Development of Indexes for the Performance Evaluation of e-SCM

Web-based sharing of information across the supply chain can bring a host of advantages to the trading partners. lower cost, leaner inventories, and more efficient shipping are just the beginning. eSCM is technology-enabled ability to concurrently manage high levels of complexity and multiple external relationships. This study presents that the development of indexes for the performance evaluation of e-SCM should be given more priority by companies giving weights to each index. Deductive research is used for the development of evaluation items and AHP method for the development of weights of the items. According to priority of each category - relationship between supplier and company, relationship between partner and company and relationship between customer and company- is as follows; Company driven type: relationship between customer and company, relationship between supplier and company, relationship between partner and company. Market portal type: relationship between supplier and company, relationship between customer and company, relationship between partner and company

Surgical experience of pericardial mesothelioma presenting as constrictive pericarditis

SummaryWe report two cases, which had been initially diagnosed with constrictive pericarditis but later were definitely diagnosed with mesothelioma after receiving pericardiectomy. The two patients complained of dyspnea. Chest computed tomography showed mild pericardial effusion and thickened pericardium, which was found enveloping the heart without any lumps. Pericardiectomy (phrenic nerve to phrenic nerve) was performed and post-operative histology confirmed malignant mesothelioma. One patient had recurrence near the pericardium at 7 months post-operatively and died at 11 months post-operatively. Another patient, after receiving chemotherapy, is still alive at 16 months post-operatively. We consider that pericardial mesothelioma, an extremely rare disease exhibiting clinical signs similar to those of constrictive pericarditis, must be diagnosed at the early stage of its onset

Development of multifocal nodular lesions of a liver mimicking hepatic metastasis, following resection of an insulinoma in a child

Insulinoma, which arises from insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, is a rare tumor in children. Only 5%-10% of insulinomas are malignant and undergo metastasis. We report a case of an 11-year-old girl who experienced hypoglycemia-related seizures induced by an insulinoma; after resection of the primary tumor, she developed hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). Laboratory test results indicated marked hypoglycemia with hyperinsulinemia. Abdominal ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography results were normal; however, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a solid mass in the pancreatic tail. Therefore, laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy was performed. Two months after the surgery, an abdominal MRI revealed multiple nodular lesions in the liver. An US-guided liver biopsy was then performed, and histological examination revealed FNH without necrosis or mitotic activity. The patient has been free of hypoglycemia for 2 years, and recent MRI studies showed a decrease in the size of FNH lesions, without any evidence of metastasis. Even though no metastatic lesions are noted on imaging, close observation and follow-up imaging studies are required in a child with insulinoma that has malignant potential on histopathologic findings

Chronic obstructive lung disease after ammonia inhalation burns: a report of two cases

Anhydrous ammonia is a commonly used chemical in industry. Ammonia gas inhalation causes thermal injuries and alkali burns in the airway and lung parenchyma. Previous case reports have stated that respiratory sequelae after acute ammonia inhalation burns were associated with structural lung disease, such as bronchiectasis or interstitial lung disease. We herein report two cases of long-term sequelae with persistent airflow limitation after ammonia inhalation burns

Geographic differences in the epidemiological features of HCV infection in Korea

Background/AimsThe prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Korea exhibits significant geographic variation, with it being higher in Busan and Jeonam than in other areas. The reason for this intranational geographic difference was investigated in this study by conducting a comparative analysis of the risk factors related to HCV infection among three geographic areas: the capital (Seoul), Busan, and the province of Jeolla.MethodsIn total, 990 patients with chronic HCV infection were prospectively enrolled at 5 university hospitals located in Seoul (n=374), Busan (n=264), and Jeolla (n=352). A standardized questionnaire survey on the risk factors for HCV infection was administered to these three groups of patients, and a comparative analysis of the findings was performed.ResultsThe analysis revealed significant regional differences in exposure to the risk factors of HCV infection. By comparison with patients in Seoul as a control group in the multivariate analysis, patients in Busan had significantly more experience of invasive medical procedures, acupuncture, cosmetic procedures, and multiple sex partners. In contrast, patients in Jeolla were significantly older, and they had a higher prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma, a lower prevalence of multiple sex partners, and had experienced fewer invasive procedures.ConclusionsThere was a significant geographic difference in the exposure to potential risk factors of HCV infection between patients from the three studied regions. This may explain the regional variation of the prevalence of HCV infection in Korea, and should be taken into account when planning strategies for the prevention and management of HCV infection

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in a Patient with Primary Ovarian Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

The primary ovarian lymphoma is a rare disease with poor prognosis. The incidence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is estimated at 3%. However, a substantial portion of the previously reported cases of ovarian lymphoma actually represented ovarian involvement by more diffuse lymphomatous process. If stringent criteria are used for case selection, true primary ovarian lymphoma usually carries a favorable prognosis. We present a primary malignant lymphoma of ovary accompanied by autoimmune hemolytic anemia in a 29-yr-old patient. After ablative surgery, the hemoglobin level and the reticulocyte count were normalized. One year following surgery and chemotherapy, the patient is alive and disease free

Hypermethylation of p16INK4a in Korean Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Promoter hypermethylation of the p16INK4a gene was investigated in 81 sets of samples of tumor tissue and adjacent normal tissue from Korean patients with primary lung cancer, using the modified real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/ SYBR Green detection method. The results showed hypermethylation of p16INK4a in 27.2% of tumor tissues, and in 11.1% of adjacent normal tissue. No significant association was found between the overall aberrant methylation in tumor and corresponding normal specimens (r=0.137, p=0.219). In 22 cases with p16INK4a hypermethylation in tumor tissues, only 4 (18.1%) cases were found to have a hypermethylated normal tissue specimen. The findings of this study show that smoking can influence the methylation level of the promoter region of p16INK4a, and that this occurs in tumor tissues more frequently than in normal tissues. Other clinicopathological characteristics, including age, sex, tumor stage, and histologic type were not found to be correlated with p16INK4a methylation

Current Trends in the Epidemiological and Pathological Characteristics of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in Korea, 2003-2004

Despite remarkable progress in understanding and treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) during the past two decades, the pathological characteristics of GISTs have not been made clear yet. Furthermore, concrete diagnostic criteria of malignant GISTs are still uncertain. We collected pathology reports of 1,227 GISTs from 38 hospitals in Korea between 2003 and 2004 and evaluated the efficacy of the NIH and AFIP classification schemes as well as the prognostic factors among pathologic findings. The incidence of GISTs in Korea is about 1.6 to 2.2 patients per 100,000. Extra-gastrointestinal GISTs (10.1%) are more common in Korea than in Western countries. In univariate analysis, gender, age, tumor location, size, mitosis, tumor necrosis, vascular and mucosal invasions, histologic type, CD34 and s-100 protein expression, and classifications by the NIH and AFIP criteria were found to be significantly correlated with patient's survival. However, the primary tumor location, stage and classification of the AFIP criteria were prognostically significant in predicting patient's survival in multivariate analysis. The GIST classification based on original tumor location, size, and mitosis is more efficient than the NIH criteria in predicting patient's survival, but the mechanism still needs to be clarified through future studies