• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.484-492
• /
• 2001

Background : Pulmonary tuberculosis with a remaining cavitary lesion is considered to be a problem with the course of treatment. In particular, re-treatment cases tend to respond poorly to current anti-tuberculosis agents. Therefore the factors that are related with the poor closure of a cavitary lesion in pulmonary tuberculosis during treatment were evaluated. Methods : A retrospective review of the medical records and chest X -ray films of 68 patients who had chemotherapy for the pulmonary tuberculosis with cavitary lesions was made. All the patients had been followed up for more than 12 months at National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital as of Aug. 2000. Results : The male to female ratio was 3.9:1.72.4% of the patients were between 20 to 50 years of age. 66.2% of the cavitary lesions on the chest X-ray films were confined to the upper lung fields : 36.8% in the right upper lung field and 29.4% in the left upper lung field. 82.4% of the cavities were less than 40 mm in their size, and 83.8% were less than 6 mm thick. The cavitary lesions were closed in 48 cases and remained in 20 cases during a follow-up period of more than 12 months. The factors that are thought to affect to the outcomes of the cavities were age, past medication history, the number of unused drugs, and the number of sensitive drugs. Conclusion : In the treatment courses of pulmonary tuberculosis with cavitary lesions, the following factors are associated with less desirable outcome:an age over 45, a past medication history of more than 2 courses of treatment, The number of unused drugs not exceeding average 6 and the number of sensitive drugs not exceeding average 7.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.60 no.1
• /
• pp.38-43
• /
• 2006

Background : Even though two-month rifampicin (RMP, R) and pyrazinamide (PZA, P) treatment has some advantages over isoniazid (INH, H) treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), it was withdrawn from the list of treatment regimens for LTBI because of reported cases of severe hepatotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to estimate the frequency of hepatotoxicity of RMP and PZA treatment excluding INH in a Korean population. Method : TIn order to recruit patients who were prescribed RMP and PZA excluding INH, 256 INH-resistant tuberculosis patients were investigated through retrospective medical record analysis. A standard four-drug regimen was changed to a RMP/PZA-containing regimen excluding INH in 64 patients (RZ+ group). In the same study period, 146 patients who were prescribed an INH/RMP/PZA-containing standard regimen were randomly selected as a control (HRZ+ group). Clinical characteristics including liver diseases and the frequency of drug-induced hepatitis were compared between the RZ+ and HRZ+ groups. Result : The mean age of patients in the RZ+ group was 50.2 (${\pm}16.2$) and the male-to-female ratio was 36:28. The frequency of underlying liver diseases was 10.9% (7/64), which was not significantly different from that of the HRZ+ group (4.1%, 6/146). Even though the treatment duration of RZ+ ($5.5{\pm}4.8months$) was longer that than that of HRZ+ ($2.7{\pm}2.3months$), the frequency of toxic hepatitis was not significantly different between RZ+ and HRZ+ groups, 3.5% (2/57) and 7.1% (10/140), respectively. Conclusion : Hepatotoxicity was mild and occurred in a minor proportion of patients in a Korean population prescribed an RMP/PZA-containing regimen. A future prospective study including more patients is needed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.64 no.6
• /
• pp.414-421
• /
• 2008

Background: Recently, in addition to multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has become rapidly growing public health threat. This study examined the clinical differences between pulmonary TB patients with extensively drug resistance (XDR) and multi-drug resistance (MDR) at the National Medical Center in Korea in order to determine the clinical characteristics associated more with XDR-TB than MDR-TB. Methods: Patients who received a diagnosis of culture-confirmed pulmonary TB and a drug sensitivity test (DST) for anti-TB drugs at the National Medical Center between January 2000 and August 2007 were enrolled in this study. The patients were identified into the XDR-TB or MDR-TB group according to the DST results. The clinical characteristics were reviewed retrospectively from the medical records. Statistical analysis for the comparisons was performed using a ${\chi}^2$-test, independent samples t-test or binary logistic regression where appropriate. Results: A total 314 patients with culture-confirmed pulmonary TB were included. Among them, 18 patients (5.7%) had XDR-TB and 69 patients (22%) had MDR-TB excluding XDR-TB. A comparison of the clinical characteristics, revealed the XDR-TB group to have a higher frequency of a prior pulmonary resection for the treatment of TB (odds ratio [OR], 3.974; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.052~15.011; P value 0.032) and longer average previous treatment duration with anti-TB drugs, including a treatment interruption period prior to the diagnosis of XDR, than the MDR-TB group (XDR-TB group, 72.67 months; MDR-TB group, 13.09 months; average treatment duration difference between two groups, 59.582 months; 95% CI, 31.743~87.420; P value, 0.000). In addition, a longer previous treatment duration with anti-TB drugs was significantly associated with XDR-TB (OR, 1.076; 95% CI, 1.038~1.117; P value, 0.000). A comparison of the other clinical characteristics revealed the XDR-TB group to have a higher frequency of male gender, diabetes mellitus (DM), age under 45, treatment interruption history, cavitations on simple chest radiograph and positive result of sputum AFB staining at the time of diagnosis of XDR. However, the association was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Pulmonary TB patients with XDR have a higher frequency of a prior pulmonary resection and longer previous treatment duration with anti-TB drugs than those with MDR. In addition, a longer previous treatment duration with anti-TB drugs is significantly associated with XDR-TB.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.81-84
• /
• 2007

In some cases, the problem with the mycelium of Tricholoma giganteum is delayed mycelial growth or non-regeneration. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the mycelial storage condition of T. giganteum and to investigate the regeneration ratio of mycelial growth. T. giganteum obtained from KACC in RDA was evaluated for its simple preservation at $10^{\circ}C$ and subcultured on different media. Mycelium of T. giganteum was cultured on the PBA (potato bamboo extract medium) for seven days at $30^{\circ}C$. Using simple preservation method, the mycelium of T. giganteum (MKACC 50852) and Pleurotus ostreatus (Chunchu No. 2) were stored on six different media in two kinds of storage vessels (tube and vial) for a period of 1-12 months at $4^{\circ}C,\;15^{\circ}C$, and $25^{\circ}C$ storage temperatures. At $4^{\circ}C$ storage condition, mycelial regeneration was failed in all agar media, but was successful in the sawdust medium for 3 months. At $15^{\circ}C$ storage, mycelial activity was maintained up to six months. On the other hand, P. ostreatus produced well-regenerated mycelia both at $4^{\circ}C$ and $15^{\circ}C$ storage up to 12 months. In conclusion, it is estimated that the mycelia storage condition of T. giganteum must be done at $15^{\circ}C$ and subcultured within six months.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.182-227
• /
• 1998

Korean government decided to adopt an explicit population control policy in 1961 and from the following year the establishment and operation of the national family planning programme was included in each of the Five-Year Economic Development Plans that began in 1962. This policy was pursued in the understanding that without proper population control measures korea could not be able to achieve economic development. Korean national family planning programme is characterized by contraceptive target system through public health network with distribution of free contraceptives by family planning field workers and clinical contraceptive services such as IUD, vasectomy and tubaligation at designated clinics by the government. In addition, IE&C activities by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea and programme evaluation and research by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs contributed to the development of the government programme. Between 1960 and mid 1980s the nation's total fertility rate was reduced from 6.0 to population replacement level of 2.1 and thereafter it has been maintained at 1.6 to 1.7 of below replacement level. With a short period of less than three decades fertility transition was completed in Korea. It is estimated that if the current level of below replacement fertility continues, the population in Korea stabilize at around 52.78 million people by the year 2028, and it will begin to decrease thereafter. Under this circumstances, the government adopted new directions and strategies of the population policy in June 1996, focused primarily on population quality and social welfare than on demographic arenas. In spite of over 80 percent of high contraceptive prevalence among married women, high incidence of induced abortions is maintained. Moreover, the prevalence of sex selective induced abortions using procedures to determine the sex of the fetus has resulted in an imbalance in the sex ratio at birth. In order to overcome those problems associated with reproductive health new policy for population quality control and health promotion programme should be highly strengthened in the future.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.101-118
• /
• 2008

