• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.768-774
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• 1999

Background: It is well known that rifampin decreases the hypoprothrombinemic effect of warfarin by induction of cytochrome P-450 enzyme in healthy volunteer. However, in patients the dosage schedule of warfarin during rifampin therapy is not established. Therefore, patients taking both rifampin and warfarin were reviewed to find out the adequate dosage schedule of warfarin in addition to side effects by interaction of two drugs. Method: Patients taking both rifampin and warfarin were retrieved from patients who were admitted due to heart disease and tuberculosis at Boochun Sejong Hospital from January of 1995 to August of 1999. To decide the adequate dosage of warfarin, the dosage of warfarin before, during, and after rifampin was evaluated in patients who kept adequate hypoprothrombinemic effect of warfarin during rifampin. To decide the adequate dosage schedule of warfarin, the time interval from the beginning of rifampin to normalization of prothrombin time(INR$\geq$1.1) was evaluated. And, the side effects by interaction of two drugs were reviewed. Results: All 12 patients taking both rifampin and warfarin were retrieved. Among them only 6 kept adequate hypoprothrombinemic effect of warfarin during rifampin. The dosage of warfarin during rifampin was $2.4{\pm}0.6$(mean$\pm$standard deviation) times as much as that before rifampin but the dosage after rifampin was the same as that before rifampin. The time interval from the beginning of rifampin to normalization of prothrombin time was $5.8{\pm}2.9$(mean${\pm}$standard deviation) days. 2 out of 12 had complication related to the interaction of rifampin and warfarin, one cerebral embolism just after the beginning of rifampin and the other cerebral hemorrhage just after the discontinuation of rifampin. Conclusion: When both rifampin and warfarin are prescribed, it would be a possible method to be confirmed by prospective study that warfarin be gradually increased about 2 times more than that without rifampin over 1 week or so after the beginning of rifampin and be tapered to the same dosage as that before rifampin when rifampin is discontinued. And, it would be prudent that prothrombin time be monitored frequently during rifampin and warfarin therapy, especially the beginning or discontinuation of rifampin.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.992-999
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• 1998

Background: To correlate the emphysema score for quantification of the overall extent of emphysema in both lungs by CT with physiologic fingings and to get more objective and simple method to assess the extent of emphysema. Method: Thin-section CT and pulmonary function test(PFT) were performed in 17 patients with emphysema (all males, mean age, 62 years). Emphysema score was obtained as percentage of emphysematous lung area, dividing the total area of the emphysema(voxels with attenuation value less than -880, -900, -920HU, respectively) by the overall area of both lungs(voxels with attenuation value less than -400HU) with highlighting voxels using "Density mask" program. Emphysema score was calculated from whole lung(ESV) and 5 representative scans(ESR) using "Density mask", Visual emphysema score(ESV) was obtained by visual assessment from 5 representative scans. Correlation of these emphysema scores(ESW, ESR, ESV) and physiologic findings were performed, comparing the ESW with ESR and ESV. Results: ESW had correlation with DLCO(r=0.53-0.64) and $FEV_1/FVC$(r=0.42-0.57) among PFT parameters. ESR had good correlation with ESW and with PFT parameters as well. ESV did not correlate with PFT parameters except DLCO. Conclusion: CT quantification of emphysema using "density mask" correlated well with physiologic findings. To assess the severity of emphysema, both ESW and ESR are more reliable than ESV, and ESR is recommended in routine practice as it is objective, simple and reliable.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2006

Background: Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation(NPPV) has been increasingly used over the past decade in the management of acute or chronic respiratory failure and weaning of mechanical ventilation. We performed this clinical study to evaluate the usefulness of NPPV in patients who developed acute respiratory failure or post-extubation respiratory failure. Methods: We analysed thirty four patients(sixteen males and eighteen females, mean ages 58 years) who applied NPPV(BIPAP S/T, Respironics co., USA) for respiratory failure or weaning difficulty at medical intensive care unit(MICU), emergency room and general ward of a tertiary hospital. We evaluated the underlying causes of respiratory failure, duration of treatment, the degree of adaptation, complication and predictive parameters of successful outcome. Results: The overall success rate of NPPV was seventy-one percent. The duration of NPPV applying time, baseline blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate, $PaO_2$, $PaCO_2$, $SaO_2$ were not different between success group and failure group. But, the baseline pH was higher in the success group. Predictors of success were higher baseline pH, patients with underlying disease of COPD, improvement of vital sign and arterial blood gas value after NPPV application. The success rate in patients with post-extubation respiratory failure was eighty percent. There were no serious complication on applying NPPV except minor complications such as facial skin erythema, abdominal distension & dry mouth. Conclusion: NPPV may be effective treatment in patients with acute respiratory failure or post-extubation respiratory failure in selected cases.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2010

