• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.2439-2442
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• 2012

In order to explore the effects of the solvent on the formation rate of polyynes, we investigated the absorption spectra of polyynes obtained by laser ablation of a graphite target in different solvents at 1064 nm. Polyynes so produced were confirmed by the Raman band around $2200cm^{-1}$ which corresponds to the carbon triple bonds. The production of polyynes by laser ablation turned out to be significantly affected by the ratio of the hydrogen and carbon atoms in the solvent molecule. No clear correlations were observed in the formation of polyynes for other properties of the solvent such bond dissociation energy, thermal conductivity, and total mass of hydrogen atoms per volume of solvent.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.270-276
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• 2020

Background: We investigated the impact of previous catheter ablation (CA) on the midterm outcomes of totally thoracoscopic ablation in patients with lone atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: Between February 2012 and July 2018, 332 patients underwent totally thoracoscopic ablation for the treatment of AF (persistent AF; n=264, 80%). The patients were stratified into CA (n=47, 14%) and non-CA (nCA; n=285, 86%) groups according to their CA history. Results: All the baseline clinical characteristics and risk factors were similar between the groups except for age, percentage of male patients, prevalence of paroxysmal AF, prior percutaneous coronary intervention, and left atrial volume index (LAVI). No significant intergroup differences were observed in the incidence of early and late complications. At late follow-up, normal sinus rhythm was observed in 92% (43 of 47) of the patients in the CA group and 85% (242 of 285) of the patients in the nCA group (p=0.268). The rate of freedom from AF recurrence at 5 years was 55.3%±11.0% in the CA group, which was similar to that in the nCA group (55.7%±5.1%, p=0.690). In Cox regression analysis, preoperative brain natriuretic peptide levels and LAVI were associated with AF recurrence, but CA history was not significant. Conclusion: Totally thoracoscopic ablation was safe and effective in treating AF irrespective of CA history. A history of CA did not appear to affect the procedural complexity.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.231-236
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• 1999

Understanding the exgenous water induced thermomechanical effect on the dental hard tissue by the Q-switched Er:YAG laser (1-$mutextrm{s}$-long pulse width) has an important impact on the further understanding of the free-running Er:YAG laser (250-$mutextrm{s}$-long pulse width) ablation on the dental gard tissue because one macroscopic effect in the free-running laser is an accumulation of microscopic effects we investigated in this study. The Q-switched Er:YAG laser with exogenous water on the tooth enhanced ablation rate compared to the case of no water on the tooth. The frequency of exogenous-water jet on the tooth has affected the ablation rate in such a way that as we dispensed water drops less frequently we could get more enhanced ablation rate. The amplitude of the recoil pressure depends on the tooth surface conditions such that as surfaces wet, and as the volume of the exogenous water drop increased, the amplitude of the recoil pressure increased also. From this study we realized that the 1 $mutextrm{s}$ long pulsed induced thermomechanical effect provides us useful information for the understanding of the free-running Er:YAG laser induced ablation with exogenous water.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.17-23
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• 2010

Titanium alloy is one of the hard processing materials made by the traditional manufacturing method because of the excellent mechanical strength. Ablation of titanium alloy is investigated by using a femtosecond laser which is a regenerative amplified Ti:sapphire laser with 1kHz repetition rate, 184fs pulse duration time and 785nm wavelength. Experiments are carried out under various ablation conditions with different pulse overlap ratios for the rectangular shape and micro hole. Test results show that the ablation characteristic according to pulse overlap ratio of titanium alloy seems to be as non-linear type at the different zone of energy fluence. The optimal condition of rectangular shape processing is obtained at the laser peak power 1.3mW, pulse overlap ratio of 90%, beam gap of $1\;{\mu}m$. The micro hole has a good quality from the pulse overlap ratio of 99% at the same laser peak power. With the optimal processing condition, the fine rectangular shape and micro hole without burr and thermal damage are achieved.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.61-69
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• 2019

