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The Clinical Usefulness of Spiral CT Angiography in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Thromboembolism (폐색전증 진단에서 나선식 전산화 단층촬영 혈관조영술의 임상적 유용성)

  • Kim, Woo-Gyu;Lim, Byung-Sung;Kim, Mi-Young;Hwang, Hweung-Kon
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.47 no.5
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    • pp.669-680
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    • 1999
  • Background: Pulmonary thromboembolism(PTE) is a life threatening disease that needs early diagnosis. Spiral CT angiography depict thromboemboli in the central pulmonary vessels with greater than 90% sensitivity and specificity, which approaches the results of pulmonary angiography in the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis(PIOPED) study. This study was performed to evaluate the findings and the diagnostic value(clinical utility) of the spiral CT angiography with 2D image(multiplanar reformation) and 3D images(Shaded surface display, Minimal intensity projection) in the pulmonary thromboembolism. Methods: We retrospectively analysed spiral CT angiography and pulmonary angiography, lung scan and clinical recordings of 20 patients who had PTE diagnosed by spiral CT angiography(n=19 cases) or pulmonary angiography(n=l case) from September 1997 to August 1998. Among 20 patients who had underwent spiral CT angiography, 14 patients could be performed lung perfusion scan at the same time. We analyzed the vascular and parenchymal change in spiral CT angiogram. Results: Anatomical distribution of PTE was as follows: 1) left lung(n= 103)

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Relationship between Expression of XIAP Protein in Operable Non-small Cell Lung Carcinomas and Apoptosis Index and Postoperative Prognosis (비소세포폐암조직에서 XIAP 발현과 고사지수 및 수술 후 예후와의 관계)

  • Kim, Sang Hyun;Lee, Chang Hun;Sol, Mee Young;Song, Jin Mi;Lee, Jong Hyub;Lee, Min Ki;Kim, Jong Min
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.58 no.5
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    • pp.480-489
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    • 2005
  • Background : Dysregulation of apoptosis plays an important role in carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and resistance to chemotherapy. X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) is considered to be the most potent caspase inhibitor of all known IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) family members. This study was designed to assess the pattern of expression and the prognostic value of XIAP in radically resected non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients. Method : The expression of XIAP and its relationship with clinicopathologic parameters (patient age, TNM stage, TNM-pT, TNM-pN, histologic type, VEGF expression, microvessel density, PCNA index) and overall survival were analysed with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from eighty cases of NSCLC. In addition, the apoptotic index (AI) was also assessed. Results : In a regard to histologic type, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) showed XIAP expression in 91.3%(42/46) and adenocarcinoma (AC) in 61.8%(21/34). The difference was significant(p=0.001). There was no correlation between XIAP expression and other parameters. In the group of AC, XIAP expression showed the signifcant correlation with older age group ${\geq}58years$ and VEGF expression(p=0.028, p=0.014, respectively). The AI in the group with or without XIAP expression were $2.5{\pm}4.9%$ and $18.5{\pm}28.9%$, respectively(p=0.001). Both groups just aforementioned showed no significant difference in median survival time (42.5 months, 29.8 months, respectively). Conclusion : This study suggests that the XIAP expression in NSCLCs could have relation to inhibition of apoptosis, and show differential expression according to histologic type. However, its prognostic role during the progression of NSCLC needs to be further defined.

Some General Characteristics of the Abstracting Journals Published in Korea (한국초록집의 특성)

