• Title/Summary/Keyword: Group Difference

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Once vs. Twice Daily Thoracic Irradiation in Limited Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (국한성 병기 소세포폐암의 방사선치료시 분할 조사방식에 따른 치료성적)

  • Kim, Jun-Sang;Kim, Jae-Sung;Kim, Ju-Ock;Kim, Sun-Young;Cho, Moon-June
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.291-301
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    • 1998
  • Purpose : A retrospective study was conducted comparing single daily fraction (SDF) thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) with twice daily (BID) TRT to determine the potential benefit of BID TRT in limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Endpoints of the study were response. survival, pattern of failure, and acute toxicity. Materials and Methods : Between November 1989 to December 1996, 78 patients with histologically proven limited-stage SCLC were treated at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Chungnam National University Hospital. Of these, 9 were irradiated for palliative intent, and 1 had recurrent disease. Remaining 68 patients were enrolled in this study. There were 26 patients with a median age of 58 years, and 22 (85$\%$) ECOG performance score of less than 1 in SDF TRT. There were 42 patients with a median age of 57 years, and 36 (86$\%$) ECOG performance score of less than 1 in BID TRT By radiation fractionation regimen, there were 26 in SDF TRT and 42 in BID TRT. SDF TRT consisted of 180 cGy, 5 days a week. BID TRT consisted of 150 cGy BID, 5 days a week in 13 of 42 and 120 cGy BID, in 29 of 42. And the twice daily fractions were separated by at least 4 hours. Total radiotherapy doses were between 5040 and 6940 cGy (median, 5040 cGy) in SDF TRT and was between 4320 and 5100 cGy (median, 4560 cGy) in BID TRT. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) was recommended for patients who achieved a CR. The recommended PCI dose was 2500 cGy/10 fractions. Chemotherapy consisted of CAV (cytoxan 1000 mg/$m^2$, adriamycin 40 mg/$m^2$, vincristine 1 mg/$m^2$) alternating with VPP (cisplatin 60 mg/$m^2$, etoposide 100 mg/$m^2$) every 3 weeks in 25 (96$\%$) of SDF TRT and in 40 (95$\%$) of BID TRT. Median cycle of chemotherapy was six in both group. Timing for chemotherapy was sequential in 23 of SDF TRT and in 3 BID TRT, and concurrent in 3 of SDF TRT and in 39 of BID TRT Follow-up ranged from 2 to 99 months (median, 14 months) in both groups. Results : Of the 26 SDF TRT, 9 (35$\%$) achieved a complete response (CR) and 14 (54$\%$) experienced a partial response (PR). Of the 42 BID TRT, 18 (43$\%$) achieved a CR and 23 (55$\%$) experienced a PR. There was no significant response difference between the two arms (p=0.119). Overall median and 2-year survival were 15 months and 26.8$\%$, respectively. The 2-year survivals were 26.9$\%$ and 28$\%$ in both arm, respectively (p=0.51). The 2-rear survivals were 35$\%$ in CR and 24.2$\%$ in PR, respectively. The grade 2 to 3 esophageal toxicities and grade 2 to 4 neutropenias were more common in BID TRT (p=0.028 0.003). There was no difference in locoregional and distant metastasis between the two arms (p=0 125 and 0.335, respectively). The most common site of distant metastasis was the brain. Conclusion : The median survival and 2-year survival were 17 months and 20.9$\%$ in SDF TRT with sequential chemotherapy, and 15 months and 28$\%$ in BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy, respectively. We did not observe a substantial improvement of long-term survival in the BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy compared with standard schedules of SDF TRT with sequential chemotherapy. The grade 2 to 3 esophageal toxicities and glade 2 to 4 neutropenias were more common in BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy. Although the acute toxicities were more common in BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy than SDF TRT with sequential chemotherapy, a concurrent chemotherapy and twice daily TRT was feasible. However further patient accrual and long-term follow up are needed to determine the potential benefits of BID TRT in limited-stage SCLC.

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The Impact of Human Resource Innovativeness, Learning Orientation, and Their Interaction on Innovation Effect and Business Performance : Comparison of Small and Medium-Sized vs. Large-Sized Companies (인적자원의 혁신성, 학습지향성, 이들의 상호작용이 혁신효과 및 사업성과에 미치는 영향 : 중소기업과 대기업의 비교연구)

