• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1234-1244
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• 1997

Background : Nowadays drug resistant tuberculosis is making problems in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis and its number is increasing. Several reasons for this are considered including irregular medication, poor drug compliance and wrong regimens. But there are treatment failure cases in spite of regular medication with short-term standard regimens. We reviewed clinical data of 50 patients to find out possible causes of this. Method : Subject of this study was 50 patients who failed in the primary treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in spite of regular medication with short-term standard regimens. All of them were under treatment with secondary regimens in National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital on Oct 1996. The patient's records were analyzed retrospectively and direct interviews with patients were done. Results : There were relatively more patients in the age of 20th. Male overwhelmed in number. There were smoking in 22 patients and drinking in 24 patients during medication. 17(34%) patients had family history of tuberculosis. Public health center was the most common site for the initial diagnosis among medical institutes. 42 patients had subjective symptoms for pulmonary tuberculosis. 38 patients got sufficient explanation from medical institute about tuberculosis and medication courses. 24 patients had bilateral lesions on chest X-ray film and 43 patients had cavitary lesions. 29 patients had past history for pulmonary tuberculosis with regular medication. The results of drug sensitivity test showed resistance in 41 patients of whom we could get the results. Conclusion : Main cause of treatment failure of pulmonary tuberculosis in spite of regular medication with short-term standard regimens was drug resistance. Several factors were considered to be related to high prevalence of drug resistance, including age of 20th, male, family history for tuberculosis, bilateral lesions or remaining cavitary lesion on chest X-ray film.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2006

Background: Extubation failure was associated with poor prognosis and high hospital mortality. Cuff leak test (CLT) has been proposed as a relatively simple method for detecting laryngeal obstruction that predispose toward postextubation stridor (PES) and reintubation. We examined the risk factors of extubation failure and evaluated the usefulness and limitation of CLT for predicting PES and reintubation. Methods: Thirty-four consecutive patients intubated more than 24 hours were examined. The subjects were evaluated daily for extubation readiness, and CLT was performed prior to extubation. Several parameters in the extubation success and failure group were compared. The accuracy and limitation of CLT were evaluated after choosing the thresholds values of the cuff leak volume (CLV) and percentage (CLP). Results: Of the 34 patients studied, 6 (17.6%) developed extubation failure and 3 (8.8%) were accompanied by PES. The patients who had extubation failure were more likely to have a longer duration of intubation and more severe illness. The patients who developed PES had a smaller cuff leak than the others: according to the CLV ($22.5{\pm}23.8$ vs $233.3{\pm}147.1ml$, p=0.020) or CLP ($6.2{\pm}7.3$ vs $44.3{\pm}24.7%$, p=0.013). The best cut off values for the CLV and CLP were 50ml and 14.7%, respectively. The sensitivity, negative predictive value, and specificity of CLT were relatively high, but the positive predictive value was low. Conclusion: The likelihood of developing extubation failure increases with increasing severity of illness and duration of intubation. A low CLV or CLP (<50ml or 14.7%) is useful in identifying patients at risk of PES, but the CLT is not an absolute predictor and should not be used an indicator for delaying extubation.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.223-235
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• 2002

Since weak Bones or geological lineaments are likely to be eroded, there may develop weak Bones beneath rivers, and a careful evaluation of ground condition is important to construct structures passing through a river. DC resistivity method, however, has seldomly applied to the investigation of water-covered area, possibly because of difficulties in data aquisition and interpretation. The data aquisition having high quality may be the most important factor, and is more difficult than that in land survey, due to the water layer overlying the underground structure to be imaged. Through the numerical modeling and the analysis of a case history, we studied the method of resistivity survey at the water-covered area, starting from the characteristics of measured data, via data acquisition method, to the interpretation method. We unfolded our discussion according to the installed locations of electrodes, ie., floating them on the water surface, and installing them at the water bottom, because the methods of data acquisition and interpretation vary depending on the electrode location. Through this study, we could confirm that the DC resistivity method can provide fairly reasonable subsurface images. It was also shown that installing electrodes at the water bottom can give the subsurface image with much higher resolution than floating them on the water surface. Since the data acquired at the water-covered area have much lower sensitivity to the underground structure than those at the land, and can be contaminated by the higher noise, such as streaming potential, it would be very important to select the acquisition method and electrode array being able to provide the higher signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio) data as well as the high resolving power. Some of the modified electrode arrays can provide the data having reasonably high S/N ratio and need not to install remote electrode(s), and thus, they may be suitable to the resistivity survey at the water-covered area.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.642-647
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• 2014

