• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2017

Background: The influence of lifestyle diseases on postoperative complications and long-term survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether lifestyle diseases were significant risk factors of perioperative and long-term surgical outcomes in elderly patients with stage I NSCLC. Methods: Between December 1995 and November 2013, 110 patients aged 65 years or older who underwent surgical resection of stage I NSCLC at Dong-A University Hospital were retrospectively studied. We assessed the presence of the following lifestyle diseases as risk factors for postoperative complications and long-term mortality: diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, and ischemic heart disease. Results: The mean age of the patients was 71 years (range, 65 to 82 years). Forty-six patients (41.8%) had hypertension, making it the most common lifestyle disease, followed by diabetes (n=23, 20.9%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 0.9% (n=1). The 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 78% and 64%, respectively. Postoperative complications developed in 32 patients (29.1%), including 7 (6.4%) with prolonged air leakage, 6 (5.5%) with atrial fibrillation, 5 (4.5%) with delirium and atelectasis, and 3 (2.7%) with acute kidney injury and pneumonia. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the presence of a lifestyle disease was the only independent risk factor for postoperative complications. In survival analysis, univariate analysis showed that age, smoking, body mass index, extent of resection, and pathologic stage were associated with impaired survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that resection type (hazard ratio [HR], 2.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 4.49; p=0.030) and pathologic stage (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.02 to 3.49; p=0.043) had independent adverse impacts on survival. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the presence of a lifestyle disease was a significant prognostic factor for postoperative complications, but not of survival, in elderly patients with stage I NSCLC. Therefore, postoperative complications may be influenced by the presence of a lifestyle disease.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2005

Niacin (vitamin $B_{3}$) is the generic term for nicotinic acid (pyridine 3-carboxylic acid) and nicotinamide (nicotinic acid amide), and coenzyme forms of the vitamin. Large doses of nicotinic acid are associated with a number of adverse effects in human. The effects include flushing, skin itching, nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal disturbance. This study was conducted to estimate daily intake of niacin by ingestion of food and multivitamin, and to identify risk value related with side effects, which can be caused by large dose intake in population having a typical lifestyle. Induced risk values by comparing only dietary intake level and intake level from both food and multivitamin with upper level as 35 mg/day were 0.53 and $0.81\~6.24$ respectively. Hazard Index over 1 means that occurrence of side effects would be expected in some population. When people intake multivitamin and functional food including niacin, risk value may increase more than risk value identified in this study.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5721-5727
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• 2014

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of clustering methods used in the prognostic assessment of categorical clinical data for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in China, and establish a predictable prognostic nomogram for clinical decisions. Materials and Methods: A total of 332 newly diagnosed HCC patients treated with hepatic resection during 2006-2009 were enrolled. Patients were regularly followed up at outpatient clinics. Clustering methods including the Average linkage, k-modes, fuzzy k-modes, PAM, CLARA, protocluster, and ROCK were compared by Monte Carlo simulation, and the optimal method was applied to investigate the clustering pattern of the indices including platelet count, platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and serum aspartate aminotransferase activity/platelet count ratio index (APRI). Then the clustering variable, age group, tumor size, number of tumor and vascular invasion were studied in a multivariable Cox regression model. A prognostic nomogram was constructed for clinical decisions. Results: The ROCK was best in both the overlapping and non-overlapping cases performed to assess the prognostic value of platelet-based indices. Patients with categorical platelet-based indices significantly split across two clusters, and those with high values, had a high risk of HCC recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 1.42, 95% CI 1.09-1.86; p<0.01). Tumor size, number of tumor and blood vessel invasion were also associated with high risk of HCC recurrence (all p< 0.01). The nomogram well predicted HCC patient survival at 3 and 5 years. Conclusions: A cluster of platelet-based indices combined with other clinical covariates could be used for prognosis evaluation in HCC.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.393-404
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to capture the essentials in survey and evaluation scheme which are able to assess the hazard of a rock slope systematically. Statistical analysis are performed on slope instability parameters related to failure of the rock slope. As the slope instability parameters, twelve survey items are considered such as tension crack, surface deformation, deformation of retaining structures, volume of existing failures, angles between strike of discontinuity and strike of cut slope face, angles between dip of discontinuity and dip of cut slope face, discontinuity condition, cut slope angle, rainfall or ground water level, excavation condition, drainage condition, reinforcement. A total of 233 road cut slopes located in Gyeongnam were considered. The stability of the road cut slopes were evaluated by estimating the slope instability index(SII) and corresponding stability rank. 126 rock slopes were selected to analyze statistical relation between SII and slope instability parameters. The multiple regression analysis was applied to derive statistical models which are able to predict the SII and corresponding slope stability rank. Also, its applicability was explored to predict the slope failures using the variables of slope instability parameters. The results obtained in this study clearly show that the methodology given in this paper have strong capabilities to evaluate the failures of the road cut slope effectively.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.497-507
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• 2011