  • Yoh, Eunah
    • Korean small business review
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.19-37
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    • 2009
  • The purpose of this research is to explore differences between small and medium-sized companies and large-sized companies in the impact of human resource innovativeness(HRI), learning orientation(LO), and HRI-LO interaction on innovation effect and business performance. Although learning orientation has long been considered as a key factor influencing good performance of a business, little research was devoted to exploring the effect of HRI-LO interaction on innovation effect and business performance. In this study, it is investigated whether there is a synergy effect between innovative human workforce and learning orientation corporate culture, in addition to each by itself, to generate good business performance as well as a success of new innovations in the market. Research hypotheses were as follows, including H1) human resource innovativeness(HRI), learning orientation(LO), and interactions of HRI and LO(HRI-LO interaction) positively affect innovation effect, H2) there is a difference of the effect of HRI, LO, and HRI-LO interaction on innovation effect between large-sized and small-sized companies, H3) HRI, LO, HRI-LO interaction, innovation effect positively affect business performance, and H4) there is a difference of the effect of HRI, LO, HRI-LO interaction, and innovation effect on business performance between large-sized and small-sized companies. Data were obtained from 479 practitioners through a web survey since the web survey is an efficient method to collect a national data at a variety of fields. A single respondent from a company was allowed to participate in the study after checking whether they have more than 5-year work experiences in the company. To check whether a common source bias is existed in the sample, additional data from a convenient sample of 97 companies were gathered through the traditional survey method, and were used to confirm correlations between research variables of the original sample and the additional sample. Data were divided into two groups according to company size, such as 352 small and medium-sized companies with less than 300 employees and 127 large-sized companies with 300 or more employees. Data were analyzed through t-test and regression analyses. HRI which is the innovativeness of human resources in the company was measured with 9 items assessing the innovativenss of practitioners in staff, manager, and executive-level positions. LO is the company's effort to encourage employees' development, sharing, and utilizing of knowledge through consistent learning. LO was measured by 18 items assessing commitment to learning, vision sharing, and open-mindedness. Innovation effect which assesses a success of new products/services in the market, was measured with 3 items. Business performance was measured by respondents' evaluations on profitability, sales increase, market share, and general business performance, compared to other companies in the same field. All items were measured by using 6-point Likert scales. Means of multiple items measuring a construct were used as variables based on acceptable reliability and validity. To reduce multi-collinearity problems generated on the regression analysis of interaction terms, centered data were used for HRI, LO, and Innovation effect on regression analyses. In group comparison, large-sized companies were superior on annual sales, annual net profit, the number of new products/services in the last 3 years, the number of new processes advanced in the last 3 years, and the number of R&D personnel, compared to small and medium-sized companies. Also, large-sized companies indicated a higher level of HRI, LO, HRI-LO interaction, innovation effect and business performance than did small and medium-sized companies. The results indicate that large-sized companies tend to have more innovative human resources and invest more on learning orientation than did small-sized companies, therefore, large-sized companies tend to have more success of a new product/service in the market, generating better business performance. In order to test research hypotheses, a series of multiple-regression analysis was conducted. In the regression analysis examining the impact on innovation effect, important results were generated as : 1) HRI, LO, and HRI-LO affected innovation effect, and 2) company size indicated a moderating effect. Based on the result, the impact of HRI on innovation effect would be greater in small and medium-sized companies than in large-sized companies whereas the impact of LO on innovation effect would be greater in large-sized companies than in small and medium-sized companies. In other words, innovative workforce would be more important in making new products/services that would be successful in the market for small and medium-sized companies than for large-sized companies. Otherwise, learning orientation culture would be more effective in making successful products/services for large-sized companies than for small and medium-sized companies. Based on these results, research hypotheses 1 and 2 were supported. In the analysis of a regression examining the impact on business performance, important results were generated as : 1) innovation effect, LO, and HRI-LO affected business performance, 2) HRI by itself did not have a direct effect on business performance regardless of company size, and 3) company size indicated a moderating effect. Specifically, an effect of the HRI-LO interaction on business performance was stronger in large-sized companies than in small and medium-sized companies. It means that the synergy effect of innovative human resources and learning orientation culture tends to be stronger as company is larger. Referring to these result, research hypothesis 3 was partially supported whereas hypothesis 4 was supported. Based on research results, implications for companies were generated. Regardless of company size, companies need to develop the learning orientation corporate culture as well as human resources' innovativeness together in order to achieve successful development of innovative products and services as well as to improve sales and profits. However, the effectiveness of the HRI-LO interaction would be varied by company size. Specifically, the synergy effect of HRI-LO was stronger to make a success of new products/services in small and medium-sized companies than in large-sized companies. However, the synergy effect of HRI-LO was more effective to increase business performance of large-sized companies than that of small and medium-sized companies. In the case of small and medium-sized companies, business performance was achieved more through the success of new products/services than much directly affected by HRI-LO. The most meaningful result of this study is that the effect of HRI-LO interaction on innovation effect and business performance was confirmed. It was often ignored in the previous research. Also, it was found that the innovativeness of human workforce would not directly influence in generating good business performance, however, innovative human resources would indirectly affect making good business performance by contributing to achieving the development of new products/services that would be successful in the market. These findings would provide valuable managerial implications specifically in regard to the development of corporate culture and education program of small and medium-sized as well as large-sized companies in a variety of fields.

