• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.55-64
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• 1999

In Yugoslavia, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is one of the important national health problem, but no vaccine has been used to prevent HFRS. Since first HFRS case in 1952, sporadic cases of HFRS occurred every year and over 4,000 registered cases with $1{\sim}16%$ mortality so far. We performed a prospective, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of $Hantavax^{TM}$ against HFRS in 3,900 healthy adults living in the endemic areas of Yugoslavia. 1,900 people were given 0.5 ml of Hantavax subcutaneously twice at one month interval and a booster shot at one year after. For controls other 2,000 healthy people were given 0.5 ml of physiolosical saline as a placebo. We investigated HFRS cases in both the vaccinated and nonvaccinated groups by monitoring the program for patient registration in the areas from 1996 to 1998, and the effect of vaccine was analyzed epidemiologically. No confirmed case of HFRS was observed among 1,900 Hantavax vaccinees, while 20 confirmed cases were observed among 2,000 nonvaccinated control group. There were no remarkable side effects among the vaccinees either locally or in general after inoculation of the vaccine. The Hantavax vaccine showed statistically significant protective efficacy against HFRS among Yugoslavian people.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.516-522
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• 2009

In this study, the effects of a mixture consisting of vitamin E, vitamin C, pycnogenol and evening primrose oil (mixture LGNC-5) on ultraviolet light (UV) induced pigmentation and wrinkle reductions of normal healthy volunteers were studied. In a double-blind placebo-controlled study, each of 54 subjects took daily either 4 capsules of the mixture LGNC-5 (Group ABC; 282.5 mg/capsule) or placebo (Group Ganada). We irradiated 2.5 MED UV on the upper arms and measured the whitening effect by colorimeter-based L value. The level of wrinkle reduction was determined by image analysis using skin replica around the crow' feet, and the level of serum vitamin E was determined at baseline and 12 weeks. After 12-week oral administration, the treated group showed a significant reduction in skin pigmentation and wrinkles compared with the placebo group (p = 0.011 and p = 0.000005, respectively). Also, the level of serum vitamin E was significantly increased in the treated group after 12-week oral adminstration of the mixture compared with that in the placebo group (p = 0.0001). In conclusion, 12-week oral administration of LGNC-5 as a dietary supplement could be effective to reduce both UV induced pigmentation and skin wrinkle without side effects.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2008

Retinal prosthesis is regarded as the most feasible method for the blind caused by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age related macular degeneration (AMD). Recently Korean consortium launched for developing retinal prosthesis. One of the prerequisites for the success of retinal prosthesis is the optimization of the electrical stimuli applied through the prosthesis. Since electrical characteristics of degenerate retina are expected to differ from those of normal retina, we performed voltage stimulation experiment both in normal and degenerate retina to provide a guideline for the optimization of electrical stimulation for the upcoming prosthesis. After isolation of retina, retinal patch was attached with the ganglion cell side facing the surface of microelectrode arrays (MEA). $8{\times}8$ grid layout MEA (electrode diameter: $30{\mu}m$, electrode spacing: $200{\mu}m$, and impedance: $50k{\Omega}$ at 1 kHz) was used to record in-vitro retinal ganglion cell activity. Mono-polar electrical stimulation was applied through one of the 60 MEA channel, and the remaining channels were used for recording. The electrical stimulus was a constant voltage, charge-balanced biphasic, anodic-first square wave pulse without interphase delay, and 50 trains of pulse was applied with a period of 2 sec. Different electrical stimuli were applied. First, pulse amplitude was varied (voltage: $0.5{\sim}3.0V$). Second, pulse duration was varied $(100{\sim}1,200{\mu}s)$. Evoked responses were analyzed by PSTH from averaged data with 50 trials. Charge density was calculated with Ohm's and Coulomb's law. In normal retina, by varying the pulse amplitude from 0.5 to 3V with fixed duration of $500{\mu}s$, the threshold level for reliable ganglion cell response was found at 1.5V. The calculated threshold of charge density was $2.123mC/cm^2$. By varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1,200{\mu}s$ with fixed amplitude of 2V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$. The calculated threhold of charge density was $1.698mC/cm^2$. Even after the block of ON-pathway with L-(1)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB), electrical stimulus evoked ganglion cell activities. In this APB-induced degenerate retina, by varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1200{\mu}s$ with fixed voltage of 2 V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$, which is the same with normal retina. More experiment with APB-induced degenerate retina is needed to make a clear comparison of threshold of charge density between normal and degenerate retina.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.157-163
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• 2008

