• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 2008

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to compare the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) from gated cardiac blood pool scan (GCBP) for analysis auto-drawing region of interest mode (AROI) and manual-drawing region of interest mode (MROI), respectively. To evaluation the relationships between values produced by both ROI modes. Materials and Methods: Gated cardiac blood pool scan using in vivo method Tc-99m Red Blood Cell were performed for 33 patients (mean age: $53.2{\pm}13.2\;y$) with objective of chemotherapy using single head gamma camera (ADAC Laboratories, Milpitas, CA). Left ventricular ejection fraction was automatically and manually measured, respectively. Results: There was significant difference statistically between AROI and MROI ($LVEF^{AROI}$: $71.4{\pm}12.4%$ vs. $LVEF^{MROI}$: $65.8{\pm}5.9%$, p=0.003). Intra-observer agreements in AROI was higher than MROI ($\gamma^{AROI}=0.964$, Cronbach's $\alpha^{AROI}=0.986$ vs. $\gamma^{MROI}=0.793$, Cronbach's $\alpha^{MROI}=0.911$), either. Additionally, there was no significant difference statistically at best septal view (${\Delta}LVEF^{BSV}=0.7{\pm}2.3%$, p=0.233), however statistically significant difference was found at badly separated septal view (${\Delta}LVEF=10.9{\pm}11.4%$, p=0.001). Moreover, Intra-observer agreements in best septal view was higher than badly separated septal view ($\gamma^{BSV}=0.939$, Cronbach's $\alpha^{BSV}=0.978$; $\gamma=0.948$, Cronbach's $\alpha=0.981$ at AROI, $\gamma^{BSV}=0.836$, Cronbach's $\alpha^{BSV}=0.936$; $\gamma=0.748$, Cronbach's $\alpha=0.888$ at MROI). Conclusion: When best septal view was acquired, LVEF by AROI and MROI indicated not different. Comparing Intra-observer agreements with AROI and MROI, the AROI tended to show higher. Therefore, it is considered that the AROI than MROI is valuable in reproducibility and objective when ROI analysis by acquire left ventricular of best septal view.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.138-155
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• 2000

Background: Factors related to waiting and staying time for patient care in emergency care center (ECC) were examined during 1 month from Apr. 1 to Apr. 30, 1997 at an ECC of Yeungnam university hospital in Taegu metropolitan city, to obtain the baseline data on the strategy of effective management of emergency patients. Method: The study subjects consisted of the 1,742 patients who visited at ECC and the data were obtained from the medical records of ECC and direct surveys. Results: The mean interval between ECC admission time and initial care time by each ECC duty residents was 83.1 minutes for male patients and 84.9 minutes for female patients, and mean ECC staying time (time interval between admission and final disposition from ECC) was 718.0 minutes in men and 670.5 minutes in women. As the results, the mean staying time in ECC was higher in older age, and especially the both of initial care time and staying time were highest in patients of medical aid, and shortest in patients of worker's accident compensation insurance. The on admission or not, previously endotracheal-intubation state of patient. The ECC staying ti initial care time was much more delayed in patients of not having previous medical records and the ECC staying time was higher in referred patients from out-patient department, in transferred patients from the other hospitals and patients having previous records, and in patients partly used the order-communicating system. The factors associated with the initial care time were the numbers of ECC patients and the existence of any true emergent patients, being cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) statusme was much more longer in patients of drug intoxication, in CPR patients, in medical department patients, in transfused patients and in patients related to 3 or more departments. And according to the numbers of duty internships, the ECC staying time for four internships was more longer than for five internships and after admission ordering was done, also-more longer in status being of no available beds. As above mentioned results, the factors for the ECC staying time were thought to be statistically significant (P<0.01) according to the patient's age and the laboratory orders and the X-ray films checked. And also the factor for the ECC staying time were thought to be statistically significant (P<0.01) according to the status being of no available beds, the laboratory orders and/or the special laboratory orders, the X-ray films checked, final disposing department, transferred to other hospital or not, home medication or not, admission or not, the grades of beds, the year grades of residents, the causes of ECC visit, the being CPR status on admission or not, the surgical operation or not, being known personells in our hospital. Conclution: Authors concluded that the relieving method of long-staying time in ECC was being establishing the legally proved apparatus which could differentiate the true emergency or non-emergency patients, and that the methods of shortening ECC staying time were doing definitely necessary laboratory orders and managing beds more flexibly to admit for ECC patients and finally this methods were thought to be a method of unloading for ECC personnels and improving the quality of care in emergency patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.204-214