The Value of Interleukin-12 as an Activity Marker of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis (폐유육종증의 활동성 지표로서 IL-12의 효용성에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Tae-Hyung;Jeon, Yong-Gam;Shim, Tae-Sun;Lim, Chae-Man;Koh, Yun-Suck;Lee, Sang-Do;Kim, Woo-Sung;Kim, Won-Dong;Kim, Dong-Soon
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.215-228
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    • 1999
  • Background: Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease of unknown etiology often involving the lungs and intrathoracic lymph nodes. The natural course of sarcoidosis is variable from spontaneous remission to significant morbidity or death. But, the mechanisms causing the variable clinical outcomes or any single parameter to predict the prognosis was not known. In sarcoidosis, the number and the activity of CD4 + lymphocytes are significantly increased at the loci of disease and their oligoclonality suggests that the CD4 + lymphocytes hyperreactivity may be caused by persistent antigenic stimulus. Recently, it has been known that CD4+ lymphocytes can be subdivided into 2 distinct population(Th1 and Th2) defined by the spectrum of cytokines produced by these cells. Th1 cells promote cellular immunity associated with delayed type hypersensitivity reactions by generating IL-2 and IFN-$\gamma$. Th2 cells playa role in allergic responses and immediate hypersensitivity reactions by secreting IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. CD4+ lymphocytes in pulmonary sarcoidosis were reported to be mainly Th1 cells. IL-12 has been known to play an important role in differentiation of undifferentiated naive T cells to Th1 cells. And, Moller et al. observed increased IL-12 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) in patients with sarcoidosis. So it is possible that the elevated level of IL-12 is necessary for the continuous progression of the disease in active sarcoidosis. This study was performed to test the assumption that IL-12 can be a marker of active pulmonary sarcoidosis. Methods: We measured the concentration of IL-12 in BALF and in conditioned medium of alveolar macrophage(AM) using ELISA(enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method in 26 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis(10 males, 16 females, mean age: $39.8{\pm}2.1$ years) and 11 normal control. Clinically, 14 patients had active sarcoidosis and 12 patients had inactive. Results: Total cells counts, percentage and number of lymhocytes, number of AM and CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio in BALF were significantly higher in patients with sarcoidosis than in control group. But none of these parameters could differentiate active sarcoidosis from inactive disease. The concentration of IL-12 in BALF was significantly increased in sarcoidosis patients ($49.3{\pm}9.2$ pg/ml) than in normal control ($2.5{\pm}0.4$ pg/ml) (p<0.001). Moreover it was significantly higher in patients with active sarcoidosis ($70.3{\pm}14.8$ pg/ml) than in inactive disease ($24.8{\pm}3.l$ pg/ml) (p=0.001). Also, the concentration of IL-12 in BALF showed significant correlation with the percentage of AM(p<0.001), percentage(p<0.001) and number of lymphocyte(p<0.001) in BALF, suggesting the close relationship between the level of IL-12 in BALF and the inflammatory cell infiltration in the lungs. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between the level of IL-12 and the concentration of soluble ICAM-1 : in serum(p<0.001) and BALF (p=0.001), and also between IL-12 level and ICAM-1 expression of AM(p<0.001). The AM from patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis secreted significantly larger amount of IL-12 ($206.2{\pm}61.9$ pg/ml) than those of control ($68.3{\pm}43.7$ pg/ml) (p<0.008), but, there was no difference between inactive and active disease group. Conclusion : Our data suggest that the BALF IL-12 level can be used as a marker of the activity of pulmonary sarcoidosis.

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Current Status and Transition of the Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Korea (한국(韓國)에 있어서의 장내기생충감염(腸內寄生虫感染)의 현황(現況)과 추이(推移))

