• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.134-141
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• 2015

The purpose on this research is quantitatively comparing and analyzing signal intensity of 1.0mol and 0.5mol contrast agent. For this study, two MR phantoms were produced. One of them is used with 1.0mol Gadobutrol. The other is used with 0.5mol Gadoteridol. These two phantoms respectively have been scanned by SE T1 sequence which is used to get a general contrast-enhanced image in 1.5T MRI and 3D FLASH sequence which is used as enhanced angio MRI. Signal intensity was measured by scanned images as per contrast agent dilution ratio. The results were as follow: RSP(Reaction Starting Point) of the two sequences(2D SE, 3D FLASH) was respectively 6.0%, 60.0% in 0.5mol contrast and 2.0%, 20.0% in 1.0mol contrast, which means in 0.5mol contrast, RSP was formed faster than the one in 1.0mol contrast. MPSI was respectively 1358.8[a.u], 1573[a.u] in 0.5mol contrast and 1374[a.u], 1642.4[a.u] in 1.0mol contrast, which means 0.5mol contrast's MPP (0.4%, 10.0%) was formed faster than 1.0mol contrast's MPP (0.16%, 1.8%). Lastly, RA as per contrast agent dilution ratio was 27.4%, 11.8% wider in 0.5mol contrast(20747.4[a.u], 23204.6[a.u]) than in 1.0mol contrast(12691.9[a.u], 20747.4[a.u]). According to the study, we are able to assure that signal reaction time of 1.0mol contrast is slower than the one of 0.5mol contrast in contrast-enhanced MRI at two different sequences(2D SE, 3D FLASH). Furthermore, owing to the fact that there are not any signal intensity differences between 1.0mol and 0.5mol contrast, it is not true that high concentration gadolinium MR contrast agent does not always mean high signal intensity in MRI.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1547-1554
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• 2021

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether repeated intravascular administration of iodinated contrast media (ICM) or gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) within a short interval was associated with an increased risk of post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 300 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 68.5 ± 8.1 years; 131 male and 169 female) who had undergone at least one ICM-enhanced perfusion brain CT scan, had their baseline and follow-up serum creatinine levels available, and had not undergone additional contrast-enhanced examinations 72 hours before and after a time window of interest were included. The study population was divided into three groups: single-dose group and groups of patients who had received multiple contrast administrations in the time window of interest with the minimum contrast repeat interval either within 4 hours (0-4-hour group) or between 4 to 48 hours (4-48-hour group). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between AKI and repeated ICM administrations. A similar supplementary analysis was performed including both ICM and GBCA. Results: When ICM was only considered ignoring GBCA, among 300 patients, 207 patients received a single dose of ICM, 58 had repeated doses within 4 hours (0-4-hour group), and 35 patients had repeated doses between 4 to 48 hours (4-48-hour group). Most patients (> 95%) had a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m². AKI occurred in 7.2%, 13.8%, and 8.6% of patients in the single-dose, 0-4-hour, and 4-48-hour groups, respectively. In the 0-4-hour and 4-48-hour groups, additional exposure to ICM was not associated with AKI after adjusting for comorbidities and nephrotoxic drugs (all p values > 0.05). Conclusion: Repeated intravascular administrations of ICM within a short interval did not increase the risk of AKI in our study patients suspected of acute stroke with a baseline eGFR of ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m².

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.634-643
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and safety of low-contrast-dose, dual-source dual-energy CT before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with compromised renal function. Materials and Methods: A total of 54 consecutive patients (female:male, 26:38; 81.9 ± 7.3 years) with reduced renal function underwent pre-TAVR dual-energy CT with a 30-mL contrast agent between June 2022 and March 2023. Monochromatic (40- and 50-keV) and conventional (120-kVp) images were reconstructed and analyzed. The subjective quality score, vascular attenuation, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were compared among the imaging techniques using the Friedman test and post-hoc analysis. Interobserver reliability for aortic annular measurement was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. The procedural outcomes and incidence of post-contrast acute kidney injury (AKI) were assessed. Results: Monochromatic images achieved diagnostic quality in all patients. The 50-keV images achieved superior vascular attenuation and CNR (P < 0.001 in all) while maintaining a similar SNR compared to conventional CT. For aortic annular measurement, the 50-keV images showed higher interobserver reliability compared to conventional CT: ICC, 0.98 vs. 0.90 for area and 0.97 vs. 0.95 for perimeter; 95% limits of agreement width, 0.63 cm² vs. 0.92 cm² for area and 5.78 mm vs. 8.50 mm for perimeter. The size of the implanted device matched CT-measured values in all patients, achieving a procedural success rate of 92.6%. No patient experienced a serum creatinine increase of ≥ 1.5 times baseline in the 48-72 hours following CT. However, one patient had a procedural delay due to gradual renal function deterioration. Conclusion: Low-contrast-dose imaging with 50-keV reconstruction enables precise pre-TAVR evaluation with improved image quality and minimal risk of post-contrast AKI. This approach may be an effective and safe option for pre-TAVR evaluation in patients with compromised renal function.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2020

