• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2024

The national diabetes and prediabetes prevalence rate has risen among Korean adolescents and adults. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is commonly interrelated with genetic, metabolic, and environmental risk factors in clinical practice. In this study, we analyzed the association between genetic polymorphisms of the ABO gene with T2DM in the Korean population, we conducted an analysis of gene-phenotype correlation, based on an additive genetic model. A total of 8,840 subjects from the Korea Association REsource (KARE) were selected for this study. Using the genetic and epidemiologic data of 754 T2DM cases and 5721 normal controls from the KARE, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ABO gene were analyzed for their genetic correlation. As a result, 8 SNPs out of the ABO gene demonstrated statistically significant association with T2DM. Among them, rs657152 in the ABO gene statistically showed the most significant correlation with T2DM (P-value=0.0084, OR=1.15, CI=1.04~1.28). The minor allele of A polymorphism within the intron genetic region of ABO directed increased risk of T2DM. This work reveals a significant association between genetic polymorphism in the ABO gene and T2DM. This finding suggested that ABO SNPs markers might be a genetic correlation to the etiology of T2DM.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.5-40
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• 2005

Social welfare centers and residential care facilities where provide the socially disadvantaged with proper social services, face financial difficulties. This is because not only of the lack of governmental support, but also of social welfare centers and residential care facilities' lack of skills in developing abundant resources from the private sector. In this context, this study tried to find factors affecting resource mobilization of the social welfare facilities to devise policies in resource development. Mail survey was conducted with the structured questionnaire. Employees in charge of community resource development were asked to answer the questionnaire. The study population were welfare centers and residential care facilities. A total of 293 community welfare centers and 632 residential care facilities responded to the survey. The response rate was about 62%. The dependent variables of the study were the amount of resource mobilization in the year 2001 which was measured as the number of donors, the total amount of donation, and estimated amount of gift-in-kind. Three types models were constructed per each welfare institution. Independent variables were selected based on the previous research findings: community environment factor, structural factor, and resource development factor. Multiple regression was utilized to analyze the data. The resource development factor turned out to be significant variable in various models. In the models of donors, the amount of donation, and the amount of gift-in-kind (except for the welfare center model), at least one out of six variables of the resource development factors was significant welfare center. Welfare centers which establish the resource development department or hire employees to take care of resource development, utilize computer softwares to file donors, and utilize donor management programs, have more donors and/or donations than their counterparts. In addition, residential care facilities located in urban area have more donors and donations, and among residential facilities those for the disables, those with longer history and more employees, receive more donations than their counterparts. As for the gift-in-kind model, the welfare centers located in high income area and residential care facilities for the elderly, children and mentally retarded receive less gift-in-kind than their counterparts Based on the above findings, this study suggested that to mobilize resources the welfare centers as well residential care facilities need to have community resource development department or resource development staffs, adopt computer software to systematically organize donors, and utilize donor mobilizing and maintaining programs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.791-797
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• 2016

Background: Punjab state is particularly reporting a rising burden of cancer. A 'door to door cancer awareness and early detection campaign' was therefore launched in the Punjab covering about 2.67 million population, wherein after initial training accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and other health staff conducted a survey for early detection of cancer cases based on a twelve point clinical algorithm. Objective: To ascertain unit cost for undertaking a population-based cancer awareness and early detection campaign. Materials and Methods: Data were collected using bottom-up costing methods. Full economic costs of implementing the campaign from the health system perspective were calculated. Options to meet the likely demand for project activities were further evaluated to examine their worth from the point of view of long-term sustainability. Results: The campaign covered 97% of the state population. A total of 24,659 cases were suspected to have cancer and were referred to health facilities. At the state level, incidence and prevalence of cancer were found to be 90 and 216 per 100,000, respectively. Full economic cost of implementing the campaign in pilot district was USD 117,524. However, the financial cost was approximately USD 6,301. Start-up phase of campaign was more resource intensive (63% of total) than the implementation phase. The economic cost per person contacted and suspected by clinical algorithm was found to be USD 0.20 and USD 40 respectively. Cost per confirmed case under the campaign was 7,043 USD. Conclusions: The campaign was able to screen a reasonably large population. High to high economic cost points towards the fact that the opportunity cost of campaign put a significant burden on health system and other programs. However, generating awareness and early detection strategy adopted in this campaign seems promising in light of fact that organized screening is not in place in India and in many developing countries.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1168-1176
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• 2024

