• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.816-829
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• 2007

Objectives : This study investigated warning signs and stroke presymptoms and their relationship with acute stroke patients in each stroke type. Methods : 217 patients with first-ever acute stroke within 2 weeks as the case group, 146 people without four major risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and ischemic heart disease) as the healthy control group (Normals), and 160 people as the general control group (Controls) were recruited at the Stroke Medical Center in Daejeon University Oriental Medicine Hospital from July 2005 to March 2007 for this case-control study. We analyzed the odds ratio of each warning sign or presymptom by multivariate logistic analysis and evaluated each stroke type, as well as general characteristics such as age, sex, etc. Results : Paralysis or weakness of the face and limbs, visual field disorder or loss of vision or blurred and double vision in eyes or both eyes, and sudden difficulty in speaking or dysarthria showed significant increase respectively in each stroke type. In contrast, numbness or tingling sensation or lowering sensation of the face and limbs, numbness or dead sensation of 1st and 2nd fingers, tension at cervical lesion, blepharospasm, facial spasm, etc. had no significant relation with stroke occurrence. Conclusions : In this study we demonstrated that each presymptom have an influence on each stroke type and have different odds ratio for stroke. We believe this may contribute to interpreting the importance of warning signs or presymptoms for each type of stroke, and more prospective studies are needed.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.231-238
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• 2005

Purpose: We investigated prospectively whether the interpretation considering the patterns of FDG uptake and the findings of unenhanced CT for attenuation correction can improve the diagnostic accuracy for assessing malignant lymph node (LN) and N stage in non-small cell lung cancor (NSCLC) using CT-corrected FDG-PET (PET/CT). Materials & Methods: Subjects were 91 NSCLC patients (M/F 62/29, age: $60{\pm}9$ yr) who underwent PET/CT before in dissection. We evaluated the maximum SUV (maxSUV), patterns of FDG uptake, short axis diameter, and calcification of LN showing abnormally increased FDG uptake. Then we investigated criteria improving the diagnostic accuracy and correlated results with postoperative pathology. In step 1, in was classified as benign or malignant based on maxSUV only. In step 2, LN was regarded as benign if it had lower maxSUV than the cut-off value of step 1 or it had calcification irrespective of its maxSUV. In step 3, LN regarded as malignant in step 2 was classified as benign if they had indiscrete margin of FDG uptake. Results: Among 432 LN groups surgically resected (28 malignant, 404 benign), 71 showed abnormally increased FDG uptake. We determined the cut-off as maxSUV=3.5 using ROC curve analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for assessing malignant LN were 64.3%, 86.9%, 85.4% in step 1, 64.3%, 95.0%, 93.1% in step 2, and 57.1%, 98.0%, 95.4% in step3, respectively. The accuracy for assessing N stage was 64.8% in step 1, 80.2% in step 2, and 85.7% in step 3. Conclusion: interpreting PET/CT, consideration of calcification and shape of the FDG uptake margin along with maxSUV can improve the diagnostic accuracy for assessing malignant involvement and N stage of hilar and mediastinal LNs in NSCLC.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.71-96
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• 2011

