• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.359-365
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• 1998

This study was conducted to isolate the protozoan parasite Babesia gibsoni by intraerythrocytic culture method of micoraerophilous stationary phase(MASP) and evaluate the possibility of application for the detection of B gibsoni in canine babesiosis. Also, indirect fluorescent antibody test(IFAT) and thick blood smear(giemsa stain), direct light microscopy (DLM), as control diagnostic tests, were conducted to compare diagnostic effects between MASP, IFAT and DLM. The results obtained from this study were summarized as follows. The protozoan parasite B gibsoni multiplied in 24-well polystyrene plate containing 1.2ml of canine red blood cell suspension in RPMI 1640 medium(pH 7.0) which is contained 20~40% normal canine serum(NCS) under the MASP condition of 5% $CO_2$ and 95% air at $37^{\circ}C$ incubator. Under the above MASP culturing system the percentage of parasitized erythrocytes(PPE) after incubation for 9 days reached the peak. The levels of PPE in MASP culture were shown more higher by exchanging the medium at 24 hour intervals. The parasite were purely isolated from MASP culture of canine red blood cells collected from dogs(pit bullterrier) infected with B gibsoni naturally. Among the total of 83 heads of pit bullterrier blood samples the positive rate was 32 heads(38.5%) in DLM, 45 heads(54.2%) in IFAT and 42 heads(50.6) in MASP culture. In negative cases of IFAT and DLM the isolation rates of B gibsoni by MASP culture were 16 heads(42.1%) of 38 heads and 16 heads(28.6%)% of 56 heads, respectively. From this study it was suggested that MASP culture method by RPMI 1640 medium was a reliable and useful diagnostic test for the diagnosis of B gibsoni infections in canine babesiosis.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.415-433
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• 1998

Digora system is an intraoral indirect digital radiography system utilizing storage phosphor image plate. It has wide dynamic range which allows it to decrease the patient s exposure time and may increase diagnostic ability through image processing (such as edge enhancement, grey scale conversion, brightness change, and contrast enhancement). And also, it can transmit and storage image information. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of artificial proximal caries between Conventional radiograph and Digora images(unenhanced image, brightness & contrast controlled image, and edge enhanced image). ROC(Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis, paired t-tests, and F-tests were done for the statistical evaluation of detectability. The following results were acquired: 1. In Grade I lesions, the mean ROC areas of Conventional radiograph, Digora unenhanced image, Digora controlled image, and Digora edge enhanced image were 0.953, 0.933, 0.965, 0.978 (p>0.05). 2. In Grade II lesions, the mean ROC areas of Conventional radiograph, Digora unenhanced image, Digora controlled image, and Digora edge enhanced image were 0.969, 0.964, 0.988, 0.994. Among theses areas, there was just statistical significance between Diagnostic abilities of Digora edge enhanced image and Conventional radiograph (p<0.05). 3. In the Interobserver variability, the ROC curve areas of Digora edge enhanced image was lowermost in these areas, regardless of the Carious lesion depths. In conclusion, intraoral indirect digital system, Digora system, has the potential possibility as an alternative of Conventional radiograph in the diagnosis of proximal caries.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 2009

Objectives : Spurling test is one of the most widely used physical tests to diagnose herniated cervical intervertebral disc. The purpose of this study is to analyse diagnostic validity of Spurling test. Methods : This study was carried out on 382 subjects who visited Bu-Chun Ja-Seng oriental hospital with the neck pain or radiating pain from neck to upper extremities from November, 2007 to October, 2008. All subjects underwent both Spurling test and cervical magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). The associations between Spurling test and herniated cervical intervertebral disc were analysed. Results : 1. The sensitivity of Spurling test for herniated cervical intervertebral disc was 64%. 2. The specificity of Spurling test for herniated cervical intervertebral disc was 86%. 3. The positive predictive value of Spurling test for herniated cervical intervertebral disc was 93%. 4. The negative predictive value of Spurling test for herniated cervical intervertebral disc was 44%. Conclusions : This study suggests that Spurling test is not useful in screening for herniated cervical intervertebral disc due to the test's relatively low sensitivity. Thus it is necessary to consult advanced tests such as diagnostic imaging to diagnose herniated cervical intervertebral disc.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.312-315
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• 2002

Diagnostic tests often require the determination of cut-off values that discriminate uninfected from infected individuals. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve has been frequently used to attain this purpose and gives a representation of diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of a prediction model when varying the cut-point of a decision rule on a whole spectrum. We have written and tested a visual basic application program in EXCEL for maximum likelihood estimation of a binormal ROC curve, which also computes univariate statistics of a diagnostic test employed. Examples applying for computed tomographic images in radiology and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus research are given to illustrate this approach. This stand-alone module is available from the first author on request.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.267-273
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• 2024

