• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.517-524
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of air quality using data from which obtain local air quality monitoring system for cohort study in Chungju, Korea. We analyzed the concentration data of $NO_2,\;SO_2$, and $PM_{10}$ in Chungju and industrial cities in 2006. We compared a industrial area with a cohort study area using by bicluster algorithm. In the case of $SO_2$, the rate of the cluster time was $10{\sim}60%$ and the cluster time number of two areas was similar. In the case of $NO_2$ and $PM_{10}$, the number of cluster time between a industrial area and cohort study area was clearly different.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.1841-1846
• /
• 2013

Anti-angiogenic agents have played crucial roles in the treatment of ovarian cancer in recent years, but potential benefits of endostatin have been largely unexplored. The present retrospective study evaluated its efficacy and toxicity with two cohorts of patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. One cohort received gemcitabine plus endostar (rh-endostatin), and the second cohort received gemcitabine regimen alone, with totals of 31 and 27 patients, respectively. The main endpoints were disease control rate (DCR), PFS, overall survival (OS) and safety. There were statistically significant differences in DCR (70.9% vs. 40.7%; P = 0.02) and PFS (6.3 months vs. 3.2 months, P = 0.001) between the two cohorts. Though the endostar cohort also improved median OS by 2.1 months, there was no statistically significant difference compared with gemcitabine alone cohort in this case (12.5 months vs. 10.4 months, P = 0.201). Treatment was well tolerated for most patients, and toxicity of endostar was negligible. Gemcitabine plus endostar significantly improved the prognosis in patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, especially in those with malignant effusion. The endostar-containing regimen is recommended in this setting.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.8
• /
• pp.4667-4669
• /
• 2013

We evaluated cigarette smoking as a risk factor for prostate cancer in a prospective, population-based cohort study. The subjects were 14,450 males among the participants in the Seoul Male Cancer Cohort Study who had at least 1-year follow-up. They were followed up between 1993 and 2008. During the 16-year follow-up period, 87 cases of prostate cancer occurred over the 207,326 person-years of the study. The age-adjusted relative risks of past and current smokers at entry were 0.60 (95%CI: 0.34-1.06) and 0.70 (95%CI: 0.43-1.13), respectively, suggesting that cigarette smoking may not be a risk factor for prostate cancer. The relationship between prostate cancer and other modifiable factors, such as Westernized diet, should be studied with the goal of establishing prevention programs for prostate cancer.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.356-359
• /
• 2009

In the more than 100 genome wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in the past 5 years, more than 250 genetic loci contributing to more than 40 common diseases and traits have been identified. Whilst many genes have been linked to a trait, both their individual and combined effects are small and unable to explain earlier estimates of heritability. Given the rapid changes in disease incidence that cannot be accounted for by changes in diagnostic practises, there is need to have well characterized exposure information in addition to genomic data for the study of gene-environment interactions. The case-control and cohort study designs are most suited for studying associations between risk factors and occurrence of an outcome. However, the case control study design is subject to several biases and hence the preferred choice of the prospective cohort study design in investigating geneenvironment interactions. A major limitation of utilising the prospective cohort study design is the long duration of follow-up of participants to accumulate adequate outcome data. The GWAS paradigm is a timely reminder for traditional epidemiologists who often perform one- or few-at-a-time hypothesis-testing studies with the main hallmarks of GWAS being the agnostic approach and the massive dataset derived through large-scale international collaborations.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.187-194
• /
• 2021

Platelets are derived from fragments formed in the cytoplasm of bone marrow megakaryocytes. Platelet count (PLT) can be altered by factors such as platelet production, destruction, and inflammation. In a previous study, the significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were reported by the genome-wide association study (GWAS) for PLT in Koreans. In this study, it was confirmed whether significant SNPs were replicated in the HEXA (The Health Examinees) cohort. As a result, the SNPs of the THPO (rs6141), BAK1 (rs210314, rs9296095), GGNBP1 (rs75080135), ACAD10 (rs6490294), and ABCC4 (rs4148441) were significantly correlated with PLT (P < 10^-8). At the same time, it was confirmed that the direction of influence was the same according to the genotype. In conclusion, it can be seen that common SNPs are associated with the platelet count regardless of the cohort for Koreans.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.86-95
• /
• 2024

Sleep varies from individual to individual and is essential for maintaining good health, making it important for the health of individuals and societies. Sleep duration is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, and sleep duration has been reported to be associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In this study, we identified SNPs associated with sleep duration from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) catalog and compared them with the Korean Association Resource (KARE) cohort to find SNPs associated with sleep duration in Koreans and to identify the genes involved. The results showed that rs1553132, a SNP in the GRM5 gene, was identified as an SNP associated with sleep duration in both the GWAS catalog and the KARE cohort, and rs1504096 was the first SNP found to be associated with sleep duration in Koreans. It was found that having a minor allele tended to increase sleep duration. These results confirm the reproducibility of the association between sleep duration and the GRM5 gene in Koreans and provide a basis for using the associated SNPs as genetic determinants of sleep duration.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.31
• /
• pp.23.1-23.6
• /
• 2016

