• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 2007

In acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria, there is a continuum from mild to severe malaria. However, no mathematical system is available to predict uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients turning to severe malaria. This study aimed to devise a simple and reliable model of Malaria Severity Prognostic Score (MSPS). The study was performed in adult patients with acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria admitted to the Bangkok Hospital for Tropical Diseases between 2000 and 2005. Total 38 initial clinical parameters were identified to predict the usual recovery or deterioration to severe malaria. The stepwise multiple discriminant analysis was performed to get a linear discriminant equation. The results showed that 4.3% of study patients turned to severe malaria. The MSPS = 4.38 (schizontemia) + 1.62 (gametocytemia) + 1.17 (dehydration) + 0.14 (overweight by body mass index; BMI) + 0.05 (initial pulse rate) + 0.04 (duration of fever before admission)-0.50 (past history of malaria in last 1 year). 0.48 (initial serum albumin)-5.66. Based on the validation study in other malaria patients, the sensitivity and specificity were 88.8% and 88.4%, respectively. We conclude that the MSPS is a simple screening tool for predicting uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients turning to severe malaria. However, the MSPS may need revalidation indifferent geographical areas before utilized at specific places.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.377-385
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• 2021

A total of 18 sows with an average body weight (BW) of 211.6 kg (within 24 h after farrowing) were used for a 5-week experiment to determine the effects of the dietary valine : lysine (V : L) ratios on the performance and fecal score in lactating sows and litters. Sows were raised in individual pens and assigned to one of three experimental diets consisting of different V : L ratios (0.83, 0.85, and 0.88%). Sows BW was improved with the 0.85% V : L ratio compared to the 0.83 and 0.88%. However, no significant difference was observed for BW loss, average daily feed intake, back fat thickness and days to return to estrus among the three treatment groups during the experiment period. Furthermore, the growth performance of the piglets, the weaning weight, was improved in the group receiving the diet with the 0.85% V : L ratio compared to the 0.83 and 0.88%. Moreover, the average daily gain of the piglets was increased when the V : L ratio was 0.88% compared to 0.83 and 0.85%. The fecal score of the sows was better (p > 0.05) when the V : L ratio was 0.85% compared to the V : L ratio of 0.83%. In the piglets, the V : L ratios 0.88 and 0.85% had a better fecal score compared to the V : L ratio of 0.83% at day 14. In conclusion, the V : L ratio had no effect on the gut microflora shown by the fecal scores of the sows during lactation.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2024

Objectives: Orthognathic surgery is a surgical procedure performed by intraoral approach with established and safe techniques; however, excessive blood loss has been reported in rare cases. In response, investigative efforts to identify methods to reduce the amount of blood loss have been made. Among such methods, the administration of tranexamic acid was reported to reduce the amount of intraoperative blood loss. However, few studies to date have reported the effect of tranexamic acid in orthognathic surgery under hypotensive anesthesia. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the administration of tranexamic acid on intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing bimaxillary (maxillary and mandibular) orthognathic surgery under hypotensive anesthesia. Patients and Methods: A total of 156 patients (mean age, 27.0±10.8 years) who underwent bimaxillary orthognathic surgery under hypotensive anesthesia performed by the same surgeon between June 2013 and February 2022 were included in this study. The following data were collected from the medical records of each patient: background factors (age, sex, and body mass index), use of tranexamic acid, surgical procedures, previous medical history, duration of surgery, American Society of Anesthesiology physical status findings before surgery, intraoperative blood loss as a primary outcome, in-out balance, and blood test results. Descriptive statistics were calculated for statistical analysis, and a t-test and the chi-squared test were used for between-group comparisons. Group comparisons were performed after 1:1 propensity score matching to adjust for confounding factors. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: Comparison between the groups based on the use of tranexamic acid revealed a significant difference in operation time. Propensity score matching analysis revealed that intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the tranexamic acid group. Conclusion: The administration of tranexamic acid was effective in reducing intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery under hypotensive anesthesia.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.2
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• pp.209-216
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• 2024

