A Case Study on Safe Blast Design with Vibration Analysis

Safe delicacy blasting is necessarily to decrease safe problems resulting from blasting but if designs to consider only safety, it is a problem not to ensure economical gains because the effect of blasting is decreased. Therefore, blasting vibration must be predicted to consider given circumstances and ground conditions before blasting work, and then a design based on predicted result must be done. In this study, the testing blasting was carried out in two fields within a country, and then measured data for testing blasting were collected. The effect for blasting vibration was analyzed as the property of distance, charging gunpowder capacity, surrounding conditions, and measured points. The test results were performed by back-analysis, and compared with previous research results. Therefore, it will be proposed an effective prediction and design

Chrysin suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression through the inhibition of nuclear factor for IL-6 (NF-IL6) DNA-binding activity

AbstractChrysin is a natural, biologically active compound extracted from many plants, honey and propolis. It possesses potent anti-inflammation, anti-cancer and anti-oxidation properties. The mechanism by which chrysin suppresses COX-2 expression remains poorly understood. In the present report, we investigated the effect of chrysin on the expression of COX-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated Raw 264.7 cells. Chrysin significantly suppressed the LPS-induced COX-2 protein and mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. The ability of chrysin to suppress the expression of the COX-2 was investigated using luciferase reporters controlled by various cis-elements in COX-2 promoter region. Mutational analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay verified that nuclear factor for IL-6 was identified as responsible for the chrysin-mediated COX-2 downregulation. These results will provide new insights into the anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties of chrysin

The C-terminal region of Bfl-1 sensitizes non-small cell lung cancer to gemcitabine-induced apoptosis by suppressing NF-κB activity and down-regulating Bfl-1

Gemcitabine is used to treat several cancers including lung cancer. However, tumor cells often escape gemcitabine-induced cell death via various mechanisms, which include modulating bcl-2 family members and NF-κB activation. We previously reported that the C-terminal region of Bfl-1 fused with GFP (BC) is sufficient to induce apoptosis in 293T cells. In the present study, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of combined BC gene therapy and gemcitabine chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo using non-small cell lung cancer cell lines and a xenograft model. Cell lines were resistant to low dose gemcitabine (4-40 ng/ml), which induced NF-κB activation and concomitant up-regulation of Bfl-1 (an NF-κB-regulated anti-apoptotic protein). BC induced the apoptosis of A549 and H157 cells with caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, co-treatment with BC and low dose gemcitabine synergistically and efficiently induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in these cells. When administered alone or with low dose gemcitabine, BC suppressed NF-κB activity, inhibited the nuclear translocation of p65/relA, and down-regulated Bfl-1 expression. Furthermore, direct suppression of Bfl-1 by RNA interference sensitized cells to gemcitabine-induced cell death, suggesting that Bfl-1 importantly regulates lung cancer cell sensitivity to gemcitabine. BC and gemcitabine co-treatment also showed a strong anti-tumor effect in a nude mouse/A549 xenograft model. These results suggest that lung cancer cells become resistant to gemcitabine via NF-κB activation and the subsequent overexpression of Bfl-1, and that BC, which has both pro-apoptotic and NF-κB inhibitory effects, could be harnessed as a gene therapy to complement gemcitabine chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

Insect Fauna of Island Gangwha-do with its nearby Islands, Incheon Metropolitan city, Korea

AbstractThis study was conducted to clarify the current status of insects of Is. Gangwha-do (Mt. Goryeo-san, 436 m) as well as some nearby islands (Is. Gyodong-do, Is. Boleum-do, Is. Jumun-do and Is. Seokmo-do (Mt. Haemyeong-san, 327 m)) through June and September, 2009. A total of 206 insects of 104 species of 38 families and 6 orders was investigated by this survey

