• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.292-298
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• 2009

Background: Surgery for mitral valve disease in children carries both technical and clinical difficulties that are due to both the wide spectrum of morphologic abnormalities and the high incidence of associated cardiac anomalies. The purpose of this study is to assess the outcome of mitral valve surgery for treating congenital mitral regurgitation in children. Material and Method: From 1997 to 2007, 22 children (mean age: 5.4 years) who had congenital mitral regurgitation underwent mitral valve repair. The median age of the patients was 5.4 years old and four patients (18%) were under 12 months of age. 15 patients (68%) had cardiac anomalies. There were 13 cases of ventricular septal defect, 1 case of atrial septal defect and 1 case of supravalvar aortic stenosis. The grade of the preoperative mitral valve regurgitation was II in 4 patients, III in 15 patients and IV in 3. The regurgitation was due to leaflet prolapse in 12 patients, annular dilatation in 4 patients and restrictive leaflet motion in 5 patients. The preoperative MV Z-value and the regurgitation grade were compared with those obtained at follow-up. Result: MV repair was possible in all the patients. 19 patients required reduction annuloplasty and 18 patients required valvuloplasty that included shortening of the chordae, papillary muscle splitting, artificial chordae insertion and cleft closure. There were no early or late deaths. The mitral valve regurgitation after surgery was improved in all patients (absent=10, grade I=5, II=5, III=2). MV repair resulted in reduction of the mitral valve Z-value ($2.2{\pm}2.1$ vs. $0.7{\pm}2.3$, respectively, p<0.01). During the mid-term follow-up period of 3.68 years, reoperation was done in three patients (one with repair and two with replacement) and three patients showed mild progression of their mitral reguration. Conclusion: our experience indicates that mitral valve repair in children with congenital mitral valve regurgitation is an effective and reliable surgical method with a low reoperation rate. A good postoperative outcome can be obtained by preoperatively recognizing the intrinsic mitral valve pathophysiology detected on echocardiography and with the well-designed, aggressive application of the various reconstruction techniques.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.63-63
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• 2003

Purpose: Planning target volume (PTV) for tumors in abdomen or thorax includes enough margin for breathing-related movement of tumor volumes during treatment. We developed a simple and handy method, which can reduce PTV margins in patients with moving tumors, respiratory motion reduction device system (RMRDs). Materials and Methods: The patients clinical database was structured for moving tumor patients and patient setup error measurement and immobilization device effects were investigated. The system is composed of the respiratory motion reduction device utilized in prone position and abdominal presser (strip device) utilized in the supine position, moving phantom and the analysis program, which enables the analysis on patients setup reproducibility. It was tested for analyzing the diaphragm movement and CT volume differences from patients with RMRDs, the magnitude of PTV margin was determined and dose volume histogram (DVH) was computed using a treatment planning software. Dose to normal tissue between patients with RMRDs and without RMRDs was analyzed by comparing the fraction of the normal liver receiving to 50% of the isocenter dose(TD50). Results: In case of utilizing RMRDs, which was personally developed in our hospital, the value was reduced to $5pm1.4 mm$, and in case of which the belt immobilization device was utilized, the value was reduced to 3$pm$0.9 mm. Also in case of which the strip device was utilized, the value was proven to reduce to $4pm.3 mm$0. As a result of analyzing the TD50 is irradiated in DVH according to the radiation treatment planning, the usage of the respiratory motion reduction device can create the reduce of 30% to the maximum. Also by obtaining the digital image, the function of comparison between the standard image, automated external contour subtraction, and etc were utilized to develop patients setup reproducibility analysis program that can evaluate the change in the patients setup. Conclusion: Internal organ motion due to breathing can be reduced using RMRDs, which is simple and easy to use in clinical setting. It can reduce the organ motion-related PTV margin, thereby decrease volume of the irradiated normal tissue.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.275-307
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• 2010

In the presidential new-year address in January 2, 2009, the President declared that 17 kinds of new driving force of growth that could create high-added value be selected to step up job creation and an increase in national wealth. The Ministry of Strategy & Finance announced plans for the 17 kinds of new driving force of growth after the presidential address. Specifically, that ministry announced an ambitious plan to select health care service named 'Global Health Care' as one of the five service industries that could create high-added value in a move to provide jobs to approximately 7,000 people and produce pervasive economic effects coming up to a trillion and 10 billion won. To attain the goal, several action plans were mapped out to globalize domestic medical institutions, to rearrange the relevant law and system for the purposes of raising awareness of domestic medical institutions among foreign patients and improving their accessibility and post-satisfaction level, and to lure lots of foreign patients through financial assistance. At the same time, the government announced plans to lure severe patients such as those in want of surgery or organ transplant, cancer patients or patients with heart diseases to create high-added value on a long-term basis. Thus, the government announced that it planned to formulate such strategies and to enter an agreement with foreign governments to attract plenty of foreign patients. In fact, however, there are little full-scale evaluation of medical tourism though it's been a year since it was introduced, and there are few actual efforts to implement what the government announced, either. According to the results of the evaluation of medical tourism, domestic hospitals are said to undergo little significant changes after the introduction of medical tourism, which shows that they take a dim view of medical tourism instead of having expectations for that. The medical tourism industries in major Asian countries have been dynamized, and there are several factors of their success. First of all, they are successful in creating new market opportunities by incorporating related industries such as medicine, tourism and IT and in developing medical tourism products and differentiated marketing by taking advantage of their competitive edge. They have offered full-fledged assistance to this sector, and another reason is the improved international credibility of their medical service. If our country fails to pinpoint our problems in consideration of the cases of the Asian countries or to provide appropriate financial aid, our country is bound to lag behind them. Given this reality, how to assess medical tourism and what challenges this sector is confronted with are discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5971-5976
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• 2015

