• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.219-227
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• 2012

Pavement management systems require systematic monitoring of pavement surfaces to determine preventive and corrective maintenance. The process involves the accumulation of large amounts of visual data, typically obtained from site visitation. The pavement surface condition is then correlated to a pavement distress index that is based on a scoring system previously established by state or federal agencies. The scoring system determines if the pavement section requires maintenance, overlay or reconstruction. One of the surface distresses forming part of the overall pavement distress index is the Alligator Crack Index (AC Index). The AC Index involves the visual evaluation of the crack severity of a section of a pavement as being low, medium, or high. This evaluation is then integrated into a formula in order to obtain the AC Index. In this study a quantification of the visual evaluation of the severity of alligator cracking is carried out using photographs and the fractal dimension concept from fractal theory. Pavements with low levels of cracking were found to have a fractal dimension equal to 1.051. Pavements with moderate levels of cracking had a fractal dimension equal to 1.1754. Pavements with high degrees of cracking had a fractal dimension that varied between 1.5037 (high) and 1.7111 (very high). Pavements with a level of cracking equal to 1.8976 represented pavements that disintegrated and developed potholes. Thus, the visual evaluation of the state of cracking of a pavement (the AC Index) could be enhanced with the use of the fractal dimension concept from fractal theory.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.960-966
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• 2022

Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract marked by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Irritable bowel syndrome is experienced by 11% of the global population. Although antidepressants and antispasmodic agents are currently used as therapeutic methods, they have side effects, so safer treatment agents are needed. Hence, I report the case of an outpatient who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome. Methods: The patient visited a public health center 14 times over four weeks and was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine (Sosiho-tang and Jakyakgamcho-tang). Treatment progress was assessed using the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System. Results: After 28 days of treatment, the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System score decreased from 410 to 30 points without adverse events. The patient was highly satisfied. Conclusion: Sosiho-tang and Jakyakgamcho-tang with acupuncture might become recommended therapeutic options for irritable bowel syndrome patients.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제61권3호
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• pp.20.1-20.9
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• 2021

This study is to develop a new scoring system for rating Hazard analysis and critical control points prerequisite evaluation items for meat shops to provide a more objective and accurate evaluation of food safety compliance. The importance of each item was measured by looking at the hazard severity level and the rate of non-compliance associated with it. It was found that the new scoring system is more stringent and gives a clearer picture of compliance with the most critical safety standards, and therefore is expected to have a positive effect on the hygiene and safety of livestock products.

• Acute and Critical Care
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.216-221
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• 2018

Background: In this study, we analyze the performance of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE IV, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3, and Mortality Probability Model $(MPM)_0$ III in order to determine which system best implements data related to the severity of medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods: The present study was a retrospective investigation analyzing the discrimination and calibration of APACHE II, APACHE IV, SAPS 3, and $MPM_0$ III when used to evaluate medical ICU patients. Data were collected for 788 patients admitted to the ICU from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. All patients were aged 18 years or older with ICU stays of at least 24 hours. The discrimination abilities of the three systems were evaluated using c-statistics, while calibration was evaluated by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. A severity correction model was created using logistics regression analysis. Results: For the APACHE IV, SAPS 3, $MPM_0$ III, and APACHE II systems, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.745 for APACHE IV, resulting in the highest discrimination among all four scoring systems. The value was 0.729 for APACHE II, 0.700 for SAP 3, and 0.670 for $MPM_0$ III. All severity scoring systems showed good calibrations: APACHE II (chi-square, 12.540; P=0.129), APACHE IV (chi-square, 6.959; P=0.541), SAPS 3 (chi-square, 9.290; P=0.318), and $MPM_0$ III (chi-square, 11.128; P=0.133). Conclusions: APACHE IV provided the best discrimination and calibration abilities and was useful for quality assessment and predicting mortality in medical ICU patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.25-33
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• 2022

Purpose: The scoring system for traumatic liver injury (SSTLI) was developed in 2015 to predict mortality in patients with polytraumatic liver injury. This study aimed to validate the SSTLI as a prognostic factor in patients with polytrauma and liver injury through a generalized estimating equation analysis. Methods: The medical records of 521 patients with traumatic liver injury from January 2015 to December 2019 were reviewed. The primary outcome variable was in-hospital mortality. All the risk factors were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The SSTLI has five clinical measures (age, Injury Severity Score, serum total bilirubin level, prothrombin time, and creatinine level) chosen based on their predictive power. Each measure is scored as 0-1 (age and Injury Severity Score) or 0-3 (serum total bilirubin level, prothrombin time, and creatinine level). The SSTLI score corresponds to the total points for each item (0-11 points). Results: The areas under the curve of the SSTLI to predict mortality on post-traumatic days 0, 1, 3, and 5 were 0.736, 0.783, 0.830, and 0.824, respectively. A very good to excellent positive correlation was observed between the probability of mortality and the SSTLI score (γ=0.997, P<0.001). A value of 5 points was used as the threshold to distinguish low-risk (<5) from high-risk (≥5) patients. Multivariate analysis using the generalized estimating equation in the logistic regression model indicated that the SSTLI score was an independent predictor of mortality (odds ratio, 1.027; 95% confidence interval, 1.018-1.036; P<0.001). Conclusions: The SSTLI was verified to predict mortality in patients with polytrauma and liver injury. A score of ≥5 on the SSTLI indicated a high-risk of post-traumatic mortality.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.41-53
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• 1970

