• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.243-248
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• 2006

Purpose: Liver demonstrates heterogeneous FDG uptake and sometimes it shows abnormally increased uptake even though there is no malignant tissue. However, there was no previous study to correlate these various pattern of hepatic FDG uptake with benign liver disease. Therefore, we evaluated the significance of hepatic FDG uptake associated with various clinical factors including fatty liver, liver function tests and lipid profiles. Materials and Methods: We reviewed a total of 188 patients (male/female: 120/68, mean age: $50{\pm}9$) who underwent PET/CT for screening of malignancy. Patients with DM, impaired glucose tolerance, previous severe hepatic disease or long-term medication history were excluded. The FDG uptake in liver was analyzed semi-quantitatively using ROI on transaxial images (segment 8) and we compared mean standardized uptake value (SUV) between fatty liver and non-fatty liver group. We also evaluated the correlation between hepatic FDG uptake and various clinical factors including serum liver function test (ALT, AST), ${\gamma}-GT$, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration. The effect of alcoholic history and body mass index on hepatic FDG uptake was analyzed within the fatty liver patients. Results: The hepatic FDG uptake of fatty liver group was significantly higher than that of non-fatty liver group. Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration showed significant correlation with hepatic FDG uptake. However, there was no significant correlation between other factors (ALT, AST, and ${\gamma}-GT$) and FDG uptake. Also there was no difference of mean SUV between normal and abnormal groups on the basis of alcoholic history and body mass Index within fatty liver patients. Fatty liver and high serum triglyceride concentration were the independent factors affecting hepatic FDG uptake according to multivariate analysis. Conclusion: In conclusion, hepatic FDG uptake was strongly correlated with fatty liver and serum triglyceride concentration.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6627-6632
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• 2015

Background: We conducted a study exploring the clinical safety and efficacy of decitabine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), combined with a complex karyotype. Materials and Methods: From April 2009 to September 2013, a total of 35 patients with AML/MDS combined with a complex karyotype diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were included for retrospective analysis. All patients were treated with decitabine alone ($20mg/m^2$ daily for 5 days) or combination AAG chemotherapy (Acla 20mg qod*4d, Ara-C $10mg/m^2$ q12h*7d, G-CSF $300{\mu}g$ qd, the dose of G-CSF adjusted to the amount in blood routinely). Results: In 35 patients, 15 exhibited a complete response (CR), and 6 a partial response (PR), the overall response rate (CR+PR) being 60% (21 of 35). Median disease-free survival was 18 months and overall survival was 14 months. In the 15 MDS patients with a complex karyotype, the CR rate was 53.3% (8 of 15); in 20 AML patients with complex karyotype, the overall response rate was 65% (13 of 20). The response rate of decitabine alone (22 cases) was 56.5% (13 of 22), while in the combination chemotherapy group (13 cases), the effective rate was 61.5% (8 of 13)(P>0.05). There are 15 patients with chromosome 7 aberration, after treatment with decitabine, 7 CR, 3 PR, overall response rate was 66.7% (10 of 15). Of 18 patients with 3 to 5 kinds of chromosomal abnormalities, 66.7% demonstrated a response; of 17 with more than 5 chromosomal abnormalities, 52.9% had a response. In the total of 35 patients, with one course (23 patients) and ${\geq}$two courses (12 patients), the overall response rate was 40.9% and 92.3% (P<0.05). Grade III to IV hematological toxicity was observed in 27 cases (75%). Grade III to IV infections were clinically documented in 7 (20%). Grades I to II non-hematological toxicity were infections (18 patients), haematuria (2 patients), and bleeding (3 patients). With follow-up until September 2013, 7 patients were surviving, 18 had died and 10 were lost to follow-up. In the 6 cases who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) all were still relapse-free survivors. Conclusions: Decitabine alone or combination with AAG can improve outcome of AML/MDS with a complex karyotype, there being no significant difference decitabine in inducing remission rates in patients with different karyotype. Increasing the number of courses can improve efficiency. This approach with fewer treatment side effects in patients with a better tolerance should be employed in order to create an improved subsequent chance for HSCT.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.727-743
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• 1996

