• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.28-38
• /
• 2018

Purpose: To evaluate the medical expenditures for prostate cancer patients, including out-of-pocket costs, and compared the costs between androgen deprivation therapy and radical prostatectomy treatment. Methodology: This study combined clinical data from 357 prostate cancer patients from the Smart Prostate Cancer Database and the medical expenditure data from the claims and cost databases. We used the independent two-sample t-tests to compare androgen deprivation therapy and radical prostatectomy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify determining factors for androgen deprivation therapy and radical prostatectomy treatments. Findings: The medical costs of androgen deprivation therapy treatment were much lower than radical prostatectomy treatment at the one year and remained lower until the fourth-year. However, after four years, the accumulated medical expenditures of androgen deprivation therapy become significantly higher than radical prostatectomy treatment. Patients with a higher cancer stage and older age had higher chances of being treated using androgen deprivation therapy treatment than radical prostatectomy treatment. Practical Implications: Our results show that early detection of cancer reduces the treatment cost for both patients and insurance payers. It also demonstrates that cost comparisons should be conducted over long periods of time in order to most accurately assess the costs.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.61-71
• /
• 2000

By screening a cDNA library of auxin-treated mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) hypocotyls, we have isolated two full-length cDNA clones, pVR-ACS6 and pVR-ACS7, for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway. While PVR-ACS6 corresponds to the previously identified PCR fragment pMBA1, pVR-ACS7 is a new cDNA clone. A comparison of deduced amino acid sequences among auxin-induced ACC synthases reveal that these enzymes share a high degree of homology (65-75%) to VR-ACS6 and VR-ACS7 polypeptides, but only about 50% to VR-ACS1 polypeptide. ACS6 and ACS7 are specifically induced by auxin, while ACS1 is induced by cycloheximide, and to lesser extent by excision and auxin treatment. Results from nuclear run-on transcription assay and RNA gel blot studies revealed that all three genes were transcriptionally active displaying unique patterns of induction by IAA and various hormones in etiolated hypocotyls. Particularly, 24-epibrassinolide (BR), an active brassinosteroid, specifically enhanced the expression of VR-ACS7 by distinct temporal induction mechanism compared to that of IAA. In addition, BR synergistically increased the IAA-induced VR-ACS6 and VR-ACS7 transcript levels, while it effectively abolished both the IAA- and kinetin-induced accumulation of VR-ACS1 mRNA. In light-grown plants, VR-ACS1 was induced by IAA in roots, whereas W-ACS6 in epicotyls. IAA- and BR-treatments were not able to increase the VR-ACS7 transcript in the light-grown tissues. These results indicate that the expression of ACC synthase multigene family is regulated by complex hormonal and developmental networks in a gene- and tissue-specific manner in mung bean plants. The VR-ACS7 gene was isolated, and chimeric fusion between the 2.4 kb 5'-upstream region and the $\beta$-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was constructed and introduced into Nicotiana tobacum. Analysis of transgenic tobacco plants revealed the VR-ACS7 promoter-driven GUS activity at a highly localized region of the hypocotyl-root junction of control seedlings, while a marked induction of GUS activity was detected only in the hypocotyl region of the IAA-treated transgenic seedlings where rapid cell elongation occurs. Although there was a modest synergistic effect of BR on the IAA-induced GUS activity, BR alone failed to increase the GUS activity, suggesting that induction of VR-ACS7 occurs via separate signaling pathways in response to IAA and BR.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.104-108
• /
• 2016

The objective of this study was to determine how feeding forage and concentrate separately (SF) or as a total mixed ration (TMR) affects enteric methane production of cattle. Six Holstein steers ($203{\pm}22.5kg$) were used in a $2{\times}3$ changeover design experiment. Experimental diets (TMR and SF) consisted of compound feed, timothy hay and soybean curd residue in a ratio of 40:48:12, respectively, and diets were fed at 10% of metabolic body weight, on an as-fed basis. There were no differences in dry matter intake and enteric methane production (g/d) between SF and TMR but the methane conversion rate (methane energy/GE intake) of TMR was significantly higher (p=0.05) than that of SF. The mean methane emission factor (kg/head/year) and conversion rate of the two treatments were 21.4 and 0.05, respectively. There was a strong relationship between metabolic body weight and enteric methane production (p<0.001). At the present time, further studies may be necessary in order to establish the effects of TMR and SF on enteric methane production.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.39 no.11
• /
• pp.1684-1690
• /
• 2010

