• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.57-64
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• 2010

Objectives: Likewise fresh cycle, it is also important to select right blastocysts for transfer in purpose of improving the pregnancy and implantation rates in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (ET) cycles. To investigate the relationship between the developmental velocity at the time of cryopreservation and pregnancy rates, we compared pregnancy rates between the day 5 cryopreservation group and the day 6 cryopreservation group. Methods: Transfers of frozen-thawed blastocysts which had been cryopreserved by vitrification on day 5 or day 6 were performed between January 2006 and June 2007. Ethylene glycol, DMSO, and pull and cut straws were used for vitrification and artificial shrinkage was done in expanded blastocysts. Thawing was performed on the day before transfer and thawed blastocysts were cultured in for 15~18 hrs in Quinn's blastocyct media. Blastocyst survival was assessed before transfer and post-thaw survival was defined as >50% of cells remaining intact and blastocoele re-expansion by the time of transfer. Results: Transfers of thawed blastocyst had been cryopreserved on day 5 were 52 cycles and 41 transfer cycles were cryopreserved on day 6. Patient characteristics, the number of transferred embryos and the survival rate of thawed blastocysts were not different in each cryopreservation day. But the biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and implantation rate were significantly high in transfer of frozen-thawed blastocyst which were cryopreserved on day 5. Conclusions: The clinical pregnancy and implantation rate of day-5 blastocyst showed significantly higher than those of day-6 blastocyst in frozen-ET cycles. This result indicated that developmental rate of blastocyst at cryopreservation time in frozen-thawed cycle is discriminative marker of pregnancy outcome as like in fresh cycle.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.421-429
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• 2012

The developmental time period of Aphis gossypii was studied in laboratory (six constant temperatures from 15 to $30^{\circ}C$ with 50~60% RH, and a photoperiod of 14L:10D) and in a cucumber plastic house. The mortality of A. gossypii in the laboratory was high in the 2nd (20.0%) and 3rd stage(13.3%) at low temperature but high in the 3rd (26.7%) and 4th stage (33.3%) at high temperatures. Mortality in the plastic house was high in the 1st and 2nd stage but there was no mortality in the 4th stage at low temperature. The total developmental period was longest at $15^{\circ}C$ (12.2 days) in the laboratory and shortest at $28.5^{\circ}C$ (4.09 days) in the plastic house. The lower threshold temperature at the total nymphal stage was $6.8^{\circ}C$ in laboratory. The thermal constant required to reach the total nymphal stage was 111.1DD. The relationship between the developmental rate and temperature fit the nonlinear model of Logan-6 which has the lowest value for the Akaike information criterion(AIC) and Bayesian information criterion(BIC). The distribution of completion of each development stage was well described by the 3-parameter Weibull function ($r^2=0.89{\sim}0.96$). This model accurately described the predicted and observed outcomes. Thus it is considered that the model can be used for predicting the optimal spray time for Aphis gossypii.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.287-301
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• 2004

Objectives: The development of internet programs for smoking cessation was motivated to quit smoking in the large group of smokers. This personalized program consisted of tailored message to consider the smokers characteristics, and contain the informations on the outcomes of smoking cessation and the skills to be used in the quit attempts. The purpose of this study was to develop the internet management program and information push-delivery system for smoking cessation to encourage the personal intention to quit smoking. Methods: We conducted in 3 steps as developing push service to encourage intention of smoking cessation, analyzing problems of smoking cessation program through the pilot test and suggesting improvements by implication stages. Results: This program is delivered for 30 days. if the participants do not fail to quit smoking. The contents consisted of 13 stages which were divided on starting period. practical period, maintenance period and success period. And push service afforded the tailored message to participants using their e-mail. According to the evaluation of pilot test, the problems of internet information push-delivery service for smoking cessation were the over-tasks per visiting time, recording style of participants, difficulty of terms and sentences, lack of visual effects, absence of follow-up module and unsuitable link with main homepage. Improvements were divided on 3 stages by implication period. The first stage included the immediate improvements as improving link with homepage, modifying menu of smoking information and upload file of notice part. The second stage included the short term improvements as alleviating condition of withdrawal, coordinating start stage of retrial, modifying errors of information push-delivery service and addition of educational materials. The third stage included the long term improvements as development of follow-up module, cost-effectiveness evaluation, reducing contents quantity, introduction of checking style, compensation of graphics effect and review for SMS utilization. Conclusions: This program contribute to improving smoking cessation rate. Therefore this program should be tested in a community to evaluate the effectiveness. To promote the effectiveness, this program should be developed the contents and the strategies for various targets, and established the follow-up system for ex-smokers.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.14-24
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• 2013

