• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.423-429
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a body alignment correction program on asymmetrically developed squash players. Method : 30 experienced squash players who showed asymmetric body development, after evaluation of moire topography contour line shape, were involved in the experiment. All of them were right-handed and had more than five years of experience playing squash. Variables of body composition, moire topography and EMG were statistically compared between pre- and post- application of the 12-week body alignment correction program. The program consisted of 10-minute, left-handed forehand and backhand drive movements and 36 minutes performing 12 different yoga postures. Results : First, the body alignment correction program showed significant effects on the total weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index of the participants. Second, a decrease of right side inclined angles and an increase of left side inclined angles might result in a higher left-right symmetry rate and a better left-right balance; however the data was not statistically significant. Third, the EMG left-right deviation of erector spinae and latissimus decreased and the erector spinae muscle was thought to be more essential for vertebral movement and left-right asymmetry correction. Conclusion : A body alignment correction program, including yoga and opposite side exercises, could reduce left-right asymmetry.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1587-1594
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• 2011

Live weight, body length, hip and shoulder heights, heart girth, and metatarsal length were measured on 100 one to two years old Bali (Bos javanicus) bulls. Multiple regression of these measurements on live weight gave a prediction equation involving heart girth and body length (prediction $R^2$ = 0.845). These measurements were also used to derive several frame scores (FS). Live weight (Lwt) divided by FS was used as an index of body condition. Lwt/(length+hip height) was normally distributed and highly correlated with other normally-distributed condition indexes. This index was used to define five body condition scores. These were used to develop a five-point body condition scoring system in which the amount of fleshing over the vertebral processes, ribs, hindquarters, tail head, hooks, at the top of the neck, and the shoulders, the development of wrinkles in the skin above the hock and the neck, and the size of the dewlap, were used to describe the different body condition scores. Animals of score 1 had prominent hooks, shoulders, vertebrae and ribs, and hollow hindquarters and flat tailhead. Score 5 animals had rounded hindquarters, well-filled upper hind legs, small mounds of soft tissue were apparent on the tailhead, their hooks, necks, shoulders, vertebrae and ribs were well covered, and the dewlap was prominent.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2018

Objective : Spondylitis is often chemotherapy resistant and requires long-term treatment. Without adequate chemotherapy, the outcome can be fatal or result in severe neurologic damage. Therefore, differentiating the etiology of spondylitis is very important, particularly in spontaneous cases. As the prevalence of tuberculosis in Korea has decreased in recent years, updated clinical research about spondylitis is warranted. Methods : From April 2010 to March 2016, data from spondylitis patients were collected retrospectively. In total, 69 patients (51 with pyogenic spondylitis and 18 with tuberculous spondylitis) were included. Clinical data, laboratory findings including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level, measurements of Cobb angles at the initial and final follow-up, and radiologic features on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were evaluated. To test differences between the pyogenic and tuberculous groups, numerical data were compared using the student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, and categorical data were compared using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Results : The patients' mean age was 60.0 years. Male sex was slightly predominant (56.5%). There was no difference in mean age and sex between the two groups. The pyogenic group had a relatively higher proportion of immunocompromised patients. The peak CRP value was higher in the pyogenic group than in the tuberculous group (14.08 mg/dL and 8.50 mg/dL, respectively, p=0.009), whereas the ESR was not significantly different between the groups (81.5 mm/h and 75.6 mm/h, respectively, p=0.442). Radiologically, the presence of disc space sparing and vertebral body collapse differed between the groups. In the tuberculous group, the disc was more commonly preserved on contrast-enhanced MRI (50% and 23.5%, respectively, p=0.044), and vertebral body collapse was more common (66.6% and 15.7%, respectively, p<0.001). The mean length of hospitalization was longer in the pyogenic group (56.5 days and 41.2 days, respectively, p=0.001). Four mortality cases were observed only in the pyogenic group. The most commonly isolated microorganism in the pyogenic group was Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) (methicillin susceptible S. aureus and methicillin resistant S. aureus [MRSA] in 8 and 4 cases, respectively). Conclusion : The clinical and radiological manifestations of spontaneous spondylitis differ based on the causative organism. Pyogenic spondylitis patients tend to have a higher CRP level and a more severe clinical course, whereas tuberculous spondylitis patients present with destruction of the vertebral body with disc sparing more frequently. The presence of MRSA is increasing in community-acquired spondylitis cases.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.45-53
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cross-sectional areas of the paraspinal and psoas muscles with low back pain. Methods : We assessed the cross-sectional area of the psoas and paraspinal muscles at the superior part of L4 level and vertebral body of L4 of 132 patients who were hospitalized with a chief complaint of low back pain at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine from January 2013 to April 2013. After calculating the mean psoas area, we divided the patients into 2 groups by whether the psoas cross section was larger or smaller than the mean, and compared the admission period, verbal numeric rating scale(NRS) of low back pain(LBP), and improvement of verbal NRS of LBP. We also subcategorized the patients into acute and chronic groups according to the duration period, and compared the cross-sectional area of the psoas and paraspinal muscles. Results : Although analyses of the verbal NRS of LBP, and improvement of verbal NRS of LBP between groups with larger and smaller psoas cross section areas showed no significant difference, the admission period was significantly shorter in the group with larger psoas cross section areas. There was no significant difference in analyses of cross section areas in the acute and chronic groups. Of the possible prognostic variables, improvement of verbal NRS of LBP showed no correlation, while the admission period displayed a significant correlation. The cross-sectional area of the psoas and paraspinal muscles divided by the area of the vertebral body of L4 had a significant negative correlation with age. Conclusions : The cross-sectional area of the psoas and paraspinal muscles were correlated with the admission period in LBP patients, and the cross-sectional area of the surrounding muscles divided by the area of the L4 vertebral body was negatively correlated with age.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.4429-4436
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• 2013

Measurements of CNR(Contrast to Noise Ratio) and SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) of T-spine breathing technique (TBT) using spontaneous breathing and T-spine exhalation technique (TET) with full exhalation were carried out, and with which the more appropriate method was suggested. Both TBT and TET were examined in a sample of fifty-three patients who visit to our hospital for spinal disease from June 2012 to November 2012. All images were evaluated with CNR measured from the differences between the mean pixels and contrast density as setting ROI of spinous process, pedicle, vertebral body, intervertebral foramen, and intervertebral disk using Image J. SNR was measured with the mean pixels and the standard deviation as setting ROI of vertebral body using Image J. In CNR comparison and SNR comparison of TET and TBT, TBT was indicated as excellent in ROI of pedicle, vertebral body, intervertebral foramen and intervertebral disk, and statistical analysis were significant(p<.01). As TBT indicated excellent images compared to the existing T-spine lateral radiography, T-spine lateral radiography would be reestablished and significant as applying to various medical institutions.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2023

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of transverse process (TP) hook system at the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) for preventing screw pullout in adult spinal deformity surgery using the pedicle Hounsfield unit (HU) stratification based on K-means clustering. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 74 patients who underwent deformity correction surgery between 2011 and 2020 and were followed up for >12 months. Pre- and post-operative data were used to determine the incidence of screw pullout, UIV TP hook implementation, vertebral body HU, pedicle HU, and patient outcomes. Data was then statistically analyzed for assessment of efficacy and risk prediction using stratified HU at UIV level alongside the effect of the TP hook system. Results : The screw pullout rate was 36.4% (27/74). Perioperative radiographic parameters were not significantly different between the pullout and non-pullout groups. The vertebral body HU and pedicle HU were significantly lower in the pullout group. K-means clustering stratified the vertebral body HU ≥205.3, <137.2, and pedicle HU ≥243.43, <156.03. The pullout rate significantly decreases in patients receiving the hook system when the pedicle HU was from ≥156.03 to < 243.43 (p<0.05), but the difference was not statistically significant in the vertebra HU stratified groups and when pedicle HU was ≥243.43 or <156.03. The postoperative clinical outcomes improved significantly with the implementation of the hook system. Conclusion : The UIV hook provides better clinical outcomes and can be considered a preventative strategy for screw-pullout in the certain pedicle HU range.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.193-200
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• 2002

Simple spring-damper-mass models have been widely used to investigate whole-body vortical biodynamic response characteristics of the seated vehicle driver. Most previous models have not considered the effect of wobbling masses; i.e. heart, lungs, liver, intestine, etc. In this study, 4 -DOF seated driver model including one non-rigid mass representing wobbling visceral mass, 5-DOF model including intestine, and 10-DOF model including five lumbar vertebral masses were proposed. The model parameters were identified by a combinatorial optimization technique. simulated annealing method. The objective function was chosen as the sum of error between model response of seat-to-head transmissibility and driving point mechanical impedance and those of experimental data for subjects seated erect without backrest support. The model response showed a good agreement with the experimental response characteristics. Using a 10-DOF model, calculated resonance frequency of lumbar spine at 4Hz was matched well with experimental results of Panjabi et al.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2015

Objectives: A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is characterized by back pain and fracture of a vertebral body on spinal radiography. VCFs of the thoraco lumbar spine are common in the elderly. In general, appropriate analgesics should be prescribed to reduce pain and, thus, promote early mobilization. The ideal treatment approach for VCFs has not been determined. In Korea, acupuncture and herbal medication have been used to treat VCFs for many years. There is empirical evidence that acupuncture might benefit patients with a VCF. However, no randomized, controlled, clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and the safety of acupuncture for treating a VCF have been published. Therefore, we designed a randomized, controlled, pilot, clinical trial to obtain information for the design of a further full scale trial. Methods: A five week protocol for a randomized, controlled, pilot, clinical trial is presented. Fourteen patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to two groups: a control group receiving interlaminar epidural steroid injections once a week for three weeks, and an experimental group receiving interlaminar epidural steroid injections plus acupuncture treatment (three acupuncture sessions per week for three weeks, nine sessions in total). The primary outcomes will be the pain intensity (visual analogue scale and PainVision$^{TM}$ system). The secondary outcome measurements will be the answers on the short form McGill pain questionnaire and the oswestry disability index. Assessments will be made at baseline and at one, three, and five weeks. The last assessment (week five) will take place two weeks after treatment cessation. This study will provide both an indication of feasibility and a clinical foundation for a future large scale trial. The outcomes will provide additional resources for incorporating acupuncture into existing treatments, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, narcotics and vertebral augmentation. This article describes the protocol.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.657-658
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• 2008

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.243-245
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• 2009

Chordoma is a rare bone tumor derived from remnants of the notochord. The majority of chordomas involve the sacrum or skull base. We report a rare case of a L4 vertebral body chordoma treated with anterior en bloc vertebrectomy and posterior stabilization. No tumor recurrence was observed at the 5 year follow-up examination.