• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2017

Background: To evaluate whether DM affects the SUVmax of metastatic lesions on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and whether the SUVmax can influence the prognosis of metastatic PDAC patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 86 patients with metastatic PDAC who underwent PET/CT before treatment. The SUVmax of primary and metastatic lesions and the ratios of the SUVmax were measured. Long-term survival was evaluated using clinical parameters. Results: The mean SUVmax of primary lesion was lower in the DM group than in the non-DM group (4.74 vs. 5.96, p=0.009). The SUVmax for all metastatic lesions, except those in the lung, were lower in the DM group than in the non-DM group, and these differences were statistically significant in the lymph nodes and peritoneum. In the 35 patients with hepatic metastasis, higher ratios of the liver SUVmax significantly correlated with shorter OS (HR, 2.625; p=0.013). Conclusion: DM can influence the lower SUVmax of metastatic lesions as well as primary lesions. The SUVmax ratio of hepatic metastasis could influence on prognosis in metastatic PDAC patients.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.346-354
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• 2023

Purpose: Approximately 30% of children with chronic liver disease (CLD) are malnourished. However, proper assessment of their nutritional status is difficult. The subjective global nutritional assessment (SGNA) is a comprehensive approach that uses nutrition-focused history and examination, followed by grading of malnourishment. We aimed to study the prevalence of malnutrition in children with CLD using the SGNA tool. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included patients aged <18 years with CLD. Nutritional assessments were recorded using SGNA tool. Conventional anthropometric measurements were performed and corroborated with nutritional status using SGNA tool. Results: A total of 85 children with CLD and mean age of 62 months were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of malnourished children according to SGNA was 34%; 22% were moderately malnourished and 12% were severely malnourished. We found statistically significant differences in anthropometric parameters among the three groups. A moderate degree of agreement was found between SGNA and weight-for-age (W/A) (p=0.020), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) (p<0.001), and triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF)-for-age (p=0.029). Furthermore, a fair degree of agreement was found between height-for-age (H/A) (p=0.001) and weight-for-height (W/H) (p<0.001). The sensitivity of W/A for detecting malnutrition was 93%, H/A was 90%, MUAC was 86%, and TSF was 88%. The sensitivity was much lower for W/H and body mass index for age (55% for both). Conclusion: In our study, more than one-third of children with CLD were malnourished. Nutritional assessment using SGNA is a reliable method for evaluating nutritional status and is significantly correlated with common anthropometric measurements.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.369-376
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• 2023

This study focuses on investigating the influence of epoxy polymer crosslinking density, a crucial aspect in composite material matrices, on the yield surface using molecular dynamics simulations. Our approach involved generating epoxy models with diverse crosslinking densities and subjecting them to both uniaxial and multiaxial deformation simulations, accounting for the elasto-plastic deformation behaviors. Through this, we obtained key mechanical parameters including elastic modulus, yield point, and strain hardening coefficient, all correlated with crosslinking conversion ratios. A particularly noteworthy finding is the rapid expansion of the yield surface in the biaxial compression region with increasing crosslinking ratios, compared to the uniaxial tensile region. This unique behavior led to observable yield surface variations, indicating a significant pressure-dependent relationship of the yield surface considering plastic strain and crosslinking conversion ratio. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between crosslinking density and plastic mechanical response, especially in the aspect of multiaxial deformation behaviors.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.401-416
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• 2024

Long-span structures, such as bridges, can experience different seismic excitations at the supports due to spatially variability of ground motion. Regarding current bridge designing codes, it is just EC 2008 that suggested some regulations to consider it and in the other codes almost ignored while based on some previous studies it is found that the effect of mentioned issue could not be neglected. The current study aimed to perform a comprehensive study about the effect of spatially varying ground motions on the dynamic response of a reinforced concrete bridge under asynchronous input motions considering soil-structure interactions. The correlated ground motions were generated by an introduced method that contains all spatially varying components, and imposed on the supports of the finite element model under different load scenarios. Then the obtained results from uniform and non-uniform excitations were compared to each other. In addition, the effect of soil-structure interactions involved and the corresponding results compared to the previous results. Also, to better understand the seismic response of the bridge, the responses caused by pseudo-static components decompose from the total response. Finally, an incremental dynamic analysis was performed to survey the non-linear behavior of the bridge under assumed load scenarios. The outcomes revealed that the local site condition plays an important role and strongly amplifies the responses. Furthermore, it was found that a combination of wave-passage and strong incoherency severely affected the responses of the structure. Moreover, it has been found that the pseudo-static component's contribution increase with increasing incoherent parameters. In addition, regarding the soil condition was considered for the studied bridge, it was found that a combination of spatially varying ground motions and soil-structure interactions effects could make a very destructive scenarios like, pounding and unseating.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.408-429
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• 2024

