• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1007-1014
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• 2008

Usability evaluation(UE) experiments are conducted to provide UE practitioners with guidelines for better outcomes. In UE research, significant quantities of empirical results have been accumulated in the past decades. While those results have been anticipated to integrate for producing generalized guidelines, traditional meta-analysis has limitations to combine UE empirical results that often show considerable heterogeneity. In this study, a new data mining method called weighted bi-clustering(WBC) was proposed to partition heterogeneous studies into homogeneous subsets. We applied the WBC to UE empirical results and identified two homogeneous subsets, each of which can be meta-analyzed. In addition, interactions between experimental conditions and UE methods were hypothesized based on the resulting partition and some interactions were confirmed via statistical tests.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.1174-1182
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional status and the immunocompetence of elderly women residing in urban and rural areas. Dietary food records and anthropometric measurements were used to evaluate the nutritional status of subjects. The immune function of subjects was assessed by total and differential white blood cell(WBC) counts. Total B and T Lymphocytes, and T cell subsets were quantified by flow-cytometer. Immunoglobulin G, A, and M concentrations were also measured as an index of humoral immunity. Elderly women in rural area showed a relatively lower dietary intake of total energy, protein, and iron than did urban elderly women. Total WBC, neutrophil counts, eosinophil counts, and the percentage of neutrophils among total leukocytes were significantly higher in urban elderly women than in rural women. Although the numbers of lymphocytes were not significantly different, the percentage of Lymphocytes among total leukocytes as greater in rural elderly women than in urban. Both groups did not show any significant differences in numbers of T cell subsets and NK cells. Immunoglobulin G, A, and M levels were not significantly different between the two groups, but the numbers of subjects placed under the deficient range of immunoglobulins were greater in rural than in urban elderly women. from the present study, it could be suggested that poor nutritional intake may selectively affect the number of immune cells, thereby influencing the immunocompetence of elderly women. (Korean J Nutrition 31(7) 1174-1182, 1998)

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1 s.37
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• pp.75-83
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• 1999

To investigate the effects of negative therapy at back meridian points on blood gas components and immune functions in male college students, this study was conducted on treatment types(abdomen group and back group) at three sampling times (before, post-2 wks and post-4 wks) by using $2{\times}3$ factoral design. Blood gas $components(pH,\;PCO_2,\;PO_2,\;HCO_3^-,\;O_2SAT,\;BE)$, red blood cell, hematocrit, hemoglobin, white blood cell and subsets(neutrophil, basophil, eosinophil. lymphocyte, monocyte), total T cells, helper T cells, suppressor T cells, Th/Ts ratio, total B cells, serum immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, IgE), Cytokines(Interlukin$-1{\beta}$, -2, -4, 2 receptor, -6 and ${\gamma}$-interferon), NK cells were measured. Collected with data were analyzed statistically by repealed measured ANOVA. The pattern of change between two groups for hematocrit, hemoglobin, suppressor T cells, interleukin-6, ${\gamma}-interferon$, NK cells at post-2 weeks and BE, lymphocyte, basophil at post-4 weeks was significantly different(p<0.05) And also the pattern of change over time for ${HCO_3}^-$(2 wks vs 4 wks), WBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte(0 wks vs 2 wks and 2 wks vs 4 wks) was significantly different(p<0.05). In summary, these data suggest that negative therapy at back meridian points had an effect on blood gas components and immune functions in male college students because practicing negative therapy at back meridian points was not associated with changes of all blood gas components and immune factors but associated with changes of BE, hematocrit, hemoglobin, WBC. neutrophil, lymphocyte, interleukin-6. ${\gamma}-interferon$, NK cells.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.123-131
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• 2002

Objective : It is well known that modern chemotherapy against cancer has side effects to a living body, especially hemopoietic and immunologial disfunctions. However, there are no effective ways to reduce them. Recently, traditional Korean herb medicine has been reported to have some biological modifying responses. Therefore, we hypothesized that additional application of herb medicine during chemotherapy is more effective to reduce its side effects. While we were studying the effects, we have observed the inhibitory effect of Soamgudamikgitang on formation of side effects derived from Cyclophosphamide, it has been used in clinical practice at Kyung Hee Medical Center. Methods : We injected 200mg/kg of Cyclophosphamide, one time, to an experimental group, consisting of ten mice. We divided them into eight groups: normal, CPX, SAKT 2mg, SAKT 10mg, SAKT 50mg, SAKT 2mg, CPX, SAKT 10mg+CPX, SAKT 50mg+CPX. We injected Soamgudamikgitang seven days, five days, three days, and one day before we injected CPX. One day, three days, and five days after CPX injection, we injected Soamgudamikgitang again and then killed all the mice. The parameters determined in this experiment were daily body weight liver and spleen weight, RBC, WBC, and platelet for hemopoietic dysfunction and AST, ALT for hepatotoxicity, BUN, creatine for renal toxcity, lymphocyte proliferation activity and lymphocyte subsets for immunological toxcity. Results : We have found that Soamgudamikgitang has inhibitory effects on the formation of Cyclophosphamide's side effects. Significant differences between the group, which contained Cyclophosphamide, and the other group, which contains Cyclophosphamide and 2, 10, 50mg of Soamgudamikgitang respectively were observed. Platelets(2mg of Soamgudamikgitang, p<0.05 ;10mg, p<0.01 ;50mg, p<0.001), liver weight(50mg, p<0.01), spleen weight(10mg, p<0.05), AST(all groups, p<0.01), ALT(2mg, p<0.01 ;10mg, p<0.05 ;50mg, p<0.01), BUN(2mg, p<0.01 ;50mg, p<0.05). Although immunological in both lymphocyte proliferation and its subsets were not observed, which shows that Soamgudamikgitang has a strong effect on T cell activities. Conclusions : From the above results, we can expect that the combined therapy of Soamgudamikgitang and Cyclophosphamide is more effective for treating cancer patients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.152-160
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aging process on the immunity in human subjects. In this investigation, nineteen families of three generations (daughters on college age, their mothers, and grandmothers) participated to avoid genetic variation among individuals. Dietary food records, anthropometric measurements and biochemical assessments of serum nutrients were used to evaluate the nutritional status of subjects. The immune parameters of subjects were assessed by the total and differential WBC count. Total B and T lymphocytes, and T cell subsets were quantified by flowcytometer. Serum immunoglobulin G, A, M concentrations were also measured as an index of humoral immunity. The result of this study can be summarized as follows: 1. Along with the aging process, body fat was found to be increased whereas lean body mass and total body water were diminished. Since there were no significant difference in serum vitamin E levels in all age groups, serum retinal concentrations tended to decrease as one gets old. 2. Although total number of T lymphocytes seemed to be unchanged, B lymphocytes and NK cell numbers were increased by aging. The Percentage of CD8 + lymphocytes was lower in the elderly subjects compared with the younger, resulting in higher ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + lymphocytes in the elderly. Serum Ig G and Ig A levels remained unchanged, but IgM levels were significantly decreased as the age processes continue. Taking all together, it could be suggested that the alteration of immune cell population by aging is selective and possibly nonage factors such as nutrition may be attributable to the change of immunity in the elderly. The nutritional status and aging process may selectively affect both the cell-mediated (CD8 +, CD4 + CD8 + ratio, NK cell) and humoral (B lymphocyte, Immunoglobulin M, G) immune parameters in human subjects.