• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2003

After the development of two major techniques - SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) to image the human subjects in a three-dimensional direction in the 1980s, many radiotracers have been used for functional neuroimaging. Still it would be very important study to develop selective radiotracers for functional neuroimaging. New radiotracers will help to expand the knowledge of neurotransmitter systems and of the genetic contribution to receptor or transporter availability. Neurotransmitter depletion-restoration studies, the distribution of brain functions and their modulation by neurotransmitter system aid in better understanding and limiting the side effects of drugs used as well as newly developed. In audition, these radiotracers will be thus very useful to gain a better understanding in biochemical and pharmacological interactions in living human. This review mentions the introduction of radioligands for the functional neuroimaging. Although significant progress has been achieved in the development of new PET and SPECT ligands for in vivo imaging of those receptors and transporters, there are continuous needs of new diagnostic radioligands.

• The Transactions of the Korea Information Processing Society
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• v.5 no.12
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• pp.3275-3284
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• 1998

In this paper, we deseribe a Medical Image Information System. Our system stores and manages 5 dimensional medical image data and provides the 3 dimensional medical data via the Internet. The Internet standard VR format. VRML(Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is used to represent the 3I) medical image data. The 3D images are reconstructed from medical image data which are enerated by medical imaging systems such ans CT(Computerized Tomography). MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging). PET(Positron Emission Tomograph), SPECT(Single Photon Emission Compated Tomography). We implemented the medical image information system shich rses a surface-based rendering method for the econstruction of 3D images from 2D medical image data. In order to reduce the size of image files to be transfered via the Internet. The system can reduce more than 50% for the triangles which represent the surfaces of the generated 3D medical images. When we compress the 3D image file, the size of the file can be redued more than 80%. The users can promptly retrieve 3D medical image data through the Internet and view the 3D medical images without a graphical acceleration card, because the images are represented in VRML. The image data are generated by various types of medical imaging systems such as CT, MRI, PET, and SPECT. Our system can display those different types of medical images in the 2D and the 3D formats. The patient information and the diagnostic information are also provided by the system. The system can be used to implement the "Tele medicaine" systems.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2005

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is the measurement of the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain, usually conducted externally, using extremely sensitive devices such as Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID). MEG needs complex and expensive measurement settings. Because the magnetic signals emitted by the brain are on the order of a few femtoteslas (1 fT = 10-15T), shielding from external magnetic signals, including the Earth's magnetic field, is necessary. An appropriate magnetically shielded room is very expensive, and constitutes the bulk of the expense of an MEG system. MEG is a relatively new technique that promises good spatial resolution and extremely high temporal resolution, thus complementing other brain activity measurement techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). MEG combines functional information from magnetic field recordings with structural information from MRI. The clinical uses of MEG are in detecting and localizing epileptic form spiking activity in patients with epilepsy, and in localizing eloquent cortex for surgical planning in patients with brain tumors. Magnetoencephalography may be used alone or together with electroencephalography, for the measurement of spontaneous or evoked activity, and for research or clinical purposes.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.245-249
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• 2012

Demand of fluid flow visualization has increased in industrial processes, because medical imaging technology is highly developed. As a part of the industrial process imaging technology, industrial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system was developed to measure the cross-sectional distribution of the process fluid. The SPECT consists of 36 NaI (Tl) detectors with the hexagonal configuration. Reconstructed images were acquired for various positions of radioactive source to estimate SPECT device performance. To evaluate the reliability of the experimental results, the Monte Carlo simulation results are compared with experimental results. In general, the experimental and simulation results were consistent. However, as the source position was getting far from the center of the reactor, the accuracy of reconstructed images was compromised. It seems to be due to the inconsistent spatial resolution of the collimators according to the source position.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2014

Industrial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is an useful technique to investigate the dynamic behavior of process flow. In the present study, to evaluate the influence of a void on the performance of industrial SPECT, industrial SPECT with various radioisotope sources and gas holdups was modeled by the Monte Carlo simulation. The results are very encouraging; that is, the void little influences the performance of industrial SPECT, which means that industrial SPECT could be a suitable tool to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the flow in a water-air phase process.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.162-170
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• 2013

Dedicated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems based on pixelated semiconductors are being developed for studying small animal models of human disease. To clarify the possibility of using a SPECT system with CdTe for a high resolution low-dose small animal imaging, we compared the quality of reconstructed images from pixelated CdTe detector to those from a small SPECT system with NaI(Tl). The CdTe detector was $44.8{\times}44.8$ mm and the pixels were $0.35{\times}0.35{\times}5$ mm. The intrinsic resolution of the detector was 0.35 mm, which is equal to the pixel size. GATE simulations were performed to assess the image quality of both SPECT systems. The spatial resolutions and sensitivities for both systems were evaluated using a 10 MBq $^{99m}Tc$ point source. The quantitative comparison with different injected dose was performed using a voxelized MOBY phantom, and the absorbed doses for each organ were evaluated. The spatial resolution of the SPECT with NaI(Tl) was about 1.54 mm FWHM, while that of the SPECT with a CdTe detector was about 1.32 mm FWHM at 30 mm. The sensitivity of NaI(Tl) based SPECT was 83 cps/MBq, while that of the CdTe detector based SPECT was 116 cps/MBq at 30 mm. The image statistics were evaluated by calculating the CNR of the image from both systems. When the injected activity for the striatum in the mouse brain was 160 Bq/voxel, the CNR of CdTe based SPECT was 2.30 while that of NaI(Tl) based SPECT was 1.85. The CNR of SPECT with CdTe was overall higher than that of the NaI(Tl) based SPECT. In addition, the absorbed dose was higher from SPECT with CdTe than those from NaI(Tl) based SPECT to acquire the same quantitative values. Our simulation results indicated that the SPECT with CdTe detector showed overall high performance compared to the SPECT with NaI(Tl). Even though the validation study is needed, the SPECT system with CdTe detector appeared to be feasible for high resolution low-dose small animal imaging.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2013

Objectives : Dysregulation of the central noradrenergic system may be involved in the pathophysiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to examine the differences in pre- and post-treatment cerebral perfusion according to the MspI polymorphisms of the alpha-2A-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRA2A) in children with ADHD. Methods : Thirty seven drug-naive ADHD children (8.9+1.8 years old, M=32, F=5) were genotyped. Baseline single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and clinical assessments were performed for ADHD children. After treatment with methylphenidate for eight weeks, SPECT and clinical assessment were repeated. Results : No differences in baseline clinical assessments or cerebral perfusion were observed according to the MspI genotype. However, after treatment, ADHD children with the G/G genotype at the MspI polymorphism showed hyperperfusion in the right cerebellar declive (p=.001, uncorrected) and hypoperfusion in the left lentiform nucleus and left cingulate gyrus (p<.001 and p=.001, uncorrected), compared to children without the G/G genotype. Conclusion : Although the results of this study should be interpreted cautiously, they suggest a possible role of the MspI polymorphisms of the ADRA2A gene in methylphenidate-induced changes in cerebral perfusion.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to verify renal inflammation following Kawasaki disease (KD) using single photon emission computed tomography along with Technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy (DMSA renal SPECT). Methods: From March 2011 to October 2011, 15 patients diagnosed with KD at the National Health Insurance System Ilsan Hospital were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent DMSA renal SPECT to evaluate renal involvement during the acute phase of KD. Urine ${\beta}2$-microglobulin (${\beta}2$-MG), a marker of renal proximal tubular dysfunction, was also measured to assess renal damage. Results: All 15 patients had normal renal function test results. However, microscopic hematuria and pyuria were observed in 13% and 33% of the patients, respectively. Moreover, urine ${\beta}2$-MG was elevated in 46% of the patients. In addition, patients were divided into two groups based on ${\beta}2$-MG level: those with an increased ${\beta}2$-MG level, and those with a normal ${\beta}2$-MG level. No significant differences were found between these two groups in clinical characteristics, laboratory, sonography, and echocardiography findings. All patients' DMSA renal SPECT scans were normal. Conclusion: Our study showed that mild abnormalities in the urinalysis and elevated urine ${\beta}2$-MG were the only findings of renal involvement in KD. However, no aggressive renal manifestations were detected on DMSA renal SPECT.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.98-111
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• 2008

This review introduces advances in clinical and pre-clinical single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) providing noninvasive functional images of biological processes. Development of new collimation techniques such as multi-pinhole and slit-slat collimators permits the improvement of system spatial resolution and sensitivity of SPECT. Application specific SPECT systems using smaller and compact solid-state detector have been customized for myocardial perfusion imaging with higher performance. Combined SPECT/CT providing improved diagnostic and functional capabilities has been introduced. Advances in PET and CT instrumentation have been incorporated in the PET/CT design that provide the metabolic information from PET superimposed on the anatomic information from CT. Improvements in the sensitivity of PET have achieved by the fully 3D acquisition with no septa and the extension of axial field-of-view. With the development of faster scintillation crystals and electronics, time-of-flight (TOF) PET is now commercially available allowing the increase in the signal-to-noise ratio by incorporation of TOF information into the PET reconstruction process. Hybrid PET/SPECT/CT systems has become commercially available for molecular imaging in small animal models. The pre-clinical systems have improved spatial resolution using depth-of-interaction measurement and new collimators. The recent works on solid state detector and dual modality nuclear medicine instrumentations incorporating MRI and optical imagers will also be discussed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.188-200
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• 2001

Background and Objetive : Acupuncture is a valuable method of oriental medicine with broad application in many disease. It is based on the experiences of traditional oriental medicine as well as on experimentally proven biological (biochemical and neurophysiological) effects. Acupuncture theory has been explained by the meridian system that is thought to be linked with particular organs. However, in western medicine it is held that many disorders are either controlled or affected by the brain. Material and Method : In order to review the studies concerned with the mechanism related brain, we have referred to the Pubmed site and the Journal of Korean acupuncture and moxibustion Result and Conculsion : Among the 12 studies in the Journal of Korean acupuncture and moxibustion, 8 papers related neurotransmitters were done by experimental study, 4 papers related brain mapping were done by clinical study. Among the 8 studies related brain mapping in the Pubmed site, 6 clinical studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) were done and I clinical study using single-photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) was done, I paper was review article. By the above result, it would be needed further research on the acupuncture mechanism related brain using SPECT, fMRI, positron emission tomography(PET) etc.