• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2225-2228
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• 2012

Background: We assessed the efficacy and toxicity of ifosfamide and doxorubicin combination chemotherapy (CT) regimen retrospectively in Turkish patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods: A total of thirty patients who had received cisplatin based chemotherapy/chemoradiotherapy as a primary treatment received ifosfamide 2500 $mg/m^2$ days 1-3, mesna 2500 $mg/m^2$ days 1-3, doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 day 1 (IMA), repeated every 21 days. Eligible patients had ECOG PS< 2, measurable recurrent or metastatic disease, with adequate renal, hepatic and hematologic functions. Results: Median age was 47 (min-max; 17-60). Twenty six (86.7 %) were male. Median cycles of chemotherapy for each patient were 2 (range:1-6). Twenty patients were evaluable for toxicity and response. No patient achieved complete response, with nine partial responses for a response rate of 30.0% in evaluable patients. Stable disease, and disease progression were observed in five (16.7%) and six (20.0%) patients, respectively. Clinical benefit was 46.7%. Median time to progression was 4.0 months. Six patients had neutropenic fever after IMA regimen and there were one treatment-related death due to tumor lysis syndrome in first cycle of the CT. No cardiotoxicity was observed after CT and treatments were generally well tolerated. Conclusion: Ifosfomide and doxorubicin combination is an effective regimen for patients with recurrent and metastatic NPC. For NPC patients demonstrating failure of cisplatin based regimens, this CT combination may be considered as salvage therapy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1453-1458
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• 2008

For quantitative PCR assay of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in food samples, a real-time PCR method was developed, based on DNA genome equivalent. Specific primers and probe designed based on the STM4497 gene of S. Typhimurium LT2 showed the specificity to S. Typhimurium. Threshold cycle (Ct) values of real-time PCR were obtained from a quantitative standard curve with genomic DNA of Salmonella Typhimurium. In addition, the recovery of S. Typhimurium inoculated artificially to chicken samples with $4.5{\times}10^5$ to 4.5 CFU/ml was evaluated by using real-time PCR and plate-count methods. Result showed that the number of cells calculated from the real-time PCR method had good correlation with that of the plate-count method. This real-time PCR method could be applicable to the detection and quantification of S. Typhimurium in food samples.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.30-33
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• 2013

The studies of superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for reduction of the fault current are actively underway in the worldwide. In this paper, we analyzed the characteristics of a new type SFCL using the conventional transformer and superconducting elements combined mutually. The secondary and third windings of this SFCL were connected the load and the superconducting element, respectively. The electric power was provided to load connected to secondary windings of the transformer in normal state of power system. On the other hand, when the fault occurred in power system, the fault current was limited by closing the line of third winding of the transformer. At this time, the ripple phenomenon of the fault was minimized by opening the fault line in secondary winding of a transformer in power system. The sensing of the fault state was performed by the CT(current transformer) and then turn-on and turn-off switching behavior of the SFCL was performed by the SCR(silicon-controlled rectifier). As a result, the proposed SFCL limited the fault current within a half-cycle efficiently. We confirmed that the fault current limitation rate was changed according to the winding ratio of a transformer.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.184-193
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• 2016

Purpose: To evaluate marginal leakage of bulk fill flowable composite resin filling with different curing time by using microcomputed tomography technology. Materials and Methods: 30 previously extracted human molars were randomly divided into 6 groups based upon restorative system and different curing time. Class II cavities (vertical slot cavities) were prepared. An individual metallic matrix was used to build up the proximal wall. The SonicFill or SureFil SDR flow was inserted into the preparation by using 1 bulk increment, followed by light polymerization for different curing times. The different exposure times were 20, 40, and 60 seconds. All specimens were submitted to 5,000 thermal cycles for artificial aging. Micro-CT scanning was performed by using SkyScan 1272. One evaluator assessed microleakage of silver nitrated solution at the resin-dentin interface. The 3D image of each leakage around the restoration was reconstructed with CT-Analyser V.1.14.4. The leakage was analyzed with the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Significant differences were observed between the light curing times, but no significant differences were found between the bulk fill composite resins. Increasing in the photoactivation time resulted in greater microleakage in all the experimental groups. Those subjected to 60 seconds of light curing showed higher microleakage means than those exposed for 20 seconds and 40 seconds. Conclusion: Increasing the photoactivation time is factor that may increase marginal microlekage of the bulk fill composite resins. Further, micro-CT can nondestructively detect leakage around the resin composite restoration in three dimensions.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.299-306
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• 2009

