• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1355-1360
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• 2015

Background: The number of cancer survivors is increasing globally and recently, higher rates of comorbidities in cancer survivors have been reported. However, no studies have investigated whether cancer survivors have a higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accordingly, our study evaluated the association between cancer survivors and the risk of CKD using the 2010-2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Materials and Methods: A total of 11,407 participants aged 40 years and over were categorized into two groups according to cancer experience. Multiple variables were compared and the odds ratios (ORs) for CKD prevalence were calculated using a weighted logistic regression analysis between the two groups. Results: Cancer survivors were older than were those in the non-cancer group, on average, the percentages of glomerular filtration rate(GFR) lower than $60mL/min/1.73m^2$, proteinuria, and CKD were significantly higher in cancer survivors when compared to controls. Weighted logistic regression analyses demonstrated that cancer survivors had a higher risk for CKD after adjusting for multiple variables (OR (95% confidence interval), 2.88 (1.48-5.59)). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a possible association between CKD and cancer survival in Korean adults. Identifying and correcting risk factors for cancer survivors would positively affect prevention of CKD and result in a better cancer prognosis.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.21-51
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• 2010

This paper examines the knowledge transfer effect in Korean venture systems. Existing literature has provided rich evidence of the effect of knowledge transfer, but we do not have micro mechanisms inherent in the process of knowledge transfer. This paper argues that knowledge transfer effects vary depending on the knowledge types, sources, and legacy. This paper also tests role of the two important pillars in knowledge transfer of Korean venture startups; venture capital and government. This paper also examines the role of absorptive capacity in the knowledge transfer process. With 1,862 sample of Korean venture firms, this study employed three methods depending on 3 different types of dependent variables: hierarchical regression, logistic regression, and survival analysis. Main findings include that 1) knowledge characteristic itself and its alignment with industry influence the knowledge transfer effects, 2) government support has a negative effect on financial performance of venture firms, but does not have significant interaction effect on knowledge transfer, and 3) the absorptive capacity of each firm moderates the knowledge transfer effects. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.739-748
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• 2012

In this paper we propose a mixed effects least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) for the censored data which are observed from different groups. We use weights by which the randomly right censoring is taken into account in the nonlinear regression. The weights are formed with Kaplan-Meier estimates of censoring distribution. In the proposed model a random effects term representing inter-group variation is included. Furthermore generalized cross validation function is proposed for the selection of the optimal values of hyper-parameters. Experimental results are then presented which indicate the performance of the proposed LS-SVM by comparing with a standard LS-SVM for the censored data.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.287-298
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of early implant failure using a single implant system and to identify the factors contributing to early implant failure. Methods: Patients who received implant treatment with a single implant system ($Luna^{(R)}$, Shinhung, Seoul, Korea) at Dankook University Dental Hospital from 2015 to 2017 were enrolled. The following data were collected for analysis: sex and age of the patient, seniority of the surgeon, diameter and length of the implant, position in the dental arch, access approach for sinus-floor elevation, and type of guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedure. The effect of each predictor was evaluated using the crude hazard ratio and the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) in univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, respectively. Results: This study analyzed 1,031 implants in 409 patients, who comprised 169 females and 240 males with a median age of 54 years (interquartile range [IQR], 47-61 years) and were followed up for a median of 7.2 months (IQR, 5.6-9.9 months) after implant placement. Thirty-five implants were removed prior to final prosthesis delivery, and the cumulative survival rate in the early phase at the implant level was 95.6%. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that seniority of the surgeon (residents: aHR=2.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-5.94) and the jaw in which the implant was placed (mandible: aHR=2.31; 95% CI, 1.12-4.76) exerted statistically significant effects on early implant failure after adjusting for sex, age, dimensions of the implant, and type of GBR procedure (preoperative and/or simultaneous) (P<0.05). Conclusions: Prospective studies are warranted to further elucidate the factors contributing to early implant failure. In the meantime, surgeons should receive appropriate training and carefully select the bone bed in order to minimize the risk of early implant failure.

