• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.262-272
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• 2019

Purpose: We aimed to identify factors influencing physical activity in adolescents with complex congenital heart disease. Methods: We recruited 92 adolescents with complex congenital heart disease from a tertiary medical center in Seoul, measured their levels of physical activity, and identified factors that influenced their physical activity levels using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, the New York Heart Association classification, congenital heart disease complexity, the Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Parental Bonding Instrument scale. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to determine factors influencing physical activity. Results: Total physical activity was higher in males than in females (t=4.46, p<.001). Adolescents who participated in school physical education classes engaged in more physical activity than those who did not (t=6.77, p<.001). Higher self-efficacy (${\beta}=.41$, p<.001), male gender (${\beta}=.37$, p<.001) and participation in school physical education classes (${\beta}=.19$, p=.042) were associated with a higher likelihood of engagement in physical activity. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop nursing interventions that enhance self-efficacy in order to promote physical activity in adolescents with complex congenital heart disease. Physical activity should also be promoted in an individualized manner, taking into account gender, disease severity, and parental attitude.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1067-1077
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• 2022

Objective: To determine whether Sonazoid-enhanced ultrasound (SZUS) was noninferior to SonoVue-enhanced ultrasound (SVUS) in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using the same diagnostic criteria. Materials and Methods: This prospective, single-center, noninferiority study (NCT04847726) enrolled 105 at-risk participants (71 male; mean age ± standard deviation, 63 ± 11 years; range, 26-86 years) with treatment-naïve solid hepatic nodules (≥ 1 cm). All participants underwent same-day SZUS (experimental method) and SVUS (control method) for one representative nodule per participant. Images were interpreted by three readers (the operator and two independent readers). All malignancies were diagnosed histopathologically, while the benignity of other lesions was confirmed by follow-up stability or pathology. The primary endpoint was per-lesion diagnostic accuracy for HCC pooled across three readers using the conventional contrast-enhanced ultrasound diagnostic criteria, including arterial phase hyperenhancement followed by mild (assessed within 2 minutes after contrast injection) and late (≥ 60 seconds with a delay of 5 minutes) washout. The noninferiority delta was -10%p. Furthermore, different time delays were compared as washout criteria in SZUS, including delays of 2, 5, and > 10 minutes. Results: A total of 105 lesions (HCCs [n = 61], non-HCC malignancies [n = 19], and benign [n = 25]) were evaluated. Using the 5-minutes washout criterion, per-lesion accuracy of SZUS pooled across the three readers (72.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 64.1%-79.3%) was noninferior to that of SVUS (71.4%; 95% CI, 63.1%-78.6%), meeting the statistical criterion for non-inferiority (difference of 0.95%p; 95% CI, -3.8%p-5.7%p). The arterial phase hyperenhancement combined with the 5-minutes washout criterion showed the same sensitivity as that of the > 10-minutes criterion (59.0% vs. 59.0%, p = 0.989), and the specificities were not significantly different (90.9% vs. 86.4%, p = 0.072). Conclusion: SZUS was noninferior to SVUS for diagnosing HCC in at-risk patients using the same diagnostic criteria. No significant improvement in HCC diagnosis was observed by extending the washout time delay from 5 to 10 minutes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.4
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• pp.465-472
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• 2024

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) expressing eosinophilia experience slightly fewer episodes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), than those without eosinophilia. However, the severity and burden of hospitalized pneumonia patients with COPD involving eosinophilia have not been assessed. Methods: We evaluated the differences in clinical characteristics between patients with CAP and COPD with or without eosinophilia by a post hoc analysis of a prospective, multi-center, cohort study data. Results: Of 349 CAP patients with COPD, 45 (12.9%) had eosinophilia (blood eosinophil ≥300 cells/µL). Patients with eosinophilia had a lower sputum culture percentile (8.1% vs. 23.4%, p<0.05), a lower percentile of neutrophils (70.3% vs. 80.2%, p<0.05), reduced C-reactive protein levels (30.6 mg/L vs. 86.6 mg/L, p<0.05), and a lower pneumonia severity index score (82.5 vs. 90.0, p<0.05), than those without eosinophilia. The duration of antibiotic treatment (8.0 days vs. 10.0 days, p<0.05) and hospitalization (7.0 days vs. 9.0 days, p<0.05) were shorter in eosinophilic patients. The cost of medical care per day (256.4 US$ vs. 291.0 US$, p<0.05), cost for the medication (276.4 US$ vs. 349.9 US$, p<0.05), and cost for examination (685.5 US$ vs. 958.1 US$, p<0.05) were lower in patients with eosinophilia than those without eosinophilia. Conclusion: Eosinophilia serves as a favorable marker for the severity of pneumonia, health-care consumption, and cost of medical care in patients with CAP and COPD.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2016

