• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제21권11호
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• pp.1256-1264
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• 2020

Objective: Lung segmentation using volumetric quantitative computed tomography (CT) analysis may help predict outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CT volumetric quantitative analysis and prognosis in patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: CT images from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from February 18 to April 15, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. CT with a negative finding, failure of quantitative analysis, or poor image quality was excluded. CT volumetric quantitative analysis was performed by automated volumetric methods. Patients were stratified into two risk groups according to CURB-65: mild (score of 0-1) and severe (2-5) pneumonia. Outcomes were evaluated according to the critical event-free survival (CEFS). The critical events were defined as mechanical ventilator care, ICU admission, or death. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between the variables and prognosis. Results: Eighty-two patients (mean age, 63.1 ± 14.5 years; 42 females) were included. In the total cohort, male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 9.264; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.021-42.457; p = 0.004), C-reactive protein (CRP) (HR, 1.080 per mg/dL; 95% CI, 1.010-1.156; p = 0.025), and COVID-affected lung proportion (CALP) (HR, 1.067 per percentage; 95% CI, 1.033-1.101; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with CEFS. CRP (HR, 1.164 per mg/dL; 95% CI, 1.006-1.347; p = 0.041) was independently associated with CEFS in the mild pneumonia group (n = 54). Normally aerated lung proportion (NALP) (HR, 0.872 per percentage; 95% CI, 0.794-0.957; p = 0.004) and NALP volume (NALPV) (HR, 1.002 per mL; 95% CI, 1.000-1.004; p = 0.019) were associated with a lower risk of critical events in the severe pneumonia group (n = 28). Conclusion: CRP in the mild pneumonia group; NALP and NALPV in the severe pneumonia group; and sex, CRP, and CALP in the total cohort were independently associated with CEFS in patients with COVID-19.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제57권2호
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• pp.211-227
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• 2024

본 연구에서는 해조류 섭취와 염증과 관련된 유전자의 변이 및 다유전자 위험 점수 간의 상호작용이 염증에 미치는 영향을 확인하였다. 남성과 여성 모두 PRS가 높은 그룹에서 염증 발생 위험은 증가하였다. 본 연구에서는 해조류의 섭취가 염증과 직접적인 관련이 있는 것으로 밝혀지지 않았지만, 해조류 섭취와 다유전자 위험 점수 변이 사이에선 통계적으로 유의한 결과를 보였다. 특히, 낮은 해조류의 섭취는 높은 다유전자 위험 점수를 가진 여성에서 고염증 발생 위험이 높았다. 따라서 본 연구결과는 한국인에게서 작용하는 염증 및 염증질환에 대한 유전자 소인을 파악할 수 있고 면역 체계의 균형 및 건강 유지에 새로운 중재방안을 제시할 수 있음을 기대한다.

• Hip & pelvis
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.25-34
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• 2022

Purpose: Mortality rates following hip fracture surgery have been well-studied. This study was conducted to examine mortality rates in asymptomatic patients presenting for treatment of acute hip fractures with concurrent positive COVID-19(+) tests compared to those with negative COVID-19(-) tests. Materials and Methods: A total of 149 consecutive patients undergoing hip fracture surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic at two academic medical centers were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups for comparative analysis: one group included asymptomatic patients with COVID-19+ tests versus COVID-19- tests. The primary outcome was mortality at 30-days and 90-days. Results: COVID-19+ patients had a higher mortality rate than COVID-19- patients at 30-days (26.7% vs 6.0%, P=0.005) and 90-days (41.7% vs 17.2%, P=0.046) and trended towards an increased length of hospital stay (10.1±6.2 vs 6.8±3.8 days, P=0.06). COVID-19+ patients had more pre-existing respiratory disease (46.7% vs 11.2%, P=0.0002). Results of a Cox regression analysis showed an increased risk of mortality at 30-days and 90-days from COVID-19+ status alone without an increased risk of death in patients with pre-existing chronic respiratory disease. Conclusion: Factors including time to surgery, age, preexisting comorbidities, and postoperative ambulatory status have been proven to affect mortality and complications in hip fracture patients; however, a positive COVID-19 test result adds another variable to this process. Implementation of protocols that will promote prompt orthogeriatric assessments, expedite patient transfer, limit operating room traffic, and optimize anesthesia time can preserve the standard of care in this unique patient population.

