• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.159-168
• /
• 1999

Cardiac disease is one of the leading causes of death in Korea. In quantitative analysis of cardiac function and morphological information by three-dimensional reconstruction of magnetic resonance images, left ventricle provides an important role functionally and physiologically. However, existing procedures mostly rely on the extensive human interaction and are seldom evaluated on clinical applications. In this study, we developed a system which could perform automatic extraction of enpicardial and endocardial contour and analysis of cardiac function to evaluate reliability and stability of each system comparing with the result of ARGUS system offered 1.5T Siemens MRI system and manual method performed by clinicians. For various aspects, we investigated reliability of each system by compared with left ventricular contour, end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stock volume (SV), ejection fraction (EF), cardiac output (CO) and wall thickness (WT). When comparing with manual method, extracted results of developed process using minimum error threshold (MET) method that automatically extracts contour from cardiac MR images and ARGUS system were demonstrated as successful rate 90% of the contour extraction. When calculating cardiac function parameters using MET and comparing with using correlation coefficients analysis method, the process extracts endocardial and epicardial contour using MET, values from automatic and ARGUS method agreed with manual values within :t 3% average error. It was successfully demonstrated that automatic method using threshold technique could provide high potential for assessing of each parameters with relatively high reliability compared with manual method. In this study, the method developed in this study could reduce processing time compared with ARGUS and manual method due to a simple threshold technique. This method is useful for diagnosis of cardiac disease, simulating physiological function and amount of blood flow of left ventricle. In addition, this method could be valuable in developing automatic systems in order to apply to other deformable image models.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.106-117
• /
• 2006

We measured the concentrations of organic matter and metallic elements (Al, Fe, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb and Hg) in the surface sediments of Masan Harbor (in the southern sea, Korea) to evaluate the geochemical characters of sediment and the pollutions by organic matter and metallic elements. The mean grain size of the surface sediments in the study area ranged from $5.6{\phi}$ to $7.8{\phi}$, indicating silt sediment. The water content of the surface sediments exceeded 60% except at some stations. The contents of ignition loss (IL), total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) ranged from 7.2-14.3%, 1.2-3.2%, and 0.10-0.28%, respectively. Based on the C/N ratios, the organic matter in the surface sediments of Masan Harbor may originate from terrigenous sources including fluvial inputs (mainly sewage in urban areas). The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) ranged from $11.3-29.9\;mgO_2/g\;dry$ and 0.20-4.47 mgS/g dry, respectively, and low concentrations were observed near a shipping route. In addition, the concentrations of metallic elements showed large spatial variations in Masan Harbor and the distributions of metallic elements were also comparable to those of organic matter. This implies that the distributions of organic matter and metallic elements in the surface sediments of Masan Harbor are mainly controlled by biogenic matter and artificial action (mainly dredging). In addition, we calculated the enrichment facto. (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) in order to evaluate pollution by metallic elements. The enrichment of metallic elements relative to Al was three to eighteen times higher at the study sites, compared to levels in the Earth's crust except for Fe, Ni and Mn. In addition, the Igeo class indicated that the surface sediments in the study area were moderately to strongly polluted in terms of metallic elements.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.27-36
• /
• 1991

