• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.419-441
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• 2011

Cancer is a disease that threatens the individual's life. This is why the cancer patient goes through psychosocial pain in the form of a trauma. Thus, the previous researches have only focused on the cancer patient's psychosocial distress. However, the cancer patients who have grown more mature and brought upon positive changes in their lives have been clinically observed. Because of this, researches regarding the ways that social welfare can intervene in order to examine the cancer patients' positive changes and growth which breaks away from the previous pathological point of view of the cancer patients are being actively conducted in other countries. But it turns out that there aren't enough basic researches related to this topic and thereby the need to lay out the basis for social welfare intervention. Therefore, this research examines positive changes and growth that may result from the traumatic experience of having a cancer. The predictable factors regarding this are analyzed in order to provide the basic information that may promote clinical intervention for cancer patient's posttraumatic growth. For this, the information from 206 cancer patients who have agreed to participate in the research have been used to predict and evaluate the predictable factors for the cancer patient's post-traumatic growth and hierarchy multiple regression haven been analyzed. As the result of the research, main factor of the post-traumatic growth is found to be social support and coping. The positive reconstruction of coping has been discovered to be the strongest predictable factor for cancer patient's posttraumatic growth. Based on this result, the advice for further research and implications for social welfare have been given.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.679-684
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• 2023

Venous puncture is widely used to obtain blood samples for pathological examination. Because the invasive venipuncture method using a needle is repeatedly performed, the pain suffered by the patient increases, so our research team pre-developed a miniaturized near-infrared (NIR) imaging system in advance. To improve the image quality of the acquired NIR images, this study aims to model the non-local means (NLM) algorithm, which is well known to be efficient in noise reduction, and analyze its applicability in the system. The developed NIR imaging system is based on the principle that infrared rays pass through dichroic and long-pass filters and are detected by a CMOS sensor module. The proposed NLM algorithm is modeled based on the principle of replacing the pixel from which noise is to be removed with a value that reflects the distances between surrounding pixels. After acquiring an NIR image with a central wavelength of 850 nm, the NLM algorithm was applied to segment the final vein area through histogram equalization. As a result, the coefficient of variation of the NIR image of the vein using the NLM algorithm was 0.247 on average, which was an excellent result compared to conventional filtering methods. In addition, the dice similarity coefficient value of the NLM algorithm was improved by 62.91 and 9.40%, respectively, compared to the median filter and total variation methods. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the NLM algorithm can acquire accurate segmentation of veins acquired with a NIR imaging system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.654-660
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• 2024

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is a malignant tumor of mesenchymal origin that rarely occurs in the urinary tract, particularly in the urinary bladder. Unlike urothelial carcinoma, which accounts for most bladder cancers, it occurs in the submucosal portion of the bladder wall and consists of the lamina propria, muscularis propria, and adventitia. It is presumed to originate from poorly differentiated pluripotent mesenchymal cells in which fibroblasts and histiocytes are partially differentiated. Radiologically, it is known as the "non-papillary tumor" and is commonly diagnosed as a large mass without necrosis, which shows invasion beyond the muscularis propia. Although the prognosis of this rare malignancy depends on pathological parameters, it generally has a poor prognosis with high local tumor recurrence. Here, we present a case of primary MFH in the urinary bladder with clinical symptoms of lower abdominal pain without gross hematuria that recurred rapidly and showed an aggressive disease course.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2001

Purpose : Authors investigated the efficiency of preoperative MRI in suspicious glomus tumor and the clinical outcomes after marginal excision. Materials and Methods : In 10 cases of glomus tumors in the fingers, authors retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, including previous trauma, treatment history, preoperative symptoms, physical examination, plain radiography, MRI (9 cases), pathological findings and postoperative complications. Results : The patients had pain in 10 cases, tenderness in 9 cases, cold sensitivity in 3 cases and edema in one case. MRI showed low signal (3 cases) or iso-signal (5) intensity on T1 weighted image, high signal intensity (8) on T2 weighted image, and all the lesions were enhanced in gadolinium enhancement images. The exact locations of glomus tumors were median in 6 cases, lateral in 5, lateral fold in 2 and pulp in 3 in transverse section and nail bed in 5 cases and nail matrix in 5 in sagittal section. Marginal excision was performed by lateral approach in one case and transungual in 9 cases. Histologically, all 10 cases were composed of solid sheets of round cells interrupted by thin-walled blood vessels. Most of clinical symptoms were disappeared in all cases after operation. Nail deformity was found in one case, which was originated from nail matrix, however, there was no recurrence. Summary : Clinical symptom was the most impotant factor in diagnosis of glomus tumor in the fingers. However, preoperative MRIs were helpful in patients, who had obscure pain or prolonged clinical symptoms with suspicious glomus tumors. Preoperative MRI might be one of the most useful tools for establishing the exact diagnosis and detecting the location of glomus tumors, in spite of the relatively high expenses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.642-647
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• 2014