The properties of non-waxy rice, Dongjin 1, cultivated with conventional farming (CF) and environmentally-harmonized farming (EHF) using hairy vetch were compared to determine rice water absorption, physicochemical and pasting properties, antioxidant activities of brown and white rice, and a sensory evaluation of cooked white rice was carried out. EHF was treated with green manure crops such as hairy vetch and chitinase, which produce microorganism culture solution. CF was applied with seed disinfection treatments, fertilizer herbicides, and agricultural chemicals for the control of pests and diseases. The absorption level of EHF rice was higher than that of CF rice grain, regardless of the cultivation methods used. The ash and crude lipid contents were higher, but protein and dietary fiber contents were lower in the CF rice than in the EHF rice. The total starch content, water binding capacity, and swelling power of white rice were higher than those of brown rice, regardless of the cultivation methods used. The DPPH's antioxidant activity was shown as follows: EHF brown rice, EHF white rice and CF rice, in a decreasing order. The initial pasting temperature of EHF rice was lower than that of CF rice, but the peak, cold, and breakdown viscosities exhibited reverse trends. The sensory evaluation showed that the cooked white rice cultivated with EHF was not significantly different from that cultivated with CF (p<0.05). The overall preference of cooked rice did not show significant differences between the two cultivation methods (p<0.05).

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.210-227
• /
• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the Korean medicine treatment on whole-body nummular eczema. Methods : This case study was conducted with a 66-year-old female patient who has whole-body nummular eczema treated by Korean medicine. She was treated from 2021.3.30 to 2021.6.28. During the treatment, the two herbal medicines were changed depending on the patient's condition. We treated her with herbal medicine, herbal external preparations and acupuncture treatment. For the evaluation of the results, we used photo comparison, VAS, and DLQI. Results : After the treatment, the nummular eczema lesions of patient was remarkably improved. Also, the VAS grade of other symptoms such as pruritus, burning sense, oozing, crusting and erythema were decreased and DLQI score changed from 27 to 2. Conculsions : This study suggests that Korean medicine treatments are effective for patient with recurrent nummular eczema.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.231-237
• /
• 2017

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are conditions with significant morbidity and mortality. Proximal DVT has a significant association with PE and possible fatal outcomes. Traditionally, PE is subdivided into symptomatic PE and asymptomatic PE, which have different treatments, preventions and prognoses. The growing utilization of computed tomography pulmonary angiography has led to increased detection of PE in DVT patients. This study examined the clinical characteristics and compared symptomatic PE and asymptomatic PE following proximal DVT. Methods: The medical records of 258 DVT inpatients from July, 2012 to June, 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. After excluding the patients who did not performed PE evaluation and were not diagnosed with PE, 95 patients diagnosed with PE following proximal DVT were enrolled in this study. They were divided into the symptomatic PE group and asymptomatic PE group. Results: The body weight, body mass index, thrombus size, thrombus length and location were similar in the two groups. The symptomatic PE following proximal DVT group showed an older age, higher incidence of emergency department access (85.0% vs. 38.7%, p<0.001) and preceding infection (25.0% vs. 1.3%, p<0.001) as well as a higher incidence of immobilization (45.0% vs 13.3%, p=0.016). In the multivariate logistic regression study, preceding infection and emergency department access showed significant association with symptomatic PE. Conclusion: In proximal DVT inpatients, symptomatic PE was associated with emergency department access and preceding infection. The possibility of a symptomatic PE event should be considered in proximal DVT patients, especially those who were admitted through the emergency department and had preceding infection.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.11
• /
• pp.1510-1518
• /
• 2010

