• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.1206-1224
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• 2018

Purpose: This systematic review was planned and performed in order to determine the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: We searched related randomized controlled trials in several medical online databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), Public/Publisher MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), National Digital Science Library (NDSL), and Research Information Sharing Service (RISS). NAFLD related outcomes were extracted from the included trials and meta-analyzed. Results: From the 8 included trials, the values of the following examinations were extracted: liver ultrasonography, liver CT, body fat CT, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, fasting blood sugar (FBS), hosmeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), weight, body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio (WHR), obesity degree, body fat mass, body fat rate, leptin, malondialdehyde (MDA), and super oxide dismutase (SOD). In the 4 outcomes, cure rate in liver ultrasonography (RR=1.56; 95%CI=1.05~2.31; P=0.03), cure rate in liver CT (RR=2.23; 95%CI=1.33~3.72; P=0.002), TC (MD=-0.78; 95%CI=-1.41~-0.15; P=0.02), and TG (MD=-2.05; 95%CI=-3.88~-0.21; P=0.03), acupuncture was more effective than the control intervention. Conclusions: In this meta-analysis, acupuncture relieved hepatic steatosis, and reduced TC, and TG in NAFLD patients. more well-planned studies are still needed due to the heterogeneity and the considerable methodological flaws in the analyzed trials.

• Genes and Genomics
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.1279-1285
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• 2018

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is an aggressive neoplasm and is an extremely rare disease, with a challenging diagnosis. Etiology of IDCS is also unknown and most studies with only case reports. In our case, immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were positive for S100, CD45, and CD68, but negative for CD1a and CD21. This study aimed to investigate the causative factors of IDCS by sequencing the protein-coding regions of IDCS. We performed whole-exome sequencing with genomic DNA from blood and sarcoma tissue of the IDCS patient using the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. After that, we conducted Sanger sequencing for validation of sarcoma-specific variants and gene ontology analysis using DAVID bioinformatics resources. Through comparing sequencing data of sarcoma with normal blood, we obtained 15 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as sarcoma-specific variants. Although the 15 SNPs were not validated by Sanger sequencing due to tumor heterogeneity and low sensitivity of Sanger sequencing, we examined the function of the genes in which each SNP is located. Based on previous studies and gene ontology database, we found that POLQ encoding DNA polymerase theta enzyme and FNIP1 encoding tumor suppressor folliculin-interacting protein might have contributed to the IDCS. Our study provides potential causative genetic factors of IDCS and plays a role in advancing the understanding of IDCS pathogenesis.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.112-126
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to investigate visual elements of steampunk fashion and provide base line data for innovative fashion design ideas and products. We investigated design characteristics of steampunk fashion style shown in 3 movies and 3 animations. Based on the investigation, the research drew intrinsic value of steampunk fashion from three brands 'Vivienne Westwood', 'Dolce & Gabbana' and 'Alexander McQueen'. As the research analyzed movies and animations revealing steampunk style, various characteristics were found and assorted into similar categories. Subcategories of steampunk fashion are pluralism, rebellion and heterogeneity. The followings are result of analyzing three designer collection listed above. First, steampunk fashion made by designers used various color and materials to express multi-pluralistic(multiplicity) characteristic. Second, fashion style in collections revealed artistic and experimental design. This adventurous and innovative characteristic is categorized as rebellion feature. Third, steampunk fashion style used mix-match of unexpected materials or unbalanced silhouette to create a complete fashion style by combining styles in duplicity which could've lack harmony. Intrinsic value of steampunk is defined as graffiti of 19th century's science technology and utopia spirit. Longing for past and fantasy was expressed into fashion. Steampunk fashion wants to escape reality and tries to recreate history of the past faded away with technological development. It defines steampunk as freedom, deviation and fantastical utopia in positive point of view. Furthermore, aesthetic implication of steampunk style found in this research can make a boundary of steampunk style clear and become reference for future researches regarding steampunk fashion.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.7
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• pp.355-363
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• 2021

