• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.140-151
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• 2020

Purpose: To evaluate reliability of Q-ray view (Aiobio Inc,. Seoul, Korea) for assessing retention status of pit and fissure sealants. Methods: Pit and fissure sealants of 58 permanent molars from 15 third-grade students were examined. Posterior teeth with ≥1 pit and fissure sealants applied to the occlusal surface for >6 months were examined. The teeth were examined using traditional visual-tactile assessments and combined Q-ray view. Pit and fissure sealants were evaluated by assessing marginal plaque, marginal discoloration, marginal integrity, retention, and presence of caries. Fleiss kappa and Cohen's kappa values were calculated to compare inter- and intrarater agreements between visual-tactile and combined Q-ray view assessments. Results: Regarding interrater agreement in visual-tactile assessments, K values of Cohen's kappa for marginal plaque, marginal discoloration, and presence of caries were 0.22-0.57, 0.36-0.57, and 0.43-0.61, respectively, and agreements ranged from slight to moderate. When combined with Q-ray view, the values were 0.81-0.89, 0.69-0.88, and 0.80-0.90, respectively, and agreements ranged from substantial to nearly perfect level, indicating statistical significance. Marginal plaque (0.81-0.83), marginal discoloration (0.57-0.89), and presence of caries (0.69-0.91) showed higher agreements in combined Q-ray view than in visual-tactile assessments, and kappa values of marginal plaques were significantly higher in combined Q-ray view than in visual-tactile assessments. Conclusion: Evaluating retention status of pit and fissure sealants using Q-ray view showed higher reliability than using visual/tactile assessments for marginal plaque, marginal discoloration, and presence of caries. Therefore, Q-ray view may be used to assess the retention status of pit and fissure sealants.

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2016

Objectives: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the presence of carotid artery plaque are widely used as preclinical markers of atherosclerosis. Due to operator dependency in measuring CIMT, it is important to evaluate the reliability of measuring CIMT and plaque between centers in a multicenter study. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of CIMT and plaque presence among three clinical centers of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center (CMERC). Methods: Twenty people without known cardiovascular disease (age 37-64) were enrolled during 2014-2015, and their left and right carotid arteries were examined repeatedly with ultrasonography for CIMT measurements at three clinical centers according to a predetermined protocol. Maximum and mean values of CIMT at distal common carotid artery were recorded. Plaque presence at a carotid artery was checked by an operator. The reliability of CIMT and carotid plaque presence was assessed using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and kappa statistics, respectively. Results: Calculated ICC was 0.647 (95% CI: 0.487-0.779) for maximum CIMT, and 0.758 (95% CI: 0.632- 0.854) for mean CIMT. In Bland Altman plot, most observed values were distributed within mean difference ${\pm}1.96$ SD ranges. Kappa statistics of plaque presence between two centers were 0.304 (center 1 and 2), 0.507 (center 1 and 3), and 0.606 (center 2 and 3), respectively, while Fleiss kappa for overall agreement was 0.445. Conclusions: The inter-rater reliability of CIMT measurements among three clinical centers turned out to be high, and the agreement of measuring carotid plaque presence was fair.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.19-43
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• 1997

The barrier membranes for GTR procedure could be affected bY bacterial contamination after exposure to oral environment. This study was done to evaluate whether the tetracycline impregnated barrier membranes could inhibit bacterial attachment and penetration into membranes. The resorbable membrane(polylactic and polyglycolide copolymer, $Resolute^{(R)}$, W.L Gore and Associates, Inc..USA) and the non-resorbable membrane(e-PTFE; Gore-TexTM, W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.,USA) were cut into 4mm discs and trated with 5% tridodecylmethylammonium chloride solution in ethanol and dried in air. The membranes were immersed in tetracycline(TC) solution (100mg/ml, pH 8.0) and dried. To the maxillary canine-premolar region in six periodontally healthy volunteers, removable acrylic devices were inserted, on which 8 cylindrical chambers were glued with TC impregnated and non-impregnated discs, the membrane discs were examined for bacterial attachment and penetration, and structural changes under SEM and LM. From the 1st day to the 7th day, membranes showed bacterial plaque formation composed of cocci and rods. Thereafter, filamentous bacteria appeared and the plaque thickness increased. The TC impregnated e-PTFE membranes showed less bacterial attachment and delayed in bacterial plaque maturation than non-treated membranes. As for bacterial penetration, the TC impregnated e-PTFE membranes showed superficial invasion and infrequent presence of bacteria in unexposed inner surface at the 4th week. while the non-treated e-PTFE membranes showed deep bacterial invasion at the 2nd week and frequent presence of internal bacteria at the 4th week. The resorbable membranes started to be resorbed at the 2nd week and were perforated at the 4th week, regardless of TC treatment. In conclusion, bacterial plaque formation and penetration was efficiently delayed in TC impregnated e-PTFE membranes, whereas resorbable membranes were similar in bacterial invasion due to membrane degradation and perforation, regardless of TC treatment.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.338-348
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• 2023

