• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2019

The emergence and spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical problem worldwide. The pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa is due partly to the production of several cell-associated and extracellular virulence factors. This study examined the distribution of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance patterns of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) isolated from a tertiary hospital in Daejeon, Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method, and PCR and DNA sequencing were performed to determine for the presence of virulence genes. In addition, the sequence type (ST) of MDR P. aeruginosa was investigated by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Among 32 CRPA isolates, 14 (43.8%) were MDR and the major ST was ST235 (10 isolates, 71.4%). All isolates were positive for the presence of virulence genes and the most prevalent virulence genes were toxA, plcN, and phzM (100%). All isolates carried at least eight or more different virulence genes and nine (28.1%) isolates had 15 virulence genes. The presence of the exoU gene was detected in 71.4% of the MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. These results indicate that the presence of the exoU gene can be a predictive marker for the persistence of MDR P. aeruginosa isolates.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.771-777
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• 2022

Dopaminergic (DA) cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been attributed to multiple, distinct genetic and environmental factors. In rare familial PD loss of parkin function mutations play a key role in nigral DA neuron-specific pathogenesis primarily via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In more prevalent sporadic PD, environmental exposure to pesticides has a significant epidemiological role. However, it is largely unknown how environmental exposure to xenobiotics is etiologically linked with the known etiology in familial PD. In the present study biochemical evidence for a common pathogenic mechanism between sporadic and familial PD has been identified employing the recently characterized mesencephalic DA cell line, N27-A. Dieldrin, an organochlorine pesticide epidemiologically implicated in sporadic PD, induced the markers of ER stress response such as a chaperone BiP/Grp78, heme oxygenase-1 and especially, parkin. Accordingly, dieldrin activated the ER resident Caspase-12, a mediator of ER stress-specific apoptosis, during cell death of N27-A cells. Of great interest the dieldrin-induced DA neuronal cell death was synergistically rescued by the overexpression of ER resident neuroprotective proteins, parkin and Bcl-2. The present findings implicate that accumulation of ER stress could be one of common pathogenic mechanisms in idiopathic and familial PD, and some ER proteins, such as parkin and Bcl-2 may effectively attenuate ER stress-mediated N27-A DA cell death.

• Mood & Emotion
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2012

Suicide is a complex behavior associated with various neurobiological and psychosocial factors. It is considered that genetic polymorphism combined with environmental stress such as child-adolescent trauma make differences in neurobiological systems, which cause psychiatric disorders or pessimistic personality, impulse-aggressive behaviors, lack of judgment, and finally result in suicidal behavior. Much progress in the neurobiology of suicide has been made over the several decades. There seems to be a hereditary disposition to suicide independent of psychiatric disorder. The changes in neurotransmitters, neurohormones, neurotrophic factors, cytokines, lipid metabolisms related with their genetic polymorphism can contribute to disturbance of signal transductions and neuronal circuits vulnerable to suicide. It is likely that the main factors are dysfunctions of serotonin (5-HT) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Our understanding about the neurobiology of suicide is still limited. However, clinical practice could be assisted by neurobiological findings capable of making the detection of risk populations with higher sensitivity and the development of new treatment interventions. The settlement of biological markers in suicidal behaviors and their relationships is required.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.324-336
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• 2020

Cardiovascular calcifications can occur in various cardiovascular diseases and can serve as a biomarker for cardiovascular event prediction. Advances in CT have enabled evaluation of calcifications in cardiovascular structures not only on ECG-gated CT but also on non-ECG-gated CT. Therefore, many studies have been conducted on the clinical relevance of cardiovascular calcifications in patients. In this study, we divided cardiovascular calcifications into three classes, i.e., coronary artery, thoracic aorta, and cardiac valve calcifications, which are closely associated with cardiovascular events. Further, we briefly described pericardial calcifications, which can be found incidentally. Since the start of lung cancer screening in Korea in the second half of 2019, the number of non-enhanced, non-ECG-gated, low-dose chest CT has been increasing, and the number of incidentally found cardiovascular calcifications has also been increasing. Therefore, understanding the relevance of cardiovascular calcifications on non-enhanced, non-ECG-gated, low-dose chest CT and their proper reporting are important for radiologists.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.283-290
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• 2003

