• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.281-286
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• 2014

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy of women worldwide. In Iraq, breast cancer ranks first among cancers diagnosed in women but no studies have been conducted on incidence trends. The present study of breast cancer in the country during 2000-2009 was therefore performed. Materials and Metbods: The registered data for breast cancer cases were collected from the Iraqi Cancer Registry/Ministry of Health. The significance of incidence rate trends during 2000-2009 was tested using Poisson regression. Age-standardized rates (ASR), and age-specific rates per 100,000 population were calculated. ResultS" A total of 23,792 incident breast cancer cases were registered among females aged ${\geq}15$ years, represented 33.8% of all cancers in females registered during 2000-2009. It ranked first in all the years. The median age at diagnosis was 49 and the mean age was 52 years. The incidence rate of all female breast cancer in Iraq (all ages) increased from 26.6 per 100,000 in 2000 to 31.5 per 100,000 in 2009 (APC=1.14%, p<.0001). The incidence in age groups (40-49), (50-59) and (70+) increased in earlier years and has recently (2005-2009) become stable. The incidence in age group (60-69) did not decline since 2003, while the incidence rates in the age group (15-39) started to decline in 2004. Conclusions' With the Iraqi Cancer Registry data during the period 2000-2009, the incidence of all female breast cancer in Iraq (all ages) has risen. We found rapid increase in the age specific incidence rate among age group 60-69. However, breast cancer among Iraqi women still affects younger age groups than their counterparts in developed countries. Further epidemiological research is needed to examine possible causes and prevention measures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.385-390
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• 2014

Background: Lung cancer is the most frequent malignancy of men worldwide. In Ninawa in Iraq, lung cancer ranks first among cancers diagnosed in men. Since no prior studies have been conducted on incidence trends in our population the present investigation of rates during 2000-2010 was therefore performed. Materials and Methods: Registy data for lung cancer cases were collected from the Directorate of Health in Ninawa-Mosul Continuing Medical Education Center. We restricted our analyses to men categorized according to the age groups of 0- 39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+ years. The significance of incidence rate trends during 2000-2010 was tested using Poisson regression. Age-standardized rates (ASR), and age-specific rates per 100,000 population were calculated. Results: A total of 1,206 incident lung cancer were registered among males, accounting for 15.5% of all male cancers registered during 2000-2010. It ranked first throughout the period. Median age at diagnosis was 69 (mean $66.8{\pm}11.0$) years. The incidence rate of all male lung cancers in Ninawa (all ages) decreased from 26.4 per 100,000 in 2000 to 12.7 in 2010 (APC=-6.55%, p<.0001). The incidences in age groups 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+ decreased in earlier years and recently appeared (2007-2010) stable. The incidence in age group (0-39) remained stable between 2000-2010. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)was the most common type of lung cancer, while adenocarcinoma was relatively rare. Conclusions: With the data from Directorate of Health in Ninawa during the period 2000-2010, lung cancer is the most common cancer but generally declining. Among all age groups, the recent incidence of lung cancer remained stable. The SCC predominance suggests change in tobacco habits as an important factor in the trends observed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1146-1153
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• 2015

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between occurrence of gastric cancer and peptic ulcer, and the presence of H. pylori cagA gene and anti-CagA IgG, and to estimate the value of these antibodies in detecting infection by cagA gene-positive H. pylori strains in Saudi patients. The study included 180 patients who were subjected to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in Taif province and Western region of Saudi Arabia (60 gastric cancer, 60 peptic ulcer, and 60 with non-ulcer dyspepsia). Gastric biopsy specimens were obtained and tested for H. pylori infection by rapid urease test and culture. PCR was performed on the isolated strains and biopsy specimens for detection of the cagA gene. Blood samples were collected and tested for CagA IgG by ELISA. H. pylori infection was detected among 72.8% of patients. The cagA gene and anti-CagA IgG were found in 63.4% and 61.8% of H. pylori-infected patients, respectively. They were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in patients with gastric cancer and peptic ulcer compared with those with non-ulcer dyspepsia. Detection of the CagA IgG was 91.6% sensitive, 89.6% specific, and 90.8% accurate compared with detection of the cagA gene. Its positive and negative predictive values were 93.8% and 86%, respectively. The study showed a significant association between the presence of the cagA gene and gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease, and between anti-CagA IgG and the cagA gene in Saudi patients. However, a further larger study is required to confirm this finding.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2014