  • 최성진
    • Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.5-22
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    • 1994
  • This paper attempts to define some general characteristics of the Abstracting Journals published in Korea as evidenced in those published during last ten years. This purpose is achieved by comparing the results of the two studies conducted by the author in 1984 and in 1994. Both studies were conducted to present the state of the art in the abstracting services in Korea. The major conclusions made in this paper are summarised as follows: (1) Researchers and professionals working in a small number of subject fields are benefited by the abstracting journals, which provide current-awareness services of recent achievements in research and development in Korea. Those in most of the fields have no abstracting journals of their own, and naturally they have no substantial abstract-ing services. Even many researchers and professionals in the fields that have some abstracting journals are not informed of research results in their fields because the abstracting journals are scattered in many narrow subjects and in many cases, the abstracting journals only cover publications in some specific forms and kinds. (2) Abstracting journals that cover more than two subject fields, which are supposed to be of more or less help to the researchers and professionals in the subject fields that have no abstracting journals published in their fields, have rapidly increased in number in the past ten years. Most of suh abstracting journals carry thesis and dissertation abstracts, and the rest, those of research papers published in specific places, in specific forms, by specific institutions, and of reports of research projects sponsored by specific foundations. These abstracting journals are not of the kind that comprehensively provide researchers in related fields with current awareness of publications of research results in Korea. (3) Most of the abstracting Journals existing in Korea are Published by institutions of higher education and research institutes, and the rest, by commercial publishers, industrial firms, libraries, information centres, government agencies, research foundations, learned societies, etc. Those which publish many titles are small in number and those publish one or two titles are large in number. The former is largely made up of institutions of higher education and research institutes. (4) The abstracting journals published in Korea are classified by type into those of dissertations, research papers, journal articles, patent specifications in that descending order. The fact that Master; and doctoral dissertation abstracts ate dominating in Korea is due to the irrational practice of publishing those abstracts at many different institutions. (5) Most of the abstracting journals existing in Korea are published by national or government-supported research institutes in order to publicise their own research outputs. Their coverage of literature is normally narrow, and naturally their value to users is limited. (6) Korean is the desirable language for the abstracting journals intended to be distributed within Korea. About half of the abstracting jornals published in Korea is printed in Korean and the other half, in foreign languages, and in Korean and in foreign languages together. All the abstracting journals in foreign languages are printed in English except one, which is printed in Japanese. (7) Some twenty per cent of the abstracting journals in Korea is published monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly. The others are published annually, biannually and irregularly. The latter may not function properly as a current-awareness tool due to long intervals between their issues. It is particularly undesirable that about half of the abstracting journals in Korea is published irregularly. Most of the abstracting journals published in Korea are distributed freely to individuals and institutions selected by the publishers. (8) The abstracting journals published by the use of computers increased drastically in the past ten years. The abstracting journals produced by the conventional type-setting method will possibly disappear in Korea in another ten years to come. Automation of the production of abstracting journals does not simply mean technical, economic improvement in publishing processes but availability of machine-readable databases that can be used for many other pur-poses, including generation of other bibliographical publications and provision of machine literature searching capabilities. Necessary steps should be taken for this important development immediately.

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A Study on Practices and Improvement Factors of Financial Disclosures in early stages of IFRS Adoption - An Integrative Approach of Korean Cases: Embracing Views of Reporting Entities and Users of Financial Statements (IFRS 공시 실태 개선방안에 대한 소고 - 보고기업, 정보이용자 요인을 고려한 통합적 접근 -)

  • Kim, Hee-Suk
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.113-127
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    • 2012
  • From the end of 1st quarter of 2012, Korean mandatory firms had started releasing financial reports conforming to the K-IFRS(Korean adopted International Financial Reporting Standards). Major characteristics of IFRS, such as 'principles based' features, consolidated reporting, 'fair value' measurement, increased pressure for non-financial disclosures have resulted in brief and various disclosure practices regarding the main body of each statements and vast amount of note description requirements. Meanwhile, a host of previous studies on IFRS disclosures have incorporated regulatory and/or 'compete information' perspectives, mainly focusing on suggesting further enforcement of strengthened requirements and providing guidelines for specific treatments. Thus, as an extension of prior findings and suggestions this study had explored to conduct an integrative approach embracing views of the reporting entities and the users of financial information. In spite of all the state-driven efforts for faithful representation and comparability of corporate financial reports, an overhaul of disclosure practices of fiscal year 2010 and 2011 had revealed numerous cases of insufficiency and discordance in terms of mandatory norms and market expectations. As to the causes of such shortcomings, this study identified several factors from the corporate side and the users of the information; some inherent aspects of IFRS, industry/corporate-specific context, expenditures related to internalizing IFRS system, reduced time frame for presentation. lack of clarity and details to meet the quality of information - understandability, comparability etc. - commonly requested by the user group. In order to improve current disclosure practices, dual approach had been suggested; Firstly, to encourage and facilitate implementation, (1) further segmentation and differentiation of mandates among companies, (2) redefining the scope and depth of note descriptions, (3) diversification and coordination of reporting periods, (4) providing support for equipping disclosure systems and granting incentives for best practices had been discussed. Secondly, as for the hard measures, (5) regularizing active involvement of corporate and user group delegations in the establishment and amendment process of K-IFRS (6) enforcing detailed and standardized disclosure on reporting entities had been recommended.

