• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.637-646
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• 2024

Background/Aims: During endoscopy, white spots (WS) are sometimes observed around benign or malignant colorectal tumors; however, few reports have investigated WS, and their significance remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the significance of WS from clinical and pathological viewpoints and evaluated its usefulness in endoscopic diagnosis. Methods: Clinical data of patients with lesions diagnosed as epithelial tumors from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020, were analyzed (n=3,869). We also performed a clinicopathological analysis of adenomas or carcinomas treated with endoscopic resection (n=759). Subsequently, detailed pathological observations of the WS were performed. Results: The positivity rates for WS were 9.3% (3,869 lesions including advanced cancer and non-adenoma/carcinoma) and 25% (759 lesions limited to adenoma and early carcinoma). Analysis of 759 lesions showed that the WS-positive lesion group had a higher proportion of cancer cases and larger tumor diameters than the WS-negative group. Multiple logistic analysis revealed the following three statistically significant risk factors for carcinogenesis: positive WS, flat lesions, and tumor diameter ≥5 mm. Pathological analysis revealed that WS were macrophages that phagocytosed fat and mucus and were white primarily because of fat. Conclusions: WS are cancer-related findings and can become a new criterion for endoscopic resection in the future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.535-542
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• 2008

Objectives : Ryodoraku, which is a physiological function test using electric current, is closely related to skin sympathetic tone. Pulse analysis is known to reflect cardiovascular reactivity. Refer to the previous researches Ryodoraku and pulse analysis have value as tools for diagnosing respiratory diseases. In this study we examined the diagnostic values of Ryodoraku and pulse analysis for respiratory disease patients. Methods : For this study. we conducted Ryodoraku and pulse analysis on 114 people, including 83 respiratory disease outpatients and 31 volunteers who did not have any respiratory symptoms or disease history. The respiratory patients were divided into three subgroups according to their symptoms: rhinorrhea group, cough-sputum group and wheezing-dyspnea group. Then we compared the disease groups with the control group. Results : When all experimental groups were compared with the control group, mean Ryodoraku was significantly lower. Mean H2, mean H3 and mean H6 were significantly lower in the rhinorrhea group (P<0.05), all the test results of Ryodoraku were evidently lower in the cough-sputum group (P<0.01), and most results of Ryodoraku were evidently lower in the wheezing-dyspnea group except H1 (P<0.01). Compared with the control group on pulse analysis, mean YP+/YP- was significantly lower in the wheezing-dyspnea group (P<0.05). Conclusion : Ryodoraku and pulse analysis were found to have a high value as quantitative diagnosis tools reflecting individuals' weakness and firmness. Nevertheless, more research is needed to find the further values.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.142-151
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify factors related to the recurrence of intussusception in pediatric patients. Methods: The medical charts of patients diagnosed with intussusception and treated at Dongsan Medical Center, between March 2015 to June 2017, were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: Among 137 patients, 23 patients (16.8%) had a recurrent intussusception and 8 of these patients (6%) had more than 2 episodes of recurrence. The age at diagnosis was significantly different between the non-recurrence and recurrence group (p=0.026), with age >1 year at the time of diagnosis associated with a greater rate of recurrence (p=0.002). The time interval from symptom onset to the initial reduction (<48 vs. ${\geq}48$ hours) was significantly longer in the recurrence group (p=0.034) and patients in the recurrence group had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (p=0.024). Bloody stools and a history of infection were significantly more frequent in the non-recurrence group (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). On stepwise regression analysis, age >1 year at the time of presentation (odds ratio [OR], 4.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56-14.06; p=0.016) and no history of infection (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.06-0.58; p=0.004) were retained as predictors of recurrence. Conclusion: Patients with intussusception who are older than 1 year at diagnosis, have an elevated CRP level, a delay of ${\geq}48$ hours between symptom onset and the initial reduction, an absence of bloody stools, and no history of infection should be closely monitoring for symptoms and signs of a possible recurrence.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.46-66
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• 2012