Purpose: To evaluate the long term significance of the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen (Ag) as a tumor marker in uterine cervix carcinoma. Materials and Methods: The SCC antigen levels of pre-radiotherapy and serial post-radiotherapy serum were analyzed in 48 patients who received radiotherapy with histologically proven primary SCC of the uterine cervix. Results: Pre-radiotherapy SCC Ag level was high ($\geq$2 ng/ml) at 79.2$\%$. After the treatment, the SCC Ag level was significantly decreased. The SCC Ag level measured at about 3 months after radiotherapy was high at 23.0$\%$. In further follow up measurements, a rise of the SCC Ag to a high level was well associated with clinical relapse. The specificity of the elevated SCC Ag level in association with recurrent or persistent disease was 100$\%$, and the sensitivity was 85.7$\%$. In 3 of 4 lung metastasis cases, lung lesions were detected in chest PA before elevation of the SCC Ag level. The median lead time of the high SCC Ag level to clinical recurrence was 4 months. Conclusion: SCC Ag was a good tumor marker for monitoring treatment effect in patients with increased pre-treatment levels except in case of early lung metastasis. Elevation of the SCC Ag level after radiotherapy accurately predicted the treatment failure with lead time of 4 months. But, in early lung metastasis cases, the SCC level may be normal temporarily. Thus, chest PA should be checked to evaluate the presence of lung metastasis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.485-494
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• 2003

Background : Most previous studies regarding the role of GSTMl and GSTT1 on lung cancer risk have been focused mainly on male smokers. However, epidemiological characteristics, histologic types and risk factors are different in female and male lung cancers, we investigated the association between these genotypes and lung cancer risk in males and females separately. Materials and Methods : The study population consisted of 253 lung cancer (153 males and 100 females) and 243 controls (140 males and 103 females). GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes were determined by a multiplex PCR. Results : In the male population, neither GSTM1 nor GSTT1 null genotype showed significant difference between cases and controls. In the female population, the frequencies of GSTM1 null genotype showed no significant difference between cases and controls. However, the frequencies of GSTT1 null genotype was significantly higher in cases (70.3%) than controls (55.3%, odds ratio (OR)=2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI=l.21-3.93). When the female population was stratified by age and smoking status, the ORs for GSTT1 null genotype were significantly higher in subgroups of ${\leq}60$ years (OR=4.82; 95% CI=l.61-14.4) and never-smokers (OR=4.29; 95% CI=1.94-9.48) but not in subgroups of >60 years or smokers. When stratifying the female never-smokers by age, the ORs for GSTT1 null genotype were significantly higher in both age groups of ${\leq}60$ years (OR=7.64; 95% CI=2.00-29.2) and >60 years (OR=2.89; 95% CI=1.05-7.94). Conclusion : We found that GSTT1 null genotype was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in Korean female never-smokers. This result suggests that GSTT1 null genotype could be used as a biomarker for genetic susceptibility to lung cancer in Korean female never-smokers.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.35-40
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• 2021

Purpose Glomerular filtration rate(GFR) is an important indicator for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of kidney disease and is also used by healthy individuals for drug use and evaluating kidney function in donors. The gold standard method of the GFR test is to measure by continuously injecting the inulin which is extrinsic marker, but it takes a long time and the test method is complicated. so, the method of measuring the serum concentration of creatinine is used. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is used instead. However, creatinine is known to be affected by age, gender, muscle mass, etc. eGFR formulas that are currently used include the Cockroft-Gault formula, the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) formula, and the chronic kidney disease epidemilogy collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula for adults. For children, the Schwartz formula is used. Measurement of GFR using ⁵¹Cr-EDTA (diethylenetriamine tetraacetic acid), ^99mTc-DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) can replace inulin and is currently in use. Therefore, We compared the GFR measured using ^99mTc-DTPA with the eGFR using CKD-EPI formula. Materials and Methods For 200 kidney transplant donors who visited Asan medical center.(96 males, 104 females, 47.3 years ± 12.7 years old) GFR was measured using plasma(Two-plasma-sample-method, TPSM) obtained by intravenous administration of ^99mTc-DTPA(0.5mCi, 18.5 MBq). eGFR was derived using CKD-EPI formula based on serum creatinine concentration. Results GFR average measured using ^99mTc-DTPA for 200 kidney transplant donors is 97.27±19.46(ml/min/1.73m²), and the eGFR average value using the CKD-EPI formula is 96.84±17.74(ml/min/1.73m²), The concentration of serum creatinine is 0.84±0.39(mg/dL). Regression formula of ^99mTc-DTPA GFR for serum creatinine-based eGFR was Y = 0.5073X + 48.186, and the correlation coefficient was 0.698 (P<0.01). Difference (%) was 1.52±18.28. Conclusion The correlation coefficient between the ^99mTc-DTPA and the eGFR derived on serum creatinine concentration was confirmed to be moderate. This is estimated that eGFR is affected by external factors such as age, gender, and muscle mass and use of formulas made for kidney disease patients. By using ^99mTc-DTPA, we can provide reliable GFR results, which is used for diagnosis, treatment and observation of kidney disease, and kidney evaluation of kidney transplant patients.