Objectives A stable follow-up participation rate is a very important factor for validity in a cohort study. This study analyzed the factors that affect the participation rate at one hospital-based birth cohort in South Korean. Methods The participants were recruited from the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health study between 2006 and 2010. The analysis targeted 1751 mothers who participated in a birth cohort. We conducted analyses of general characteristics during pregnancy and those of infants at birth that affect the participation rate of the 6-month follow-up survey. Results The participation rate for the 6-month follow-up survey was 60.4%. The participation rate in the follow-up of the subsequent period decreased within a 5% to 10% range compared to the number of subjects. The participation rate of premature infants was 16.9% lower than that of a full-term infant (52.6% vs. 69.5%). Analysis showed a 16.7% difference between the participation rate of low-birthweight infants in follow-ups (53.7%) and the participation rate of infants with normal weight (70.4%). The participation rate of mothers who were employed during pregnancy was significantly lower for the 6-month follow-up compared to the participation rate of mothers who were unemployed during pregnancy. Conclusions In this study, factors such as premature birth, low-birthweight, and the employment status of the mother during pregnancy affected the participation rate of the follow-up survey for the birth cohort at six months. A specific strategy is needed to encourage survey participation for the high risk groups in the follow-ups.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.641-650
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was done to examine the difference in cancer screening with mammography and Papanicolaou smear according to Body Mass Index (BMI). Methods: The participants in this study were 5,912 women ages 40 to 69 yr, selected from the Korean Genomic Regional Cohort in Kangwon province. Mammography and Papanicolaou smear were assessed by questionnaire and body weight (kg) and height (m) measured to calculate BMI. Results: The distribution of BMI was as follows: low weight (1.5%), normal weight (31.1%), over weight (24.6%), mildly obese (36.4%) and severely obese (6.3%). After adjusting for age, education and monthly income, compared with normal weight women, overweight women (odds ratio [OR]=1.283, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.089-1.513) and mildly obese women (OR=1.214, 95% CI=1.048-1.406) were less likely to have had mammography. In contrast to mammography, cancer screening with Papanicolaou smear was not significantly different by BMI. Conclusion: Obese women in rural areas are less likely to screen for breast cancer by using mammography than non obese women. To ensure regular screening for breast cancer, health care providers need to give scrupulous care to obese women and remove barriers originated from obesity. Also, educational and clinical implications are considered to increase the Papanicolaou smear rate.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.153-159
• /
• 1982

A statistical study on medical students who entered certain college of medicine during 10 years ('73 to '82) was performed in order to evaluate medical educational wastage. The obtained results summerized were as follows; 1. The normal promotion rate of 10 cohorts(CI-CX) was 83.4% and 5 cohorts(CI to CV) whose members had already graduated(including dropouts) was 77.5%. 2. The mean repetition rate in 1st grade was 15.5%, in 2nd grade 5.4%, in 3rd grade 1.4% arid in 4th grade 0.6%. 3. The predicted number of repetion(spell base) which are attendance at the college in 1st grade was 31.6, in 2nd grade 28.9, in 3rd grade 18.6 and in 4th grade 22.7; 4. The total wastage of 10 cohorts was 224.8 SY, which corresponded to educational resources of 56.2 out-puts for normal demand. 5. The mean unit cost of 10 cohorts was 4.62 and the mean Input/Output ratio was 1.06.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2991-2995
• /
• 2012

Background: India shows some of the highest rates of cervical cancer worldwide, and more than 70% of the population is living in rural villages. Prospective cohort studies to determine the risk factors for cervical cancer are very rare from low and medium resource countries. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of risk factors related to cervical cancer in a rural setting in South India. Material and methods: Sociodemographic and reproductive potential risk factors for cervical cancer were studied using the data from a cohort of 30,958 women who constituted the unscreened control group in a randomised screening trial in Dindigul district, Tamilnadu, India. The analysis was accomplished with the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results: Women of increasing age (HR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.6, 3.8 in 50-59 vs 30-39), having many pregnancies (HR=7.1; 1.0, 52 in 4+ vs 0) and no education (HR=0.6; 0.2, 0.7 in high vs none) were found to be at significantly increased risk of cervical cancer. Conclusion: This cohort study gives very strong evidence to say that education is the fundamental factor among the sociodemographic and reproductive determinants of cervical cancer in low resource settings. Public awareness through education and improvements in living standards can play an important role in reducing the high incidence of cervical cancer in India. These findings further stress the importance of formulating public health policies aimed at increasing awareness and implementation of cervical cancer screening programmes.