Impact of Interferon-Based Treatment on Quality of Life and Work Related Productivity from the Korean Cohort in the MOSAIC Study

( Sang Hoon Ahn ),( Won Hyeok Choe ),( Yoon Jun Kim ),( Jeong Heo ),( Dorota Latarska-smuga ),( Jiho Kang ),( Seung Woon Paik ) 대한간학회 2017 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2017 No.1

Aims: Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection increases the risk for progressive liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma and negatively impacts the patient’s quality of life. HCV treatment is evolving with direct acting antivirals but IFN based therapy has been the standard of care for many years and remains available in some countries. The MOSAIC study aims to characterize patients with chronic HCV infection and assess the impact of IFN-containing treatment on health-related quality of life, work related productivity and health care utilization. Methods: MOSAIC is an international prospective multicenter observational study that has been conducted in 20 countries. Consecutive patients with chronic HCV infection were enrolled and those who initiated an IFN based regimen were prospectively followed for 48 weeks. We report results from the Korean cohort Results: 100 patients were enrolled: 86 were treatment naïve and 14 were treatment experienced. 33 patients initiated an IFN based regimen: 6 patients started IFN + RBV, 26 patients started Peg-IFN + RBV, none started Peg-IFN + RBV + DAA and 1 patient received other treatment. Among the treated cohort, demographic and disease characteristics were the following: the mean age was 54.5 years; 14 patients were male. 14 had minimal or no fibrosis, 2 portal fibrosis, 3 bridging fibrosis and 6 patients suffered from cirrhosis. HCV Genotype distribution was as follows: genotype 1: 11; genotype 2: 19 and genotype 3: 3. Table 1 describes the results at baseline and changes over 4, 12 and 48 weeks and end-of-treatment (EOT) for the quality of life and work productivity outcome measures (EQ-5D-5L, HCV-PRO and WPAI). Conclusions: Results from the Korean cohort of the MOSAIC study show a moderate trend for deterioration of health-related quality of life and work productivity associated with IFN based treatment for patients with chronic HCV infection during treatment period. Acknowledgements: The design, study conduct, analysis, and financial support of MOSAIC study were provided by AbbVie. AbbVie participated in the interpretation of data, review, and approval of the content of the abstract. All authors had access to all relevant data and participated in writing, review, and approval of this abstract. Medical writing support was provided by Olivier Van de Steen of Medeor-consulting, funded by AbbVie. Disclosures: Sang Hoon Ahn: served as an advisor and lecturer for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, F.Hoffmann-La Roche, Merck, AbbVie, and has received unrestricted grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche for investigator- initiated trials Won Hyeok Choe: Nothing to disclosure Yoon Jun Kim: Nothing to disclosure Jeong Heo: received a grant from GSK; Research support from BMS, and Roche; Advisor for Abbvie, BMS, Gilead Sciences, Pharma Essentia, SillaJen, and Johnson & Johnson. Dorota Latarska-Smuga, Jiho Kang: are employees of AbbVie, Inc. and may hold stock or stock options. Seung Woon Paik: received grant and research support from AbbVie, BMS, Gilead, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and Roche

On-farm evaluation dietary black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larva on physiological reponses in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Sang-Woo Hur,Bong-Joo Lee,Seunghyung Lee,Seunghan Lee,Jin-hyeok Lee,Kang-Woong Kim 한국수산과학회 양식분과 2021 한국수산과학회 양식분과 학술대회 Vol.2021 No.4

Impact of Interferon-Based Treatment on Quality of Life and Work-Related Productivity of Korean Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Sang Hoon Ahn,Won Hyeok Choe,Yoon Jun Kim,Jeong Heo,Dorota Latarska-Smuga,Jiho Kang,Seung Woon Paik 거트앤리버 소화기연관학회협의회 2020 Gut and Liver Vol.14 No.3

