• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2010

Background: Preoperative chemotherapy has been adopted in our hospital as a standard treatment for non-small cell lung cancer patients with N2 disease. However, there have been cases of pathologic N2 disease that have been detected after curative-intent surgical resection. We retrospectively studied the outcomes of initial surgical treatment without neoadjuvant therapy in patients with unexpected N2 non-small cell lung cancer. Material and Method: Between January 1995 and June 2007, 225 patients were diagnosed with pathologic N2 disease after they underwent initial pulmonary resection without neoadjuvant therapy. Among them, 170 patients were preoperatively diagnosed with lymph node stage N0 or N1. We retrospectively reviewed their medical record and analyzed the outcomes. Result: The overall 5-year survival rate was 35.4%. The prognostic factors that were significantly associated with survival were no adjuvant therapy, histologic cell types other than adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, a pathologic T stage more than T1, old age (${\geq}$70 years) and no mediastinoscopic biopsy. During the follow-up, 79 patients (46.5%) experienced tumor recurrence, including loco-regional recurrence in 20 patients (25.3%) and distant metastasis in 56 (70.9%). The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 33.7%. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the survival was good for patients with unexpected N2 non-small cell lung cancer and who underwent initial pulmonary resection without neoadjuvant therapy. A prospective comparative analysis is needed to obtain more conclusive and persuasive results.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.441-451
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• 2017

The present study was conducted from August to December 2016 in a cylindrical water tank with a diameter of 1 m, a height of 4 m and a capacity of 3,000 L. The field water and sediment from the Nakdong River were also sampled for the experimental culture (field water+sediment) and control culture (field water), respectively. In this study, we aimed to investigate phytoplankton succession pattern using the phytoplankton functional group in the enclosed culture system. A total of 50 species in 27 genera including Chlorophyceae (30 species), Bacillariophyceae (11 species), Cyanophyceae (7 species), and Cryptophyceae (2 species) were identified in the experimental and control culture systems. A total of 19 phytoplankton functional groups (PFGs) were identified, and these groups include B, C, D, F, G, H1, J, K, Lo, M, MP, N, P, S1, $T_B$, $W_0$, X1, X2 and Y. In particular, $W_0$, J and M groups exhibited the marked succession in the experimental culture system with higher biovolumes compared to those of the control culture system, which may be related to the internal cycling of nutrients by sediment in the experimental culture system. The principal component analyses demonstrated that succession patterns in PFG were associated with the main environmental factors such as nutrients(N, P), water temperature and light intensity in two culture systems. In conclusion, the present study showed the potential applicability of the functional group for understanding the adaptation strategies and ecological traits of the phytoplankton succession in the water bodies of Korea.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2003

Purpose : Neonatal hydronephrosis has been detected with increasing frequency with the widespread use of prenatal ultrasonography, but the consensus about its postnatal management has not yet been reached, especially about surgical intervention. We attempted to determine the guideline of follow-up study and surgical intervention of hydronephrosis by analyzing clinical outcomes of neonates with hydronephrosis. Materials and Methods : Between 1994 and 2000, 128 hydronephrotic kidneys were postnatally confirmed. Cases associated with other urologic anomalies were excluded and 90 unilateral hydronephrotic kidneys with a minimum follow-up of 12 months were enrolled in this study. We classified the patients into 6 groups according to the anterior posterior pelvic diameter(APPD) at initial ultrasonography(USG) within 1 month after birth. Renal USG and $Tc^{99m}-mercaptoacetyl$ triglycerine(MAG3) scan were done according to a set protocol, and pyeloplasty was performed when indicated according to our protocol. Results : Most cases whose APPD were below 10 mm improved or resolved. Only few cases with APPD above 20 mm showed spontaneous improvement and most(88%) had undergone operation. Those with initial APPD within 10-19 mm showed variable outcomes. When the risk factors for irreversible renal functional deterioration were analyzed, the age at pyeloplasty and pre-operative functional deficit were significant. Conclusion : We concluded that in infants with initial APPD below 10 mm, consideration of surgery is not needed, and in those with initial APPD above 20 mm, early operation is recommended. Our set protocol based on initial USG is useful, but the cut-off value of relative renal function(RRF) for operation might be increased to 40% to improve post operative RRF.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.311-319
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• 1995

