• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.507-519
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence, health behaviors, and control of hypertension in rural areas in Korea. Method: A total of 927 subjects above age 20 were selected from the areas which fell under the jurisdiction of the 24 Community Health Center located in Chungcheongbuk-do. The employees in the Community Health Center visited and interviewed patients. Data were collected using a questionnaire from July to October 2002. Result: The result showed that women had higher hypertension prevalence rates than men and the increment of its rate leveled up according to age. The hypertension prevalence rate was significantly high when the monthly income was less than 1 million won, their type of the Medical Insurance was the Guardian, they were only able to read Korean characters, and they were bereaved of spouses. In the Health behavior related to hypertension, the hypertension group showed a significantly lower level than the non- hypertension group in terms of drinking rate, smoking rate, intake of salt and intake of meat. There was no significant difference in the exercise rate and coffee intake rate between these groups. In the degree of the obesity the hypertension group was significantly higher than the non-hypertension group. The factors related to hypertension were that the duration for the incidence of hypertension was 12 to 60 months and took up 41.2%. The places where the medical check-ups occurred were the Community Health Center at 46.6%, the medical institution was mostly hospitals recording 46.5%. There were 66.1% of the targets who knew well about their blood pressure and there were 64.7% people who received education about it. As for the education place, the rate of Community Health Center was mostly high and it stood at 77.0%. In the aspect of the management of hypertension, the targets who took medicine on a regular basis were up to 76.1% and the targets who measured blood pressure once a month happened to be about 46.1 %. The targets who always recorded their blood pressure were 3.8%, chest X-ray as a related examination of hypertension reached 32.6%, electrocardiogram examination was 36.2%, cholesterol and serum lipid examination took up 33.6%, and the eye ground examination took 7.3%, which showed the lowest level of all.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.284-290
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• 2006

Purpose: Many previous studies have suggested that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) over expression is closely related to angiogenesis. However, few have reported the relationship between COX-2 and lymphangiogenesis which is still unclear, The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between COX-2 expression and lymphangiogenetic factor, VEGF-C, in human gastric cancer and to correlate COX-2 and VEGF-C expression with other clinocopathological features to investigate whether COX-2 contributes to lymphangiogenesis and enhances lymph node metastasis. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients who underwent curative radical surgery in Hanyang University hospital from July 1998 to June 2001 were selected. The expression of COX-2 and VEGF-C were detected by using immunohistochemistry, and the relationships between these two parameters and several clinicopathological factors (gender, stage, lymph node status, tumor location, Lauren classification and angioinvasion) were determined. Results: Increased COX-2 expression was found in 86 of 100 tumor samples (86%) and in 70 of 100 tumor samples (70%) with VEGF-C. A high correlation between VEGF-C expression and lymph node metastasis was observed (P=0.033) along as well as COX-2 expression (P=0.012). Also, there was a significant correlation between COX-2 and VEGF-C expression (P=0.026), yet no correlation were found between COX-2 and VEGF-C expression and other clinicopathological parameters. Conclusion: Our study suggests that COX-2 expression contributes to lymphangiogenesis by mediating VEGF-C and finally promoting lymph node metastasis.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of tumor and prognosis, depending on the status of resection margin involvement, on the frozen section diagnosis in gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively, in 83 margin-positive patients on the frozen section diagnosis, who underwent gastrectomy from July 1995 to September 2006. The control group was selected by matching the age, gender, TNM stage and status of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, among those who had shown clear resection margins. The characteristics of tumor and patient survival are investigated, and they were analyzed between the two groups. Results: The tumor size was significantly larger in the study group than that of the control group (P=0.037). There was significant difference between the two groups in location of the tumors (P=0.003). Multivariate analysis indicated that only the location and Lauren's classification are independent factors, which affected the resection margin involvement. Median survival was $41.0{\pm}11.5$ months in the study group and $93.0{\pm}30.3$ months in the control group (P=0.049). In the survival analysis, it was investigated that TNM stage and the resection margin involvement of the frozen section diagnosis were the critical variables. Conclusions: When the tumor is located at the middle or the upper third, or the Lauren's indeterminate type, they are highly likely to show the resection margin involvement on the frozen section diagnosis, and it can, therefore, have negative effects on the prognosis. It is considered as good to perform more extensive resection as possible, during the initial resection.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2010

In clinical data minig, choosing the optimal subset of features is such important, not only to reduce the computational complexity but also to improve the usefulness of the model constructed from the given data. Moreover the threshold values (i.e., cut-off points) of selected features are used in a clinical decision criteria of experts for differential diagnosis of diseases. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy discretization approach, which is evaluated by measuring the degree of separation of redundant attribute values in overlapping region, based on spatial distribution of data with continuous attributes. The weighted average of the redundant attribute values is then used to determine the threshold value for each feature and rough set theory is utilized to select a subset of relevant features from the overall features. To verify the validity of the proposed method, we compared experimental results, which applied to classification problem using 668 patients with a chief complaint of dyspnea, based on three discretization methods (i.e., equal-width, equal-frequency, and entropy-based) and proposed discretization method. From the experimental results, we confirm that the discretization methods with fuzzy partition give better results in two evaluation measures, average classification accuracy and G-mean, than those with hard partition.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.163-175
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• 2014

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate dietary intake among female breast cancer survivors in a cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 127 women who had breast cancer surgery at least 6 months before baseline were included. Dietary intake of female breast cancer survivors was assessed through self-reported 3 day-dietary records. To compare dietary intake between breast cancer survivors and general female population without cancer, we selected the 1:4 age matched women from the 2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). In the KNHANES, participants were asked about their dietary intake using the 24-hour dietary recalls. We also examined whether dietary intake varied by age group, cancer stage, or time since surgery among breast cancer survivors. We used the generalized linear model to compare their dietary intakes. Results: Intakes of total energy, beta-carotene, folate, vitamin C, plant iron and fruits were lower among breast cancer survivors with longer time since surgery compared to those with shorter time (p<0.05). Breast cancer patients with higher stage at diagnosis tended to consume less legumes (p=0.01) than those with lower stage. When we compared dietary intake between breast cancer survivors and the general female population without cancer, breast cancer survivors were more likely to consume most of macro- and micro-nutrients in larger quantity (p<0.05) and adhere to healthier diet characterized by higher intakes of legumes, seed and nuts, vegetables and fishes and shells than the general female population who never had been diagnosed with cancer (p<0.05). Conclusions: Our study results suggested that the intakes of nutrients and foods varied by time since surgery and cancer stage among breast cancer survivors and dietary intakes among breast cancer survivors differed from that in the general population. Further prospective studies are warranted to explore the association between dietary intakes of specific food items and survival among Korean breast cancer survivors.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.537-550
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• 2009

During the last two decades, there has been an increasing interest in the impact of oral health on atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD). To date, some periodontal pathogens including Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) have been reported to be relevant to CVD. Porphyromonas endodontalis (P. endodontalis), which shares approximately 87% sequence homology with P. gingivalis, is mostly found within infected root canals. However, recent studies reveal that this pathogen also resides in the dental plaque or periodontal pocket in patients with periodontitis. It has been shown that P. endodontalis invades human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMC). To evaluate whether P. endodontalis can participate in the progression of atherosclerosis and CVD, we examined the changes in transcriptional gene expression profiles of HCAEC responding to invaion by P. endodontalis in this study. The following results were obtained. 1. Porphyromonas endodontalis was invasive of HCAEC. 2. According to the microarray analysis, there were 625 genes upregulated more than two-folds, while there were 154 genes downregulated by half. 3. Upregulated genes were relevant to inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, coagulation and immune response. Enhanced expression of MMP-1 was also noticeable. 4. The transcription profiles of the 10 selected genes examined by real-time PCR agreed well with those observed in the microarray analysis. Thus, these results show that P. endodontalis presents the potential to trigger and augment atherosclerosis leading to CVD.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.260-268
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship among the variables and effects of depression and physical activity on fatigue in the elderly with chronic disease. A descriptive research design was employed in this study. In total, 500 elderly patients diagnosed with chronic disease were selected from 3 medical centers for the study. The measurements were used to examine their general characteristics, fatigue, depression, and physical activity. To analyze the data, statistical analyses, including ANOVA, t-test, Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression analysis, were conducted for the analysis of the data. The results indicated that the age, gender, and educational level in the first step model explained 6% of the effect on fatigue among the elderly with chronic disease. In addition, depression and physical activity in the second step model explained 16% of the effect on fatigue. These findings demonstrate the significance of (considering) depression and physical activity related to care plans when developing health-programs for decreasing fatigue and planning intervention strategies.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.335-342
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• 2007

