• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.84-89
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• 2006

Objective : The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes of two methods for stabilization and fusion : Postero-Lateral Fusion [PLF, pedicle screw fixation with bone graft] and Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion [PLIF, cage insertion] for spinal stenosis and recurred disc herniation except degenerative spondylolisthesis. Methods : Seventy one patients who underwent PLF [n=36] or PLIF [n=35] between 1997 and 2001 were evaluated prospectively. These two groups were compared for the change of interbody space, the range of segmental angle, the angle of lumbar motion, and clinical outcomes by Prolo scale. Results : The mean follow-up period was 32.6 months. The PLIF group showed statistically significant increase of the interbody space after surgery. However, the difference in the change of interbody space between two groups was insignificant [P value=0.05]. The range of segmental angle was better in the PLIF group, but the difference in the change of segmental angle was not statistically significant [P value=0.0l7]. Angle of lumbar motion was similar in the two groups. Changes of Prolo economic scale were not statistically significant [P value=0.193]. The PLIF group showed statistically significant improvement in Prolo functional scale [P value=0.003]. In Prolo economic and functional scale, there were statistically significant relationships between follow-up duration [P value<0.001]. change of interbody space [P value<0.001], and range of segmental angle [P value<0.001]. Conclusion : Results of this study indicate that PLIF is superior to PLF in interbody space augmentation and clinical outcomes by Prolo functional scale. Analysis of clinical outcomes showed significant relationships among various factors [fusion type, follow-up duration, change of interbody space, and range of segmental angle]. Therefore, the authors recommend instrumented PLIF to offer better clinical outcomes in patients who needed instrumented lumbar fusion for spinal stenosis and recurred disc herniation.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2015

This study attempts to examine the clinical usefulness of High b-value DWI (diffusion weighted imaging) for brain tumors with an edema. Subjects were seven patients selected from 65 patients who received an MRI scan for suspected encephalopathy and confirmed diagnosis at our hospital from February to July 2015 (male: 7, average age : 66 years old). As test equipment, 3.0T MR System (ACHIEVA Release, Philips, Best, The Netherlands) and 8Channel SENSE Head Coill were used. DWI checks on the use of the variable TR 5460ms, TE 132ms, Slice Thickness 4mm, gap 1mm, Slice number 29 is, 3D T1WI is TR 8.4ms, TE 3.9ms, matrix size $240{\times}240$, Slice can set 180 piecesIt was. b value of 0, 1,000, 2,000 s/mm2 with DWI acquisition and 3D T1WI enhancement five minutes after the Slice Thickness 3mm, gap 0mm to reconstruct the upper face axis (MPR TRA CE) was. As for the experiment, in b-value 1,000 and 2,000 images, SNR and the lesion at the lesion site and CNR in the normal site opposite to the lesion are measured. WW(window width) and WL(window level) are made equal in MRICro software, and the volume of the lesion is measured from each of b-value and MPR TRA CE image. Using SPSS ver. 1.8.0.0 Mann Whitney-test was analyzed for SNR and CNR, while Kruskal-Wallis test was analyzed for volume.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of revision cochlear implant (CI) surgery for better speech comprehension targeting patients with low satisfaction after first CI surgery. Subjects and Methods: Eight patients who could not upgrade speech processors because of an too early CI model and who wanted to change the whole system were included. After revision CI surgery, we compared speech comprehension before and after revision CI surgery. Categoies of Auditory Performance (CAP) score, vowel and consonant confusion test, Ling 6 sounds, word and sentence identification test were done. Results: The interval between surgeries ranged from eight years to 19 years. Same manufacturer's latest product was used for revision surgery in six cases of eight cases. Full insertion of electrode was possible in most of cases (seven of eight). CAP score (p-value=0.01), vowel confusion test (p-value=0.041), one syllable word identification test (p-value=0.026), two syllable identification test (p-value=0.028), sentence identification test (p-value=0.028) had significant improvement. Consonant confusion test (p-value=0.063), Ling 6 sound test (p-value=0.066) had improvement but it is not significant. Conclusions: Although there are some limitations of our study design, we could identify the effect of revision (upgrade) CI surgery indirectly. So we concluded that if patient complain low functional gain or low satisfaction after first CI surgery, revision (device upgrade) CI surgery is meaningful even if there is no device failure.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of revision cochlear implant (CI) surgery for better speech comprehension targeting patients with low satisfaction after first CI surgery. Subjects and Methods: Eight patients who could not upgrade speech processors because of an too early CI model and who wanted to change the whole system were included. After revision CI surgery, we compared speech comprehension before and after revision CI surgery. Categoies of Auditory Performance (CAP) score, vowel and consonant confusion test, Ling 6 sounds, word and sentence identification test were done. Results: The interval between surgeries ranged from eight years to 19 years. Same manufacturer's latest product was used for revision surgery in six cases of eight cases. Full insertion of electrode was possible in most of cases (seven of eight). CAP score (p-value=0.01), vowel confusion test (p-value=0.041), one syllable word identification test (p-value=0.026), two syllable identification test (p-value=0.028), sentence identification test (p-value=0.028) had significant improvement. Consonant confusion test (p-value=0.063), Ling 6 sound test (p-value=0.066) had improvement but it is not significant. Conclusions: Although there are some limitations of our study design, we could identify the effect of revision (upgrade) CI surgery indirectly. So we concluded that if patient complain low functional gain or low satisfaction after first CI surgery, revision (device upgrade) CI surgery is meaningful even if there is no device failure.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 1986

