• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2019

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a typical nitrogen disinfection by-product, which has posed a potential threat to human health during drinking water disinfection. Because of the well-known effects of mutagenesis, carcinogenesis and teratogenesis, the high detection rate in water engineering systems (such as coagulation, membrane filtration and biological systems), and difficulty to remove, it has received wide concern in the field of water engineering systems. The NDMA is a low molecular weight hydrophilic organic substance, which is difficult to remove. Also, the mechanism for NDMA formation is also recognized to be complex, and many steps still needed to be further evaluated. Therefore, the mechanistic knowledge on NDMA formation potential and their removal processes is of particularly interest. Few papers summarize the occurrence and control of NDMA in water engineering systems. It is for this reason that the content of this paper is particularly important for us to understand and control the amount of NDMA thus reducing the threat of disinfection by-products to drinking water. Four parts including the mechanisms for the NDMA formation potential, the factors affecting the NDMA formation potential, the technologies for removal of NDMA are summarized. Finally, some definite suggestions are given.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2019

Purpose: This study compared and analyzed the risk factors that affect a wound healing group and healing failure group. Materials and Methods: From 2010 to 2018, 39 patients who had suffered a single toe amputation were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups (wound healing group and healing failure group - within at least 3 months following the amputation). Regarding the possible risk factors, age, gender, Wagner and Brodsky classifications, duration of diabetes mellitus, whether the patient had peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) or cardiovascular disease, body mass index, HbA1c, total cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), smoking, and alcohol were investigated. Results: The mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 140 months in the healing group and 227 months in the healing failure group, and the duration of diabetes was significantly longer in the failure group (p=0.009). A significant difference in eGFR was observed between the two groups ($59.17mL/min/1.73m^2$ in the healing group and $31.1mL/min/1.73m^2$ in the failure group) (p=0.022). Sixteen patients with PAOD were found, all 10 patients in the healing failure group were PAOD patients. Conclusion: To reduce the additional complications in single toe amputation patients, the underlying disease and appropriate treatment are the most important factors. In addition, a more proximal level of amputation also should be considered in cases of patients with PAOD, high BUN and low eGFR, and patients with long-term diabetes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.234-242
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• 2020

Background: Bevacizumab-induced proteinuria is known to occur when vascular endothelial cell receptors are blocked, which leads to decreased protein filtration. Although several studies have analyzed the correlation between therapeutic effect of bevacizumab and proteinuria, no conclusion has been established. Methods: In this retrospective study, colorectal cancer patients who received bevacizumab and urinary protein check from January 2015 to December 2016, were included. The incidence of proteinuria and the grade according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) 4.0 were evaluated after bevacizumab administration. The primary objective was to correlate proteinuria with overall response rate (ORR) and time to progression (TTP). Primary lesion, metastasized organs, surgery or radiation therapy, chemotherapy were investigated for analysis of risk factors for proteinuria development. Results: A total of 149 patients included in the analysis. Proteinuria occurred 19.5% (n=29) in the study patients; 20 in grade 1, 7 in grade 2, and 2 in grade 3. ORR was 55.2% in the proteinuria group and 51.7% in the non-proteinuria group. There was no difference between two groups (p=0.89). The TTP through the survival curve was similar in both groups (10 months, p=0.97). The risk of proteinuria was high in patients who had liver metastasis (p=0.02) and no surgery (p=0.01). Conclusions: These result indicates that bevacizumab-induced proteinuria expression was not correlated with the therapeutic effect on patients with colorectal cancer. Further analysis is required to find out the correlation between proteinuria and therapeutic effects. The risk of proteinuria was increased from patients who had liver metastasis, and no surgery.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.499-505
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• 2022

This study presents a conceptual design of vanillin production from Kraft lignin. Most of the existing Kraft lignin is used as low-quality boiler fuel or discarded as wastewater, and only 2% or less of lignin has been refined into high-quality products. We propose the process developed in this study to utilize discarded Kraft lignin. The existing vanillin production concept process consisted of alkali oxidation using NaOH, filtration, chromatography, and crystallization. Chromatography, which is difficult to commercialize, was changed to a solvent extraction process. The recovery rate of vanillin of the proposed solvent extraction process is 92.9%, and the purity is 99.5%, which is similar to the existing chromatography process. The reason why the solvent extraction process showing similar results to chromatography can replace the existing chromatography process was analyzed.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.67-74
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• 2024

