• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.224-249
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• 2023

Gastric cancer is heterogeneous in morphology, biology, genomics, and treatment response. Alterations in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, microsatellite instability (MSI) status, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) can be used as biomarkers. Since the combination of fluoropyrimidine/platinum plus trastuzumab that was investigated in the ToGA trial was approved as a standard of care in HER2-positive patients in 2010, no other agents showed efficacy in the first- (HELOISE, LOGiC, JACOB trials) and second- (TyTAN, GATSBY, T-ACT trials) line treatments. Despite the success in treating breast cancer, various anti-HER2 agents, including a monoclonal antibody (pertuzumab), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC; trastuzumab emtansine [T-DM1]), and a small molecule (lapatinib) failed to translate into clinical benefits until the KEYNOTE-811 (first-line) and DESTINY-Gastri01 (≥second-line) trials were conducted. The incorporation of HER2-directed treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the form of a monoclonal antibody or ADC is now approved as a standard treatment. Despite the promising results of new agents (engineered monoclonal antibodies, bi-specific antibodies, fusion proteins, and small molecules) in the early phase of development, the management of HER2-positive gastric cancer requires further optimization to achieve precision medicine with a chemotherapeutic backbone. Treatment resistance is a complex process that can be overcome using a combination of chemotherapy, targeted agents, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, including novel agents. HER2 status must be reassessed in patients undergoing anti-HER2 treatment with disease progression after the first-line treatment. As a general guideline, patients who need systemic treatment should receive chemotherapy plus targeted agents, anti-angiogenic agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or their combinations.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 2023

Thioacetamide (TAA) exposure and hepatitis C virus infection are usually associated with renal dysfunction. Sofosbuvir (SFV) and daclatasvir (DAC) drugs combination has great value in the treatment of hepatitis C. The study aimed to identify the nephrotoxic effects of TAA and to evaluate the ameliorative role of SFV and DAC in this condition. Forty-eight adult male albino rats were divided into eight groups and received saline (control), SFV, DAC, SFV+DAC, TAA, TAA+SFV, TAA+DAC and TAA+SFV+DAC for eight weeks. Kidney and blood samples were retrieved and processed for histological (Hematoxylin and Eosin and Masson's trichrome), immunohistochemical (α-smooth muscle actin), and biochemical analysis (urea, creatinine, total protein, albumin, malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and tumor necrosis factor-α). Examination revealed marked destruction of renal tubules on exposure to TAA with either hypertrophy or atrophy of glomeruli, increase in collagen deposition, and wide expression of α-smooth muscle actin. Also, significant disturbance in kidney functions, oxidative stress markers, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Supplementation with either SFV or DAC produced mild improvement in the tissue and laboratory markers. Moreover, the combination of both drugs greatly refined the pathology induced by TAA at the cellular and laboratory levels. However, there are still significant differences when compared to the control. In conclusion, SFV and DAC combination partially but greatly ameliorated the renal damage induced by TAA which might be enhanced with further supplementations to give new hope for those with nephropathy associated with hepatitis.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.287-304
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• 2016

This paper introduces a new bibliometric measure called Quality Factor, which assesses multiple facets of faculty research performance. The computation of Quality factor is based on a combination of publication count, citation count, h-index, and Impact Factor. In order to analyze the relationship between Quality Factor and other bibliometric measures (publication count, citation count, h-index, g-index, Impact Factor), the study collected publication data of 189 Korean Library and Information Science professors from 2001 to 2014 to produce the rankings of the faculty by each bibliometric measure and computed Spearman's rank correlations between the rankings. The overall results showed Quality Factor to be correlated to citation-driven measures (citation count, h-index, g-index), but the scatterplot as well as rank-interval analysis showed Quality Factor to be distinctive and more discriminating than other measures.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.135-151
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• 2007

