• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2004

Purpose : Minimal Change Disease (MCD) is the most common primary nephrotic syndrome in children. Some suggested that tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) are involved in the pathogenesis of MCD. Methods : This study was done to see the changes of plasma and urinary $TNF-{\alpha}$, and its effect on the determination of permeability of the glomerular basement membrane (BM) contributed by heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG). Study patients consisted of 19 biopsy-proven MCD children aged 2-15 years old. Both plasma and urinary $TNF-{\alpha}$ were measured. Employing the Millicell system, $TNF-{\alpha}$ was screened for the permeability factors. We examined whether $TNF-{\alpha}$ regulated BM HSPG gene expression and HS synthesis in the glomerular epithelial cells (GECs). Results : Urinary $TNF-{\alpha}$ during relapse was significantly increased when compared with that of during remission or controls ($364.4{\pm}51.2$ vs $155.3{\pm}20.8,\;36.0{\pm}4.5$ ng/mg cr) (P<0.05). However, negative results were obtained in the permeability assay using the Millicell system. No difference was seen in the BM HSPG gene expression and HS synthesis in the GECs. Conclusion : It seems that $TNF-{\alpha}$ may not play a disease-specific role in the pathogenesis of MCD.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2003

Purpose : Minimal Change Disease(MCD) is the most common primary nephrotic syndrome in children. Some suggested that tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) are involved in the pathogenesis of MCD. This study was done to see the changes of plasma and urinary $TNF-{\alpha}$, and their effects on the permeability of glomerular basement membrane. Methods : Study patients consisted of 19 biopsy-proven MCD children aged 2-15 years old. Both plasma and urinary $TNF-{\alpha}$ were measured. Employing the Millicell system, $TNF-{\alpha}$ were screened for the permeability factors. Results : Urinary $TNF-{\alpha}$ during relapse was significantly increased(P<0.01). No significant change was seen in the plasma $TNF-{\alpha}$ during relapse when compared to those in remission and the healthy controls. Furthermore, in the in vitro Millicell system, $TNF-{\alpha}$ did not produce a significant change in albumin permeability. Conclusion : Therefore, it seems that $TNF-{\alpha}$ may not play a disease-specific role in the pathogenesis of MCD.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2007

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology is an effective tool for evaluating diseases involving the central nervous system, but this technique is usually limited by its low cellularity and poor cellular preservation. Here we compared the manual liquid-base $Liqui-PREP^{TM}$ (LP) to the cytospin (CS) with using a mononuclear cell suspension and we applied both methods to the CSFs of pediatric leukemia patients. The cytopresevability, in terms of cell yield and cell size, and the clinical efficacy were evaluated. When 2000 and 4000 mononuclear cells were applied, LP was superior to CS for the cell yield, 16.8% vs 1.7% (P=0.001) and 26.2% vs 3.5% (P=0.002), respectively. The mean size of the smeared cells was 10.60 ${\mu}m$ in the CS, 5.01 ${\mu}m$ in the LP and 6.50 ${\mu}m$ in the direct smear (DS), and the size ratio was 1.7 (CS to DS), 0.8(LP to DS) and 2.1 (CS to LP), respectively. As compared to the cells in the DS, the cells in the CS were significantly enlarged, but those in the LP were slightly shrunken. Upon application to 109 CSF samples, 4 were diagnosed as positive for leukemia (positive), 4 had atypical cells and 101 were negative by CS; 6 were positive, one had atypical cells and 102 were negative by LP. For six cases, in which 4 were positive for leukemia and 2 of 4 had atypical cells by CS, they were positive by LP and they were also confirmed as positive according to the follow-up study. Three cases diagnosed as atypical cells (two by CS and one by LP), were confirmed as negative. In conclusion, these results suggest that LP is superior to CS for the cytopresevability and for rendering a definite diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.317-322
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• 2008

The moderners of industrial society suffer from various stresses, which bring about increase in prevalence of temporomandibular disorders, oral mucosal disease and chronic neuropathic pain, therefore, the number of patients seeking help of those symptoms tend to increase. The purpose of this study was to discuss the importance of oral medicine related disease by investigating questions that appeared in cyber consultation of Kangnung National University Dental Hospital web site. Among the nearly 2000 questions, the rate of questions related to oral medicine was 20.92%, and the rate of questions related to other departments were oral and maxillofacial surgery 16.87%, conservative dentistry 16.67%, orthodontics 14.02%, prosthodontics 12.25%, periodontics 8.36%, pediatric dentistry 4.93%, preventive dentistry 2.08% and otherwise questions 3.90%. Among the 403 questions related to oral medicine, the frequent questions were oral mucosal diseases 44.17%, temporomandibular disorders 41.19%, halitosis 4.47%, xerostomia 3.23%, other orofacial pain 2.23%, forensic dentistry 1.49% and otherwise questions 2.98%. From the higher rate of questions related to oral medicine compared with other fields of dentistry, we would consider that the people are considerably concerned about the oral medicine related disease, such as oral mucosal diseases and temporomandibular disorders.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.246-257
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• 2016

