• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제24권7호
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• pp.647-659
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• 2023

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the effect of correct occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) on intracardiac blood flow and thrombus formation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and three-dimensional (3D)-printed phantoms. Materials and Methods: Three life-sized 3D-printed left atrium (LA) phantoms, including a pre-occlusion (i.e., before the occlusion procedure) model and correctly and incorrectly occluded post-procedural models, were constructed based on cardiac computed tomography images from an 86-year-old male with long-standing persistent AF. A custom-made closed-loop flow circuit was set up, and pulsatile simulated pulmonary venous flow was delivered by a pump. 4D flow MRI was performed using a 3T scanner, and the images were analyzed using MATLAB-based software (R2020b; Mathworks). Flow metrics associated with blood stasis and thrombogenicity, such as the volume of stasis defined by the velocity threshold ($\left|\vec{V}\right|$ < 3 cm/s), surface-and-time-averaged wall shear stress (WSS), and endothelial cell activation potential (ECAP), were analyzed and compared among the three LA phantom models. Results: Different spatial distributions, orientations, and magnitudes of LA flow were directly visualized within the three LA phantoms using 4D flow MRI. The time-averaged volume and its ratio to the corresponding entire volume of LA flow stasis were consistently reduced in the correctly occluded model (70.82 mL and 39.0%, respectively), followed by the incorrectly occluded (73.17 mL and 39.0%, respectively) and pre-occlusion (79.11 mL and 39.7%, respectively) models. The surfaceand-time-averaged WSS and ECAP were also lowest in the correctly occluded model (0.048 Pa and 4.004 Pa^-1, respectively), followed by the incorrectly occluded (0.059 Pa and 4.792 Pa^-1, respectively) and pre-occlusion (0.072 Pa and 5.861 Pa^-1, respectively) models. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a correctly occluded LAA leads to the greatest reduction in LA flow stasis and thrombogenicity, presenting a tentative procedural goal to maximize clinical benefits in patients with AF.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.128-137
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• 2024

It is necessary to develop a pulsatile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (p-ECMO) with counter-pulsation control(CPC), which ejects blood during the diastolic phase of the heart rather than the systolic phase, due to the known issues with conventional ECMO causing fatal complications such as ventricular dilation and pulmonary edema. A promising method to simultaneously detect the pulsations of the heart and p-ECMO is to analyze blood pressure waveforms using deep neural network technology(DNN). However, the accurate detection of cardiac rhythms by DNNs is challenging due to various noises such as pulsations from p-ECMO, reflected waves in the vessels, and other dynamic noises. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of DNNs developed for CPC in p-ECMO, using human-like blood pressure waveforms reproduced in an in-vitro experiment. Especially, an experimental setup that reproduces reflected waves commonly observed in actual patients was developed, and the impact of these waves on DNN judgments was assessed using a multiple DNN (m-DNN) that provides accurate determinations along with a separate index for heartbeat recognition ability. In the experimental setup inducing reflected waves, it was observed that the shape of the blood pressure waveform became increasingly complex, which coincided with an increase in harmonic components, as evident from the Fast Fourier Transform results of the blood pressure wave. It was observed that the recognition score (RS) of DNNs decreased in blood pressure waveforms with significant harmonic components, separate from the frequency components caused by the heart and p-ECMO. This study demonstrated that each DNN trained on blood pressure waveforms without reflected waves showed low RS when faced with waveforms containing reflected waves. However, the accuracy of the final results from the m-DNN remained high even in the presence of reflected waves.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제62권1호
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• pp.42-52
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• 2024