Objective: Patients with a history of ischemic stroke are at risk for a second ischemic stroke. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between carotid plaque enhancement on perfluorobutane microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and future recurrent stroke, and to determine whether plaque enhancement can contribute to risk assessment for recurrent stroke compared with the Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS). Materials and Methods: This prospective study screened 151 patients with recent ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerotic plaques at our hospital between August 2020 and December 2020. A total of 149 eligible patients underwent carotid CEUS, and 130 patients who were followed up for 15-27 months or until stroke recurrence were analyzed. Plaque enhancement on CEUS was investigated as a possible risk factor for stroke recurrence and as a possible adjunct to ESRS. Results: During follow-up, 25 patients (19.2%) experienced recurrent stroke. Patients with plaque enhancement on CEUS had an increased risk of stroke recurrence events (22/73, 30.1%) compared to those without plaque enhancement (3/57, 5.3%), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 38.264 (95% confidence interval [CI]:14.975-97.767; P < 0.001) according to a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model analysis, indicating that the presence of carotid plaque enhancement was a significant independent predictor of recurrent stroke. When plaque enhancement was added to the ESRS, the HR for stroke recurrence in the high-risk group compared to that in the low-risk group (2.188; 95% CI, 0.025-3.388) was greater than that of the ESRS alone (1.706; 95% CI, 0.810-9.014). A net of 32.0% of the recurrence group was reclassified upward appropriately by the addition of plaque enhancement to the ESRS. Conclusion: Carotid plaque enhancement was a significant and independent predictor of stroke recurrence in patients with ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the addition of plaque enhancement improved the risk stratification capability of the ESRS.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.55-59
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• 2013

TM7 is an uncultivated organism which is present in extremely diverse environments. Members of the Dialister genus are difficult to culture as a result of which many of these strains remain uncultivated. It has been suggested that TM7 and Dialister bacteria may belong to a group of suspected periodontal pathogens. In our current study, the presence of the sebacteria in Korean dental plaque samples was assessed using PCR detection methods with specific primers for 16S ribosomal RNA genes. The experimental group included 84 volunteers (35 males and 49 females). Plaque samples were collected from 4 non-adjacent proximal sites of the molar areas of the mandible in each subject and pooled. TM7 was detectable in 56% and the Dialister genus in 27.5% of the volunteers. Both TM7 and Dialister were present in 20.3% of volunteers. We found that 36.9% of the volunteers were negative for both bacteria. Further studies to evaluate the prevalence of these putative pathogenic bacteria in the Korean population are warranted.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2016

In this study, we performed the carotid artery ultrasound targeting 140 subjects who have conducted to evaluate the changes in intima-media thickness(IMT) and plaque correlated with the presence or absence of a hematological test of the carotid artery. Considering that the IMT thickness more than 1mm is abnormal based on the carotid artery ultrasound to assess the presence or absence of plaque, and examined the correlation by classifying the blood lipid value and the fasting blood glucose level through the serum test. Consequently, the fasting blood glucose level is being analyzed as independent predictors of causing dental plaque(p=0.033), cut off value was determined as 126 mg/dL(sensitivity 56.25%, specificity 68.38%) in ROC curve analysis. Furthermore, the odds ratio appeared 1.01 times the value in the Logistic regression. Therefore, it seemed that the necessity to prospective studies in a number of subjects are considered, and also taking into account a number of blood test values along with the sonography of the carotid artery as a valuable part for effective primary prevention and follow-up observation of the cardiac and brain vascular disease is highly recommended.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.221-226
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• 1990