Thirty-one patients with coronary artery disease and twenty-sir normal subjects underwent $^{99m}Tc-GBPS$ before and after coronary vasodilatation was induced by dipyridamle 0.54 mg/kg given IV over 4 min. LVEF, ${\Delta}EF$ and regional wall motion by phase analysis were measured during rest and dipyridamole infusion. The results were as follows: 1) Mean LVEF of normal subjects was significantly higher than that of MI group (p=0.001), but similar to that of angina group during rest. Among MI group, mean LVEF of anterior MI group was significantly lower than that of inferior MI group during rest (p=0.024). 2) The normal subjects had a significaat increase in mean LVEF during dipyridamole infusion $(+12{\pm}3.8)$, while the CAD group had no increase $(+2{\pm}5.0)$ (p<0.001). If an increase of LVEF during stress is less than 5%, it suggests an abnormality. The sensitivity and specificity of LVEF changes after dipyridamole infusion were 81%, 96%, respectively. 3) With phase analysis, LV mean phase angle of normal subjects and CAD patients was $143{\pm}20.5^{\circ},\;132{\pm}20.6^{\circ}$ respectively, durign rest (p=0.049). But an ncrease of LV mean phase angle during dipyridamole infusion in these two groups was not significantly different. Dipyridamole infusion did not affect standard deviation and FWHM of phase angle. 4) Regional wall motion was abnormal in 5 patients (16%) during dipyridamole infusion. 5) Side effects with dipyridamole infusion include; headache, angina pain, chest discomfirt, nausea, weakness sense. In conclusion, dipyridamole GBPS might be useful in detection and follow up of CAD.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.33-38
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The Gated cardiac blood pool scan is non-invasive method that a quantitative evaluation of left ventricular function. Also this scan have shown the value of radionuclide ejection fraction measurements during the course of chemotherapy as a predictor of cardiac toxicity. Therefore a reliable method of monitoring its cardiotoxic effects is necessary. the purpose of this study is to minimize the overestimate of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by modified body position to reduce the influence of scattered rays from surrounding organs of the heart in the background region of interest. Materials and Methods: Gated cardiac blood pool scan using in vivo $^{99m}Tc$-red blood cell (RBC) was carried out in 20 patients (mean $44.8{\pm}8.6$ yr) with chemotherapy for a breast carcinoma. Data acquisition requires about 600 seconds and 24 frames of one heart cycle by the multigated acquisition mode, Synchronization deteriorates toward the end of the cycle and with the distance from the trigger signal (R-wave) by ECG gating. Gated cardiac blood pool scan was studied with conventional method (supine position and the detector head in $30-45^{\circ}$ left anterior oblique position and caudal $10-20^{\circ}$ tilt) and compared with modified method (left lateral flexion position with 360 mL of drinking water). LVEF analysis was performed by using the automatically computer mode. Results: The ROI counts of modified scan method were lower than LV conventional method ($1429{\pm}251$ versus $1853{\pm}243$, <0.01). And LVEF of modified method was also decrease compared with conventional method ($58.3{\pm}5.6%$ versus $65.3{\pm}6.1%$, <0.01). Imaging analysis indicated that stomach was expanded because of water and spleen position was changed to lateral inferior compared with conventional method. Conclusion: This study shows that the modified method in MUGA reduce the influence of scattered rays from surrounding organs. Because after change the body position to left lateral flexion and drinking water, the location of spleen, left lobe of liver and stomach had changed and they could escaped from background ROI. Therefore, modified method could help to minimize the overestimate LVEF (%).

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.52-61
• /
• 1994

Background : The demand for refinement in noninvasive and quantitative assessment of left ventricular (LV) function is increasing. Purpose : To assess normal values of left ventricular functional parameters during both systole and diastole by scintigraphic method using computerized triple-head gamma camera and to evaluate correlations between these parameters. Methods : ECG gated blood pool scan with $^{99m}Tc$-Human serum albumin was performed in 94 normal Korean subjects. Ejection fraction (EF), systolic parameters [peak emptying rate (PER), average emptying rate (AER), time to peak emptying rate (TPER)], and diastolic parameters [peak filling rate (PFR), average filling rate (AFR), time to peak filling rate (TPFR)] were obtained by analysis of LV time-activity curve, the correlation of these parameters to the age and sex, and the correlation between these parameters were evaluated. Results : 1) Mean value of ejection fraction in study subjects was $59.6{\pm}5.25%$ and showed no significant correlation to age (r=-0.08) and sex but showed most pronounced correlation to PFR (r=0.46, p<0.001), PER (r=0.41, p<0.001), AFR (r=0.34, p<0.001) and AER (r=0.28, p<0.01). 2) Mean values of systolic parameters were as follows: $PER=3.22{\pm}0.50$ end-diastolic volume/sec, $AER=2.22{\pm}0.45$ end-diastolic volume/sec, $TPER=103.5{\pm}29.30$ msec. They showed no significant correlation to age and sex. 3) Mean values of diastolic parameters were as follows: $PFR=2.71{\pm}0.51$ end-diastolic volume/sec, $AFR=1.83{\pm}0.44$ end-diastolic volume/sec, $TPFR=132.1{\pm}33.45$ msec. They showed strong correlation to age (r=0.70, -0.64, 0.37, p<0.001). Conclusions : Left ventricular functional parameters in normal Korean subjects were obtained reliably by computerized scintigraphic method and may be applied to the evaluation of cardiac function in diseased patients.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.243-263
• /
• 2011

