• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to investigate the growth rate and the optimal stocking density of sea cucumbers. Grow-out was studied in situ by conducting a follow-up survey using visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags. The rearing systems were made of polypropylene pipe for the frames and netting. The experiment ran for 70 days near Yeosu, Korea in the water depth of about 7 m. A total of 576 sea cucumbers which have three groups of body sizes (small: 5.15, medium: 12.34 and large: 23.26 g) were used. The five groups of stocking densities (150, 300, 450, 600 and $850g/m^2$) in rearing system for sea cucumber were considered. Sea cucumbers were fed a mixed diet (mud, mineral, fish meal, etc.). The feed was supplied to 10% of their body wet weight once every 7 days. The survival rate (73%) of sea cucumber in $850g/m^2$ was lower than those of other density groups ($150g/m^2$: 89%, $300g/m^2$: 84%, $450g/m^2$: 78% and $600g/m^2$: 86%). The survival rate of medium size group was higher than those of small and large groups regardless of the density (P<0.05). Most of density groups have no significant difference except for $850g/m^2$ (P>0.05). The growth rate of small size group ($0.63%day^{-1}$) was higher than those of medium ($0.38%day^{-1}$) and large ($0.34%day^{-1}$) group regardless of the density (P<0.05). The threshold water temperature was $11.0^{\circ}C$ for sea cucumber growth in winter season.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2467-2471
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• 2012

Introduction: Although bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatinum (BEP) chemotherapy is established as the standard treatment for germ cell tumours, it requires significant experience in administration and toxicity management to maintain optimal dose intensity. A retrospective review of 30 patients was conducted at UKMMC to study treatment outcomes. Methods & Materials: Patients with GCTs and treated with at least two cycles of BEP chemotherapy between January 2003 and Oct 2009 were eligible for this study. Patients received 4-6 cycles of bleomycin 30,000IU IV D1, D8 & D15 and either etoposide $100mg/m^2$ IV D1-D5 and cisplatin $20mg/m^2$ IV D1-D5 (5 day BEP regimen) or etoposide $165mg/m^2$ D1-D3 and cisplatin $50mg/m^2$ D1-3 (3 day BEP regimen) every three weeks per cycle. All patients received prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) from days 6 to 10 of each cycle. The overall response rates, 2 year progression-free survival and overall survival of the whole cohort were assessed. Results: Thirty patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Non-seminomatous GCTs comprised 93.3% of cases and gonadal and mediastinal primary sites were the most common. Sixty percent were classified as IGCCCG poor risk disease. Median follow-up was 26.6 months. The overall response rate (CR+PR) was 70%. The two year PFS and OS were 70% and 66%. There was a significant difference in terms of the overall response rate (85% vs 40%, p = 0.03) and in PFS (94.7% vs 50%, p = 0.003) between gonadal and extragonadal primary sites. Conclusion: It is possible to achieve outcomes similar to those in international clinical trials with close monitoring and good supportive care of patients undergoing BEP chemotherapy. There is a strong argument for patients with IGCCCG poor prognosis disease to be treated in specialist tertiary centres to optimize treatment outcomes.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.640-648
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• 2020

Objective : This study aimed to assess the relationship between increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and mastoid effusions (ME). Methods : Between January 2015 and October 2018, patients who underwent intracranial surgery and had ICP monitoring catheters placed were enrolled. ICP was recorded hourly for at least 3 days. ME was determined by the emergence of opacification in mastoid air cells on follow-up brain imaging. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, presence of endotracheal tube (ETT) and nasogastric tube (NGT), duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, duration of mechanical ventilator application, diagnosis, surgical modalities, and presence of sinusitis were recorded. Each factor's effect on the occurrence of ME was analyzed by binary logistic regression analyses. To analyze the independent effects of ICP as a predictor of ME a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. Results : Total of 61 (53%) out of 115 patients had ME. Among the patients who had unilateral brain lesions, 94% of subject (43/50) revealed the ipsilateral development of ME. ME developed at a mean of 11.1±6.2 days. The variables including mean ICP, peak ICP, age, trauma, CRP, ICU stays, application of mechanical ventilators and presence of ETT and NGT showed statistically significant difference between ME groups and non-ME groups in univariate analysis. Sex and the occurrence of sinusitis did not differ between two groups. Adding the ICP variables significantly improved the prediction of ME in multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusion : While multiple factors affect ME, this study demonstrates that ICP and ME are probably related. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanistic relationship between ICP and middle ear pressure.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.323-329
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• 2006