Within the traditional medical delivery system, patients residing in medically vulnerable areas, those with body movement difficulties, and nursing facility residents have had limited access to good healthcare services. However, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provides us with a convenient and useful means of overcoming distance and time constraints. ICT is integrated with biomedical science and technology in a way that offers a new high-quality medical service. As a result, rapid technological advancement is expected to play a pivotal role bringing about innovation in a wide range of medical service areas, such as medical management, testing, diagnosis, and treatment; offering new and improved healthcare services; and effecting dramatic changes in current medical services. The increase in aging population and chronic diseases has caused an increase in medical expenses. In response to the increasing demand for efficient healthcare services, a telehealth service based on ICT is being emphasized on a global level. Telehealth services have been implemented especially in pilot projects and system development and technological research. With the service about to be implemented in earnest, it is necessary to study its overall acceptance by consumers, which is expected to contribute to the development and activation of a variety of services. In this sense, the study aims at positively examining the structural relationship among the acceptance factors for telehealth services based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected by showing audiovisual material on telehealth services to online panels and requesting them to respond to a structured questionnaire sheet, which is known as the information acceleration method. Among the 1,165 adult respondents, 608 valid samples were finally chosen, while the remaining were excluded because of incomplete answers or allotted time overrun. In order to test the reliability and validity of the assessment scale items, we carried out reliability and factor analyses, and in order to explore the causal relation among potential variables, we conducted a structural equation modeling analysis using AMOS 7.0 and SPSS 17.0. The research outcomes are as follows. First, service quality, innovativeness of medical technology, and social influence were shown to affect perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the telehealth service, which was statistically significant, and the two factors had a positive impact on willingness to accept the telehealth service. In addition, social influence had a direct, significant effect on intention to use, which is paralleled by the TAM used in previous research on technology acceptance. This shows that the research model proposed in the study effectively explains the acceptance of the telehealth service. Second, the research model reveals that information privacy concerns had a insignificant impact on perceived ease of use of the telehealth service. From this, it can be gathered that the concerns over information protection and security are reduced further due to advancements in information technology compared to the initial period in the information technology industry, and thus the improvement in quality of medical services appeared to ensure that information privacy concerns did not act as a prohibiting factor in the acceptance of the telehealth service. Thus, if other factors have an enormous impact on ease of use and usefulness, concerns over these results in the initial period of technology acceptance may become irrelevant. However, it is clear that users' information privacy concerns, as other studies have revealed, is a major factor affecting technology acceptance. Thus, caution must be exercised while interpreting the result, and further study is required on the issue. Numerous information technologies with outstanding performance and innovativeness often attract few consumers. A revised bill for those urgently in need of telehealth services is about to be approved in the national assembly. As telemedicine is implemented between doctors and patients, a wide range of systems that will improve the quality of healthcare services will be designed. In this sense, the study on the consumer acceptance of telehealth services is meaningful and offers strong academic evidence. Based on the implications, it can be expected to contribute to the activation of telehealth services. Further study is needed to assess the acceptance factors for telehealth services, such as motivation to remain healthy, health care involvement, knowledge on health, and control of health-related behavior, in order to develop unique services according to the categorization of customers based on health factors. In addition, further study may focus on various theoretical cognitive behavior models other than the TAM, such as the health belief model.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.215-220
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• 2006

Background : A spirometric reference equation was recently developed for the general population in Korea. The applicability of the new Korean equation to clinical practice was examined by comparing it with the Morris equation, which is one of the most popular reference equations used for interpreting the spirometric patterns and for grading the disease severity in Korea. Methods : Spirometry was performed on 926 men and 694 women, aged 20 years or older, in November 2004 at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. The subjects' age, gender, height, weight, and spirometric values ($FEV_1$ [forced expiratory volume in one second], FVC [forced vital capacity], and $FEV_1/FVC$) were obtained. The spirometric patterns and disease severity were evaluated using both equations, and the results of the Korean equation were compared with the Morris equation. The spirometric patterns were defined as normal, restrictive, obstructive, and undetermined according to the level of $FEV_1/FVC$ and FVC. The disease severity was defined according to the level of $FEV_1$ level for subjects with an airflow limitation, and according to the FVC level for those subjects without an airflow limitation. Results : Spirometric patterns were differently interpreted in 22.5% (208/926) of the men and 24.8% (172/694) of the women after the application of the Korean equation compared with the Morris equation. Of the subjects with airflow limitation, disease severity was differently graded in 30.2% (114/378) of the men and 39.4% (37/94) of the women after the application of the Korean equation. Of the subjects without airflow limitation, disease severity was differently graded in 27.9% (153/548) of the men and 30.2% (181/600) of the women after the application of the Korean equation. Conclusion : Achange in the reference equation for spirometry could have an effect on the interpretation of spirometric patterns and on the grading of disease severity.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2017

