• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.291-297
• /
• 2003

A human endogenous retroviral family (HERV-W) has recently been described that is related to multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV) sequences that have been identified in particles recovered from monocyte cultures from patients with multiple sclerosis. Two pol fragments (HWP-FB10 and HWP-FBl2) of HERV-W family were identified and analysed by the PCR approach with cDNA library of human fetal brain. They showed 89 percent nucleotide sequence similarity with that of the HERV-W (accession no. AF009668). Deletion/insertion or point mutation in the coding region of the pol fragments from human fetal brain resulted in amino acid frameshift that induced a mutated protein. Phylogenetic analysis of the HERV-W family from GenBank database indicates that the HWP-FB10 is very closely related to the AC000064 derived from human chromosome 7q21-q22. Further studies on the genetic relationship with neighbouring genes and functional role of these new HERV-W pol sequences are indicated.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.207-213
• /
• 2006

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) gastrography in the surgical management of a gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic data of 38 patients who had undergone CT gastrography from among patients who had gastric GISTS surgically resected at the Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, between January 2001 and February 2006. We compared CT gastrography data, including tumor size and location and distance from the gastroesophageal junction or pylorus with endoscopic, surgical and pathologic findings. Results: The longitudinal tumor locations on CT gastrography and endoscopy were identical to the surgical findings. For tumor sizes on CT gastrography of less than 5 cm, we performed 11 (42.3%) laparoscopic wedge resections from among 26 cases. In the 12 cases with tumor sizes of 5 cm or over, only 1 (8.3%) laparoscopic wedge resection was performed. When the tumor was located in the middle third of the stomach, a laparoscopic wedge resection was performed in 88.9% (8/9) of the cases, but when it was located in the upper or lower third, a laparoscopic wedge resection was performed in only 13.8% (4/29) of the cases. Conclusion: Three-dimensional information from CT gastrography allows the surgeon to perform preoperative planning, including accurate localization.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.1057-1067
• /
• 2014

Many genetic variants have been identified to be associated with complex diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cancers throughout genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, there still exist a serious missing heritability problem since the proportion explained by genetic variants from GWAS is very weak less than 10~15%. Gene-gene interaction study may be helpful to explain the missing heritability because most of complex disease mechanisms are involved with more than one single SNP, which include multiple SNPs or gene-gene interactions. This paper focuses on gene-gene interactions with the survival phenotype by extending the multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method to the accelerated failure time (AFT) model. The standardized residual from AFT model is used as a residual score for classifying multiple geno-types into high and low risk groups and algorithm of MDR is implemented. We call this method AFT-MDR and compares the power of AFT-MDR with those of Surv-MDR and Cox-MDR in simulation studies. Also a real data for leukemia Korean patients is analyzed. It was found that the power of AFT-MDR is greater than that of Surv-MDR and is comparable with that of Cox-MDR, but is very sensitive to the censoring fraction.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.341-349
• /
• 2002

The target controlled infusion(TCI) pump system is a logical approach to the development of improved administration techniques of an intravenous anaesthetic agent. The principle of TCI system is based on an understanding of the pharmacokinetic properties, three or four compartment model. The TCI system is optimal and flexible control of the plasma drug concentration. But the clinical goal is always to achieve a therapeutic drug effect, not a therapeutic concentration. So we developed the algorithm to target the concentration at the site of drug effect rather than the concentration in the plasma. If impulse drug is inputted into body, the decline of plasma concentration with time is shown, resulting in the expression of the differential equation. Therefore, we must reformulate our three-compartment model as four-compartment model with the effect compartment. And we tested plasma targeting and effect targeting algorithm by computer simulation using four-compartment model. So we developed the TCI capable of applying all intravenous drugs by adjusting individual pharmacokinetic parameters independently.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.767-776
• /
• 2014

This study estimated productivity change and RTS using Parametric and Non-Parametric approach with 5 year annual data from 2006 to 2010 of 20 public general hospitals in Vietnam collected from Ho Chi Min City Health Department of Health Database. The results could be summarized as follows; First, by the Non-Parametric approach. cumulated productivity growth of 5 years was increased by 2.8% due to regress 5.2% of technical efficiency, 0.3% of pure technical efficiency, but scale efficiency was decreased 5.1% Second, by the Non-Parametric approach, cumulated productivity growth was decreased by 12.8% to due to drop of 17.1% of technical change, 9.1% of scale efficiency. In conclusion, the common result of both approaches was that scale inefficiencies occurs in public hospitals in Vietnam, and they affected productivity change of public hospitals in Vietnam. Namely, 70% to 80% of the analyzed Vietnam public hospitals were at the status of DRS(decreased returns to scale), which suggested that they had oversupply beds relative to the number of occupied patients, it was meaningful that this study was the first study in Korea to measure efficiency and productivity change of Vietnamese public general hospitals and so it could be utilized as the basic information needed to enter hospital industry of Vietnam in the future.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.133-139
• /
• 2012