Antimalarial drugs are an urgently need and crucial tool in the campaign against malaria, which can threaten public health. In this study, we examined the cytotoxicity of the 9 antimalarial compounds chemically synthesized using SKM13-2HCl. Except for SKM13-2HCl, the 5 newly synthesized compounds had a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) >100 μM, indicating that they would be less cytotoxic than SKM13-2HCl. Among the 5 compounds, only SAM13-2HCl outperformed SKM13-2HCl for antimalarial activity, showing a 3- and 1.3-fold greater selective index (SI) (CC₅₀/IC₅₀) than SKM13-2HCl in vitro against both chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and chloroquine -resistant (K1) Plasmodium falciparum strains, respectively. Thus, the presence of morpholine amide may help to effectively suppress human-infectious P. falciparum parasites. However, the antimalarial activity of SAM13-2HCl was inferior to that of the SKM13-2HCl template compound in the P. berghei NK65-infected mouse model, possibly because SAM13-2HCl had a lower polarity and less efficient pharmacokinetics than SKM13-2HCl. SAM13-2HCl was more toxic in the rodent model. Consequently, SAM13-2HCl containing morpholine was selected from screening a combination of pharmacologically significant structures as being the most effective in vitro against human-infectious P. falciparum but was less efficient in vivo in a P. berghei-infected animal model when compared with SKM13-2HCl. Therefore, SAM13-2HCl containing morpholine could be considered a promising compound to treat chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum infections, although further optimization is crucial to maintain antimalarial activity while reducing toxicity in animals.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.14-20
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• 2024

Objectives: Frozen shoulder (FS) is one of the most challenging shoulder disorders for patients and clinicians. Its symptoms mainly include any combination of stiffness, nocturnal pain, and limitation of active and passive glenohumeral joint movement. Conventional treatment options for FS are physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, injection therapy, and arthroscopic capsular release, but adverse and limited effects continue to present problems. As a result, pharmacoacupuncture (PA) is getting attention as an alternative therapy for patients with FS. PA is a new form of acupuncture treatment in traditional Korean medicine (TKM) that is mainly used for musculoskeletal diseases. It has similarity and specificity compared to corticosteroid injection and hydrodilatation, making it a potential alternative injection therapy for FS. However, no systematic reviews investigating the utilization of PA for FS have been published. Therefore, this review aims to standardize the clinical use of PA for FS and validate its therapeutic effect. Methods: The protocol was registered in Prospero (CRD42023445708) on 18 July 2023. Until Aug. 31, 2023, seven electronic databases will be searched for randomized controlled trials of PA for FS. Authors will be contacted, and manual searches will also be performed. Two reviewers will independently screen and collect data from retrieved articles according to predefined criteria. The primary outcome will be pain intensity, and secondary outcomes will be effective rate, Constant-Murley Score, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, range of motion, quality of life, and adverse events. Bias and quality of the included trials will be assessed using the Cochrane handbook's risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Meta analyses will be conducted using Review Manager V.5.3 software. GRADE will be used to evaluate the level of evidence for each outcome. Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted following PRISMA statement. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: This review will provide scientific evidence to support health insurance policy as well as the standardization of PA in clinical practice.

• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.41-47
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to dosimetrically compare the technique of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT), which is a traditional prophylactic cranial irradiation method, and the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) techniques used in the last few decades with the dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT) technique. Methods: The 3D CRT, VMAT, IMRT, and DCAT plans were prepared with 25 Gy in 10 fractions in a Monaco planning system. The target volume and the critical organ doses were compared. A comparison of the body V₂, V₅, and V₁₀ doses, monitor unit (MU), and beam on-time values was also performed. Results: In planned target volume of the brain (PTV_Brain), the highest D99 dose value (P<0.001) and the most homogeneous (P=0.049) dose distribution according to the heterogeneity index were obtained using the VMAT technique. In contrast, the lowest values were obtained using the 3D CRT technique in the body V₂, V₅, and V₁₀ doses. The MU values were the lowest when DCAT (P=0.001) was used. These values were 0.34% (P=0.256) lower with the 3D CRT technique, 66% (P=0.001) lower with IMRT, and 72% (P=0.001) lower with VMAT. The beam on-time values were the lowest with the 3D CRT planning (P<0.001), 3.8% (P=0.008) lower than DCAT, 65% (P=0.001) lower than VMAT planning, and 76% (P=0.001) lower than IMRT planning. Conclusions: Without sacrificing the homogeneous dose distribution and the critical organ doses in IMRTs, three to four times less treatment time, less low-dose volume, less leakage radiation, and less radiation scattering could be achieved when the DCAT technique is used similar to conventional methods. In short, DCAT, which is applicable in small target volumes, can also be successfully planned in large target volumes, such as the whole-brain.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.1287-1298
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• 2024