This research studied human health risk assessment of benzene from industrial complexes of Chungcheong Province (Seosan industrial complex) and Jeonla Province (Iksan industrial complex and Yeosoo industrial complex). The residents near the industrial complexes areas can be often exposed to volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylenes) through a number of exposure pathways, including inhalation of the organic pollutant via various environmental matrices (air, water and soil), contaminated water, and soil intake. Benzene is well known to be a common carcinogenic and toxic compound that is produced from industrial and oil refinery complexes. In this study, a number of samples from water, air, and soil were taken from the residential settings and public school zones located near the industrial complex sites. Based on the carcinogenic risk assessment, the risk estimates were slightly above $10{\times}10^{-6}$ at all three industrial sites. According to deterministic risk assessment, inhalation was the most important route. The distribution of benzene in the environment would be dependent on vapor pressure, and the physical property influencing the extent of the potential risks. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of benzene shows that the values of Hazard Index(HI) were much lower than 1.0 at all industrial complexes. Therefore, benzene was not a cause of concern in terms of non-carcinogenic risk posed to the residents near the sites. When compared to probabilistic risk assessment, the CTE(central tendency exposure) cancer risk values of deterministic risk assessment were close to the mean values predicted by the probabilistic risk assessment. The RME(reasonable maximum exposure) values fell within the range of 95% to 99.9% estimated by the probabilistic risk assessment. Since the values of carcinogenic risk assessment were higher than $10{\times}10^{-6}$, further detailed monitoring and refined risk assessment for benzene may be warranted to estimate more reliable and potential inhalation risks to receptors near the industrial complexes.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.178-186
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• 2020

Background: Cognitive impairment is a public health burden. Our objective was to investigate associations between work hours and cognitive function. Methods: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants (n = 2,497; 50.7% men; age range 44-84 years) reported hours per week worked in all jobs in Exams 1 (2000-2002), 2 (2002-2004), 3 (2004-2005), and 5 (2010-2011). Cognitive function was assessed (Exam 5) using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (version 2), a measure of global cognitive functioning; the Digit Symbol Coding, a measure of processing speed; and the Digit Span test, a measure of attention and working memory. We used a prospective approach and linear regression to assess associations for every 10 hours of work. Results: Among all participants, associations of hours worked with cognitive function of any type were not statistically significant. In occupation-stratified analyses (interaction p = 0.051), longer work hours were associated with poorer global cognitive function among Sales/Office and blue-collar workers, after adjustment for age, sex, physical activity, body mass index, race/ethnicity, educational level, annual income, history of heart attack, diabetes, apolipoprotein E-epsilon 4 allele (ApoE4) status, birth-place, number of years in the United States, language spoken at MESA Exam 1, and work hours at Exam 5 (β = -0.55, 95% CI = -0.99, -0.09) and (β = -0.80, -1.51, -0.09), respectively. In occupation-stratified analyses (interaction p = 0.040), we also observed an inverse association with processing speed among blue-collar workers (adjusted β = -0.80, -1.52, -0.07). Sex, race/ethnicity, and ApoE4 did not significantly modify associations between work hours and cognitive function. Conclusion: Weak inverse associations were observed between work hours and cognitive function among Sales/Office and blue-collar workers.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.287-291
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• 2005

