• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.286-297
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• 2005

Background : Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common cause of cancer-related death in North America and Korea, with an overall 5-year survival rate of between 4 and 14%. The TNM staging system is the best prognostic index for operable NSCLC . However, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9), and C-erbB-2 have all been implicated in the pathogenesis of NSCLC and might provide prognostic information. Methods : Immunohistochemical staining of 81 specimens from a resected primary non-small cell lung cancer was evaluated in order to determine the role of the biological markers on NSCLC . Immunohistochemical staining for EGFR, MMP-9, and C-erbB-2 was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections to observe the expression pattern according to the pathologic type and surgical staging. The correlations between the expression of each biological marker and the survival time was determined. Results : When positive immunohistochemical staining was defined as the extent area>20%(more than Grade 2), the positive rates for EGFR, MMP-9, and C-erbB-2 staining were 71.6%, 44.3%, and 24.1% of the 81 patients, respectively. The positive rates of EGFR and MMP-9 stain for NSCLC according to the surgical stages I, II, and IIIa were 75.0% and 41.7%, 66.7% and 47.6%, and 76.9% and 46.2%, respectively. The median survival time of the EGFR(-) group, 71.8 months, was significantly longer than that of the EGFR(+) group, 33.5 months.(p=0.018, Kaplan-Meier Method, log-rank test).. The MMP-9(+) group had a shorter median survival time than the MMP-9(-) group, 35.0 and 65.3 months, respectively (p=0.2). The co-expression of EGFR and MMP-9 was associated with a worse prognosis with a median survival time of 26.9 months, when compared with the 77 months for both negative-expression groups (p=0.0023). There were no significant differences between the C-erbB-2(+) and C-erbB-2 (-) groups. Conclusion : In NSCLC, the expression of EGFR might be a prognostic factor, and the co-expression of EGFR and MMP-9 was found to be associated with a poor prognosis. However, C-erbB-2 expression had no prognostic significance.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.43-47
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• 2022

Purpose Radioimmunoassay implement quality control by systematizing the internal quality control system for quality assurance of test results. This study aims to contribute to the quality assurance of radioimmunoassay results and to implement systematic quality control by measuring the average CV of internal quality control and external quality control by plenty of institutions for reference when setting the laboratory's own acceptable range. Materials and Methods We measured the average CV of internal quality control and the bounce rate of more than 10.0% for a total of 42 items from October 2020 to December 2021. According to the CV result, we classified and compared the upper group (5.0% or less), the middle group (5.0~10.0%) and the lower group (10.0% or more). The bounce rate of 10.0% or more was compared by classifying the item of five or more institutions into tumor markers, thyroid hormones and other hormones. The average CV was measured by the overall average and standard deviation of the external quality control results for 28 items from the first quarter to the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition, the average CV was measured by the overall average and standard deviation of the proficiency results between institutions for 13 items in the first half and the second half of 2021. The average CV of internal quality control and external quality control was compared by item so we compared and analyzed the items that implement well to quality control and the items that require attention to quality control. Results As a result of measuring the precision average of internal quality control for 42 items of six institutions, the top group (5.0% or less) are Ferritin, HGH, SHBG, and 25-OH-VitD, while the bottom group (≤10.0%) are cortisol, ATA, AMA, renin, and estradiol. When comparing more than 10.0% bounce rate of CV for tumor markers, CA-125 (6.7%), CA-19-9 (9.8%) implemented well, while SCC-Ag (24.3%), CA-15-3 (26.7%) were among the items that require attention to control. As a result of comparing the bounce rate of more than 10.0% of CV for thyroid hormones examination, free T4 (2.1%), T3 (9.3%) showed excellent performance and AMA (39.6%), ATA (51.6%) required attention to control. When comparing the bounce rate of 10.0% or more of CV for other hormones, IGF-1 (8.8%), FSH (9.1%), prolactin (9.2%) showed excellent performance, however estradiol (37.3%), testosterone (37.7%), cortisol (44.4%) required attention to control. As a result of measuring the average CV of the whole institutions participating at external quality control for 28 items, HGH and SCC-Ag were included in the top group (≤10.0%), however ATA, estradiol, TSI, and thyroglobulin included in bottom group (≥30.0%). Conclusion As a result of evaluating 42 items of six institutions, the average CV was 3.7~12.2% showing a 3.3 times difference between the upper group and the lower group. Cortisol, ATA, AMA, Renin and estradiol tests with high CV will require continuous improvement activities to improve precision. In addition, we measured and compared the overall average CV of the internal quality control, the external quality control and the proficiency between institutions participating of six institutions for 41 items excluding HBs-Ab. As a result, ATA, AMA, Renin and estradiol belong to the same subgroup so we require attention to control and consider setting a higher acceptable range. It is recommended to set and control the acceptable range standard of internal quality control CV in consideration of many things in the laboratory due to the different reagents and instruments, and the results vary depending on the test's proficiency and quality control materials. It is thought that the accuracy and reliability of radioimmunoassay results can be improved if systematic quality control is implemented based on the set acceptable range.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2005