Retinal prosthesis is regarded as the most feasible method for the blind caused by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration. One of the prerequisites for the success of retinal prosthesis is the optimization of the electrical stimuli applied through the prosthesis. Since electrical characteristics of degenerate retina are expected to differ from those of normal retina, we investigated differences of the retinal waveforms in normal and degenerate retina to provide a guideline for the optimization of electrical stimulation for the upcoming prosthesis. After isolation of retina, retinal patch was attached with the ganglion cell side facing the surface of microelectrode arrays (MEA). $8{\times}8$ grid layout MEA (electrode diameter: $30{\mu}m$, electrode spacing: $200{\mu}m$, and impedance: 50 $k{\Omega}$ at 1 kHz) was used to record in-vitro retinal ganglion cell activity. In normal mice (C57BL/6J strain) of postnatal day 28, only short duration (<2 ms) retinal spikes were recorded. In rd/rd mice (C3H/HeJ strain), besides normal spikes, waveform with longer duration (~100 ms), the slow wave component was recorded. We attempted to understand the mechanism of this slow wave component in degenerate retina using various synaptic blockers. We suggest that stronger glutamatergic input from bipolar cell to the ganglion cell in rd/rd mouse than normal mouse contributes the most to this slow wave component. Out of many degenerative changes, we favor elimination of the inhibitory horizontal input to bipolar cells as a main contributor for a relatively stronger input from bipolar cell to ganglion cell in rd/rd mouse.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2008

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of red-yeast-rice supplementation on cholesterol-lowering and glucose control in subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFT) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). We conducted a doubleblind, placebo-controlled study with 3 groups; placebo, low dose group (red yeast rice 210.0mg/capsule, 2.52g/day) and high dose group (red yeast rice 420.0mg/capsule, 5.04g/day), which were randomly assigned to subjects with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. We measured fasting serum concentrations of total-, LDL-, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, insulin, free fatty acid (FFA) and 2 h oral glucose tolerence test (OGTT) before and after the supplementation. Both low dose and high dose groups had significant decrease in LDL cholesterol and atherogenic index (AI) compared with placebo group (p<0.05). Additionally, total and HDL cholesterol improved significantly in high dose group compared with placebo group (p<0.05). Fasting serum glucose decreased in test groups and increased in placebo group after intervention. However, it was not significant differences. In subjects which fasting blood glucose is more than 110mg/dL, fasting glucose had a tendency to decrease in high dose group (p<0.1) and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) had significant decrease in low dose group (p<0.05), while insulin and HOMA-IR had a tendency to increase in placebo group after intervention. Mean changes of glucose related parameters (fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR) compared with placebo group did not show significant differences. In conclusion, subjects with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance were significantly improved in serum lipid profile by red yeast rice supplementation without serious side effects. These are more effective in the case of a high dose. The effects of red yeast rice supplementation on glucose control were insignificant.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.486-490
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• 2015

Two-demensional echocardiography is routinely used for evaluation of cardiac function. Visualization of the endocardial border is essential for the assessment of global and regional left ventricular with cardiac disease. SonoVue$^{TM}$ is a microbubble contrast agent that consists of sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubbles in a phospholipid shell. There were many studies about contrast echocardiographic examination using SonoVue$^{TM}$ contrast agent, and various doses of SonoVue$^{TM}$ were used. To our knowledge, in published veterinary medicine, there was not reported for diagnostic efficient dose of SonoVue$^{TM}$ to evaluate contrast enhanced left ventricular endocardial border delineation (LVEBD). The purpose of this study is to compare the visualization time of LVEBD and find efficient dose of SonoVue$^{TM}$ for using various doses in dogs. Ten healthy Beagles were recruited to the study. Three different doses (0.03 ml/kg, 0.05 ml/kg and 0.1 ml/kg) of SonoVue$^{TM}$ were injected. Endocardial segments were assigned based on previously established methodology, where by the four-chamber views of the LV were divided into 6 segments. In this study, Contrast enhancement of the LVEBD after each injection was evaluated visually at the time point of overall contrast enhancement (Segmental scoring 5+) in the LV by three investigators in a blind manner. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 14.0. All data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, the multiple comparison Scheffe test. When data for the three offsite readers were combined, mean durations of useful contrast were $3.54({\pm}2.14)$, $6.15({\pm}2.61)$, and $24.39({\pm}11.10)$ seconds for the 0.03 ml/kg, 0.05 ml/kg, and 0.1 ml/kg SonoVue$^{TM}$ doses, respectively. After injection of contrast agent, there were no significant change in side effects such as urticaria, angioedema, hypersensitivity reactions, and digestive system disorders. This study suggests that efficient dose of SonoVue$^{TM}$ contrast agent for improvement of the left ventricle visualization is 0.1 ml/kg. The duration of useful enhancement of LVEBD and the reproducibility were also the highest at the 0.1 ml/kg dosage.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.76-81
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• 2014

