• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.82 no.3
• /
• pp.562-574
• /
• 2021

MRI has the advantages of having excellent soft-tissue contrast and providing functional information without any harmful ionizing radiation. Although previous technical limitations restricted the use of chest MRI, recent technological advances and expansion of insurance coverage are increasing the demand for chest MRI. Recognizing the need for guidelines on appropriate use of chest MRI in Korean clinical settings, the Korean Society of Radiology has composed a development committee, working committee, and advisory committee to develop Korean chest MRI justification guidelines. Five key questions were selected and recommendations have been made with the evidence-based clinical imaging guideline adaptation methodology. Recommendations are as follows. Chest MRI can be considered in the following circumstances: for patients with incidentally found anterior mediastinal masses to exclude non-neoplastic conditions, for pneumoconiosis patients with lung masses to differentiate progressive massive fibrosis from lung cancer, and when invasion of the chest wall, vertebrae, diaphragm, or major vessels by malignant pleural mesothelioma or non-small cell lung cancer is suspected. Chest MRI without contrast enhancement or with minimal dose low-risk contrast media can be considered for pregnant women with suspected pulmonary embolism. Lastly, chest MRI is recommended for patients with pancoast tumors planned for radical surgery.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.267-275
• /
• 2024

Artemisia fukudo Makino belongs to the Asteraceae family, is a halophyte that can grow in salinity soils and is known for its various physiological activities. However, few studies were comparing it according to the growth environment. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the antioxidant activity, functional ingredients, and safety of Artemisia fukudo Makino according to the growth environment. Total polyphenol content was the highest in native mature leaves, but 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity was higher in cultivated leaves than in native leaves. The total mineral content, excluding sodium, was higher in cultivated than in native leaves. The content of potassium and calcium was higher in cultivated leaves than in native leaves. In addition, heavy metal analysis showed that cultivated leaves were generally lower than those of native leaves. Residual pesticides were not detected in all samples. In conclusion, since there is no significant difference in cultivated leaves compared to native leaves, it was judged that cultivated leaves could be used as a variety to be grown and mass-produced.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.315-323
• /
• 2024

This study aims to confirm the anti-inflammatory activities of acemannan and aloesin, which have been studied for various efficacies at various mixed sample ratios. The mixed samples were mixed at a ratio of 1:1 (AA-1), 1:2 (AA-2), 1:3 (AA-3), 2:1 (AA-4), and 3:1 (AA-5). Seven samples were evaluated for their cytotoxic ability on macrophages, and the results showed that all cell viability was over 90% at a concentration of 100 ㎍/mL. First, due to the NO production inhibitory activity, a better inhibitory effect was achieved when using a mixed sample rather than a single material. Afterward, the activity of inhibiting the production of PGE₂, TNF-α, and IL-6 was confirmed using a mixed sample. It was confirmed that AA-2 had the best inhibitory activity on producing PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6 rather than AA-1, AA-3, AA-4, and AA-5. For this reason, experiments were conducted using AA-2 to determine the protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2, which are inflammation-related proteins. It was confirmed that AA-2 inhibited iNOS and COX-2 protein expression by 25.01% and 27.27%, respectively, compared to the LPS-alone treatment group. In conclusion, the mixed sample of acemannan and aloesin is judged to have anti-inflammatory activity and can potentially to be used as a functional material.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.81 no.2
• /
• pp.365-378
• /
• 2020

Purpose This study was performed to determine whether the T1 relaxation time of gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MR imaging is useful for detecting and staging liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Materials and Methods One hundred and three patients with suspected focal liver lesion underwent MR imaging and Fibroscan. Fibroscan was chosen as the reference standard for classifying liver fibrosis. T1 relaxation times were acquired before (preT1), 20 minutes after (postT1) contrast administration, and reduction rate of T1 relaxation time (rrT1) on transverse 3D VIBE (volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination) sequence using 3T MR imaging. The optimal cut-off values for the fibrosis staging were determined with ROC analysis. Results PreT1 and postT1 increased and rrT1 decreased constantly with increasing severity of liver fibrosis according to the METAVIR score (F0-F4). There were statistically significant differences between F2 and F3 in preT1 (F2, 836.0 ± 74.7 ms; F3, 888.6 ± 77.5 ms, p < 0.05) and between F3 and F4 in postT1 (F3, 309.0 ± 80.2 ms; F4, 406.6 ± 147.7 ms, p < 0.05) and rrT1 (F3, 65.4 ± 7.7%; F4, 57.3 ± 11.4%, p < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed that combination test (preT1 + postT1) was the best test for predicting liver fibrosis. Conclusion PreT1 and postT1 increased constantly with increasing severity of liver fibrosis. T1 mapping in gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MR imaging could be a helpful complementary sequence to determine the liver fibrosis stage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.82 no.6
• /
• pp.1556-1564
• /
• 2021