Background: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a common renal disorder in children attributed to podocyte injury. However, children with the same diagnosis have markedly variable treatment responses, clinical courses, and outcomes, suggesting molecular heterogeneity. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the molecular responses of podocytes to nephrotic plasma to identify specific genes and signaling pathways differentiating various clinical NS groups as well as biological processes that drive injury in normal podocytes. Methods: Transcriptome profiles from immortalized human podocyte cell line exposed to the plasma of 8 subjects (steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome [SSNS], n=4; steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome [SRNS], n=2; and healthy adult individuals [control], n=2) were generated using microarray analysis. Results: Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of global gene expression data was broadly correlated with the clinical classification of NS. Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis of diseased groups (SSNS or SRNS) versus healthy controls identified 105 genes (58 up-regulated, 47 down-regulated) in SSNS and 139 genes (78 up-regulated, 61 down-regulated) in SRNS with 55 common to SSNS and SRNS, while the rest were unique (50 in SSNS, 84 genes in SRNS). Pathway analysis of the significant (P≤0.05, -1≤ log2 FC ≥1) differentially expressed genes identified the transforming growth factor-β and Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathways to be involved in both SSNS and SRNS. DGE analysis of SSNS versus SRNS identified 2,350 genes with values of P≤0.05, and a heatmap of corresponding expression values of these genes in each subject showed clear differences in SSNS and SRNS. Conclusion: Our study observations indicate that, although podocyte injury follows similar pathways in different clinical subgroups, the pathways are modulated differently as evidenced by the heatmap. Such transcriptome profiling with a larger cohort can stratify patients into intrinsic subtypes and provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of podocyte injury.

• Journal of Korea Society of Waste Management
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.777-784
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• 2018

Since climate change increases the risk of extreme rainfall events, concerns on flood management have also increased. In order to rapidly recover from flood damages and prevent secondary damages, fast collection and treatment of flood debris are necessary. Therefore, a quick and precise estimation of flood debris generation is a crucial procedure in disaster management. Despite the importance of debris estimation, methodologies have not been well established. Given the intrinsic heterogeneity of flood debris from local conditions, a regional-scale model can increase the accuracy of the estimation. The objectives of this study are 1) to identify significant damage variables to predict the flood debris generation, 2) to ascertain the difference in the coefficients, and 3) to evaluate the accuracy of the debris estimation model. The scope of this work is flood events in Ulsan city region during 2008-2016. According to the correlation test and multicollinearity test, the number of damaged buildings, area of damaged cropland, and length of damaged roads were derived as significant parameters. Key parameters seems to be strongly dependent on regional conditions and not only selected parameters but also coefficients in this study were different from those in previous studies. The debris estimation in this study has better accuracy than previous models in nationwide scale. It can be said that the development of a regional-scale flood debris estimation model will enhance the accuracy of the prediction.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.195-215
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• 2021

Multipath Transport Control Protocol (MPTCP) is a transport layer protocol that enables multiple TCP connections across various paths. Due to path heterogeneity, it incurs more energy in a multipath wireless network. Recent work presents a set of approaches described in the literature to support systems for energy consumption in terms of their performance, objectives and address issues based on their design goals. The existing solutions mainly focused on the primary system model but did not discourse the overall system performance. Therefore, this paper capitalized a novel stochastically multipath scheduling scheme for data and path capacity variations. The scheduling problem formulated over MPTCP as a stochastic optimization, whose objective is to maximize the average throughput, avoid network congestion, and makes the system more stable with greater energy efficiency. To design an online algorithm that solves the formulated problem over the time slots by considering its mindrift-plus penalty form. The proposed solution was examined under extensive simulations to evaluate the anticipated stochastic optimized MPTCP (so-MPTCP) outcome and compared it with the base MPTCP and the energy-efficient MPTCP (eMPTCP) protocols. Simulation results justify the proposed algorithm's credibility by achieving remarkable improvements, higher throughput, reduced energy costs, and lower-end to end delay.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2020

Purpose: Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by impaired neuromuscular transmission. This study aims to provide the clue for early diagnosis and improved therapeutic strategies in CMS. Materials and Methods: Through the targeted panel sequencing including twenty CMS causative genes, eleven patients were genetically confirmed and enrolled in this study. A retrospective medical record review was carried out for the clinical and laboratory data analysis. Results: The age of patients ranged from 5 to 23 years, with the median age of 16 years. The peak age at onset of symptoms was the neonatal period. Seven out of the eleven patients were symptomatic at birth. The most commonly reported initial finding was generalized hypotonia with poor sucking and crying. Mean time to accurate diagnosis was 9.3±5.0 years. Total fifteen different variants in seven genes associated with CMS (DOK7, AGRN, RAPSN, CHRNE, COLQ, SLC5A7, and GFPT1) were identified. Conclusion: We describe the clinical and genetic characteristics of CMS patients and treatment outcome in a single tertiary center. High clinical suspicion and timely molecular diagnosis is particularly important for the tailored therapy to maximize clinical improvement in CMS.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

