• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2005

Purpose : We recently perform the latest radiotheraphy (3D conformal, IMRT,etc.) with the development of 3D CT planning technology. However, in case patients with breast cancer, it is difficult to acquire the CT image with the limitation of CT hole size and tilting of breast immobilization device. The Ewha Breast Device(EBD) was constructed to improve the problem in the treatment of patients with breast cancer and we are intend to introduce the procedure of the EBD construction in this study and compare the EBD with conventional breast device in the view point of usefulness. Materials and Methods : We have constructed the EBD with acryl, analyze the skull size with CT data, consider the skin folder in SCL field and evaluated the EBD usefulness from the view point of set-up reproducibility, dose distribution, skin reaction in comparison with conventional breast device. Results : In the case of patients set-up error analysis, the EBD is superior to conventional device in portal film repetition($\%$) check (80pt.), equal to that in simulation & CT image coincidence check(5pt.). There is no difference between the two systems in dose distribution and skin reaction in SCL field is better the EBD than conventional device. Conclusions : The construction of the EBD enable us to perform the latest radiotheraphy in breast treatments, relieve the pains in simulation, and reduce, the skin reaction. In the future, we expect that modification of the EBD is useful in treating for patients with breast cancer.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2007

Purpose: The role of plain, abdominal radiography in childhood constipation has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of scoring systems assessing a fecal load on plain, abdominal radiographs in children with functional constipation. Methods: Plain, abdominal radiographs from 38 constipated children and 39 control children were examined by four independent inspectors, pediatric residents. Four inspectors independently scored the radiographs according to three different scoring systems Barr, Blethyn, and Leech. No clinical information about the patients was available to the inspectors. Each abdominal radiograph was evaluated on two separate occasions, one week apart. Kappa coefficients were calculated as indicators of inter-and intra-inspector variability, coefficients <0.20, 0.21~0.40, 0.40~0.60, 0.61~0.80 and 0.81~1.00 were considered to indicate poor, fair, moderate, good, and very good agreement, respectively. Results: The Leech score showed the highest reproducibility: the inter-inspector agreement was uniformly very good on two separate occasions (${\kappa}$ values of 0.88, 0.91, 0.92, 0.86 in the first time and 0.81, 0.88, 0.89, 0.84 in the second time). Agreement using the Barr score was good (${\kappa}$ values of 0.66, 0.67, 0.69, 0.66 in the first time and 0.68, 0.65, 0.71, 0.68 in the second time). However, agreement for the Blethyn score was the lowest of the three scoring systems. The Leech scoring system had the highest sensitivity and specificity compared to the Barr scoring system for the diagnosis of functional constipation by plain, abdominal radiographs. Conclusion: The Leech score appeared to be a more accurate and reliable method because of its high sensitivity and specificity for evaluating the fecal load on plain, abdominal radiographs in children with functional constipation. Therefore, the Leech scoring system was found to be the most useful for assessment for the degree of constipation on plain, abdominal radiographs in children.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.2
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• pp.441-453
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• 2023

Purpose To evaluate the development, location, and volume of a VX2 carcinoma using four inoculation methods in a rabbit brain. Materials and Methods Inoculation of a VX2 cell suspension was performed 1) on the appointed day, 2) seven days after storing a VX2 carcinoma in a freezer or 3) seven days after storing a VX2 carcinoma in a deep freezer after sacrificing the donor rabbits. 4) Without sacrificing the rabbits, the VX2 cell suspension was obtained using a gun biopsy, inoculation was performed on the appointed day. MR imaging was performed 10 days after inoculation. Brain tissues were obtained the day after. The development, location, and volume of the tumor were evaluated. Results Seventeen of the 18 rabbits inoculated on the appointed day developed tumors (average tumor volume, 106.32 mm³). One of five inoculated seven days after storing the VX2 tumor in the freezer, and three of five inoculated seven days after storing the VX2 tumor in the deep freezer developed tumors. Inoculation with a VX2 cell suspension obtained with a gun biopsy from five rabbits revealed development of tumors in only two rabbits. The tumors mostly developed in the superficial cortex. Conclusion TVX2 rabbit brain tumor model is easy to develop and revealed variable reproducibility. This model can be applicable in radiologic imaging, treatment planning, interventional treatment and drug delivery research. VX2 cell can be successfully innoculated into the brain using variable methods under researcher's variable conditions.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.525-531
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• 2011

