• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• 제40권4호
• /
• pp.412-418
• /
• 2023

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) persistence in pathological stage T3aN0 prostate cancer (PCa) after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP). Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 326 patients with pT3aN0 PCa who underwent RALP between March 2020 and February 2022. PSA persistence was defined as nadir PSA of >0.1 ng/mL after RALP, and the risk factors for PSA persistence were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 326 patients, 61 (18.71%) had PSA persistence and 265 (81.29%) had PSA of <0.1 ng/mL after RALP (successful radical prostatectomy [RP] group). In the PSA persistence group, 51 patients (83.61%) received adjuvant treatment. Biochemical recurrence occurred in 27 patients (10.19%) in the successful RP group during the mean follow-up period of 15.22 months. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors for PSA persistence were large prostate volume (hazard ratio [HR], 1.017; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002-1.036; p=0.046), lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (HR, 2.605; 95% CI, 1.022-6.643; p=0.045), and surgical margin involvement (HR, 2.220; 95% CI, 1.110-4.438; p=0.024). Conclusion: Adjuvant treatment may be needed for improved prognosis in patients with pT3aN0 PCa after RALP with a large prostate size, LVI, or surgical margin involvement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제34권2호
• /
• pp.270-279
• /
• 2024

Macrophages are versatile immune cells that play crucial roles in tissue repair, immune defense, and the regulation of immune responses. In the context of skeletal muscle, they are vital for maintaining muscle homeostasis but macrophage-induced chronic inflammation can lead to muscle dysfunction, resulting in skeletal muscle atrophy characterized by reduced muscle mass and impaired insulin regulation and glucose uptake. Although the involvement of macrophage-secreted factors in inflammation-induced muscle atrophy is well-established, the precise intracellular signaling pathways and secretion factors affecting skeletal muscle homeostasis require further investigation. This study aimed to explore the regulation of macrophage-secreted factors and their impact on muscle atrophy and glucose metabolism. By employing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and proteome array, we uncovered that factors secreted by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages upregulated markers of muscle atrophy and pro-inflammatory cytokines, while concurrently reducing glucose uptake in muscle cells. The RNA-seq analysis identified alterations in gene expression patterns associated with immune system pathways and nutrient metabolism. The utilization of gene ontology (GO) analysis and proteome array with macrophage-conditioned media revealed the involvement of macrophage-secreted cytokines and chemokines associated with muscle atrophy. These findings offer valuable insights into the regulatory mechanisms of macrophage-secreted factors and their contributions to muscle-related diseases.

• Management Science and Financial Engineering
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 2004

This paper empirically investigates potential factors that might affect firms' incentives to license out technology. The analysis is done with the help of a panel data set of observed licensing transactions involving U.S. public companies in high-technology industries. The important explanatory factors relate to the firm characteristics such as the company's stock of technological knowledge (patent stock). prior involvement in technology licensing. the company size, R&D intensity and capital expenditure. The results suggest that there seems to be significant inter-sectoral differences as well as similarities in determinants of the propensity to transfer technology through licensing agreements.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권7호
• /
• pp.3363-3367
• /
• 2016

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a major health issue worldwide as well as in Pakistan. All women belonging to any race, ethnicity or lineage are in danger of developing breast cancer. Significant factors influencing the development of breast malignancies are the genetic background, environmental conditions, reproductive parameters, the consequences of female hormones both intrinsic and extrinsic, alteration of immune status, and biologic determinants. Materials and Methods: Overall 150 biopsy proven patients were included in the study. Samples were submitted for histopathology and determination of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression and HER-2/neu status. Associations with other characteristics like age, tumor stage, node involvement, histological grade were also studied. Results: Mean age at presentation was 46.7 years. The majority had invasive ductal carcinoma, 100 (84.7%), and were in stage pT3, 54 (45.7%). Important relationships (P<0.05) were found among ER, PR positivity, and Her 2 neu overexpression. However, no noteworthy link was identified amongst ER, PR, Her 2 neu and tumor grade, stage, age, lymph node involvement except for the menopausal status. Conclusions: In summary, breast cancer patients featured an advanced stage of disease, more lymph node involvement, and moderately high grade tumors and with more estrogen, progesterone receptor and HER-2 positive tumors.

• 한국IT서비스학회지
• /
• 제7권3호
• /
• pp.1-30
• /
• 2008

This paper proposes an integrated model of customer loyalty in the context of Internet shopping based on a review of two competing perspectives - transactional and relational views. The research model suggests that the usability and trust associated with an Internet shopping site are key determinants of customer loyalty. In this paper, factors such as promotion, ease of use/navigation, and purchase facilitation are posited as major determinants of usability. Trust, on the other hand, is assumed to be influenced by the quality of communication, social shopping service, and safety level associated with an Internet shopping site. This paper also asserts that the lack of consideration for individual differences is one of the key reasons for the inconsistent and mixed research findings in user acceptance literature. In this regard, the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is considered to be appropriate referent theory as it may theoretically explain why a particular information technology (IT) related message has varying influences on different adopters. The research model comprising 11 hypotheses was derived from and validated through a survey involving 271 university students. The partial least square(PLS) method was used to test the suitability of the research model and its hypotheses. Overall, the results suggest that the usability and trust associated with an Internet shopping site play an important role in acquiring loyal customers. In particular, the user's Internet shopping involvement is found to moderate the relationship between trust and customer loyalty.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• 제7권2호
• /
• pp.301-308
• /
• 2020

