• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1764-1776
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to validate a deep learning-based fully automatic calcium scoring (coronary artery calcium [CAC]_auto) system using previously published cardiac computed tomography (CT) cohort data with the manually segmented coronary calcium scoring (CAC_hand) system as the reference standard. Materials and Methods: We developed the CAC_auto system using 100 co-registered, non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced CT scans. For the validation of the CAC_auto system, three previously published CT cohorts (n = 2985) were chosen to represent different clinical scenarios (i.e., 2647 asymptomatic, 220 symptomatic, 118 valve disease) and four CT models. The performance of the CAC_auto system in detecting coronary calcium was determined. The reliability of the system in measuring the Agatston score as compared with CAC_hand was also evaluated per vessel and per patient using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman analysis. The agreement between CAC_auto and CAC_hand based on the cardiovascular risk stratification categories (Agatston score: 0, 1-10, 11-100, 101-400, > 400) was evaluated. Results: In 2985 patients, 6218 coronary calcium lesions were identified using CAC_hand. The per-lesion sensitivity and false-positive rate of the CAC_auto system in detecting coronary calcium were 93.3% (5800 of 6218) and 0.11 false-positive lesions per patient, respectively. The CAC_auto system, in measuring the Agatston score, yielded ICCs of 0.99 for all the vessels (left main 0.91, left anterior descending 0.99, left circumflex 0.96, right coronary 0.99). The limits of agreement between CAC_auto and CAC_hand were 1.6 ± 52.2. The linearly weighted kappa value for the Agatston score categorization was 0.94. The main causes of false-positive results were image noise (29.1%, 97/333 lesions), aortic wall calcification (25.5%, 85/333 lesions), and pericardial calcification (24.3%, 81/333 lesions). Conclusion: The atlas-based CAC_auto empowered by deep learning provided accurate calcium score measurement as compared with manual method and risk category classification, which could potentially streamline CAC imaging workflows.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.119-131
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• 2024

Understanding accurate traffic performance is crucial for ensuring efficient highway operation and providing a sustainable mobility environment. On the other hand, an immediate and precise estimation of highway traffic performance faces challenges because of infrastructure and technological constraints, data processing complexities, and limitations in using integrated big data. This paper introduces a framework for estimating traffic performance by analyzing real-time data sourced from toll collection systems and dedicated short-range communications used on highways. In particular, this study addresses the data errors arising from segmented information in data, influencing the individual travel trajectories of vehicles and establishing a more reliable Origin-Destination (OD) framework. The study revealed the necessity of trip linkage for accurate estimations when consecutive segments of individual vehicle travel within the OD occur within a 20-minute window. By linking these trip ODs, the daily average highway traffic performance for South Korea was estimated to be248,624 thousand vehicle kilometers per day. This value shows an increase of approximately 458 thousand vehicle kilometers per day compared to the 248,166 thousand vehicle kilometers per day reported in the highway operations manual. This outcome highlights the potential for supplementing previously omitted traffic performance data through the methodology proposed in this study.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.21-27
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• 2023

The mold industry in Japan, an advanced country in the mold industry, is also at a point of great change. The main causes are the Ukraine crisis and the collapse of the global supply chain (parts supply chain) caused by COVID-19. In addition, the prices of overseas products are rising sharply due to rapid exchange rate fluctuations (decrease in the value of the yen). Until now, Japan's monotsukuri industry has been actively pursuing overseas expansion, riding the trend of globalization. However, the trend began to rapidly reverse, and now the monotsukuri industry that had expanded overseas is showing a tendency to return to Japan. Another factor of change is the change in the automobile industry, which is the most demanded product in the mold industry. As the automobile industry evolves from gasoline cars to electric cars, the number of parts that make up a car will drastically decrease. This trend is expected to increase the demand for small-scale production of a variety of products in the mold industry, and furthermore, it is expected that short delivery times will be required in parts development. As in Korea, the production population working in the mold industry is rapidly decreasing in Japan as well. Even if you add up the total population working in manufacturing in Japan, it only accounts for about 15%. Even in Japan, it is judged that it will be difficult to sustain the monotsukuri industry with this small production population. Therefore, since improvement in production efficiency cannot be expected with the same manual dexterity as before, the mold industry is also demanding the development of mold technology at a different level than before to increase productivity. In this paper, I would like to introduce new Japanese mold technology collected through attending the Intermold exhibition. This is an example of applying a dedicated pin (Gastos) to a mold to prevent an increase in internal pressure during plastic injection molding, and a deep drawing press molding technology with an inherent hydraulic function.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 2024

