OBJECTIVES: There has been continuous development in the area of stereoscopic medical imaging devices, and many stereoscopic imaging devices have been realized and applied in the medical field. In this article, we review past and current trends pertaining to the application stereo-imaging technologies in the medical field. METHODS: We describe the basic principles of stereo vision and visual issues related to it, including visual discomfort, binocular disparities, vergence-accommodation mismatch, and visual fatigue. We also present a brief history of medical applications of stereo-imaging techniques, examples of recently developed stereoscopic medical devices, and patent application trends as they pertain to stereo-imaging medical devices. RESULTS: Three-dimensional (3D) stereo-imaging technology can provide more realistic depth perception to the viewer than conventional two-dimensional imaging technology. Therefore, it allows for a more accurate understanding and analysis of the morphology of an object. Based on these advantages, the significance of stereoscopic imaging in the medical field increases in accordance with the increase in the number of laparoscopic surgeries, and stereo-imaging technology plays a key role in the diagnoses of the detailed morphologies of small biological specimens. CONCLUSIONS: The application of 3D stereo-imaging technology to the medical field will help improve surgical accuracy, reduce operation times, and enhance patient safety. Therefore, it is important to develop more enhanced stereoscopic medical devices.
Asthenopia ; Depth Perception ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Laparoscopy ; Patient Safety ; Vision Disparity ; Vision, Ocular

The authors request to correct the project number NRF-2013R1A1A1010734 from NRF-116436 on the 4th line of Acknowledgments section.

We have developed a fully automated high throughput drug screening (HTDS) system based on the microfluidic cell culture array to perform combinational chemotherapy. This system has 64 individually addressable cell culture chambers where the sequential combinatorial concentrations of two different drugs can be generated by two microfluidic diffusive mixers. Each diffusive mixer has two integrated micropumps connected to the media and the drug reservoirs respectively for generating the desired combination without the need for any extra equipment to perfuse the solution such as syringe pumps. The cell array is periodically exposed to the drug combination with the programmed LabVIEW system during a couple of days without extra handling after seeding the cells into the microfluidic device and also, this device does not require the continuous generation of solutions compared to the previous systems. Therefore, the total amount of drug being consumed per experiment is less than a few hundred micro liters in each reservoir. The utility of this system is demonstrated through investigating the viability of the prostate cancer PC3 cell line with the combinational treatments of curcumin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL). Our results suggest that the system can be used for screening and optimizing drug combination with a small amount of reagent for combinatorial chemotherapy against cancer cells.
Apoptosis ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Curcumin ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices ; Microfluidics* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Syringes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the symptoms and interference of activities of daily living (ADL) of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in patients receiving taxane and platinums. METHODS: 141 cancer patients were recruited in the cross-sectional survey design. The instruments used in the study was the Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT) developed by Tofthagen and colleagues. RESULTS: The patients experienced the symptom and interference of ADL of CIPN moderately. The most common symptom was nerve pain (70.2%) and the patients with high cumulative doses showed a significant of tingling sensation in the feet. Symptom severity increased substantially with cumulative dose of chemotherapeutic agents. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy increase due to repeated chemotherapy and nursing intervention is necessary to reduce symptom severity and interference of ADL of CIPN.
Activities of Daily Living* ; Bridged Compounds ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drug Therapy ; Foot ; Humans ; Neuralgia ; Nursing ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Platinum* ; Sensation ; Taxoids*

Objective: To validate a simplified ordinal scoring method, referred to as modified length-based grading, for assessing coronary artery calcium (CAC) severity on non-electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated chest computed tomography (CT). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 120 patients (mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 63.1 ± 14.5 years; male, 64) who underwent both non-ECG-gated chest CT and ECG-gated cardiac CT between January 2011 and December 2021. Six radiologists independently assessed CAC severity on chest CT using two scoring methods (visual assessment and modified length-based grading) and categorized the results as none, mild, moderate, or severe. The CAC category on cardiac CT assessed using the Agatston score was used as the reference standard. Agreement among the six observers for CAC category classification was assessed using Fleiss kappa statistics. Agreement between CAC categories on chest CT obtained using either method and the Agatston score categories on cardiac CT was assessed using Cohen’s kappa. The time taken to evaluate CAC grading was compared between the observers and two grading methods. Results: For differentiation of the four CAC categories, interobserver agreement was moderate for visual assessment (Fleiss kappa, 0.553 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.496–0.610]) and good for modified length-based grading (Fleiss kappa, 0.695 [95% CI: 0.636–0.754]). The modified length-based grading demonstrated better agreement with the reference standard categorization with cardiac CT than visual assessment (Cohen’s kappa, 0.565 [95% CI: 0.511–0.619 for visual assessment vs. 0.695 [95% CI: 0.638–0.752] for modified length-based grading). The overall time for evaluating CAC grading was slightly shorter in visual assessment (mean ± SD, 41.8 ± 38.9 s) than in modified length-based grading (43.5 ± 33.2 s) (P < 0.001). Conclusion The modified length-based grading worked well for evaluating CAC on non-ECG-gated chest CT with better interobserver agreement and agreement with cardiac CT than visual assessment.

