• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 2017

Ultrasound has been widely used for biological and medical applications including induction of cell death, but a precise mechanism of induced cell death by ultrasound is controversial. In this study, an irradiation system with 40 kHz ultrasound was developed for a suitable cell death test of a representative unicellular organism, yeast, and used to study the biological effect of ultrasound on inducing cell death. Potassium Iodide (KI) dosimetry was used to devise an optimal system that successfully delivers 40 kHz ultrasound and produces reactive oxygen species in a 1.5 ml Eppendorf tube. Cell death was observed in an ultrasound transmission time-dependent fashion in this system. Thermal effect during irradiation was not observable in ultrasound induced cell death. Co-treatment of 40 kHz ultrasound and hydrogen peroxide showed a synergistic effect in inducing cell death. This finding suggests that 40 kHz ultrasound is related to reactive oxygen species formation. However, NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) oxygen scavenger slightly inhibited the cell death by 40 kHz ultrasound. It was also found that 40 kHz ultrasound induced cell death was slightly inhibited by inhibitors of necrosis or apoptosis (glycyrrhizin or zVAD-fmk). This study suggests that cell death induced by 40 kHz ultrasound may not be exclusively related to reactive oxygen species formation and thermal effects in irradiated yeast cells.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2015

Functional safety is part of the overall safety relating to the equipment under control (EUC) and the EUC control system that depends on the correct functioning of the electrical/electronic/programmable electronic (E/E/PE) safety-related systems. Since the complexity of the medical equipment is increased, manufactures have to obtain functional safety as well as basic safety. This study proposes a perspective for applying functional safety to medical equipment. The research is carried out with respect to overall safety life-cycle of functional safety and essential performance of the medical equipment. The relationship between functional safety and essential performance is identified centered on the safety function. The essential performance using E/E/PE systems is defined as a safety function of functional safety. This approach is applied to a ultrasound imaging system as a case study.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.4-10
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• 2018

The aim of this report was to show the effects of acupotomy in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Four patients were treated with acupotomy twice. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Tinel's sign, Phalen's test, Boston carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire (BCTQ), muscular strength test, and a cross-sectional area of median nerve was measured using ultrasound before and after treatment. In all 4 cases, the VAS score, BCTQ score and cross-sectional area of median nerve, all decreased and muscular strength test score increased. Tinel's sign and the Phalen's test changed from a positive to a negative in most cases. This report shows that acupotomy is an effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. Further larger are needed to fully evaluate the beneficial effects of this treatment.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.115-119
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• 2012

Today, ultrasound imaging is being widely used to assess soft tissue lesions in the maxillofacial region. However, ultrasound investigations of intra-osseous lesions are rare, especially for tumors of the jaws. This report emphasized the capability of this useful imaging modality in identification of the characteristics of malignant conditions involving the bone. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoama, one of the unusual malignant conditions of the jaw, was presented in a young male with significant facial swelling. Different imaging modalities parallel with the histopathologic investigation confirmed the diagnosis. Interestingly, destruction of the bony cortex and new bone formation with a characteristic "sun ray appearance", highly suggestive of sarcomas, was manifested on the ultrasonograph. Thus, this report presented the ultrasonographic features of chondrosarcoma of mandible and considered the ultrasonography to be a useful imaging modality to evaluate intra-osseous jaw lesions.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2011

Purpose : In order to estimate clinical effects of Oriental Medicine Treatment with acupotomy therapy of Peroneal nerve Palsy. Methods : From 10th June, 2010 to 19th June, 2010, 1 female patient diagnosed as Peroneal nerve Palsy(clinical diagnosed) was treated with general oriental medicine therapy (acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, cupping, physical therapy, herbal medication) and acupotomy. Results : The patient's left foot drop was remarkably improved. Conclusions : This study demonstrates that oriental medical treatment with acuputomy therapy has notable effect in improving symptoms of peroneal nerve palsy. as though we had not wide experience in this treatment, more research is needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9101-9105
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• 2014

