• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1138-1149
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a transmissible respiratory disease that was initially reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. With the alarming levels of COVID-19 spread worldwide, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Over the past several months, chest CT has played a vital role in early identification, disease severity assessment, and dynamic disease course monitoring of COVID-19. The published data has enriched our knowledge on the etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and pathologic findings of COVID-19. Additionally, as the imaging spectrum of the disease continues to be defined, extrapulmonary infections or other complications will require further attention. This review aims to provide an updated framework and essential knowledge with which radiologists can better understand COVID-19.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.518-539
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• 2024

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has emerged as a pivotal tool for diagnosing and risk-stratifying patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent advancements in image analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have enabled the comprehensive quantitative analysis of coronary atherosclerosis. Fully quantitative assessments of coronary stenosis and lumen attenuation have improved the accuracy of assessing stenosis severity and predicting hemodynamically significant lesions. In addition to stenosis evaluation, quantitative plaque analysis plays a crucial role in predicting and monitoring CAD progression. Studies have demonstrated that the quantitative assessment of plaque subtypes based on CT attenuation provides a nuanced understanding of plaque characteristics and their association with cardiovascular events. Quantitative analysis of serial CCTA scans offers a unique perspective on the impact of medical therapies on plaque modification. However, challenges such as time-intensive analyses and variability in software platforms still need to be addressed for broader clinical implementation. The paradigm of CCTA has shifted towards comprehensive quantitative plaque analysis facilitated by technological advancements. As these methods continue to evolve, their integration into routine clinical practice has the potential to enhance risk assessment and guide individualized patient management. This article reviews the evolving landscape of quantitative plaque analysis in CCTA and explores its applications and limitations.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.375-380
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• 2012

We previously reported that Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ showed high fibrinolytic activity and revealed antithrombotic effect in rat blood plasma based on its ability to suppress collagen-induced platelet aggregation. This research was carried out to verify the clot lysing activity and blood flow enhancing effects of Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ via monitoring and comparing the antithrombotic effects in rat artery between oral administration of Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ and maltodextrin. SD rats were fed with 1.11 mg/kg of Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ for 4 weeks. The effect on arterial thrombosis was then evaluated using an antithrombotic model after induction by $FeCl_3$. Detected fibrinolytic activity was proportional to the content of Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ and statistical extents of the antithrombotic activity was enhanced strongly twice rather than control group. The PT and the aPTT, however, showed only a small difference between two groups. The results suggest that Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ can effectively treat thromboembolism and enhance blood flow, and that Ultra nattokinase$^{(R)}$ can also prevent venous occlusion by aiding clot lysis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.392-399
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• 2019

Background: The surgical strategies for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) vary in terms of the anesthesia method, neurological monitoring, shunt usage, and closure technique, and no gold-standard procedure has been established yet. We aimed to analyze the feasibility and benefits of CEA under regional anesthesia (RA) and CEA under general anesthesia (GA). Methods: Between June 2012 and December 2017, 65 patients who had undergone CEA were enrolled, and their medical records were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed. A total of 35 patients underwent CEA under RA with cervical plexus block, whereas 30 patients underwent CEA under GA. In the RA group, a carotid shunt was selectively used for patients who exhibited negative results on the awake test. In contrast, such a shunt was used for all patients in the GA group. Results: There were no cases of postoperative stroke, cardiovascular events, or mortality. Nerve injuries were noted in 4 patients (3 in the RA group and 1 in the GA group), but they fully recovered prior to discharge. Operative time and clamp time were shorter in the RA group than in the GA group (119.29±27.71 min vs. 161.43±20.79 min, p<0.001; 30.57±6.80 min vs. 51.77±13.38 min, p<0.001, respectively). The hospital stay was shorter in the RA group than in the GA group (14.6±5.05 days vs. 18.97±8.92 days, p=0.022). None of the patients experienced a stroke or restenosis during the 27.23±20.3-month follow-up period. Conclusion: RA with a reliable awake test reduces shunt use and decreases the clamp and operative times of CEA, eventually resulting in a reduced length of hospital stay.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.85-87
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• 2010

Recently, the prevalence of bladder cancer is increasing in the Korean society. As the risk factors of bladder carcinoma are variable, the early-stage diagnosis is regarded the best preventive practice. Hematuria is a specific sign of the malignancy as well as a kind of various medication-related adverse reactions. Some anti-coagulation therapy can cause bleedings including hematuria to the patients with cardiovascular diseases such as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Therefore, to the clinical pharmacists working in the anti-coagulation services (ACS), a closer monitoring of patients can give an opportunity to find certain ailments unexpectedly. In this case, a patient with PAF had episodes of sporadic hematuria in the course of warfarin therapy even though with its low levels of INR. An ACS pharmacist found a discrepancy between the bleeding symptoms and INR values, and recommended properly the patient to refer urologist. Fortunately, an early-stage of bladder carcinoma was found then followed by an excision performed to the lesion. Therefore, alert-minded and precise monitoring done by ACS pharmacist could optimize the therapeutic outcomes as well as increase the quality of life of the patient.