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Determination of Electron Spin Relaxation Time of the Gadolinium-Chealted MRI Contrast Agents by Using an X-band EPR Technique (EPR을 통한 상자성 자기공명 조영제의 전자스핀 이완시간의 결정)

  • Sung-wook Hong;Yongmin Chang;Moon-jung Hwang;Il-su Rhee;Duk-Sik Kang
    • Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.27-33
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    • 2000
  • Purpose: To determine the electronic spin relaxation times, $T_{le}$, of three commercially available Gd-chelated MR contrast agents, Gd-DTPA, Gd-DTPA-BMA and Gd-DOTA, using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance(EPR) technique. Material and Methods: The paramagnetic MR contrast agents, Gd-DTFA(Magnevist) , Gd-DTFA-BMA(OMNISCAN) and Gd-DOTA(Dotarem), were used for this study, The EPR spectra of these contrast agents, which were prepared 2:1 methanol/water solution, were obtained at low temperatures, from $-160^{\circ}C~20^{\circ}C$. The glassy-state EPR spectra for these contrast agents were then fitted by the simulation spectra generated with different zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters by a computer simulation program 'GEN', which generates the EPR powder spectrum using a given ZFS in $3{\times}3$ tensor. Finally, the spin relaxation times of the contrast agents were then determined from the $T_{2e}$, D, and E values of the best simulation spectra using the McLachlan's theory of average relaxation rate. Results: The electronic transverse spin relaxation times, $T_{2e}'s$, of Gd-DTPA, Gd-DTPA-BMA and Gd-DOTA were 0.113ns, 0.147ns and 1.81ns respectively. The g-values were 1.9737, 1.9735 and 1.9830 and the electronic spin relaxation times, $T_{1e}'s$, were 18.70ns, 33.40ns and $1.66{\mu}s$, respectively. Conclusion: The results of these studies reconfirm that the paramagnetic MR contrast agents with larger ZFS parameters should have shorter $T_{1e}'s$. Among three contrast agents used for this study, Gd-DOTA chelated with cyclic ligand structure shows better electronic property then the others with linear structure. Thus, it is concluded that the exact determination of ZFS parameters is the important factor in evaluating relaxation enhancement effect of the agents and in developing new contrast agents.

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The Effects of Technology Innovation and Employment on Start-ups' Credit Ratings: Asymmetric Information Hypothesis vs Competence Hypothesis (기술혁신 활동과 고용 수준이 소규모 창업기업에 대한 신용평가에 미치는 영향: 비대칭적 정보 가설 vs. 역량 가설)

  • Choi, Young-Cheol;Yang, Taeho;Kim, Sunghwan
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.193-208
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    • 2020
  • In this study, we investigate the effects of technology innovation investments and employment on credit ratings of very small start-up businesses using the data period of 2009 till 2015 test two hypotheses: asymmetric information hypothesis or competence hypothesis. We use financial and non-financial data of 51,903 observations of 12,028 small businesses from a database of a commercial bank and fixed effects panel models and two-stage instrumental variable models. We find that in the short-run small size startups show lower credit ratings than non-startups, and that both technology innovation activities and employment capability improve their credit ratings. In the long-run, technology innovation investments do not improve their credit ratings of later years while employment capability improve their credit ratings of the subsequent year. In addition, the age of startups improves their credit ratings of the current year and until the subsequent two years while employee productivity, fixed ratio and ROA positively affect their credit ratings for up to three years. However, short-term and overall debt ratios, cost of borrowings and firm-size negatively affect their credit ratings for up to three years. The results of the study on credit ratings suggest that credit rating agencies seem to consider both technology innovation activities and employment capability in the credit ratings of small start-ups as 'competence factors' rather than 'asymmetric information factors' with inefficiency and cost burdens. The results also suggest that we must find ways to reflect properly the severe asymmetric information of the early-stage start-ups, and technology innovation activities and employment capability in the credit rating formula.