This study is human body measurement of 200 adult males in their 20s by both direct and indirect methods in order to reveal the representative male upper body types. Composition factors of body types were classified while the combination of direct-indirect measurement values was chosen. The following are the findings: 1) The analysis of direct-indirect measurement statistics showed the following results: 173.80cm (height), 69.87kg (weight), 95.58cm (chest girth), $24.67^{\circ}$ (right shoulder angle), and $9.34^{\circ}$ (shoulder width angle). 2) The factor analysis of the body types by direct measurement produced 5 factors: 1 (front length of upper body), 2 (front length of upper body), 3 (back length of upper body), 4 (circumference of upper body), and 5 (shoulders length). These factors accounted for 90.08%. Also, the cluster analysis of factor scores led to 3 types: 1 (33%, short, comparatively wide shoulders and full in the hips), 2 (25.1%, well-developed upper body in tall, inversed triangle), 3 (41%, average height, short upper body). 3) The body-type factor analysis by indirect measurement resulted in 6 factors with the explanation of 83.24%: 1 (rear upper bady thickness), 2 (front upper body width), 3 (front chest thickness), 4 (left-right shoulder angle), 5 (front width of protrusion distance in chest and shoulders), and 6 (neck's front-rear side angle).In addition, the cluster analysis of factor scores brought about 4 types: 1 (15%, well-developed front chest, beardless waist), 2 (23.5%, flat chest, with shoulder, drooping shoulders, strait neck), 3 (39%, with shoulder, curved back), and 4 (22.5%, narrow and thin, curved waist). 4) Among the 118 subjects (75%), 58 subjects commonly appearing in indirect measurement values group and direct measurement values group were chosen the representative body type group according to asterisk indexes. They had the highest frequency in direct type 3 and indirect type 3, whose combination represented the physical characteristics of the representative body types.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.202-210
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• 2007

Factor analysis, an important research method, has been conducted as a pre-analysis of empirical researches. Sometimes, the researchers expect more information than factor analysis' limitation as well. Therefore, I suggest a method to overcome this problem. This study presents a combined research method which allow to solve the limitation of the factor analysis in social science. The combined research method consist of factor analysis, AHP(analytic hierarchy process) analysis, diffusion theory and system dynamics, which is able to explain causalities.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2016

On the basis of the geological conditions of high and steep mountainous slope on which an exit portal of an express railway tunnel with a bridge-tunnel combination is to be built, the composite structure of the exit portal with a bridge abutment of the bridge-tunnel combination is presented and the stability of the slope on which the express railway portal is to be built is analyzed using three dimensional (3D) numerical simulation in the paper. Comparison of the practicability for the reinforcement of slope with in-situ bored piles and diaphragm walls are performed so as to enhance the stability of the high and steep slope. The safety factor of the slope due to rockmass excavation both inside the exit portal and beneath the bridge abutment of the bridge-tunnel combination has been also derived using strength reduction technique. The obtained results show that post tunnel portal is a preferred structure to fit high and steep slope, and the surrounding rock around the exit portal of the tunnel on the high and steep mountainous slope remains stable when rockmass is excavated both from the inside of the exit portal and underneath the bridge abutment after the slope is reinforced with both bored piles and diaphragm walls. The stability of the high and steep slope is principally dominated by the shear stress state of the rockmass at the toe of the slope; the procedure of excavating rockmass in the foundation pit of the bridge abutment does not obviously affect the slope stability. In-situ bored piles are more effective in controlling the deformation of the abutment foundation pit in comparison with diaphragm walls and are used as a preferred retaining structure to uphold the stability of slope in respect of the lesser time, easier procedure and lower cost in the construction of the exit portal with bridge-tunnel combination on the high and steep mountainous slope. The results obtained from the numerical analysis in the paper can be used to guide the structural design and construction of express railway tunnel portal with bridge-tunnel combination on high and abrupt mountainous slope under similar situations.

