• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.671-679
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• 2016

We investigated subgroups within a global communication network to improve the empirical understanding of global communication phenomenon from the social network perspective. We collected global communication data from Twitter and constructed a global communication network. We also added countries' geographic and economic properties used in the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. We analyzed the subgroups' structure within the global communication network using centrality analysis, core-peripheral analysis, and cohesion analysis. We also detected communities embedded within the global communication network with modularity-based community detection methods. We found that the core countries occupy central positions in the global communication network and there is a hierarchical communication structure among the economic subgroups. Futhermore, we discovered some communities within the global communication network and found that countries within the communities can have homophily such as economy, geography, history, culture, and religion.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7149-7154
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• 2013

Objective: Increasing scientific evidence suggests that common variants in the PALB2 gene may confer susceptibility to breast cancer, but many studies have yielded inconclusive results. This meta-analysis aimed to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship between PALB2 genetic variants and breast cancer risk. Methods: An extensive literary search for relevant studies was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CISCOM, CINAHL, Google Scholar, CNKI and CBM databases from their inception through September 1st, 2013. A meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software and crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Six case-control studies were included with a total of 4,499 breast cancer cases and 6,369 healthy controls. Our meta-analysis reveals that PALB2 genetic variants may increase the risk of breast cancer (allele model: OR>1.36, 95%CI: 1.20~1.52, P < 0.001; dominant model: OR>1.64, 95%CI: 1.42~1.91, P < 0.001; respectively). Subgroup analyses by ethnicity indicated PALB2 genetic variants were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among both Caucasian and Asian populations (all P < 0.05). No publication bias was detected in this meta-analysis (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: The current meta-analysis indicates that PALB2 genetic variants may increase the risk of breast cancer. Thus, detection of PALB2 genetic variants may be a promising biomarker approach.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.100-110
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• 2006

A mutant of Potato vims Y (PVY) was occurred in PVY resistance flue-cured tobacco breeding line KF0402 $(TC1146{\times}KF117)$ showing vein necrosis at Suwon in Korea. This isolate, PVY-SWM, was differentiated from other PVY based on biological properties and nucleotide sequence analyses of coat protein gene. PVY-SWM caused typical symptoms on 21 indicator plants as compared to the PVY-TOJC37. Remarkably, the PVY-SWM induced distinctly different symptom of systemic vein necrosis on tobacco cultivars V.SCR, PBD6, TN86, TN90, Virgin A Mutant (VAM), Wislica, NC744, KB108 and KB111, which were reported to have the recessive potyvirus resistance gene va. In RT-PCR assays with specific primers for detection of PVY, a single band of about 800bp in length was produced. The amplified DNA was cloned and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The coat protein gene of PVY-SWM showed 88.4%-99.0% and 92.5%-98.5% identities to the 12 different PVY isolates of Genbank Database at the nucleotide and amino acidi respectively. Multiple alignments as well as cluster dendrograms of PVY-SWM isolate revealed close phylogenetic relationship to the $PVY^{NTN}$ subgroup.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.110-117
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• 2000

Potato virus X (PVX-KO) showing mild mosaic and stunting symptoms on potato (Solanum tuberosum) in Kangwon area has been isolated and characterized. EM observation of the purified virus particles showed flexuous rod shape of about 520 nm in length. The coat protein (CP) of the virus had a molecular weight of 31 kDa in SDS-PAGE analysis, and the viral RNA was approximately 6.4 kb in size in denatured agarose gel electro-phoresis. In gel-immunodiffusion tests, it reacted strongly with an antiserum to common PVX from BIOREABAAG (USA). A rabbit antiserum was produced using purified virus and used for routine PVX detection by ELISA. Cultivated potatoes in Kangwon and other areas were frequently infected with PVX-KO. Both Datura stramonium and Nicotiana tabaccum cultivars developed necrotic local lesions 5 days after inoculation, and systemic mosaic symptoms with vein clearing 2 weeks after inoculation. All the features agree with the description of other PVX strains. To confirm and determine PVX strains, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction experiment was conducted using specific primers for viral CP. Amplified DNA fragments were cloned and sequenced. Results showed nucleotide sequence homologies of about 88 to 99% to other PVX strains. Based on CP amino acid sequence deduced from nucleotide sequences and host range studies PVX-KO is considered a member of the type X subgroup of PVX.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2015

