• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2017

Background: Chronic kidney disease is considered a risk factor for thyroid nodules as well as thyroid dysfunction such as hypothyroidism. Among patients on hemodialysis, we assessed the size of thyroid nodule and goiter at baseline and 1 year later with ultrasonography. Methods: We prospectively selected 47 patients with hemodialysis at January 2012 and reviewed their medical records. We checked goiter and thyroid nodules at January 2012 and December 2012. Results: In the hemodialysis patients (n=47), 24 patients (51.1%) had thyroid nodules and 33 patients (70.2%) had goiter at baseline. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) was higher in patients with thyroid nodules ($204.4{\pm}102.9$ vs. $129.9{\pm}93.6pg/mL$, p=0.01). Thyroid ultrasonography was conducted in 29 patients after 1 year. The thickness of the thyroid isthmus increased ($2.8{\pm}1.6$ vs. $3.2{\pm}1.9mm$, p=0.003), but the number of nodules did not change ($1.2{\pm}1.9$ vs. $1.4{\pm}2.0$, p=0.109). PTH was associated with the enlargement of thyroid nodules significantly through logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Thyroid goiter and nodules in hemodialysis patients were more prevalent than in the general population. PTH influenced the production of thyroid nodules in hemodialysis patients. Regular examination with thyroid ultrasonography and thyroid function test should be considered in hemodialysis patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.253-270
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• 2014

Public awareness campaign is the core factor of the national suicide prevention strategies. Korea's current campaign needs to be more systematically developed. This study analyzed the national-level campaigns for suicide prevention of New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Scotland, and Australia whose campaigns were known to be successful, and compared them with those of Korea. With the analysis framework based on the 'Guideline for Effective Health Communication Campaigns' by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we examined the campaigns from the dimensions of (1) clarity of goals, (2) appropriacy of targeting strategies, (3) suitability of messaging strategies, and (4) efficiency of performance. The results show that effective campaigns for suicide prevention have the following common factors: (1) campaign appellations which include clear goals, (2) targeting at risk groups considering social contexts, (3) slogans which contains specific action guidelines, and (4) close relationships between public and private sectors. On this basis, future directions for more effective suicide prevention media campaigns in Korea are discussed.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.359-367
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to identify the association between candidiasis and early childhood caries and to investigate whether the experience of candidiasis or oral candidiasis before age 1 can be considered as a risk factor for early childhood caries. The database used in this study was provided by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Medical records of children born from January 2010 to December 2012 were obtained, and those without dental records were excluded. Subjects were divided into several groups based on the experience of candidiasis or oral candidiasis before age 6: candidiasis group and non-candidiasis group; oral candidiasis group and non-oral candidiasis group. Another categorization was done according to the experience of candidiasis or oral candidiasis before age 1. The incidence rate of early childhood caries in each group were compared. The prevalence of dental caries in children who have been diagnosed with candidiasis or oral candidiasis before age 6 was significantly different from those who have not experienced candidiasis. Similarly, children who have suffered from candidiasis or oral candidiasis before age 1 had significantly different incidence of caries from the children without candidiasis experience.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.223-232
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• 2015

Objectives In this study, the authors evaluated the correlation between levels of serum lipid, homocysteine, and folate with volumes of hippocampus, amygdala, corpus callosum, and in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD) type. Methods The study recruited patients who visited the dementia clinic of Haeundae Paik Hospital in Korea between March 2010 and June 2014. Among those, patients who had taken the neurocognitive test, brain magnetic resonance imaing, tests for serum lipid, homocysteine, folate, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping and diagnosed with aMCI or AD were included for analysis. Bilateral hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, amygdala and corpus callosum were selected for region of interest (ROI). The cross-sectional relationships between serum lipid, homocysteine, folate and ROI were assessed by partial correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. Results In patients with aMCI, old age (> 80) and APOE ${\varepsilon}4$ carrier were associated with AD [odds ration (OR) : 12.80 ; 95% confidence interval (CI) : 2.25-72.98 and OR : 4.48 ; 95% CI : 1.58-12.67, respectively]. In patients with aMCI or AD, volumes and thickness of ROI were inversely correlated with levels of serum lipid and homocysteine. In multiple linear regression analyses, higher total cholesterol level was related to lower left, right hippocampus volume and left amygdala volume ; higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was related to lower right entorhinal cortex thickness ; higher homocysteine level was related to lower corpus callosum volume. Conclusions Higher serum lipid and homocysteine levels are associated with decreased volume of hippocampus, amygdala, corpus callosum and entorhinal cortex thickness in patients with aMCI or AD. These findings suggest that serum lipid and homocysteine levels are associated with AD as a modifiable risk factor.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.2959-2964
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• 2014

