• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2023

Purpose: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) pose a significant disease burden in children. This study aims to determine whether a short-course regimen is non-inferior to a standard-course regimen in children with UTIs without complication and presence of bacteremia, and to define, in the optimal way possible, the term "short-course" in this context. Methods: We conducted a rapid systematic review of research up to April 2021 in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. We included studies that compared clinical outcomes in pediatric UTIs treated with short-course(≤4 days) or standard (≥5-7 days) courses. Results: Our analysis suggests that short-course regimes have equivalent efficacy to standard-course regimens, with similar clinical cure rates and recurrence rates. All 10 studies comparing the clinical cure rates of short- and standard-course regimens reported comparable outcomes. The study evaluating renal scarring indicated no inferiority of short-course regimens compared to standard-course ones. Regarding UTI relapse, 8 out of 10 studies reported no significant difference in outcomes between short- and standard-course regimens. Conclusions: Our results purpose that short-course UTI regimens of 6 days or less are just as effective as standard-term regimens of 7 days or more in terms of infection cure and prevention of recurrence. Considering the equivalent rates of clinical cure and relapse between short- and standard-course regimens, it could be inferred that short-course regimens might be a more optimal strategy for managing pediatric UTIs without increasing the risk of complications.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2023

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of transverse process (TP) hook system at the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) for preventing screw pullout in adult spinal deformity surgery using the pedicle Hounsfield unit (HU) stratification based on K-means clustering. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 74 patients who underwent deformity correction surgery between 2011 and 2020 and were followed up for >12 months. Pre- and post-operative data were used to determine the incidence of screw pullout, UIV TP hook implementation, vertebral body HU, pedicle HU, and patient outcomes. Data was then statistically analyzed for assessment of efficacy and risk prediction using stratified HU at UIV level alongside the effect of the TP hook system. Results : The screw pullout rate was 36.4% (27/74). Perioperative radiographic parameters were not significantly different between the pullout and non-pullout groups. The vertebral body HU and pedicle HU were significantly lower in the pullout group. K-means clustering stratified the vertebral body HU ≥205.3, <137.2, and pedicle HU ≥243.43, <156.03. The pullout rate significantly decreases in patients receiving the hook system when the pedicle HU was from ≥156.03 to < 243.43 (p<0.05), but the difference was not statistically significant in the vertebra HU stratified groups and when pedicle HU was ≥243.43 or <156.03. The postoperative clinical outcomes improved significantly with the implementation of the hook system. Conclusion : The UIV hook provides better clinical outcomes and can be considered a preventative strategy for screw-pullout in the certain pedicle HU range.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.203-229
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• 2016

Korean general trading companies had started their business to benchmark and to adopt the successful new business models of the Japanese ones. Nevertheless, the strategic gaps between Korean and Japanese GTCs, Sogo-Shosha, still exist, including financial profitability and managerial competencies. In this regard, it is academically and practically required to find out the differences between Korean and Japanese GTCs. This study overviews the previous researches and the business cases to understand the features of GTCs and to get recent and meaningful factors which are related with the rebirth of Sogo-Shosha. Thereafter, in-depth interviews with industry experts and scholars and subsequent investigations were also conducted to suggest meaningful implications for both academicians and practitioners with the found factors. This study suggests four fundamental differences between the Korean and Japanese GTCs: ① the origin and growth path, ② business ownership, governance strategies and contracts management, ③ availabilities of investment portfolio and risk management, ④ business operation system and organizational culture. This study suggests meaningful implications for Korean GTCs to apply the experiences and lessons learned from Japanese Sogo-Shosha into their own business.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.134-151
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• 2011

