• 한국수산과학회지
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• 제55권5호
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• pp.681-687
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• 2022

The government has implemented a policy to promote the use of extruded pellets in sustainable aquaculture by protecting fishery resources and managing the ocean environment. A survey on the production status and the cost of targeting olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus culture farms in Jeju Island using extruded pellets was conducted. The survey results were used to examine the profitability and economic feasibility of the test farms, as well as the degree of increase in profitability and economic feasibility of the fish farms receiving government subsidies for employing extruded pellets. The economic feasibility was predicted through a sensitivity analysis of prices and production, which are the variable factors when of using the extruded pellets. Using the economic feasibility analysis, the average NPV (Net Present Value) and IRR (Internal Rate of Return) of sample farms were found to be KRW 5.8 billion and 8.9%, respectively. The result of the economic feasibility analysis of the government subsidy showed a maximum average of about 2.3 times higher NPV and a 3.8% increase in IRR in cases where government subsidies were received.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.48-54
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effects of body mass index (BMI) on survival in cervical cancer patients who had undergone surgery and radiotherapy (RT). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 70 cervical cancer patients who underwent surgery and RT from 2007 to 2012. Among them, 40 patients (57.1%) had pelvic lymph node metastases at the time of diagnosis. Sixty-seven patients (95.7%) had received chemotherapy. All patients had undergone surgery and postoperative RT. Median BMI of patients was $22.8kg/m^2$ (range, 17.7 to $35.9kg/m^2$). Results: The median duration of follow-up was 52.3 months (range, 16 to 107 months). Twenty-four patients (34.3%) showed recurrence. Local failure, regional lymph nodal failure, and distant failure occurred in 4 (5.7%), 6 (8.6%), and 17 (24.3%) patients, respectively. The 5-year actuarial pelvic control rate was 83.4%. The 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 85.1% and 65.0%, respectively. The presence of pelvic lymph node metastases (n = 30) and being overweight or obese (n = 34, $BMI{\geq}23kg/m^2$) were poor prognostic factors for CSS (p = 0.003 and p = 0.045, respectively). Of these, pelvic lymph node metastasis was an independent prognostic factor (p = 0.030) for CSS. Conclusion: Overweight or obese cervical cancer patients showed poorer survival outcomes than normal weight or underweight patients. Weight control seems to be important in cervical cancer patients to improve clinical outcomes.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제50권6호
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• pp.557-562
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• 2023

Augmentation mammoplasty is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries, but there is a high reoperation rate (29.7%) commonly due to capsular contracture, implant malpositioning, infection, and unsatisfactory size. Although infection only accounts for 2% of cases, its management is very challenging, especially with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection. Breast prosthetic NTM infection is a rare but is a disastrous condition with an incidence of approximately 0.013%. Immediate salvage reimplantation is usually not suggested, and most studies recommend a gap of 3 to 6 months after combination antibiotics therapy before reimplantation. However, delayed reimplantation often leads to great psychological stress and struggle between the doctor and patient. We present the case report of successful reimplantation in treating prosthetic NTM infections in a 28-year-old female. We discuss a novel technique "transaxillary capsulorrhaphy" to correct the bottoming-out deformity. One year after the combination of antibiotics and surgery, the follow-up computed tomography scan showed complete remission of NTM without recurrence. We discuss the surgical technique in detail. The 1-year follow-up assessment (photos and dynamic video) revealed good cosmesis and reliable correction using the new technique. This report is the first formal description and discussion of one-stage reimplantation following NTM infections. Transaxillary capsulorrhaphy allows for a successful salvage operation when an implant is displaced. This approach provides highly favorable result in eastern women undergoing revision augmentation mammoplasty. This study reflects level of evidence V, considering opinions of respected authorities based on clinical experience, descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.331-338
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• 2008

The study was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the tube agglutination test (TAT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the 2-Mercaptoethanol agglutination test (2-MAT) to detect human brucellosis patients in Korea. We examined 87 serum samples of people in the rural farm areas where bovine brucellosis had been reported. People in this study were divided into seven groups- farmers and their families, veterinarians, veterinary quarantine workers, livestock health control officers, artificial inseminators, livestock traders and healthy control individuals. Among 87 people, 65 were males and 22 were females ranging in age from 13 to 72 years. Of 87 serum samples, ELISA detected 21.84%, TAT detected 11.50% and 2-MAT detected 8.05% Brucella positive sera. Brucella specific IgG ELISA antibody titer was recorder higher in the individuals between the ages of 50 and 65 years. The highest prevalence rate of brucellosis(29.4%) was recorded in the cattle farmers and their family members followed by quarantine veterinary office workers (25%) and practicing veterinarians 01.1%). The majority of the Brucella sero-positive individuals in this study had a history of direct contact with animals.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.11-50
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• 2023

