• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.173-181
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• 2012

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative neck lymph node (LN) assessment with $^{18}F$-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ($^{18}F$-FDG PET), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients with pathologically positive LN. Materials and Methods: In total, 47 OSCC patients with pathologically positive LN were retrospectively reviewed with preoperative $^{18}F$-FDG PET and CT/MRI. All patients underwent surgical resection, neck dissection and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy between March 2002 and October 2010. Histologic correlation was performed for findings of $^{18}F$-FDG PET and CT/MRI. Results: Thirty-six (76.6%) of 47 cases were correctly diagnosed with neck LN metastasis by $^{18}F$-FDG PET and 32 (68.1%) of 47 cases were correctly diagnosed by CT/MRI. Follow-up ranged from 20 to 114 months (median, 56 months). Clinically negative nodal status evaluated by $^{18}F$-FDG PET or CT/MRI revealed a trend toward better clinical outcomes in terms of overall survival, disease-free survival, local recurrence-free survival, regional nodal recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival rates even though the trends were not statistically significant. However, there was no impact of neck node standardized uptake value ($SUV_{max}$) on clinical outcomes. Notably, $SUV_{max}$ showed significant correlation with tumor size in LN (p < 0.01, $R^2$ = 0.62). PET and CT/MRI status of LN also had significant correlation with the size of intranodal tumor deposit (p < 0.05, $R^2$ = 0.37 and p < 0.01, $R^2$ = 0.48, respectively). Conclusion: $^{18}F$-FDG PET and CT/MRI at the neck LNs might improve risk stratification in OSCC patients with pathologically positive neck LN in this study, even without significant prognostic value of $SUV_{max}$.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.83-94
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to determine the best probability distributions of annual, seasonal and monthly precipitation in Korea. Data observed at 32 stations in Korea were analyzed using the L-moment ratio diagram and the average weighted distance (AWD) to identify the best probability distributions of each precipitation. The probability distribution was best represented by 3-parameter Weibull distribution (W3) for the annual precipitation, 3-parameter lognormal distribution (LN3) for spring and autumn seasons, and generalized extreme value distribution (GEV) for summer and winter seasons. The best probability distribution models for monthly precipitation were LN3 for January, W3 for February and July, 2-parameter Weibull distribution (W2) for March, generalized Pareto distribution (GPA) for April, September, October and November, GEV for May and June, and log-Pearson type III (LP3) for August and December. However, from the goodness-of-fit test for the best probability distributions of the best fit, GPA for April, September, October and November, and LN3 for January showed considerably high reject rates due to computational errors in estimation of the probability distribution parameters and relatively higher AWD values. Meanwhile, analyses using data from 55 stations including additional 23 stations indicated insignificant differences to those using original data. Further studies using more long-term data are needed to identify more optimal probability distributions for each precipitation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.646-656
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• 2004

Background : The aim of this study was to elucidate the mediastinal lymphatic drainage of nonsmall- cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods : We retrospectively analyzed the frequency of enlarged mediastinal lymph node (LN) in 256 NSCLC patients with N2 or N3 diseases on CT scan, especially with respect to the location of primary tumor. Results : In 57 patients with right upper lobe (RUL) tumors, right lower paratracheal LN (89.5%) was the most commonly enlarged, followed by subcarinal LN (54.4%). In 61 patients with left upper lobe (LUL) tumors, left lower paratracheal (70.5%) and subaortic LNs (52.5%) were commonly enlarged. Subcarinal LN enlargement without ipsilateral superior mediastinal LN enlargement was rarely found in both upper lobe tumors; RUL 8.8%, LUL 6.6%. In patients with right or left lower lobe (RLL or LLL) tumors, the most commonly enlarged LN was subcarinal; 88.2%, 65.7%, respectively. In RLL tumors with both subcarinal and superior mediastinal LN enlargements, the frequency of ipsilateral superior mediastinal LN involvement was similar to that of bilateral superior mediastinal involvement. In LLL tumors with both subcarinal and superior mediastinal LN enlargements, bilateral superior mediastinal involvement was more frequent than ipsilateral superior mediastinal involvement. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that both upper lobe tumors are mainly drained directly to ipsilateral superior mediastinal LNs, and that both lower lobe lesions are drained to superior mediastinal LN via subcarinal LNs.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.239-241
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• 2014

