Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

Shazwina Zaky Binti Nublan Zak 한국콘텐츠학회 2015 ICCC International Digital Design Invitation Exhib Vol.2015 No.12

The Effectiveness of a Tangible Game-based Learning on Kindergarten Children

Shazwina Zaky Binti Nublan Zak,Il-Yang Hong 한국콘텐츠학회 2017 한국콘텐츠학회 ICCC 논문집 Vol.2017 No.12

Viral Infections and Associated Factors That Promote Acute Exacerbations of Asthma

김창근,Zak Callaway,James E. Gern 대한천식알레르기학회 2018 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.10 No.1

Despite asthma being the most common chronic childhood ailment, there is still much to learn about the disease. Early childhood infections with well-known or emerging viruses can lay the pathophysiologic framework for asthma development and exacerbation later in life, which may be due partly to alteration of the airway microbiome. Once asthma is established, acute exacerbations are usually associated with infections with respiratory viruses, such as rhinoviruses (RVs). Once again, there are bidirectional interactions between viruses and airway bacteria that appear to influence the severity of illness and the likelihood of exacerbation. Studies employing recent advances in viral and bacterial identification analytic techniques will clarify these new concepts and may provide the basis for new treatments or prevention or respiratory infection-associated exacerbation. This paper is a review of the associations among respiratory viruses, bacteria, inflammatory mechanisms, and asthma exacerbation.

Montelukast Reduces Serum Levels of Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin in Preschool Asthma

김창근,Zak Callaway,박진성,Hisashi Nishimori,Tikatoshi Ogino,Mizuho Nagao,다카오후지사와 대한천식알레르기학회 2018 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.10 No.6

Purpose: Several markers for eosinophilic inflammation have been proposed to predictresponse to asthma treatment. However, definitive criteria for treatment decisions have notyet been established. We investigate a potentially useful relatively non-invasive biomarker,eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), to predict favorable responses to budesonide ormontelukast, common treatment for children with asthma. Methods: Young children (1 to 6 years old) were enrolled in this randomized, parallel,2-group, open-label trial. Criteria for eligibility included: 1) being symptomatic during therun-in period; and 2) having a serum EDN (sEDN) level ≥ 53 ng/mL, with positive specificimmunoglobulin E to house dust mite. Eligible patients were randomly placed into 2 groups:the BIS group received budesonide inhalation suspension (BIS) 0.5 mg once daily; the MONTgroup received montelukast 4 mg once daily. Ineligible patients were invited to receivemontelukast 4 mg once daily (OBS group). Treatment period was 12 weeks. Results: Asthma control days increased significantly in the BIS and MONT groups (P < 0.000)over the 12-week study period. There was no significant change in sEDN in the BIS group butthere was a significant decrease in the MONT group (P < 0.000). Patients in the OBS groupwith high EDN levels (> 53 ng/mL) showed a significant decrease due to MONT treatment(P = 0.023). Rescue medication usage significantly decreased in the BIS and MONT groups(P < 0.000). Conclusions: EDN is a useful relatively non-invasive biomarker for predicting responses tomontelukast and budesonide treatment of preschool children with beta2-agonist responsiverecurrent wheeze and multiple-trigger wheeze (Trial registry at UMIN Clinical Trials Registry,UMIN000008335).

Multicenter Adherence Study of Asthma Medication for Children in Korea

김창근,Zak Callaway,최준기,김효빈,권은미,장윤석,나영호,홍수종,오재원,김현희,임대현,김성원,박강서,조용훈,정해리,박희주,정상근,강임주,현명철,오무영,정진아,김명성,심정연,김진택,고영율 대한천식알레르기학회 2019 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.11 No.2

Purpose: Adherence is a major component of successful medical treatment. However, non-adherence remains a barrier to effective delivery of healthcare worldwide. Methods: Twenty healthcare facilities (secondary or tertiary hospitals) belonging to the Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Diseases (KAPARD) participated. Questionnaires were given to patients currently receiving treatment in the form of inhalant useor oral intake or transdermal patch for mild to moderate asthma. Results: A total of 1,838 patients responded to the questionnaire. Mean age was 5.98 ± 3.79 years (range: 0-18 years). With help from their caregivers, the percentage of patients that answered “taking as prescribed” was 38.04% for inhalant users, 50.09% for oral medication users and 67.42% for transdermal users. Transdermal patch users had significantly greater adherence compared to the other 2 groups (P < 0.001). The 34.15% of inhalant users, 70.33% of oral medication users and 93.00% of transdermal patch users felt that their medication delivery system was “Easy” or “Very easy” to use (P < 0.001). “Method of administration” was deemed to be the most difficult part of the treatment regimen to follow, and 76.7% of patients preferred once-daily administration (i.e., “Frequency of administration”). Conclusions: Asthma medication adherence in young children was found to be better in the transdermal patch group. This may be due to requiring fewer doses and easy to follow instructions. From an adherence point of view, the transdermal patch seems more useful for long-term asthma control in children compared to oral or inhaled medicine.