• Sijohaknonchong
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• v.25
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• pp.211-237
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• 2006

Mansebo[만세보] contains a total of 111 old shijos under the title of Haedongyeongeon[해동영언]. This dissertation presumes Haedongyeongeon[해동영언] as early 20th century shijo text and surveys its literary characteristic and its significance in relation with anthological compilation. Haedongyeongeon can be seen as both newspaper serials and a short anthology. The basic pattern of the serials shows an organization of 'title. musical designation, author. text. and a brief review. Of these, the review is what most clearly shows the characteristic of the serials. The review is written in Chinese followed by Korean letters to designate the sound of the Chinese. which is presumably designed to attract more readers for the newspaper. On the other hand, Haedongyeongeon[해동영언], when seen as a collection of works printed in serials, clearly shows an intention of compiling an anthology, particularly in its way of overall classification of works or arranging works according to their authors, and thus may well be defined as a short anthology. This anthology somewhat excessively pursues perfection in formality, and is characterized by its strong intent to be read as popular literature, and therefore could be said to manifest the general characteristic of 20th century anthologies. The planner of the serial Haedongyeongeon[해동영언], or the compiler of the anthology is thought to be one of the core figures of Mansebo[만세보], that is, O Sechang[오세창], Lee Injik[이인직], Choi Yeongnyeon[최영년], Shin Gwanghui[신광희], but of them all, considering all circumstances, Choi Yeongnyeon[최영년] is most likely to be the one. Lastly, it is presently unknown what anthology was used as the basis of Haedongyeongeon[해동영언] and accordingly any judgement on that head has been deferred.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2012

The Government is implementing the safety measures for pedestrian in living zone to decrease the traffic accident casualties in half. It is urgently to study the guideline because it contains to make the guideline of a median strip in City to prevent the violation of central line and jaywalking on the main contents. So, this study analyzed the pedestrian accidents and the violation of central line, and studied the type of a median strip, the installation guideline through studying the minimum crossing. Consequently, this study found out that a median strip which revised the attention inducement stick to decrease jaywalking could not have the strong prevention function of a crash barrier, so if it happens separation after the collision between vehicles, it induced the secondary accidents, and could take negative effects on traffic safety. In consideration of driving safety, this study analyzed that if it installs a median stirp, it has to ensure one meter, and such a thing could prevent the separation of lane or damage of facilities. However, if it is hard to ensure the space because of narrow road width, it could install a median strip in case of installing the road surface mark 0.5m. And the installation of the attention inducement stick or a median strip on the central line could be possible to induce the violation of central line, thus it is desirable not to install only anythings but also raised pavement markers.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1281-1292
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• 2010

This study was performed to identify older adults' self-reported difficulties in understanding and utilizing health information and their relationships with health status and to investigate the differences between age groups and among education levels. Data were collected from July 1 to August 31 in 2007 from older adults in senior centers located in Daegu, Kyungpook, and Busan area. A total of 103 subjects participated in the study. The level of understanding health information in older adults was 50 on average (possible score 15-75). The most difficult items to understand were patient educational materials, written information provided by health care providers, and medical forms. The lower level of difficulty in utilizing health information was associated with better physical and mental health status. There were differences in their self-reported difficulties between the young-old and the old-old as well as among different education levels. Health care providers may need to tailor educational materials and medical forms to the cognitive ability of older adults under the consideration of their age and education levels.