Although it is not a pathological symptom, Dentinal Hypersensitivity (DH) describes pain felt by patients whose tooth roots are exposed outside of the gums and are therefore sensitive to external stimuli. DH is caused by tooth brushing or gum diseases and treatment to reduce the sensitivity can include use of materials having stimulation activity for DH or a resin material applied periodontally. This study examined the hypersensitivity treatment effects of a four-week treatment with a toothpaste containing hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate (Hap-TCP toothpaste). The Hap-TCP toothpaste was made by mixing a commercially available fluorine-containing toothpaste with 10% (W/W) hydroxyapatite and 19% (W/W) tricalcium phosphate (both 99% purity based on XRD analysis). The tooth hypersensitivity treatment effect was surveyed by scoring VRS values, and showed no significant initial difference compared with the control. However, after 1 week of use, the pain reduction value was 8% in the treatment group compared to the control group. This value increased to 30% and 60% after 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. Hypersensitivity to cold stimulation, which was used as a VAS value, showed no initial significant differences compared with the control, but was significantly decreased after 1, 2, and 4 weeks in the experimental group, with more than a 3-fold difference after 4 weeks. These findings confirmed that remineralization can alleviate DH as hydroxyapatite fills dentinal tubules and calcium, phosphorus, and tricalcium phosphate ion equilibrium is established.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2017

A discounted cost model for preventive maintenance of armor units of rubble-mound breakwaters is mathematically derived by combining the deterioration model based on a discrete-time stochastic process of shock occurrence with the cost model of renewal process together. The discounted cost model of condition-based maintenance proposed in this paper can take into account the nonlinearity of cumulative damage process as well as the discounting effect of cost. By comparing the present results with the previous other results, the verification is carried out satisfactorily. In addition, it is known from the sensitivity analysis on variables related to the model that the more often preventive maintenance should be implemented, the more crucial the level of importance of system is. However, the tendency is shown in reverse as the interest rate is increased. Meanwhile, the present model has been applied to the armor units of rubble-mound breakwaters. The parameters of damage intensity function have been estimated through the time-dependent prediction of the expected cumulative damage level obtained from the sample path method. In particular, it is confirmed that the shock occurrences can be considered to be a discrete-time stochastic process by investigating the effects of uncertainty of the shock occurrences on the expected cumulative damage level with homogeneous Poisson process and doubly stochastic Poisson process that are the continuous-time stochastic processes. It can be also seen that the stochastic process of cumulative damage would depend directly on the design conditions, thus the preventive maintenance would be varied due to those. Finally, the optimal periods and scale for the preventive maintenance of armor units of rubble-mound breakwaters can be quantitatively determined with the failure limits, the levels of importance of structure, and the interest rates.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.293-310
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• 1991