This study was conducted to examine the contents of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) in meat and meat products in Korea. The contents of Pb, Cd, As, and Hg in 466 samples of beef, pork, chicken, duck, ham, and sausage were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or a mercury analyzer. Wet ashing and microwave method were compared, and the recovery and reproducibility of the microwave method were better than those of wet ashing for meat and meat products. The recovery of the microwave method was 98.1% for Pb, 104.6% for Cd, and 103.4% for As, respectively. The best result was obtained through digestion using an acid mixture ($HNO_3$/$H_2O_2$, 6:2). Hg content was measured using a mercury analyzer. As a result, the contents of Hg and Cd in samples were lower than those of Pb and As. The average contents of Pb were 0.009 mg/kg in beef, 0.010 mg/kg in pork, 0.006 mg/kg in chicken, 0.007 mg/kg in duck, 0.005 mg/kg in ham, and 0.009 mg/kg in sausage. The average Cd contents were 0.0004 mg/kg in beef, 0.0004 mg/kg in pork, 0.0005 mg/kg in chicken, 0.0012 mg/kg in duck, 0.0015 mg/kg in ham, and 0.0019 mg/kg in sausage. The average As contents were 0.016 mg/kg in beef, 0.004 mg/kg in pork, 0.021 mg/kg in chicken, 0.010 mg/kg in duck, 0.014 mg/kg in ham, and 0.018 mg/kg in sausage. The average Hg contents were 0.713 ${\mu}g/kg$ in beef, 0.902 ${\mu}g/kg$ in pork, 0.710 ${\mu}g/kg$ in chicken, 0.796 ${\mu}g/kg$ in duck, 1.141 ${\mu}g/kg$ in ham, and 1.052 ${\mu}g/kg$ in sausage. Based on the results of the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2005, the levels of dietary exposure to heavy metal contaminants in meat and meat products were compared with the provisional tolerable weekly intake(PTWI) established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The average dietary exposure of the general population from meat and meat products was 0.03-0.2% of PTWI for Pb, Cd, As, and Hg, which indicates a safe level for public health at present.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2002

Purpose : In order to perform craniospinal irradiation (CSI) in the supine position on patients who are unable to lie in the prone position, a new simulation technique using a CT simulator was developed and its availability was evaluated. Materials and Method : A CT simulator and a 3-D conformal treatment planning system were used to develop CSI in the supine position. The head and neck were immobilized with a thermoplastic mask in the supine position and the entire body was immobilized with a Vac-Loc. A volumetrie image was then obtained using the CT simulator. In order to improve the reproducibility of the patients' setup, datum lines and points were marked on the head and the body. Virtual fluoroscopy was peformed with the removal of visual obstacles such as the treatment table or the immobilization devices. After the virtual simulation, the treatment isocenters of each field were marked on the body and the immobilization devices at the conventional simulation room. Each treatment field was confirmed by comparing the fluoroscopy images with the digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR)/digitally composite radiography (DCR) images from the virtual simulation. The port verification films from the first treatment were also compared with the DRR/DCR images for a geometrical verification. Results : CSI in the supine position was successfully peformed in 9 patients. It required less than 20 minutes to construct the immobilization device and to obtain the whole body volumetric images. This made it possible to not only reduce the patients' inconvenience, but also to eliminate the position change variables during the long conventional simulation process. In addition, by obtaining the CT volumetric image, critical organs, such as the eyeballs and spinal cord, were better defined, and the accuracy of the port designs and shielding was improved. The differences between the DRRs and the portal films were less than 3 mm in the vertebral contour. Conclusion : CSI in the supine position is feasible in patients who cannot lie on prone position, such as pediatric patienta under the age of 4 years, patients with a poor general condition, or patients with a tracheostomy.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.99-105
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• 2014

