• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.469-478
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• 2020

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) propagation is highly dependent on cellular proteins. To identify the host factors involved in HCV propagation, we previously performed protein microarray assays and identified the LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP-1) as an HCV NS5A-interacting partner. LASP-1 plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation, migration, and protein-protein interactions. Alteration of LASP-1 expression has been implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the functional involvement of LASP-1 in HCV propagation and HCV-induced pathogenesis has not been elucidated. Here, we first verified the protein interaction of NS5A and LASP-1 by both in vitro pulldown and coimmunoprecipitation assays. We further showed that NS5A and LASP-1 were colocalized in the cytoplasm of HCV infected cells. NS5A interacted with LASP-1 through the proline motif in domain I of NS5A and the tryptophan residue in the SH3 domain of LASP-1. Knockdown of LASP1 increased HCV replication in both HCV-infected cells and HCV subgenomic replicon cells. LASP-1 negatively regulated viral propagation and thereby overexpression of LASP-1 decreased HCV replication. Moreover, HCV propagation was decreased by wild-type LASP-1 but not by an NS5A binding-defective mutant of LASP-1. We further demonstrated that LASP-1 was involved in the replication stage of the HCV life cycle. Importantly, LASP-1 expression levels were increased in persistently infected cells with HCV. These data suggest that HCV modulates LASP-1 via NS5A in order to regulate virion levels and maintain a persistent infection.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.501-505
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• 2001

Soy protein formulas have been used as supplementary food for infants allergic to cow's milk as well as to prevent atopy since 1929. Though these formulas are used as alternative ways to nourish these infants, the effects of soy proteins are still controversial because they may cause soy allergies in infants. The state of Korean food allergic infants is not as well known as allergy eases in Europe or USA. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of soy allergy in the case of Korean infants in concerning with milk allergy. Among 153 infants with clinical allergic symptoms that underwent tests, 21% and 51.6% of infants exhibited soy and milk allergies, respectively. Furthermore, some of the subjects (14%) possessed both soy protein and milk protein allergies. For cow milk allergic infants, only 27.8% of the tested infants were found exhibiting allergy symptoms related to soy protein, however, cow milk protein allergic reaction was detected in the serum of most soy allergic infants (68.8%).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2000

Follow-up studies have been conducted every three years on the endemicity of Gymnophalloides seoi infection in a small coastal village of Chollanam-do (Province), Korea, since it was first known as an endemic area in 1994. Special attention was given to its egg laying capacity in the human host. In fecal examinations, the overall helminth egg and/or cyst positive rate was 78.7% (74/94) in 1997 and 76.6% (82/107) in 2000. Among them G. seoi eggs showed the highest rate; 71.3% (67/94) in 1997 and 72.0% (77/107) in 2000. The average number of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) was 1,015 in 1997, while a reduced rate of 353 was observed in 2000. In 1997, total of 320,677 adult flukes of G. seoi (av. 10,344/person, 94-69,125 in range) were collected from the diarrheic stools of 31 treated patients. The EPG/worm obtained from 21 cases ranged from 0.04 to 0.77 (av. 0.23), suggesting density-dependent constraints on the worm fecundity. The relationship between the worm burden (X) and EPG/worm (Y) can be expressed as $Y=0.42{\cdot}e{\cdot}^{-l.2x}(r=0.49)$. The results showed that G. seoi infection is persistently endemic in this village.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.149-156
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• 2012

