Ewha Womans University Research Articles

Spotlight commentary: A role for real-world evidence to inform the clinical care of patients with diabetes mellitus.

Spotlight commentary: A role for real-world evidence to inform the clinical care of patients with diabetes mellitus.

Cohort profile: the Ewha Birth and Growth Study.

With the introduction of life-course epidemiology, researchers realized the importance of identifying risk factors in early life to prevent chronic diseases. This led to the establishment of the Ewha Birth and Growth Study in 2001; the study is a prospective birth cohort designed to provide evidence of early life risk factors for a child’s growth and health. Participants were recruited from those who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital (a tertiary hospital in southwest Seoul, Korea) for prenatal care at 24-28 weeks of gestation. In total, 891 mothers enrolled in this study between 2001 and 2006 and their offspring (n=940) were followed-up. Regular check-up examinations of offspring were conducted at 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years of age and every year thereafter. To consider age-related health issues, extensive data were collected using questionnaires and measurements. In 2021, the study subjects will reach 19 years of age, and we are planning a check-up examination for early adulthood. About 20 years have passed since the cohort data were collected, and we have published results on childhood health outcomes associated with prenatal and birth characteristics, genetic and epigenetic characteristics related to childhood metabolism, the effects of exposure to endocrine disruptors, and dietary patterns in childhood. Recently, we started reporting on topics related to adolescent health. The findings will facilitate identification of early life risk factors for chronic diseases and the development of interventions for diseases later in life.

Preface

Proceeding Young Scholar Symposium on Science Education and Environment (YSSSEE) 22-23 September 2020, Lampung, Indonesia Preface Young Scholar Symposium on Science Education and Environment (YSSSEE) is the annual conference held by Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan, Lampung, Indonesia. The theme of this conference is Science, Technology and Education for Sustainable Environment with the Focus and Scope of this research including (1) Physics; (2) Material Sciences; (3) Applied Physics; (4) Natural Sciences; (5) Sciences Education; (6) Mathematics; (7) Mathematics Education; and (8) Environmental Sciences.The keynote presentations are provided to talk the current issues in Education and Environment. The keynote speaker Prof. Konstantinos Ravanis, Ph.D., from Laboratory of Didactics of Sciences, University of Patras, Greece, presented the study of the physical sciences in early childhood education. Prof. Dr. Husin Alatas, M.Si., from Institut Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia, presented the study about Understanding complexity paradigm & sustainability of complex system. Jisun Park, Ph.D., Ewha Womans University, South Korea, presented the study about students’ unintended learning in elementary school practical science lessons. Korhan Cengiz, Ph.D., presented the study about novel energy efficient protocols for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Prof. Cari, Ph.D., Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Indonesia, presented the study about physics and mathematics language as a physics learning tool. Dr. Achmad Samsudin, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia, presented the study about measuring students’ conceptions on physics concepts: a case in Indonesia.We would like to thank to all of the participants attending this conference and also to committee for their contribution to this high-level conference and its overall success. We also would like to thank to the reviewers for their positive contribution to maintain the quality of the articles presented in this conference. We also appreciate the contribution of our sponsor supporting the conference.List of Executive Chair, Organizer, Co-Organized, Keynote Speaker, Advisory Board, Organizing Committee, Documentations of YSSSEE arein this pdf.

Is Short-Term Exposure to PM2.5 Relevant to Childhood Kawasaki Disease?

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile vascular disease of unknown cause that affects the whole body. KD typically occurs in infants under the age of five and is found mainly in East Asian countries. Few studies have reported on the relationship between the pollutant PM2.5 and KD, and the evidence remains irrelevant or insufficient. Objectives: We investigated the relationship between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and KD hospitalizations using data from Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, 2006 to 2016. Methods: We obtained data from the hospital EMR (electronic medical records) system. We evaluated the relationship between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and KD hospitalizations using a case-crossover design. We considered exposures to PM2.5 two weeks before the date of KD hospitalization. We analyzed the data using a conditional logistic regression adjusted for temperature and humidity. The effect size was calculated as a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration. We performed a subgroup analysis by sex, season, age group, and region. In the two-pollutants model, we adjusted SO2, NO2, CO, and O3, but the effect size did not change. Results: A total of 771 KD cases were included in this study. We did not find any statistically significant relationship between PM2.5 and children’s KD hospitalization (two-day moving average: odds ratio (OR) = 1.01, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.95, 1.06; seven-day moving average: OR = 0.98, CI = 0.91, 1.06; 14-day moving average: OR = 0.93, CI = 0.82, 1.05). A subgroup analysis and two pollutant analysis also found no significant results. Conclusion: We did not find a statistically significant relationship between PM2.5 and children’s KD hospitalizations. More research is needed to clarify the association between air pollution, including PM2.5, and KD.

