Development and validation of the digestive function assessment instrument for traditional korean medicine: Sasang digestive function inventory

Objective. This study was conducted for development and validation of the Sasang Digestive Function Inventory (SDFI) with type-specific digestive function-related symptoms for identification of Sasang type and pathological pattern. Methods and Materials. We selected questionnaire items for pathophysiological symptoms using internal consistency analysis and examined construct validity using 193 healthy participants. Test-retest reliability with a four-week interval as well as convergent validity was examined using the Nepean Dyspepsia Index-Korean (NDIK), Functional Dyspepsia-Related Quality of Life (FDQOL), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Body Mass Index (BMI). Results. The 21-item SDFI showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.743) and test-retest reliability (, ). Three extracted subscales, SDFI-Digestion, SDFI-Appetite, and SDFI-Eating pattern, explained 56.02% of the total variance. The SDFI showed significant () correlation with total symptom score of NDIK, FDRQOL-Eating status, DEBQ-External Eating scale, and BMI. The SDFI score of the Tae-Eum () type was significantly () larger than that of the So-Eum () type. Conclusion. Current results demonstrated the reliability and validity of the SDFI and its subscales, which can be utilized as an objective instrument for diagnosis of Sasang types and assessment of the type-specific digestive function

Temperature dependence of Mott transition in VO_2 and programmable critical temperature sensor

The temperature dependence of the Mott metal-insulator transition (MIT) is studied with a VO_2-based two-terminal device. When a constant voltage is applied to the device, an abrupt current jump is observed with temperature. With increasing applied voltages, the transition temperature of the MIT current jump decreases. We find a monoclinic and electronically correlated metal (MCM) phase between the abrupt current jump and the structural phase transition (SPT). After the transition from insulator to metal, a linear increase in current (or conductivity) is shown with temperature until the current becomes a constant maximum value above T_{SPT}=68^oC. The SPT is confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements. Optical microscopy analysis reveals the absence of the local current path in micro scale in the VO_2 device. The current uniformly flows throughout the surface of the VO_2 film when the MIT occurs. This device can be used as a programmable critical temperature sensor.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Selective resolution of phonon modes in STM-IETS on clean and oxygen-adsorbed Cu(100) surfaces

The observation of surface phonon dispersion using local probes can provide important information related to local structural and thermal properties. In this study, surface phonon modes on a Cu(100) surface were measured using the inelastic tunneling spectroscopy of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM-IETS) with atomically sharp tips. Different phonon modes were selectively measured depending on the structures of the probing tips or the surfaces. Two different surface phonon modes, at 19.0 meV on a clean Cu(100) surface and at 13.5 meV on an oxygen-adsorbed Cu(100) surface, are explained by the selection rules. Additionally, the spatial variation in STM-IETS showed surface stress relaxation.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, supplementary material with 2 figure

Markedly enhanced intratumoral spread and antitumor effect of oncolytic adenovirus expressing decorin

With the aim of improving viral distribution and tumor penetration, we have engineered decorin expressing replication-incompetent (dl-LacZ-DCNG) and -competent (Ad-[DELTA]E1B-DCNG) adenoviruses. In both tumor spheroids and established solid tumors in vivo, administration of dl-LacZ-DCNG resulted in greater transduction efficiency and viral spread throughout the tumor mass. Ad-[DELTA]E1B-DCNG also enhanced viral distribution and tumor spread, leading to an increased anti-tumor effect and survival advantage. Upon histological analysis, Ad-[DELTA]E1B-DCNG also elicited greater percentage of apoptotic cells and extensive necrosis compared to those from untreated or control virus-treated tumors. Furthermore, Ad-[DELTA]E1B-DCNG substantially decreased extracellular matrix components within the tumor tissue, while normal tissue adjacent to the tumor was not affected. Finally, intratumoral administration of Ad-[DELTA]E1B-DCNG did not enhance but inhibited the formation of pulmonary metastases of B16BL6 melanoma cells in mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate the utility of decorin as a dispersion agent and suggest its utility and potential in improving the efficacy of replicating adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy