• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.45.1-45.11
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• 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common type of chronic liver disease, with severity levels ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The extent of liver fibrosis indicates the severity of NASH and the risk of liver cancer. However, the mechanism underlying NASH development, which is important for early screening and intervention, remains unclear. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) is a useful method for identifying hub genes and screening specific targets for diseases. In this study, we utilized an mRNA dataset of the liver tissues of patients with NASH and conducted WGCNA for various stages of liver fibrosis. Subsequently, we employed two additional mRNA datasets for validation purposes. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to analyze gene function enrichment. Through WGCNA and subsequent analyses, complemented by validation using two additional datasets, we identified five genes (BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2) as hub genes. GSEA analysis indicated that gene sets associated with liver metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis were uniformly downregulated. BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2 were identified as hub genes of NASH, and were all related to liver metabolism, NAFLD, NASH, and related diseases. These hub genes might serve as potential targets for the early screening and treatment of NASH.

• 한국건강관리협회지
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2006

"본 논문은 대한외과학회지 2006년 제70권제1호에 실렸던 논문으로 대한외과학회 편집위원회 승인을 득하고 본 협회지에 게재함. Purpose: Malnutrition has been frequently reported for patients on their admission to the hospital and it has been associated with an increase in morbidity, mortality and the length of the hospital stay. Although a number of screening tools have been developed to identify those patients at risk for malnutrition, there is no' gold standard' for defining malnutrition and the malnourished patients remain largely unrecognized. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a nutritional screening tool for use in Dankook University Hospital. Methods Nutritional evaluation was performed for 53 patients who were admitted to the department of surgery and internal medicine between October and December 2004. The screening tool was completed by the ward nurse and the nutritional support team nurse on the same patients within24 hours of admission. The nutritional support team nurse performed the full assessment. The screening sheet included 4 questions regarding body mass index, recent unintentional weight loss, food intake and disease severity. Each answer was scored and a total of 5 was tested as the criterion fey malnutrition. The full assessment included current body weight, recent weight loss, triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm muscle circumference, serum albumin)in and total lymphocyte count. Malnutrition was defined by 3 or more values below the reference values. The reliability of the screening tool was assessed using kappa statistic. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were calculated to evaluate the validity of the screening tool. The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was drawn to choose a cutoff valve that maximizes sensitivity and specificity. Results' The level of agreement between the ward nurse and the NST nurse was good for BMI and food intake and moderate for weight loss and disease severity. The full assessment identified7 patients(13.2%) as malnourished. The screening sheet had a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 80%. According to the ROC curve, a score of 5 points provided the best validity. Conclusion The nutritional screening tool is reliable when completed by different observers and it is valid for nutritional assessment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3529-3533
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• 2012

Objectives: To investigate the current prevalence and knowledge of cervical cancer, breast cancer and reproductive tract infections (RTIs) in rural Chinese women, and to explore the acceptance and feasibility of implementing a combined screening program in rural China. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 30 to 59 years old in Xiangyuan County, Shanxi Province from 2009 to 2010. Socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of cervical cancer, breast cancer and RTIs, and the attitude toward single or combined screening were collected by an interview questionnaire. Each participant received a clinical examination of the cervix, breast and reproductive tract. Examinations included visual inspection, mammography, laboratory tests and pathological diagnosis. Results: A total of 1,530 women were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of cervical precancerous lesions, suspicious breast cancer, suspicious benign breast disease and RTIs was 1.4%, 0.2%, 14.0% and 54.3%, respectively. Cervicitis, trichomonas vaginitis, and bacterial vaginitis were the three most common RTIs among our participants. Television, radio broadcast, and public education during screening were the major source of healthcare knowledge in rural China. Moreover 99.7% of women expressed great interest in participating in a combined screening project. The affordable limit for combined screening project was only 50 RMB for more than half of the rural women. Conclusion: A combined screening program would be more effective and popular than single disease screening projects, while appropriate accompanied education and a co-pay model for its successful implementation need to be explored, especially in low-resource settings.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제47권6호
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• pp.505-512
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• 2021

Background: The occurrence of environmental disease is known to be associated with chronic exposure to toxic chemicals, including waterborne contaminants, air/indoor pollutants, asbestos, ingredients in humidifier disinfectants, etc. Objectives: In this study, we reviewed toxicological studies related to environmental disease as defined by the Environmental Health Act in Korea and toxic chemicals. We also suggested a direction for future toxicological research necessary for the prevention and management of environmental disease. Methods: Trends in previous studies related to environmental disease were investigated through PubMed and Web of Science. A detailed review was provided on toxicological studies related to the humidifier disinfectants. We identified adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) that can be linked to the induction of environmental diseases, and proposed a chemical screening system that uses AOP, chemical toxicity big data, and deep learning models to select chemicals that induce environmental disease. Results: Research on chemical toxicity is increasing every year, but there is a limitation to revealing a clear causal relationship between exposure to chemicals and the occurrence of environmental disease. It is necessary to develop various exposure- and effect-biomarkers related to disease occurrence and to conduct toxicokinetic studies. A novel chemical screening system that uses AOP and chemical toxicity big data could be useful for selecting chemicals that cause environmental diseases. Conclusions: From a toxicological point of view, developing AOP related to environmental diseases and a deep learning-based chemical screening system will contribute to the prevention of environmental diseases in advance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권5호
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• pp.2375-2378
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• 2014

