Superior outcomes of kidney transplantation compared with dialysis An optimal matched analysis of a national population-based cohort study between 2005 and 2008 in Korea

Data regarding kidney transplantation (KT) and dialysis outcomes are rare in Asian populations. In the present study, we evaluated the clinical outcomes associated with KT using claims data from the Korean national public health insurance program. Among the 35,418 adult patients with incident dialysis treated between 2005 and 2008 in Korea, 1539 underwent KT. An optimal balanced risk set matching was attempted to compare the transplant group with the control group in terms of the overall survival and major adverse cardiac event-free survival. Before matching, the dialysis group was older and had more comorbidities. After matching, there were no differences in age, sex, dialysis modalities, or comorbidities. Patient survival was significantly better in the transplant group than in the matched control group (P<0.001). In addition, the transplant group showed better major adverse cardiac event-free survival than the dialysis group (P<0.001; hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.75). Korean patients with incident dialysis who underwent long-term dialysis had significantly more cardiovascular events and higher all-cause mortality rates than those who underwent KT. Thus, KT should be more actively recommended in Korean populations.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201619962RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A079841CITE_RATE:1.206FILENAME:Superior_outcomes_of_kidney_transplantation.14.pdfDEPT_NM:컴퓨터공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YFILEURL:https://srnd.snu.ac.kr/eXrepEIR/fws/file/91ab95e8-39ce-4d72-8fb3-f6b12c82256d/linkCONFIRM:

An Empirical Study on the Impact of Individual and Organizational Supply Chain Orientation on Supply Chain Management

This study empirically identifies individual supply chain orientation (SCO) components as antecedents of organizational SCO and analyzes the causal relationships between organizational SCO and supply chain management (SCM). A survey was conducted with Korean firms and the partial least squares method was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results show that individual SCO has a significant influence on organizational SCO. Organizational SCO has a significant influence on strategic SCM, whereas only information technology for SCO affects operational SCM. Strategic SCM has a significant influence on operational SCM. This study extends our understanding of the social and behavioral elements of SCM by classifying SCO into individual and organizational SCO and identifying the causal relationships between them

A Study on Green Shipping in Major Countries: In the View of Shipyards, Shipping Companies, Ports, and Policies

The purpose of this study is to define green shipping and eco-friendly vessels and identify the regulations and current market situation regarding eco-friendly vessels in major countries such as Europe, United States, Japan, China and South Korea within the framework of shipping companies, shipyards, ports, and policies. This conceptual study defines and analyzes the current market situation of green shipping based on the previous literatures as well as the cases of each stakeholder in major countries. As the results, this study identifies six major problems and proposes countermeasures to enhance strategic plans in preparation for green shipping in South Korea. The countermeasures are 1) the establishment of a shipping–shipbuilding collaborative network, 2) information sharing and joint cost reduction for shipping and shipbuilding industry, 3) investment in R&D in eco-friendly vessels by shipbuilding industry, 4) expanded support for LNG fueled ship

Activation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α Signaling Pathway Has the Protective Effect of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Intervertebral discs (IVDs) have poor nutrient diffusion, because the nucleus pulposus (NP) lacks direct vascular supply and likely generates adenosine triphosphate by anaerobic glycolysis. Regulation of glycolysis is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a transcription factor that responds to local oxygen tension. Constitutively active HIF-1α (CA HIF-1α) was created by point mutation and determined the protective role of HIF-1α in IVD degeneration. Under fluoroscopy, rat caudal IVD segments were stabbed by a needle puncture, and pcDNA3- HIF-1α wild-type (WT) or pcDNA3-CA HIF-1α was transfected into NP cell lines. The constitutive activity of CA HIF-1α was analyzed using a luciferase assay after cell lysis. Next, IVD tissue samples were retrieved from five patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis at the time of surgery, and NP cells were cultured. NP cells were transfected with CA HIF-1α, and relevant gene expression was measured. HIF-1α protein levels in the nucleus were significantly higher, and transcriptional activity was 10.3-fold higher in NP cells with CA HIF-1α than in those with HIF-1α WT. Gene transfer of CA HIF-1α into NP cells enhanced the expression of Glut-1, Glut-3, aggrecan, type II collagen, and Sox9. Moreover, CA HIF-1α reduced the apoptosis of NP cells induced by the Fas ligand. The HIF-1α and collagen 2 expression levels were notably increased in the NP cells of the CA HIF-1α transfected segments in histology and immunohistochemistry study. Collectively, these results suggest that activation of HIF-1α signaling pathway may play a protective role against IVD degeneration and could be used as a future therapeutic agent