• The Transactions of the Korea Information Processing Society
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.908-914
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• 1996

A number of techniques have been studied for handling uncertainty in the development of expert systems. One of techniques adopted in many expert systems is the Dumpster-Shafer Evidence combination scheme. This has been the main focus among others due to is favorable features and computational complexity. In this paper, we develop and algorithm to deal with the exponential complexity inherent in Dempster-Shafer evidence combination. In the evidence combination process, we divide the frame of discernment into two groups, one for those common in both belief functions and the other for the rest. A property is found that in computing new belief function for the latter group, the result of evidence combination show linear change. The irrelevancy factor is derived and used to compute the change. The main idea of the method is to reduce the size of the frame of discernment and thus exponential complexity.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the effects of Metformin and Lonicerae Flos, Agrobacterium Rhizogenes, Coptidis Rhizoma, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, Houttuyniae Herba extracs combinations on hypoglycemia in RAW 264.7 cells. Methods: Expressions of Sirt1, p-adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (p-AMPK), AMPK-alpha, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha, PPAR-gamma, X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 were analyzed by real time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis. Results: The level of gene expression of Sirt1, p-AMPK, AMPK-alpha, PPAR-alpha and XBP-1 in relation to that of beta-actin were increased or decreased significantly with the Metformin and Lonicerae Flos, Agrobacterium Rhizogenes extracts combination groups. The level of gene expression of TNF-alpha and IL-6 were increased significantly with the Metformin and Houttuyniae Herba, Coptidis Rhizoma extracts combination groups. Conclusions: Metformin and Lonicerae Flos, Agrobacterium Rhizogenes extracts combination groups showed synergistic hypoglycemic effects by increasing AMPK and PPAR gene expression in RAW 264.7 cells.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.187-202
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• 2018

Objectives : Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation is one of therapeutic interventions to change in neural excitability of the cortex. Transcranial electro-acupuncture (TEA) can modulate brain functions through changes in cortical excitability as a model of non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation. Some composites of fermented Scutellaria baicalenis (FSB) can activate intercellular signaling pathways for activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor that is critical for formation of neural plasticity in stroke patients. This study was aimed at evaluation of combinatory treatment of TEA and FSB on behavior recovery and cortical neural excitability in rodent focal stroke model. Methods : Focal ischemic stroke was induced by photothrombotic injury to the motor cortex of adult rats. Application of TEA with 20 Hz and $200{\mu}A$ in combination with daily oral treatment of FBS was given to stroke animals for 3 weeks. Motor recovery was evaluated by rotating bean test and ladder working test. Electrical activity of cortical pyramidal neurons of stroke model was evaluated by using multi-channel extracellular recording technique and thallium autometallography. Results : Compared with control stroke group who did not receive any treatment, Combination of TEA and FSB treatment resulted in more rapid recovery of forelimb movement following focal stroke. This combination treatment also elicited increase in spontaneous firing rate of putative pyramidal neurons. Furthermore expression of metabolic marker for neural excitability was upregulated in peri-infract area under thallium autometallography. Conclusions : These results suggest that combination treatment of TEA and FSB can be a possible remedy for motor recovery in focal stroke.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.86-113
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• 2018

Objectives: We examined the effects of a mixed formula consisting of dried pomegranate concentrate powder (PCP) and the aqueous extracts of Eucommiae cortex (EC) and Achyranthis radix (AR) in rats with surgically induced osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Two weeks after OA-inducing surgery, a PCP:EC:AR 5:4:1 (g/g) combination or single formula was orally administered. Changes in body weight, knee thickness, maximum knee extension angle, bone mineral density of the knee joints, femoral and tibial articular surfaces, and compressive strength of the femoral and tibial articular cartilage (AC) were assessed, along with the prostaglandin E2 level, 5-lipoxygenase, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 activity, and chondrogenic gene mRNA expression in the femoral and tibial AC with the synovial membrane (SM). In addition, the number of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, cyclooxygenase and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$-immunoreactive cells in the femoral and tibial AC with SM were monitored, and the rate of cell proliferation was determined with a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine uptake assay. Results : The signs of surgically induced OA in rats were significantly inhibited by both PCP, EC and AR combined and single formulas. In particular, the combination formula-treated OA model rats showed dose-dependent, significantly increased inhibitory activity against all tested criteria compared with single formula-treated rats. Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that the combination formula synergistically increased the anti-OA effects of its components through anti-inflammatory and chondrogenic activity in rats with surgically induced OA. In addition, 200, 100 and 50 mg/kg combination formula treatments showed dose-dependent inhibitory activity against all of the tested criteria.