• Investigative and Clinical Urology
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.376-382
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• 2018

Purpose: The authors performed this study to investigate the risk factors for predicting stent failure and to evaluate its impact on prognosis. Materials and Methods: Between January 2002 and March 2017, we retrospectively reviewed 117 consecutive patients who underwent retrograde ureteral stenting and exchanging at least once every 3 months for malignant ureteral obstruction. The patients were classified according to their pre-stenting chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage. The factors affecting stent failure were analyzed using a logistic regression model. Overall survival (OS) was estimated, and the prognostic significance of each variable was estimated using Cox proportional-hazards regression modeling. Results: Before stenting, 91 patients were CKD stages 1-3 and 26 patients were CKD stages 4-5. These two groups differed significantly only in pre-stenting estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), bilateral obstruction, and pre-stenting pyuria. Among the 117 patients, stent failure occurred in 30 patients (25.6%), and there were no differences between the groups. Pre-stenting pyuria and post-stenting complications were significant predictors of stent failure. There were 79 deaths in total, including 56 in the CKD stages 1-3 group and 23 in the CKD stages 4-5 group. In the multivariate analysis predicting patient OS, pre-stenting eGFR and post-stenting disease progression were significant factors. Conclusions: Internal ureteral stenting was effective for maintaining renal function in malignant ureteral obstruction. However, it did not restore renal function, which is related to the prognosis of the patients. Therefore, to improve patients' renal function and prognosis, patients who require stenting must be quickly recognized and treated.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.870-877
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of nitrification based on ammonia loading rates and hydraulic air-loading rates in a moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) under seawater conditions. The goal was to provide foundational data for the design of these bio reactors. At an ammonia loading rate of 0.2 g TAN·m^-2 surface area·day^-1, the influent TAN concentration was determined to be 1.76±0.33 mg·L^-1, which is below the safe concentration for fish survival (2 mg·L^-1). Considering operational aspects, the optimal ammonia-loading rate was derived. Subsequently, experimental results for nitrification efficiency at the optimal ammonia-loading rate revealed that the optimum hydraulic air-loading rate was 1.8 L·air·m^-2 surface area·min^-1. This condition resulted in the lowest concentrations of TAN and NO₂-N in the influent water, thus establishing the optimal hydraulic air-loading rate. A regression equation was derived for the ammonia-removal rate (Y) based on the ammonia-loading rate (x) and expressed as a 0.5-order equation (Y=ax^0.5+b). Specifically, for TAN concentrations of 0-6 mg·L-1, the regression equation Y=0.1683x^0.5-0.13628, was established.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.23-32
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• 2023

Purpose: In radiomics analysis, to evaluate features, and predict genetic characteristics and survival time, the pixel values of lesions depicted in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images are used. CT and MRI offer three-dimensional images, thus producing three-dimensional features (Features_3d) as output. However, in reports, the superiority between Features_3d and two-dimensional features (Features_2d) is distinct. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether a difference exists in the prediction accuracy of radiomics analysis of lung cancer using Features_2d and Features_3d. Methods: A total of 38 cases of large cell carcinoma (LCC) and 40 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were selected for this study. Two- and three-dimensional lesion segmentations were performed. A total of 774 features were obtained. Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, seven Features_2d and six Features_3d were obtained. Results: Linear discriminant analysis revealed that the sensitivities of Features_2d and Features_3d to LCC were 86.8% and 89.5%, respectively. The coefficients of determination through multiple regression analysis and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.68 and 0.70 and 0.93 and 0.94, respectively. The P-value of the estimated AUC was 0.87. Conclusions: No difference was found in the prediction accuracy for LCC and SCC between Features_2d and Features_3d.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.237-246
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• 2004

