• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.27-32
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• 2014

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the radial bone strength, sitting balance ability and global self-esteem of wheelchair martial arts practitioners and healthy control participants. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Nine wheelchair martial art practitioners with physical disabilities and 28 able-bodied healthy individuals participated in the study. The bone strength of the distal radius was assessed using the Sunlight Mini-Omni Ultrasound Bone Sonometer; sitting balance was quantified using the modified functional reach test (with reference to a scale marked on the wall); and the self-administered Rosenberg self-esteem (RSE) scale was used to measure the global self-esteem of the participants. The velocity of the ultrasound wave (speed of sound, m/s) traveling through the outer surface of the radial bone was measured and was then converted into a T-score and a Z-score. These ultrasound T-score and Z-score that represent bone strength; the maximum forward reaching distance in sitting (cm) that represents sitting balance; and the RSE total self-esteem score that indicates global self-esteem were used for analysis. Results: The results revealed that there were no statistically significant between-group differences for radial bone-strength, maximum forward reaching distance, or self-esteem outcomes. Conclusions: The wheelchair martial arts practitioners had similar radial bone strength, sitting balance performance and self-esteem to able-bodied healthy persons. Our results imply that wheelchair martial arts might improve bone strength, postural control and self-esteem in adult wheelchair users. This new sport-wheelchair martial arts-might be an exercise option for people with physical disabilities.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.9.1-9.11
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• 2023

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of adjacent gingival blood flow on detection of pulpal blood flow (PBF) using ultrasound Doppler flowmetry (UDF) through animal study. Materials and Methods: The study included 36 right and left maxillary the third incisors and canines in 9 experimental dogs. The study included 2 main steps: In the first step, the pulse sound level (PSL) was recorded on the cervical part of each tooth without flap elevation (Group 1), with flap elevation (Group 2), and after it was repositioned in place (Group 3). In the second step, the PSL was recorded on the cervical part of each tooth (Group 4), after pulpotomy (Group 5), after partial pulp extirpation (Group 6), after complete extirpation (Group 7), and after canal filling (Group 8). In Groups 5-8, the study was performed with and without flap elevation in the left and right teeth, respectively. The PSL was graded as follows: 0, inaudible; 1, heard faintly; and 2, heard well. The difference between each group was analyzed using Friedman's test with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (α = 0.05). Results: In step 1, the PSL results were Group 1 > 2 and 3. In step 2, there was no significant difference between the groups when the flap was not elevated, while PSL results were Group 4 > 5 ≥ 6 and 7 ≥ 8 when the flap was elevated. Conclusions: PBF is affected by gingival blood flow when measured with UDF. UDF measurements require isolation of gingiva from the tooth.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.50-58
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• 2022

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent and disabling joint disease in the world. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) exercise is a widely used treatment and could be a beneficial and long-term tool for treating TMJ OA. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of therapeutic exercise in the conservative treatment of TMJ OA. Materials and Methods: A single-group experimental pre-post test was performed. We included patients who met the diagnostic criteria for TMJ OA. Outcome variables were pain intensity (visual analogue scale), functionality (Helkimo index), and structural changes (ultrasound). Follow-up periods were at months 1, 3, and 6. The intervention included a home-based program with thermotherapy, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercise during the entire follow-up period. Results: We included 15 patients and 26 joints, all women with a median age of 57 years (range, 49-62 years). Median change in pain intensity on joint palpation, mouth opening, and at rest at the first month was 47.5 mm, 51 mm, and 60 mm, respectively, and 48 mm, 49.5 mm, and 42.5 mm, at six months (P=0.001). The Helkimo index showed significant improvement in medians from baseline severe dysfunction (17 points) to minimal dysfunction at three and six months (2 points) (P=0.001). Ultrasound showed improved disc position. Conclusion: This study demonstrated significant improvements in pain, function, and joint disc position and represents a valuable tool for the long-term treatment of patients with TMJ OA.

