• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2003

Purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been recognized as an important childhood liver disease, especially where the prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing. The purpose of this study is to clarify the usefulness of elevated serum aminotransferase activities and their ratio for predicting the presence of fatty liver and its severity in obese children. Methods: Forty-four children (M/F 29/15, age 4 to 16 years) with obesity (weight excess>20%) were analyzed retrospectively with medical records based on degree of obesity, bioelectrical impedence, serum aminotransferase activities, lipid profiles and ultrasonography. Results: 1) Ultrasonography was carried out in 34 cases. Elevated serum ALT was found in 89.7% (26/29) of the patients diagnosed as fatty liver by ultrasonography and decreased AST/ALT ratio (<1) was found in 96.6% (28/29). There was a strong correlation between elevated serum ALT (>45 IU/L) or decreased AST/ALT ratio (<1) and the fatty liver in obese children (p<0.05). 2) There was no significant correlation between the serum ALT or AST/ALT ratio and the degree of fatty liver (p>0.05). 3) There was a significant correlation between total cholesterol, triglyceride and fatty liver (p<0.05). Conclusion: Serum ALT activity and AST/ALT ratio were useful to predict the presence of fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasonography in obese children, whereas they were not useful to predict the degree of fatty liver. Therefore, to prevent fatty liver progressing to advanced liver disease, it is necessary to manage and monitor the obese children continuously, especially those who have predicting factors of fatty liver.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.241-247
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• 2007

Purpose : Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a common and benign congenital disorder of the musculoskeletal system in neonates and infants. The pathophysiology is that the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) is shortened on the involved side by fibrosis, leading to ipsilateral tilt and contralateral rotation of the face and chin. In this study, we investigated the clinical features of CMT, the role of ultrasonography (USG) in prediction of prognoses and the clinical significance of early detection and treatment. Methods : Forty seven patients (M:F=31:16) were diagnosed as a CMT between March 2003 and May 2006. We reviewed age at diagnosis, physical findings, USG findings, treatment and therapeutic outcome from their medical records. Results : The median age at diagnosis was 90 days (18 days-9 years, 7 months) and the right side of neck was affected in more patients (right : left=26:21). Of 24 patients with a palpable neck mass, 21 had USG; 19 cases showed sternocleidomastoid tumor (SMT). In cases with no neck mass, USG was performed in 11 patients; seven had postural torticollis (POST), three had SMT and one had muscular torticollis (MT). Among 40 patients with follow-up, 36 had total resolution. There was negative correlation between the age at diagnosis and the recovery time, whereas the final outcome was not correlated with USG findings. However, the patients without positive findings in USG had earlier resolution (1 month vs 2.6 months, P=0.0008). The patients with SMT had earlier diagnosis and excellent outcomes. The patients with MT were delayed to diagnosis and had the longest time to resolve. Lastly, the patients with POST had delayed diagnoses, but they had excellent outcomes. Conclusion : Since the patients with delayed diagnoses, in despite of benign courses, may take a long time to resolve and rarely need surgical treatment, it is important to diagnose and treat early. This study showed that USG findings of the SCM may be used as predictive factors.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.540-549
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• 2001

Background : Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) is a progressive fibrous lung disease with occasional fatal outcomes. However, the extent and rate of progression varies markedly from one patient to another. As a result, it is difficult to determine the time of the initial treatment and assess the disease activity and course. Fibroblast foci (FF) is well known to synthesize collagen actively by their myofibroblasts component. However, the prognostic value of the FF have not been evaluated in patients with VIP. Therefore this study was undertaken to determine how the number of fibroblastic foci can reflect the disease activity and progression. Methods: Twenty patients with UIP(M : F=13 : 7), who were diagnosed by a surgical lung biopsy. The number of fibroblastic foci was analyzed in terms of its correlation with the clinical manifostations, pulmonary function test, arterial blood gas analysis, and a bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL). Results : The number of fibroblastic foci did not correlate with the various lung function tests and the other clinical parameters. Interestingly, the percentage of neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid did correlate with the quantity of the normalized Vv of FF(r=0.60, p<0.05). The patients were divided into 2 groups, group I and II, arbitrarily, according to the value of the normalized Vv. The clinical parameters and the PIT results were not different between the two groups. In particular, the survival rate between the two groups according to the Kaplan-Meier analysis were not different. Conclusion : A large number of FF does not imply a bad prognosis in patients with UIP.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.768-775
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• 2005

