An Empirical Study on the factors influencing the utilization and the effectiveness of Enterprise Instant Messenger

Communication technology has been recognized to play an important role in boosting organization’s competitiveness and viability by facilitating efficient communication and information sharing. Lately, many organizations began to actively adopt the self-developed Enterprise Instant Messenger (EIM) as a common organizational communication medium after experiencing security problem with public messengers like MSN. Its utilization and tangible benefits of EIM, however, vary. There’s an urgent need to understand how each organization embraces EIM and to empirically evaluate whether active use of EIM can result in a better communication, eventually leading into better business productivity. In this research we try to investigate those antecedents which may have affected the high use of EIM and a better decision making efficiency. Theoretical justification of research variables and causal relationships of our research model are mainly based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), media selection theory, and social influence model. Through a survey data analysis of 171 EIM users, it was found that perceived usefulness, social influence, the externally-orientated organizational culture had a significant effect on the high use of EIM. In addition, the use of EIM was found to have a significant effect on the efficiency in the decision-making process

Examining the Impact of Language Proficiency on Mathematics Achievement Using a High-Stakes Achievement Test

The study investigated the relationship between Korean 9th grade students Korean language proficiency and their math achievement using the data from the 2008 National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA) administration. It also examined the effects of various contextual characteristics surrounding schools and students on student achievement. The contextual effects were further compared between two language proficiency groups. The findings of the study showed that fathers education, amount of conversation with parents, and self-reported effectiveness of learning were positively related to student math achievement in both language groups. However, the higher language proficiency group reported higher ratings in those aspects. In addition, male students outperformed their counterparts in the test, regardless of their language proficiency level

Association between thyroid hormones and the components of metabolic syndrome

BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormones are known to have direct and indirect effects on metabolism. Individuals with metabolic syndrome, a disease that is growing in incidence at a rapid rate, are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The aim of this study was to identify whether significant correlations exist between thyroid hormone levels and components of the metabolic syndrome in the general population of Korea. METHODS: The data were collected from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2013 to 2015. A total of 1423 participants were tested for thyroid function. The analysis of variance and multiple linear regression were performed to analyze the relationship between thyroid hormone level and components of the metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: A positive association between free thyroxine and fasting glucose level was observed in patients with high free thyroxine levels (≥1.70 ng/dL, β = 15.992, p = < 0.0001), when compared with patients with normal-middle free thyroxine levels. Moreover, a negative association was observed between free thyroxine and triglyceride levels in patients with normal-high free thyroxine levels (β = - 21.145, p = 0.0054) and those with high free thyroxine levels (β = - 49.713, p = 0.0404). CONCLUSION: Free thyroxine shows a partially positive association with fasting glucose and a partially negative association with triglycerides in the Korean population. In patients with abnormal thyroid function, follow up tests for glucose levels and lipid profiling during treatment for thyroid dysfunction would be beneficial in terms of overlooking metabolic syndrome and to prevent related diseases

Retrospective Analysis of Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation for the Treatment of High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Disease relapse after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT) is the main cause of treatment failure in high-risk neuroblastoma (NBL). To reduce relapse, various efforts have been made such as CD34+ selection and double APBSCT. Here the authors reviewed the clinical features and outcomes of high-risk NBL patients and analyzed their survival. The medical records of 36 patients with stage III or IV NBL who underwent APBSCT at Seoul National University Children's Hospital between May 1996 and May 2004 were reviewed. Total 46 APBSCTs were performed in 36 patients. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival of all patients were 47.7% and 68.8%, respectively. The patients were allocated to three groups according to the APBSCT type. The DFS of CD34+ non-selected single APBSCT patients (N=13), CD34+ selected single APBSCT patients (N=14), and CD34+ selected double APBSCT patients (N=9) were 55.6%, 40.6%, and 50.0%, respectively, which were not significantly different. Thus the survival was not found to be affected by CD34+ selection or transplantation number. To improve long-term survival, various efforts should be made such as chemotherapy dose intensification, more effective tumor purging, and control of minimal residual disease via the use of differentiating and immune-modulating agents

Aseptic Spondylodiscitis Resulting from Intradiscal Radiofrequency Ablation (IDRA) in Patients with Herniated Disc Disease: A Report of Ten Cases

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical presentation, radiological features, management, and outcomes of aseptic spondylodiscitis after Intradiscal radiofrequency ablation (IDRA). Methods Between 2014 and 2015, ten patients were diagnosed with aseptic spondylodiscitis due to significant back pain after IDRA and were assessed with medical record review, telephone interviews, and imaging. The follow-up period was 12 months. Results The patients developed significant axial pain after the procedure (VAS, 2±1.6 to 8±0.7, p<0.001). Laboratory findings, including WBC, ESR, and CRP, were nonspecific. Magnetic Ressonance Imaging (MRI) showed low intensity on T1-weighted images, heterogeneous intensity on T2-weighted images, and contrast enhancement on the subchondral area adjacent to the endplate. All patients were treated conservatively with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Back pain improved gradually in 3 months (VAS, 5.5±1.3, p<0.01).All patients had no sequelae at final follow up. Conclusion IDRA may cause thermal injury to adjacent vertebrae. If a patient complains of significant back pain after IDRA and show osteonecrosis characteristic on MRI, aseptic spondylodiscitis should be considered. To prevent this complication, the correct location of the IDRA tip distant from the endplate should be confirmed by fluoroscopy during the procedure

NF-κB and CREB Are Involved in IL-8 Production of Human Neutrophils Induced by Trichomonas vaginalis-Derived Secretory Products

Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated lumen-dwelling extracellular protozoan parasite that causes human trichomoniasis via sexual intercourse. Human neutrophils play a crucial role in acute tissue inflammatory responses in T. vaginalis infection. In this study, we investigated the signaling mechanism of neutrophil responses when stimulated with T. vaginalis-derived secretory products (TvSP), which were collected from 1×107 live trichomonads. Incubation of human neutrophils isolated from peripheral blood with TvSP induced up-regulation of IL-8 protein secretion. In addition, stimulation with TvSP induced phosphorylation of NF-κB and CREB in neutrophils. Moreover, TvSP-induced IL-8 production was also significantly inhibited by pretreatment of neutrophils with iκB inhibitor or CREB inhibitor. These results suggest that transcription factors NF-κB and CREB are involved in IL-8 production in human neutrophils induced by stimulation with T. vaginalis infection

Hepatoprotective and Antioxidative Activities of Cornus officinalis against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

The fruit of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. is commonly prescribed in Asian countries as a tonic formula. In this study, the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic extracts of the fruit of C. officinalis (ECO) was investigated in a mouse model of acetaminophen- (APAP-) induced liver injury. Pretreatment of mice with ECO (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg for 7 days) significantly prevented the APAP (200 mg/kg) induced hepatic damage as indicated by the serum marker enzymes (AST, ALT, and LDH). Parallel to these changes, ECO treatment also prevented APAP-induced oxidative stress in the mice liver by inhibiting lipid peroxidation (MDA) and restoring the levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and HO-1) and glutathione. Liver injury and collagen accumulation were assessed using histological studies by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Our results indicate that ECO can prevent hepatic injuries associated with APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by preventing or alleviating oxidative stress