Sex differences in deterioration of sleep properties associated with aging: a 12-year longitudinal cohort study.

The sleep patterns of humans are greatly influenced by age and sex and have various effects on overall health as they change continuously during the lifespan. We investigated age-dependent changes in sleep properties and their relation to sex in middle-aged individuals. We analyzed data from 2,640 participants (mean age of 49.8 ± 6.8 years at baseline, 50.6% women) in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, which assessed sleep habits using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and other clinical characteristics. We analyzed the sleep habit changes that occurred between baseline and a follow-up point (mean interval: 12.00 ± 0.16 years). Associations of age and sex with 9 sleep characteristics were evaluated. Age was associated with most of the sleep characteristics cross-sectionally and longitudinally (P < .05), except for the time in bed at baseline (P = .455) and change in sleep duration (P = .561). Compared with men, women had higher Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, shorter time in bed, shorter sleep duration, and longer latency at baseline (P ≤ .001). Longitudinal deterioration in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score, habitual sleep efficiency, duration, and latency was more prominent in women (P < .001). The sex differences in these longitudinal sleep changes were mainly noticeable before age 60 years (P < .05). Worsening of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, habitual sleep efficiency, and latency was most evident in perimenopausal women. Men presented with greater advancement of chronotype (P = .006), with the peak sex-related difference occurring when they were in their late 40s (P = .048). Aging is associated with substantial deterioration in sleep quantity and quality as well as chronotype advancement, with the degree and timing of these changes differing by sex.

Beyond pojangmacha: Edae food carts and the future of Seoul’s social gastronomy

ABSTRACT Across Seoul, Korea, countless tented food stalls called pojangmacha have for generations purveyed cheap, tasty fare from early evening unto the wee hours of the night. The foods sold are familiar nosh that can be washed down with beer or soju. But while these foods are as popular as ever, in recent years, other sorts of street food that are decidedly more “international” have emerged. One such place is Ewhayeodae Street that leads to the front gate of Ewha Womans University, aka Edae. While other places in Seoul are better known for the quality, quantity, and variety of new street foods, it is Edae that helps us to best assess two particular facets of contemporary Korea’s ongoing social, cultural, and economic transformation: first, the status of women, such as those who attend Ewha University, and second, the rise in foreign tourists. Using inter- and multidisciplinary sources and analysis, this speculative, nonempirical essay postulates that the Edae food carts, in offering new and innovative foods that appeal simultaneously to these two groups, anticipate an urgent social reality: the future of Seoul continues to hinge on both the ongoing evolution of the status of women and the internationalization of the country.

주거문화 말뭉치를 통해 본 어휘 변천: 명사 어휘의 의미분류를 중심으로

This study aims to examine Korean Residential Culture through the methodological procedures of corpus analysis for cultural studies. For this purpose, I used the corpus constructed from articles related to the residential space in five different women’s magazines(1970-2015): Chubusaenghwal(Housewives Living(STYLER)), Yŏsŏngdonga(Women’s Dong-A), yŏsŏngjungang (Women’s JoongAng), yŏwŏn(Yeowon), and Haengbogi kadŭk’an chip(A Home Full of Happiness). I built a serial analysis process for analyzing this diachronic corpus; extracting the list of words to focus on, classifying the words list using a thesaurus, restructuring the list by a cultural framework, and analyzing the changing trends of each classified lexical group in a sociocultural context. This research is meaningful in that it is an empirical result that can be applied for both cultural studies and corpus linguistic analysis in cultural aspects. (Ewha Womans University)

Assessment of Change in Microbiology and Antibiotic Sensitivity of Deep Neck Infection Over 10 Years