The strategy for brand alliance is a new type of franchise to iron out the problems like the hotel restaurant's structural contradiction and decreasing profits caused by keen competition with external restaurants. This study is purposed to present the decisive factors for the brand alliance throughexamining the correlations between the brand restaurant designation standards and the expected effects from local low- and mid-priced hotel's brand alliance. The questionnaires were distributed to instructors and professors who have experience in teaching the food and beverage sections at college's hotel and tourism departments and 100 specialists at managerial level of a hotel's food and beverage parts.This survey was conducted for 20 days from December 2 to 22, 2004 and analyzed by independent t-test and canonical correlation analysis. The findings of this survey are as follows.Firstly, the service of the expected effect factors of the brand alliance was recognized relatively high by the specialists in hotel industry, while the sales effect factor of restaurant designation standards was recognized higher by the academic experts.The specialists of the hotel industry recognized the factors of menu and corporate culture higher than the academic experts. Secondly, the entire factors of the brand restaurant designation standards showed a correlation with the whole factors of the restaurant designation standards.In particular, the 'menu' factor presented the most influential to the expected effects of brand alliance.The factors of 'risk reduction' and 'synergy effect' exerted the strongest effect on the restaurant designation standards, which indicated the mutual correlation between the expected effect of brand alliance and the restaurant designation standards. Based on this study, the correlation between the expected effect of brand alliance and brand restaurant designation standards may play a primary role to choose a partner for the brand alliance, a decisive factor for the success.The execution of the brand alliance or the method to designate the alliance partner may vary from the hotel's desirable effects when the brand alliance is determined.In other words, the partner designation standards should be corresponding to the expected effects from the brand alliance between hotel and brand restaurant, and the academic and industrial experts' perceived differences in the expected effects of brand alliance and restaurant designation standards should be clarified to display the direction of decision-making and find the potential risks.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6A
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• pp.965-976
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• 2006

A realistic lifetime seismic-reliability based approach is unavoidable to perform Life-Cycle Cost (LCC)-effective optimum design, maintenance, and retrofitting of structures against seismic risk. So far, though a number of researchers have proposed the LCC-based seismic design and retrofitting methodologies, most researchers have only focused on the methodological point. Accordingly, in most works, they have not been quantitatively considered critical factors such as the effects of seismic retrofit, maintenance, and environmental stressors on lifetime seismic reliability assessment of deteriorating structures. Thus, in this study, a systemic lifetime seismic reliability analysis methodology is proposed and a program HPYER-DRAIN2DX-DS is developed to perform the desired lifetime seismic reliability analysis. To demonstrate the applicability of the program, it is applied to an example bridge with or without seismic retrofit and maintenance strategies. From the numerical investigation, it may be positively stated that HYPER-DRAIN2DX-DS can be utilized as a useful numerical tool for LCC-effective optimum seismic design, maintenance, and retrofitting of bridges.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1D
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

Safety improvement has been a continuous challenge, especially at toll gate of express highway where traffic conflict often occurs due to frequent lane change by drivers of "Hi-pass" lane and regular "TCS" lane. As a part of research on safety at toll gate, this study videotaped traffic conflict data between vehicles using centrally located "Hi-pass" lane and regular "TCS" lane and analyzed accident risk. According to the correlation analysis of vehicle speed, relative vehicle speed, and sudden vehicle deceleration rate due to traffic conflict, when the relative vehicle speed between centrally located "Hi-pass" lane and regular "TCS" lane increases, sudden vehicle deceleration rate also increases. One of the findings is that centrally located "Hi-pass" lane at toll gate shows different location for traffic conflict, and frequency of traffic conflict and the relative vehicle speed was also different based on vehicle lane use. TA (Time to Accident) analysis shows that accident rate is high at toll gate where Hipass lane is installed in center lane, when the occurrence of sudden vehicle deceleration and deceleration time of vehicles rise for vehicles on "Hi-pass" lane. Furthermore, if the expressway entrance/exit point is closely located to toll gate, TA showed a low value. Thus, it is necessary to reduce the relative vehicle speed in order to improve safety. The Study presents reduction of the relevant vehicular speed and prevention of accidents at the centrally installed "Hi-pass" lane as an important strategy for safety improvement at toll gate.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.171-184
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• 2024

