• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.253-259
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• 2004

Objectives : To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus infections and determine the associated risk factors among young adults in Busan, Korea, which is known to have a high incidence of liver cancer. Methods : The study population consisted of volunteer participants in a health survey during 2002, which included 1,350 students (515 males and 835 females) aged between 16 and 24 years, from three different schools in Busan. The participating students were asked to fill in a self-administered questionnaire which included lifestyle habits and risk factors of hepatitis. Sera obtained from the participants were studied for HBsAg, anti-HBs, and Anti-HCV by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) method and for liver function tests. Results : Among the study subjects (N=1,350), the seropositivities of HBsAg 7.9%(95% CI=7.8-8.0), 7.6%(95% CI=7.6-7.7) in male and 8.1%(95% CI=8.0-8.2) in female. And the seropositivity of Anti-HBs was 69.7%(95% CI=69.0-70.4), 70.5%(95% CI=69.8-71.2) in male and 69.2%(95% CI=68.5-69.9) in female. The seropositivity of Anti-HCV was 0.4%, 0.2% in male and 0.5% in female. The seropositivity for HBsAg in the subjects not having a hepatitis B vaccination history was twice(95% CI=1.0-4.4) that of those that did. Also, the seropositivity for HBsAg in subjects having experienced sexual intercourse was 1.7 times (95% CI=0.9-3.0) that of the subjects who had not. Conclusions : The present study confirmed the high prevalence of HBsAg seropositivity and sexual transmission of HBV among adolescents and young adults may occur. Further studies to evaluate the relationship between HBV vaccination and sexual transmission are required for the young population in Korea.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2005

This paper presents a design of 1-channel active dry electrode module for EEG from one's forehead. The IA(instrumentation amplifier) circuit inside the module is based on the configuration sown on the paper MettingVanRijn et al. We analyze the IA circuit to find out the related equation, and then compare its simulated characteristic with the result obtained from the real active dry electrode circuit. With the active dry electrode and the wet(Ag/AgCI) electrode connected to the separated analog processing module on one's forehead at the same time, their real time and FFT outputs of EEG are examined for comparison. The active dry electrode module has advantages over the wet electrode and its analog processing module: 1) The size of the analog processing circuit of the active dry electrode module is smaller than that of existing EEG analog processing module; 2) the total cost required to make the proposed analog processing circuit is much lower than that of the existing circuit, since the designed circuit needs smaller parts; 3) the electrical characteristic is comparable to the general EEG analog processing module even if the designed module has simpler circuit configuration.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.13 no.3_4
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• pp.63-70
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• 1998

In order to elucidate the prevalence of anti-HEV, anti-HCV and HBsAg in ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase)-elevated patient group and healthy person control group, we examined anti-HEV, anti-HCV and HBsAg in 92 persons, respectively. The prevalence of anti-HEV in ALT-elevated patient group (4.3%) was not significantly higher than that (2.2%) of healthy person control group(P>0.05). While in healthy person control group the prevalence of anti-HEV in female (2.4%) was higher than that (2.0%) in male, and in ALT-elevated group male (4.8%) was higher than female (3.3%), there were no significances. The positive rate of anti-HEV was not significantly increased with age between healthy person control and ALT-elevated patient group. The odds ratio's of HEV, HCV and HBV with ALT-elevated patient group were 2.05 (95% CI: 0.31-16.54), 8.67 (95% CI: 1.06-188.63) and 7.23 (95% CI: 2.47-22.71), respectively, but had no significance. It was turned out that HCV and HBV were significantly correlated with ALT-elevated patient group, but HEV had no significance with it in this paper.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.19-24
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• 1985

The phtoelectrochemical porperties of $Nb_2O_5$, $Sb_2O_3$ and $V_2O_5$ doped and pure $SrTiO_3$ ceramic electodes were investigated. Shapes of I-V and I-λ characteristics of the pure $SrTiO_3$ ceramic electrode are similar to those of SrTiO3 single crystal electorde ; the anodic current strats at -0.9V (vs. Ag/AgCI) in 1 N-NaOH aqueous solution and the photoresponse appears at a wavelength of about 390nm and the quantum efficiency is about 3.5% at wavelength of 390nm under 0.5V vs. Ag/AgCl. Photocurrents of $Nb_2O_5$, $Sb_2O_3$ and $V_2O_5$ doped electrodes and $V_2O_5$ doped ceramic electrode appears at wavelength of 390nm and 500nm respectively.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5241-5243
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• 2012