Purpose: To investigate growth response in children with either idiopathic short stature (ISS) or growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD). Methods: The data of prepubertal GHD or ISS children treated using recombinant human GH were obtained from the LG Growth Study database. GHD children were further divided into partial and complete GHD groups. Growth response and factors predicting growth response after 1 and 2 years of GH treatment were investigated. Results: This study included 692 children (98 with ISS, 443 partial GHD, and 151 complete GHD). After 1 year, changes in height standard deviation score (ΔHt-SDS) were 0.78, 0.83, and 0.96 in ISS, partial GHD, and complete GHD, respectively. Height velocity (HV) was 8.72, 9.04, and 9.52 cm/yr in ISS, partial GHD, and complete GHD, respectively. ΔHt-SDS and HV did not differ among the 3 groups. Higher initial body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) and midparental height standard deviation score (MPH-SDS) were predictors for better growth response after 1 year in ISS and the partial GHD group, respectively. In the complete GHD group, higher Ht-SDS and BMI-SDS predicted better growth response after 1 year. After 2 years of GH treatment, higher BMI-SDS and MPH-SDS predicted a better growth outcome in the partial GHD group, and higher MPH-SDS was a predictor of good growth response in complete GHD. Conclusion Clinical characteristics and growth response did not differ among groups. Predictors of growth response differed among the 3 groups, and even in the same group, a higher GH dose would be required when poor response is predicted.

PURPOSE: Nationwide database regarding stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is important for evaluating treatment patterns for SUI and for establishing appropriate national policies regarding SUI management. The purpose of this present study was to investigate surgical treatment patterns for women with SUI and analyze the current status of SUI management in Korea by using a nationwide database. METHODS: Data used for investigating the surgical trends and changes in Korea were retrieved from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service from 2008 to 2011. RESULTS: The number of surgical cases of SUI decreased continuously from 2008 to 2011. The proportion of transvaginal surgery using a midurethral sling increased continuously. Sling procedures were most commonly performed for women in their 40s followed by women in their 50s. Transvaginal surgery using a single sling or a readjustable sling was performed from 5.6% to 6.1%, which showed no significant change in the number of surgical cases. CONCLUSIONS: There is a growing need for an appropriate national welfare policy and budget to care for aged and super-aged women in Korea. The early detection and intervention of silent SUI should be actively considered as an important preventive strategy to improve the quality of life in younger women.
Budgets ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Quality of Life ; Suburethral Slings ; Urinary Incontinence*

The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), as members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, not only control bone formation, but also regulate multiple key steps during embryonic development and differentiation. Furthermore, BMPs play critical roles in maintaining the homeostasis of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, reproductive, urogenital, and nervous systems in adult life. Like all members of the TGF-beta superfamily, BMP signaling is mediated through a heteromeric complex of type I and type II transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors. The subsequent signal transduction cascade includes either the canonical Smad-dependent or non-canonical Smad-independent pathways. Reflecting the critical function of BMPs, BMP signaling is tightly regulated at multiple steps by various mechanisms including extracellular endogenous antagonists, neutralizing antibodies/extracellular soluble receptor domains, small molecule inhibitors, cytoplasmic inhibitory Smads, and transcriptional co-repressors. Recently, dorsomorphin, the first small molecule inhibitor of BMP signaling, was identified and suggested as a useful tool for dissecting the mechanisms of signaling pathways and for developing novel therapeutics for diverse human diseases that are related to the BMP signaling pathways. In this article, we discuss various mechanisms involved in regulating BMP signaling pathways and their implications for urology.
Adult ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; Co-Repressor Proteins ; Cytoplasm ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Nervous System ; Osteogenesis ; Phosphotransferases ; Pregnancy ; Pyrazoles ; Pyrimidines ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Transforming Growth Factors ; Urology

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in relation to prostate size and urodynamic parameters, including bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI), presence of detrusor overactivity, and detrusor contractility, and to investigate factors predictive of HoLEP success. METHODS: This retrospective analysis of prospective data included 174 consecutive patients treated with HoLEP at Samsung Medical Center from 2009 to 2013. Prostate-specific antigen, prostate size, urodynamic parameters, and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS)/quality of life (QoL) were evaluated preoperatively, while prostate-specific antigen, uroflowmetry/postvoid residual (PVR) urine, and IPSS were measured six months after HoLEP. Two definitions of treatment success were established based on the following three variables: IPSS, maximum flow rate (Qmax), and QoL index. Factors predictive of HoLEP success were identified using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: IPSS/QoL, Qmax, and PVR improved significantly following HoLEP. Improvements in IPSS and PVR were more significant in the BOOI> or =40 group compared to the BOOI<40 group, with overall success rates of 93.7% and 73.6%, respectively. Thus, the BOOI> or =40 group had a significantly higher success rate, and BOOI> or =40 was a significant predictor of HoLEP success based on the multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: We found good surgical outcomes after HoLEP, and specifically patients with a higher BOOI had a greater chance of surgical success.
Holmium* ; Humans ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Logistic Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prospective Studies ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; Urodynamics