screened activation-tagged Arabidopsis lines for mutants with greater freezing tolerance. One mutant, freezing tolerant line1 (ftl1-1D), manifested enhanced tolerance along with dwarfism and delayed flowering.

Proteasome inhibition causes epithelial-mesenchymal transition upon TM4SF5 expression.

Transmembrane 4 L six family member 5 (TM4SF5) is highly expressed in hepatocarcinoma and causes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocytes. We found that TM4SF5-expressing cells showed lower mRNA levels but maintained normal protein levels in certain gene cases, indicating that TM4SF5 mediates stabilization of proteins. In this study, we explored whether regulation of proteasome activity and TM4SF5 expression led to EMT.

Expression and localization of MCsialec, a sialic acid-specific lectin in the marine bivalve Manila clam, Ruditapes philppinarum.

A novel sialic acid-specific lectin (MCsialec) was detected from an expressed sequenced tag (EST) sequence from Manila clam haemocytes infected with Perkinsus olseni. The cDNA of the lectin was cloned using gene-specific primers based on a previously determined EST and characterized. The full-length cDNA of MCsialec is 603 bp in length and encodes a polypeptide of 200 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 21.

Incidence of hip fractures in Jeju Island, South Korea: a prospective study (2002-2006).

Background: This study was performed to estimate the incidence of hip fractures of people older than 50 years in South Korea.

Methods: Information of patients over 50 years of age who had sustained a hip fracture were obtained from the records of eight hospitals in Jeju Island between 2002 and 2006 to calculate the incidence of hip fractures in this age group.

Results: There were 820 hip fractures during the study period.

Identification of genetic polymorphisms in bovine mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid.

In this study, the intent was to identify genetic polymorphisms of mitochondrial (mt) DNA in Korean cattle (Bos taurus coreana) and to analyze the genetic relationship between Korean cattle and other breeds. Whole mtDNA genomes (16,338 bp) of 26 animals (16 Korean cattle and 10 Holsteins) were directly sequenced. Multiple alignments, including 26 whole-mtDNA sequences obtained by direct sequencing and 10 mtDNA sequences from a public database (National Center for Biotechnology Information), revealed 393 mtDNA polymorphisms (382 SNP, 3 heteroplasmies, and 8 insertion-deletion polymorphisms).

A case of fungal arthritis caused by Hansenula anomala.

Hansenula anomala (H. anomaly) is part of the normal flora in the alimentary tract and throat. It has been reported to be an organism causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients.

Acute subdural hemorrhage associated with rifampicin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia is a major adverse effect of several drug treatments. Rifampicin has been recognized as a cause of immune thrombocytopenia. A 68-year-old woman diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis was taking the standard four-drug antituberculosis regimen for 4 months.

Induction of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by galectin-7 through p38 MAPK signaling in HeLa human cervical epithelial adenocarcinoma cells.

The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been reported in various cancers. Its expression is associated with tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis. Studies have shown that galectin-7, a beta-galactoside-binding animal lectin, is involved in various processes including the suppression of tumor growth.

Macoma birmanica agglutinin recognizes glycoside clusters of beta-GlcNAc/Glc and alpha-Man.

Macoma birmanica agglutinin (MBA) that seems to play crucial roles in the innate immunity of marine bivalve, M. birmanica has been earlier defined as GlcNAc/Man specific. However, most complementary carbohydrate structures to its binding domain and ligand clustering in its recognition profile have not been established.

Acidic polysaccharide of Panax ginseng as a defense against small intestinal damage by whole-body gamma irradiation of mice.

An acidic polysaccharide of Panax ginseng (APG), ginsan, has been reported to protect the hematopoietic system by increasing the number of bone marrow cells and spleen cells. Therefore, we evaluated the ability of APG to protect mice from radiation-induced damage of the small intestine. APG treatment caused the lengthening of villi and a numerical increase of crypt cells in the small intestine at 3.