Background: Scarce data have been reported on the efficacy of concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in patients undergoing bioprosthetic valve replacement. Methods: From 2001 and 2014, 146 consecutive patients ($69.3{\pm}9.4years$, 84 females) who underwent bioprosthetic heart valve replacement concomitant with AF ablation were assessed. We evaluated long-term rhythm and valve-related outcomes. Results: During 49.1 months of follow-up (interquartile range, 22.5-96.8 months), 7 in-hospital and 49 (6.7% per person-year) post-discharge deaths occurred. The thromboembolic event-free survival rate at 5 years was $79.2%{\pm}3.5%$. The freedom from AF recurrence rate at 5 years was $59.8%{\pm}4.9%$. Multivariate analysis showed that old age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.11; p=0.002), previous cardiac operation (HR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.22-7.43; p=0.02), and a large left atrial (LA) dimension (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.05; p=0.045) were significantly associated with AF recurrence. Conclusion: The overall long-term clinical outcomes in these predominantly elderly patients undergoing AF ablation concomitantly with bioprosthetic valve replacement were satisfactory; however, AF recurrence was frequent. Older age, a history of prior cardiac surgery, and large LA size were associated with an increased risk of AF recurrence.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.95-102
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• 2022

This retrospective study aimed to investigate whether there was a difference in the success rate of removal of residual thyroid tissue in patients with the same cutoff serum thyroglobulin (Tg) value-measured 2 weeks after thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW)-for different radioactive iodine (RAI) activities. We identified 132 patients with papillary thyroid cancer who were treated with total thyroidectomy and RAI therapy to evaluate the efficacy of three radioactivities of I-131: 1,110, 3,700, and 5,550 MBq. Serum Tg testing was performed 1 week before RAI treatment and 2 weeks after THW (pre-Tg); the cutoff pre-Tg level was below 10 ng/mL. Stimulated Tg levels were measured on the day of I-131 administration (off-Tg). After 6 months of treatment, we compared the groups for complete ablation, defined as no uptake on a diagnostic I-131 scan, stimulated Tg level of <1.0 ng/mL, and Tg antibody level of <100 ng/mL. Ninety-five patients (72.0%) achieved complete ablation, with 57.1% (8/14), 78.2% (68/87), and 61.3% (19/31) in the 1,110 MBq, 3,700 MBq, and 5,550 MBq groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in the complete ablation rates between the three groups. In the multivariate analysis, the off-Tg level was a significant predictor of complete ablation. RAI therapy with low radioactivity (1,110 MBq) seemed sufficient for ablation in patients with papillary thyroid cancer with a pre-Tg level below 10 ng/mL. The off-Tg level is a promising and useful predictor of complete ablation after initial RAI therapy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.572-581
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• 2020

Objective: To evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 67 PHPT patients (22 men, 45 women; mean age, 56.0 ± 16.3 years; range, 18-83 years) from January 2015 to December 2018. The laboratory data, including the serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, were evaluated before MWA and again 2 hours, 1 day, 7 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months after. Results: Complete ablation was achieved with all 72 hyperplastic parathyroid glands found on the 67 patients enrolled, 64 of whom were treated in one session and 3 were treated over two sessions. The technical success rate was 100%. The median follow-up time was 13.6 months (range, 10.0-31.1 months). The clinical success rate was 89.4%. The volume reduction rate was 79.4% at 6 months. Compared to pre-MWA, the serum iPTH, calcium, phosphorus, and ALP levels had significantly improved 6 months post-MWA (iPTH, 157.3 pg/mL vs. 39.2 pg/mL; calcium, 2.75 ± 0.25 mmol/L vs. 2.34 ± 0.15 mmol/L; phosphorus, 0.86 ± 0.20 mmol/L vs. 1.12 ± 0.22 mmol/L; ALP, 79 U/L vs. 54 U/L, respectively; all, p < 0.01). Hoarseness was a major complication in 4 patients (6.0%), but it improved spontaneously within 2-3 months. Conclusion: MWA is safe, feasible, and effective for the treatment of PHPT.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2006