Purpose : The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the effects of microcurrent on inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases. Methods : Domestic databases (RISS, NDSL, KISS, DBpia, and Kmbase) were searched for studies that conducted clinical trials associated with microcurrent and its impact on inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases. A total of 606 studies published between 2002 and 2019 were identified, with 8 studies satisfying the inclusion data. The studies were classified according to patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO). The search outcomes were items associated with blood component, pain, and function. The 8 studies that were included in the study were evaluated using R meta-analysis (version 4.0). The quality of 7 randomized control trials was evaluated using Cochrane risk of bias (ROB). The quality of 1 non-randomized control trial was evaluated using risk of bias assessment tool for non-randomized studies (RoBANS). Effect sizes were computed as the corrected standard mean difference (SMD). A random-effect model was used to analyze the effect size because of the high heterogeneity among the studies. Egger's regression test was carried out to analyze the publishing bias. Results : The following factors had a large effect size involving microcurrent on inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases: blood component (Hedges's g=-2.46, 95 % CI=-4.20~-0.73), pain (Hedges's g=3.51, 95 % CI=2.44~4.77), and function (Hedges's g=3.06, 95 % CI: 1.53~4.58). Except for function (t=1.572, p=.191), Egger's regression test showed that the publishing bias had statistically significant differences. Conclusion : This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of microcurrent on inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases in terms of blood component, pain, and function. However, due to the small sample sizes used in the included studies, the results of our study should be interpreted cautiously, especially considering the publishing bias.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.261-281
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• 2022

Purpose: Short implants are a potential alternative to long implants for use with bone augmentation in atrophic jaws. This meta-analysis investigated the survival rate and marginal bone level (MBL) of surface-modified short vs. long implants. Methods: Electronic and manual searches were performed for articles published between January 2010 and June 2021. Twenty-two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing surface-modified short and long implants that reported the survival rate with at least 1 year of follow-up were selected. Two reviewers independently extracted the data, and the risk of bias and quality of evidence were evaluated. A quantitative meta-analysis was performed regarding survival rate and MBL. Results: The failure rates of surface-modified short and long implants differed significantly (risk ratio, 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46, 3.57; P<0.000). Long implants exhibited a higher survival rate than short implants (mean follow-up, 1-10 years). A significant difference was observed in mean MBL (mean difference=-0.43, 95% CI, -0.63, -0.23; P<0.000), favoring the short implants. Regarding the impact of surface treatment in short and long implants, for hydrophilic sandblasted acid-etched (P=0.020) and titanium oxide fluoride-modified (P=0.050) surfaces, the survival rate differed significantly between short and long implants. The MBL differences for novel nanostructured calcium-incorporated, hydrophilic sandblasted acid-etched, and dual acid-etched with nanometer-scale calcium phosphate crystal surfaces (P=0.050, P=0.020, and P<0.000, respectively) differed significantly for short vs. long implants. Conclusions: Short surface-modified implants are a potential alternative to longer implants in atrophic ridges. Long fluoride-modified and hydrophilic sandblasted acid-etched implants have higher survival rates than short implants. Short implants with novel nanostructured calcium-incorporated titanium surfaces, hydrophilic sandblasted acid-etched surfaces, and dual acid-etched surfaces with nanometer-scale calcium phosphate crystals showed less marginal bone loss than longer implants. Due to high heterogeneity, the MBL results should be interpreted cautiously, and better-designed RCTs should be assessed in the future.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.3-17
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• 2021

Purpose: The pathology of peri-implantitis is still not fully understood and there have been recent challenges to the consensus on its aetiology and pathology, especially in comparison with periodontitis. The assessment of biomarkers allows a comparison of the pathology of these diseases. The aim of this systematic review was to answer the research question: "Is there a difference in the biomarkers associated with peri-implantitis compared with periodontitis in adult humans?" Methods: Electronic databases were searched and screened, and a manual search was also undertaken. The inclusion criteria were adults with peri-implantitis who had been compared to adults with periodontitis with the outcome of biomarkers assessed via biopsies or crevicular fluid samples in primary or secondary care settings, as recorded in case-control, case series and retrospective, prospective and cross-sectional observational studies. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and assessed full text articles for eligibility and inclusion. Both reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Differences in biomarker levels were the primary outcome and a narrative review was undertaken due to the heterogeneity of studies. Results: In total, 2,374 articles were identified in the search, of which 111 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 13 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Five of the 13 included studies were deemed to be at high risk of bias, with the others having moderate risk. All studies were cross-sectional and performed at university hospitals. Nine of the 13 included studies found significant differences in the levels of biomarkers or their ratios between periimplantitis and periodontitis. Four of the studies found no significant differences. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the included studies, it appears that there may be a difference in biomarker levels and ratios between peri-implantitis and periodontitis, suggesting that these disease processes are somewhat distinct.