  • Kim, Dong-Chan
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.83-108
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    • 1984
  • Out of a total of 58 species of helminthic and protozoan parasitic infections in Korea, so far 38 species were reported as intestinal parasites of man. Quite a few species of the intestinal parasitic infections have long been prevalent throughout the country and this has been a significant public health problem. In this paper, current status and transition of the intestinal parasitic infections in the past years were presented. Chronological reviewing of data show background and prospects of change in the prevalence of infections. In the national prevalence survey on parasitic infections conducted once every five years since 1971, stool examinations were done by both cellophane thick smear and brine flotation techniques. Every egg positive case of Ascaris lumbricoides and Clonorchis sinensis was further examined by Stoll's dilution egg counting technique. In 1981, perianal swab using adhesive cellulose tape was added for Enterobius infection. For protozoan cyst examination conducted by province and city in '81, fecal specimens were fixed in SAF solution and examined by the formalin-ether concentration technique. High prevalence of parasitic infection in ana before the 1960s can be easily understood from the data given by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in 1967. From a parasite control point of view, the 1960s was the preparatory period particularly for control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Several organizations which have contributed to parasite control were founded in this period and the prevention law of parasitic infections was passed in '66. In the '70s, overall prevalence rates of the common intestinal parasitic infections, which were highly prevalent in the past were turned into reduction phase for the first time. The '80s can be said to be an active control period of parasitic infections. Intestinal helminths According to the reports of the national prevalence survey on parasitic infections, the prevalence of helminthic infections was 84.3%(number of person examined:24,887) in '71, 63.2%(27,178) in '76, and 41.1%(35,018) in '81. By area, the prevalence rate in '81 was 35.1%(20,569) in urban areas and 49.6%(14,447) in rural areas. Intestinal nematodes Ascaris lumbricoides The prevalence of Ascaris infection has decreased significantly in recent years. Among students, the prevalence was 55.4%, in '69 and decreased to 4.7% in '83. In the national prevalence surveys, the prevalence decreased to 13.0% in '81 from 54.9% in '71. By area, the prevalence decreased to 8.5% in '81 from 46.4% in '71 in urban area and 19.4% in '81 from 59.6% in '71 in rural area. By age, the prevalence has become in recent years relatively even in all age groups, although higher prevalence used to be seen in young age groups of around 10 years old, particulary in the highly prevalent rural areas. By sex, the prevalence was higher in the female than in the male. Unfertilized egg positive rates among the ascariasis cases increased gradually up to 55.4% on the average in '81. The intensity of the infection was also significantly decreased. Trichuris trichiura Trichuris infection had also decreased to 23.4% in '81 from 65.4% in '71. By area, the decreasing tendency of the prevalence became faster in urban areas than in the rural areas. The prevalence in urban and rural areas in '71 was 69.7%, and 63.1% respectively and decreased to 19.5% and 29.0% respectively in '81. By age, the prevalence reached a peak at the 10-14 age group and showed relatively even distribution throughout all age groups. By sex, the prevalence was close in young age groups, but in the 30s or over age group, especially in rural area, the prevalence was significantly higher in the female than in the male. The prevalence has much fluctuated depending in the area. The prevalence in rural areas surveyed in the '80s shows a range between 20.9% and 73.7% by locality. It is anticipated that the prevalence of Trichuris infection will drop more rapidly, when mass treatment is conducted. Hookworms Hookworm infection by mostly Ancylostoma duodenale and a few by Necator americanus has decreased to a negligible levels in recent years. In the national prevalence surveys, the prevalence was 10.7% in '71, 2.2% in '76, and 0.5% in '81. The prevalence was higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Wide application of multi-specific anthelminthics in the ascariasis control programmes conducted in the past decade appear to have been effective against hookworm infection. Trichostrongylus orientalis As in the case with hookworm infection, the prevalence of Trichostrongylus infection has reached a negligible levels. In the national prevalence surveys, the prevalence was 7.7% in '71, 1.0% in '76 and 0.2% in '81. Enterobius vermicularis In the national prevalence survey in '81, the egg positive rate was 12.0%. Higher prevalence is expected when examined repeatedly. The prevalence rate was 10.3% in urban area and 14.6% in rural area. In recent surveys conducted in rural areas among schoolchildren, the prevalence was 32.4% in Gimhae Gun in '82 and 64.1% in Yeongyang Gun in '83. By age, the egg positive rate was higher in young age groups of around 10 and sharply decreased in age groups of around 20 and then somewhat increased again in middle age groups. By sex, the prevalence was higher in the female than in the male. Strongyloides stercoralis Strongyloides stercoralis infection has rarely been found in Korea. Three cases were reported in 1914. And 0.1-0.5% were found infected out of 2,642 persons examined at the prisoner-of-war camp on Geojedo in 1956. One case was reported in '54 and '82, respectively. Anisakis spp. No systematic survey has been conducted for anisakiasis In Korea. So far, only several cases have been found 1 case in Seoul in '71, 5 cases in Busan in '81 and 1 case in Busan in '84. Intestinal trematodes Metagonimus yokogawai In the national prevalence survey conducted in 1981, the egg positive rate was 1.24% on the average. High endemic areas are located in the southwestern part of Korea. The prevalence in Hadong Gun was 29.1% on the average in '79. In a survey conducted in 76, the prevalence was 44.0% in Gwangyang, 55.0% in Gogseung and 29.0% in Gurye. The infection is closely correlated with raw sweetfish consumption in these areas. Other intestinal trematodes A human case of Heterophyes heterophyes was reported in 1914. Several species were reported in the '80s : 17 cases of Fibricola seoulensis, 9 cases of Pygidiopsis summa, 8 cases of Heterophyes heterophyes nocens, 1case of Heterophyopsis continua, 2 cases of Stellantchasmus falcatus, 1 case of Stictodora sp., 1 case of Echinostoma hortense, and 4 cases of Echinochasmus japonicus. As the intermediate hosts, snakes and frogs play a role for F.seoulensis and fish for the rest of the species. Intestinal cestodes Taenia saginata and T. solium Egg positive rates in the national prevalence survey were 0.7% in '76 and 1.1% in '81. The prevalence in '81 was 0.6% in urban area and 1.8% in rural area. The proglottid positive rate in Jeju Do was 19.2% on the average. On Udo, Jeju Do in 1983, the egg positive rate among the inhabitants was 2.9%. Hymenolepis nana In the national prevalence survey, egg positive rates were 0.6% in '76 and 0.4% in '81. No difference was seen in the prevalence by area and sex. Hymenolepis diminuta Infected cases were reported : 3 in '64 and I in '66. Egg positive rate in '81 was 0.01% in the national prevalence survey. Diphylobothrium latum So far, about 30 cases have been reported. The cases have been reported more frequently in recent surveys. Mesocestoides sp. A case was reported from a hospitalized patient in Seoul in '67. Spirometra erinacei Two cases were reported in '84 following reidentification of the adult worms collected in '74. Intestinal protozoa Out of a total of 23 species of human protozoan infections in Korea, 13 species were reported as intestinal protozoa : Entamoeba histolytica, E coli, Endolimax nana, Iodamoeba b$\ddot{u}$tschlii, Dientamoeba fragilis, Giardia lamblia, Chilomastix mesnilii, Embadomonas sp., Enteromonas hominis, Trichomonas hominis, Isospora belli, I. Hominis(Sarcocystis hominis), and Balantidium coli. Since the first report on intestinal protozoan infections in 1925, there have been quite a few survey data on the prevalence of the infection. It was found reviewing the data chronologically that up to the early '70s the infection was prevalent around a 30-50%. After that, the protozoan cyst positive rate has shown the tendency of gradual decrease throughout the country. Protozoan cyst survey conducted in Seoul and several provinces in 1981 revealed infection rates of 8.9%(1,310) in Gangweondo, 10.7%(1,703) in Gyenggi Do, 11.7%(1,032) in Jeonra Buk Do, 9.1%(4,116) in Jeonra Nam Do, and 1.4%(5,275) in Seoul. Entamoeba histolytica In the survey conducted by province in '81, the cyst positive rate was 0.8% in Gangweon-do, 0.3% in Gyeonggi Do, 1.4% in both Jeonra Buk Do and Jeonra Nam Do, and 0.2% in Seoul. Giardia lamblia In the survey by province in '81, cyst positive rates were 2.2% in both Gyeonggi Do and Jeonra Buk Do, 1.9% in Jeonra Nam Do, 0.5% in Gangweon Do, and 0.9% in Seoul. Balantidium coli Two cases were reported. One in 1930 and the other in '74. Isospora belli and I. Hominis(Sarcocystis hominis) Isospora belli was reported : 1 case in '56 and 3 cases in '66. I. Hominis, recently identified to be synonymous with Sarcocystis hominis, was reported : 3 cases in '66. Other intestinal protozoa The protozoan parasites other than the above mentioned are generally treated as commensal, although some of them are considered to be pathogenic. The data of '81 show that about 10% of the inhabitants are still infected with protozoa.

