• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권11호
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• pp.1841-1849
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• 2021

Objective: To prospectively investigate the feasibility of shear wave elastography (SWE) as a new quantitative and objective method for evaluating the stiffness of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle during passive stretching in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Materials and Methods: SWE of the GM muscle was performed in 28 patients with PD [13 female and 15 male; mean age ± standard deviation (SD): 63.0 ± 8.5 years] and 12 healthy controls (5 female and 7 male; mean age ± SD: 59.3 ± 6.4 years) during passive ankle rotation. A Young's modulus-ankle angle curve was constructed. The GM slack angle and baseline Young's modulus (E₀) were compared between the markedly symptomatic and mildly symptomatic sides of patients with PD, and healthy controls. Additionally, the correlation between the GM slack angle and the severity of rigidity, and the observer reproducibility of SWE in determining the GM slack angle were evaluated. Results: The GM slack angle was smaller on both the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD than in healthy controls (mean ± SD of -29.13° ± 3.79° and -25.65° ± 3.39°, respectively, vs. -21.22° ± 3.52°; p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Additionally, in patients with PD, the GM slack angle on the markedly symptomatic side was smaller than that on the mildly symptomatic side (p = 0.003). The E0 value was lower on both the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD than in healthy controls (mean ± SD of 10.11 ± 2.85 kPa and 10.08 ± 1.88 kPa, respectively, vs. 12.23 ± 1.02 kPa; p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, no significant difference was found between the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD (p = 0.634). A negative linear relationship was observed between the GM slack angle and lower limb rigidity score on the markedly symptomatic side in patients with PD (r = -0.719; p < 0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficients for observer reproducibility of SWE ranged from 0.880 to 0.951. Conclusion: The slack angle determined by SWE may be a useful quantitative and reproducible method for evaluating muscle stiffness in patients with PD.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.168-178
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• 2021

Objective: To provide an automatic method for segmentation and diameter measurement of type B aortic dissection (TBAD). Materials and Methods: Aortic computed tomography angiographic images from 139 patients with TBAD were consecutively collected. We implemented a deep learning method based on a three-dimensional (3D) deep convolutional neural (CNN) network, which realizes automatic segmentation and measurement of the entire aorta (EA), true lumen (TL), and false lumen (FL). The accuracy, stability, and measurement time were compared between deep learning and manual methods. The intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of the manual method was also evaluated. Results: The mean dice coefficient scores were 0.958, 0.961, and 0.932 for EA, TL, and FL, respectively. There was a linear relationship between the reference standard and measurement by the manual and deep learning method (r = 0.964 and 0.991, respectively). The average measurement error of the deep learning method was less than that of the manual method (EA, 1.64% vs. 4.13%; TL, 2.46% vs. 11.67%; FL, 2.50% vs. 8.02%). Bland-Altman plots revealed that the deviations of the diameters between the deep learning method and the reference standard were -0.042 mm (-3.412 to 3.330 mm), -0.376 mm (-3.328 to 2.577 mm), and 0.026 mm (-3.040 to 3.092 mm) for EA, TL, and FL, respectively. For the manual method, the corresponding deviations were -0.166 mm (-1.419 to 1.086 mm), -0.050 mm (-0.970 to 1.070 mm), and -0.085 mm (-1.010 to 0.084 mm). Intra- and inter-observer differences were found in measurements with the manual method, but not with the deep learning method. The measurement time with the deep learning method was markedly shorter than with the manual method (21.7 ± 1.1 vs. 82.5 ± 16.1 minutes, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The performance of efficient segmentation and diameter measurement of TBADs based on the 3D deep CNN was both accurate and stable. This method is promising for evaluating aortic morphology automatically and alleviating the workload of radiologists in the near future.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.466-478
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• 2022

