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

Electromagnetic Properties of Dielectric and Magnetic Composite Material for Antenna

Sang Hoon Park,Won Ki Ahn,Jun Sig Kum,Jeong Keun Ji,Ki Ho Kim,Won Mo Seong 대한금속재료학회 ( 구 대한금속학회 ) 2009 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.5 No.2

Electromagnetic properties of dielectric and magnetic composite materials were studied with various weight fractions and particle sizes of ferrite. The composite materials were prepared through Ni-Zn spinel ferrite and silicon elastomer, and were characterized with regard to permittivity, permeability, loss tangent(e), and loss tangent(u). Those properties of Ni-Zn spinel ferrite were approximately 7.0, 8.4, 0.01 and 0.1 MHz to 150 MHz, respectively; loss tangent(u), in particular, increased nearly exponentially with frequency above 80 MHz. Increase of loss tangent(u) was overcome by composite with polymer. The 40 wt. % loaded composite material changed these properties (approximately 3.8, 2.2, 0.003 and 0.1 at 161 MHz.); therefore, a higher frequency can be used. This material was optimized by particle size distribution. Composite material with smaller particle size is most useful because it shows similar magnetic loss of up to 211 MHz. Magneto-dielectric composite materials are more useful for antenna because they have lower values of complex permittivity and permeability, and higher application frequency. These results are certificated by simulation of antennas.

Effects of Patterned Sapphire Substrates on Piezoelectric Field in Blue-Emitting InGaN Multiple Quantum Wells

Sang-Mook Kim,Hwa Sub Oh,Jong Hyeob Baek,Kwang-Ho Lee,Gun Young Jung,Jae-Ho Song,Ho-Jong Kim,Byung-Jun Ahn,Dong Yanqun,Jung-Hoon Song IEEE 2010 IEEE electron device letters Vol.31 No.8

<P>The strain and piezoelectric fields in InGaN blue light-emitting diodes on a GaN layer, which is grown on a planar sapphire substrate or patterned sapphire substrates (PSSs), such as a microsized PSS and a nanosized PSS (NPSS), are investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy and electroreflectance (ER) spectroscopy. The obtained piezoelectric field in InGaN multiple quantum wells (QWs) grown on the planar substrate is 0.83 MV/cm, and it is 0.70 MV/cm for the case of the NPSS. These results are attributed to the fact that the GaN layers on the PSSs have a smaller residual strain compared to that on the planar sapphire, and thus, strain reduction in the GaN layer can reduce the piezoelectric field in the InGaN QWs grown on top of it.</P>

Plasmonic, interior-decorated, one-dimensional hierarchical nanotubes for high-efficiency, solid-state, dye-sensitized solar cells

Ahn, Sung Hoon,Kim, Dong Jun,Chi, Won Seok,Kim, Jong Hak The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Vol.3 No.19

<▼1><P>1D, hierarchical, hetero-nanotube photoanodes (Au@SnO2@TNSs), were prepared with a large surface area, excellent electron transport, and improved light scattering. The resulting solid-state DSSCs had enhanced efficiency up to 8.4% at 100 mW cm<SUP>−2</SUP>.</P></▼1><▼2><P>We report a high energy conversion efficiency of 8.4% at 100 mW cm<SUP>−2</SUP>, which is one of the highest values for N719-based, solid-state, dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSSCs). Our solar cells are based on one-dimensional (1D) hierarchical hetero-nanotubes consisting of Au cores and SnO2/TiO2 nanosheet double shells (referred to as Au@SnO2@TNSs). Carbonaceous nanofibers (CNFs) with tellurium (Te) cores are used as dual templates for the inner-deposition of gold and the outer-deposition of the metal oxide layers. An organized mesoporous TiO2 (OM-T) film, with high porosity, large pores, and good interconnectivity, is also prepared <I>via</I> a graft copolymer template approach and utilized as a matrix to disperse the 1D hierarchical nanostructures. Such nanostructures provide good pore-filling for solid electrolytes, faster electron transfer, and enhanced light scattering, as confirmed by reflectance spectroscopy, incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectroscopy, and intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS)/intensity-modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS).</P></▼2>

Complex Permittivity and Permeability of Magnesium-Copper Spinel Ferrite under Heat-treatment Conditions

( Sang Hoon Park ),( Jeong Keun Ji ),( Won Ki Ahn ),( Jun Sig Kum ),( Ki Ho Kim ),( Won Mo Seong ) 대한금속재료학회 ( 구 대한금속학회 ) 2008 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.4 No.4

We studied the complex permittivity and permeability properties of magnesium-copper spinel ferrite under various heat-treatment conditions. We simulated two types of materials: dielectric and magneto-dielectric. Dielectric materials show the miniaturization of the antenna; however, decreases of bandwidth and efficiency are observed. Magneto-dielectric materials show the capability of improvement of bandwidth and efficiency with a miniaturization of the antenna. The target properties were established from simulated results of permittivity and permeability <10, and permittivity/permeability □ 1. Magnesium spinel ferrite was shown to increase the permittivity (from 7 to 11.7) and the permeability (from 5.5 to 8.2) with an increase of sintering temperature (from 1,150℃ to 1,350℃). However, the high sintering temperature (1,350℃) affected the increase of permittivity more than it did the permeability, and this condition deteriorated the ratio, loss, and resonance frequency. These problems were overcome with the substitution of copper (of formula Mg0.9Cu0.1Fe2O4), the addition of a sintering agent (alginate 1 wt%), and the condition of a lower sintering temperature (1,250℃). The new conditions showed equal value (□ 9.5) of the permittivity and permeability.

Epidemiological studies of Clonorchis sinensis in the coastal areas of Kyungpook, Korea

Ahn,Sung Hoon,Lee,Soo Hyeong,Joo,Chong Yoon 啓明大學校 醫科大學 1996 계명의대학술지 Vol.15 No.4

In order to determine the epidemiological patterns of the liver fluke, the infection rates for Clonorchis larvae in the snails and fish hosts, and the prevalence of C. sinensis among the residents in the coastal areas of Kyungpook Province were studied from April, 1992 to September, 1993. Four snail habitats were found in the river Hyungsan and come streams. One area had snails infected with Clonorchis cercaria, but the proportion of infected snails was very low, the average rates varying from zero to 0.081 percent. Of the 19 species of fish, 3 species were infected with the encysted larvae of C. sinensis. Infection rates varied greatly by the fish species, and ranged from 6.7 percent in P. herzi to 88.9 percent in G. artomaculatus. In the intensity of infection with C. sinensis, G. atromaculatus was the most heavily infected species, the average number of cysts per gram of the fish flesh being 72.2 followed by P. herzi with 53.0 cysts. The infection rate for C. sinensis among the residents was relatively high, being found to be 5.9 percent with a prevalence of 7.0 percent in males and 5.1percent in females. the difference in the rate of infection between males and females is found to be statistically significant(t>2). For the quantitative analysis of epidemiology of C. sinensis, a special type of simple catalytic model was applied to the sex and age infection rates revealed by stool examination for Clonorchis eggs. The simple catalytic curve for males was y=0.21(1-e-0.021t), and females was y=0.19(1-e-0.013t). From these equations the force of infection of 2.1 and 1.3 effective infections giving positive stool examination per 1,000 residents annually was suggested. And the asymptote is at about 21.0 percent of males and 19.0 percent of females, the estimated values of the limit of possible positive cases in the residents. For the analysis of the age prevalence patterns of Clonorchis positives applied the two-stage catalytic model, and the equation is y=0.511(e-0.0093t-e-0.0275t). for the analysis of the intensity of infection, the frequency distribution by the Clonorchis egg counts was calculated as well as the cumulative percentage to the total number of positive cases, and the regression equation is y=1.07+1.50 log X. This study indicate that endemic foci of C. sinensis exist in the coastal areas of Kyungpook Province and the prevalence of the liver fluke among the residents is still high, and that the infection rates with Clonorchis larvae in the fresh-water fish and snails varied greatly by the species of fish and its habitats.

Photoionization of $TiO_2$ Particles Incorporated into Silica Gels Studied by EPR Spectroscopy

Ahn, Sang-Won,Kang, Kee-Hoon,Hong, Dea-Il Korean Magnetic Resonance Society 2000 Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society Vol.4 No.1

Titanium dioxide particles with three different average sizes, prepared by three different methods, were incorporated into silica gel pores by impregnation. The titanium dioxide incorporated into the silica gel pores was photoionized by 240-400 nm irradiation at 77 K by a one-photon process to from trapped hole centers on OH group and trapped electron centers on titanium which were detected by electron paramagnetic resonance at 77 K. During the impregnation the smallest size range of TiO2 particles can be incorporated into silica gels with 2.5-1.5 nm pores. However, the largest size range of TiO2 particles can only be incorporated into silica gels with 6-15 nm pores and not into silica gels with 2.5-4 nm pores. The photoyield and stability of photoinduced hole and electron centers depends on the silica pore sizes of silica gels and surface area as well as on the TiO2 loading. In large pore silica gels and large particle size of TiO2, photoinduced charge separation reaches to a plateau at shorter irradiation times and the trapped hole and electron centers are more stable to decay.

HCC : Transient Elastography can Predict Recurrence after Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

( Sang Hoon Lee ),( Sang Hun Lee ),( Seung Up Kim ),( Beom Kyung Kim ),( Jun Yong Park ),( Do Young Kim ),( Sang Hoon Ahn ),( Kwang Hyub Han ) 대한간학회 2013 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2013 No.1

Background/ Aims: Liver stiffness (LS) values measured using transient elastography (TE) can accurately assess the degree of liver fibrosis. The degree of liver fibrosis is significantly associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Thus, this study investigated whether LS values at radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can predict HCC recurrence after RFA. Methods: Between May 2005 and April 2011, a total of 56 patients with HCC who underwent RFA and LS value measurement at the same day were analyzed in this retrospective study. All were followed up for monitoring the development of HCC recurrence until March 2013. Results: The mean age of the patients (40 men, 16 women) was 62.1 years, and the median LS value was 23.0 kPa. During the follow-up period (median 27.9 [range, 1.1-77.3] months), 33 (58.9%) patients experienced HCC recurrence and 18 (32.1%) were dead. Median time to recurrence was 17.1 (range, 2.5-67.8) months and median time to mortality was 27.9 (range, 1.1-77.3) months. Patients with recurrence showed significantly higher prevalence of liver cirrhosis, spleen size, multiple tumors, and LS values, whereas they had significantly lower platelet count than patients without recurrence (all P<0.05). On multivariate analysis, together with previous anti- HCC treatment history, patients with a higher LS value >13.0 kPa were at a significant greater risk for HCC recurrence after RFA with a hazard ratio of 6.981 (P<0.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.650-28.782) compared with those with LS value ≤13.0 kPa. However, LS values were not predictive for overall survival (P=0.237). Conclusions: Our data suggest that LS values measured using TE can be a useful predictor of HCC recurrence after RFA. Further studies with large sample size are warranted for the validation of our results.

A micro-chip initiator with controlled combustion reactivity realized by integrating Al/CuO nanothermite composites on a microhotplate platform

Ahn, Ji Young,Kim, Sang Beom,Kim, Ji Hoon,Jang, Nam Su,Kim, Dae Hyun,Lee, Hyung Woo,Kim, Jong Man,Kim, Soo Hyung IOP 2016 Journal of micromechanics and microengineering Vol.26 No.1

<P>The interfacial contact area between the fuel and oxidizer components plays an important role in determining the combustion reactivity of nanothermite composites. In addition, the development of compact and reliable ignition methods can extend the applicability of nanothermite composites to various thermal engineering fields. In this study we report the development of a micro-chip initiator with controlled combustion reactivity using concepts usually applied to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and simple nanofabrication processes. The nanothermite composites fabricated in this study consisted of aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) as the fuel and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) as the oxidizer accumulated on a silicon oxide substrate with a serpentine-shaped gold (Au) electrode. The micro-chip initiator rapidly ignited and exploded when minimal current was supplied. The effects of stacking structures of Al and CuO-based multilayers on the combustion properties were systematically investigated in terms of the pressurization rate, peak explosion time, and heat flow. Pressurization rates of 0.004–0.025 MPa <I>μ</I>s<SUP>−1</SUP> and heat flows of 2.0–3.8 kJ g<SUP>−1</SUP> with a commonly fast response time of less than 20 ms could be achieved by simply changing the interfacial structures of the Al and CuO multilayers. The controllability of combustion reactivity of micro-chip initiator can be made for general nanothermite composites composed of Al and various metal oxides (e.g. Fe<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB>, CuO, KMnO<SUB>4</SUB>, etc). The micro-chip initiator fabricated in this study was reliable, compact, and proved to be a versatile platform, exhibiting controlled combustion reactivity and fast response time, which could be used for various civilian and military thermal engineering applications, such as in initiators and propulsion, welding, and ordinance systems.</P>

Safety and Efficacy of Besifovir in Treatment-Naive Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Double Dummy, Phase 3 Study

( Sang Hoon Ahn ),( Won Kim ),( Young Kul Jung ),( Jin Mo Yang ),( Jae Young Jang ),( Yong Oh Kweon ),( Yong Kyun Cho ),( Yoon Jun Kim ),( Gun Young Hong ),( Dong Joon Kim ),( Soon Ho Um ),( Joo Hyun 대한간학회 2017 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2017 No.1

Aims: Besifovir is an acyclic nucleotide phosphonate known to be effective in hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA suppression for both treatment- naïve and lamivudine-resistant chronic HBV infection in preliminary studies. We assessed the safety and efficacy of besifovir comparing with tenofovir in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients. Methods: A total of 187 patients were randomly received besifovir dipivoxil 150mg or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300mg. Eligible subjects were patients with chronic HBV infection. We measured the proportion of patients who had HBV DNA less than 69 IU/mL at week 48 as the primary efficacy endpoint. Key secondary endpoints were histological response (i.e., a reduction in the Knodell necroinflammation score of 2 or more points without worsening fibrosis), serum HBV DNA reduction, and liver function tests. Also, bone mineral density (BMD) and renal parameters were evaluated. Results: The proportion of patients who achieved primary endpoint of HBV DNA (< 69 IU/mL) at week 48 were 85.33% and 88.75% among those who received besifovir and tenofovir, respectively. Besifovir was shown to be non-inferior to tenofovir (lower limit of 95% CI for the treatment difference =-0.14). Histological improvement of 29 patients who underwent liver biopsy was evaluated, and we found that significantly more patients treated with besifovir had improved histological response than those treated with tenofovir (77.78% vs. 36.36%, p=0.0482). There was no difference in intrahepatic cccDNA reduction between the two groups (p=0.35). None of the patients had resistant to mutations or increase in serum creatinine >0.5mg/dL from baseline. Patients who received besifovir had smaller decrease in BMD during 48 weeks than that of tenofovir (besifovir -0.02±0.44, tenofovir -0.10±0.86, p=0.0248). There was no adverse drug reaction leading the patients to withdrawal. Conclusions: This phase 3 study demonstrated that besifovir had comparable efficacy and safety profile to tenofovir in the treatment of treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients. Besifovir showed better profile than tenofovir in both histological response and bone loss. An open-label extension study is ongoing with besifovir to investigate long-term efficacy and safety.