To know the floristic composition, vortical distribution and community structure of marine benthic algae inhabiting in the intertidal and subtidal zones of Yongil Bay, east coast of Korea, the study has performed using the quadrat method along a transect line from July, 1995 to June, 1996. In this area, a total of 144 species including 2 new red algae to Korea was found: 5 blue-green, 18 green, 20 brown and 101 red algae. The representative species throughout the year were Ulva pertusa, Gelidium amansii and Symphyocladia latiuscula. Dominant species were Sargassum thunbergii in spring, U. pertusa in summer and autumn. In winter, Chondrus ocellatus and Monostroma grevillei occurred dominantly. The standing crop exhibited mean value as $185.8g/m^2$ dry weight. Maximum value was recorded in spring $(267.3g/m^2)$ and minimum was observed in winter $(93.7g/m^2)$. Shannon's species diversity (H') and evenness (J') as maximum value were recorded in spring, whereas minimum values were shown in winter. Vertical distribution, rerognized by cluster analysis based on relative coverage of the species, could be divided into two or three algal groups except spring. In general, green algae (M. grevillei, Capsosiphon fulvescens, U. pefusa, Enteromorpha compressa) and brown algae (Sargassum fulvellum, S. thunbergii) were represented in the upper and middle zone and red algae (G. amansii, C. ocellatus, S. latiuscula, Crateloupia okamurae, Pachymeniopsis eilliptica) in the lower zone. The algal community varied according to season and environmental conditions. Particularly, seasonal variation of vortical distribution seemed to be affected primarily by water temperature. Also seasonal tidal level and tolerance of algal species to desiccation appeared to be associated with it in this area.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.31-39
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• 2002

Pollutants from industry, mining, agriculture, and other sources have contaminated sediments in many surface water bodies. Sediment contamination poses a severe threat to human health and environment because many toxic contaminants that are barely detectable in the water column can accumulate in sediments at much higher levels. The purpose of this study was to make optimal treatment and disposal plan o( sediment for water quality improvement in small-scale resevoir based on an evaluation of degree of contamination. The degree of contamination were investigated for 23 samples of 9 site at different depth of sediment in small-scale J river. Results for analysis of contaminated sediments were observed that copper concentration of 4 samples were higher than the regulation of hazardous waste (3 mg/L) and that of all samples were exceeded soil pollution warning levels for agricultural areas. Lead and mercury concentration of all samples were detected below both regulations. Necessary of sediment dredge was evaluated for organic matter and nutrient through standard levels of Paldang lake and the lower Han river in Korea and Tokyo bay and Yokohama bay in Japan. The degree of contamination for organic matter and nutrient was not serious. Compared standard levels of Japan, America, and Canada for heavy metal, contaminated sediment was concluded as lowest effect level or limit of tolerance level because standard levels of America and Canada was established worst effect of benthic organisms. The optimal treatment method of sediment contained heavy metal was cement-based solidification/stabilization to prevent heavy metal leaching.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2007

[ $\underline{Purpose}$ ]: To compare radiation therapy alone to combined modality therapy about survival rate and tolerance of elderly patients ($70=or{\geq}$) with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). $\underline{Materials\;and\;Methods}$: Between 1998 and 2002, 57 patients given radiation therapy due to NSCLC (Stage III) were analysed retrospectively. Radiation therapy alone (RT), concurrent chemoradiation (CRT), and sequential chemoradiation (SCRT) was done to 33, 16 and 8 patients, respectively. Patients' median age was 74 (range $70{\sim}85$). Male and female are 51 patients and 6 patients, respectively. 23 patients were stage IIIa and 34 were stage IIIb. Patients' characteristic distribution of RT and CRT was not significantly different except mass size that RT has a bigger than CRT. The fraction size of radiation therapy was 1.8 Gy in CRT and $1.8{\sim}3\;Gy$ in other groups. Total radiation dose was $51{\sim}63\;Gy$ according to the fraction size. If the prescribed total radiation dose was successfully irradiated, we stated that it was completion of radiation therapy. $\underline{Results}$: 52 patients were dead. Median period of radiation therapy was as follow: RT, 35 days, CRT, 60.5 days and SCRT, 35 days. Overall median survival time (MST) was 10.1 months. The 1 yr- and 2 yr-overall survival rate was 39.8% and 17.6%, respectively. MST of RT, CRT and SCRT was 8.9, 8.2 and 11.7 months, respectively. The 1 yr survival rate of RT, CRT and SCRT was 38.4%, 37.5% and 50% (not significant). Patients given incomplete radiation therapy were 12 (RT, 5 CRT, 6 SCRT, 1). N stage (p=0.081) and the difference of treatment methods (p=0.079) were the factors affecting incompletion of radiation therapy, but it was not significant. In case of combined-agents chemotherapy, 4 of 8 ceased radiation therapy. T stage ($T{\geq}3$), mass size (${\geq}5\;cm$), Karnofsky performance scale (${\leq}70$) and completion of radiation therapy were the prognostic factors in uni- and multi-variate analysis. $\underline{Conclusion}$: In elderly patients with NSCLC, radiation therapy alone was a treatment method with similar survival period compared with other methods. Generally, patients given radiation therapy alone was tolerable to a treatment. Before planning concurrent chemoirradiation in elderly patients with NSCLC, physicians pay attention to a selection of patients and chemotherapy agents considering general condition and toxicity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.401-410
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• 2016