To evaluate the clinical and pathogenetic roles of TSH receptor antibodies in autoimmune thyroid diseases, TBII were measured by TSH-radioreceptor assay methods in 352 patients with Graves' disease, 108 patients with other thyroid diseases and 69 normal persons. The normal range of TBII activity was less than 15%. The frequencies of detectable TBII in 169 patients with untreated Graves' disease, 31 patients with hyperthyroidism under treatment and 70 patients with euthyrodism under treatment were 92.4%, 87.1% and 54.3% respectively. However 12 (21.8%) out of 55 patients who have been in remission more than one year after discontinuation of antithyroid drugs treatment had detectable TBII activities in their sera. In 196 patients with untreated Graves' disease, the frequency of TBII increased by increasing size of goiter and the frequency of proptosis was significantly high in patients whose TBII activities were more than 60%. TBII activities were roughly correlated with total $T_3,\;T_4$ and free $T_4$ index but low $\gamma^2$ value(less than 0.1). In 67 patients with Graves' disease who were positive TBII before antithyroid drugs treatment, TBII activities began to decrease from the third months and it was converted to negative in 35.8% of patients at 12 months after treatment. There were no significant differences of the declining and disappearing rates of TBII activities between high dose and conventional dose groups. TBII activities were significantly increased initially (2-4 months) and then began to decrease from 5-9 months after $^{131}I$ treatment. There were two groups, one whose TBII activities decreased gradually and the other did not change untill 12 months after subtotal thyroidectomy. Although preoperative clinical and laboratory findings of both groups were not different, TBII activities of non-decreasing group were significantly higher than those of decreasing group$(74.6{\pm}18.6%\;vs\;39.2{\pm}15.2%;\;P<0.01)$. Thirty three(55.9%) out of 59 patients with Graves' disease relapsed within 1 year after discontinuation of antithyroid drugs. The positive rate of TBII at the end of antithyroid drug treatment in relapse group(n=33) was significantly higher than those in remission group (n=26) (63.6% vs 23.1%; P < 0.05). The mean value of TBII activities at the end of antithyroid drug treatment in relapse group was significantly elevated $(29.7{\pm}21.4%\;vs\;14.7{\pm}11.1%,\;P<0.05)$. Positive predictive value of TBII for relapse was 77.8%, which was not different from those of TRH nonresponsiveness(78.6%). The frequencies of detectable TBII in 68 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 10 patients with painless thyroiditis and 5 patients subacute thyroiditis were 14.7%, 20% and 0%, respectively. However in 25 patients with primary nongoitrous myxedema, 11 patients(44%) showed TBII activities in their sera. 9 out of 11 patients who had TBII activities in their sera showed high TBII activities(more than 70% binding inhibition) and their IgG concentrations showing 50% binding inhibition of $^{125}I-bTSH$ to the TSH receptor were ranges of 0.1-2.6 mg/dl. One patient who had high titer of TBII in her serum delivered a hypothyroid baby due to transplacental transfer of maternal TBII. These findings suggested that 1) TSH receptor antibodies are closely related to a pathogenetic factor of Graves' hyperthyroidism and of some patients with primary non-goitrous myxedema, 2) measurement of TSH receptor antibodies is helpful in evaluating the clinical outcome of patients with Graves' disease during antithyroid drug treatment and in predicting the neonatal transient hypothyroidism of baby delivered from primary myxedema patients. 3) there are 2 or more different types of TSH receptor antibodies in autoimmune thyroid diseases including one which stimulates thyroid by binding to the TSH receptor and another which blocks adenylate cyclase stimulation by TSH.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.785-792
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• 1994

