Do-Hyung Kim

Comparative analysis of T3 selective division of rami communicantes (ramicotomy) to T3 sympathetic clipping in treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis.

Abstract.Compensatory sweating is a major complaint followingnendoscopic thoracic sympathetic surgery in treatment of palmarnhyperhidrosis. T3 ramicotomy was applied in order to decreasencompensatory sweating. From Oct 1999 to June 2002, fortynpatients underwent T3 sympathetic clipping (group I), and 68npatients underwent T3 ramicotomy (group II) to treat palmarnhyperhidrosis. We retrospectively analyzed the rate ofnsatisfaction, result of operation, and grade of compensatorynsweating. In group I, 36 patients (90%) showed decreasednsweating on both hands, 4 patients (10 %) persistent sweating onnboth hands. In group II, 46 patients (67.6%) had decreasednsweating on both hands, 14 patients (23.5 %) had persistentnsweating on both hands, and 8 patients (8.9 %) had persistentnsweating in one hand. The rate of satisfaction was 82.5 %n(33/40) in group I and 67.6 % (46/68) in group II with nonsignificant statistic difference (p = 0.067). Excluding patientsnwith persistent sweating postoperatively, the rate ofncompensatory sweating in group II was 67.4%, which wasnsignificantly lower than in group I 94.1%, with a p value ofn0.003. Although the rate of persisting sweating after operationnwas high, T3 ramicotomy resulted in lower rate of compensatorynsweating compared to T3 sympathetic clipping.

New crystallization kinetics of phase change of Ge2Sb2Te5 at moderately elevated temperature

Based on the ellipsometric observation of the phase change of stoichiometric Ge–Sb–Te at moderately elevated temperature, we find that the kinetics of crystallization of Ge–Sb–Te is described by the modified Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (JMA) equation, which implies that the first stage of cascaded crystallization of Ge–Sb–Te is a true nucleation-dominated process such that the formation of nuclei is stimulated by preexisting nuclei.

Association of VKORC1-1639G>A polymorphism with susceptibility to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine: a Korean study

BackgroundAbnormalities of bone metabolism may be involved in the pathogenesis of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the spine. Besides its hemostatic effect, vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) plays a pivotal role in bone mineralization. The aim of this study is to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the VKORC1 gene are associated with the occurrence of OPLL in a Korean population.MethodA total of 98 patients with OPLL and 200 controls were genotyped for the VKORC1-1639G>A SNP (rs9923231) by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. All the patients (nu2009=u200998) in this study underwent surgery (60, posterior-only approach; 36, anterior-only approach; 2, combined anterior and posterior approach) during their admission. We analyzed this association separately according to the gender and OPLL subgroup: OPLL continuous group (continuous type plus mixed type) and OPLL segmental group (segmental and localized type).ResultsWe found that the genotype VKORC1-1639G>A frequency was significantly associated with the occurrence of the OPLL in the female group (adjusted odds ratiou2009=u20095.22, 95xa0% confidence interval: 1.675 to 16.269, pu2009=u20090.004). However, there was no overall association between the OPLL susceptibility and VKORC1-1639G>A polymorphism. A subgroup analysis did not show any significant correlation between VKORC1-1639G>A polymorphism and subgroup of OPLL either.ConclusionOur results suggest that the VKORC1-1639G>A SNP may increase susceptibility to OPLL in women. However, there was only a statistical association in the female group despite a number of stratified analyses. Therefore, the findings should be interpreted with caution, and further genetic study is needed to improve our understanding of the role of VKORC1 polymorphisms in determining the risk of OPLL occurrence.

Selective Interpolation Method for Two-Step Parallel Phase-Shifting Digital Holography

We propose the reconstruction algorithm for two-step parallel phase-shifting digital holography. Parallel phase-shifting digital holography records a single hologram and numerically extracts the multiple images needed for obtaining the complex amplitude in phase-shifting technique. During the reconstruction process, phase error and degradation of image occur due to the calculation error. The proposed algorithm interpolates into two steps that include the subpixel data to reduce the error, so the quality that a reconstructed image can be enhanced. Both numerical simulation and experiment are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Awake extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with severe postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome

BACKGROUNDnA clinical trial of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as an alternative ventilator tool is being performed as a new indication for ECMO. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of awake ECMO to increase the success rate of weaning patients from ECMO and ventilator care during treatment of postoperative severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).nnnMETHODSnWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical reports of 10 patients who underwent awake ECMO due to postoperative ARDS between August 2012 and May 2015. We analyzed patient history, the partial arterial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio, and patient outcome.nnnRESULTSnSeven patients (70%) were weaned from ECMO without difficulty; one patient failed to maintain awake ECMO, was re-intubated after 2 days of awake ECMO, and was re-tried on awake ECMO after 4 days of ventilator care. We weaned that patient from ECMO 2 days later. We weaned a total of eight patients (80%) from awake ECMO. The ECMO duration of surviving patients was 9.13±2.2 days (range, 6-12 days), and mean ventilator use duration was 6.8±4.7 days (range, 2-16 days). Two cases failed awake ECMO and died due to disease aggravation.nnnCONCLUSIONSnAwake ECMO was a useful weaning strategy after severe postoperative ARDS, as it avoids long-duration use of mechanical ventilation. Additionally, it is possible for patients to breathe spontaneously, which might prevents respiratory muscle dystrophy.

Experimental demonstration of line-width modulation in plasmonic lithography using a solid immersion lens-based active nano-gap control

Plasmonic lithography has been used in nanofabrication because of its utility beyond the diffraction limit. The resolution of plasmonic lithography depends on the nano-gap between the nanoaperture and the photoresist surface—changing the gap distance can modulate the line-width of the pattern. In this letter, we demonstrate solid-immersion lens based active non-contact plasmonic lithography, applying a range of gap conditions to modulate the line-width of the pattern. Using a solid-immersion lens-based near-field control system, the nano-gap between the exit surface of the nanoaperture and the media can be actively modulated and maintained to within a few nanometers. The line-widths of the recorded patterns using 15- and 5-nm gaps were 47 and 19.5u2009nm, respectively, which matched closely the calculated full-width at half-maximum. From these results, we conclude that changing the nano-gap within a solid-immersion lens-based plasmonic head results in varying line-width patterns.

Improvement of Bit Error Rate in Holographic Data Storage Using the Extended High-Frequency Enhancement Filter

Optimized image restoration is suggested in angular-multiplexing-page-based holographic data storage. To improve the bit error rate (BER), an extended high frequency enhancement filter is recalculated from the point spread function (PSF) and Gaussian mask as the image restoration filter. Using the extended image restoration filter, the proposed system reduces the number of processing steps compared with the image upscaling method and provides better performance in BER and SNR. Numerical simulations and experiments were performed to verify the proposed method. The proposed system exhibited a marked improvement in BER from 0.02 to 0.002 for a Nyquist factor of 1.1, and from 0.006 to 0 for a Nyquist factor of 1.2. Moreover, more than 3 times faster performance in calculation time was achieved compared with image restoration with PSF upscaling owing to the reductions in the number of system process and calculation load.

Micro Holographic Recording Characteristic With Defocused Micrograting

The recording of micro holographic storage is performed by the superposition of two tightly focused counter-propagating beams. The micrograting is affected by misalignment in the z -direction during the recording and read-out processes. Thus, the diffraction efficiency (DE) can be reduced by the defocusing of the micrograting. In this paper, we investigate the recording characteristics of a defocused micrograting. An optical system with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.60 and a wavelength of 532 nm was designed for micro holographic recording. The recording tolerance was formulated by using vector diffraction theory. The recording tolerance was determined by using the Mahajans Strehl ratio (SR) of the DE. The DE was dramatically reduced at the ±0.4λ defocusing position and we determined that the ±0.4λ was the recording tolerance in the defocusing direction. In addition, we propose a precise detection method to obtain a focus error signal (FES) within the recording tolerance range. Finally, the numerical results of a defocused micrograting were experimentally verified.

Single-incision video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy in the treatment of adult communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformation with large aberrant artery.

Single-incision thoracoscopic surgery (SITS) is not yet widely used for treating pulmonary sequestration due to the difficulty of manipulating an aberrant systemic artery or working around inflamed tissue. It is also difficult to control massive bleeding if the aberrant artery ruptures during excision. We modified the SITS lobectomy technique so that it was suitable for treating pulmonary sequestration. We changed the order of excision of anatomical structures and introduced two-stage stapling of the aberrant artery for easy, safe stapling in SITS lobectomy. Single-port VATS is an acceptable method for major pulmonary resection for the treatment of intrapulmonary sequestration.

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula caused by isolated innominate artery pseudo-aneurysm rupture

Tracheo-innominate fistula (TIF) is a very rare but fatal complication of tracheostomy, with an incidence of 0.1–1.0% (1). Isolated innominate artery aneurysm is also rare but its treatment is essential due to the risk of aneurysmal rupture and a subsequent thromboembolic event. Isolated innominate artery aneurysm may cause the extrinsic compression and erosion of the trachea and, very rarely, the development of TIF (2). Here we present a case of TIF caused by the rupture of an innominate artery aneurysm.