In this study, the performances of various adsorbents-red mud, zeolite, limestone, and oyster shell-were investigated for the adsorption of multi-metal ions ($Cr^{3+}$, $Ni^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $As^{3+}$, $Cd^{2+}$, and $Pb^{2+}$) from aqueous solutions. The result of scanning electron microscopy analyses indicated that the some metal ions were adsorbed onto the surface of the media. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the Si(Al)-O bond (red mud and zeolite) and C-O bond (limestone and oyster shell) might be involved in heavy metal adsorption. The changes in the pH of the aqueous solutions upon applying adsorbents were investigated and the adsorption kinetics of the metal ions on different adsorbents were simulated by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The sorption process was relatively fast and equilibrium was reached after about 60 min of contact (except for $As^{3+}$). From the maximum capacity of the adsorption kinetic model, the removal of $Pb^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ were higher than for the other metal ions. Meanwhile, the reaction rate constants ($k_{1,2}$) indicated the slowest sorption in $As^{3+}$. The adsorption mechanisms of heavy metal ions were not only surface adsorption and ion exchange, but also surface precipitation. Based on the metal ions' adsorption efficiencies, red mud was found to be the most efficient of all the tested adsorbents. In addition, impurities in seawater did not lead to a significant decrease in the adsorption performance. It is concluded that red mud is a more economic high-performance alternative than the other tested adsorption materials for applying a removal of multi-metal in seawater.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.1051-1059
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• 2020

Overproduction and accumulation of melanin in the skin will darken the skin and cause skin disorders. So far, components that can inhibit tyrosinase, a melanin synthase of melanocytes, have been developed and used as ingredients of cosmetics or pharmaceutical products. However, most of existing substances can only inhibit the biosynthesis of melanin while melanin that is already synthesized and deposited is not directly decomposed. Thus, their effects in decreasing melanin concentration in the skin are weak. To overcome the limitation of existing therapeutic agents, we started to develop a substance that could directly biodegrade melanin. We screened traditional fermented food microorganisms for their abilities to direct biodegrade melanin. As a result, we found that a kimchi-derived Pediococcus acidilactici PMC48 had a direct melanin-degrading effect. This PMC48 strain is a new strain, different from P. acidilactici strains reported so far. It not only directly degrades melanin, but also has tyrosinase-inhibiting effect. It has a direct melanin-decomposition effect. It exceeds existing melanin synthesis-inhibiting technology. It is expected to be of high value as a raw material for melanin degradation drugs and cosmetics.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.108-112
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• 2000

Objective : Many authors suggest that patients with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage(tSAH) visible on first CT after heve injury had a significantly worse prognosis than patients who do not. The aim of this study is to identify patients with tSAH who present with a bad prognosis by reviewing their clinicoradiological features and plan appropriate treatments. Patients and Methods : We reviewed and analysed the factors that influenced discharge outcomes in 172 patients with tSAH for a 3-year period. The outcome was divided into good(good recovery and moderate disability of glasgow outcome scale) and good(severe disability, vegetative state and death). Results : A regression analysis of statistical significant factors(p<0.05) among the clinical and CT features ranked them by descending order of contribution to Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS) scores at the time of discharge from acute hospitalization as follows 1) clinical : admission Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS), hypotension, CT grade, abnormal APTT, skull fracture, hyperglycemia(>160mg/dl), hypoxia, operation, 2) CT : basal cistern effacement(BCE), mass lesion, cortical sulcal effacement(CSE), midline shift. Conclusion : We have also experienced that the CT grading scale proposed by Green et al is a simple and useful prognostic factor. The authors believe that the patients with high CT grade need adjuvant therapies as of well surgery but it seems mandatory to consider early identification and correction of hypotension, hyperglycemia, and hypoxia in emergency setting.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.352-355
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• 2012

산성광산배수(Acid Mine Drainage)는 낮은 pH, 높은 Sulfate, 상대적으로 높은 Fe, Al, Mn 등의 중금속 농도가 특징으로 다양한 오염인자를 가지고 있으며, 각각의 오염인자가 오염에 미치는 영향이 매우 다양하게 나타난다. 특히 산성광산배수는 유역 내 시각적, 생태학적 문제를 일으켜 많은 환경오염을 야기하고 있으며, 많은 중금속을 용출시켜 주변 하천의 생태계를 파괴하게 된다. 이러한 산성광산 배수에 의한 환경피해의 심각성은 이미 국 내외에서 널리 인식되고 있으며, 이를 효과적으로 관리하기 위해서 산성광산배수의 거동 매커니즘 조사에 대한 연구가 필요하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 금강수계 거풍광산 유역 장연천을 대상으로 하여 광산주변 표토, 계절별 거리별 하천수 및 저질토에서의 오염특성을 조사하고 그 영향을 평가하고자 하였다. 연구결과 하천수의 경우 대부분의 중금속 농도가 오염물질의 축적이 가장 많을 것으로 예상되는 5월에 높은 농도를 보였으며, 강우가 시작되는 6월, 7월까지 건기에 비해 높은 농도를 유지하다가, 강우가 지속됨에 따라 희석되어 농도가 감소되는 현상을 나타냈다. 저질토의 경우도 비슷한 양상을 타나냈다. 거리별 영향의 경우 하천수는 산성광산배수가 유입되는 상류에서 지속적으로 높은 농도를 나타냈으나, 저질토의 경우 건기에는 비슷한 양상을 나타내다가 우기에 강우의 영향으로 하천 하류에서 전체적으로 농도가 높아지는 경향을 나타냈다.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.340-343
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• 2004