Purpose: Water is magnetically charged upon contact with a magnet. Although magnetic water products have been promoted since the 1930's, they have not received wide acceptance since their effectiveness is still in question; however, some have reported their therapeutic effects on the body, especially the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. Methods: In this study, the effect of magnetized water on glycemic control of 14 diabetic mice (CB57BK/KsJ-db/db) in comparison with 10 control mice (CB57BK/KsJ-db/+(db/+)) was investigated. Seven diabetic control (DMC) mice and seven diabetic mice + magnetized water (DM+MW) were kept for 16 weeks, followed by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). Weekly blood glucose was measured from tail veins. Blood obtained from heart puncture was used for HbA1c analysis. Results: Blood glucose level showed a significant difference starting from the $10^{th}$ week of study ($496.1{\pm}10.2mg/dl$ in DMC vs. $437.9{\pm}76.9mg/dl$ in DM+MW). Blood glucose followed by IPGTT showed no significant difference between groups at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min, although glucose level at 180 min was significantly reduced in DM+MW mice. Plasma insulin level in DM+MW groups was only 39.5% of that of DMC groups ($5.97{\pm}1.69ng/ml$ in DMC vs. $2.36{\pm}0.94ng/ml$ in DM+MW). Levels of HbA1c were 12.4% and 9.7% in DMC and DM+MW groups, respectively. Conclusion: These results show the promising therapeutic effect of magnetized water in regulating blood glucose homeostasis; however, long-term supplementation or mechanistic study is necessary.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.481-490
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• 2003

The objectives of this study are (1) to determine the extent and degree of As contamination of the water and sediments influenced by mining activity of the abandoned Au-Ag mines, (2) to examine As speciation In contaminated water, (3) to monitor variation of As contamination in water system throughout the dry and wet seasons, and (4) to investigate the As chemical form in the sediments through the sequential extraction analyses. Natural water(mine water, surface water and groundwater) and sediments were collected in six abandoned Au-Ag mine(Au-bearing quartz veins) areas. The contamination level of As in mine water of the Dongil(524${\mu}m$/L) is more higher than the tolerance level(500 ${\mu}m$/L) for waste water of mine area in Korea. Elevated levels of As in stream water were also found in the Dongil(range of 63.7∼117.6 ${\mu}m$/L.) and Gubong(range of 56.1∼62.9 ${\mu}m$/L) mine areas. Arsenic contamination levels in groundwater used by drinking water were more significant in the Dongil(11.3∼63.5 ${\mu}m$/L), Okdong(0.2∼68.9 ${\mu}m$/L) and Gubong(2.0∼101.0${\mu}m$/L) mine areas. Arsenate[As(V), $H_2AsO_4^-$] is more dominant than arsenite[As(III), $H_3AsO_3$] in water system of the most mine areas. The concentration ratios of As(III) to As(total), however, extend to the 95% in stream water of the Okdong mine area and 70∼82% in groundwater of the Okdong and Dongjung mine areas. As a study of seasonal variation in the water system, relatively high levels of As from the dongil mine area were found in April rather than in September. Sequential extraction analysis showed that As was predominantly present as coprecipitated with Fe hydroxides from sediment samples of the Dongjung and Gubong mine(35.9∼40.5%), which indicates its possibility of re-extraction and inducing elevated contamination of As in the reductive condition. In sediments from the Dongil, Okdong and Hwachon mine area, high percentage(55.2∼83.4%) of As sulfide form was found.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.193-202
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• 2006

