• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2012

General treatment for cholangiocarcinoma is complete surgical resection. However recurrence is common in those patients. In most of cases the purpose of the treatment for patients with recurrent is palliative. Therefore we adopt intraluminal catheter to treat a recurrent patient with high-dose-rate intraluminal brachytherapy. This study aims to evaluate the treatment procedure and set-up reproducibility of intraluminal brachytherapy in the recurrent patient. Study patient was diagnosed at rcT1N0M0 and undergone intraluminal brachytherapy after Arrow Sheath insertion. 3 Gy was delivered in every fraction with a total dose of 30 Gy. We planned dose normalization at distal, proximal and central axis point of narrowed bile duct far from 1 cm. To evaluate set-up reproducibility, we measured distance between distal, proximal treatment target volume point and anterior surface of the thoracic vertebral body respectively for five times before every treatment with dummy seed insertion. Mean distance between distal, proximal treatment target volume point and anterior surface of 10th and 11th thoracic vertebral bodies is 0.5 cm, 6.1 cm and standard deviation is 0.06, 0.08 respectively. In addition, set-up reproducibility was maintained significantly. The patient has been alive with no evidence of disease recurrence for more than a year and has not yet reported severe complications. In conclusion, high-dose-rate intraluminal brachytherapy for unresectable recurrence of cholangiocarcinoma maintains high set-up reproducibility without severe side effects.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2004

Purpose : To evaluate changes in total cerebral blood flow (tCBF) with aging, parenchymal volume changes and vascular abnormalities, using 2 dimensional (D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC MRI). Materials and Methods : Routine brain MRI including T2 weighted image, time-of-flight (TOF) MR Angiography (MRA) and 2D PC MRI were performed in 73 individuals, including 12 volunteers. Normal subjects (12 volunteers, and 21 individuals with normal MRI and normal MRA) were classified into groups according to age (18-29, 30-49 and 50-66 years). For the group with abnormalities in brain MRIs, cerebral parenchymal volume changes were scored according to the T2 weighted images, and atherosclerotic changes were scored according to the MRA findings. Abnormal groups were classified into 4 groups: (i) mild reduction in volume, (ii) marked reduction in volume by parenchymal volume and atherosclerotic changes, and (iii) increased volume and (iv) Moya-moya disease. Volumetric flow was measured at the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery bilaterally using the velocity-flow diagrams from PC MRI, and combined 4 vessel flows and tCBF were compared among all the groups. Results : The age-specific distribution of tCBFs in normal subjects were as follows: $12.0{\pm}2.1ml/sec$ in 18-29 years group, $11.8{\pm}1.9ml/sec$ in 30-49 years group, $10.9{\pm}2.2ml/sec$ in 50-66 years group. The distribution of tCBFs in the different subsets of the abnormal population were as follows: $9.5{\pm}2.5ml/sec$ in the group with mild reduction in volume, $7.6{\pm}2.0ml/sec$ in the group with marked reduction in volume, and $7.3{\pm}1.2ml/sec$ and $7.0{\pm}1.1ml/sec$ in the increased parenchymal volume and Moya-moya disease groups respectively. Conclusion : Total cerebral blood flow decreases with increasing age with a concomitant reduction in parenchymal volumes and increasing atherosclerotic changes. It is also reduced in the presence of increased parenchymal volume and Moya-moya disease.2D PC MRI can be used as a tool to evaluate tCBF with aging and in the presence of various conditions that can affect parenchymal volume and cerebral vasculature.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1918-1926
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• 2004

