• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.309-316
• /
• 2024

The treatment of obesity and its comorbidities ranges from clinical management involving lifestyle changes and medications to bariatric and metabolic surgery. Various endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies recently emerged to address an important therapeutic gap by offering a less invasive alternative to surgery that is more effective than conservative therapies. This article comprehensively reviews the technical aspects, mechanism of action, outcomes, and future perspectives of one of the most promising endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies, named duodenojejunal bypass liner. The duodenojejunal bypass liner mimics the mechanism of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass by preventing food contact with the duodenum and proximal jejunum, thereby initiating a series of hormonal changes that lead to delayed gastric emptying and malabsorptive effects. These physiological changes result in significant weight loss and improved metabolic control, leading to better glycemic levels, preventing dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and mitigating cardiovascular risk. However, concern exists regarding the safety profile of this device due to the reported high rates of severe adverse events, particularly liver abscesses. Ongoing technical changes aiming to reduce adverse events are being evaluated in clinical trials and may provide more reliable data to support its routine use in clinical practice.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.583-588
• /
• 2022

KTN/BFO multilayer films were manufactured using the spin-coating method on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate with KTN(62/38) andBFO metal alkoxide solutions. The mean thickness of the multilayer films was about 420-450 nm. A rough interfacial layerwas observed at the interface between the lower substrate and the film when sintered at 650oC. Dense microstructures withoutpores inside of the films were shown via TEM analysis, and an interface between the KTN and BFO layers was clearlyobserved. The Curie temperature was about 16oC. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss were 1380 and 0.384 at 20oC,respectively. Coercive field of the 2-layer and 6-layer films were 72.6 and 80.4 kV/cm at room temperature, respectively. ΔTand EC coefficient of the 6-layer films sintered at 630oC were 1.96oC and 0.13×10-6 oCmV-1, respectively.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.214-220
• /
• 2021

Heterolayered potassium tantalate niobate(KTN(70/30)/KTN(30/70)) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates prepared by the sol-gel process and spin coating method. When sintered at 700 ℃ or higher, the X-ray diffraction intensities of the perovskite phase were greatly increased, and it was observed as the main phase of the KTN heterolayered thin film. As the sintering temperature increased from 650 ℃ to 800 ℃, the average grain size increased from 146nm to 380 nm, and the average thickness of the KTN films coated six times was about 394-441 nm. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the KTN film sintered at 750 ℃ and room temperature showed good properties of about 2850 and 0.573, respectively, and all films exhibited the typical dielectric relaxation characteristics. The phase transition temperature of KTN thin film was around 12-13 ℃. Remanent polarization and the coercive field of KTN film sintered at 750 ℃ showed excellent properties of 23.98 μC/cm2 and 35.41 kV/cm, respectively. Adiabatic temperature changes (ΔT) and electrocaloric strength of the KTN films sintered at 750 ℃ at 60 ℃ were 2.67℃ and 0.012 KcmkV-1, respectively.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.86-93
• /
• 2024

Unintentional dispersal of organisms has explosively increased due to expansion of human activities. Among introduced organisms, some organisms are categorized as invasive species because of their effects on environmental risk, economic loss, and human health. In 2023, a leopard slug (Limax maximus) was reported in Suwon, Republic of Korea. This slug was designated as a potential invasive species because a wide range of plant species were identified as food sources for this slug in its original habitats. However, it is difficult to investigate the ecological risk of this newly introduced slug in Republic of Korea. Therefore, the potential ecological risk from this newly introduced slug was estimated by meta-genome analyses of its feces. Through meta-genome analyses, 22 Families, 28 Genera, and 26 Species of land plants were identified. Among these 26 identified plant species, six economically important crops - squash (Cucurbita maxima), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), potato (Solanum tuberosum), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), rice (Oryza sativa), and oriental melon (Cucumis melo) - were identified. Therefore, leopard slugs potentially could cause economic losses in Republic of Korea. Further study is required to build a control strategy against leopard slugs.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.197-209
• /
• 2024