Objectives: Pregnant women in rural areas do not have access to sufficient obstetric services in their own communities due to the shortage of obstetricians. Therefore, most of these women must seek obstetrician outside of their communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between obstetric complications and accessibility to local obstetric care in Korea. Methods: This study was an ecological study in which the unit of analysis was an administrative district. Using Korea National Health Insurance Corporation data, the total number of deliveries and the delivery proportion within and outside of the community from 2001 to 2008 were calculated for 232 administrative districts nationwide. Three outflow levels were categorized based on each district's out-of-community delivery proportion: high outflow (upper one third), moderate outflow (middle one third), and low outflow (lower one third). In addition, three obstetric complication rates (the rate of complications following abortion, ectopic and molar pregnancy, the abortion rate, and the eclampsia rate) were calculated for the 232 districts. One-way ANOVA and multivariate linear regression were used to evaluate obstetric complications among the three outflow levels. Results: The high outflow districts had higher rates of eclampsia and complications following abortion, ectopic, and molar pregnancy compared to the other districts (ANOVA, p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the abortion rate among the three groups. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that high outflow districts were statistically significant in the rate of complications following abortion, ectopic and molar pregnancy and eclampsia rate after adjusting for local tax per capita (p<0.01). Conclusion: These results indicate that poor access to local obstetric care correlate with poor obstetric outcomes (delayed or excessive bleeding, embolism, genital tract or pelvic infection, shock or other complications following abortion and ectopic or molar pregnancy, or eclampsia).

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.251-268
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• 2016

The present study has the purpose of analyzing the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and success factors of small-scale start-up founders as well as the relationship between success factors and performances of start-up businesses. It is also aimed in this study to determine the structural effects of start-up founders' characteristic upon their performances and by thus, to provide those who prepare for and/or have been operating start-up business with suggestions for stable and successful start-up as well operation. The study resulted in the following outcomes: First, the analysis of the relationship between characteristics and success factors of start-up business found that the empirical characteristics of small-scale start-up business founders might influence every factor for their success including the financial conditions as well as management of shops, products and service. Their psychological characteristics, however, turned out to have influence upon the management of products and service only, but not upon the financial conditions and management of shops, a result implying that the higher desire and creativity small-scale start-up business founders have, the more probable the start-up businesses become successful. Second it was learned from the analysis of the relationship between success factors and performances of start-up businesses that such success factors of start-ups as financial conditions as well as management of shops, products and service could exercise impact upon their performances, signifying that the exact decision making of small-scale start-up founders might affect the performances of small-scale start-up businesses. Third, the analysis of the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and performances of start-up founders revealed that both empirical and psychological characteristics of start-up founders might have influence upon the performances of start-up businesses, leading to the conclusion that small-scale start-up founders could achieve higher performances in their start-up when they are highly aware of empirical and psychological characteristics for start-up as part of entrepreneurial characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• 제59권1호
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• pp.301-327
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the timing and the risk factors associated with the adoption of legally-free foster children. The sample of the study was drawn from foster care files of Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System(AFCARS) in 32 states between October 1998 (FY 1999) and September 2002(FY 2002). The timing post-TPR to adoption was examined by plotting the Kaplan-Meier cumulative hazard function for adoption and by plotting the KM hazard functions stratified by child's race and child's age at TPR. Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for adoption of legally-free foster children after TPR. The hazard of adoption was very low immediately after TPR but increased steadily starting at 3 months and then declined after 20 months. The cumulative hazard functions for White non-Hispanic children and Black non-Hispanic children crossed over at 13 months after TPR. Racial minority status, older age, and disability were negatively associated with the hazard of adoption. Physical abuse, sexual abuse had the lower hazard for adoption compared by neglect. Caretaker's inability to cope had the slightly lower hazard for adoption whereas inadequate housing showed the slightly greater hazard for adoption. Characteristics of foster care services turned into be powerful predictors of adoption. Specifically, legally-free children placed in pre-adoptive homes, those who shared the same racial/ethnic background with their foster caretakers, and those who were placed in two-parent families have a greater likelihood of adoption. The findings highlight the importance of foster care service provisions after TPR to facilitate adoption of legally-free foster children. Furthermore, a more substantial resources and targeted support for foster children who experience physical abuse and sexual abuse in need of adoption should be provided for moving the foster children into permanency.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제61권5호
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• pp.463-472
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• 2006

Background: Since video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was introduced as a new treatment modality for empyema thoracis, numerous reports have suggested that VATS is a more effective treatment method than the traditional methods that mainly use antibiotics and drainage apparatus. However, no confirmative evidence of the superiority of VATS over the traditional method has been provided yet. Methods: We attempted to evaluate the efficacy of VATS for the treatment of empyema thoracis by reviewing past medical records and simple chest films. First, we divided the patients into two groups based on the treatment method: group A of 15 patients who were treated with the traditional method between January 2001 and December 2003, and group B of 9 patients who were treated with VATS between December 2003 and August 2006. The final outcomes used in this study were the number of days of hospital stay, chest tube duration, leukocytosis duration, febrile duration, and intravenous antibiotics usage duration. In addition, radiological improvements were compared. Results: The mean age(${\pm}$standard deviation) of 11 men and 4 women in group A was $58.2{\pm}15.7$ years, and of 9 men and 2 women in group B was $51.6{\pm}9.5$ years. Group B had a significantly shorter hospital stay ($16.6{\pm}7.4$ vs. $33.7{\pm}22.6$ days; p=0.014), shorter chest tube duration ($10.5{\pm}5.7$ vs. $19.5{\pm}14.4$ days; p=0.039), shorter leukocytosis duration ($6.7{\pm}6.5$ vs. $18.8{\pm}13.2$ days; p=0.008), shorter febrile duration ($0.8{\pm}1.8$ vs. $9.4{\pm}9.2$ days; p=0.004), and shorter duration of intravenous antibiotics usage ($14.9{\pm}6.4$ vs. $25.4{\pm}13.9$ days; p=0.018). However, radiological improvements did not show any statistical differences. Conclusion: Early application of VATS for empyema thoracis treatment reduced hospital stay, thoracostomy tube duration, leukocytosis duration, febrile duration, and antibiotics usage duration in comparison with the traditional methods. The early performing of VATS might be an effective treatment modality for empyema thoracis.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.281-292
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• 1997

