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Showing papers by "Kyungpook National University published in 2004"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a series of epidemiological studies consistently suggest that serum gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) within its normal range might be an early and sensitive enzyme related to oxidative stress.
Abstract: The primary role of cellular gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) is to metabolize extracellular reduced glutathione (GSH), allowing for precursor amino acids to be assimilated and reutilized for intracellular GSH synthesis. Paradoxically, recent experimental studies indicate that cellular GGT may also be involved in the generation of reactive oxygen species in the presence of iron or other transition metals. Although the relationship between cellular GGT and serum GGT is not known and serum GGT activity has been commonly used as a marker for excessive alcohol consumption or liver diseases, our series of epidemiological studies consistently suggest that serum GGT within its normal range might be an early and sensitive enzyme related to oxidative stress. For example, serum and dietary antioxidant vitamins had inverse, dose-response relations to serum GGT level within its normal range, whereas dietary heme iron was positively related to serum GGT level. More importantly, serum GGT level within its normal range positively predicted F2-isoprostanes, an oxidative damage product of arachidonic acid, and fibrinogen and C-reactive protein, markers of inflammation, which were measured 5 or 15 years later, in dose-response manners. These findings suggest that strong associations of serum GGT with many cardiovascular risk factors and/or events might be explained by a mechanism related to oxidative stress. Even though studies on serum and/or cellular GGT is at a beginning stage, our epidemiological findings suggest that serum GGT might be useful in studying oxidative stress-related issues in both epidemiological and clinical settings.

623 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
24 May 2004-Oncogene
TL;DR: An overview of Runx involvement in regulatory mechanisms that are requisite for fidelity of bone cell growth and differentiation, as well as for skeletal homeostasis and the structural and functional integrity of skeletal tissue is presented.
Abstract: We present an overview of Runx involvement in regulatory mechanisms that are requisite for fidelity of bone cell growth and differentiation, as well as for skeletal homeostasis and the structural and functional integrity of skeletal tissue. Runx-mediated control is addressed from the perspective of support for biological parameters of skeletal gene expression. We review recent findings that are consistent with an active role for Runx proteins as scaffolds for integration, organization and combinatorial assembly of nucleic acids and regulatory factors within the three-dimensional context of nuclear architecture.

489 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
D. Acosta1, T. Affolder2, M. H. Ahn3, M. H. Ahn4  +636 moreInstitutions (56)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported the observation of a state consistent with X(3872) decaying into J/ψπ+π-decomposition, where the observed width was consistent with the detector resolution and the results were found to be converging well with the measurements by the Belle Collaboration using b± decays.
Abstract: The observation of a state consistent with X(3872) decaying into J/ψπ+π- was reported. The X(3872) mass was measured to be 3871.3±0.7(stat)±0.4(syst)MeV/c2 from a sample of 730±90 candidates. The observed width was consistent with the detector resolution. The results were found to be converging well with the measurements by the Belle Collaboration using b± decays.

455 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results confirm the therapeutic potential of the compounds and suggest that the antimetastatic and anti‐tumor effects of CA and CAPE are mediated through the selective suppression of MMP‐9 enzyme activity and transcriptional down‐regulation by the dual inhibition of NF‐κB as well as M MP‐9 catalytic activity.
Abstract: Our previous studies have clearly shown that the angiogenic enzymes, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2/9, are directly involved in human hepatic tumorigenesis and metastasis and suggest that the MMP-2/9 inhibitors, which have dual inhibitory activities on enzyme activity and transcription, represent the best candidates for achieving tumor regression. Many anti-cancer drugs have strong cellular cytotoxicity and side effects, indicating that strong anti-cancer drugs that have no or minimal cytotoxicity and side effects need to be developed. The specific aim of the present study was to develop powerful anti-cancer drugs with specific tumor regression and anti-metastatic potential having the dual inhibitory activities of specific MMP-2 and -9 enzyme activities and gene transcription at the molecular level. Caffeic acid (CA), a strong and selective MMP-9 activity and transcription inhibitor, was isolated from the plant Euonymus alatus and its derivative, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), was synthesized. CA...

