• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.333-338
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• 2019

In the field of radiotherapy, the Quality Assurance(QA) procedure to verify the safety of treatment is considered to be very important. However, due to various problems of the conventional dosimeters used for the QA, researches on these dosimeters have been actively carried out to replace them. In this study, to maximize the sensitivity by visible light(VL) emitted from phosphors, blended hybrid sensors were fabricated by blending various weight percent(wt%) of $Gd_2O_2S:Tb$ which is a phosphor with excellent fluorescence efficiency into $PbI_2$. Then, the electrical properties to high energy radiation from the blended sensors and the pure $PbI_2$ sensor were compared and evaluated. As a result of the sensitivity evaluation, the sensor of 3wt% showed the highest value with more than 40% difference from the other sensors, and gradual decreasing in sensitivity was observed with increasing wt% except for the sensor of 3wt%. Also, in the reproducibility evaluation, the pure $PbI_2$ sensor exhibited a large variation in coefficient of variation(CV)>0.015, while all the blended sensors showed CV<0.015.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.351-359
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• 2019

Neurocognitive testing commonly uses the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) to evaluate the overall cognitive function of patients at outpatient clinics, but the MMSE has recently been extensively used in the SNSB II (Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery II) for making diagnoses. We retrospectively investigated the results of routine neurocognitive tests and the results of the blood tests of 120 elderly patients who had been referred to a South Central Medical Center from 2017 to 2018 and who had been examined at a public health center. These subjects' space-time capability was high on the sub-region of the global deterioration scale (GDS). GDS showed a significant increase as the Na decreased on the electrolyte analysis. The subjects' concentration, their language-based orientation for space and time, their memory, and their scores for the frontal lobe function on GDS showed statistically significant reductions (P<0.001) For the normal and abnormal groups according to the ALT and creatinine levels, the frontal/execute function areas showed statistically significant differences (P<0.001) as well as negative correlation between GDS and ALT (P<0.01). In conclusion, this study provides basic information to develop test items that are important for patient screening and diagnosis, and several routine blood chemistry factors provide basic information for diagnosing and assessing the status and progress of cognitively impaired patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2019

A microscope is the fundamental research and diagnostic apparatus for clinical investigation of signaling transduction, morphological changes and physiological tracking of cells and intact tissues from patients in the biomedical laboratory science. Proper use, care and maintenance of microscope with comprehensive understanding in mechanism are fully requested for reliable image data and accurate interpretation for diagnosis in the clinical laboratory. The standard operating procedure (SOP) for light microscopes includes performance procedure, brief information of all mechanical parts of microscopes with systematic troubleshooting mechanism depending on the laboratory capacity. Maintenance program encompasses cleaning objective, ocular lenses and inner optics; replacement and calibration of light source; XY sample stage management; point spread function (PSF) measurement for confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM); quality control (QC) program in fluorescent microscopy; and systematic troubleshooting. Laser safety is one of the concern for medical technologists engaged in CLSM laboratory. Laser safety guideline based on the laser classification and risk level, and advisory lab wear for CLSM users are also expatiated in this overview. Since acquired image data presents a wide range of information at the moment of acquisition, well-maintained microscopes with proper microscopic maintenance program are impulsive for its interpretation and diagnosis in the clinical laboratory.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.171-178
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• 2018

Background: To evaluate mid-term oncological and functional outcomes in patients with prostate cancer treated by robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) at our institution. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 128 patients with prostate cancer who underwent RALP at our institution between February 2008 and April 2010. All patients enrolled in this study were followed up for at least 5 years. We analyzed biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival using a Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis and predictive factors for BCR using multivariate Cox regression analysis. Continence recovery rate, defined as no use of urinary pads, was also evaluated. Results: Based on the D'Amico risk classification, there were 30 low-risk patients (23.4%), 47 intermediaterisk patients (38.8%), and 51 high-risk patients (39.8%), preoperatively. Based on pathological findings, 50.0% of patients (64/128) showed non-organ confined disease (${\geq}T3a$) and 26.6% (34/128) had high grade disease (Gleason score ${\geq}8$). During a median follow-up period of 71 months (range, 66-78 months), the frequency of BCR was 33.6% (43/128) and the median BCR-free survival was 65.9 (0.4-88.0) months. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that high grade disease (Gleason score ${\geq}8$) was an independent predictor for BCR (hazard ratio=4.180, 95% confidence interval=1.02-17.12, p=0.047). In addition, a majority of patients remained continent following the RALP procedure, without the need for additional intervention for post-prostatectomy incontinence. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated acceptable outcomes following an initial RALP procedure, despite 50% of the patients investigated demonstrating high-risk features associated with non-organ confined disease.

