• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.173-183
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• 2006

Purpose of this study was to estimate of soil erosion, which is related with crop productivity and water quality in watershed, in Seonakdong river watershed using USLE. The data set for USLE estimation were derived from detailed digital map(K factor), satellite imagery(C and P factors) and DEM(LS factor). The R factor was calculated by AWS data from Kimhae agricultural technology center. The soil loss from arable land was equivalent of 31.5% of total soil loss in Seonakdong river watershed. The soil loss amount of paddy field and upland were 2.8% and 97.2% of arable land, respectively, even in the area where paddy field was occupied much largely as 76.3%. The reason of large amount of soil loss from upland was that 30.4% of upland was distributed at "severe" and "very severe" soil erosion grade in watershed. The distribution of soil erosion grade during cropping season(May-Sept.) was similar to the annual soil loss. Soil erosion of non-cropping season(Oct.-Apr.) was small due to a low R factor. But, soil erosion grade of near mountain footslope areas showed severe and very severe even in non-cropping season.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.399-405
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• 1997

Progesterone is necessary for successful pregnancy and had immunosuppressive properties. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from many women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion responded to trophoblast extract in vitro by prolifertion and releasing soluble, heat-labile factors that are toxic to mouse embryos (embryotoxic factors). Accumulating evidence suggests that T Helper (Th)-1 type immunity to trophoblast is correlated with embryotoxic factor production and is associated with pregnancy loss, while Th2-type immunity is associated with successful gestation. The objective of this study was to determine whether progesterone can inhibit Th1-type cytokine secretion (IFN-${\gamma}$, TNF-${\alpha}$) by trophoblast-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 23 nonpregnant women (age 25-35) with unexplained recurrent abortion (median 5, range 3 to 15)who otherwise produce embryotoxic factors in response to trophoblast. We also determined whether progesterone affected Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) in this system in vitro and if IL-10 (1,500 pg/mL) could inhibit Th1-type immunity to trophoblast. IFN-${\gamma}$ was detected in 17 of 23 (74%) trophoblast stimulated PBMC culture supernatants ($77.94{\pm}23.79$ pg/mL) containing embryotoxic activity. TNF-${\alpha}$ was detected in 19 (83%) of these same supernatants ($703.15{\pm}131.36$ pg/mL). In contrast, none of the supernatants contained detectable levels of IL-4 or IL-10. Progesterone ($10^{-5}$, $10^{-7}$, $10^{-9}$M) inhibited Th1-type immunity in a dose dependent manner, but had no effect on Th2-type cytokine secretion. The inhibitory effects of progesterone were abrogated with RU486, but did not affect Th2-type cytokine secretion in trophoblast-activated cell cultures. IL-10, like progesterone also inhibited Th1-type cytokine secretion but had no effect on Th2-type cytokines. These data suggest that therapies designed to suppress Th1-type cytokine secretion in women with recurrent abortion who have evidence of Th1-type immunity to trophoblast may be efficacious in preventing pregnancy loss and should be tested in appropriately designed clinical trials.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.753-758
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• 1985

