• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9859-9863
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• 2014

Genetic epidemiological studies have shown that genetic susceptibility to esophageal cancer (EC) is an important cause of its high incidence within families in some areas of China. The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence of a genetic basis of EC in Xin-an and Xin-xiang counties in China. Familial aggregation and complex segregation analyses were performed of 79 EC families in these counties. The heritability of EC was examined using Falconer's method and complex segregation analysis was conducted with the SEGREG program in Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology (SAGE version 5.3.1). The results showed that the distribution of EC in families did not fit well into a binomial distribution. The heritability of EC among first-degree and second-degree relatives was $67.0{\pm}7.31%$ and $43.1%{\pm}9.80%$, respectively, and the summing up powered heritability was $53.2{\pm}6.74%$. The segregation ratio was 0.045. Complex segregation analysis showed that the genetic model of EC was additive. The current results provide evidence for an inherited propensity to EC in certain high-risk groups in China, and support efforts to identify the genes that confer susceptibility to this disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.4945-4950
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• 2014

Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) could affect genesis of both cervical and esophageal cancers. The type-specific distribution of HPV in cervical cytology abnormalities of women has remained unclear in Shantou, an esophageal cancer high-incidence area of China. Data from 22,617 women who were subjected to cervical HPV DNA testing with simultaneous cervical cytological examination during 2009-2013 were therefore here retrospectively evaluated in a hospital-based study. Overall, 16.2% (3,584/22,114)of women with normal cytology were HR-HPV positive, with HPV-52 (4.07%) as the most common type followed by -16 (3.63%), and -58 (2.46%). Prevalence of HR-HPV was 50.3% (253/503) in women with cervical cytological abnormalities, of which in ASC-H 71.4%, ASC-US 39.1%, HSIL 80.3% and LSIL 73.7%. HPV-58 (14.12%) was the most common type for all cervical cytological abnormalities, followed by HPV-16 (13.72%), and -52 (12.72%), while the more common HPV-16 type in ASC-H (42.9%) and HSIL (36.1%), HPV-52 and -58 were the most common types for ASC-US (10.3%) and LSIL (25%), respectively. Multiple HPV co-infections were identified in 33.2% (84/253) cytology abnormalities with positive HR-HPV, and the highest prevalence of HPV-58/16 combination in HSIL (28.6%, 6/21) was observed. Our data indicated a relative high prevalence of HPV-58 and -52 in women with cervical cytological abnormalities, which should be considered in the development of next-generation vaccines for Shantou.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.214-219
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• 2017

Background: As herpes zoster progresses via postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) to well-established PHN, it presents its recalcitrant nature to the treatment. At this point, the well-established PHN is fixed as a non-treatable, but manageable chronic painful neuropathic disorder. This study evaluated the incidence of complete relief from PHN according to PHN duration at their first visit, and the other factors influencing it. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients with PHN at a university-based pain clinic over 7 years. The responders were defined as patients who had complete relief from pain after 1 year of active treatment. Age, sex, PHN duration at their first visit, dermatomal distribution, and underlying disorders were compared in the responder and non-responder groups. Responders were also compared according to these factors. Results: Among 117 PHN patients (M/F = 48/69), 35 patients (29.9%) had complete relief from PHN. Mean ages were $64.3{\pm}10.6$ and $66.9{\pm}10.7$ years, numbers of male to female patients were 11/24 and 37/45, and mean durations of PHN at their first visit were $8.5{\pm}6.3$ and $15.3{\pm}10.7$ months in the responder and non- responder groups, respectively. In addition, PHN patients who visited the clinic before 9 months showed a better result. Dermatomal distribution and underlying disorders did not show significant differences. Conclusions: Almost 30% of PHN patients received complete relief. Those who sought treatment in a pain clinic before 9 months received a better result.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2002

Different types of smut fungi have been reported from different geographical places, depending on the distribution of host plant. Therefore, a survey was conducted to investigate the host plant of smut fungi and occurrence situations in three Asian countries. As a result 12 genera of 4 families and 19 species,24 families 87 genus and 191 species, and 12 families 140 species were occurred in Korea, Japan and China, respectively. Six genera(Enty-loma, Yilletia, Sorosporium, Sphacelotheca, Urocysitis, Ustilago) of korean smut fungi species were reported until 1998. In Japan, Ito reported for first time 14 genera and 140 species of smut fungi in 19361 and then were more described into 17 genera 114 species by Kaki hits a in 1984. Two genera (Schizonella and Namnfldtiomyces) and 8 species were newly listed, later by other researchers. In China, Ling reported that smut fungi classified into 14 genera, 109 species in 1953. In addition, Liroa, Glomosporium, Gahmphopora and Microbotryum genus including 49 species were recently reported, thus 18 genera and 158 families of smut fungi in China. These results suggest that the number of plant related with smut fungi is seemed to be more increase in future. Smut disease, occurred on the whole or part of plant and flower.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.71-81
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• 2019