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is currently difficult to treat effectively. Both Bacillus natto (BN) and ginseng-soluble dietary fiber (GSDF) are anti-inflammatory and helps sustain the intestinal barrier. In this study, the protective effects and mechanism of the combination of B. natto JLCC513 and ginseng-soluble dietary fiber (BG) in DSS-induced UC mice were investigated. Intervention with BG worked better than taking BN or GSDF separately, as evidenced by improved disease activity index, colon length, and colon injury and significantly reduced the levels of oxidative and inflammatory factors (LPS, ILs, and TNF-α) in UC mice. Further mechanistic study revealed that BG protected the intestinal barrier integrity by maintaining the tight junction proteins (Occludin and Claudin1) and inhibited the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway in UC mice. In addition, BG increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides and Turicibacter and reduced the abundance of harmful bacteria such as Allobaculum in the gut microbiota of UC mice. BG also significantly upregulated genes related to linoleic acid metabolism in the gut microbiota. These BG-induced changes in the gut microbiota of mice with UC were significantly correlated with changes in pathological indices. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that BG exerts protective effect against UC by regulating the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway and the structure and metabolic function of gut microbiota. Thus, BG can be potentially used in intestinal health foods to treat UC.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• 제54권7호
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• pp.409-421
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• 2024

Background and Objectives: The recent developments in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are emphasizing the multidisciplinary team. We report on the changes in clinical practice following the development of a multidisciplinary team, based on our 7 years of experience. Methods: Multidisciplinary team was established in 2015 offering both balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) with technical upgrades by internal and external expertise. For operable cases, PEA was recommended as the primary treatment modality, followed by pulmonary angiography and right heart catheterization after 6 months to evaluate treatment effect and identify patients requiring further BPA. For patients with inoperable anatomy or high surgical risk, BPA was recommended as the initial treatment modality. Patient data and clinical outcomes were closely monitored. Results: The number of CTEPH treatments rapidly increased and postoperative survival improved after team development. Before the team, 38 patients were treated by PEA for 18 years; however, 125 patients were treated by PEA or BPA after the team for 7 years. The number of PEA performed was 64 and that of BPA 342 sessions. World Health Organization functional class I or II was achieved in 93% of patients. The patients treated with PEA was younger, male dominant, higher pulmonary artery pressure, and smaller cardiac index, than BPA-only patients. In-hospital death after PEA was only 1 case and none after BPA. Conclusions: The balanced development of BPA and PEA through a multidisciplinary team approach proved synergistic in increasing the number of actively treated CTEPH patients and improving clinical outcomes.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.134-144
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• 2008