Metabolomic studies using human urine have shown that human metabolism is altered by a variety of environmental, cultural, and physiological factors. Comprehensive information about normal human metabolite profiles is necessary for accurate clinical diagnosis of disease and for disease prevention and treatment. In this study, metabolite correlation analyses, using $^1H$ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistics, were performed on human urine to compare metabolic differences based on gender and/or obesity in healthy human subjects. First, we applied partial least squares discriminant analysis to the NMR spectral data set to verify the data's ability to discriminate by gender and obesity. Then, the differences in metabolite-metabolite correlation between male and female, and between normal and high body mass index (obese) subjects were investigated through pairwise correlations. Creatine and several metabolites, including isoleucine, trans-aconitate, and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), exhibited different quantitative relationships depending on gender. Dimethylamine had a different correlation with glycine and TMAO, based on gender. The correlation of TMAO with amino acids was considerably lower in obese, compared to normal, subjects. We expect that the results will shed light on the metabolic pathways of healthy humans and will assist in the accurate diagnosis of human disease.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.179-188
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• 2013

Objectives This study was designed to development the diagnosis indicators for the fatigue group without disease using analysis of questionnaire data. Methods The subjects were divided into three groups, the fatigue group with disease, the fatigue group without disease, non-fatigue group without disease. Thirteen kinds of questionnaire (Fatigue visual analogue scale, Fatigue severity scale, Pain visual analogue scale, Short-form McGill pain questionnaire score, Headache impact Test-6, Neck disability index, Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire score, Blood stasis assessment scale, Physical activities questionnaire score, Beck depression inventory, Anger expression inventory score, Mood disability scale, Job stress scale) were carried out for the subjects. Results The results of this study are ; 1) The weight, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure were different among three groups. 2) Among nine questionnaires related to the physical or life conditions, the averages of eight questionnaires were not same one another. 3) Among four questionnaires related to the mental condition or autonomic nervous system, the averages of Beck depression inventory were not same one another. Conclusion The fatigue group without disease can be diagnosed through using the both the questionnaires related to the physical or life condition and the those related to the mental condition or autonomic nervous system.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.21 no.2 s.24
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• pp.390-403
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• 1988

The objectives of the study were to provide the basic informations needed in the development of balanced medical services throughout the nation. As the national health care system was expanding rapidly along with the economic growth, quantitative re-evaluation of the system is of great need. For that reason, characteristics of the admitted patients were analyzed for the case-mix and patients' flow within and through regions. Materials were 421,530 cases of inpatients, who were reported through Korea Medical Insurance Corporation(KMIC) for insurance claim, during the period of March 1, 1985 through February 28, 1987. Korean Diagnosis Related Groups(K-DRGs) classification system was adopted for the study of case-mix and 189 cities and counties were classified into 5 district groups by factor analysis results of K-DRGS. The major findings of this study were as follows ; 1) Factor analysis of case-mix, employing K-DRG system, revealed 5 distinct funtional district groups. Group A(18 districts) was prominent for tertiary medical care. In group B(36 districts), rather simple procedures were prevalent. Group C(26 districts) was distinctive for the medical care of well organized internal medicine practices with qualified clinical laboratories. Group D(17 districts) was characterized by relatively high balanced medical care. Group E (92 districts) was with very low level of medical care. 2) Analysis of the case-flow through the districts showed 3 types of flow patterns : inflow, outflow, and balanced types. Inflow type of case-flow was found in Group A, C and D while Group B and E showed outflow type. Inflow was most prominent in Group A and Group E was of typical outflow type. Group B was consistently the outflow type except for Major Diagnostic Category XX regardless of the disease treaters, but Group C and D were inflow or outflow types according to the disease tracers.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.28.1-28.13
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• 2023

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the onset and evolution of cognitive impairments, often considered a transitional stage to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The genetic traits of MCI patients who experience a rapid progression to AD can enhance early diagnosis capabilities and facilitate drug discovery for AD. While a genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a standard tool for identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to a disease, it fails to detect SNPs with small effect sizes due to stringent control for multiple testing. Additionally, the method does not consider the group structures of SNPs, such as genes or linkage disequilibrium blocks, which can provide valuable insights into the genetic architecture. To address the limitations, we propose a Bayesian bi-level variable selection method that detects SNPs associated with time of conversion from MCI to AD. Our approach integrates group inclusion indicators into an accelerated failure time model to identify important SNP groups. Additionally, we employ data augmentation techniques to impute censored time values using a predictive posterior. We adapt Dirichlet-Laplace shrinkage priors to incorporate the group structure for SNP-level variable selection. In the simulation study, our method outperformed other competing methods regarding variable selection. The analysis of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data revealed several genes directly or indirectly related to AD, whereas a classical GWAS did not identify any significant SNPs.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.387-395
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• 2009