Objective: As a charismatic species, cashmere goats have rich genetic resources. In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, there are three cashmere goat varieties named and approved by the state. These goats are renowned for their high cashmere production and superior cashmere quality. Therefore, it is vitally important to protect their genetic resources as they will serve as breeding material for developing new varieties in the future. Methods: Three breeds including Inner Mongolia cashmere goats (IMCG), Hanshan White cashmere goats (HS), and Ujimqin white cashmere goats (WZMQ) were studied. IMCG were of three types: Aerbas (AEBS), Erlangshan (ELS), and Alashan (ALS). Nine DNA samples were collected for each population, and they were genomically re-sequenced to obtain high-depth data. The genetic diversity parameters of each population were estimated to determine selection intensity. Principal component analysis, phylogenetic tree construction and genetic differentiation parameter estimation were performed to determine genetic relationships among populations. Results: Samples from the 45 individuals from the five goat populations were sequenced, and 30,601,671 raw single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained. Then, variant calling was conducted using the reference genome, and 17,214,526 SNPs were retained after quality control. Individual sequencing depth of individuals ranged from 21.13× to 46.18×, with an average of 28.5×. In the AEBS, locus polymorphism (79.28) and expected heterozygosity (0.2554) proportions were the lowest, and the homologous consistency ratio (0.1021) and average inbreeding coefficient (0.1348) were the highest, indicating that this population had strong selection intensity. Conversely, ALS and WZMQ selection intensity was relatively low. Genetic distance between HS and the other four populations was relatively high, and genetic exchange existed among the other four populations. Conclusion: The Inner Mongolia cashmere goat (AEBS type) population has a relatively high selection intensity and a low genetic diversity. The IMCG (ALS type) and WZMQ populations had relatively low selection intensity and high genetic diversity. The genetic distance between HS and the other four populations was relatively high, with a moderate degree of differentiation. Overall, these genetic variations provide a solid foundation for resource identification of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region cashmere goats in the future.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.173-203
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• 2017

The existence of rebound effect from road extension in Korea has been quantitatively verified using cross-sectional, time series data on four major cities - Seoul, Busan, Daegue and Incheon - between 2000 and 2013. The linear mixed effects model was constructed from six variables: total vehicle miles traveled (VMT), road extension, public transport users, gross regional domestic product (GRDP), regional population and fuel consumption. The main results can be summarized as VMT is positively correlated to road extension while negatively with public transport users. It indicates that the road extension-centered "supply-side" transportation policy induces "additional travel" and create "generated traffic" by enhancing driving efficiencies directly, or degrading other transport modes indirectly. Hence, the ultimate goal of road congestion reduction requires public transport-centered "demand management" rather than current supply-side policies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5843-5847
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• 2013

Background: Persistent infection with high risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) is strongly associated with cervical cancer. Normal cervical cells may also harbor hrHPV, and detection of early hrHPV infection may minimize risk of cervical cancer development. This study aimed to compare two commercial HPV genotyping assays that may affordable for early screening in a limited-resource setting in Bandung, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: DNA from cervical biopsies with histologically confirmed as squamous cell cervical cacinoma were HPV genotyped by Linear Assay 1 (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) or Linear Assay 2 (Digene HPV Genotyping RH Test, Qiagen Gaithersburg, MD). In a subset of samples of each group, HPV genotype results were then compared. Results: Of 28 samples genotyped by linear assay 1, 22 (78.6%) demonstrated multiple infections with HPV-16 and other hrHPV types 18, 45 and/or 52. In another set of 38 samples genotyped by linear assay 2, 28 (68.4%) were mostly single infections by hrHPV type 16 or 18. Interestingly, 4 samples that had been tested by both kits showed discordant results. Conclusions: In a limited-resource area such as in Indonesia, country with a high prevalence of HPV infection a reliable cervical screening test in general population for early hrHPV detection is needed. Geographical variation in HPV genotyping result might have impacts for HPV prevalence and molecular epidemiology as the distribution in HPV genotypes should give clear information to assess the impact of HPV prophylactic vaccines.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 2016

