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ObjectiveTo evaluate clinical effectiveness of regdanvimab, a monoclonal antibody agent for treating coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted at two general hospitals during the study period of December 2020 to May 2021. Mild COVID-19 patients with risk factors for disease progression admitted to the hospitals within seven days of symptom onset were enrolled and followed until discharge or referral. Multivariate analyses for disease progression were conducted in the total and propensity score (PS)-matched cohorts.ResultsA total of 778 mild COVID-19 patients were included and classified as the regdanvimab (n = 234) and supportive care (n = 544) groups. Significantly fewer patients required O2 supplementation via nasal prong in the regdanvimab group (8.1%) than in the supportive care group (18.4%, P < 0.001). The decreased risk for O2 support by regdanvimab treatment was noticed in the multivariate analysis of the total cohort (HR 0.570, 95% CI 0.343–0.946, P = 0.030), but it was not statistically significant in the PS-matched cohort (P = 0.057). Progression to severe disease was also significantly lower in the regdanvimab group (2.1%) than in the supportive care group (9.6%, P < 0.001). The significantly reduced risk for progression to severe disease by regdanvimab treatment was observed in the analysis of both the total cohort (HR 0.262, 95% CI 0.103–0.667, P = 0.005) and PS-matched cohort (HR 0.176, 95% CI 0.060–0.516, P = 0.002). Potential risk factors for progression were investigated in the supportive care group and SpO2 < 97% and CRP elevation >1.5 mg/dL were common risk factors for O2 support and progression to severe disease. Among the patients with any of these factors, regdanvimab treatment was associated with decreased risk for progression to severe disease with slightly lower HR (HR 0.202, 95% CI 0.062–0.657, P = 0.008) than that of the total cohort.ConclusionRegdanvimab treatment was associated with a decreased risk of progression to severe disease.

BACKGROUND The optimal choice of antibiotics is challenging in culture-negative pyogenic spondylitis (PS). The empiric use of glycopeptides is suggested depending on various risk factors, although clinical data are sparse. This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with culture-negative PS and evaluate the effect of empiric glycopeptide use on clinical outcomes in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of 175 patients diagnosed with PS were retrospectively obtained from the electronic database of a tertiary referral hospital from 2009 to 2016. Patients with negative culture results were grouped by the duration of glycopeptide treatment: glycopeptide therapy

Diffuse pulmonary ossification (DPO) is a rare condition characterized by chronic metaplastic ossification of the lung parenchyma. DPO is associated with various underlying pulmonary, cardiac, and systemic diseases. However, to our knowledge, DPO has rarely been described in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis. We describe two cases of DPO diagnosed in long-term hemodialysis patients. Awareness of this rare disorder is required for a better differential diagnosis of cases presenting with bilateral diffuse micronodular lesions, including calcific opacities. (Korean J Med 2016;90:346-350)

Purpose: Although there are over 40,000 licensed radiological technologists (RTs) in Korea, job competency standards have yet to be defined. This study aims to clarify the job competency of Korean RTs. Methods: A task force team of 11 professional RTs were recruited in order to analyze the job competency of domestic and international RTs. A draft for the job competency of Korean RTs was prepared. A survey was then conducted sampling RTs and the attitudes of their competencies were recorded from May 21 to July 30, 2016. Results: We identified five modules of professionalism, patient management, health and safety, operation of equipment, and procedure management and 131 detailed job competencies for RTs in Korea. “Health and safety” had the highest average score and “professionalism” had the lowest average score for both job performance and importance. The content validity ratios for the 131 subcompetencies were mostly valid. Conclusion: Establishment of standard guidelines for RT job competency for multidisciplinary healthcare at medical institutions may be possible based on our results, which will help educators of RT training institutions to clarify their training and education.

Objectives Patients with cancer are at an increased risk of tuberculosis. As pleural effusion has great clinical significance in patients with cancer, the differential diagnosis between tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is important. However, the predictive factors and treatment outcomes of TPE in patients with cancer have rarely been studied. Materials and Methods Confirmed TPE cases identified at cancer diagnosis and during anticancer management from 2008-2015 were retrospectively investigated. Control groups were patients with MPE, and Patients with TPE without cancer. Clinical, laboratory and pleural fluid characteristics were compared among groups. Treatment outcomes were compared between patients with TPE with and without cancer. Results Patients in the study included coexisting TPE and cancer ( n = 20), MPE ( n = 40) and TPE without cancer ( n = 40). In the final analysis, serum C-reactive protein (S-CRP) ≥3.0mg/dL and pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) ≥40U/L were independent predictors for identifying TPE in patients with cancer having pleural effusion. The combination of S-CRP with pleural fluid ADA using an "or" rule achieved a sensitivity of 100%, whereas both parameters combined in an "and" rule had a specificity of 98%. Treatment outcomes were not different between the TPE groups with and without cancer. Conclusions S-CRP and pleural fluid ADA levels may be helpful for predicting TPE in patients with cancer with pleural effusion. The combination of these biomarkers provides better information for distinguishing between TPE and MPE in these patients. Treatment outcomes of TPE in patients with cancer are comparable to those in patients without cancer.

Objective Although tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is commonly characterized by lymphocytic predominance and high adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels, it may present with neutrophilic predominance or low ADA levels, which are more commonly found in parapneumonic effusion (PPE) or malignant pleural effusion (MPE), respectively. A few studies have observed that the atypical pleural fluid profiles of these cases of TPE may resolve at follow-up thoracentesis. However, these observations were incompletely analyzed and lacked comparison with proper control groups. Thus, limited data are available comparing the sequential pleural fluid changes between TPE and PPE or MPE with similar pleural fluid profiles. Methods TPE, PPE, and MPE patients who underwent sequential thoracentesis were retrospectively reviewed. The sequential changes in the pleural fluid profiles were compared between neutrophilic TPE and PPE, and lymphocytic TPE and MPE with low ADA levels. Results Twenty-three TPE patients (16 with neutrophilic exudates, seven with lymphocytic exudates), 72 cases of PPE with neutrophilic exudates, and 18 cases of MPE with lymphocytic exudates were included in the analysis. A sequential shift to lymphocytic exudates occurred significantly more often in TPE than in PPE cases. The initial and follow-up ADA levels in TPE cases with a lymphocytic shift were significantly higher than those in PPE cases with a lymphocytic shift. The ADA levels in the TPE cases with initial lymphocytic exudates and low ADA levels significantly increased at follow-up thoracentesis. For the TPE and MPE cases with initial lymphocytic exudates and ADA levels

Order picking in automotive service parts warehouses is considered to be the most labor-intensive operation. Such warehouses contain hundreds of thousands of items, but normally 20% of products contribute to about 80% of turnover according to Pareto’s 80-20 principle. Therefore most fast moving items are located near an outbound area which is called the “Golden Zone”. Order picking routing efficiency is related to productivity and labor cost. However, most companies use simple methods. In this paper, we describe a series of computational experiments over a set of test cases where, we compared various previously existing routing heuristics to an optimal algorithm. We focus on examining the influence of the golden zone on the performance and selection of routing methods. The results obtained show that the optimal routing method increases the productivity at least 17.2%, and all the routing methods have better performance as the pick up rate from the golden zone increases. Key words