This paper reviews the present situation of Triticale cultivation and examines the potentiality of contribution to livestock as well as poultry sector in Bangladesh Agriculture. Triticale is a human-made cross between rye and durum wheat that has the ability to produce quality green fodder, and then re-grow after first and second cutting to produce grain. In Bangladesh, it is a non-traditional cereal that grows well during the cool and dry Rabi season (November-March) when fodder and feed scarcity is a major limiting factor for ruminant livestock. In Bangladesh Triticale was started to grow in the late Ninety's. The scientists of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) were first introduced triticale in Bangladesh. Still now the situation of Triticale is grown as fooder and feed in Bangladesh within the scientists under trial. High quality grass fodder was obtained by cutting green triticale plants twice, at 35 and 50 days after seeding, while later the ratooning tillers produced grain to a yield of 1.1-2.4 t/ha of grain for poultry feed or human food. Triticale straw was twice as nutritious as rice or wheat straw and its grain contained more protein than other cereals. Researchers and farmers have also successfully made triticale hay and silage from a mixture of triticale green cuttings, rice straw and molasses. A feeding trial at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute(BLRI), Savar station showed a large(46%) increase in cow live weight gain and a 36% increase in milk yield (but no change in milk quality or dry matter intake) in cows fed triticale silage compared with those fed rice straw over a period of nine weeks. In another feeding trial, it was found that triticale grain was a good replacement for wheat in the feed blend for chickens in Bangladesh. So it will be a good chance to alive our livestock as well as poultry sector if triticale enters to our existing cropping system as fodder cum grain. The challenge in Bangladesh is to identify fodder technologies that match existing small-scale farmer cropping patterns without needing major inputs or increasing risks. Preliminary field experiments revealed that triticale is a crop with good potential to produce quality fodder and grain for small scale farmers in Bangladesh.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.143-151
• /
• 2020

This study investigated the effects of the addition of commercial enzyme products to broiler feed with reduced levels of metabolizable energy and crude protein on the growth performance, blood profiles, and cecal microflora. A total of 750 seven-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five treatment groups with six replicates (25 birds/replicate) for 28 days. A corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet was formulated to meet or exceed the nutrient recommendations and used as the control diet. Experimental diets with metabolizable energy reduced by 100 kcal/kg and crude protein by 1% were formulated containing four different commercial enzyme products. Feed intake and weight gain were not affected by the dietary treatments; however, feed conversion ratios were significantly lower (P<0.01) in the control group than in the other treatment groups during the entire experimental period. There were no significant differences in the blood profiles and cecal microflora between the dietary treatments. However, the viscosity of jejunal contents in chicks fed a diet with enzyme B was significantly lower than that in the other groups. The tentative marketing age was unaffected by any of the dietary treatments, and ranged from 26.39 d to 26.84 d. Collectively, the use of commercial enzymes contributed to a similar weight gain as that in chicks fed diets with reduced energy and crude protein levels; however, it failed to maintain the feed conversion ratio.

• Management & Information Systems Review
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.17-39
• /
• 2015

This study examined the structural changes and volatility in the global stock markets using a Markov Regime Switching ARCH model developed by the Hamilton and Susmel (1994). Firstly, the US, Italy and Ireland showed that variance in the high volatility regime was more than five times that in the low volatility, while Korea, Russia, India, and Greece exhibited that variance in the high volatility regime was increased more than eight times that in the low. On average, a jump from regime 1 to regime 2 implied roughly three times increased in risk, while the risk during regime 3 was up to almost thirteen times than during regime 1 over the study period. And Korea, the US, India, Italy showed ARCH(1) and ARCH(2) effects, leverage and asymmetric effects. Secondly, 278 days were estimated in the persistence of low volatility regime, indicating that the mean transition probability between volatilities exhibited the highest long-term persistence in Korea. Thirdly, the coefficients appeared to be unstable structural changes and volatility for the stock markets in Chow tests during the Asian, Global and European financial crisis. In addition, 1-Step prediction error tests showed that stock markets were unstable during the Asian crisis of 1997-1998 except for Russia, and the Global crisis of 2007-2008 except for Korea and the European crisis of 2010-2011 except for Korea, the US, Russia and India. N-Step tests exhibited that most of stock markets were unstable during the Asian and Global crisis. There was little change in the Asian crisis in CUSUM tests, while stock markets were stable until the late 2000s except for some countries. Also there were stable and unstable stock markets mixed across countries in CUSUMSQ test during the crises. Fourthly, I confirmed a close relevance of the volatility between Korea and other countries in the stock markets through the likelihood ratio tests. Accordingly, I have identified the episode or events that generated the high volatility in the stock markets for the financial crisis, and for all seven stock markets the significant switch between the volatility regimes implied a considerable change in the market risk. It appeared that the high stock market volatility was related with business recession at the beginning in 1990s. By closely examining the history of political and economical events in the global countries, I found that the results of Lamoureux and Lastrapes (1990) were consistent with those of this paper, indicating there were the structural changes and volatility during the crises and specificly every high volatility regime in SWARCH-L(3,2) student t-model was accompanied by some important policy changes or financial crises in countries or other critical events in the international economy. The sophisticated nonlinear models are needed to further analysis.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.44-52
• /
• 2011