Purpose This study aimed to apply MR elastography (MRE) to achieve in vivo evaluation of the elastic properties of thigh muscles and validate the feasibility of quantifying the elasticity of normal thigh muscles using MRE. Materials and Methods This prospective study included 10 volunteer subjects [mean age, 32.5 years, (range, 23-45 years)] who reported normal activities of daily living and underwent both T2-weighted axial images and MRE of thigh muscles on the same day. A sequence with a motion-encoding gradient was used in the MRE to map the propagating shear waves in the muscle. Elastic properties were quantified as the shear modulus of the following four thigh muscles at rest; the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, adductor magnus, and biceps femoris. Results The mean shear modulus was 0.98 ± 0.32 kPa and 1.00 ± 0.33 kPa for the vastus medialis, 1.10 ± 0.46 kPa and 1.07 ± 0.43 kPa for the vastus lateralis, 0.91 ± 0.41 kPa and 0.93 ± 0.47 kPa for the adductor magnus, and 0.99 ± 0.37 kPa and 0.94 ± 0.32 kPa for the biceps femoris, with reader 1 and 2, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the shear modulus based on sex (p < 0.05). Aging consistently showed a statistically significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) with the shear modulus of the thigh muscles, except for the vastus medialis (p = 0.194 for reader 1 and p = 0.355 for reader 2). Conclusion MRE is a quantitative technique used to measure the elastic properties of individual muscles with excellent inter-observer agreement. Age was consistently significantly negatively correlated with the shear stiffness of muscles, except for the vastus medialis.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.11-23
• /
• 2024

Objective: To investigate whether reader training improves the performance and agreement of radiologists in interpreting unenhanced breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Materials and Methods: A study of 96 breasts (35 cancers, 24 benign, and 37 negative) in 48 asymptomatic women was performed between June 2019 and October 2020. High-resolution DWI with b-values of 0, 800, and 1200 sec/mm² was performed using a 3.0-T system. Sixteen breast radiologists independently reviewed the DWI, apparent diffusion coefficient maps, and T1-weighted MRI scans and recorded the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category for each breast. After a 2-h training session and a 5-month washout period, they re-evaluated the BI-RADS categories. A BI-RADS category of 4 (lesions with at least two suspicious criteria) or 5 (more than two suspicious criteria) was considered positive. The per-breast diagnostic performance of each reader was compared between the first and second reviews. Inter-reader agreement was evaluated using a multi-rater κ analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Before training, the mean sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the 16 readers were 70.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.4-79.9), 90.8% (95% CI: 85.6-94.2), and 83.5% (95% CI: 78.6-87.4), respectively. After training, significant improvements in specificity (95.2%; 95% CI: 90.8-97.5; P = 0.001) and accuracy (85.9%; 95% CI: 80.9-89.8; P = 0.01) were observed, but no difference in sensitivity (69.8%; 95% CI: 58.1-79.4; P = 0.58) was observed. Regarding inter-reader agreement, the κ values were 0.57 (95% CI: 0.52-0.63) before training and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62-0.74) after training, with a difference of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.02-0.18; P = 0.01). The ICC was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.69-0.74) before training and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.80) after training (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Brief reader training improved the performance and agreement of interpretations by breast radiologists using unenhanced MRI with DWI.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.685-698
• /
• 2023

This study aimed to identify binge-eating behavior and food addiction in Korean population and to determine their associations with obesity, eating behaviors, mental health and cognitive characteristics. We collected clinical questionnaire scores related to eating problems (e.g. binge eating, food addiction, food cravings), mental health (e.g. depression), and cognitive functions (e.g. impulsivity, emotion regulation) in 257 Korean adults in the normal and the obese weight ranges. Binge-eating and food addiction were most frequent in obese women (binge-eating: 46.6%, food addiction: 29.3%) when we divided the participants into 4 groups depending on gender and obesity status. The independence test using the data with propensity score matching confirmed that binge-eating and food addiction were more prevalent in obese individuals. Finally, we constructed the logistic regression models using forward selection method to evaluate the influence of various clinical questionnaire scores on binge-eating and food addiction respectively. Binge-eating was significantly associated with the clinical scales of eating disorders, food craving, state anxiety, and emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal) as well as food addiction. Food addiction demonstrated the significant effect of food craving, binge-eating, the interaction of obesity and age, and years of education. In conclusion, we found that binge-eating and food addiction are much more frequent in females and obese individuals. Both binge-eating and food addiction commonly involved eating problems (e.g. food craving), but there was difference in mental health and cognitive risk factors. Therefore, it is required to distinguish food addiction from binge-eating and investigate intrinsic and environmental risk factors for each pathology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.81 no.6
• /
• pp.1412-1423
• /
• 2020