Clonorchis sinensis is a common parasite of man in Korea. Researches on the specific antigens of C. sinensis would be valuable not only because those elucidate the molecular characteristics of this fluke but also because it is applicable to immunodiagnosis. Although many monoclonal antibodies have been used in the field of parasite immunology, few articles on monoclonal antibodies against C. sinensis have been published so far. The aim of this study was to analyse C. sinensis antigens recognized by monoclonal antibodies, and to set up ELISA-inhibition test using C. sinensis specific monoclonal antibodies for improved specificity of immunodiagnostic tests. By fusion between spleen cells of the mice immunized with C. sinensis water-soluble crude adult worm antigens and plasmacytoma cells of mouse origin, 29 hybridoma clones secreting anti-C. sinensis monoclonal antibodies were made, and 8 clones among those were found specific. After cell cloning, isotypes of 6 selected specific monoclonal anti- bodies were determined to be IgGl, IgG2b and IgA. Four exposed antigenic determinants of natural infection were recognized by different specific monoclonal antibodies. By enzyme-immunoelectrotransfer blot, 10 KD, 34 KD antigenic determinants were found to be reacted with CsHyb 0714-20, CsHyb 0605-10 monoclonal antibodies, respectively, The antigenic determinant recognized by CsHyb 0714-20 monoclonal antibody was revealed to be located at the surface and parenchyme of a parasite by indirect immunoauorescent antibody technique, and those reacted with CsHyb 0605-10, CsHyb 0714-25 monoclonal antibodies were found at the parenchyme and intestine. The antigenic determinant reacted with CsHyb 0605-23 monoclonal antibody was found mainly around the uterine eggs. Four antigenic determinants recognized by specific monoclonal antibodies were all found to be present in the early eluted fractions of C. sinensis antigens separated by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. By conventional ELISA, 75% of clonorchiasis cases were found positive, but 7.1% of normal controls and 37.5% of paragonimiasis cases showed false positives. However, by ELISA-inhibition test using C. sinensis specific monoclonal antibody (CsHyb 0605-23), 77.1% of clonorchiasis cases were found positive, and there were no false positives in normal controls or paragonimiasis cases, indicating 100% specificity. The ELISA- inhibition test using monoclonal antibodies was found to have same sensitivity and definitely high specificity in comparison with conventional ELISA for serodiagnosis of human clonorchiasis.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2006

Purpose: The estimation of fluid deficit is crucial to the proper management of dehydrated children. Without well-documented serial weights on the same scale, the estimation of any given child's fluid deficit is imprecise and dependent largely on subjective clinical criteria. Despite the abundance of literature on clinical and laboratory evaluation of dehydration, few studies have focused on serum uric acid. So, we examined the usefulness of scrum uric acid in gastroenteritis patients with dehydration. Methods: Medical records of 90 gastroenteritis patients were retrospectively reviewed. By the body weight loss, we classified patients with mild, moderate, and severe dehydration groups. We studied the relevance of laboratory data (BUN, creatinine, serum bicarbonate, glucose, urine specific gravity, and uric acid) with dehydration. Results: 54 children (60%) were dehydrated mildly, 24 (26%) dehydrated and moderately, and 12 (14%) dehydrated severely. Statistically significant differences in BUN, creatinine, serum bicarbonate, glucose, and urine specific gravity could not be observed. But there was significant relationship between uric acid and the degree of dehydration. Data analysis suggested that the level of 7.0 mg/dL is the best cut-off value for predicting the development of moderate or severe dehydration. At this cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity were 66.6% and 87.1%. Conclusion: Our study supports that the measurement of serum uric acid with traditional scale is useful for predicting the development of dehydration. But, in order 10 be used as the indicator for proper treatment at an earlier stage, further validation about serum uric acid is necessary.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.110-116
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• 2013

