A Misunderstood Friendship: Mao Zedong, Kim Ilsung, and Sino-North Korean Relations, 1949-1976. By Zhihua Shen·Yafeng Xia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018. xiv, 357 pp [ISBN 9780231188265]

Tomer Nisimov 고려대학교 한국사연구소 2020 International Journal of Korean History Vol.25 No.1

Introduction of the Novel Radiographic Line (L5-Kyphosis Apex Line) Intended to Evaluate Scheuermann’s Disease and Postural Kyphosis Progression on Standard Lateral X-Rays

Tomer Bezalel,Eli Carmeli,Leonid Kalichman 대한척추외과학회 2020 Asian Spine Journal Vol.14 No.3

Study Design: Cross-sectional and follow-up nested study.Purpose: To assess the reliability of the L5-kyphosis apex line (L5-KAL) evaluation and determine the association between changes in L5-KAL, changes in radiological parameters, and changes in clinical symptoms.Overview of Literature: Scheuermann’s disease is the most common cause of hyperkyphosis of the thoracolumbar and thoracic spine during adolescence. Scheuermann’s disease patients usually show compensatory hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine, which is usually flexible, and express an anterior translation of the lumbar section. The L5-KAL was developed on the basis of our clinical experience, displaying the horizontal distance between the thoracic and lumbar curves.Methods: In the cross-sectional segment, 150 initial lateral X-rays of patients with Scheuermann’s disease and postural kyphosis were analyzed, and 80 additional X-rays were analyzed in the follow-up segment. The data taken from the X-rays of the whole spinal column included the thoracic kyphosis angle, the C7 plumb line, and the L5-KAL. Clinical data included a numerical rating scale of self-perceived body image, pain, and a Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire (SRS-22).Results: Significant positive associations were observed in a cross-sectional study between the L5-KAL and thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, C7 line, and self-perceived body image. In the follow-up nested study, in a mixed analysis of variance, the main effect of time was significant for the L5-KAL, kyphotic deformity and SRS-22, which indicated a change in these parameters after treatment of Scheuermann’s disease patients. Significant positive associations were observed between the changes in L5-KAL and the changes in thoracic kyphosis.Conclusions: Our evidence suggests that the L5-KAL can serve as an indicator of the thoracic curve change in Scheuermann’s disease and postural kyphosis patients and should be considered in clinical practice.

The Effect of Schroth Therapy on Thoracic Kyphotic Curve and Quality of Life in Scheuermann’s Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tomer Bezalel,Eli Carmeli,Dror Levi,Leonid Kalichman 대한척추외과학회 2019 Asian Spine Journal Vol.13 No.3

Study Design: Randomized controlled single-blinded clinical trial. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of Schroth therapy on thoracic curve angle, pain, and self-perceived body image (SPBI) of the back in Scheuermann’s patients in comparison with the efficacy of classic anti-gravitation exercises. Overview of Literature: Scheuermann disease is the most common cause of hyperkyphosis of the thoracic and thoracolumbar spine during adolescence. However, very few studies evaluated the effect of exercises on the progression of kyphosis in Scheuermann patients. Schroth three-dimensional exercise therapy was found in several studies to be effective in the treatment of adolescent scoliosis; however, we found no randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of this method in Scheuermann patients. Methods: A total of 50 young adults (males and females) with Scheuermann’s disease were randomly divided into either the experimental group (Schroth therapy treatment, n=25) or the control group (classic anti-gravitation exercises, n=25). Participants in both the groups were provided a course of individual treatment sessions during few weeks, with one appointment per week. They were required to perform the exercises daily throughout the study period (12 months) and fill their performance in a research log. We evaluated the thoracic Cobb angle (main outcome measure), pain, SPBI, flexion of the shoulder (supine), flexion of the shoulder (standing), kyphotic deformity measured using inclinometer, and L5 kyphosis apex line (L5-KAL) as well as administered the Scoliosis Research Society-22 Questionnaire for the participants before the treatment, after 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. These results were then compared. Results: In the mixed analysis of variance, the main effect of time was significant in the thoracic kyphosis (F [1]=5.72, p=0.02), and in the L5-KAL (F [1]=5.76, p=0.02). The main effect of time on the kyphotic deformity, measured using an inclinometer, did not reach the significance level; however, it showed the tendency (F [1]=2.80, p=0.07). In the group-by-time interaction, a significant difference was found in the thoracic kyphosis (F [1]=4.91, p=0.03) and in the kyphotic deformity, measured using an inclinometer (F [1]=4.05, p=0.02). Thus, the Schroth therapy group showed significantly greater improvement than the classic anti-gravitation exercises group. Conclusions: The present findings indicate that back exercises in general, and Schroth therapy in particular, is an effective treatment for preventing and significantly improving the thoracic Cobb angle and symptomatic representation in Scheuermann’s patients.