For the examination of nuclear medicine, myocardial scan is a good method to evaluate a hemodynamic importance of coronary heart disease. but, the automatized qualitative measurement is additionally necessary to improve the decoding efficiency. we suggests the creation of cardiac three-dimensional model and model of three-dimensional cardiac thickness as a new measurement. For the experiment, cardiac reduced cross section was obtained from SPECT. Next, the pre-process was performed and image segmentation was fulfilled by level set. for the modeling of left cardiac thickness, it was realized by applying difference equation of two-dimensional laplace equation. As the result of experiment, it was successful to measure internal wall and external wall and three-dimensional modeling was realized by coordinate. and, with laplace formula, it was successful to develop the thickness of cardiac wall. through the three-dimensional model, defects were observed easily and position of lesion was grasped rapidly by the revolution of model. The model which was developed as the support index of decoding will provide decoding information to doctor additionally and reduce the rate of false diagnosis as well as play a great role for diagnosing IHD early.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.163-170
• /
• 1998

The ultimate goal of total artificial heart is permanent substitute for a failed heart in a patient without any other therapeutic modality. Until now, infection has been the main problem related to the mechanical circulatory support system. The best way to solve this catastrophic complication and to improve the quality of life of TAH patients in terms of tethering must be implantation of TAH totally. The EH-TAH has been developed in NCVC from 1987 for this purpose. The system consists of an energy converter and pumps, which are designed to be placed in abdomen and pericardial space separately for a good anatomical fit. To evaluate the anatomical fit and hemodynamic performance of the EH-TAH, in vivo test was done. General condition of the animal and hemodynamic status had been stable until the TAH stopped on the 11th pumping day. The estimated cardiac output was about 7.7L/min. The values of mean aortic pressure, left and right atrial pressure were 93$\pm$10, 19$\pm$3 and 15$\pm$4 mmHg, respectively. The correlation coefficient between left and right atrial pressure was 0.96, which represents the dynamic function of the interatrial shunt in controlling left-right imbalance of cardiac output. During pumping days, the temperature on the surface of actuator had been maintained at 39.7$\pm$0.4$^{\circ}C$, less than 1$^{\circ}C$ higher than the rectal temperature. The TAH stopped on the 11th day due to mechanical problems. We concluded that the EH-TAH possessed satisfactory basic performance including anatomic fit and hemodynamic adequacy, although there were several mechanical problems to be solved yet.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.17 no.9
• /
• pp.655-662
• /
• 2016

We investigated on the usefulness of MAR algorithm by making a comparison of the CT value between before and after applying the MAR algorithm in dual energy CT, using the various kinds of medical metals, causing the artifact to lead to the low image quality. As a result, the artifact was reduced in most cases (P<0.05); in particular, the artifact was highly reduced (P<0.05) using high density material, like alloy-stainless (reduced by 78.1%) and platinum, for example GDC coil (reduced by 76.1%). The effect of decreasing the Black hole artifact was outstanding in both the alloy-stainless and alloy-titanium (P<0.05). However, in case of GDC coil-a type platinum, white streak artifact was reduced effectively (P<0.05). Therefore, in case of patients who have medical metals inserted, we think that high-quality image information can be provided by decreasing the artifact caused by high density material through MAR algorithm in dual energy CT.

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.290-299
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the change in weight and heart rate associated with the use of phentermine through meta-analysis based on the published literatures. Methods: Eight electronic databases, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and five domestic databases were used to search the literature. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated the change in weight and heart rate with the use of phentermine compared with placebo were included in this study. The fixed-effect model weighted by the Mantel-Haenszel method was used in the meta-analysis, and the random-effects model was used when heterogeneity was present. Results: We included 12 studies comprising 677 patients. The change in weight observed with the use of phentermine (SMD = -1.37, 95% CI: -1.55, -1.19) was statistically significant compared with that observed with placebo. As per the subgroup analysis results, the change in weight by publication year, country, phentermine dosage, follow-up check was not heterogeneous. The change in heart rate observed with the use of phentermine (SMD = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.92) was significant compared with that observed with placebo. Conclusions: Weight loss and increased heart rate were confirmed in phentermine compared with placebo.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.10
• /
• pp.243-249
• /
• 2019

This study examined the patient's advantage and respect self-decision to protect human dignity and values, who are on the pathway of the hospice palliative care and death process. The study subjects were the elderly who had signed the advance medical directives at C Christian religious facilities in S region. The survey period was started on July 1st, 2019 and lasted for ten days. The study resulted in four topics and eight sub-topics on the motivation for preparing advanced medical directives. The four topics were 'for children', 'fear of pain', 'want to clear my life', 'felt the necessity', and the sub-topics were 'don't want to make a burden to children', 'don't want to make a worry of medical expenses', 'fear of pain', 'have experience of taking caring of painful death process', 'relaxed mind', 'importance of self-decision', 'have known it before but now decided', and 'it is the new information and decided'. This research is meaningful in that it can form the basis for improving well-dying education programs for the good death of the elderly and supplementing effective systems for preparing advance medical directives.