• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.452-458
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• 2005

Background : In Korea, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for M. tuberculosis has been used for the diagnosis of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear-negative tuberculosis in order to increase diagnostic sensitivity. However, there have been no data dealing with the clinical utility of PCR in AFB smear-positive patients to differentiate between M. tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria. Method : We retrospectively analyzed the PCR test results which have been performed in patients who had AFB smear-positive sputum but had ambiguous clinical manifestations of active tuberculosis. PCR test was done using $AMPLICOR^{\hat{a}}$ M. tuberculosis kit. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the PCR test were calculated based on culture and final clinical diagnosis result. Results : Fifty-six consecutive patients (62 PCR tests) were included in the study. Active tuberculosis was diagnosed in 23 patients (41.0%), while 9 patients had NTM infection (16.0%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative-predictive value of PCR test were 88.8%, 86.8%, 76.1% and 94.3%, respectively, according to the culture result. In comparison, they were 91.3%, 100%, 100%, 94.3%, respectively, according to the final clinical diagnosis. All 15 patients with NTM isolates, including 6 patients who had other lung diseases but expectorated NTM isolate, were negative for PCR test. Conclusion : Even though tuberculosis is still prevalent in Korea, PCR test is useful to differentiate between M. tuberculosis and NTM in patients with AFB-smear positive sputum but with ambiguous clinical manifestations of active tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.26-35
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• 1994

Background: Bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma today needs further studies as an early diagnosis will drastically improve the chances of cure. Methods: Twenty-four cases of bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma for the period of 5 years were studied in terms of incidence, age, sex, underlying diseases, symptoms, radiographic findings, methods of diagnosis, clinical and pathologic staging, methods of treatment, and survival retrospectively. Results: No correlation was found between patients' age, sex and underlying diseases. Most common symptoms were cough(62.5%), chest pain(29.2%), and sputum(29.2%). Of the 24 cases, 13 patients(54.2%) had solitary nodule, 6 patients(25%) had multiple nodules. At the time of diagnosis, 3 patients(12.5%) had the stage I diseases, 3 patients(12.5%) had the stage II diseases, 4 patients(16.7%) had the stage IIIa diseases, 3 patients(12.5%) had the stage IIIb diseases, and 11 patients(45.8%) had the stage IV diseases. 14 cases(58.3%) were found inoperable at the time of admission; they all died within 17 months. In 7 cases with stage I, II, IIIa diseases curative resection were attempted, in 1 case with stage IV disease wedge resection for palliative management was performed, and in 4 cases patients were still alive at the time of conclusion of this study. Conclusion: We conclude that early diagnosis of disease will increase operability and improve chances of survival and that aggressive diagnostic workup for suspicious pulmonary infiltrate is essential as early operation offers the best chances of cure.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.1573-1582
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• 2011

Risk of lung cancer among lung-related diseases has gradually increased during last decades. The chest digital radiography is the primary diagnosis method for lung cancer. Diagnosing lung cancer using this method requires doctors of ripe experience. Despite their experience there are often wrong diagnoses, which decrease early diagnosis and survival rates of patients. The aim of this study was intended to establish the base on the Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) by analyzing Image Recognition Algorithm using Principle component Analysis (PCA) and diagnosing patient's chest X-ray image. The database obtained through this approach enables a doctor to significantly reduce misdiagnosis during the early diagnosis stage, if he or she utilizes it as the preliminary reading step. Case studies were carried out using normal organ, and organs suffering from bronchogenic carcinoma and granuloma. A normal image and unique disease images were extracted after PCA analysis, and their cross-recognition efficiency were compared each other. The result revealed that the recognition rate was much high between normal and disease images, but relatively low between two disease images. In order to increase the recognition efficiency among chest diseases the related algorithms have to be developed continuously in the future study, and such effort will establish the resolute base for CAD.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.222-229
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• 2002

Human infection with the lung fluke Paragonimus westermani has become rare in Korea. Human paragonimiasis is caused by eating raw fresh-water crayfishes or crabs infected with larval metacercariae. Recently, we experienced three cases of pulmonary paragonimiasis in a family. They ate raw fresh-water crayfishes that lived in a stream in Wolchulmountain. All the parients had hypereosinophilia and pulmonary infiltrates with pleural effusion or hydropneumothorax, which did not improve on antibiotics. Ingestion of raw crayfishes was a clue for paragonimiasis. Positive results were shown both on intradermal skin test and ELISA for Paragonimus westermani specific IgG. After treatment with praziquantel, the patients showed an improvement. This is the first familial human paragonimiasis, reported from Wolchulmountain in Chonnam Province where there had been no previous cases of paragonimiasis.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.613-617
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• 2007

A 1-year-old castrated male Maltese dog(weighing 2.4 kg) was presented with primary complaints of occasional coughing, dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Based on diagnostic findings including paradoxical split S2, diastolic regurgitant murmur, marked dilation of pulmonary artery, right ventricular eccentric hypertrophy with thickening of ventricular septum, severe tricuspid and pulmonic regurgitation(5.4 m/sec and 3.4 m/sec, respectively) and the absence of any congenital intracardiac shunting, obstructive pulmonary diseases and systemic diseases associated with right ventricular pressure overload or pulmonary hyperperfusion, the case was tentatively diagnosed as primary pulmonary hypertension. The dog was treated with furosemide, aspirin and oxygen supplementation. This case report described a rare case of primary pulmonary hypertension in a Maltese dog.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.741-746
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• 1996