• Journal of Neurocritical Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2018

Background: At most centers, general anesthesia (GA) has been preferred for endovascular treatment (EVT) of ruptured intracranial aneurysms (RIAs). In this study, we analyzed procedural results, clinical outcomes, and follow-up angiographic findings for patients undergoing EVT for RIA under local anesthesia (LA) with conscious sedation (CS). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 308 consecutive patients who underwent EVT for RIAs at a single institution between June 2009 and February 2017. EVT under LA with CS was considered for all patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, regardless of Hunt and Hess (HH) scale score. Results: EVT was performed for 320 aneurysms in 308 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhages. The mean patient age was $55.5{\pm}12.6$ years. Moderate (III) and poor (IV, V) HH grades were observed in 75 (24.4%) and 77 patients (25%), respectively. Complete occlusion immediately after EVT was achieved for 270 (84.4%) of 320 aneurysms. Thromboembolic complications and intraprocedural ruptures occurred in 25 (7.8%) and 14 cases (4.3%), respectively. The morbidity rate at discharge (as defined by a modified Rankin scale score of 3 or greater) was 27.3% (84/308), while the mortality rate was 11.7% (36/308). Follow-up angiographic results were available for 210 (68.1%) of 308 patients. Recanalization was observed in 64 (29.3%) of 218 aneurysms in 210 patients. Conclusion: Based on our experience, EVT for RIAs under LA with CS was feasible, regardless of the clinical grade of the subarachnoid hemorrhage. Complication rates and follow-up angiographic results were also comparable to those observed when GA was used to perform the procedure.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.604-612
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the association of waist circumference (WC) with body composition among individuals with a normal body mass index (BMI) to distinguish muscle and fat mass, as both affect health differently. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We analyzed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry data (derived from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey, which includes information on fat and lean mass) of 7,493 adults with a normal BMI. Subjects were categorized into four groups of increasing WC. The fourth group was defined as being centrally obese. Each number of subjects are as follows: 1,870, 695, 231, and 39 among men and 3,054, 1,100, 406, and 98 among women. We conducted a sex-stratified linear regression analysis of body composition according to WC group after adjustments for covariates. RESULTS: We observed a positive association of body fat with increasing WC in both men and women (all P for trend: < 0.001). The adjusted mean values for percent body fat with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) according to the four WC groups in ascending order were 17.8 (17.5-18.3), 21.0 (20.6-21.5), 22.1 (21.5-22.8), and 25.1 (24.2-26.1) in men and 29.7 (29.4-30.0), 32.0 (31.6-32.3), 32.9 (32.4-33.4), and 34.7 (33.2-36.1) in women. However, there was an inverted J-shaped association between muscle mass and WC. The fourth group had a higher percent body fat and lower muscle mass than other groups. The adjusted mean values for appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (kg/m²) with 95% CIs according to the four WC groups in ascending order were 7.55 (7.51-7.59), 7.62 (7.56-7.68), 7.65 (7.56-7.74), and 7.22 (7.04-7.41) in men and 5.83 (5.80-5.85), 5.96 (5.92-6.00), 6.03 (5.96-6.10), and 5.88 (5.73-6.03). CONCLUSIONS: There was a positive association between body fat and WC among individuals with normal BMI; conversely there was an inverted J-shaped association between lean body mass and WC. Our findings support the WC measurement should be included in obesity evaluations for adults with a normal BMI.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2021

High-Resolution thoracic CT (HRCT) is a scanning protocol in which thin slice thickness and sharpness algorithm are utilized to enhance image resolution for diagnosis and assessment of interstitial lung disease (ILD). This examination is sometimes performed in both supine and prone position to improve sensitivity to early changes of these conditions. Anatomical structures (the size of lung field and heart and descending aorta) of 150 patients who underwent HRCT were retrospectively compared. HRCT had been conducted in two positions (supine and prone). Data were divided into five groups according to patient body weights (from 40 to more than 80kg, 10kg intervals, 60 patients/each group). Quantitative analysis was utilized in Image J program. In the supine position defined as the control group, the average values of lung fields and heart size and aorta were compared with the prone position defined as the experimental group. The size of the lungs was found to be higher in the supine position, and it was confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference in patients over 70 kg (p<0.05). In addition, both sizes of the heart and descending aorta were larger in prone position, but in the case of the heart, there was no correlation with the presence or absence of ILD disease (p>0.05). Also, the area of prone in the descending aorta was higher than supine position, but there was no statistically significant difference between supine and prone position (p>0.05). In conclusion, when the severity of ILD disease was severe, there was no statistically significant difference in the area difference between supine and prone position, so it is considered that it will be helpful in diagnostic decision.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.33-38
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• 2020

