• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.405-411
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• 2022

Korea's long-term care insurance for the elderly, which started in 2008, is a borrowed one from gaeho insurance, which started eight years earlier. Both countries have a policy of welfare equipment benefit systems to support the lives of the elderly who are intellectually and mentally weakened. In this study, we attempted to compare and examine the welfare equipment items in Korea with those in Japan and find out the characteristics of the items in Korea and Japan. In Korea, loitering-detection device, posture changing devices, and incontinence underwears were registered as welfare devices before Japan, and in Japan, automatic urine disposal systems, wheelchair electric assist device, position converters, and lifts for handicapped person were designated as welfare devices before Korea. In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced the designation of the excretion prediction support device as a welfare device. If Korea and Japan cooperate to develop welfare equipment items together, it will be of great help in improving the quality of life of the elderly in both countries in a super-aged society.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 2023

Purpose: This study focused on identifying the interaction effects of genetic and lifestyle-environmental factors on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Methods: Study subjects were selected from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) from 2001 to 2014. Data on genetic variations, anthropometric measurements, biochemical data, and seven lifestyle factors (diet, physical activity, alcohol drinking, smoking, sleep, depression, and stress) were obtained from 4,836 Koreans aged between 40 and 59 years, including those with T2D at baseline (n = 1,209), newly developed T2D (n= 1,298) and verified controls (n = 3,538). The genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated by using 11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to T2D development and the second quartile was used as the reference category. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the associations of GRS and lifestyle factors with T2D risk, controlling for covariates. Results: Multivariate regression analysis revealed that GRS was the strongest risk factor for T2D, and body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, and spicy food preference also increased the risk. Lifestyle/environmental factors that showed significant interactions with GRS were BMI, current smoking, current drinking, fatty food preference, and spicy food preference. Conclusions: Interactions between genetic factors and lifestyle/environmental factors were associated with an increased risk of T2D. The results will be useful to provide a new perspective on genetic profiling for the earlier detection of T2D risk and clues for personalized interventions, which might be more effective prevention strategies or therapies in individuals with a genetic predisposition to T2D.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.3D
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• pp.461-467
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• 2006

To detect individual vehicular speed, double loop detection technique has been widely used. This paper investigates four methodologies to measure individual speed using only a single loop sensor in a traveling lane. Two methods developed earlier include estimating the speed by means of (Case 1) the slop of inductance wave form generated by the sensor and (Case 2) the average vehicle lengths. Two other methods are newly developed through this study, which are estimations by measuring (Case 3) the mean of wheelbases using the sensor installed traversal to the traveling lane and (Case 4) the mean of wheel tracks by the sensor installed diagonally to the traveling lane. These four methodologies were field-tested and their accuracy of speed output was compared statistically. This study used Equality Coefficient and Mean Absolute Percentage Error for the assessment. It was found that the method (Case 1) was best accurate, followed by method (Case 4), (Case 2), and (Case 3).

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2023

Purpose: Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease with proper pre-exposure anti-rabies vaccination (ARV). Dogs, as household pets and strays, are the reservoir and vector of the disease, and dog bites have been associated with human rabies cases in Sri Lanka over the past few years. However, other susceptible species having frequent contact with humans may be a source of infection. One such species is sheep and immunity following ARV has never been tested in sheep reared in Sri Lanka. Materials and Methods: We have tested serum samples from sheep reared in the Animal Centre, Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka for the presence of anti-rabies antibodies following ARV. Sheep serum samples were tested with Bio-Pro Rabies enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody kits used for the first time in Sri Lanka and our results were verified by a seroneutralization method on cells (fluorescent antibody virus neutralization, FAVN test) currently recommended by World Organization for Animal Health and World Health Organization. Results: Sheep received annual ARV and maintained high neutralizing antibody titers in their serum. No maternal antibodies were detected in lamb around 6 months of age. Agreement between the ELISA and FAVN test, i.e., coefficient concordance was 83.87%. Conclusion: Annual vaccination in sheep has an effect on maintaining adequate protection against rabies by measurements of anti-rabies antibody response. Lambs need to be vaccinated earlier than 6 months of age to achieve protective levels of neutralizing antibodies in their serum. Introducing this ELISA in Sri Lanka will be a good opportunity to determine the level of anti-rabies antibodies in animal serum samples.