Background: Several prognostic factors have been studied in NSCLC, although it is unknown which is most useful. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether pre-treatment serum albumin level has prognostic value in patients with Stage IIIB NSCLC. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 204 patients with Stage IIIB NSCLC who met the inclusion criteria. Pre-treatment serum albumin levels and demographic, clinical, and histological characteristics, as well as laboratory variables were recorded. A cut-off value was defined for serum albumin level and the patients were stratified into four groups on thios basis. Results: The majority of the patients was males and smokers, with a history of weight loss, and squamous histological type of lung cancer. The mean serum albumin level was $3.2{\pm}1.7g/dL$ (range, 2.11-4.36 g/dL). A cut-off value 3.11 g/dL was set and among the patients with a lower level, 68% had adenocarcinoma and 82% were smokers. The patients with low serum albumin levels had a lower response rate to e first-line chemotherapy with a shorter progression-free survival and overall survival. Multivariate analysis showed that low serum albumin level was an independent poor prognostic factor for NSCLC. Conclusions: This study results suggest that low serum albumin level is an independent poor prognostic factor in patients with Stage IIIB NSCLC, associated with reduction in the response rate to first-line therapy and survival rates.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.47-54
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• 2008

Objectives : This study was aimed to figure out how effectively acupuncture treatment and herb-medicine work on patients with elevation of LFT value and lipid-obesity index. Methods : The subject were 23 patients visited to Dept. of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Kwangdong Oriental Medicine Hospital, who complained chronic fatigue and wandering pain from Oct. 2007. to Oct. 2008. Before treatments, they were tested for LFT, total cholesterol, triglyceride, body fat ratio and obesity index. They were treated with Ganjeonggyeok acupuncture weekly for 1 month. During acupuncture treatments, we applied Sangkankunbi-tang to all patients twice a day. After 1 month, they were retested for LFT, total cholesterol, triglyceride, body fat ratio and obesity index. Results : 1. After treatments, we could get the result of dropping means of AST, ALT and $\gamma$-GTP value. Statistical significance of ALT and $\gamma$-GTP were recognized before and after treatments, but AST was not recognized. 2. After treatments, we also could get the result of dropping means of total cholesterol, triglyceride, body fat ratio and obesity index. Statistical significance of all values were recognized before and after treatments. 3. Among 23 patients, 10 cases were reported that they were not within normal limits at least one in AST, ALT and $\gamma$-GTP. After treatments of those patients, we could get the result of dropping means of AST, ALT and $\gamma$-GTP value. Statistical significance of all values were recognized before and after treatments. 4. Among 23 patients, 19 cases were reported that they were not within normal limits at least one in total cholesterol, triglyceride, body fat ratio and obesity index. After treatments of those patients, we could get the result of dropping means of total cholesterol, triglyceride, body fat ratio and obesity index. Statistical significance of all values were recognized before and after treatments. Conclusions : Though further study is necessary, our finding suggest that the conduction of Ganjeonggyeok acupuncture and Sangkankunbi-tang treatments have helped to decrease the figures of LFT and lipid-obesity index in patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.324-333
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• 2021

Objective: The clinical course of an individual patient with heart failure is unpredictable with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) only. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived myocardial fibrosis extent and to determine the cutoff value for event-free survival in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) who had severely reduced LVEF. Materials and Methods: Our prospective cohort study included 78 NICM patients with significantly reduced LV systolic function (LVEF < 35%). CMR images were analyzed for the presence and extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), defined as a composite of cardiac death, heart transplantation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator discharge for major arrhythmia, and hospitalization for congestive heart failure within 5 years after enrollment. Results: A total of 80.8% (n = 63) of enrolled patients had LGE, with the median LVEF of 25.4% (19.8-32.4%). The extent of myocardial scarring was significantly higher in patients who experienced MACE than in those without any cardiac events (22.0 [5.5-46.1] %LV vs. 6.7 [0-17.1] %LV, respectively, p = 0.008). During follow-up, 51.4% of patients with LGE ≥ 12.0 %LV experienced MACE, along with 20.9% of those with LGE ≤ 12.0 %LV (log-rank p = 0.001). According to multivariate analysis, LGE extent more than 12.0 %LV was independently associated with MACE (adjusted hazard ratio, 6.71; 95% confidence interval, 2.54-17.74; p < 0.001). Conclusion: In NICM patients with significantly reduced LV systolic function, the extent of LGE is a strong predictor for long-term adverse cardiac outcomes. Event-free survival was well discriminated with an LGE cutoff value of 12.0 %LV in these patients.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.236-245
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• 2021