• Medical Lasers
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.59-63
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• 2019

Background and Objectives High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been developed as an effective, non-invasive, skin-tightening method in response to the increasing demand for improvements in skin laxity and tightening with minimal risk and recovery time. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of HIFU for non-invasive skin tightening of crow's feet wrinkles, with the aim of determining how long the tightening can be maintained. Materials and Methods Between January and March 2019, 21 female patients with crow's feet wrinkles were treated with HIFU. The treatment involved 200 shots, three times every 2 weeks. Three blinded, experienced plastic surgeons and patients evaluated satisfaction at 2 weeks after the first procedure, 2 weeks after the second procedure, 2 weeks after the third procedure, and 6 weeks after the first procedure based on photographs according to the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS). The Friedman test was used to compare data. Results Of the 21 patients treated using HIFU, one was lost to follow-up for nonstudy-related reasons. Therefore, 20 patients were evaluated and ranged in age from 28 to 48 years. Plastic surgeons' GAIS scores were 2.6, 2.3, 1.7, and 1.3 and patients' GAIS scores were 2.6, 2.2, 1.8, and 1.4 at 2 weeks after the first procedure, 2 weeks after the second procedure, 2 weeks after the third procedure, and 6 weeks after the third procedure. No serious adverse effects were observed. Conclusion The aging face with crow's feet wrinkles can be improved by using HIFU, while minimizing epidermal and dermal injury.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.259-267
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• 2023

Objective: Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging is a safe and noninvasive technique for evaluating muscle thickness. A dual probe-fixing frame (DPF) can provide visual feedback during exercises targeting specific muscles. The purpose of this research was to verify the reliability and validity of the DPF for dual-probe ultrasound (DPU)-based visual feedback exercises, allowing users to use both hands freely. Design: This cross-sectional study used repeated measures to compare muscle thickness measurements obtained using the handheld device and DPF with DPU. Methods: Twenty healthy adults participated in the study. Measurements were taken over two sessions, with a two-day interval between the sessions. The thicknesses of the rectus abdominis (RA) and transverse abdominis (TrA) muscles were measured using DPU. The DPF with DPU developed by the research team, was used along with a laptop-based muscle viewer. Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) calculations were used in statistical analyses to evaluate agreement and reliability, respectively. Results: The results of the Bland-Altman analysis showed small average differences between the handheld and DPF methods for both RA and TrA muscle thicknesses. Inter-rater reliability analysis showed high ICC values for DPF measurements of both RA (0.908-0.912) and TrA (0.892-741) muscle thicknesses. Intra-rater reliability analysis also showed good ICC values for measurements taken by a single examiner over two days. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that the DPF provides reliable and valid measurements of muscle thickness during visual feedback exercises using the DPU.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.354-365
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• 2021

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and its role as a second-line imaging modality after gadoxetate-enhanced MRI (Gd-EOB-MRI) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among at risk observations. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled participants at risk of HCC with treatment-naïve solid hepatic observations (≥ 1 cm) of Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LR)-3/4/5/M during surveillance and performed Gd-EOB-MRI. A total of one hundred and three participants with 103 hepatic observations (mean size, 28.2 ± 24.5 mm; HCCs [n = 79], non-HCC malignancies [n = 15], benign [n = 9]; diagnosed by pathology [n = 57], or noninvasive method [n = 46]) were included in this study. The participants underwent CEUS with sulfur hexafluoride. Arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) and washout on Gd-EOB-MRI and CEUS were evaluated. The distinctive washout in CEUS was defined as mild washout 60 seconds after contrast injection. The diagnostic ability of Gd-EOB-MRI and of CEUS as a second-line modality for HCC were determined according to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the Korean Liver Cancer Association and National Cancer Center (KLCA-NCC) guidelines. The diagnostic abilities of both imaging modalities were compared using the McNemar's test. Results: The sensitivity of CEUS (60.8%) was lower than that of Gd-EOB-MRI (72.2%, p = 0.06 by EASL; 86.1%, p < 0.01 by KLCA-NCC); however, the specificity was 100%. By performing CEUS on the inconclusive observations in Gd-EOB-MRI, HCCs without APHE (n = 10) or washout (n = 12) on Gd-EOB-MRI further presented APHE (80.0%, 8/10) or distinctive washout (66.7%, 8/12) on CEUS, and more HCCs were diagnosed than with Gd-EOB-MRI alone (sensitivity: 72.2% vs. 83.5% by EASL, p < 0.01; 86.1% vs. 91.1% by KCLA-NCC, p = 0.04). There were no false-positive cases for HCC on CEUS. Conclusion: The addition of CEUS to Gd-EOB-MRI as a second-line diagnostic modality increases the frequency of HCC diagnosis without changing the specificities.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.442-449
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• 2020

