• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.58-68
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• 2018

Purpose: Generally, adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) should be initiated as soon as possible after surgery to eradicate microscopic cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of early AC on the survival of stage II/III gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Four hundred sixty patients who received AC (S-1 or XELOX) for pathologic stage II/III gastric cancer at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between January 2008 and December 2014 were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups: early AC administration (within 4 weeks) and late AC administration (more than 4 weeks). Patients in the early AC group (n=174) were matched 1:1 with patients in the late AC group (n=174) by propensity scoring to adjust for clinical differences. Three-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was evaluated according to the timing of AC. Results: Three-year RFS was 98.1% in stage IIA (n=109), 85.0% in stage IIB (n=83), 87.4% in stage IIIA (n=96), 83.5% in stage IIIB (n=91), and 62.5% in stage IIIC (n=81). After propensity score matching, RFS was similar between early and late AC groups (hazard ratio [HR],1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-1.74; P=0.889). Pathologic stage and histological type were independent prognostic factors of RFS (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.06-3.96; P=0.033 and HR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.42-4.80; P=0.002, respectively). Conclusions: Early initiation of AC within 4 weeks does not affect survival rates in stage II/III gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2109-2114
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• 2012

Background: Ethnic variation in tumor characteristics and clinical presentation of breast cancer is increasingly being emphasized. We studied the tumor characteristics and factors which may influence the presentation and prognosis of triple negative breast cancers (TNC) in a cohort of Chinese women. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1800 Chinese women with breast cancer was recruited in a tertiary referral unit in Hong Kong between 1995 and 2006 and was followed up with a median duration of 7.2 years. Of the total, 216 (12.0%) had TNC and 1584 (88.0%) had non-TNC. Their clinicopathological variables, epidemiological variables and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results: Patients with TNC had similar age of presentation as those with non-TNC, while presenting at earlier stages (82.4% were stage 1-2, compared to 78.4% in non-TNC, p=0.035). They were likely to be associated with grade 3 cancer (Hazard Ratio(HR)=5.8, p<0.001). TNC showed higher chance of visceral relapse (HR=2.69, p<0.001), liver metastasis (HR=1.7, p=0.003) and brain metastasis (HR=1.8, p=0.003). Compared with non-TNC group, TNC had similar 10-year disease-free survival (82% vs 84%, p=0.148), overall survival (78% vs 79%, p=0.238) and breast cancer-specific mortality (18% vs 16%, p=0.095). However, TNC showed poorer 10-year stage 3 and 4 specific survival (stage 3: 53% vs. 67%, p=0.010; stage 4: 0% vs. 40%, p=0.035). Conclusions: Chinese women with triple negative breast cancer do not have less aggressive biological behavior compared to the West and presentation at a later stage results in worse prognosis compared with those with non triple negative breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5355-5360
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• 2013

Background: Clarifying the prognostic impact of histological type is an essential issue that may influence the treatment and follow-up planning of newly diagnosed cervical cancer cases. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of histological type on survival and mortality in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma (ADC) and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNEC). Materials and Methods: All patients with cervical cancer diagnosed and treated at Chiang Mai University Hospital between January 1995 and October 2011 were eligible. We included all patients with SNEC and a random weighted sample of patients with SCC and ADC. We used competing-risks regression analysis to evaluate the association between histological type and cancer-specific survival and mortality. Results: Of all 2,108 patients, 1,632 (77.4%) had SCC, 346 (16.4%) had ADC and 130 (6.2%) had SNEC. Overall, five-year cancer-specific survival was 60.0%, 54.7%, and 48.4% in patients with SCC, ADC and SNEC, respectively. After adjusting for other clinical and pathological factors, patients with SNEC and ADC had higher risk of cancer-related death compared with SCC patients (hazard ratio [HR] 2.6; 95% CI, 1.9-3.5 and HR 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5, respectively). Patients with SNEC were younger and had higher risk of cancer-related death in both early and advanced stages compared with SCC patients (HR 4.9; 95% CI, 2.7-9.1 and HR 2.5; 95% CI, 1.7-3.5, respectively). Those with advanced-stage ADC had a greater risk of cancer-related death (HR 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7) compared with those with advanced-stage SCC, while no significant difference was observed in patients with early stage lesions. Conclusion: Histological type is an important prognostic factor among patients with cervical cancer in Thailand. Though patients with SNEC were younger and more often had a diagnosis of early stage compared with ADC and SCC, SNEC was associated with poorest survival. ADC was associated with poorer survival compared with SCC in advanced stages, while no difference was observed at early stages. Further tailored treatment-strategies and follow-up planning among patients with different histological types should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.334-338
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• 2009