Osteoporosis is defined as a progressive systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mineral density, microarchitectual deteriorations of bone and susceptibility to fracture. numerous methods have been used for quantitative assessment of the skeleton in osteoporosis. QCT has been shown to measure changes in trabecular mineral content in the spine with great sensitivity and precision. To provide the normal reference values and changes of lumbar spinal bone mineral density in korean adult spinal bone mineral density was evaluated in 451 women (229 premenopausal and 222 postmenopausal women) and 206 men, aged 20 to 74 years old in Wonkwang hospital from 2000 to 2004, which was carried out by using QCT. women with oophorectomy, vertebral compression fracture, any history of endocrine disease and use of drugs that alter bone metabolism were excluded. According to the WHO definition, a patient is osteoporotic based on a bone mineral density(BMD) measurement that is 2.5 standard deviations (SDs) below typical peak bone mass of young healthy white women. This measurement of standard deviation from peak mass is called the T score. BMD values of normal women in their 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 35-39 years, 40-44 years, 45-49 years, 50-54 years, 55-59 years, 60-64 years, 65-69 years, over 70 years were 168.95㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 155.41㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 166.87㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 160.67㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 154.06㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 132.04㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 114.05㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 91.78㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 78.61 ㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 61.35㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 50.53㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄ Mean bone density of normal women was 115.77K₂PHO₄ K₂PHO₄. BMD values of normal men in their 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 35-39 years, 40-44 years, 45-49 years, 50-54 years, 55-59 years, 60-64 years, 65-69 years, over 70 years were 171.46㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 162.19㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 155.62㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 147.28㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 137.56㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 137.56㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 101.25㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 109.00㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 103.32㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 91.53㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 88.35㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄ Mean density of normal men was 115.77㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄. Peak bone density of women and men was in the age group of 20-24 years and 168.95㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, 171.46㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, respectively. Bone loss was increased with aging and was accelerated in postmenopausal women than that of premenopausal women. The total loss of BMD for women and men was 70.09% and 48.47%, respectively. Postmenopausal women(mean BMD : 85.83㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄) had significantly lower BMD than premenopausal women(meand BMD : 144.80㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄)(p<0.001). The annual loss of BMD of women and men was 2.702㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄ and 1.795㎎/㏄ K₂PHO₄, respectively. This study provided the BMD reference data for normal korean adult. further studies on BMD in healthy adult and comparison with published data are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.418-426
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• 2004

Objectives : This study was designed to research whether transcranial doppler ultrasound(TCD) can yield a suitable diagnosis or prognosis for dizziness. Methods : To evaluate the blood flow, we measured the mean velocity(Vm), peak systolic velocity(Vs) and pulsatility index(PI) of the middle cerebral artery(MCA), vertebral artery(VA) and basilar artery(BA) in 54 dizziness patients and 44 normal subjects. To investigate the difference between dizziness patients and normal subjects, we selected 54 dizziness patients diagnosed normal by Brain MRI, and 44 normal subjects who did not have any symptoms of hyperlipemia, hypertension, diabetes melitus, heart disease, or smoking, diagnosed normal by Brain MRI. 30-69 year olds were divided into 30-49 year olds, 50-59 year olds and 60-69 year olds. Results : In normal subjects, there was a significantly higher Vm, Vs in the MCA and BA, and Vs in the VA of female subjects, and there was a significant difference in PI in the MCA and BA increasing with age. In comparison with normal subjects, dizziness patients had a significantly lower Vm in the BA. Male dizziness patients had significantly lower PI in the MCA. 30-49 year olds had significantly lower Vm in the BA. Conclusions : The significant difference in blood flow velocities in the BA between dizziness patients and normal subjects suggests that dizziness is related to blocking of blood flow in the BA and that diagnosis and prognosis can be made through TCD. More detailed study of dizziness patients will be needed.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 1998

Since 1989, mass mortality has repeatly occurred in cage-cultured sevenband grouper, Epinephelus septemfasciatus along the southern coast of Korea in the summer season and usually reached over 80% within a few months. Diseased fish showed the clinical signs of anorexia, dark coloration, loss of eqilibrium, spinal swimming behaviour, vertebral deformity and inflation of swim bladder. Histopathologically, necrosis and/or vacuolation of the nerve cells in the brain and retina were observed. We previously reported that the causative agent was filtrable. The causative agent was not culturable in various fish cells; RTG-2, CHSE-214, BF-2, EPC and FHM. However, electron microscopic observation revealed unenveloped icosahedral viral particles with about 30 nm in diameter in the cytoplasm of nerve cells of the brain. The characteristics of the virus was tested by an artificial infection with the filtrate of the homogenate of diseased fish. The pathogenicity of the virus was retained after treatment with ether or heat ($50^{\circ}C$, 30 min) but partly lost by pH 3 or 11 treatment. These results suggest that the causative agent are similar to the fish nodavirus. In order to compare the causative agent with a fish nodavirus, Striped Jack Nervous Necrosis Virus (SJNNV), a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with primers specific to SJNNV. As a result, about 430 by PCR products were detected from the brain and the eye of both naturally and artificially infected sevenband grouper. All these results represent that the mass mortality in the cultured sevenband grouper is caused by the infection of a nodavirus similar to SJNNV and this is the first report of a fish nodavirus from the cultured sevenband grouper in Korea.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.319-334
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• 1995