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) versus ultrasonography (US) in symptomatic patients with dense breasts, while using histology as the gold standard. Materials and Methods: After obtaining approval from the local ethics board, this prospective study collected data from patients with symptomatic breasts who underwent CESM and US examinations from May 1, 2017 to September 30, 2017. We then selected those with dense breasts and pathological results as our sample population. Both CESM and US results were classified by a radiologist through the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System, and the results were compared with their corresponding histological results. The chi-square test was conducted to compare the diagnostic performance of CESM and US, and the receiver operating characteristic curves for the two imaging modalities were obtained. Results: A total of 131 lesions from 115 patients with dense breasts were included in this study. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were 93.8%, 88.1%, 88.2%, 93.7%, and 90.8% for CESM, and 90.6%, 82.1%, 82.9%, 90.2%, and 86.3% for US, respectively. The p values for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy were 0.687, 0.388, 0.370, 0.702, and 0.238, respectively. The area under the curve of CESM (0.917) was comparable with that of US (0.884); however, the differences between CESM and US were not statistically significant (p = 0.225). Eight false-positive cases and 4 false-negative cases for breast cancer were found in CESM, while 12 false-positive cases and 6 false-negative cases were found in US. Conclusion: The diagnostic performances of CESM and US are comparable in symptomatic women with dense breasts; however, the routine use of additional US imaging is questionable for lesions that can be detected by CESM.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2000년도 창립총회 및 춘계학술발표회
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• pp.37-40
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• 2000

Acoustically enhanced soil flushing method is a newly developed in-situ remediation technique. However, there has not been an analytical method that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonic wave under different conditions. This study was undertaken to investigate the degree of enhancement in contaminant removal due to ultrasonic energy on the soil flushing method. The test conditions included different levels of ultrasonic power and hydraulic gradient. The test soils were Ottawa sand, a fine aggregate, and a natural soil, and the surrogate contaminant was a Crisco Vegetable Oil. The test results showed that sonication could increase contaminant removal significantly. Increasing sonication power increased pollutant removal. The faster the flow is, the smaller the degree of enhancement will be. The pollutants in dense soils are more difficult to be removed than in loose soils.

• 제어로봇시스템학회논문지
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• 제13권11호
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• pp.1060-1066
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• 2007

When a high-energy ultrasound propagates through a solid body that contains a crack or a delamination, the two faces of the defect do not ordinarily vibrate in unison, and dissipative phenomena such as friction, rubbing and clapping between the faces will convert some of the vibrational energy to heat. By combining this heating effect with infrared imaging, one can detect a subsurface defect in material efficiently. In this paper a detection of the welding defect of thin SUS 304 plates using the UIR (ultrasonic infrared imaging) technology is described. A low frequency (20kHz) ultrasonic transducer was used to infuse the welded thin SUS 304 plates with a short pulse of sound for 280ms. The ultrasonic source has a maximum power of 2kW. The surface temperature of the area under inspection is imaged by a thermal infrared camera that is coupled to a fast frame grabber in a computer. The hot spots, which are a small area around the defect tip and heated up highly, are observed. From the sequence of the thermosonic images, the location of defective or inhomogeneous regions in the welded thin SUS 304 plates can be detected easily.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.246-254
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• 2007

The scanning laser source (SLS) technique is a promising new laser ultrasonic tool for the detection of small surface-breaking defects. The SLS approach is based on monitoring the changes in laser-generated ultrasound as a laser source is scanned over a defect. Changes in amplitude and frequency content are observed for ultrasound generated by the laser over uniform and defective areas. The SLS technique uses a point or a short line-focused high-power laser beam which is swept across the test specimen surface and passes over surface-breaking or subsurface flaws. The ultrasonic signal that arrives at the Rayleigh wave speed is monitored as the SLS is scanned. It is found that the amplitude and frequency of the measured ultrasonic signal have specific variations when the laser source approaches, passes over and moves behind the defect. In this paper, the setup for SLS experiments with full B-scan capability is described and SLS signatures from small surface-breaking and subsurface flaws are discussed using a point or short line focused laser source.