Troublesome Brotherhood: The Korean Volunteer Army and the CPC

Tomer NISIMOV 동북아역사재단 2020 Journal of Northeast Asian History Vol.17 No.1

In 1942, a small military force known as the Korean Volunteer Army was established in North China. It was composed of Korean revolutionaries and independence activists who had fled their homeland due to its colonization by Japan. For most of the Korean revolutionaries in China, the establishment of the Korean Volunteer Army was a critical juncture, and marked the point in time from which they worked in close cooperation with the Communist Party of China. The changing circumstances following the conclusion of the war against Japan, however, led the Korean Volunteer Army to diverge from the Communist Party of China, and this formed a challenge for the latter. This article tracks the short history of the Korean Volunteer Army, with a particular focus on the changing circumstances from the conclusion of the war against Japan until the impending civil war in Northeast China, and how these created and intensified tensions between the Korean and Chinese Communists. Likewise, it reveals the means and measures taken by the Communist Party of China in order to tackle this challenge, and to ensure the Korean Volunteer Army’s adherence to the Party and its participation in the Civil War until its final stages.

Origins of the North Korean Garrison State: The People’s Army and the Korean War. By Youngjun Kim. New York: Routledge, 2018. xxii, 248 p [ISBN: 9781137842157]

Tomer Nisimov 고려대학교 한국사연구소 2021 International Journal of Korean History Vol.26 No.1

Scheuermann’s Disease: Radiographic Pathomorphology and Association with Clinical Features

Tomer Bezalel,Eli Carmeli,Leonid Kalichman 대한척추외과학회 2019 Asian Spine Journal Vol.13 No.1

Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Purpose: To evaluate the spinal radiological features in patients with Scheuermann’s disease and the association between the thoracic kyphosis angle and clinical presentation. Overview of the Literature: Scheuermann’s disease is the most common cause of hyperkyphosis of the thoracic and thoracolumbar spine in adolescents; however, literature is limited in this area. Methods: Data regarding 150 successive X-ray images of 95 males and 55 females diagnosed with Scheuermann’s disease were retrieved from the digital archives of the Maccabi Healthcare Services in Tel Aviv. Data included thoracic kyphosis angle (T3–T12), cervical lordosis (C2–C7), lumbar lordosis (L1–S1), sacral slope (SS), number and location of the anterior wedged vertebrae (AWV, minimum 5°), and C7 plumb line. Other data included age, sex, height, family history, Risser sign, self-perceived body image (rated by the Numeric Rating Scale [NRS]), and back pain during the previous week (rated by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale [NPRS]). Results: Significant positive associations were observed between the Cobb angle of thoracic kyphosis and age (r =0.186, p =0.023), cervical lordosis (r =0.263, p <0.001), lumbar lordosis (r =0.576, p <0.001), SS (r =0.236, p <0.004), T10–T12 Cobb angle (r =0.319, p <0.001), and number of AWV (r =0.519, p <0.001). The highest frequency of vertebral wedging was noted in T7 (68%), followed by T8 (65%) and T9 (44%). The NPRS showed a significant association only with SS (r =0.219, p =0.014). Significant positive associations were observed between the NRS for self-perceived body image, the thoracic kyphosis (r =0.494, p <0.001), and the number of AWV (r =0.361, p <0.001). Conclusions: Thoracic kyphosis was significantly associated with cervical and lumbar lordosis, SS, T10–T12 Cobb angle, and AWV number. Pain was not substantial; however, self-perceived body image, the most common complaint of patients with Scheuermann’s disease, was high and significantly associated with thoracic kyphosis and the number of AWV.

Comparison of the Total Oxyradical Scavenging Capacity and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Antioxidant Assays

David P. Tomer,Lee D. McLeman,Seiga Ohmine,Philip M. Scherer,Byron K. Murray,Kim L. O’Neill 한국식품영양과학회 2007 Journal of medicinal food Vol.10 No.2

Epidemiological studies have shown that phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables may decrease the incidenceof cancer. The antioxidant activity of phytochemicals may be partially responsible for the reduced cancer risk. In this study,the antioxidant activity of several phytochemicals was compared using two different antioxidant assays: the oxygen radicalabsorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, which measures the decrease in fluorescence decay caused by antioxidants, and the totaloxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC) assay, which measures the decrease in ethylene production caused by antioxidants.TOSC and ORAC values were measured for 11 different phytochemicals, and values were expressed as .mol of Trolox equiv-alents/mg. As expected, a correlation was seen between the TOSC values and the ORAC values (R2 . 0.60). Quercitin, mar-itime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol??, Horphag Research Ltd., Geneva, Switzerland), grape skin extract, and green tea polyphe-nols had the highest overall antioxidant activity of the 11 phytochemicals measured. Lemon fruit and citrus bioflavonoids hadthe lowest overall antioxidant activity. Rutin and .-lipoic acid had low ORAC values but high TOSC values when comparedto the other phytochemicals. The correlation between the in vitroTOSC and ORAC antioxidant assays suggests that both as-says may be useful in identifying phytochemicals with high antioxidant activity.