Cancer, like any disease, is a pathologic biological process. Drugs are designed to interfere with the pathologic process and should therefore also be validated using a functional screening method directed at these processes. Screening for cancers at an appropriate time and also evaluating results is also very important. Volumetric measurement helps in better screening and evaluation of tumors. Volumetry is a process of quantification of the tumors by identification (pre-cancerous or target lesion) and measurement. Volumetric image analysis allows an accurate, precise, sensitive, and medically valuable assessment of tumor response. It also helps in identifying possible outcomes such disease progression (PD) or complete response as per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권22호
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• pp.9773-9779
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• 2014

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the prime causes of mortality around the globe, with a significantly rising incidence in the Middle East region in recent decades. Since detection of CRC in the early stages is an important issue, and also since to date there are no comprehensive epidemiologic studies depicting the Middle East region with special attention to the average risk group, further investigation is of significant necessity in this regard. Aim: Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the colon in an average risk population. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,208 eligible asymptomatic, average- risk adults older than 40 years of age, referred to Firuzgar Hospotal in the years 2008-2012, were enrolled. They underwent colonoscopy screening and all polypoid lesions were removed and examined by an expert gastrointestinal pathologist. The lesions were classified by size, location, numbers and pathologic findings. Size of lesions was measured objectively by endoscopists. Results: The mean age of participants was $56.5{\pm}9.59$ and 51.6% were male. The overall polyp detection rate was 199/1208 (16.5 %), 26 subjects having non-neoplastic polyps, including hyperplastic lesions, and 173/1208 (14.3%) having neoplastic polyps, of which 26 (2.15%) were advanced neoplasms. The prevalence of colorectal neoplasia was more common among the 50-59 age group. Advanced adenoma was more frequent among the 60-69 age group. The majority of adenomas were detected in the distal colon, but a quarter of advanced adenomas were found in the proximal colon; advance age and male gender was associated with the presence of adenoma. Conclusions: It seems that CRC screening among average-risk population might be recommended in countries such as Iran. However, sigmioidoscopy alone would miss many colorectal adenomas. Furthermore, the 50-59 age group could be considered as an appropriate target population for this purpose in Iran.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.53-60
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• 2017

Proteinuria is common in pediatric and adolescent patients. Proteinuria is defined as urinary protein excretion at levels higher than $100-150mg/m^2/day$ in children. It can be indicative of normal or benign conditions as well as numerous types of severe underlying renal or systemic disease. The school urine screening program has been conducted in Korea since 1998. Since then, numerous patients with normal or benign proteinuria as well as early stage renal diseases have been referred to the hospital. Benign proteinuria includes orthostatic proteinuria and transient proteinuria. Most causes of proteinuria can be categorized into 3 types: 1) overflow, 2) tubular, and 3) glomerular. Although treatment should be directed at the underlying cause of the proteinuria, prompt evaluation, diagnosis, and long-term monitoring of these pediatric patients can prevent potential progression of the underlying disease process. This article provides an overview of proteinuria: its causes, methods of assessment, and algorithmic suggestions to differentiate benign from pathologic renal disease.

• 대한유전성대사질환학회지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.75-80
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• 2013

Specific genetic conditions may lead to sudden unexpected deaths in infancy, such as inborn errors of fatty acid oxidation and genetic disorders of cardiac ion channels. The disease may present dramatically with severe hypoketotic hypoglycemia, Reye syndrome or sudden death, typically with a peak of frequency around 3-6 month, whilst neonatal sudden death is quite rare. When undetected, approximately 20-25% of infants will die or suffer permanent neurologic impairment as a consequence of the first acute metabolic decompensation. Meanwhile, the advent of newborn screening for metabolic diseases has revealed populations of patients with disorders of fatty acid oxidation (FAO), the most frequent of which is medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency. Without this screening, affected individuals would likely succumb to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Here we describe an overview of sudden infant death syndrome and inherited metabolic disorder.

• 한국정보과학회논문지:컴퓨팅의 실제 및 레터
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.25-32
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• 2003

오늘날 사람들의 많은 관심을 끌고 있는 생명 공학 분야에서, 가상 검색은 컴퓨터에서 가상적으로 시뮬레이션을 수행함으로서 특정 질병에 관여하는 물질을 널다 빠르게 추출하여 신약을 설계하는 방법이다. 본 논문에서는 지역적으로 분산된 유휴 또는 전략적 자원을 이용하여 가상 검색을 효과적으로 수행할 수 있는 분산 시스템인 DVSF(Distributed Virtual Screening Facilities)를 소개한다. DVSF는 중소규모의 실험실이 가지고 있는 유휴 자원을 이용하여 최소한의 비용으로 효과적인 신약 개발을 위한 환경을 구성할 수 있도록 개발되었다.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.152-161
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• 2019

Purpose: We examined the prevalence of anemia, annual screening for anemia, and treatment of anemia with iron among children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: A retrospective study of U.S. pediatric patients with IBD was performed in the MarketScan commercial claims database from 2010-2014. Children (ages 1-21) with at least two inpatient or outpatient encounters for IBD who had available lab and pharmacy data were included in the cohort. Anemia was defined using World Health Organization criteria. We used logistic regression to determine differences in screening, incident anemia, and treatment based on age at first IBD encounter and sex. Results: The cohort (n=2,446) included 1,560 Crohn's disease (CD) and 886 ulcerative colitis (UC). Approximately, 85% of CD and 81% of UC were screened for anemia. Among those screened, 51% with CD and 43% with UC had anemia. Only 24% of anemia patients with CD and 20% with UC were tested for iron deficiency; 85% were iron deficient. Intravenous (IV) iron was used to treat 4% of CD and 4% UC patients overall and 8% of those with anemia. Conclusion: At least 80% of children with IBD were screened for anemia, although most did not receive follow-up tests for iron deficiency. The 43%-50% prevalence of anemia was consistent with prior studies. Under-treatment with IV iron points to a potential target for quality improvement.