Diffuse interstitial lung disease due to a wide variety of conditions are amenable to diagnosis by means of clinical evaluation, bronchoalveolar lavage, transbronchial biopsy and lung biopsy. The recently introduced technique of thoracoscopic wedge biopsy provides the potential advantages of greater selection of biopsy site and reduced postoperative chest pain compared with the standard open lung biopsy Video assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy was performed in twenty patients for diagnosis of diffuse in- terstitial lung disease during the period from January 1993 to June 1994. The ages of the patients ranged from 18 to 69 years(mean 48.5 years), and the patients consisted of 10 males and 10 females. In all twenty, thoracoscpic lung biopsy samples were obtained; 9 from left lower lobe, 7 from right lower lobe, 2 from right upper lobe, 1 from left upper lobe, and 1 from right middle lobe. All patients were correctly diagnosed. The two common diseases were usual in erstitial pneumonia(UIP)(8120) and mil- liary tuberculo si s(4120) . Mean duration of the chest drainage was 3.2 days. There was no complication.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.530-535
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• 1996

Saprophytic aspergillosis (aspergilloma), a potentially life-threatening disease from the colonization of lung cavities by the ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, has been of surgical concern. Twelve patients with symptomatic aspergilloma underwent operative procedures at Pusan national University Hospital between January 1, 1984 and August 31, 1994. The mean age of the patients was 38.8 years and nine of them had hemoptysis; in two it was massive and life-threatening. Wine of the patients had underlying causes of cavitary lung disease and tuberculosis was the most common cause. Lobectomy was the most commonly performed procedure (in six) . Several major complications including excessive bleeding (2), and pneumonia (2), and empyema with bronchopleural fistula (1) occurred .and one patient died (operative mortality=8.3%). There were no recurrent symptoms in any of the 11 operative survivors during the follow-up period. It is concluded that early, aggressive surgical intervention can provide definite cure in established aspergilloma, even with minimal symptoms.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.587-590
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• 2009

천식환자의 폐활량 측정 및 관리는 정기적으로 검사되어 관리될 필요가 있는 매우 중요한 관리 항목이다. 본 연구는 천식환자의 폐활량을 정기적으로 관리할 수 있도록 PC-기반 폐활량기를 이용한 천식환자의 폐활량 측정 및 관리 시스템의 설계 및 구현에 관한 연구이다. 폐활량 검사는 크게 3종류 구성되며, 본 연구는 노력성 폐활량 검사(Forced Vital Capacity Test)를 1차적으로 설계 및 구현 방법을 제안하였다. FVC 검사의 목적은 폐질환의 진단, 중증도 그리고 치료효과 판정, 기관지 천식의 진단 및 관리, 수술시 마취방식의 결정 등으로 무엇보다 정확한 검사와 정기적인 검사를 필요로 하는 중요한 검사이다. FVC 검사는 검사과정에서 천식환자에게 많은 노력을 필요로 하는 힘든 검사로서 검사자의 도움이 필수적이므로 폐활량 검사 프로그램 개발에 있어 고려되어 알고리즘이 효율적으로 개발되어야 한다. 본 시스템은 휴대형 폐활량기(Spirometer)를 PC에 연결하고, 폐활량을 측정할 수 있도록 구성되었고, 검사 내용은 PC의 DB에 저장하고, 추후에 정기적으로 서버의 DB로 전송함으로서 보다 더 폭넓은 관리를 가능하도록 하며 천식환자는 서버가 제공하는 웹 사이트를 이용함으로서 자신의 건강관리를 가능하도록 구성된다. FVC 검사 프로그램은 정확한 검사와 편리한 사용자 인터페이스를 제공하도록 설계 및 구현하였고 따라서 자체 개발된 폐활량기를 PC-기반 프로그램으로 제어 가능함으로서 추후 다양한 임상실험의 데이터 확보, 기능의 확장과 성능의 개선을 할 수 있고, 좀 더 편리하고, 정확한 폐활량측정이 가능 할 것이다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.421-428
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• 1998

Pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma, a rare form of Langerhans cell histiocytosis confined to lung, has no known etiology and variable natural history. It is characterized by discrete proliferation of Langerhans cells. It is known that over 90% of the patients are cigarette smokers, and it is rarely reported in non- or passive-smoking patients, especially female. Here we describe a case of pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma in a passive-smoking, reproductive female patient presented with spontaneous pneumothorax. We identified S-100 and CDla positive histiocytes on immunohistochemical stain of the lung tissue obtained by open lung biopsy.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.189-195
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• 2009

Lung cancer is a type of cancer with high mortality; its 5-year survival rate is at a low 14%. Related cytological tests include sputum, bronchial brushing, bronchial washing and fine needle aspiration cytology test etc. From the test specimens in which sputum, bronchial brushing, bronchial washing, and fine needle aspiration cytology were performed, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy between cytology test and histology test. In the sputum test, sensitivity was 27.71% and specificity was 98.02%, and the bronchial brushing test showed sensitivity of 93.33% and a specificity of 91.3%. The bronchial washing test was a sensitivity of 53.7% and its specificity was 98.9%, and the fine needle aspiration cytology test showed sensitivity and specificity were 88.46% and 72.97%, respectively. In the specimens diagnosed as normal at the sputum test, malignant diagnosis was found in 21 specimens of bronchial brushing, 30 cases of bronchial washings and 37 cases of fine needle aspiration cytology specimens. In the specimens diagnosed as normal at the bronchial washing test, malignant diagnosis was found in 5 specimens of sputum, 7 specimens of bronchial brushin and 1 cases of fine needle aspiration cytology. One specimens found to be normal in fine needle aspiration cytology turned out to maligant in sputum test. The result of this research shows that, in diagnosis lung cancer, a test method of high sensitivity and specificity should be pursued. However, depending on the location and malignancy of the illness, diagnosis may not be obtained in some cases. Therefore, we conclude that the cytological tests performed for lung cancer testing such as sputum, bronchial brushing, bronchial washing, and fine needle aspiration cytology should be carried out in a mutually complementary manner.