• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.677-687
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• 2021

Microvascular ultrasound (US) techniques are advanced Doppler techniques that provide high sensitivity and spatial resolution for detailed visualization of low-flow vessels. Microvascular US imaging can be applied to breast lesion evaluation with or without US contrast agents. Microvascular US imaging without a contrast agent uses a sophisticated wall filtering system to selectively obtain low-flow Doppler signals from overlapped artifacts. Microvascular US imaging with second-generation contrast agents amplifies flow signals and makes them last longer, which facilitates hemodynamic evaluation of breast lesions. In this review article, we will introduce various microvascular US techniques, explain their clinical applications in breast cancer diagnosis and radiologic-histopathologic correlation, and provide a summary of a recent radiogenomic study using microvascular US.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.821-829
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• 2006

Hemophilia is the most common coagulation disorder. It has a long history. Hemophilia A is caused by FVIII gene mutation, and hemophilia B by FIX gene mutation. Those genes are located on X chromosome long arm. Bleedings in hemophiliacs predominantly occur in joints and muscles. Because those site are insufficient in tissue factor to induce hemostasis. Among joints knee, ankle and elbow are most frequently affected because their synovial structure is vulnerable to injury compared to other joints. Hemophilia is diagnosed with factor assay. Severe hemophilia is below 1% of FVIII : C, moderate between 1% and 5%, mild over 5%. Carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis have been conducted with RFLP-based linkage analysis and DNA sequencing. Mainstay of treatment is factor replacement therapy so far. Bleedings can be controlled by infusion of factor concentrates. Hemophilc arthropathy and muscle contracture are representative sequelae. Complications of facotor replacement therapy are inhibitor development and infections. Hemophiliacs with inhibitor should be managed with large dose factor concentrate, bypassing agent, ITI and immunosuppression. Ultimately, hemophilia could be cured by gene therapy.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.163-166
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• 2022

Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is an uncommon autoimmune bleeding disorder in which autoantibodies that affect the functions of factor VIII (FVIII) are present in the blood. The initial diagnosis of AHA is difficult as the presentations of AHA differ from those of congenital hemophilia A. Moreover, the treatment of AHA is more complex due to the presence of autoantibodies against FVIII. Here, we present a case report of postpartum AHA, to increase the perception and knowledge regarding the recognition and management of such cases. We present a young female with the chief complaint of vaginal bleeding and upper arm ecchymosis. Laboratory results exhibited isolated prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and FVIII inhibitors. The patient was treated with corticosteroids, FVIII concentrates, and a bypassing agent. In conclusion, unexplained postpartum bleeding, unmanageable with basic hemostatic measures, should lead to clinical suspicion of an acquired bleeding disease.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.22.1-22.7
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• 2022

Background: Several cases of chloroform-induced hepatotoxicity have been reported worldwide, but only 2 cases have been reported in Korea. We encountered a case of toxic hepatitis due to chloroform exposure in February 2022 and report the diagnosis process and clinical findings. Case presentation: A 38-year-old employee in charge of the coating after washing (degreasing) at an automotive parts manufacturer complained of jaundice and was diagnosed with acute toxic hepatitis. After the initial diagnosis, he continued to work, his symptoms worsened, and he was hospitalized for 8 days. Liver ultrasonography (elastography) revealed acute hepatitis. The washing agent contained chloroform, which was not listed on the materials safety data sheet, and the concentrations of chloroform in the workplace were up to 4.7 times the time-weighted average. Conclusions: This patient showed typical toxic hepatitis with chloroform; further follow-up studies are required. Both employers and workers should be aware of information on toxic substances and take precautions to avoid exposure.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 1999

Aucubin, the natural product, which is isolated from Aucuba japonica, has a variety of pharmacological effects such as liver-protective function, inhibition of liver RNA and protein biosynthesis, hypotensive activity and antimicrobial effect, etc. This study was performed to investigate the effects of iridoid compounds on wound healing. The author prepared 0.1% aucubin solution and 0.1% aucubin ointment as an active form, aucubigenin to which aucubin was converted by ${\beta}$-glucosidase. Artificial surgical wound was made on either 1cm lateral side of the dorsal midline along the axis of spine of Sprague-Dawley rats under sterile technique. Application of 0.1% aucubin solution or 0.1% aucubin ointment to surgical wound was done daily. Light microscopic examination was performed on the postsurgical 3 days, 5 days, and 9 days. The 0.1% aucubin solution group epithelialized earlier than the control group and the fibrosis of granulation tissue of both aucubin groups were more prominent than the control group. Collectively, this study suggests the possibility of aucubin as a topical agent. Further research should be performed on the mechanism of aucubin on wound healing and proper formulation for effective topical agents.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.164-168
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• 2001