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.3777-3787
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• 2012

Three kinds of 3D isomorphous and isostructural coordination polymers, namely, $\{[Ln_2(PDA)_3(H_2O)_3]{\cdot}0.25H_2O\}_{\infty}$ (Ln = La(1), Sm(2), and Gd(3)) ($PDA^{2-}$ = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate anion) have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, thermal analyses and single crystal X-ray diffraction. In these MOFs, Ln(III) centers adopt eight-coordinated and nine-coordinated with the $N_1O_7$ and $N_2O_7$ donor sets to construct distorted trianglar dodecahedron geometry and tricapped trigonal prism configurations, respectively. Based on the building block of tetranuclear homometallic $Ln_4C_4O_8$ unit (16-membered ring), 1-3 are connected into highly ordered 2D sheets via O-C-O linkers and further constructed into 3D architectures through hydrogen bonds. Crystallographic parameters suggest that the lanthanide contraction effect exist in these coordination polymers. Luminescent properties of the lanthanide-based MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) have been measured at room temperature, which reveal that they presenting ionselective characters toward certain metals, such as $Mg^{2+}$, $Cd^{2+}$ and $Pb^{2+}$ ions.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2008

Objectives : The aim of our study was to demonstrate the clinical application of a diagnosis relating the 7-zone-diagnostic system and heart rate variability. Materials and Methods : Subjects were divided into two groups according to the factor AA form of the 7-zone-diagnostic system(VEGA-DFM722, VEGA, Germany). Subjects in group A showed a factor-AA red bar graph in which zone 2 was higher than the normal range, and zone 6 was lower than the normal range. Subjects in group B showed a factor-AA red bar graph in which zone 2 was lower than the normal range, and zone 6 was higher than the normal range. We investigated how to differentiate the index of heart-rate variability(HRV, LX-3202, LAXTHA, Korea) for each group. We did independent sample t-tests and evaluated the results of the HRV at the 5% significance level using SPSS 10.0 for Windows. Results : The differences of the MeanRR, MeanHRV, SDNN, complexity, HRV-index, RMSSD, SDSD, and pNN50 values between the groups was not significant. The differences of the Ln(TP), Ln(VLF), Ln(HF), LF/(LF+HF), LF/HF, norm LF, and norm HF values between the groups was also not significant. The differences were not significant, but generally the values of SDNN, complexity, RMSSD, SDSD, Ln(VLF), Ln(HF) and norm LF for group B were higher than those for group A, and the values of pNN50 and norm HF for group B were lower than those for group A. Conclusions : This study suggests that differences in the HRV values between the groups was not significant, but group B has a tendency to be healthier than group A because of stress. Accordingly, further study will be required.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5655-5661
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• 2015

Purpose: To assess the role of two adjuvant chemotherapy regimens, anthracycline-based and CMF on disease free survival and overall survival breast cancer patients by meta-analysis approach in Eastern Mediterranean and Asian countries to determine which is more effective and evaluate the appropriateness and efficiency of two different proposed statistical models. Materials and Methods: Survival curves were digitized and the survival proportions and times were extracted and modeled to appropriate covariates by two multivariate mixed effects models. Studies which reported disease free survival and overall survival curves for anthracycline-based or CMF as adjuvant chemotherapy that were published in English in the Eastern Mediterranean region and Asia were included in this systematic review. The two transformations of survival probabilities (Ln (-Ln(S)) and Ln(S/ (1-S))) as dependent variables were modeled by a multivariate mixed model to same covariates in order to have precise estimations with high power and appropriate interpretation of covariate effects. The analysis was carried out with SAS Proc MIXED and STATA software. Results: A total of 32 studies from the published literature were analysed, covering 4,092 patients who received anthracycline-based and 2,501 treated with CMF for the disease free survival and in order to analyze the overall survival, 13 studies reported the overall survival curves in which 2,050 cases were treated with anthracycline-based and 1,282 with CMF regimens. Conclusions: The findings illustrated that the model with dependent variable Ln (-Ln(S)) had more precise estimations of the covariate effects and showed significant difference between the effects of two adjuvant chemotherapy regimens. Anthracycline-based treatment gave better disease free survival and overall survival. As an IPD meta-analysis in the Italy the results of Angelo et al in 2011 also confirmed that anthracycline-based regimens were more effective for survival of breast cancer patients. The findings of Zare et al 2012 on disease free survival curves in Asia also provided similar evidence.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.241-250
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• 2009