Purpose: The identification and quantification of indoor airborne contaminants, including bio-aerosols, particulates, and gaseous contaminants, are crucial for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality for hospital operating rooms (ORs). Laparoscopic surgery has become widely accepted for various surgical procedures due to its rapid recovery rate and the low risk associated with small incisions compared to conventional open surgery. The objective of this study is to investigate the indoor air quality in hospital ORs and to identify indoor airborne contaminants generated during laparoscopic surgery. Methods: Measurements of an indoor environment, including temperature, humidity and air quality, were performed in an OR before and during a laparoscopic surgery. Indoor airborne contaminants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), suspended indoor particles, and airborne bacteria, were measured simultaneously. Results: The study determined that the concentrations of indoor air particles and airborne bacteria increased during the surgery but were within acceptable levels. However, the concentration of CO₂, reached a high level of 1,791 ppm due to the CO₂ gas required for maintaining the pneumoperitoneum during the surgery. Implications: The results emphasized the use of ventilation and filtration in a laparoscopic surgery room to lower the concentration of filterable and non-filterable contaminants.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.185-193
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• 2020

There have been many studies on the calcination of oyster shells in the perspective of recycling of resources. The quicklime made by the calcination of oyster shells is used either as it is or after reacting with water to transform to liquid lime before being used. However, the liquid lime made from calcined oyster shells show slightly different properties from that of limestone. In this study, to compare these properties of oyster shell with those of limestone, the samples were calcined and reacted with water at various temperatures to transform to a liquid lime and filtered using 150 ㎛ sieves to calculate the transform rate to liquid lime. The calcined limestone was transformed to liquid lime at all temperatures, but calcined oyster shell did not show any transformation at 30℃ and 50℃ under the experimental conditions of this study, and rather increased the weight for the remaining after filtration due to the presence of Ca(OH)₂ produced by the reaction with water, Even at 90℃, the transformation rate of calcined oyster shell to liquid lime was lower than that of limestone. This difference in oyster shell can be explained partly by the preventing calcined one from reacting with water by conchiolin which is protein found in the prismatic and pearl layers of oyster shell. Conchiolin is also known to be stable and does not decompose even at high temperature. However, even the calcined chalk layer without conchiolin shows lower transformation rate than that of calcined limestone, probably due to the small amount of Na in oyster shell, which may cause additional reaction including eutectic melt during calcination process.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.783-792
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• 2007

To investigate the effects of alkalinity on the nitrification capability of the nonwoven fabric filter bioreactor(NFBR), an experiment was performed for 641 days at a hydraulic retention time of approximately 11 hours by changing the influent concentration of $NH_3-N$ from 54 mg/L to 1,400 mg/L and alkalinity from 43 mg/L to 10,480 mg/L. The MLSS concentration reduced from an initial value of 2,650 mg/L down to 830 mg/L, then increased up to 8,340 mg/L. Though the volumetric loading rate varied in a range of $0.120\sim3.130$ kg $NH_3-N/m^3-day$, the F/M ratio showed a narrow range of $0.067\sim0.414$ kg $NH_3-N/kg$ MLSS-day. The average nitrification efficiency at each experimental stage resulted in the range of $35.2\sim100%$, and the maximum nitrification rate was 2.970 kg $N/m^3-day$ or 0.489 g N/g MLVSS-day. The nitrifiers' fraction of the MLVSS increased up to 100% from an initial value of 7.1% and the biofilm formed on the nonwoven fabric filter showed a very low nitrifiers' fraction of mere 2.2%. The growth yield of the MLSS and the alkalinity consumption rate were computed to be 0.117 g VSS/g N removed and 7.08 g alkalinity/g $NO_x^--N$ produced, respectively. Results of the research suggest that NFBR could be an adequate process for nitrification of wastewaters with high ammonia concentrations.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.236-242
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• 2005