Objective : This study was designed to analyze surgical strategies for patients with intractable supplementary sensorimotor area[SSMA] seizures. Methods : Seventeen patients who had surgical treatment were reviewed retrospectively. Preoperatively, phase I [non-invasive] and phase II [invasive] evaluation methods for epilepsy surgery were done. Seizure outcome was assessed with Engel's classification. The mean follow-up period was 27.2 months [from 12 months to 54 months]. Results : An MRI identified structural abnormality in eight patients and 3D-surface rendering revealed abnormal gyration in three. PET, SPECT, and surface EEG could not delineate the epileptogenic zone. Video-EEG monitoring with a subdural grid or depth electrodes verified the epileptogenic zone in all patients. Surgical procedures consisted of a resection of the SSMA and simultaneous callosotomy in two patients, a resection of the SSMA extending to the adjacent area in seven, a resection of a different area without a SSMA resection in seven, and a callosotomy in one. Seizure outcomes were class I in 11 [65%]. class II in five [29%], class III in one [6%]. Conclusion : In patients with intractable SSMA seizure, surgery was an excellent treatment modality. Precise delineation of the epileptogenic zone based on multimodal diagnostic methods can provide good surgical outcomes without neurological complications.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.283-290
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• 2007

Objective : This study was designed to analyze seizure outcome and to investigate the prognostic factors for predicting seizure outcome according to the preoperative evaluations, surgical procedures, topectomy sites and histopathological findings in patients with extratemporal lobe epilepsy [ETLE]. Methods : This study comprised 63 patients with ETLE who underwent surgery. Preoperative evaluations included semiologic analysis, chronic video-EEG monitoring, and neuroimaging studies. Surgical procedures consisted of topectomy in 51 patients, corpus callosotomy in 9, functional hemispherectomy in 2, and vagus nerve stimulation [VNS] in 1. Histopathological findings were reviewed. Postoperative seizure outcomes were assessed by Engel's classification at the average follow up period of 66.8 months. Chi-square test was used for statistics. Results : Total postoperative seizure outcomes were class I in 51 [80%] patients, class II in 6 [10%], class III in 6 [10%]. Patients with structural abnormalities on neuroimaging study showed class I in 49 [88%] patients [p<0.05]. Patients with focal and regional ictal EEG onset revealed class I in 47 [90%] patients [p<0.05]. Semiologic findings, surgical procedures, topectomy sites and histopathological findings did not show statistical correlation with seizure outcome [p<0.05]. Conclusion : A good seizure outcome was obtained in patients with ETLE. The factors for favorable seizure outcome are related to the presence of structural abnormalities on neuroimaging study, and focal and regional ictal EEG onset.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2010

U-Healthcare provides healthcare and medical services, such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up services whenever and wherever it is needed, and its ultimate goal is to improve quality of life. This study defines the figure of U-Healthcare personalized services for providing U-Healthcare personalized services and proposes a healthcare model. A diet prescription system for personalized services can draw customized calories and rates of nutrition factors and represent a personalized diet through analyzing the personal preference in foods. This system changes the personal preference by monitoring the diet selection behavior of users. Also, this system is designed to be interactively operated with some sensors and devices in various environments using Java-based OSGi middleware.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.160-171
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• 2012

Background and Objective : Warfarin is the standard anticoagulation treatment for atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism (VTE), and mechanical heart valves. Close monitoring of the International Normalized Ratio (INR) is required due to the drug's very narrow therapeutic window. Many factors can affect INR levels. Drug and food interactions are frequently cited as causes of adverse events with warfarin. We discussed interactions between herbs and warfarin studied in this research. Methods : In this review, PubMed was used to search medical journals. Keywords "warfarin AND interaction" were applied. Results : 55 articles were included. The possibility of correlation between warfarin and single herbal medicines such as Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Ginseng Radix Alba, Lycii Fructus, Ginkgo Folium, Menthae Herba, Trigonellae semen was suggested. Furthermore, some herbal compounds interacting with warfarin were reported. The conclusion of studies reporting the effect of herbal medicine on warfarin were controversial due to small size or quality of research. Conculsions : We suggest that we should prescribe therapeutic herbal medicines to patients using warfarin more carefully and do INR follow-up regularly.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.455-460
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• 2010

