• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.490-499
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• 2017

In recent years, the introduction of complex systems analysis based on various variables has become more active in order to identify and analyze complex problems of Modern Society. Prediction of patients' spatial perception and usability according to the spatial arrangement of the outpatient department is a very important factor for providing high quality hospital service. For objective analysis, the standard program procedure and analysis index for the diseases of the elderly were prepared and the uniformity of the atmospheric space was evaluated through heat map analysis and quantitative analysis. In this study, 73 cells were installed and simulated to analyze the uniformity of the four alternatives according to the change of the arrangement of the medical care space, receiving space, and consultation space using the complex system analysis method for the nursing hospitals. The resulting density was derived. The results are as follows. 1)The layout of the reception space has the greatest influence on the total spatial density of the waiting space. 2) The uniformity of the waiting space can be increased by separating the examination space and the examination space. 3)The closer the location of the receiving space is from the entrance, the greater the density of the waiting space. Finally, this study applied discrete event simulation to the evaluation of uniformity of atmosphere space, and proved that the actor - based model can be utilized for utilization and evaluation as spatial analysis methodology.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.714-721
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• 2018

In this study, we investigate a design technology intended to radically increase the buckling strength of vertically curved panels. Recent studies proposed a buckling strength formula which properly reflects the effect on the local plate buckling strength of flat plates when they are stiffened by closed section ribs. Herein, we attempted to quantitatively evaluate this effect on curved panels and to reveal the correlations with the design parameters. The commercial finite element software, ABAQUS, was used to build a three dimensional numerical model and numerical parametric studies were conducted to evaluate the variation of the buckling strength. In the case of flat panels, the local buckling strength of stiffened curved panels increases proportionally with increasing rotational stiffness of the closed-section ribs. After attaining a limiting value, an obvious tendency was found that the local buckling strength of the stiffened curved panel would converge towards a fixed value when the panels are supported along both sides. The parametric studies performed using the influential design parameters confirmed that the estimated partially-restrained curved panel strength is well correlated with the proposed formula.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2002

Alteration in the syntesis or enhanced inactivation of nitric oxide(NO) can induce impairment of endothelial cell function. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus(IDDM) is characterized by impaired endothelial function and vascular disease. NO is produced through L-arginine pathway To elucidate the hypothesis that the decreased production on NO in IDDM reflects vascular damage and the NO production can be manipulated by either dietary fat(7% of kg diet) or the oral supplementation with L-arginine(2g/kg bw), plasma markers for vascular endothelial damage and plasma lipid profiles were measured in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetic or normal Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 6 different experimental diets for 4 weeks(SO : soybean oil, SOA: soybean oil + L-arginine supplementation, BT : beef tallow, BTA_ beef tallow + L-arginine supplementation, OV olive oil, OVA : olive oil + L-arginine supplementation). Plasma glucose, total cholesterel, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were measured. Endothelial markers, plasma von Willebrand factor(vWf), thromboxane B$_2$, and 6-keto PGF1$\alpha$ of aorta were measured by ELISA. Plasma NO production was evaluated through the measurement of nitrite by EIA. Feeding saturated fatty acid(SFA, BT) increased relative liver size(RLS) in diabetic rats compared to either polyunsatunted fatty acid(PUFA, SO) or monounsaturated fatty acid(MUFA, OV) The supplementation of L-arginine inhibited the liver and kidney enlargement in olive oil find diabetic rats. Plasma glucose was lower in diabetic animal find the olive oil compared to fed beef tallow and the supplementation L-arginine decreased it in diabetic rats find beef tallow significantly(p < 0.05). Plasma TXB$_2$ levels were increased due to diabetes and the value of beef tallow group showed highest value. Plasma vWf concentration of beef tallow group was higher value in normal rats and was elevated more in diabetes. In diabetic groups, the vWf concentration of olive oil group was lower than beef tallow or soybean oil group. The supplementation of L-arginine in diabetic rats decreased plasma TXB$_2$ and vWf levels significantly(p < 0.05). NO production was higher in normal olive oil fed rats and was tend to be decreased in diabetic rats and the supplementation of L-arginine recovered to normal value(p < 0.05), Olive oil supplemented with L-arginine tended to lower plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol after 4 week treatment. These results suggest that generalized vascular endothelial changes based on plasma TXB$_2$and vWf occurs in diabetic rats. and olive oil with L-arginine supplementation contributes to a better control of the hyperglycemia, endothelial changes and hypercholesterolemia accompanying diabetes as compared with beef tallow or soy bean oil in this rat model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.799-805
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• 2016

