• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.98-107
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• 2006

Magnetization Transfer (MT) imaging generates contrast dependent on the phenomenon of magnetization exchange between free water proton and restricted proton in macromolecules. In biological materials in knee, MT or cross-relaxation is commonly modeled using two spin pools identified by their different T2 relaxation times. Two models for cross-relaxation emphasize the role of proton chemical exchange between protons of water and exchangeable protons on macromolecules, as well as through dipole-dipole interaction between the water and macromolecule protons. The most essential tool in medical image manipulation is the ability to adjust the contrast and intensity. Thus, it is desirable to adjust the contrast and intensity of an image interactively in the real time. The proton density (PD) and T2-weighted SE MR images allow the depiction of knee structures and can demonstrate defects and gross morphologic changes. The PD- and T2-weighted images also show the cartilage internal pathology due to the more intermediate signal of the knee joint in these sequences. Suppression of fat extends the dynamic range of tissue contrast, removes chemical shift artifacts, and decreases motion-related ghost artifacts. Like fat saturation, phase sensitive methods are also based on the difference in precession frequencies of water and fat. In this study, phase sensitive methods look at the phase difference that is accumulated in time as a result of Larmor frequency differences rather than using this difference directly. Although how MT work was given with clinical evidence that leads to quantitative model for MT in tissues, the mathematical formalism used to describe the MT effect applies to explaining to evaluate knee disorder, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and meniscal tear. Calculation of the effect of the effect of the MT saturation is given in the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) which is a quantitative measure of the relative decrease in signal intensity due to the MT pulse.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.196-213
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• 2001

A split beam ultrasonic transducer operating at a frequency of 70 kHz to use in the fish sizing echo sounder was developed and the acoustic radiation characteristics were experimentally analyzed. The amplitude shading method utilizing the properties of the Chebyshev polynomials was used to obtain side lobe levels below -20 dB and to optimize the relationship between main beam width and side lobe level of the transducer, and the amplitude shading coefficient to each of the elements was achieved by changing the amplitude contribution of elements with 4 weighting transformers embodied in the planar array transducer assembly. The planar array split beam transducer assembly was composed of 36 piezoelectric ceramics (NEPEC N-21, Tokin) of rod type of 10 mm in diameter and 18.7 mm in length of 70 kHz arranged in the rectangular configuration, and the 4 electrical inputs were supplied to the beamformer. A series of impedance measurements were conducted to check the uniformity of the individual quadrants, and also in the configurations of reception and transmission, resonant frequency, and the transmitting and receiving characteristics were measured in the water tank and analyzed, respectively. The results obtained are summarized as follows : 1. Average resonant and antiresonant frequencies of electrical impedance for four quadrants of the split beam transducer in water were 69.8 kHz and 83.0 kHz, respectively. Average electrical impedance for each individual transducer quadrant was 49.2$\Omega$ at resonant frequency and 704.7$\Omega$ at antiresonant frequency. 2. The resonance peak in the transmitting voltage response (TVR) for four quadrants of the split beam transducer was observed all at 70.0 kHz and the value of TVR was all about 165.5 dB re 1 $\mu$Pa/V at 1 m at 70.0 kHz with bandwidth of 10.0 kHz between -3 dB down points. The resonance peak in the receiving sensitivity (SRT) for four combined quadrants (quad LU+LL, quad RU+RL, quad LU+RU, quad LL+RL) of the split beam transducer was observed all at 75.0 kHz and the value of SRT was all about -177.7 dB re 1 V/$\mu$Pa at 75.0 kHz with bandwidth of 10.0 kHz between -3 dB down points. The sum beam transmitting voltage response and receiving senstivity was 175.0 dB re 1$\mu$Pa/V at 1 m at 75.0 kHz with bandwidth of 10.0 kHz, respectively. 3. The sum beam of split beam transducer was approximately circular with a half beam angle of $9.0^\circ$ at -3 dB points all in both axis of the horizontal plane and the vertical plane. The first measured side lobe levels for the sum beam of split beam transducer were -19.7 dB at $22^\circ$ and -19.4 dB at $-26^\circ$ in the horizontal plane, respectively and -20.1 dB at $22^\circ$ and -22.0 dB at $-26^\circ$ in the vertical plane, respectively. 4. The developed split beam transducer was tested to estimate the angular position of the target in the beam through split beam phase measurements, and the beam pattern loss for target strength corrections was measured and analyzed.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.188-197
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• 2015