This study focuses on determining the impacts of organizational culture on the accounting information system and the operational performance of small and medium-sized enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City. The paper is organized in five parts: introduction, literature review, research methodology, research results, and conclusion and policy implications. Based on the samples of 353 respondents working in small and mediumsized enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City, the research employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to find the answers for research questions. Group discussion, which yields final observed variables of the factors of organizational culture is used for qualitative method. Statistics, assessment of the reliability of Cronbach's Alpha scale, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) are used for quantitative procedure. The results show that mission, involvement and inconsistency in organizational culture positively affect the accounting information system of small and medium-sized firms in Vietnam. In addition, mission, involvement, adaptability and consistency in organizational culture are found to have positive impacts on the firm operational performance. Another finding of the study is that the accounting information system has a positive effect on operational performance of small and medium-sized firms in Vietnam.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• 제23권4호
• /
• pp.228-240
• /
• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the Korean version of the Nurses' Involvement in Dying Patients and Family Care (NIDPFC) instrument. Methods: Data were collected from 410 registered nurses at a university hospital, general hospitals, and a convalescent hospital. Data were collected from June 23 to July 17, 2020. Internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity were examined using the SPSS and AMOS software. Results: Of the 35 preliminary items of the instrument, 24 items were finally selected after evaluating the content validity, analyzing the items, and assessing construct validity. The following four factors were derived: "burden" (seven items), "deep involvement" (eight items), "resilience" (five items), and "empathy" (four items), with a cumulative explanatory variance of 55.2%. For criterion validity, a significant positive relationship was found between the NIDPFC and attitudes toward caring for the dying. For internal consistency reliability, the Cronbach's α was 0.82. Conclusion: The validity and reliability of the NIDPFC were verified. Therefore, the NIDPFC is an effective instrument to use in further studies.

• 아태비즈니스연구
• /
• 제14권3호
• /
• pp.149-166
• /
• 2023

Purpose - This study aimed to examine the influence of various factors on customer satisfaction and the continuance usage intention, based on the purchasing type of smart speaker users. Design/methodology/approach - Data was gathered through surveys, collecting responses from 180 smart speaker users in Korea. Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the data. Findings - Both perceived usefulness and perceived security were observed to have a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction across all user groups. Moreover, perceived ease of use and perceived versatility showed a significant positive effect on the continuance usage intention. Notably, for those who acquired the smart speakers for free, perceived usefulness had a positive impact on the continuance usage intention. Conversely, for those who made a paid purchase, perceived versatility played a significant role in driving customer satisfaction. Research implications or Originality - This research offers insights into the Korean smart speaker market, a unique environment where local competitors thrive in the absence of giants like Amazon and Google. It provides a nuanced view of customer reactions to these innovative devices. The study further distinguishes between high-involvement (paid purchase users) and low-involvement (free acquisition users) consumers, offering a more detailed understanding of user perspectives based on their acquisition mode.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.279-288
• /
• 2009

본 연구의 목적은 병원의 정규직원과 아웃소싱 직원간의 일반적 특성을 이해하고, 아웃소싱에 대한 태도에 있어서 차이를 분석하며, 근무환경, 가치관, 조직문화요인 등의 요소들을 비교분석하고, 이러한 요인들을 최적화하여 직무만족과 직무몰입, 이직의도에 각기 어떠한 영향을 미치는가를 분석하고자 하였다 설문조사 결과, 정규직원들이 직업에 대한 자부심, 직무수행능력에 대한 인정수준, 상사에 대한 업무지시 방식에 대한 만족도, 하루업무량에 대한 만족도 등에 대한 내용들에 있어서 아웃소싱 직원에 비해 긍정적으로 인식하고 있었고, 통계적으로도 유의한 결과를 보였다. 또한, 다중회귀분석을 통해 직무만족과 직무몰입에 영향을 미치는 조직문화 요인으로, 정규 직원에게서는 이념수행과 가치관이, 아웃소싱 직원에게서는 가치관과 이념인식, 교육이 영향을 미치는 요인으로 나타났다. 그러므로 직무만족과 직무몰입을 극대화하기 위해서는 아웃소싱 직원들의 긍정적인 가치관 확립을 위한 프로그램의 개발과 함께 직원 채용시 긍정적 가치관을 소유하고 있는 직원을 선발하는 것이 매우 중요하다고 할 수 있다.

• Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
• /
• 제4권1호
• /
• pp.27-45
• /
• 2014

The present study investigated the developmental pattern of Korean mothers' depressive symptoms from a week prior to birth through four months postpartum in a nationally represented survey sample in Korea, using a Latent Growth Curve model. Mother-reported four factors-maternal self-efficacy in parenting, father's participation in childcare, a number of hours mothers worked per week, child's emotional temperament-were examined as the predictors of depressive symptoms over time in the context of Korean culture. Effects of maternal depressive trajectories on their infants' developmental outcomes at the first year were also examined. Findings were as follows: First, mothers' reports of depressive symptoms decreased at the first month after birth and then increased again during the first 4 months postpartum. Second, mothers' perceived low spousal involvement in childcare, low parental self-efficacy, and their infants' difficult temperament at four-month old had significantly positive relations to the initial level of maternal depressive symptoms whereas the low spousal involvement in childcare and low maternal self-efficacy factors significantly predicted the changes of trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms. Third, the trajectories, in turn, predicted warm and responsive maternal parenting style at the fourth month. Subsequently, the parenting style had a significant longitudinal impact on the development of children's communication, problem-solving, and personal-social abilities. Based on these findings, awareness, preventive and interventional programs might be built to facilitate Korean mothers suffering severe postpartum depressive symptoms and further promote optimal early development of Korean children.