Purpose : To evaluate the survival and prognostic factors in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer treated with curative radiotherapy alone or combined with chemotherapy Materials and Methods : A retrospective analysis was undertaken of 35 patients who had locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and treated with curative radiotherapy in Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, from January 1991 through December 1993. According to AJCC staging, 15 patients were stage IIIA, and 20 were stage IIIB. Radiotherapy was delivered with 1 8-2 Gy per fraction/day. 5 days per week using 6 MV X-ray, to a total dose ranging from 48.8 Gy to 66.6 Gy (median, 61.2 Gy) in 4 to 9 weeks. Ten patients received neoadjuvant or concurrent chemotherapy with FIP (5-FU, ifosfamide, and cisplatin) or FP (5-FU and cisplatin) Results : For all Patients, median survival was 6 months. 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 23.3% and 6.7%, respectively The median survival was 8 months in stage IIIA and 5.5 months in stage IIIB. In patients treated with radiation therapy alone, median survival was 5 months and 1-year survival rate was 9%. In patients who received chemotherapy, median survival was 11 months and 1-year survival rate was 60%. The difference of survival between these two groups was statistically significant (p=0.03). Total radiation dose, degree of response, and Post-treatment ECOG score were also significantly associated with survival. But it was not affected by age, sex, pretreatment ECOG score, presence or absence of weight loss, tumor location. pathologic type, N stage, and degree of response to treatment. Conclusion : Conventional radiotherapy alone is unlikely to achieve long term survival in patients with stage III NSCLC. Radiotherapy with altered fractionation schedule or multimodality treatment combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy should be considered if feasible.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-83
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• 2010

Purpose : This study was performed to determine the predictors of failed closure of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) following the first course of indomethacin in symptomatic preterm infants. Methods : Forty three of 43 preterm infants, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit diagnosed with PDA and treated with indomethacin at the Korea University Medical Center between January 1990 and October 2007, ware studied. The perinatal risk factors affecting the failed closure of PDA were retrospectively assessed. Results : The failed PDA closure group included 16 (37%) out of 43 infants three of whom underwent surgery. The closure group included 27 (63%) out of 43 infants. In the failed closure group, the Apgar scores (1 min, 5 min) were significantly higher (P<0.05) and antenatal steroid administration was significantly lower (P<0.05). In addition, dopamine administration was significantly lower (P<0.05) and the mean postnatal age at diagnosis was significantly lower (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression for the prediction of failed PDA closure found only antenatal steroid administration (OR 0.092, CI 0,010-0.826, P=0.0331) as an associated factor. Conclusion : In patients with antenatal steroid administration the failed PDA closure rate was significantly lower. Therefore, antenatal steroid administration can be considered as an important factor for the closure of PDA in preterm pregnancies.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.74-81
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• 2008

Background: Fascin is an actin-bundling protein that induces membrane protrusions and it increases cell motility in various transformed cells. Esophageal cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies, and it exhibits extensive local invasion or frequent regional lymph node metastasis even after curative surgery. We investigate the expression of fascin by performing immunohistochemistry to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic significance of its expression in esophageal cancer patients. Material and Method: Immunochemistry for fascin was performed on 76 tumor samples from 76 patients who underwent esophageal cancer operations. The expression levels of fascin in the 76 esophageal cancer tissues were compared with those in the corresponding normal esophageal epithelium. The fascin-positive samples were defined as those showing more than 75% of fascin-positive cells. Result: Overall, a fascin positive expression was detected in 39 (51.3%) out of the total 76 cases. The tumors with positive fascin expression tended to more frequently show a higher stage (p=0.030), and a higher T-factor (p=0.031). The prognosis of the fascin negative group was significantly better than that of the fascin positive group (p=0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that lymphovascular invasion and the fascin expression were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Fascin was expressed in 513% of the esophageal cancer tissues and a positive expression of fascin was associated with more advanced tumor progression and recurrence. Our study suggests that the fascin expression may be an independent prognostic factor for an unfavorable clinical course few those patients suffering with esophageal cancer.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2009

The demand for rainfall data in gridded digital formats has increased in recent years due to the close linkage between hydrological models and decision support systems using the geographic information system. One of the most widely used tools for digital rainfall mapping is the PRISM (parameter-elevation regressions on independent slopes model) which uses point data (rain gauge stations), a digital elevation model (DEM), and other spatial datasets to generate repeatable estimates of monthly and annual precipitation. In the PRISM, rain gauge stations are assigned with weights that account for other climatically important factors besides elevation, and aspects and the topographic exposure are simulated by dividing the terrain into topographic facets. The size of facet or grid cell resolution is determined by the density of rain gauge stations and a $5{\times}5km$ grid cell is considered as the lowest limit under the situation in Korea. The PRISM algorithms using a 270m DEM for South Korea were implemented in a script language environment (Python) and relevant weights for each 270m grid cell were derived from the monthly data from 432 official rain gauge stations. Weighted monthly precipitation data from at least 5 nearby stations for each grid cell were regressed to the elevation and the selected linear regression equations with the 270m DEM were used to generate a digital precipitation map of South Korea at 270m resolution. Among 1.25 million grid cells, precipitation estimates at 166 cells, where the measurements were made by the Korea Water Corporation rain gauge network, were extracted and the monthly estimation errors were evaluated. An average of 10% reduction in the root mean square error (RMSE) was found for any months with more than 100mm monthly precipitation compared to the RMSE associated with the original 5km PRISM estimates. This modified PRISM may be used for rainfall mapping in rainy season (May to September) at much higher spatial resolution than the original PRISM without losing the data accuracy.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2007