Lentinus edodes powder was added at 1-3%(w/w) to improve functional properties of jocheong. Content of crude protein, ash, crude lipids, total mineral, free sugar and reducing sugar increased with increasing amount of L. edodes powder, while viscosity and solid and carbohydrate contents decreased. Through amino acid analysis, 17 amino acids were identified and quantified, glutamic acid being the major amino acid. No significant differences were observed in fatty acid composition and pH between control and L. edodes powder-added jocheong. Addition of mushroom powder in jocheong decreased lightness, yellowness and redness in Hunter's color value. Sensor score of jucheong containing 1% of L. edodes powder was similar to that of control. Results showed jocheong containing less than 2% L. edodes powder gave highest scores in quality characteristics and sensory evaluation.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.498-505
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• 2004

Purpose: We compared captopril renal scintigraphic criteria for the diagnosis of renovascular hypertension by unilateral renal artery stenosis. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 24 patients (m/f : 16/8, age: $39{\pm}18$ years) with unilateral renal artery stenosis who underwent renal artery revascularization and captopril renal scintigraphy with $^{99m}Tc$-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid between May 1995 and April 2004. The blood pressure response was classified as cure/improvement or failure. We evaluated captopril-induced changes in relative function (BCfun) and renogram grade (0 to 5: 0=normal, and 5=renal failure pattern without measurable uptake) (CBren) and the difference of renograms between the normal and stenotic kidney on captopril scan (CNren). Results: light of 24 patients were cured and 11 improved and 5 patients were classified as failed revascularization. Significant predictors of a cure or improvement of blood pressure were younger age, stenosis by fibromuscular dysplasia or arteritis, BCfun, CBren and CNren. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of age, BCfun, CBren and CNren were not significantly different. Positive and negative predictive values of predictors were 100% and 42% (age ${\leq}38$): 92% and 50% (BCfun ${\geq}1%$): 92% and 75% (CBren ${\geq}1$), and 90% and 60% (CNren ${\geq}1$), respectively. Conclusion: Captopril induced changes in renal function and renogram can reliably predict hypertension response to revascularization. Renogram pattern on captopril scan can diagnose renovascular hypertension without baseline data in patients with unilateral renal artery stenosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.4 s.261
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• pp.261-268
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• 2006

Background: Current vascular prostheses are still inadequate for reconstruction of small-diameter vessels. Autologous pericardium can be a good alternative for this purpose as it already possesses good blood compatibility and shows a mechanical behavior similar to that of natural arteries. However, the clinical use of autologous pericardial tissue as a small-diameter vascular graft has limitations due to mixed outcomes from uncertain biological behavior and difficulty to gain reliable patency results in animal experiments. To study this issue, we implanted fresh and glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium as small-diameter arterial grafts in dogs, and compared their time-related changes histologically. Material and Method: As a form of 5mm-diameter arterial graft, one pair of autologous pericardial tissue was used for comparison between the glutaraldehyde-treated and the glutaraldehyde-untreated grafts in the bilateral carotid arteries in the same dog. The patency of the grafts were evaluated at regular intervals with Doppler ultrasonography. After the predetermined periods of 3 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months, the grafts in each animal were explanted. The retrieved grafts were processed for light and electron microscopic analyses following gross observation. Result: Of 7 animals, 2 were excluded from the study because one died postoperatively due to bleeding and the other was documented as one side of the grafts being obstructed. All 10 grafts in the remaining 5 dogs were patent. Grossly, a variable degree of thromboses were observed in the luminal surfaces of the grafts at 3 days and 2 weeks, despite good patency. Pseudointimal smooth blood-contacting surfaces were developed in the grafts at f month and later. By light microscopy, mesothelial cell layers of the pericardial tissue were absent in all explanted grafts. Newly formed endothelial cell layers on the blood-contacting surface were observed in both the glutaraldehyde-treated and fresh grafts at 3 months and later. The collagen fibers became degraded by fragmentation in the fresh graft at 1 month and In the glutaraldehyde-treated graft at 3 months. At 6 months, the collagen layers were no longer visible in either the glutaraldehyde-treated or fresh grafts. By electron microscopy, a greater amount of coarse fibrin fibers were observed in the fresh grafts than in the glutaraldehyde-treated grafts and, more compact and well-arrayed layers were observed in the glutaraldehyde-treated grafts than in the fresh grafts. Conclusion: The glutaraldehyde-treated small-diameter pericardial arterial grafts showed a better endothelialization of the blood-contacting surface and a slower fragmentation of the collagen layers than the fresh grafts, although it has yet to be proven whether these differences are so significant as to affect the patency results between the groups.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2009

