• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.182-188
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• 2003

Background: Although ramicotomy (division of the rami communicantes of the thoracic sympathetic ganglia) is a selective and physiological surgical method for essential hyperhidrosis, it has some problems such as higher recurrence rates and the different surgical results among the patients and between left and right sides in the same individual. As one of the factors that are related to the differences in surgical result and recurrences, we investigated the anatomical variations of the rami communicantes. The purpose of this study is to help develop new surgical methods to decrease surgical differences among the patients or between the left and right sides of the same individual and recurrence rates in the clinical application of ramicotomy. Material and Method: We dissected 118 thoracic sympathetic chains in 59 adult Korean cadavers (male: 33, female: 26) to examine the anatomical variations of the rami communicantes from the second to the fourth thoracic sympathetic ganglia that have major components innervating to the hands. After the dissection of bilateral thoracic sympathetic chains, we compared the anatomy of left and right sides and examined the anatomical variations of rami communicantes. Result: The number and variation of communicating rami connecting the spinal nerves and the second sympathetic thoracic ganglion were much larger than lower levels. There was considerably less variability in the anatomy of the rami communicantes at successive levels. Among the 59 cadavers dissected, only 14.3% (9/59) had similar anatomy of thoracic sympathetic chains at both sides. As the components related to the essential palmar hyperhidrosis, intrathoracic nerve of Kuntz from the second thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the first intercostal nerve or brachial plexus were observed in 55.9% (66/118). The incidence of descending rami communicates from the second thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the third intercostal nerve and from the third thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the fourth intercostal nerve were 49.2% (58/118) and 28.0% (33/118). And the incidence of ascending rami communicates from the third thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the second intercostal nerve and from the fourth thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the third intercostal nerve were 6.8% (8/118) and 3.4% (4/118), respectively. Conclusion: Based on the various anatomical evidences of the rami communicantes from this study, only the ramicotomy at the third sympathetic ganglion level is insufficient for the treatment of the essential palmar hyperhidrosis to decrease the difference of surgical results and recurrences. When one is planning to perform the ramicotomy for the essential palmar hyperhidrosis, it is advantageous to divide the intrathoracic nerve of Kuntz on the second rib and the descending or ascending rami communicantes on the third and the fourth ribs as well as all the communicating rami from the third sympathetic ganglion.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristic of recurred giant cell tumor after bony curettage and cementation, and to review a way to prevent the recurrence. Materials and Methods : Thirty seven cases were analyzed, which were pathologically diagnosed giant cell tumor after diagnostic biopsy or surgical excision, followed by curative curettage, burring and cementation. Location, character, and time interval to recurrence were reviewed. Results: Thirteen out of thirty seven analyzed cases(35%) showed recurrence after primary curettage and cementation. The mean interval to recurrence was sixteen months(5 months to 43 months). Most of recurrence happened within the first two years except two cases. Among the recurred cases, eleven showed recurrence in the vicinity of window area. Two cases recurred in the depth of bone marrow, where cementation was made. The advantage of curettage and cementation is the immediate stability of the operation site, early rehabilitation, and early detection of recurrence. Furthermore, cementation is beneficial in that the cement-producing heat can eradicate the residual tumor burden. In this study, 85% of cases with insufficient curettage (for example, in cases where too small surgical window was made, or where there were anatomical difficulty in approaching the target tumor burden) showed recurrence. Conclusion: Bony curettage, burring and cementation is widely used as the primary curative modality for giant cell tumor. A few other modalities such as chemical cautery using phenol and $H_2O_2$; cryotherapy; and anhydroalcohol have also been introduced, but the benefit of these are still questionable. For some cases that relatively small surgical window was made due to anatomically complicated structures (such as ligament insertion or origin site) over the target tumor burden, unsatisfactory curettage and burring was made. This study showed high chance of recurrence after unsatisfactory curettage, and 85% of recurrence developed in the vicinity of the small window area. Most of the recurrence occurred within the first two years. It is concluded that sufficient window opening, extensive curettage and eradicative burring are key factors to prevent recurrence. Also, it should be reminded that careful and close observation should be made for at least the first two years after initial treatment for early detection of recurrence.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.89 no.3
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• pp.440-451
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• 2000