The color, lipid oxidation, heme iron (HI) and non-heme iron (NHI) contents, metmyoglobin content and Soret band of myoglobin of ground pork subjected to supercritical CO₂ treatment under different conditions, or to heat treatment (40℃, 2 h) and subsequent storage at 4℃ were evaluated during 9-day period. Supercritical CO₂ treatment significantly increased CIE L^* and CIE b^* values of ground pork during subsequent storage, while the HI content was slightly affected. In general, CIE a^* value and metmyoglobin content were decreased. Supercritical CO₂ treatment for 2 h could increase the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) value, while treatment for 1 h or less had no effect. The NHI content could be increased only after treatment at above 40℃ or 17.2 MPa for 2 h. The Soret band of myoglobin was shifted to longer wavelength. Increasing treatment temperature from 35℃ to 45℃ could increase CIE L^*, CIE a^*, CIE b^* and TBARS values, HI and NHI contents of the ground pork, while decreasing metmyoglobin content. As the treatment pressure increased from 13.8 MPa to 20.7 MPa, CIE b^* and TBARS values were decreased, while the NHI and metmyoglobin contents were increased. However, the other parameters were unchanged. Extending exposure time from 0.5 h to 2 h could increase CIE L^*, CIE b^* and TBARS values, HI contents, while decreasing CIE a^* value and metmyoglobin content. Correlation analysis showed that the TBARS value was significantly and negatively correlated with the HI content or metmyoglobin content in samples treated at 40℃ or above for 2 h.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.33.1-33.19
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• 2020

We tested how adjuvants effect in a cancer vaccine model using an epitope derived from an autoactivation loop of membrane-type protease serine protease 14 (PRSS14; loop metavaccine) in mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-polyoma middle tumor-antigen (PyMT) system and in 2 other orthotopic mouse systems. Earlier, we reported that loop metavaccine effectively prevented progression and metastasis regardless of adjuvant types and TH types of hosts in tail-vein injection systems. However, the loop metavaccine with Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA) reduced cancer progression and metastasis while that with alum, to our surprise, were adversely affected in 3 tumor bearing mouse models. The amounts of loop peptide specific antibodies inversely correlated with tumor burden and metastasis, meanwhile both T_H1 and T_H2 isotypes were present regardless of host type and adjuvant. Tumor infiltrating myeloid cells such as eosinophil, monocyte, and neutrophil were asymmetrically distributed among 2 adjuvant groups with loop metavaccine. Systemic expression profiling using the lymph nodes of the differentially immunized MMTV-PyMT mouse revealed that adjuvant types, as well as loop metavaccine can change the immune signatures. Specifically, loop metavaccine itself induces T_H2 and T_H17 responses but reduces T_H1 and T_reg responses regardless of adjuvant type, whereas CFA but not alum increased follicular T_H response. Among the myeloid signatures, eosinophil was most distinct between CFA and alum. Survival analysis of breast cancer patients showed that eosinophil chemokines can be useful prognostic factors in PRSS14 positive patients. Based on these observations, we concluded that multiple immune parameters are to be considered when applying a vaccine strategy to cancer patients.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.23-36
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• 2024

Miryang City, the study area, has a water supply rate of 87.4%, which is 12% lower than the national water supply rate of 99.4%, but has a high dependence on groundwater due to the high ratio of farms. In agricultural areas, contamination becomes relatively more critical, requiring significant attention to the management and conservation of groundwater resources. This study aims at estimate groundwater vulnerability of Miryang City using the DRASTIC index map, Piper diagram, and water quality data to correlated with the DRASTIC index. The results from DRASTIC map were divided into five classes: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. The areas in central and southern part of study area, which are characterize by a very high index with [Ca-Cl] and [Na-Cl] water types, covering a large alluvium with the Miryang River and Nakdonggang River. In addition, a correlation analysis between groundwater quality parameters and the DRASTIC index was carried out. Chloride, sodium, and sulfate ions showed a weak relationship with DRASTIC index, with correlation coefficient was 0.507, 0.487 and 0.344, respectively. These results suggest that aquifer media, soil media, hydraulic conductivity, and chloride ion are important factors for groundwater vulnerability.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.569-579
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• 2019