Purpose : To compare radiation dose for coronary CT angiography (CTA) obtained with 6 examination protocols such as a retrospectively ECG gated helical scan, a prospectively ECG gated sequential scan, low kVp technique, and cardiac dose modulation technique. Materials and Methods : Coronary CTA was performed by using 6 current clinical protocols to evaluate effective dose and organ dose in primary beam area with anthropomorphic female phantom and glass dosimetric system in 64 channel multi-detector CT. After acquiring topograms of frontal and lateral projection with 80 kVp and 10 mA, main coronary scan was done with 0.35 sec tube rotation time, 40 mm collimation ($0.625\;mm{\times}64\;ea$), small scan field of view (32 cm diameter), 105 mm scan length. Heart beat rate of phantom was maintained 60 bpm in ECG gating. In constant mAs technique 120 kVp, 600 mA was used, and 100 kVp for low kVp technique. In a retrospectively ECG gated helical CT technique 0.22 pitch was used, peak mA (600 mA) was adopted in range of $40{\sim}80%$ of R-R interval and 120mA(80% reduction) in others with cardiac dose modulation. And 210 mAs was used without cardiac dose modulation. In a prospectively ECG gated sequential CT technique data were acquired at 75% R-R interval (middle diastolic phase in cardiac cycle), and 120 msec additional padding of the tube-on time was used. For effective dose calculation region specific conversion factor of dose length product in thorax was used, which was recommended by EUR 16262. Results : The mean effective dose for conventional coronary CTA without cardiac dose modulation in a retrospectively ECG gated helical scan was 17.8 mSv, and mean organ dose of heart was 103.8 mGy. With low kVp and cardiac dose modulation the mean effective dose showed 54.5% reduction, and heart dose showed 52.3% reduction, compared with that of conventional coronary CTA. And at the sequential scan(SnapShot pulse mode) under prospective ECG gating the mean effective dose was 4.9 mSv, this represents an 72.5% reduction compared with that of conventional coronary CTA. And heart dose was 33.8 mGy, this represents 67.4% reduction. In the sequential scan technique under prospective ECG gating with low kVp the mean effective dose was 3.0 mSv, this represents an 83.2% reduction compared with that of conventional coronary CTA. And heart dose was 17.7 mGy, this represents an 82.9% reduction. Conclusion : In coronary CTA at retrospectively ECG gated helical scan, cardiac dose modulation technique using low kVp reduced dose to 50% above compared with the conventional helical scan. And the prospectively ECG gated sequential scan offers substantially reduced dose compared with the traditional retrospectively ECG gated helical scan.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.84-93
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• 2023

The spent nuclear fuel is burned during the planned cycle in the plant and then generates elements such as actinide series, fission products, and plutonium with a long half-life. An 'interim storage' step is needed to manage the high radioactivity and heat emitted by nuclides until permanent-disposal. In the case of Korea, there is no space to dispose of high-level radioactive waste after use, so there is a need for a period of time using interim storage. Therefore, the intensity of neutrons and gamma-ray must be determined to ensure the integrity of spent nuclear fuel during interim storage. In particular, the most important thing in spent nuclear fuel is burnup evaluation, estimation of the source term of neutrons and gamma-ray is regarded as a reference measurement of the burnup evaluation. In this study, an analysis of spent nuclear fuel was conducted by setting up a virtual fuel burnup case based on CE16×16 fuel to check the total amount and spectrum of neutron, gamma radiation produced. The correlation between BU (burnup), IE (enrichment), and CT (cooling time) will be identified through spent nuclear fuel burnup calculation. In addition, the composition of nuclide inventory, actinide and fission products can be identified.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 2018

Norovirus is a leading cause of sporadic pathogenic non-bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. For the detection of norovirus, reverse transcription real-time PCR (RT qPCR) has quickly become a major tool due to its sensitivity and specificity. However, accurate viral RNA extraction methods are essential for RT qPCR analysis. TRIzol reagents are used to extract RNA from biological materials and are therefore widely used for norovirus RNA extraction. In this study, the yield of viral RNA extraction using TRIzol from genogroup II (GII) among the human norovirus genogroup I (GI) and GII, and murine norovirus (GV) depended on the pH of the virus sample solution. The yield of RNA extraction was higher at the alkaline pH than in the acidic region compared with the Ct (threshold cycle) value of the real-time PCR. From the results of this study, it was found that the pH condition is very important for the quantitative analysis of norovirus by extracting GII RNA using TRIzol.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2669-2673
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• 2012