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• 1999

Background: Resting pulmonary function tests(PFTs) are routinely used in the evaluation of pulmonary impairment/disability. But the significance of the cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPX) in the evaluation of pulmonary impairment is controvertible. Many experts believe that dyspnea, though a necessary part of the assessment, is not a reliable predictor of impairment. Nevertheless, oxygen requirements of an organism at rest are different from at activity or exercising, and a clear relationship between resting PFTs and exercise tolerance has not been established in patients with chronic pulmonary disease. As well, the relationship between resting PFTs and dyspnea is complex. To investigate the relationship of dyspnea, resting PFTs, and CPX, we evaluated the patients of stabilized chronic pulmonary disease with clinical dyspnea rating(baseline dyspnea index, BDI), resting PFTs, and CPX. Method: The 50 patients were divided into two groups: non-severe and severe group on basis of results of resting PFTs(by criteria of ATS), CPX(by criteria of ATS or Ortega), and dyspnea rating(by focal score of BDI). Groups were compared with respect to pulmonary function, indices of CPX, and dyspnea rating. Results: 1. According to the criteria of pulmonary impairment with resting PFTs, $VO_2$max, and focal score of BDI were significantly low in the severe group(p<0.01). According to the criteria of $VO_2$max(ml/kg/min) and $VO_2$max(%), the parameters of resting PFTs, except $FEV_1$ were not significantly different between non-severe and severe(p>0.05). According to focal score($FEV_1$(%), FVC(%), MW(%), $FEV_1/FVC$, and $VO_2$max were significantly lower in the severe group(p<0.01). However, in the more severe dyspneic group(focal score<5), only $VO_2$max(ml/kg/min) and $VO_2$max(%) were low(p<0.01). $FEV_1$(%) was correlated with $VO_2$max(%)(r=0.52;p<0.01), but not predictive of exercise performance. The focal score had the correlation with max WR(%) (r=0.55;p<0.01). Sensitivity and specificity analysis were utilized to compare the different criteria used to evaluate the severity of pulmonary impairment, revealed that the classification would be different according to the criteria used. And focal score for dyspnea showed similar sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion : According to these result, resting PFTs were not superior to rating of dyspnea in prediction of exercise performance in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases and less correlative with focal score for dyspnea than $VO_2$max and max WR. Therefore, if not contraindicated, CPX would be considered to evaluate the severity of pulmonary impairment in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, including with severe resting PFTs. Current criteria used to evaluate the severity of impairment were insufficient in considering the degree of dyspnea, so new criteria, including the severity of dyspnea, may be necessary.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.283-295
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• 1999

Background: Patients with acute non-traumatic chest pain are among the most challenging patients for care by emergency physicians, so the correct diagnosis and triage of patients with chest pain in the emergency department(ED) becomes important. To avoid discharging patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI) without medical care, most emergency physicians attempt to admit almost all patients with acute chest pain and order many laboratory tests for the patients. But in practice, many patients with non-cardiac pain can be discharged with simple tests and treatment. These patients occupy expensive intensive care beds, substantially increasing financial cost and time of stay at ED for the diagnosis and treatment of myocardial ischemia and AMI. Despite vigorous efforts to identify patients with ischemic heart disease, approximately 2% to 5% of patients presented to the ED with AMI and chest pain are inadvertently discharged. If the cause for the chest pain is known, rapid and accurate diagnosis can be implemented, preventing wastes in time and money and inadvertent discharge. Methods and Results: The medical records of 488 patients from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1997 