• The Korean journal of internal medicine
• /
• 제33권6호
• /
• pp.1160-1168
• /
• 2018

Background/Aims: The Republic of Korea is a country where the hemodialysis population is growing rapidly. It is believed that the numbers of treatments related to vascular access-related complications are also increasing. This study investigated the current status of treatment and medical expenses for vascular access in Korean patients on hemodialysis. Methods: This was a descriptive observational study. We inspected the insurance claims of patients with chronic kidney disease who underwent hemodialysis between January 2008 and December 2016. We calculated descriptive statistics of the frequencies and medical expenses of procedures for vascular access. Results: The national medical expenses for access-related treatment were 7.12 billion KRW (equivalent to 6.36 million USD) in 2008, and these expenses increased to 42.12 billion KRW (equivalent to 37.67 million USD) in 2016. The population of hemodialysis patients, the annual frequency of access-related procedures, and the total medical cost for access-related procedures increased by 1.6-, 2.6-, and 5.9-fold, respectively, over the past 9 years. The frequency and costs of access care increased as the number of patients on hemodialysis increased. The increase in vascular access-related costs has largely been driven by increased numbers of percutaneous angioplasty. Conclusions: The increasing proportion of medical costs for percutaneous angioplasty represents a challenge in the management of end-stage renal disease in Korea. It is essential to identify the clinical and physiological aspects as well as anatomical abnormalities before planning angioplasty. A timely surgical correction could be a viable option to control the rapid growth of access-related medical expenses.

• 서비스연구
• /
• 제8권4호
• /
• pp.53-75
• /
• 2018

공유 자전거（bicycle-sharing）는 제품 서비스 시스템을 공유 경제（sharing economy）에 접목시킨 새로운 협력소비경제의 개념이다. 공유 자전거의 차별적 특징은 자전거 이용자가 자전거를 소유하고 있지 않더라도 자신이 원하는 시간에 원하는 지역에서 자전거를 타고 이동할 수 있다는 점이다. 중국의 경우, 공유 자건거가 제공하는 이러한 편익으로 인해 공유 자전거 이용자는 급격히 증가하고 있는 반면, 공유 자전거의 서비스 체험 품질과 사용자 만족도는 지속적으로 하락하고 있는 상황이다. 본 연구는 중국 내의 유저들이 공유 자전거 서비스 체험을 통해 지각하는 서비스의 품질을 실증분석을 통해 파악하고, 서비스가 제공되는 과정에서 발생할 수 잠재적인 문제점을 도출한 다음, 서비스 품질 제고와 사용 만족도를 높일 수 있는 가장 효과적인 방안을 설계하여 제안하고자 하였다. 실증연구는 서비스 디자인 관점에서 중국 내의 공유 자전거 서비스 경험자들을 대상으로 더블 다이아몬드 모델（Double diamond model)에 기반을 두고 진행되었다. 연구결과, 공유 자전거의 승차 단계에 대한 유저 교류, 흥미 및 통제권에 대한 수요를 만족시킬 수 있는 새로운 컨셉을 고안하였다. 이 콘셉트에서 제공하는 새로운 서비스 체험 방식은 인간 친화적인 것이 특징이며, 무엇보다도, 공유 자전거 이용자(또는 고객)의 잠재된 니즈를 충족시킬 수 있는 가능성을 보여주었다는 점에서 중요한 의미를 부여할 수 있다.

• 대한두개안면성형외과학회지
• /
• 제20권4호
• /
• pp.239-245
• /
• 2019

Background: Lidocaine spray is a local anesthetic that improves random-pattern skin flap survival. The fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser (FxCL) produces vertical microchannels that delivers topically applied drugs to the skin. In this study, we hypothesized that FxCL therapy would enhance the lidocaine effect to improve random-pattern skin flap survival in rats. Methods: McFarlane random-pattern skin flaps were elevated in 48 rats, which were divided into four groups according to treatment: FxCL+lidocaine, FxCL, lidocaine, and nontreatment (control). On postoperative day 7, necrotic flap areas, the number of capillary vessels, and neutrophil count were evaluated. Anti-rat vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD31 antibody activity were also evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Results: Flap survival rate was $53.41%{\pm}5.43%$, $58.16%{\pm}4.80%$, $57.08%{\pm}5.91%$, and $69.08%{\pm}3.20%$ in the control, lidocaine, FxCL, and FxCL+lidocaine groups, respectively. Mean neutrophil count in the intermediate zone excluding the necrotic tissue was $41.70{\pm}8.40$, $35.43{\pm}6.41$, $37.23{\pm}7.15$, and $27.20{\pm}4.24cells/field$ in the control, lidocaine, FxCL, and FxCL+lidocaine groups, respectively. Anti-rat VEGF and CD31 antibody activity were the highest in the FxCL+lidocaine group. Conclusion: FxCL with lidocaine had a positive effect on random-pattern skin flap survival in rats. Thus, FxCL with lidocaine spray should be considered as a new treatment option to improve flap viability.

