• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.291-302
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• 2023

Purpose: Early detection of carotid stenosis can reduce cardiovascular risk. In this study, the maximum-carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), the mean-CIMT, and the presence of plaque were examined in healthy young Thai adults. Additionally, correlations between CIMT and cardiovascular risk factors were assessed. Materials and Methods: Left and right carotid arteries of 302 participants(15-45 years old) were scanned, with CIMT measured at the far walls of the common carotid artery, carotid bulb, and internal carotid artery. Demographics and risk factors were assessed using a questionnaire. Ten random participants were re-scanned after 4 weeks. Results: The study included 123 (40.70%) male and 179 (59.30%) female participants. The max-CIMT, mean-CIMT, and plaque thickness were 0.400±0.100, 0.403±0.095 and 1.520±0.814 mm, respectively. Male participants had significantly higher CIMT values for nearly all locations and age groups. The right-sided CIMT values were higher for all locations. The carotid bulb had the greatest CIMT values(0.437±0.178 mm), followed by the common (0.403±0.095 mm) and internal(0.361±0.099 mm) carotid arteries. Plaque was present in 18 locations (1.00%), affecting 15 participants (4.97%). These plaques were found in the right carotid bulb (n=9; 0.50%), left carotid bulb (n=7; 0.39%), and right internal carotid artery (n=2; 0.11%). Adjusted multivariable regression revealed significant positive associations between CIMT and male, increased age and "other" occupation (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both max-CIMT and mean-CIMT were approximately 0.4 mm. Plaque was observed in 4.97% of patients, with an average thickness of 1.5 mm. The most influential risk factors for increased CIMT were sex, age, and occupation.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartA
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• v.14A no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2007

The intima media thickness(IMT) of the carotid artery from B mode ultrasound images has recently been proposed as the most useful index of individual atherosclerosis and can be used to predict major cardiovascular events. Ultrasonic measurements of the IMT are conventionally obtained by manually tracing interfaces between tissue layers. The drawbacks of this method are the inter and intra observer variability and its inefficiency. In this paper, we present a multiresolution snake method combined with the dynamic programming, which overcomes the various noises and sensitivity to initialization of conventional snake. First, an image pyramid is constructed using the Gaussian pyramid that maintains global edge information with smoothing in the images, and then the boundaries are automatically detected in the lowest resolution level by minimizing a cost function based on dynamic programming. The cost function includes cost terms which are representing image features and geometrical continuity of the vessel interfaces. Since the detected boundaries are selected as initial contour of the snake for the next level, this automated approach solves the problem of the initialization. Moreover, the proposed snake improves the problem of converging th the local minima by defining the external energy based on multiple image features. In this paper, our method has been validated by computing the correlation between manual and automatic measurements. This automated detection method has obtained more accurate and reproducible results than conventional edge detection by considering multiple image features.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 2009

The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is an early structural marker of the atherosclerotic process and is the only non-invasive test that is currently recommended by the American Heart Association for evaluation of the risk. However, use of this parameter has a limitation because it assumes uniform thickness throughout the blood vessel, whereas atherosclerosis is a focal phenomenon that is confined to intima. In fact, plaque can be found along the atherosclerotic blood vessels even though its value is unknown. The aim of this study is to analyze the carotid plaque and IMT in the stroke patients. We investigated the patients with ischemic stroke, who were admitted to the department of neurology at the Stroke Special Hospital from January to March 2008. After the carotid IMT and plaque were assessed by B-mode ultrasonography, IMT and carotid plaque to risk variables (age, sex) were analyzed. The distribution of CCA IMT was significantly different in terms of age (p = 0.004). Likewise, the distribution of carotid plaque was also significantly different in terms of age (p = 0.006). Carotid plaque was 69 and 92% in normal and abnormal CCA IMTs respectively. The results showed that the CCA IMT was closely associated with carotid plaque.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.465-472
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• 2023

In predicting vascular disease, this study attempted to identify changes in the carotid intima-media thickness in patients who underwent carotid artery ultrasonography and hematological tests and to find out the effect of risk factors on the expression of atherosclerotic plaque. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 469 healthy adults who visited the hospital for the purpose of medical examination and performed carotid artery ultrasonography. As a result, carotid intima-media thickness, age, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and glucose were analyzed as significant predictors of atherosclerotic plaque (p<0.001). The risk ratio was calculated based on the cut off value of the risk factors of the atherosclerotic plaque determined through ROC curve analysis, followed by 8.06 times the carotid intima-media thickness, 7.53 times the age, 3.97 times the waist circumference and 2.02 times the glucose. Therefore, in this study it was possible to prepare a Korean standard for clinical risk factors that affect the presence of absence of atherosclerotic plaque and observation of carotid artery ultrasonography is thought to help diagnose or predict cardiovascular disease early.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.351-351
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• 2002

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.51.1-51.1
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• 2004

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.54.1-54.1
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• 2004

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 1993

Free tissue transplantation is commonly performed with the brilliant achievement in microsurgery and anticoagulants and antithrombotic agents have been prescribed in the procedures. However, there is no clean-cut indication as to which agents would be more effective in every steps and final consequences. Low molecular weight heparins inhibiting coagulation in plateletrich plasma and acting on the vascular endothelium have antithrombotic and fibrinolysis action. The experiment with rat groin free flap transplantation after 6-hour ischemia and injection of the low molecular weight heparin was performed and the results between the injection and non-injection group were analysed as follows, 1. Both of the 24-hour groups, vessel patency was not proportional to color change of the groin flap. 2. On the second day after anastomois, heparin-injection group showed intact intima, patent lumen without thrombus, and mild granulomatous inflammation around the suture material and control group with doubtful patency revealed intimal loss and thrombus formation. 3. On the 5th, 7th, and 9th postoperative day, heparin group was patent in anastomosis and showed acute inflammatory cells. 4. The 7th-week period, heparin-injection group showed intact flap color, patent lumen with intact intima and persistent foreign body granuloma.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.166-176
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• 1996

Effect of fish oil feeding was investigated on morphological changes of thoracic aora in female rats after bilateral oophorectomy(OVX). Fifty four healthy female rats of Spraque-Dawley strain, were divided into sham group, OVX group and , OVX and fish oil feeding, group. Experimental animals were sacrificed at the end first, eighth week and sixteenth week after operation, thoracic aorta blood sample were collected. The results obtained were as follows ; 1) Total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol contents in serum were significantly higher in the sham and OVX groups than fish oil feeding group. Serum HDL-cholesterol levels among three exjperimentnal group were lowest in the OVX group. 2) In the sham operation group, as experimental period prologed the endothelial cells were distorted round shape and enlarged, and the subendothelial layer was widened in tunical intima. The elastic lamina were disrupted in tunica group. In the fish oil feeding group, the endothelial cells and subendothelial layer in tunica intima, and the elastic lamina in tunica media were intance. From the present results, it was suggested that fish oil feeding may prevent the atherosclerotic changes in thoracic aorta and serum cholesterol induced by oophhorectomy in the rats.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.123-131
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• 2003

Inflammation appears to have a major role in the development of atherosclerosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in the inflammatory response via the generation of prostanoids that, in turn, are involved in the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study hypothesized that a vascular infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) may induce a chronic inflammatory reaction and activated inflammatory cells may express inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9). To confirm the hypothesis, the immunohistochemical stains for CMV late antigen, COX-2, MMP-9, macrophage, and T-lymphocyte were performed on CMV-infected atherosclerotic lesions. The immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was evident in all cases of atherosclerosis along with plaques, mainly in macrophages/foamy cells, intimal and medial smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells of the intima. Within the intima, the increased immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was colocalized to the area stained with CMV late antigen. Sections from control specimens showed no immunoreactivity for CMV late antigen, COX-2 and MMP-9. These data seem to support the hypothesis that CMV may participate in a pathogenetic mechanism for atherogenesis or progression of atherosclerosis.