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Growth Characteristics of Several Carex L. Plants Planted on a Green Wall and Roof (벽면 및 옥상에 식재된 여러 사초류의 생육반응)

  • Shim, Myung-Syun;Kim, Young-Jae;Lee, Dong-Sok;Kwon, Yeong-Han;Kim, Sung-Sik;Kang, U-Tchang
    • Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.162-168
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    • 2011
  • This study was carried out to investigate the plant growth of several Carex L. plants according to light intensity and soil depth planted on a green wall and roof, and to show basic data for the use of Carex L. plants in various forms. The temperature was dropt more in the green container compared to the normal especially during the genial weather from August to September. The plant growth of Carex testaceae, Carex oshimensis Evergold, and Carex ciliatomarginata Nakai was excellent at light intensity from 0 to $1799\;{\mu}M{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$, and that of Carex siderosticta Hance, Carex flagellifera Bronzita, Carex ornithopoda Variegata, and Carex morrowii Ice Dance were best in lower light intensity from 0 to $786\;{\mu}M{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. The leaf color of the plants changed vividly as the light intensity grew lower and the visible value of the plants increased. There must be more considerations about the pattern changes in additory experiments. The water content in the soil depth of 10 cm was maintained higher than the other treatments because of no drainage layer. Most Carex L. plants grew excellent in the soil depth of 10 cm. However, Carex oshimensis Evergold, Carex siderosticta Hance, and Carex testaceae showed the best plant growth in soil depth 20 cm, and Carex morrowii Ice Dance and Carex ciliatomarginata Nakai in soil depth of 40 cm. Therefore, Carex L. plants could be recommended as materials for green roof because they also grew well in light soil depth of 10~20 cm.

Study on the Relationship between Biliary Secretion and Cyclic Nucleotides (담즙분비와 Cyclic nucleotides간의 상호관계에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, H.W.;Kim, W.J.;Hong, S.S.;Cho, S.J.;Hong, S.U.;Lim, C.K.
    • The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.43-54
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    • 1982
  • Bile formation is a complex process comprised of three separate physiologic mechanism operating at two anatomical sites. At present time, it was known that at least two processes are responsible for total canalicular secretion at the bile canaliculus. One of the processes is bile salt-dependent secretion (BSDS) hypothesis that the active transport of bile salts from plasma to bile provided a primary stimulus for bile formation: the osmotic effect of actively transported bile acid was responsible for the movement of water and ions into bile. The other process is bile salt-independent secretion (ESIS), which is unrelated to bile salt secretion at the canaliculus and which may involve the active transport of sodium. The third process for bile formation involves the biliary ductal epithelium. Secretin-stimulated bile characteristically contained bicarbonate in high concentration. Therefor, it was suggested that secretin stimulated water and bicarbonate secretion from the biliary ductules. One the other hand, it was found that a large amounts of cAMP was present in canine bile but no apparent relationship between bile salt secretion and cAMP content in dog bile. However, bile flow studies in human have demonstrated that secretin and glucagon increase bile cAMP secretion as does secretin in baboons. Secretin increases baboon bile duct mucosal cAMP levels in addition to bile CAMP levels suggesting that in that species secretin-stimulated bile flow may be cAMP mediated. It has been postulated that glucagon and theophylline which increase the bile salt-independent secretion in dogs might act through an increased in liver cAMP content. In a few studies, the possible role of cAMP on bile formation has teen tested by administration of an exogenous derivative of cAMP, dibutyryl cAMP. In the rat, DB cAMP did not modify bile flow, but injection of DB cAMP in the dog promoted an increase in the bile salt-independent secretion. Because of these contradictory results, this study was carried out to examine the relationship between cyclic nucleotides and bile flow due to various bile salts as well as secretin or theophylline. Experiments were performed in rabbits with anesthesia produced by the injection of seconal(30 mg/kg). Rabbits had the cystic duct ligated and the proximal end of the divided common duct cannulated with an appropriately sized polyethylene catheter. A similar catheter was placed into the inferior vena cava for administration of drugs. Bile was collected for determination of cyclic nucleotides and total cholate in 15 min. intervals for a few hours. The results are summerized as followings. 1) Administrations of taurocholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid increased significantly the concentrations of cAMP and cGMP in bile of rabbits. 2) Concentration of cAMP in bile during the continuous infusion of ursodeoxycholic acid, was remarkedly increased in accordance with the increase of bile flow, while on the contrary concentration of cGMP in bile was decreased significantly. 3) Dehydrocholic acid and deoxycholic acid significantly increased bile flow, total cholate output and cyclic nucleotides in bile. 4) Only cAMP concentration in bile was significantly increased from control value by secretin, while theophylline increased cAMP as well as cGMP in rabbit bile. 5) In addition, the administration of secretin to taurocholic acid-stimulated bile flow increased cAMP while theophylline produced the increases of cAMP and cGMP in bile. 6) The administration of insulin to taurocholic acid-stimulated bile flow decreased cAMP concentration, while on the contrary cGMP was remarkedly increased in rabbit bile.