Purpose: To investigate the patterns of care for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in South Korea. Materials and Methods: A multi-institutional retrospective study was performed (Korean Radiation Oncology Group [KROG] 11-06) on a total of 1,445 patients from 15 institutions. Results: Of the 1,445 patients, more than half were stages III (39.9%) and IV (35.8%). In addition to patterns of care, we also investigated trends over time with the periods 1988-1993, 1994-2002, and 2003-2011. The frequencies of magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography-computed tomography were markedly increased in the third period compared to previous 2 periods. Concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) was performed on 894 patients (61.9%), neoadjuvant chemotherapy on 468 patients (32.4%), and adjuvant chemotherapy on 366 patients (25.3%). Of stage II-IV patients, CCRT performed on 78.8% in 2003-2011 compared to 15.0% in 1988-1993. For patients treated with CCRT, cisplatin was the most commonly used agent in 81.3% of patients. Over the periods of time, commonly used radiotherapy (RT) techniques were changed from 2-dimensional RT (1988-1993, 92.5%) to 3-dimensional RT (2003-2011, 35.5%) or intensity-modulated RT (IMRT; 2003-2011, 56.5%). Median RT doses given to primary tumors, high-risk lymphatics, and low-risk lymphatics were 70.0 Gy, 58.1 Gy, and 48.0 Gy, respectively. Adoption of IMRT increased the dose per fraction and escalated total radiation dose. Conclusion: Assessment of the patterns of care for NPC patients in South Korea demonstrated that management for NPC including diagnostic imaging, treatment regimen, RT techniques and dose schedule, advanced in accordance with the international guidelines.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.724-728
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• 2002

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism, which consists of presence (insertion, I) or absence (deletion, D) of a 250-bp fragment, is associated with ischemic heart disease, renovascular disease, systemic lupus erythematosus. Subjects with the DD genotype have higher levels of circulating ACE than subjects with the II genotype and show an increased tendency towards vascular wall thickness and contribute to the development of vascular disease. But the association between I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene and cerebrovascular disease is still controversial. The aim of this study was to determine whether the DNA polymorphism of the ACE are associated with cerebrovascular disease in Korean population. The study group comprised 377 Korean patients admitted to Kyunghee Oriental Medical Center in the year of 2000 for the treatment of brain infarction or brain hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) was performed for each patient to determine the stroke phenotype, infarction or hemorrhage. The 183 subjects without evidence of brain infarction or brain hemorrhage were selected from the some ethnical population(control group). Venous blood samples were drawn from each subject for the extraction of DNA. Genotypes of ACE were determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification of the genomic DNA. Case and control genotype frequencies were compared by chi-square testing. Both the patients and the controls were classified respectively into 4 groups: age less than forty years, age forty one to fifty, age fifty one to sixty, age greater than sixty years. There were no significant differences in the distributions of ACE genotypes among the patients with infarction, with hemorrhage and controls (Infarction: D/D 15.8%, I/D 46.7%, I/I 37.5%, Hemorrhage: D/D 15.1%, I/D 46.5%, I/I 38.4%, Control: D/D 18.6%, I/D 50.3%, I/I 31.2%). There was a significant difference in the distribution of ACE genotypes between the age greater than sixty year subgroup of patient with brain hemorrhage and the control (Hemorrhage: D/D 0%, I/D 55.6%, I/I 44.4%, Control: D/D 13.0%, I/D 63.0%, I/I 23.9%; Pearson Chi-Square value 5.956, P<0.05). Furthermore, the frequency of the ACE D/D type declined with increasing age both in the patient and control group (Patient group: age < 50 D/D 21.5%, age > 50 D/D 14.42%; Control group: age < 50 D/D 21.0%, age > 50 D/D 14.2%). In conclusion there is no clear association between ACE polymorphism and cerebrovascular disease in Korean population. Although, there was a tendency for the frequency of the ACE D/D type declined with increasing age in both patients and controls.