Hemorrhage is an important complication after operation with cardiopulmonary bypass and sometimes necessitates a further emergency operation. Between July, 1962 and June, 1985, reoperation for hemorrhage was carried out on 81 patients [3.1%] out of a total 2634 patients who had previously undergone cardiopulmonary bypass surgery at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Yonsei University Medical Center. There were 38 males and 43 females, with an average age of 25 years [ranging 6 months to 60 years] and an average body weight of 38 kg [ranging 5 to 77 kg].There were 43 patients of cyanotic heart disease, 32 patients of acquired valvular heart disease, 4 patients of coronary artery occlusive disease, 2 patients of ascending aorta aneurysm and annuloaortic ectasia. The average amount of blood loss in the case of cyanotic heart disease was 71.7140ml/kg, in acyanotic heart disease 45.16.3ml/kg, in acquired heart disease, 56.514.4ml/kg and in coronary artery occlusive disease, 50.618.7ml/kg during first post operative day. But there was no statistical difference [p>0.05]. The mean blood loss below 10 years old was 70.412.1 ml/kg. Those below 10 years old were believed to bleed more than any other group. But there was also no statistical difference [p>0.05]. Indications for reoperation were continued excessive blood loss [74%], cardiac tamponade or hypotension [23%] and radiological evidence of a large hematoma in the thorax and pericardium [2%]. Average bypass time was 2.10.1 hours [ranging 30 minutes to 5 hours]. The interval between operation and reoperation was as follows; less than 12 hours in 49 patients [60%], 12 to 24 hours in 20 patients [25%], 24 to 48 hours in 8 patients [10%], more than 48 hours in 4 patients [5%]. The commonest sites for bleeding were chest wall [36%], heart [34%], aorta [12%], pericardium [6%], thymus [5%] and others [6%]. But no definite source was found in ll patients [31%]. Twenty seven out of 81 patients [31%] had wound problems and 5 patients [6%] were expired. [Mean SEM]. In conclusion, in order to decrease the amount of blood loss after open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, shortening of bypass time and bleeding control at the wire suture site during chest wall closure were important. If the amount of blood loss was over 45 ml/kg or 8 m/kg/hour, reoperation should be considered as soon as possible. After operating, careful wound dressings were applied to prevent wound problems.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

Quality deterioration during storage such as weight and fruit firmness loss after harvest is one of the main problems in summer cultivation of mini paprika. Objective of this study was to determine appropriate storage temperature and duration in the mini paprika('Hivita Yellow' and 'Hivita Red'). More fruit firmness loss during storage was observed at higher storage temperature. Fruit firmness of 'Hivita Yellow' at $20^{\circ}C$ was $99.6g/cm^2$ after a 5-day storage whereas that decreased by $73.0g/cm^2$ after a 40-day storage. Storing 'Hivita Yellow' at $8^{\circ}C$ showed the lowest fruit firmness loss with 109.7 and $92.7g/cm^2$ after a 5-day and a 40-day storage, respectively. In both cultivars, soluble solids content of fruits was higher at $20^{\circ}C$ than at 4, 8 and $12^{\circ}C$. Higher temperature triggered more water loss of the fruits with more occurrence of soft rot and shriveling symptoms. The changes in electrolyte conductivity of fruits during storage was higher in the fruits at lower temperature. Fruit stored at $20^{\circ}C$ showed the highest respiration(more $CO_2$ and less $O_2$) during storage than fruits at the other storage temperatures.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.444-449
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• 2009

Different neurodegenerative disorders like prion disease, is caused by protein misfolding conformers. Reverse-transfected cytosolic prion protein (PrP) and PrP expressed in the cytosol have been shown to be neurotoxic. To investigate the possible mechanism of neurotoxicity due to accumulation of PrP in cytosol, a PrP mutant lacking the signal and GPI (CytoPrP) was introduced into the SH-SY5Y cell. MTT and trypan blue assays indicated that the viability of cells expressing CytoPrP was remarkably reduced after treatment of MG-132. Obvious apoptosis phenomena were detected in the cells accumulated with CytoPrP, including loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, increase of caspase-3 activity, more annexin V/PI-double positive-stained cells and reduced Bcl-2 level. Moreover, DNA fragmentation and TUNEL assays also revealed clear evidences of late apoptosis in the cells accumulated CytoPrP. These data suggest that the accumulation of CytoPrP in cytoplasm may trigger cell apoptosis, in which mitochondrial relative apoptosis pathway seems to play critical role.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1031-1043
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• 2022