Purpose : We conducted a prospective comparative clinical study to determine the field efficacy of the 2010-2011 influenza vaccines [Influenza virus strains; A/California/7/2009 (H1N1), A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2), B/Brisbane/60/2008] in healthy Korean children under 18 years of age. Methods : In this study, we enrolled subjects aged between 6 months and 18 years and divided them into 2 study groups: a group who received the influenza vaccines (407 subjects), and a control group who did not receive the influenza vaccines (230 subjects). Ours was a multicenter study that involved 7 hospitals, including the Korea Cancer Center Hospital. The study was conducted between September 2010 and February 2011. We collected nasal wash or throat swab samples from subjects who presented with acute febrile respiratory or influenza-like illnesses at the hospital. We used PCR to confirm the presence of the influenza virus in the respiratory samples and characterize the virus type. Results : In this study, we collected 22 respiratory samples from the influenza-vaccinated group and found 3 cases of influenza virus infection. Similarly, we collected 21 samples from the control group and found 12 cases of influenza virus infection among 10 subjects during the study period. We determined the field efficacy of the 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccines to be 83.2% in healthy Korean children and adolescents. Conclusion : In this study, we determined the field efficacy of the 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccines in healthy Korean children and adolescents. We found that the field efficacy of 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccines was adequate.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.289-295
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dose comparison using Radon phantom with 5 mm and 10 mm tissue equivalent materials, FIF, Wedge(15, 30 angle) and IMRT, to reduce the skin dose of the contralateral breast during breast cancer radiation therapy(Total dose: 50.4Gy). The dose was measured for each treatment plan by attaching to the 8 point of the contralateral breast of the treated region using a optical-stimulated luminance dosimeter(OSLD) as a comparative dose evaluation method. Of the OSLD used in the study, 10 were used with reproducibility within 3%. As a result, the average reduction rates of 5 mm and 10 mm in the FIF treatment plan were 37.23 cGy and 41.77 cGy, respectively, and the average reduction rates in the treatment plan using Wedge $15^{\circ}$ were 70.69 cGy and 87.57 cGy, respectively. The IMRT showed a reduction of 67.37 cGy and 83.17 cGy, respectively. The results of using bolus showed that as the thickness of the bolus increased in all treatments, the dose reduction increased. We concluded that mastectomy as well as general radiotherapy for breast cancer would be very effective for patients who are more likely to be exposed to scattered radiation due to a more demanding or complex treatment plan.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.158-168
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• 2013

Purpose: Elementary schools are regarded as the best community setting for implementing obesity prevention programs and health teachers (HTs) are the main health professionals who can provide obesity prevention services. However, there is insufficient information on the actual conditions of school-based obesity prevention/ management programs in Korean elementary schools. The purpose of the study was to investigate the actual conditions of school-based obesity prevention/management programs, perceived and experienced by elementary school HTs, which may provide basic data for developing effective and sustainable programs for early childhood. We investigated (1) HTs' ratings on the program's importance, the confidence in the program's implementation, and the factors associated with the program's success (2), the correlates of the importance and confidence levels (3), the program's effectiveness and the factors associated with its sustainability, which were evaluated by HTs, and (4) the correlates of the effectiveness levels. Methods: The participants, 147 HTs working for elementary schools in Seoul were asked to fill out self-administrated questionnaires through mail. Results: The participants' rate on the program's importance was 7.1 on average (0~10 scale) and that on the confidence in the program's implementation was 6.2 (0~10 scale). Moreover, > 25% of the participants reported student and parent participation as a factor associated with the program's success. Of the total participants, 45.6% reported they had actually experienced the program, giving 4.8 points (0~10 scale), on average, in the evaluation of the program's effectiveness and > 22.0% of the participants regarded student and parent participation as a factor associated with the program's sustainability. The HTs' confidence in the program's implementation was a strong correlate of the effectiveness evaluated by HTs. Conclusion: School-based obesity prevention/management programs tend to be highly prioritized by HTs in elementary schools. To implement an effective obesity program in elementary schools, educational support for HTs is needed in order to enhance their confidence levels on the program's implementation.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2020

Purpose: Hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of death in trauma patients worldwide. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a technique used to improve the hemodynamic stability of patients with traumatic shock and to temporarily control arterial hemorrhage. However, further research is required to determine whether REBOA with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in near-arrest or arrest trauma patients can help resuscitation. We analyzed trauma patients who underwent REBOA according to their CPR status and evaluated the effects of REBOA in arrest situations. Methods: This study was a retrospective single-regional trauma center study conducted at a tertiary medical institution from February 2017 to November 2019. We evaluated the mortality of severely injured patients who underwent REBOA and analyzed the factors that influenced the outcome. Patients were divided into CPR and non-CPR groups. Results: We reviewed 1,596 trauma patients with shock, of whom 23 patients underwent REBOA (1.4%). Two patients were excluded due to failure and a repeated attempt of REBOA. The Glasgow Coma Scale score was lower in the CPR group than in the non-CPR group (p=0.009). Blood pressure readings at the emergency room were lower in the CPR group than in the non-CPR group, including systolic blood pressure (p=0.012), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.002), and mean arterial pressure (p=0.008). In addition, the mortality rate was higher in the CPR group (100%) than in the non-CPR group (50%) (p=0.012). The overall mortality rate was 76.2%. Conclusions: Our study suggests that if REBOA is deemed necessary in a timely manner, it is better to perform REBOA before an arrest occurs. Therefore, appropriate protocols, including pre-hospital REBOA, should be constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of REBOA in reducing mortality in arrest or impending arrest patients.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.9
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• pp.3336-3340
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• 2010