This study was conducted in order to provide essential data and relevant management proposal to conserve and maintain big and old trees in a rational way. For the field survey, 77 big and old trees preserved by the laws in Chollabuk-do, Korea were investigated. The study results are summarized as follows : 1. To conserve and manage big and old trees, the valuable trees have been designated as natural monument trees and protection-needed trees. There are 141 individuals of 37 species designated as natural monuments and 10,049 individuals of 102 species designated as protection-needed trees. 2. Management budget for natural monument trees was devoted at 70% from the national expenditure, but that for protection-needed trees was devoted at 98% from the local expenditure. 3. Standardized sign boards and sign stones for natural monument trees were well placed and other protection facilities such as fences, branch supports and branch holdings were established. On the other hand, management of protection-needed trees was deficient overall. 4. Problems for designation process and management of protection-needed trees could include items such as insufficient management budget, various development activities, land ownership, misjudgement of tree age and species identification, unsatisfaction of sign board placement, insufficient surgery for damaged trees, pavement around tree root system and environmental pollution around the trees. 5. In order to improve the existing management methods of big and old trees, the following schemes were suggested : the development of practical criteria for natural monument and protection-needed trees, nationwide surveys of big and old tree resources, the security of national budget, securing sufficient spaces for the tree growth, specialization of management systems, extended practices of tree form management, establishment of permanent standard signs and consideration of opinions of village residents.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.283-302
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• 2004

Background : Angiogenesis is the proliferation of a network of blood vessels emanating from pre-existing vessels, supplying nutrients and oxygen and removing waste products. Angiogenesis occurs in a variety of normal physiologic and pathologic conditions and is regulated by a balance of stimulatory and inhibitory angiogenic factors. Excessive angiogenesis should be suppressed. However, if blood supply is insufficient, it should be encouraged. Hyul-Mek(血脈) or Hyul-Rark(血絡), known as blood vessels in western medicine, is deeply related to Chung-Ki-Hyul(精 氣 血). The goal of this study is to review the effects of herbal medicines on angiogenesis that is involved in wound healing and enhancement of blood supply. Methods : We conducted a systematic and comprehensive literature search for the identification, retrieval, and bibliographic management of independent studies to locate information on the topic. A computerized search of the published literature of Korea(KISS, RISS), China(CNKI), Japan(Kampo medicine, etc), and western countries(MEDLINE) was performed, and further supplemented with manual searches of print sources(1999 to 2003). Results : The herbal medicines with angiogenic activity were mainly found among herbs that carry replenish Shin-Cheng(補腎益精), foster Eum and improve the circulation of blood(養陰活血), or warm and circulate Kyung-Rark(溫經通絡). In particular, herbs with improve the circulation of blood and clear blood(活血化瘀) activity contain a significant amount of tannin, saponin, and pyrazine. Conclusion : Replenish Ki-Hyul(補氣血) and circulate Kyung-Rark(通經絡) could contribute to the induction of angiogenesis because various growth factors and proliferation, differentiation, and migration of vascular endothelial cells are involved in angiogenic activity.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 1991

It has been well known that the splanchnic nerve block is effective for patients who suffer from intractable upper abdominal pain. However, it is unclear whether the effect of the splanchnic nerve block depends on varied alcoholic concentration. In this study, an attempt was made to use absolute ethanol on patients who recieved a splanchnic nerve block at Severance Hospital during the period from September l990 to April l991. The results are as follows; 1) Among the 33 patients, including 22 males and 1l females, the fifties and sixties were the major age groups. 2) Stomach cancer was the most common underlying disease(13 cases), with pancreatic can- cer next(9 cases). 3) The main locations of pain were the upper abdomen, epigastrium, and entire abdomen in decreasing order. 4) There were 17 cases who had had chemotherapy, and 1l cases of whom had had surgery before the splanchnic nerve block. 5) The volume of alcohol used was 12 ml bilaterally. 6) Among the 33 patients, 15.2% required a second block within two weeks of the first block. One case required a third block. 7) The most common complications of splanchnic nerve block were hypotension(33.3%), occasional transient sharp burning pain, flushing of face, pain on injection site, nausea, vomiting, dyspnea, chest discomfort and diarrhea. 8) The supplemental block most commonly used was a continuous epidural block. It was used both as a diagnostic block and to afford relief from pain before the splanchnic nerve block was done. 9) The interval between the receiving the absolute ethanol block and discharge was within 2 weeks in l5 cases. But, in the patients with poor general health, the interval between the splanchnic nerve block and discharge prolonged. The above results suggest that bilateral splanchnic nerve block done with absolute ethanol after an effective test block with 1% lidocaine under C-arm fluroscopic control is satisfactory and reliable. Still, 26.6% of the patients received a repeat block within 2 weeks. Insufficient spread of ethanol due to its small volume seems to be a major factor in the repeat block. Minimizing the incidence of repeat block remains a problem to be solved.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.998-1003
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• 2001

Objective : The maintenance of the correction of kyphotic deformity is one of the difficult problem in tuberculous spondylitis after anterior debriment and fusion with tricortical bone graft. The goal of this study is to find out the efficacy of titanium mesh cage impacted with autogenous bone chip in tuberculous spondylitis treated with anterior intervertebral fusion. Materials and Method : Twelve patients were treated with anterior intervertebral fusion using titanium mesh cage for tuberculous spondylitis from January 1996 to June 1999. We analized the changes in the correction of kyphotic deformity, changes of ESR and CRP, fusion state and recurrence after anterior intervertebral fusion with titanium mesh cage. Results : Clinical symptoms were improved in all twelve patients without any neurologic complications. The mean kyphotic angle corrected was 7.3 degrees immediately after operation, but the loss of correction of kyphotic angle was 2.2 degrees after 3 months and 2.6 degrees after 6 months. We found that the loss of correction of kyphotic deformity occurred mainly within the first 3 months after surgery. Only one patient, suffered from acute hepatic failure after first operation and had an insufficient anti-tuberculous medication therapy, showed recurrence of tuberculous spondylitis after 6 months. The patient underwent a second operation with posterior fixation procedure with good outcome. The changes of ESR and CRP were not specifically important factor to reveal recurrence of tuberculosis of the spine in our series. Conclusion : The surgical procedure of tuberculous spondylitis using titanium mesh cage with bone chip seems to be an effective procedure to minimize loss of the correction of kyphotic deformity without any aggravating inflammatory change and recurrence with titanium mesh cage, when sufficient debridement and anti-tuberculous chemotherapy are achieved.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.574-581
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• 2018

Objective : The zero-profile implant (Zero-P) is accepted for use in anterior cervical fusion for the treatment of degenerative cervical disease. However, evidence pertaining to its efficiency and safety in traumatic cervical injury is largely insufficient. This study aimed to compare the overall outcomes of patients who underwent Zero-P for traumatic cervical disc injury. Methods : Data from a total of 53 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for traumatic or degenerative cervical disc disease using the Zero-P were reviewed. Seventeen patients (group A) had traumatic cervical disc injury and the remaining 36 (group B) had degenerative cervical disc herniation. The fusion and subsidence rates and Cobb angle were measured retrospectively from plain radiographs. The patients' clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and Odom's criteria. Results : The C2-7 Cobb and operative segmental angles increased by $3.45{\pm}7.61$ and $2.94{\pm}4.59$ in group A; and $2.46{\pm}7.31$ and $2.88{\pm}5.49$ in group B over 12 postoperative months, respectively. The subsidence and fusion rate was 35.0% and 95.0% in group A; and 36.6% and 95.1% in group B, respectively. None of the parameters differed significantly between groups. The clinical outcomes were similar in both groups in terms of increasing the JOA score and producing a grade higher than "good" using Odom's criteria. Conclusion : The application of Zero-P in patients with traumatic cervical disc injury was found to be acceptable when compared with the clinical and radiological outcomes of degenerative cervical spondylosis.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2004

