We sought to investigate intentions to undergo primary screening with colonoscopy in an attempt to predict future colorectal cancer screening behaviors and the feasibility of implementing colonoscopy ...as the primary screening modality for colorectal cancer in the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) of Korea.
Data were obtained from a nationwide online survey conducted in 2018. The survey included a total of 800 eligible adults aged over 45 years. Study measures included the history of screening colonoscopy within the past 10 years and intentions to undergo primary screening with colonoscopy under the NCSP based on the five constructs of the Health Belief Model. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine factors associated with intentions to undergo primary screening with colonoscopy.
Approximately 77% of the participants expressed strong willingness to undergo primary screening with colonoscopy under the NCSP. Higher perceived severity and perceived benefits were significantly associated with stronger intentions to undergo screening with colonoscopy (adjusted odds ratio aOR, 1.53; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.10-2.14 and aOR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.76-4.28, respectively). Greater perceived barriers (aOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93) were significantly associated with weaker intentions. Cues to action elicited the strongest screening intentions (aOR, 8.28; 95% CI, 5.23-13.12).
The current study findings highlight the need for increasing awareness of the severity of CRC and the benefits of colonoscopy screening. Family-orientated recommendation strategies and reducing complications may boost an individual's intentions to undergo colonoscopy.
Potholes, a kind of road defect, can damage vehicles and negatively affect drivers’ safe driving, and in severe cases can lead to traffic accidents. Efficient and preventive management of potholes in ...a complex road environment plays an important role in securing driver safety. It is also expected to contribute to the prevention of traffic accidents and the smooth flow of traffic. In the past, pothole detection was mainly performed via visual inspection by human experts. Recently, automated pothole-detection methods apply various technologies that converge basic technologies such as sensors and signal processing. The automated pothole-detection methods can be classified into three types according to the technology used in the pothole-recognition process: a vision-based method, a vibration-based method, and a 3D reconstruction-based method. In this paper, three methods are compared, and the strengths and weaknesses of each method are summarized. The detection process and technology proposed in the latest research related to automated pothole detection are described for each method. The development plans of future technology that is connected with those studies are also presented in this paper.
Humans are easily exposed to environmentally hazardous factors in industrial sites or daily life. In addition, exposure to various substances and not just one harmful substance is common. However, ...research on the effects of combined exposure on humans is limited. Therefore, this study examined the effects of combined exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the human body. We separated 193 participants into four groups according to their work‐related exposure (nonexposure, toluene exposure, toluene and xylene exposure, and toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene exposure). We then identified the methylation level and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) levels by omics analyses, and performed an integrated analysis to examine the change of gene expression. Thereafter, the effects of combined exposure to environmental hazards on the human body were investigated and analyzed. Exposure to VOCs was found to negatively affect the development and maintenance of the nervous system. In particular, the MALAT1 lncRNA was found to be significantly reduced in the complex exposure group, and eight genes were significantly downregulated by DNA hypermethylation. The downregulation of these genes could cause a possible decrease in the density of synapses as well as the number and density of dendrites and spines. In summary, we found that increased combined exposure to environmental hazards could lead to additional epigenetic changes, and consequently abnormal dendrites, spines, and synapses, which could damage motor learning or spatial memory. Thus, lncRNA MALAT1 or FMR1 could be novel biomarkers of neurotoxicity to identify the negative health effects of VOC complex exposure.
Inhibition of immune checkpoint proteins like programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a promising therapeutic approach for several cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although PD-1 ligand ...(PD-L1) expression is used to predict anti-PD-1 therapy responses in NSCLC, its accuracy is relatively less. Therefore, we sought to identify a more accurate predictive blood biomarker for evaluating anti-PD-1 response. We evaluated the frequencies of T cells, B cells, natural killer (NK) cells, polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs), mononuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs), and Lox-1
PMN-MDSCs in peripheral blood samples of 62 NSCLC patients before and after nivolumab treatment. Correlation of immune-cell population frequencies with treatment response, progression-free survival, and overall survival was also determined. After the first treatment, the median NK cell percentage was significantly higher in responders than in non-responders, while the median Lox-1+ PMN-MDSC percentage showed the opposite trend. NK cell frequencies significantly increased in responders but not in non-responders. NK cell frequency inversely correlated with that of Lox-1
PMN-MDSCs after the first treatment cycle. The NK cell-to-Lox-1
PMN-MDSC ratio (NMR) was significantly higher in responders than in non-responders. Patients with NMRs ≥ 5.75 after the first cycle had significantly higher objective response rates and longer progression-free and overall survival than those with NMRs <5.75. NMR shows promise as an early predictor of response to further anti-PD-1 therapy.
Colonic self-expanding metallic stenting (SEMS) is widely used for the treatment of malignant colonic obstruction as a bridge to elective surgery. However, the effects of colonic stenting on ...long-term oncologic outcomes are debatable. This study aimed to compare the long-term oncologic outcomes of preoperative SEMS insertion with those of immediate surgery in patients with obstructing left-sided colorectal cancer.
A cohort of consecutive patients who underwent radical surgery for obstructing left-sided colorectal cancer between 2004 and 2011 in five tertiary referral hospitals were analyzed. Long-term survivals were analyzed and adjusted using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method, based on propensity scores, to reduce selection bias.
One hundred and nine patients underwent immediate surgery, and 226 underwent stent insertion before surgery. Disease-free survival did not differ significantly in both the unadjusted population (hazard ratio HR 1.063, 95% confidence interval CI 0.730–1.548; Log-rank, p = 0.746) and the adjusted population (HR 0.122, 95% CI 0.920–1.987; Log-rank, p = 0.122). Overall survival also did not differ significantly in both the unadjusted population (HR 0.871, 95% CI 0.568–1.334; Log-rank, p = 0.526) and the adjusted population (HR 1.023, 95% CI 0.665–1.572; Log-rank, p = 0.916). Defunctioning stoma formation was less in the SEMS insertion group than immediate surgery group (adjusted, 14.6% vs. 41.3%, p < 0.001).
The ‘bridge to surgery’ strategy using metallic stents was oncologically comparable to immediate surgery in patients with malignant left-sided colorectal obstruction.
•Disease-free survival rate was comparable, SEMS insertion vs. immediate surgery.•Overall survival rate was comparable between the two groups.•Defunctioning stoma formation was less in the SEMS insertion group.•The ‘bridge to surgery’ strategy using stent insertion was oncologically acceptable.
Timing System Development for RAON Operation Lee, Sangil; Son, Changwook; Kim, Seung-Yong ...
Journal of the Korean Physical Society,
04/2020, Letnik:
76, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The Rare Isotope Accelerator complex for ON-line experiments (RAON) is a heavy-ion accelerator experiment facility under construction in Korea. This facility aims at a beam energy of 200 MeV/u and a ...maximum beam power of 400 kW and is expected to be completed by 2021. A large-scaled experiment facility like RAON requires a timing system for precise-synchronized operation. For this purpose, domestic accelerator facilities mainly use timing systems that are foreign products. The accelerator engineering team of RAON has successfully developed the RAON timing system in cooperation with a domestic company. The signals from the RAON timing system synchronized with an radio frequency (RF) reference clock and a global positioning system (GPS) are distributed throughout the RAON site via the dedicated timing network (3.25 Gbps). The time accuracy of the timing system is 12.3 ns synchronized with the RF reference clock (81.25 MHz). All signals (triggers, pulse delayed clock, and external signals) of the timing system developed using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) software module are configurable on a software. In addition, the RAON timing system supports the more flexible system for the various beam operation mode and improves the performance of the control system. This paper describes the results of the design and development of the RAON specific timing system.
Aim
To describe the prevalence and associated factors of pre‐frailty and frailty in older patients with heart failure.
Design
Secondary analysis of data collected across two cross‐sectional surveys ...on self‐care behaviours of patients with heart failure.
Methods
We analysed the data of patients with heart failure who were 60 years or older (n = 407) in cardiovascular outpatient clinics at two tertiary medical centres in South Korea between 2018 and 2019. Frailty was evaluated using the Korean version of the 5‐item fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses and loss of weight (FRAIL) scale. Frailty status was categorized as robust, pre‐frail and frail. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the associations between sociodemographic, clinical characteristics and frailty status.
Results
In our sample, the prevalence of pre‐frailty and frailty was 45.6% and 28.3% respectively. Patients aged 80 years or older had a higher prevalence of pre‐frailty and frailty than those younger than 80 years. Advanced age and the worst category in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification were significantly associated with the risk of pre‐frailty and frailty. Additionally, having more comorbid conditions was associated with an increased risk of frailty.