Adrenal ganglioneuroma resected for suspicious malignancy: multicenter review of 25 cases and review of the literature

Dorit Esther Zilberman,Tomer Drori,Gadi Shlomai,Haggi Mazeh,Boris Fishman,Shay Golan,Hen Hendel,Monica Laniado,Zohar A. Dotan 대한외과학회 2021 Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research(ASRT) Vol.101 No.2

Purpose: We reviewed the experience with adrenal ganglioneuroma (AGN) pathologically confirmed following adrenalectomy in medium- to high-volume medical centers. Methods: The medical records of all adrenalectomy cases in 4 medical centers between 2006 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed for demographics, clinical, radiological and laboratory findings, surgical treatment, pathology results, and outcomes. Results: Twenty-five out of 875 adrenalectomy cases (2.9%) were pathologically confirmed as AGN. Those patients’ average age was 40.5 years (range, 4–76 years), 13 (52.0%) were males, and 18 lesions (72.0%) were right-sided. One patient had a family history of neurofibromatosis, and another had a succinate dehydrogenase gene mutation. Abdominal/back pain attributed to mass effect was the most common symptom. All 25 patients underwent abdominal computerized tomography scanning in which the average maximal tumor diameter was 6.61 cm. The mean pre- and postcontrast Hounsfield units (HU) values were 35.2 and 59, respectively; and the mean late-phase HU value was 71.1. Twenty-two patients (88.0%) underwent minimally invasive surgery. The average tumor diameter recorded in the final pathology report was 7 cm. Isolated AGN was diagnosed in 21 cases (84.0%), and the additional components reported for the remaining 4 cases included pheochromocytoma (2), ganglioneuroblastoma (1), and neurofibroma (1). The average follow-up length was 16.8 months (range, 1–136 months), during which there was no recurrence or death. Conclusion: AGN is a rare, slow-growing, large benign tumor with radiological characteristics similar to those seen in malignant tumor. Final diagnosis is established by pathology after surgical resection, preferably minimally invasive, with an overall excellent prognosis.

Suppression of experimental systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) with specific anti-idiotypic antibody-saporin conjugate

Blank, M .,Manosroi, J .,Tomer, Y .,Manosroi, A .,Kopolovic, J .,Polak, S . Charcon,Shoenfeld, Y . 전남대학교 약품개발연구소 1995 약품개발연구지 Vol.3 No.1

The importance of the idiotypic network is represented in experimental SLE induced by active immunization of naive mice with an anti-DNA idiotype (Ab1) emulsified in adjuvant. The mice after 4 months of incubation generate Ab3 having anti-DNA activity. In addition, the mice develop other serological markers for SLE associated with clinical and histopathological manifestations characteristic of the disease. To confirm further the etiological role of the idiotype in this experimental model, the mice were treated with specific anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-Id) which were also conjugated to a toxin-saporin (Immunotoxin (IT)). Pretreatment of hybridoma cell line producing the anti-anti-Id (anti-DNA=(Ab3) for 48 h with the anti-Id MoAb (Ab2) reduced the production of anti-DNA by 58%, while pretreatment with the IT resulted in 86% decrease in anti-DNA secretion (saporin alone had only 12% effect). The anti-Id MoAb had no effect on the production of immunoglobulin by an unrelated cell line. In vivo treatment of mice with experimental SLE led to a significant decrease in titres of serum autoantibodies, with diminished clinical manifestations. The result were more remarkable when the IT was employed. These suppressive effects were specific, since an anti-Id treatment of experimental anti-phospholipid syndrome was of no avail. The anti-Id effect was mediated via a reduction in specific anti-DNA antibody-forming cells, and lasted only while anti-Id injections were given. Discontinuation of the anti-Id injection was followed by a rise in titres of anti-DNA antibodies. No immunological escape of new anti-DNA Ids was noted. Our results point to the importance of pathogenic idiotypes in SLE and to the specific potential of implementing anti-idiotypic therapy, enhanced by the conjugation of the anti-Id to an immunotoxin, in particular one with low spontaneous toxicity.

3D Printing of Cellulose-Based Food

Ido Braslavsky,Shay Shemesh,Tomer Shwartz,Racheli Weizman,Oded Shoseyov 한국식품영양과학회 2019 한국식품영양과학회 학술대회발표집 Vol.2019 No.10