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A Study on the Sasang Constitutional Distribution Among the People in the United States of America (북미지역주민(北美地域住民)의 사상체질(四象體質) 분포(分布)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究))

  • Koh, Byung-hee;Kim, Seon-ho;Park, Byung-gwan;Lavelle, Jonathan D;Tecun, Marianne;Anthony Jr., Ross;Hobbs, Ron;Zolli, Frank;Chin, Kyung-hee
    • Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.119-150
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    • 1999
  • In spite of recent remarkable recent development in both western and oriental medical sciences, there is still only a shallow understanding of individual differences for various prognoses of incurable diseases and immunopathy diseases. Nevertheless, the care, cure and prevention methods of Sasang Constitutional Medicine are broadly used as an effective treatment of incurable diseases like immunopathy diseases and stress-related diseases and diseases due to aging. In this sense, the establishment of classification norms is urgent and essential for the worldwide application of Sasang Constitutional Medicine(SCM). This study began with the confirmation process of whether Sasang Constitutional types exist in Americans. To accomodate for cultural differences, the distinguishing tool was readjusted so that Sasang Constitutional Types in Americans could be determined. Hence, the selected tool is the new QSCCII+, which is a newly revised English version of the QSCCII. QSCCII was made and standardized by Dept. of SCM in Kyung Hee Medical Center and Dr. Kim7). The evaluation methods of the old version were improved in the new QSCCII+ through necessary statistical manipulation. The original QSCCII was officially authorized by the Korean Society of Sasang Constitutional Medicine as the only computerized version of Sasang diagnostics. This study is the first attempt to design a new diagnostic tool for the classification of Sasang Constitutional types in North Americans with the revision of QSCCII. The subjects of this study were selected from the cooperative people among the students and staffs of the University of Bridgeport and the patients who visited the Clinic in the Health Science Center. This study takes for about 1 year from 1998. 8 to 1999. 8 The conclusions of the study can be summarized as follows: 1. Sasang constitutional types also exist in Americans. It can also naturally be inferred that Sasang Constitutional types exist in all human beings, for there are many different human races in America. 2. There are more So-Yang In's than any other types in American white people. This result confirms the hypothesis that there also exist Sasang Constitutional types in westerners. 3. The result of repetitive tests suggests that the new QSCCII+ is an effective diagnostic tool for westerners when we consider the constant diagnostic results of the QSCCII+. 4. Sasang Constitutional types exit in the sample group regardless of racial difference. 5. The question items that were not often checked by Americans need to be modified into more understandable expressions. 6. The standardization of diagnosis for Americans should be established by use of the QSCCII+ 7. It can be guessed that there are many Tae-yang In's among the 71 persons who could not be clearly classified by the QSCCII+. Due to the scarcity of Tae-yang-In in general, it is important to improve upon the discernability of the QSCC II+. 8. The results of the Sasang Constitutional distribution in North Americans are as follows: The percentage of So-yang In distribution in the sample group is 36.25%(87persons), that of Tae-eum In is 13.75%(33persons), and that of So-eum In is 20.41%(49persons).