Background/Aims: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections put patients at risk of serious liver disease and adversely affects patient quality of life (QoL). MOSAIC (International Multicenter Prospective Observational Study to Evaluate the Epidemiology, Humanistic and Economic Outcomes of Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus) was a prospective, non-interventional, international, multicenter study that aimed to describe the epidemiology of the infection, the impact of the infection on health-related QoL (HRQoL) and daily activities, and healthcare resource use related to HCV and treatment. Here, we present the results on HRQoL and daily activity impairment in consecutively enrolled South Korean patients treated with interferon (IFN)-containing regimens prospectively followed for up to 48 weeks. Methods: General HRQoL, HCV-specific HRQoL, perceived health state, and work/general activity impairments were measured using the EuroQoL 5-dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5L), HCV patient-reported outcomes (HCV-PRO), EQ-5D Visual Analog Scale, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaires, respectively. Results: Thirty-three of the 100 enrolled patients initiated IFN-based treatment, with an intended duration of 24 weeks for 20 patients and 48 weeks for 12 patients; this information was missing for one patient. Fourteen patients (42.4%) prematurely withdrew. After treatment initiation, IFN-treated patients showed a trend towards deterioration of both general (baseline: 0.87±0.103, week 4: 0.77±0.153) and HCV-specific (baseline: 76.2±19.5, week 4: 68.2±22.3) HRQoL. The scores recovered somewhat towards the end of treatment (EOT) (0.84±0.146 for EQ-5D-5L and 70.8±21.9 for HCV-PRO). The perceived health state and work/general activity impairment displayed similar temporal patterns. Conclusions: Initiating IFN-based treatment prompted some deterioration in general and HCV-related HRQoL, accompanied by impaired daily activities and most work productivity measures; however, the HRQoL and productivity scores improved towards the EOT. HRQoL impairment upon treatment initiation likely contributed to treatment discontinuation.

Radial multi-quantum well ZnO nanorod arrays for nanoscale ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

Kang, Jang-Won,Kim, Byeong-Hyeok,Song, Hui,Jo, Yong-Ryun,Hong, Sang-Hyun,Jung, Gun Young,Kim, Bong-Joong,Park, Seong-Ju,Cho, Chang-Hee Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 Nanoscale Vol.10 No.31

<P>Since semiconducting ZnO has attractive properties such as wide bandgap and large exciton binding energy, it has motivated us to realize efficient ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Furthermore, facile growth of ZnO nanostructures has triggered numerous research studies to examine them as nanoscale building blocks for optoelectronic devices. Here, we demonstrate the growth of ZnO-based core-shell p-n homojunction nanorod arrays with radial MgZnO/ZnO multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and report the characteristics of a core-shell ZnO nanorod LED. The shell layers of MgZnO/ZnO MQWs and p-type antimony-doped MgZnO were epitaxially grown on the surface of ZnO core nanorod arrays. By introducing the radial MQWs, the photoluminescence intensity was greatly increased by 4 times, compared to that of the bare ZnO nanorod array, suggesting that the core-shell MQWs can be used to realize the nanoscale ZnO LEDs with high internal quantum efficiency. As the injection current increased, the EL intensity of UV emission at 375 nm from the MgZnO/ZnO MQWs strongly increased without shifting of the emission peak because of the non-polar nature of MQWs grown on the side walls of the ZnO nanorods. These results highlight the potential of an integrated nanoscale UV light emitter in various photonic devices.</P>

River Water Environmental Management System by Construction of Early Warning System - A Comparative Study on Korea and Japan.

Kang Sang-Hyeok Korea Spatial Information Society 2004 한국공간정보학회지 Vol.12 No.4

강원도 및 경상남도 지역은 2002년 태풍 루사 및 2003년 태풍 매미로 인하여 1927년 기상관측이래 가장 큰 규모의 홍수 피해를 입었다. 호우로 인하여 많은 도시가 침수되었고 도시기능은 마비되었으며 또한 막대한 도시기반 시설의 파괴와 인명 피해가 발생하였다. 이러한 호우피해는 지금까지 경험한 것 중에서 최악의 자연재해였다. 홍수피해를 줄이기 위해서는 호우기간 중 하천 수 환경에 대한 정보를 어떻게 이용할 것인가에 대한 조사가 필요하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 홍수피해를 줄이기 위한 효과적인 대응과 정보전달에 관한 방안이 논의되었으며 일본의 광 정보를 이용한 수 환경 관리 조기 경보시스템에 대하여 토의하였다. Typhoons Rusa (2002) and Maemi (2003) struck Kangwon and Gyeongnam provinces of Korea and caused the most extensive flood damages ever blown since the foundation of Meteorological Agency in 1927. Many cities are inundated, crippling the critical facilities and resulting In high irreversible losses of human lives, and damages to infrastructures. These kinds of flood damages were among the worst natural disaster that Korean people experienced. In order to reduce flood damage, it is necessary to investigate how to use the information of water environment during the rainfall disaster. Therefore as per the result of this study, we have suggested few but effective countermeasures for controlling the flooding damages and also the advancements in the areas of disaster information dissemination and early warning system for water environmental management by using optical fiber system in Japan are discussed.

Enhanced efficiency of near-UV LEDs by surface plasmon and magnetic field effects from metal films

Sang-Hyun Hong,Jae-Joon Kim,Byeong-Hyeok Kim,Na-Yeong Kim,Jang-Won Kang 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2022 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.23 No.2

The enhanced efficiency of the near-UV (NUV) LEDs was demonstrated by the combinatory effects of surface plasmons (SP)from the Ag p-electrode and out-of-plane magnetic fields from additional Co/Pt multi-layers. By utilizing an InGaN/GaNbasedNUV-LED epilayer including either 100 or 40 nm p-GaN layers, four different flip-chip LEDs were fabricated byselectively adding Co/Pt ferromagnetic multi-layers on the Ag p-electrode. NUV-LEDs with Co/Pt ferromagnetic multi-layerson 100-nm-thick p-GaN showed a 10.1% enhancement of integrated electroluminescence (EL) intensity at a forward currentof 20 mA, mainly due to the out-of-plane magnetic field effect. In LEDs with a 40 nm p-GaN layer, which is consistent withthe penetration depth of SP fields, a further increase of 13.8% can be achieved in the integrated EL intensity at 20 mA,resulted from the additional coupling effect with SP fields. These results indicate that the combination of Ag and Co/Pt multilayers,as the p-electrode of flip-chip LEDs, can increase the efficiency in NUV flip-chip LEDs due to efficient couplings of SPfields and an out-of-plane magnetic field with carriers injected into quantum wells.

Difference of Position Change of Sesamoid Bones During Active Abduction Exercise of Great Toe in Subjects with Hallux Valgus

( Sung-joon Yun ),( Min-hyeok Kang ),( Moon-hwan Kim ) 대한물리치료학회 2015 대한물리치료학회지 Vol.27 No.2

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of active abduction exercise of the great toe on the medial and lateral sesamoid bones in hallux valgus (HV) patients by measuring radiography. Methods: In this study 27 young subjects were separated into two groups (normal group and HV group). Two pictures were taken by radiography while maintaining resting and while holding maximal active abduction of the great toe in sitting position on an x-ray table. All radiographs were used to measure the distance of the medial and lateral sesamoid bone from the longitudinal axis of the first metatarsal bone, respectively. Paired t-test was used for analysis of the resting and active abduction exercise in groups. Independent t-test was used to evaluate statistical significance between normal group and HV group. The statistical significance level was p<0.05. Results: In active abduction exercise of the normal group, distance of the medial and lateral sesamoid bones was not significantly different compared to resting condition. In active abduction exercise of the HV group, change of distance of the medial and lateral sesamoid bones showed statistically significant difference compared to resting condition. The distance between the medial sesamoid bone showed a more significant decrease in the HV vs. normal group, while the distance between the lateral sesamoid bone was significantly greater in the HV vs. normal group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that active abduction exercises, to reduce or prevent deterioration of the HV angle, should be considered for sesamoid bone displacement to improve muscle balance in the great toe.

2D Flood Simulation for Estimating the Economic Loss in the Building Areas

Kang, Sang-Hyeok Korea Spatial Information Society 2007 한국공간정보학회지 Vol.15 No.4

도시지역의 2차원 모형은 홍수침수과정에 있어서 아직 선구적인 분야이며 이러한 모형은 지형 및 불충분한 지형계수 및 자료로 인하여 제한적으로 이용되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 도시지역의 DEM에 기초한 제방 붕괴로 인한 표면수의 침수를 재현하고자 한다. 도시지역에 있어서 표면수의 흐름은 Saint-Venant의 방정식을 통해 모형을 구성하였다. 2002년 삼척시에서 발생한 홍수를 재현하기 위하여 추적자를 이용한 수리모형실험을 수행하여 모형을 보정하였다. 본 연구는 향후 홍수지도 제작이나 도시지역에서 침수에 따른 경제적 손실을 평가하는데 유용하게 이용될 것이다. 2D hydraulic models of urban areas are at the forefront of current research of flood inundation mechanisms, but they are constrained by inadequate parameters of topography and insufficient data. In this paper a numerical model based on DEMs is presented to represent overflow waters due to bank break in urban areas. The surface flow in the building areas is assumed to be properly modeled by solving Saint-Venant equation. In order to represent flooding broken out in Samcheok city, 2002, hydraulic model test using tracer has been carried out and validated. These efforts will serve for making flood hazard map and for estimating economic loss due to inundation of personal properties in urban areas.

The application of integrated urban inundation model in Republic of Korea

John Wiley Sons, Ltd. 2009 Hydrological processes Vol.23 No.11

<P>In urban areas with a high building density, features such as roads, buildings and river dykes significantly affect flow dynamics and flood propagation. This should therefore be accounted for in the model set-up. While 2D hydraulic models of densely urban areas are at the forefront of current research into flood inundation mechanisms, these models are constrained by inadequate parameters of topography and insufficient data. In order to solve these problems, topographic information obtained from digital elevation model (DEM) is directly programmed into the urban inundation model for a densely urban area, without exchanging the input data. In this paper, the extraction of building area is described using a tight coupling approach within a GIS environment, and its influence on the extent of flood inundation with a high building density is estimated. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</P>

Effects of Helicobacter pylori Infection on Gastric Mucin Expression

Kang, Hyung Min,Kim, Nayoung,Park, Young Soo,Hwang, Jin-Hyeok,Kim, Jin-Wook,Jeong, Sook-Hyang,Lee, Dong Ho,Lee, Hye Seung,Jung, Hyun Chae,Song, In Sung Lippincott WilliamsWilkins, Inc. 2008 JOURNAL OF CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol.42 No.1

AIMS: This study was performed to determine the gastric distributions of MUC5AC and MUC6 depending on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, and to evaluate whether the expressions of MUC5 and MUC6 change in H. pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases. In addition, MUC5AC and MUC6 expressional changes were investigated before and after H. pylori eradication. METHODS: In the 224 individuals (136 H. pylori-positive and 88 H. pylori-negative) who came from control (N=48), duodenal ulcer (N=35), benign gastric ulcer (N=61), dysplasia plus stomach cancer (N=80) groups, MUC5AC and MUC6 expressions were determined by immunohistochemical staining in the antrum and body, respectively. This staining for MUC5AC and MUC6 were reperformed in 113 of the 136 H. pylori-positive patients after successful H. pylori eradication by proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapy. RESULTS: (1) No difference was found between the H. pylori-positive and negative groups in terms of MUC5AC expression. In contrast, MUC6 expression was significantly lower in the H. pylori-positive group than in the H. pylori-negative group in the gastric body. Moreover, reduced MUC6 expression increased to the H. pylori-negative level after eradication. (2) Expressions of MUC5AC and MUC6 were significantly lower in the dysplasia plus cancer group than those of control in case of H. pylori positive. Similarly, MUC5AC and MUC6 expressions were significantly lower in the presence of atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia in case of H. pylori positive. (3) Aberrant expressions of MUC6 in foveolar cells were observed in both antrum (11.3%) and body (5.3%) only in the H. pylori-positive group, but this reverted to normal after H. pylori eradication. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that H. pylori infection causes alterations of mucin expression, closely related with the development of gastric atrophy with intestinal metaplasia, probably contributing to carcinogenesis.