Spirometry is a physiological test for assessing the functional aspect of the lungs using an objective indicator to measure the maximum amount of air that a patient can inhale and exhale. Acceptable spirometry testing needs to be conducted three times by an acceptable and reproducible method for determining forced vital capacity (FVC). Until the results of three tests meet the criteria of reproducibility, the test should be repeated up to eight times. Interpretation of spirometry should be clear, concise, and informative. Additionally, spirometry should guarantee optimal quality prior to the interpreting spirometry results. Our guideline adopts a fixed normal predictive value instead of the lower limit of normal as the reference value because fixed value is more convenient and also accepts FVC instead of vital capacity (VC) because measurement of VC using a spirometer is impossible. The bronchodilator test is a method for measuring the changes in lung capacity after inhaling a short-acting ${\beta}-agonist$ that dilates the airway. When an obstructive ventilatory defect is observed, this test helps to diagnose and evaluate asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by measuring reversibility with the use of an inhaled bronchodilator. A positive response to a bronchodilator is generally defined as an increase of ${\geq}12%$ and ${\geq}200mL$ as an absolute value compared with a baseline in either forced expiratory volume at 1 second or FVC.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 1996

Since the publication of the first bone scintiscans in 1962 three decades have elapsed. The bone scan has made great strides during this period, becoming one of the most commonly used nuclear imaging tests. In spite of the progress, however, the specificity of bone scan has remained relatively low. As the result it is a common practice to seek additional information from radiograph, CT scan and MR image, which is euphemistically termed as "image fusion or co-location." The basic reason is the inapplicability of the classical piecemeal analysis to interpreting planar and SPECT bone scans. Such analysis has its base on the observation of elemental features of morphology, which include the size, shape, contour, location, topography and internal architecture. The physiochemical profile may well also be included. Understandably, however, the miniatured images of the planar bone scan cannot provide these features in acceptable detail and the same holds true even with SPECT Images which are but sliced views of the reconstructed planar scans. Fortunately pinhole scanning has the capacity to portray both the morphological and chemical profiles of bone and joint diseases in greater detail through true magnification. The magnitude of pinhole scan resolution is practically comparable to that of radiography as far as gross anatomy is concerned. Thus, we feel strongly that pinhole scanning is a potential breakthrough of the long-lamented low specificity of bone scan. This presentation will discuss the fun-damentals, advantages and disadvantages and the most recent advances of pinhole scanning. It high-lights the actual clinical applications of pinhole scanning in relation to the diagnosis of infective and inflammatory diseases of bone and joint.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.91-99
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of our investigation is to determine degrees of concordance rate among interpreters. Furthermore, we have examined how much concordance rate to come out when beginners have been compared with the pulse analyzer. Methods : Thirty-nine volunteers were enrolled for this study. These subjects took a 5-minute rest in a sitting position as instructed by the protocol. As they were not allowed to move or speak, radial artery pulse conditions were measured on the lower arm of each subject by means of the pulse analyzer under investigation. Two Korean medical doctors, who did not know the status of default pulse conditions, were also instructed to intuitively choose the most corresponding one in comparison with 13 default pulse conditions. Subsequently, we investigated results between interpreters as well as results between interpreter and pulse analyzer. Results : The total concordance rate, with similar concordance rates being included, between interpreters, between interpreter A and pulse analyzer, and between interpreter B and pulse analyzer was 56.4%, 79.5%, and 71.8% respectively. In faint fine weak pulse(微細弱脈) case, interpreter A and B selected 6 and 7 cases respectively, matched the concordance rate 5, and corresponded separately with the pulse analyzer interpreting 8 cases. Conclusions : In case of skipping pulse 2(促2脈), short pulse(短脈), faint fine weak pulse(微細弱脈), the concordance between interpreters also matches with results drawn from the pulse analyzer. The concordance rate goes higher in proportion with such smaller pulse conditions as faint fine weak pulse(微細弱脈) and short pulse(短脈).