This paper investigated the deformation of a large-diameter pipeline caused by double shield tunnel construction in silty fine sand strata in Nantong, China, by on-site measurements and numerical simulations. Results indicate the pipe settlement curve was not symmetrical after the double tunnel construction in the silty fine sand strata. The construction of the subsequent tunnel had a significantly smaller impact on the stress and horizontal displacement of the pipeline than the preceding tunnel. There is a significant shading effect of the large-diameter pipeline, which would restrict the soil settlement above the pipeline. The adjusted settlement formula shows good agreement with the measured data, facilitating approximate calculations for both surface and pipe settlements. The correction factor a ranges from 0.50 to 0.90, while b ranges from 0.95 to 1.20.The elastic modulus and the burial depth of the pipeline had a great effect on the stress of the pipeline, but a smaller effect on its settlement. However, the soil loss rate greatly affected both the settlement and stress of the pipeline. Moreover, the pipeline risk level distribution map can quickly identify the risk status of the pipeline.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.156-164
• /
• 1995

Background: We had undergone this study to investigate clinical progress of this disease and to decide the role of aggressive diagnostic approaches, the efficacy of treatments and prognoses. Methods: A retrospective study was done on 113 patients who had been diagnosed to metastatic adenocarcinoma of pleura by pleural fluid cytology(106 cases) or pleural needle biopsy(22 cases), at Presbyterian Medical Center, from Jan. 1990 to Dec. 1994. Results: 1) The patients were composed of 59 males(52.2%) and 54 females(47.8%), and the mean age distribution was $57.4{\pm}12.1$ years. 2) The site of origin was lung cancer 46.9%(53/113), stomach cancer 20.4%(23/113), breast cancer 11.5%(13/113), and unknown primary site 6.2%(7/113 cases), as a whole. In male, lung cancer was 55.9%(33/59), stomach cancer was 28.8%(17/59), and in female, lung cancer was 37%(20/54), breast cancer was 24.1%(13/54) of cases. 3) The cardinal symptoms were dyspnea(69%), cough(61%), chest pain(50%), weight loss(50%), anorexia(49%), sputum(43%), malaise(30%). 4) The pleural fluid findings were exudative in 94.4%(102/108), serosanguinous or bloody in 36~53%, unilateral involvement in 74.3%(84/113) of cases, and lymphocyte predominance($71{\pm}27%$) in differential count of WBC. 5) CEA levels in pleural fluid or plasma were over 10ng/ml in 60.6%(40/66), and ADA levels in pleural fluid were under 40U/L in 95%(57/60) of cases. 6) The patients were managed by various methods, but the efficacy of treatment was uncertain. 7) The mean survival time was $12.7{\pm}13.5$ weeks. Conclusion: It seems to be no effective treatment methods yet and the prognosis was very poor in this disease, so the objectives of diagnostic approaches and treatment methods should be directed to early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of curable disease. And we must make our best endeavors to lengthen the survival time and improve the quality of patients' life.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.68-76
• /
• 2021

Foodborne outbreaks frequently occur worldwide and result in huge economic losses. It is the therefore important to estimate the costs associated with foodborne diseases to minimize the economic damage. At the same time, it is difficult to accurately estimate the economic loss from foodborne disease due to a wide variety of cost components. In Korea, there are a limited number of analytical studies attempting to estimate such costs. In this study we investigated the components of economic cost used in foreign countries to better estimate the cost of foodborne disease in Korea. Seven recent studies investigated the cost components used to estimate the cost of foodborne disease in humans. This study categorized the economic loss into four types of cost: direct costs, indirect costs, food business costs, and government administration costs. The healthcare costs most often included were medical (outpatient) and hospital costs (inpatient). However, these cost components should be selected according to the systems and budgets of medical services by country. For non-healthcare costs, several other studies considered transportation costs to the hospital as an exception to the cost of inpatient care. So, further discussion is needed on whether to consider inpatient care costs. Among the indirect costs, premature mortality, lost productivity, lost leisure time, and lost quality of life/pain, grief and suffering costs were considered, but the opportunity costs for hospital visits were not considered in any of the above studies. As with healthcare costs, government administration costs should also be considered appropriate cost components due to the difference in government budget systems, for example. Our findings will provide fundamental information for economic analysis associated with foodborne diseases to improve food safety policy in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.51-56
• /
• 2009