Purpose: Diversity and the lachrymal duct deformities and the passage inside the nasal cavity except for anterior image such as epiphora happens during the test were able to express more precisely during the dacryoscintigraphy. Also, we thought about the necessity of a method to classify the passage into the naso-lachrymal duct from epiphora. Therefore, we are to find the validity of the method to obtain both oblique views except for anterior views. Materials and Methods: The targets of this research are 78 patients with epiphora due to the blockage at the lachrymal duct from January 2013 to August 2013. Average age was $56.96{\pm}13.36$. By using a micropipette, we dropped 1-2 drops of $^{99m}TcO4^-$ of 3.7 MBq (0.1 mCi) with $10{\mu}L$ of each drop into the inferior conjunctival fold, then we performed dynamic check for 20 minutes with 20 frames of each minute. In case of we checked the passage from both eyes to nasal cavity immediately after the dynamic check, we obtained oblique view immediately. If we didn't see the passage in either side of the orbit, we obtained oblique views of the orbit after checking the frontal film in 40 minutes. The instrument we used was Pin-hole Collimator with Gamma Camera(Siemens Orbiter, Hoffman Estates, IL, USA). Results: Among the 78 patients with dacryoscintigraphy, 35 patients were confirmed with passage into the nasal cavity from the anterior view. Among those 35 patients, 15 patients were confirmed with passage into the nasal cavity on both eyes, and it was able to observe better passage patterns through oblique view with a result of 8 on both eyes, 2 on left eye, and 1 on right eye. 20 patients had passage in left eye or right eye, among those patients 10 patients showed clear passage compared to the anterior view. 13 patients had possible passage, and 30 patients had no proof of motion of the tracer. To sum up, 21 patients (60%) among 35 patients showed clear pattern of passage with additional oblique views compared to anterior view. People responded obtaining oblique views though 5 points scale about the utility of passage identification helps make diagnoses the passage, passage delayed, and blockage of naso-lachrymal duct by showing the well-seen portions from anterior view. Also, when classifying passage to naso-lachrymal duct and flow to the skin, oblique views has higher chance of classification in case of epiphora (anterior:$4.14{\pm}0.3$, oblique:$4.55{\pm}0.4$). Conclusion: It is considered that if you obtain oblique views of the bilateral orbits in addition to anterior view during the dacryoscintigraphy, the ability of diagnose for reading will become higher because you will be able to see the areas that you could not observe from the anterior view so that you can see if it emitted after the naso-lachrymal duct and the flow of epiphora on the skin.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.95-118
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• 2017

Recent centrally the downtown area, the transaction between the row housing and multiplex housing is activated and platform services such as Zigbang and Dabang are growing. The row housing and multiplex housing is a blind spot for real estate information. Because there is a social problem, due to the change in market size and information asymmetry due to changes in demand. Also, the 5 or 25 districts used by the Seoul Metropolitan Government or the Korean Appraisal Board(hereafter, KAB) were established within the administrative boundaries and used in existing real estate studies. This is not a district classification for real estate researches because it is zoned urban planning. Based on the existing study, this study found that the city needs to reset the Seoul Metropolitan Government's spatial structure in estimating future housing prices. So, This study attempted to classify the area without spatial heterogeneity by the reflected the property price characteristics of row housing and Multiplex housing. In other words, There has been a problem that an inefficient side has arisen due to the simple division by the existing administrative district. Therefore, this study aims to cluster Seoul as a new area for more efficient real estate analysis. This study was applied to the hedonic model based on the real transactions price data of row housing and multiplex housing. And the K-Means Clustering algorithm was used to cluster the spatial structure of Seoul. In this study, data onto real transactions price of the Seoul Row housing and Multiplex Housing from January 2014 to December 2016, and the official land value of 2016 was used and it provided by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport(hereafter, MOLIT). Data preprocessing was followed by the following processing procedures: Removal of underground transaction, Price standardization per area, Removal of Real transaction case(above 5 and below -5). In this study, we analyzed data from 132,707 cases to 126,759 data through data preprocessing. The data analysis tool used the R program. After data preprocessing, data model was constructed. Priority, the K-means Clustering was performed. In addition, a regression analysis was conducted using Hedonic model and it was conducted a cosine similarity analysis. Based on the constructed data model, we clustered on the basis of the longitude and latitude of Seoul and conducted comparative analysis of existing area. The results of this study indicated that the goodness of fit of the model was above 75 % and the variables used for the Hedonic model were significant. In other words, 5 or 25 districts that is the area of the existing administrative area are divided into 16 districts. So, this study derived a clustering method of row housing and multiplex housing in Seoul using K-Means Clustering algorithm and hedonic model by the reflected the property price characteristics. Moreover, they presented academic and practical implications and presented the limitations of this study and the direction of future research. Academic implication has clustered by reflecting the property price characteristics in order to improve the problems of the areas used in the Seoul Metropolitan Government, KAB, and Existing Real Estate Research. Another academic implications are that apartments were the main study of existing real estate research, and has proposed a method of classifying area in Seoul using public information(i.e., real-data of MOLIT) of government 3.0. Practical implication is that it can be used as a basic data for real estate related research on row housing and multiplex housing. Another practical implications are that is expected the activation of row housing and multiplex housing research and, that is expected to increase the accuracy of the model of the actual transaction. The future research direction of this study involves conducting various analyses to overcome the limitations of the threshold and indicates the need for deeper research.