• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.166-170
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• 2019

Objectives: Attentional and memory functions are important aspects of neural plasticity that, theoretically, should be amenable to pharmacopuncture treatments. A previous study from our laboratory suggested that quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) measurements of theta/beta ratio (TBR), an index of attentional control, may be indicative of academic performance in a first-semester medical school course. The present study expands our prior report by extracting and analyzing data on frontal theta and beta asymmetries. We test the hypothesis that the amount of frontal theta and beta asymmetries (fTA, fBA), are correlated with TBR and academic performance, thereby providing novel targets for pharmacopuncture treatments to improve cognitive performance. Methods: Ten healthy male volunteers were subjected to 5-10 min of qEEG measurements under eyes-closed conditions. The qEEG measurements were performed 3 days before each of first two block examinations in anatomy-physiology, separated by five weeks. Amplitudes of the theta and beta waveforms, expressed in ${\mu}V$, were used to compute TBR, fTA and fBA. Significance of changes in theta and beta EEG wave amplitude was assessed by ANOVA with post-hoc t-testing. Correlations between TBR, fTA, fBA and the raw examination scores were evaluated by Pearson's product-moment coefficients and linear regression analysis. Results: fTA and fBA were found to be negatively correlated with TBR (P<0.03, P<0.05, respectively) and were positively correlated with the second examination score (P<0.03, P=0.1, respectively). Conclusion: Smaller fTA and fBA were associated with lower academic performance in the second of two first-semester medical school anatomy-physiology block examination. Future studies should determine whether these qEEG metrics are useful for monitoring changes associated with the brain's cognitive adaptations to academic challenges, for predicting academic performance and for targeting phamacopuncture treatments to improve cognitive performance.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.70-79
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• 2020

Objective: We evaluated the efficacy of a newly-developed spinal orthoses (V-LSO) by comparing the stabilizing effect, abdominal pressure, and comfort of 3 different semirigid LSOs (classic LSO, V-LSO, and Cybertech^®) during various body movements. Method: Thirty healthy volunteers (23~47 years, 24 males, 6 females) were selected. A dual inclinometer measured the range of motion (ROM) while the participants performed flexion/extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine with 3 LSOs. The LSO's pressure on the abdominal surface was measured using 9 pressure sensors while lying, sitting, standing, flexion/extension, lateral flexion, axial rotation, and lifting a box. Comfort and subjective immobilization were analyzed by a questionnaire. Results: V-LSO had a statistically significant effect on flexion over Cybertech^®. No significant differences were noted during extension and lateral flexion between the 3 LSOs. The abdominal pressure showed no significant differences while supine. While sitting, standing, and lifting a box, the mean abdominal pressure for V-LSO were significantly higher than those for Cybertech^®. During lumbar flexion, the mean abdominal pressures for classic LSO and V-LSO were significantly higher than that of Cybertech^®. For extension, lateral flexion and axial rotation, the abdominal pressure for V-LSO was significantly higher than those of classic LSO and Cybertech^®. In the subjective analysis, V-LSO and Cybertech^® scored best for comfort. Conclusion: The V-LSO and Cybertech^® were more comfortable than the classic LSO, and hence, may have improved compliance with decreased discomfort. V-LSO may be superior to the other LSOs in restricting lumbar movement and increasing intraabdominal pressure.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2023

Background: Bulgarian split squat (BSS) is beneficial to improve dynamic balance ability and muscle activity of lower extremities, however its effects have not been fully investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to compare changes in dynamic balance ability and muscle properties according to various modifications of BSS exercises. Methods: Thirty healthy male volunteers participated in this study, and they were randomly divided into three different groups. The subjects performed the BSS exercise either on a stable surface with the eyes opened (n=10) or eyes closed (n=10), and on an unstable support plane with eyes opened (n=10) conditions, respectively. Dynamic balance ability was measured via Biodex balance system under the eyes-opened and closed conditions. Additionally, muscle properties of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis (VL) were evaluated. Results: Dynamic balance ability did not show the significant differences among the groups that performed the BSS exercises. However, in the Unstable group, there were significant differences in the overall stability index and anterior posterior stability index under the eyes-closed condition between pre-exercise and post-exercise. In comparison of muscle properties according to the groups, RF muscle showed a significant difference in amount of change of elasticity (p=.038). Additionally, there were significant changes in post measurements of VM muscle tone (p=.016), stiffness (p=.012) and elasticity (p=.002). VL muscle, however had no significant differences in muscle properties. Conclusion: These results indicate that BSS exercises could induce the alteration of RF and VM muscle properties, in particular VM muscle which is susceptible to weakness. Thus, BSS could be applied in various ways as an effective rehabilitation exercise.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2009