In this study, the authors analyzed the prognostic value of four clinical variables[age and sex of patients, association with myasthenia gravis and clinical stage] and histological type in 30 consecutive patients with thymoma, histologically classified as cortical[10],medullary[5] and mixed[15]type according to Marino and Muller-Hermelink classification. There were significant differences between the histological types in the frequency of the different tumor stages and myasthenia gravis and prognosis.Most of the cortical thymomas were at stage III and all of the medullary and most of the mixed tumors at stage I or II.Myasthenia gravis occurred more commonly in patients with cortical[30%] and mixed thymoma[60%] than in patients with medullary thymoma[10%]. Follow-up was conducted in 30 patients,with follow-up range from 3 months to 120 months[mean,47.3months]. 5 year actuarial survival was 100% for medullary thymoma, 73% for mixed thymoma, and 47% for cortical thymoma.The overall survival curve shows that 87.6% of the patients are alive at 2 years and 72.8% at 5 years. And 7 patients was dead during follow-up periods.By Kaplan-Meier technique, we found that the patients who had myasthenia gravis had better prognosis[P<0.05]. Medullary thymoma is a comparatively rare, benign tumor, and usually not associated with myasthenia gravis. Cortical thymoma must be regarded as malignant. Mixed thymoma is intermediate in its behavior between medullary and cortical thymoma. But these tumors should be considered potentially malignant despite of presence as stage I of II disease. Also, the patients with stageI,II had good prognosis and the patients with total resection had good prognosis[P<0.05].

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.25-45
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• 1992

Many phychiatrists have reported that the change of serotonin concentration would cause mental disorder and affect the pathological conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and eating behabior. The end product of serotonin metabolism was excreted as 5-HIAA in urine. Serum lipids, according to the report, were concerned with obesity, said it was. This study aims to observe the changes of plasma serotonin, urinary 5-HIAA and serum lipids, making use of Fat Cell Mass rate of 27 normal persons and 42 psychosomatic patients. For this, I also observed the change of serotonin, 5-HIAA and lipids of the psychosomatic patients by the use of 3 kinds of herbs as treatment medication on the basis of physical symptoms and the results were obtained as follows; 1. Urinary 5-HIAA is correlated with the body water rate(r=0.381), while reversely correlated with the Fat Cell Mass rate(r=-0.330). 2. Compared the control group with the patients group for the serum lipids value, they showed the significant results ; $146.4{\pm}5.71$ mg/dl and $166.9{\pm}6.56$ mg/dl in the total cholestrol value over- weights, $471.2{\pm}42.99$ mg/dl in the total lipid value, and $158.1{\pm}6.50$ mg/dl and $181.1{\pm}6.30$ mg/dl in the phospholipid of the obesity, respectively. 3. With comparison of each group to other group to the others for Fat Cell Mass rate, the total cholesterol showed the significant differences when the Fat Cell Mass rate was 20% or more, HDL-cholesterol value when 30% or more, and triglyceride when 30% or more, respectively. 4. there was significant variations in the relations between Fat Cell Mass rate and body water, which body mass index was increased as the body water was decreased. 5. Fat Cell Mass rate was correlated with Cholesterol(r = 0.420), triglyceride (r = 0.443), and $\beta$-lipoprotein(r = 0.450) of serum lipids, while reversely correlated with HDL -Cholesterol(r = -0.354) and urinary 5- HIAA had the correlation coefficient of -0.330. 6. What related with body water rate urinary 5-HIAA (r = 0.381) and $\beta$-lipoprotein(r = -0.405). 7. there were significant changes in the total cholesterol value and HDL-Cholesterol Value of serum lipids after dose of Ondamtang, significant increase in the 5-HIAA value after dose of Samulansintang, and significant devrease in the Trigylceride value of serum lipids after dose of Shihosogansan. As a result, it was seen that there was direct correlations among the Fat Cell Mass, urinary 5-HIAA, and serum lipids and stress from the mental conditions was not correlated directly to Serotonin, 5-HIAA, and serum lipids. I would like to conclude, therefore, that the detailed study should be performed on the function of serotonin of hypothalamus.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.559-569
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to examine the reliability and validity of Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) as a nutritional measurement for stroke patients. Methods: This was a methodological study performed from May 6 to June 10, 2009 at a tertiary university hospital in Seoul. For reliability of PG-SGA, inter-rater reliability was used for statistics. For concurrent validity, BMI and biomarkers were compared between PG-SGA 0 ~ 8 and ${\geq}$ 9. In addition, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of PG-SGA compared with SGA were calculated using a contingency table. For predictive validity, hospital day, complications, and readmission within 1-month after discharge were compared between PG-SGA 0 ~ 8 and ${\geq}$ 9. Results: Correlation of PG-SGA score between two observers was 0.83, and kappa value for the agreement of severe malnutrition was 0.78(all $p_s$ < .001). The scored PG-SGA showed high sensitivity and specificity (100% and 96.7%, respectively). Severe undernourished patients (PG-SGA ${\geq}$ 9) had significantly low TLC, protein, albumin, and prealbumin (all $p_s$ < .01) compared with non-undernourished patients (PG-SGA 0 ~ 8). Also, in severe undernourished patients, complications and readmission (all $p_s$ = 0.01) were more often represented, and hospital days (p = .013) were significantly delayed. Conclusion: PG-SGA is a reliable and valid measurement to assess nutritional status for stroke patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2705-2710
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• 2016

