• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.368-380
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• 2002

Purpose: Liver transplantation (LT), one of the therapeutic options of primary liver cancer has been suffering from recurrence caused by metastasis in 8-54% of patients. This study was performed to investigate whether FDG-PET is useful for detecting hidden metastasis in LT candidates. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients (male:female=23:3, mean age 55.7 years) underwent FDG-PET. Their previous conventional diagnostic studies (CDS) like abdomen US and CT, chest x-ray and CT, and bone scan were negative (n=22) or equivocal (n=4) for metastasis. Positive FDG-PET findings were confirmed by biopsy or clinical follow-up. Results: Among 4 patients with equivocal metastatic lesions on CDS, 3 had 6 hypermetabolic lesions on FDG-PET, which were confirmed as metastasis and subsequently LTs were cancelled. Of these, 5 lesions were initially negative on CDS. Remained 1 patient underwent LT with a negative FDG-PET result. Among 22 patients without metastasis on CDS, 5 had 7 hypermetabolic lesions on FDG-PET. One of these patients proved to have 2 metastatic lesions, and LT was cancelled. The other 4 patients had S hypermetabolic lesions on FDG-PET, which were confirmed as benign lesions, and 3 patients of them underwent LT. In summary, FDG-PET was useful in avoiding 4 unwarranted LT by detecting unsuspected metastatic lesions on CDS. A total of 17 patients underwent LT. In comparison with pathology, the sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET for detecting viable primary liver cancer were 55.6% (5/9) and 87.5% (7/8), respectively. Conclusion: FDG-PET can detect additional hidden metastasis and contribute to reducing unwarranted LT in the patients with primary liver cancer.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.87-94
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• 2018

We present the case of long-term observation of a patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused by advanced focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) resulting from underlying congenital chloride diarrhea (CLD). A 20-year-old woman was admitted for prolonged proteinuria despite conservative treatment for CLD. She was diagnosed with CLD and started taking KCl salt supplementation from the time of birth. Mild proteinuria was first found at 12 years of age, which progressed to moderate proteinuria at 16 years of age. At 16 years of age, CKD stage 2 with FSGS was diagnosed based on the initial assessment of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and kidney histology. On admission, we re-assessed her renal function, histology and genetic analysis. GFR had deteriorated to CKD stage 4 and renal histology revealed an advanced FSGS combined with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. A homozygous mutation in the SLC26A3 gene (c.2063-1G>T) was found by diagnostic exome sequencing and may have been inherited from both parents. CLD patients can be more vulnerable to renal injury, which may also cause progression of renal failure. Therefore, even if there is an early diagnosis and adequate salt supplementation, close monitoring of renal function and tailored treatment should be emphasized for renal protection and favorable CLD prognosis.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.360-366
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• 2017

Fish skin peptide-loaded liposomes were prepared in 100 mL and 1 L solution as lab scales, and 10 L solution as a prototype scale. The particle size and zeta potential were measured to determine the optimal conditions for the production of fish skin peptide-loaded liposome. The liposome was manufactured by the following conditions: (1) primary homogenization at 4,000 rpm, 8,000 rpm, and 12,000 rpm for 3 minutes; (2) secondary homogenization at 40 watt (W), 60 W, and 80 W for 3 minutes. From this experimental design, the optimal conditions of homogenization were selected as 4,000 rpm and 60 W. For the next step, fish peptides were prepared as the concentrations of 3, 6, and 12% at the optimum manufacturing conditions of liposome and stored at $4^{\circ}C$. Particle size, polydispersion index (pdI), and zeta potential of peptide-loaded liposome were measured for its stability. Particle size increased significantly as manufacture scale and peptide concentration increased, and decreased over storage time. The zeta potential results increased as storage time increased at 10 L scale. In addition, 12% peptide showed the formation of a sediment layer after 3 weeks, and 6% peptide was considered to be the most suitable for industrial application.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2020

Purpose: This paper presents the long term follow-up results of arthroscopic partial repair for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears using a biceps long head auto graft. Materials and Methods: Forty-one patients with massive irreparable rotator cuff tear, who underwent arthroscopic repair, were reviewed retrospectively. Patients who underwent arthroscopic partial repair using a biceps long head auto graft were assigned to group 1, and patients in group 2 underwent arthroscopic partial repair alone. Patients with a less than 50% partial tear of the long head biceps tendon were included in this study. The clinical scores were measured using a visual analogue pain scale (VAS) for pain, range of motion (ROM), The University of California, Los Angeles shoulder score (UCLA), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Score (ASES), and Korean Shoulder Scoring System (KSS) scores preoperatively and at the final follow-up. The acromiohumeral interval (AHI) was measured using plain radiographs taken preoperatively and at the final follow-up, and re-tear was evaluated using postoperative ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging at the last follow-up. Results: The mean age of the patients was 62.1±12.7 years, and the mean follow-up period was 90.3±16.8 months. No significant differences in the VAS and ROM (forward flexion, external rotation, internal rotation) were found between the two groups (p=0.179, p=0.129, p=0.098, p=0.155, respectively). The UCLA (p=0.041), ASES (p=0.023), and KSS (p=0.019) scores showed functional improvements in group 1 compared to group 2. At the last follow-up, the measured AHI values were 9.46±0.41 mm and 6.86±0.64 mm in group 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.032). Re-tear was observed in six out of 21 cases (28.6%) in group 1 and nine out of 20 cases (45.0%) in group 2; the retear rate was significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 (p=0.011). Conclusion: Arthroscopic partial repair for a massive irreparable rotator cuff tear using a biceps long head auto graft has significant clinical usefulness in functional recovery and decreases the re-tear rates after surgery than arthroscopic partial repair alone, showing favorable results after a long-term follow-up.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.697-714
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• 2023