It was reported that a mobile application was designed to easily provide natural dyeing information such as natural dye related resources, colors and dyed fabrics in 2007. Since studies on the linkage, application, etc. between natural dye dyeing and IoT are still lacking, diversity of information on the change of dyeing pattern by natural dye dyeing is required. In this study, it was to construct dyeing information by natural dyes, e.g., Lithospermum erythrorhizon, on silk, which has been traditionally used as many fibers in Korea. The extraction of the dye from L. erythrorhizon was carried out under pH4. The dried root of L. erythrorhizon showed dark brownish purple. Silk fabric by a without a mordant typically showed a purple dyed pattern. In the staining by sodium tartrate plus citric acid, silk fabric was stained clear brown. Interestingly, the mordant of iron (II) sulfate, the silk fabric was dyed in a light gray color rather than black. When the mordant of aluminum potassium sulfate was treated with L. erythrorhizon-extracted dye, the results were almost the same as when the mordant was not treated. When the degree of dyeing was evaluated numerically, the treatment of the mordant of potassium dichromate was about 50% darker, and the dyeing by iron (II) sulfate was about 75% darker. These results will be helpful in the study of applying various dye colors using L. erythrorhizon, and it will provide information on dyeing controller and database system construction by dyeing parameters such as dyeing degree, pH concentration, and chromaticity change.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.346-355
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possibility that administration of Bacillus polyfermenticus KJS-2 (BP2), Bacillus mojavensis KJS-3 (Moja3), and their mixtures could control serum lipid levels. We observed changes in the blood cell level, metabolic function evaluation, and blood lipid levels after two weeks of oral administration of these microbial strains to hyperlipidemia-induced rats. Measurements of major cell changes in the white blood cells (WBC) indicated no significant effects due to the administration of the microbial strains. Platelet (PLT) levels decreased by 18.4% in the Triton WR-1339-treated group (NCON) and recovered to the control (CON) group levels in the positive control (PCON) group and the microbial strain-administered groups (p<0.05). No functional changes were observed in red blood cells (RBC) by Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemia. The blood AST, ALT, BUN, and creatinine levels did not indicated effects on liver and kidney function, and all rats administered the microbial mixture recovered. The blood lipid levels in the microbe-treated groups indicated reduced levels of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), and increased levels of serum HDL cholesterol. The HMG-CoA inhibition rate of 7-O-succinyl macrolactin A (SMA) produced by BP2 showed similar activity at a concentration of 1,000 times lower than that achieved with atorvastatin. The administration of the microbial strains to the Triton WR-1339-induced rat model of hyperlipidemia resulted in reduced weight gain without affecting the food and water intake. Thus, blood circulation can be improved by controlling serum lipid levels by the combined administration of the BP2 and Moja3 microbial strains.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.184-192
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• 2021

Domestic agriculture is facing real problems, such as a decrease in the population in rural areas, a shortage of labor due to an aging population, and increased risks due to the deepening of climate change. Smart farming technology is being developed to solve these problems. In the development of smart agricultural technology, irrigation control plays an important role in creating an optimal growth environment and is an important issue in terms of environmental protection. This paper is about the study of collecting and analyzing the rhizosphere environmental data of domestic paprika farms for the purpose of improving the quality of crops, reducing production costs, and increasing production. Irrigation control modeling presented in this paper Control modeling is to graphically present changes in a medium weight, feed, and drainage due to regional climatic features. To derive the graph, the parameters were determined through data collection and analysis, and the suggested irrigation control modeling method was applied to the collected rhizosphere environmental data to control irrigation in 6 regions (Gangwon-do, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam). The parameters were obtained and graphs were derived from them. After that, a study was conducted to analyze the derived parameters to verify the validity of the irrigation control modeling method and to correlate them with climatic features (average temperature and precipitation).