To detect prophages and bacterioeins, twenty strains of Bacillus circulans were treated with mitomycin C. The resulted lysates were subjected to electron microscopy, and also examined for killing and plaque-forming activities. Fifteen strains showed killing activity on two or more strains of Bacillue circulans. Killing agents were centrifuged in linear 5 to 20% sucrose gradient, and studied with electron microscopy which revealed the presence of particles.They looked morphologically like phage tail of 190 nm long with fiber (FA9, FA5) or without fiber (FA1, FA6), T even phage-like particle with a head of 50 nm in diameter and a tail of 140 nm long (FA7), or T7 phage-like particle with a head of 70 nm in diameter and a tail of 20 nm long (FA17). The killing agent of FA17 showed phage-forming activity on several strains different from killing sensitive strains of Bacillus circulans.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1979.10a
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• pp.248.1-248
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• 1979

Sixteen temperature-sensitive mutants of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus were isolated. Several interesting phenotypes were observed. A large proportion of the mutants were un-able to form polyhedral occlusion bodies at the nonpermissive temperature (32.5C). At 32.5C, one mutant formed plaques in which the cells lacked polyhedra. Another mutant type was defective in the production of progeny extracellular nonoccluded virus and produced a plaque consisting of only a single cell containing polyhedra at 32.5C. One mutant was defective in plaque formation, progeny nonocluded virus formation, and polyhedra formation at 32.5C. Several mutants produced nonocluded virus but failed to produce plaques or polyhedra at 32.5C. Other phenotypes were also distinguished. Complementation analyses, performed by either measuring the increase in extracellular non-ocludedvirus formation or by oberving polyhedra formation in mixed infections at 32.5C, indicated the presence of 15 complementation groups. A high frequency of recombination was observed. Four of the mutants were found to be host dependent in their temperature sensitivity for polyhedra formation.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2016

Dental caries, the most common oral disease, is a multifactorial disease caused by interactions among bacteria within the dental plaque, food, and saliva, resulting in tooth destruction. Streptococcus mutans has been strongly implicated as the causative organism in dental caries and is frequently isolated from human dental plaque. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a technique that involves the activation of photosensitizer by light in the presence of tissue oxygen, resulting in the production of reactive radicals capable of inducing cell death. Postantibiotic effect (PAE) is defined as the duration of suppressed bacterial growth following brief exposure to an antibiotic. In this study, the in vitro PAE of PDT using erythrosine and light emitting diode on S. mutans ATCC 25175 was investigated. The PAE of PDT for 1 s irradiation and 3 s irradiation were 1.65 h and 2.1 h, respectively. The present study thus confirmed PAE of PDT using erythrosine on S. mutans.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.178-187
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• 2020

Objective : The extensive vasa vasorum network functions as a conduit for the entry of inflammatory cells or factors that promote the progression of angiogenesis and plaque formation. Therefore, we investigated the correlation between the carotid vasa vasorum activities and carotid plaque vulnerability using indocyanine green video angiography (ICG-VA) during carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Methods : Sixty-nine patients who underwent CEA were enrolled prospectively from September 2015 to December 2017. During CEA, a bolus of ICG was injected intravenously before and after resecting the atheroma. Additionally, we performed immunohistochemistry using CD68 (a surface marker of macrophages), CD117 (a surface marker of mast cells), and CD4 and CD8 (surface markers of T-cells) antibodies to analyze the resected plaque specimens. Results : The density of active vasa vasorum was observed in all patients using ICG-VA. The vasa vasorum externa (VVE) and interna (VVI) were seen in 11 (16%) and 57 patients (82.6%), respectively. Macroscopically, the VVE-type patterns were strongly associated with preoperative angiographic instability (81.8%, p=0.005) and carotid plaque vulnerability (90.9%, p=0.017). In contrast, the VVI-type patterns were weakly associated with angiographic instability (31.6%) and plaque vulnerability (49.1%). CD68-stained macrophages and CD117-stained mast cells were observed more frequently in unstable plaques than in stable plaques (p<0.0001, p=0.002, respectively). Conclusion : The early appearance of VVE, along with the presence of many microvessel channels that provided nutrients to the developing and expanding atheroma during ICG-VA, was strongly associated with unstable carotid plaques. The degree of infiltration of macrophages and mast cells is possibly related to the formation of unstable plaques.