• International Journal of Heart Failure
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2024

The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is increasing, necessitating accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment. The accumulation of clinical information from patients with HF generates big data, which poses challenges for traditional analytical methods. To address this, big data approaches and artificial intelligence (AI) have been developed that can effectively predict future observations and outcomes, enabling precise diagnoses and personalized treatments of patients with HF. Machine learning (ML) is a subfield of AI that allows computers to analyze data, find patterns, and make predictions without explicit instructions. ML can be supervised, unsupervised, or semi-supervised. Deep learning is a branch of ML that uses artificial neural networks with multiple layers to find complex patterns. These AI technologies have shown significant potential in various aspects of HF research, including diagnosis, outcome prediction, classification of HF phenotypes, and optimization of treatment strategies. In addition, integrating multiple data sources, such as electrocardiography, electronic health records, and imaging data, can enhance the diagnostic accuracy of AI algorithms. Currently, wearable devices and remote monitoring aided by AI enable the earlier detection of HF and improved patient care. This review focuses on the rationale behind utilizing AI in HF and explores its various applications.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6705-6709
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• 2015

Background: Venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) constitute a group of diseases including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). They regarded as the second leading cause of death in cancer patients and several studies have confirmed that VTEs have a negative impact on survival and recurrent rate in both ovarian and endometrial cancer cases. The incidence of VTEs differs worldwide and depends on several risk factors including race, underlying disease, lifestyle, body weight, BMI and genetic risk factors. There is heterogeneity of DVT rates between Asian and Western countries. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the character and incidence of VTEs in gynecologic oncology patients in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital over a 10 year period. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed with VTEs defined as objective diagnosis of acute DVT or PE with typical symptoms and signs. Diagnoses were approved byan internist and/or confirmed with imaging studies. Data from both outpatient and inpatient sessions of the affected cases from January 2004 to December 2013 were extracted. General characteristics of the patients were collected with details of the diseases, types of cancer, stage, date of diagnosis of cancer, operative data, treatment outcome, progression free survival and overall survival. Results: Thirty cases of VTEs were identified in a total 2,316 gynecologic oncology cases. The incidence of symptomatic VTEs in total gynecologic oncology patients in our institution is 1.295%. The incidence of VTEs in ovarian cancer patients in our institution was 5.9%. Duration for VTE detection ranged from 13 months before diagnosis of cancer to 33 months after diagnosis of cancer. Most of the VTE cases were detected in ovarian cancer patients (60%). The most common cell type was adenocarcinoma (moderately to poorly differentiated) which accounted for 26.7% of the cases. The second most common cell type was clear cell carcinoma with 23.3% of the cases. Thirty percent of VTE cases developed before cancer was diagnosed, 20% were diagnosed at the same time as cancer detection and fifty percent developed after cancer was diagnosed. Median disease free survival of the gynecologic oncology patients with VTE was 7.5 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months. Median progession free survivals of DVT and PE groups were 11.5 and 5.5 months, respectively. OS of DVT and PE was 12.0 and 11.5 months respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of VTE in Asian countries is believed to be lower than in European or Western countries. From our retrospective review, the incidence of VTEs in all types of gynecologic oncology was 1.295%, much lower than reported in the West. The reason for the lower incidence may genetic differences. Another factor is that VTE in this review was symptomatic, which is less than asymptomatic VTE. More than half of VTEs in this study developed in ovarian cancer patients. The results are compatible with earlier reports that among gynecologic malignancies, the incidence of VTE is highest in ovarian cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4259-4265
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• 2016

Background: Colorectal malignancies with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H), either hereditary (Lynch syndrome) or sporadic, demonstrate better prognosis and altered response to 5FU chemotherapy. It is now recommended to perform MSI testing for all new cases of colorectal cancer regardless of being categorized as hereditary or sporadic. For MSI detection, immunohistochemistry or PCR-based protocols using a cohort of various sets of STR markers are recommended. Here we aimed to evaluate a simplified protocol using just a single STR marker, MT1XT20 mononucleotide repeat, for detection of MSI in Lynch syndrome patients. A Promega five-marker MSI testing panel and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used as the gold standard in conjunction with MT1XT20. Materials and Methods: Colorectal patients with a positive history of familial cancers were selected by evaluating medical records. Based on Amsterdam II criteria for Lynch syndrome 20 families were short listed. DNA was extracted from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumour and adjacent normal tissues resected from the index case in each family. Extracted DNA was subjected to MT1XT20 mononucleotide marker analysis and assessment with a commercially available five marker MSI testing kit (Promega, USA). IHC also was performed on tissue sections and the results were compared with PCR based data. Results: Eight (40%), seven (35%) and five (25%) cases were MSI positive using with the Promega kit, IHC and MT1XT20, respectively. Among the markers included in Promega kit, BAT26 marker showed instability in all 8 samples. NR24 and NR21 markers showed instability in 7 (87.5%), and BAT25 and MONO 27 in 6 (75%) and 5 (62.5%). Conclusions: Although MT1XT20 was earlier reported as a valid standalone marker for MSI testing in CRC patients, we could not verify this in our Iranian patients. Instead BAT26 among the markers included in Promega MSI testing kit showed instability in all 8 MSI-H CRC samples. Therefore, it seems BAT26 could act well as a single marker for MSI testing in Iranian CRC patients.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.190-197
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• 2000