Membrane fouling by protein mixtures during microfiltration has been investigated for binary mixtures of bovine serum albumin (BSA), casein, lysozyme, pepsin, and ovalbumin. Filtration experiments were carried out using $0.2{\mu}m$ polycarbonate track-etched (PCTE) membrane in a stirred cell under constant transmembrane pressure (14 kPa) and concentration of hydrogen ion (pH=11) to study the effect of mixture composition on filtrate flux decline. Flux decline data were analyzed using a pore blockage-cake formation model developed recently. It was found that the model is in a good agreement with the experimental data. Fouling parameters such as the rate of pore blockage(${\alpha}$), the initial resistance of the protein deposit ($R_{po}$) and the increasing rate of the protein layer resistance(${\beta}$) were used to evaluate the rate of filtrate flow by membrane fouling in the binary mixture system. Generally, the trend of ${\alpha}$ is comparable with that of filtrate flux decline. It was also found that fast flux decreasing was observed over the binary mixture containing casein. The result is due to high value of the initial resistance of the protein deposit ($R_{po}$) over casein.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2006

Purpose: To determine appropriate sampling frequency and time of multiple blood sampling dual exponential method with $^{99m}Tc$-DTPA for calculating glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Materials & Methods: Thirty four patients were included in this study. Three mCi of $^{99m}Tc$-DTPA was intravenously injected and blood sampling at 9 different times, 5ml each, were done. Using the radioactivity of serum, measured by gamma counter, the GFR was calculated using dual exponential method and corrected with the body surface area. Using spontaneously chosen 2 data points of serum radioactivity, 15 collections of 2-sample GFR were calculated. And 10 collections of 3-sample GFR and 12 collections of 4-sample GFR were also calculated. Using the 9-sample GFR as a reference value, degree of agreement was analyzed with Kendall's $\tau$ correlation coefficients, mean difference and standard deviation. Results: Although some of the 2-sample GFR showed high correlation coefficient, over or underestimation had evolved as the renal function change. The 10-120-240 min 3-sample GFR showed a high correlation coefficient (${\tau}=0.93$), minimal difference ($Mean{\pm}SD=-1.784{\pm}3.972$), and no over or underestimation as the renal function changed. The 4-sample GFR showed no better accuracy than the 3-sample GFR. Conclusions: In the wide spectrum of renal function, the 10-120-240 min 3-sample GFC could be the best choice for estimating the patients' renal function.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.627-634
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• 2010

Background: The durability of the tissue valve is important in choice between a mechanical valve and a tissue valve in cardiac surgery. We studied the mid-term results of tissue valve in the aortic position. Material and Method: The subjects were 380 patients who had undergone aortic prosthesis replacement between May 1990 and March 2009. We retrospectively analyzed hospital and outpatient records: the mean age was $69{\pm}9$ years; the male to female ratio was 227 : 162; and the mean follow-up duration was $46.7{\pm}40.8$ months (range 0~196 months). Result: 389 surgical cases in total had been taken with 380 patients. Early death occurred in 15 patients (3.9%). Overall survival rate at 1, 5 and 10 years were 92.3%, 78.1% and 54.2% respectively. Freedom from reoperation at 1, 5 and 10 years were 98.4%, 97.1% and 91.7% respectively. Freedom from structural valvular deterioration at 1, 5 and 10 years were 96.1%, 92.3% and 88.0% respectively. In the multivariate analysis of preoperative risk factors, young age (p<0.001) was significant risk factor for reoperation. High peak velocity in the postoperative period (p=0.034) and young age (p=0.029) were significant risk factors for structural valvular deterioration. Old age (p=0.001), long bypass time (p=0.035), concomitant coronary artery bypass graft surgery (p=0.003) and preoperative low left ventricular ejection fraction (p=0.003) were significant factors for early mortality. Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (< 60 mL/min) (p=0.025) and persistent left ventricular hypertrophy (p=0.032) were the risk factors for late mortality. Conclusion: This study showed that the freedom from reoperation and the freedom from structural valvular deterioration in aortic tissue valve replacement were acceptable. It will be necessary to conduct further studies with long-term follow-up and more patients.