• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.470-478
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• 2020

In this paper, a theoretical model that separates one single conversion factor into two conversion factors for both outpatients and inpatients is introduced. By using hypothetical numbers, two conversion factors and an adjustment factor were calculated. The major implications are as follows. Firstly, by introducing two conversion factors, a minimum incentive mechanism for admitting outpatients to a clinic and high risk inpatients to a hospital was installed. Secondly, the introduction of two conversion factors decreased the drive to admit outpatients to a hospital by reducing the economic benefits for the hospital. Thirdly, it is possible to make explicit contracts for several factors rather than a single conversion factor, so that it can be used as an appropriate management tool for rapidly increasing medical expenses. Finally, this research can be used to set up policy tools to establish a proper healthcare delivery system in Korea by inducing behavioral changes in healthcare institutions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4997-4999
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• 2015

Advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a possible risk factor for myiasis, a parasitic infestation of vital tissue of humans or other mammals by dipterous larvae (maggots). Oral myiasis is a rare entity, and is mostly associated with various medical and anatomical conditions, such as neglected mandibular fracture, lip incompetence, cerebral palsy, poor oral hygiene, suppurative lesions, and cancerous wounds. Larvae cause itching and irritation due to their crawling movements and can destroy vital tissues, inducing serious or even life-threating hemorrhage. The aim of the present article was to highlight the occurrence of oral myiasis in association with squamous cell carcinoma and also to highlight the treatment and preventive approaches for such cases. A literature search was performed using MEDLINE for articles published in English relating to the occurrence of oral myiasis in oral SCC. Our search revealed 6 reports on myiasis associated with oral SCC. The surgical debridement of infected tissue with the removal of maggots is the treatment of choice in most cases of oral myiasis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2024

The potential of tivozanib as a treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was explored in this study. We investigated the effects of tivozanib on OSCC using the Ca9-22 and CAL27 cell lines. OSCC is a highly prevalent cancer type with a significant risk of lymphatic metastasis and recurrence, which necessitates the development of innovative treatment approaches. Tivozanib, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor, has shown efficacy in inhibiting neovascularization in various cancer types but has not been thoroughly studied in OSCC. Our comprehensive assessment revealed that tivozanib effectively inhibited OSCC cells. This was accompanied by the suppression of Bcl-2, a reduction in matrix metalloproteinase levels, and the induction of intrinsic pathway-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, tivozanib contributed to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inhibition by increasing E-cadherin levels while decreasing N-cadherin levels. These findings highlight the substantial anticancer potential of tivozanib in OSCC and thus its promise as a therapeutic option. Beyond reducing cell viability and inducing apoptosis, the capacity of tivozanib to inhibit EMT and modulate key proteins presents the possibility of a paradigm shift in OSCC treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7675-7681
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• 2015

Background: Hazardous health behaviour in young people is an important factor that affects the individual risk for non-communicable diseases and other disorders later in life. This study aimed to determine the hazardous health behaviour of first and last class medical students of Erciyes University. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out with 240 medical students from the first and 130 students from the last (sixth) class. Data were obtained by questionnaire between March-April 2012. In total, 339 students were included with a response rate of 91.6%. Socio-demographic characteristics, school success, self-reported economic difficulties, health perceptions, hazardous health behaviour related to chronic disease, tobacco, alcohol, substance use, body weight, height, traffic, violence and nutrition were assessed in line with the literature. Results: Of the participants; 64.0% were from first and 36.0% were from the last class. Mean ages for the first and last classes were $19.4{\pm}1.5$ and $24.0{\pm}1.5years$, respectively. In the current study, males exhibited more hazardous behaviour than females. Sime 19.8% of the students in the study group used alcohol, 35.4% used a waterpipe, and 24.8% used tobacco at least once. These rates increased in both genders in the last class and the increase in males was significant. Some 3.8% of the students in the current study used pleasure-inducing illegal substances at least once. All the students participating in the current study were single, the number of males reported not using condoms (8.6%) was 4.56 times higher compared to females. Some 64.0% of the students did not perform physical activity lasting at least 30 minutes for five times a week, 13.0% did not sleep for mean 7-8 hours daily, males having a 2.9 times higher risk. More than 1/3 of the students did not consume cooked vegetable dishes and 1/4 did not consume fresh fruits and salads, the rates were higher among males. Conclusions: In the current study, hazardous health behaviour was prevalent among medical students, with higher risks among males and last class students. According to these results, medical curriculum may be focused on decreasing hazardous health behaviour. In addition, in order to prevent unhealthy behaviour, the number of youth-friendly health facilities should be increased.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2383-2388
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• 2016

Background: The reversion-inducing-cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) gene is a novel transformation suppressor gene linked to several malignancies. Objective: To analyze any association between RECK gene rs10814325 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and HCC susceptibility with various clinicopathological and laboratory data. Materials and Methods: RECK gene rs10814325 SNP was estimated, using real-time PCR, in 30 HCC patients on top of HCV infection, 30 HCV related cirrhotic patients and 30 healthy controls. Results: No special pattern of association could be detected on comparing the RECK gene rs10814325 genotypes(P=0.5), or alleles(P=0.49) among the studied groups. HCC patients with TT genotype had younger age (mean of $54.1{\pm}6.0$ years vs $60.6{\pm}10.2$ years for TC/CC genotypes, P=0.035). Abdominal distension was significantly greater in TT genotype patients (75% vs 30%for TC/CC genotypes, P=0.045). The TT genotype was present in 75% of patients with lymph node metastasis. Serum GGT levels were higher in TT genotype patients [80 (48.5-134.8) IU/L vs 40 (33-87.5) IU/L for TC/CCgenotypes], and lower limb edema was observed in 60% for TT vs 20% for TC/CCgenotypes, but both just failed to reach significance (p=0.05 and p=0.06 respectively). Conclusions: RECK gene rs10814325 T>C could not be considered a risk factor for HCC development on top of HCV, but may be related to the disease progression and metastasis.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.303-318
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• 2017

In the shipping industry, it is well known that around 80 % or more of all marine accidents are caused fully or at least in part by human error. In this regard, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) stated that the study of human factors would be important for improving maritime safety. Consequently, the IMO adopted the Casualty Investigation Code, including guidelines to assist investigators in the implementation of the Code, to prevent similar accidents occurring again in the future. In this paper, a process of the human factors investigation is proposed to provide investigators with a guide for determining the occurrence sequence of marine accidents, to identify and classify human error-inducing underlying factors, and to develop safety actions that can manage the risk of marine accidents. Also, an application of these investigation procedures to a collision accident is provided as a case study This is done to verify the applicability of the proposed human factors investigation procedures. The proposed human factors investigation process provides a systematic approach and consists of 3 steps: 'Step 1: collect data & determine occurrence sequence' using the SHEL model and the cognitive process model; 'Step 2: identify and classify underlying human factors' using the Maritime-Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (M-HFACS) model; and 'Step 3: develop safety actions,' using the causal chains. The case study shows that the proposed human factors investigation process is capable of identifying the underlying factors and indeveloping safety actions to prevent similar accidents from occurring.

• Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.98-109
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• 2018

Objective: To examine the effects of sodium intake on the correlations between the saltsensitive gene ${\alpha}$-adducin 1 (ADD1) and inflammatory cytokines in Korean childhood obesity. Methods: A total of 2,070 students aged 8-9 years old participated in this study. The anthropometrics, serum biochemistry profile, inflammatory cytokines, and three-day dietary assessment were analyzed according to sex, obesity degree, and ADD1 polymorphism. Results: The obesity prevalence was higher in boys (15.6%) than in girls (11.9%). Boys also showed higher values in anthropometrics; lipid, glucose, and insulin profiles; total calorie intakes, as well as those of sodium and calcium compared with those of the girls. The more obese were boys and girls, the higher were the anthropometrics and the blood levels (total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and insulin), but the lower was high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The obese boys had significantly higher sodium and Na/K intakes, while the obese girls had higher visfatin level and Na/K intake. In addition, an increase in the risk factors for blood pressure and obesity in ADD1 variants was identified. Serum tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$($TNF-{\alpha}$) significantly increased with increasing sodium intake in the ADD1 W allele carriers, regardless of sex. The presence of obesity with the ADD1 W allele induced inflammatory accelerators such as $TNF-{\alpha}$ or C-reactive protein(CRP) with higher sodium intake. Conclusion: Obese children with an ADD1w allele can experience a more complex form of obesity than non-obese when exposed to an obesity-inducing environment and need to be controlled sodium intake in the diet.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.218-225
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• 2022