Purpose: Recently, most hospitals are introducing the PACS system and use of the system continues to expand. But small-scaled PACS called MicroPACS has already been in use through open source programs. The aim of this study is to prove utility of operating a MicroPACS, as a substitute back-up device for conventional storage media like CDs and DVDs, in addition to the full-PACS already in use. This study contains the way of setting up a MicroPACS with open source programs and assessment of its storage capability, stability, compatibility and performance of operations such as "retrieve", "query". Materials and Methods: 1. To start with, we searched open source software to correspond with the following standards to establish MicroPACS, (1) It must be available in Windows Operating System. (2) It must be free ware. (3) It must be compatible with PET/CT scanner. (4) It must be easy to use. (5) It must not be limited of storage capacity. (6) It must have DICOM supporting. 2. (1) To evaluate availability of data storage, we compared the time spent to back up data in the open source software with the optical discs (CDs and DVD-RAMs), and we also compared the time needed to retrieve data with the system and with optical discs respectively. (2) To estimate work efficiency, we measured the time spent to find data in CDs, DVD-RAMs and MicroPACS. 7 technologists participated in this study. 3. In order to evaluate stability of the software, we examined whether there is a data loss during the system is maintained for a year. Comparison object; How many errors occurred in randomly selected data of 500 CDs. Result: 1. We chose the Conquest DICOM Server among 11 open source software used MySQL as a database management system. 2. (1) Comparison of back up and retrieval time (min) showed the result of the following: DVD-RAM (5.13,2.26)/Conquest DICOM Server (1.49,1.19) by GE DSTE (p<0.001), CD (6.12,3.61)/Conquest (0.82,2.23) by GE DLS (p<0.001), CD (5.88,3.25)/Conquest (1.05,2.06) by SIEMENS. (2) The wasted time (sec) to find some data is as follows: CD ($156{\pm}46$), DVD-RAM ($115{\pm}21$) and Conquest DICOM Server ($13{\pm}6$). 3. There was no data loss (0%) for a year and it was stored 12741 PET/CT studies in 1.81 TB memory. In case of CDs, On the other hand, 14 errors among 500 CDs (2.8%) is generated. Conclusions: We found that MicroPACS could be set up with the open source software and its performance was excellent. The system built with open source proved more efficient and more robust than back-up process using CDs or DVD-RAMs. We believe that the operation of the MicroPACS would be effective data storage device as long as its operators develop and systematize it.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.157-162
• /
• 1995

Lung cancer study group at Asan Medical Center has conducted the second prospective study to determine the efficacy and feasibility of MVP chemotherapy with concurrent hyperfractionated radiotherapy for Patients with stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). All eligible Patients with stage III unresectable NSCLC were treated with hyperfractionated radiotherapy(120 cGy/fx BID. 6480 cGy/54fx) and concurrent 2 cycles of MVP(Mitomycin C $6mg/m^2,$ d2 & d29.Vinblastine $6mg/m^2,$ d2 & d29, Cisplatin $60mg/m^2,$ dl & d28) chemotherapy. Between Aug. 1993 and Nov. 1994, 62 patients entered this study; $6(10\%)$ had advanced stage IIIa and $56(90\%)$ had IIIb disease including 11 with pleural effusion and 10 with supraclavicular metastases. Among 62 patients, $48(77\%)$ completed planned therapy. Fourteen patients refused further treatment during chemoradiotherapy. Of 46 patients evaluable for response, $34(74\%)$ showed major response including $10(22\%)$ with complete and $24(52\%)$ with partial responses. Of 48 patients evaluable for toxicity, $13(27\%)$ showed grade IV hematologic toxicity but treatment delay did not exceed 5 days Two patients died of sepsis during chemoradiotherapy. Severe weight loss(more than $10\%)$ occurred in 9 patients$(19\%)$ during treatment. Nine patients$(19\%)$ developed radiation pneumonitis Six of these patients had grade 1 (mild) Pneumonitis with radiographic changes within the treatment fields Three other patients had grade 11 Pneumonitis, but none of these patients had continuous symptoms after steroid treatment. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with advanced NSCLC was well tolerated with acceptable toxicity and achieved higher response rates than the first study, but rather low compliance $rate(77\%)$ in this study is worrisome. We need to improve nutritional support during treatment and to use G-CSF to improve leukopenia and if necessary. supportive care will be given as in patients, Longer follow-up and larger sample size is needed to observe survival advantage.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.973-992
• /
• 2010