Although it is not a pathological symptom, Dentinal Hypersensitivity (DH) describes pain felt by patients whose tooth roots are exposed outside of the gums and are therefore sensitive to external stimuli. DH is caused by tooth brushing or gum diseases and treatment to reduce the sensitivity can include use of materials having stimulation activity for DH or a resin material applied periodontally. This study examined the hypersensitivity treatment effects of a four-week treatment with a toothpaste containing hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate (Hap-TCP toothpaste). The Hap-TCP toothpaste was made by mixing a commercially available fluorine-containing toothpaste with 10% (W/W) hydroxyapatite and 19% (W/W) tricalcium phosphate (both 99% purity based on XRD analysis). The tooth hypersensitivity treatment effect was surveyed by scoring VRS values, and showed no significant initial difference compared with the control. However, after 1 week of use, the pain reduction value was 8% in the treatment group compared to the control group. This value increased to 30% and 60% after 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. Hypersensitivity to cold stimulation, which was used as a VAS value, showed no initial significant differences compared with the control, but was significantly decreased after 1, 2, and 4 weeks in the experimental group, with more than a 3-fold difference after 4 weeks. These findings confirmed that remineralization can alleviate DH as hydroxyapatite fills dentinal tubules and calcium, phosphorus, and tricalcium phosphate ion equilibrium is established.

• The Journal of Dong Guk Oriental Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.115-129
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• 2000

The cause that the increase of animality fat intakes, under exercise, fatness, adding the stress, advanced age etc., the occurrence rate of the circulation system disease has been increased. And the thrombosis importantly came to the front as the risk factor of these circulation system's disease. Nowadays, the ischemic disease has especially discussed, for example the angina or myocardial infarction, originated in thrombosis that came from the platelet aggregation. In the western medicine, as the cure and prevention, using the aspirin or ticlopidine for platelet aggregation suppressant. But in the , the curing method must be used properly according to the pectoralgia or heartache's kind, state, grade. The platelet do not attache to the normal hemangioendothelial cell. But when it stimulated by endothelium peronia and so on, it attache to the injury endothelium or rise aggregation between the platelet. On this time, it secrete the platelet aggregation inducer as like ADP, thromboxane A2 from the inside of platelet. So it has first defensive function through the aggregation augment that prevent the celerity consumption of blood. But the activation of abnormal platelet occur the platelet grume and thrombogenesis. So it bring up the occlusive angiosis, so to speak, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, arterial sclerosis. In oriental medicine, the thrombosis in the category of blood stasis and this blood stasis present the generalise or local blood circulation disturbance that generated by all kinds of pathological fact or blood stream retention accompanying with a series of syndrome. As the syndrome, stabbing pain fixed at certain region, squamous and dry skin, fullness and pain of the chest and hypochondrium, firmness and fullness of the lower abdomen, black stool, dark purple tongue or with ecchymoses and petechiae etc.. has been created. And it becomes the pathopoiesis cause that the convulsion and palpitation, severe palpitatiion, tympanites, the symtom complex with a mass or swelling in the abdomen, insanity, stricken by wind etc.. Moreover, it used the drugs for invigorating blood circulation and eliminating blood stasis or drugs for removing blood stasis for all kinds of syndrome through the blood stasis. And the drugs for activating the blood circulation, such as Salviae Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Persicae Semen, Achyranthis Radix, Cnidii Rhizoma, Carthami Flos are used for that. And it is used to the herbs of insects that has strong effect about the disintergrating blood stasis such as Hirudo, Scolopendrae Corpus, Buthus, Lumbricus etc.. On this study, It used Geijibokryunghwan(GBH) and the consisting herbs to investigate the influence of platelet aggregation about drugs that used to improvement various symptoms created by the thrombosis in oriental medicine. GBH formula has as formula recorded in the , action of 'eleminating the evil and not impairment of healthy energy' and 'promoting the flow of QI and cold and heat, so used for the expel blood stasis herbs from the ancient. Therefore we investigated the restraint effect of GBH and the consisting herbs about the platelet agregation induced to the ADP, AA or collagen. The conclusion is following. 1. When it added the aggregation inducer after that it added GBH and individual consisting herbs in the PRP, GBH showed the (+) inhibition effect on the platelet aggregation and it showed the (+) inhibition effect in the individual consisting herbs as like Paeoniae Radix and Moutan Cortex Radicis. 2. It showed the (+), (+,++) inhibition effect on the platelet aggregation in Paeoniae Radix Hoelen, Paeoniae Radix Moutan Cortex Radicis, Hoelen Moutan Cortex Radicis etc. 3. In the aggregation inhibition activating on the difference of density, GBH showed strong inhibition effect to the aggregation state induced to collagen, and it showed the inhibition effect in the individual consisting herbs as like Paeoniae Radix and Moutan Cortex Radicis about the aggregation induced by the collagen. 4. It showed the strong inhibition effect about the aggregation induced by the collagen in Paeoniae Radix Hoelen, Paeoniae Radix Moutan Cortex Radicis, Hoelen Moutan Cortex Radicis etc Like this, as confirm GBH and the individual consisting herb's inhibition effect of platelet aggregation, We considerated that GBH and the individual consisting herbs have practical applicational value of clinical trial in the thrombosis caused by platelet aggregation.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.227-248
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• 1990