While several reproductive and lifestyle-related factors are already well-known as established risk factors for breast cancer, environmental factors have attracted attention only recently. The objective of the current study was to assess the association between the breast cancer incidences in females, the mortality rate and the number of motor vehicles on the one side and the consumption of gasoline which could work as a major source of air pollution at the other side. The breast cancer incidences and the mortality trends were compared with various indices of westernization like dietary patterns or industrialization with 10 years lag of time. Geographical variations with 10, 15 and 20 years lag of time were assessed between the breast cancer incidence in 2010 and the number of motor vehicles as well as the consumption of gasoline. The upward trend of motor vehicle numbers proved to be comparable to those of breast cancer incidence and mortality. However, the consumption of gasoline started to decrease since the mid-1990s. The geographic distribution of motor vehicle numbers and gasoline consumption in 1990 is in a positive correlation with the breast cancer incidence rates in 2010 and the 20-year lag time ($R^2$ 0.379 with the number of motor vehicles and 0.345 with consumption of gasoline). In a linear relationship between the breast cancer incidences in 2010 and the log transformed number of motor vehicles, the log transformed consumption of gasoline in 2000 also showed a positive relationship ($R^2$ 0.367 with the number of motor vehicles and 0.329 with consumption of gasoline). The results of the current study indicate that there may be a positive relation between the number of vehicles, gasoline consumption and the incidence of breast cancer from the aspects of long-term trends and geographical variation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4451-4456
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• 2015

Background: The aim of our present study was to compare quality of life (QoL) between intermediate-stage (BCLC-B) HCC patients who had undergone either liver resection or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Materials and Methods: A total of 102 intermediate-stage HCC patients participated in our study, including 58 who had undergone liver resection and 44 who had undergone TACE. Baseline demographic characteristics, tumor characteristics, and long-term outcomes, such as tumor recurrence, were compared and analyzed. QoL was assessed using the Short Form (SF)-36 health survey questionnaire with the mental and physical component scales (SF-36 MCS and PCS). This questionnaire was filled out at HCC diagnosis and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 months after surgery. Results: For the preoperative QoL evaluation, the 8 domains related to QoL were comparable between the two groups. The PCS and MCS scores were significantly decreased in both the TACE and resection groups at1 month after surgery, and this decrease was greater in the resection group. These scores were significantly lower in the resection group compared with the TACE group (P<0.05). However, these differences disappeared at 3 and 6 months following surgery. One year after surgery, the resection group showed much higher PCS scores than the TACE patients (P=0.018), and at 2 years after surgery, the PCS and MCS scores for the resection group were significantly higher than those for the TACE group (P<0.05). Eleven patients (19.0%) in the resection group and 17 (38.6%) in the TACE group suffered HCC recurrence (P<0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that tumor recurrence (HR=1.211, 95%CI: 1.086-1.415, P=0.012) was a significant risk factor for poorpostoperative QoL in the HCC patients.Conclusions: Due to its effects on reducing HCC recurrence and improving long-term QoL, liver resection should be the first choice for the treatment of patients with intermediate-stage HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3101-3103
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• 2016

Background: According to the most recent estimation of GLOBOCAN, Cambodia has the highest incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer in Southeast Asia. A screen-and-treat strategy using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA test) and cryotherapy has been implemented in Cambodia's national cervical cancer screening program since 2013. However, where resources are available, cervical cytology with or without high-risk HPV DNA testing is the preferred screening method used in this country. Aim: This study aims to calculate the prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology and explain the possible factors contributing to a reduced quality of cervical cytology among women participating in a hospital-based cervical cancer screening program in Cambodia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using information from the cytology and pathology database in the Department of Pathology of Calmette Hospital between January 2012 and December 2015. Prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology, based on the Bethesda 2001 classification, was calculated. Data on the adequacy of cytological specimens were analyzed in order to explain the factors contributing to a reduced quality of cervical cytology interpretation. Results: Among 6,207 women who participated in the cervical cancer screening program at Calmette Hospital during 2012 and 2015, 388 (6.25%) had abnormal cytology, which could be classified into Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (92 cases; 1.48%), Atypical Squamous Cells - Cannot Exclude High-Grade Intraepithelial Lesion (13 cases; 0.21%), Atypical Glandular Cells (11 cases; 0.18%), Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (221 cases; 3.56%), High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (26 cases; 0.42%), and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (25 cases; 0.40%). Unsatisfactory smears made up 12.2% of the total cases. The most frequently identified factor leading to unsatisfactory smears was the absence of cells from the transformation zone. Conclusions: The present study showed an overall prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology of 6.25%, which is comparable to that in many large population-based studies in the Asia Pacific region. Nevertheless, the remarkably high rate of unsatisfactory smears in this study justifies further improvement in specimen sampling among Cambodian gynecologists.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 2020

