The Effect of Institutional Mechanisms Under the Uncertain Environment : The Case of the Venture Firm Recognition System in South Korea and Its Implications for the Failure of Institutions

The attempt to expand small business enterprise in South Korea is in peril. After the 1997 financial crisis, while economic circumstances in the country were still highly uncertain, the government intervened in the diffusion of venture business firms, which were a newly emerging form of small business in South Korea. I argue that the Korean government's system of selecting prominent venture firms succeeded in increasing the number of venture businesses in Korea, but that, while trying to do so in a very short time, it also endorsed firms which were hardly promising. Using the Cox proportional hazard model as my main research tool, I find that when the criteria of endorsement are ambiguous, firms exposed to higher environmental uncertainty and showing poor market performance tend to acquire government's endorsement more quickly. Consequently, as the number of marginal firms among the endorsed venture businesses increased, it hurt the legitimacy of the government's initiatives to support venture business. The Korean government decided to scrap the system by 2006, earlier than previously planned

Clinical characteristics and treatment modalities of vulvovaginal atrophy in genitourinary syndrome of menopause

Background: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) causes symptoms such as vaginal dryness, dysuria, repetitive urinary tract infection and urinary urgency may affect daily activities, sexual relationships, and overall quality of life. The aim of the study was to provide the clinical characteristics of VVA patients in South Korea and the effectiveness as well as complications of the currently used low dose estrogen vaginal suppository.Methods: 52 women who has visited the outpatient gynecology clinic of the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were recruited as study subjects. For the analysis of the clinical characteristics, subjective symptoms described by the patient’s own words such as vaginal dryness, pain, dysuria, dyspareunia, or no symptoms at all were included. Objective signs such as thinning of vaginal rugae, mucosal dryness, and mucosal fragility and the presence of petechiae were recorded.Results: Vaginal dryness was the most common complaint (92.3%). Thinning of the vaginal rugae was the most commonly noted objective sign (73.1%). Of the 52 subjects, 31 (59.6%) refrained from using the low dose estrogen vaginal suppository. The most common reason for not being able to use the suppository was the inability to insert the suppository (32.3%).Conclusions: Although patient-reported symptoms and clinical objectivity through physical examination are two components in diagnosing VVA, further study is warranted for a more objective and discriminatory diagnosis criteria for VVA. As the only available treatment modality was low dose vaginal estrogen suppository, comparison with other treatment modalities were not available

Effects of Angelica gigas

We investigated the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating the effects of Angelica gigas Nakai extract (AGNE) through the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)/NF-κB pathway using in vitro and in vivo atopic dermatitis (AD) models. We examined the effects of AGNE on the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in human mast cell line-1 (HMC-1) cells. Compound 48/80-induced pruritus and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene- (DNCB-) induced AD-like skin lesion mouse models were also used to investigate the antiallergic effects of AGNE. AGNE reduced histamine secretion, production of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin- (IL-) 1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, and expression of cyclooxygenase- (COX-) 2 in HMC-1 cells. Scratching behavior and DNCB-induced AD-like skin lesions were also attenuated by AGNE administration through the reduction of serum IgE, histamine, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6 levels, and COX-2 expression in skin tissue from mouse models. Furthermore, these inhibitory effects were mediated by the blockade of the MAPKs and NF-κB pathway. The findings of this study proved that AGNE improves the scratching behavior and atopy symptoms and reduces the activity of various atopy-related mediators in HMC-1 cells and mice model. These results suggest the AGNE has a therapeutic potential in anti-AD

COMPARISON OF VOLATILE COMPOSITION OF SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE EXTRACT FROM RHIZOMES OF KOREAN MEDICINAL PLANT 'CHUN-KUNG' (CNIDIUM OFFICINALE MAKINO) BY DIRECT-AND SPME-GC/MS

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the volatile composition of supercritical fluid extract (SFE) obtained from Cnidium officinale Makino rhizomes. Methods: GC/MS analyses were carried out with the direct- and solid phase microextraction (SPME) of SFE obtained from rhizomes. In addition, GC/MS analysis was performed for the rhizomes of C. officinale using SPME. Results: SPME-GC/MS analysis of the rhizomes revealed the separation of 23 components. Among these, β-phellandrene (20.38%), dictyotene (12.98%), β-pinene (10.59%), β-selinene (9.45%), eugenol (7.71%) and β-farnesene (7.09%) were found to be major components. In the SFE analyzed by direct-GC/MS, linoleic acid (19.26%), 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (18.98%), hexadecanoic acid (12.15%), and β-selinene (9.44%) were identified as major components. Whereas, 3,4-dihydrocoumarin (16.94%), shyobunone (14.07%), dictyotene (10.65%), p-cresol (10.17%), zierone (6.36%) and umbellulone (5.71%) were major components in the SFE analyzed by SPME-GC/MS. Conclusion: The present study clearly suggested that the SPME-GC/MS analysis of SFE provided the separation of more number with diverse groups of compounds than the direct-GC/MS

SCYL2 Genes Are Involved in Clathrin-Mediated Vesicle Trafficking and Essential for Plant Growth

Protein transport between organelles is an essential process in all eukaryotic cells and is mediated by the regulation of processes such as vesicle formation, transport, docking, and fusion. In animals, SCY1-LIKE2 (SCYL2) binds to clathrin and has been shown to play roles in trans-Golgi network-mediated clathrin-coated vesicle trafficking. Here, we demonstrate that SCYL2A and SCYL2B, which are Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) homologs of animal SCYL2, are vital for plant cell growth and root hair development. Studies of the SCYL2 isoforms using multiple single or double loss-of-function alleles show that SCYL2B is involved in root hair development and that SCYL2A and SCYL2B are essential for plant growth and development and act redundantly in those processes. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and a beta-glucuronidase-aided promoter assay show that SCYL2A and SCYL2B are differentially expressed in various tissues. We also show that SCYL2 proteins localize to the Golgi, trans-Golgi network, and prevacuolar compartment and colocalize with Clathrin Heavy Chain1 (CHC1). Furthermore, bimolecular fluorescence complementation and coimmunoprecipitation data show that SCYL2B interacts with CHC1 and two Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptors (SNAREs): Vesicle Transport through t-SNARE Interaction11 (VTI11) and VTI12. Finally, we present evidence that the root hair tip localization of Cellulose Synthase-Like D3 is dependent on SCYL2B. These findings suggest the role of SCYL2 genes in plant cell developmental processes via clathrin-mediated vesicle membrane trafficking.11Ysciescopu

Serum Levels of LL-37 and Inflammatory Cytokines in Plaque and Guttate Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. It is assumed that the plaque phenotype of psoriasis is associated with T helper (Th) 1 immune response activation, while the guttate phenotype is associated with the Th17 immune response. Previous investigations of differences in the serum levels of cytokines relative to the clinical psoriatic phenotype have yielded conflicting results. This study compared the levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines and LL-37 relative to the morphological phenotype in patients with psoriasis. Seventy-four age-matched patients with psoriasis (32 with guttate psoriasis and 42 with plaque psoriasis) and 12 healthy controls were included. A multiplex cytokine assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure levels of Th1- and Th17-derived cytokines and LL-37, respectively. Circulating levels of interferon- (IFN)-γ, interleukin- (IL)-1RA, IL-2, and IL-23, and LL-37 were significantly higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy controls. However, the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-7, IL-22, and IL-23) and LL-37 did not differ significantly between the guttate and plaque phenotypes of psoriasis. There was a positive correlation between serum inflammatory cytokine levels and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score. The findings of this study suggest that the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines reflect the disease activity rather than determine the morphological phenotype