Purpose: Quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) allows for the rapid prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidies. The main advantages of this assay are its low cost, speed, and automation, allowing for large-scale application. However, despite these advantages, it is not a routine method for prenatal aneuploidy screening in Korea. Our objective in the present study was to validate the performance of QF-PCR using short tandem repeat (STR) markers in a Korean population as a means for rapid prenatal diagnosis. Material and Methods: A QF-PCR assay using an Elucigene kit (Gen-Probe, Abingdon, UK), containing 20 STR markers located on chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y, was performed on 847 amniotic fluid (AF) samples for prenatal aneuploidy screening referred for prenatal aneuploidy screening from 2007 to 2009. The results were then compared to those obtained using conventional cytogenetic analysis. To evaluate the informativity of STR markers, the heterozygosity index of each marker was determined in all the samples. Results: Three autosomes (13, 18, and 21) and X and Y chromosome aneuploidies were detected in 19 cases (2.2%, 19/847) after QF-PCR analysis of the 847 AF samples. Their results are identical to those of conventional cytogenetic analysis, with 100% positive predictive value. However, after cytogenetic analysis, 7 cases (0.8%, 7/847) were found to have 5 balanced and 2 unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities that were not detected by QF-PCR. The STR markers had a slightly low heterozygosity index (average: 0.76) compared to those reported in Caucasians (average: 0.80). Submicroscopic duplication of D13S634 marker, which might be a unique finding in Koreans, was detected in 1.4% (12/847) of the samples in the present study. Conclusion: A QF-PCR assay for prenatal aneuploidy screening was validated in our institution and proved to be efficient and reliable. However, we suggest that each laboratory must perform an independent validation test for each STR marker in order to develop interpretation guidelines of the results and must integrate QF-PCR into the routine cytogenetic laboratory workflow.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1348-1353
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• 2005

Purpose : Influenza is a respiratory disease which prevails widely every year and shows high morbidity and mortality among not only chronic invalids and the old, but also among infants and young children. To prevent community-acquired influenza infection, to facilitate prompt antiviral therapy and to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics, an easy, rapid diagnostic method for the influenza virus is needed. We evaluated a lateral-flow immunoassay(QuickVue Influenza Test), compared to viral culture. Methods : During two consecutive years from Jan. 2004 to June 2004 and from Feb. 2005 to Jan. 2005, 408 patients who were suffering from fever, cough and/or sore throat and myalgia were enrolled in our study. A total of 408 patients were tested with $QuickVue^{(R)}$(Quidel Co., San Diego, USA) influenza rapid antigen test and virus cultures at the same time. Results : Of the 408 patients tested, children who showed positive results at the virus culture numbered 77; among them, 55(71.4 percent) were type A/H3N2 and 22(28.5 percent) were type B. QuickVue influenza test had a sensitivity of 71.4 percent and a specificity of 95.8 percent. The positive and negative predictive values were 79.7 percent and 93.5 percent, respectively. Conclusion : In our study, this test had comparable high sensitivity and high specificity and many advantages, such as being easy to perform and simple to interpret, and showing rapid results. If rapid influenza antigen tests are widely applied in the clinic, we can begin treatment more rapidly and reduce influenza complications and the abuse of antibiotics.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.220-237
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• 2021

Since the functional importance of marine phytoplankton was firstly advocated from early 1880s massive data on the species composition and abundance were produced by classical microscopic observation and the advanced auto-imaging technologies. Recently, pigment composition resulted from direct chemical analysis of phytoplankton samples or indirect remote sensing could be used for the group-specific quantification, which leads us to more diversified data production methods and for more improved spatiotemporal accessibilities to the target data-gathering points. In quite a few cases of many long-term marine ecosystem monitoring programs the phytoplankton species composition and abundance was included as a basic monitoring item. The phytoplankton data could be utilized as a crucial evidence for the long-term change in phytoplankton community structure and ecological functioning at the monitoring stations. Usability of the phytoplankton data sometimes is restricted by the differences in data producers throughout the whole monitoring period. Methods for sample treatments, analyses, and species identification of the phytoplankton species could be inconsistent among the different data producers and the monitoring years. In-depth study to determine the precise quantitative values of the phytoplankton species composition and abundance might be begun by Victor Hensen in late 1880s. International discussion on the quality assurance of the marine phytoplankton data began in 1969 by the SCOR Working Group 33 of ICSU. Final report of the Working group in 1974 (UNESCO Technical Papers in Marine Science 18) was later revised and published as the UNESCO Monographs on oceanographic methodology 6. The BEQUALM project, the former body of IPI (International Phytoplankton Intercomparison) for marine phytoplankton data QA/QC under ISO standard, was initiated in late 1990. The IPI is promoting international collaboration for all the participating countries to apply the QA/QC standard established from the 20 years long experience and practices. In Korea, however, such a QA/QC standard for marine phytoplankton species composition and abundance data is not well established by law, whereas that for marine chemical data from measurements and analysis has been already set up and managed. The first priority might be to establish a QA/QC standard system for species composition and abundance data of marine phytoplankton, then to be extended to other functional groups at the higher consumer level of marine food webs.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.361-381
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• 2023

