• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.235-240
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• 2008

Purpose: At the beginning of PET/CT, Computed Tomography was mainly used only for Attenuation Correction (AC), but as the performance of the CT have been increase, it could give improved diagnostic information with Contrast Media. But it was controversial that Contrast Media could affect AC on PET/CT scan. Some submitted thesis' show that Contrast Media could overestimate when it is for AC data processing. On the contrary, the opinion that Contrast Media could be possible to affect the alteration of SUV because of the overestimated AC. But it does not have a definite effect on the diagnosis. Thus, the affection of Contrast Media on AC was investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: Patient inclusion criteria required a history of a malignancy and performance of an integrated PET/CT scan and contrast- enhanced CT scan within a 1-day period. Thirty oncologic patients who had PET/CT scan from December 2007 to June 2008 underwent staging evaluation and met these criteria. All patients fasted for at least 6 hr before the IV injection of approximately 5.6 MBq/kg (0.15 mCi/kg) of $^{18}F$-FDG and were scanned about 60 min after injection. All patients had a whole body PET/CT performed without IV contrast media followed by a contrast-enhanced CT on the Discovery STe PET/CT scanner. CT data were used for AC and PET images came out after AC. The ROIs drew and measured SUV. A paired t-test of these results was performed to assess the significance of the difference between the SUV obtained from the two attenuation corrected PET images. Results: The mean and maximum Standardized Uptake Values (SUV) for different regions averaged over all Patients. Comparing before using Contrast Media and after using, Most of ROIs have the increased SUV when it did Contrast Enhanced CT compare to Non-Contrast enhanced CT. All regions have increased SUV and also their p value was under 0.05 except the mean SUV of the Heart region. Conclusion: In this regard, the effect on SUV measurements that occurs when a contrast-enhanced CT is used for attenuation correction could have significant clinical ramifications. But some submitted thesis insisted that the percentage change in SUV that can determine or modify clinical management of oncology patients is small. Because there was not much difference that could be discovered by interpreter. But obviously the numerical change was occurred and on the stage finding primary region, small change would be base line, such as the region of liver which has greater change than the other regions needs more attention.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2014

Objectives : The goal of this study was to examine the association between zinc and lead level and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among Korean children. Methods : A total of 89 clinic-referred children participated in the study (ADHD group=45, control group=44). The participants were 5-15 years old, and were mainly from urban areas of Seoul, Korea. ADHD was diagnosed using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version. We excluded children with a comorbid psychiatric disorder, medical illness requiring medication, or a prior history of taking ADHD medication. In order to evaluate the severity of ADHD symptoms, parents' Korean ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS) was used. The ADHD diagnostic system (ADS) was used for evaluation of the severity of inattention and impulsivity. All participants completed the intelligence test and hair mineral analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the effect of hair zinc and lead levels on the K-ARS and ADS. We measured the predictive ability of the zinc and lead levels using logistic regression analysis. Results : The lead level explained the score for omission errors, commission errors, and response time SD in visual ADS in the ADHD group (adjusted $R^2$=.243, p<.01, adjusted $R^2$=.362, p<.01, and adjusted $R^2$=.275, p<.01), the score for omission errors of auditory ADS in ADHD group (adjusted $R^2$=.407, p<.01) and the entire group (adjusted $R^2$=.292, p<.01). Zinc was significantly explanatory for the K-ARS scores for the entire group (adjusted $R^2$=.248, p<.001) and the ADHD group (adjusted $R^2$=.247, p<.05). Conclusion : These findings suggest a possible role of zinc and lead in ADHD. Lead concentration in hair samples affected the ADS scores, and this was more prominent in children with ADHD. Children with ADHD had a lower zinc concentration in their hair, and the zinc concentration in hair showed negative correlation with the K-ARS score.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1340-1344
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• 2001

This is a rare case of cerebral metastasis from malignant fibrous histiocytoma(MFH) of the soft tissue. A 62-year-old man underwent craniotomy for resection of multiple intracerebral masses under the impression of metastatic brain tumor with unknown primary site. Preoperative investigation failed to detect any extracranial lesion. At six months after the operation and whole brain radiotherapy, right shoulder mass was detected to grow and excised. Specimen from the brain and shoulder lesions revealed identical pathological findings of malignant fibrous histiocytoma except existence of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)-positive cells only in brain lesions. Palliative radiotherapy was performed for subsequently developing metastatic lesions in skeletal system. At twelve months after initial diagnosis recurrent lesion at right shoulder was detected and chemotherapy is given. This case is unique because metastatic brain lesion from MFH is rare and also cerebral metastasis as an initial manifestaion of MFH has not been reported before. Another important finding is that there was expression of GFAP only in brain lesions but not in extracranial primary site lesion. Although the presence of GFAP-positive cells is thought as one of characteristic histological findings of primary intracrainal MFH, our observation supports the hypothesis that GFAP-positive cells in primary intracranial MFH may be nonneoplastic astrocytes secondarily involved by MFH.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.175-181
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• 2002

Background: S100A6 is a calcium-binding protein overexpressed in several tumor cell lines including melanoma with high metastatic activity and involved in various cellular processes such as cell division and differentiation. To detect S100A6 protein in patient' samples (ex, blood or tissue), it is essential to produce a monoclonal antibody specific to the protein. Methods: First, cDNA coding for ORF region of human S100A6 gene was amplified and cloned into the expression vector for GST fusion protein. We have produced recombinant S100A6 protein and subsequently, monoclonal antibodies to the protein. The specificity of anti-S100A6 monoclonal antibody was confirmed using recombinant S100A recombinant proteins of other S100A family (GST-S100A1, GST-S100A2 and GST-S100A4) and the cell lysates of several human cell lines. Also, to identify the specific recognition site of the monoclonal antibody, we have performed the immunoblot analysis with serially deleted S100A6 recombinant proteins. Results: GST-S100A6 recombinant protein was induced and purified. And then S100A6 protein excluding GST protein was obtained and monoclonal antibody to the protein was produced. Monoclonal antibody (K02C12-1; patent number, 330311) has no cross-reaction to several other S100 family proteins. It appears that anti-S100A6 monoclonal antibody reacts with the region containing the amino acid sequence from 46 to 61 of S100A6 protein. Conclusion: These data suggest that anti-S100A6 monoclonal antibody produced can be very useful in development of diagnostic system for S100A6 protein.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.27-38
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• 2006

Objectives : The aim of the present study was to evaluate Yandorak for the wide inflection and establishment of a diagnostic system. Methods : We analyzed the measurement value of Yandorak on fifty one patients with idiopathic facial paralysis and eighty four healthy persons from April 1, 2005 to March 1, 2006 by using Yangdorak(YDRAK-94N, Sord Medicom Co., Korea). Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 11.0 for Windows, Mann-Whitney test for the comparisons followed side(Right and Left), sex, palsy localization in Idiopathic facial paralysis and normal group and one-way ANOVA(Kruskal Wallis) for the comparisons followed age. p < .05 was considered significant statistically. Results The difference of the electric current value of all meridian except Bladder(BL) of normal group on both side extremity was not significant statistically, Electric current value of all meridian except Gall-Bladder(GB) was more higher in idiopathic facial paralysis group than in normal group. The measurement value of Yandorak followed sex and palsy localization were not significant statistically. Conclusion : It is suggested that the measurement value of six Hand Yang & Eum channel, Liver Meridian of Foot Gworeum(厥陰) and Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangmyeong(陽明) is more higher in idiopathic facial paralysis group than in normal group.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.265-282
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• 2004

Objective : The aim of this study was to review systemically clinical trials on the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Methods : Computerized literature searches were carried out on seven electronic databases, and hand-searching on some chinese medical journals in library of Kyung Hee Medical Center. Trial data were extracted in a standardized, predefined manner and assessed independently. Results : 1. Thirty reports of clinical trials and two reports of meta-analyses concerning herbal medicine were collected and reviewed. Among these reports three medical herbs were applied as topical medicine and others as internal medicine. 2. The western studies established NSAIDs or placebo as their control group. Five chinese reports established formulated herb pill(Ruanshnagshenjin pill) as their control group and Six did not establish a control group at all. 3. ACR was the most highly used diagnostic criteria in the western studies while the Chinese used their official criteria established by their government or the criteria of their text books. 4. 20 reports chose the Lequesne functional index, SHAQ, WOMAC OA index, AIMS, and their own unique scoring system as the criteria of analysing the effect. Others chose clinical symptoms, articular functions, and lab finding as their criteria. 5. 7 single herbs and 19 formulated herbs were studied. Among the formulated herbs, Achyranthes japonica was studied in 10 of the studies and Angelica gigantis Radix in 8, making them the most often studied herbs among the studies.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.273-280
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• 2008

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) remains a major worldwide public health problem. In recent years, the incidence of MTB has been rising. Rapid and reliable diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential to initiate correct treatment, avoid severe complications, and prevent transmission. LAMP was used to develop a rapid and sensitive laboratory diagnostic system for the MTB. In this research, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification method (LAMP) that amplifies DNA with high specificity and rapidity at an isothermal condition was evaluated for rapid detection of MTB. Undiluted DNA (2.10 × 106 copy/mL), 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-5 and 10-6 (copy/mL) of MTB DNA were amplified by PCR and LAMP to determine the sensitivity of the assay. At results, the LAMP assay reported here has the advantages of rapid amplification, high sensitivity, and high specificity and will be useful for rapid and reliable clinical diagnosis of MTB in hospital clinical laboratory.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2539-2543
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• 2016

Background: In the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) system, only sorafenib is suggested for HCC patients having performance status (PS) 1 or 2 even if they have treatable lesions. In the current study, we aimed to explore the outcome of using aggressive treatment for HCC patients with PS 1 and 2. Materials and Methods: Five hundred and twenty four patients with HCC were enrolled in this study and divided into 2 groups: 404 PS 1 and 120 PS 2. Of the included 524 patients, 136 recceived non-aggressive supportive treatment and sorafenib, while 388 patients were offered aggressive treatment in the form of surgical resection, transplantation, percutaneous ablation, trans-arterial chemoembolization and/or chemoperfusion. All the patients were followed up for a period of 2 years to determine their survival. Results: Most HCC patients were CHILD A and B grades (89.4% versus 85.0%, for PS1 and PS2, respectively). Patients with PS1 were significantly younger. Out of the enrolled 524 patients, 388 were offered aggressive treatment, 253 (65.2%) having their lesions fully ablated, 94 (24.2%) undergoing partial ablation and 41 patients with no ablation (10.6%). The median survival of the patients with PS 1 who were offered aggressive treatment was 20 months versus 9 months only for those who were offered supportive treatment and sorafenib (p<0.001). Regarding HCC patients with PS 2, the median survivals were similarly 19.7 months versus 8.7 months only (p<0.001). Conclusions: Aggressive treatment of HCC patients with PS 1 and 2 significantly improves their survival. Revising the BCLC guidelines regarding such patients is recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.345-352
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• 2016

As aircrafts are being operated at high altitude, wing structures experience various fatigue loadings under cryogenic environments. As a result, fatigue damage such as a crack could be develop that could eventually lead to a catastrophic failure. For this reason, fatigue damage monitoring is an important process to ensure efficient maintenance and safety of structures. To implement damage detection in real-world flight environments, a special cooling chamber was built. Inside the chamber, the temperature was maintained at the cryogenic temperature, and harmonic fatigue loading was given to a wing structure. In this study, piezoelectric active-sensing based guided waves were used to detect the fatigue damage. In particular, a beamforming technique was applied to efficiently measure the scattering wave caused by the fatigue damage. The system was used for detection, growth monitoring, and localization of a fatigue crack. In addition, a sensor diagnostic process was also applied to ensure the proper operation of piezoelectric sensors. Several experiments were implemented and the results of the experiments demonstrated that this process could efficiently detect damage in such an extreme environment.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.171-176
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• 2009

Purpose : To investigate the effect of coating material in RF coil, which is one of main parts in MRI machine, on the Q-factor and SNR(signal-to-noise ratio) in MR images. Materials and Methods : RF coils with inner diameter of 1.7 mm were made by using copper wires coated with polyester, polyurethane, polyimide, polyamideimide, and polyester-imide, and by using copper wires in which coating materials had been removed. Q-factors of the RF coils were measured by network analyzer, and SNR values in the spin-echo MR images obtained by 600 MHz (14.1 T, Bruker DMX600) micro-imaging system for the coated and uncoated cases. Results : The measured SNRs were almost same for the RF coils with coat-removed copper wires, however SNRs and Q-factors were different for the coated cases depending on the coating material. They were maximized in the polyurethane-coated case in which the SNR was > 30% greater than polyester-coated case. Conclusion : We made solenoid-type RF coils which were easily used for MR micro-imaging in Bruker MRI probe. There was a significant coating-material dependence in the measured Q values and SNRs for the home-made RF coils. The study demonstrated that the choice of coating material of RF coil may be a critical factor in the MRI sensitivity based on SNR value.