Background and Objectives Treatment using systemic antibiotic administration and surgical drainage has been the common treatment modality for deep neck infection. This study compared the changing pattern of isolated pathogens to recommend the best empirical antibiotics for deep neck infection.Subjects and Method Reviewed retrospectively were medical charts of 131 patients who, confirmed with deep neck infection, underwent surgical drainage for pus cultures at Ewha Womans University Medical Center between January, 2009 and July, 2019. We analyzed the changing pattern of isolated pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility tests using their pus cultures.Results &lt;i&gt;Streptococcus viridans&lt;/i&gt; was the most commonly isolated organism (35.1%), followed by &lt;i&gt;Klebsiella pneumonia&lt;/i&gt; (13.7%) and &lt;i&gt;Staphylococcus aureus&lt;/i&gt; (4.6%). The isolation rate of &lt;i&gt;Streptococcus viridans&lt;/i&gt; increased in the recent 10 years [&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=0.016, odds ratio (OR)=3.417]. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that all pathogens were resistant to ampicillin, but susceptible to ampicillin/sulbactam and cephalosporin. The isolation rate of clindamycin resistant pathogens was increased with statistical significance (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=0.020, OR=8.076).Conclusion Antibiotics effective against both &lt;i&gt;Streptococcus viridans&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Klebsiella pneumonia&lt;/i&gt; should be used as the first-line of treatment for deep neck infection. Ampicillin/sulbactam or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid were sufficient to treat deep neck infection empirically regardless of age or underlying diseases.

Prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer in patients with Graves\u2019 disease: a propensity score-matched analysis

BackgroundPatients with Graves’ disease (GD) are at a 2.5 times higher risk of developing thyroid cancer than the general population. Previous studies reported conflicting results about the prognosis of thyroid cancer concomitant with GD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of GD to the recurrence rates of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).MethodsWe reviewed 3628 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC at the Ewha Womans University Medical Center from January 2006 to June 2014. Of those, 114 patients had non-occult PTC with concomitant GD. To reduce potential confounding effects and selection bias, we conducted 1:5 propensity score matching and analyzed the recurrence-free survival.ResultsThyroid cancer in patients with GD showed lower rate of lymphatic invasion (1.8% vs. 6.7%; p = 0.037), microscopic resection margin involvement (0.9% vs. 5.8%; p = 0.024), and lymph node metastasis (29.8% vs. 37.3%; p = 0.001) than in patients without GD, respectively. During the median follow-up of 94.1 months, recurrence occurred in one patient (0.9%) with GD. After propensity score matching for adjusting clinicopathological features, 5-year recurrence-free survival was comparable between patients with GD and euthyroid patients (100% vs. 98.4%, p = 0.572). Both tumor size [hazard ratio (HR) 1.585, p < 0.001] and lymph node metastasis (HR for N1a 3.067, p = 0.024; HR for N1b 15.65, p < 0.001) were predictive factors for recurrence-free survival, while GD was not associated with the recurrence.ConclusionsOur data suggest that GD does not affect the prognosis of PTC. Thyroid cancer in patients with GD is not more aggressive than in euthyroid patients.

Organizing an in-class hackathon to correct PDF-to-text conversion errors of Genomics & Informatics 1.0.

This paper describes a community effort to improve earlier versions of the full-text corpus of Genomics & Informatics by semi-automatically detecting and correcting PDF-to-text conversion errors and optical character recognition errors during the first hackathon of Genomics & Informatics Annotation Hackathon (GIAH) event. Extracting text from multi-column biomedical documents such as Genomics & Informatics is known to be notoriously difficult. The hackathon was piloted as part of a coding competition of the ELTEC College of Engineering at Ewha Womans University in order to enable researchers and students to create or annotate their own versions of the Genomics & Informatics corpus, to gain and create knowledge about corpus linguistics, and simultaneously to acquire tangible and transferable skills. The proposed projects during the hackathon harness an internal database containing different versions of the corpus and annotations.

Catalogue of herpetological specimens of the Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum (EWNHM), Republic of Korea.

The herpetology collection of the Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum (EWNHM) represents one of the oldest and largest institutional collections in the Republic of Korea. The specimens deposited in the EWNHM represent a major historical collection of the native herpetofauna, both in species diversity and time span. However, the full inventory of the herpetology collection has never been conducted and thus the collection has received little attention from researchers. Here, the first full account of the herpetology specimens held at the EWNHM is provided, with voucher information for all documented specimens to make the collection accessible for future studies.