Objectives This study aims to analyze clinical studies on subacromial-subdeltoid (SA-SD) bursitis and propose future directions for clinical research on SA-SD bursitis. Methods We searched eight databases to investigate research trends in Korean medicine treatments for SA-SD bursitis up to November 2023. A total of thirty-one studies were included in this analysis. Results Among the included studies, there were six case reports from Korea, fifteen case reports, and ten randomized controlled trials from abroad. Various interventions were uesd, including acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, manual therapy, electro-acupuncture, cupping, physiotherapy, acupotomy, warm-acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion. The evaluation tools used in these studies included the total effective rate, visual analogue scale, range of motion, and numeral rating scale. Conclusions This study provides an overview of the research trends in Korean medicine treatments for SA-SD bursitis. However, given the low quality and small sample sizes of the studies, the evidence supporting effect of Korean medicine treatments for SA-SD bursitis was insufficient. Further clinical trials and systematic reviews are required.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.101-134
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• 2024

Objectives The purpose of this study is to observe the effectiveness of acupotomy treatment for lateral epicondylitis by comparing it with various control groups. Methods We searched 11 domestic and international databases for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. The subjects were studies published from January 1, 2017 to September 1, 2023, and only randomised controlled trials were included. Results 208 studies were searched, of which 21 studies were finally selected. Among the studies published after 2017, the largest number of studies was published in 2019. The average number of participants per study was 72.28±20.26 and the average age was in the 40s. The most frequent intervention in the study was acupotomy alone, and the treatment most often mentioned as a control group was local nerve block. The most used evaluation tool is efficiency. Acupotomy+manipulation had statistically better effect than that of local nerve block in terms of pain (standard mean difference -1.87, 95% confidence interval, -2.18 to -1.57, p<0.00001) and elbow joint function (standard mean difference 2.25, 95% confidence interval, 1.65 to 2.86, p<0.00001). Conclusions As a result of the meta-analysis, the effect of acupotomy added manual therapy treatment was statistically significant compared to the local nerve block frequently used for lateral epicondylitis. Based on these results, it appears that more research on combination treatments other than acupotomy treatment will be needed. Also, it appears that more large-scale randomized controlled studies that strictly adhere to the standards for reporting interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture, risk of bias 2 criteria will be needed.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2024

This study was performed to establish the epidemiological features of a food poisoning outbreak that occurred in the cafeteria of a company in Chungcheongnam-do Province, Korea, in October 2020, and to recommend measures to prevent similar outbreaks. Twenty-one patients with acute gastroenteritis, three food handlers, seven cooking utensils, and 12 preserved food samples were subjected to viral and bacterial analyses based on procedures described in the "Manual for Detection of Foodborne Pathogens at Outbreaks". Among 135 individuals who had been served the meals, 21 (15.6%) showed symptoms of nausea and vomiting within an hour of consuming the food. Bacillus cereus were isolated from 11 (52.4%) of the 21 patients, one food service employee, one item of cooking ware, and 12 preserved food samples. In addition, we confirmed the toxin genes CER, nheA, and entFM from the isolated B. cereus strains. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis results indicated that all of the isolated B. cereus strains were closely related, with the exception of strains obtained from one patient and one sample of preserved food. These findings provide evidence to indicate that the isolated B. cereus originated from preserved foods and an unhygienic eating environment. This outbreak highlights that the provision of food in non-commercial food systems must be thoroughly managed. In addition, it emphasizes the necessity for the correct and timely identification of causal pathogens for tracing the cause of food poisoning outbreaks, and the need to preserve food under appropriate conditions. To prevent similar cases of food poisoning, it is necessary to investigate cases based on an epidemiological approach and share the findings.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.246-263
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• 2023