Helicobacter pylori infection is often acquired in early childhood. While most infected children remain asymptomatic, H. pylori can cause chronic gastritis, gastric ulceration, and, in the long term, gastric cancer. This article aimed to review different diagnostic and treatment options and discuss the challenges associated with applying the current guidelines in the real world. Relevant articles published from 2015 to August 2023 in the English language in PubMed and Medline electronic databases were extracted using subject headings and keywords of interest to the topic. References of interest in the selected articles were also considered. Invasive and noninvasive diagnostic tests have advantages but also disadvantages and limitations according to the clinical setting and age of the child. Guidelines recommend not performing diagnostic testing in children with long-lasting or recurrent abdominal complaints or cases of a family history of severe disease caused by H. pylori. However, parents regularly consult with the explicit demand to test for H. pylori because of them or a close family member experiencing severe gastric disease caused by H. pylori. In some situations, it may be challenging for the healthcare professional to stick to evidence-based guidelines and not consider "patient-centered care," with the risk of putting a trustful relationship in danger. Physicians may find it challenging not to perform diagnostic tests for H. pylori and prescribe eradication treatment in specific clinical settings when maintaining a trusting patientphysician relationship by applying this "patient-centered care" method when evidence-based guidelines recommend differently.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.329-333
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• 2001

Evaluation on the diagnostic performances of urease test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Helicobacter species infection in dogs has rarely been performed in research with site-specific situations, although assessing diagnostic tests is an essential part prior to its practical use in a variety of clinical settings. The clinical value of a diagnostic test may be misjudged and comparisons between different tests may yield misleading conclusions when high within-patient correlations are present. We applied a conceptually simple statistical approach to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of urease test and PCR for detection of Helicobacter species infection in dogs. This approach assumes that responses from three different sampling sites within an animal are correlated where unit for statistical analysis is the site rather than the animal. The sensitivity and specificity of urease test was 0.74% (95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.84) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.67-1.00), respectively. For PCR, the sensitivity was 0.95(95% CI, 0.89-1.00) and specificity 0.90 (95% CI, 0.70-1.00). Two tests were almost equally specific. Urease test, however, has a lower diagnostic accuracy and thus should only be used after careful validation in terms of sensitivity.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2011

Most clinicians understand clinical trials as the evaluation process for new medicine before their use. However, clinical trials can also be applied to laboratory diagnostic tests (LDTs) to verify diagnostic accuracy and efficacy before their clinical laboratory implementation for patients. The clinical trial of LDT has two distinctive characteristics that are different from the case of pharmaceuticals and thus worth special consideration. One of them is the level of evidence. The well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are known to provide the best evidence to prove the clinical efficacy of any pharmaceutical products. However, RCTs lose practicality when applied to LDTs due to various issues including ethical complications. For this reason, comparative study format is considered more feasible approach for LDTs. In addition pharmaceuticals and LDTs are different in that the user's intervention is not required for the former but critical to the latter. Moreover, in the case of pharmaceuticals, end-products are produced by manufacturers before being used by clinicians. However, in LDTs, once reagents and instruments are provided by manufacturers, they are first utilized by clinical laboratories to produce test results in order for clinicians to use them later. In other words, when it comes to LDTs, clinical laboratories play the role of manufacturers, providing reliable test results with improved quality assurance. Considering the distinctive characteristics of LDTs, we would like to offer detailed suggestions to successfully perform clinical trials in LDTs, which include analytical performance measures, clinical test performance measures, diagnostic test accuracy measures, clinical effectiveness measures, and post-implementation surveillance.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.262-266
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• 2006

The insulation diagnostic test and the AC breakdown test were performed under off-line using the 3.3 kV class induction motor which have been served for 10 years. These tests were conducted in means of nondestructive and destructive test. In this paper, we compared the correlation between the nondestructive and destructive test. Furthermore we setup an experimental condition with moisture and compared the insulation characteristics between moist and dry sample. From the results of the nondestructive and destructive test, it was found that the second AC current, which is the previous step of insulation breakdown, suddenly increased at a point of around 8.5 kV. The insulation breakdown of moist sample occurred at 12-14 kV, which is 4-5 kV lower than dry sample.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.404-405
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• 2009

Insulation diagnostic tests for high voltage motor stator winding were conducted to analyze the insulation characteristics. Test motors were manufactured same factory and year(1996). Insulation characteristics of moisture winding are different from those of deteriorative winding. Insulation resistance and disscipation factor test results are sensitive to moisture winding. AC current, disscipation factor tip-up and PD test results are sensitive to deteriorative winding. Also, Capacitance value for stator winding insulation material has characteristic of increasing in moisture winding.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.25-28
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• 2008

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is the most frequently encountered form of neuropathy in diabetic patients, and it either relentlessly progresses or remains relatively stable for many years, not showing any trend towards improvement. From this point of view, early detection of DPN is very important to prevent the irreversible change of the peripheral nerve from diabetic insults. Although a number of clinical symptoms and/or deficit scales have been developed for clinical or research purposes, nerve conduction study (NCS) has been known one of the most objective and sensitive tools to detect peripheral nerve dysfunctions in diabetic patients. NCS, however, also have several shortcomings. The next two consecutive articles will focus on debates about diagnostic usefulness of NCS and on recent updates of other diagnostic tests including quantitative sensory testings and skin biopsy in the field of diabetic polyneuropathy.