• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.169-176
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• 2012

Tumor cell morphology is closely related to its migratory behaviors. An active tumor cell has a highly irregular shape, whereas a spherical cell is inactive. Thus, quantitative analysis of cell features is crucial to determine tumor malignancy or to test the efficacy of anticancer treatment. We use 3D time-lapse phase-contrast microscopy to analyze single cell morphology because it enables to observe long-term activity of living cells without photobleaching and phototoxicity, which is common in other fluorescence-labeled microscopy. Despite this advantage, there are image-level drawbacks to phase-contrast microscopy, such as local light effect and contrast interference ring. Therefore, we first corrected for non-uniform illumination artifacts and then we use intensity distribution information to detect cell boundary. In phase contrast microscopy image, cell is normally appeared as dark region surrounded by bright halo ring. Due to halo artifact is minimal around the cell body and has non-symmetric diffusion pattern, we calculate cross sectional plane which intersects center of each cell and orthogonal to first principal axis. Then, we extract dark cell region by analyzing intensity profile curve considering local bright peak as halo area. Finally, we calculated the Fourier descriptor that morphological characteristics of cell to classify tumor cells into active and inactive groups. We validated classification accuracy by comparing our findings with manually obtained results.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2014

Objective : Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is often complicated by subsidence, pseudoarthrosis, kyphosis, and graft donor site morbidities. To decrease the occurrence of these complications, various types of cages have been developed. We designed this retrospective study to analyze and compare the efficacy and outcomes of ACDF using double cylindrical cages (DCC) (BK Medical, Seoul, Korea) versus an anterior cervical plating system with autogenous iliac crest grafts. Methods : Forty-eight patients were treated with autograft and plating (plate group), and 48 with DCC group from October 2007 to October 2011. We analyzed construct length, cervical lordotic curvarture, the thickness of the prevertebral soft tissue, segmental instability, and clinical outcomes. Results : There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to the decrease in construct length or cervical lodortic curvature at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. The prevertebral soft tissue was thinner in the DCC group than the plate group immediately after surgery and at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. The difference in interspinous distance on flexion-extension was shorter in the plate group than the DCC group at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. However, there was no significant difference in this distance between the two groups at the 12-month follow-up. Conclusion : A double cylindrical cage is a good alternative for fusion in patients with cervical degenerative diseases; the surgical method is relatively simple, allows good synostosis, has less associated prevertebral soft tissue swelling, and complications associated with autografting can be avoided.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1195-1203
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• 2000

Objective : To confirm the efficacy of functional hemispherectomy and peri-insular hemispherotomy on treatment of intractable epilepsy. Materials & Methods : From April 1997 to February 1999, we performed 1 functional hemispherectomy and 6 peri-insular hemispherotomy in 7 consecutive patients. These procedures result in completely disconnected hemisphere while maintaining the disconnected portion of the hemisphere intact within the surgical cavity. The indications were hemimegalencephaly in 2 cases, infarction with encephalomalacia in 2, Sturge-Weber syndrome in 1, hemiconvulsion hemiplegia epilepsy syndrome in 1, cortical dysplasia with leptomeningeal cyst in 1. Mean follow-up is 15.8 months(range 8-28 months). Results : Among 7 patients, 1 patient died immediately after peri-insular hemispherotomy. Five patients became seizure free with reduced doses of medications. One patient developed rare disabling seizure with medication. In 6 patients, there were improvements in the function of the hemiparetic limbs in the postoperative phase. A 3-year-old boy with infarction and encephalomalacia died few hours after surgery due to postoperative hypothermia. Two patients required shunt after surgery. Two patients developed postoperative brain swelling but were successfully managed with conservative care. Conclusion : In conclusion, functional hemispherectomy and peri-insular hemispherotomy may provide substantial seizure control in selected cases of young hemiplegic patients with intractable epilepsy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.358-363
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• 2008