As the field of interventional pain management (IPM) grows, the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) is increasing. SSI is defined as an infection of the incision or organ/space that occurs within one month after operation or three months after implantation. It is also common to find patients with suspected infection in an outpatient clinic. The most frequent IPM procedures are performed in the spine. Even though primary pyogenic spondylodiscitis via hematogenous spread is the most common type among spinal infections, secondary spinal infections from direct inoculation should be monitored after IPM procedures. Various preventive guidelines for SSI have been published. Cefazolin, followed by vancomycin, is the most commonly used surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in IPM. Diagnosis of SSI is confirmed by purulent discharge, isolation of causative organisms, pain/tenderness, swelling, redness, or heat, or diagnosis by a surgeon or attending physician. Inflammatory markers include traditional (C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and white blood cell count) and novel (procalcitonin, serum amyloid A, and presepsin) markers. Empirical antibiotic therapy is defined as the initial administration of antibiotics within at least 24 hours prior to the results of blood culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Definitive antibiotic therapy is initiated based on the above culture and testing. Combination antibiotic therapy for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria infections appears to be superior to monotherapy in mortality with the risk of increasing antibiotic resistance rates. The never-ending war between bacterial resistance and new antibiotics is continuing. This article reviews prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infection in pain medicine.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권18호
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• pp.8451-8454
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• 2016

Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare but highly invasive malignancy characterized by poor survival. In a national cancer survey, the age-standardized incidence rate of GBC was highest in Jeju Island among the 15 provinces in South Korea. The aim of this descriptive epidemiological study was to suggest the modifiable risk factors for this rare malignant disease in Jeju Island by performing an age-sex-matched case-control study. Materials and Methods: The case group included patients diagnosed with GBC at the Department of Internal Medicine of Cheju Halla General Hospital, Jeju, South Korea, within the 5-year study period. The control group consisted of age-sex-matched subjects selected from among the participants of the health promotion center at the same institute and in the same period. We compared 78 case-control pairs in terms of clinical variables such as histories of hypertension, diabetes, vascular occlusive disorders, alcohol and smoking consumption, obesity, and combined polypoid lesions of the gallbladder (PLG) or gallstone diseases (GSDs). Results: Among the relevant risk factors, alcohol consumption, parity ${\geq}2$, PLG, and GSDs were significant risk factors in the univariate analysis. PLG (p < 0.01; OR, 51.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.98-875.3) and GSD (p < 0.01; OR, 54.9; 95% CI, 3.00-1001.8) were associated risk factors of GBC in the multivariate analysis with the conditional logistic regression model. However, we failed to find any correlation between obesity and GBC. We also found a negative correlation between alcohol consumption history and GBC in the multivariate analysis (p < 0.01; OR, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.01-0.31). Conclusions: These results suggest that combined PLG and GSDs are strongly associated with the GBC in Jeju Island and mild to moderate alcohol consumption may negatively correlate with GBC risk.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
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• 제59권9호
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• pp.1049-1056
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• 2018

Purpose: Local recurrence is the most common cause of failure in retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma patients after surgical resection. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) is infrequently used due to its high complication risk. We investigated the efficacy of PORT using modern techniques in patients with retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients, who underwent surgical resection for non-metastatic primary retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma at the Yonsei Cancer Center between 1994 and 2015, were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty-eight (47.5%) patients received PORT: three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in 29 and intensity-modulated radiotherapy in nine patients. Local failure-free survival (LFFS), overall survival (OS), and RT-related toxicities were investigated. Results: Median follow-up was 37.1 months (range, 5.8-207.9). Treatment failure occurred in 47 (58.8%) patients including local recurrence in 33 (41.3%), distant metastasis in eight (10%), and both occurred in six (7.5%) patients. The 2-year and 5-year LFFS rates were 63.9% and 47.9%, respectively. The 2-year and 5-year OS rates were 87.5% and 71.1%. The 5-year LFFS rate was significantly higher in PORT group than in no-PORT group (74.2% vs. 24.3%, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, PORT was the only independent prognostic factor for LFFS. However, there was no significant correlation between RT dose and LFFS. OS showed no significant difference between the two groups. Grade ${\leq}2$ acute toxicities were observed in 63% of patients, but no acute toxicity ${\geq}$ grade 3 was observed. Conclusion: PORT using modern technique markedly reduced local recurrence in retroperitoneal sarcoma patients, with low toxicity. The optimal RT technique, in terms of RT dose and target volume, should be further investigated.

