• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.231-235
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• 2014

Elevated serum uric acid levels are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including gout, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. Several genome-wide association studies on uric acid levels have implicated the ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G, member 2 (ABCG2) gene as being possibly causal. We investigated an association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2725220 in the ABCG2 gene and uric acid levels in the Korean population. A total of 991 subjects in Seoul City were used for a replication study with ABCG2 SNP rs2725220. The rs2725220 SNP in the ABCG2 gene was associated with mean uric acid levels (effect per allele 0.25 mg/dL, p < 0.0001). Subjects with the GC/CC genotype had a 1.78-fold (range, 1.22- to 2.62-fold) higher risk of having abnormal uric acid levels (${\geq}7.0mg/dL$) than subjects with the GG genotype. When analyzed by gender, the association with ABCG2 was stronger in men than in women. The association with ABCG2 was much stronger in male subjects with body mass index (BMI) ${\geq}26.4$ (odds ratio, 5.09; 95% confidence interval, 2.41 to 10.8) than in male subjects with BMI < 26.4. This study clearly demonstrates that genetic variations in ABCG2 influence uric acid levels in Korean adults.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.81-90
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the strategic behaviors of the Broadcasting advocacy coalition and IT advocacy coalition in the process of establishing the Korea Communications Commission(KCC) in 2008. Broadcasting and telecommunications convergence policy has been confronted with long-term conflicts because of ideological clashes between public interest and industrialism and stakeholder relations. Under this circumstance, the two advocacy coalitions sought to bring out the favorable outcomes through strategic behavior. However, the strategic behaviors were limited, and the establishment of the Korea Communications Commission was decided by political negotiation. Since then, KCC has been buried in political issues and has produced policy failure cases. In order to reduce these adverse effects, it is necessary to establish institutional devices in the reorganization process. Above all, efforts are needed to overcome the practice of using organizational restructuring as a political tool.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2016

Several prospective studies on laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer have been initiated, but no prospective study evaluating laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy or laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy has been completed to date. A non-randomized confirmatory trial was commenced in April 2015 to evaluate the safety of laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy and laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy for clinical stage I gastric cancer. A total of 245 patients will be accrued from 42 Japanese institutions over 3 years. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients with anastomotic leakage. The secondary endpoints are overall survival, relapse-free survival, proportion of patients with completed laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy or laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy, proportion of patients with conversion to open surgery, adverse events, and short-term clinical outcomes. The UMIN Clinical Trials Registry number is UMIN000017155.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.62-74
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• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of laser therapy for diabetic ulcer by using methods of systematic review. Methods : In this review, PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of Science, CNKI, CiNii, J-STAGE, NDSL and OASIS were used as the search engines. The search period is from the start date of the search engine to October 3, 2016. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) using laser therapy for diabetic ulcer were searched and extracted by two independent researchers. Risk of bias(RoB) of Cochrane was used to assess methodological quality of studies. Results : Finally, five RCTs were selected. The follow-up period ranged from 15 days to 20 weeks. InGaAlP laser, GaAlAs laser and light emitting diode(LED) were used to treat diabetic ulcer. The clinical trials used sham laser irradiation or standard treatment as control in comparison to laser therapy. The endpoints included ulcer size, rate of healing and time to healing with follow-up period. The RCTs demonstrated therapeutic outcomes with no adverse effect. Most items of RoB were unclear and methodological quality was low. Conclusions : Our analysis suggests that laser therapy has therapeutic effects for diabetic ulcer. However, more systematic and stringent clinical trials will be required.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2018

Background: Work and work environment have a critical influence on adolescent workers' health. They are subjected to more risks than adults. The aim of this study is to examine psychological health outcomes in adolescent workers in the areas of depression, somatization, anxiety, hostility, and negative self-concept, and to investigate any related factors. Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. Research samples were collected from adolescent workers between 15 and 18 years old attending a 1-day mandatory education course at vocational training centers, working 5 days per week in small enterprises. Data were collected using the following instruments: Brief Symptom Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Descriptive Characteristics of Children's Assessment Form. Results: The investigation covers 837 young workers, of whom 675 were males and 162 were females. The majority of the families had low incomes (68.1%). Overall, 33.5% of the adolescents had been hospitalized because of health problems. Their average weekly working hours were $78.1{\pm}10.7$. Almost 50% of adolescent workers scored above the mean average in the Brief Symptom Inventory, indicating serious pschological health symptoms. Those who scored high for hostility, depression, negative self-concept, anxiety, and somatization were between 45.4% and 48.9% of the sample. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the underlying factors: a perception of "feeling very bad" health conditions was 2.07-fold whereas the rate of "no annual leave" was 0.73-fold, and both were found to be effective on psychological problems. Conclusion: In this study, it seems likely that psychological health problems are the result of multiple adverse factors including working conditions, annual leave, and health considerations.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.45 no.2 s.142
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• pp.111-114
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• 2007