454 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The current results suggest that hesperidin and naringin both play important roles in preventing the progression of hyperglycemia, partly by increasing hepatic glycolysis and glycogen concentration and/or by lowering hepatic gluconeogenesis.
Abstract: Dietary antioxidant compounds such as bioflavonoids may offer some protection against the early stage of diabetes mellitus and the development of complications. We investigated the effect of citrus bioflavonoids on blood glucose level, hepatic glucose-regulating enzymes activities, hepatic glycogen concentration, and plasma insulin levels, and assessed the relations between plasma leptin and body weight, blood glucose, and plasma insulin. Male C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice (db/db mice, 5 wk old), an animal model for type 2 diabetes, were fed a nonpurified diet for 2 wk and then were fed an AIN-76 control diet or the control diet supplemented with hesperidin (0.2 g/kg diet) or naringin (0.2 g/kg diet). Hesperidin and naringin supplementation significantly reduced blood glucose compared with the control group. Hepatic glucokinase activity and glycogen concentration were both significantly elevated in the hesperidin- and the naringin-supplemented groups compared with the control group. Naringin also markedly lowered the activity of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase compared with the control group. Plasma insulin, C-peptide, and leptin levels in the db/db mice from the 2 bioflavonoid-supplemented groups were significantly higher than those of the control group. Furthermore, plasma leptin was positively correlated with plasma insulin level (r = 0.578, P < 0.01) and body weight (r = 0.541, P < 0.05), and was inversely correlated with the blood glucose level (r = -0.46, P < 0.05). The current results suggest that hesperidin and naringin both play important roles in preventing the progression of hyperglycemia, partly by increasing hepatic glycolysis and glycogen concentration and/or by lowering hepatic gluconeogenesis.

337 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Testosterone inhibits the post-ischemic activation of NOSs and Akt and the ratio of ERK to JNK phosphorylation through non-androgen receptor-medicated mechanisms, leading to increased inflammation and increased functional injury to the kidney.

283 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the instability of the Friedmann world model up to second order in perturbations is considered and a decomposition is made for scalar-, vector-, and tensor-type perturbation which couple with each other to second-order.
Abstract: We consider the instability of the Friedmann world model to second order in perturbations. We present the perturbed set of equations up to second order in the Friedmann background world model with a general spatial curvature and cosmological constant. We consider systems with completely general imperfect fluids, minimally coupled scalar fields, an electromagnetic field, and generalized gravity theories. We also present the case of null geodesic equations, and one based on the relativistic Boltzmann equation. In due time, a decomposition is made for scalar-, vector-, and tensor-type perturbations which couple with each other to second order. A gauge issue is resolved to each order. The basic equations are presented without imposing any gauge condition, and thus in a gauge-ready form so that we can take full advantage of having gauge freedom in analyzing the problems. As an application we show that to second order in perturbation the relativistic pressureless ideal fluid of the scalar type reproduces exactly the known Newtonian result. As another application we rederive the large-scale conserved quantities (of the pure scalar and tensor perturbations) to second order, first shown by Salopek and Bond, now from the exact equations. Several other applications are shown as well.

272 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the average size of the silver nanoparticles decreases with increasing the amount of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) in the solution, but increases with increasing its molecular weight.

245 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The linkages between the space-time variability of observed clouds, rainfall, large-circulation patterns and topography in northern India and the Himalayas were investigated using remote sensing data as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The linkages between the space-time variability of observed clouds, rainfall, large-circulation patterns and topography in northern India and the Himalayas were investigated using remote sensing data The research purpose was to test the hypothesis that cloudiness patterns are dynamic tracers of rainstorms, and therefore their temporal and spatial evolution can be used as a proxy of the spatial and temporal organization of precipitation and precipitation processes in the Himalayan range during the monsoon The results suggest that the space-time distribution of precipitation, the spatial variability of the diurnal cycle of convective activity, and the terrain (landform and altitudinal gradients) are intertwined at spatial scales ranging from the order of a few kms (1–5km) up to the continental-scale Furthermore, this relationship is equally strong in the time domain with respect to the onset and intra-seasonal variability of the monsoon Infrared and microwave imagery of cloud fields were analyzed to characterize the spatial and temporal evolution of mesoscale convective weather systems and short-lived convection in Northern India, the Himalayan range, and in the Tibetan Plateau during three monsoon seasons (1999, 2000 and 2001) The life cycle of convective systems suggests landform and orographic controls consistent with a convergence zone constrained to the valley of the Ganges and the Himalayan range, bounded in the west by the Aravalli range and the Garhwal mountains and in the East by the Khasi Hills and the Bay of Bengal, which we call the Northern India Convergence Zone (NICZ) The NICZ exhibits strong night-time activity along the south-facing slopes of the Himalayan range, which is characterized by the development of short-lived convection (1–3h) aligned with protruding ridges between 1:00 and 3:00 AM The intra-annual and inter-annual variability of convective activity in the NICZ were assessed with respect to large-scale synoptic conditions, monsoon activity in the Bay of Bengal, and the modulating role of orography Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and canonical correlation (CC) analysis suggest that joint modes of variability of monsoon weather and topography, which we call orographic land-atmosphere interactions, modulate the space-time variability of cloudiness in the region Finally, scaling analysis of cloudiness suggests three different scaling regimes of orographic land-atmosphere interactions: 1) a synoptic-scale regime (≥70-80km); 2) an orographic meso–β regime (30–70km) associated with the succession of wide valleys and bulky terrain features; and 3) an orographic meso–α regime (≤30km) associated with the complex succession of protruding south-facing ridges and narrow valleys that characterize the Himalayan foothills between altitudes of 3000 and 5000m elevations

239 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
V. P. Kubarovsky1, V. P. Kubarovsky2, Lei Guo3, D. P. Weygand2  +208 moreInstitutions (33)
TL;DR: The reaction gamma p-->pi(+)K(-)K (-)K(+)n was studied at Jefferson Laboratory using a tagged photon beam with an energy range of 3-5.47 GeV and a narrow baryon state with strangeness S=+1 and mass M=1555+/-10 MeV/c(2) was observed in the nK(+ invariant mass spectrum.
Abstract: The reaction {gamma}p {yields} {pi}{sup +} K{sup -} K{sup +}n was studied at Jefferson Lab using a tagged photon beam with an energy range of 3-5.47 GeV. A narrow baryon state with strangeness S = +1 and mass M = 1555 {+-} 10 MeV/c{sup 2} was observed in the nK{sup +} invariant mass spectrum. The peak's width is consistent with the CLAS resolution (FWHM = 26 MeV/c{sup 2}), and its statistical significance is 7.8 {+-} 1.0 {sigma}. A baryon with positive strangeness has exotic structure and cannot be described in the framework of the naive constituent quark model. The mass of the observed state is consistent with the mass predicted by a chiral soliton model for the {Theta}{sup +} baryon. In addition, the pK{sup +} invariant mass distribution was analyzed in the reaction {gamma} p {yields} K{sup -} K{sup +}p with high statistics in search of doubly-charged exotic baryon states. No resonance structures were found in this spectrum.

227 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results suggest that IL‐1β‐induced spinal COX‐2 upregulation and pain hypersensitivity following peripheral inflammation are mediated through the activation of the NF‐kB‐associated pathways.
Abstract: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a major contributor to the elevation of spinal prostaglandin E2, which augments the processing of nociceptive stimuli following peripheral inflammation, and dynorphin has been shown to have an important role in acute and chronic pain states. Moreover, the transcription factor, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), regulates the expressions of both COX-2 and dynorphin. To elucidate the role of spinal NF-kB in the induction of inflammatory pain hypersensitivity, we examined whether activated NF-kB affects pain behavior and the expressions of the mRNAs of COX-2 and prodynorphin following peripheral inflammation. Intrathecal pretreatment with different NF-kB inhibitors, namely, NF-kB decoy or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, significantly reduced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia following unilateral hindpaw inflammation evoked by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). These NF-kB inhibitors also suppressed the activation of spinal NF-kB and the subsequent remarkable elevation of spinal COX-2 mRNA, but not that of prodynorphin mRNA. In addition, the activation of spinal NF-kB following CFA injection was inhibited by intrathecal pretreatments with interleukin-1 beta receptor antagonist or caspase-1 inhibitor. In view of the fact that interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) is the major inducer of spinal COX-2 upregulation following CFA injection, our results suggest that IL-1 beta-induced spinal COX-2 upregulation and pain hypersensitivity following peripheral inflammation are mediated through the activation of the NF-kB-associated pathways.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A prototype contactless battery charger developed for application with cellular phones is used as an example to address the design considerations for the PCB windings and energy transfer circuit, plus the performance of the contactless charger adapted to a practical application system is demonstrated.
Abstract: This paper paper presents the practical details involved in the design and implementation of a contactless battery charger that employs a pair of neighboring printed circuit board (PCB) windings as a contactless energy transfer device. A prototype contactless battery charger developed for application with cellular phones is used as an example to address the design considerations for the PCB windings and energy transfer circuit, plus demonstrates the performance of the contactless charger adapted to a practical application system.