실시간 다대면 온라인 한국어 강의에서 모국어 사용 여부와 숙달도에 따른 차이 - 매체 효능감과 실재감, 수업만족도를 중심으로 -

Journal of the International Network for Korean Language and Culture 17-2, 129-150. In line with the recent challenges to traditional educational environments, Korean language teachers and learners are interact from their own living spaces through synchronous online classes. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of media efficacy, presence and course satisfaction of learners from classes utilizing video conferencing platforms. While the use of primary language in class is the main variable influencing the media efficacy and presence of the learners, the proficiency level of learners also becomes a variable when primary language use is not allowed. Finally, the effect of media efficacy and presence on class satisfaction was discussed. The subjects of this survey were novice Korean language learners in foreign countries who were using their primary language in the classroom and 61 beginner and intermediate level learners in Korea who were not allowed to use their primary language in the classroom. The results of this survey show that the use of primary language and the level of proficiency of learners are important variables that influence media efficacy and presence in interactive synchronous online Korean language classes. There is a significant correlation between the levels of media efficacy, presence and class satisfaction. Thus, improving the media efficacy and presence of learners is considered to be an important factor in the successful implementation of interactive synchronous online Korean language classes.(Ewha Womans University)

Decision-making regarding withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment and the role of intensivists in the intensive care unit: a single-center study

BackgroundThis study examined the experience of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in patients hospitalized in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care center. It also considers the role that intensivists play in the decision-making process regarding the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 227 patients who decided to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment while hospitalized at Ewha Womans University Medical Center Mokdong between April 9 and December 31, 2018.ResultsThe 227 hospitalized patients included in the analysis withheld or withdrew from life-sustaining treatment. The department in which life-sustaining treatment was withheld or withdrawn most frequently was hemato-oncology (26.4%). Among these patients, the most common diagnosis was gastrointestinal tract cancer (29.1%). A majority of patients (64.3%) chose not to receive any life-sustaining treatment. Of the 80 patients in the ICU, intensivists participated in the decision to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment in 34 cases. There were higher proportions of treatment withdrawal and ICU-to-ward transfers among the cases in whom intensivists participated in decision making compared to those cases in whom intensivists did not participate (50.0% vs. 4.3% and 52.9% vs. 19.6%, respectively).ConclusionsThrough their participation in end-of-life discussions, intensivists can help patients’ families to make decisions about withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment and possibly avoiding futile treatments for these patients.

Special issue on SoC and AI processors

Special issue on SoC and AI processors

전제 수용 현상과 맥락의 개정

This paper aims to investigate the process of presupposition accommodation and its ramifications to the context. Among global accommodation and local accommodation Heim (1983) suggests, local accommodation accounts for the case of defeasible presuppositions which poses a problem for the filtering theories of presupposition against the cancellation theories. Although it has been claimed that global accommodation is generally preferred unless it causes infelicity, this study maintains that local accommodation also has explanatory power and that contextual factors play an important role than mere preference for global accommodation in determining which type of accommodation is selected. This study also points out that language users choose a type of accommodation and apply it in such a way that the common ground is amended in order to enhance its consistency. (Ewha Womans University).

Anesthetic Management during Electroconvulsive Therapy

Some patients with depression require electroconvulsive therapy performed under general anesthesia. This requires rapid loss of consciousness, with minimal interference from seizure activity, appropriate muscle relaxation status, prevention of hyperdynamic responses to the electrical stimulus, and proper recovery of spontaneous ventilation and consciousness. The authors report the first case of electroconvulsive therapy performed with the patient under general anesthesia at the Ewha Womans University Medical Center, Korea.

Application of Six Sigma Metrics to Improve Quality Control for Point-of-care Glucose Testing

Objectives Six sigma is a quality management system for the assessment of precision and accuracy. We aim to apply the six sigma rule to quality control (QC) of point-of-care (POC) glucose meters in a tertiary hospital. Methods Thirty POC glucose meters installed at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital were monitored between January 2013 and March 2014. The QC data from the POC glucose meters at low and high levels were collected. The monthly mean, standard deviation, bias, coefficient of variation, and mean sigma metrics were calculated. The correlation between accuracy and precision was assessed based on the percentage bias and coefficient of variation. Comprehensive instructions on the QC and maintenance of the devices were provided in the departments with poor sigma scores. A follow-up assessment was performed after the intervention. Results The mean sigma values for the low and high controls were 3.29 and 3.71, respectively. At the low and high controls, 36.6% and 10% of the glucose meters showed a sigma value &lt;3. The causes of low sigma values included the use of expired control materials, prolonged air exposure of the sample strip, lack of user training, and errors in device maintenance. On follow-up monitoring for 3 months following QC intervention, 23.3% (low control) and 6.6% (high control) of the glucose meters scored a sigma value &lt;3, indicating improved QC. Conclusion Sigma metrics-based QC can successfully improve accuracy and precision of POC glucose meters in an objective and quantitative manner and can be used for follow up after QC intervention.