Objectives : Recently, many authors investigated the relation of temperament and character to seasonality and the genetic factors in seasonality and personality. In this study, we investigated the relation between personality structure obtained from the psychobiological Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and self-reported seasonal variations in mood and behavior measured by the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Methods : 600 high-school students who live in Seoul of Korea, were participated in this study. Subjects were surveyed with the Korean translation of the SPAQ of Rosenthal, an instrument for investigating mood and behavioral changes with respect to the seasons of the you. Korean version of the TCI of Cloninger was also used for assessment of personality. Results : Female students were significantly higher scores on harm avoidance, reward dependence, and cooperativeness than male students who had significant higher scores on persistence and self·transcendence than the formers. GSS were showed positive correlation with harm avoidance and self-transcendence, and negative correlation with cooperativeness and self-directedness. By employing logistic regressions, the regression coefficients of SAD were significantly negative in SD, and positive in ST. Also, the regression coefficients of S-SAD were significantly negative in CO, and positive in ST. Those with GSS at least 11 were significantly higher mean ST values compared to the remaining individuals, and those with worst in winter were significantly lower mean CO values compared to the remaining individuals. Those who considered the seasonality as a problem at least to a moderate degree were associated with high HA and ST. Conclusion : We add the evidence that the seasonality is related to the temperament and character. Although there have been many reports about the seasonality in relation to the temperament and character in foreign countries, there has been very limited report from Korea before. We hope that this result would be a helpful in the clinical field in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.151-167
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• 2017

The main objective of this study was to investigate the climatic impact of $PM_{10}$ concentration on the temperature change pattern in Busan Metropolitan City(BMC), Korea during 2001~2015. Mean $PM_{10}$ concentration of BMC has gradually declined over the past 15 years. While the highest $PM_{10}$ concentration was observed in spring followed by winter, summer, and fall on average, the seasonal variations of $PM_{10}$ concentration differed from place to place within the city. Frequency analysis showed that the most frequently observed $PM_{10}$ concentration ranged from $20{\mu}g/m^3$ to $60{\mu}g/m^3$, which accounted for 64.6% of all daily observations. Overall, the west-high and east-low pattern of $PM_{10}$ concentration was relatively strong during the winter when the effect of yellow-dust events on the air quality was weak. Comparative analyses between $PM_{10}$ concentration and monthly temperature slope derived from generalized temperature curves indicated that the decreasing trend of $PM_{10}$ concentration was associated with increases of annual temperature range, and $PM_{10}$ concentration had a negative relationship with the temperature slope of warming months. Overall, $PM_{10}$ concentration had a weak correlation with the annual mean temperature, but it had a significant, positive correlation with the winter season, which had a dominant influence on the annual mean temperature. In terms of energy budget, it has been known that the change in $PM_{10}$ concentration contributes to the warming or cooling effect by affecting the radiative forcing due to the reflection and absorption of radiant energy. The correlation between $PM_{10}$ concentration and temperature changes in the study area was not seasonally and spatially consistent, and its significance was statistically limited partly due to the number of observations and the lack of potential socioeconomic factors relevant to urban air quality.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.147-152
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• 2010

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA) is a physical allergy, sometimes severe, triggered by exertion following specific food intake. It was defined for the first time in 1980. EIA is associated with different kinds of exercise. The clinical manifestations progress from itching, erythema and urticaria to some combination of cutaneous angioedema and vascular collapse. Mast cell participation in the pathogenesis of this syndrome has been proved by the findings of an elevated serum histamine level during exhaustive exercise. As predisposing factors of EIA, a specific or even nonspecific sensitivity to food has been reported. Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) is a distinct form of food allergy induced by physical exercise. It is typified by the onset of anaphylaxis during exercise which was preceded by the ingestion of the causal food allergens. The diagnosis of FDEIA is heavily dependent on clinical history. Allergy tests may need to be performed using a broad panel of food and food additives. As with food allergies, FDEIA diagnosis is based on interview, biological test and skin test. Prophylaxis aims to prevent a recurrence; the patient should be given an emergency kit to deal with any recurrent episodes. After the food allergen has been identified, it should be avoided for at least 4 to 5 hours before any exercise. Two cases of EIA are presented (EIA to circumstances; FDEIA) in this paper, The diagnosis, pathophysiology and therapy of FDEIA are also reviewed.