Journal ArticleDOI
Patrick Koppenburg, Kazuo Abe, T. Abe, I. Adachi  +161 moreInstitutions (41)
TL;DR: A fully inclusive measurement of the flavor changing neutral current decay b --> sgamma in the energy range 1.8 GeV < or = E*gamma < or - (Egamma)2, covering 95% of the total spectrum.
Abstract: We report a fully inclusive measurement of the flavor changing neutral current decay $b\ensuremath{\rightarrow}s\ensuremath{\gamma}$ in the energy range $1.8\text{ }\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}\ensuremath{\le}{E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{*}\ensuremath{\le}2.8\text{ }\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}$, covering 95% of the total spectrum. Using $140\text{ }\mathrm{f}{\mathrm{b}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{1}}$, we obtain $\mathcal{B}(b\ensuremath{\rightarrow}s\ensuremath{\gamma})=(3.55\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}{0.32}_{\ensuremath{-}0.31\ensuremath{-}0.07}^{+0.30+0.11})\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$, where the errors are statistical, systematic, and from theory corrections. We also measure the first and second moments of the photon energy spectrum above $1.8\text{ }\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}$ and obtain $\ensuremath{\langle}{E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}\ensuremath{\rangle}=2.292\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.026\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.034\text{ }\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}$ and $\ensuremath{\langle}{E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{2}\ensuremath{\rangle}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\langle}{E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}{\ensuremath{\rangle}}^{2}=0.0305\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0074\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0063\text{ }{\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}}^{2}$, where the errors are statistical and systematic.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review describes recent findings that present novel viewpoints concerning the molecular basis of phytase classification and exhibits strict substrate specificity for the calcium–phytate complex and produces myo-inositol trisphosphate as the final product.
Abstract: Phytases are a special class of phosphatase that catalyze the sequential hydrolysis of phytate to less-phosphorylated myo-inositol derivatives and inorganic phosphate. Phytases are added to animal feedstuff to reduce phosphate pollution in the environment, since monogastric animals such as pigs, poultry, and fish are unable to metabolize phytate. Based on biochemical properties and amino acid sequence alignment, phytases can be categorized into two major classes, the histidine acid phytases and the alkaline phytases. The histidine acid phosphatase class shows broad substrate specificity and hydrolyzes metal-free phytate at the acidic pH range and produces myo-inositol monophosphate as the final product. In contrast, the alkaline phytase class exhibits strict substrate specificity for the calcium–phytate complex and produces myo-inositol trisphosphate as the final product. This review describes recent findings that present novel viewpoints concerning the molecular basis of phytase classification.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Examination of cross-sectional association between deciles of serum GGT and concentrations of serum antioxidants among 9083 adult participants in the third U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey strongly suggests that serum G GT level within its normal range may be an early marker of oxidative stress.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is confirmed that DNA sequence can be detected by measuring the variation of the drain current due to the variationof DNA charge and the proposed FET-type DNA charge sensor might be useful in the development for DNA chips.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is reported here for the first time that IDPc plays a critical role in fat and cholesterol biosynthesis, and its enzyme activity and its protein content were increased in parallel in a time-dependent manner during differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that overexpression of Msx2 suppressed the mRNA level and enzyme activity of ALP that were induced by BMP-2 stimulation, and suppressed the Dlx5-stimulated ALP promoter activity by competing with Dl x5 for the cis-acting element in the ALP promoter.

