Jeong-ah Shin

PURPOSE: Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) has emerged as a major cause of nosocomial pneumonia and sepsis in seriously ill patients. Multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB) is increasing in frequency, and the management of it's infections is consequently difficult. Therefore, tigecycline is considered to be the drug of choice for MDRAB treatment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the microbiological eradication and clinical effectiveness of tigecycline against MDRAB in seriously ill pa

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is one of the most common forms of inherited visual loss with the initial degeneration of rod photoreceptors, followed by a progressive cone photoreceptor deterioration. Coinciding with this visual loss, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is reorganized, which alters matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity levels. A potential pathological role of MMPs, MMP-9 in particular, involves an excitotoxicity-mediated physiological response. In the current study, we examine the MMP-9

Tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) is a signal transcription factor of transporters such as sodium-myo-inositol cotransporter (SMIT), aldose reductase. TonEBP has a variety of functions such as control of intracellular osmolytes and immunomodulating. It is known that TonEBP is abundant in the placenta, but location and function aren't known. The aim of this study is to describe the localization of TonEBP in the placenta. We assayed the immunohistochemistry of TonEBP and perfor

BACKGROUND: Normal fetal development requires adequate folate levels during pregnancy. Although folate metabolic enzymes have important roles in the maintenance of normal fetal development, the location of folate metabolic enzymes, methionine synthase (MTR) and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), has not been previously examined. METHODS: We investigated the expression of MTR and MTHFR in human term placenta obtained from normal and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) patients. RE

Purpose: Recently, interest in chitosan has increased due to its excellent biological properties such as biocompatibility, antibacterial effect, and rapid healing capacity. On the other hand, hydroxyapatite is used as a bone substitute in the fields of orthopedics and dentistry. The hydroxyapatite-chitosan (HA-CS) complex containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles was developed for synergy of both biomaterials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydroxyapatite (HA)-chitosan (

Biomass, tissue (foliage, stem. and root) nutrient concentration, and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) were determined for 1-year-old Pinus densiflora, Larix leptolepis and Betula platyphvlla var. japonica seedlings in a greenhouse under nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization treatments. There were no consistent patterns in the effect of fertilization on seedling growth, however, in most cases the addition of N and P had no stimulating effect on biomass. In general, seedling tissue N and P c

OBJECTIVES: Postnatal brain development is affected by the in utero environment. Modern people usually have a high sodium intake. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium hyperingestion during pregnancy on the postnatal brain development of rat offspring. METHODS: The sodium-overloaded rats received 1.8% NaCl in their drinking water for 7 days during the last week of gestation. Their body weight, urine, and blood levels of sodium and other parameters were measured. Some rats

Purpose: Recently, interest in chitosan has increased due to its excellent biological properties such as biocompatibility, antibacterial effect, and rapid healing capacity. On the other hand, hydroxyapatite is used as a bone substitute in the fields of orthopedics and dentistry. The hydroxyapatite-chitosan (HA-CS) complex containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles was developed for synergy of both biomaterials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydroxyapatite (HA)-chitosan (

The nature and intensity of visual stimuli have changed in recent years because of television and other dynamic light sources. Although light stimuli accompanied by contrast and strength changes are thought to have an influence on visual system development, little information is available on the effects of dynamic light stimuli such as a strobe light on visual system development. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate changes caused by dynamic light stimuli during retinal development. This st

Although iron is a vital component in the body, excessive iron leads to iron toxicity, which affects vital organs. In particular, the liver is considerably affected by iron toxicity because it stores the highest amount of iron in the body. Nonetheless, the relationship between iron overload and aging in the liver has not yet been clearly identified. This study aimed to observe the effects of aging on iron overload in the liver. Female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into vehicle control and

The modern-day population is overexposed to visual stimuli accompanied by contrast and strength changes, such as the television or videogames, beginning early in life. These light stimuli may have an influence on the development of the visual system. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of light stimuli on retinal development. We reared guinea pigs under a daily 12-h strobe light (2Hz)/dark cycle from birth, while control animals were reared under a 12-h light/dark cycle. The ani

Background/Objectives: Although essential for oxygen transport and DNA synthesis, excess iron is toxic and can damage organs such as the kidneys. Research has shown that iron overload induces kidney injury, and aging contributes to kidney dysfunction through functional and structural changes. The interaction between iron overload and aging remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated their combined effects on renal microstructure and function using an iron-dextran-injected mouse