High levels of proinflammatory cytokines have been observed in obese pregnancies. Obesity during pregnancy may increase the risk of various pregnancyrelated complications, with pathogenesis resulting from excessive inflammation. Palmitic acid (PA) is a saturated fatty acid that circulates in high levels in obese women. In our previous study, we found that PA inhibited the proliferation of trophoblasts developing into the placenta, induced apoptosis, and regulated the number of cleaved halves derived from transfer RNAs (tRNAs). However, it is not known how the expression of tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs) changes in response to PA treatment at concentrations that induce inflammation in human trophoblasts. We selected concentrations that did not affect cell viability after dose-dependent treatment of HTR8/SVneo cells, a human trophoblast cell line. PA (200 μM) did not affect the expression of apoptotic proteins in HTR8/SVneo cells. PA significantly increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. In addition, 200 μM PA significantly increased the expression of tiRNAs compared to 800 μM PA treatment. These results suggest that PA impairs placental development during early pregnancy by inducing an inflammatory response in human trophoblasts. In addition, this study provides a basis for further research on the association between PA-induced inflammation and tiRNA generation.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.420-429
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• 2023

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in elderly individuals. However, the currently used intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor are invasive, and repetitive injections are also accompanied by a risk of intraocular infection. The pathogenic mechanism of AMD is still not completely understood, but a multifactorial mechanism that combines genetic predisposition and environmental factors, including cellular senescence, has been suggested. Cellular senescence refers to the accumulation of cells that stop dividing due to the presence of free radicals and DNA damage. Characteristics of senescent cells include nuclear hypertrophy, increased levels of cell cycle inhibitors such as p16 and p21, and resistance to apoptosis. Senolytic drugs remove senescent cells by targeting the main characteristics of these cells. One of the senolytic drugs, ABT-263, which inhibits the antiapoptotic functions of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, may be a new treatment for AMD patients because it targets senescent retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. We proved that it selectively kills doxorubicin (Dox)-induced senescent ARPE-19 cells by activating apoptosis. By removing senescent cells, the expression of inflammatory cytokines was reduced, and the proliferation of the remaining cells was increased. When ABT-263 was orally administered to the mouse model of senescent RPE cells induced by Dox, we confirmed that senescent RPE cells were selectively removed and retinal degeneration was alleviated. Therefore, we suggest that ABT-263, which removes senescent RPE cells through its senolytic effect, has the potential to be the first orally administered senolytic drug for the treatment of AMD.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.55-55
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• 2023

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increasing interest in anti-obesity strategies. According to the National Statistical Office, the obesity rate in Korea was 38.3% in 2020 and 37.1% in 2021. Obesity is a risk factor for several severe diseases, including stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Pinus rigida × Pinus taeda is a hybrid of Pinus rigida Mill and Pinus taeda Linn, and its cones are considered a by-product. Although previous studies have investigated their pharmacological effects on antioxidant activity and protection against oxidative DNA damage, few researchers have explored their potential as functional natural materials. Therefore, we evaluated the anti-obesity effects of the cone of ethyl acetate fraction of P. rigida × P. taeda (ERT), specifically its ability to inhibit lipid accumulation. Our analysis showed that ERT contains phytochemicals (catechin and caffeic acid) which are known to improve immune function and inhibit cell damage. ERT inhibited lipid droplet accumulation at the cellular levels through Oil Red O staining. Furthermore, ERT suppressed the expression of adipogenic transcription factors (PPARγ and CEBP/α) as well as downstream lipogenic target genes (FAS and SREBP-1) thereby inhibiting adipogenesis. ERT also down-regulated key adipogenic markers, including aP2α, while inducing the phosphorylation of AMPK. It has been reported that PPARγ and CEBP/α are expressed in the early stages of adipose differentiation, while SREBP-1 is expressed in the late stage. Therefore, our findings suggest that ERT activates AMPK signaling pathways, which inhibits adipogenic transcription factors (PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP1) and lipogenic genes (FAS and aP2α), thereby blocking lipid accumulation and preventing obesity and related disorders. ERT showed potential as a new resource for developing a functional material for anti-obesity agents.