Purpose: The numeric N stage has replaced the topographic N stage in the current tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging in gastric carcinoma. However, the usefulness of the topographic N stage in the current TNM staging system is uncertain. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the topographic N stage in the current TNM staging system. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the data of 3350 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy. The anatomic regions of the metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) were classified into 2 groups: perigastric and extra-perigastric. The prognostic value of the anatomic region was analyzed using a multivariate prognostic model with adjustments for the TNM stage. Results: In patients with lymph node metastasis, extra-perigastric metastasis demonstrated significantly worse survival than perigastric metastasis alone (5-year survival rate, 39.6% vs. 73.1%, respectively, P<0.001). Extra-perigastric metastasis demonstrated significantly worse survival within the same pN stage; the multivariate analysis indicated that extra-perigastric metastasis was an independent poor prognostic factor (hazard ratio=1.33; 95% confidence interval=1.01-1.75). The anatomic region of the MLNs improved the goodness-of-fit (likelihood ratio statistics, 4.57; P=0.033) of the prognostic model using the TNM stage. Conclusions: The anatomic region of MLNs has an independent prognostic value in the numeric N stage in the current TNM staging of gastric carcinoma.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was aimed to estimate nursing cost for hemodialysis of tertiary hospitals using Resource Based Relative Value Scale(RVRBS). Method: First, we calculated nursing workload of the each hemodialysis-nursing behaviors compared with basic nursing behavior(check vital sign) for the most severe hemodialysis patients in general hospitals. Second, we measured each spent time according to each nursing behaviors. Third, we computed Resource Based Relative Value(RBRV) scores and nursing expenses of each 14 nursing behavior for hemodialysis. Finally, we estimated nursing cost of each hemodialysis-behavior for the most severe hemodialysis-patients in general hospitals. Result: The mean RBRV scores for each nursing behaviors were from 218.9 to 383.9 points. The highest RBRV socres were 383.9(Complication during hemodialysis). The Nursing behavior that spent the most time was "access the vascular( 31.7 minutes)". Nursing cost per hemodialysis for the patient with severe condition was estimated 63,455(won). Conclusion: Total average workload was 347.6 points and total spent time was 306.5 minutes for 14 hemodialysis nursing behaviors provided to severe patients. There were clear differences in nursing workload and cost according to patient's severity-mild, moderate and severe class.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.95-100
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• 2010

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of Ryodoraku and association of Ryodoraku in Idiopathic Facial Paralysis Patients Methods : Subjects were 53 patients with Facial palsy patients and 28 normal people. We calculated the average Ryodoraku score(RS, ${\mu}A$) and each variation from physiologic range of 12 Ryodoraku points, and investigated the incidence when left and right points were simultaneously below(bilateral deficiency) or above(bilateral excess) physiologic range. Results : The electric current value of several meridian of normal group was more higher in idiopathic facial palsy group than in normal group. The measurement value of Ryodoraku followed sex was not significant statistically. Conclusions : These findings suggest that the measurement value of several Meridians of Ryodoraku is more higher in idiopathic facial palsy group than in normal group, because Ryodoraku has low correlation with Parasympathetic nerve.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8155-8161
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• 2016

The prognostic significance of AgNOR proteins in stage II-III rectal cancers treated with chemoradiotherapy was evaluated. Silver staining was applied to the $3{\mu}m$ sections of parafin blocked tissues from 30 rectal cancer patients who received 5-FU based chemoradiotherapy from May 2003 to June 2006. The microscopic displays of the cells were transferred into the computer via a video camera. AgNOR area (nucleolus organizer region area) and nucleus area values were determined as a nucleolus organizer regions area/total nucleus area (NORa/TNa). The mean NORa/TNa value was found to be $9.02{\pm}3.68$. The overall survival and disease free survival in the high NORa/TNa (>9.02) patients were 52.2 months and 39.4 months respectively, as compared to 100.7 months and 98.4 months in the low NORa/TNa (<9.02) cases. (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). In addition, the prognosis in the high NORa/TNa patients was worse than low NORa/TNa patients (p<0.05). In terms of overall survival and disease-free survival, a statistically significant negative correlation was found with the value of NORa/TNa in the correlations tests. Cox regression analyses demostrated that overall survival and disease-free survival were associated with lymph node status (negative or positive) and the NORa/TNa value. We suggest that two-dimensional AgNOR evaluation may be a safe and usable parameter for prognosis and an indicator of cell proliferation instead of AgNOR dots.