The objective of the study is to examine the impact of financial development and foreign remittances on poverty and income inequality in the context of Pakistan. The study used ARDL-Bounds testing approach for robust inferences. The results show that in the short-run, remittances increases poverty and income inequality, which further translated into its long-run impact. The result confirmed the inverted U-shaped relationship between per capita income and income inequality, while the second order coefficient of per capita income substantially decline poverty incidence in a country. In the long-run, the results disappeared and it's turned into U-shaped relationship between income inequality and country's per capita income. Education largely decreases income inequality both in the short and long-run, however, it increases poverty in the long-run. Unemployment rate substantially damaged the pro-poor growth scenario, as high unemployment rate increases both the poverty rates and income inequality, which suffered poor more than non-poor in a country. Financial development has a positive impact on poverty reduction and income inequality in the short-run. The impact of income inequality on poverty incidence is positive both in the short- and long-run, which need pro-poor growth policies and rationale income distribution in a country.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.365-372
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• 2021

Objectives: Mandibular fractures vary significantly with respect to epidemiological and demographic parameters among populations. To date, no study has evaluated these aspects of mandibular fractures in Nuh, Mewat, Haryana, India. To retrospectively analyze the incidence, age and sex distributions, etiology, anatomic distribution, occlusal status, treatment modality provided, and their correlation in patients who suffered isolated mandibular fractures. Materials and Methods: The records of maxillofacial injury patients who reported to the Department of Dentistry, SHKM Government Medical College from January 2013 to December 2019, were retrieved from our database, and necessary information was collected. The data collected were analyzed statistically using IBM SPSS ver. 21. Results: Totals of 146 patients and 211 fractures were analyzed. There were 127 males and 19 females with an age range of 3-70 years (mean age, 26 years). Road traffic accident (RTA) was the most common cause of fracture (64.4%), followed by fall (19.9%), assault (15.1%), and sports injury (0.7%). Of all patients, 42.5% had bilateral fractures, 31.5% had left side fracture, 21.2% had right side fracture, 3.4% sustained midline symphyseal fracture, and 1.4% had symphyseal fracture along one side of the mandible. Site distribution was as follows: parasymphysis (34.6%), angle (23.7%), condyle (20.4%), body (12.8%), symphysis (4.3%), ramus 2.4%, and dentoalveolar 1.9%. The most common facture combination was angle with parasymphysis (17.8%). Occlusion was disrupted in 69.2% patients. Closed reduction was the predominant treatment modality. Conclusion: The data obtained from retrospective analyses of maxillofacial trauma increase the understanding of variables and their outcomes among populations. The results of the present study are comparable to those of the literature in some aspects and different in others.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.279-285
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• 1995

Despite the frequent incidence of embryo fragmentation in early human embryos, the reason of the embryo fragmentation has not been known yet. This study was conducted to investigate the histological difference(s) between fragmented (FR) and non-fragmented (NFR) human embryos focusing on comparison of mitochondrial distribution and protein synthesis. Multi-pronuclei zygotes (MPZ) such as three or more pronuclei containing in human in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program were used for this study. MPZ were cultured in TCM-199 supplemented with 10% of human fetal cord serum (hFCS) in 5% $CO_2$ incubator at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours. The cleaved embryos to 2-4 cells after 24 hours were grouped by their grade of fragmentation. Embryos were stained with Rhodamine123 (Rh123) and fluorescence was evaluated under the fluorescence microscope through PB 450-490 filter (Leitz). Regarding to protein synthesis during early human embryogenesis, there is no significant difference in the amount of synthetic proteins between FR and NFR embryos. Distribution of cytoplasmic organelles in embryos was evaluated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The cytoplasmic distribution of mitochondria was different between FR and NFR embryos. The mitochondrial distribution was even in NFR, whereas severely aggregated in FR. It is not able to clarify in the present study whether this uneven mitochondrial distribution in FR embryo is the reason for embryo fragmentation or is the result from fragmentation. Physiological disparity related to the mitochondrial distribution may be one of the reasons for embryo fragmentation. Further studies should be addressed to investigate the physiological differences between FR and NFR embryos.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.427-437
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• 2019