In order to understand the sedimentary environment of the southern intertidal zone of Shihwa Lake, west coast of Gyeonggi-do, 10 surface and 2 core sediment samples were analysed for grain size, water content, AVS (Acid Volatile Sulfide), TOC (Total Organic Carbon), concentrations of metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, As, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, and Cr). The surface sediments are generally poorly sorted (0.60~2.31 ${\phi}$) sandy Silt, slightly gravelly muddy Sand, silty Sand, Sand with mean grain size of 2.95 to 6.00 ${\phi}$. The sediments contain Al (1.54%), Fe (1.75%), Cu (9.1ppm), As (1.1ppm), Pb (18.8 ppm), Ni (11.0 ppm), Cd (0.02 ppm), and Cr (30.1 ppm) on the average. Heavy metals are concentrated less than ERL (Effect Range-Low), verified by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). In the core sediments, they are also less than the ERL. Based on the uniform vertical distribution of excess radioactivity of $^{210}Pb$, the core sediments seen to have been actively mixed biologically or rapidly deposited after the construction of Shi-Hwa Seawall. The 'enrichment factor' of metals, normalized to Al, shows that the upper sediments of 35 cm in depth are more polluted. infect was significant in 2 core sediment samples in 35 cm below layer.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.79-92
• /
• 2006

Environmental capacity assessment of Busan city was conducted to provide basis for planning on sustainable development and growth of the city. Using Onish model, assessment was carried out on amenities and service facilities for the citizens of Busan city. Ecological Footprint model was used to judge if the city exceeds the its environmental capacity and to estimate the extent of the excess if it exists. The analysis using Onish model revealed that the citizens of Busan city are generally well supported by the infrastructure and service facilities of the city. Water treatment and supply facilities have enough capabilities to support the city, whereas the relatively low rate of sanitary sewer supply (78%) suggests the need for further improvement in the wastewater area. The capacities of sanitary landfills are found sufficient enough to support the city for the next 10 years. The high value for the line length served per capita in the subway sector hints on certain inconvenience of commuters. All the air quality indicators meet the Korean and WHO standards except for $NO_2$. The ecological footprint model analysis produced EF indicators for Busan city of 3.04 ha/person and 2.54 ha/person for the years of 1993 and 2003, respectively. The decrease of the indicator from 1993 to 2003 is mainly due to the incorporation of Gijang area by Busan city in 1995, suggesting the importance of the ecologically productive area in the evaluation using this model. The analysis on the ecological deficit that is based on ecologically productive land shows that the consumption by Busan city exceeds its ecologically available production by 19,600% as of 2003. The area needed to support the consumption of Busan city in 2003 is 123 times as large as the present area of Busan city, which is substantially lower than the multiplier (742) obtained for Seoul city in 1997 but is higher than those observed for Chongju city (71 in 1999) and Ulsan city (39 in 2001).