To investigate the risk factors of low back pain, an epidemiological study was carried out among male workers aged 20-55 employed in an automobile industry in Korea during the time period from February 1993 to October 1995. Workers participated to this study were divided into low back pain group(LBP) and control group, according to the self-reports by written questionnaires. General characteristics, medical history, work related factors, fatigue, and MMPI were compared between two groups. To clarify the relationship between job related low back pain and radiologic features of lumbar spine, radiographic study was carried out. The resultant data were processed for $x^2-test$, t-test, and stepwise logistic regression to confirm the adjusted odds ratios. The results were as follows: 1. History of back disease, lifting and carrying work, excessive physical fatigue, and weakend back strength of individual workers were directly associated with low back pain. Odd ratios of these 4 risk factors of low back pain were 5.07, 3.34, 1.49, and 1.22 respectively. 2. The frequency of low back pain history was significantly higher in LBP group. 3. Back muscle strength of lumbar spine of LBP group were significantly lower than control group. 4. The workers in LBP group revealed high fatigue symptoms. 5. In MMPI test LBP group showed higher scales in hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, paranoia, psychasthenia, schizophrenia, and hypomania. 6. LBP group were more frequently involved in lifting and carrying, working in awkward position, bending, twisting and using lower extremities. 7. LBP group were exposed more to vibration during working. 8. In the Analysis of radiographs of lumbar spine, Jacob's line not crossing fourth lumhar disc space, transitional vertebrae and lumbar displacement more than 4.4mm in standing lateral view were more frequently observed in LBP group than control group. Through these results, it is concluded that identification of previous history of back problem, change of work or working environment for workers with previous back problem and measures to relieve both physical and psychological fatigue of the workers are required for optimal management of work-related back problems among workers. In the present study, several results were different from the previous reports: Jacob's line not corssing fourth lumbar disc space, lumbarization, and vertebral slipping (spondylolisthesis) more than 4.4mm are related to backache. Meticulous studies are required to elucidate the difference.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2010

Objective : Samulatang (herbal description) is much used for women's disease in Korean Traditional Medicine. The aim of this study is to evaluate reproductive toxic effect by Samultang in pregnant rats and fetuses, and ascertain a dose-response relationship Method : Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered with the Samultang at single, double and quadruple dose for 20 days, orally. Pregnant rats were sacrificed at 20th day of gestation, and observed internal and reproductive organs. Live fetuses of gestation were randomly selected and fixed in 95% ethanol. Fetuses were stained with alcian blue and alizarin red S. We observe maternal body weight,, index associated pregnancy, and skeletal malformations in fetus Result : Maternal body weight of Samultang treated group has increased, side effect was not found in maternal body compared to that of control group. There were no significant difference in internal and reproductive organs. Double concentration administered group had lowest value in number of implantation, live fetuses, implantation rate and delivery rate, Also double concentration administered group showed higher early and late resorption rate than the other group. But, these are not significant. In the sex ratio, number of females, bigger than number of males in all Samultang administered groups. The fetuses of dams treated with Samultang didn't showed external and skeletal malformation. Vertebral and sternal variations were observed in single, double and quadruple concentration administered group but, compared to the control, those variations were insignificant. There were no significant changes in number of ribs, cervical, thoracic, lumber, sacral and caudal vertebrae Conclusion : Samultang is not expected to affect on pregnant rats and fetus about maternal body weight and number of live fetuses. There were no significant changes in organ weight, reproductive organs. Although skeletal variations were showed in vertebrae and sternum, treated groups were shown insignificant changes in skeletal variation

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 1999

Purpose: The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical manifestations and prognosis of the syndromic and nonsyndromic intrahepatic bile duct paucity (IHBDP). Methods: We studied histology of 42 infants with neonatal cholestasis. Fourteen patients were diagnosed as IHBDP. We evaluated the clinical manifestations, courses and prognosis retrospectively. Results: Underlying disease of the 42 infants with neonatal cholestasis were biliary atresia in 23, intrahepatic bile duct paucity in 14 (Alagille syndrome in 4 and nonsyndromic IHBDP in 10), neonatal hepatitis in 5 infants. The mean ratio of the bile ducts per portal tract was 0.087 (range: 0~0.5). The manifestations in 4 patients with Alagille syndrome demonstrated as follows: characteristic face in 3, chronic cholestasis in 4, posterior embryotoxon in 2, vertebral anomalies in 2, peripheral pulmonary stenosis in 2. One of 4 patients of Alagille syndrome improved cholestasis and the other 3 patients were remained their cholestasis and growth retardation. All patients of the nonsyndromic IHBDP were idiopathic. Seven out of 8 patients of nonsyndromic IHBDP showed improvement of cholestasis, and one patient received liver transplantation due to cirrhosis. Conclusion: This study suggested that IHBDP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis. The outcome of idiopathic IHBDP was better than predicted.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.6
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• pp.995-1003
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• 2021