were reviewed. There were 320(angina pectoris 140, AMI 128) cases of cardiac diseases, and 168(atypical chest pain 56, pneumothorax 47) cases of non-cardiac diseases. The number of associated symptoms were $1.1{\pm}0.9$ in non-cardiac diseases, $1.4{\pm}1.1$ in cardiac diseases and $1.7{\pm}1.1$ in AMI(p<0.05). In laboratory finding the sensitivity of electrocardiography(EKG) was 96.1%, while the sensitivity of myoglobin test ranked 45.1%. Admission rate was 71.6% in for cardiac diseases and 50.6% for non-cardiac diseases(p<0.01). Mortality rate was 8.8% in all cases, 13.8% in cardiac diseases, 0.6% in non-cardiac diseases, and 28.1% especially in AMI. Conclusion: In conclusion, all emergency physicians should have thorough knowledge of the clinical characteristics of the diseases which cause non-traumatic chest pain, because a patient with any of these life-threatening diseases would require immediate treatment. Detailed history on the patient should be taken and physical examination performed. Then, the most simple diagnostic approach should be used to make an early diagnosis and to provide treatment.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.223-229
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• 2005

Purpose: In this work we designed and made MPBP(Multi Purpose Brachytherapy Phantom). The MPBP enables one to reproduce the same patient set-up in MPBP as the treatment of the patient and we tried to get an exact analysis of rectal doses in the phantom without need of in-vivo dosimetry. Materials and Methods: Dose measurements were tried at a point of rectum 1, the reference point of rectum, with a diode detector for 4 patients treated with tandem and ovoid for a brachytherapy of a cervix cancer. Total 20 times of rectal dose measurements were made with 5 times a patient. The set-up variation of the diode detector was analyzed. The same patient set-ups were reproduced in self-made MPBP and then rectal doses were measured with TLD. Results: The measurement results of the diode detector showed that the set-up variation of the diode detector was the maximum $11.25{\pm}0.95mm$ in the y-direction for Patient 1 and the maximum $9.90{\pm}4.50mm,\;20.85{\pm}4.50mm,\;and\;19.15{\pm}3.33mm$ in the z-direction for Patient 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Un analyzing the degree of variation in 3 directions the more variation was showed in the z-direction than x- and y-direction except Patient 1. The results of TLD measurements in MPBP showed the relative maximum error of 8.6% and 7.7% at a point of rectum 1 for Patient 1 and 4, respectively and 1.7% and 1.2% for Patient 2 and 3, respectively. The doses measured at R1 and R2 were higher than those calculated except R point of Patient 2. this can be thought to related to the algorithm of dose calculation, whcih corrects for air and water but is guessed not to consider the correction for the scattered rays, but by considering the self-error (${\pm}5%$) TLD has the relative error of values measured and calculated was analyzed to be in a good agreement within 15%. Conclusion: The reproducibility of dose measurements under the same condition as the treatment could be achieved owing to the self-made MPMP and the dose at the point of interest could be analyzed accurately. If a treatment is peformed after achieving dose optimization using the data obtained in the phantom, dose will be able to be minimized to important organs.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was designed to understand the doctor's attitude toward hospice and palliative care for terminal cancer patients. Methods: Specialists who work at general hospital were surveyed with questionnaires about hospice and palliative care for terminal cancer patients. The questionnaires comprise 17 items. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: Eighty one doctors responded. Their median age was 35 years old. Thirty six doctors (44.4%) were from internal medicine. The median of specialist's experience was 4 years. Forty three respondents (53.2%) have rarely examined and treated cancer patients even a week. Thirty seven respondents (45.6%) knew the exact definition of hospice and palliative care. Eighty respondents (98.8%) felt that hospice and palliative care is necessary, and 91.2% of them responded the necessity of palliative medicine specialist. As to the question 'Do you positively referred terminal cancer patient to hospice and palliative care?', 55 respondents (67.9%) responded 'Yes' and 22 (27.2%) 'No'. Among the 'Yes' respondents 17 (30.9%) had an experience of hesitation for referring patients to hospice and palliative care; the most common reason was the disagreement of family members (6, 35.3%). As for the reasons of responding 'No', 6 doctors (27.2%) did so because of their 'feeling of abandoning the patients' and the other f for the 'lack of information on the referral procedure for hospice and palliative care'. Thirty seven specialists (45.7%) thought it is most desirable for the patients to have hospice and palliative care for 3 months before death. Fifty eight specialists (71.6%) responded that hospice and palliative care help controlling the patient's psychological symptoms before all. Conclusion: While most doctors recognize the need of hospice and palliative care for patients with terminal ranter, their attitude toward hospice and palliative care was rather reserved. We suggest that continuing education, information and promotion for hospice and palliative care should be provided for doctors.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.32-44