Objective : Some patients with disc herniation who underwent discectomy complain of back pain after surgery and are unsatisfied with the surgical results. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between preoperative disc height (DH), postoperative DH, and pain score 12 months after surgery in patients who underwent microdiscectomy for herniated lumbar disc. Methods : This study enrolled patients who underwent microdiscectomy at a medical center between January 2012 and December 2020. Patients with X-ray or computed tomography and pain score assessment (visual analog scale score) prior to surgery, immediately post-op, and at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery were included. The DH index was defined as DH/overlying vertebral width. The DH ratio was defined as the postoperative DH/preoperative DH. Simple linear regression and multivariate linear regression analyses were applied to assess the correlation between DHs and leg pain scores 12 months after surgery. Results : A total of 118 patients who underwent microdiscectomy were included. DH decreased up to 12 months after surgery. The DH ratio at 1, 6, and 12 months after discectomy showed a significant positive correlation with the pain scores at 12 months after discectomy (1 month : p=0.045, B=0.52; 6 months : p=0.008, B=0.78; 12 months : p=0.005, B=0.69). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the level of surgery, sex, age, and body mass index had no significant relationship with back pain scores after 12 months. Conclusion : In patients who underwent microdiscectomy, the DH ratios at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery were prognostic factors for back pain scores at 12 months after surgery. Aggressive discectomy is recommended for lower postoperative DH ratios and Visual analog scale scores, leading to improved patient satisfaction.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.75-83
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• 2002

A case-controlled, 12 week follow-up, study was designed to investigate the effect of dietician-delivered medical nutrition therapy (MNT) on the nutritional status and quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Subjects were recruited at Kyung-Hee Medical Center and were randomly assigned to two groups : the control and the MNT group. The MNT group received individualized MNT for 12 weeks. The results were as follows: 1) The mean ages of the control (n = 20) and MNT (n = 24) groups were 50.6 $\pm$ 14.8 and 45.7 $\pm$ 14.0 years, and the mean durations of dialysis were 2.3 $\pm$ 2.3 and 1.7 $\pm$ 1.9 years, respectively. The interdialysis weight gain of the subjects was higher than that recommended. 2) The indicators of the subjects nutritional status showed that S to 25% of the subjects had some degree of malnutrition, with most of them in the mild malnutrition category. 3) After 12 weeks of the experiment, the percentage of the ideal body weight (% IBW) of the control group decreased, but that of the MNT group increased. Changes in other anthropometric parameters in both groups during the study period were not significantly different. 4) At the beginning of the study, the 54% of the MNT group consumed more than 28 kcal/kg body weight/day and 50% consumed more than 1.0g protein/kg body weight/day. However, these percentages rose to 71% and 75%, respectively, after 12 weeks of the individualized MNT. 5) The serum albumin and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels of the control group decreased significantly artier 12 weeks of the experiment, while those of the MNT group did not change. 6) After 12 weeks of individualized MNT, the mean score of nutrition knowledge and total mean score of quality of life (QL) of the MNT group were significantly higher than that of th\ulcorner control group. Body pain and social functioning scores of the MNT group were significantly higher than those of the control group. The positive effect of individualized MNT on the hemodialysis patients consisted of their improved nutritional status, nutritional knowledge, and the quality of life. These results suggest that individualized MNT continuously performed by a dietitian can be helpful for hemodialysis patients. However, larger and longer term studies are needed to confirm these positive effects of MNT. In addition, the development of nutritional education programs for MNT is needed to increase the positive impact of MNT.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.538-548
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• 1995