To determine the contamination status of Sushi fish and rice, seventy-nine samples of Sushi were collected from wholesale markets and Japanese restaurants within the Seoul area and subsequently analyzed for food-borne pathogens. Total aerobic counts ranged from 4 to 6 log CFU/g for the sliced raw fish, and from 3 to 5 log CFU/g for the boiled rice. Higher levels of contamination were detected in bream and shrimp Sushi versus other types. Coliform counts of 3-4 log CFU/g were detected in the sliced raw fish, whereas levels in the boiled rice were one log CFU/g lower compared to the raw fish. The raw Sushi fish had higher amounts of contamination than the boiled rice, however, E.coli was not detected. The prevalence rates of pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, in the raw fish were 17% and 10%, respectively. Similarly, the prevalence rates in the boiled rice were 11% and 8% for S. aureus and B.cereus, respectively. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were also detected; however, other pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium perfrigens, and Yersinia enterocolitica were not detected. Among the high contaminating pathogens, B.cereus was found in 13% of samples from the wholesale markets, while S.aureus was found in 30% of samples from the Japanese restaurants. Therefore, these data suggest that the primary microbial hazard factors for Sushi are S. aureus and B. cereus, in addition to V. parahaemolyticus, and further risk assessments should focus on those pathogens.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2017

Objectives: In this study, an evaluation of the working environment of furnace workers was performed and the work-relatedness of the occupational diseases were examined Methods: In this study, two electric furnaces at a single casting business site producing manganese-based iron alloy were selected, and occupational exposures to hazardous substances were evaluated for furnace workers and furnace worker assistants. Results: As a result, total dust concentration were $0.407{\sim}3.001mg/m^3$ and respirable dust concentration were $0.196{\sim}0.584mg/m^3$. The highest concentration of crystalline silica was $0.079mg/m^3$ In the case of Masato and Sosuckwhoi crystalline silica, they contained 90.85% and 4.17% respectively. Manganese concentration was the highest at a $0.205mg/m^3$ maximum. The average of black carbon is $11.56{\mu}g/m^3$ and the maximum concentration is $604.23{\mu}g/m^3$. PAHs concentration was the highest at a $78.301{\mu}g/m^3$ of naphthalene. The concentration of carbon monoxide was 18.82 ppm(total average 3.89 ppm) during pouring, and the maximum is 131 ppm. The formaldehyde concentration was 0.003 to 0.007 ppm. Conclusions: It seems that conditions in the past were worse, since casting has recently been performed only twice per day for about 20 minutes, reducing the amount of pouring, and local exhaust systems have been installed one-by-one. In addition, it was judged that the past exposure levels were higher considering the points measured on the back-side due to the risk of damage to the individual samples. It was found that operators could be exposed to high concentrations of crystalline silica, and that they were also exposed to high concentrations of metal(fume) and carbon monoxide during pouring. Therefore, there is a risk that occupational diseases such as lung cancer and COPD may occur with long-term work in such a process.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.63-75
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• 2007

A survey on sanitary management at 98 food service institutions located in Jeollabuk-Do were conducted. Food service institutions included 13 hospitals, 38 schools, 40 enterprises, and 7 others. The sterilization in boiling water was used for disinfection of tableware, spoon and chopsticks, and dish towel. Cooking kit, refrigerator, chopping board, and knife were sterilized with disinfectant. Frequency of sanitary training program on employees was 56.1% for 1 time/month, 12.2% for 2-3 times/month, and 11.3% for 1 time/week. Preparing ratio of defrosting, warehouse and rest room, and washing and sterilization diary were 73.8, 60.5, and 54.5%, respectively. However, checking ratio of environments (9.5%), personal sanitation (10.8%), and sanitary training program diary(8.4%) were low. Major obstacle factors on the introduction of Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system into food service institutions were lack of equipment and facilities (54.1%) and lack of understanding and data on HACCP system (17.3%). Therefore, in order to reduce the outbreak of food-borne diseases increasing frequency, we estimated that the introduction of sanitary management system and the conversion of dietician' perception on sanitary managements in food service institutions were needed.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 2001

Environmental factors such as $NH_3,\;H_2S,\;CO_2$, dust, temperature, and humidity in the animal house are a potential health hazard to humans and animals. Until now, most of measurement methods can only provide periodic results with low accuracy. A data acquisition system which can measure continuously and simultaneously $NH_3,\;H_2S,\;CO_2$, temperature, and humidity was developed and installed in two pig houses. Daily changes of environment for the pig-houses were investigated by the data acquisition system. In order to evaluate NH$_3$sensor, gas samples were obtained and NH$_3$concentrations were measured at nine positions; combinations of three positions(inlet, middle, and outlet) and three heights(0 cm, 40 cm, 150 cm). Ammonia concentration of 14.0 ~37.1 ppm for slurry pig-house is higher than that of 8.4~29.7 ppm for scraper pig-house, and there were no statistical differences among the positions. However, the concentration of $NH_3$at 150 cm was higher than thats of 0 cm and 40 cm.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2015