Purpose Some patients with neonatal seizures show diffuse, symmetric diffusion-restricted lesions in the cerebral white matter. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and imaging findings of patients with neonatal seizures who had diffuse, symmetric diffusion-restricted lesions without any structural or metabolic etiology. Materials and Methods A total of 56 neonates aged less than 1 week underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluation of seizures from November 2008 to February 2017. After excluding 43 patients, 13 patients showed diffuse white matter abnormality on diffusion-weighted imaging. Initial and follow-up clinical and MRI findings were analyzed retrospectively. Results All 13 patients were born at full term. Among the ten patients who underwent a stool test for viruses, six were positive for rotavirus and one for astrovirus. MRI revealed diffuse, symmetric diffusion-restricted lesions distributed along the cerebral white matter, thalami, and midbrain variably. Conclusion Diffuse, symmetric diffusion-restricted lesions involving the cerebral white matter can be seen in patients with neonatal seizures without any structural or metabolic etiology. Rotavirus is commonly but not exclusively detected in these patients. Nevertheless, viral infection-associated encephalopathy should be considered for patients with characteristic clinical and MRI findings.

• Information Systems Review
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.17-42
• /
• 2016

Information security incidents caused by authorized insiders are increasing in financial firms, and this increase is particularly increased by outsourced contractors. With the increase in outsourcing in financial firms, outsourced contractors having authorized right has become a threat and could violate an organization's information security policy. This study aims to analyze the differences between own employees and outsourced contractors and to determine the factors affecting the violation of information security policy to mitigate information security incidents. This study examines the factors driving employees to violate information security policy in financial firms based on the theory of planned behavior, general deterrence theory, and information security awareness, and the moderating effects of employee type between own employees and outsourced contractors. We used 363 samples that were collected through both online and offline surveys and conducted partial least square-structural equation modeling and multiple group analysis to determine the differences between own employees (246 samples, 68%) and outsourced contractors (117 samples, 32%). We found that the perceived sanction and information security awareness support the information security policy violation attitude and subjective norm, and the perceived sanction does not support the information security policy behavior control. The moderating effects of employee type in the research model were also supported. According to the t-test result between own employees and outsourced contractors, outsourced contractors' behavior control supported information security violation intention but not subject norms. The academic implications of this study is expected to be the basis for future research on outsourced contractors' violation of information security policy and a guide to develop information security awareness programs for outsourced contractors to control these incidents. Financial firms need to develop an information security awareness program for outsourced contractors to increase the knowledge and understanding of information security policy. Moreover, this program is effective for outsourced contractors.

• Information Systems Review
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.209-233
• /
• 2016

Internet companies that utilize social network have increased in number. The introduction of diverse social media services facilitated innovative changes in e-business. Social network service (SNS), which is a domain of social media, is a web-based service designed to strengthen human relations in the Internet and build new social relations. The remarkable growth of social network services and the profit generation and perception of this service are the new growth engines of this digital age. Given this development, many global IT companies views SNS as the most powerful form of social media. Thus, they invest efforts to develop business models using SNS.2) This study verifies the impact of privacy exposure in SNS as a result of privacy invasion. This study examines the purpose of using the SNS and user's awareness of the significance of personal information, which are key factors that affect self-disclosure of personal information. This study utilizes theory of reasoned action (TRA) to provide a theoretical platform that describes the specific behavior and emotional response of individuals. This study presents a research model that considers negative attitude (negatude). In this model, self-disclosure in SNS is considered a TRA. TRA is a subjective norm, a behavioral intention, and a key variable of exposure behavior. A survey was conducted on college students at Y university in Seoul to empirically verify the research model. The students have experiences in using SNS. A total of 198 samples were collected. Path analysis was applied to analyze the relations of factors. The results of path analysis show the statistically insignificant impact of privacy invasion on negatude, subjective norm, behavioral intention, and exposure behavior. The impact of unrecognized privacy invasion was also considered insignificant. The impacts of intention to use SNS on negatude, subjective norm, behavioral intention, and exposure behavior was significant. A significant impact was also found for the significance of personal information on subjective norm, behavioral intention, and exposure behavior, whereas the impact on negatude was insignificant. The impact of subjective norm on behavioral intention was significant. Lastly, the impact of behavioral intention on exposure behavior was insignificant. These findings are significant because the study examined the process of self-disclosure by integrating psychological and social factors based on theoretical discussion.