The stabilization time of take-over refers to the time it takes for driving to stabilize after the take-over. Following a take-over request from an automated driving system, the driver must become aware of the road driving environment and perform manual driving, making it crucial to clearly understand the relationship between the driving environment and stabilization time of take-over. However, previous studies specifically focusing on stabilization time after take-over are rare, and research considering the driving environment is also lacking. To address this, our study conducted experiments using a driving simulator to observe take-over transitions. The results were analyzed using a liner mixed model to quantitatively identify the driving environment factors affecting the stabilization time of take-over. Additionally, coefficients for stabilization time based on each influencing factor were derived.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.115-140
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• 2024

Objectives: This study investigates the impact of M&L psychotherapy on an adolescent with anxiety disorders transitioning into adulthood, using a retrospective mixed-method approach. Methods: An adolescent with Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5-diagnosed anxiety disorders underwent combined treatment with M&L psychotherapy and complex Korean medicine therapy over a period of approximately two years. Patient records tracked the diagnosis, treatments, and progress. In-depth interviews were also conducted. The study used a convergent parallel mixed-method approach, integrating quantitative analysis from psychological assessments, including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-X), the Core Seven Emotions Inventory-short form (CSEI-s), and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), with qualitative analyses of traditional Korean medicine counseling session notes, interviews, and other qualitative psychological assessments. Results: State anxiety decreased from 40 to 36, and trait anxiety decreased from 42 to 34. MMPI-2 L scale scores decreased slightly to 64T, whereas S scale scores increased to 62T, and FRS scores decreased to 70T from an initial score of 78T. Qualitative analysis revealed an increase in the MMPI-2 Es scale, identified as "subjectivity." Joy (喜) emerged as the highest emotional profile score in the CSEI-S. Scores for anger (怒), thought (思), fear (恐), and fright (驚) decreased, indicating improved negative emotions. Qualitatively, expressions of determination to "move forward" and "strengthen the mind" were noted, suggesting enhanced "lower danjeon (下丹田)." Conclusions: Integrating traditional Korean medicine treatment with M&L psychotherapy for a vulnerable adolescent with anxiety disorders demonstrated efficacy. Further research is warranted to substantiate the effectiveness of M&L psychotherapy and advocate for its wider adoption in mainstream practice.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.987-997
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• 2020

Objective: Measurement of the liver and spleen volumes has clinical implications. Although computed tomography (CT) volumetry is considered to be the most reliable noninvasive method for liver and spleen volume measurement, it has limited application in clinical practice due to its time-consuming segmentation process. We aimed to develop and validate a deep learning algorithm (DLA) for fully automated liver and spleen segmentation using portal venous phase CT images in various liver conditions. Materials and Methods: A DLA for liver and spleen segmentation was trained using a development dataset of portal venous CT images from 813 patients. Performance of the DLA was evaluated in two separate test datasets: dataset-1 which included 150 CT examinations in patients with various liver conditions (i.e., healthy liver, fatty liver, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and post-hepatectomy) and dataset-2 which included 50 pairs of CT examinations performed at ours and other institutions. The performance of the DLA was evaluated using the dice similarity score (DSS) for segmentation and Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement (LOA) for measurement of the volumetric indices, which was compared with that of ground truth manual segmentation. Results: In test dataset-1, the DLA achieved a mean DSS of 0.973 and 0.974 for liver and spleen segmentation, respectively, with no significant difference in DSS across different liver conditions (p = 0.60 and 0.26 for the liver and spleen, respectively). For the measurement of volumetric indices, the Bland-Altman 95% LOA was -0.17 ± 3.07% for liver volume and -0.56 ± 3.78% for spleen volume. In test dataset-2, DLA performance using CT images obtained at outside institutions and our institution was comparable for liver (DSS, 0.982 vs. 0.983; p = 0.28) and spleen (DSS, 0.969 vs. 0.968; p = 0.41) segmentation. Conclusion: The DLA enabled highly accurate segmentation and volume measurement of the liver and spleen using portal venous phase CT images of patients with various liver conditions.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.27 no.1
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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.