The study was conceived in relation to a concern over the growing gap between the needs of chronic patients and the availability of care from the current health care system in Korea. Patients with agonizing chronic pain, discomfort, despair and disability are left with helplessly unprepared families with little help from the acute care oriented health care system after discharge from hospital. There is a great need for the development of an alternative means of quality care that is economically feasible and culturally adaptible to our society. Thus, the study was designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of home heath care as an alternative to bridge the existing gap between the patients' needs and the current practice of health care. The study specifically purports to test the effects of home care on health expenditure, readmission, job retention, compliance to health care regime, general conditions, complications, and self-care knowledge and practices. The study was guided by the operations research method advocated by the Primary Health Care Operations Research Institute(PRICOR) which constitutes 3 stages of research : namely, problem analysis solution development, and solution validation. The first step in the operations research was field preparation to develop the necessary consensus and cooperation. This was done through the formation of a consulting body at the hospital and a steering committee among the researchers. For the stage of problem analysis, the Annual Report of Seoul National University Hospital and the patients records for last 5 years were reviewed and selective patient interviews were conducted to find out the magnitude of chronic health problems and areas of unmect health care needs to finally decide on the kinds of health problems to study. On the basis of problem analysis, the solution development stage was devoted to home care program development asa solution alternative. Assessment tools, teaching guidelines and care protocols were developed and tested for their validity. The final stage was the stage of experimentation and evaluation. Patients with liver diseases, hemiplegic and diabetic conditions were selected as study samples. Discharge evaluation, follow up home care, measurement and evaluation were carried out according to the protocols of care and measurement plan for each patient for the period of 6 months after discharge. The study was carried out for the period from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 1989. The following are the results of the study presented according to the hypotheses set forth for the study ; 1. Total expenditures for the period of study were not reduced for the experimental group, however, since the cost per hospital visit is about 4 times as great as the cost per home visit, the effect of cost saving by home care will become a reality as home care replaces part of the hospital visits. 2. The effect on the rate of readmission and job retention was found to be statistically nonsignificant though the number of readmission was less among the experimental group receiving home care. 3. The effect on compliance to the health care regime was found to be statistically significant at the 5% level for hepatopathic and diabetic patients. 4. Education on diet, rest and excise, and medication through home care had an effect on improved liver function test scores, prevention of complications and self - care knowledge in hepatopathic patients at a statistically significant level. 5. In hemiplegic patient, home care had an effect on increased grasping power at a significant level. However. there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the level of compliane, prevention of complications or in self-care practices. 6. In diabetic patients, there was no difference between the experimental and control groups in scores of laboratory tests, appearance of complications, and self-care knowledge or self -care practices. The above findings indicate that a home care program instituted for such short term as 6 months period could not totally demonstrate its effectiveness at a statistically significant level by quantitative analysis however, what was shown in part in this analysis, and in the continuous consultation sought by those who had been in the experimental group, is that home health care has a great potential in retarding or preventing pathological progress, facilitating rehabilitative and productive life, and improving quality of life by adding comfort, confidence and strength to patients and their families. For the further studies of this kind with chronic patients it is recommended that a sample of newly diagnosed patients be followed up for a longer period of time with more frequent observations to demonstrate a more dear- cut picture of the effectiveness of home care.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2002

Purpose : The diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum is difficult and delayed because it presents with various clinical symptoms. We evaluated clinical, imaging and pathologic findings of Meckel's diverticulum to facilitate detection of Meckel's diverticulum in children. Methods : Review of clinical, imaging, surgical and pathological findings in 10 children aged 7 days to 14 years with Meckel's diverticulum during an 8-year period, 1993-2001, at Ewha Womans University Hospital was undertaken. Results : The male to female ratio was 2.3 : 1. The chief complaint was painless lower gastrointestinal( GI) bleeding; others were abdominal pain, abdominal distention and vomiting, in order of frequency. The diagonsis before surgery were Meckel's diverticulum in 5 patients, non-reducible intussusception in 3 patients and intestinal obstruction in 2 patients. The diverticulum was located between 35 cm to 70 cm proximal to the ileocecal valve. The length of the diverticulum ranged from 4 cm to 12 cm and 80% of it was within 5 cm. A Meckel scan($^{99m}Tc-pertechnetate$ scintigraphy) after cimetidine administration was done in 6 cases. All 5 cases that presented with lower GI bleeding had ectopic gastric mucosa confirmed on pathology. Out of 5 cases of ectopic gastric mucosa, only 4 cases were positive on the Meckel's scan. Conclusion : In cases of unexplained GI bleeding, obstruction, or inflammation diagnostic workup should be carried out to rule out Meckel's diverticulum. Laparoscopy, high resolution ultrasonography and computed tomography of the abdomen may be indicated in the assessment of pediatric patient with lower GI bleeding, especially in patients with suspected bleeding from Meckel's diverticulum showing negative Meckel's scan.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.125-156
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• 2009