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Promoter Polymorphism of RRM1 Gene in Korean Lung Cancer Population (한국인 폐암 환자에서 RRM1 유전자 Promoter의 다형성)

  • Ko, Kyung Haeng;Kim, Eun Joung;Oh, In Jae;Kim, Soo Ock;Son, Jun Gwang;Jung, Jong Pil;Cho, Gye Jung;Ju, Jin Young;Kim, Kyu Sik;Kim, Yu Il;Lim, Sung Chul;Kim, Young Chul;Bepler, Gerold
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.61 no.3
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    • pp.248-255
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    • 2006
  • Background: LOH11A is a region with frequent allele loss (>75%) in lung cancer that is located on the centromeric part of chromosome 11p15.5. Clinical and cell biological studies suggest that this region contains a gene associated with metastatic tumor spread. RRM1 encoding the M1 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, which is an enzyme that catalyses the rate-limiting step in deoxyribonucleotide synthesis, is located in the LOH11A region. Methods: Polymorphisms were found at nucleotide position (-)37 (C/A) and (-)524 (C/T) from the beginning of exon 1 of the RRM1 gene that might regulate the expression of RRM1. We studied the polymorphisms in 127 Korean individuals (66 lung cancer and 61 normal controls) and compared with those of 140 American patients with lung cancer. Results: CC, AC and AA were found at the (-)37 position in 64(50.4%), 55(43.3%), and 8(6.3%) out of 127 Korean individuals (66 cancer, 61 non-cancer patients), respectively. There was a similar frequency of allele A at (-)37 in the American(27.9%) and Korean population(28.0%). CC, CT and TT was found at the (-)524 position in 24(18.9%), 44(34.6%), and 59(46.5%) out of the 127 Korean individuals, respectively. There was a similar frequency of allele C at (-)524 in the American(34.6%) and Korean population(36.2%). There was no difference in the frequency of the (-)37 and (-)524 genotypes between the cancer and non-cancer group. However there was a significant correlation of the genotypes between (-)37 and (-)524 (p<0.001), which suggests the possible coordination of these polymorphisms in the regulation of the promoter activity of the RRM1 gene. Conclusion: RRM1 promoter polymorphisms were not found to be significant risk factors for lung cancer. However, a further study of the promoter activity and expression of the RRM1 gene according to the pattern of the polymorphism will be needed.

The Pattern Analysis of Financial Distress for Non-audited Firms using Data Mining (데이터마이닝 기법을 활용한 비외감기업의 부실화 유형 분석)

  • Lee, Su Hyun;Park, Jung Min;Lee, Hyoung Yong
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.111-131
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    • 2015
  • There are only a handful number of research conducted on pattern analysis of corporate distress as compared with research for bankruptcy prediction. The few that exists mainly focus on audited firms because financial data collection is easier for these firms. But in reality, corporate financial distress is a far more common and critical phenomenon for non-audited firms which are mainly comprised of small and medium sized firms. The purpose of this paper is to classify non-audited firms under distress according to their financial ratio using data mining; Self-Organizing Map (SOM). SOM is a type of artificial neural network that is trained using unsupervised learning to produce a lower dimensional discretized representation of the input space of the training samples, called a map. SOM is different from other artificial neural networks as it applies competitive learning as opposed to error-correction learning such as backpropagation with gradient descent, and in the sense that it uses a neighborhood function to preserve the topological properties of the input space. It is one of the popular and successful clustering algorithm. In this study, we classify types of financial distress firms, specially, non-audited firms. In the empirical test, we collect 10 financial ratios of 100 non-audited firms under distress in 2004 for the previous two years (2002 and 2003). Using these financial ratios and the SOM algorithm, five distinct patterns were distinguished. In pattern 1, financial distress was very serious in almost all financial ratios. 12% of the firms are included in these patterns. In pattern 2, financial distress was weak in almost financial ratios. 14% of the firms are included in pattern 2. In pattern 3, growth ratio was the worst among all patterns. It is speculated that the firms of this pattern may be under distress due to severe competition in their industries. Approximately 30% of the firms fell into this group. In pattern 4, the growth ratio was higher than any other pattern but the cash ratio and profitability ratio were not at the level of the growth ratio. It is concluded that the firms of this pattern were under distress in pursuit of expanding their business. About 25% of the firms were in this pattern. Last, pattern 5 encompassed very solvent firms. Perhaps firms of this pattern were distressed due to a bad short-term strategic decision or due to problems with the enterpriser of the firms. Approximately 18% of the firms were under this pattern. This study has the academic and empirical contribution. In the perspectives of the academic contribution, non-audited companies that tend to be easily bankrupt and have the unstructured or easily manipulated financial data are classified by the data mining technology (Self-Organizing Map) rather than big sized audited firms that have the well prepared and reliable financial data. In the perspectives of the empirical one, even though the financial data of the non-audited firms are conducted to analyze, it is useful for find out the first order symptom of financial distress, which makes us to forecast the prediction of bankruptcy of the firms and to manage the early warning and alert signal. These are the academic and empirical contribution of this study. The limitation of this research is to analyze only 100 corporates due to the difficulty of collecting the financial data of the non-audited firms, which make us to be hard to proceed to the analysis by the category or size difference. Also, non-financial qualitative data is crucial for the analysis of bankruptcy. Thus, the non-financial qualitative factor is taken into account for the next study. This study sheds some light on the non-audited small and medium sized firms' distress prediction in the future.