Journal ArticleDOI
Kazuo Abe, T. Abe1, I. Adachi, Hiroaki Aihara2  +176 moreInstitutions (41)
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report the results of a study of charged B decays to the D(+/-)pi(-/+)pi(n) and D(*) final states using complete D-(*) reconstruction.
Abstract: We report the results of a study of charged B decays to the D(+/-)pi(-/+)pi(-/+) and D(*+/-)pi(-/+)pi(-/+) final states using complete D-(*) reconstruction. The contributions of two-body B-->D**pi decays with narrow (j=3/2) and broad (j=1/2) D** states have been determined and the masses and widths of four D** states have been measured. This is the first observation of the broad P-wave D-0*(0) and D'(0)(1) mesons. The analysis is based on a data sample of 65 million B(B) over bar pairs collected in the Belle experiment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a power-law and a Langmuir-Hinselwood rate expression were developed for the reforming reaction by fitting the expressions to the experimental data, and the effectiveness factor of the catalyst particle was estimated in the fitting in order to obtain the intrinsic kinetics.
Abstract: Steam reforming of methanol over a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst was studied at atmospheric pressure and in a temperature range between 160 and 260 °C. The reaction rate depended upon methanol and hydrogen partial pressures, and was independent of the partial pressures of carbon oxides and water, which was in excess of the methanol partial pressure. Small amounts of carbon monoxide, less than 1% in the product gas, were formed at high temperatures; the amounts were well below the equilibrium amounts of reverse water–gas-shift reaction (RWGS). This was in support of the reaction sequence of methanol steam reforming followed by the RWGS. A power-law and a Langmuir–Hinselwood rate expression were developed for the reforming reaction by fitting the expressions to the experimental data. As the data were found to be affected by internal diffusion at high temperatures, the effectiveness factor of the catalyst particle was estimated in the fitting in order to obtain the intrinsic kinetics. Details of the estimation of the factor are elucidated. In order to predict a non-zero, finite rate in the absence of hydrogen, the hydrogen partial pressure term in the power-law expression was corrected by a fitted constant to avoid an infinite reaction rate, since the exponent of the hydrogen partial pressure was a negative number due to the hydrogen inhibition effect in the reforming; in the reaction mechanism for the Langmuir–Hinselwood expression, it was necessary to assume two different kinds of active sites on the catalyst: one for adsorbed methoxy and the other for adsorbed hydrogen. In addition, an excellent fitting of the data by the Langmuir–Hinselwood expression indicates that dehydrogenation of the adsorbed methoxy to the adsorbed oxymethylene is the rate-determining step (RDS), and that adsorption of all the species other than methoxy and hydrogen on the active sites is negligible.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: From the experimentations on triggering rules for Add-IP and Primary-Change during the handover, it is shown that the aggressive Add- IP and conservative Primary- change rules provide better throughput.
Abstract: In this letter, we discuss mobile Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) for soft handover in the transport layer. From the experimentations on triggering rules for Add-IP and Primary-Change during the handover, it is shown that the aggressive Add-IP and conservative Primary-Change rules provide better throughput.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In women as well as men, serum GGT level within its normal range predicted type 1 diabetes and may modify the well-known association between body mass index and type 2 diabetes.
Abstract: Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) concentration within its normal range has emerged as an important predictor in the pathogenesis of diabetes. We studied serum GGT as a predictor of type 2 diabetes incidence and a possible interaction between obesity and GGT on the development of type 2 diabetes in men and women. A prospective cohort study of 20,158 Finnish men and women aged 25-64 yr who participated in cardiovascular risk-factor surveys carried out in four areas during 10 yr. The average follow-up time was 12.7 yr, and there were 388 incident diabetes cases. Serum GGT cut points were at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles. Initiation of new diabetes medication defined incidence cases. After adjustment for known risk factors of type 2 diabetes, relative risks for incident diabetes across GGT categories were 1.0, 1.2, 2.3, 3.1, and 3.9 among men and 1.0, 0.8, 1.7, 3.5, and 6.4 among women (P for trend < 0.01, respectively). Body mass index appeared to be more strongly associated with type 2 diabetes in both men and women over age 50 yr with GGT median or greater, compared with subjects with GGT less than median. In conclusion, in women as well as men, serum GGT level within its normal range predicted type 2 diabetes and may modify the well-known association between body mass index and type 2 diabetes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: From the cell adhesion and migration assays, it was demonstrated that FITC labeling of peptides does not significantly deteriorate biological activity of the parent peptide drug (GRGDS).