Objective: ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT is often used for detecting malignancy in patients with newly diagnosed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), with acceptable sensitivity but relatively low specificity. The aim of this study was to improve the diagnostic ability of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in identifying malignancy in patients with HLH by combining ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and clinical parameters. Materials and Methods: Ninety-seven patients (age ≥ 14 years) with secondary HLH were retrospectively reviewed and divided into the derivation (n = 71) and validation (n = 26) cohorts according to admission time. In the derivation cohort, 22 patients had malignancy-associated HLH (M-HLH) and 49 patients had non-malignancy-associated HLH (NM-HLH). Data on pretreatment ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and laboratory results were collected. The variables were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test or Pearson's chi-square test, and a nomogram for predicting M-HLH was constructed using multivariable binary logistic regression. The predictors were also ranked using decision-tree analysis. The nomogram and decision tree were validated in the validation cohort (10 patients with M-HLH and 16 patients with NM-HLH). Results: The ratio of the maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the lymph nodes to that of the mediastinum, the ratio of the SUVmax of bone lesions or bone marrow to that of the mediastinum, and age were selected for constructing the model. The nomogram showed good performance in predicting M-HLH in the validation cohort, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.875 (95% confidence interval, 0.686-0.971). At an appropriate cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity for identifying M-HLH were 90% (9/10) and 68.8% (11/16), respectively. The decision tree integrating the same variables showed 70% (7/10) sensitivity and 93.8% (15/16) specificity for identifying M-HLH. In comparison, visual analysis of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images demonstrated 100% (10/10) sensitivity and 12.5% (2/16) specificity. Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT may be a practical technique for identifying M-HLH. The model constructed using ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT features and age was able to detect malignancy with better accuracy than visual analysis of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제21권8호
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• pp.1007-1017
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate the predictive abilities of clinical and computed tomography (CT) features for outcome prediction in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: The clinical and CT data of 238 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in our two hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. One hundred sixty-six patients (103 males; age 43.8 ± 12.3 years) were allocated in the training cohort and 72 patients (38 males; age 45.1 ± 15.8 years) from another independent hospital were assigned in the validation cohort. The primary composite endpoint was admission to an intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, or death. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to identify independent predictors. A nomogram was constructed based on the combination of clinical and CT features, and its prognostic performance was externally tested in the validation group. The predictive value of the combined model was compared with models built on the clinical and radiological attributes alone. Results: Overall, 35 infected patients (21.1%) in the training cohort and 10 patients (13.9%) in the validation cohort experienced adverse outcomes. Underlying comorbidity (hazard ratio [HR], 3.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.67-6.71; p < 0.001), lymphocyte count (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.38; p < 0.001) and crazy-paving sign (HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.03-4.48; p = 0.042) were the independent factors. The nomogram displayed a concordance index (C-index) of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.76-0.88), and its prognostic value was confirmed in the validation cohort with a C-index of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82-0.96). The combined model provided the best performance over the clinical or radiological model (p < 0.050). Conclusion: Underlying comorbidity, lymphocyte count and crazy-paving sign were independent predictors of adverse outcomes. The prognostic nomogram based on the combination of clinical and CT features could be a useful tool for predicting adverse outcomes of patients with COVID-19.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.395-404
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• 2022

Background and Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, frequently-occurring disease and poses a major health concern. Unfortunately, there is current no effective treatment for COPD, particularly emphysema. Recently, experimental treatment of COPD using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) mainly focused on bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs). Human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) have more advantages compared to BM-MSCs. However, studies on the role of hUC-MSCs in management of COPD are limited. This study sought to explore the role of hUC-MSCs and its action mechanisms in a rat model of VEGF receptor blocker SU5416-injured emphysema. Methods and Results: hUC-MSCs were characterized by immunophenotype and differentiation analysis. Rats were divided into four groups: Control, Control+MSC, SU5416 and SU5416+MSC. Rats in model group were administered with SU5416 for three weeks. At the end of the second week after SU5416 administration, model group were infused with 3×10⁶ hUC-MSCs through tail vein. After 14 days from hUC-MSCs transplantation, rats were euthanized and data were analyzed. HE staining and mean linear intercepts showed that SU5416-treated rats exhibited typical emphysema while emphysematous changes in model rats after hUC-MSCs transplantation disappeared completely and were restored to normal phenotype. Furthermore, hUC-MSCs inhibited apoptosis as shown by TUNEL and Western blotting. ELISA and Western blotting showed hUC-MSCs rescued VEGF-VEGFR2-AKT pathway in emphysematous lungs. Conclusions: The findings show that hUC-MSCs effectively repair the emphysema injury. This study provides the first evidence that hUC-MSCs inhibit apoptosis via rescuing VEGF- VEGFR2-AKT pathway in a rat model of emphysema.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.116-125
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• 1997