Analysis of Dose by Items According to Act on Safety Control of Radiation Around Living Environment (생활주변방사선안전관리법 시행에 따른 항목별 선량 분석)

  • Jeong, Cheonsoo;Oh, Hyunji;Lee, Jieun;Jo, Sumin;Park, Sohyun
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.7 no.6
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    • pp.377-381
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    • 2013
  • The study attempted to analyze items presented in Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment, which has been recently enacted. The test items have been divided into cosmic rays, cosmic rays, terrestrial radiation, and byproduct, etc., and the selected locations for measurement included an airplane at 8000m in the air, mountainous area at 1000m above sea level, 15m-underground building, construction site, and seashore at 0m altitude. The test showed that, based on cosmic rays, plane at 8000m in the air had 4.91mSv/y of effective dose per year. The mountainous area at 1000m above sea level, which was chosen to measure cosmic rays and terrestrial radiation, was measured 0.35mSv higher than the seashore at 0m in altitude due to the effect of cosmic rays and terrestrial radiation from the greater height above sea level. The construction site, chosen as a location to measure byproduct, showed the highest value among the items with 6.66mSv, which is as 10times high as that of a completed building. The seashore at 0m in altitude had 5.96mSv, and, 15m-underground building, based on terrestrial radiation, was the lowest with 4.91mSv. This suggests that, despite the assumption that terrestrial radiation will have greater effect deeper underground, it did not affect inside the building significantly. This study showed that the items presented in Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment were not close to effective dose limit for radiation workers proposed by ICRP. However, they were between 4 and 7 times higher than that for general public. This suggests that there should be continuous research on and attention to Safe Management of Daily Surrounding Radiation Act, which is still at its beginning stage.

Interpretation of depositional setting and sedimentary facies of the late Cenozoic sediments in the southern Ulleung Basin margin, East Sea(Sea of Japan), by an expert system, PLAYMAKER2 (PLAYMAKER2, 전문가 시스템을 이용한 동해 울릉분지 남부 신생대 후기 퇴적층의 퇴적환경 해석)

  • Cheong Daekyo
    • The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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    • v.6 no.1_2 s.7
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    • pp.20-24
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    • 1998
  • Expert system is one type of artificial intelligence softwares that incorporate problem-solving knowledges and experiences of human experts by use of symbolic reasoning and rules about a specific topic. In this study, an expert system, PLAYMAKER2, is used to interpret sedimentary facies and depositional settings of the sedimentary sequence. The original version of the expert system, PLAYMAKER, was developed in University of South Carolina in 1990, and modified into the present PLAYMAKER2 with some changes in the knowledge-base of the previous system. The late Cenozoic sedimentary sequence with maximum 10,000 m in thickness, which is located in the Korean Oil Exploration Block VI-1 at the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin, is analysed by the expert system, PLAYMAKER2. The Cenozoic sedimentary sequence is divided into two units-lower Miocene and upper Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments. The depositional settings and sedimentary facies of the Miocene sediments interpreted by PLAYMAKER2 in terms of belief values are: for depositional settings, slope; $57.4\%$, shelf; $21.4\%$, basin; $10.1\%$, and for sedimentary facies, submarine fan; $35.7\%$, continental slope; $26.3\%$, delta; $16.1\%$, deep basinplain; $6.1\%$ continental shelf; $3.2\%$, shelf margin; $1.4\%$. The depositional settings and sedimentary facies of the Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments in terms of belief values we: for depositional settings, slope; $59.0\%$, shelf; $22.8\%$, basin; $7.0\%$, and for sedimentary facies, delta; $24.1\%$, continental slope; $22.2\%$, submarine fan; $17.3\%$, continental shelf; $7.0\%$, deep basinplain; $4.8\%$, shelf margin; $2.6\%$. The comparison of the depositional settings and sedimentary facies consulted by PLAYMAKER2 with those of the classical interpretation from previous studies shows resonable similarity for the both sedimentary units-the lower Miocene sediments and the upper Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments. It demonstrates that PLAYMAKER2 is an efficient tool to interpret the depositional setting and sedimentary facies for sediments. However, to be a more reliable system, many sedimentologists should work to refine and add geological rules in the knowledge-base of the expert system, PLAYMAKER2.