Background: Prostate cancer (Pca) is one of the most common complex and polygenic diseases in men. The X-ray repair complementing group 1 gene (XRCC1) is an important candidate in the pathogenesis of Pca. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the XRCC1 gene and susceptibility to Pca. Materials and Methods: XRCC1 gene polymorphisms and associations with susceptibility to Pca were investigated in 193 prostate patients and 188 cancer-free Chinese men. Results: The c.910A>G variant in the exon9 of XRCC1 gene could be detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing methods. Significantly increased susceptibility to prostate cancer was noted in the homozygote comparison (GG versus AA: OR=2.95, 95% CI 1.46-5.42, ${\chi}^2$=12.36, P=0.001), heterozygote comparison (AG versus AA: OR=1.76, 95% CI 1.12-2.51, ${\chi}^2$=4.04, P=0.045), dominant model (GG/AG versus AA: OR=1.93, 95% CI 1.19-2.97, ${\chi}^2$=9.12, P=0.003), recessive model (GG versus AG+AA: OR=2.17, 95% CI 1.33-4.06, ${\chi}^2$=8.86, P=0.003) and with allele contrast (G versus A: OR=1.89, 95% CI 1.56-2.42, ${\chi}^2$=14.67, P<0.000). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the c.910A>G polymorphism of the XRCC1 gene is associated with susceptibility to Pca in Chinese men, the G-allele conferring higher risk.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2337-2342
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• 2013

Meta-analyses have shown that microRNA polymorphisms have variable effects in different population. Yet, no meta-analysis investigated the association of two common polymorphisms of miRNA, mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and mir-149 rs2292832 polymorphism, with cancer risk in the Chinese population. We searched the PubMed, Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE, CNKI databases, as well as Cochrane library, updated on December 31, 2012 for assays regarding cancer risk association with these two common polymorphisms in the present meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to explore the strength of associations. The results showed that rs3746444 polymorphism was associated with increased cancer risk (dominant model: GG/AG vs. AA: OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.14-1.80; recessive model: GG vs. AG/AA: OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.04-2.30; homozygote model: GG vs. AA: OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.10-2.60; heterozygote model: AG vs. AA: OR = 1. 35, 95% CI: 1.09-1.67), and rs3746444 was associated with liver cancer in the subgroup of cancer types. For the rs2292832 polymorphism, the results showed no significant risk association in both overall pooled analysis and subgroup of cancer types, smoking status, gender and tea drinking status in the Chinese population. This meta-analysis suggested that the rs3746444 GG genotype is associated with increased cancer risk, especially liver cancer, while the rs2292832 polymorphism showed no association with cancer risk in Chinese.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2013

The tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma (IFN-${\gamma}$) release assay (IGRA) have been widely used for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). In order to overcome limitations of current LTBI diagnostic methods, the development of a novel molecular assay which is able to measure the IFN-${\gamma}$ messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level after stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) specific antigen was recently developed. The ability of a molecular assay to detect MTB infection was similar to commercial IGRA however, the optimal incubation time for stimulating IFN-${\gamma}$ was not yet established. Therefore, in this study the direct comparisons of MTB Ag stimulation times (4 and 24 hrs) were performed for diagnosis of MTB infection. Data showed that the coincident rate between QFT-GIT IFN-${\gamma}$ ELISA and IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR (4 hrs) was 88.35% and that of QFT-GIT and IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR (24 hrs) was 70.85%. Based on a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the 4 hrs-MTB specific Ag stimulation time for IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR had the significant P value, 95% CI value, and AUC (P < 0.0001, 95% CI=0.82 to 1.02, and AUC=0.9214) in comparison with 24 hrs-MTB specific Ag stimulation time (P = 0.009, 95% CI=0.06 to 0.94, and AUC=0.7711). These results show that 4-hr was the most optimal MTB Ag stimulation time for performing IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR. Although semi-quantitative RT-PCR had a few analytical limitations, it might be useful as an alternative molecular diagnostic method for detecting MTB infection.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 2019