A Study on the Perceived Stress of Mothers in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (신생아 중환자실에 입원한 환아 어머니의 스트레스)

  • Choi Sung Hee
    • Child Health Nursing Research
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.60-75
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    • 1998
  • The parents have much expectation upon the pregnancy and child birth, and in most cases, they expect the healthy parturient child. However, we can be placed on the high-risk conditions which have the physical, social and immature infant, due to the unexpected results, among the new-born. Accordingly, these high-risk newborn and premature infants will be mostly in NICU, which the concentrated medical treatment can be given, upon their conditions. After their birth and during these periods, they will be divided from the parents, and the nurse will accomplish the bringing-up activities which they can take care of the infant, expected by the parents after their birth. The hospitalization of high-risk newborn including these premature infants is the shocking experience to the parents of family, and thus they can feel the fear and uneasiness, and these reactions of parents are troubled in the behavior at the usual days, and cause the disorder and spiritless status, and these results break the supporting ability of parents, and cause the obstruction. Also, the unavoidable division between the parents and the children as like hospitalization of children can make the parents to feel the alienation emotionally, and this causes the results which the pride on the bringing-up ability of baby gets to be lost. These problems can cause the difficulties on the bonding or the parenting in the further days, and can be related to the neglect and abuse of children. Also, it is gradually increased to study and report which the emotional division by the physical division between the mother and the baby obstructs the normal affection course between the parent and the infant. The stress caused by the birth and the hospitalization of high-risk newborn, as like this, is important in the points which it can uncertainly affect the potential energy for the relationship of parent-child who are finally healthy. Accordingly, the significance and purpose of this study are to understand the contents and degree of stress which the parents of high-risk newborn including the immature child can be experienced from the hospitalization of ICU for their new borns, and thus to offer the basic program to the nursing intervention program for these. The subject of this study is the mother of newborn in NICU of 10 General Hospitals located at the 3one of Pusan, Korea from September 1997 to October 1997, and thus makes the subject of 95 person of parents who agreed to take part in the study and it is descriptive study related to the stress of mother having the newborn in NICU. The method is based on the preceding study related to the stress of mother having the experience of child hospitalization and chronic disease child, and then acquires the advice of specialists group as like 5 nursing professors, and then is amended and supplemented. Total number of questions is 43 items and consists of 5 factors as like medical treatment &nursing procedures, disease status & prognosis, role of parents, communication & inter-personal relationships, hospital environment, and is 5 point Likert Scale. The reliability of this study method is very highly shown to be Cronbach α=0.95. The collected data is analysed as Average, Frequency, Standard Deviation, T-test, ANOVA, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, Duncan multifulrange test by use of SPSS /PC (V7.5). The results of this study is summarized as under. 1. Every characteristics of subject is which the party of mother is 28.70age(±7.48) in the average ages, 51% in the high-school graduate, 38.5% in the christianity, total monthly income is 212.55 thousand won(±1.971), 74.5% in the housewife, 72.9% in the parents and children together living and the number of children to be 1.48person(± 0.6) in average, the recognition on the prognosis of baby is 74.0% in 'Don't know', the relationship with the husband after the hospitalization of babyis 37.3% in 'More Intimate', the relationship with the family of husband to be 48% in 'No-change', and the degree which is consulted with the husband about the baby is 55% in 'very frequently' and the visiting number per week is 4.59(±1.63) in average and the accompanying person in the time of visiting is which the number of husband is 56.3% and thus is the highest. The characteristics of baby is which the age is 21.88days(±16.47) after the birth in average, the sex to be 50 person in the female 52.1% and the order of birth to be 54.2% in the first chid, and the weight in the birth to be 2770gm(±610) and the height in the birth to be 46.26cm(±7.62) in aver age. The medical diagnosis is 37.5% in the premature infant, the career of hospitalization is 96.9% in 'None', and the operation plan is 90.6% in 'None' and the execution of operation is 88% in 'None' and the nursing of incubator is 55.2% in 'Yes', and the method of feeding is 50.5% in 'Oral' and the contents of feeding is 46.9% in the 'Milk'. 2. The total stress degree of subject is almost highly shown to be as 3.36(±0.86). If it is compared upon each cause, 'stress on disease status & prognosis' is highest 3.79(±1.28), and it is in the order of 'stress on medical treatment & nursing procedures' 3.70(±0.93), 'stress on hospital environment' 3.14(±0.86), 'stress on role of parents' 3.18(±0.92) and 'stress on communication & inter personal relationship' 2.62(± 0.77) 3. As the results of checking the notworthiness of stress degree upon each variable of subject, the variable showing the noted difference was the birth weight(γ=-0.16, P=0.04), birth height(γ=-0.23, P=0.03), nursing in the incubator(F=8.93, P=0.04), feed method(F=2.94, P=0.04). That is to say, it is shown which the smaller the birth weight is, the higher the stress degree of mother is noteworthily. Also, the smaller the birth height baby is, the higher the stress of mother is. In the incubator, it os shown which the mother whose baby is nursing in the incubator is higher in the stress degree than other mothers. Upon the feeding method of baby, that is to say, TPNis the highest, and it is shown in the order of NPO, Tube feeding, and P.O. feeding. When we review the above-mentioned results, as the status is serious, it is thought which we include the supporting nursing for coping with the stress of parents in the setting-up od nursing plan for the baby in the NICU.