Objective : People are living longer and the elderly population continues to increase. The incidence of degenerative spinal diseases (DSDs) in the elderly population is quite high. Therefore, we are facing more cases of DSD and offering more surgical solutions in geriatric patients. Understanding the significance and association of frailty and central sarcopenia as risk factors for spinal surgery in elderly patients will be helpful in improving surgical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of prospectively collected data to assess the impact of preoperative central sarcopenia, frailty, and comorbidity on surgical outcome in elderly patients with DSD. Methods : We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent elective spinal surgery performed from January 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 at our hospital. We included patients aged 65 and over who underwent surgery on the thoracic or lumbar spine and were diagnosed as DSD. Central sarcopenia was measured by the 50th percentile of psoas : L4 vertebral index (PLVI) using the cross-sectional area of the psoas muscle. We used the Korean version of the fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight (K-FRAIL) scale to measure frailty. Comorbidity was confirmed and scored using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). As a tool for measuring surgical outcome, we used the Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification for postoperative complications and the length of stay (LOS). Results : This study included 85 patients (35 males and 50 females). The mean age was 74.05±6.47 years. Using the K-FRAIL scale, four patients were scored as robust, 44 patients were pre-frail and 37 patients were frail. The mean PLVI was 0.61±0.19. According to the CD classification, 50 patients were classified as grade 1, 19 as grade 2, and four as grade 4. The mean LOS was 12.35±8.17 days. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that postoperative complication was significantly associated with surgical invasiveness and K-FRAIL scale. LOS was significantly associated with surgical invasiveness and CCI. K-FRAIL scale showed a significant correlation with CCI and PLVI. Conclusion : The present study demonstrates that frailty, comorbidity, and surgical invasiveness are important risk factors for postoperative complications and LOS in elderly patients with DSD. Preoperative recognition of these factors may be useful for perioperative optimization, risk stratification, and patient counseling.

• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1060-1068
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• 2018

Study Design: Retrospective study. Purpose: Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is an important cause of low back pain. Overview of Literature: Spinal fusion is often reported to have a good course for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, many studies have reported that adjacent segment degeneration is accelerated after lumbar spinal fusion. Radiography is a simple method used to evaluate the orientation of the vertebral column. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the method most often used to specifically evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. The Pfirrmann classification is a well-known method used to evaluate degenerative lumbar disease. After spinal fusion, an increase in stress, excess mobility, increased intra-disc pressure, and posterior displacement of the axis of motion have been observed in the adjacent segments. Methods: we retrospectively secured and analyzed the data of 15 patients (four boys and 11 girls) with AIS who underwent a spinal fusion surgery. We studied the full-length view of the spine (anterior-posterior and lateral) from the X-ray and MRI obtained from all patients before surgery. Postoperatively, another full-length spine X-ray and lumbosacral MRI were obtained from all participants. Then, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, curve correction, and fused and free segments before and after surgery were calculated based on X-ray studies. MRI images were used to estimate the degree to which intervertebral discs were degenerated using Pfirrmann grading system. Pfirrmann grade before and after surgery were compared with Wilcoxon signed rank test. While analyzing the contribution of potential risk factors for the post-spinal fusion Pfirrmann grade of disc degeneration, we used generalized linear models with robust standard error estimates to account for intraclass correlation that may have been present between discs of the same patient. Results: The mean age of the participant was 14 years, and the mean curvature before and after surgery were 67.8 and 23.8, respectively (p<0.05). During the median follow-up of 5 years, the mean degree of the disc degeneration significantly increased in all patients after surgery (p<0.05) with a Pfirrmann grade of 1 and 2.8 in the L2-L3 before and after surgery, respectively. The corresponding figures at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 levels were 1.28 and 2.43, 1.07 and 2.35, and 1 and 2.33, respectively. The lower was the number of free discs below the fusion level, the higher was the Pfirrmann grade of degeneration (p<0.001). Conversely, the higher was the number of the discs fused together, the higher was the Pfirrmann grade. Conclusions: we observed that the disc degeneration aggravated after spinal fusion for scoliosis. While the degree of degeneration as measured by Pfirrmann grade was directly correlated by the number of fused segments, it was negatively correlated with the number of discs that remained free below the lowermost level of the fusion.