The development of agricultural technology makes the increasement of pesticide usage. The results of pesticide usage were the increment of agricultural outcomes, but the health hazard was increasing also. Especially, alpine agriculture needs more pesticide than general agriculture and they suffered from more pesticide induced health symptoms. There were no study about the pesticide usage and subjective health status. So, this study was performed to investigate the relationship between pesticide usage and health status. The health status was measured by SF-12. SF-12 was well known health status measurement tool. SF-12 have two components, which were mental component score and physical component score. As a results of analysis, the alpine agricultural workers had higher pesticide exposure index and acute symptom score. As the results of multivariate analysis, physical component score was affected by pesticide exposure, but mental component score was not. Although, this study has many limitations, the result of this study can suggest the need of political advise and the further study.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.239-245
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• 2010

There are 11,811 LWR spent fuels stored at reactor sites, as of 2009. Source terms based on reference spent fuel which represents entire spent fuels with bounding values in the aspect of source term has been applied to a design of nuclear installations, instead of those which are generated by weighting respective source term for each spent fuel. Simplified regression models to estimate total decay heat, radioactivity, and ingestion hazard index for spent fuel from Westinghouse-type reactors were developed in this study, because it can be used as a fundamental model for weighting source term for respective spent fuel to exclude conservativeness in source terms. It was found that the estimated source terms agreed with calculated value from ORIGEN-ARP within 5%. It was also found that the conservativeness could be excluded if the weight source terms were used as reference source term in the design. Therefore, it is expected that the developed regression model could be widely used in the conceptual design process of nuclear facilities related with storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.459-468
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• 2000

Objectives : To investigate the association between BMI and Mortality. Methods : This study was based on the analysis and assembly of the 'Kangwha Cohort Study', previously conducted by the Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University. A total of 2,696 males and 3,595 females were followed for almost ten years and ten months from March 1985 to January 1996, a total of whom 2,420 died during this period. The Cox's proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze this data. Results : We found a U-shaped relationship between BMI and mortality among the aged men in the Kangwha cohort. The hazard ratio of dying was adjusted for age, marital status, occupation, self cognitive health level, chronic disease, smoking, and alcohol frequency, then sorted by body mass index into the following groups; less than 10.5, 18.5 to less than 21.0, 21.0 to less than 23.5, 23.5 to less than 26.0 and greater than or equal to 26. The corresponding ratios for men were 1.81(1.50-2.19, 95%CI), 1.31(1.14-1.51, 95%CI), 1.0(referent), 1.05(0.87-1.26, 95%CI) and 1.39(1.09-1.76, 95%CI), respectively. And for women, 1.46(1.19-1.78), 1.12(0.95-1.31, 95%CI), 1.0(referent), 1.00(0.84-1.20, 95%CI) and 1.09(0.89-1.34, 95%CI), respectively. Conclusions : The risk of death among aged men in Kangwha increased in the under and overweight groups. The relationship between BMl and mortality has been well studied in Western populations, but little is known about the association between BMI and mortality in our country. So, on the basis of this study, it is apparent that more studies of the relationship between BMI and mortality will be needed for future work.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.137-145
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• 2002

Tributyltin compounds have been increasingly used in the form of plastic stabilizers, catalytic agents, industrial agricultural biocides, antifouling paint, and pesticides. Among these organotin compounds, large amounts of tributyltin(TBT) and triphenyltin(TPT) have been used as antifouling agents because they have a superior ability to prevent marine organism from being encrusted on ship bottoms and in culturing nets. Environmental pollution by these organotin compounds in the aquatic environment were undertaken. The international maritime Organization's established a provisional tolerable daily intake(TDI) of 1.6[micro]g TBTO/kg/ B.W. The Food and Agiculture Organization (of the United Nations)/world Health Organization's (FAO/WHO) proposed a TDI of 0.5ug TPT/kg BW/d. This study is conducted monitoring of TBT on seafoods in Korea and risk assessment for exposure on TBT in seafoods. Total hazard index(using Reference Dose : 0.3 ug TBTO/kg B.W/day) of intake exposure on seafoods is 0.04 as the 50th percentile, 0.08 as the 95th percentile. This value is estimated by Monte-Carlo simulation using Crystal Ball(Decisioneering Co., 2001).