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy and effectiveness of automated breast volume scanning (ABVS) and hand-held ultrasound (HHUS) in the detection of breast cancer in a large population group with a long-term follow-up, and to investigate whether different ultrasound systems may influence the estimation of cancer detection. Materials and Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained for this retrospective study, and informed consent was waived. From September 2010 to August 2011, a total of 1,866 ABVS and 3,700 HHUS participants, who underwent these procedures at our institute, were included in this study. Cancers occurring during the study and subsequent follow-up were evaluated. The reference standard was a combination of histology and follow-up imaging (${\geq}12months$). The recall rate, cancer detection yield, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were calculated with exact 95% confidence intervals. Results: The recall rate was 2.57 per 1,000 (48/1,866) for ABVS and 3.57 per 1,000 (132/3,700) for HHUS, with a significant difference (p=0.048). The cancer detection yield was 3.8 per 1,000 for ABVS and 2.7 per 1,000 for HHUS. The diagnostic accuracy was 97.7% for ABVS and 96.5% for HHUS with statistical significance (p=0.018). The specificity of ABVS and HHUS were 97.8%, 96.7%, respectively (p=0.022). Conclusions: ABVS shows a comparable diagnostic performance to HHUS. ABVS is an effective supplemental tool for mammography in breast cancer detection in a large population.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.551-556
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to suggest a systematic and scientific method for measurement of children's growth development, in which the accuracy of existing diagnosis method has not been concretely examined yet. The most popular method for diagnosis of children's growth is to analyze the opening degree of growth plate in each joint by X-ray image. However, X-ray method has some disadvantages; it is impossible to measure the diagnosis of growth periodically and repeatedly due to the radiation problem. Hence, this study introduced a profile analysis and the algorithm of analyzing the image of growth plate with the BUA(Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation) of calcaneus, to verify the possibility of alternative ultrasonic method harmless to human body. We obtained the images of growth plate in proximal tibiae, phalanges, and calcanei of 269 children (7∼16 years old) with X-ray. And the image of growth plate in calcanei was also obtained front those children with ultrasound. The results showed that the time of the opening degree of growth plate in each joint was almost consistent between X-ray and ultrasonic images. Also, the images of growth plate measured by X-ray and ultrasound showed the high correlation. Therefore, it is expected that the algorithm of ultrasonic profile analysis introduced in this study can replace the existing X-ray method to measure the growth plate correctly.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.3-42
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• 2023

The Supreme Court en banc decision on December 12, 2022 (docket number 2016Do21314) ruled that the diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia by an oriental medical doctor using a diagnostic ultrasound device was not an unlicensed medical practice for an oriental medical doctor, which shall be scrutinized by the article 27 (1) of the Korean Medical Service Act. This ruling did not determine that a specific medical practice, especially diagnosis, based on the radiology, which is a part of western medicine, was not an unlicensed medical practice for an oriental medical doctor. Rather, it intended to clarify that the prosecutor should specify and prove the way of diagnosis and he should not prosecute mere the use of a diagnostic ultrasound device itself. To that extent, the ruling is agreeable because, as the oriental medicine community has argued, there is no regulation prohibiting the use of certain devices. It is probable, however, that the way of diagnosis established in radiology, which is a part of western medicine, was actually used in the case. In that case, there is undeniably an unlicensed medical practice for an oriental medical doctor. While many of the cases where the demarcation between (western) medicine and oriental medicine have been problematized thus far have been experimental treatment in nature, the above practice of using ultrasound appears to be frequently done in many oriental clinics, and so it is necessary to cope with the possibility of a disguised unlicensed medical practice. Another problem is the prevention of unfair practice or the protection of medical consumers. In fact, many oriental medical clinics' practice appear to have a tendency of inducing medical consumers' misunderstanding that a diagnosis based on radiology, which is a part of western medicine, were provided. It is hard to respond to this problem with demarcation between (western) medicine and oriental medicine. A new regulation against unfair practice might be necessary to implement.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.231-240
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• 2018

Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) equipment is a new innovative technique for 3D automatic breast scanning, but limited for the examination in the concave axillary region. The purpose of this study was to determine feasible candidate materials for the ultrasonic wave propagation media in ABUS, enabling the evaluation of the axillary region. Ultrasonography was performed using an ABUS system ($Invenia^{TM}ABUS$, GE, USA) on the ultrasound-specific phantom (UC-551M-0.5, ATS Laboratories, USA) covered by different candidate materials. The validity of feasible candidate materials was evaluated by image quality. Three independent radiological technologists, with more than 10 years of experience, visually assessed on the images. The inter-observer agreements according to the candidate materials were tested using Cronbach's alpha. Unenveloped solidified carrageenan can be a feasible material for the use of ABUS with excellent test reliability. Therefore, the coverage of the axillary region with carrageenan may be effective for ABUS which was originally developed for the convex anatomic structure as female breast.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.719-726
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• 2001

Transdermal drug delivery offers various advantages over conventional drug delivery systems, such as avoidance gastrointestinal degradation and hepatic first-pass effect. encourages patient compliance. and possible sustained release of drugs. However, transdermal transport of drugs is low permeability of the stratum corneum, the superficial layer of the skin. Many physicochemical and biological factors influencing transdermal transport is described together with the corresponding experimental and clinical results. Phonophoresis is medical treatment with drugs introduced into the skin by ultrasound energy. Enhanced drug penetration is through to result from the biophysical alterations of skin structure by ultrasound waves. The frequency used for phonophoresis is usually from 20 kHz to 15MHz. Phonophoresis can be categorized in to three ranges: low-frequency range(below 1 MHz). therapeutic frequency range(1 to 3MHz), and high-frequency range(above 3 MHz). The depth of penetration of ultrasound into skin is inversely proportional to the frequency. Cavitation may cause mechanical stress. temperature elevation, or enhanced chemical reactivity causing drug transport. One theory is that ultrasound affects the permeation of the stratum corneum lipid structure as the limiting step in permeating through the skin. The range of indications for phonophoresis is wide. Aspecific classification of the range of indications is obtained by classification of pathological conditions. The continuous research is needed for many interesting issucs of phonophoretic transdermal delivory in new future.