Purpose: To investigate the effects of radiation dose-escalation on the treatment outcome, complications and the other prognostic variables for glioblastoma patients treated with 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). Materials and Methods: Between Jan 1997 and July 2002, a total of 75 patients with histologically proven diagnosis of glioblastoma were analyzed. The patients who had a Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) of 60 or higher, and received at least 50 Gy of radiation to the tumor bed were eligible. All the patients were divided into two arms; Arm 1, the high-dose group was enrolled prospectively, and Arm 2, the low-dose group served as a retrospective control. Arm 1 patients received $63\~70$ Gy (Median 66 Gy, fraction size $1.8\~2$ Gy) with 3D-conformal radiotherapy, and Arm 2 received 59.4 Gy or less (Median 59.4 Gy, fraction size 1.8 Gy) with 2D-conventional radiotherapy. The Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) was defined by the surgical margin and the residual gross tumor on a contrast enhanced MRI. Surrounding edema was not included in the Clinical Target Volume (CTV) in Arm 1, so as to reduce the risk of late radiation associated complications; whereas as in Arm 2 it was included. The overall survival and progression free survival times were calculated from the date of surgery using the Kaplan-Meier method. The time to progression was measured with serial neurologic examinations and MRI or CT scans after RT completion. Acute and late toxicities were evaluated using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group neurotoxicity scores. Results: During the relatively short follow up period of 14 months, the median overall survival and progression free survival times were $15{\pm}1.65$ and $11{\pm}0.95$ months, respectively. The was a significantly longer survival time for the Arm 1 patients compared to those in Arm 2 (p=0.028). For Arm 1 patients, the median survival and progression free survival times were $21{\pm}5.03$ and $12{\pm}1.59$ months, respectively, while for Arm 2 patients they were $14{\pm}0.94$ and $10{\pm}1.63$ months, respectively. Especially in terms of the 2-year survival rate, the high-dose group showed a much better survival time than the low-dose group; $44.7\%$ versus $19.2\%$. Upon univariate analyses, age, performance status, location of tumor, extent of surgery, tumor volume and radiation dose group were significant factors for survival. Multivariate analyses confirmed that the impact of radiation dose on survival was independent of age, performance status, extent of surgery and target volume. During the follow-up period, complications related directly with radiation, such as radionecrosis, has not been identified. Conclusion: Using 3D-conformal radiotherapy, which is able to reduce the radiation dose to normal tissues compared to 2D-conventional treatment, up to 70 Gy of radiation could be delivered to the GTV without significant toxicity. As an approach to intensify local treatment, the radiation dose escalation through 3D-CRT can be expected to increase the overall and progression free survival times for patients with glioblastomas.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.4 s.20
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• pp.281-287
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and the role of post-operative adjuvant chemoradiation therapy in a stage-II (UICC, 1997) primary gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: From September 1994 to December 2004, 954 stage-II gastric-cancer patients were seen, and all of them underwent a curative resection with extensive (D2) lymph-node dissection. The chemotherapy consisted of fluorouracil $(400mg/m^2)$ plus leucovorin $(20mg/m^2)$ for 5 days, followed by 4,500 cGy of radiotherapy for 5 weeks with fluorourcil and leucovorin on the first 4 days and the last 3 days of radiotherapy. Two five-day cycles of chemotherapy were given four weeks after the completion of radiotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival rates. To assess the importance of potential prognostic factors, we performed univariate and multivariate analyses using a log-rank test and Cox's proportional hazards regression model. A P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Univariate analysis revealed that age, tumor size, gross type, surgical method, and postoperative adjuvant therapy had statistical significance. Among these factors, age, surgical method, tumor size, surgical method, and postoperative adjuvant therapy were found to be independent prognostic factors by using a multivariate analysis. The postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy group and the chemoradiation therapy group had survival benefit compared to the surgery-only group. However the chemoradiation therapy group had no significant survival benefit compared to the chemotherapy group. Conclusion: The postoperative adjuvant therapy in stage-II gastric-cancer patients had significant benefit. Therefore, postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation therapy has an acceptable effect. A large-scale, randomized study is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and the role of postoperative radiation therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3403-3408
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• 2012

The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between expression of RALYL and clinical characteristics. In 41 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues, we used real-time qPCR to evaluate the expression of RALYL mRNA. RALYL protein levels were determined in 146 samples of ccRCC and 37 adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships between expression of RALYL and the clinical characteristics (gender, age, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, survival times and survival outcome) in ccRCC. In addition, these patients were follow-up period 64 months (range: 4~116months) to investigate the influence on prognosis. We found significantly differences between ccRCC tissues and normal tissues (p<0.001, paired-sample t test) in mRNA levels of RALYL. Immunohistochemistry analyses in 146 ccRCC samples and 37 adjacent normal tissues showed significantly lower RALYL protein levels in ccRCC samples (${\chi}^2$-test, p<0.001), inversely correlating with tumour size (p=0.024), T stage (0.005), N stage (p<0.001) as well as M stage (p=0.019), but not age (p=0.357) and gender (p=0.348). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that people with lower level of RALYL expression had a poorer survival rate than those with a higher level of RALYL expression, significantly different by the log-rank test (p=0.011). Cox regression analysis indicated that RALYL expression (p=0.039), N stage (p=0.008) and distant metastasis (p<0.001) were independent prognosis factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. We demonstrated that the expression of RALYL was significantly low in ccRCC and correlated with a poor prognosis in a large number of clinical samples. Our findings showed that RALYL may be a potential therapeutic target as well as a poor prognostic factor.