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) and Maize rough dwarf virus (MRDV) are closely related viruses. Since the two viruses produce identical symptoms on maize, barley, and wheat, diagnosis of infected plants is difficult. Previously, we reported that partial cDNA clones of RBSDV S5 and S6 from the Japanese isolate (RBSDV-H) have lower sequence homology to MRDV than do cDNA clones from other genomic segments. In order to test whether cDNA clones of RBSDV-H S5 and S6 can be used for molecular diagnosis, RBSDV field isolates from Korea and from Hokkaido, Japan were tested in dot blot hybridizations probed with RBSDV-H S5 and S6 cDNA colnes. Hybridization with these probes was more intense against the RBSDV genome than against the MRDV genome. Therefore, RBSDV-H S5 and S6 cDNA clones can be used to differentiate between the two viruses. Furthermore, RBSDV-H S5 and S6 clones reacted more strongly against the viruses from stunted maize plants from Korean fields than to MRDV, indicating that RBSDV may be the causal disease agent in maize plants in Korea.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.435-438
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• 2018

Acanthamoeba culbertsoni is the causative agent of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), a condition that predominantly occurs in immunocompromised individuals and which is typically fatal. A mannose-binding protein (MBP) among lectins was shown to have strong A. castellanii pathogenic potential when correlated with major virulence proteins. In this study, protective effects were analyzed using the monoclonal antibody to A. culbertsoni MBP by quantification and were also compared with other free-living amoebae. For the amoebial cytotoxicity to the target cell, amoeba trophozoites were incubated with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. For the protective effects of antibodies, amoebae were pre-incubated with them for 4 h and then added to the target cells. After 24 h, the supernatants were collected and examined for host cell cytotoxicity by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. The cytotoxicity of A. culbertsoni to the CHO cells showed about 87.4%. When the monoclonal antibody was pre-incubated with A. culbertsoni, the amoebial cytotoxicity was remarkably decreased as shown at LDH release (1.858 absorbance), which was represented with about 49.9%. Taken together, it suggested that the monoclonal antibody against MBP be important to inhibit the cytotoxicity of A. culbertsoni trophozoites to the target cell. The antibody will be applied into an in vivo functional analysis, which would help to develop therapeutics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.4805-4811
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• 2016

Background: Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) less than 2 cm in diameter generally demonstrate a good outcome after curative therapy. However, the diagnosis of small HCC can be problematic and requires one or more dynamic imaging modalities. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity and agreement between CT and MRI for the diagnosis of small HCCs. Methods: CT and/or MRI scans of HCCs (1-2 cm) diagnosed by histopathology or typical vascular pattern according to the 2005 AASLD criteria were blindly reviewed by an abdominal radiologist. The reports were defined as conclusive/typical when arterial enhancement and washout during the portal/delayed phases were observed and as inconclusive when typical vascular patterns were not observed. The sensitivity and Cohen's kappa (k) for agreement were calculated. Results: In 27 patients, 27 HCC nodules (1-2 cm) were included. Diagnosis with a single-imaging modality (CT or MRI) was 81 % versus 48 % (p = 0.01). The CT sensitivity was significantly higher than MRI (78 % versus 52 %, p = 0.04). Among 27 nodules that underwent both CT and MRI, a discordance in typical enhancement patterns was found (k = 0.319, p = 0.05). In cases with inconclusive CT results, MRI gave only an additional 3.7 % sensitivity to reach a diagnosis. In contrast, further CT imaging following inconclusive MRI results gave an additional 29.6 % sensitivity.Conclusions: A single typical imaging modality is sufficient to diagnose small HCCs. Compared with MRI, multiphasic CT has a higher sensitivity. The limitations of MRI could be explained by the greater need for patient cooperation and the types of MRI contrast agent.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11.1-11.10
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• 2021

Coronavirus causes an infectious disease in various species and crosses the species barriers leading to the outbreak of zoonotic diseases. Due to the respiratory diseases are mainly caused in humans and viruses are replicated and excreted through the respiratory tract, the nasal fluid and sputum are mainly used for diagnosis. Early diagnosis of coronavirus plays an important role in preventing its spread and is essential for quarantine policies. For rapid decision and prompt triage of infected host, the immunochromatographic assay (ICA) has been widely used for point of care testing. However, when the ICA is applied to an expectorated sputum in which antigens are present, the viscosity of sputum interferes with the migration of the antigens on the test strip. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to use a mucolytic agent without affecting the antigens. In this study, we combined known mucolytic agents to lower the viscosity of sputum and applied that to alpha and beta coronavirus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), respectively, spiked in sputum to find optimal pretreatment conditions. The pretreatment method using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and BSA was suitable for ICA diagnosis of sputum samples spiked with PEDV and MERS-CoV. This sensitive assay for the detection of coronavirus in sputum provides an useful information for the diagnosis of pathogen in low respiratory tract.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.429-440
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• 2010

It is known that as many as 1 in 91 children are diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder, and the incidence rate of the autistic spectrum disorder is much higher than that of cancer in Korea. It is necessary to develop a novel technology to sense their emotional status and give proper psychological diagnosis and therapy, since the children with autistic spectrum disorder usually do not express their own emotional status. This article presents the state-of-the-arts on the affective computing technologies that include recognition of emotional status through bio-sensing and virtual affective agent modeling, and then proposes a novel system architecture for diagnosis and therapy of autistic spectrum disorder. The diagnosis and therapy system of autistic spectrum disorder is composed of bio-sensing module, virtual environment module with affective agents, and haptic interface module. The architecture proposed in this paper will enhance the objectivity to diagnose autism spectrum disorders, and enable continuous treatment in daily life.