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.225-230
• /
• 2000

This study was designed to investigate effect of cryoprotectant kinds and cell stages on the viability of bovine embryos cryopreserved by vitrification. The oocytes were collected from ovarian follicles of Korean native cows. The follicular oocytes were cultured in TCM-199 medium containing hormone and 10%(v/v) FCS for 24~48hrs in a incubator with 5% $CO_2$, in air at 38.5$^{\circ}C$ and then matured oocytes were again cultured for 7~10 hrs with spermatozoa capacitated by preincubation. The vitrification solutions of EFS and EDS were consisted of 40%(v/v) ethylene glycol, 18%(v/v) Ficoll and 0.3M sucrose, and 20%(v/v) ethylene glycol, 16.5%(v/v) DMSO and 0.5M sucrose in TCM-199 medium supplemented with 10% FCS, respectively. The embryos were exposed to EFS or EDS at $25^{\circ}C$ and loaded into OPP straw for 30 sec. The plug end of each straws was heat-sealed and straws was slowly immersed into liquid nitrogen(L$N_2$). The results obtained were summarized as follows : 1 . The rates of cleavage and hatching of embryos frozen with vitrification, rapid and slow freezing methods were 67.5%, 27.5% and 42.5%, 20.0% and 52.5%, 25.0%, respectively And rates of cleavage and hatching of embryos frozen with vitrification method were significantly(p<0.05) higher than those in other methods, and the rates were lower than those in control group(82.5% and 37.5%). 2. The rates of cleavage and hatching of embryos were significantly(p<0.05) different between EFS(47.5% and 22.5%) and EPS(52.5% and 27.5%), and the rates were lower than those in control group(82.5% and 37.5%). 3. After vitrification freezing of bovine embryos at zygote, 2 cell, 8 cell, morulae and blastocyst stage, the rate of cleavage and hatching were 25.0% and 15.0%, 32.5% and 20.0%, 37.5% and 20.0%, 52.5%, 27.5%, 47.5% and 25.0%, respectively. And developmental rates to the expended blastocyst stage of embryos frozen at zygote stage was significantly(p<0.05) lower rather than those in 2, 8-cell and morulae stage.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.283-290
• /
• 2000

The present study was carried out to investigate the blood markers of Cheju horses. The blood protein types (biochemical polymorphism) were tested from 73 Cheju native horses (CNH) and 118 Cheju racehorses(CRH) by horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (HPAGE), isoelectric focusing (IEF) and starch gel electrophoresis (SGE). At the same time, their phenotypes and gene frequencies were studied. The biochemical polymorphism phenotypes observed with high frequency were A1B-KK(97.3%), ALB-AB(49.3%), AP-SS(100%), ES-II(30.1%), GC-FF(87.7%), HB-BIBI(49.3%), TF-F2R(41.1%), TF-EF2(8.2%), PGD-FF(97.3%), PGM-SS(50.7%), GPI-II(74.0%) in CNH, While A1B-KK(99.2%), ALB-BB(50.8%), AP-SS(99.2%), ES-II(42.4%), ES-IS(14.4%), GC-FF(95.8%), HBB-IB II(39.8%), TF-F2R(21.2%), PGD-FF(77.1%), PGD-SS(4.3%), PGM-SS(72.9%), GPI-II(90.7%) in CRH. Alleles observed with high frequency were $AlB^{K}$(0.986), $ALB^{B}$(0.616), $AP^{S}$(1.000), $ES^{I}$(0.479), $ES^{F}$(0.274), $GC^{F}$(0.938), $GPI^{I}$(0.856), $HB^{BI}$(0.685), $PGD^{F}$(0.993), $PGM^{S}$(0.753), $TF^{F2}$(0.404), $TF^{R}$(0.397) in CNH and $AlB^{K}$(0.996), $ALB^{B}$(0.720), $AP^{S}$(0.996), $ES^{I}$(0.661), $ES^{F}$(0.203), $GC^{F}$(0.979), $GPI^{I}$(0.936), $HB^{BI}$(0.534), $PGD^{F}$(0.864), $PGM^{S}$(0.852), $TF^{F2}$(0.428), $TF^{R}$(0.272) in CRH. $TF^{E}$(0.041) allele and silent gene($ES^{I{^*}}$ : 0.014) were observed in CNH. The mean heterozygosity in CNH and CRH was observed 0.2974 and 0.2864, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.23 no.7
• /
• pp.966-973
• /
• 2013

Using a newly constructed de novo assembly pipeline, finished genome level assembly had been conducted for the probiotic candidate strain E. faecalis KACC 91532 isolated from a stool samples of Korean neonates. Our gene prediction identified 3,061 genes in the assembled genome of the strain. Among these, nine genes were specific only for the E. faecalis KACC 91532, compared with all of the four known reference genomes (EF62, D32, V583, OG1RF). We identified genes related to phenotypic characters and detected E. faecalis KACC 91532-specific evolutionarily accelerated genes using dN/dS analysis. From these results, we found the potential risk of KACC 91532 as a useful probiotic strain and identified some candidate genetic variations that could affect the function of enzymes.