Exercises are achievement oriented, the process is frequently perceived as hard and difficult Participants drop out from exercise programs in the middle of the training period. Dance movement, which is the deliberate and systematic use of movement, is enjoyable during the movement and provides opportunities for persons to express them-selves. Regular long term dance movement may in-duce a training effect with a decreased drop out rate. Dance movement could be one way to attain wellness, however, there have been few studies to evaluate both physiological and psychological aspects of dance movement. This study focused on evaluating the effects of dance movement training on body weight, resting blood pressure and heart rate, limb circumference and strength, stress response and subjective feelings. This quasi-experimental study was designed as a nonequivalent control group pre test -post test study. Ten healthy fe-male subjects, aged between 19 and 31 years volunteered for an eight week dance movement program. Ten healthy female subjects, between 19 and 21 years of age paticipated as controls. None of the subjects had performed regular physical activity for six months prior to the study. Dance movement was created with reference to Heber's movement guide. The Dance movement program consisted of approximately 30 minutes of dance, three days per week, for eight weeks. During each 30 minute work out, there were approximately 5 minutes of warm-up dancing, 20 minutes of conditioning dance and 5 minutes of cool-down dancing. The intensity for the conditioning phase was at between 60% and 65% of age-adjusted maximum heart rates. Body weight, resting blood pressure and heart rate, circumference of mid upper arm, mid thigh and mid calf, muscle strength of upper and lower limb, physical and psychological response to stress were measured prior to, and following the experimental treatment. Body weight was measured by digital weight scale(Kyung In Corp., Korea). Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured by sphygmomanometer, Resting heart rate was measured for one minute in a relaxed sitting position using the radial artery. Circumference of mid upper arm, mid thigh and mid calf was determined by tape measure. Muscle strength of the upper extremities was measured by a grip dynamometer (Takei Corp. No.1857, Japan) and that of the extremities was measured by the length of time the leg could be held at 45° Physical and psychological responses to stress were measured using the Symptoms of Stress (SOS)Scale. Paticipants in the dance movement were interviewed by the facilitator following the eight weeks, and their thematic responses about the dance movement were recorded. Following the eight week dance movement train-ing, body weight decreased significantly, circumference of mid thigh and mid calf increased. The length of time leg - raising could be held tended to increase following the dance movement training. Resting systolic and resting heart rate showed a tendency to decrease. Total mean score of stress response tended to de-crease, and mean score of habitual patterns, do-pression, anxiety / fear, anger and cognitive disorganization decreased remarkably following the eight week dance movement. Thematic responses about the dance movement were positive following the training.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.102-108
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• 1996

This was an open trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moclobemide twice daily for treatment of Korean patients with major depressive disorder(DSM-III-R). The duration of the trial was 6 weeks with the initial dose of moclobemide being fixed lor the first two weeks at 300mg/day(150mg twice daily, each token after morning and evening meals). Thereafter, when necessary, the dose was allowed to increase to 600mg/day or decrease to 150mg/day according to the seventy of the depression and/or the tolerability of the drug. Hypnotics and/or sedatives from a benzodiazepine group could be concomitantly administered at usual dosage. Patients were assessed at baseline and at days 14, 28 and 42. Efficacy was primarily judged on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(HAM-D) and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI). Patients had to score at least 17 respectively an both scales to enter the trial. Secondary efficacy parameters included Clinical Global Impression(CGI) for severity of illness and improvement. Safety and tolerability were judged on reported adverse events, vital signs and laboratory parameters. In addition, there was a series of questions and assessments for the psychiatrists and patients to complete at the end of the trial Twenty nine patients completing trial were included in the analysis of efficacy : of thirty one patients participating in the safety and tolerability analysis, those who withdraw voluntarily without particular reasons or violated the treatment schedule were not included. The efficacies as determined by HAM-D, BDI or CGI were found to be significant compared to baseline. The number of responders defined as patients with a total score of 10 or less or with a total score of 50% or less of the baseline score on HAM-D and BDI were 17(59%) and 18(62%) respectively. Regarding safety and tolerability, nine patients(29%) reported mild adverse events probably related to moclobemide : of these one patient dropped out because of poor tolerability : however, there were no appreciable changes in blood pressure, pulse rate, body weight or laboratory parameters for all patients over the trial period. Furthermore, the physicians' and patients' opinions at final evaluation showed that moclabemide has a good antidepressant effect as well as a favorable tolerability. In conclusion, a twice-daily dosage schedule with maclobemide is recommendable for the treatment of Korean patients with major depressive disorder since its efficacy and safety were demonstrated in this study.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.449-459
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• 2020