Nerve growth factor (NGF) and sensory neuropeptides are involved in the process of nociception at peripheral nerve fibers and wide spread in central nervous system. The aims of this study were to investigate NGF and sensory neuropeptides (substance P [SP] and calcitonin gene-related peptide [CGRP]) levels in human plasma and saliva, and the associations between these sensory neuropeptides levels and chronic orofacial pain symptoms. NGF, SP, and CGRP levels in plasma and resting whole saliva samples collected from 67 orofacial pain patients (joint pain, dental or periodontal pain, mucosal pain) and 36 pain free control subjects were measured by enzyme immunoassay. The characteristic pain intensity of each subject was measured using the Graded Chronic Pain Scale and the flow rate of resting whole saliva was measured. Joint pain patients group showed significantly higher plasma NGF level compared to each of dental pain patients (p<0.01), mucosal pain patients (p<0.01), and control group (p<0.01). Plasma NGF level of dental pain patients group was significantly higher than that of control group (p<0.01). Saliva SP level of dental pain patients group (p<0.05) and saliva CGRP level of mucosal pain group (p<0.05) were significantly higher than that of control group. Plasma and saliva SP levels of joint pain patients was significantly associated with pain intensity (plasma: standardized coefficient=0.599, p<0.01, saliva: standardized coefficient=0.504, p=0.05). In dental pain patients group, plasma SP (standardized coefficient=0.559, p<0.01), saliva SP (standardized coefficient=0.520, p<0.01) and saliva CGRP (standardized coefficient=0.599, p<0.01) levels were significantly associated with age. In mucosal pain patients group, plasma SP (standardized coefficient=0.495, p<0.05), saliva SP (standardized coefficient=0.500, p<0.05), and saliva CGRP (standardized coefficient=0.717, p<0.01) levels were significantly associated with age. NGF and neuropeptides may play a role in the maintenance of various orofacial pain symptoms. The examination of those levels in plasma and saliva helps understanding the mechanism of orofacial pain, and furthermore, can be applied to the diagnosis and therapy of orofacial pain.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.147-152
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• 2003

Objectives : To develop a Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) fraud candidate detection method, using data mining techniques, and to examine the efficiency of the developed method. Methods ; The Study included 79,790 DRGs and their related claims of 8 disease groups (Lens procedures, with or without, vitrectomy, tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy only, appendectomy, Cesarean section, vaginal delivery, anal and/or perianal procedures, inguinal and/or femoral hernia procedures, uterine and/or adnexa procedures for nonmalignancy), which were examined manually during a 32 months period. To construct an optimal prediction model, 38 variables were applied, and the correction rate and lift value of 3 models (decision tree, logistic regression, neural network) compared. The analyses were peformed separately by disease group. Results : The correction rates of the developed method, using data mining techniques, were 15.4 to 81.9%, according to disease groups, with an overall correction rate of 60.7%. The lift values were 1.9 to 7.3 according to disease groups, with an overall lift value of 4.1. Conclusions : The above findings suggested that the applying of data mining techniques is necessary to improve the efficiency of DRG fraud candidate detection.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2019

Purpose: As the number of infertile couples has grown, many infertile women have experienced depression during the diagnosis and treatment of their infertility. This study aimed to identify the factors related to depression in infertile women who underwent reproductive treatments. Methods: The study subjects were 149 infertile women who underwent reproductive treatments. The data were collected by self-administered questionnaires from August 1 to December 24, 2018. The questionnaire consisted of questions about fatigue, health-promoting behavior, and depression. Analyses of the descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, correlation, and multiple regression were conducted using the SPSS 25.0 Windows program. Results: Thirty-six of the women in the study (24.2%) were in the probably depressed group and 113 (75.8%) were in the definitely depressed group and 100% of the subjects experienced symptoms of depression. Depression was positively correlated with fatigue and negatively correlated with health-promoting behavior. Multiple regression analysis revealed that fatigue and interpersonal relationships were factors significantly related to depression in the model (p<.001), with an explanatory power of 42.6%. Conclusion: The results confirmed that fatigue and interpersonal relationships, which is a subfactor of health-promoting behavior, were factors related to depression. To alleviate depression in infertile women, efforts should be made to identify and reduce psychological and physical fatigue. In addition, minimizing relational difficulties that they experience during an infertility diagnosis and treatment and strengthening positive interpersonal relationships can be positive strategies to alleviate depression.