The Consultative Meeting of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other matter, 1972 (London Convention 1972) has requested to International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environmental Protection Committee to collaborate and help clarify a boundary issue between International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Shops, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL) and the London Convention concerning 'dumping' versus 'discharges' during normal operations of ships in 2004, and subsequently established a Joint London Convention/MEPC Correspondence Group. The Contracting Parties to London Convention expressed their environmental concerns on the broad interpretation of the "cargo-associated wastes" by the States, which could be discharged by ships under MARPOL. Regulatory regimes for the cargo residues appear to vary among states. Some countries require fur ships to discharge their cargo wastes into the port reception facility and IMO also recommends doing so. This paper examines the related current national and international legal texts for the regulation of disposal of wastes from ships in order to analyze the current global concern on the marine pollution associated with waste discharge during operations of ships. In particular, we attempt to evaluate the likely marine environmental consequences arising from the disposal of cargo residue using an hypothetical case for the coal cargo residue among bulk cargos in this paper, since location, magnitude and frequency of the discharge of coal cargo residues into the sea adjacent to Korean Peninsula are not readily available. The cargo residues may be discharged to the sea according to MARPOL 73/78; however, its marine environmental consequences can be significant depending upon the characteristics and amounts of wastes to be discharged. Also the public tolerance of the environmental consequences would be widely different among nations. Multilateral environmental agreements, in general, more strictly apply their rules if there are other options to disposal at sea, i.e. port reception facility in this case. Therefore, port reception facilities for the wastes generated by ships are recommended to be further constructed in major national ports in order to reduce the risk of environmental damages during the operations of ships.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1168-1179
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• 2017

In this study, we tried to screen the Bacillus strain having safety probability by isolation of strains from traditional fermented food, measurement of probiotic properties, and the fermentative characteristics of Cheonggukjang. We isolated 400 Bacillus-like isolates from traditional fermented foods. Selected strains examined on the prevalent characteristic such as extracellular enzyme and antibacterial activities, and their safety probability was confirmed by biogenic amine productivity, hemolytic, and harmful substances and enzyme productivity. We selected the 5 strains by analysis of biogenic amine, antibacterial and B. cereus toxic associated gene. Five selected strains were examined on cell surface hydrophobicity, and bile and acid tolerance, and we selected the SRCM100730 as the final strain. SRCM100730 was confirmed B. amyloliquefaciens by 16S rRNA sequencing, and named the B. amyloloquefaciens SRCM100730 (KCCM11966P). Finally, we manufactured Cheonggukjang using SRCM100730 for confirmation of fermentation properties. Manufactured Cheonggukjang did not contain B. cereus, and showed that ${\gamma}$-PGA and extracellular enzyme activities were superior to commercial Chunggukjang. Amino nitrogen content was 544.02 mg% and 26 free amino acid were detected, and the bitterness-related amino acid content was lower than commercial Cheonggukjang. Especially, the amount of GABA was 3 fold higher than commercial Cheonggukjang. These results suggest that SRCM100730 have high availability in commercial probiotics market and fermented food industry.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 1980

This study was conducted to detect copper which is considered in the soils of orchards, since copper fungicide has been applied to fruit trees. Soil samples taken from the fields of the chief producing districts of apple (Chungju, Yesan, Daegu), pear (Yangju, Bucheon, Seonghwan) and citrus (Seogypo in Jeju island) were analysed by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results obtained were summarized as follows ; 1. In orchards of apple, the amount of copper of soils from Yesan, Chungju and Daegu were ranged 2.6-171.3ppm, 2.2-136.1ppm and 14.3-134.6ppm, respectively. Very little copper was detected from the soils in the field which has been cultivated for less than 20 years. About 100ppm and 130-170ppm of copper were detected in the field which has been cultivated for 30 years and for 50-60 years, respectively. Most of the copper was detected in the surface layer of soils (0-10cm), while very low content of copper was detected in the deeper layer of soils (10-20cm). 2. In orchards of pear, 20-30ppm of copper was detected from the surface of soils in the field which has been cultivated for more than 30 years and the highest level of copper, 36.8ppm, was detected from Yangju area. The amount of copper of soils from Yangju, Seonghwan and Bucheon were ranged 3.6-36.8ppm, 9.7-19.4ppm and 3.6-24.7ppm, respectively. 3. In orchards of citrus of Jeju island, only trace amount and 23-38ppm of copper were detected in the fields cultivated for 15 years and 20-30 years, respectively. The highest level of copper, 57ppm, was detected from the surface layer of soils in the field which has been cultivated for 35 years, but in most of the soil samples tested, only the natural background level of copper, about 20ppm, was detected. 4. The levels of copper residue in all the soil samples tested were lower than the tolerance level (125ppm of copper which is extracted in 0.1N-HCl solution), except those of copperr residue, 130-170ppm, that were detected from the orchards of apple which have been under cultivation for 50-60 years. Hence no problem for the farming could be speculated with the present concentration of copper analysed.