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Cumulative Risk Assessment of Organophosphorus Pesticides in the Diet (식품을 통한 유기인계농약류의 동시노출위해성평가)

  • 이효민;한지연;윤은경;김효미;황인균;최동미;이강봉;원경풍;송인상
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.21-26
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    • 2001
  • Risk assessment traditionally are conducted on individual chemicals; however, humans are exposed to multiple chemicals in daily life. The organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are considered in a single risk assessment because they act by a common mechanism of toxicity, and there is likely to be expose to multiple OP pesticides simultaneously or sequentially. The OP pesticides act by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterasc (AChE) and have available extensive database. AChE is widely distributed throughout the body, most importantly in the nervous system. Inhibition of AChE results in accumulation of acetylcholine in the nervous system that results in clinical signs of cholinergic toxicity, including increased salivation and lacrimation, nausea and vomiting, muscle fasciculation, lethargy and fatigue, among others. To conduct an exposure assessment for pesticides in the diet, we need to know the food consumption patterns of the populations, and the pesticide residue levels in the foods that are consumed. This study was conducted to identify cumulative dietary risk due to multiple OP pesticides that can be exposed through various foods. Total 22 food samples including cereals, vegetables and fruits were collected randomly two times from food markets in several sites (4 cities). The subjected foods were selected by regarding of highly consumed foods to general Korean people. The 12 OP pesticides including Acephate, Azinphos-methyl, Chlorpyrifos, and Diazinon were monitored. For the exposure assessment, general adult group of 60 kg body weight was regarded as target population and food consumption data suggested by Lee et al. (2000) were used as consumed value of individual food. Analyses of samples for OP pesticides have been carried out according to the multiclass multiresidue analysis method and acephate and methamidophos analysis method of Korea Food Code. In general the levels of OP pesticides found in the food samples were very low or not detected.

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Predicting In Sacco Rumen Degradation Kinetics of Raw and Dry Roasted Faba Beans (Vicia faba) and Lupin Seeds (Lupinus albus) by Laboratory Techniques

  • Yu, P.;Egan, A.R.;Leury, B.J.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.13 no.10
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    • pp.1377-1387
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    • 2000
  • Two laboratory techniques: (1) an in vitro method with two procedures for measuring protein degradabilities and (2) an in vitro method with three procedures for measuring protein solubility, were investigated to determine which laboratory techniques could most accurately predict the quantity of rumen protein degradation kinetics of legume seeds after dry roasting under various conditions, in terms of (1) rumen protein disappearance ($D_j$, where j=0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h incubation), (2) rumen protein effective degradability (EDCP), (3) the parameters describing rumen degradation characteristics (the soluble fraction: S, the potentially degradable fraction: D, undegradable fraction: U, lag time: T0 and the degradation rate: Kd) and (4) rumen bypass protein (BCP), which were determined by the method accepted internationally at present, in sacco nylon bag technique using the standardized Dutch method. Feeds evaluated were the raw and dry roasted whole faba (Vicia faba) beans (WFB) and whole lupin (Lupinus albus) seeds (WLS), each was dry roasted under various conditions (at 110, 130 or $150^{\circ}C$ for 15, 30 or 45 min). In vitro protein degradability ($D_1$_Auf and $D_{24}$_Auf) were determined using the modified Aufr re method by enzymatic hydrolysis for 1 h and 24 h using a protease extracted from Streptomyces griseus in a borate-phosphate buffer. In vitro protein solubility ($bf_1$_S, $bf_2$_S, $bf_3$_S) was measured in a borate-phosphate buffer with three different procedures. Results from laboratory techniques (in vitro) were correlated and linearly regressed with in sacco results. Of the three procedures of in vitro protein solubility evaluated, none of them could predict in sacco results with good precision. The highest Pearson correlation coefficient ($R^2$) was less than 0.50. Of two procedures of in vitro protein degradability studied, the $D_1$_Auf values were closely correlated with in sacco parameters: Kd, EDCP and %BCP with high R' values: 0.82, 0.85 and 0.85, respectively, and closely correlated with in sacco $D_j$ at 2, 4, 8 and 12 h rumen incubation with high $R^2$ values: 0.83, 0.91, 0.93 and 0.83, respectively. The $D_{24}$_Auf values could not predict in sacco results. The highest $R^2$ value was less then 0.40. These results indicated that in vitro protein solubility measured in borate-phosphate failed to identify differences in the rate and extent of protein degradation of legume seeds after dry roasting under various conditions and thus should not be used to predict rumen degradation, particularly for heat processed feedstuffs. But in vitro protein degradability using the modified Aufr re method by enzymatic hydrolysis for 1 h or possibly an intermediate time (>1 h and <24 h) is a promising laboratory procedure to detect effectiveness of dry roasting legume seeds on rumen protein degradation characteristics and could be used as a simple laboratory method to predict the rate and extent of protein degradation in the rumen in sacco with high accuracy. The equations to predict EDCP, Kd and BCP of dry roasted legume seeds (WLS and WFB) under various conditions are as follow: For both: EDCP (%)=-1.37+1.06*$D_1$_Auf ($R^2=0.85$, p<0.01). For both: Kd (%/h)=-21.81+0.49*$D_1$_Auf ($R^2=0.82$, p<0.01). For both: %BCP=103.37-1.07*$D_1$_Auf ($R^2=0.85$, p<0.01).