This paper proposes a method on the performance analysis of pulse repetition frequency jitter compensation for generating Doppler profile. Exact phase compensation of each pulse is required to obtain Doppler profiles under pulse repetition frequency jitter. Three parameters such as velocity, pulse repetition frequency, and carrier frequency are examined to cause errors when conducting the pulse repetition frequency jitter compensation, then assuming well-focused Doppler profiles reflect well-conducted pulse repetition frequency jitter compensation, the proposed method in this paper utilizes the contrast to measure how well Doppler profile is generated. These are validated by electromagnetic computation data and computer simulation. Then, it is concluded which parameter is important on the performance analysis of pulse repetition frequency jitter compensation by using the contrast.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.1 no.5
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• pp.433-439
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• 2017

The rodent model has been used frequently to understand stroke pathophysiology, due to its low cost and the large spectrum of genetic strains available. Here, we present a diffuse speckle contrast analysis system (DSCA) with a $1{\times}2$ optical switch that was used to non-invasively assess cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in the rat during intraluminal suturing for middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery. The blood flow index (BFI) in the left hemisphere was lower than that in the right hemisphere because the left middle cerebral artery was occluded. Furthermore, the performance of the DSCA system was compared with that of commercial laser Doppler flowmetry. The changes in the BFI measured by the two systems were correlated strongly. The DSCA system was less sensitive to motion artifacts and able to measure relatively deep tissue flow in the rat's brain. In conclusion, the DSCA system secured CBF monitoring during surgery in a rodent model without craniotomy.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.181-186
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• 2016

PURPOSE. The opacity of zirconia is an esthetic disadvantage that hinders achieving natural and shade-matched restorations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the translucency of non-colored and colored framework zirconia and monolithic zirconia. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The three groups tested were: non-colored framework zirconia, colored framework zirconia with the A3 shade according to Vita Classic Scale, and monolithic zirconia (n=5). The specimens were fabricated in the dimensions of $15{\times}12{\times}0.5mm$. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the contrast ratio, which is indicative of translucency. Three measurements were made to obtain the contrast ratios of the materials over a white background ($L^*w$) and a black background ($L^*b$). The data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance and Tukey HSD tests. One specimen from each group was chosen for scanning electron microscope analysis. The determined areas of the SEM images were divided by the number of grains in order to calculate the mean grain size. RESULTS. Statistically significant differences were observed among all groups (P<.05). Non-colored zirconia had the highest translucency with a contrast ratio of 0.75, while monolithic zirconia had the lowest translucency with a contrast ratio of 0.8. The mean grain sizes of the non-colored, colored, and monolithic zirconia were 233, 256, and 361 nm, respectively. CONCLUSION. The translucency of the zirconia was affected by the coloring procedure and the grain size. Although monolithic zirconia may not be the best esthetic material for the anterior region, it may serve as an alternative in the posterior region for the bilayered zirconia restorations.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.185-192
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• 2005

Objectives : This study is for discovering the clinical Features of the sleep in ordinary symptoms based on the Sasang Constitution. The result of this study could be helpful to understand and to identify the patients as Soeumin in contrast with the other constitutions-Soyangin, Taeumin and Taeyangin. Methods : There were 1,229 patients(700 female), who answered the questionnaire about their ordinary sleeping patterns. They had been diagnosed, including their clinical Sasang Constitution, by the Sasang Constitution specialist at Bundang Oriental Hospital of Dongguk University. By applying the binary logistic regression analysis, we can measure the characteristics and the influence of ordinary sleeping patterns to the dependent variable(Sasang Constitution). Results : As a result of the binary logistic analysis on the observed questionnaire, we found the characteristics of the ordinary sleeping patterns on Soeumin in contrast the other constitutions. Firstly, Soeumin has a tendency that he wouldn't snore well in comparison with the others. Secondly, Soeumin has a tendency that he will dreams more, when he sleeps in contrast with the others. Thirthly, Soeumin has a tendency that he will sleep longer than 6-7hours. Fourthly, Soeumin has a tendency that he will struggle during sleeping in contrast with the others. Conclustion : This study will be used to identify patients as Soeumin in contrast with the others-Soyangin, Taeumin and Taeyangin.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.707-714
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• 2019