Importance of remission and residual somatic symptoms in health-related quality of life among outpatients with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is strongly associated with an impaired quality of life (QoL), which is itself affected by various factors. Symptom-oriented ratings poorly reflect the impact of disease on the QoL and level of functioning of the mental health of subjects. The purpose of this study was to assess health-related QoL (HRQoL) using preference-based measures in outpatients with MDD with regard to their remission achievement and clinical factors affecting the HRQoL. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. We recruited 811 patients with MDD from 14 psychiatric outpatient clinics in Korea. They were divided into three groups as follows: a new visit group (n = 287), a remitted group (n = 235), and a non-remitted group (n = 289). The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assign patients to the remitted or non-remitted group. The general HRQoL was assessed with the EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D), using both the EQ-5D index score and the EuroQol Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS). The disease-specific HRQoL was assessed with the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF). Results: The non-remitted group showed a significant impairment of HRQoL in view of the subscales of EQ-5D index scores, EQ-VAS, and Q-LES-Q-SF. The EQ-5D index score in the remitted group was 0.77 ± 0.10, while it was 0.57 ± 0.23 in the non-remitted group and 0.58 ± 0.24 in the new visit group (p < 0.0001). The EQ-VAS scores for the remitted and non-remitted groups were 72.5 ± 16.6 and 50.9 ± 20.3, respectively (p < 0.0001). Likewise, patients with remission had the Q-LES-Q-SF total score of 46.5 ± 8.8, whereas those with non-remission reported 36.7 ± 7.7 (p < 0.0001). The symptom severity measured by the Depression and Somatic Symptoms Scale was significantly correlated with the HRQoL. Furthermore, patients with severe somatic symptoms showed a significantly lower EQ-5D index score (0.54 ± 0.24) than those with mild/moderate somatic symptoms (0.75 ± 0.12; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Non-remitted MDD patients, especially those with more severe somatic symptoms, show a distinct impairment of HRQoL and more clinical symptoms, suggesting the importance of achieving remission in the treatment of MDD

Transcatheter arterial embolization for traumatic mesenteric bleeding: a 15-year, single-center experience

PURPOSE:We aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for mesenteric bleeding following trauma.METHODS:From 2001 to 2015, 12 patients were referred to our interventional unit for mesenteric bleeding following trauma, based on clinical decisions and computed tomography (CT) images. After excluding one patient with no bleeding focus and one patient who underwent emergency surgery, a total of 10 patients (male:female ratio, 9:1; mean age, 52.1 years) who underwent super selective TAE of visceral arteries were included in this study. Technical and clinical success, complications, and 30-day mortality rate were analyzed.RESULTS:In 10 patients who underwent TAE, the types of trauma were motor vehicle collision (n=6), fall (n=2), assault (n=1), and penetrating injury (n=1), and the bleeding arteries were in the pancreaticoduodenal arterial arcade (n=4), jejunal artery (n=3), colic artery (n=2), and sigmoid artery (n=1). N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) (n=2), microcoils (n=2), and combinations of NBCA, microcoils, or gelatin sponge particles (n=6) were used as embolic agents. Technical success was achieved in all 10 patients, with immediate cessation of bleeding. Clinical success rate was 90% (9/10), and all patients were discharged with no further treatment required for mesenteric bleeding. However, one patient showed rebleeding 10 days later and underwent repeated TAE with successful result. There were no TAE-related ischemic complications such as bowel infarction. The 30-day mortality rate was 0%.CONCLUSION:Our clinical experience suggests that TAE used to control mesenteric bleeding following trauma is safe and effective as a minimally invasive alternative to surgery

Visual prognosis and surgical timing of Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation for neovascular glaucoma secondary to diabetic vitrectomy

Evaluate the visual outcomes of Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation (AGVI) in patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG) who underwent diabetic vitrectomy and suggest appropriate AGVI timing. Methods Medical records of patients who underwent AGVI due to NVG after diabetic vitrectomy were reviewed. Successful intraocular pressure (IOP) control was defined as an IOP between 6 and 21 mmHg. Visual outcome was compared before NVG diagnosis and after AGVI, and the favorable visual outcome was defined as a postoperative deterioration in BCVA of less than 0.3 logMAR units compared to those before the development of NVG. Various factors including surgical timing were evaluated to identify the risk factors associated with unfavorable visual outcome. Results A total of 35 eyes were enrolled and divided into group 1(medically uncontrolled NVG group, IOP more than 30mmHg, 16 eyes) and group 2(NVG group responded well to the initial non-surgical treatment but eventually required AGVI, 19 eyes). Despite the favorable rate of normalization of post-AGVI IOP (85.7%), 43.8% in Group 1 and 26.3% in Group 2 showed unfavorable visual outcomes. In group 1, delayed surgical timing more than 1 week from the NVG diagnosis showed a significant association with unfavorable visual outcomes (P = 0.041). In group 2, poor patient compliance (follow up loss, refuse surgery) was the main factor of unfavorable visual outcomes. Conclusion When NVG occurs in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy after vitrectomy, physicians should be cautious not to delay the surgical intervention, especially in patients with IOP of 30 or more despite non-surgical treatment. Early AGVI within six days might be necessary to preserve useful vision in these patients