Operation planning for a coordinated multi-reservoir is a complex and challenging task due to the inherent uncertainty in inflow. In this study, we suggest the use of a new, multi-stage and scenario-based stochastic linear program with a recourse model incorporating the meteorological weather prediction information for daily, coordinated, multi-reservoir operation planning. Stages are defined as prediction lead-time spans of the weather prediction system. The multi-stage scenarios of the stochastic model are formed considering the reliability of rainfall prediction for each lead-time span. Future inflow scenarios are generated by a rainfall–runoff model based on the rainfall forecast. For short-term stage (2 days) scenarios, the regional data assimilation and prediction system (RDAPS) information is employed, and for mid-term stage (more than 2 days) scenarios, precipitation from the global data assimilation and prediction system (GDAPS) is used as an input for the rainfall–runoff model. After the 10th day (third stage), the daily historical rainfall data are used following the ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) procedure. The model is applied to simulate the daily reservoir operation of the Nakdong River basin in Korea in a real-time operational environment. The expected benefit of the stochastic model is markedly superior to that of the deterministic model with average rainfall information. Our study results confirm the effectiveness of the stochastic model in real-time operation with meteorological forecasts and the presence of inflow uncertainty.

RegulomeDB is a new tool that can predict regulatory functions of genetic variants. We investigated the association between putative functional variants selected using RegulomeDB and survival outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) via two independent cohort study. Total 244 variants with category 1a, which have the most confident evidence of variants affecting gene expression using RegulomeDB, were genotyped. Fourteen variants associated with overall survival ( P T) was validated. In a combined analysis, patients with rs2257609 CT or TT genotype exhibited a worse overall survival and disease free survival than those with rs2257609 CC genotype (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41 – 2.48, P = 2.0 × 10 -5 and HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.16 – 1.79, P = 0.001, respectively). DRG2 expression, which was predicted to be affected by rs2257609, was significantly higher in tumor tissues than non-malignant lung tissues ( P = 0.001) and was different according to the rs2257609 genotype ( P trend = 0.03). ). Luciferase assay also revealed higher promoter activity of DRG2 with rs2257609 T allele ( P = 0.03). These results suggest that the rs2257609 C>T may affect DRG2 expression and can be used as prognostic marker in early-stage NSCLC patients.

본 연구에서는 안전하고 원활한 용수공급을 목적으로 하는 상수도관망시스템의 오염예방 및 위험관리를 위한 통합의사결정시스템의 기본구조를 제시하고 유럽과 미국에서 널리 사용되고 있는 다기준 의사결정기법인 PROMETHEE와 ANP를 적용해 상수도관망의 이상징후 판정을 위한 위험요소들의 우선순위를 평가하였다. 문제 구성을 위하여 pH 잔류염소농도, 유량, 수압, 전기전도도, 탁도, 블록누수량, 수온을 자료항목으로 선정하였고 관부식, 관파열, 관내수질오염을 평가기준으로 하여 PROMETHEE와 ANP의 결과를 비교 분석하였다. 본 연구에서 제시한 상수도관망의 위험요소 평가결과는 위기상황 대처방안시스템 구축시 사고대응 제어알고리즘 설계의 기초자료가 될 수 있을 것이다. 【In this study, we proposed a layout of the integrated decision support system in order to prevent the contamination and to manage risk in water supply networks for safe and smooth water supply. We evaluated the priority of risk factors to detect anomaly in water supply networks using PROMETHEE and ANP techniques, which are applied to various Multi-Criteria Decision Making area in Europe and America. To develop the model, we selected pH, residual chlorine concentration, discharge, hydraulic pressure, electrical conductivity, turbidity, block leakage and water temperature as the key data item. We also chose pipe corrosion, pipe burst and water pollution in pipe as the criteria and then we present the results of PROMETHEE and ANP analysis. The evaluation results of the priority of risk factors in water supply networks will provide basic data to establish a contingency plan for accidents so that we can establish the specific emergency response procedures.】

In this paper, we propose a hand-writing message system for smartphone using digital pen. Existing messaging systems can only send a message through MMS and cannot utilize various SNS (Social Network Service) because it uses feature phone environment. A proposed messaging system based on smartphone can utilize SNS and can create new systems. We verify usefulness of it by implementation.

