• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.34-51
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• 2002

Background : The purpose for this study is to develop a critical pathway of bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax patients. Methods : For this study a conceptual framework of critical pathway was developed through a review of the literature including five critical pathways which are currently being used in USA, and opinions of the critical pathway development team members at Y university hospital. In order to identify the service contents required by these patients and to draw up a preliminary critical pathway, 33 cases of medical records of patients who had received bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax between September, 2000 to August, 2001 at the Respiratory Center of Y university hospital in Seoul was analyzed. Results : In order to test the clinical validity of the preliminary critical pathway, it was applied to ten patients who had received bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax from October, 2001 to December, 2001. The average discharge day was 4.89th post operation day, six patients discharged on the fourth post operation day which was the expected day, one patients discharged one day earlier than the expected day, one patient discharged three days later than the expected day, and one patient discharged six days later than the expected day. There were variances between the critical pathway and the actual practice. The variances came from tests, medications, and treatments. One item that showed variance in clinical applications was complemented, and three items were decided not to be corrected for the final determination of the critical pathway. Conclusion : This critical pathway is applicable to the care of patients with bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax, but it needs more clinical applications to grasp varied variances.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.35-46
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• 2010

Various electrophysiological tests have provided a large body of valuable information on neuronal responses to a presented stimulus. The special and general somatic sensory pathways are main targets of evoked potentials. Two types of evoked potentials, exogenous and endogenous, are commonly used. Exogenous evoked potentials of general and special somatic sensory systems will be reviewed. One of general somatic sensory functional pathways, proprioception, can be evaluated by general somatosensory evoked potentials with electrical stimulation on nerves. The special somatosensory functional pathways, including vision, and audition, can be evaluated by visual evoked potentials and auditory evoked potentials. Also laser-evoked potentials are newly developed for pain pathway, including lateral spinothalamic pathway, and vestibular myogenic evoked potentials for sacculocollic pathways. The evoked potentials of sensory system have maximal clinical utility in evaluating functional deficits along the sensory pathways. They are used for evaluating comatose patients, hysterical patients, premature infants, patients with suspected demyelinating diseases or neoplasms, and research. We discuss the neurophysiologic tests of sensory systems in views of practical points. The organized evaluation of sensory electrophysiologic tests can be helpful in detecting and estimating the abnormalities in neurological diseases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8429-8433
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• 2014

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are believed to be particularly important and a reliable marker of malignancy. However, the prognostic significance of CTCs detected in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is still unclear. We therefore aimed to assess the prognostic relevance of CTCs using a meta-analysis. We searched PubMed for relevant studies and statistical analyses were conducted to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using fixed or random-effect models according to the heterogeneity of included studies. A total of 7 papers covering 440 SCLC patients were combined in the final analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that CTCs were significantly associated with shorter overall survival (HR=1.9; 95%CI: 1.19-3.04; Z=2.67; P<0.0001) and progression-free survival (HR=2.6; 95%CI: 1.9-3.54; Z=6.04; P<0.0001). The results thus suggest that the presence of CTCs indicates a poor prognosis in patients with SCLC. Further well-designed prospective studies are required to explore the clinical applications of CTCs in SCLC.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2016

Measurements of ovarian reserve play an important role in predicting the clinical results of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The ideal markers of ovarian reserve for clinical applications should have high specificity in order to determine genuine poor responders. Basal follicle-stimulating hormone levels, antral follicle count, and serum anti-$M{\ddot{u}}llerian$ hormone (AMH) levels have been suggested as ovarian reserve tests that may fulfill this requirement, with serum AMH levels being the most promising parameter. Serum AMH levels have been suggested to be a predictor of clinical pregnancy in ART for older women, who are at a high risk for decreased ovarian response. We reviewed the prognostic significance of ovarian reserve tests for patients undergoing ART treatment, with a particular focus on the significance of serum AMH levels in patients at a high risk of poor ovarian response.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.317-326
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• 2007

Recently, robotic automation in clinical laboratory becomes of keen interest as a fusion of bio and robotic technology. In this paper, we present a new robotic platform for clinical tests suitable for small or medium sized laboratories using mobile robots. The mobile robot called Mobile Agent is designed as transfer system of blood samples, reagents, microplates, and any instruments. Also, the developed mobile agent can perform diverse tests simultaneously based on its cooperative and distributed ability. The driving circuits for the mobile agent are embedded in the robot, and each mobile agent communicates with other agents by using Bluetooth communication. The RFID system is used to recognize patient information. Also, the magnetic hall sensor is embedded to remove and compensate the cumulated error of locomotion at the bottom of mobile agent. The proposed mobile agent can be easily used for various applications because it is designed to be compatible with general software development tools. The Mobile agents are manufactured, and feasibility of the robot and localization of the agents using magnetic hall sensor are validated by preliminary experiments.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2010

Objective : The purpose of this study was to review the safety and durability of aneurysms treated with stent-assisted coiling of ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysms with small parent vessels (< 2.0 mm). Methods : Retrospective review of all ruptured aneurysm treated with stent assisted endovascular coiling between March 2005 and March 2009 at our institution was conducted. We report 11 cases of the Neuroform stent placement into cerebral vessels measuring less than 2.0 mm in diameter (range, 1.3-1.9 mm) in anterior cerebral artery. Clinical follow-up ranged from 3 to 12 months and imaging follow-up was performed with cerebral angiography at 6 months and 12 months after discharge. Results : Complete occlusion was achieved in 10 patients, and a remnant neck was evident in one. No stent displacement or no dislodgement occurred during stent placement. There was no evidence of thromboembolic complication, arterial dissection and spasm during procedure. We performed follow-up angiography in all patients at 6 months and/or 12 months from the first procedure. The follow-up angiographic data showed successfully results except one in-stent stenosis case. All patients improved clinical performances except one patient with severe vasospasm who showed poor clinical condition initially. Conclusion : We have safely and successfully treated 11 vessels smaller than 2.0 mm in diameter with self-expanding stents with good short and intermediate term results. More clinical data with longer follow-ups are needed to establish the role of stent-assisted coiling in ruptured aneurysms with small parent vessels.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.501-512
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• 2018