Conclusion
Our study identified advanced age, the NYHA functional classification, and the number of comorbidities as the major characteristics associated with the risk of frailty in older patients with heart failure.
Impact
The findings of this study highlight the prevalence and associated characteristics of pre‐frailty and frailty in older adults with heart failure in South Korea. Most older adults with heart failure were either pre‐frail or frail. Advanced age, the NYHA functional classification, and the number of comorbidities were the major characteristics associated with frailty risk. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating frailty screening into routine assessments in older patients with heart failure.
Environmentally hazardous substances and exposure to these can cause various diseases. Volatile organic compounds can easily evaporate into the atmosphere, thereby exerting toxic effects through ...either the skin or respiratory tract exposures. Toluene, a neurotoxin, has been widely used in various industries. However, it has a detrimental effect on the nervous system (such as hallucinations or memory impairment), while data on the mechanism underlaying its harmful effects remain limited. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of toluene on the nervous system via epigenetic and genetic changes of toluene‐exposed individuals. We identified significant epigenetic changes and confirmed that the affected abnormally expressed genes negatively influenced the nervous system. In particular, we confirmed that the miR‐15 family, upregulated by toluene, downregulated ABL2, which could affect the R as signaling pathway resulting in neuronal structural abnormalities. Our study suggests that miR‐15a‐5p, miR‐15b‐5p, miR‐16‐5p, miR‐301a‐3p, and lncRNA NEAT1 may represent effective epigenomic markers associated with neurodegenerative diseases caused by toluene.
Patients who undergo radical surgery for rectal cancer often experience low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Symptoms of this syndrome include frequent bowel movements, gas incontinence, fecal ...incontinence, fragmentation, and urgency. The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent validity, discriminative validity, and reliability of the Korean version of the LARS score questionnaire.
The English LARS score questionnaire was translated into Korean using the forward-and-back translation method. A total of 146 patients who underwent radical surgery for rectal cancer answered the Korean version of the LARS score questionnaire including an anchor question assessing the impact of bowel function. Participants answered the questionnaire once more after 2 weeks.
The Korean LARS score questionnaire showed high convergent validity in terms of high correlation between the LARS score and quality of life (perfect fit 55.5% vs. moderate fit 37.6% vs. no fit 6.8%, respectively; P < 0.001). The LARS score also showed good discriminative validity between groups of patients differing by sex (29 for males vs. 25 for females; P = 0.014), tumor level (29 for ≤8 cm vs. 24 for >8 cm; P = 0.021), and radiotherapy (32 for yes vs. 24 for no; P = 0.001). The LARS score also demonstrated high reliability at test-retest with no difference between scores at the first and second tests (intraclass correlation coefficient: Q1 = 0.932; Q2 = 0.909, Q3 = 0.944, Q4 = 0.931, and Q5 = 0.942; P < 0.001, respectively).
The Korean version of the LARS score questionnaire has proven to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring LARS in Korean patients with rectal cancer.
This study demonstrates the fabrication of a highly activated and integrated nanoscale interlayer of cathodes in low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) using the precursor-solution ...electrospray method. Uniform, crack-free La0.6Sr0.4CoO3−δ (LSC) and LSC-CeO2 thin-film layers are fabricated by using optimized precursor-solution electrospray and sintering conditions. The LSC–CeO2 composite layer served as a nanoscale-cathode-functional layer (nCFL) by suppressing grain growth and increasing the number of triple-phase boundaries. The LSC nanoscale-adhesive layer (nAL) played a limited role as an adhesive layer due to a large amount of grain growth and limited triple-phase boundaries. Low-temperature SOFCs with the nAL and nCFL nanoscale interlayers showed maximum power densities of ∼1.108 and 1.150 W cm−2 at 650 °C, which were ∼13% and 18% higher, respectively, than those of a reference cell without nanoscale interlayers.
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•A modified precursor-solution electrospray was used for forming nanoscale layer.•This structure was applied as a highly activated and integrated interlayer of SOFC.•The composite interlayer of LSC and GDC provides better performance and stability.•Interlayer assisted cells resulted in peak power density of ∼1.150 W cm−2 at 650 °C.
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