• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.368-377
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• 2024

Background: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease that leads to airway inflammation, destruction, and airflow limitation, which reflects its severity. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a non-invasive method that uses sound waves to estimate lung function and airway resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of IOS in predicting the severity of bronchiectasis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the IOS parameters and clinical characteristics in 145 patients diagnosed with bronchiectasis between March 2020 and May 2021. Disease severity was evaluated using the FACED score, and patients were divided into mild and moderate/severe groups. Results: Forty-four patients (30.3%) were in the moderate/severe group, and 101 (69.7%) were in the mild group. Patients with moderate/severe bronchiectasis had a higher airway resistance at 5 Hz (R5), a higher difference between the resistance at 5 and 20 Hz (R5-R20), a higher resonant frequency (Fres), and a higher area of reactance (AX) than patients with mild bronchiectasis. R5 ≥0.43, resistance at 20 Hz (R20) ≥0.234, R5-R20 ≥28.3, AX ≥1.02, reactance at 5 Hz (X5) ≤-0.238, and Fres ≥20.88 revealed significant univariable relationships with bronchiectasis severity (p<0.05). Among these, only X5 ≤-0.238 exhibited a significant multivariable relationship with bronchiectasis severity (p=0.039). The receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting moderate-to-severe bronchiectasis of FACED score based on IOS parameters exhibited an area under the curve of 0.809. Conclusion: The IOS assessed by the disease severity of FACED score can effectively reflect airway resistance and elasticity in bronchiectasis patients and serve as valuable tools for predicting bronchiectasis severity.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.1158-1164
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• 2008

Purpose : To investigate the discriminative ability of pediatric index of mortality 2 (PIM2) and pediatric risk of mortality III (PRISM III) in predicting mortality in children admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods : We retrospectively analyzed variables of PIM2 and PRISM III based on medical records with children cared for in a single hospital ICU from January 2003 to December 2007. Exclusions were children who died within 2 h of admission into ICU or hopeless discharge. We used Students t test and ANOVA for general characteristics and for correlation between survivors and non-survivors for variables of PIM2 and PRISM III. In addition, we performed multiple logistic regression analysis for Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) for discrimination, and calculated standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for estimation of prediction. Results : We collected 193 medical records but analyzed 190 events because three children died within 2 h of ICU admission. The variables of PIM2 correlated with survival, except for the presence of post-procedure and low risk. In PRISM III, there was a significant correlation for cardiovascular/neurologic signs, arterial blood gas analysis but not for biochemical and hematologic data. Discriminatory performance by ROC showed an area under the curve 0.858 (95% confidence interval; 0.779-0.938) for PIM2, 0.798 (95% CI; 0.686-0.891) for PRISM III, respectively. Further, SMR was calculated approximately as 1 for the 2 systems, and multiple logistic regression analysis showed ${\chi}^2(13)=14.986$, P=0.308 for PIM2, ${\chi}^2(13)=12.899$, P=0.456 for PRISM III in Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit. However, PIM2 was significant for PRISM III in the likelihood ratio test (${\chi}^2(4)=55.3$, P<0.01). Conclusion : We identified two acceptable scoring systems (PRISM III, PIM2) for the prediction of mortality in children admitted into the ICU. PIM2 was more accurate and had a better fit than PRISM III on the model tested.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2018

A method of transmitting an alert signal in case of man-overboard (MOB) systems in a small fishing vessel navigating within coastal area is being operated as VHF-DSC equipment via a distress alert button and V-P ass Equipment via alert button or beacon separation. However, a small fishing vessel with a couple of crews on board is an inappropriate way to alert a man-overboard condition. However, internationally, MOB equipment using VHF-DSC, AIS, and Bluetooth technologies is used to transmit alert signals directly to the mother ship and other radio stations. In order to analyze the performance and technology of the MOB equipment operating in foreign countries, it was confirmed that the alarm signal can be received within a maximum of one nautical mile when the MOB device is on the water surface. An MOB device that meets domestic conditions needs to send an alarm signal to a station within the VHF communication range. However, in order to reduce the false alert signal, it is most appropriate to operate the VHF-DSC radio equipment installed on the ship remotely. Analysis of various technologies connecting the MOB and the VHF-DSC revealed that the Bluetooth system has advantages such as device miniaturization. When an emergency signal is transmitted from the MOB device, it can be received by a dedicated receiver and recognized through an external input terminal of the VHF-DSC equipment generating its own alarm. If the emergency situation cannot be processed at the mother ship, a distress alert is sent to all radio stations via VHF-DSC for response under emergencies faced by small fishing vessels.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.449-456
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• 2018

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. In lower Human Development Index countries, it has the second highest incidence and mortality among cancer in women. Therefore, better diagnosis and treatment systems are needed. Among them, estrogen receptor alpha ($ER-{\alpha}$) mRNA expression has been analyzed with RT-qPCR since several studies reported that $ER-{\alpha}$ is necessary in the maturation of the uterus and is related to cervical cancer. In this study, $ER-{\alpha}$ quantitative analysis was performed on various lesions and normal tissue samples. Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, its sensitivity and specificity were 85% and 75%, respectively, showing higher or similar results to those of conventional HPV tests. In addition, its expression level was analyzed with clinical information. With regression analysis, the R square value between the $ER-{\alpha}$ mRNA expression level and menopause status was 0.5041, indicating a strong correlation. This study was performed as part of a pilot study and suggests that $ER-{\alpha}$ is related to carcinogenesis. Future studies will examine other hormones and menopausal factors with a larger sample size.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.187-201
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• 2024

Osteoporosis is a major health issue globally, often remaining undetected until a fracture occurs. To facilitate early detection, deep learning (DL) models were developed to classify osteoporosis using abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans. This study was conducted using retrospectively collected data from 3,012 contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scans. The DL models developed in this study were constructed for using image data, demographic/clinical information, and multi-modality data, respectively. Patients were categorized into the normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis groups based on their T-scores, obtained from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, into normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis groups. The models showed high accuracy and effectiveness, with the combined data model performing the best, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.94 and an accuracy of 0.80. The image-based model also performed well, while the demographic data model had lower accuracy and effectiveness. In addition, the DL model was interpreted by gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) to highlight clinically relevant features in the images, revealing the femoral neck as a common site for fractures. The study shows that DL can accurately identify osteoporosis stages from clinical data, indicating the potential of abdominal CT scans in early osteoporosis detection and reducing fracture risks with prompt treatment.