C-shaped canals are known to present a complex canal anatomy with numerous fins connecting individual canals, thus requiring supplementary effort to accomplish a successful root canal treatment. This study examined the frequency of the C-shaped mandibular second molars and interrelation between the clinical records and radiographs to recognize them treated in the Department of Conservative Dentistry of the Chosun University Dental Hospital during a six-year period (1998-2004). This study reviewed the clinical records of 227 patients who underwent root canal treatment of the mandibular second molars. After opening the chamber, those cases with C-shaped orifices in the pulpal floor were selected, ana the C-shaped root canal types were classified according to Melton's criteria. Three experienced dentists evaluated the radiographs of the C-shaped mandibular second molar on a viewer using a magnifying glass in order to determine if the root apex was fused or separated, the distal root canal was either centered or mesial shifted in the distal root, and if there was bilateral symmetry in a panorama. In conclusion, there is a high frequency of C-shaped mandibular second molars in Koreans. Simultaneous interpretation of the root shape and distal root canal using the preoperative, working length and post-treatment radiographs is important for diagnosing a C-shaped mandibular second molar.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.163-170
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• 2014

This study is to investigate neuro-anatomical correlation between neuropsychological results and cerebral cortex thickness of cognitive ability in the brain MRI targeting the patients with mild cognitive impairment. It was that 78 people who were diagnosed as first Parkinson's disease followed by neuropsychological screening battery(Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment: 39 people; Parkinson's disease with normal cognition: 39 people) and 32 people of normal group were selected. Correlation between mild cognitive impairment and normal cognitive impairment and correlation between neuropsychological screening battery and cerebral cortex thickness in the brain MRI were performed by independent sample t-test or Pearson correlation coefficient and then level of significance of collected data was verified in p<0.05. As a result, cerebral cortex thickness of the Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment in both side precuneas and right inferiortemporal lobe had statistically significant decrease. In addition, function of visuospatial ability, verbal and visual memory was reduced in neuropsychological screening battery for cognitive assessment. Especially, there was correlation between neuropsychological screening battery of verbal and visual memory anatomical left precuneus.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 1997

A mass appearing in the anterior or lateral side of neck often can be a diagnostic challenge. Differential diagnosis of the neck mass covers a broad spectrum of diseases and the proper evaluation and management of a neck mass requires an impressive amount of anatomic and pathologic information. Because improper diagnosis and management may convert a potentially curable malignant metastasis into incurable disease, a differential diagnosis must be considered in all patients who present with a neck mass. Authors reviewed 2,148 cases of neck mass who were diagnosed by surgical resection, biopsy or aspiration during the period between October 1982 to December 1993, excluding those with thyroid and parathyroid disease. The evaluated characteristics were age, sex, site of lesion, and pathologic diagnosis. The results were as follows: Of 2,148 cases of neck mass, the overall ratio of benign to malignant tumor was 3 : 1. In 1,603 cases of benign mass lesion, the most common disease was lymphadenitis(non-specific and tuberculosis) showing 53% incidence, the second was salivary gland tumor(13%), and the third was congenital lesion(12%). The minor problems such as lipoma and sebaceous cyst were 21 %. In the age distribution of benign lesion, tuberculous lymphadenitis showed peak incidence in second decade, non-specific lymphadenitis was main disease of childhood, salivary gland tumor was peak in fourth decade, and most of congenital lesions were diagnosed at the age below 15. In 545 malignant tumors, the most common lesion was metastatic cancer to cervical lymph nodes yielding 71 % incidence(head and neck primary 52%, infraclavicular primary 42%, unknown primary 5%), the second common disease was lymphoma(19%), and the third was salivary gland cancer(9%). In the age incidence of malignant tumor, 60% of them developed in the fifth and sixth decade, head and neck primary was more common in the fifth decade than sixth, however lymphoma showed higher incidence in sixth decade. In the analysis of mass location according to lymph node level grouping(I - V), lymphadenitis developed mostly in level V nodes, the next common occurring site was level IV in tuberculous lymphadenitis and level II in non-specific lymphadenitis. The majority of metastatic cancers were found in level IV and III, and common occurring site of lymphoma was in level II and IV. Pathologic diagnosis of neck masses were made by fine needle aspiration cytology 80 cases, incisional biopsy 533 cases, excisional surgery 1,399 cases, and neck dissection 116 cases. For the proper management of neck mass, a proper diagnostic modality should be selected from imaging techniques, cytology, biopsy or neck dissection, with the consideration of patient's age, history and clinical findings. The scapel biopsy could be used freely in the inflammatory disease or inoperable metastatic cancer, but it should be reserved in the curable metastatic cancer or clinically possible malignancy.