The objective of this study was to compare retrospectively the survival and pregnancy rates(PR) of cryopresered-thawed embryos obtained from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF). Ninety-six cycles of cryopresered-thawed embryo transfer (ET) were performed in 79 patients from June, 1996 to September, 1997 and grouped as followings: 20 cycles (16 patients) inseminated by ICSI (ICSI Group) and 76 cycles (63 patients) by conventional IVF (IVF Group). Slow-freezing and rapid-thawing protocol was used with 1.5M propanediol (PROH) and 0.1M sucrose as cryoprotectant. All embryos were frozen-thawed at the two pronuclear (2 PN) stage excluding four cycles in which the early cleavage stage embryos were frozen, and allowed to cleave in vitro for one day before ET. The duration from freezing to thawing was comparable in both groups ($mean{\pm}SD$, $112.1{\pm}80.0$ vs. $124.8{\pm}140.1$ days). The age of female ($31.2{\pm}3.4$ vs. $32.6{\pm}3.3$ years) and the endometrial thickness prior to progesterone injection ($9.4{\pm}2.0$ vs. $9.3{\pm}1.8$ mm) were also comparable in both groups. There was no significant difference in the outcomes of cryopreserved-thawed ET between two groups: survival rate ($85.2{\pm}16.1%$ vs. $82.2{\pm}19.7%$), cleavage rate ($96.9{\pm}6.7%$ vs. $94.7{\pm}13.0%$), cumulative embryo score (CES, $54.5{\pm}31.1$ vs. $49.0{\pm}20.0$), preclinical loss rate (5.0% vs. 5.3%), clinical miscarriage rate (0% vs 29.4%), clinical PR per transfer (35.0% vs. 22.4%), implantation rate (9.9% vs. 5.6%), and multifetal PR (42.9% vs. 17.6%). In conclusion, human embryos resulting from ICSI can be cryopreserved-thawed and transferred successfully, and the survival rate and PR are comparable to conventional IVF.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.285-291
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• 2007

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in women over 40 years of age. Methods: A total of 170 patients (271 cycles) over 40 years of age who underwent IVF-ET at Seoul Women's Hospital (Incheon, Korea) were analyzed in this study retrospectively. The patients were grouped into the women <44 years old group and the women $\geq$44 years old group. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test as appropriate. Results: An overall clinical pregnancy rate per retrieval was 11% (30/271). Of these, clinical miscarriage rate were 33% (10/30) and the overall delivery rate was 7.4% (20/271) per retrieval, respectively. The women $\geq$44 years old group had significantly higher cancellation rate (13% vs. 25%), lower number of retrieved oocytes (6.17$\times$4.62 vs. 4.13$\times$4.07), decreased number of 2PN (4.83$\times$3.61 vs. 3.46$\times$3.12), and reduced embryos for transfer (3.52$\times$1.72 vs. 2.81$\times$1.83) than the women <44 years old group. We found significantly lower clinical pregnancy rate (13.0% vs. 2.1%) and live birth rate (9.0% vs. 0.0%) in the women $\geq$44 years old group than the women <44 years old group. Conclusion: The present study has shown that IVF outcome is seriously impaired in the women $\geq$44 years old.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제22권10호
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• pp.1407-1414
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• 2012

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an effective regimen that has been found to prevent these diseases in postmenopausal women. However, HRT is accompanied by an increased risk of unfavorable outcomes. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Eisenia Bicyclis extract on lipids in ovariectomized rats. Fifty 7-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: sham-operated rats (SHAM), ovariectomized rats (OVX-CON), and ovariectomized rats that were treated with Eisenia bicyclis extracts. The extract-treated diets were fed to the rats for 6 weeks after operation. Antioxidant effects were measured by DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract increased in a dose-dependent manner and was about 55.9% in a concentration of 100 ${\mu}g/ml$. We measured the total cholesterol content, triglyceride content, HDL-cholesterol content, LDL-cholesterol content, atherosclerotic index, cardiac risk factor in serum, and anti-platelet aggregation and blood rheology. The total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration in serum increased for the OVX-control group, but supplementation with the E. bicyclis extract caused these factors to decrease. Notably, the serum LDL-cholesterol concentration in the OVX-EB200 group was significantly lower than the OVX-CON group. In addition, the blood passage times in rats that received the E. bicyclis extract were more rapid than the times in the untreated group (OVX-CON). Microscopic evaluation revealed that whole blood passed more smoothly through the microchannels in rats in the E. bicyclis extract supplement groups. Our results clarified the effects of E. bicyclis extract on serum lipid content in ovariectomized rats, and consequently we expect positive effects from providing E. bicyclis extract to postmenopausal women with cardiovascular disease.