목 적 : 국내에서 사용되고 일본뇌염 바이러스 백신에 대한 야외 실험을 실시하여 국내 백신 제조에 사용되는 Nakayama-NIH주의 국내 접종자에 대한 항체 생성율 및 중화 항체의 지속율을 조사하고, 일본뇌염 접종 스케줄의 재조정 및 국내 면역 집단의 민감도 조사 등을 통하여 방역 대책의 기초 자료로 활용하고자 하였다. 방 법 : 일본뇌염 백신의 면역효과 및 항체지속 기간을 알아보고자 1994년부터 계속 사업으로 강화군에 소재하고 있는 K 초등학교 학생들을 대상으로 조사를 실시하였다. 대상자들의 혈액을 시기에 따라 채혈하여 hemagglutination inhibition test (HI) 및 plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT)를 실시하여 항체가를 조사하였다. 결 과 : 총 조사 대상자 213명은 이미 기초 접종이 끝난 자들로서 HI 항체가는 '95년 4월 백신 면역전에 이미 63.4%가 1:10 이상의 항체가를 가지고 있었으며 중화항체가는 전원이 1:20 이상의 항체가를 가지고 있었다. '95년 백신 접종 후 12개월이 지난 1996년 4월까지 HI 항체가 1:20 이상이 55.7%이며, 중화항체가는 전원이 1:20 이상을 보유하고 있었다. 이들에게 1996년 4월에 재접종 후 6개월째에는 HI 항체가가 1:10 이상이 69.7%로 증가하였고 G.M.T값은 1:11.6에서 1:13.23, 중화 항체의 G.M.T는 1:275.7에서 1:348.1로 증가하였다. 결 론 :위의 실험 결과에 따르면 현재 국내에서 사용중인 불활화 일본뇌염 백신은 자연계 에서 일본뇌염 바이러스가 공격하는 $10^5$ $LD_{50}$를 막을 수 있는 중화항체가 1:20을 기본면역 1회로 1년 이상 유지하고 있었으며, 충분한 boosting 효과를 보이고 있었다. 따라서 일본뇌염 백신의 추가면역은 기본접종후 개인의 상태에 따라 2~3년 간격의 추가접종이 적절하다 고 생각된다.

• 한국응용과학기술학회지
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.649-658
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• 2020

본 연구는 여대생 900명을 대상으로 물 섭취량과 커피 섭취량에 따른 건강체력 및 비만에 대한 차이를 알아보고자 하였다. 측정은 건강체력요인 체력에 근력(악력, 배근력), 근지구력(윗몸일으키기),유연성(앉아앞으로굽히기) 심폐지구력(하버드스텝)을 측정하였고, 체성분 측정기기 Inbody를 이용하여 신체조성(세포내액, 세포외액, 단백질, 무기질, 체수분량, 근육량, 제지방량, 체지방량)과 비만(BMI, 체지방률, 복부지방률, 비만도)의 각 항목을 측정하였다. 자료처리는 SPSS를 이용하여 이원변량분석과 일원변량분석을 실시하였다. 그 결과 건강체력과 비만에 대한 물과 커피 섭취량 집단 간 상호작용은 나타나지 않았다. 각 독립변인 별 일원변량분석을 실시한 결과 건강체력요인 중 체력요인은 물과 커피 섭취량에 따른 유의미한 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 그러나 신체조성(세포내액, 단백질, 무기질, 체수분량, 근육량, 제지방량)에서 물7잔 이상 섭취 집단이 1~4잔 섭취 집단보다 유의미하게 높았으며, 커피는 3~4잔 섭취 집단이 미섭취 집단에 비하여 유의미하게 높았다. 비만요인의 경우 물 섭취량에 따라 유의미한 차이는 나타나지 않았지만, 커피의 경우 비만도에서 3~4잔 섭취 집단이 미섭취 집단에 비하여 비만도가 높게 나타나, 커피는 물과 달리 비만과 관련이 있음을 알았다. 차후 물과 커피와 같은 다양한 음료 섭취에 대한 성별, 연령대별 차이에 관한 연구가 진행되어 진다면 보다 나은 건강을 위한 개인별 특성에 따른 수분 섭취방법으로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.209-218
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• 2021

