In Search of a Breakthrough for the Korea-EU FTA Negotiations

The purpose of this paper is to seek a breakthrough for the Korea-EU FTA negotiation in agriculture which started last year, but has not made much progress yet. The EU has been asking Korea to open its agricultural market to the same extent that was agreed upon in Korea’s free trade agreement with the U.S. while the Korean government firmly opposes the EU’s request, saying that FTA negotiations differ from multilateral trade talks as in the WTO. An examination of agricultural trade among Korea, the EU, and the U.S. shows that there may be many niche markets of which the EU can take advantage over other agricultural exporting countries including the U.S. Also, it is expected that the EU could gain much from its agricultural trade with Korea through an FTA, even without a market access level equal to one stipulated in the Korea-U.S. FTA accord. As far as agriculture is concerned, the slower does the talk proceed, the better to Korea, with the EU losing huge expected trade gains. It is suggested that the EU needs to be more flexible in the talks by focusing on a new strategy that can maximize trade diversion effects stemming not only from price but from non-price factors, rather than simply asking for the same level of market opening as in Korea-U.S. FTA. This would be the better way for the EU to become a winner in the battle for Korean agricultural market.Korea-EU FTA, Agricultural Trade, Trade Diversion Effects, International Relations/Trade,

Development of a hybrid magnetic resonance/computed tomography-compatible phantom for magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy

The purpose of the present study was to develop a hybrid magnetic resonance/computed tomography (MR/CT)-compatible phantom and tissue-equivalent materials for each MR and CT image. Therefore, the essential requirements necessary for the development of a hybrid MR/CT-compatible phantom were determined and the development process is described. A total of 12 different tissue-equivalent materials for each MR and CT image were developed from chemical components. The uniformity of each sample was calculated. The developed phantom was designed to use 14 plugs that contained various tissue-equivalent materials. Measurement using the developed phantom was performed using a 3.0-T scanner with 32 channels and a Somatom Sensation 64. The maximum percentage difference of the signal intensity (SI) value on MR images after adding K2CO3 was 3.31%. Additionally, the uniformity of each tissue was evaluated by calculating the percent image uniformity (%PIU) of the MR image, which was 82.18 ±1.87% with 83% acceptance, and the average circular-shaped regions of interest (ROIs) on CT images for all samples were within ±5 Hounsfield units (HU). Also, dosimetric evaluation was performed. The percentage differences of each tissue-equivalent sample for average dose ranged from -0.76 to 0.21%. A hybrid MR/CT-compatible phantom for MR and CT was investigated as the first trial in this field of radiation oncology and medical physics

Transportation and Marketing Efficiency in the California Processing Tomato Industry

Agribusiness, Marketing,

Chromosomal Microarray Testing in 42 Korean Patients with Unexplained Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Multiple Congenital Anomalies

Chromosomal microarray (CMA) is a high-resolution, high-throughput method of identifying submicroscopic genomic copy number variations (CNVs). CMA has been established as the first-line diagnostic test for individuals with developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and multiple congenital anomalies (MCAs). CMA analysis was performed in 42 Korean patients who had been diagnosed with unexplained DD, ID, ASDs, and MCAs. Clinically relevant CNVs were discovered in 28 patients. Variants of unknown significance were detected in 13 patients. The diagnostic yield was high (66.7%). CMA is a superior diagnostic tool compared with conventional karyotyping and fluorescent in situ hybridization

Sex- and Age-Related Changes in Connexin 43 Expression in Normal Rat Bladder

Purpose Gap junctions are intercellular channels to facilitate electrical and metabolic communication between adjacent cells. Connexin 43 is the most predominant type of connexin expressed on rat detrusor muscle cells. We investigated the connexin 43 expressions in various age groups of either sex in normal rats. Methods Eighty Sprague-Dawley rats were used for analysis. Each group was quantified by 8 rats at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months of age in either sex. In each animal, bladder was removed without any kind of intervention and fresh-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Total RNA extraction was done with easy-BLUE total RNA extraction kit. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was done for connexin 43 and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as an internal control using ImProm-II Reverse Transcription System. Results In female rats, no age-related change was detected in connexin 43 expressions. In male rats, connexin expression at 3 months of age showed significant decrease compared with 1 week, 2 weeks, and 6 months of age (P<0.05). When connexin expression at the same age in male and female were compared, only 3 months group in male showed significant decrease than the same age group in female. Conclusions Our data suggest that the expressions of connexin 43 mRNA in normal detrusor muscle cell showed age-related changes especially in male rats. Although it is difficult to interpret these findings at this stage, age should be considered as a possible compounding factor affecting connexin 43 expressions in male rats

Pattern of distant recurrence according to the molecular subtypes in Korean women with breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Distant recurrence is one of the most important risk factors in overall survival, and distant recurrence is related to a complex biologic interaction of seed and soil factors. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the molecular subtypes and patterns of distant recurrence in patients with breast cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In an investigation of 313 women with breast cancer who underwent surgery from 1994 and 2000, the expressions of estrogen and progestrone receptor (ER/PR), and human epithelial receptor-2 (HER2) were evaluated. The subtypes were defined as luminal-A, luminal-HER2, HER2-enriched, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) according to ER, PR, and HER2 status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bone was the most common site of distant recurrence. The incidence of first distant recurrence site was significantly different among the subtypes. Brain metastasis was more frequent in the luminal-HER2 and TNBC subtypes. In subgroup analysis, overall survival in patients with distant recurrence after 24 months after surgery was significantly different among the subtypes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Organ-specific metastasis may depend on the molecular subtype of breast cancer. Tailored strategies against distant metastasis concerning the molecular subtypes in breast cancer may be considered.</p

Recurrent Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding from Congenital Arteriovenous Malformation in the Terminal Ileum Mimicking Intestinal Varicosis: A Case Report

We report on an exceptional vascular cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. A 30-yr-old man was admitted because of recurrent hematochezia. Colonoscopy showed circumferential, erythematous, and nodular vascular distensions with hematocystic spots in the terminal ileum resembling varicosis and subsequent computed tomography with 3-dimensional angiographic reconstruction revealed a vascular architecture around the terminal ileum. No other potential source of bleeding was identified. The patient was treated by ileocecectomy and the final diagnosis was of an arteriovenous malformation confined to the terminal ileum. He has been followed-up without a further hemorrhagic episode