The hearing impairment is the representative disorder that affects the quality of the routine life of the aged period. This study was aimed to develop the Korean evaluation scale for hearing handicap(KESHH) with which we can evaluate social and psychological effects of the hearing impairment. Applying this scale clinically, we can analyze the geriatric hearing loss specifically and improve the quality of the aural rehabilitation that can help the hardness of the hearing impairment. Data were collected from 288 participants(176 hearing aid users and 112 non-hearing aid users) and the average age of the participants was 67.4 years old ( 60.15 for the hearing aids users and 78.9 for the non hearing users). The composition ratio of the male and female participants were 58.0% and 42.0% and extrovert and introvert personality were 49.3% and 50.7% showing balanced formation. The tentative draft of KESHH measurements were produced with 30 items and following 5 subscales. Using factor analysis, 6 items were erased and 4 subscales - social effect, psycho/emotional effect, interpersonal effect, and perception of hearing aids - were identified. As each subscale consisted of 6 items, 24 items were corrected and remained totally. Conclusively, the KESHH was developed with 24 items and 4 subscales including 6 items on each subscale. In addition, the KESHH was divided into type-1 and 2 depending on hearing aid users and non hearing aid users. The results of this study can be summarized as the following 5 parts. Firstly, the reliabilities of the KESHH were proved to be high because the subscales' Cronbach alpha values were from 0.723 through 0.895. Secondly, the KESHH showed systematically increasing score as the hearing impairment increased. The lowest score was 24 and the highest score was 117 and the average scores of the hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired are 72.06(SD=15.67) and 66.98(SD=20.94) showing 5.08 increased score for the hearing impaired. Depending on the degree of the hearing loss, the scores recorded 52.63 at the below of the mild hearing loss, 67.29 for the moderate hearing loss, 71.89 for the moderately severe hearing loss, and 75.57 for the severe hearing loss The comparison of the scores by hearing levels indicated that the higher the hearing levels were, the higher the scores of the KESHH with statistical significance(p<0.001). Thirdly, the correlation among 4 subscales was 0.384~0.880(p<0.001). Also, the pure tone average, personality, and the four subscales correlations showed statistical significance with 0.148~0.880 except for the pure tone average and personality and the pure tone average and perception of hearing aids. Fourthly, the total variances explained for the independent subscles were analyzed with multiple regression. The social effect was explained 17.4% with pure tone average, personality, and the status of hearing aid use variances. The psycho/emotional effect was explained 14.4% with puretone average, personality, and age variances. The interpersonal effect was explained 11.2% with pure tone average, personality, and the status of hearing aid use variances. The perception of hearing aids effect was explained 2.2% with only personality. Finally, test-retest reliability was proved to be high with 0.791(p<0.001). Conclusively, the KESHH that was developed considering Korean culture can be a useful instrument for expressing the hearing handicaps of the Korean aged hearing impaired in scores for both hearing aid users and non-users. Also, it is thought that the KESHH is useful clinically for identifying the changes of the hearing handicap scores before and after wearing hearing aids and aural rehabilitation at diverse situations.