• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.384-394
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• 2021

Objective: To quantitatively assess biochemical alterations in the cartilage of the subtalar and midtarsal joints in chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) patients with isolated anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) injuries and combined calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) injuries using MRI T2 mapping. Materials and Methods: This study was performed according to regulations of the Committee for Human Research at our institution, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Forty CLAI patients (26 with isolated ATFL injuries and 14 with combined ATFL and CFL injuries) and 25 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. All participants underwent MRI scans with T2 mapping. Patients were assessed with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) rating system. The subtalar and midtarsal joints were segmented into 14 cartilage subregions. The T2 value of each subregion was measured from T2 mapping images. Data were analyzed with ANOVA, the Student's t test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: T2 values of most subregions of the subtalar joint and the calcaneal facet of the calcaneocuboid joint in CLAI patients with combined CFL injuries were higher than those in healthy controls (all p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in T2 values in subtalar and midtarsal joints between patients with isolated ATFL injuries and healthy controls (all p > 0.05). Moreover, T2 values of the medial talar subregions of the posterior subtalar joint in patients with combined CFL injuries showed negative correlations with the AOFAS scores (r = -0.687, p = 0.007; r = -0.609, p = 0.021, respectively). Conclusion: CLAI with combined CFL injuries can lead to cartilage degeneration in subtalar and calcaneocuboid joints, while an isolated ATFL injury might not have a significant impact on the cartilage in these joints.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.965-973
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively correlate the change of flow velocity and signal voiding in TOF-MRA. We made our phantom to control the flow velocity, and changed the flow velocity in 16 steps from 8.0 to 127.3 mc/s. The TOF-MRA test was performed using a 3.0T MRI system and the signal intensity was measured by classifying the signal voiding length and image into the In flow, Mid flow, and Out flow. The length of signal voiding was the longest when the flow velocity was 127.3 cm/s and the signal intensity decreased with increasing flow velocity(p<0.05). In flow(-.547) and Mid flow(-.643) were negatively correlated with flow velocitys(p<0.05). In conclusion, it was confirmed that the increase in flow velocity was a major factor causing signal voiding in TOF-MRA. In the future, this study will provide basic data when studying sequences and parameters to reduce signal voiding in models with a high flow velocity.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.194-208
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• 2003

Objective : Recently, many studies have showed the evidences of the effect of acupuncture treatment through scientific methods. We performed electro-acupuncture on Taixi(K3) and observed the change of brain activity using fMRI. Methods : To see the effect of electro-acupuncture stimulation on Taixi(K3), the experiment was carried out on twelve healthy volunteers, using the gradient echo sequence with the 3.0T whole-body fMRI system(ISOL). After the needle insertion on K3, 2 Hz of electric stimulation was given for 30 seconds, repeated five times, with 30 seconds' intervals. Result & Conclusions : Unilateral electro-acupuncture stimulation on K3 increased the brain activity in Brodman Area 8, 6, 9, 13, 21, 22, 38, 40, 43, 2, 5, 10, 20, 24, 32, 34, 37, 39, 41, 42. and decreased the brain activity in Brodman Area 9, 13, 38, 22, 31, 3, 6, 10, 21, 25, 29, 30. Group Averaged Brain activity induced by Unilateral Electro-acupuncture Stimulation on K3 was increased in Brodman Area 10, 22, 42, 43, 44 and was decreased inn Brodman Area 6 and pyrogen test of Bee venom. Bilateral electro-acupuncture stimulation on k3 increased the brain activity in Brodman Area 22, 3, 19, 4, 13, 17, 21, 41, 42, 2, 5, 6, 7, 18, 23, 29, 30, 31, 40 and decreased the brain activity in Brodman Area 18, 6, 39, 4, 13, 2, 10, 19, 36, 40, 45, 46, 47. Group Averaged Brain activity induced by Bilateral Electro-acupuncture Stimulation on K3 was increased in Brodman Area 22, 13, 4, 3, 29, 38, 43 and was decreased in Brodman Area 18, 3, 19, 22, 39. Motor Stimulation activated Brodmann Area 6, 43, 18.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2012

A polymer gel dosimeter was fabricated. A 3-dimensional dosimetry experiment was performed in the small field of the photon of the cyberknife. The dosimeter was installed in a head and neck phantom. It was manufactured from the acrylic and it was used in dosimetry. By using the head and neck CT protocol of the CyberKnife system, CT images of the head and neck phantom were obtained and delivered to the treatment planning system. The irradiation to the dosimeter in the treatment planning was performed, and then, the image was obtained by using 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 24 hours. The dose distribution of the phantom was analyzed by using MATLAB. The results of this measurement were compared to the results of calculation in the treatment planning. In the isodose curve on the axial direction, the dose distribution coincided with the high dose area, 0.76mm difference on 80%, rather than the low dose area, 1.29 mm difference on 40%. In this research, the fact that the polymer gel dosimeter and MRI can be applied for analyzing a small field in a 3 dimensional dosimetry was confirmed. Moreover, the feasibility of using these for the therapeutic radiation quality control was also confirmed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.730-740
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary science teachers' brain activation and functional connectivity during scientific observation on the biological phenomena. Twenty six right-handed healthy science teachers volunteered to be in the present study. To investigate science teachers' brain activities during the tasks, 3.0T fMRI system with block design was used to measure BOLD signals in their brains. The SPM2 software package was applied to analyze the acquired initial image data from the fMRI system. The results have shown that the left inferior frontal gyrus, the bilateral superior parietal lobule, the left inferior parietal lobule, the left precuneus, the left superior occipital gyrus, the right middle occipital gyrus, the right precuneus, the left inferior occipital gyrus and bilateral fusiform gyrus were significantly activated during participants' scientific observation. The network model consisted of eleven nodes (ROIs) and its ten connections. These results suggested the notion that scientific observation needs a connective cooperation among several brain regions associated with observing over just a sensory receiving process.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.443-450
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to observe activation of limbic system during performing visuospatial tasks by 21% and 30% oxygen administration. Eight right handed male college students were selected as the subjects for this study. A visuospatial task was presented while brain images were scanned by a 3T fMRI system. The experiment consisted of two runs: one was a visuospatial task under normal air(21% oxygen) condition and the other under hyperoxic air(30% oxygen) condition. The neural activations were observed at the limbic system which is seperated 8 regions such as cingulate gyrus, thalamus, limbic lobe, hypothalamus, hippocampus, parahippocampa gyrus, amygdala, and mammiilary body. By two oxygen levels, activation areas of limbic system are almost identical. Increased neural activations were observed in the cingulate gyrus and thalamus with 30% oxygen administration compared to 21% oxygen. During 30% oxygen administration, improvement of visuospatial task performance has a relation to increase of neural activation of subcortical structures such as thalamus and cingulate gyrus as well as cerebral cortex.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.76-76
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• 2003