Objective: To compare digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and MRI as an adjunct to full-field digital mammography (FFDM) for the preoperative evaluation of women with breast cancer based on mammographic density. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 280 patients with breast cancer who had undergone FFDM, DBT, and MRI for preoperative local tumor staging. Three radiologists independently sought the index cancer and additional ipsilateral and contralateral breast cancers using either FFDM alone, DBT plus FFDM, or MRI plus FFDM. Diagnostic performances across the three radiologists were compared among the reading modes in all patients and subgroups with dense (n = 186) and non-dense breasts (n = 94) according to mammographic density. Results: Of 280 patients, 46 (16.4%) had 48 additional (39 ipsilateral and nine contralateral) cancers in addition to the index cancer. For index cancers, both DBT plus FFDM and MRI plus FFDM showed sensitivities of 100% in the non-dense group. In the dense group, DBT plus FFDM showed lower sensitivity than that of MRI plus FFDM (94.6% vs. 99.6%, p < 0.001). For additional ipsilateral cancers, DBT plus FFDM showed specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% in the non-dense group, but sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) were not statistically different from those of MRI plus FFDM (p > 0.05). In the dense group, DBT plus FFDM showed higher specificity (98.2% vs. 94.1%, p = 0.005) and PPV (83.1% vs. 65.4%; p = 0.036) than those of MRI plus FFDM, but lower sensitivity (59.9% vs. 75.3%; p = 0.049). For contralateral cancers, DBT plus FFDM showed higher specificity than that of MRI plus FFDM (99.0% vs. 96.7%, p = 0.014), however, the other values did not differ (all p > 0.05) in the dense group. Conclusion: DBT plus FFDM showed an overall higher specificity than that of MRI plus FFDM regardless of breast density, perhaps without substantial loss in sensitivity and NPV in the diagnosis of additional cancers. Thus, DBT may have the potential to be used as a preoperative breast cancer staging tool.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8607-8612
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• 2014

Background: Breast cancer patients experience a variety of altered appearance - such as loss or disfigurement of breasts, discolored skin, and hair loss - which result in psychological distress that affect their quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic status on the altered appearance distress, body image, and quality of life among Korean breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at advocacy events held at 16 different hospitals in Korea. Subjects were eligible to participate if they were 18 years of age or older, had a histologically confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer, had no evidence of recurrence or metastasis, and had no psychological problems at the time of the survey. Employment status, marital status, education, and income were assessed for patient socioeconomic status. Altered appearance distress was measured using the NCI's cancer treatment side effects scale; body image and quality of life were measured by the EORTC QLC-C30 and BR23. Means and standard deviations of each outcome were compared by socioeconomic status and multivariate linear regression models for evaluating the association between socioeconomic status and altered appearance distress, body image, and quality of life. Results: A total of 126 breast cancer patients participated in the study; the mean age of participants was 47.7 (SD=8.4). Of the total, 83.2% were married, 85.6% received more than high school education, 35.2% were employed, and 41% had more than $3000 in monthly household income. About 46% had mastectomy, and over 30% were receiving either chemotherapy or radiation therapy at the time of the survey. With fully adjusted models, the employed patients had significantly higher altered appearance distress (1.80 vs 1.48; p<0.05) and poorer body image (36.63 vs 51.69; p<0.05) compared to the patients who were unemployed. Higher education (10.58, standard error (SE)=7.63) and family income (12.88, SE=5.08) was positively associated with better body image after adjusting for age, disease stage at diagnosis, current treatment status, and breast surgery type. Similarly, patients who were married and who had higher education had better quality of life were statistically significant in the multivariate models. Conclusions: Socioeconomic status is significantly associated with altered appearance distress, body image, and quality of life in Korean women with breast cancer. Patients who suffer from altered appearance distress or lower body image are much more likely to experience psychosocial, physical, and functional problems than women who do not, therefore health care providers should be aware of the changes and distresses that these breast cancer patients go through and provide specific information and psychosocial support to socioeconomically more vulnerable patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.373-379
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• 2013