Objectives The Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) measures the Yin-Yang temperament of Sasang typology with proven structural and clinical validity in adults, however it was not examined with teenagers. The purpose of this study was to validate the biopsychological structure of SPQ in middle school students.Methods 681 Korean high school students (356 boys and 325 girls) completed SPQ, Junior version of Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI), and height and weight measures. The correlation between SPQ and JTCI subscales were examined, and the differences of SPQ and JTCI subscales, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Pondera Index (PI) among high (30%), middle (40%), and low (30%) SPQ total score groups were investigated with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The profile analysis was also performed to compare JTCI subscale profiles of three SPQ total score groups.Results The SPQ score was significantly (p<0.001) correlated positively with JTCI Novelty-Seeking and negatively with JTCI Harm-Avoidance. The JTCI Novelty-Seeking score of high SPQ group was significantly (p<0.001) higher than that of low SPQ group, and the JTCI Harm-Avoidance score of low SPQ group was significantly higher than that of high SPQ group. The JTCI subscale profiles for three SPQ groups were significantly different for boys and girls. Significant correlations or differences for the PI and BMI among SPQ groups were not found.Conclusions This study presented that the biopsychological structure of SPQ is robust as shown in adults. The SPQ would be a useful clinical measures of Sasang typology in pediatric patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.510-516
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• 1996

Cardiopulmonary bypass cannulas are usually characterized by the French number. However this de- scription provides only the external diameter of the cannula, which gives no information about the press- ure-flow characteristics of the cannula itself. A standardized system to describe the pressure-flow characteristics of a given cannula has recently been proposed and has been termed the M-number It is reported that the pressure-flow characteristics of a particular cannula can be determined from a novo- gram or chart, if the experimentally derived M-number of the cannula is known. In this regard, we conducted an investigation to analyze correlation between experimentally and clinical y derived M-numbers using three different sizes of pediatric aortic cannulas in fifty cardiac patients on cardiopulmonary bypass. The clinical and experimental M-numbers showed a strong correlation. The clinical M-numbers were typically 0.)5 to 0.55 greater than the experimental M-numbers. The clinical M-numbers also showed an inverse relationship to the temperature change of the patient, most probably due to an increase in blood viscosity from hypothermia. This inverse clinical M-numbersltemperature re- lationship was more marked in higher M-number cannulas. The clinical data obtained in this study suggest that the experimentally derived M-numbers correlated strongly with the clinical performance of the cannula with the significant influence of the temperature.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.1227-1233
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• 2002

Purpose : Several studies have shown that increases of eosinophil markers are common findings of asthma and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, and eosinophil markers reflect the clinical stage of asthma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change of eosinophil markers according to the clinical stage of Mycoplasma pneumonia. Methods : The patient group consisted of 33 outpatient children with Mycoplasma pneumonia. Peripheral blood total eosinophil count(TEC) and serum eosinophilic cationic protein(ECP) level were measured at both acute and recovery stages and were compared between both stages. The patient group was subdivided into the wheezing(n=16) and the nonwheezing group(n=17), and the TECs and the ECPs of one group were compared with those of the other group. The correlation between Mycoplasma antibody titer and the eosinophil markers of acute stage were analyzed. Results : In the whole patient group, the TECs and the ECPs of the acute stage were significantly higher than those of the recovery stage(P=0.018, P=0.005), but there were no differences in the TEC and the ECP between the wheezing and the nonwheezing group. In the wheezing group, there were no significant differences in the TEC and the ECP between acute and recovery stages. There were no correlations between acute stage Mycoplasma antibody titer and the eosinophil markers. Conclusion : Eosinophil markers reflect the clinical stage of Mycoplasma pneumonia and eosinophilic inflammations may continue even after the acute stage in wheezing patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.193-198
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• 2014

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the autonomic imbalance in syncope by comparing the baseline heart rate variability (HRV) between healthy children and those with vasovagal syncope. Methods: To characterize the autonomic profile in children experiencing vasovagal syncope, we evaluated the HRV of 23 patients aged 7-18 years and 20 healthy children. These children were divided into preadolescent (<12 years) and adolescent groups. The following time-domain indices were calculated: root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD); standard deviation of all average R-R intervals (SDNN); and frequency domain indices including high frequency (HF), low frequency (LF), normalized high frequency, normalized low frequency, and low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF/HF). Results: HRV values were significantly different between healthy children and those with syncope. Student t test indicated significantly higher SNDD values (60.46 ms vs. 37.42 ms, P =0.003) and RMSSD (57.90 ms vs. 26.92 ms, P=0.000) in the patient group than in the control group. In the patient group, RMSSD (80.41 ms vs. 45.89 ms, P =0.015) and normalized HF (61.18 ms vs. 43.19 ms, P =0.022) were significantly higher in adolescents, whereas normalized LF (38.81 ms vs. 56.76 ms, P =0.022) and LF/HF ratio (0.76 vs. 1.89, P =0.041) were significantly lower in adolescents. In contrast, the control group did not have significant differences in HRV values between adolescents and preadolescents. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that children with syncope had a decreased sympathetic tone and increased vagal tone compared to healthy children. Additionally, more severe autonomic imbalances possibly occur in adolescents than in preadolescents.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2010

This study examined the effect of adhesive tape supplemented with sodium fluoride on the prevention of dental erosion in vitro. Sound bovine tooth samples were selected and divided randomly into the following 4 groups according to the material treatments: group 1, APF gel; group 2, fluoride varnish; and groups 3 and 4, fluoride tape supplemented with 5% NaF in either a methyl cellulose or poly vinyl acetate carrier, respectively. All specimens were submitted to alternate cycles of acid exposure in a cola beverage (pH 4.3) and artificial saliva for $6\;{\times}\;5\;min/day$ over a 5 day period. The micro-hardness was recorded each day and the lesion depth was measured after 5 days. The micro-hardness of the experimental sides of groups 2, 3 and 4 were significantly higher than that of their control sides and the experimental side of group 1 during the experimental period (p<0.05) except on the 5th day. The enamel surfaces of treatment groups 2, 3 and 4 showed significantly higher resistance to mineral loss in terms of the erosion depth (p<0.05) than group 1 and their control sides. There was no statistically significant difference among group 2, 3 and 4, indicating that the fluoride varnish and tapes produce similar results. Fluoride adhesive tapes are effective in reducing the progression of erosion and can be recommended for young patients who are more susceptible to dental erosion.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 1998

We can and must improve the diagnostic images using available knowledge and technology. At the same time we must strive to reduce the patient's integral and entrance radiation dose. Reducing the integral dose to the patient during the radiologic procedure is a primary concern of the patient, especially the pediatric patient, the radiologist and the technologist. A 100cm focal film distance generally is used for most over-table radiography. The early x-ray tubes and screen film combinations required long exposures, which often resulted in motion artifacts. But nowaday, we have the generators and x-ray tubes that can deliver the energy necessary in a very short time and the receptors that can record the information just as rapidly. And, we performed this studies to evaluate the patient exposure dose and the image quality by increasing focal film distance in diagnostic radiography. There are many factors which affected to exposure factor, but we studied to verify of FFD increase, only. Effect of increasing the focal film distance to a 140 cm distance was tested as follows; 1. The focal film distances were set at 100, 120, and 140cm. 2. A 18cm acryl(tissue equivalent) phantom was placed on the table top. 3. An Capintec 192 electrometer with PM 05 ion chamber was placed at the entrance surface of the phantom, and exposure were made at each focal film distances. 4. The procedure was repeated in the same manner as above except the ion chamber was placed beneath the phantom at the film plane. 5. Exit exposure were normalize to 8mR for each portions of the experiment. Based on the success of the empirical measurements, a detailed mathematical analysis of the dose reduction was performed using the percent depth dose data. The results of this study can be summerized as followings ; 1) Increasing FFD from 100 cm to 140 cm, we would create a situation that would have a significant effect on the overall quality of radiograph and achive the 17.42% reduction of entrance dose and the 18.95% reduction of integral dose that the patient receives. 2) Thickness of Al step wedge for equal film density increased with the long distance. 3) Increasing FFD, Magnification of image was lowered. 4) Resolution of image also increased with the FFD. As the results described above, we strongly recommend using the long FFD to provide better information for our patients and profession in abdomen radiographic studies.