Purpose: Although activating thermogenic adipocytes is a promising strategy to reduce the risk of obesity and related metabolic disorders, emerging evidence suggests that it is difficult to induce adipocyte thermogenesis in obesity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the regulation of adipocyte thermogenesis in diet-induced obesity. Methods: Adipose progenitor cells were isolated from the white and brown adipose tissues of control diet (CD) or high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice, and fully differentiated white and brown adipocytes were treated with β-agonists or 18-carbon fatty acids for β-adrenergic activation or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) activation. Results: Compared to the CD-fed mice, the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) was lower in the white adipose tissue of the HFD-fed mice; however, this was not observed in the brown adipose tissue. The expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg) was lower in the brown adipose progenitor cells isolated from HFD-fed mice than in those isolated from the CD-fed mice. Norepinephrine (NE) treatment exerted lesser effect on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (Pgc1a) upregulation in white adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice than those derived from CD-fed mice. Regardless which 18-carbon fatty acids were treated, the expression levels of thermogenic genes including Ucp1, Pgc1a, and positive regulatory domain zinc finger region protein 16 (Prdm16) were higher in the white adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice. Oleic acid (OLA) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA) upregulated Pgc1a expression in white adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice. Brown adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice had higher expression levels of Pgc1a and Prdm16 compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: These results indicate that diet-induced obesity may downregulate brown adipogenesis and NE-induced thermogenesis in white adipocytes. Also, HFD feeding may induce thermogenic gene expression in white and brown primary adipocytes, and OLA and GLA could augment the expression levels.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.744-755
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is considered a class I indication for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS). However, there is little evidence regarding the potential benefits of early AVR in symptomatic patients diagnosed with normal-flow, low-gradient (NFLG) severe AS. Methods: Two-hundred eighty-one patients diagnosed with symptomatic NFLG severe AS (stroke volume index ≥35 mL/m², mean transaortic pressure gradient <40 mmHg, peak transaortic velocity <4 m/s, and aortic valve area <1.0 cm²) between January 2010 and December 2020 were included in this retrospective study. After performing 1:1 propensity score matching, 121 patients aged 75.1±9.8 years (including 63 women) who underwent early AVR within 3 months after index echocardiography, were compared with 121 patients who received conservative care. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death and heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Results: During a median follow-up of 21.9 months, 48 primary outcomes (18 in the early AVR group and 30 in the conservative care group) occurred. The early AVR group demonstrated a significantly lower incidence of primary outcomes (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.93; p=0.028); specifically, there was no significant difference in all-cause death (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.23-1.16; p=0.110), although the early AVR group showed a significantly lower incidence of hospitalization for HF (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.19-0.95, p=0.037). Subgroup analyses supported the main findings. Conclusions: An early AVR strategy may be beneficial in reducing the risk of a composite outcome of death or hospitalization for HF in symptomatic patients with NFLG severe AS. Future randomized studies are required to validate and confirm our findings.

• Journal of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Objective: Endovascular coil embolization is the primary treatment modality for intracranial aneurysms. However, its long-term durability remains of concern, with a considerable proportion of cases requiring aneurysm reopening and retreatment. Therefore, establishing optimal follow-up imaging protocols is necessary to ensure a durable occlusion. This study aimed to develop guidelines for follow-up imaging strategies after endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Methods: A committee comprising members of the Korean Neuroendovascular Society and other relevant societies was formed. A literature review and analyses of the major published guidelines were conducted to gather evidence. A panel of 40 experts convened to achieve a consensus on the recommendations using the modified Delphi method. Results: The panel members reached the following consensus: 1. Schedule the initial follow-up imaging within 3-6 months of treatment. 2. Noninvasive imaging modalities, such as three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or contrast-enhanced MRA, are alternatives to digital subtraction angiography (DSA) during the first follow-up. 3. Schedule mid-term follow-up imaging at 1, 2, 4, and 6 years after the initial treatment. 4. If noninvasive imaging reveals unstable changes in the treated aneurysms, DSA should be considered. 5. Consider late-term follow-up imaging every 3-5 years for lifelong monitoring of patients with unstable changes or at high risk of recurrence. Conclusions: The guidelines aim to provide physicians with the information to make informed decisions and provide patients with high-quality care. However, owing to a lack of specific recommendations and scientific data, these guidelines are based on expert consensus and should be considered in conjunction with individual patient characteristics and circumstances.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.37-53
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• 2024

This study selected bicycle road hazard detection factors for mobile IoT sensor device operation and developed service application plans. Twelve bicycle road hazard detection factors were derived through a focused group interview, and a fuzzy AHP-based importance analysis was conducted on 30 road and transportation experts. As a result, 'damage to pavement' (1st overall) and 'environmental obstacle' (2nd) with low visibility but a high risk of accidents were selected the most. The factors in terms of facility management, such as 'disconnected route occurrence' (4th), 'artificial obstacle' (5th), 'effective width' (6th), and 'poor drainage' (7th), were selected as the upper and middle areas. Factors that are not direct accident-inducing factors, such as 'loss of road markings' (11th) and 'free space width' (12th), were selected the least. Based on this, a plan was presented to apply the bicycle road hazard detection service and a service operation strategy according to real-time performance. Nevertheless, follow-up studies, such as human behavioral analysis based on bicycle operators, analysis according to the bicycle road type, service demonstration, and pilot operation, will be needed to develop safe bicycle road management is expected.