Objective : This study was performed to assess the efficacy of GKS in patients with ten or more brain metastases. Methods : From Aug 2002 to Dec 2007, twenty-six patients (13 men and 13 women) with ten or more cerebral metastatic lesions underwent GKS. The mean age was 55 years (32-80). All patients had Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score of 70 or better. According to recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) classification, 3 patients belonged to class I and 23 to class II. The location of primary tumor was lung (21), breast (3) and unknown (2). The mean number of the lesions per patient was 16.6 (10-37). The mean cumulated volume was 10.9 cc (1.0-42.2). The median marginal dose was 15 Gy (9-23). Overall survival and the prognostic factors for the survival were retrospectively analyzed by using Kaplan Meier method and univariate analysis. Results : Overall median survival from GKS was 34 weeks (8-199). Local control was possible for 79.5% of the lesions and control of all the lesions was possible in at least 14 patients (53.8%) until 6 months after GKS. New lesions appeared in 7 (26.9%) patients during the same period. At the last follow-up, 18 patients died; 6 (33.3%) from systemic causes, 10 (55.6%) from neurological causes, and 2 (11.1 %) from unknown causes. Synchronous onset in non-small cell lung cancer (p=0.007), high KPS score (${\geq}80$, p=0.029), and controlled primary disease (p=0.020) were favorable prognostic factors in univariate analysis. Conclusion : In carefully selected patients, GKS may be a treatment option for ten or more brain metastases.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.923-929
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• 2013

Black seabream juveniles Acanthopagrus schlegelii held at $20^{\circ}C$ were exposed to formalin at concentrations of 50 to 400 ppm, and tolerance values were determined by calculating median lethal concentration values (LC50) through probit analysis. The 12-, 24, 48, 72- and 96-h LC50 values for formalin were 297, 233, 171, 162 and 157 ppm, respectively. The histological effects of formalin on gill and liver tissues in this fish were determined. No histological effects were observed in the control group. The intensity of cell damage increased with the concentration of, and duration of exposure to, formalin. Hyperplasia, separation and epithelial necrosis, epithelial lifting, lamellar synechiae and collapsed lamellae were observed in gill tissues exposed to formalin. Hepatic lesions in liver tissues of fishes exposed to formalin were characterized by cloudy swelling of hepatocytes, necrosis, cytoplasmic vacuolization, deposition of pigments, spongiosis hepatis, nuclear hypertrophy, dilation of sinusoids and bile stagnation. The LC50 values and histological results obtained in this study will aid in designing treatment regimens to minimize toxic side effects and increase efficacy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.627-634
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• 2017

Objective : Few studies have reported the outcome of mechanical thrombectomy with Solitaire stent retrival (MTSR) in subtypes of acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and result of MTSR in acute cardioembolic stroke. Methods : Twenty consecutive patients with acute cardioembolic stroke were treated by MTSR. The angiographic outcome was assessed by thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) grade. TICI grade 2a, 2b, or 3 with a measurable thrombus that was retrieved was considered as a success when MTSR was performed in the site of primary vessel occlusion, and TICI grade 2b or 3 was considered as a success when final result was reported. Clinical and radiological results were compared between two groups divided on the basis of final results of MTSR. Persistent thrombus compression sign on angiogram was defined as a stenotic, tapered arterial lumen whenever temporary stenting was performed. The clinical outcomes were assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3 months. Results : The failure rate of MTSR was 20% (4/20) and other modalities, such as permanent stenting, were needed. Final successful recanalization (TICI grade 2b or 3) was 80% when other treatments were included. The rate of good outcome ($mRS{\leq}2$) was 35% at the 3-month follow-up. Failure of MTSR was significantly correlated with persistent thrombus compression sign (p=0.001). Conclusion : Some cases of cardioembolic stroke are resistant to MTSR and may need other treatment modalities. Careful interpretation of angiogram may be helpful to the decision.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.5
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• pp.467-475
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• 1997

