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An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a critical investment that can significantly affect future competitiveness and performance of a company. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is often applied to select an ERP system since it is well suited to multiple criteria decision-making problems. This study presents a simulation-based AHP (SiAHP) method for group decision making and is applied to the real-world problem of selecting a suitable ERP system for a Korean homeshopping company. To enhance the fitness of a group AHP method and to facilitate the ERP system selection process, this paper proposes a simulation- based approach for building a group consensus instead of forming point estimates that are aggregated from individual preference judgments. To be specific, the proposed method is based on observations from empirically observed frequency distributions and does not use aggregation procedures, compared to typical group AHP for obtaining a group solution. This approach, reflecting the diversification of group members' opinions as they are, is conceived to be useful as a tool for obtaining insights into agreements and disagreements with respect to the alternatives among the individuals of a group. The real-world example demonstrates the feasibility of our proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed at investigating the influence of demographic and clinical covariates on the population pharmacokinetics of amikacin in Korean patients from routinely collected therapeutic drug monitoring data., Materials and Methods: Pharmacokinetics was studied in 305 adult Korean patients who received amikacin 125 - 1,000 mg once-daily or every-other- day. Peak and trough plasma levels of steady state were measured. Patients were randomized into an index dataset (n = 197) and a validation dataset (n = 108). Covariates were selected in a step-wise approach using NONMEM 7 software. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated by the percent prediction error and the percent coverage of 95% population prediction interval., Results: The covariates significantly influencing amikacin pharmacokinetics were creatinine clearance (p < 0.0001) and ward setting (p = 0.0017) for clearance, and body weight (p < 0.0001) and presence of cholecystitis (p = 0.0135) for volume of distribution. The estimates of pharmacokinetic parameters for a typical individual were 2.82 l/h for clearance, and 18.04 l for volume of distribution. Inter-individual variability (CV%) was 31% for clearance. The mean (SD) of percent prediction errors was 2.1 (26.4)% for peak and -121.5 (460.3)% for trough concentrations. Percent coverage of 95% PPIs for peak and trough concentrations were above 80%., Conclusions: The population pharmacokinetic model developed in this study may be used as a basis for finding optimal amikacin dosing in a Korean patient population without a significant bias. Further studies will be needed to validate these results.

A novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*51 allele, officially named HLA-B*5158, was identified in the cord blood from Korean. HLA-B*5158 allele shows single nucleotide difference from B*510101 in exon 2 at nucleotide position 214 (C/T), resulting in an amino acid substitution, Trp48Arg.

Genotype-phenotype relationships between genetic polymorphisms of DNA repair genes and DNA repair capacity were evaluated in a case-control study of breast cancer. Selected DNA repair genes included were those involved in double-strand break repair (ATM, XRCC2, XRCC4, XRCC6, LIG4, RAD51, RAD52), base excision repair (LIG1), nucleotide excision repair (ERCC1), and mismatch repair (hMLH1). The subjects consisted of histologically confirmed breast cancer cases (n=132) and controls (n=75) with no present or previous history of cancer. Seventeen single nucleotide polymorphisms of 10 genes (ATM -5144A>T, IVS21+1049T>C, IVS33-55T>C, IVS34+60G>A, and 3393T>G, XRCC2 31479G/A, XRCC4 921G/T, XRCC6 1796G/T, LIG4 1977T/C, RAD51 135G/C, 172G/T, RAD52 2259C/T, LIG1 583A/C, ERCC1 8092A/C, 354C/T, hMLH1 5' region -93G/A, 655A/G) were determined by TaqMan assay (ATM) or MALDI-TOF (all other genes). DNA repair capacity was measured by a host cell reactivation assay of repair of ultraviolet damage. The DNA repair capacity (%) did not differ between cases (median 37.2, interquartile range: 23.6-59.6) and controls (median 32.7, interquartile range: 26.7-53.2). However, DNA repair capacity significantly differed by the genotypes of ATM and RAD51 genes among cancer-free controls. Our findings suggest that DNA repair capacity might be influenced by genetic polymorphisms of DNA damage response genes and DNA repair genes.

Aims/hypothesis: This multinational study was conducted to investigate the association between a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) T16189C polymorphism and type 2 diabetes in Asians. The mtDNA 16189C variant has been reported to be associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, a recent meta-analysis concluded that it is negatively associated with type 2 diabetes in Europids. Since the phenotype of an mtDNA mutant may be influenced by environmental factors and ethnic differences in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, we investigated the association between the 16189C variant and type 2 diabetes in Asians., Methods: The presence of the mtDNA 16189C variant was determined in 2,469 patients with type 2 diabetes and 1,205 non-diabetic individuals from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. An additional meta-analysis including previously published Asian studies was performed. Since mtDNA nucleotide position 16189 is very close to the mtDNA origin of replication, we performed DNA-linked affinity chromatography and reverse-phase liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and chromatin immunoprecipitation to identify protein bound to the 16189 region., Results: Analysis of participants from five Asian countries confirmed the association between the 16189C variant and type 2 diabetes [odds ratio (OR) 1.256, 95% CI 1.08-1.46, p=0.003]. Inclusion of data from three previously published Asian studies (type 2 diabetes n=3,283, controls n=2,176) in a meta-analysis showed similar results (OR 1.335, 95% CI 1.18-1.51, p=0.000003). Mitochondrial single-stranded DNA-binding protein (mtSSB) was identified as a candidate protein bound to the 16189 region. Chromatin immunoprecipitation in cybrid cells showed that mtSSB has a lower binding affinity for the 16189C variant than the wild-type sequence., Conclusions/interpretation: The mtDNA 16189C variant is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Asians.

Objective: To determine the frequency of cerebellar infarction mimicking vestibular neuritis (VN), the pattern of clinical presentation, and the territory of the cerebellar infarction when it simulates VN., Methods: We studied 240 consecutive cases of isolated cerebellar infarction in the territories of the cerebellar arteries diagnosed by brain MRI from the acute stroke registry at the Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center., Results: We identified 25 patients (10.4%) with isolated cerebellar infarction who had clinical features suggesting VN. Two types of cerebellar infarction simulating VN were found: isolated spontaneous prolonged vertigo with imbalance as a sole manifestation of cerebellar infarction (n = 24) and isolated spontaneous prolonged vertigo with imbalance as an initial manifestation of cerebellar infarction (n = 1) followed by delayed neurologic deficits 2 days after the onset. The cerebellar infarction territory most commonly involved was the medial branch of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery territory (24/25: 96%), followed by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery territory (1/25: 4%). None of patients with infarcts in the territory of the superior cerebellar artery or multiple cerebellar arteries showed isolated spontaneous prolonged vertigo., Conclusions: Cerebellar infarction simulating vestibular neuritis is more common than previously thought. Early recognition of the pseudo-vestibular neuritis of vascular cause may allow specific management.

To evaluate the role of genetic polymorphisms of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) in the etiology of breast cancer, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Korea. Nine-hundred ninety-six histologically confirmed incident breast cancer cases and 1,181 cancer-free controls were recruited in Seoul between 1995 and 2003. Genotypes of the ATM polymorphisms-5144A > T, IVS21 + 1049T > C, IVS33 - 55T > C, IVS34 + 60G > A, and 3393T > G were determined by the 5'-nuclease assay. Individual haplotypes were estimated from genotype data by a Bayesian method. Five ATM alleles were found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium (D' > 0.82; P < 0.001). Haplotype frequencies were significantly different between cases and controls (chi2 test, P < 0.001). The ATM IVS21 + 1049 TC or CC, IVS34 + 60 GA or AA, and 3393 TG or GG genotypes were associated with increased breast cancer risk, particularly in premenopausal women [odds ratios (OR), 1.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11-2.05; OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08-1.88; and OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.04-1.80, respectively]. Compared with diploid of TCCAG:TCCAG, the most common haplotype, the ATTGT:ATTGT was associated with decreased risk of breast cancer with borderline significance (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.58-1.04) and TCCAG:ATCGT and ATTGT:ACCAG were associated with increased breast cancer risk (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.18-4.48 and OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.1.07-5.52, respectively) after adjusting for age, education, age at first full-term pregnancy, parity, family history of breast cancer, alcohol consumption, and smoking. As the number of ATTGT haplotype decreased, the risk of breast cancer increased (P for trend < 0.01). Our results thus suggest that genetic polymorphisms of ATM play an important role in the development of breast cancer in Korean women.

Inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS/NOS-2) play pivotal roles as mediators of inflammation involved in early steps of carcinogenesis in certain organs. Therefore, chemoprevention is theoretically possible through inhibition of COX-2 and/or iNOS. In the present study, we examined the chemopreventive effects of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a constituent of cruciferous vegetables (the family of Cruciferae) such as cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli on the multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) genetic mouse model, and on mouse colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM). The consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts has been shown to have cancer chemopreventive effects in humans and experimental animals. I3C has been shown to exert a cancer chemopreventive influence in liver, colon, and mammary tissue when given before or concurrent with exposure to a carcinogen. Powdered AIN-76A diets (Harlan Teklad Research Diet, Madison, USA) containing 100 or 300 ppm I3C (group 1 or 2) or the same pellet diets without supplement (group 3) were fed to 6-week-old male C57BL/6J-Apc(Min)(/+) (Min/+) mice (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA) for 10 weeks. In addition the same diets were given to wild-type normal C57BL/6J-Apc(Min)(/+) littermates after AOM initiation (groups 4-7: 10 mice in each group) for 32 weeks from week 4. At 16 weeks of age, all Min/+ mice (groups 1-3) were sacrificed for assessment of intestinal polyp development. The incidences of the colonic adenomatous polyps in the groups 1-3 were 60% (12/20), 60% (15/25) and 84% (21/25), respectively. A decreasing tendency in multiplicities of the colonic adenomatous polyps in group 1 (I3C 100 ppm; 0.85 +/- 0.22; 61%) and group 2 (I3C 300 ppm; 1.32 +/- 0.28; 94%) was observed when compared with group 3 (control; 1.40 +/- 0.21; 100%). Total number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF)/colon or aberrant crypts (AC)/colon in wild-type mice of group 4 or 5 were decreased significantly compared with those of the AOM alone group (group 6) (P < 0.01). These results suggest that I3C may be a potential chemopreventive agent for colon cancer., (Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.)

An HPLC method was developed to resolve the enantiomers of shikonin derivatives of the Lithospermi Radix. The optimum mobile phase on a Chiracel AD column was 5% isopropanol in n-hexane with flow rate of 1 ml/min. Establishment of this method made possible to determine the ratios of shikonin/acetylshikonin or alkanin/acetylalkanin in the same root. The correlation of the ratios of these substance pairs appeared characteristic for the country where they were originated from. All of the Korean species showed significantly higher ratios of shikonin/acetylshikonin and alkanin/acetylalkanin than the Chinese ones. This method would be useful to determine the origin of Lithospermi Radix.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric carcinomas have been reported from various regions of the world. Epstein-Barr virus appears to be pathogenetically related to some gastric carcinomas. To determine the incidence of EBV association with gastric carcinomas among Koreans, the authors have studied EBV genome expression in 89 consecutive patients with gastric carcinomas diagnosed at the Catholic University Hospitals in Seoul, Korea, using in situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs), and immunohistochemistry for EBV latent membrane proteins (LMP) and CD21 antigen on paraffin sections. Thirty-seven gastric specimens with benign ulcer disease were used controls. EBV-encoded small RNAs were expressed in tumor cell nuclei in 12 patients (13.5%). None of the controls or benign portions of the cases were positive. In the positive cases, all tumor cell nuclei were uniformly stained and the staining intensity was strong. Immunohistochemistry for LMP was positive in 3 of 12 EBERs positive patients and none of EBERs negative patients. EBV latent membrane proteins was localized only in the lymphoid cells infiltrating the tumor in two patients, and tumor cells as well as infiltrating lymphoid cells in one patient. These results indicate that the rate of EBV association with gastric carcinomas in Koreans is relatively high and comparable to other Far Eastern Asian regions. The expression pattern in EBV-associated gastric carcinomas is similar to those of nasopharyngeal carcinomas in which clonality analysis using specific probes to the tandem repeat region of EBV yielded single episomal bands suggesting that EBV infection in EBV-associated gastric carcinomas are also clonal and pathogenetically related to the neoplasm. However, the mechanism of tumorigenesis remains to be elucidated.

A new cytotoxic cardenolide glycoside, euonymoside A (1), was isolated from the bark of Euonymus sieboldianus. The structure of 1 was elucidated as acovenosigenin A-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->2)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside. The IC50 values of 1 against A549 (human lung carcinoma) and SK-OV-3 (human ovary adenocarcinoma) were 0.06 and 0.4 micrograms/ml, respectively.

Comparative nucleotide sequence studies of a 2.4-kb cDNA fragment (nt -49 to 2361) of Korean-type hepatitis C virus (HCV) were carried out. The nt sequences of the Korean HCV isolates have stronger sequence homologies with type II HCV (Japanese HCV-BK) than with types I (HCV-1) or III (HCV-6). In addition, the net sequences of a part of the core region of ten different samples confirmed that prevalent HCV in Korea belongs to type II with the exception of one sample which belongs to type III. The nt sequence of a cDNA fragment of E2/NS1 region of HCV, from six different serum samples, which comprises the hypervariable regions-1 (HVR-1) and -2 (HVR-2), revealed sequence heterogeneity with type II HCV (75.4 to 80.7% nt homology and 75.5 to 79.7% amino acid homology). However, it was relatively well conserved among the Korean isolates, in fact, aa sequences of HVR-2 as well as HVR-1, converged into two groups. Also we found consensus sequences (T.V.G..AGRTT.G..SLE......K) in HVR-1. Thus, we propose that the conserved patterns in HVR-1 and -2 are characteristics of the six different Korean isolates.

It is important to investigate the incidence of congenital color deficiency and to determine the type and degree because the color deficiency can effect as a handicap to certain occupations. The incidence of congenital color deficiency is remarkably constant among Caucasians but other races show considerable variations. We investigated the incidence of congenital color deficiency among Koreans by the use of H-R-R pseudoisochromatic plates. The present study revealed that the incidence of congenital color deficiency among Koreans was 31.5% (5.90% in men, 0.44% in women).