목 적 : 본 연구는 대도시, 중소도시, 농촌지역의 청소년기 여학생의 외모에 대한 인식과 다이어트 실태, 식습관이나 생활습관과 전반적인 건강상태를 조사, 파악함으로써 무리한 체중감량에 따른 건강상의 문제점을 발견하고, 이를 근거로 외모에 대한 바람직한 신체상을 정립하고 나아가 올바른 체중감량프로그램 개발을 위한 기초자료를 얻고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2002년 5월부터 2002년 11월까지 7개월에 걸쳐, 서울, 안산, 파주의 초등학교 3개교, 중학교 4개교, 고등학교 4개교를 선정, 11-17세의 2,891명의 여학생을 대상으로 체형인식과 체중조절 행태, 행동 특성, 식이장애에 대하여 설문 조사와 신체계측을 실시하였으며, 또한 대조군으로는 남학생 891명을 대상으로 같은 조사를 시행하였다 결 과 : 1) 청소년 여학생 저체중의 비율은 대도시, 중소도시에서 농촌지역으로 갈수록 저체중 학생들의 비율이 감소하였다. 2) 대상 여학생의 46.3%가 스스로 약간 또는 매우 뚱뚱하다고 생각하고 있으며, 3.2%는 저체중인데도 불구하고 스스로 뚱뚱하다고 생각하였다. 체형 만족도에 있어서는 여학생의 57.9%가 스스로 체형에 불만족스럽다고 답하였으며, 이는 비만도가 높을수록, 나이가 많을수록 높아졌으나 지역별로는 그다지 큰 편차를 보이지 않았다. 3) 여학생에서 다이어트 경험 비율이 남학생에 비해 훨씬 높게 나타났으며, 비만할수록, 연령이 증가할수록, 본인의 체형에 대해 불만족할수록, 체중조절 경험의 비율이 높았다. 4) 식이장애점수(EAT-26)는 여학생이 $13.2{\pm}5.1$점, 남학생이 $12.6{\pm}4.5$점으로 여학생이 남학생보다 유의하게 높았다(P<0.01). 한편 식이장애 고위험군 여학생은 10.9% 였으며, 서울 지역에 거주 하는 경우, 날씬해야 하는 스트레스가 큰 경우, 외모관리에 지출하는 비용이 큰 경우, 자신이 건강하다고 인식하지 않는 경우 식이 장애 위험도가 높은 것으로 나타났다. 결 론 : 연구 결과 청소년의 신체상의 왜곡과 부적절한 체중 감량 시도가 청소년 사이에서 광범위하게 이루어지고 있음을 확인할 수 있었다. 이는 향후 우리나라 여성에서 여러 식이장애 및 관련 질환의 발생률이 높아질 가능성이 크다는 것을 시사하며, 따라서 이를 조기에 바로잡을 정책적, 사회제도적 뒷받침이 조속히 마련되어야 하겠다.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.5-11
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• 2009

영상유도방사선치료(image guided radiation therapy: IGRT) 시 환자를 1차적으로 skin marker를 이용하여 위치시키고 2차적으로 OBI(on board imager)를 이용하여 해부학적 위치를 확인 후 couch를 움직여 set up을 보정하게 되는데, 이때 발생하는 오차에 대한 평가를 하려고 한다. 치료계획시 $0^{\circ}$와 $270^{\circ}$방향의 DRR(digital reconstructed radiography) 영상과 OBI로 촬영한 영상을 2차원-2차원 정합(2D-2D matching)으로 비교하여 치료계획시 환자의 셋업과 치료시 환자의 셋업의 오차를 비교하였다. Head&Neck 및 Spinal cord와 같은 주요장기 부위의 치료에서는 치료때 마다 OBI에 의하여 셋업시 확인하였으며, Chest 및 Abdomen&Pelvic 는 일주일에 2~3회 확인하였다. 그려나 보정 값은 모두 OIS(oncology information system)에 기록하여 160명의 환자를 대상으로 각각 Head&Neck, Chest 및 Abdomen&Pelvic으로 나누어 피부 지표를 이용한 셋업의 정확성을 평가하였다. Head&Neck 환자의 평균 셋업 오차는 각각 AP, SI, RL 방향에서 $0.2{\pm}0.2cm$, $-0.1{\pm}0.1cm$, $-0.2{\pm}0.0cm$ 로 나타났으며, Chest의 경우 $-0.5{\pm}0.1cm$, $0.3{\pm}0.3cm$, $0.4{\pm}0.2cm$ 로 나타났고 Abdomen의 경우 $0.4{\pm}0.4cm$, $-0.5{\pm}0.1cm$, $-0.4{\pm}0.1cm$로 나타났다. Pelvic 의 경우 $0.5{\pm}0.3cm$, $0.8{\pm}0.4cm$, $-0.3{\pm}0.2cm$ 나타났다. Head&Neck 같은 강체 (rigid body)는 셋업 오차가 Chest 및 Abdomen 부위에 비하여 상대적으로 작게 나타났다. Chest에서는 횡축 방향의 오차가 컸으며, Abdomen&Pelvic 에서는 AP 방향의 오차가 크게 나타났다. Chest에서 횡축오차가 크게 나타난 이유는 환자 셋업시 환자 몸의 휘어짐에 기인한 것이며, Abdomen에서의 AP방향의 오차가 큰 이유는 환자의 호흡으로 인해 앞뒤 위치의 변화 때문으로 사료된다. 환자 셋업 시스템에서는 systematic error는 나타나지 않았다. OBI는 해부학적 위치를 확인하기 때문에 병소가 피부에 위치해 있을 경우 피부마커로 셋업을 하는 것이 정확할 것으로 생각된다. 2차원-2차원 정합은 3차원-3차원 정합과 비교하여 rolling 오차를 찾아내지 못하나 환자의 피폭이 적다는 장점이 있으며 셋업 확인 시간이 짧기 때문에 실제 임상에서는 2차원-2차원 정합이 유용하였다.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.73-86
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• 2004