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lighting schedule and nutrient density on growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 576 day old Arbor Acre male chickens was used with a $4{\times}2$ factorial arrangement. The four lighting schedules were continuous (23 L:1 D, CL), 20 L:4 D (12 L:2 D:8 L:2 D), 16 L:8 D (12 L:3 D:2 L:3 D: 2 L:2 D) and 12 L:12 D (9 L:3 D:1 L:3 D:1 L:3 D:1 L:3 D) and provided by incandescent bulbs. The two nutrient densities were high (H, starter diet: 13.39 MJ/kg apparent metabolisable energy (AME), 23.00% crude protein (CP); finisher diet: 13.39 MJ AME/kg, 19.70% CP) and low energy and protein level (L, starter diet: 12.03 MJ AME/kg, 20.80% CP; finisher diet: 12.14 MJ AME/kg, 18.30% CP). Houses with dark curtains and solid sidewalls were used. Chickens were randomly allocated to the 8 treatments with each treatment comprising 6 replicates of 12 chickens. Feed and water were available ad libitum. Lighting schedules showed no difference (p>0.05) in growth performance at the end of the experiment. 12 L:12 D significantly reduced (p<0.05) the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to 23 L:1 D treatment. Intermittent lighting (IL) schedules produced higher protein content (p<0.001) in breast meat. Birds on high density diets had higher body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) (p<0.001), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p<0.001) throughout the experiment with the exception of 36 to 42 d. High nutrient density increased (p<0.05) abdominal fat, decreased (p<0.05) the moisture loss of meat, and reduced percentage of wings and legs. There was a significant lighting schedule${\times}$diet interaction (p<0.001) on FCR for days 8 to 14 and 15 to 21. Results indicated that IL can give similar growth performance in comparison with CL, meanwhile with positive effects on meat quality by increasing protein content and decreasing the concentration of MDA. High nutrient density resulted in greater growth performance.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.16-22
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing the spontaneous decolonization period of vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE) species in pediatric patients. Methods: The medical records of patients presenting positive VRE cultures between January 2005 and November 2010 at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea, were reviewed retrospectively. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the average number of days for decolonization (325 days). Clinical characteristics were compared between shorter VRE colonization patients (<325 days, n=41) and prolonged VRE colonization patients (>325 days, n=110). Results: There were 151 patients who had more than 1 year of follow up period or confirmed of VRE decolonization among patients who were identified with VRE. The average age at the time of initial VRE colonization was significantly younger in shorter decolonization group than in prolonged decolonization group (44.9 months vs 40.9 months, P =0.040). The prolonged decolonization group received more vancomycin treatments after VRE colonization in comparison with patients in shorter decolonization group (7.0% vs 27.2%, P =0.008). Conclusion: For the duration of VRE colonization, it was found that the initial age of acquiring VRE and use of antibiotics were important factors. Antibiotics should be used properly and precisely in order to treat infectious diseases and to control the colonization of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.11
• /
• pp.6579-6584
• /
• 2013

Background: With effective early treatments, many breast cancer patients suffer from psychological distress due to adverse effects and lifelong physical disfigurement. Our study aimed to evaluate the psychopathological profile of breast cancer patients in comparison with healthy women and explored demographic correlates. Method: We consecutively enrolled breast cancer patients who came to the hospital for follow-up or rehabilitation care after primary treatment, and healthy female relatives or friends of inpatients in the Cancer Institute of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between August 30, 2010 and January 1, 2012. Psychopathological profile was assessed based on the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) for patients and controls. We compared demographics such as age, ethnicity, education, marriage, and occupation, and incorporated these data plus cancer status for the association with the general SCL-90-R index and scores for 9 major symptom dimensions in multiple regression analysis. Results: We surveyed a total of 291 female breast cancer patients and 531 healthy women. The average age was $55.1{\pm}6.40$ years for breast cancer patients and $43.1{\pm}12.8$ for healthy controls (P<0.01). The mean survival was 5.20 years for cancer patients (range, 0.60-9.90 years). There were statistically significant differences in education, marriage, and occupation between the two groups (P<0.01). General index ($1.45{\pm}0.45$ versus $1.32{\pm}0.37$) and 8 dimension scores (excluding anxiety) on SCL-90-R were significantly higher in patients (P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that the breast cancer status was positively correlated with general SCL-90-R index and 6 dimension scores (excluding the anxiety, phobic anxiety and paranoid ideation dimensions) (P<0.05). Regression coefficients ranged from 0.10 (depression) to 0.19 (somatization). Higher interpersonal sensitivity was noticed in single women compared to married women. Conclusions: Chinese patients with breast cancer demonstrate greater psychopathology compared to healthy controls. The breast cancer status is an independent contributing factor to the general psychopathological profile. Breast cancer patients should be given particular counseling and care to alleviate their psychological distress.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.327-332
• /
• 1999

The recovery activation energy, the order of reaction and the recovery rate constant were detemined by isochronal and isothermal annealing treatment to investigate the recovery behaviors of neutron irradiated Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steels$(fluence: 2.3\times10^{19}ncm^{-2}, 553K, E\geq1.0 MeV)$. Vickers microhardness tests were conducted to trace the recovery behavior after heat treatments. The results were analyzed in terms of recovery stages, behavior of responsible defects and recovery kinetics. It was shown that recovery occurred through two annealing stages(stage I : 703-753K, stage n : 813-873K) with re$\infty$very activation energies of 2.5 eV and 2.93 eV for each stage I and n, respectively. From the comparison of unirradiated and irradiated isochronal anneal curves, a radiation anneal hardening(RAH) peak was identified at around 813K. Most of recovery have occurred during about 120 min irrespective of isothermal annealing temperatures of 743K and 833K. Recovery rate constants were determined to be $3.4\times10^{-4}min^{-1} and 7.1\times10^{-4}min^{-1}$ for stage I and II, respectively. The order of reaction was about 2 for both recovery stages. Comparing the obtained data with those of previously reported results on neutron irradiated Mn- Mo- Ni steels, the thermal recovery be­havior of the present material seems to occur by the dissociation of point defect clusters formed during irradiation, and by the recombination process of self-interstitials and vacancies from dissociated vacancy clusters.