Stress transfer to the surrounding tissues is one of the factors involved in the design of dental implants. Unfortunately, insufficient data are available for stress transfer within the regenerated bone surrounding dental implants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of stresses within the regenerated bone surrounding the implant using three-dimensional finite element stress analysis method. Stress magnitude and contours within the regenerated bone were calculated. The $3.75{\times}10-mm$ implant (3i, USA) was used for this study and was assumed to be 100% osseointegrated, and was placed in mandibular bone and restored with a cast gold crown. Using ANSYS software revision 6.0, a program was written to generate a model simulating a cylindrical block section of the mandible 20 mm in height and 10 mm in diameter. The present study used a fine grid model incorporating elements between 165,148 and 253,604 and nodal points between 31,616 and 48,877. This study was simulated loads of 200N at the central fossa (A), at the outside point of the central fossa with resin filling into screw hole (B), and at the buccal cusp (C), in a vertical and $30^{\circ}$ lateral loading, respectively. The results were as follows; 1. In case the regenerated bone (bone quality type IV) was surrounded by bone quality type I and II, stresses were increased from loading point A to C in vertical loading. And stresses according to the depth of regenerated bone were distributed along the implant evenly in loading point A, concentrated on the top of the cylindrical collar loading point B and C in vertical loading. And, In case the regenerated bone (bone quality type IV) was surrounded by bone quality type III, stresses were increase from loading point A to C in vertical loading. And stresses according to the depth of regenerated bone were distributed along the implant evenly in loading point A, B and C in vertical loading. 2. In case the regenerated bone (bone quality type IV) was surrounded by bone quality type I and II, stresses were decreased from loading point A to C in lateral loading. Stresses according to the depth of regenerated bone were concentrated on the top of the cylindrical collar in loading point A and B, distributed along the implant evenly in loading point C in lateral loading. And, In case the regenerated bone (bone quality type IV) was surrounded by bone quality type III, stresses were decreased from loading point A to C in lateral loading. And stresses according to the depth of regenerated bone were distributed along the implant evenly in loading point A, B and C in lateral loading. In summary, these data indicate that both bone quality surrounding the regenerated bone adjacent to implant fixture and load direction applied on the prosthesis could influence concentration of stress within the regenerated bone surrounding the cylindrical type implant fixture.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.102-109
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• 2020

Background: Due to the aging population in Korea, knee osteoarthritis (KOA) has become an increasingly common condition. Many patients with KOA prefer analgesics, herbal medicines, acupuncture, or exercise, rather than arthroscopic surgery or a knee replacement. Gyebutang (GB) granules are a herbal extract widely used to treat KOA in traditional Korean medicine, but there is insufficient evidence of its efficacy and safety. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, assessor-blinded, 2-armed parallel, controlled clinical trial has been designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of GB combined with acupuncture for the treatment of KOA. There will be 100 patients with KOA enrolled in the study from 3 traditional Korean medicine hospitals. The participants will be randomly allocated to an experimental group (GB and acupuncture) or a control group (celecoxib and acupuncture) in a 1:1 ratio. Both groups will receive acupuncture treatment once a week for 6 weeks; one group will receive GB and the other will receive celecoxib for the same duration. Results: The primary outcome will be the change of knee osteoarthritic pain, based on scores on a 100 mm visual analog scale. The secondary outcomes will be scores on a numeric rating scale, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, patient global assessment, European quality of life 5-dimension 5-level scale, and adverse events. Conclusion: The results of this study will provide evidence of efficacy and safety of GB as a treatment for patients with KOA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6427-6431
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• 2013

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world and deeply threatens people's health, especially in China. Techniques of early diagnosis, prevention and prediction are still being discovered, among which the approaches based on single nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNA genes (miRNA SNPs) are newly proposed and show prospective potential. In particular, the association between SNPs in miRNA196a-2 (rs11614913) and miRNA146a (rs2910164) and HCC has been investigated. However, the conclusions made were conflicting, possibly due to insufficient sample size or population stratification. Further confirmations in well-designed large samples are still required. In this study, we verified the association between these two SNPs and the susceptibility to HCC by MassARRAY assay in a 2,000 large Chinese case-control sample. Significant association between rs11614913 and HCC was confirmed. Subjects with the genotype of CT+TT or T allele in rs11614913 were more resistant to HCC (CT+TT: OR (95% CI)=0.73 (0.57-0.92), P=0.01; T allele: OR (95% CI)=0.85 (0.75-0.97), P=0.02) and HBV-related HCC (CT+TT: OR (95% CI)=0.69 (0.53-0.90), P=0.01; T allele: OR (95% CI)=0.82 (0.71-0.95), P=0.01). The affected carriers of CT or TT also tended to have lower levels of serum AFP (P=0.01). This study demonstrated a role of rs11614913 in the etiology of HCC. Further research should focus on the clinical use of this miRNA SNP, so as to facilitate conquering HCC.