Background: Climate change is believed to be continuously affecting ticks by influencing their habitat suitability. However, we attempted to model the climate change-induced impacts on future genus Rhipicephalus distribution considering the major environmental factors that would influence the tick. Therefore, 50 tick occuance points were taken to model the potential distribution using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) software and 19 climatic variables, taking into account the ability for future climatic change under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, were used. Results: MaxEnt model performance was tested and found with the AUC value of 0.99 which indicates excellent goodness-of-fit and predictive accuracy. Current models predict increased temperatures, both in the mid and end terms together with possible changes of other climatic factors like precipitation which may lead to higher tick-borne disease risks associated with expansion of the range of the targeted tick distribution. Distribution maps were constructed for the current, 2050, and 2070 for the two greenhouse gas scenarios and the most dramatic scenario; RCP 8.5 produced the highest increase probable distribution range. Conclusions: The future potential distribution of the genus Rhipicephalus show potential expansion to the new areas due to the future climatic suitability increase. These results indicate that the genus population of the targeted tick could emerge in areas in which they are currently lacking; increased incidence of tick-borne diseases poses further risk which can affect cattle production and productivity, thereby affecting the livelihood of smallholding farmers. Therefore, it is recommended to implement climate change adaptation practices to minimize the impacts.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 2019

As a result of analyzing the quality of imported grapes during the 2018 season, the hardness of the grape berry was found to be 10 N or less in total. In the case of Chilean grapes, the soluble solids tended to be lower as imports and distribution periods were delayed. The berry weight was the largest at 14.4 - 14.8 g for the 'Red Globe', 7.1 - 7.4 g for the 'Thompson Seedless' and 6.0 - 7.0 g for the 'Crimson Seedless'. The 'Crimson Seedless' grapes imported from Chile, which had a high berry shatter rate, had a shorter pedicel length, pad width and brush length than that of the other 2 varieties. Regardless of the grape varieties, the weight loss during the distribution at room temperature ($25^{\circ}C$) increased rapidly as the import season was delayed. Additionally, it was found that the later the distribution seasons, a higher stem browning index was observed regardless of the variety. The 'Thompson Seedless' was revealed to be more susceptible to browning than that of the other varieties. The shrinkage of the stem and the pedicel browning progressed within a short time during shelf-life as the distribution time was delayed. The incidence of berry decay of the imported grapes tended to increase with the progression of the distribution period. In the fruits distributed on April, except for the 'Crimson Seedless', the grapes were rapidly corrupted in the second half of the distribution. The 'Red Globe' grapes completely lost marketability due to a berry decay of 26.1% and 69.9% at 9 and 12 days after shelf-life, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2016

Objectives: Scrub typhus is one of the most prevalent vector-borne diseases. It is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is transmitted when people are bitten by infected chigger mites. This study aims at quantifying the association between the incidence of scrub typhus and meteorological factors in Jeollabuk-do Province over the period 2001-2015. Methods: Reported cases of scrub typhus were collected from the website of the Disease Web Statistical System supported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Simultaneous meteorological data, including temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and sunshine duration were collected from the website of the National Climate Data Service System by the Korea Meteorological Administration. Correlation and regression analyses were applied to identify the association between the incidence of scrub typhus and meteorological factors. Results: The general epidemiological characteristics of scrub typhus in Jeollabuk-do Province were similar to those nationwide for sex, age, and geographical distribution. However, the annual incidence rate (i.e., cases per 100,000) of scrub typhus in Jeollabuk-do Province was approximately four times higher than all Korea's 0.9. The number of total cases was the highest proportion at 13.3% in Jeonbuk compared to other regions in Korea. The results of correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations between annual cases of scrub typhus and monthly data for meteorological factors such as temperature and relative humidity in late spring and summer, especially in the case of temperature in May and June. The results of regression analysis showed that determining factors in the regression equation explaining the incidence of scrub typhus reached 46.2% and 43.5% in May and June. Using the regression equation, each 1oC rise in the monthly mean temperature in May or June may lead to an increase of 38 patients with scrub typhus compared to the annual mean of incidence cases in Jeollabuk-do Province. Conclusion: The result of our novel attempts provided rational evidence that meteorological factors are associated with the occurrence of scrub typhus in Jeollabuk-do. It should therefore be necessary to observe the trends and predict patterns of scrub typhus transmission in relation to global-scale climate change. Also, action is urgently needed in all areas, especially critical regions, toward taking steps to come up with preventive measures against scrub typhus transmission.