Purpose: The $^{99m}Tc$-Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) renal scan is used primarily for the diagnosis of renal scarring and acute pyelonephritis in children with urinary tract infections (UTI). This study aimed to evaluate clinical differences based on the positive or negative results of DMSA scans and kidney ultrasonography (US) in pediatric UTI. Method: We retrospectively reviewed 142 pediatric patients with UTI who were admitted to Myongji Hospital from January 2004 to December 2012. We performed a comparative analysis of clinical parameters such as age, sex, white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil count, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, creatinine (Cr) level, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and durations of hospitalization and fever, grouped by the results of the DMSA scans and kidney US. Results: The mean age of the patients was $33.8{\pm}48.3$ months, and 78 (55%) were male. Fifty-two patients had abnormal DMSA findings, and 71 patients had abormal kidney US findings (test positive groups). In the DMSA scan positive group, there were significant differences in age, WBC counts, neutrophil counts, CRP level, BUN level, Cr level, hospitalization duration, number of abnormal findings on kidney US, and incidence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) compared with the scan negative group. The kidney US positive group had significant differences in age, neutrophil count, CRP level, BUN level, Cr level, hospitalization duration, number of abnormal findings on the DMSA scans, and more frequent VUR compared with the US negative group. Conclusion: Our data suggest that there were no major differences in clinical parameters based on the results of the DMSA scans compared with kidney US in pediatric UTI. However, as kidney US and DMSA scan were performed to predict VUR, the sensitivity and negative predictive value was increased.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.522-529
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• 2008

High-temperature requirement A2(HtrA2) has been known as a human homologue of bacterial HtrA that has a molecular chaperone function. HtrA2 is mitochondrial serine protease that plays a significant role in regulating the apoptosis; however, the physiological function of HtrA2 still remains elusive. To establish experimental system for the investigation of new insights into the function of HtrA2 in mammalian cells, we first obtained $HtrA2^{+/+}$ and $HtrA2^{-/-}$ MEF cells lines and identified those cells based on the expression pattern and subcellular localization of HtrA2, using immunoblot and biochemical assays. Additionally, we observed that the morphological characteristics of $HtrA2^{-/-}$ MEF cells are different form those of $HtrA2^{+/+}$ MEF cells, showing a rounded shape instead of a typical fibroblast-like shape. Growth rate of $HtrA2^{-/-}$ MEF cells was also 1.4-fold higher than that of $HtrA2^{+/+}$ MEF cells at 36 hours. Furthermore, we verified both MEF cell lines induced caspsase-dependent cell death in response to apoptotic stimuli such as heat shock, staurosporine, and rotenone. The relationship between HtrA2 and heat shock-induced cell death is the first demonstration of the research field of HtrA2. Our study suggests that those MEF cell lines are suitable reagents to further investigate the molecular mechanism by which HtrA2 regulates the balance between cell death and survival.

• Laboratory Medicine Online
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2016

Background: The cell cycle-dependent enzyme thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is known to increase during cancer cell proliferation and has been reported as a prognostic marker for various hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. This study aimed to determine the reference interval in Korean healthy controls and to evaluate the usefulness of TK1 as a biomarker for aggressive clinical behavior in B-cell lymphoma patients. Methods: We enrolled 72 previously untreated patients with B-cell lymphoma and 143 healthy controls. Serum TK1 levels were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay ($Liaison^{(R)}$, DiaSorin, USA). We established the reference intervals in healthy controls. The diagnostic performance of serum TK1 was studied using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and the correlation between the cutoff level for serum TK1 and clinical characteristics of B-cell lymphoma was evaluated. Results: The reference range (95th percentile) of serum TK1 in healthy controls was 5.4-21.8 U/L. There was a clear difference in TK1 levels between patients with B-cell lymphoma and healthy controls ($40.6{\pm}68.5$ vs. $11.8{\pm}4.4U/L$, P <0.001). The area under the curve of serum TK1 for the diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma was 0.73 (cutoff, 15.2 U/L; sensitivity, 59.7%; specificity, 83.2%). An increased TK1 level (${\geq}15.2U/L$) correlated with the advanced clinical stage (P <0.001), bone marrow involvement (P =0.013), international prognostic index score (P =0.001), lactate dehydrogenase level (P =0.001), low Hb level (<12 g/dL) (P =0.028), and lymphocyte count (P =0.023). Conclusions: The serum TK1 level could serve as a useful biomarker for aggressive clinical behavior in B-cell lymphoma patients.