Background: The most frequent fracture seen at the emergency department (ED) in the elderly is a femur fracture whereas they do not know the degree of osteoporosis. We analyzed the degree of osteoporosis in patients with femur fractures and compared patients with only femur fractures (FX) to patients with femur and vertebral fractures (VX) by examining the clinical features, the bone mineral density (BMD), and biochemical markers. Methods: From January 2004 to December 2004, we enrolled prospectively 30 femur fracture patients who visited the ED. The bone mineral densities of the lumbar spine and the femur were examined. Total calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and serum C-terminal telopeptide (s-CTx) were measured. The patients with femur fractures were divided into two subgroups according to the presence of vertebral fracture. Results: All BMDs of the FX group showed osteoporosis. The s-CTx levels were higher than normal. The patients in the FX with VX were older than those in the FX only group, and had lower BMDs. There were no significant differences in markers between the subgroups, but the incidence of trochanteric fractures was higher in FX with VX group than in the FX only group. Conclusion: Femur fractures in the elderly were associated with osteoporosis. In our study, despite a considerable difference in BMD between patients with femur fractures and those with femur fractures combined with vertebral fractures, there was no difference in biochemical markers on bone formation nor in the those of bone resorption. We will further investigate the biochemical markers and BMD in the population of osteoporotic fractures. So those indicators should be helpful for planning treatment and for prevention of FX in the elderly.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.302-309
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• 2008

Epigenetic is usually referring to heritable traits that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. DNA methylation is known to serve as cellular memory. and is one of the most important mechanism of epigenetic. DNA methylation is a covalent modification in which the target molecules for methylation in mammalian DNA are cytosine bases in CpG dinucleotides. The 5' position of cytosine is methylated in a reaction catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases; DNMTl, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b. There are two different regions in the context of DNA methylation: CpG poor regions and CpG islands. The intergenic and the intronic region is considered to be CpG poor, and CpG islands are discrete CpG-rich regions which are often found in promoter regions. Normally, CpG poor regions are usually methylated whereas CpG islands are generally hypomethylated. DNA methylation is involved in various biological processes such as tissue-specific gene expression, genomic imprinting, and X chromosome inactivation. In general. cancer cells are characterized by global genomic hypomethylation and focal hypermethylation of CpG islands, which are generally unmethylated in normal cells. Gene silencing by CpG hypermethylation at the promotors of tumor suppressor genes is probably the most common mechanism of tumor suppressor inactivation in cancer.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.227-232
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• 2017

Although water is an essential component of the human body and is involved in many physiological processes, the effect of a steady and sufficient water intake on blood components has not well elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the changes in hematological parameters, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) after water intake in 13 healthy adults. They were divided into two groups: The control group (N=4), which consumed water ad libitum, and the experimental group (N=9), which consumed 2 L of water per day. Two weeks later, blood cell counts, hematocrit, and hemoglobin content had increased in the experimental group, although not significantly (p>0.05); however, there was a significant increase in the mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (p<0.05; and p<0.01, respectively), and a significant decrease in the mean platelet volume (MPV) (p<0.05). Of the immunologic parameters, a non-significant decrease in the concentration of hs-CRP, an indicator of cardiovascular disease risk, was observed (p>0.05). However, there was a dramatic and significant increase in the concentration of IgG (p<0.05). In conclusion, a steady and sufficient water intake may contribute to alleviate anemia by increasing hemoglobin. Additionally, it may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by decreasing platelet activation and concentration of hs-CRP. Furthermore, a steady intake of water may improve immune function by increasing the concentration of the components of humoral immunity.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 1995

Genetic polymorphisms due to variation in the number of tandem repeats of DNA sequences(VNTRs) provides a useful means for discrimination between individuals. Allele and genotype frequencies of the highly polymorphic Human Thyroid Peroxidase(TPO) gene were determined in Korean population samples by using PCR followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a procedure called the amplified fragment length polymorphism(Amp-FLP) technique. In 123 unrelated Korean individuals 10 different alleles and 29 genotypes were observed. The TPO gene demonstrated a heterozygosity of 0.707 and the power of exclusion(POE) was 0.945. The probability of having the same DNA band within two unrelated individuals was 14.6$\times10^{-2}$. The distribution of observed genotypes conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium($x^2$=4.48, 0.05