Purpose : We compared the set-up accuracy and right-left Shoulder position variation of the manufactured device and other commercial shoulder-retractors in the head and neck radiation treatment. Materials and Methods : Six patients consist of three groups which were used three different Shoulder retractors. We measured position corrections of left and right Shoulder and the couch after the image guidance by using on board imager (OBI) for six head and neck patients who has the extended target to the neck node lower region. Results : The position variation correction of left (right) Shoulder after image guidance were $1.07{\pm}3.99mm$ ($-4.35{\pm}2.09mm$), $-0.37{\pm}5.91mm$ ($1.26{\pm}5.28mm$), $-0.63{\pm}2.44mm$ ($0.25{\pm}1.61mm$) for group A, B and C. The vertical, lateral, longitudinal position and angular corrections of the couch after image guidance were $-2.06{\pm}2.68$, $-1.11{\pm}8.15$, $0.34{\pm}3.78mm$, and $0.51{\pm}0.77$ degree for group A, $-1.18{\pm}1.82$, $-0.94{\pm}2.13$, $-0.67{\pm}1.98mm$, and $0.91{\pm}1.04$ degree for group B and $0.12{\pm}2.18$, $-0.79{\pm}2.64$, $0.79{\pm}2.64$, and $0.00{\pm}0.49$ degree for group C. Conclusion : In this preliminary study, we found the positioning accuracy of the manufactured Shoulder retractor is comparable to other commercial Shoulder retractors. We expect that the reproducibility and accuracy of the patient set-up could be improved by using the home made Shoulder retractor in the head and neck radiation treatment.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.76-94
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was implemented to develop and validate a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) to assess the dietary intake of married migrant women in multicultural families. Methods: The SQ-FFQ consisting of 41 food items was selected based on the information of frequently consumed foods from the preliminary studies on dietary intake survey for married migrant women or a Korean Health and Nutrition Examination survey. Thirty-five subjects who visited the Multicultural Family Support Center in Seoul and Daejeon area completed their three-day diet records and SQ-FFQ 2 times. The reproducibility and relative validity of SQ-FFQ were assessed by comparing the 1st and 2nd SQ-FFQ and by comparison with the three-day diet records, respectively. Results: The reliability of SQ-FFQ, which was examined 1-2 weeks apart, showed no significant difference in the energy and macronutrient intake (carbohydrate, fat, protein), while the average intakes of vitamin A, riboflavin, calcium, and potassium were slightly higher in the 2nd than 1st SQ-FFQ. All correlation coefficients for the reliability for nutrients were statistically significant, ranging from 0.453 to 0.885. The mean intakes of energy, carbohydrate, vitamin C, thiamin, folate, vitamin B12, calcium, and sodium obtained from the SQ-FFQ were greater than those of the 3-day dietary records. The Spearman's correlation coefficient between the 2 methods was the highest for plant fat (r = 0.602; p < 0.001) and relatively higher for energy, carbohydrate, fat, and thiamin ranging from 0.512 to 0.599; and protein, riboflavin, niacin, folate ranging from 0.335 to 0.499, while no significant correlation was observed for vitamin A, C, calcium, iron, and sodium. Conclusion: The developed SQ-FFQ for married migrant women in multicultural families in this study appears to be useful for estimating the nutritional status, particularly energy, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamin B group.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.211-223
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• 2021