Fatal and Near-fatal Cases of Lower Respiratory Tract Infection with Human Rhinovirus Group A

윤정림,최준기,Zak Callaway,김효빈,김창근 대한 소아알레르기 호흡기학회 2010 Allergy Asthma & Respiratory Disease Vol.20 No.1

Human rhinoviruses (HRV) mostly cause mild and self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections. We report 2 infants with acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, 1 of whom deteriorated to death. The causal pathogen was HRV group A confirmed by multiplex-PCR. In Korea, this is the first report of severe respiratory failure caused by HRV group A during the same season.

A Chemical Chaperone-Based Drug Candidate is Effective in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Getter, Tamar,Zaks, Ilana,Barhum, Yael,Ben-Zur, Tali,Bö,selt, Sebastian,Gregoire, Simpson,Viskind, Olga,Shani, Tom,Gottlieb, Hugo,Green, Omer,Shubely, Moran,Senderowitz, Hanoch,Israelson, Adrian,K Wiley (John WileySons) 2015 ChemMedChem Vol.10 No.5

<P>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective death of motor neurons and skeletal muscle atrophy. The majority of ALS cases are acquired spontaneously, with inherited disease accounting for only 10?% of all cases. Recent studies provide compelling evidence that aggregates of misfolded proteins underlie both types of ALS. Small molecules such as artificial chaperones can prevent or even reverse the aggregation of proteins associated with various human diseases. However, their very high active concentration (micromolar range) severely limits their utility as drugs. We synthesized several ester and amide derivatives of chemical chaperones. The lead compound 14, 3-((5-((4,6-dimethylpyridin-2-yl)methoxy)-5-oxopentanoyl)oxy)-N,N-dimethylpropan-1-amine oxide shows, in the micromolar concentration range, both neuronal and astrocyte protective effects in vitro; at daily doses of 10?mg?kg(-1) 14 improved the neurological functions and delayed body weight loss in ALS mice. Members of this new chemical chaperone derivative class are strong candidates for the development of new drugs for ALS patients.</P>

Clinical and Epidemiological Comparison of Human Metapneumovirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Seoul, Korea, 2003-2008

김창근,최준기,Zak Callaway,김효빈,정주영,고영률,신보문 대한의학회 2010 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.25 No.3

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) shares clinical and epidemiological characteristics with well-known respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and epidemiological differences between HMPV- and RSVinduced wheezing illnesses. A total of 1,008 nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens was collected from 1,008 pediatric patients hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infection at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital from December 2003 to April 2008,and tested for seven common respiratory viruses. Conditions classified as wheezing illness were bronchiolitis, reactive airways disease, and bronchial asthma. HMPV caused a significantly lower proportion of wheezing illness when compared to RSV (48.1% vs. 82.2%, P<0.05). HMPV-induced wheezing illness occurred predominantly in older patients when compared to RSV patients (P<0.001). RSV infections peaked in the fall and winter followed by peaks of HMPV infection in winter and spring. Eosinophil counts were significantly higher (P<0.01) in RSV patients when compared to HMPV patients. These results show that human metapneumovirus patients exhibit several different clinical and epidemiological characteristics, such as higher proportion of wheezing illness, age and seasonal incidence, and eosinophil counts,when compared to RSV patients.

Nonlinear FE modelling and parametric study on flexural performance of ECC beams

Hind M. Kh,Mustafa Özakça,Talha Ekmekyapar 국제구조공학회 2017 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.62 No.1

Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is a special class of the new generation of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) featuring high ductility with relatively low fiber content. In this research, the mechanical performance of ECC beams will be investigated with respect to the effect of slag and aggregate size and amount, by employing nonlinear finite element method. The validity of the models was verified with the experimental results of the ECC beams under monotonic loading. Based on the numerical analysis method, nonlinear parametric study was then conducted to evaluate the influence of the ECC aggregate content (AC), ECC compressive strength (fECC), maximum aggregate size (Dmax) and slag amount (ϕ) parameters on the flexural stress, deflection, load and strain of ECC beams. The simulation results indicated that when increase the slag and aggregate size and content no definite trend in flexural strength is observed and the ductility of ECC is negatively influenced by the increase of slag and aggregate size and content. Also, the ECC beams revealed enhancement in terms of flexural stress, strain, and midspan deflection when compared with the reference beam (microsilica MSC), where, the average improvement percentage of the specimens were 61.55%, 725%, and 879%, respectively. These results are quite similar to that of the experimental results, which provides that the finite element model is in accordance with the desirable flexural behaviour of the ECC beams. Furthermore, the proposed models can be used to predict the flexural behaviour of ECC beams with great accuracy.

Shear center for elastic thin-walled composite beams

Pollock, Gerry D.,Zak, Adam R.,Hilton, Harry H.,Ahmad, M. Fouad Techno-Press 1995 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.3 No.1

An analysis to determine shear centers for anisotropic elastic thin-walled composite beams, cantilevered and loaded transversely at the free end is presented. The shear center is formulated based on familiar strength of material procedures analogous to those for isotropic beams. These procedures call for a balancing of torsional moments on the cross sectional surface and lead to a condition of zero resultant torsional couple. As a consequence, due the presence of anisotropic coupling, certain non-classical effects are manifested and are illustrated in two example problems. The most distinguishing result is that twisting may occur for composite beams even if shear forces are applied at the shear center. The derived shear center locations do not depend on any specific anisotropic bending theories per se, but only on the values of bending and shear stresses which such theories produce.