Robotic single-site surgery in benign gynecologic diseases: Experiences and learning curve based on 626 robotic cases at a single institute.

The purpose of this study was to report on 626 cases of successful robotic single-site (RSS) surgeries to address various types of gynecologic disease and to evaluate the outcomes and learning curve inherent to RSS surgery in the gynecology field. A total of 626 cases of RSS surgeries were performed by 3 gynecologic surgeons at Ewha Womans University Medical Center, Robot Surgery Center from November 2014 to January 2018 were collected retrospectively. All of the patients' charts were reviewed, and the clinical characteristics and surgical variables were analyzed. Among the total of 626 cases, there were 220 cases of RSS myomectomy (RSSM), 182 cases of RSS hysterectomy (RSSH), 195 of RSS adnexectomy, 24 of RSS sacrocolpopexy (RSS SCP) and 5 were classified as other RSS surgeries. The patient's mean age was 38.98 ± 10.07 years. There was 3.99 ± 2.15 min of mean docking time and 117.78 ± 51.18 min of mean operating time. The surgical variables were analyzed annually. The total operating time was seen to decrease significantly according to each period. The docking time declined significantly and gradually after 1 year. We also analyzed each of the surgical types by time. The operating time of RSSH, RSSM, RSS adnexectomy and RSS SCP fell over time. The tendency found was for operating time to decline sharply following the first 10 cases. When we analyzed the data at annual intervals, the operating time was most significantly less and stable following the first year. There were a few intraoperative or perioperative complications in 16 cases (2.6%). Robotic single-site surgery is a feasible and safe procedure for treating various kinds of gynecologic diseases. The learning curve was approximately 10 cases of RSS surgery in gynecologic disease, having a greater amount of experience at performing RSS surgery was revealed to be key to achieving better surgical outcomes.

The Effects of Different Lengths of Planning Time on Integrated Speaking Test Scores: The Mediating Roles of the Rhetorical Structure of Reading Passages and Test Wiseness Levels

This paper aims to investigate the difference when different planning time lengths, different rhetorical structures used in reading passages, and different test-takers'' test wiseness levels are the variables to be considered. Twenty-six college students took the integrated speaking tests with three different planning time lengths of 30, 60 or 120 seconds and completed survey questions on perceptions regarding the different planning time lengths given. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in test performance. The participants‘ test-wiseness level did affect the test-takers’ performance significantly. In contrast, the speaking test scores for both experienced and novice participants were not affected by the differences in planning time length. The questionnaire revealed that 30-seconds of planning time was generally considered too short by most students, and that novice students preferred more planning time than experienced students. (Ewha Womans University)

Piezo‐electric based Ultraprecise/Ultratrace 3D Food Printing of Potato Resistant Starch

Recently, compared to traditional food production systems, 3D food printing has gained a lot of interest because of the potential benefits of being able to customized food products fabrication in colour, shape, texture, flavor and even nutrition. Successful printing of food objects in 3D food printing is critical, and high accuracy and precision food printing technology is required to reproduce delicate and complex food 3D structures. In 3D food printing, the properties of food materials, such as rheological properties, chemical properties and thermal stability, are significant for the structure accuracy and precision of printed objects. In this study, we tried to present a 3D structure layering method for potato resistant starch using drop‐on‐demand (DOD) printing method (piezoelectric system type) that can express the fine structure of food by inkjet printing technology. Nanocrystals cellulose (CNC) and sodium alginate (AS) were used to form a food 3D structure, and 3D printing optimal ink formulation ratio of CNC and AS (CNC:AS=80:20) was selected through preliminary experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of 3D printing and printability after comparing rheological properties of mixtures with and without annealing by varying the content of potato resistant starch (PRS) in the mixture of CNC and AS. 3D food structure with various combination of potato resistant starch (RS) to a mixture of CNC and AS was printed, and compared the rheological properties of the mixture that had not been temperature‐treated and the one that had been annealed. After that, the optimal material combination for precise 3D printing was explored together with the physical properties of the printed object.Support or Funding InformationThis research was supported in part by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2018R1D1A1B07045349), the High Value‐added Food Technology Development Program, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), Republic of Korea (118059‐2) and the Ewha Womans University Research Grant of 2019.Piezo‐electric based Ultraprecise/Ultratrace 3D Food PrintingFigure 1