Olympic Advertisers Win Gold, Experience Stock Price Gains During and After the Games (오운선수작위엄고대언인영득금패(奥运选手作为广告代言人赢得金牌), 비새중화비새후적고표개격상양(比赛中和比赛后的股票价格上扬))

  • Tomovick, Chuck;Yelkur, Rama
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.80-88
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    • 2010
  • There has been considerable research examining the relationship between stockholders equity and various marketing strategies. These include studies linking stock price performance to advertising, customer service metrics, new product introductions, research and development, celebrity endorsers, brand perception, brand extensions, brand evaluation, company name changes, and sports sponsorships. Another facet of marketing investments which has received heightened scrutiny for its purported influence on stockholder equity is television advertisement embedded within specific sporting events such as the Super Bowl. Research indicates that firms which advertise in Super Bowls experience stock price gains. Given this reported relationship between advertising investment and increased shareholder value, for both general and special events, it is surprising that relatively little research attention has been paid to investigating the relationship between advertising in the Olympic Games and its subsequent impact on stockholder equity. While attention has been directed at examining the effectiveness of sponsoring the Olympic Games, much less focus has been placed on the financial soundness of advertising during the telecasts of these Games. Notable exceptions to this include Peters (2008), Pfanner (2008), Saini (2008), and Keller Fay Group (2009). This paper presents a study of Olympic advertisers who ran TV ads on NBC in the American telecasts of the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Five hypothesis were tested: H1: The stock prices of firms which advertised on American telecasts of the 2008, 2004 and 2000 Olympics (referred to as O-Stocks), will outperform the S&P 500 during this same period of time (i.e., the Monday before the Games through to the Friday after the Games). H2: O-Stocks will outperform the S&P 500 during the medium term, that is, for the period of the Monday before the Games through to the end of each Olympic calendar year (December 31st of 2000, 2004, and 2008 respectively). H3: O-Stocks will outperform the S&P 500 in the longer term, that is, for the period of the Monday before the Games through to the midpoint of the following years (June 30th of 2001, 2005, and 2009 respectively). H4: There will be no difference in the performance of these O-Stocks vs. the S&P 500 in the Non-Olympic time control periods (i.e. three months earlier for each of the Olympic years). H5: The annual revenue of firms which advertised on American telecasts of the 2008, 2004 and 2000 Olympics will be higher for those years than the revenue for those same firms in the years preceding those three Olympics respectively. In this study, we recorded stock prices of those companies that advertised during the Olympics for the last three Summer Olympic Games (i.e. Beijing in 2008, Athens in 2004, and Sydney in 2000). We identified these advertisers using Google searches as well as with the help of the television network (i.e., NBC) that hosted the Games. NBC held the American broadcast rights to all three Olympic Games studied. We used Internet sources to verify the parent companies of the brands that were advertised each year. Stock prices of these parent companies were found using Yahoo! Finance. Only companies that were publicly held and traded were used in the study. We identified changes in Olympic advertisers' stock prices over the four-week period that included the Monday before through the Friday after the Games. In total, there were 117 advertisers of the Games on telecasts which were broadcast in the U.S. for 2008, 2004, and 2000 Olympics. Figure 1 provides a breakdown of those advertisers, by industry sector. Results indicate the stock of the firms that advertised (O-Stocks) out-performed the S&P 500 during the period of interest and under-performed the S&P 500 during the earlier control periods. These same O-Stocks also outperformed the S&P 500 from the start of these Games through to the end of each Olympic year, and for six months beyond that. Price pressure linkage, signaling theory, high involvement viewers, and corporate activation strategies are believed to contribute to these positive results. Implications for advertisers and researchers are discussed, as are study limitations and future research directions.