Purpose: This report compared the diagnostic effectiveness between ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) and gadolinium (Gd) based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for differentiation of axillary status in breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The present authors performed a meta-analysis of previous studies that compared USPIO or Gd based MRI with histological diagnosis after surgery or biopsy. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Ovid databases and references of articles to identify studies reporting data until December 2013. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated for every study; summary receiver operating characteristic and subgroup analysis was done. Analyses of study quality and heterogeneity were also assessed. Results: There were 14 publications that met the criteria for inclusion in our meta-analysis. USPIO based MRI showed 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75-0.89) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94-0.98) for pooled sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Gd based MRI represented pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.55-0.67) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87-0.92) for each. Overall weighted area under the curve for USPIO and Gd based MRI were 0.9563 and 0.9051, respectively. Conclusion: USPIO based MRI had a tendency toward high pooled sensitivity and specificity in detection of axillary metastases for breast cancer. This result may mean that USPIO based MRI could be used as complementary modality to differentiate axillary status more precisely, and assist in the decision-making process regarding possible invasive procedures, such as sentinel node biopsy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.521-525
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• 2015

Bacteremia and sepsis are common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with incorrect or delayed diagnoses being associated with increased mortality. New tests or markers that allow a more rapid and less costly detection of bacteremia and sepsis have been investigated. The aim of this study was to clarify the cutoff value of the neutrophillymphocyte ratio (NLR) according to procalcitonin (PCT) level in the decision-making processes for bacteremia and sepsis. In addition, other white blood cell subgroup parameters, which are assessed in all hospitals, for bacteremia and sepsis were explored. This retrospective study included 1,468 patients with suspected bacteremia and sepsis. Patients were grouped according to the following PCT criteria: levels <0.05 ng/ml (healthy group), 0.05-0.5 ng/ml (local infection group), 0.5-2 ng/ml (systemic infection group), 2-10 ng/ml (sepsis group), and >10 ng/ml (sepsis shock group). One important finding of this study, which will serve as a baseline to measure future progress, is the presence of many gaps in the information on pathogens that constitute a major health risk. In addition, clinical decisions are generally not coordinated, compromising the ability to assess and monitor a situation. This report represents the first study to determine the limits of the use of NLR in the diagnosis of infection or sepsis using a cutoff value of <5 when sufficient exclusion criteria are used.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.1184-1193
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• 2015

Monitoring for megalocytivirus infection was conducted for ten months from March to December in 2013 in 15 aquatic farms culturing, red sea bream, rock bream, rock fish and black sea bream around Tongyoung coastal area in Korea, to assess spatial and temporal variability of detection prevalence, and to explore possible links with seawater temperature. In nested-PCR targeted major capsid protein (MCP) gene, asymptomatic megalocytivirus infection was detected in the externally healthy farmed fish with a significant prevalence in range from 0 to 58.3% for ten months. Higher prevalence of megalocytivirus (46.7% - 57.1%) was observed in high water temperature season from September to November than that in other months with lower prevalence of 0.0% to 20.0%. Even though an acute infection of megalocytivirus was occurred in rock bream (positive in the first PCR) with high mortality in one of fifteen farms, there was no expansion or transmission of the disease to the rock fish and red sea bream culturing in net cage just proximal to the rock bream cage in which disease outbreaked. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned MCP gene isolated asymptomatically infected rock fish revealed that the megalocytivirus in this study was clustered together with the rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) under the subgroup II of the genus megalocytivirus (Iridoviridae), which is known to be the major megalocytivirus strain in Korea. The typical histopathological signs were not found in the spleen of rock fish asymptomatically infected by megalocytivirus. Experimental infection of rock bream with the spleen homogenate of the rock fish infected asymptomatically did not induce any mortality unlike the homogenate of infected rock bream with hih mortlity. However, these results may suggest that the asymptomatic infection of megalocytivirus in other fish species can be a potential risk threatening aquaculture industries as a transmission factor of megalocytivirus to susceptible fish species, especially rock bream.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.48.1-48.13
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• 2023