Objectives Psychological stress has been known to increase the risk of schizophrenia. Because stress responses are mainly mediated by cortisol, the action of the glucocorticoid receptors (Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 3 Group C Member 1, NR3C1) is possibly related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated the associations between polymorphisms of NR3C1 and schizophrenia. Methods Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs17100236, rs2963155, rs9324924, and rs7701443) of NR3C1 were genotyped in 208 patients with schizophrenia and 339 healthy individuals. A chi-square test was performed to test differences in allele distributions among groups. A multiple logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and multiple inheritance models to analyze the associations between schizophrenia and SNPs (the dominant, recessive and additive models). Results The minor allele frequencies of two SNPs were significantly higher in the schizophrenia group than in those of the control group (rs2963155 G > A : 0.25 vs. 0.18, p = 0.0066 ; rs7701443 A > G : 0.40 vs. 0.33, p = 0.012). The genotype frequencies of two SNPs were found to be significantly different between patients with schizophrenia and controls in the dominant model (rs2963155 : AG/GG vs. AA, OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.16-2.38, p = 0.0055, rs7701443 : AG/AA vs. GG, OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.11-2.34, p = 0.01) and the log-additive model (rs2963155 : AG vs. GG vs. AA, OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.13-2.10, p = 0.0067). Conclusions This study showed significant associations between NR3C1 polymorphisms and schizophrenia. It suggests that NR3C1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2017

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of canine influenza (CI) infection in pet dogs and canine parvovirus (CPV) infection in street dogs of different age and sex by collecting rectal and nasal swab samples from three districts, Dhaka, Mymensingh and Sirajgonj, in Bangladesh using a RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ Canine Influenza Virus Ag Test kit and RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ Canine Parvovirus Ag Test Kit. Out of 114 rectal swabs and 115 nasal swab samples, the overall prevalence of CI and CPV was found to be 11.30% and 32.45%, respectively. The prevalence of parvovirus infection was found to be significantly higher in puppies and dogs 6 months of age (50.0%) than those > 24 months of age (p = 0.005). The prevalence was also higher in males (34.42%) than females (30.18%). The prevalence of CI was higher (30.43%) in dogs up to 6 months of age (p = 0.011) than 6-12 month (7.93%) and 12-18 month (6.66%) old dogs. Moreover, the prevalence of CI was found to be higher in males (16.10%) than females (5.66%). The prevalence of CPV infection also varied significantly in different study areas (p = 0.0029), with 12.72%, 12.5% and 7.14% of dogs found to be CI positive in Dhaka, Mymensingh and Sirajgonj, respectively. Overall, the highest prevalence of CI was found in local breeds (6.08%) followed by German shepherds and Keeshonds (1.73%), and Bloodhounds and Terriers (0.86%). Additionally, there were more positive CI found in unvaccinated dogs (14.81%) than vaccinated (2.94%) dogs. Dogs with flu-like symptoms were more positive (19.23%) for CI relative to those without flu-like symptoms (4.76%) samples. Overall, the results of this study indicate that canine vaccination should be initiated to prevent the occurrence of diseases and that regular monitoring should be continued in Bangladesh.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.72-82
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• 2021

Purpose: A high anion gap (AG) is known to be a significant risk factor for serious acid-base imbalances and death in acute poisoning cases. The strong ion difference (SID), or strong ion gap (SIG), has recently been used to predict in-hospital mortality or acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome. This study presents a comprehensive acid-base analysis in order to identify the predictive value of the SIG for disease severity in severe poisoning. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on acute poisoning patients treated in the emergency intensive care unit (ICU) between December 2015 and November 2020. Initial serum electrolytes, base deficit (BD), AG, SIG, and laboratory parameters were concurrently measured upon hospital arrival and were subsequently used along with Stewart's approach to acid-base analysis to predict AKI development and in-hospital death. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and logistic regression analysis were used as statistical tests. Results: Overall, 343 patients who were treated in the intensive care unit were enrolled. The initial levels of lactate, AG, and BD were significantly higher in the AKI group (n=62). Both effective SID [SIDe] (20.3 vs. 26.4 mEq/L, p<0.001) and SIG (20.2 vs. 16.5 mEq/L, p<0.001) were significantly higher in the AKI group; however, the AUC of serum SIDe was 0.842 (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.799-0.879). Serum SIDe had a higher predictive capacity for AKI than initial creatinine (AUC=0.796, 95% CI=0.749-0.837), BD (AUC=0.761, 95% CI=0.712-0.805), and AG (AUC=0.660, 95% CI=0.607-0.711). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that diabetes, lactic acidosis, high SIG, and low SIDe were significant risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: Initial SIDe and SIG were identified as useful predictors of AKI and in-hospital mortality in intoxicated patients who were critically ill. Further research is necessary to evaluate the physiological nature of the toxicant or unmeasured anions in such patients.