Although the radioisotope liver scan has primarily been of use in the detection of the intra-hepatic space occupying lesions, there has been an increasing awareness of its use in evaluation of liver function. In this study, the degree of hepatomegaly, changes in shape and mottling radiodensity on each lobe and splenic visualization in the liver scans done with colloidal radiogold were numerically expressed as scores under the arbitrary standard in 210 patients with liver cirrhosis. The clinical value of this scoring system was studied with special regards to the correlation between the radiogold hepatic uptake half time and conventional liver function tests. Following were the results; 1) The normal scan appeared in 6.7% of 210 patients with liver cirrhosis. 2) The colloidal radiogold hepatic uptake half time was abnormally and progressively prolonged in parallel to severity of hepatocellular dysfunction. The mean hepatic uptake half time in cirrhosis showing normal scan was $2.76{\pm}0.73$ minutes. 3) The scoring system was well correlated with the serum albumin and globulin levels, A/G ratio and BSP retention. There was some correlative tendency in alkaline phosphatase activity. 4) There was no correlation with the thymol turbidity test, cholesterol levels, transaminase activities and bilirubin levels. 5) The spleen was visualized in 38.6% of total patients with liver cirrhosis. Excluding normal scans in liver cirrhosis, the spleen was visualized in 41.3%. 6) The scoring system appears to confirm the clinical diagnosis and to give a reliable estimate of the degree of hepatocellular dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis.

• 대한상한금궤의학회지
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.155-164
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to report the improvement of a patient with nummular eczema treated with Hoeyeok-tang based on Shanghanlun provisions. Methods: According to the disease pattern identification diagnostic system (DPIDS) based on the Shanghanlun provisions, the patient was diagnosed with lesser yin disease according to the 324^th provision. The patient was treated with Hoeyeok-tang for 90 days. The severity of pruritus decreased, and changes in symptoms were estimated by a visual analog scale, Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index and the Validated Investigator Global Assessment for Atopic Dermatitis. Results: The patient's symptoms were improved. The severity of pruritus decreased and they recovered from abrasions. Conclusions: This study suggests that the 324^th provision of Shanghanlun refer directly to nummular eczema.

• 한방안이비인후피부과학회지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.65-73
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• 2011

Background : There are findings indicating that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is affected negatively in atopic dermatitis (AD). Heart rate variability (HRV) is a tool to examine ANS. But, studies investigation the relationship between AD and HRV is rare. Objective : The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between atopic dermatitis severity and HRV and to find out the role of ANS in AD. Methods : Retrospective chart review was performed. The Severity Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index and HRV parameter was investigated and analyzed. Results : There were 55 patients (25males and 30 females) who met the criteria. Objective SCORAD had significant positive correlation with HRT and Subjective SCORAD had significant negative correlation with SDNN, TP and VLF. Intensity item of SCORAD index had negative correlation with most HRV parameters, but TP, LF and LF/HF ratio had significant positive correlation with dryness. Conclusion : This study supports the concept that atopic dermatitis is a stress-responsive disorder and involves autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.398-403
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disease, is accompanied by disruption of the epidermal lipid barrier, of which ceramide (Cer) is the major component. Recently it was reported that vitamin C is essential for de novo synthesis of Cer in the epidermis and that the level of vitamin C in plasma is decreased in AD. The objective of this study was to determine the associations among clinical severity, vitamin C in either plasma or epidermis, and Cer in the epidermis of patients with AD. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 17 patients (11 male and 6 female) aged 20-42 years were enrolled. The clinical severity of AD was assessed according to the SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis) system. Levels of vitamin C were determined in plasma and biopsies of lesional epidermis. Levels of epidermal lipids, including Cer, were determined from tape-stripped lesional epidermis. RESULTS: The clinical severity of patients ranged between 0.1 and 45 (mild to severe AD) based on the SCORAD system. As the SCORAD score increased, the level of vitamin C in the plasma, but not in the epidermis, decreased, and levels of total Cer and Cer2, the major Cer species in the epidermis, also decreased. There was also a positive association between level of vitamin C in the plasma and level of total Cer in the epidermis. However, levels of epidermal total lipids including triglyceride, cholesterol, and free fatty acid (FFA) were not associated with either SCORAD score or level of vitamin C in the plasma of all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: As the clinical severity of AD increased, level of vitamin C in the plasma and level of epidermal Cer decreased, and there was a positive association between these two parameters, implying associations among plasma vitamin C, epidermal Cer, and the clinical severity of AD.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.3-12
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• 2021

Purpose: To evaluate the severity of trauma, many scoring systems and predictive models have been presented. The quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) is a simple scoring system based on vital signs, and we expect it to be easier to apply to trauma patients than other trauma assessment tools. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study of trauma patients who visited the emergency department of Jeju National University Hospital. We excluded patients under the age of 18 years and unknown outcomes. We calculated the qSOFA, the Modified Early Warning Score (mEWS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), and Injury Severity Score (ISS) based on patients' initial vital signs and assessments performed in the emergency department (ED). The primary outcome was mortality within 14 days of trauma. We analyzed qSOFA scores using multivariate logistic regression analysis and compared the predictive accuracy of these scoring systems using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results: In total, 27,764 patients were analyzed. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis of the qSOFA, the adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI) for mortality relative to a qSOFA score of 0 were 27.82 (13.63-56.79) for a qSOFA score of 1, 373.31 (183.47-759.57) for a qSOFA score of 2, and 494.07 (143.75-1698.15) for a qSOFA score of 3. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for the qSOFA, mEWS, ISS, and RTS in predicting the outcomes, for mortality, the AUROC for the qSOFA (AUROC [95% CI]; 0.912 [0.871-0.952]) was significantly greater than those for the ISS (0.700 [0.608-0.793]) and RTS (0.160 [0.108-0.211]). Conclusions: The qSOFA was useful for predicting the prognosis of trauma patients evaluated in the ED.