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2002

This study is aimed at offering basic data about prevention of Hepatitis B virus and infection control to dental hygiene students who will work mostly at dental offices which are characteristically exposed to a high risk of HBV infection. For this study, surveyed were 188 sophomores and juniors of the dental hygiene department who volunteered to undergo the tests of HBsAg and HBsAb. The examination of the blood collected from the samples and analysis of their perception about hygiene resulted in following conclusion: Positive HBsAg Four was found in 4 testees(2.1%) while 118(62.8%) revealed positive HBsAb. Juniors showed higher positive rate in HBsAg whereas sophomores had higher positive rate in HBsAb. But such difference has statistically no significance. Generally, students seemed to pay little attention to HBV, judging from the survey of their perception about the present state of HBsAg and HBsAb(p>0.05), conduct of infection(p<0.05), completion of 3 requested vaccinations(p>0.05), and formation of antibody(p>0.05). With regard to the infection routes of HBV, most students(92.4%) replied "through blood", which is statistically insignificant, though. Next ratio goes to the reply "through contaminated injectors". This reply came more from sophomores than from juniors, a difference which is statistically significant(p<0.05). The lowest rate of possible infection(29.2%) was thought to be "through breast-feeding of a positive mother"(p<0.05). In general, it turned out that sophomores had more knowledge about the infection routes of HBV than juniors. In terms of clinical history among family members, 6(3.1%) reported that some of their family members are currently suffering from a liver complaint, 3(1.6%) replied their family members were once afflicted, and 4(2.1%) said their members died of hepatitis. Except 10(4.7%), all the surveyees replied that their states of health are better than normal. Generally, sophomores are healthier than juniors except for the very health case, a difference which is statistically of no value.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2004

The potential importance of proteomic approaches has been clearly demonstrated in other fields of human medical research, including liver and heart disease and certain forms of cancer. However, reproductive researches have been applied to proteomics poorly. Proteomics can be defined as the systematic analysis of proteins for their identity, quantity, and function. It could increase the predictability of early drug development and identify non-invasive biomarkers of toxicity or efficacy. Proteome analysis is most commonly accomplished by the combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis(2DE) and MALDI-TOF(matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight) MS(mass spectrometry) or protein chip array and SELDI-TOF(surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization-time of flight) MS. In addition understanding the possessing knowledge of the developing biomarkers used to assess reproductive biology will also be essential components relevant to the topic of reproduction. The continued integration of proteomic and genomic data will have a fundamental impact on our understanding of the normal functioning of cells and organisms and will give insights into complex cellular processes and disease and provides new opportunities for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics. The challenge to researchers in the field of reproduction is to harness this new technology as well as others that are available to a greater extent than at present as they have considerable potential to greatly improve our understanding of the molecular aspects of reproduction both in health and disease.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

Purpose: The effect of artifact was analyzed, which occurs from fiducial marker during the liver Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) using the fiducial marker. Materials and Methods: The size of artifact of fixed fiducial marker and length of mobile fiducial marker locus were measured using the On-Board Imager system (OBI) and CT simulator, and 2D-2D matching and 3D-3D matching were carried out, respectively, and at this time, the coordinates transition value of couch was analyzed. Results: The measurement of fixed fiducial marker artifact size indicated CT 4.90, 8.10, 12.90, 19.70 mm and OBI 5.60, 10.60, 14.70, 29.40 mm based on the reference CT slice thickness of 1.25, 2.50, 5.00, and 10.00 mm. Meanwhile, the measurement of mobile fiducial marker locus length indicated CT 42.00, 43.10, 46.50 mm, and OBI 43.40, 46.00, 49.30 mm. The coordinates transition of 1.00, 2.00, and 8.00 mm occurred between 2D-2D matching and 3D-3D matching. Conclusion: It was confirmed that the therapy error increased during IGRT due to the influence of artifact when CT slice thickness increased. Thus, it may be desirable to acquire the image less than 2.50 mm in slice thickness when IGRT is implemented using the fiducial marker.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.371-377
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• 2016

Decalcification is routinely performed to obtain a pathological diagnosis using bone marrow biopsy. During the decalcification process using a conventional acidic solution, such as HCl, the antigenicity of tissue is damaged. Especially DNA and RNA in the bone marrow are impaired. Hence, there is the need for a standardized decalcification protocol that preserves the antigenicity of tissue. To this end, we compared the effects of two commonly used decalcifiers: Commercial decalcifier (Calcl-Clear Rapid, HCl) and the EDTA (12.5%, pH 7.0). Bone marrow biopsies sampled from 71 patients were decalcified in accordance with the protocols of respective groups-HCI versus EDTA. The differences of decalcification protocols were analyzed with respect to Hematoxylin & Eosin staining, Gomori'sreticulum staining, and immunohistochemical staining and molecular analysis. Immunohistochemical staining used Ki-67, CD20 and CD138 as primary antibodies and molecular analysis was conducted through the DNA concentration analysis, in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene rearrangement. On the routine histopathology analysis, there was no difference between HCl and EDTA. Moreover, in case of immunohistochemical staining, the cytoplasmic membrane or cytoplasmic CD markers was well preserved. However, nuclear proteins, such as Ki-67, were stained with low quality. Conversely, according to the molecular analysis, the EDTA protocol preserved the DNA and RNA compared with the HCI. The differences of DNA quantity and quality were statistically significant between protocols of HCl and EDTA. We used 38 cases in HCl and 12 cases in EDTA. Consequently, the EDTA protocol maintains the antigenicity of the protein on tissue and is acceptable for examination with molecular base analysis. Decalcification of bone marrow biopsy by EDTA is highly recommended for the examination of immunohistochemical staining and molecular analysis.