Recently, as the sensor network technologies and camera technologies develops, there are increasing needs by combining two technologies to effectively observe or monitor the areas that are difficult for people to access by using the visual sensor network. Since the applications using visual sensors take pictures of the outdoor areas, the images may not be well contrasted due to cloudy weather or low-light time periods such as a sunset. In this paper, we first model the color characteristics according to illumination using the characteristics of visual sensors that continuously capture the same area. Using this model, a new method for improving low contrast images in real time is proposed. In order to make the model, the regions of interest consisting of the same color are set up and the changes of color according to the brightness of images are measured. The gamma function is used to model color characteristics using the measured data. It is shown by experimental results that the proposed method improves the contrast of an image by adjusting the color components of the low contrast image simply and accurately.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2019

Our purpose was to evaluate usefulness of the contrast-enhanced 3 dimensional fluid attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR) technique of half brain volume to diagnose the patients with facial neuritis based on segment-based analysis. We assessed retrospectively 17 consecutive patients who underwent brain MR imaging at 3 tesla for facial neuritis: 11 patients with idiopathic facial neuritis and 6 with herpes zoster oticus. Contrast enhanced 3D-FLAIR sequences of the half brain volume were analyzed and 3D T1-weighted sequence of the full brain volume were used as the base-line exam. Enhancement of the facial nerve was determined in each segment of 5 facial nerve segments by two radiologists. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of enhancement of each segment were assessed. The authors experienced a prompt fuzzy CSF enhancement in the fundus of the internal auditory canal in patients with enhancement of the canalicular segment. Interobserver agreement of CE 3D-FLAIR was excellent(${\kappa}$-value 0.885). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each segment are 1.0, 0.823, 0.912 in the canalicular segment; 0.118, 1.0, 0.559 in the labyrinthine segment; 0.823, 0.294, 0.559 in the anterior genu; 0.823, 0.529, 0.676 in the tympanic segment; 0.823, 0.235, 0.529 in the mastoid segment, respectively. In addition, those of prompt fuzzy enhancement were 0.647, 1.0, and 0.824, respectively. Incidence of prompt fuzzy enhancement with enhancement of the canalicular segment was 11 sites(55%): 6 (54.5%) in idiopathic facial neuritis and 5 (83.3%) in herpes zoster. Enhancement of the canalicular segment and prompt fuzzy enhancement on CE 3D-FLAIR was significantly correlated with occurrence of facial neuritis (p<0.001). CE 3D-FLAIR technique of the half brain volume is useful to evaluate the patients with facial neuritis as an adjunct sequence in addition to contrast-enhanced 3D T1-weighted sequence. On segment-based analysis, contrast enhancement of the canalicular segment is the most reliable. Prompt fuzzy enhancement is seen in not only herpes zoster, but in idiopathic facial neuritis.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.57-68
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• 2004

The contrast medium is very commonly used in more than 90% of computed tomography(CT) scans. It is difficult to predict the occurrence of adverse reactions and the degree of adverse reactions are diverse from mild urticaria, itching, nausea, vomiting to even cardiopulmonary arrest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the symptoms, occurrence rate and risk factors of the adverse reactions in patients after contrast injection during CT examinations. Two hundreds sixty-five patients showed symptoms of adverse reactions out of 71,117 adult patients who received intravenous contrast administration during CT scans from January 2003 to December 2003 at a general hospital. Data was collected by reviewing adverse reaction records and electronic medical record. The results of this study were as follows; 1. Adverse reactions occurred in 265 out of a total of 71,117 patients(0.37%). Clinical symptoms of adverse reactions were most commonly dermatologic problems such as urticaria(69.81%) and itching(63.02%), followed by dyspnea(14.34%), dizziness(11.70%), nausea(6.79%), and vomiting(7.17%). 2. Anaphylactoid reactions occurred in 47 out of a total of 265 patients, and their pattern of symptoms were most commonly related to cardiovascular system(90.91%), followed by respiratory system(82.22%), gastrointestinal system(51.72%), and dermatologic system(16.51%). Eleven patients were transferred to emergency room for further treatment and two patients needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 3. The adverse reactions were significantly more common in women than in men(0.46% vs.0.32%, p=.003) and in type D contrast medium than the others(p<.001). The occurrence rate of adverse reactions was not significantly different according to the age and infusion speed of the contrast medium.