Background: There is no standard treatment for patients with platinum-resistant or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Single agent chemotherapies have evidence of more efficacy and less toxicity than combination therapy. Most are very expensive, with appreciable toxicity and minimal survival. Since it is difficult to make comparison between outcomes, economic analysis of single-agent chemotherapy regimens and best supportive care may help to make decisions about an appropriate management for the affected patients. Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of second-line chemotherapy compared with best supportive care for patients with platinum-resistant or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: A Markov model was used to estimate the effectiveness and total costs associated with treatments. The hypothetical patient population comprised women aged 55 with platinum-resistant or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Four types of alternative treatment options were evaluated: 1) gemcitabine followed by BSC; 2) pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) followed by BSC; 3) gemcitabine followed by topotecan; and 4) PLD followed by topotecan. Baseline comparator of alternative treatments was BSC. Time horizon of the analysis was 2 years. Health care provider perspective and 3% discount rate were used to determine the costs of medical treatment in this study. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) were used to measure the treatment effectiveness. Treatment effectiveness data were derived from the literature. Costs were calculated from unit cost treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer patients at various stages of disease in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH) in the year 2011. Parameter uncertainty was tested in probabilistic sensitivity analysis by using Monte Carlo simulation. One-way sensitivity analysis was used to explore each variable's impact on the uncertainty of the results. Results: Approximated life expectancy of best supportive care was 0.182 years and its total cost was 26,862 Baht. All four alternative treatments increased life expectancy. Life expectancy of gemcitabine followed by BSC, PLD followed by BSC, gemcitabine followed by topotecan and PLD followed by topotecan was 0.510, 0.513, 0.566, and 0.570 years, respectively. The total cost of gemcitabine followed by BSC, PLD followed by BSC, gemcitabine followed by topotecan and PLD followed by topotecan was 113,000, 124,302, 139,788 and 151,135 Baht, respectively. PLD followed by topotecan had the highest expected quality-adjusted life-years but was the most expensive of all the above strategies. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) of gemcitabine followed by BSC, PLD followed by BSC, gemcitabine followed by topotecan and PLD followed by topotecan was 344,643, 385,322, 385,856, and 420,299 Baht, respectively. Conclusions: All of the second-line chemotherapy strategies showed certain benefits due to an increased life-year gained compared with best supportive care. Moreover, gemcitabine as second-line chemotherapy followed by best supportive care in progressive disease case was likely to be more effective strategy with less cost from health care provider perspective. Gemcitabine was the most cost-effective treatment among all four alternative treatments. ICER is only an economic factor. Treatment decisions should be based on the patient benefit.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2707-2711
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• 2014

Introduction: Smoking prevalence among the medical students is high in China. Therefore, understanding the smoking motivations of medical students is crucial for smoking control, but currently there are no scales questionnaires customized for probing the smoking motivations of medical students. This aim of study was to test and modify a questionnaire for investigating smoking motivations among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,125 medical students at Xuzhou Medical College in China in 2012.The model fit and validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the reliability was tested by single-item reliability, composite reliability, and item-total correlation. Results: The prevalence of smoking was 9.84 % among study population. In the modified scales, the global fit indices identified a CFI value of 0.96, TLI was 0.96, and the RMSEA was 0.063. CFA supported the two dimensional structure of the instrument. The average variance extracted ranged from 0.45 to 0.62. All single-item reliability scores were greater than 0.20, and the composite reliability ranged from 0.74 to 0.91. Conclusion: Modified scales could be the preliminary instrument used in evaluating the smoking motivations of medical students. However, it should be further assessed using other forms and methods of validity and reliability, additional motivations of smoking, and the survey of other medical colleges in China.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.5029-5034
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• 2014

This study aimed to summarize published epidemiological evidence for the relationship between pancreatitis and subsequent risk of pancreatic cancer (PC). We searched Medline and Embase for epidemiological studies published by February $5^{th}$, 2014 examining the risk of PC in pancreatitis patients using highly inclusive algorithms. Information about first author, year of publication, country of study, recruitment period, type of pancreatitis, study design, sample size, source of controls and attained age of subjects were extracted by two researchers and Stata 11.0 was used to perform the statistical analyses and examine publication bias. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with the random effects model. A total of 17 articles documenting 3 cohort and 14 case-control studies containing 14,667 PC cases and 17,587 pancreatitis cases were included in this study. The pooled OR between pancreatitis and PC risk was 7.05 (95%CI: 6.42-7.75). Howeever, the pooled ORs of case-control and cohort studies were 4.62 (95%CI: 4.08-5.22) and 16.3 (95%CI: 14.3-18.6) respectively. The risk of PC was the highest in patients with chronic pancreatitis (pooled OR=10.35; 95%CI: 9.13-11.75), followed by unspecified type of pancreatitis (pooled OR=6.41; 95%CI: 4.93-8.34), both acute and chronic pancreatitis (pooled OR=6.13; 95%CI: 5.00-7.52), and acute pancreatitis (pooled OR=2.12; 95%CI: 1.59-2.83). The pooled OR of PC in pancreatitis cases diagnosed within 1 year was the highest (pooled OR=23.3; 95%CI: 14.0-38.9); and the risk in subjects diagnosed with pancreatitis for no less than 2, 5 and 10 years were 3.03 (95%CI: 2.41-3.81), 2.82 (95%CI: 2.12-3.76) and 2.25 (95%CI: 1.59-3.19) respectively. Pancreatitis, especially chronic pancreatitis, was associated with a significantly increased risk of PC; and the risk decreased with increasing duration since diagnosis of pancreatitis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.475-484
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to develop model for estimating biodegrability of organic sludge (sewage and papermill) in various environmental conditions. to assume degradable degree with operating time of SRB reactor. and evaluate duratior of organic sludge as carbon source. Average TCOD was 28.7~63.2mg/L in effluent. organic sludge did not much supply carbon source for experimental period. But in point of durability. it seemed that organic sludge was efficient because it was not consumed by degradation of much organic matter within short period. With increasing $SO_4{^{2-}}$ reduction rate. Pb and Fe was removed 77~82% and 33~59%. respectively. Because Al was precipitated as a hydroxide. its removal rate wa,. about $54{\pm}2%$ in R-l~R-3 maintaining low pH but about 78% in R-4 maintaining high pH. Because Mn was large in solubility. it showed to be much lower than other heavy metals. Considering supportable capacity or durability of orgainc matter for initial SRB mixing ratio of sewage/papermill 0.5 was regarded as appropriate substituting material and at this time. it estimated that carbon source continued about 3.08 year but safety factor must apply to be thought over. because various factors had an effect on degradation of organic sludge.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1071-1077
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• 2017