The chemical components and antimicrobial activities of garlic from different area were investigated and analyzed to provide basic data for functional food materialization and processing. Hunter's values of garlic from different area were L 53.41~57.15, a -3.49~-4.38 and b 11.47~17.55. The moisture, crude protein, crude fat, nitrogen free extract, crude fiber and ash were 65.24~71.96, 6.24~9.35, 0.21~0.49, 19.01~22.72, 0.58~0.95 and 1.01~2.01%, respectively. The major minerals of garlic from different area were Na(27.22~112.03), Mg(18.17~32.56), K(242.16~569.28), Ca(28.60~63.93), P(117.72~265.21 mg%) and major free sugars were sucrose, glucose and fructose. The major amino acids of garlic from different area were proline, arglmne, glutamic acid and aspartic acid and content of total amino acid was 2,709.33~4,561.04 mg%. The ascorbic acid content of garlic from different area was 2.966~8.673 mg%. Composition of fatty acids of garlic from different area were linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid, unsaturated fatty acid and saturated fatty acid contents were 72.18~74.35 and 25.65~27.82%, respectively. Antimicrobial activities of garlic extracts as different area increased depends on concentration and showed the high antimicrobial activities against Gram(+) and Gram(-).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.724-732
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• 2000

Background : In patients with severe chronic lung diseases even a small pneumothorax can result in life-threatening respiratory distress. It is important to treat the attack by chest tube drainage until the lung expands. Pneumothorax with a persistent air leak that does not resolve under prolonged tube thoracostomy suction is usually treated by open operation to excise or oversew a bulla or cluster of blebs to stop the air leak. Pleurodesis by the instillation of chemical agents is used for the patient who has persistent air leak and is not good candidate for surgical treatment. When the primary trial of pleurodesis with common agent fails, it is uncertain which agent should be used f or stopping the air leak by pleurodesis. It is well known that inappropriate drainage of hemothorax results in severe pleural adhesion and thickening. Based on this idea, some reports described a successful treatment with autologous blood instillation for pneumothorax patients with or without residual pleural space. We tried pleurodesis with autologous bood for pneumothorax with persistent air leak and then we evaluated the efficacy and safety. Methods : Fifteen patients who had persistent air leak in the pneumothorax complicated from the severe chronic lung disease were enrolled. They were not good candidates for surgical treatment and doxycycline pleurodesis failed to stop up their air leaks. We used a mixture of autologous blood and 50% dextrose for pleurodesis. Effect and complications were assessed by clinical out∞me, chest radiography and pulmonary function tests. Results : The mean duration of air leak was 18.4${\pm}$6.16 days before ABP (autologous blood and dextrose pleurodesis) and $5.2{\pm}1.68$ days after ABP. The mean severity of pain was $2.3{\pm}0.70$ for DP(doxycycline pleurodesis) and $1.7{\pm}0.59$ for ABDP (p<0.05). There was no other complication except mild fever. Pleural adhesion grade was a mean of $0.6{\pm}0.63$. The mean dyspnea scale was $1.7{\pm}0.46$ before pneumothrax and $2.0{\pm}0.59$ after ABDP (p>0.05). The mean $FEV_1$ was $1.47{\pm}1.01$ before pneumothorax and $1.44{\pm}1.00$ after ABDP (p>0.05). Except in 1 patient, 14 patients had no recurrent pneumothorax. Conclusion : Autologous blood pleurodesis (ABP) was successful for treatment of persistent air leak in the pneumothorax. It was easy and inexpensive and involved less pain than doxycycline pleurodesis. It did not cause complications and severe pleural adhesion. We report that ABP can be considered as a useful treatment for persistent air leak in the pneumothorax complicated from the severe chronic lung disease.