Evaluation on Thermal Performance Along with Constructability and Economic Feasibility of Large-diameter Cast-in-place Energy Pile (대구경 현장타설 에너지파일의 열교환 성능과 시공성 및 경제성 분석)

  • Park, Sangwoo;Sung, Chihun;Lee, Dongseop;Jung, Kyoungsik;Choi, Hangseok
    • Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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    • v.31 no.5
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    • pp.5-21
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    • 2015
  • An energy pile is a novel type of ground heat exchangers (GHEX's) which sets up heat exchange pipes inside a pile foundation, and allows to circulate a working fluid through the pipe for exchanging thermal energy with the surrounding ground stratum. Using existing foundation structure, the energy pile can function not only as a structural foundation but also as a GHEX. In this paper, six full-scale energy piles were constructed in a test bed with various configurations of the heat exchange pipe inside large-diameter cast-in-place piles, that is, three parallel U-type heat exchangers (5, 8 and 10 pairs), two coil type heat exchangers (with a 500 mm and 200 mm pitch), and one S-type heat exchanger. During constructing the energy piles, the constructability of each energy pile was evaluated with consideration of the installation time, the number of workers and any difficulty for installing. In order to evaluate the thermal performance of energy piles, the thermal performance tests were carried out by applying intermittent (8 hours operating-16 hours pause) artificial cooling operation to simulate a cooling load for commercial buildings. Through the thermal performance tests, the heat exchange rates of the six energy piles were evaluated in terms of the heat exchange amount normalized with the length of energy pile and/or the length of heat exchange pipe. Finally, the economic feasibility of energy pile was evaluated according to the various types of heat exchange pipe by calculating demanded expenses per 1 W/m based on the thermal performance test results along with the market value of heat exchange pipes and labor cost.

Climatological Characteristics in the Variation of Soil temperature in Korea (우리나라 지중온도 변동의 기후학적 특성)

  • Kim Seoung-Ok;Suh Myoung-Seok;Kwak Chong-Heum
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.93-105
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    • 2005
  • Climatological characteristics in the variation of soil temperatures in Korea were investigated using Korea Meterological Administration's observation data. And the impacts of soil moisture on the variation of soil temperature were examined using observed precipitation data. The climatological averages of soil temperatures are ranged from 14.4 to $15.0^{\circ}C$ regardless of depths. And they showed an latitudinal gradient with a warm temperature at the southern region and 'U' shape as in the air temperature with a high value along the coastal region. The relatively higher heat capacity and low conductivity of soil compared to those of the air resulted in the significant delay of the maximum and minimum date with depth. As a results, soil acts as a heat source during winter while a heat sink during summer. Global warming and urban heat island have increased the soil temperatures with an average rate $0.3\~0.5^{\circ}C/10-year$ as in the air temperature during last 30 years $(1973\~2002)$. However, the warming rate is maximized during spring contrary to the winter in the air temperature. The temporal variation of soil temperatures is strongly affected by that of soil moisture through an modification of the heat capacity and heat convection. In general, the increased soil moisture clearly decreased the temporal variations and increased the deep layer soil temperatures during cold season.

