• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2003

Objectives: The authors intended to evaluate long-term outcome of group cognitive behavioral therapy(GCBT) for panic disorder and examined the variables to predict high end-state functioning in 12 months follow-up. Methods: 236 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder were assessed by STAI, ASI, BDI, BSQ, PBQ, ACQ at pre & post treatment, and were asked about the frequency of panic attacks during recent one month. We executed stepwise discriminant analysis on the clinical variables at pre treatment assessment to find the variables for discriminating between high end-state function(HES) and low end-state function(LES). Results: After GCBT, 82.6% of panic patients maintained high end-state functioning at 12 months follow-up. The results of discriminant analysis showed that BDI and BSQ at pre treatment assessment were significant variables to predict end-state functioning at 12 months follow-up. The hit ratio of discriminant analysis was 69.2%. Conclusion: These results suggest that the therapeutic effect of GCBT can be maintained through 12 months. Especially, it is likely that patients who were less depressed and who had less experienced the fear of physical symptoms at pre-treatment can maintain HES.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 1998

Objective : This study was designed to find the characteristics of MMPI that could influence the outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) for panic disorder. Methods : 34 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia had completed 11 weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy. All the patients were assessed with MMPI before the initiation of treatment. Five self-report measures including Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI), Agoraphobic Cognition Questionnarie(ACQ), Body Sensation Questionnaire(BSQ), and Daily Anxiety Selfrating (0 - 8 scales) were also assessed as a pre- and post-treatment assessment. After the completion of treatment, patients were classified by the High End-State(HES) functioning group and the Low End-State(LES) functioning group for the data analysis. Results : 1) The LES group showed significantly higher scores in Hypochondriasis Scale(HS), Depression Scale(D), Hysterical Scale(Hy), Obsessive Scale(Pt), Schizophrenia Scale(Sc) and Validity Scale(F) of MMPI than the HES group. However, these differences gave impressions that the LES group had more severe symptoms rather than that they could be the factors influencing the outcome of CBT. 2) Though, the severity of symptoms of the LES group in the 5 measures of pre-assessment was basically higher than that of the HES group. The fact that both group showed the similar improvement between pre- and post-assessment supported the above interpretation. Conclusion : In regarding the above results, MMPI was not a proper tool that could provide the factors influencing the outcome of CBT. In the future study, the authors need to use a different tool that can find the personality characteristics more directly.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.201-216
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• 2018

After the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Union's Common Commercial Policy now belongs to the exclusive competence area of the EU, including the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy. Regarding the bilateral investment protection treaties (BITs) between the EU Member States, the European Commission is of the view that such BITs should be discarded. On March 6, 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held in the Achmea BV v. Slovakia case that a BIT between the EU Member States, as well as arbitral awards based on that BIT, is not subject to request for preliminary rulings under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and thus they are not compatible with the EU law. However, the judgment did not silence the controversy. Instead, many people questioned the legal reasoning and the legitimacy of judgment, and therefore the problem is still ongoing.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

During long standing hyperglycaemic state in diabetes mellitus, glucose forms covalent adducts with the plasma proteins through a non-enzymatic process known as glycation. Protein glycation and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications like retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, cardiomyopathy along with some other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and aging. Glycation of proteins interferes with their normal functions by disrupting molecular conformation, altering enzymatic activity, and interfering with receptor functioning. AGEs form intra- and extracellular cross linking not only with proteins, but with some other endogenous key molecules including lipids and nucleic acids to contribute in the development of diabetic complications. Recent studies suggest that AGEs interact with plasma membrane localized receptors for AGEs (RAGE) to alter intracellular signaling, gene expression, release of pro-inflammatory molecules and free radicals. The present review discusses the glycation of plasma proteins such as albumin, fibrinogen, globulins and collagen to form different types of AGEs. Furthermore, the role of AGEs in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications including retinopathy, cataract, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiomyopathy is also discussed.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.142-153
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• 2002

The authors intended to investigate personality characteristics and those influence on the outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy in patients with panic disorder. 167 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder were assessed by the PDQ-R(Personality Disorder Questionnaire-Revision) and various self-report tools for assessing symptoms of panic disorder. The effect of therapy was measured by the changes of scores and the end state functioning before and after 12-sessions of CBT. The patients with panic disorder were more likely showed obsessive-compulsive, avoidant and paranoid personality disorder and also Cluster C. If is needed when patients were divided into two groups according to total scores of PDQ-R(high or low personality disorder groups), high personality disorder group showed many evidences for increased psychopathology at the start of treatments, this suggested the close linkage between panic disorder and personality disorder. Interestingly, there were no significant differences between both groups in scores of clinical variables and the end state functioning. In conclusion, although patients with high tendency of personality disorder had more generalized problems at the beginning of treatments, they could improve as much as the patients with low tendency of personality disorder. They can be helped by cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder and seem to profit as much as patients with low tendency of personality disorder. If is needed to seek other factors in poor responders for cognitive behavioral therapy.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.3-3
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• 2011

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kra-Araks Basin (KAB) became an international river basin with respect to the South Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. However, there are no agreements regarding water allocation, water quality, or ecosystem maintenance among the aforementioned riparians. The main water problems in the basin include not only water quantity and quality, but also the lack of joint management. The aforementioned countries share many similar circumstances: location in a politically unstable but strategic region bureaucratic and structural issues; and more importantly, ongoing ethnic and related conflicts. Despite these obstacles, the countries recognize that they depend greatly on the basin, whose waters they must share. To that end, they proposed and participated in the joint NATO-OSCE South Caucasus River Monitoring (SCRMP) project between 2002 and 2009.The SCRMP sought to investigate and characterize the surface water quality in the KAB by providing equipment and training to all three countries. Several years' worth of water quality data were collected in the KAB: major ions; heavy metals; POPs (persistent organic pollutants); and radionuclides; The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (primary funder) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europesupported the SCRMP not only to build capacity but also to promote cooperation and minimize conflict over water and other resources, thus providing a measure of security for Europe and other regions. The South Caucasus is a strategically-important region, functioning as a bridge between Asia and Europe. Energy-rich Azerbaijan seeks to become a key player in trade by serving as a transportation and energy hub between the energy and mineral-rich Central Asian KUT countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan) and Western Asia, Europe, and other areas. The presentation will summarize the scientific results of the SCRMP, elucidate the regional water-energy-security nexus, discuss future work in the region, and explain why the world needs to be concerned about the KAB and the entire South Caucasus.