본 연구는 꾸지뽕 신초에 부착된 잎을 6단계 즉 정아의 잎(L0), 정아부에서 하부의 순서대로 L1, L2, L3, L4 및 기부의 잎을 L5로 분류하여 채취하였다. 신초의 위치에 따라서 분류한 잎을 70% 에틸알콜로 추출한 다음 3T3-L1 cell line을 이용하여 지방분화 억제 효과를 스크린하고, 가장 효과가 좋았던 꾸지뽕 신초 정단잎(CTL0) 추출물의 작용기작을 규명하였다. 꾸지뽕 신초 정단잎(CTL0) 추출물의 지방분화 억제효과가 가장 좋았으며, 신초의 중간 잎인 CTL2까지는 정단 잎에서부터 중간 잎 추출물일수록 효과가 감소하였으며, 신초의 중간 하부 잎인 CTL3부터 기부 잎인 CTL5 추출물은 100 ㎍/ml의 고농도에서 효과가 없었다. 꾸지뽕 신초 정단잎(CTL0) 추출물을 12.5, 25 및 50 ㎍/ml의 농도로 처리하여 Oil Red O를 분석한 결과, 농도 의존적으로 3T3-L1세포의 지방분화를 억제시켰다. 3T3-L1 세포에 지방분화물질인 insulin, dexamethasone 및 rosiglitazone을 첨가한 분화배지(DM)에서는 배지내에 glucose의 함량이 낮았으나, CTL0 추출물의 처리는 배지에 glucose함량이 많이 남아있었기 때문에 세포내로 glucose의 흡수를 억제시켰으며, 세포내 중성지방의 함량도 감소하였다. CTL0처리는 전구지방세포에서 지방세포로 분화될 때에 주요 전사인자로 알려진 PPARγ와 PPARγ의 target 유전자인 LPL, A-FABP 및 Glut4 단백질의 발현을 농도 의존적으로 억제하였다. 따라서 꾸지뽕 신초 정단잎(CTL0) 추출물은 항비만 효과가 우수한 소재로서 활용가치가 높을 것으로 사료된다.

• 한국가정과학회지
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.68-78
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• 2001

