The influence of hand grip strength on surgical outcomes after surgery for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: a preliminary result

Shen, Feng,Kim, Ho-Joong,Lee, Na-Kyoung,Chun, Heoung-Jae,Chang, Bong-Soon,Lee, Choon-Ki,Yeom, Jin S. Elsevier 2018 SPINE JOURNAL Vol.18 No.11

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P><B>Background Context</B></P> <P>Although a number of prognostic factors have been demonstrated to be associated with surgical outcome of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS), no study has investigated the relation between hand grip strength (HGS) and treatment outcome of DLSS.</P> <P><B>Purpose</B></P> <P>The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of HGS on surgical outcomes after surgery for patients with DLSS.</P> <P><B>Study Design</B></P> <P>This is an observational study.</P> <P><B>Patient Sample</B></P> <P>Patients who underwent spine surgery for DLSS were included in the study.</P> <P><B>Outcome Measures</B></P> <P>Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EuroQOL (EQ-5D), and visual analog scale (VAS) scores for back or leg pain were assessed.</P> <P><B>Materials and Methods</B></P> <P>A total of 172 consecutive patients who underwent spine surgery for DLSS were included in the present study. Patients were assigned to either high HGS group (≥26 kg for men and ≥18 kg for women, n=124) or low HGS group (<26 kg for men and <18 kg for women, n=48) based on their preoperative HGS performance. Oswestry Disability Index, EQ-5D, and VAS scores for back and leg pain were assessed and compared between two groups preoperatively, 3 and 6 months after surgery. The primary outcome measure was baseline-adjusted ODI scores 6 months after surgery. The secondary outcome measures, including the overall ODI score, EQ-5D score, VAS score for back and leg pain, were assessed at each time point during the 6-month follow-up period.</P> <P><B>Results</B></P> <P>As primary outcome, baseline-adjusted ODI scores were significantly lower in the high HGS group than in the low HGS group 6 months after surgery. In the secondary outcome measurements, the ODI, EQ-5D, and VAS scores for back and leg pain improved significantly with time after surgery in both groups. The effects of HGS group on the overall changes in the ODI and EQ-5D scores during the 6-month period were significantly different between the two groups; however, they were not significantly different on VAS score for back and leg pain. The pattern of change in the ODI during the follow-up period was significantly different between the two groups.</P> <P><B>Conclusions</B></P> <P>Patients with preoperative high HGS display better surgical outcome in terms of disability and health status 6 months after spine surgery. Preoperative HGS can act as a predictor of surgical outcome in patients with DLSS.</P>

Serial CT Findings of <i>Paragonimus</i> Infested Dogs and the Micro-CT Findings of the Worm Cysts

Lee, Chang Hyun,Im, Jung-Gi,Goo, Jin Mo,Lee, Hyun Ju,Hong, Sung-Tae,Shen, Cheng Hua,Chung, Doo Hyun,Son, Kyu Ri,Chang, Jung Min,Eo, Hong unknown 2007 KOREAN JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGY Vol.8 No.5

<P><B>Objective</B></P><P>To investigate the serial CT findings of <I>Paragonimus westermani</I> infected dogs and the microscopic structures of the worm cysts using Micro-CT.</P><P><B>Materials and Methods</B></P><P>This study was approved by the committee on animal research at our institution. Fifteen dogs infected with <I>P. westermani</I> underwent serial contrast-enhanced CT scans at pre-infection, after 10 days of infection, and monthly thereafter until six months for determining the radiologic-pathologic correlation. Three dogs (one dog each time) were sacrificed at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. After fixation of the lungs, both multi-detector CT and Micro-CT were performed for examining the worm cysts.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>The initial findings were pleural effusion and/or subpleural ground-glass opacities or linear opacities at day 10. At day 30, subpleural and peribronchial nodules appeared with hydropneumothorax and abdominal or chest wall air bubbles. Cavitary change and bronchial dilatation began to be seen on CT scan at day 30 and this was mostly seen together with mediastinal lymphadenopathy at day 60. Thereafter, subpleural ground-glass opacities and nodules with or without cavitary changes were persistently observed until day 180. After cavitary change of the nodules, the migratory features of the subpleural or peribronchial nodules were seen on all the serial CT scans. Micro-CT showed that the cyst wall contained dilated interconnected tubular structures, which had communications with the cavity and the adjacent distal bronchus.</P><P><B>Conclusion</B></P><P>The CT findings of paragonimiasis depend on the migratory stage of the worms. The worm cyst can have numerous interconnected tubular channels within its own wall and these channels have connections with the cavity and the adjacent distal bronchus.</P>