As society develops rapidly, environmental pollution is becoming a greater risk factor threatening human health. One of the major causes of air pollution that affects human health is particulate matter (PM), which contains a heterogeneous mixture of different particle sizes and chemical compositions. PM is classified by size into general PM (PM₁₀; diameter below 10 ㎛) and fine PM (PM_2.5; diameter below 2.5 ㎛). PM_2.5 can pass through the respiratory tract into the circulatory system and thence throughout the body. PM_2.5 is known to stimulate oxidative stress and inflammatory responses to cells, promoting diseases such as asthma, chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and immunological disorders. Although detailed molecular mechanisms for how PM stimulates disease progression still need to be elucidated, together with national efforts to reduce PM production, significant research has been conducted that demonstrates the harmfulness of PM in disease progression through in vitro and in vivo experiments. This review focuses on the harmfulness of PM in disease progression; we also introduce a biological verification method for determining the hazards of PM.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2003

Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms and abundant in every ecosystem in the biosphere. They are common in aqueous environments including marine, brackish and fresh waters and in some habitats that lack eukaryotic life such as some hot springs and highly alkaline lakes. Microalgal biotechnology that is focused on the microalgae-based production of a variety of useful materials such as pharmaceutical comfounds, health foods, natural pigments, and biofuels is considered as an important discipline with the development of biotechnology. In addition, the mass cultivation of microalgae can also contribute to improving the environmental quality by reducing the concentration of $CO_2$ which is one of major gases lead to global warming. Consequently, it seems that the microalgae can be used as an efficient, renewable, environmentally friendly source of high-value biomaterials such as chemicals, pigments, energy, etc. and the microalgal biotechnology will most likely represent a larger portion of modern biotechnology.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.108-115
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• 2010

Hypertension is the most prevalent disease worldwide and is itself a risk factor for cerebral, cardiac, and renal diseases. The inconsistency of candidate genes suggested by previous genomewide association studies (GWASs) may be due to not only differences in study design and genetic or environmental background but also the difference in the power of analysis between continuous traits and discrete traits. We analyzed 352,228 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 8842 unrelated Koreans obtained from Ansan and Ansung cohorts. We performed a series of GWA analyses using three different phenotype models; young hypertensive cases (278 subjects) versus elderly normotensive controls (680 subjects); the upper 25% (2211 hypertensive cases) versus the lower 25% of the SBP distribution (2211 hypotensive controls); and finally SBP and DBP as continuous traits (8842 subjects). The numbers of young hypertensive cases and elderly normotensive controls were not large enough to achieve genomewide significance. The model comparing the upper 25% subjects to the lower 25% of subjects showed a power that was approximate to that of QTL analysis. Two neighboring SNPs of the ATP2B1 gene, rs17249754 (SBP, p=$2.53^{-10}$; DBP, p=$1.28{\times}10^{-8}$) and rs7136259 (SBP, p=$1.30{\times}10^{-9}$; DBP, p=$6.41{\times}10^{-8}$), were associated with both SBP and DBP. Interestingly, a SNP of the RPL6 gene, rs11066280, revealed a significant genomewide association with SBP in men only (p=$3.85{\times}10^{-8}$), and four SNPs located near the MAN2A1 gene showed a strong association with DBP only in elderly men aged 60-70 years (e.g., rs6421827, p=$4.86{\times}10^{-8}$). However, we did not observe any gene variant attaining genomewide significance consistently in the three phenotype models except for the ATP2B1 gene variants. In general, the association signal with blood pressure was stronger in women than in men. Genes identified in GWASs are expected to open the way for prevention, early diagnosis, and personalized treatment of hypertension.