• 한국인터넷방송통신학회논문지
• /
• 제20권6호
• /
• pp.51-58
• /
• 2020

시각장애인의 대다수는 독립적인 의생활을 하는데 어려움을 겪는다. 최근 스마트 가전 시장의 성장으로 가구나 가전에 인공지능이나 IoT를 추가하는 제품이 늘어나고 있다. 본 논문에서는 시각장애인의 독립적인 의생활을 지원하기 위해 옷장 내부를 관리하는 기능, 음성 대화를 통해 정보를 요청하는 음성인식 기능 그리고 CNN 알고리즘을 이용한 옷 정보에 대한 인식 기능을 가진 스마트 옷장을 제안한다. 본 논문에서는 옷을 인식하는 과정에서 정확도를 높이기 위해 모델의 층 개수를 변경하고 Maxpooling을 조정하여 모델을 생성하였다. 모델 생성 시 Early Stopping Callback 옵션을 적용하여 학습 정확도를 보장해주었다. 과적합을 방지해주기 위하여 Dropout을 추가했다. 이러한 과정으로 만들어진 최종 모델은 옷 인식 정확도가 80%가 되는 것을 확인할 수 있다.

• 대한소아치과학회지
• /
• 제49권2호
• /
• pp.228-233
• /
• 2022

동정맥 기형(Arteriovenous malformations, AVMs)은 동맥과 정맥이 직접적으로 연결되어 모세혈관과 연결되지 않은 희귀한 선천성 기형 중 하나이다. AVM은 유아기 후반이나 소아기까지는 임상적으로 나타나지 않을 수 있다. 특히 안면 AVM은 생명을 위협하는 치과적 응급 상황을 일으킬 수 있다. 전신병력이 없는 만 5세 여아가 하악 좌측 제2유구치의 후방 치은 주위의 자발적인 잇몸 출혈로 내원하였다. 감별진단 및 치료를 위해 전신마취 하에 대퇴정맥 접근을 통한 혈관조영술이 시행되었다. 동맥색전술 만으로도 혈류량이 효과적으로 감소되었다. 5개월 동안의 경과관찰에서 재발되지 않았다. 본 연구는 성장기 환자에서 이환된 혈관의 색전술이 외과적 절제술보다 더 효과적이고 안전한 방법이 될 수 있다고 보고하는 바이다.

• 농업과학연구
• /
• 제49권4호
• /
• pp.871-879
• /
• 2022

An increasing global population requires a greater food supply, and accordingly there is demand for enhanced production of rice, as a major crop plant that covers half of the world's population. Rice production in arid area is extremely difficult due to poor soil fertility, salinity, deficit of irrigation water, and weather conditions. The aim of the present study was to determine whether various fertilization recipes could provide a countermeasure to allow rice production while also providing soil amendment such as soil pH adjustment. The study was conducted at an experimental field of the United Arab-Emirates (UAE) from January to April, 2022. Rice seedlings (cv. Asemi, alkaline-resistant) were transplanted in plastic containers, and different types of water and nutrient managements were employed as follows: water management (flooding and aerobic for NPKs treatment group) and nutrient management (NPKs, slow release fertilizers [SRFs] and SRFs + NPK-1 treatment groups with flooding). Water and nutrient management did not show any effect on soil pH adjustment. Rice growth was significantly enhanced in the flooding compared to the aerobic condition, whereas the effect of nutrient management clearly differed among the treatment groups, with SRFs + NPK-1 showing the best results followed by SRFs and NPKs. Most of the fertilization groups markedly accumulated soluble sugars in the shoots and grains of rice plants, but concomitantly a decrease in the roots. Overall, the level of starch showed a tendency of relatively slight perturbation by fertilization. Taken together, the results indicate that soil physical structure should be preferentially amended to find the key for suitable rice production.