Purpose: To assess clinical proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) as a noninvasive method for evaluating tumor malignancy at 3T high field system. Methods: Using 3T MRI/MRS system, localized water-suppressed single-voxel technique in patients with brain tumors was employed to evaluate spectra with peaks of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho), creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr) and lactate. On the basis of Cr, these peak areas were quantificated as a relative ratio. Results: The variation of metabolites measurements of the designated region in 10 normal volunteers was less than 10%. Normal ranges of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios were 1.67$\pm$018 and 1.16:1:0.15, respectively. NAA/Cr ratio of all tumor tissues was significantly lower than that of the normal tissues (P=0.005). Cho/Cr ratio of high-grade gliomas was significantly higher than that of low-grade gliomas (P= 0.001), Except 4 menigiomas, lactate signal was observed in all tumor cases. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that the neuronal degradation or loss was observed in all tumor tissues. Higher grade of brain tumors was correlated with higher Cho/Cr ratio, indicating a significant dependence of Cho levels on malignancy of gliomas. This results suggest that clinical proton MR spectroscopy could be useful to predict tumor malignancy. Acknowledgement: This study was supported by a grant of the Mid and Long Term Nuclear R/D Plan Program, Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2012

The study of pigs as a human disease model has been conducted in neuroscience. But the morphological development of pig brain by using MRI is rare. The purpose of this study is to determine whether cerebellum maintains consistent proportion to other brain regions in aging. Clinically healthy sixteen micropigs, 1, 2, 4, and 8 months were studied. The micropigs were anesthetized with isoflorane. MRI was acquired using a 0.3T system. To figure out development of ratio that allowed identification of normal cerebellum size, we measured the area of the cerebellum, brainstem, and forebrain from the mid-sagittal brain images on T1W. Mid-sagittal cross-sectional area (CSA) of total brain, forebrain, brainstem, and cerebellum were expressed as absolute values and also as percentages which were compared between the four age groups of micropigs for the purpose to define the effect of age on brain morphometry. It was found that there was not a significant difference in the percentage of the brain occupied by an individual region between groups although the absolute CSA differed significantly among age groups. There was no effect of age on the ratio between the cerebellum and total brain in 4 age groups. The normal size of cerebellum changes during brain development maintained a consistent ratio to other brain regions in normal micropigs. The ratio of CSA quantified on the mid-sagittal MR images offers a suitable method to detect presence of cerebellar anomalies in micropigs.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.169-169
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• 2001

Purpose： To assess the clinical usefulness of Transfer Insensitive Labeling Technique (TILT) in t evaluation of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Method： Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a method of perfusion weighted imaging usin endogenous water as a tracer. To avoid MT-related artifacts, which is common in usual A technique, a transfer insensitive labeling technique (TILT) was used, which globall manipulate macromolecular spins in the same way by both labeling and reference preparatio while free water is labeled in one case and left unchanged in the other. Philips Interal 1.5 T system was used. 40cm FOV and 32 repeated measurements were done because of the wea perfusion signal. 5 slices of supratentorial brain were obtained in 5 patients ｛MCA infar (n=3), moyamoya disease (n=2)｝. We simultaneously obtained contrast enhanced T2＊-weighted perfusion MRI and correlate to TILT images.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.218-228
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• 2018

Purpose: The objective of this study is to determine the effect of physical changes on MR temperature imaging at 7.0T and to examine proton-resonance-frequency related changes of MR phase images and T1 related changes of MR magnitude images, which are obtained for MR thermometry at various magnetic field strengths. Materials and Methods: An MR-compatible capacitive-coupled radio-frequency hyperthermia system was implemented for heating a phantom and swine muscle tissue, which can be used for both 7.0T and 3.0T MRI. To determine the effect of flip angle correction on T1-based MR thermometry, proton resonance frequency, apparent T1, actual flip angle, and T1 images were obtained. For this purpose, three types of imaging sequences are used, namely, T1-weighted fast field echo with variable flip angle method, dual repetition time method, and variable flip angle method with radio-frequency field nonuniformity correction. Results: Signal-to-noise ratio of the proton resonance frequency shift-based temperature images obtained at 7.0T was five-fold higher than that at 3.0T. The T1 value increases with increasing temperature at both 3.0T and 7.0T. However, temperature measurement using apparent T1-based MR thermometry results in bias and error because B1 varies with temperature. After correcting for the effect of B1 changes, our experimental results confirmed that the calculated T1 increases with increasing temperature both at 3.0T and 7.0T. Conclusion: This study suggests that the temperature-induced flip angle variations need to be considered for accurate temperature measurements in T1-based MR thermometry.