We propose Sequential Patient Recruitment Monitoring (SPRM), a new monitoring procedure for patient recruitment in a clinical trial. Based on the sequential probability ratio test using improved stopping boundaries by Woodroofe, the method allows for continuous monitoring of the rate of enrollment. It gives an early warning when the recruitment is unlikely to achieve the target enrollment. The packet data approach combined with the Central Limit Theorem makes the method robust to the distribution of the recruitment entry pattern. A straightforward application of the counting process framework can be used to estimate the probability to achieve the target enrollment under the assumption that the current trend continues. The required extension of the recruitment period can also be derived for a given confidence level. SPRM is a new, continuous patient recruitment monitoring tool that provides an opportunity for corrective action in a timely manner. It is suitable for the modern, centralized data management environment and requires minimal effort to maintain. We illustrate this method using real data from two well-known, multicenter, phase III clinical trials.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.77-86
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• 2011

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate domestic clinical studies related to the exercise program targeting farmers. Methods: Five Korean databases were seamed for prospective clinical trials of exercise program targeting farmers from 2001 to August, 2011. Only studies conducted in Korean language were searched. Results: Thirteen clinical studies were included among 3374 studies searched. Six were observational studies, four were non-randomized controlled trials, and three were randomized controlled trials. All of included studies reported favorable effects of exercise group compared to baseline of controlled group. Conclusions: We found various mistake in the applications of statistical methodologies in the studies of exercise program targeting farmers. It is necessary for more randomized controlled trials to evaluate effect of exercise program target farmers.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.67-76
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• 2015

Objectives The purpose of this review is to investigate the domestic and foreign studies of pediatric Chuna treatment and propose the directions of future studies and clinical applications. Methods We searched for the study at RISS, KISS, DBPIA, Pubmed, CNKI by keywords, '추나', 'Osteopathic', 'Chiropractic', 'Manipulation', '推拿', '導引', '按摩', After 2010. Results 1. Selected 3 domestic studies were categorized as 1 survey study and 2 case reports. Selected 41 foreign studies from Pubmed were categorized as 15 systemic reviews, 8 survey studies, 12 case reports and 6 control studies. Selected 82 foreign studies from CNKI were categorized as 10 systemic reviews, 22 case reports and 50 control studies. 2. 2 clinical domestic studies researched on idiopathic Scoliosis. The foreign clinical studies from Pubmed are 18 cases, and those studies were categorized into Premature baby care (3), Infant colic (2), ADHD (2), Congenital talipes equinovarus (1), Somatic dysfuntion (1), Nonsynostotic occipital plagiocephaly (1), Conversion disorder (1), Lower back pain (1), Chronic bilateral dorsal foot pain and stiffness (1), plantar fasciitis (1), Migraine headaches (1), Cyclic vomiting syndrome (1), Acute otitis media (1) and Cerebral palsy (1). The other 72 foreign clinical studies were from CNKI, and they studied 39 different diseases. Systematically, they studied about digestive diseases (25), respiratory diseases (20), fever (6), musculoskeletal diseases (5), nervous system diseases (5), dermatology diseases (2) and other disease states. The Chuna treatment was used in variety of studies. 3. 2 clinical domestic studies adopted techniques of Osteopathy Chuna. The foreign clinical studies from Pubmed adopted techniques of Osteopathic manipulation (10) and Chiropractic manipulation (8). The other foreign clinical studies from CNKI adopted techniques of Acupressure (69), Abdominal manipulation (23), Spinal manipulation (21), Thoracic manipulation (11), Traction manipulation (2), Muscular manipulation (2), Squeezing Sha manipulation (1), Spine correction (1), Joint manipulation (1) and Fascia manipulation (1). Conclusions In addition to musculoskeletal disorders, variety of pediatric diseases could be treated with Chuna treatment instead of acupuncture.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2006

Great inter-variability in drug response and adverse drug reactions is related to inter-variability of drug bioavailability, drug interaction and patient's disease and physyological state that cause change in absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs. However, these alone do not sufficiently predict and explain inter-variability in drug response. In recent studies, it is reported that inter-variability in drug response and adverse drug reactions may largely resulted from genetically determined differences in drug absoption, distribution, metabolism and drug target proteins. Especially, the major human drug-metabolizing enzymes such as CYP450, N-acetyl tranferase, thiopurine S-methyl transferase, glutathione S-transferase are identified as the major gene variants that cause inter-individual variability in drug's response and adverse drug reactions. These variations may have most significant implications for those drugs that have narrow therapeutic index and serious adverse drug reactions. Therefore, the genetic variation such as polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes can affect the response of individuals to drugs that are used in the treatment of depression, psychosis, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, ulcer and gastrointestinal disorders, pain and epilepsy, among others. This review describes the pharmacogenomics of the drug metabolizing enzymes associated with the drug response and its clinical applications.