The Tracksite of Cretaceous Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs in Jeongchon, Jinju was discovered in late 2017 during the construction of the Ppuri industry complex. This site is a natural heritage site with a high paleontological value, as it preserves fossils of various types of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and animal traces at a dense concentration. In this study, we surveyed that physical weathering such as joint, crack, scaling, exfoliation, and fragmentation occurred through field research in the fossil site, and conducted basic research on conservation science to reduce the damage. To this end, among the eight levels identified after excavation, the rocks of Level 3, which yielded a large number of theropod footprint fossils, and Level 4, which yielded pterosaur footprint fossils, were analyzed for material characteristics and evaluation of the effectiveness of consolidation and adhesion. This results showed that the rocks in the Level 3 stratum were dark gray siltstone and the rocks in the Level 4 stratum were dark gray shale, which contained a large amount of calcite and were composed of quartz, plagioclase, mica, alkali feldspar, and other clay minerals, which are likely to be damaged by rainfall under external conditions. As a result of conducting an artificial weathering experiment by dividing the probationary sample into four groups: untreated, consolidation treatment, anti-swelling treatment, and adhesive treatment, the consolidation and the swelling inhibitor showed an effect immediately after treatment, but did not show a blocking effect under a freezing-thawing environment. The adhesive showed that the adhesive effect was maintained even under freezing-thawing conditions. In order to preserve the fossil sites at Jeongchon in the future, in addition to temporary measures to block the inflow of moisture, practical measures such as the construction of protective facilities should be prepared.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.291-299
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• 2023

The benzo[a]pyrene in edible oils is extracted using methods such as Liquid-liquid, soxhlet and ultrasound-assisted extraction. However these extraction methods have significant drawbacks, such as long extraction time and large amount of solvent usage. To overcome these drawbacks, this study attempted to improve the current complex benzo[a]pyrene analysis method by applying the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method that can be analyzed in a simple and short time. The QuEChERS method applied in this study includes extraction of benzo[a]pyrene into n-hexane saturated acetonitrile and n-hexane. After extraction and distribution using magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride, benzo[a]pyrene is analyzed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (LC/FLR). As a result of method validation of the new method, the limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.02 ㎍/kg and 0.05 ㎍/kg, respectively. The calibration curves were constructed using five levels (0.1~10 ㎍/kg) and coefficient (R²) was above 0.99. Mean recovery ratio was ranged from 74.5 to 79.3 % with a relative standard deviation (RSD) between 0.52 to 1.58 %. The accuracy and precision were 72.6~79.4 % and 0.14~7.20 %, respectively. All results satisfied the criteria ranges requested in the Food Safety Evaluation Department guidelines (2016) and AOAC official method of analysis (2023). Therefore, the analysis method presented in this study was a relatively simple pretreatment method compared to the existing analysis method, which reduced the analysis time and solvent use to 92 % and 96 %, respectively.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.99-107
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• 2024

Along with economic growth and industrial development, there is an increasing demand for various electronic components and device production of semiconductor, SMT component, and electrical battery products. However, these products may contain foreign substances coming from manufacturing process such as iron, aluminum, plastic and so on, which could lead to serious problems or malfunctioning of the product, and fire on the electric vehicle. To solve these problems, it is necessary to determine whether there are foreign materials inside the product, and may tests have been done by means of non-destructive testing methodology such as ultrasound ot X-ray. Nevertheless, there are technical challenges and limitation in acquiring X-ray images and determining the presence of foreign materials. In particular Small-sized or low-density foreign materials may not be visible even when X-ray equipment is used, and noise can also make it difficult to detect foreign objects. Moreover, in order to meet the manufacturing speed requirement, the x-ray acquisition time should be reduced, which can result in the very low signal- to-noise ratio(SNR) lowering the foreign material detection accuracy. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a five-step approach to overcome the limitations of low resolution, which make it challenging to detect foreign substances. Firstly, global contrast of X-ray images are increased through histogram stretching methodology. Second, to strengthen the high frequency signal and local contrast, we applied local contrast enhancement technique. Third, to improve the edge clearness, Unsharp masking is applied to enhance edges, making objects more visible. Forth, the super-resolution method of the Residual Dense Block (RDB) is used for noise reduction and image enhancement. Last, the Yolov5 algorithm is employed to train and detect foreign objects after learning. Using the proposed method in this study, experimental results show an improvement of more than 10% in performance metrics such as precision compared to low-density images.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.618-630
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• 2024