In ubiquitous environments, invisible devices and software are connected to one another to provide convenient services to users. In order to provide such services, we must have mobile devices that connect users and services. However, the types of services available have thus far been limited due to the limited resources of mobile devices. This paper will propose a solution to the resource problem of mobile devices by presenting a context-based collaboration system that allows mobile devices to share various nearby resources. We have tested our context-based collaboration system by using the test scenario. This paper focuses on sharing different devices by recognizing context data in a given situation.

The surface curvatures in the face contain the most important personal features information. In this paper, we develop a method for recognizing 3D face images by combining face component; eyes, cheek, mouth, and nose. For the proposed approach, the first step uses face curvatures which present the facial features for 3D face images, after normalization using the SVD. As a result of this process, we obtain curvature feature for each component range face. Fuzzy neural network, PCA, and Fisherface methods are then applied to each component range face. The reason for adapting PCA and Fisherface method is that the methods maintain the surface attribute for face curvature, even though they can generate reduced image dimension. In the last step, the aggregation of the individual classifiers using the fuzzy integral is explained for each component. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach has outstanding classification performance compared to other methods.

Operation planning for multiple reservoir systems is a complex and challenging problem because of inherent uncertainties in inflow forecasts. Long-term inflow predictions are required for mid-term planning. However the practice of using several inflow predictions does not fully reflect the various characteristics of the decision in uncertainty analysis, such as non-anticipating decisions or the serial correlations imbedded in the inflow. We therefore applied the stochastic linear programming (SLP) approach to tackle the uncertainties that are inherent in reservoir operation planning due to the inflow uncertainty. A SLP model is developed for coordinating the multi-reservoir operation to determine the efficient monthly target reservoir storage. The model is formulated as a multi-period, two-stage SLP based on the form of fan of individual scenarios. The inflow scenarios are generated by the multivariate periodic AR(1) model considering the serial and spatial correlations. The model becomes a large-scale, linear programming model (comprising over 120,000 columns and 80,000 rows), which was solved very quickly (in 5 minutes) using the linear programming solver CPLEX. The expected benefit of the stochastic model was analyzed quantitatively based on value of information measure. The results indicated that the solutions of the stochastic model are much more effective than those of the deterministic model with average inflows, and that this effectiveness is also maintained in real-time operation in the presence of uncertainty. The benefit of applying this stochastic model to the Nakdong River basin in Korea was presented. It implies that the use of the stochastic model in real-time operation is more effective in the presence of uncertainty.

Chylous ascites is a rare form of ascites characterized by milky peritoneal fluid rich in triglycerides due to the accumulation of chyle in the peritoneal cavity. This affliction occurs as a result of a disruption of lymph flow associated with traumatic injury or obstruction of the lymphatic system. There are various causes of chylous ascites, such as lymphatic anomalies, malignancy, cirrhosis, infection, trauma, surgery, and nephrotic syndrome. We report a rare case of an 81-year-old male with sepsis caused by bilateral pneumonia who presented with chylous ascites.

Background: Bronchial anthracofibrosis (BAF), which is associated with exposure to biomass smoke in inefficiently ventilated indoor areas, can take the form of obstructive lung disease. Patients with BAF can mimic or present with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of BAF in Korean patients with COPD exacerbation as well as to examine the clinical features of these patients in order to determine its clinical relevance. Methods: A total of 206 patients with COPD exacerbation were divided into BAF and non-BAF groups, according to computed tomography findings. We compared both clinical and radiologic variables between the two groups. Results: Patients with BAF (51 [25%]) were older, with a preponderance of nonsmoking women; moreover, they showed a more frequent association with exposure to wood smoke compared to those without BAF. However, no differences in the severity of illness and clinical course between the two groups were observed. Patients in the BAF group had less severe airflow obstruction, but more common and severe pulmonary hypertension signs than those in the non-BAF group. Conclusion: Compared with non-BAF COPD, BAF may be associated with milder airflow limitation and more frequent signs of pulmonary hypertension with a more severe grade in patients presenting with COPD exacerbation.