This study has been carried out against hospitals with less than 100 beds, which were excluded from the previous study on the discharged patients from January 1 to December 31, 2007. To analyze the discharged patients, the general characteristics of discharged patients, means of payment for medical costs, type of disease and surgery and current status of the use of medical services have been investigated based on the medical records. During the year of 2007, the number of discharged patients from the hospitals with less than 100 beds reached 4,697,095 (9.7% of total population). In other words, 9,693 people were discharged from a hospital per 100,000 populations with 9.8 days in terms of annual mean length of hospitalization. The number of patients who returned home after hospitalization reached 4,538,861 (male: 1,784,041, female: 2,754,821) while 119,378 patients were evacuated to other hospitals. Among them, 8,970 patients were returned back to the original hospital. Based on the results of this study, they could be used in could be used in planning a project which is aimed to reduce public health costs by investigating high-risk groups with particular injuries and preventing damage. In addition, the injury monitoring data which are continuously collected could be useful in monitoring and evaluating the efficiency of an injury prevention program.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.54-68
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• 2014

In order to analyze the land surface properties in Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan area, several indices and land surface temperature were calculated by the Landsat satellites (e.g., Landsat 5, Landsat 7, and Landsat 8). The Landsat data came from only in the fall season with Landsat 5 on October 21, 1985, Landsat 7 on September 29, 2003, and Landsat 8 on September 16, 2013. The land surface properties used are the indices that represented Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Modified Normalized Difference Wetness Index (MNDWI), Normalized Difference Wetness Index (NDWI), Tasseled cap Brightness, Tasseled cap Greenness, Tasseled cap Wetness Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and the land surface temperature of the area in and around Seoul. Most indices distinguish very well between urban, rural, mountain, building, river and road. In particular, most of the urbanization is represented in the new city (e.g., Ilsan) around Seoul. According to NDVI, NDBI and land surface temperature, urban expansion is displayed in the surrounding area of Seoul. The land surface temperature and surface elevation have a strong relationship with the distribution and structure of the vegetation/built-up indices such as NDVI and NDBI. While the NDVI is positively correlated with the land surface temperature and is also negatively correlated with the surface elevation, the NDBI have just the opposite correlations, respectively. The NDVI and NDBI index is closely associated with the characteristics of the metropolitan area. Landsat 8 and Landsat 5 have very strong correlations (more than -0.6) but Landsat 7 has a weak one (lower than -0.5).

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2007

Objectives : The aim of this prospective study is to investigate predictors estimating relapse in Korean alcohol-dependent patients using variables like alcohol history, drinking craving, treatment motivation and insight. Methods : Alcohol dependent patients(N=48) who completed questionnaires about sociodemographic variables and drinking history, Timeline Follow-Back(TLFB), Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale(OCSD), Alcohol Urge Questionnaire(AUQ), Pennsylvania Alcohol Craving Scale(PACS), University of Rhode Island Change Assessment(URICA), Hanil Alcohol Insight Scale(HAIS) were followed-up for 24weeks. Subjects who drank heavily(5 standard drinking or more/day) or were not followed up anymore were classified as the relapse group. We used logistic regression analysis with backward elimination of SPSS PC+11.5 to investigate relapse estimate predictors. Results : Average drinking amount per drinking day for last 1 year and HAIS score were predictors of relapse in alcohol-dependent patients. Conclusions : Our findings suggest that therapist should give more attention to alcohol-dependent patients who had more drinks per drinking day for last 1 year and had lower insight level.