Purpose: A total of 39 seafood menus were prepared according to the Korean standard recipe, and analyzed for vitamin B₉ (folate) and B₁₂ (cobalamins) contents, using validated applied analytical methods. The menus included Guk/Tang/Jjigae (boiled or stewed dishes, n = 10), Bokkeum (stir-fried dishes, n = 10), Jjim/Jorim (braised or steamed dishes, n = 7), Gui (baked or grilled dishes, n = 7), Twigim (deep-fried dishes, n = 2) and Muchim (dried or blanched-seasoned dishes, n = 3). Methods: The contents of vitamin B₉ and B₁₂ in all food samples were determined by the trienzyme extraction-Lactobacillus casei and immunoaffinity-high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array detection methods. Analytical quality control was performed in order to assure reliability of the analysis. Results: Accuracy (97.4-100.6% recoveries) and precision (< 6% relative standard deviations for repeatability and reproducibility) of vitamin B₉ and B₁₂ analyses were determined to be excellent. The vitamin B₉ and B₁₂ contents of the 39 seafood menus evaluated, varied in the range of 1.83-523.08 ㎍/100 g and 0.11-38.30 ㎍/100 g, respectively, depending on the ingredients and cooking methods. The vitamin B₉ content was highest in Jomi-gim (523.08 ㎍/100 g), followed by Geonsaeu-bokkeum (128.34 ㎍/100 g) and Janmyeolchi-bokkeum (121.53 ㎍/100 g). Vitamin B₁₂ was detected in all seafood menus, with highest level obtained in Kkomack-jjim (41.58 ㎍/100 g). The seaweed dish was found to have high levels of both vitamin B₉ and B₁₂. All assays were performed under strict quality control. Conclusion: Guk and Tang menus, which contain a large amount of water, were relatively lower in the vitamin B₉ and B₁₂ contents than the other menus. Bokkeum menus containing various vegetables were high in the vitamin B₉ content, but the vitamin B₁₂ content was dependent on the type of seafood used in the menu.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.590-598
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• 2005

An adequate method to identify chromium separation, Cr(III) and Cr(VI), in water samples were studied by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectometer(ICP-MS) equipped with Dynamic Reaction Cell(DRC). The characteristic distribution of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in the raw water taken at the six water intake stations in Seoul, was analyzed by the method developed by the authors. The chromium species separated by HPLC was isocratically conducted by using tetrabutylammonium phosphate monobasic(1.0 mM TBAP), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(0.6 mM EDTA) and 2% v/v methanol as the mobile phase. 5% v/v methanol was used as flushing solvent. A reactive ammonia($NH_3$) gas was used to eliminate the potential interference of $ArC^+$. Several Parameters such as solvent ratio, pH, flow rate and sample injection volume were optimized for the successful separation and reproducibility. Although it has been reported thai the separation sensitivity of Cr(III) is superior to that of Cr(VI), the authors observed Cr(VI) was more sensitive than Cr(III) when ammonia($NH_3$) gas was used as the reaction gas. It took less than 3 minutes to analyze chromium species with this method and the estimated detection limits were $0.061\;{\mu}g/L$ for Cr(III) and $0.052\;{\mu}g/L$, for Cr(VI). According to the results from the analysis on chromium species in the raw water of the six intake stations, the concentrations of Cr(III) ranged from 0.048 to $0.064\;{\mu}g/L$(ave. $0.054\;{\mu}g/L$) while that of Cr(VI) ranged from 0.014 to $0.023\;{\mu}g/L$(ave. $0.019\;{\mu}g/L$). Recovery ratio was very high($90.1{\sim}94.1%$). There were two or three times more Cr(III) than Cr(VI) in the raw water.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2005

Purpose : For stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of a tumor in the region whose movement due to respiration is significant, like Lung lower lobe, the gated therapy, which delivers radiation dose to the selected respiratory phases when tumor motion is small, was performed using the Respiratory gating system and its clinical effectiveness was evaluated. Materials and Methods : For two SRS patients with a tumor in Lung lower lobe, a marker block (infrared reflector) was attached on the abdomen. While patient' respiratory cycle was monitored with Real-time Position Management (RPM, Varian, USA), 4D CT was performed (10 phases per a cycle). Phases in which tumor motion did not change rapidly were decided as treatment phases. The treatment volume was contoured on the CT images for selected treatment phases using maximum intensity projection (MIP) method. In order to verify setup reproducibility and positional variation, 4D CT was repeated. Results : Gross tumor volume (GTV) showed maximum movement in superior-inferior direction. For patient #1, motion of GTV was reduced to 2.6 mm in treatment phases ($30{\sim}60%$), while that was 9.4 mm in full phases ($0{\sim}90%$) and for patient #2, it was reduced to 2.3 mm in treatment phases ($30{\sim}70%$), while it was 11.7 mm in full phases ($0{\sim}90%$). When comparing two sets of CT images, setup errors in all the directions were within 3 mm. Conclusion : Since tumor motion was reduced less than 5 mm, the Respiratory gating system for SRS of Lung lower lobe is useful.