A total of 528 broilers ($47{\pm}0.1g$; 1 day of age) were used in a 35-day feeding trial to evaluate probiotics, prebiotics and their interactive effects on growth performance, blood characteristics, relative organ weight and meat quality. Broilers were randomly distributed into 1 of 6 treatments on the basis of body weight (BW) (4 replicate pens per treatment, 22 broilers per pen). The dietary treatments were CON, basal diet; B, CON + 0.1 g kg-1 Bacillus subtilis; K, CON + 1 g kg-1 Kefir; G, CON + 1 g kg-1 ${\beta}-glucan$; GB, G + 1 g kg-1 Bacillus subtilis; and GK, G + 1 g kg-1 Kefir. The overall effects indicated that broilers fed the K, G and GK diets had greater body weight gain (BWG) than those fed the CON diet (P<0.05). The number of white blood cells increased (P<0.05) in the GB group compared with the CON, B and G treatments; however, the lymphocyte percentage in the B group was higher than in the G group. The weight of bursa fabricii was lower in the B and G groups compared to the K group (P<0.05), whereas a higher spleen weight was observed in chickens that were fed the GB and GK diets compared to the B group (P<0.05). The treatments did not affect the meat quality parameters, except for meat redness, which improved with all of the supplementation groups (P<0.05). The population of Lactobacillus spp. in gizzard was significantly higher in the K treatment compared with CON, B, G and GB. In conclusion, supplementation with kefir and ${\beta}-glucans$ improved growth performance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

Population growth and increasing consumption of resources in the process of the industrial development has caused environmental pollution, climate change, and resource exhaustion. Therefore 'sustainable development' has become the important issue for the future. The sustainable development aims at effective resource use, less environmental impacts, and higher social security. Generally the rural area including agricultural fields and forest has various and plentiful natural resources which could make future development sustainable. To develop potential rural resources, the values for energy, environment and economy should be assessed considering the life-cycle of resources. The purposes of this study are to suggest the E3 (Energy, Environment, and Economy) assessment model for rural biomass considering life-cycle of resource and to apply the model to rice, the major agricultural product. As the results of this study, it turned out through E3 assessment that economic gain of rice cultivation is 578,374 won/10a, carbon absorption is $1,530kgCO_2/10a$, carbon emission is $926.65kgCO_2/10a$, and bio-energy potential of by-product is 394,028 kcal/10a. When E3 assessment was applied to by province, the results varied by regions because of the amount of input during cultivation. These results would be useful to realize the rural biomass and design regional resources plan in integrated E3 perspective.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2008

The Gold-spotted pond frog, Rana plancyi chosenica, designated as a vulnerable species by IUCN Red list. This species is a typical example facing local population threats and extinction due to human activities in South Korea. A strategic conservation plan for this endangered species is urgently needed. In order to provide information for future conservation planning, accurate information on the genetic diversity and taxonomic status is needed for the establishment of conservation units for this species. In this study, we used a molecular genetic approach using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and control region sequences to find the genetic diversity of gold-spotted pond frogs within South Korea. We sequenced the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene and control region of 77 individuals from 11 populations in South Korea, and one from Chongqing, China. A total of 15 cytochrome b gene haplotypes and 34 control region haplotypes were identified from Korean gold-spotted pond frogs. Mean sequence diversity among Korean gold-spotted pond frogs was 0.31% (0.0-0.8%) and 0.51% (0.0-1.0%), respectively. Most Korean populations had at least one unique haplotype for each locus. The Taean, Ansan and Cheongwon populations had no haplotypes shared with other populations. There was a sequence divergence between Korean and Chinese gold-spotted pond frogs (1.3% for cyt b; 2.9% for control region). Analysis of genetic distances and phylogenetic trees based on both cytochrome b and control region sequences indicate that the Korean gold-spotted pond frog are genetically differentiated from those in China.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 2022

In clinical practice, the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a challenge. The goal of this study was to evaluate the reliability and impact of adenosine deaminase (ADA) enzyme testing as a biochemical marker in the continued management of suspected tuberculosis in a limited resource setting hospital. The retrospective data were collected from 2018 to 2021 and comprised the results of all ADA test assays done in the laboratory. All types of body fluids received for ADA testing were analyzed. Over the course of two years, 1461 samples for ADA assay testing were received. The average age of the study population was 56.69±11.7 years, with males accounting for the majority of the subjects (55.72%). Pleural fluid (N=817, 55.92%) was the most common type of sample received for the ADA assay. 114 (13.95%) of the 817 pleural fluid samples were found to be positive. A survey was conducted to obtain physician's response regarding reliability on ADA testing. 100% of them reported the supportive role of ADA levels in the workup of patients with suspected tuberculosis. In a limited resource setting, the ADA test, in conjunction with clinical and other laboratory findings, can help physicians to initiate early treatment in hospitals for the benefit of patients.