Research on corporate bankruptcy prediction has been focused on financial information. Since the company's financial information is updated quarterly, there is a problem that timeliness is insufficient in predicting the possibility of a company's business closure in real time. Evaluated companies that want to improve this need a method of judging the soundness of a company that uses information other than financial information to judge the soundness of a target company. To this end, as information technology has made it easier to collect non-financial information about companies, research has been conducted to apply additional variables and various methodologies other than financial information to predict corporate bankruptcy. It has become an important research task to determine whether it has an effect. In this study, we examined the impact of electronic payment-related information, which constitutes non-financial information, when predicting the closure of business operators using electronic payment service and examined the difference in closure prediction accuracy according to the combination of financial and non-financial information. Specifically, three research models consisting of a financial information model, a non-financial information model, and a combined model were designed, and the closure prediction accuracy was confirmed with six algorithms including the Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) algorithm. The model combining financial and non-financial information showed the highest prediction accuracy, followed by the non-financial information model and the financial information model in order. As for the prediction accuracy of business closure by algorithm, XGBoost showed the highest prediction accuracy among the six algorithms. As a result of examining the relative importance of a total of 87 variables used to predict business closure, it was confirmed that more than 70% of the top 20 variables that had a significant impact on the prediction of business closure were non-financial information. Through this, it was confirmed that electronic payment-related information of non-financial information is an important variable in predicting business closure, and the possibility of using non-financial information as an alternative to financial information was also examined. Based on this study, the importance of collecting and utilizing non-financial information as information that can predict business closure is recognized, and a plan to utilize it for corporate decision-making is also proposed.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2015

Purpose : The dose distribution of organ at risk (OAR) and normal tissue is affected by treatment technique in postoperative radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to compare dose distribution characteristic and to evaluate treatment efficiency by devising VMAT plans according to applying differed number of arc and IMRT plan for postoperative patient of prostate cancer radiation therapy using a rectal balloon. Materials and Methods : Ten patients who received postoperative prostate radiation therapy in our hospital were compared. CT images of patients who inserted rectal balloon were acquired with 3 mm thickness and 10 MV energy of HD120MLC equipped Truebeam STx (Varian, Palo Alto, USA) was applied by using Eclipse (Version 11.0, Varian, Palo Alto, USA). 1 Arc, 2 Arc VMAT plans and 7-field IMRT plan were devised for each patient and same values were applied for dose volume constraint and plan normalization. To evaluate these plans, PTV coverage, conformity index (CI) and homogeneity index (HI) were compared and $R_{50%}$ was calculated to assess low dose spillage as per treatment plan. $D_{25%}$ of rectum and bladder Dmean were compared on OAR. And to evaluate the treatment efficiency, total monitor units(MU) and delivery time were considered. Each assessed result was analyzed by average value of 10 patients. Additionally, portal dosimetry was carried out for accuracy verification of beam delivery. Results : There was no significant difference on PTV coverage and HI among 3 plans. Especially CI and $R_{50%}$ on 7F-IMRT were the highest as 1.230, 3.991 respectively(p=0.00). Rectum $D_{25%}$ was similar between 1A-VMAT and 2A-VMAT. But approximately 7% higher value was observed on 7F-IMRT compare to the others(p=0.02) and bladder Dmean were similar among the all plan(P>0.05). Total MU were 494.7, 479.7, 757.9 respectively(P=0.00) for 1A-VMAT, 2A-VMAT, 7F-IMRT and at the most on 7F-IMRT. The delivery time were 65.2sec, 133.1sec, 145.5sec respectively(p=0.00). The obvious shortest time was observed on 1A-VMAT. All plans indicated over 99.5%(p=0.00) of gamma pass rate (2 mm, 2%) in portal dosimetry quality assurance. Conclusion : As a result of study, postoperative prostate cancer radiation therapy for patient using a rectal balloon, there was no significant difference of PTV coverage but 1A-VMAT and 2A-VMAT were more efficient for dose reduction of normal tissue and OARs. Between VMAT plans. $R_{50%}$ and MU were little lower in 2A-VMAT but 1A-VMAT has the shortest delivery time. So it is regarded to be an effective plan and it can reduce intra-fractional motion of patient also.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.1012-1021
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• 1998