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• 2002

Gu-Chang is a disorder characterized by recurring ulcers confined to the oral mucosa. Despite much clinical and research attention, the causes remain poorly understood. In this paper, we will compare Gu-Chang with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis(RAS) in order to know what is the similiarity between Gu-Chang and RAS. So we will arrange various oriental and western medical literatures which are important. As a result of arrangement of the causes, symptoms and therapys of Gu-Chang, we can conclude through the studies as follows. 1. The etiologies of Gu-chang are following. In the Sthenia syndrome, there are evil heat of external factor, heat of heart and spleen, insomnia, heat of upper warmer, stress and diet, heat of lung and heart, excessive heat of upper warmer, inappropriate food intake, heat conveyance of organ, heat of stomach merdian, moistured heat of spleen and stomach and stasis of liver energy. In the Asthenia syndrome, there are deficiency of stomach energy, deficiency of upper warmer leading to heat, deficiency of middle warmer leading to cold, deficiency of lower warmer leading to heat, deficiency of middle energy, deficiency of blood, decreased fire and deficiency of soil, yin fire of lower warmer, deficiency of heart yin, deficiency of spleen yin and deficiency of qi and blood. 2. In western medicine the causes of RAS is presumed as local, microbial, systemic, nutritional, genetic, immunologic factors. 3. Once Gu-chang is compared with RAS, in the deficiency of yin leading to hyperactivity of fire, deficiency of yin leading to floating of fire and stasis of liver energy, recurring of Gu-chang is similar to RAS. Although recurring of Gu-chang due to tripple warmer of excessive fire has no recurrance, since there are the degree of Pain, site of lesion, dysphagia etc, it is similar to major RAS. It is may be believed that Sthenia Gu-chang is similar to major RAS, shape of recurring, site of lesion, degrree of Pain and white color of Asthenia Gu-chang are similar to minor RAS, but there is no similarity concerning herpes RAS in the literatures that describe the symptoms. 4. Generally, the treatment of Gu-chang is divided into Asthenia and Sthenia Syndrome. The method of cure to Sthenia syndrome is heat cleaning and purge fire, Asthenia syndrome is nourish yin to lower and adverse rising energy and strength the middle warmer and benefit vital energy. 5. Following is the medication for Sthenia syndrome. Heat of heart and spleen is Do Jok San, Yang Gyek San, Juk Yup Suk Go Tang, evil heat of external factor is Yang Gyek San Ga Gam, Stasis of liver energy is Chong Wi Fae Dok Yum, moistured heat of spleen and stomach is Chong Gi Sam Syep Tang. The medication for Asthenia Syndrome is following. Deficiency of upper warmer leading to heat is Bo Jung Ik Gi Tang, deficiency of middle warmer leading to cold is Bu Ja Lee Jung Tang, deficiency of lower warmer leading to heat is Yuk Mi Ji Hwang Tang, deficiency of yin leading to hyperactivity of fire is Ji Baek Ji Hwang Hwan, deficiency of yin leading to floating of fire is Lee Jung Tang Ga Bu Ja Medicine for external use were Yang Suk San, Boo Wyen San, Rok Po San, Yoo Hwa San ate. 6. In western medicine, there is no specific treatment for RAS, and management strategies depend on dinical presentation and symptoms and includes antibiotics, oral rinses, glucocorticoids, immunomodulatory drugs, vitamines, analgesics, laser and antiviral agents.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.818-826
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• 2013

To evaluate the practical use of okara koji in soy sauce fermented with soybean koji, the okara koji was fortified with different contents (0, 50, and 100%) in soybean koji and then fermented for 90 days. The saltiness of the soy sauce was about 17.15~17.22%. The higher okara koji content showed lower net soluble solid contents of 8.73, 6.12, and 2.50%, as well as lower acidity levels of 1.09, 0.98, and 0.47%. The buffering capacity of the soy sauce decreased to 1.26-3.41 by adding higher okara koji. The protease activity was higher in the soy sauce with 50% orara koji and decreased with longer fermentation. Also, the tyrosine content peaked to 275.2 mg% after 90 days. ${\alpha}$-amylase showed higher activity in the soy sauces fortified with okara koji, which resulted in the highest total sugar and reducing sugar contents after 60 days. The total sugar and the reducing sugar in the soy source decreased after longer fermentation. The total free amino acid contents of the soy sources fortified with okara koji (0, 50, and 100%) were 41.68 mg/mL, 33.10 mg/mL, and 9.27 mg/mL, respectively. In particular, the glutamic acid contents of the three types of soy sauces were highest, and most amino acids, except for glutamine, increased during the fermentation for 90 days. The sensory evaluation, except of the saltiness and color, showed similar values in the soy sauces, except in the okara koji 100%. Thus, okara koji could be a valuable ingredient of traditional soy sauces. However, the 50% okara koji did not differ significantly from the others.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of our new video-assisted asthma education program on patients' knowledge regarding asthma and asthma control. Methods: Adult asthmatics who were diagnosed by primary care physicians and followed for at least 1 year were educated via smart devices and pamphlets. The education sessions were carried out three times at 2-week intervals. Each education period lasted at most 5 minutes. The effectiveness was then evaluated using questionnaires and an asthma control test (ACT). Results: The study enrolled 144 patients (mean age, $56.7{\pm}16.7years$). Half of the patients had not been taught how to use their inhalers. After participating in the education program, the participants' understanding of asthma improved significantly across all six items of a questionnaire assessing their general knowledge of asthma. The proportion of patients who made errors while manipulating their inhalers was reduced to less than 10%. The ACT score increased from $16.6{\pm}4.6$ to $20.0{\pm}3.9$ (p<0.001). The number of asthmatics whose ACT score was at least 20 increased from 45 (33.3%) to 93 (65.3%) (p<0.001). The magnitude of improvement in the ACT score did not differ between patients who received an education session at least three times within 1 year and those who had not. The majority of patients agreed to the need for an education program (95.8%) and showed a willingness to pay an additional cost for the education (81.9%). Conclusion: This study indicated that our newly developed education program would become an effective component of asthma management in primary care clinics.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.436-445
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• 2015

Amomi Fructus with anti-oxidative activity was chosen and essential oil was obtained by SDE (simultaneous distillation extraction), and 39 constituents were determined by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Major components were camphor, borneol acetate, borneol, D-limonene and camphene. Three solvent extracts such as hexanes, diethyl ether and methylene chloride from Amomi Fructus were obtained. These were analyzed by GC-MS and 4 more constituents were identified in addition to 39 components discovered in essential oil. Five major components such as camphor, borneol acetate, borneol, D-limonene and camphene were also detected, however the relative peak percents of those components were different from those of constituents in essential oil. To estimate the kind and the amount of materials evaporated at certain temperature and conditions from essential oil and solvent extracts, dynamic headspace apparatus was used and materials evaporated and trapped at certain conditions were analyzed by GC-MS. Recovery yield of SDE method from Amomi Fructus was measured by using camphor and standard calibration solution of camphor methanol solution and, the yield was 82.0%. Content of Hg was measured by mercury analyzer and contents of Cd, Pb, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn in Amomi Fructus, essential oils and solvent extracts were determined by ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer). Pb, Cd and Hg were measured in the concentration of 0.72 mg/kg, <0.10 mg/kg and 0.0023 mg/kg, respectively and these were below permission level of purity test. Contents of Mn, Cu and Zn in Amomi Fructus were 213 mg/kg, 8.29 mg/kg and 31.0 mg/kg, respectively and which were relatively higher than other metals such as Cr, Co and Ni. Metals such as Mn (0.65 ~ 9.08 mg/kg), Cu (1.16 ~ 4.40 mg/kg) and Zn (1.10 ~ 3.80 mg/kg) in essential oil and solvent extracts were detected. At this point it is not clear that the metals were cross-contaminated in the course of treating Amomi Fructus or metals were contained in Amomi Fructus. The influence evaluation toward biological model study of these metals in essential oil and solvent extracts will be needed.