본 연구는 비만아동을 위한 효과적인 운동 및 식이요법에 관한 기초 자료를 얻기 위하여 실시하였다. 8∼12세의 비만아동(BMI 25.2${\pm}$1.7)을 대상으로 3일간 실험환경에 적응하기 위한 대조기간을 거친 후 1주간은 운동기간과 다음 1주간은 운동을 하면서 에너지를 제한하는 기간으로 나누어 실시하였다. 운동강도는 60∼75%HRmax 이었으며 에너지 제한량은 493kcal/day이었다. 실험 전후 혈액 성상의 변화를 측정한 결과 Hemoglobin 농도. Hematocrit치, 혈당, GOT 및 GPT 활성은 실험 전후 유의적인 차이는 없었으며 alkaline phosphatase 활성은 유의적으로 감소하였다. 혈 중 총 지방 함량은 실험전 680.0${\pm}$83.1mg/dl에서 실험 후에는 630.0${\pm}$68.2mg/dl으로 감소하는 경향은 보이나 유의적인 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 혈 중 총 콜레스테롤 농도는 실험전 187.0${\pm}$8.1mg/dl에서 실험 후에는 192.6${\pm}$6.9mg/dl으로 유의적인 차이는 나타나지 않았으나, HDL-콜레스테롤 농도는 실험 전 51.8${\pm}$2.9mg/dl에서 실험 후 70.2${\pm}$6.4mg/dl으로 유의적으로 증가하였다. 혈 중 LDL-콜레스테롤 농도는 실험전 100.7${\pm}$5.6mg/dl에서 실험 후 108.5${\pm}$2.3mg/dl으로 유의적인 차이는 없었으나, 혈 중 VLDL-콜레스테롤 농도는 실험 전 34.5${\pm}$5.1mg/dl에서 실험 후 14.3${\pm}$7.6mg/dl으로 유의적으로 감소하였다. 혈 중 중성지방 농도는 실험전 192.0${\pm}$27.1mg/dl에서 132.3${\pm}$9.7mg/dl으로 감소되는 경향이었으나 유의적인 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 혈 중 유리지방산 농도는 실험 전 20.0${\pm}$2.luEq/l에서 실험 후 30.1${\pm}$3.3uEq/l로 유의적으로 증가하였다. 총 콜레스테롤에 대한 HDL-콜레스테롤의 비율(%HDL) 또한 실험전 27.9에 비해 실험 후 34.6으로 유의적으로 증가하였다. 심혈관질환의 위험도 판정에 사용되는 동맥경화지수는 실험전 2.7에서 실험 후 1.8로 유의적으로 감소하였다. 이상의 결과로 보아 비만아동을 대상으로 운동 및 에너지 제한을 실시한 결과 본 실험에 적용한 프로그램은 체중 감소에 효과적으로 작용하였으며 유의있게 HDL-콜레스테롤 농도를 증가, VLDL-콜레스테롤 농도는 감소 시켜서 혈 중 지질대사 측면에 긍정적인 효과를 나타내었다. 그러나 일부 무지방조직의 감소를 동반하는 것으로 보아 본 실험의 프로그램 중 운동 부하량을 다소 줄여 비만 치료시 적용하면 매우 효과적일 것이라 사료된다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권7호
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• pp.2659-2664
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• 2015

Background: To examine the expression of cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61/CCN1) protein in laryngeal squamouscell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues, and its relationship with the tumor epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of Cyr61, Vimentin (Vim), and E-cadherin (E-cad) in 88 cases of LSCC tissues and 30 cases of tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Vim and E-cad were used as mesenchymal and epithelial markers, respectively, to determine the relationship between Cyr61 expression and the EMT of LSCC cells. In addition, clinical and histopathological data were combined to analyze the relationship between the positive-expression rates of Cyr61, Vim and E-cad and LSCC invasion, metastasis and prognosis. Results: In LSCC tissues, Vim expression rate was significantly higher than that of the tumor-adjacent tissues, whereas E-cad expression rate was significantly lower than that of the tumor-adjacent tissues. The Vim expression rate was significantly higher in stages T3 and T4 than in stages T1 and T2 LSCC tissues, whereas E-cad expression rate was significantly lower in stages T3 and T4 than in stages T1 and T2 LSCC tissues. Compared to the group without lymph node metastasis, the Vim expression rate was significantly higher and the E-cad expression rate was significantly lower in the group with lymph node metastasis. The expression rate of Cyr61 was significantly higher in LSCC tissues than in the tumor-adjacent normal tissues. In addition, the Cyr61 expression rate was higher in stages T3 and T4 than in stages T1 and T2 LSCC, and higher in the group with lymph node metastasis than in the group without lymph node metastasis. The Vim expression rate was significantly higher in the Cyr61 positive group than in the Cyr61 negative group, whereas the E-cad expression rate was significantly higher in the Cyr61 negative group than in the Cyr61 positive group. Survival analysis indicated that survival rates of Cyr61 positive, Vim positive and E-cad negative groups were significantly lower than that of Cyr61 negative, Vim negative and E-cad positive groups, respectively. Conclusions: Cyr61 expression is closely associated with LSCC invasion and lymph node metastasis. Overexpression of Cyr61 may induce EMT and therefore leads to LSCC invasion and metastasis and poor prognosis. Cyr61 may become a new maker for clinical prediction of LSCC invasion and metastasis and a new target for LSCC treatment.