Background: Although caregiving to patients with terminal illness is known to be a stressful burden to family members, little attention has been focused on work-related problems. We aimed to investigate employment status and work-related difficulties of family caregivers of terminal cancer patients, comparing with the general population. Methods: Using structured questionnaires, we assessed family caregivers of 481 cancer patients determined by physicians to be terminally ill, from 11 university hospitals and the National Cancer Center in Korea. Results: Among 381 family caregivers of terminal cancer patients (response rate, 87.6%), 169 (43.9%) were not working before cancer diagnosis, but currently 233 (63.7%) were not working. Compared with the general population (36.5%), the percentage of not working among the family caregivers was higher (OR=2.39; 95%CI=1.73-3.29). A major reason for not working was to provide assistance to the patients (71.6%). 40.6% of those who continued working and 32.3% of those who not working family members reported extreme fatigue. Caregivers of old age, those who were female, those with a lower household income, and those caring for patients with a low performance status were not working at a more significant rate. Conclusion: Family caregivers of terminal cancer patients suffer job loss and severe work-related difficulties, probably due to caregiving itself and to fatigue. We need to develop supportive programs to overcome the burden of caregivers of the terminally ill.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.270-275
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• 2005

Dust cores (compressed powder cores) of $Fe-6.0wt\%Si$ alloy with a size of $35\~180\;{\mu}m$ in diameter have been prepared by phosphate coatings and annealings at $600\~900^{\circ}C$ for 1 h in nitrogen atmosphere. Further the magnetic and mechanical properties of the powder cores were investigated. As a general trends, the compressive strength and core loss decreased with the increase in annealing temperature. When annealed at $800^{\circ}C$, the compressive strength was 15 kgf, the permeability and quality factor were 74 and 26, respectively. Moreover the core loss at 50 kHz and 0.1 T induction was $750\;mW/cm^3$, and the percent permeability under the static field of 50 Oe was estimated to be about 78. In addition, the cut-off frequency in the cure representing the frequency dependence of effective permeability was measured to be around 200 kHz. These properties of the $Fe-6.0wt\%Si$ alloy dust cores could be considered to be due to the good insulation effect of iron-phosphate coats, the decrease in magnetocrystalline anisotropy and saturation magnetostriction and the increase in electric resistivity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1388-1393
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• 2015

Genetic parameters of Berkshire pigs for reproduction, carcass and meat quality traits were estimated using the records from a breeding farm in Korea. For reproduction traits, 2,457 records of the total number of piglets born (TNB) and the number of piglets born alive (NBA) from 781 sows and 53 sires were used. For two carcass traits which are carcass weight (CW) and backfat thickness (BF) and for 10 meat quality traits which are pH value after 45 minutes (pH45m), pH value after 24 hours (pH24h), lightness in meat color (LMC), redness in meat color (RMC), yellowness in meat color (YMC), moisture holding capacity (MHC), drip loss (DL), cooking loss (CL), fat content (FC), and shear force value (SH), 1,942 pig records were used to estimate genetic parameters. The genetic parameters for each trait were estimated using VCE program with animal model. Heritability estimates for reproduction traits TNB and NBA were 0.07 and 0.06, respectively, for carcass traits CW and BF were 0.37 and 0.57, respectively and for meat traits pH45m, pH24h, LMC, RMC, YMC, MHC, DL, CL, FC, and SH were 0.48, 0.15, 0.19, 0.36, 0.28, 0.21, 0.33, 0.45, 0.43, and 0.39, respectively. The estimate for genetic correlation coefficient between CW and BF was 0.27. The Genetic correlation between pH24h and meat color traits were in the range of -0.51 to -0.33 and between pH24h and DL and SH were -0.41 and -0.32, respectively. The estimates for genetic correlation coefficients between reproductive and meat quality traits were very low or zero. However, the estimates for genetic correlation coefficients between reproductive traits and drip and cooking loss were in the range of 0.12 to 0.17 and -0.14 to -0.12, respectively. As the estimated heritability of meat quality traits showed medium to high heritability, these traits may be applicable for the genetic improvement by continuous measurement. However, since some of the meat quality traits showed negative genetic correlations with carcass traits, an appropriate breeding scheme is required that carefully considers the complexity of genetic parameters and applicability of data.