• 대한화학회지
• /
• 제67권2호
• /
• pp.120-128
• /
• 2023

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the weakening of bone by increasing porosity, which often results in fractures. Osteoporosis treatment measures include the use of Bisphosphonates and estrogen. However, these treatments cannot be used in the long term as these treatments have adverse side effects. Therefore, there is a need to identify better and safer treatment options. For this, 63 plant extracts were screened and among them, six extracts showed high anti-osteoclastic activity with low cytotoxicity. Of these six extracts, three extracts, Cudrania tricuspidata (P371), Ulmus davidiana var. japonica (P401), and Torilis japonica (P411), showed more than 50 percent osteoclast inhibition. While the remaining, Stewartia pseudocamellia extracts I and II (P370, P397) and Cuscuta chinensis (P418), showed moderate or between 40-50 percent osteoclast inhibition. Among all the extracts, Torilis japonica (P411) showed the highest inhibitory action against osteoclast development. Torilis japonica (P411) primary components include Kaempferol, Quercetin, and Luteolin, all proven to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. Stewartia pseudocamellia extracts I and II (P370 and P397) showed moderate or 44% osteoclast inhibition. Stewartia pseudocamellia extract II (P397) enhanced the growth of RAW 264.7 cells by 19%. Torilis japonica (P411) and Stewartia pseudocamellia extract II (P397) suppressed the expression of osteoclast-specific genes in RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in RAW 246.7 cells. Torilis japonica (P411) extracts even increased osteoblast-specific RUNX2 gene expression. This results provide that six extracts could be used as a potential treatment option for osteoporosis disease with the extracts of Torilis japonica (P411) and Stewartia pseudocamellia (P397) as an ideal candidates. However, the combination of the extract with higher osteoclastic inhibition and less toxic effects with further analysis should be recommended.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• 제23권2호
• /
• pp.289-302
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Liver metastasis (LM) is reported in approximately 40% of patients with advanced/metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (metastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma; mGEA) and is associated with a worse prognosis. This post-hoc analysis from the RAINBOW trial reported the efficacy, safety, and biomarker outcomes of ramucirumab and paclitaxel combination treatment (RAM+PAC) in patients with (LM+) and without (LM-) LM at baseline. Materials and Methods: Patients (n=665) were randomly assigned on a 1:1 basis to receive either RAM+PAC (LM+: 150, LM-: 180) or placebo and paclitaxel (PL+PAC) (LM+: 138, LM-: 197). The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated using stratified Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models. The correlation of dichotomized biomarkers (VEGF-C, D; VEGFR-1,2) with efficacy in the LM+ versus LM- subgroups was analyzed using the Cox regression model with reported interaction P-values. Results: The presence of LM was associated with earlier progression than those without LM, particularly in patients receiving PL+PAC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.68). RAM+PAC treatment improved OS and PFS irrespective of LM status but showed greater improvement in LM+ than that in LM- (OS HR, 0.71 [LM+] vs. 0.88 [LM-]; PFS HR, 0.47 [LM+] vs. 0.76 [LM-]). Treatment-emergent adverse events were similar between patients with and without LM. No predictive relationship was observed between biomarker levels (VEGF-C, D; VEGFR-1,2) and efficacy outcome (OS, PFS) (all interaction P-values >0.05). Conclusions: RAM provided a significant benefit, irrespective of LM status; however, its effect was numerically stronger in patients with LM. Therefore, RAM+PAC is a clinically meaningful therapeutic option for patients with mGEA and LM.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회지:지하수토양환경
• /
• 제29권1호
• /
• pp.28-38
• /
• 2024

Phytoremediation presents a low-carbon and eco-friendly solution for heavy metal-contaminated soils, which pose great health and environmental risks to humans and ecosystems. A hydroponic culture was used to quantitatively assess the phytoremediation potential of plant species to remediate As or Cd-contaminated soil in field application. This study examined the growth, uptake, and distribution of Cd in the roots and shoots of Phalaris arundinacea and Brassica juncea in hydroponic conditions with Cd concentrations ranging from 0 to 20 mg/L for 10 days. Additionally, Aster koraiensis and Pteris multifida were cultivated in hydroponic conditions containing As concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 mg/L for 10 days. The concentrations of Cd in the above-ground part and root tissues of P. arundinacea and B. juncea reached a maximum of 147.7 and 1926.7 mg/kg-D.W.(Dry Weight), and 351.6 and 11305.5 mg/kg-D.W., respectively. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) for P. arundinacea and B. juncea were 68.9 and 122.3, respectively. Both species exhibited a translocation factor (TF) of less than 0.1, indicating their eligibility for phytostabilization. Aster koraiensis exhibited significant As accumulation of 155.1 and 1306.7 mg/kg D.W. in the above-ground part and root, respectively. However, this accumulation resulted with substantial weight loss and the manifestation of toxic symptoms. P. multifida exhibited higher accumulation of As (345.1 mg/kg-D.W.) in the fronds than in the roots (255.4 mg/kg-D.W.), corresponding to BCF values of 18.6 and 7.6, respectively, and a TF greater than 1.2. A TF value greater than 1.0 indicates that P. multifida is a viable option for phytoextraction.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제80권2호
• /
• pp.187-193
• /
• 2017

Background: Third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-TKIs) have proved efficacious in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with acquired resistance resulting from the T790M mutation. However, since almost 50% patients with the acquired resistance do not harbor the T790M mutation, retreatment with first- or second-generation EGFR-TKIs may be a more viable therapeutic option. Here, we identified positive response predictors to retreatment, in patients who switched to a different EGFR-TKI, following initial treatment failure. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 42 NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations, whose cancers had progressed following initial treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib, and who had switched to a different first-generation EGFR-TKI during subsequent retreatment. To identify high response rate predictors in the changed EGFR-TKI retreatment, we analyzed the relationship between clinical and demographic parameters, and positive clinical outcomes, following retreatment with EGFR-TKI. Results: Overall, 30 (71.4%) patients received gefitinib and 12 (28.6%) patients received erlotinib as their first EGFR-TKI treatment. Following retreatment with a different EGFR-TKI, the overall response and disease control rates were 21.4% and 64.3%, respectively. There was no significant association between their overall responses. The median progression-free survival (PFS) after retreatment was 2.0 months. However, PFS was significantly longer in patients whose time to progression was ${\geq}10months$ following initial EGFR-TKI treatment, who had a mutation of exon 19, or whose treatment interval was <90 days. Conclusion: In patients with acquired resistance to initial EGFR-TKI therapy, switched EGFR-TKI retreatment may be a salvage therapy for individuals possessing positive retreatment response predictors.