Quantitative Gas Chromatographic Method for Determination of Ant Repellents Activity from the Chinese Prickly Ash Zanthoxylum Bungeanum

Chang-Joo Lee,Jae-Han Shim,Jing Yu Shen,Yong-Du Kim,Seong Koo Kang 한국토양비료학회 2000 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2000 No.5

Characterization of Antibiotic Substance Produced by Serratia plymuthica A21-4 and the Biological Control Activity against Pepper Phytophthora Blight

Shen, Shun-Shan,Piao, Feng-Zhi,Lee, Byong-Won,Park, Chang-Seuk The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2007 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.23 No.3

The biocontrol agent, Serratia plymuthica A21-4, has been developed for controlling pepper Phytophthora blight. Serratia plymuthica A21-4 strongly inhibits the mycelial growth, zoospore formation, and cyst germination of Phytophthora capsici in vitro. The application of a cell suspension of strain A21-4 to pepper plants in pot experiments and in greenhouse successfully controlled the disease. The bacteria produced a potent antifungal substance which was a key factor in the suppression of Phytophthora capsici. The most active chemical com-pound was isolated and purified by antifungal activity-guided fractionation. The chemical structure was identified as a chlorinated macrolide $(C_{23}H_{31}O_8Cl)$ by spectroscopic (UV, IR, MS, and NMR) data, and was named macrocyclic lactone A21-4. The active compound significantly inhibited the formation of zoosporangia and zoospore and germination of cyst of P. capsici at concentrations lower than $0.0625{\mu}g/ml$. The effective concentrations of the macrocyclic lactone A21-4 for $ED_{50}$ of mycelial growth inhibition were $0.25{\mu}g/ml,\;0.25{\mu}g/ml,\;0.30{\mu}g/ml \;and\;0.75{\mu}g/ml$ against P. capsici, Pythium ultimum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea, respectively.

Fabrication and Characterization of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells based on Anodic Titanium Oxide Nanotube Arrays Sensitized with Heteroleptic Ruthenium Dyes

Shen, Chien-Hung,Chang, Yu-Cheng,Wu, Po-Ting,Diau, Eric Wei-Guang Korean Society of Photoscience 2014 Rapid communication in photoscience Vol.3 No.1

Anodic self-organized titania nanotube (TNT) arrays have a great potential as efficient electron-transport materials for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Herewith we report the photovoltaic and kinetic investigations for a series of heteroleptic ruthenium complexes (RD16-RD18) sensitized on TNT films for DSSC applications. We found that the RD16 device had an enhanced short-circuit current density ($J_{SC}/mAcm^{-2}=15.0$) and an efficiency of power conversion (${\eta}=7.2%$) greater than that of a N719 device (${\eta}=7.1%$) due to the increasing light-harvesting and the broadened spectral features with thiophene-based ligands. However, the device made of RD17 (adding one more hexyl chain) showed smaller $J_{SC}(14.1mAcm^{-2})$ and poorer ${\eta}(6.8%)$ compare to those of RD16 due to smaller amount of dye-loading and less efficient electron injection for the RD17 device than for the RD16 device. For the RD18 dye (adding one more thiophene unit and one more hexyl chain), we found that the device showed even lower $J_{SC}(13.2mAcm^{-2}) $ that led to a poorest device performance (${\eta}=6.2%$) for the RD18 device. These results are against to those obtained from the same dyes sensitized on $TiO_2$ nanoparticle films and they can be rationalized according to the electron transport kinetics measured using the methods of charge extraction and transient photovoltage decays.

Vacuolar Serine Protease Is a Major Allergen of Fusarium proliferatum and an IgE-Cross Reactive Pan-Fungal Allergen

Chang-Ching Yeh,Hsiao-Yun Tai,Hong Chou,Keh-Gong Wu,Horng-Der Shen 대한천식알레르기학회 2016 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.8 No.5