Background: Senecavirus A (SVA), a member of the family Picornaviridae, is newly discovered, which causes vesicular lesions, lameness in swine, and even death in neonatal piglets. SVA has rapidly spread worldwide in recent years, especially in Asia. Objectives: We conducted a global meta-analysis and systematic review to determine the status of SVA infection in pigs. Methods: Through PubMed, VIP Chinese Journals Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data search data from 2014 to July 26, 2020, a total of 34 articles were included in this analysis based on our inclusion criteria. We estimated the pooled prevalence of SVA in pigs by the random effects model. A risk of bias assessment of the studies and subgroup analysis to explain heterogeneity was undertaken. Results: We estimated the SVA prevalence to be 15.90% (1,564/9,839; 95% confidence interval [CI], 44.75-65.89) globally. The prevalence decreased to 11.06% (945/8,542; 95% CI, 28.25-50.64) after 2016. The highest SVA prevalence with the VP1-based RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry assay was 58.52% (594/1,015; 95% CI, 59.90-83.96) and 85.54% (71/83; 95% CI, 76.68-100.00), respectively. Besides, the SVA prevalence in piglet herds was the highest at 71.69% (119/166; 95% CI, 68.61-98.43) (p < 0.05). Moreover, our analysis confirmed that the subgroups, including country, sampling year, sampling position, detected gene, detection method, season, age, and climate, could be the heterogeneous factors associated with SVA prevalence. Conclusions: The results indicated that SVA widely exists in various countries currently. Therefore, more prevention and control policies should be proposed to enhance the management of pig farms and improve breeding conditions and the environment to reduce the spread of SVA.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.684-694
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose was to review the diagnostic performance of the length of tumor capsular contact (LCC) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting prostate cancer extraprostatic extension (EPE). Materials and Methods: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched up to March 24, 2019. We included diagnostic accuracy studies that evaluated LCC on MRI for EPE detection using radical prostatectomy specimen histopathology as the reference standard. Quality of studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity were pooled and graphically presented using hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) plots. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore heterogeneity. Results: Thirteen articles with 2136 patients were included. Study quality was generally good. Summary sensitivity and specificity were 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73-0.83) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.60-0.74), respectively. Area under the HSROC was 0.81 (95% CI 0.77-0.84). Substantial heterogeneity was present among the included studies according to Cochran's Q-test (p < 0.01) and Higgins I² (62% and 86% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively). In terms of heterogeneity, measurement method (curvilinear vs. linear), prevalence of Gleason score ≥ 7, MRI readers' experience, and endorectal coils were significant factors (p ≤ 0.01), whereas method to determine the LCC threshold, cutoff value, magnet strength, and publication year were not (p = 0.14-0.93). Diagnostic test accuracy estimates were comparable across all assessed MRI sequences. Conclusion: Greater LCC on MRI is associated with a higher probability of prostate cancer EPE. Due to heterogeneity among the studies, further investigation is needed to establish the optimal cutoff value for each clinical setting.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1355-1366
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• 2020

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value and prognostic relevance of FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. Materials and Methods: This study included 234 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients who underwent FDG PET-CT between June 2008 and February 2016. The diagnostic performance of FDG PEG-CT was compared to that of contrast-enhanced multidetector row CT (MDCT) and MRI. Independent prognosticators for poor survival were also assessed. Results: The sensitivity of FDG PET-CT for detecting primary tumor and regional lymph node metastases was lower than that of MDCT or MRI (p < 0.001), whereas the specificity and positive predictive value for detecting regional lymph nodes metastases was significantly better in FDG PET-CT compared to MDCT and MRI (all p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield of distant metastases detection among three diagnostic imaging techniques. In a multivariate analysis, maximum standardized uptake values (SUV_max) of the primary tumor (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-2.69) and of the metastatic lesions ≥ 5 (adjusted HR, 8.10; 95% CI, 1.96-33.5) were independent contributors to poor overall survival in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. In a subgroup analysis of 187 patients with periductal infiltrating type of cholangiocarcinoma, an SUV_max of the primary tumor ≥ 5 was associated with an increased risk of regional lymph node (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.60; 95% CI, 0.55-4.63) and distant metastases (adjusted OR, 100.57; 95% CI, 3.94-2567.43) at diagnosis as well as with poor overall survival (adjusted HR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.04-3.15). Conclusion: FDG PET-CT showed lower sensitivity for detecting primary tumor and regional lymph node involvement than MDCT and MRI. However, the SUV_max of primary tumors and metastatic lesions derived from FDG PET-CT could have significant implications for predicting prognoses in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients.