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Objectives: To investigate the weight loss effect of Gambi-tang in obese and overweight adults.Methods: From September 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021, a retrospective chart analysis was conducted on adult men and women who were prescribed Gambi-tang to address obesity and overweight in the National Medical Center (NMC). Partial analysis by age, obesity (Body Mass Index, BMI), duration of dose, and cumulative dose was also conducted.Results: The weight and BMI of the study subjects showed a significant decrease of more than 5% on average before and after treatment. In an analysis of age, significant differences by age could not be confirmed. In the analysis by obesity level, the effect of reducing weight, body fat, and abdominal fat rates in the obese and highly obese groups was greater than in the normal and overweight groups. There was no significant difference by group in the analysis by dosage period. In the analysis by cumulative dose, the greater the cumulative dose up to 1,800 g, the greater the decrease in weight and body fat. The side effect that patients appealed to the most was misjudgment, but not to a serious extent.Conclusions: Gambi-tang has been shown to be effective in weight and body fat loss for both obese and overweight adult men and women.

Blast furnace slag (BFS), a byproduct of iron-producing process, has been applied as silicate fertilizer in rice paddy. Silicate fertilizer contains lime and silicate as main components and iron and manganese as electron acceptors. This amendment improves soil productivity and mitigates methane (CH

Although the symptoms of food allergy are diverse and sometimes dangerous to life, we have not been able to effectively share information on patients' food allergies. In this study, we developed a program to prescribe the allergic formula for each patient and to establish a series of processes for safe allergenic meal delivery based on the standards and guidelines of food allergy management. We then assessed the utility of the "introduction of food allergy program" by comparing the number of allergic prescriptions before and after the program application for inpatients. Through the development and introduction of the program, all hospital staffs, including medical staff and dieticians, can share information on food allergy patients. Systematic management of food allergy patients from doctor's prescriptions has provided the basis for safe meal preparation.

Direct peroral cholangioscopy (POC) using an ultra-slim upper endoscope is one modality of POC for intraductal endoscopic evaluation and treatment of the bile duct. Choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) is one modality of biliary bypass surgery that provides a new route to the bile duct. We carried out direct POC using an ultra-slim upper endoscope without the use of accessories in 10 patients (four sump syndromes, three bile duct strictures and three intrahepatic duct stones) previously undergoing surgical CDS. Direct POC was successful in all patients. The use of an intraductal balloon catheter was required in one patient for advancement of the endoscope into the bile duct. Distal bile ducts with sump syndromes were cleared using baskets and water irrigation under direct POC. Cholangiocarcinoma was diagnosed in one patient with hilar bile duct stricture after cholangioscopic evaluation and a targeting forceps biopsy under direct POC. Intrahepatic duct stones were successfully extracted after intraductal fragmentation under direct POC. Oozing bleeding occurred during intraductal lithotripsy but stopped spontaneously. Direct POC using an ultra-slim upper endoscope without the assistance of accessories can easily be carried out in patients undergoing CDS.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of the immediate postoperative nutritional status and calorie adequacy on clinical outcomes in liver transplant recipients. Methods: A total number of 99 patients who received liver transplants were recruited from a tertiary university hospital. Demography, subjective global assessment, clinical outcomes and calorie adequacy were evaluated through personal interviews, electronic medical records and dietary records. Anthropometric measures, body mass index and percent of ideal body weight were also obtained. Results: At admission to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), the triceps skinfold thickness and mid-arm muscle circumference were significantly lower in the malnourished group than in the well-nourished group (p < .05, respectively). In the clinical outcomes, transfusion of red blood cells, mechanically ventilated hours, length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), length of stay in the hospital, and prothrombin time were significantly higher in the malnourished group than in the well-nourished group (p < .05, respectively). The mechanically ventilated hour was significantly higher in the group with less than 50% of their required energy intake (p < .05). Conclusion: Therefore, it is important to assess the nutritional status of immediate postoperative patients. Furthermore, studies on nutritional interventions are urgently needed to provide adequate nutritional care for patients in ICUs.

Endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy (EBS) results in permanent loss of sphincter function and its long-term complications are unknown. Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) is an alternative procedure that preserves sphincter function, although it is associated with a higher risk of pancreatitis than is EBS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and outcomes of EPBD with limited indications for removal of common bile duct (CBD) stones combined with gallstones in patients younger than 40 years. Young (age

It is indispensable that aircrafts in electrical warfare settings endeavour to improve their survivability by selecting optima l countermeasures against threats. In this paper, we model the su ccessful probabilities of aircraft survivability equipments tha t remove threats encountered, and also propose a framework for the aircr afts to autonomously decide their countermeasures. And then, we design the operational effectiveness of the aircraft survivability equipments, and quantitatively formulate the operational ef fectiveness into the form of reduction in lethality (RL). We actually show how the operational effectiveness can be computed in simulated example scenarios. To verify our framework proposed in this paper, we e xperimented with the successful probabilities of aircraft survi vability equipments and the autonomous decision-making against threats i n various electronic warfare settings. In the experiments, it t urns out that our agents outperform the agents that randomly choose their countermeasures, which is 12% more efficient in their performance.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been accepted as a standard treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC). However, the indication of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC was controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC according to expanded indication. METHODS At Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, a total of 82 lesions in 81 patients with undifferentiated-type EGC were treated with ESD. The therapeutic outcomes of ESD were evaluated by resection method (en bloc resection; piecemeal resection), histologic curative resection, complications and recurrence rates after ESD. RESULTS The rate on en bloc resection and complete resection rate were 87.8% (72/82) and 80.5% (66/82), respectively. In signet ring cell carcinoma, the complete resection rate was higher than those in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features, but there was no statistical significance (89.3% vs. 75.0%, 76.7%; p=0.347). The lateral margin positivity rate in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features were 12.5%, 3.6% and 13.3%, respectively (p=0.395). The vertical margin positivity rate were 12.5%, 3.6% and 10.0%, respectively (p=0.485). The overall recurrence rate was 3.0% during a mean follow-up period of 37.4 months. CONCLUSIONS ESD may be considered as a feasible treatment for undifferentiated-type EGC according to expanded indication. The therapeutic outcome of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC is likely to be favorable, though further longer follow-up studies are needed.