A rise in the occurrence of allergic diseases is attributed to the dysregulated balance of type 1/type 2 immunity, where type 2 T-helper (Th2) cells predominate over type 1 T-helper (Th1) cells, leading to an abnormally increased production of IgE in response to unharmful antigens. Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food, is a rich source of beneficial lactic acid bacteria. In this study, we investigated the ability of Enterococcus faecium FC-K derived from kimchi to induce type I immunity in the presence of Th2 polarizing conditions in vitro and in vivo. Stimulation of mouse peritoneal macrophages with E. faecium FC-K induced the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12. Under the in vitro Th2 conditions in which splenic T cells were activated in the presence of IL-4, E. faecium FC-K enhanced the ability of T cells to produce interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}$. Using the ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergy model, male BALB/c mice receiving E. faecium FC-K reduced the serum level of total IgE, but not that of OVA-specific IgE. Furthermore, the population of activated splenic B cells during OVA immunization was decreased in E. faecium FC-K-treated mice, accounting for a reduction of total IgE in the serum. Restimulating splenocytes from OVA-immunized mice with OVA ex vivo resulted in an increased production of $IFN-{\gamma}$, with no effect on IL-4, in E. faecium FC-K-treated mice. These observations provide the evidence that E. faecium FC-K can be a beneficial probiotic strain that can modulate the Th2-mediated pathologic response.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1883-1895
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• 2018

Alcohol dependence is a global public health problem, yet the mechanisms of alcohol dependence are incompletely understood. The traditional view has been that ethanol alters various neurotransmitters and their receptors in the brain and causes the addiction. However, an increasing amount of experimental evidence suggests that gut microbiota also influence brain functions via gut-to-brain interactions, and may therefore induce the development of alcohol use disorders. In this study, a rat model of alcohol dependence and withdrawal was employed, the gut microbiota composition was analyzed by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the metagenome function was predicted by PICRUSt software. The results suggested that chronic alcohol consumption did not significantly alter the diversity and richness of gut microbiota in the jejunum and colon, but rather markedly changed the microbiota composition structure in the colon. The phyla Bacteroidetes and eight genera including Bacteroidales S24-7, Ruminococcaceae, Parabacteroides, Butyricimonas, et al were drastically increased, however the genus Lactobacillus and gauvreauii in the colon were significantly decreased in the alcohol dependence group compared with the withdrawal and control groups. The microbial functional prediction analysis revealed that the proportions of amino acid metabolism, polyketide sugar unit biosynthesis and peroxisome were significantly increased in the AD group. This study demonstrated that chronic alcohol consumption has a dramatic effect on the microbiota composition structure in the colon but few effects on the jejunum. Inducement of colonic microbiota dysbiosis due to alcohol abuse seems to be a factor of alcohol dependence, which suggests that modulating colonic microbiota composition might be a potentially new target for treating alcohol addiction.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.10
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• pp.1076-1081
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• 2005

Purpose : Insulin resistance is the most important risk factor linked to the development of impaired glucose tolerance(IGT), diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in childhood and adolescent obesity, The purpose of this study was to see whether insulin resistance of obese adolescent is higher than that of obese children. and to analyze gender difference and affecting factors of insulin resistance. Methods : Of the 9,837 school children from 5 to 16 tears old, 92 obese children and 187 adolescent, underwent a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test and plasma glucose, insulin, lipid profiles, leptin and high sensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) were measure. Results : Plasma insulin levels of female were higher compared to those of males during oral glucose tolerance test(P<0.05). Four(4.3%) in obese children and twenty five(13.3%) in obese adolescents met the criteria of IGT. Female, leptin, adiponectin and triglyceride concentrations were strongly correlated with homeostatic model assessment insulin-resistance(HOMA-IR) by multiple linear regression analysis(P<0.05). Conclusion : Obese adolescents might have higher insulin concentrations compared to obese children and obese girls higher insulin concentrations than obese boys. Obese boys and children with impaired glucose tolerance have higher insulin concentrations than those with normal glucose tolerance. HOMA-IR was significantly correlated with female, plasma leptin, adiponectin and triglyceride concentrations.