Anions such as C $l^{[-10]}$ , N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ , S $O_4$$^{2-}$, P $O_4$$^{3-}$, and organic anions, that do not become a part of the clay mineral crystal lattice, are of considerable interest in soils which are a potential sink caused by acid rain. In this paper, elution of native sulfate and breakthrough curves (BTC) were obtained from miscible displacement of non-specifically or specifically adsorbed anions through non-saturated or saturated Bt soil of Chungwon series. The shape and position of the BTC's could be affected by adsoprtion and ion exchange onto the soil particle surfaces. Measured BTC's for oxalic acid under unsaturated and saturated conditions showed that less pore volumes were required to displace the native S $O_4$$^{2-}$S from the soil column, and that maximum detection limit of oxalic acid reached earlier than under unsaturated. The retarded BTC's to the righthand side could be attributed by different adsorption behavior of each anion, although BTC's may be influenced by the smaller order of velocity change. The alternate breakthrough and elution curves show the rapid approach to the maximum detection limit of C/Co = 1, compared to progressive tailing of elution curve to reach to C/Co = 0. The probable explanation for asymmetric elution patterns for both anion is that the anion was selectively adsorbed on the positively charged soil surface from the solution passing in the soil column. On the other hand, the variations of pH in effluent showed that pH was increased to 7 in the first 6 pore volume and then gradually decreased to pH 4.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.97-106
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the type and measurement location of a fabric strain gauge sensor on the detection performance for respiratory signals. We implemented two types of sensors to measure the respiratory signal and attached them to a band to detect the respiratory signal. Eight healthy males in their 20s were the subject of this study. They were asked to wear two respiratory bands in turns. While the subjects were measured for 30 seconds standing comfortably, the respiratory was given at 15 breaths per minute were synchronized, and then a 10-second break; subsequently, the entire measurement was repeated. Measurement locations were at the chest and abdomen. In addition, to verify the performance of respiratory measurement in the movement state, the subjects were asked to walk in place at a speed of 80 strides per minute(SPM), and the respiratory was measured using the same method mentioned earlier. Meanwhile, to acquire a reference signal, the SS5LB of BIOPAC Systems, Inc., was worn by the subjects simultaneously with the experimental sensor. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Bonferroni post hoc tests were performed using SPSS 24.0 to verify the difference in measurement performances among the group of eight combinations of sensor types, measurement locations, and movement states. In addition, the Wilcoxon test was conducted to examine whether there are differences according to sensor type, measurement location, and movement state. The results showed that the respiratory signal detection performance was the best when the respiratory was measured in the chest using the CNT-coated fabric sensor regardless of the movement state. Based on the results of this study, we will develop a chest belt-type wearable platform that can monitor the various vital signal in real time without disturbing the movements in an outdoor environment or in daily activities.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.241-247
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• 2007

Purpose : Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a common and benign congenital disorder of the musculoskeletal system in neonates and infants. The pathophysiology is that the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) is shortened on the involved side by fibrosis, leading to ipsilateral tilt and contralateral rotation of the face and chin. In this study, we investigated the clinical features of CMT, the role of ultrasonography (USG) in prediction of prognoses and the clinical significance of early detection and treatment. Methods : Forty seven patients (M:F=31:16) were diagnosed as a CMT between March 2003 and May 2006. We reviewed age at diagnosis, physical findings, USG findings, treatment and therapeutic outcome from their medical records. Results : The median age at diagnosis was 90 days (18 days-9 years, 7 months) and the right side of neck was affected in more patients (right : left=26:21). Of 24 patients with a palpable neck mass, 21 had USG; 19 cases showed sternocleidomastoid tumor (SMT). In cases with no neck mass, USG was performed in 11 patients; seven had postural torticollis (POST), three had SMT and one had muscular torticollis (MT). Among 40 patients with follow-up, 36 had total resolution. There was negative correlation between the age at diagnosis and the recovery time, whereas the final outcome was not correlated with USG findings. However, the patients without positive findings in USG had earlier resolution (1 month vs 2.6 months, P=0.0008). The patients with SMT had earlier diagnosis and excellent outcomes. The patients with MT were delayed to diagnosis and had the longest time to resolve. Lastly, the patients with POST had delayed diagnoses, but they had excellent outcomes. Conclusion : Since the patients with delayed diagnoses, in despite of benign courses, may take a long time to resolve and rarely need surgical treatment, it is important to diagnose and treat early. This study showed that USG findings of the SCM may be used as predictive factors.