• Acute and Critical Care
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.260-268
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical application of modified Burns Wean Assessment Program (m-BWAP) scoring at first spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) as a predictor of successful liberation from mechanical ventilation (MV) in patients with endotracheal intubation. Methods: Patients requiring MV for more than 72 hours and undergoing more than one SBT in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) were prospectively enrolled over a 3-year period. The m-BWAP score at first SBT was obtained by a critical care nursing practitioner. Results: A total of 103 subjects were included in this study. Their median age was 69 years (range, 22 to 87 years) and 72 subjects (69.9%) were male. The median duration from admission to first SBT was 5 days (range, 3 to 26 days), and the rate of final successful liberation from MV was 84.5% (n=87). In the total group of patients, the successful liberation from MV group at first SBT (n=65) had significantly higher m-BWAP scores than did the unsuccessful group (median, 60; range, 43 to 80 vs. median, 53; range, 33 to 70; P<0.001). Also, the area under the m-BWAP curve for predicting successful liberation of MV was 0.748 (95% confidence interval, 0.650 to 0.847), while the cutoff value based on Youden's index was 53 (sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 64%). Conclusions: The present data show that the m-BWAP score represents a good predictor of weaning success in patients with an endotracheal tube in place at first SBT.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.196-219
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• 2021

Purpose - We attempted to empirically verify the effects of managerial attributes on cost stickiness in exporters. Exporters are often affected not only by external factors such as exchange rate but also by internal factors such as managerial attributes regarding their business activities. Because cost stickiness is the product of a manager's decision-making, it has been considered that managerial attributes have a great influence on the behavior. Therefore, our study was intended to find out whether cost stickiness shows differentiated aspects depending on managerial attributes in exporters. Design/methodology - We considered two managerial attributes: CEO power and managerial overconfidence. First, CEO power was measured as CEO pay slice. In addition, managerial overconfidence was measured based on three methodologies presented by previous studies. To measure cost stickiness, we used multiple methodologies presented by prior research. Findings - The results of our empirical analysis are as follows. First, in export firms, the greater CEO power is, the greater cost stickiness is. This result suggested that export managers with great influence little respond to temporary sales decrease promptly, little reduce related production costs flexibly in preparation for future sales recovery, but leave room to endure costs for idle resources. Second, the greater managerial overconfidence is, the greater cost stickiness is. This result indicated that export managers with great overconfidence on their decision-making often view the prospect for sales recovery positively; therefore, they little respond to temporary sales decrease immediately, little reduce related production costs flexibly for future sales recovery, but leave room to endure costs for idle resources. Third, export managers with great influence in their businesses and great overconfidence in their decision-making tend to show relatively great cost stickiness. The results proposed that the combination of the two factors functions to make cost stickiness greater. Originality/value - Our study is differentiated from extant studies in that we provided empirical evidence of the effects of managerial attributes on their business activities in exporters. Specifically, we verified the effects of managerial attributes on cost stickiness in Korean exporters. The results of our study are expected to contribute to providing useful information for exporters and start-ups.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.84-94
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• 2022

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is a standard therapy used for locally advanced rectal cancer prior to surgery, which can more effectively reduce the locoregional recurrence rate and radiation toxicity compared to postoperative chemoradiotherapy. The response of patients to nCRT varies, and thus, robust biomarkers for predicting a pathological complete response are necessary. This study aimed to identify possible biomarkers involved in the complete response/non-response of rectal cancer patients to nCRT. Comparative proteomic analysis was performed on rectal tissue samples before and after nCRT. Proteins were extracted for label-free proteomic analysis. Western blot and real-time PCR were performed using rectal cancer cell line SNU-503 and radiation-resistant rectal cancer cell line SNU-503R80Gy. A total of 135 up- and 93 down-regulated proteins were identified in the complete response group. Six possible biomarkers were selected to evaluate the expression of proteins and mRNA in SNU-503 and SNU-503R80Gy cell lines. Lyso-phosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2, annexin A13, aldo-ketose reductase family 1 member B1, and cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide appeared to be potential biomarkers for predicting a pathological complete response to nCRT. This study identified differentially expressed proteins and some potential biomarkers in the complete response group, which would be further validated in future studies.