Background : It is known that airway inflammation is present in most patients with asthma, but the relationship between symptoms and the severity and nature of airway inflammation has not been established. Cough variant asthma is defined as an asthma in which the dominant symptom is cough, and the condition can be successfully treated with inhaled steroids. This study was performed to evaluate the time course of bronchial responsiveness according to an inhaled anti-inflammatory therapy and the factors which affect the resolution of bronchial responsiveness, and an efficacy of nedocromil to cough asthma. Method: A prospective study for the investigation of bronchial responsiveness according to an inhaled anti-inflammatory treatment in sixty-one cough asthmatics was performed. Twenty-three entered budesonide ($400{\mu}g{\times}2/day$), twenty-two entered nedocromil ($4mg{\times}2/day$) and sixteen patients entered combined group. The bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was estimated by methacholine challenge test using counted breath method. The symptom was estimated by 'symptom score'. Reevaluation of BHR and symptom was performed at 2 month after treatment, and if BHR was not resoluted at this time, regarded as a non-responder, and then follow-up of BHR and symptom was performed at 4- and/or 6 month after treatment. Results: The improvement of BHR and symptom was significant in 2 month (p<0.05), but there was no change of them during follow-up period of 4- and/or 6 month in non-responders. In comparison of allergic markers such as serum total IgE, peripheral eosinophil count and skin test reactivity between responders and non-responders, there was no difference in each other. However, in comparison of other factors such as cumulative pack-years, symptom duration, age, gender, and the initial degree of PC20, there was a significant difference in each other(p<0.05). The percent of patients with the resolution of BHR in 2 month was not different in each group(p=0.95). There was no significant difference in the degree of improvement of BHR and symptom in each group. Conclusion: Bronchial responsiveness and symptom was not significantly improved in non-responders during follow-up period of 4- and/or 6 month. The effect of inhaled nedocromil was equivalent to that of inhaled steroid in cough asthmatics, and the response to combined treatment is not superior to that achieved by either of these agents used alone.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.32
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• pp.41-52
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• 2020

Purpose: To find out the dosimetric usefulness, setup reproducibility and efficiency of applying 3D Bolus by comparing two treatment plans in which Commercial Bolus and 3D Bolus produced by 3D Printing Technology were applied to the neck during VMAT treatment of Hypopahrynx Cancer to evaluate the clinical applicability. Materials and Methods: Based on the CT image of the RANDO phantom to which CB was applied, 3D Bolus were fabricated in the same form. 3D Bolus was printed with a polyurethane acrylate resin with a density of 1.2g/㎤ through the SLA technique using OMG SLA 660 Printer and MaterializeMagics software. Based on two CT images using CB and 3D Bolus, a treatment plan was established assuming VMAT treatment of Hypopharynx Cancer. CBCT images were obtained for each of the two established treatment plans 18 times, and the treatment efficiency was evaluated by measuring the setup time each time. Based on the obtained CBCT image, the adaptive plan was performed through Pinnacle, a computerized treatment planning system, to evaluate target, normal organ dose evaluation, and changes in bolus volume. Results: The setup time for each treatment plan was reduced by an average of 28 sec in the 3D Bolus treatment plan compared to the CB treatment plan. The Bolus Volume change during the pretreatment period was 86.1±2.70㎤ in 83.9㎤ of CB Initial Plan and 99.8±0.46㎤ in 92.2㎤ of 3D Bolus Initial Plan. The change in CTV Min Value was 167.4±19.38cGy in CB Initial Plan 191.6cGy and 149.5±18.27cGy in 3D Bolus Initial Plan 167.3cGy. The change in CTV Mean Value was 228.3±0.38cGy in CB Initial Plan 227.1cGy and 227.7±0.30cGy in 3D Bolus Initial Plan 225.9cGy. The change in PTV Min Value was 74.9±19.47cGy in CB Initial Plan 128.5cGy and 83.2±12.92cGy in 3D Bolus Initial Plan 139.9cGy. The change in PTV Mean Value was 226.2±0.83cGy in CB Initial Plan 225.4cGy and 225.8±0.33cGy in 3D Bolus Initial Plan 224.1cGy. The maximum value for the normal organ spinal cord was the same as 135.6cGy on average each time. Conclusion: From the experimental results of this paper, it was found that the application of 3D Bolus to the irregular body surface is more dosimetrically useful than the application of Commercial Bolus, and the setup reproducibility and efficiency are excellent. If further case studies along with research on the diversity of 3D printing materials are conducted in the future, the application of 3D Bolus in the field of radiation therapy is expected to proceed more actively.