Purpose: Fusarium species are among prevalent airborne fungi and causative agents of human respiratory atopic disorders. We previously identified a 36.5-kDa F. proliferatum component recognized by IgE antibodies in 9 (53%) of the 17 F. proliferatum-sensitized atopic serum samples. The purpose of this study is to characterize the 36.5-kDa allergen of F. proliferatum. Methods: Characterization of allergens and determination of IgE cross-reactivity were performed by cDNA cloning/expression and immunoblot inhibition studies. Results: Based on the finding that the 36.5-kDa IgE-binding component reacted with the mouse monoclonal antibody FUM20 against fungal vacuolar serine protease allergens, the cDNA of F. proliferatum vacuolar serine protease (Fus p 9.0101) was subsequently cloned. Nine serum samples from respiratory atopic patients with IgE binding to the vacuolar serine protease allergen of Penicillium chrysogenum (Pen ch 18) also showed IgE-immunoblot reactivity to rFus p 9.0101. The purified rFus p 9.0101 can inhibit IgE and FUM20 binding to the 36.5-kDa component of F. proliferatum. Thus, a novel and important Fus p 9.0101 was identified. The rPen ch 18 can inhibit IgE binding to Fus p 9.0101. It indicates that IgE cross-reactivity between Fus p 9.0101 and Pen ch 18 also exists. Furthermore, neither rFus p 9.0101 K88A nor rPen ch 18 K89A mutants inhibited IgE binding to rFus p 9.0101. Lys88 was considered a critical core amino acid in IgE binding to r Fus p 9.0101 and a residue responsible for IgE cross-reactivity between Fus p 9.0101 and Pen ch 18 allergens. Conclusions: Results obtained from this study indicate that vacuolar serine protease may be a major allergen of F. proliferatum and an important IgE cross-reactive pan-fungal allergen, and provide important bases for clinical diagnosis of fungal allergy.

A comparison on constraint effects between ESG specimen and real pipe through stress triaxiality analysis

Shen Tao,Sang-Young Kim,Keon-Tae Park,Jae-Mean Koo,Chang-Sung Seok 대한기계학회 2014 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2014 No.11

Experimental Behaviors of Steel Staggered-truss System Exposed to Fire under Lateral Force

Chang-kun Chen,Dong Zhang,Wei Zhang,Bing-yin Shen 한국강구조학회 2012 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.12 No.1

This paper presents an experimental investigation on structural behaviors of a six-storey steel staggered-truss system model with a scale of 1/10 under lateral force and fire exposure. Pan fire with the fuel of methanol was used to simulate a natural fire. The vertical and lateral loads were applied to tested model using counterweights. Temperatures, deformations and strains of the structure were measured. And probable failure mode of the system was obtained. The results indicate that it is hard to predict the failure of components in fire purely according to the load design of the structure at ambient temperature, due to the complicated redistribution of the internal force and the non-uniform temperature distribution. The mid-span of the top chord and the vertical web members at the center panel at the fire storey presented an obvious deformation during the test, while the components in the truss show a good compatibility. The impact of high temperature on lateral stiffness of the structure mainly concentrated on the storey exposed to fire, but rarely on the adjacent truss and the storey not exposed to fire.

Investigation on the influence of number of blades on flow-induced noise optimization design of a centrifugal pump

Chang Guo,Feiran Lv,Ming Gao,Wei Wei,Shen Cheng 대한기계학회 2022 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.36 No.10

Aiming at the quiet centrifugal pump design, the effect of number of blades on the flow-induced noise is explored. The results show that the sound pressure fluctuation is generated due to the influence of sound source fluctuation and adjacent spatial locations, and the fluctuation ranges of sound source and sound pressure at the same location change little with the change in the number of blades. Additionally, the total sound source intensity increases along the flow direction in the volute under the same rotational radius, while it increases slowly and even decreases near the outlet of the impeller, which causes similar evolution characteristics of noise. Besides, the volume-weighted standard deviation of sound source (V-STDSS) is proposed to characterize the overall sound intensity, and the V-STDSS proportion of impeller is more than 0.6. The impeller with an even number of blades has a better sound performance, while the noise induced by volute with an odd number of blades is lower. Generally, the centrifugal pumps with an even number of blades have a better sound performance. This research can guide the noise control and optimization design of centrifugal pumps.

In vitro and In vivo Activities of a Biocontrol Agent, Serratia plymuthica A2l-4, Against Phytophthora capsici

Shen, Shun-Shan,Park, Ok-Hee,Lee, Sun-Mi,Park, Chang-Seuk The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2002 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.18 No.4

In vitro and in vivo activities of a biocontrol agent, Serratia plymuthica strain A2l-4, was evaluated for the control of Phytophthora blight of pepper, Strain A2l-4 inhibited mycelial growth, germination of zoosporangia and cystospores, and formation of zoospore and zoosporangia of Phytophthora capsici in vitro. In the pot experiment, incidence of Phytophthora blight of pepper in non-treated control was 100% at 14 days after inoculation, while no disease was observed in the plot treated with S. plymuthica A2l-4. In the greenhouse test, infection rate of pepper in the non-treated plots was 74.5%, while it was only 12.6% in the plots treated with A2l-4. Results indicate that S. plymuthica A2l-4 is a potential biocontrol agent for Phytophthora blight of pepper.