Objectives : To study autonomic nervous system dysfunction of Low Back Pain(LBP) patients, using spectral analysis of Heart Rate Variability(HRV). Methods : HRV of 190 patients was measured and seperated into two groups, those with LBP(n=95) and healthy controls(n=95). HRV was measured by SA-6000(Medicore, Korea) for 5 minutes after 5 minutes' resting. Results : 1. Mean heart rate(MHRT) of the experimental group was slightly higher than that of the control group, but did not show significant difference(P=0.428). The square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal-to-normal intervals(RMSSD), logarithmic very low frequency power(Ln VLF) and low frequency power/high frequency power ratio(LH/HF ratio) were not significantly low between experimental group and control group(P=0.16, 0.130, 0.537). 2. The standard deviation of all the normal-to-normal intervals(SDNN), logarithmic total power(Ln TP), logarithmic low frequency power(Ln LF) and logarithmic high frequency power(Ln HF) were significantly low between experimental group and control group(P=0.03, 0.005, 0.001, 0.007). 3. Ln LF of acute group was significantly low compared with those of chronic group(P= 0.039). Conclusions : This study suggests the activity and imbalance of autonomic nervous system in LBP is low. Also sympathetic nervous system of acute LBP is lower than that of chronic LBP. Further study of HRV related to LBP is needed in the clinical medicine.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.33-41
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• 2021

Background/Objectives: Extra-nodal extension (ENE) is one of the strongest prognosticators in oral cancers. Here we tried to evaluate clinicopathological factors associated with the presence of ENE. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical information of 120 patients who diagnosed with oral cancer and received curative surgery at our hospital from Mar 2012 to Apr 2020. We comparatively analyzed clinicopathological factors associated with the presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis and ENE, respectively. Results: Variable factors of primary tumor characteristics such as lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, largest diameter of tumor, depth of invasion and maximum standardized uptake value were significantly associated with the presence of cervical LN metastasis. The largest diameter of tumor was statistically significant also in multivariate analysis for predicting the LN metastasis. Meanwhile, the association between primary tumor characteristics and the presence of ENE were not statistically significant except the primary tumor size. Importantly, factors associated with LN characteristics including the maximum diameter and number of metastatic LNs were significantly associated with ENE. Conclusion: In this study, several factors affecting cervical LN metastasis and ENE in oral cancer patients were identified. The ENE seems to be influenced by the status of the metastatic LNs, such as the number of metastatic LNs, rather than the characteristics of the primary tumor itself.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.324-330
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• 1996

We examined the formal oxidation states of Pb and Cu in the Pb2CuO4 slab of Pb2Sr2ACu3O8(A=Y1-xCaxor Nd1-xSrx) and their possible changes by oxygen incorporation in the Cu layer of the slab by performing tight-binding band electronic structure calculations on the Pb2CuO4+δ slab. Our results show that the most likely oxidation state of Pb is +2 and that of Cu is +1 for the Pb2CuO4 slab prior to oxidation. With small δ values, the oxygen incorporation occurs by the formation of such chain fragments as in YBa2Cu3O7-y along the a+b axis. The four-coordinate Cu atoms in the chain fragments are in the +3 oxidation states. For values of δ larger than 0.5, however, an additional oxygen (Oad) goes to the site along the b axis to form short Pb-Oad distances oxidizing Pb2+ to Pb4+. This change in the Pb oxidation state leads to the suppression of superconductivity due to the decrease of holes in the CuO2 layer.