Since the tide embankment construction started in 1991, the coastal environment in and around the Saemangeum area has undergone changes rapidly, there is a need for monitoring the environmental change in this region. Owing to high temporal and spatial heterogeneity of the coastal ecosystem and processes as well as the expense with traditional filed sampling at discrete locations, satellite remote sensing measurements offer a unique perspective on mapping a large region simultaneously because of the synoptic and repeat coverage and that quantitative algorithms used for estimating constituents' concentration in the coastal environments. Thus, the main objectives of the present study are to analyze the retrieved Suspended Sediment (SS) pattern to predict changes after the commencement of the tide embankment construction work in 1991. This is accomplished with a series of the Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery acquired from 1985-2002 (a total of 18 imageries). Instead of a simple empirical algorithm, we implement an analytical SS algorithm, developed by Ahn et al. (2003), which is especially developed for estimating SS concentration (SSC) in Case-2 waters. The results show that there is a significant change in SS pattern, which is mainly influenced by the tide and tidal height after the construction of the embankment work. As the construction progressed, the distribution pattern of SS has greatly changed, and the rate of SS concentration in the gap area of the dyke of post-construction has significantly increased.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.471-474
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• 2006

Several planktonic dinoflagellates, including Cochlodinium polykrikoides (p), are known to produce red tides responsible for massive fish kills and serious economic loss in turbid Northwest Pacific (Korean and neighboring) coastal waters during summer and fall seasons. In order to mitigate the impacts of these red tides, it is therefore very essential to detect, monitor and forecast their development and movement using currently available remote sensing technology because traditional ship-based field sampling and analysis are very limited in both space and temporal frequency. Satellite ocean color sensors, such as Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), are ideal instruments for detecting and monitoring these blooms because they provide relatively high frequency synoptic information over large areas. Thus, the present study attempts to evaluate the red tide index methods (previously developed by Ahn and Shanmugam et al., 2006) to identify potential areas of red tides from SeaWiFS imagery in Korean and neighboring waters. Findings revealed that the standard spectral ratio algorithms (OC4 and LCA) applied to SeaWiFS imagery yielded large errors in Chl retrievals for coastal areas, besides providing false information about the encountered red tides in the focused waters. On the contrary, the RI coupled with the standard spectral ratios yielded comprehensive information about various ranges of algal blooms, while RCA Chl showing a good agreement with in-situ data led to enhanced understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of the recent red tide occurrences in high scattering and absorbing waters off the Korean and Chinese coasts. The results suggest that the red tide index methods for the early detection of red tides blooms can provide state managers with accurate identification of the extent and location of blooms as a management tool.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 2003

This study is to provide basic data regarding prevention of VDT syndrome by surveying the computer usage and understanding the VDT subjective symptoms. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire among 617 students in middle and high schools in J city, Chonbuk province from 1 April 2002 to 20 April 2002. Modified and adjusted study tools were used which were based on previous studies on the actual computer usage and the VDT subjective symptoms, and the self-assessment tool for VDT syndrome by Moon et al(1991). Collected data were analyzed by SPSS program. The results were as follows: It showed 97.2% of students in middle schools and 97.6% in high schools to hold personal computer, 92.2% of middle school students and 84.7% of high school students commonly used computer at home. Communication was the obvious reason to use computer in 55.8% of middle school students and 71.6% of high school students. The mean of the VDT subjective symptoms among students in high schools showed $1.09{\pm}.69$ which higher than that of $.80{\pm}.59$ among students in middle schools (t=5.666, p=.000). Musculoskeletal symptom was marked the highest in the scoring of VDT subjective symptoms among students in middle and high schools. The higher grade, The more pocket money, The less breaks or exercise taken during computer use, The more they feel harmful about using computer, The actual time of computer longer than 3 hours per use were contributed to the higher score of the VDT subjective symptoms among students. There are suggestions following this study: To establish a systematic preventative program and management regarding the current computer use among students especially in relation to the VDT subjective symptoms. To develop better educational programs for parents regarding time-limit and to create appropriate environment in computer use.