• 지능정보연구
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.19-43
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• 2014

전체 결과의 80%가 전체 원인의 20%에 의해 일어난다는 파레토 법칙(Pareto principle)은 상위 20%의 핵심 고객에 대한 우선적인 마케팅을 비롯하여 기업 경영의 많은 부분에서 적용되어 왔다. 파레토 법칙과는 대조적으로, 80%의 사소한 다수가 20%의 핵심적인 소수보다 우월한 가치를 창출한다는 롱테일 법칙(Long Tail theory)은 ICT(Information and Communication Technology)의 발전과 함께 새로운 경영 패러다임으로 주목 받아오고 있다. 본 연구의 목적은 경영 현장에서 양대 흐름을 형성해온 이러한 법칙들이 변화무쌍한 글로벌 가상화 환경에서 기업의 핵심적인 성공 요인이라고 할 수 있는 가상 지식 협업에는 어떻게 관련되는지를 규명하는 것이다. 이를 위해, 대표적인 가상 지식 협업 커뮤니티인 위키피디아에서 품질 최상위 등급인 피쳐드 아티클(Featured Article) 레벨로 승급된 2,978개의 아티클에 대한 협업 행위를 분석하였다. 즉, 각 아티클 그룹에서 편집 횟수 기준 상위 20%에 속하는 참여자들의 총 편집 횟수가 전체 편집 횟수에서 차지하는 비율인 파레토 비율(Pareto ratio)이 지식 협업 효율성과 어떤 관계를 가지고 있는지를 도출하였다. 그리고, 이러한 연구를 편집 참여를 통한 지식 공유에 대한 전체적인 불평등 정도를 나타내는 지니 계수(Gini coefficient)의 영향 및 그룹의 작업 특성을 반영하도록 확장하였다. 결과적으로, 지식 공유의 파레토 비율과 지니 계수가 증가하면 지식 협업 효율성도 높아지지만, 이러한 변수들이 일정 수준 이상으로 증가하면 오히려 지식 협업 효율성이 낮아지는 역 U자(inverted U-shaped) 관계가 있음을 확인하였다. 그리고, 이러한 관계는 인지적 노력을 상대적으로 더 많이 요구하는 학문적인 특성의 작업에서 더 민감하게 작용하는 것으로 보인다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제73권4호
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• pp.224-230
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• 2012

Background: We evaluated the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV), defined as ventilator care for ${\geq}21$ days, who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Korea. Methods: During the study period, a total of 2,644 patients were admitted to the medical ICU, and 136 patients (5.1%) were enrolled between 2005 and 2010. Results: The mean age of the patients was $61.3{\pm}14.5$ years, and 94 (69.1%) were male. The ICU and six-month cumulative mortality rates were 45.6 and 58.8%, respectively. There were 96 patients with tracheostomy placement after admission and their mean period from admission to the day of tracheostomy was $21.3{\pm}8.4$ days. Sixty-three patients (46.3%) were successfully weaned from ventilator care. Of the ICU survivors (n=74), 34 patients (45.9%) were transferred to other hospitals (not university hospitals). Two variables (thrombocytopenia [hazard ratio (HR), 1.964; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.225~3.148; p=0.005] and the requirement for vasopressors [HR, 1.822; 95% CI, 1.111~2.986; p=0.017] on day 21) were found to be independent factors of survival on based on the Cox proportional hazard model. Conclusion: We found that patients requiring PMV had high six-month cumulative mortality rates, and that two clinical variables (measured on day 21), thrombocytopenia and requirement for vasopressors, may be associated with prognostic indicators.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.559-562
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• 2012

Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a significant marker for clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, some proportion of liver cancer patients are AFP-negative (AFP ${\leq}$20ng/ml). In order to study the differences between clinicopathological factors and prognosis of alpha-fetoprotein negative and positive patients, a total of 114 cases (41 AFP-negative and 73 AFP-positive) were selected for our research. By systematically statistical analysis, the results demonstrated that compared with AFP-negative patients, AFP-positive examples were more likely to feature cirrhosis nodules, non-complete neoplasm capsules, and a poor Edmondson-steiner grade. Furthermore, AFP-negative patients demonstrated a favorable long-term prognosis. By univariate analysis and multivariate analysis with Cox's proportional hazards model, multiple tumors were found to be independent risk factors for worse survival of AFP negative patients; however, less tumor-free margins, multiple tumors and Edmondson-steiner grades III/IV, proved to be independent risk factors leading to a poor prognosis of AFP positive cases. Finally, we can infer that high levels of AFP signify a highly malignant tumor and unfavorable prognosis.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제44권9호
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• pp.1256-1263
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• 2015