Here, we investigated the effects of different nutrient requirements (NR) on blood metabolites, transferable embryo number after multiple superovulations with artificial insemination (AI), body condition score (BCS), and estrus cycle in Hanwoo cow. Nineteen Hanwoo cows were randomly divided into three groups (80%, 100%, and 120% NR, containing 6, 8, and 5 individuals, respectively) and fed based on the NR. In experiment 1, glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), albumin (ALB), and total protein (TP) were analyzed. In experiment 2, total number of recovered embryos and transferable embryos was examined after embryo recovery and multiple superovulations with AI. In experiment 3, body weight, BCS, and estrus cycle were examined. In experiment 1, total cholesterol was significantly different among the 80%, 100%, and 120% NR groups (126.5 ± 3.3, 152.6 ± 2.4, and 177.4 ± 1.8 mg/dL, respectively, p < 0.05). The triglyceride and BUN levels in the 120% NR group were significantly higher than those in the 80% and 100% groups (p < 0.05). The NEFA levels were significantly different among the 80%, 100%, and 120% NR groups (440.5 ± 18.2, 318.5 ± 23.1, and 195.1 ± 8.5 ЧEq/L, respectively, p < 0.05). The AST and TP levels in the 80% NR group were significantly lower than those in the 100% and 120% NR groups (p < 0.05). In experiment 2, the 120% NR group showed a higher percentage of transferable embryos than the 80% and 100% groups (p < 0.01). The mean body weight and BCS among the 80%, 100%, and 120% NR groups were significantly different (p < 0.05). The estrus cycle in the 80% NR group was delayed compared with the 100% and 120% NR groups (20.8 ± 0.2 and 21.2 ± 0.5 days, respectively). In conclusion, the blood metabolic tests proved that Hanwoo cows with 120% NR can produce a large number of transferable embryos. Thus, 120% NR is the appropriate feeding level for this type of cows as it results in the production of a large number of transferable embryos by multiple superovulations with AI.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.271-276
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• 2012

In humans, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was shown to be inversely related to obesity; in addition, its association with contributing factors for obesity such as insulin, lipids, and glucose profiles has been demonstrated in the literature. However, this association between NT-proBNP and the severity of obesity has not been investigated in veterinary medicine. Our study hypothesis is that plasma levels of NT-proBNP may be related to body condition score (BCS) and contributing factors to obesity in dogs with heart diseases. To achieve our study goal, we collected blood samples from 73 client-owned dogs of small breeds at different stages of heart failure due to chronic mitral valvular insufficiency (CMVI). Fasting glucose concentrations, lipid profiles (i.e., total triglycerides [TG], total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]), fructosamine, insulin and NT-proBNP concentrations were measured. The insulin/glucose ratio was also determined. NT-proBNP showed not only a significant correlation with the severity of CMVI related heart failure but also an inverse relationship to body condition scores (BCS), insulin plasma levels and fructosamine concentrations. We found the presence of an inverse relationship between plasma levels of NT-proBNP and the severity of obesity. In addition, NT-proBNP was associated with lower levels of contributing factors to obesity such as fructosamine and insulin, creating a possible link between the obesity and NT-proBNP in dogs with heart disease. This is also the first report demonstrating an inverse association between obesity and NT-proBNP in dogs with heart failure.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.319-328
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• 2013

Objectives: This study estimated the association of cardiovascular health behaviors with the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in middle-aged men in Korea. Methods: In total, 12 538 men aged 40 to 59 years were enrolled in 1993 and followed up through 2011. Cardiovascular health metrics defined the following lifestyle behaviors proposed by the American Heart Association: smoking, physical activity, body mass index, diet habit score, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose. The cardiovascular health metrics score was calculated as a single categorical variable, by assigning 1 point to each ideal healthy behavior. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio of cardiovascular health behavior. Population attributable risks (PARs) were calculated from the significant cardiovascular health metrics. Results: There were 1054 total and 171 CVD deaths over 230 690 person-years of follow-up. The prevalence of meeting all 7 cardiovascular health metrics was 0.67%. Current smoking, elevated blood pressure, and high fasting blood glucose were significantly associated with all-cause and CVD mortality. The adjusted PARs for the 3 significant metrics combined were 35.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.7 to 47.4) and 52.8% (95% CI, 22.0 to 74.0) for all-cause and CVD mortality, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratios of the groups with a 6-7 vs. 0-2 cardiovascular health metrics score were 0.42 (95% CI, 0.31 to 0.59) for all-cause mortality and 0.10 (95% CI, 0.03 to 0.29) for CVD mortality. Conclusions: Among cardiovascular health behaviors, not smoking, normal blood pressure, and recommended fasting blood glucose levels were associated with reduced risks of all-cause and CVD mortality. Meeting a greater number of cardiovascular health metrics was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and CVD mortality.