Chloroquine remains the drug of choice for the treatment of vivax malaria in Thailand. Mixed infections of falciparum and vivax malaria are also common in South-East Asia. Laboratory confirmation of malaria species is not generally available. This study aimed to find alternative regimens for treating both malaria species by using falciparum antimalarial drugs. From June 2004 to May 2005, 98 patients with Plasmodium vivax were randomly treated with either artemether-lumefantrine (n = 47) or chloroquine (n = 51). Both treatments were followed by 15 mg of primaquine over 14 days. Adverse events and clinical and parasitological outcomes were recorded and revealed similar in both groups. The cure rate was 97.4% for the artemether-lumefantrine treated group and 100% for the chloroquine treated group. We concluded that the combination of artemether-lumefantrine and primaquine was well tolerated, as effective as chloroquine and primaquine, and can be an alternative regimen for treatment of vivax malaria especially in the event that a mixed infection of falciparum and vivax malaria could not be ruled out.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.180-184
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• 2010

Objective : To prevent temporal depression after the pterional craniotomy, this study was designed to examine the safety and aesthetic efficacy of the brushite calcium phosphate cement (CPC) in the repair and augmentation of bone defects following the pterional craniotomy. Methods : The brushite CPC was used for the repair of surgically induced cranial defects, with or without augmentation, in 17 cases of pterional approach between March, 2005 and December, 2006. The average follow-up month was 20 with range of 12-36 months. In the first 5 cases, bone defects were repaired with only brushite CPC following the contour of the original bone. In the next 12 cases, bone defects were augmented with the brushite CPC rather than original bone contour. For a stability monitoring of the implanted brushite CPC, post-implantation evaluations including serial X-ray, repeated physical examination for aesthetic efficacy, and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) were taken 1 year after the implantation. Results : The brushite CPC paste provided precise and easy contouring in restoration of the bony defect site. No adverse effects such as infection or inflammation were noticed during the follow-up periods from all patients. 3D-CT was taken 1 year subsequent to implantation showed good preservation of the brushite CPC restoration material. In the cases of the augmentation group, aesthetic outcomes were superior compared to the simple repair group. Conclusion : The results of this clinical study indicate that the brushite CPC is a biocompatible alloplastic material, which is useful for prevention of temporal depression after pterional craniotomy. Additional study is required to determine the long-term stability and effectiveness of the brushite calcium phosphate cement for the replacement of bone.

• Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.357-362
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• 2018

Background: The up-regulation of the lipogenic pathway has been reported in many types of malignant tumors. However, its pathogenic role or clinical significance is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to examine the expression levels of adipophilin and related hypoxic signaling proteins and to determine their prognostic impacts and associations with the pathologic characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: Expression levels of adipophilin, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), carbonic anhydrase IX, and hypoxia-inducible factor $1{\alpha}$ were examined by immunohistochemical staining using tissue microarray blocks. Correlations between protein expression levels and various clinicopathologic features were analyzed. Results: A total of 230 cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the lung were enrolled in this study. Adipophilin expression was more frequent in males and with the solid histologic type. It was correlated with HSP27 expression. Patients with adipophilin-positive adenocarcinoma showed a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (median PFS, 17.2 months vs 18.4 months) in a univariable survival analysis, whereas HSP27 positivity correlated with favorable overall survival (OS) and PFS. In a multivariable analysis, adipophilin and HSP27 were independent prognostic markers of both OS and PFS. Conclusions: Activated lipid metabolism and the hypoxic signaling pathway might play a major role in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma, especially in the solid histologic type.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.114-117
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• 2016

A research project, the "Construction of Frailty Cohort for Elderly and Intervention Study," funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has been ongoing since December 2015. The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS) aims to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults, as well as means of prevention. KFACS is a multicenter, longitudinal study, with the baseline survey being conducted in 2016-2017. The sample (n=3,000) consists of those aged 70-84 years, stratified by age and gender, recruited from urban and rural regions nationwide. An in-person interview and health examination are performed every 2 years. This project is also conducting many intervention studies. Project interventions focus on nutrition and exercise. The nutritional intervention study compares the effects of 1.2 g/kg versus 1.5 g/kg daily protein intake on sarcopenia and frailty in older Koreans. The exercise trial examines the effectiveness of an information and communication technology-based program in preventing or reducing frailty.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.191-197
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• 2014

Background: Disabling fatigue is common in the working age population. It is essential that occupational health (OH) professionals are up-to-date with the management of fatigue in order to reduce the impact of fatigue on workplace productivity. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of one-day workshops on OH professionals' knowledge of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and their confidence in diagnosing and managing these in a working population. Methods: Five interactive problem-based workshops were held in the United Kingdom. These workshops were developed and delivered by experts in the field. Questionnaires were self-administered immediately prior to, immediately after, and 4 months following each workshop. Questionnaires included measures of satisfaction, knowledge of fatigue and CFS, and confidence in diagnosing and managing fatigue. Open-ended questions were used to elicit feedback about the workshops. Results: General knowledge of fatigue increased significantly after training (with a 25% increase in the median score). Participants showed significantly higher levels of confidence in diagnosing and managing CFS (with a 62.5% increase in the median score), and high scores were maintained 4 months after the workshops. OH physicians scored higher on knowledge and confidence than nurses. Similarly, thematic analysis revealed that participants had increased knowledge and confidence after attending the workshops. Conclusion: Fatigue can lead to severe functional impairment with adverse workplace outcomes. One-day workshops can be effective in training OH professionals in how to diagnose and manage fatigue and CFS. Training may increase general knowledge of fatigue and confidence in fatigue management in an OH setting.