본 연구에서는 유자가 선천성 면역력에 미치는 효과를 알아보기 위하여 유자 30% 주정추출물(CJE)을 사용하였으며 선천성 면역에 중요한 역할을 하는 대식세포를 이용해 실험하였다. CJE는 마우스 대식세포인 RAW264.7에서 $1,000{\mu}g/mL$의 최고 농도까지 세포독성을 보이지 않았고, 전사인자 $NF-{\kappa}B$와 염증성 매개물질인 COX-2, PGE2의 활성 및 발 현 증강에 영향을 미치며, 특히 $300{\mu}g/mL$의 농도에서부터 유의적 차이를 보이는 것으로 확인되었다. 산화질소 생성능과 대식세포에서 분비되는 사이토카인인 $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$의 발현을 대조군에 비해 농도 의존적으로 증가시킨다는 결과를 얻었으나, IL-6에서는 통계적으로 약간의 유의성이 있는 증가를 보였고 IL-10은 정상대조군에 비해 거의 유의적인 차이를 보이지 않았다. CJE는 또한 NK 세포의 활성을 농도 의존적으로 증가시키고 비장세포의 증식능도 농도 의존적으로 증가시킨다는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과로 미루어 보아 CJE는 인체의 대식세포 활성의 증가를 통해 선천성 면역력을 증가시킬 것으로 판단된다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.354-359
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• 2012

We examined that the protective effects of ANX1 on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced skin inflammation in animal models using a Tat-ANX1 protein. Topical application of the Tat-ANX1 protein markedly inhibited TPA-induced ear edema and expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-$1{\beta}$), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$). Also, application of Tat-ANX1 protein significantly inhibited nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) and phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in TPA-treated mice ears. The results indicate that Tat-ANX1 protein inhibits the inflammatory response by blocking NF-${\kappa}B$ and MAPK activation in TPA-induced mice ears. Therefore, the Tat-ANX1 protein may be useful as a therapeutic agent against inflammatory skin diseases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권23호
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• pp.10209-10215
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• 2015

To assess the contribution of tumor necrosis factor $(TNF){\beta}$ +252 polymorphisms to risk and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we enrolled 150 pairs of sex- and age-matched patients with HCC, patients with cirrhosis alone, and unrelated healthy controls. $TNF{\beta}$ +252 genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism. Multivariate analysis indicated that $TNF{\beta}$ G/G genotype [odds ratio (OR), 3.64; 95%CI, 1.49-8.91], hepatitis B surface antigen (OR, 16.38; 95%CI, 8.30-32.33), and antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) (OR, 39.11; 95%CI, 14.83-103.14) were independent risk factors for HCC. There was an additive interaction between $TNF{\beta}$ G/G genotype and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)/HCV infection (synergy index=1.15). Multivariate analysis indicated that factors associated with $TNF{\beta}$ G/G genotype included cirrhosis with Child-Pugh C (OR, 4.06; 95%CI, 1.34-12.29), thrombocytopenia (OR, 6.55; 95%CI, 1.46-29.43), and higher serum ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein concentration (OR, 2.53; 95%CI, 1.14-5.62). Patients with $TNF{\beta}$ G/G genotype had poor cumulative survival (p=0.005). Cox proportional hazard model indicated that $TNF{\beta}$ G/G genotype was a biomarker for poor HCC survival (hazard ratio, 1.70; 95%CI, 1.07-2.69). In conclusion, there are independent and additive effects between $TNF{\beta}$ G/G genotype and chronic HBV/HCV infection on risk for HCC. It is a biomarker for poor HCC survival. Carriage of this genotype correlates with disease severity and advanced hepatic fibrosis, which may contribute to a higher risk and poor survival of HCC. Chronic HBV/HCV infected subjects with this genotype should receive more intensive surveillance for early detection of HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.139-143
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• 2014

Although correlations between platelets and lung cancer has been recognized, effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis remain to be determined in detail. In the present study, wound healing assays revealed a role of platelets in NSCLC cell migration. Thus the mean migration rate of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells was significantly elevated after co-culture with platelets ($81.7{\pm}0.45%$ vs $41.0{\pm}3.50%$, P<0.01). Expression of GAPDH was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to study the effect of platelets on NSCLC cell proliferation. The result showed that the proliferation of A549 and SPC-A1 cells was not affected. Mouse models were established by transfusing A549 cells and SPC-A1 cells into mice lateral tail veins. We found tumor metastasis nodules in lungs to be increased significantly after co-transfusion with platelets (in A549, $4.33{\pm}0.33$ vs $0.33{\pm}0.33$, P=0.01; in SPC-A1, $2.67{\pm}0.33$ vs $0.00{\pm}0.00$, P=0.01). In addition, consecutive inoperable patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC (TNM stage III or IV) between January 2009 and December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Using the Kaplan-Meier method, NSCLC patients with a high platelet counts demonstrated a significantly shorter progression free survival compared with those with a low platelet count (> $200{\times}10^9/L$, 3 months versus ${\leq}200{\times}10^9/L$, 5 months, P=0.001). An elevated platelet count was also identified as an independent prognostic factor by Cox regression analysis for prgression free survival (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.46; P=0.006). This study suggested that platelets might contribute to the hematogenous metastatic process by promoting cancer cell migration, which eventually affects the prognosis of NSCLC.