In Korea, local governments have decided the location of shelters as part of their disaster planning. However, no quantitative standards, such as assuming different hazard and shelter types, shelters' capacity, are specified in that planning. To propose the direction of disaster evacuation policy, first of all, the current state of shelters' location and evacuation area is needed to be analyzed. In addition, considering topographical condition such as road slope and physical strength by age are important factors to measure optimal evacuation route. The purpose is to suggest a new methodology of estimating optimal evacuation route considering resistance of road slope and difference of walking speed by age. Moreover, as a case study of Seoul, Korea, using coverage analysis of GIS analysis tool, the accessible area (or vulnerable area) to the shelters is evaluated based on the spatial distribution of disaster evacuation shelters and their accommodation capacity, according to evacuation time within 7.5, 15 and 30 minutes. The main results are summarized as follows: 1) The average area of disaster evacuation shelter per person is calculated as 0.45 square meters. Considering that the minimum shelters' area per person is 1 square meters, only 45% of people in Seoul can be accommodated. 2) The ratio of inhabitants who live in accessible area within 7.5 minutes presents only 33% of all. Furthermore, the ratio of inhabitants by age group of 5~9 or over 65 years old shows significantly lower percentage in comparison with 15~49 years old people.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.161-171
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• 2017

Observed ground motions are composed of three factors such as, seismic source, attenuation, and site amplification effect. Among them, the site amplification characteristics should be considered significantly when estimating seismic source and attenuation characteristics with more confidence. The site effect is also necessary when estimating not only seismic hazard in seismic design engineering but also rock mechanical properties. This study uses the method of H/V spectral ratio of observed ground motion between target site and reference site called a reference site method. In addition to using the vertical Fourier spectrum of the reference site, we try out the horizontal Fourier spectrum as a new method in this study. We analyze H/V spectral ratio of six ground motions respectively, observed at four sites close to Yedang Reservoir. We then compare site amplification effects at each site using 3 kinds of seismic energies including S waves, Coda waves energy, and background noise. The results suggest that each site showed similar site amplification patterns in S waves and Coda waves energy. However, the site amplification of background noise shows much different characteristics from those of S waves and Coda wave energy, which suggests that the background noises at each site have their own developing mechanism. Each station shows its own characteristics of specific resonance frequency and site amplification properties in low, high and specific resonance frequency ranges. Comparison of the method used in this study to the others that used different methods can provide us with more information about the dynamic amplification of a site characteristics and site classification.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.171-185
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• 2000

The treatment objectives of the complete oral rehabilitation are : (1) comfortably functioning temporomandibular joints and stomatognathic musculature, (2) adherence to the basic principle of occlusion advocated by Schuyler, (3) anterior guidance that is in harmony with the envelope of function, (4) restorations that will not violate the patient's neutral zone. There may be many roads to achieving these objectives, but they all convey varing degrees of stress and strain on the dentist and patient. There are no "easy" cases of oral rehabilitation. Time must be taken to think, time must be taken to plan, and time must be taken to perform, since time is the critical element in both success and failure. Moreover, a systematized and integrated approach will lead to a prognosis that is favorable and predictable. This approach facilitates development of optimum oral function, comfort, and esthetics, resulting in a satisfied patient. Such a systematized approach consists of four logical phase : (1) patient evaluation, (2) comprehensive analysis and treatment planning, (3) integrated and systematic reconstruction, and (4) postoperative maintenance. Firstly, we must evaluate the mandibular position. The results of a repetitive, unstrained, nondeflective, nonmanipulated mandibular closure into complete maxillomandibular intercuspation is not so much a "centric" occlusion as it is a stable occlusion. Accordingly, we ought to concern ourselves less with mandibular centricity and more with mandibular stability, which actually is the relationship we are trying to establish. The key to this stability is intercuspal precision. Once neuromuscular passivity has been achieved during an appropriate period of occlusal adjustment and provisionalization, subsequent intercuspal precision becomes the controlling factors in maintaining a stable mandibular position. Secondly, we must evaluate the planned vertical dimension of occlusion in relationship to what may now be an altered(generally diminished), and avoid the hazard of using such an abnormal position to indicate ultimate occlusal contacting points. There are no hard and fast rules to follow, no formulas, and no precise ratios between the vertical dimension of occlusion. Like centric relation, it is an area, not a point.