Journal ArticleDOI
03 Apr 2004-Langmuir
TL;DR: Scanning electron microscopy studies show that Zn modification of SnO2 nanoparticles changes the film morphology from a compact mesoporous structure to a less dense macroporous structure, in contrast, Zn modifications of TiO 2 nanoparticles has no apparent influence on film morphology.
Abstract: Core−shell type nanoparticles with SnO2 and TiO2 cores and zinc oxide shells were prepared and characterized by surface sensitive techniques. The influence of the structure of the ZnO shell and the morphology of nanoparticle films on the performance was evaluated. X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies show the presence of thin ZnO-like shells around the nanoparticles at low Zn levels. In the case of SnO2 cores, ZnO nanocrystals are formed at high Zn/Sn ratios (ca. 0.5). Scanning electron microscopy studies show that Zn modification of SnO2 nanoparticles changes the film morphology from a compact mesoporous structure to a less dense macroporous structure. In contrast, Zn modification of TiO2 nanoparticles has no apparent influence on film morphology. For SnO2 cores, adding ZnO improves the solar cell efficiency by increasing light scattering and dye uptake and decreasing recombination. In contrast, adding a ZnO shell to the TiO2 core decreases the cell ef...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An enhancement to Chien et al.'s scheme enables users to change their passwords freely and securely without the help of a remote server, while also providing secure mutual authentication.
Abstract: Recently, Ku-Chen proposed an improvement to Chien et al.'s scheme to prevent from some weaknesses. However, the improved scheme is not only still susceptible to parallel session attack, but also insecure for changing the user's password in password change phase. Accordingly, the current paper presents an enhancement to resolve such problems. As a result, the proposed scheme enables users to change their passwords freely and securely without the help of a remote server, while also providing secure mutual authentication.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The efficacy of sliding mechanics with microscrew implant anchorage on the treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusion is discussed and the mandibular microscrew implants played an important role in improving the facial profile.
Abstract: Three cases are illustrated. One was treated with maxillary microscrew implants, another with mandibular microscrew implants, and the third with both maxillary and mandibular microscrew implants. With the maxillary microscrew implants, the maxillary anterior teeth were retracted bodily with a slight intrusion and all the premolar extraction space was closed without loss of anchorage. Furthermore, the maxillary posterior teeth showed distal movement. The mandibular microscrew implants controlled the vertical position of the mandibular posterior teeth and played an important role in improving the facial profile. The efficacy of sliding mechanics with microscrew implant anchorage on the treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusion is also discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that Runx2 mediates the functions of epithelial FGF signals regulating F gf3 expression in the dental mesenchyme and that Fgf3 may be a direct target gene of Runx 2.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined associations among colon cancer incidence and dietary intake of heme iron, a possible prooxidant, zinc, a possibly antioxidant, and alcohol, a disruptor of iron homeostasis.
Abstract: We examined associations among colon cancer incidence and dietary intake of heme iron, a possible prooxidant, zinc, a possible antioxidant, and alcohol, a disruptor of iron homeostasis. During 15 years of follow-up, 34 708 postmenopausal women, aged 55-69 years at baseline who completed a food-frequency questionnaire for the Iowa Women's Health Study, were followed for incident colon cancer. After adjusting for each micronutrient, the relative risks for proximal colon cancer increased more than twofold across categories of heme iron intake (P(trend) =.01) and the corresponding relative risks decreased more than 50% across categories for zinc intake (P(trend) =.01). The positive association with heme iron and the inverse association with zinc intake were stronger among women who consumed alcohol than among those who did not. Zinc intake was also associated with a decreased risk of distal colon cancer (P(trend) =.03), regardless of alcohol or heme iron consumption. Our results suggest that intake of dietary heme iron is associated with an increased risk of proximal colon cancer, especially among women who drink, but that intake of dietary zinc is associated with a decreased risk of both proximal and distal colon cancer.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of Al doping and an annealing treatment on electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated, and the optical transmittance of all films was higher than 80% in the visible range.
Abstract: Transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO thin films were prepared on silica glass substrates by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The effects of Al doping and an annealing treatment on electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated. Zinc acetate dihydrate, 2-methoxyethanol and aluminum chloride were used as a starting material, a solvent and a dopant source, respectively. The electrical conductivity of ZnO films was improved by Al doping and by annealing in a reducing atmosphere. The minimum electrical resistivity was obtained in the 3 at.% Al-doped film annealed at 500 °C in nitrogen with 5% hydrogen and its value was 1.71×10−2 Ω cm. The average optical transmittance of all films, regardless of a doping concentration and an annealing condition, was higher than 80% in the visible range. The optical direct band gap of films was dependent on the amount of a dopant and the annealing treatment in a reducing atmosphere. The optical direct band gap value of 3 at.% Al-doped films annealed at 500 °C in nitrogen were 3.33 eV.