The bioequivalence of two pioglitazone tablets, Actos$^{(R)}$ tablet (Takeda Chemical Industries, reference drug) and Pioglitazone tablet (Boryung Company, test drug) was evaluated according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration. Twenty-eight healthy male Korean volunteers received each medicine (pioglitazone dose of 30 mg) in a $2{\times}2$ crossover study with one week washout interval. After drug administration, blood samples were collected at specific time intervals from 0-36 hours. The plasma concentrations of pioglitazone were determined by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The total chromatographic run time was 5 min and calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 5-2000 ng/mL for pioglitazone. The method was validated for selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, accuracy and precision. The pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from the plasma concentration-time profiles of both formulations. The primary calculated pharmacokinetic parameters were compared statistically to evaluate bioequivalence between the two preparations. The 90% confidence intervals of the $AUC_t$ ratio and the $C_{max}$ ratio for Pioglitazone tablet and Actos$^{(R)}$ tablet were log0.9422~log1.1040 and log0.9200~log1.1556, respectively. Based on the statistical considerations, we can conclude that the test drug, Pioglitazone tablet was bioequivalent to the reference drug, Actos$^{(R)}$ tablet.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 2007

A simple and rapid HPLC method with fluorescence detection(FLD) for quantitation of penciclovir in human plasma using a monolithic column was developed and validated. Penciclovir and ganciclovir(internal standard, I.S.) were separated on a Chromolith column RP-18e ($4.6{\times}100mm$) with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of (A) methanol/50 mM sodium phosphate buffer containing 200 mg/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (3/97, pH 2.5) and (B) methanol/50 mM sodium phosphate buffer containing 200 mg/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (50/50, pH 2.5) at a flow gradient of $1.6{\sim}4.0mL/min$. The retention times of penciclovir and internal standard were less than 4.0 min. Calibration curve was linear ($R^2=0.9994$) over a concentration range of $0.1{\sim}5{\mu}g/mL$. Intra-day precision, accuracy and inter-day precision were 1.36~8.55 %, 92.8~100.0 % and 0.93~5.62 %, respectively with a limit of quantitation at $0.1{\mu}g/mL$. The present HPLC-FLD method is sensitive, precise and accurate. The method described herein has been successfully used for the bioequivalence study of a famciclovir formulation product after oral administration to healthy Korean volunteers.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.435-446
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of strength exercise program(60 minutes/day, 3 times/week) on health-related fitness and the factor of metabolic syndrome in the older at senior care facilities during 12 weeks. Twenty-seven volunteers were recruited for the study and divided into two groups: 15 persons(82.6yrs) undertook a continuous 12 weeks strength exercise program(EG), and 12 persons(78.9yrs) served as a control group(CG). The data process of this study calculated as mean(M) and standard Deviation(SD) of all measured value, used repeated measure ANOVA, and paired t-test. The significant level of hypothesis verification is set-up as α=.05. After 12 weeks in EG, health-related fitness increased by an average of 15.2% for right grip strength(p<.05), 26.9% for left grip strength(p<.05), 32.7% for chair stand(p<.05), 92.5% for one leg stand(p<.05), 29.6% for sit and reach(p<.05), and 34.5% for TUG(p<.05); CG showed no difference between pre and post. In the factor of metabolic syndrome, Systolic BP(3.1mmHg) and fasting blood glucose(7.4mg/dl) decreased in the EG group(p<.05). In summary, the strength exercise program leads to a genuine increase in health-related fitness and decrease in the factor of metabolic syndrome in the older adults. The well planned strength exercise seems to be an important intervention to improve function fitness in this population.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.39.1-39.15
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• 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination may non-specifically alter the host immune system. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on hepatitis B surface Ag (HBsAg) titer and host immunity in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Consecutive 2,797 CHB patients who had serial HBsAg measurements during antiviral treatment were included in this study. Changes in the HBsAg levels after COVID-19 vaccination were analyzed. The dynamics of NK cells following COVID-19 vaccination were also examined using serial blood samples collected prospectively from 25 healthy volunteers. Vaccinated CHB patients (n=2,329) had significantly lower HBsAg levels 1-30 days post-vaccination compared to baseline (median, -21.4 IU/ml from baseline), but the levels reverted to baseline by 91-180 days (median, -3.8 IU/ml). The velocity of the HBsAg decline was transiently accelerated within 30 days after vaccination (median velocity: -0.06, -0.39, and -0.04 log₁₀ IU/ml/year in pre-vaccination period, days 1-30, and days 31-90, respectively). In contrast, unvaccinated patients (n=468) had no change in HBsAg levels. Flow cytometric analysis showed that the frequency of NK cells expressing NKG2A, an NK inhibitory receptor, significantly decreased within 7 days after the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine (median, -13.1% from baseline; p<0.001). The decrease in the frequency of NKG2A⁺ NK cells was observed in the CD56^dimCD16⁺ NK cell population regardless of type of COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccination leads to a rapid, transient decline in HBsAg titer and a decrease in the frequency of NKG2A⁺ NK cells.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.249-259
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• 2023

Purpose: Since patients on hemodialysis (HD) are known to be vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies were conducted regarding the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients in Western countries. Here, we assessed antibody response of HD patients for 6 months post-vaccination to identify the duration and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Asian population. Materials and Methods: We compared antibody response of the COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients with healthy volunteers. Patient and control groups had two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273, respectively. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was measured before vaccination, 2 weeks after the first dose, 2 and 4 weeks, 3 and 6 months after the second dose. Neutralizing antibody was measured before vaccination and at 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months after second dose. Since the third dose was started in the middle of the study, we analyzed the effect of the third dose as well. Results: Although antibody production was weaker than the control group (n=22), the patient group (n=39) showed an increase in IgG and neutralizing antibody after two doses. And, 21/39 patients and 14/22 participants had a third dose (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 in the patient group, mRNA-1273 in the control group), and it did not affect antibody response in both group. Trend analysis showed IgG and neutralizing antibody did not decrease over time. Age, sex, and HD vintage did not affect antibody production in HD patients. Patients with higher body mass index displayed better seroresponse, while those on immunosuppressants showed poor seroresponse. Conclusion: Two doses of vaccination led to significant antibody response in HD patients, and the antibody did not wane until 6 months.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1251-1259
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• 2022

Objective: T1 mapping provides valuable information regarding cardiomyopathies. Manual drawing is time consuming and prone to subjective errors. Therefore, this study aimed to test a DL algorithm for the automated measurement of native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) fractions in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging with a temporally separated dataset. Materials and Methods: CMR images obtained for 95 participants (mean age ± standard deviation, 54.5 ± 15.2 years), including 36 left ventricular hypertrophy (12 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 12 Fabry disease, and 12 amyloidosis), 32 dilated cardiomyopathy, and 27 healthy volunteers, were included. A commercial deep learning (DL) algorithm based on 2D U-net (Myomics-T1 software, version 1.0.0) was used for the automated analysis of T1 maps. Four radiologists, as study readers, performed manual analysis. The reference standard was the consensus result of the manual analysis by two additional expert readers. The segmentation performance of the DL algorithm and the correlation and agreement between the automated measurement and the reference standard were assessed. Interobserver agreement among the four radiologists was analyzed. Results: DL successfully segmented the myocardium in 99.3% of slices in the native T1 map and 89.8% of slices in the post-T1 map with Dice similarity coefficients of 0.86 ± 0.05 and 0.74 ± 0.17, respectively. Native T1 and ECV showed strong correlation and agreement between DL and the reference: for T1, r = 0.967 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.951-0.978) and bias of 9.5 msec (95% limits of agreement [LOA], -23.6-42.6 msec); for ECV, r = 0.987 (95% CI, 0.980-0.991) and bias of 0.7% (95% LOA, -2.8%-4.2%) on per-subject basis. Agreements between DL and each of the four radiologists were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] of 0.98-0.99 for both native T1 and ECV), comparable to the pairwise agreement between the radiologists (ICC of 0.97-1.00 and 0.99-1.00 for native T1 and ECV, respectively). Conclusion: The DL algorithm allowed automated T1 and ECV measurements comparable to those of radiologists.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2024

Purpose: Foot pressure measurement devices are used widely in clinical settings for plantar pressure assessments. Despite the availability of various devices, studies evaluating the inter-device reliability are limited. This study compared plantar pressure measurements obtained from HR Mat (Tekscan Inc.) and EMED-n50 (Novel GmbH). Materials and Methods: The study involved 38 healthy male volunteers. The participants were categorized into two groups based on the Meary's angle in standing foot lateral radiographs: those with normal feet (angles ranging from -4° to 4°) and those with mild flatfeet (angles from -8° to -15°). The static and dynamic plantar pressures of the participants were measured using HR Mat and EMED-n50. The reliability of the contact area and mean force was assessed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Furthermore, the differences in measurements between the two devices were examined, considering the presence of mild flatfoot. Results: The ICC values for the contact area and mean force ranged from 0.703 to 0.947, indicating good-to-excellent reliability across all areas. EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. The mean force was significantly higher in the forefoot region when measured with EMED-n50, whereas, in the hindfoot region, this difference was observed only during static measurements with HR Mat. Participants with mild flatfeet exhibited significantly higher contact areas in the midfoot region for both devices, with no consistent differences in the other parameters. Conclusion: The contact area and mean force measurements of the HR Mat and EMED-n50 showed high reliability. On the other hand, EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. In cases of mild flatfoot, an increase in contact area within the midfoot region was observed, but no consistent impact on the differences between the two devices was evident.