• Journal of Multimedia Information System
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

Heart Rate is a crucial physiological parameter that provides basic information about the state of the human body in the cardiovascular system, as well as in medical diagnostics and fitness assessments. At present day, it has been demonstrated that facial video-based photoplethysmographic signal captured using a low-cost RGB camera is possible to retrieve remote heart rate. Traditional heart rate measurement is mostly obtained by direct contact with the human body, therefore, it can result inconvenient for long-term measurement due to the discomfort that it causes to the subject. In this paper, we propose a non-contact-based remote heart rate measuring approach of the subject which depends on the color intensity variation of the subject's facial skin. The proposed method is applied in two regions of the subject's face, forehead and cheeks. For this, three different algorithms are used to measure the heart rate. i.e., Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The average accuracy for the three algorithms utilizing the proposed method was 89.25% in both regions. It is also noteworthy that the FastICA algorithm showed a higher average accuracy of more than 92% in both regions. The proposed method obtained 1.94% higher average accuracy than the traditional method based on average color value.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1251-1256
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• 2022

Auscultation of heart sounds using a stethoscope is the basic method to diagnose the cardiovascular disease and observation of abnormalities. However, the heart sound transmitted to the ear through the stethoscope is greatly affected by internal sounds such as organ movement or breathing. In addition, the user's experience significantly influences the accuracy of the auscultation result. Therefore, in this paper, we developed a wearable device that simultaneously measures heart sound and PPG signals for cardiac condition monitoring. The structure of the proposed device is designed to simultaneously measure heart sound and PPG signals when worn on a finger and placed on the chest. A prototype was implemented according to the design structure, and it was confirmed that the performance of measurements and collection for physiological signals was excellent through experiments.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.185-192
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• 2012

Globally, U-health services have been increased according to the increase in interests on health managing and the development of information communication technology (ICT) based on increases in advanced ages and chronic disease. Exiting U-health services provide required services and health information monitoring only through counsels and that represent limitations in preventing and managing cardiovascular disease patients like chronic patients. In this paper, we propose of U-health platform based health management service model using context information. In our service model can provide health monitoring, diet, and exercise service using context information of clinical information and wether in U-health platform environment. Service to offer is the specialized service using external content provider of DB. in addition to, doctor can to provide advice information to patient using monitoring service. The proposed service model provides effective services using context information in U-health platform environments to customers and that will improve the health of chronic patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.9
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• pp.403-409
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• 2014

Purpose: Although high morning blood pressure (BP) is known to be associated with the onset of cardiovascular events in adults, data on its effects in children with hypertension are limited. Our retrospective study aimed to define the clinical characteristics of children with morning hypertension (MH) and to determine its associated factors. Methods: We reviewed 31 consecutive patients with hypertension, confirmed by the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We divided these patients into 2 groups: the MH group (n=21, 67.7%), morning BP above the 95th percentile for age and height (2 hours on average after waking up) and the normal morning BP group (n=10, 32.3%). We compared the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and echocardiographic findings including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) between the groups. Results: The early/atrial (E/A) mitral flow velocity ratio in the MH group was significantly lower than that in the normal morning BP group. In addition, LV mass was higher in the MH group than in the normal morning BP group, although the difference was not statistically significant. The age at the time of hypertension diagnosis was significantly higher in the MH group than in the normal morning BP group (P =0.003). The incidence of hyperuricemia was significantly higher in the MH group than in the normal morning BP group. Conclusion: Older patients and those with hyperuricemia are at higher risk for MH. The rise in BP in the morning is an important factor influencing the development of abnormal relaxation, as assessed by echocardiography. Clinical trials with longer follow-up periods and larger sample sizes are needed to clarify the clinical significance of MH.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.87-94
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• 2014

Recent technological advances have increased interest in personal health monitoring. Electrocardiogram(ECG) monitoring is a basic healthcare activity and can provide decisive information regarding cardiovascular system status. In this study, we developed a capacitive ECG measurement system that can be included within a cloth mattress pad. The device permits ECG data to be obtained during sleep by using capacitive electrodes. However, it is difficult to detect R-wave peaks automatically because signals obtained from the system can include a high level of noise from various sources. Because R-peak detection is important in ECG applications, we developed an algorithm that can reduce noise and improve detection accuracy under noisy conditions. Algorithm reliability was evaluated by determining its sensitivity(Se), positive predictivity(+P), and error rate(Er) by using data from the MIT-BIH Polysomnographic Database and from our capacitive ECG system. The results showed that Se = 99.75%, +P = 99.77%, and Er = 0.47% for MIT-BIH Polysomnographic Database while Se = 96.47%, +P = 99.32%, and Er = 4.34% for our capacitive ECG system. Based on those results, we conclude that our R-peak detection method is capable of providing useful ECG information, even under noisy signal conditions.