Purpose: Cytogenetic analysis of spontaneous abortions (SABs) provides valuable information to establish the causes of fetal loss, information that is essential to provide accurate reproductive and genetic counseling couples. Such analysis also provides information on the frequencies and types of chromosomal abnormalities and associated risks of recurrence. However, there have only been a few reports of chromosomal abnormalities in small samples of SABs in the Korean population. Here, we report the incidence and spectrum of chromosomal abnormalities for cases of 470 SAB in Korea. Material and Methods: Between 2005 and 2010, a total of 470 products of conception (POC) resulting from SABs were submitted to our laboratory for cytogenetic analysis from various medical sites in Korea. The incidences and types of specific chromosomal abnormalities were determined. The abnormalities were distinguished by gestational age at the time of SAB and by maternal age. Results: The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in POCs was 54.3% (255/470), including 228 (89.3%) numerical and 27 (10.7%: 3 balanced and 24 unbalanced) structural abnormalities. Among the numerical abnormalities, trisomy was predominant (67.0%), followed by monosomy X (12.5%), polyploidy (8.2%), triple X (0.8%), and autosomal monosomy (0.8%). The overall sex ratio (male: female) among the 470 POCs with normal and abnormal karyotypes were 0.58 and 0.65, respectively. Trisomies were identified for each autosome, with the exceptions of 1, 3, and 19. Among the 171 autosomal trisomies, trisomy 16 was the most common (19.9%), followed by trisomy 22 (13.5%), trisomy 21 (12.3 %), trisomy 15 (9.9%), and trisomies 18 and 13 (5.3%). The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities decreased with gestational age and increased with maternal age, but only because of increases in trisomies and complex abnormalities. Conclusions: We have presented a large collection of cytogenetic data for SABs collected during the past 6 years and provided a database for prenatal genetic counseling of parents who have experienced SABs in Korea.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.228-233
• /
• 2012

This study was conducted to determine the effects of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana bertoni) and charcoal supplementation on growth performance, immune response and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. A total of 420 pigs (LYD) were randomly allocated into 7 treatments with 3 replications. Dietary treatments were 1) T1 (basal diet), 2) T2 (basal diet+0.3% stevia), 3) T3 (basal diet+0.6% stevia), 4) T4 (basal diet+0.3% charcoal), 5) T5 (basal diet+0.6% charcoal), 6) T6 (basal diet+0.3% stevia+0.3% charcoal) and 7) T7 (basal diet+0.6% stevia+0.6% charcoal). During the experimental period, average daily gain (ADG) was higher in T2 and T6 groups than the other treatments (p<0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was higher in T6 group compared to the others (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in total cholesterol level and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity of blood among treatments. In glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activity, T3, T5, T6 and T7 groups showed lower values (p<0.05) compared to T1. Insulin-like growth factor-1 concentration was higher in T2 and T6 groups than the others (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences in immunoglobulin G, lymphocyte, eosinophil, basophil and atypical lymph levels among treatments. In neutrophil, T6 showed higher level compared to the others (p<0.05). In the carcass characteristics, T6 showed higher level of a carcass grade compared to the other treatments. However, carcass length did not show any significant difference among treatments. As a result, dietary supplementation of 0.3% stevia and 0.3% charcoal showed higher ADG, higher FCR and better immune response resulting in better growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs.