• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.736-745
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• 2020

Objective: To identify the initial chest computed tomography (CT) findings and clinical characteristics associated with the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Materials and Methods: Baseline CT scans and clinical and laboratory data of 72 patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia (39 men, 46.2 ± 15.9 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline CT findings including lobar distribution, presence of ground glass opacities, consolidation, linear opacities, and lung severity score were evaluated. The outcome event was recovery with hospital discharge. The time from symptom onset to discharge or the end of follow-up (for those remained hospitalized) was recorded. Data were censored in events such as death or discharge without recovery. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to explore the association between initial CT, clinical or laboratory findings, and discharge with recovery, whereby hazard ratio (HR) values < 1 indicated a lower rate of discharge at four weeks and longer time until discharge. Results: Thirty-two patients recovered and were discharged during the study period with a median length of admission of 16 days (range, 9 to 25 days), while the rest remained hospitalized at the end of this study (median, 17.5 days; range, 4 to 27 days). None died during the study period. After controlling for age, onset time, lesion characteristics, number of lung lobes affected, and bilateral involvement, the lung severity score on baseline CT (> 4 vs. ≤ 4 [reference]: adjusted HR = 0.41 [95% confidence interval, CI = 0.18-0.92], p = 0.031) and initial lymphocyte count (reduced vs. normal or elevated [reference]: adjusted HR = 0.14 [95% CI = 0.03-0.60], p = 0.008) were two significant independent factors that influenced recovery and discharge. Conclusion: Lung severity score > 4 and reduced lymphocyte count at initial evaluation were independently associated with a significantly lower rate of recovery and discharge and extended hospitalization in patients admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.670-683
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• 2020

Objective: The presence of coagulative necrosis (CN) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) indicates a poor prognosis, while the absence of CN indicates a good prognosis. The purpose of this study was to build and validate a radiomics signature based on preoperative CT imaging data to estimate CN status in ccRCC. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 105 patients with pathologically confirmed ccRCC were retrospectively enrolled in this study and then divided into training (n = 72) and validation (n = 33) sets. Thereafter, 385 radiomics features were extracted from the three-dimensional volumes of interest of each tumor, and 10 traditional features were assessed by two experienced radiologists using triple-phase CT-enhanced images. A multivariate logistic regression algorithm was used to build the radiomics score and traditional predictors in the training set, and their performance was assessed and then tested in the validation set. The radiomics signature to distinguish CN status was then developed by incorporating the radiomics score and the selected traditional predictors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance. Results: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the radiomics score, which consisted of 7 radiomics features, was 0.855 in the training set and 0.885 in the validation set. The AUC of the traditional predictor, which consisted of 2 traditional features, was 0.843 in the training set and 0.858 in the validation set. The radiomics signature showed the best performance with an AUC of 0.942 in the training set, which was then confirmed with an AUC of 0.969 in the validation set. Conclusion: The CT-based radiomics signature that incorporated radiomics and traditional features has the potential to be used as a non-invasive tool for preoperative prediction of CN in ccRCC.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.236-243
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• 2023

Platelets act a fundamental role in primary- and secondary-hemostasis, however, platelet activation may cause thrombosis simultaneously. Therefore, control of platelet aggregation is crucial in preventing thrombosis-mediated diseases. Recently, the development of insect materials is attracting attention. Among the highly nutritious functional food sources, insects such as two-spotted cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus). Gryllus bimaculatus (G. bimaculatus) contains high protein and unsaturated fatty acids and has been registered as a food material September 2015 by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea. In this study, we examined whether G. bimaculatus extract (GBE) inhibits platelet aggregation, intracellular calcium mobilization, thromboxane A₂ production and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (integrin αIIb/β3) activation. We investigated whether GBE can regulate signaling molecules, such as 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor type I, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, cytosolic phospholipase A₂, mitogen-activated protein kinases p38, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3α/β, and SYK. Taken together, GBE is a potential therapeutic drug candidate to prevent platelet-related thrombosis and cardiovascular disease.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.457-466
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• 2023

Background: During hot environment work tasks with whole-body enclosed anti-bioaerosol suit, the combined effect of heavy sweating and exhaled hot humid air may cause the N95 medical respirator to saturate with water/sweat (i.e., water-blocking). Methods: 32 young male subjects with different body mass indexes (BMI) in whole-body protection (N95 medical respirator + one-piece protective suit + head covering + protective face screen + gloves + shoe covers) were asked to simulate waste collecting from each isolated room in a seven-story building at 27-28℃, and the weight, inhalation resistance (R_f), and aerosol penetration of the respirator before worn and after water-blocking were analyzed. Results: All subjects reported water-blocking asphyxia of the N95 respirators within 36-67 min of the task. When water-blocking occurred, the R_f and 10-200 nm total aerosol penetration (P_t) of the respirators reached up to 1270-1810 Pa and 17.3-23.3%, respectively, which were 10 and 8 times of that before wearing. The most penetration particle size of the respirators increased from 49-65 nm before worn to 115-154 nm under water-blocking condition, and the corresponding maximum size-dependent aerosol penetration increased from 2.5-3.5% to 20-27%. With the increase of BMI, the water-blocking occurrence time firstly increased then reduced, while the R_f, P_t, and absorbed water all increased significantly. Conclusions: This study reveals respirator water-blocking and its serious negative impacts on respiratory protection. When performing moderate-to-high-load tasks with whole-body protection in a hot environment, it is recommended that respirator be replaced with a new one at least every hour to avoid water-blocking asphyxia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.5
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• pp.1110-1122
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• 2023

Purpose This study aimed to assess the variability of transrectal shear wave elastography (SWE) using a designed phantom. Materials and Methods In a phantom, the SWE values were examined by two radiologists using agarose and emulsion silicone of different sizes (1, 2, and 3 cm) and shapes (round, cubic) at three depths (1, 2, and 3 cm), two region of interest (ROI) and locations (central, peripheral) using two ultrasound machines (A, B from different vendors). Variability was evaluated using the coefficient of variation (CV). Results The CVs decreased with increasing phantom size. Significant changes in SWE values included; agarose phantom at 3 cm depth (p < 0.001; machine A), 1 cm depth (p = 0.01; machine B), emulsion silicone at 2 cm depth (p = 0.047, p = 0.020; both machines). The CVs increased with increasing depth. Significant changes in SWE values included; 1 cm agarose (p = 0.037, p = 0.021; both machines) and 2 cm agarose phantom (p = 0.047; machine A). Significant differences in SWE values were observed between the shapes for emulsion silicone phantom (p = 0.032; machines A) and between ROI locations on machine B (p ≤ 0.001). The SWE values differed significantly between the two machines (p < 0.05). The intra-/inter-operator agreements were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.9). Conclusion The phantom size, depth, and different machines affected the variability of transrectal SWE.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.769-779
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• 2024

Purpose To determine the pros and cons of an artificial intelligence (AI) model developed to diagnose acute rib fractures in chest CT images of patients with chest trauma. Materials and Methods A total of 1209 chest CT images (acute rib fracture [n = 1159], normal [n = 50]) were selected among patients with chest trauma. Among 1159 acute rib fracture CT images, 9 were randomly selected for AI model training. 150 acute rib fracture CT images and 50 normal ones were tested, and the remaining 1000 acute rib fracture CT images was internally verified. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy and errors of AI model for the presence and location of acute rib fractures. Results Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for diagnosing acute rib fractures in chest CT images were 93.3%, 94%, 97.9%, 82.5%, and 95.6% respectively. However, the accuracy of the location of acute rib fractures was low at 76% (760/1000). The cause of error in the diagnosis of acute rib fracture seemed to be a result of considering the scapula or clavicle that were in the same position (66%) or some ribs that were not recognized (34%). Conclusion The AI model for diagnosing acute rib fractures showed high accuracy in detecting the presence of acute rib fractures, but diagnosis of the exact location of rib fractures was limited.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.50
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• pp.69-98
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• 2024

The development of artificial intelligence poses a greater threat to humanity than any other ideology or material phenomenon that has changed human society and culture so far. Based on these changes, the proper direction for research on Daesoon Thought should be determined such that education in the current digital age approached skillfully and the path forward is made more apparent. First, the digitization of Daesoon Thought has accumulated greatly in recent years, and these archives are accessed through data mining which can be activated to find data, specify meanings and patterns, and reveal significance and values. Second, by applying the results of data mining to Daesoon Thought education, the causal, correlational, and response relationships between events, characters, and relics can be studied. Daesoon Thought education that demonstrates imagination should be provided through the 'creation of personal networks,' the 'creation of a timeline of events,' and the 'creation of an electronic cultural map of where those events occurred.' Third, digital archives should not only be focused on structured materials such as newsletters and papers. Ideas about data mining and data visualization should be actively developed and research should be expanded toward data science. In addition, the creation of a common platform for digital Daesoon Thought should be regarded as essential. Through this research, Daesoon Thought can be guided to take on this fundamental challenge in order to emerge as a future leader in this digital age and advent of digital humanities.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.125-130
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• 2024

Preparation of ferromagnetic powders for the mixture of hematite and pure Mg powders by ball milling has been investigated. Also, consolidation of the ball-milled powders was performed in a spark plasma sintering machine at 800-1,000℃. It is found that a ferromagnetic Fe-MgO composite powders are obtained by ball milling of hematite and pure Mg powders before 1 hour. The magnetization and coercivity of ball-milled samples change at the results of the solid state reaction of hematite by pure Mg during ball milling. The saturation magnetization of ball-milled samples increases with increasing ball milling time and reaches to a maximum value of 93.4 emu/g after 5 hours of ball milling. Shrinkage change after sintering of ball-milled sample for 5 hours was significant above 300℃ and gradually increased with increasing temperature up to 800℃. X-ray diffraction result shows that the average grain size of Fe in Fe-MgO bulk sample sintered at 900℃ is 50 nm. It can be also seen that the coercivity of bulk sample sintered at 900℃ is still high value of 90 Oe, indicating that the grain growth of magnetic Fe phase during sintering process tend to be suppressed.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.135-141
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• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of image merging of an intraoral scan of an edentulous arch to a facial scan using wax rim and markers. Materials and Methods: For registration of oral scan to face scan, a wax rim with markers was made. The markers were cuboid and divided into four groups according to size (5, 10 mm) and attachment location (midline, canine region). The evaluation of registration accuracy was compared with a standard created using cone-beam computed tomography data. Anterior linear variation of the edentulous arch and the 3D variation of the overall arch were measured. Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistics, and the significance level was set at 0.05 and evaluated under Bonferroni correction (0.05/6 = 0.083). Results: In the anterior deviation and global deviation results, there was no statistically significant difference in the oral scan position displacement values between the 5 mm and 10 mm groups. When the midline marker was used, the intraoral scan position displacement value was significantly lower than when only the canine marker was used. Conclusion: Marker attached wax rim can be used for image matching between facial and intraoral scans of the edentulous arch. Marker location at the middle area increases the accuracy of image matching.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.142-148
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• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of digital mounting with occlusal scans in the interocclusal record for a full-mouth fixed prosthetic treatment condition. Materials and Methods: The entire maxillary teeth were prepared in a dentiform model and attached to an articulator in maximum intercuspation. Temporary crowns were fabricated and occlusion was adjusted. After scanning the arch with tooth preparation, digital mounting was performed using an occlusion scan of the anterior or posterior teeth areas. The accuracy of the positioned jaw relation was evaluated three-dimensionally through positional deviation and angular error of the occlusal plane. Afterwards, the same procedure was repeated on the partially edentulous model to evaluate the accuracy of digital interocclusal record. Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis, and the significance level was set at 0.05. Results: There was no significant difference in the positional error at the center of the arch in the digitally established jaw relation depending on the scan area used and remaining tooth conditions (P = 0.53). The angular error of the occlusal plane was larger when the anterior teeth were used as the overlapping area, and a smaller error value was observed when both posterior teeth were used as the overlapping area (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The use of bilateral posterior occlusal scans is recommended when digitally mounting the jaw relation established with temporary teeth during full-mouth fixed prosthetic treatment.