We evaluated the inappropriateness of metformin use in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic medical conditions to identify the frequency of the prescription metformin in violation of the food and drug administration (FDA) black box warning. We reviewed medical records of 307 outpatients who received metformin at endocrinology department in a hospital setting between January 1, 2005 and August 30, 2009. Of the 307 outpatients, 25 discontinued treatment of metformin due to elevated serum creatinine level (Scr${\geq}$1.5 mg/dl in male, Scr${\geq}$1.4 mg/dl in female), cancers, and/or liver disease. 5 were lost to follow-up. 89 (29.0%) of the patients had cardiovascular disease, 54.1% for hypertension, 9.8% for liver disease, and 60 (20.8%) for chronic kidney disease. 12 patients (3.9%) with chronic kidney disease and/or elevated serum creatinine level, and 1 patient (0.3%) with lactic acidosis were contraindicated to metformin use. Metformin should be avoided in 7 outpatients (2.3%) with active hepatitis and 1 patient (2.6%) with liver cirrhosis. Of the 307 outpatients, 13 (4.2%) patients who received metformin at the first visit and 16 (8.7%) patients who received metformin at the last visit violated to black box warning. 8 (2.6%) of the patients were in precautionary conditions to metformin use. Adjusted mean difference of serum creatinine was -0.16 mg/dl [95% CI: -0.22 to -0.11 (p<0.05)] and adjusted mean difference of alanine aminotransferase was 4.46 IU/l [95% CI: 2.47 to 6.44 (p<0.05)] between the first visit and the last visit. Critical number of elderly patients who are at the high risks of drug-disease and drug-laboratory interaction is exposed to the inappropriate metformin use in violation of black box warning. The periodic evaluation of metformin use and monitoring prescription through drug utility review (DUR) system is needed to improve patients' safety and to reduce adverse drug events.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.336-346
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• 2009

As a follow-up survey of A Study of Monitoring Method on Exposure Level and Biomarkers of Environmental Pollutants-Focused on Ulsan Industrial Comlpex Area, published in 2005, a close examination of the health status was conducted for selected Ulsan residents. Based on the previous study, a total number of 129 subjects were divided into two groups: the exposure group consisted of 39 residents whose blood levels of lead, mercury and/or cadmium were higher than international reference values, and 90 residents of control group with normal levels. Environmental exposure level and its association with health condition were examined by various methods such as questionnaire, analyses of lead, mercury and cadmium in blood and medical examinations. The geometric mean concentrations of lead, mercury and cadmium in blood were respectively $2.07{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ (exposure $2.54{\mu}g/d{\ell}$, control $1.90{\mu}g/d{\ell}$), $5.94{\mu}g/L$ (exposure $8.57{\mu}g/L$, control $5.07{\mu}g/L$), $1.32{\mu}g/L$ (exposure $1.30{\mu}g/L$, control $1.33{\mu}g/L$). The concentrations of the three heavy metals in blood showed lower levels than internationally recommended values except for blood mercury. Also, any abnormal or, peculiar disease, or target tissue damage related to the heavy metals was not observed among the all subjects. Therefore, it can be said that no significant difference of heavy metal concentrations and health conditions was found between the two groups.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 1983

To evaluate the significance of assay of serum thyroglobulin(Tg) in monitoring the course of the thyroid cancer or its response to treatment, serum thyroglobulin levels were measured in 41 patients with thyroid cancer who visited Seoul National University Hospital from August, 1981 to August, 1982. The results were as follows: 1) Serum Tg levels $1\sim3$ months after thyroidectomy was $31{\pm}23$ ng/ml$(mean{\pm}S.D.)$ in 14 patients without metastasis, $66{\pm}41$ ng/ml in 21 patients with regional metastasis and $176{\pm}59$ ng/ml in 6 patients with distant metastasis and there were significant differences among three groups(p<0.01). 2) Serum Tg levels in 13 patients with metastasis before and after $^{131}I$ treatment were $134{\pm}62ng/ml$ and $67{\pm}52ng/ml$ respectively. 3) In the follow-up measurement of serum Tg levels every 3 months for about 1 year, almost all serum Tg levels were below 60 ng/ml in 12 patients without distant metastasis and serum Tg levels were elevated above 60 ng/ml in 5 of 6 patients with distant metastasis. 4) In 6 patients with distant metastasis, serum Tg levels were elevated in 5 patients and $^{131}I$ whole body scan showed definite metastatic evidence in 3 patients and suspicious evidence in 1 patient. From above results, we concluded that serum Tg level is very useful as an indicator of recurrence or metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer after operation.