Objective: To investigate the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis (CTTA) in estimating histologic tumor grade and in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) after surgical resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: Eighty-one patients with a single HCC who had undergone quadriphasic liver CT followed by surgical resection were enrolled. Texture analysis of tumors on preoperative CT images was performed using commercially available software. The mean, mean of positive pixels (MPP), entropy, kurtosis, skewness, and standard deviation (SD) of the pixel distribution histogram were derived with and without filtration. The texture features were then compared between groups classified according to histologic grade. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to determine the relationship between texture features and DFS. Results: SD and MPP quantified from fine to coarse textures on arterial-phase CT images showed significant positive associations with the histologic grade of HCC (p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis identified most CT texture features across the different filters from fine to coarse texture scales as significant univariate markers of DFS. Cox proportional hazards analysis identified skewness on arterial-phase images (fine texture scale, spatial scaling factor [SSF] 2.0, p < 0.001; medium texture scale, SSF 3.0, p < 0.001), tumor size (p = 0.001), microscopic vascular invasion (p = 0.034), rim arterial enhancement (p = 0.024), and peritumoral parenchymal enhancement (p = 0.010) as independent predictors of DFS. Conclusion: CTTA was demonstrated to provide texture features significantly correlated with higher tumor grade as well as predictive markers of DFS after surgical resection of HCCs in addition to other valuable imaging and clinico-pathologic parameters.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.300-315
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• 2024

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is among the deadliest malignancies and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a primary protein secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs); however, its role and mechanisms of action of Gal-1 in GC remain unclear. In this study, we stimulated GC cells with exogenous human recombinant galectin-1 protein (rhGal-1) to investigate its effects on the proliferation, migration, and resistance to cisplatin. Materials and Methods: We used simulated rhGal-1 protein as a paracrine factor produced by CAFs to induce GC cells and investigated its promotional effects and mechanisms in GC progression and cisplatin resistance. Immunohistochemical (IHC) assay confirmed that Gal-1 expression was associated with clinicopathological parameters and correlated with the expression of neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), c-JUN, and Wee1. Results: Our study reveals Gal-1 expression was significantly associated with poor outcomes. Gal-1 boosts the proliferation and metastasis of GC cells by activating the NRP-1/C-JUN/Wee1 pathway. Gal-1 notably increases GC cell resistance to cisplatin The NRP-1 inhibitor, EG00229, effectively counteracts these effects. Conclusions: These findings revealed a potential mechanism by which Gal-1 promotes GC growth and contributes to chemoresistance, offering new therapeutic targets for the treatment of GC.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.231-239
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• 2024

Geray Reservoir is home to some fish species including Varicorhinus beso, Cyprinus carpio, Carasius carasius, Oreochromis niloticus, and Tilapia randelli. The V. beso is among the top fish-farming species for the reservoir. However, this data on total fish catch showed that the fish population is declining as a result of overexploitation of the stock. The purpose of this study was to set some management measures for the Geray reservoir using some biometric data on the most commonly caught fish-V. beso. A total of 170 fish samples (102 females and 68 males) ranging from 21 to 40.2 cm in total length (TL) and 94.6 to 618.4 g in total weight (TW) were gathered between October 2022 and May 2022 using a cast net with a mesh size of 6 cm. Nonetheless, it is thought that the sampling period is sufficient because the fish were spawning more during the month when the data was collected because of the high concentration of nutrients during that time. The overall male-to-female sex ratio in the population was 1:1.5, which differed considerably from the real ratio of 1:1 (x² = 6.8; p < 0.01). V. beso in the Geray reservoir exhibited virtually an isometric growth (b = 3) considering the length-weight relationships of males (TW = 0.0122TL^2.993) and females (TW = 0.0114TL^3.0139). The V. beso had an absolute fecundity (AF) of 2,190 to 11,265 eggs. AF was significantly correlated with TL, TW, and gonad weight (p < 0.01). V. beso's reproductive season peaked between November and May, with the gonadosomatic index ranging from 0.02 to 20.12 for females and 0.03 to 5.67 for males. The average V. beso condition factors for both sexes were higher than 1, indicating that the fish in the reservoir had properly developed, which may be the result of favorable habitat conditions.