The objectives of this study was to investigate the amount of tooth ablation and the change of intrapulpal temperature by Er:YAG laser as it relates to pulse energy and pulse repetition rate at the identical power and, thereby, to reveal which of the two parameters strongly relates with ablation efficiency and intrapulpal temperature. Extracted healthy human molar teeth were sectioned into two pieces and each specimen was irradiated within the combination of pulse energy and pulse repetition time at the same power of 3W; $300mJy{\times}10Hz$ group, $200mJy{\times}15Hz$ group, and $150mJy{\times}20Hz$ group. Each specimen comprised ten tooth specimens. A laser beam with conjunction of a water flow rate of 1.6 ml/min was applied over enamel surfaces of the specimens during 3 seconds and the ablation amount was determined by difference in weight before and after irradiation. To investigate the temperature change in the pulp according to the above groups, another five extracted healthy human molar teeth were prepared. Each tooth was embedded into resin block and the temperature-measuring probes were kept on the irradiated and the opposite walls in the dental pulp during lasing. When the power was kept constant at 3W, ablation amount increased with pulse energy rather than pulse repetition rate (p=0.000). Although intrapulpal temperature increased with pulse repetition rate, there were no significant differences among the groups and between the irradiated and the opposite pulpal walls, except at a condition of $150y{\times}20Hz$ (p=0.033). Conclusively, it is suggested that ablation efficacy is influenced by pulse energy rather than pulse repetition rate.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.9
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• pp.699-711
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• 2022

Background and Objectives: We investigated whether extra-pulmonary vein (PV) ablation targeting a high maximal slope of the action potential duration restitution curve (Smax) improves the rhythm outcome of persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) ablation. Methods: In this open-label, multi-center, randomized, and controlled trial, 178 PeAF patients were randomized with 1:1 ratio to computational modeling-guided virtual Smax ablation (V-Smax) or empirical ablation (E-ABL) groups. Smax maps were generated by computational modeling based on atrial substrate maps acquired during clinical procedures in sinus rhythm. Smax maps were generated during the clinical PV isolation (PVI). The V-Smax group underwent an additional extra-PV ablation after PVI targeting the virtual high Smax sites. Results: After a mean follow-up period of 12.3±5.2 months, the clinical recurrence rates (25.6% vs. 23.9% in the V-Smax and the E-ABL group, p=0.880) or recurrence appearing as atrial tachycardia (11.1% vs. 5.7%, p=0.169) did not differ between the 2 groups. The post-ablation cardioversion rate was higher in the V-Smax group than E-ABL group (14.4% vs. 5.7%, p=0.027). Among antiarrhythmic drug-free patients (n=129), the AF freedom rate was 78.7% in the V-Smax group and 80.9% in the E-ABL group (p=0.776). The total procedure time was longer in the V-Smax group (p=0.008), but no significant difference was found in the major complication rates (p=0.497) between the groups. Conclusions: Unlike a dominant frequency ablation, the computational modeling-guided V-Smax ablation did not improve the rhythm outcome of the PeAF ablation and had a longer procedure time.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.131-140
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine the ablation rate of Er: YAG laser irradiation on dentin and enamel and to observe the microscopic structures of cavities formed after ablation of enamel and dentin in using a bur and cavities formed after ablation using laser. Er:YAG laser irradiated at 200 mJ, 250mJ, 300mJ at the frequency of 20Hz, 15Hz. The following results were obtained : 1. The ablation rate of dentin groups at power of 3 W-6 W was about $1.103{\sim}2.639mm^3/sec$ and there were no significant differences between power of 4.5 W$\sim$6 W. 2. The ablation rate of enamel groups at power of 3 W-6 W was about $0.413{\sim}0.969mm^3/sec$ and there were no significant differences between power of 4 W$\sim$6 W. 3. With SEM examination of the cavity surface treated with the conventional high speed bur revealed relatively flat appearance almost covered with a debris like smear layer. 4. With SEM examination of the lased surface of dentin groups revealed no smear layer and no debris and openings of dentinal tubules were clearly opened. But the lased surfaces of the groups over 3 W were irregular and particles were loosely attached on it. 5. With SEM examination of the lased surface of enamel groups revealed severely destructed surface at the 6 W group and melting drop materials at the 3 W group. But the lased surface of 4 W group revealed clearly ablated surface. Therefore when cutting teeth using Er:YAG laser, the lasing power which can make effective ablation rate and minimize the thermal effect could be 3W at dentin and 4W at enamel. But, further studies and additional data collection will be necessary for appropriate lasing condition of Er:YAG laser.