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Comparison of the Uptakes of Tc-99m MIBI and Tc-99m Tetrofosmin in A549, an MRP-expressing Cancer Cell, In Vitro and In Vivo (MRP발현 인체 비소세포 폐암 A549에서 Tc-99m MIBI와 Tc-99m Tetrofosmin섭취의 비교)

  • Yoo, Jeong-Ah;Jeong, Shin-Young;Seo, Myung-Rang;Bae, Jin-Ho;Ahn, Byeong-Cheol;Lee, Kyu-Bo;Choi, Sang-Woon;Lee, Byung-Ho;Lee, Jae-Tae
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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    • v.37 no.6
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    • pp.382-392
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    • 2003
  • Purpose: Uptakes of Tc-99m MIBI (MIBI) and Tc-99m tetrofosmin (tetrofosmin) in human non-small cell lung cancer A549, multidrug-resistance associated protein (MRP) expressing cell, were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used for detection of MRP in A549 cells with anti-MRPr1 antibody. Cellular uptakes of two tracers were evaluated at $100{\mu}M$ of verapamil (Vrp), $50{\mu}M$ of cyclosporin A (CsA) and $25{\mu}M$ of butoxysulfoximide (BSO) after incubation with MIBI and tetrofosmin for 30 and 50 min at $37^{\circ}C$, using single cell suspensions at $1{\times}10^6cells/ml$. Radioactivities in supernatants and pellets were measured with gamma well counter. A549 cells were inoculated in each flanks of 24 nude mice. Group 1 (Gr1) and Gr3 mice were treated with only MIBI or tetrofosmin, and Gr2 and Gr4 mice were treated with 70mg/kg of CsA i.p. for 1 hour before injection of 370KBq of MIBI or tetrofosmin. Mice were sacrificed at 10, 60 and 240 min. Radioactivities of organs and tumors were expressed as percentage injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/gm). Results: Western blot analysis of the A549 cells detected expression of MRPr1 (190 kDa) and immunohistochemical staining of tumor tissue for MRPr1 revealed brownish staining in cell membrane but not P-gp. Upon incubating A549 cells for 60 min with MIBI and tetrofosmin, cellular uptake of MIBI was higher than that of tetrofosmin. Coincubation with modulators resulted in an increase in cellular uptakes of MIBI and tetrofosmin. Percentage increase of MIBI was higher than that of tetrofosmin with Vrp by 623% and 427%, CsA by 753% and 629% and BSO by 219% and 140%, respectively. There was no significant difference in tumoral uptakes of MIBI and tetrofosmin between Gr1 and Gr3. Percentage increases in MIBI (114% at 10 min, 257% at 60 min, 396% at 240 min) and tetrofosmin uptake (110% at 10 min, 205% at 60 min, 410% at 240 min) were progressively higher by the time up to 240 min with CsA. Conclusion: These results indicate that MIBI and tetrofosmin are suitable tracers for imaging MRP-mediated drug resistance in A549 tumors. MIBI may be a better tracer than tetrofosmin for evaluating MRP reversal effect of modulators.

Germination and Proteome Profile Characteristics of Wheat Seeds Treated under Different Concentrations of Abscisic Acid (Abscisic acid 농도에 따른 밀 종자의 발아와 단백질체의 발현 특성)

  • Jeong, Jae-Hyeok;Kim, Dae-Wook;Hwang, Woon-Ha;An, Sung-Hyun;Jeong, Han-Yong;Lee, Hyeon-Seok;Choi, In-Bea;Choi, Kyung-Jin;Yun, Jong-Tak;Yun, Song Joong
    • KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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    • v.63 no.1
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    • pp.25-34
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    • 2018
  • This study was conducted to investigate the germination and proteome profile characteristics of wheat seeds treated under various concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA). After-ripening, the seeds of three wheat cultivars (Baegjoong, Keumkang, and Uri) showing different levels of dormancy were used. Germination index and germination rate of the cultivars was higher than 0.95% and 98%, respectively, and these were not significantly different under 0, 10, 30, and $50{\mu}M$ ABA at 7 d after germination. However, the growth of the shoot and radicle was significantly inhibited at 10, 30, and $50{\mu}M$ ABA compared to that at $0{\mu}M$ ABA. Mean ABA content of the embryos of seeds germinated at 0 and $50{\mu}M$ ABA for 7 d was 0.8 and $269.0ngmg^{-1}DW$, respectively. Proteins extracted from embryos germinated for 4 d were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and proteins showing a difference of 1.5-fold or greater in their spot volume relative to that of $0{\mu}M$ ABA were identified. The expression of four protein spots increased at $50{\mu}M$ ABA and two protein spots were detected only at $50{\mu}M$ ABA; these six proteins were all identified as globulin types. Conversely, the expression of three protein spots decreased at $50{\mu}M$ ABA and were identified as cytosolic glutamine sysnthetase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and S-adenosylmethionine synthetase 2. In conclusion, ABA did not inhibit the germination rate regardless of pre-harvest sprouting characteristics of the cultivars. However, the growth of the shoot and radicle was significantly inhibited by ABA, most likely through the down regulation of glutamine, methyl group donor, and polyamines biosynthesis, among others, while accompanied by globulin accumulation in the embryos.