Objectives: Exposure assessment using questionnaires is effective in large-scale epidemiological studies. However, a limited number of studies have evaluated the questionnaires used in epidemiologic studies in terms of occupational and environmental exposure. The purpose of this study was to summarize and evaluate questionnaire items included in major epidemiological studies conducted in Korea with regard to occupational and environmental exposure. Methods: A total of 12 studies (four cohort studies, six large-scale cross-sectional surveys, and two panel studies) were selected for this study. Various questionnaire items related with occupational and environmental items were collected and summarized into tables. Results: Although job type and address were included in almost all of the studies, the information on occupational or environmental exposure to specific risk factors was collected in a limited number of studies. Moreover, questionnaire items were not standardized, warranting a continuous effort to develop questionnaires and evaluate their validity. Conclusion: Our results suggest that validated questionnaire items focusing on occupational and environmental exposure need to be developed in order to enhance the availability of the information collected from questions in epidemiological studies.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.689-698
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• 2019

Air pollution in urban areas has become a serious problem in the recent years. Especially, high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) cause negative effects on human health. Several studies suggest urban forest as a tool for improving air quality because of the capability of forests in reducing PM concentrations through deposition and adsorption using leaf area. For this reason, the National Institute of Forest Science plans to install in-situ observation stations for PM and biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) on a national scale to verify the net effect of forests on urban air pollution. To measure the quantitative change of PM concentrations due to the urban forest, stations should be located within and outside the forest area with respect to atmospheric circulation. In this study, we analyze the wind direction at the potential measurement sites to assess suitable locations for detecting the effect of urban forests on air quality in five cities (i.e. Gwangju, Daegu, Busan, Incheon, and Ilsan). This technical note suggests effective locations of in-situ measurements by considering main wind direction in the five cities of this study. A measurement station network created in the future based on the selected locations will allow quantitative measurements of PM concentration and BVOCs emitted from the urban forest and help provide a comprehensive understanding of the forest capabilities of reducing air pollution.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.59-64
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• 2016

Purpose: Infantile Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a rare congenital inheritable connective tissue disorder with poor prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular manifestations and overall prognosis of infantile MFS diagnosed in a tertiary referral center in Korea. Methods: Eight patients diagnosed with infantile MFS between 2004 and 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Results: Their median age at the time of diagnosis was 2.5 months (range, 0-20 months). The median follow-up period was 25.5 months (range, 0-94 months). The median length at birth was 50.0 cm (range, 48-53 cm); however, height became more prominent over time, and the patients were taller than the 97th percentile at the time of the study. None of the patients had any relevant family history. Four of the 5 patients who underwent DNA sequencing had a fibrillin 1 gene mutation. All the patients with echocardiographic data of the aortic root had a z score of >2. All had mitral and tricuspid valve prolapse, and various degrees of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Five patients underwent open-heart surgery, including mitral valve replacement, of whom two required multiple operations. The median age at mitral valve replacement was 28.5 months (range, 5-69 months). Seven patients showed congestive heart failure before surgery or during follow-up, and required multiple anti-heart failure medications. Four patients died of heart failure at a median age of 12 months. Conclusion: The prognosis of infantile MFS is poor; thus, early diagnosis and timely cautious treatment are essential to prevent further morbidity and mortality.

• Journal of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.267-274
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• 2023

Objective: Several particular morphological factors that contribute to the hemodynamics of the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) have been documented, but no study has investigated the role of the degree of anterior cerebral artery (ACA) rotation on the presence of ACoA aneurysms (ACoAAs). Methods: A retrospective study of an institutional aneurysm database was performed; patients with ruptured or nonruptured ACoAAs were selected. Two sex- and age-matched control groups were identified: control Group A (nonaneurysms) and control Group B (middle cerebral artery aneurysms). Measurements of ACA rotation degree were obtained by using a three-dimensional imaging tool. Results: From 2015 to 2020, 315 patients were identified: 105 in the ACoAA group, 105 in control Group A, and 105 in control Group B. The average age at the time of presentation was 64 years, and 52.4% were female. The ACA rotation degree of the ACoAA group was significantly higher than that of control Group A (p <0.01). The A1 ratio and the A1A2 ratio of the ACoAA group were greater than those of control Group A (p <0.01 and p <0.01, respectively). The ACA rotation degree correlated insignificantly with aneurysm size in ACoAA patients (p=0.78). The ACA rotation degree in the ACoAA group was also insignificantly different from that in control B (p=0.11). Conclusions: The degree of ACA rotation was greater in the ACoAA group than in the nonaneurysm group, and it may serve as an imaging marker for ACoAA.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.49.1-49.1
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• 2012

Recently it is found that the globular clusters are not only bound in their host galaxies, but also are wandering between galaxies in Virgo and Coma clusters. The cluster-wide distribution of these intracluster globular clusters (IGCs) suggests that IGCs are an important probe to understand hierarchical structure formation. We present a survey of IGCs in Virgo cluster using HST archive images for four HST/ACS fields located from about 9 arcmin to 40 acrmin from the cluster center. We find ten new IGCs and confirm four previously known IGCs. The number density of IGCs decreases as the distance from the cluster center increases. We derive integrated photometry of IGCs. We also obtain photometry of resolved stars in the outer region of each cluster. These IGCs are fainter than $M_V{\approx}-9.5$ and mostly blue in (V-I) color. showing that they are mostly metal poor. The locations of red giant branch stars of IGCs in color-magnitude diagrams also show that they are meal-poor. We discuss the implications of these results.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.432-437
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• 2006

Objective : In order to establish the index of degeneration, the authors performed a histochemical study with Safranin-O staining and investigated the occurrence of apoptosis in the human intervertebral disc. Methods : Eighteen intervertebral disc specimens surgically extracted from the patients and two additional specimens from the autopsied cases were stained with Safranin-O for proteoglycan according to a standard protocol. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate- biotin nick end labeling[TUNEL] was used to detect the fragmented DNA known to be associated with apoptotic cell death and classification scheme was formulated for categorization of the degree of Safranin-O staining [normal, moderate reduction, faint] by modification of Makin's histological-histochemical grading. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results : The statistical results showed a significant difference in the mean age between "normal" Safranin-O staining group and the others [19.3 versus 55, 43.4, p=0021]. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between Safranin-O staining and MR grading of disc degeneration. Only six of eighteen surgical specimens and none in autopsies showed positive apoptotic cells in TUNEL staining. Conclusion : The determination of the degree of degeneration in surgically obtained disc tissue per se by histochemical staining or by the degree of apoptosis that corresponds to its morphologic change was not feasible.

• Laboratory Medicine Online
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2017

Background: We evaluated a sensitive and quantitative method utilizing fragment analysis of the fms-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD), simultaneously measuring mutant allele burden and length, and verified the analytical performance. Methods: The number and allelic burden of FLT3-ITD mutations was determined by fragment analysis. Serial mixtures of mutant and wild-type plasmid DNA were used to calculate the limit of detection of fragment analysis, conventional PCR, and Sanger sequencing. Specificity was evaluated using DNA samples derived from 50 normal donors. Results of fragment analysis were compared to those of conventional PCR, using 481 AML specimens. Results: Defined mixtures were consistently and accurately identified by fragment analysis at a 5% relative concentration of mutant to wild-type, and at 10% and 20% ratios by conventional PCR and direct sequencing, respectively. No false positivity was identified. Among 481 AML specimens, 40.1% (193/481) had FLT3-ITD mutations. The mutant allele burden (1.7-94.1%; median, 28.2%) and repeated length of the mutation (14-153 bp; median, 49 bp) were variable. The concordance rate between fragment analysis and conventional PCR was 97.7% (470/481). Fragment analysis was more sensitive than conventional PCR and detected 11 additional cases: seven had mutations below 10%, three cases represented conventional PCR failure, and one case showed false negativity because of short ITD length (14 bp). Conclusions: The new fragment analysis method proved to be sensitive and reliable for the detection and monitoring of FLT3-ITD in patients with AML. This could be used to simultaneously assess ITD mutant allele burden and length.