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1 s.61
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• pp.71-75
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• 2005

There are wide variations in the definition and functions of tri-jiao among investigators in the area of Chinese medicine. Given a wide spectrum of views, it is difficult to identify uniform opinions about the definition and functions of tri-jiao. This paper is intended to clarify the meaning of the tri-jiao, which was presented as 'it builds a waterway and serves as the passage for the flow of Shuidao' in ${\ulcorner}\;SuWen\;\cdot\;Linglanbidianlun\;{\lrcorner}$ a classic text of traditional Chinese medicine. Investigators have been divided in their opinions in interpreting this reference; some claim that tri-jiao regulates fluid metabolism in the entire body while others assert that the role of tri-jiao is limited to lower-jiao that controls urination function. However, this does not appear convincing given the description in other texts of ${\ulcorner}\;SuWen\;\cdot\;Linglanbidianlun\;{\lrcorner}$, in which functions of 12 organs were explained in a summarized manner. The assumption that the role of tri-jiao is closely linked with lower-jiao seems to have deviated from the meaning of the original texts. Besides, fluid metabolism involves the entire body, and any pathological changes caused by disorders of fluid metabolism can affect any part of the body, not only the lower area of the body cavity. The phrase, 'passage for the flow of Shuidao,' expressed in the texts of ${\ulcorner}\;SuWen\;\cdot\;Linglanbidianlun\;{\lrcorner}$ is likely to mean that body fluid is also distributed and transported to the whole body along with primordial-Qi via tri-jiao. The phrase, 'passage for the flow of Shuidao' means that tri-jiao is involved in regulating body fluid metabolism and that it plays an important role in fluid distribution.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.299-305
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• 2015

Objectives: This article describes our experience with neck dissection in 10 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Between January 2007 and October 2009, 10 patients underwent primary surgery for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. For patients with $N_0$ disease on clinical exam, selective neck dissection (SND [I-III]) was performed. In patients with palpable cervical metastases (N+), modified radical neck dissections were performed, except in one patient in whom SND (I-III) was performed. The histopathologic reports were reviewed to assess the surgical margins, the presence of extra-capsular spread, perineural invasion, and lymphatic invasion. Results: On histopathologic examination, positive soft tissue margins were found in three patients, and regional lymph node metastases were present in five of the ten patients. Perineural invasion was noted in five patients, and extra nodal spread was found in four patients. Regional recurrence was seen in two patients and loco-regional recurrence plus distant metastasis to the tibia was observed in one patient. During the study period, three patients died. Seven patients remain free of disease to date. Conclusion: Histopathological evaluation provides important and reliable information for disease staging, treatment planning, and prognosis. The philosophy of neck dissection is evolving rapidly with regard to the selectivity with which at-risk lymph node groups are removed. The sample size in the present study is small, thus, caution should be employed when interpreting these results.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2011

The first medical text in which detailed treatments of diseases by combinations of materia medica are mentioned is the "Shanghanzabinglun(傷寒雜病論)". True meaning of the combinations of materia medica used in this text lies in the fact that the efficacy of a prescription transcends that of the linear sum of each materia medica. This kind of concept regarding the composition of a prescription has come to contribute to the formation of theories in prescriptionology; However, it is difficult to analyze and interpret the meaning of each prescription separately because of differences in interpreting methods, points of view, and terminologies used by members of different academical branches. Therefore, it is desirable that one should understand a prescription as having been modified from a basic prescription, and then bring the interactions of ingredients into the picture, finally understanding the efficacy and chief virtues of the targeted prescription. Nevertheless, with the massive information of prescriptions, which exist in the format of texts, it is impossible to efficiently take advantage of prescription analyzing methods, and therefore the range of analysis extremely restricted. In order to overcomes these weaknesses, this paper suggests that object-oriented prescription database be constructed and that a search program for education and research that could facilitate an efficient access to the database be developed as well.