Development of Korean Green Business/IT Strategies Based on Priority Analysis (한국의 그린 비즈니스/IT 실태분석을 통한 추진전략 우선순위 도출에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Jae-Kyeong;Choi, Ju-Choel;Choi, Il-Young
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.191-204
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    • 2010
  • Recently, the CO2 emission and energy consumption have become critical global issues to decide the future of nations. Especially, the spread of IT products and the increased use of internet and web applications result in the energy consumption and CO2 emission of IT industry though information technologies drive global economic growth. EU, the United States, Japan and other developed countries are using IT related environmental regulations such as WEEE(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), RoHS(Restriction of the use of Certain Hazardous Substance), REACH(Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of CHemicals) and EuP(Energy using Product), and have established systematic green business/IT strategies to enhance the competitiveness of IT industry. For example, the Japan government proposed the "Green IT initiative" for being compatible with economic growth and environmental protection. Not only energy saving technologies but energy saving systems have been developed for accomplishing sustainable development. Korea's CO2 emission and energy consumption continuously have grown at comparatively high rates. They are related to its industrial structure depending on high energy-consuming industries such as iron and steel Industry, automotive industry, shipbuilding industry, semiconductor industry, and so on. In particular, export proportion of IT manufacturing is quite high in Korea. For example, the global market share of the semiconductor such as DRAM was about 80% in 2008. Accordingly, Korea needs to establish a systematic strategy to respond to the global environmental regulations and to maintain competitiveness in the IT industry. However, green competitiveness of Korea ranked 11th among 15 major countries and R&D budget for green technology is not large enough to develop energy-saving technologies for infrastructure and value chain of low-carbon society though that grows at high rates. Moreover, there are no concrete action plans in Korea. This research aims to deduce the priorities of the Korean green business/IT strategies to use multi attribute weighted average method. We selected a panel of 19 experts who work at the green business related firms such as HP, IBM, Fujitsu and so on, and selected six assessment indices such as the urgency of the technology development, the technology gap between Korea and the developed countries, the effect of import substitution, the spillover effect of technology, the market growth, and the export potential of the package or stand-alone products by existing literature review. We submitted questionnaires at approximately weekly intervals to them for priorities of the green business/IT strategies. The strategies broadly classify as follows. The first strategy which consists of the green business/IT policy and standardization, process and performance management and IT industry and legislative alignment relates to government's role in the green economy. The second strategy relates to IT to support environment sustainability such as the travel and ways of working management, printer output and recycling, intelligent building, printer rationalization and collaboration and connectivity. The last strategy relates to green IT systems, services and usage such as the data center consolidation and energy management, hardware recycle decommission, server and storage virtualization, device power management, and service supplier management. All the questionnaires were assessed via a five-point Likert scale ranging from "very little" to "very large." Our findings show that the IT to support environment sustainability is prior to the other strategies. In detail, the green business /IT policy and standardization is the most important in the government's role. The strategies of intelligent building and the travel and ways of working management are prior to the others for supporting environment sustainability. Finally, the strategies for the data center consolidation and energy management and server and storage virtualization have the huge influence for green IT systems, services and usage This research results the following implications. The amount of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of IT equipment including electrical business equipment will need to be clearly indicated in order to manage the effect of green business/IT strategy. And it is necessary to develop tools that measure the performance of green business/IT by each step. Additionally, intelligent building could grow up in energy-saving, growth of low carbon and related industries together. It is necessary to expand the affect of virtualization though adjusting and controlling the relationship between the management teams.

Diagnostic Accuracy of PET and MR for Detecting Liver Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer (대장-직장암의 간전이에서 FDG PET과 MR의 진단 성능)

  • Park, Eun-Kyung;Kang, Won-Jun;Eo, Jae-Seon;Lee, Dong-Soo;Chung, June-Key;Lee, Myung-Chul
    • Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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    • v.40 no.5
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    • pp.249-256
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    • 2006
  • Purpose: Although computed tomography (CT) is widely used for diagnosing liver metastasis from colorectal cancer, diagnostic accuracy of CT is not satisfactory. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and F-18 FDG PET has been reported to be superior to CT. However, studies on direct comparison of PET and MR are scarce. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of FDG PET and MR in detecting liver metastasis from colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Among 363 colorectal cancer patients who underwent F-18 FDG PET (ECAT, Siemens-CTI, Knoxville; Gemini, Philips, Milpitas, U.S.), 26 patients (M:F=17:9, age=$62{\pm}11$) underwent MR to evaluate suspicious metastatic liver lesions. Finally, 35 liver lesions detected by CT from 26 patients were enrolled for analysis. PET and MR results were compared with pathologic reports, clinical findings or follow-up results. Results: Of the 35 lesions, 18 lesions (51.4%) were diagnosed as liver metastases, while remaining 17 (48.6%) as benign. The sensitivity and the specificity of PET were 94.4% and 94.1%, respectively, compared to 100% and 82.4% for MR. MR and PET was concordant in 30 lesions (85.7%: 17 metastatic (94.4%) and 13 benign (76.5%) lesions. ROC curve analysis revealed maximal SUV of 3.1 as the optimum standard in differentiating metastatic from benign liver lesions (AUC=0.897, p<0.001, sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 94.1%). For small lesions less than 1 cm ln diameter (n=20), diagnostic accuracy of PET was comparable to that of MR. Conclusion: F-18 FDG PET showed good diagnostic performance in detecting liver metastasis from colorectal cancer, which was comparable to MR.