Recent evidence haas indicated that meningioma-associate protein (MAC30) exhibits different expression patterns in various tumors. However, little is known about the value of MAC30 in human squamous cell carcinoma of lung (SQCLC). The purpose of our study was to investigate the expression of MAC30 and to explore its clinical significance in SQCLC patients. A total of 156 Chinese patients diagnosed with SQCLC were selected for this study. The expression of MAC30 in all tissues was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to analyze MAC30 mRNA expression in 32 cases of SQCLC patients with corresponding non-tumor lung tissues. We observed enhanced mRNA expression of MAC30 in SQCLC as compared to control samples. Further, elevated MAC30 protein expression was strongly associated with poor tumor differentiation, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. In addition, we observed that patients with increased MAC30 expression demonstrated poor overall survival. Multivariate analysis explicated that increased MAC30 expression was a valuable independent predictable factor for poor tumor differentiation and short survival in SQCLC patients. Our present study suggests that MAC30 may serve as a biomarker for poor tumor differentiation and outcomes of patients with SQCLC.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2006

Purpose: Previous studies have reported that plasma cholinesterase (AchE) concentration can serve as a useful prognostic parameter in cases of acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning. However, there has been considerable disagreement regarding the degree of its prognostic value. Earlier cross-sectional and one- time point studies were plagued with methodologic flaws, making it difficult to interpret their results. The purpose of this study was to clarify the prognostic value of time-variable cholinesterase levels and their relationship with clinical outcomes in OP poisoning. Methods: We reviewed medical and intensive care records of patients with acute OP poisoning admitted to our emergency department between March 1998 and Sep 2006. We collected patient information regarding poisoning, clinical, and demographic features. Patients were assessed for clinical outcomes and AchE concentrations on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 and on the final day. Results: During the study period, 58 patients were enrolled in this study. There was a statistically significant difference in the AchE differentials on 1-3 days for patients requiring mechanical ventilation and for patients with mild poisoning (p<0.05). Also, the decrease in the log AchE concentration correlated with longer durations of mechanical ventilation (r=-0.411, p=0.002). Conclusion: In severe OP poising, measurements of time-variable AchE concentrations can be helpful in the prediction of mortality, the development of intermediate syndrome, and duration of mechanical ventilation.