Objectives : To research the trend of studies related to rheumatoid arthritis and to indicate the hereafter direction for its study in oriental medicine and its treatment. Methods : I reviewed 75 domestic oriental medical journals, and 50 medical journals about rheumatoid arthritis published after 2004, and comparative analysis was made. And these theses were classified by college, year, field of study, subject. Results : The following are the results of this study. 1. Classified by oriental medical college, Dae-jeon college published the most theses, followed by Dong-guk, Kyung-hee, Se-myung and Dong-shin college. Han-yang college published the most theses among college of medicine. 2. Classified by type of thesis, experimental theses(70 pieces, 94%) showed higher rate than that of clinical theses(4 pieces, 5%) in oriental medical studies. However, in medical studies, clinical theses(34 pieces, 68%) showed higher rate than that of experimental theses(15 pieces, 30%). 3. Analyzed by subject, the most dealt subject in oriental medicine was herb medication, followed by herbal acupuncture, single herb, electroacupuncture, sasang & gene, acupuncture & moxibustion, complex accordingly. The most dealt subject in medical clinical journals was standards of diagnosis & prognosis, followed by medication, gene analysis, pathogenesis, clinical pattern, operative treatment and complication accordingly. 4. In theses related to herb medication, most of the subject was to evaluate anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects of herb medication with geopungseup, jibitong, hwalhyeolgeoer function. The tendency of experimental methods was focusing on understanding anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory mechanisms through molecular biologic methods by analyzing cytokine and gene. 5. Most of theses related to herbal acupuncture were experimental studies verifying ant-inflammatory and immnoregulatory effects through methods observing change of cytokine and immunoregulatory factors. Regarding remedies for herbal acupuncture, Ulmus davidiana Planch was most preferred, followed by bee venom. 6. In theses related to single herb, Boik-yak was most prefered, followed by Geopungseup-yak and Hwalhyeolgeoer-yak. Regarding methods of research, there were tendency of shifting from methods verifying travail, anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic effects through a test of behavior, morphometry, serology and temperature measurement of the rectum and the skin into verifying anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects through observing inflammatory cytokine in the joint and cells of spleen. 7. In theses related to electroacupuncture, ST36 and adjuvant were most preferred as acupoints and induced factor. The tendency of experimental methods was turning from verifying mechanism of travail effect to analyzing inflammation and pain inducing factors. 8. Diverse medical clinical studies were published. Subjects such as diagnosis and prognosis, medication, gene analysis, clinical pattern, operational treatment, complication and pathogenesis were published. Especially, studies about standards of early diagnosis, and research on possible parallel medications with methotrexate were actively inquired. 9. Most of theses related to medical experimental studies was about mediators and receptors related to inflammatory induction and osteoclasia mechanism. Also, it was presented blockage of them can be effective on rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusions : The oriental medicine studies have merit in its diversity of treatment, but it clinical studies is lacking compared to experimental studies. Also, more diversity of subjects is necessary. Therefore, complementary measures are needed. Hereafter, oriental medicine research about rheumatoid arthritis needs more clinical research verifying the effectiveness and safety in clinical field. Also, we require oriental medical standard of diagnosis and researches on pathological generation which would make early checkup and prognosis possible.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.261-268
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• 2012

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of women cancer death in Korea. The key for reducing disease mortality is early detection. Although digital mammography (DM) has been credited as one of the major reasons for the early detection to decrease in breast cancer mortality observed in the last 20 years, DM is far from perfect for several limitations. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is expected to overcome some inherent limitations of conventional mammography caused by overlapping of normal tissue and pathological tissue during the standard 2D projections for the improved lesion margin visibility and early breast cancer detection. In this study, we compared a DM system and DBT system acquired with different thickness of breast phantom. We acquired breast phantom data with same average glandular dose (AGD) from 1 mGy to 4 mGy under same experimental condition. The contrast, micro-calcification measurement accuracy and observer study were conducted with breast phantom images. As a result, the higher accuracy of lesion detection with DBT system compared to DM system was demonstrated in this study. Furthermore, the pain of patients caused by severe compression can be reduced with DBT system. In conclusion, the results indicated that DBT system play an important role in breast cancer detection.