GnRH Agonist Stimulation Test (GAST) for Prediction of Ovarian Response in Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (COH) (난소기능평가를 위한 Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Agonist Stimulation Test (GAST)의 효용성에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Mee-Ran;Song, In-Ok;Yeon, Hye-Jeong;Choi, Bum-Chae;Paik, Eun-Chan;Koong, Mi-Kyoung;Song, Il-Pyo;Lee, Jin-Woo;Kang, Inn-Soo
    • Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.163-170
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    • 1999
  • Objectives: The aims of this study are 1) to determine if GAST is a better indicator in predicting ovarian response to COH compared with patient's age or basal FSH level and 2) to evaluate its role in detecting abnormal ovarian response. Design: Prospective study in 118 patients undergoing IVF-ET using GnRH-a short protocol during May-September 1995. Materials and Methods: After blood sampling for basal FSH and estradiol $(E_2)$ on cycle day two, 0.5ml (0.525mg) GnRH agonist ($Suprefact^{(r)}$, Hoechst) was injected subcutaneously. Serum $E_2$ was measured 24 hours later. Initial $E_2$ difference $({\Delta}E_2)$ was defined as the change in $E_2$ on day 3 over the baseline day 2 value. Sixteen patients with ovarian cyst or single ovary or incorrect blood collection time were excluded from the analysis. The patients were divided into three groups by ${\Delta}E_2$; group A (n=30):${\Delta}E_2$<40 pg/ml, group B (n=52): 40 pg/ml${\leq}{\Delta}E_2$<100 pg/ml, group C (n=20): ${\Delta}E_2{\leq}100$ pg/ml. COH was done by GnRH agonist/HMG/hCG and IVF-ET was followed. Ratio of $E_2$ on day of hCG injection over the number of ampules of gonadotropins used ($E_2hCGday$/Amp) was regarded as ovarian responsiveness. Poor ovarian response and overstimulation were defined as $E_2$ hCGday less than 600 pg/ml and greater than 5000 pg/ml, respectively. Results: Mean age $({\pm}SEM)$ in group A, B and C were $33.7{\pm}0.8^*,\;31.5{\pm}0.6\;and\;30.6{\pm}0.5^*$, respectively ($^*$: p<0.05). Mean basal FSH level of group $A(11.1{\pm}1.1mlU/ml)$ was significantly higher than those of $B(7.4{\pm}0.2mIU/ml)$ and C $(6.8{\pm}0.4mIU/ml)$ (p<0.001). Mean $E_2hCGday$ of group A was significantly lower than those of group B or C, i.e., $1402.1{\pm}187.7pg/ml,\;3153.2{\pm}240.0pg/ml,\;4078.8{\pm}306.4pg/ml$ respectively (p<0.0001). The number of ampules of gonadotropins used in group A was significantly greater than those in group B or C: $38.6{\pm}2.3,\;24.2{\pm}1.1\;and\;18.5{\pm}1.0$ (p<0.0001). The number of oocytes retrieved in group A was significantly smaller than those in group B or C: $6.4{\pm}1.1,\;15.5{\pm}1.1\;and\;18.6{\pm}1.6$, respectively (p<0.0001). By stepwise multiple regression, only ${\Delta}E_2$ showed a significant correlation (r=0.68, p<0.0001) with $E_2HCGday$/Amp, while age or basal FSH level were not significant. Likewise, only ${\Delta}E_2$ correlated significantly with the number of oocytes retrieved (r=0.57, p<0.001). All four patients whose COH was canceled due to poor ovarian response belonged to group A only (Fisher's exact test, p<0.01). Whereas none of 30 patients in group A (0%) had overstimulation, 14 patients among 72 patients (19.4%) in group B and C had overstimulation (Fisher's exact test, p<0.01). Conclusions: These data suggest that initial $E_2$ difference after GAST may be a better prognostic indicator of ovarian response to COH than age or basal FSH level. Since initial $E_2$ difference demonstrates significant association with abnormal ovarian response such as poor ovarian response necessitating cycle cancellation or overstimulation, GAST may be helpful in monitoring and consultation of patients during COH in IVF-ET cycle.

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