Purpose To compare the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and ethanol ablation (EA) followed by RFA in treating mixed cystic and solid thyroid nodules. Materials and Methods We included 243 nodules from 243 patients who underwent RFA for mixed cystic and solid benign nodules. The nodules were divided into two groups (RFA alone and EA + RFA). We evaluated volume reduction rate (VRR), therapeutic success rate, improvement in symptomatic and cosmetic issues, complications, and adverse effects. Results The RFA group included 204 patients, and the EA + RFA group included 39 patients. The long-term success rates in the RFA only and EA + RFA groups were 90.2% and 97.4%, respectively. The mean VRR at the last follow-up in the RFA and EA + RFA groups were 81.6% and 87.2%, respectively. Therapeutic results were similar in both groups at the last followup. Cosmetic and symptomatic problems markedly improved in both groups. No major complications were observed. Conclusion Both RFA alone and EA + RA are safe and effective methods for treating mixed cystic and solid thyroid nodules, although EA + RFA is slightly more effective.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.320-328
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• 2008

Background: Numerous surgical devices for mitral repair have been used in the past with good results. In this study we describe a simple annuloplasty technique with using a new device ($Mitracon^{(R)}$). The aim of this study was to assess its efficacy and surgical results with using $Mitracon^{(R)}$. Material and Method: From May 2003 to October 2005, 46 patients (21 women and 25 men (mean age of $51.4{\pm}17.8$ years) with mitral regurgitation from various causes were treated with either the $Mitracon^{(R)}$ (the $Mitracon^{(R)}$ group) or the Capentier Edward rigid ring (the CE group). The median follow-up duration was 18.9 months. Result: The mean grade of mitral regurgitation before and immediately after surgery in the $Mitracon^{(R)}$ group and the CE group decreased from $3.2{\pm}0.8$ to $0.6{\pm}0.7$ and $3.4{\pm}0.7$ to $0.3{\pm}0.5$, respectively. There were no significant changes in the ejection fraction either between the two groups or before and immediately after surgery. No deaths were seen in either group. Early postoperative echocardiography of all 46 patients showed only trivial mitral regurgitation or none at all. Echocardiography at a median of 18.9 months also showed no progression in mitral regurgitation. The mean grade of mitral regurgitation in the $Mitracon^{(R)}$ group at this time point decreased from $3.2{\pm}0.8$ to $0.8{\pm}0.7$ (p<0.05). The CE group also showed a similar degree of decrease from $3.4{\pm}0.7$ to $0.3{\pm}0.6$ (p<0.05). The mitral valve area in the $Mitracon^{(R)}$ group at 1 year follow-up was $3.3{\pm}0.9cm^2$. The mitral valve area in the CE group was $2.7{\pm}0.6cm^2$. The mean mitral pressure gradient in the $Mitracon^{(R)}$ group at 1 year follow-up was $3.1{\pm}1.3$ mmHg. The mean pressure gradient in the CE group was $4.5{\pm}2.1$ mmHg, although any statistical significant difference for this between the groups was not reached. Conclusion: The present study showed the described technique to be safe and effective in the intermediate term. Because long term results are unavailable, a more extensive prospective randomized multicenter trial may be warranted to determine whether this procedure should be generally applied for repair of mitral valve disease.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.110-119
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• 2003

Purpose: Radioiodine (I-131) therapy is an effective modality to reduce both recurrence and mortality rates in differentiated thyroid cancer. Whether higher doses shows higher therapeutic responses was still debatable. The purpose of this study was to validate curve-fitting (CF) method measuring maximum permissible dose (MPD) by a biological dosimetry using metaphase analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Materials and Methods: Therapeutic effects of MPD was evaluated in 58 patients (49 females and 9 males, mean age $50{\pm}11$ years) of papillary thyroid cancer. Among them 43 patients were treated with ${\Leq}7.4GBq$, while 15 patients with ${\geq}9.25GBq$. The former was defined as low-dose group, and the latter high-dose group. Therapeutic response was defined as complete response when complete disappearance of lesions on follow-up I-131 scan and undetectable serum thyroglobulin levels were found. Statistical comparison between groups were done using chi-square test. P value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: MPD measured by CF method using tracer and therapeutic doses were $13.3{\pm}1.9\;and\;13.8{\pm}2.1GBq$, respectively (p=0.20). They showed a significant correlation (r=0.8, p<0.0001). Exposed doses to blood measured by CF and biological methods were $1.54{\pm}0.03\;and\;1.78{\pm}0.03Gy$ (p=0.01). They also showed a significant correlation (r=0.86, p=0.01). High-dose group showed a significantly higher rate of complete response (12/15, 80%) as compared to the low-dose group (22/43, 51.2%) (p=0.05). While occurrence of side effects was not different between two groups (40% vs. 30.2%, p=0.46). Conclusion: Measurement of MPD using CF method is reliable, and the high-dose I-131 therapy using MPD gains significantly higher therapeutic effects as compared with low-dose therapy.