본 연구에서는 폐금속광산인 도곡 Au-Ag-Cu 광산과 화천 Au-Ag-Pb-Zn 광산을 대상으로 광산주변 광미, 토양, 자연수 및 농작물 시료를 채취하여 독성 중금속원소들의 오염수준을 규명하고, 토양에 대한 SBET분석을 통해 인체의 위에서 흡수되는 중금속들의 흡수비를 평가하고자 하였다. 또한 이들 지역 주민에 대한 인체 노출경로를 파악하여 독성 중금속들에 노출된 주민들의 건강에 미치는 악영향(독성 및 발암성)을 정량적으로 산출하는 위해성평가를 수행하고자 하였다. 도곡광산의 광미내 중금속의 평균함량은 218 As mg/kg, 90.2 Cd mg/kg, 3,053 Cu mg/kg, 9,473 Pb mg/kg, 14,500 Zn mg/kg 으로 매우 높은 함량을 나타내었다. 화천광산의 광미의 경우, 그 평균함량은 72 As mg/kg, 12.4 Cd mg/kg, 34 Cu mg/kg, 578 Pb mg/kg, 1,304 Zn mg/kg 으로 나타나, Cu를 제외한 원소들이 높은 함량을 나타내고 있다. 따라서 As 및 중금속을 다량 함유하고 있는 이들 광산의 광미들이 강우나 바람에 의해 하류로 유실됨으로써 주변 토양과 수계를 오염시키고 있다. SBET분석결과에 의하면, 화천광산의 논토양내 As, Cd, Zn의 인체흡수도는 각각 55.4%, 20.8%, 26.4%로 나타났으며, 도곡광산의 밭토양의 경우는 각각 40.8%, 37.6%, 33.0%로 나타나 As의 인체흡수도가 가장 높은 것으로 판단된다. 독성(비발암성)위해도 평가 결과, 화친광산에서는 As의 HI 지수가 5.38로, 도곡광산에서는 Cd처 Hl 지수가 3.257.1 이상으로 나타나 이 지역에 거주하는 주민들이 지속적으로 오염된 농작물(쌀알), 지하수, 토양을 섭취한다면 As 및 Cd에 대한 독성위해도가 발생할 가능성이 큼을 시사하고 있다. 발암위해도 평가 결과, 화천광산 지역의 쌀알 및 지하수(식수) 섭취를 통한 As의 초과 발암위해도가 각각 만명중의 8명 및 1명으로 높게 나타났다. 이는 US-EPA에서 제시한 허용발암위해도보다도 크므로 이 지역 주민들이 As에 의해 오염된 쌀알이나 지하수를 식수로 계속적으로 장기간 섭취하게 된다면 As의 발암성 확률이 크다고 판단된다.