Purpose: Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the most malignant tumors of the alimentary system, with relatively high incidence rates. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of two regimens for advanced pancreatic carcinoma: continuous transarterial infusion versus systemic venous chemotherapy with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil. Methods: Of the 48 patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma receiving chemotherapy with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil, 24 received the selective transarterial infusion, and 24 the systemic chemotherapy. For the continuous transarterial infusion group (experimental group), all patients received gemcitabine 1000 mg/$m^2$, given by 30-minute transarterial infusion, on day 1 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles, and a dose of 600 mg/$m^2$ 5-fluorouracil was infused on days 1~5 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles. For the systemic venous group (control group), gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil were infused through a peripheral vein, a dose of 1000 mg/$m^2$ gemcitabine being administrated over 30 min on days 1 and 8 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles, and a dose of 600 mg/$m^2$ 5-fluorouracil was infused on days 1~5 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles. The effectiveness and safety were evaluated after 2 cyclesaccording to WHO criteria. Results:The objective effective rate in transarterial group was 33.3% versus 25% in the systemic group, the difference not being significant (P=0.626). Clinical benefit rates(CBR) in the transarterial and systemic groups were 83.3% and 58.3%, respectively (P=0.014). The means and medians for survival time in transarterial group were higher than those of the systemic group (P < 0.005). at the same time, the adverse effects did not significantly differ between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Continuous transarterial infusion chemotherapy with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil could improve clinical benefit rate and survival time of patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma, compared with systemic venous chemotherapy. Since adverse effects were limited in the transarterial group, the regimen of continuous transarterial infusion chemotherapy can be used more extensively in clinical practice. A CT and MRI conventional sequence can be used for efficacy evaluation after chemotherapy in pancreatic carcinoma.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.280-288
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• 2018

In this study, an approach for the analysis of the five cephalopod species (octopus, long-arm octopus, squid, wet-foot octopus, beka squid) consumed in the Republic of Korea is developed. The samples were collected from the Southeast Asian countries Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China. The SYBR-green-based real-time qPCR method, based on the mitochondrial DNA genome of the five cephalopods was developed and validated. The intergroup variations in the mitochondrial DNA are evident in the bioinformatic analysis of the mitochondrial genomic DNA sequences of the five groups. Some of the highly-conserved and slightly-variated regions are identified in the mitochondrial cytochrome-c-oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, 16s ribosomal RNA (16s rRNA) gene, and 12s ribosomal RNA (12s rRNA) gene of these groups. To specify each five cephalopod groups, specific primer sets were designed from the COI, 16s rRNA and 12s rRNA regions. The specific primer sets amplified the DNA using the SYBR-green-based real-time PCR system and 11 commercially secured animal tissues: Octopus vulgaris, Octopus minor, Todarodes pacificus, Dosidicus gigas, Sepia esculenta, Amphioctopus fangsiao, Amphioctopus aegina, Amphioctopus marginatus, Loliolus beka, Loligo edulis, and Loligo chinensis. The results confirmed by a conveient way to calculate relative amplification levels between different samples in that it directly uses the threshold cycles (Ct)-value range generated by the qPCR system from these samples. This genomic DNA-based molecular technique provides a quick, accurate, and reliable method for the taxonomic classification of the animal tissues using the real-time qPCR.

• Laboratory Medicine Online
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2011

Background: Laboratory diagnosis of new influenza A (H1N1) is crucial for managing patients and establishing control and prevention measures. We compared the diagnostic accuracies of the real time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) test recommended for the confirmation of the new flu and the viral culture method used conventionally for viral disease with that of the rapid antigen test (RAT). Methods: We performed RAT, R-mix culture, and real-time PCR by using 861 respiratory samples collected from December 2009 to January 2010 and evaluated the abilities of these methods to detect new influenza A. The relationship among the positive rates of RAT, grades of culture, and the cycle threshold (Ct) values of rRT-PCR was also evaluated. Results: Of the 861 patients, 308 (35.8%) were diagnosed with new influenza A. The sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values of the tests were respectively as follows: 59.7%, 99.5%, 98.4%, and 81.6% for RAT; 93.2%, 100%, 100%, and 96.3% for R-mix culture; and 95.8%, 100%, 100%, and 97.7% for rRT-PCR. Samples with weak positive grade in culture and those with Ct values of 30-37 in rRT-PCR showed positivities as low as 25.3% and 2.3% in RAT, respectively. The hospitalization rate and death rate of the confirmed patients were 3.2% and 0.3%, respectively, and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed in 7.2% of the patients. Conclusions: R-mix culture and rRT-PCR tests showed excellent reliability in the diagnosis of new influenza A and could be very useful, especially for samples with low viral load.