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Clinical and Histopathologic Features and Their Correlations in Children with Nodular Duodenitis (소아 결절성 십이지장염의 임상적 및 조직병리학적 소견)

  • Tchah, Hann;Paeng, Sung-Suk
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.151-159
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    • 2000
  • Purpose: Recently, a wide application of gastrofiberscopy in the pediatric group have revealed that nodular duodenitis is not an uncommon disease in children and is suspected to be associated with H. pylori infection. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the clinical and histopathologic features in children with nodular duodenitis, and to assess the correlations beween both. Methods: During a period of 5 years (Jan. 1995~Dec. 1999), we investigated clinical, endoscopic and histopathologic features of 39 consecutive patients diagnosed as having nodular duodenitis at Pediatric department of Seoul Red Cross Hospital. In 35 children with nodular duodenitis endoscopic biopsy specimens were stained with Hematoxylin & Eosin and Giemsa's stain, and were graded according to the criteria outlined by Triadafilopoulos, Whitehead et al., and Prieto et al.. Statistical analyses were performed with Graph PAD InStat. Results: The prevalence rate of nodular duodenitis was 17.1% and the most frequent chief complaint was abdominal pain (69.2%). Endoscopically grade 1 was the most common (45.7%) and nodular gastritis was coexistent in 28.3%. The most common histology of the duodenum was grade 2 (54.3%), and the most common histologic score of the stomach was 2 (42.9%). H. pylori was found in the duodenum in 37.1%, and in the stomach in 31.4%. The correlation coefficient between the endoscopic grade and the histologic grade of nodular duodenitis was 0.3983 (p=0.0178). And the correlation coefficient between the histologic grade and the grade of H. pylori colonization in the duodenum was 0.5154 (p=0.0018). Conclusion: There was significant correlation between the endoscopic grade and the histologic grade of nodular duodenitis, and was also significant correlation between the histologic grade and the grade of H. pylori colonization in the duodenum. Therfore H. pylori infection should be regarded as an etiologic factor of nodular duodenitis.

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Risk Factors of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Childhood Obesity (비만아에서 비알코올성 지방간염의 위험요인)

  • Yun, Eun-Sil;Park, Yong-Hun;Choi, Kwang-Hae
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.179-184
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    • 2007
  • Purpose: Obesity has recently emerged as a significant health problem in the pediatric population, and the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is increasing in tandem with a significant rise in childhood obesity. Therefore, this study was conducted to clarify the risk factors of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in obese children. Methods: We enrolled 84 obese children who visited the pediatric obesity clinic at Yeung-Nam university hospital. The patients were divided into two groups based on their alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (separated at 40 IU/L), and the mean of ages, total cholesterol levels, HDL-cholesterol levels, LDL-cholesterol levels, triglyceride (TG) levels, as well as the mean obesity index, and body fat percentage of the two groups were then compared. Results: When the mean of ages ($10.5{\pm}1.6$ vs. $10.7{\pm}2.0$ years), total cholesterol levels ($183.0{\pm}29.1$ vs. $183.7{\pm}31.3$ mg/dL), HDL-cholesterol levels ($53.0{\pm}10.2$ vs. $55.7{\pm}13.0$ mg/dL), LDL-cholesterol levels ($113.4{\pm}30.2$ vs. $113.0{\pm}30.0$ mg/dL), triglyceride levels ($99.4{\pm}62.9$ vs. $114.2{\pm}47.3$ mg/dL), obesity indexes ($44.7{\pm}12.2$ vs. $47.9{\pm}15.1%$), and body fat percentages ($32.7{\pm}5.0$ vs. $34.0{\pm}4.8%$) of group 1 (ALT${\leq}$40 IU/L) were compared with those of group 2 (ALT${\geq}$41 IU/L), no significant differences were observed (p>0.05). However, hypertriglyceridemia (TG${\geq}$110 mg/dL) was more frequent in group 2 than in group 1 (p=0.023). Conclusion: TG may be an important risk factor in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and further study regarding the risk factors in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is required.

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