Although one of the major physiological functions of taurine(2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is the inhibitory action on the central nervous system(CNS), the mechanism of taurine in controlling the neuronal excitation in the CNS has been in controversy. Electrically evoked pEPSP and spontaneous activity induced by the perfusion of low $Mg^{++}-ACSF$ were recorded in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampal slice. To test the inhibitory effect of taurine on spontaneous responses, taurine was treated for 2 min at various concentrations(1 mM-10 mM). Taurine reduced the spontaneous activity by 22.2% at 1 mM, and 100% at 2 mM in low $Mg^{++}-ACSF$. Evoked response was induced by electrical stimulation of Schaffer collateral-commissural fibers. Taurine reduced the evoked response by 11.68% at 3 mM, and 24.25% at 5 mM. Even 20 mM of taurine reduced the evoked response only by 24 % after 5 min treatment. That is, the inhibitory efficacy was much higher in spontaneous activity than in evoked response. The $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, 100 uM bicuculline, blocked the inhibitory action of taurine, while $GABA_B$ receptor antagonist, 700 uM phaclofen, did not. Taurine blocked the spontaneous activity in the presence of CNQX, and did not block the electrically evoked responce in the presence of APV. The results suggest that taurine causes hyperpolarization in the cell by binding to $GABA_A$ receptor and preferentially attenuates NMDA receptor-mediated hyperexcitation, leaving synaptic transmission unmodified.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.485-489
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• 2015

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage failure of the kidney, but the efficacy of currently available strategies for the prevention of DN remains unsatisfactory. In this study, we investigated the effects of free anthraquinones (FARs) extract, which was extracted from the rhubarb and purified by macroporous resin DM130 with gradient mixtures of ethanol/water as the lelution solvents, in high glucose-cultured glomerular mesangial cells (MCs). The cell proliferation was determined by CCK-8 assay, the levels of TGF-${\beta}1$, CTGF, ColIV and FN proteins in the supernatant of MCs were measured by ELISA assays, and the mRNA levels of these four genes were detected by RT-PCR. The results showed that the increased proliferation of MCs, the mRNA levels and protein expression of TGF-${\beta}1$, CTGF, ColIV and FN induced by high glucose were inhibited after the treatment with the FARs extract. This indicated that FARs extract could inhibit cell proliferation and the expression of main extracellular matrix induced by high glucose in MCs. The FARs extract exhibited potential values for prophylaxis and therapy of DN.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.2395-2400
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• 2016

Conventional drug carriers such as liposomes, nanoparticles, polymer micelles, polymeric conjugate and lipid microemulsion for cancer chemotherapy shield normal tissues from toxic drugs to treat cancer cells in tumors. However, inaccurate tumor targeting uncontrolled drug release from the carriers and unwanted accumulation in healthy sites can limit treatment efficacy with current conventional drug carriers with insufficient concentrations of drugs in the tumors and unexpected side effects as a result. Sickle red blood cells show natural tumor preferential accumulation without any manipulation due to the adhesive interaction between molecular receptors on the membrane surface and counter-receptor on endothelial cells. In addition, structural changes of microvascular in tumor sites enhances polymerization of sickle red blood cells. In this research, we examined the use of sickle red blood cells as a new drug carrier with novel tumor targeting and controlled release properties to quantify its therapeutic effects.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2018

Purpose: The present study aimed to review the characteristics of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs for alcohol use disorders and to examine the outcomes of such programs. Methods: We searched for domestic and foreign studies that implemented a CBT program for alcohol use disorders, published from 2006 to 2017. Studies that met inclusion/exclusion criteria were selected and a quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias (RoB) and Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS) instruments. We utilized a five-stage analysis process, through which nine experimental studies were selected. Results: Of these nine studies, four were randomized controlled trials, four used a quasi-experimental design, and one used a qualitative design. The CBT involved the three domains of cognitive reconstruction, problem solving, and coping. Coping with drinking situations and communication constituted most of the sessions. The outcomes of such interventions showed that CBT had a positive effect on alcohol use and self-evaluation. Conclusion: CBT is an effective way to change alcohol use behaviors, motivation, interpersonal relationships, emotional control, and self-efficacy among patients with alcohol use disorders. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of CBT-based programs for the treatment of alcohol use disorders.