PURPOSE: Motion effects in parallel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are investigated. Parallel MRI is known to be robust to motion due to its reduced acquisition time. However, if there are some involuntary motions such as heart or respiratory motions involved during the acquisition of the parallel MRI, motion artifacts would be even worse than those in conventional (non-parallel) MRI. In this paper, we defined several types of motions, and their effects in parallel MRI are investigated in comparisons with conventional MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to investigate motion effects in parallel MRI, 5 types of motions are considered. Type-1 and 2 are periodic motions with different amplitudes and periods. Type-3 and 4 are segment-based linear motions, where they are stationary during the segment. Type-5 is a uniform random motion. For the simulation, Cartesian and spiral grid based parallel and non-parallel (conventional) MRI are used. RESULTS: Based on the motions defined, moving artifacts in the parallel and non-parallel MRI are investigated. From the simulation, non-parallel MRI shows smaller root mean square error (RMSE) values than the parallel MRI for the periodic (type-1 and 2) motions. Parallel MRI shows less motion artifacts for linear (type-3 and 4) motions where motions are reduced with shorter acquisition time. Similar motion artifacts are observed for the random motion (type-5). CONCLUSION: In this paper, we simulate the motion effects in parallel MRI. Parallel MRI is effective in the reduction of motion artifacts when motion is reduced by the shorter acquisition time. However, conventional MRI shows better image quality than the parallel MRI when fast periodic motions are involved.
Artifacts ; Computer Simulation ; Heart ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

BACKGROUND: In platelets transfusion, alloimmunization against the HLA and HPA antigen present in the white blood cells/platelets of the donor blood occurred. In addition, unexpected red blood cell alloantibodies might be produced by the alloimmunization of red blood cells antigens in the transfused platelet component. Therefore, this study examined the incidence of red blood cell alloantibodies after platelet transfusion. METHODS: From January to December 2018, adult patients who requested platelet concentrates or single donor platelets were enrolled. The results of pre/post-transfusion test, including antibody screening test and antibody identification test, were collected the incidence of red blood cell alloantibody formation was then analyzed, retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 685 patients received 11,894 units of platelet concentrates and 1,402 units of single donor platelets. The median patient age was 64 years and the number of blood transfusions was 4.1. The amount of transfusion per session was 7.3 units, and the total transfused platelet concentrates was 30.9 units. New red blood cell alloantibodies were detected in 0.9% of all patients, and the identification results were observed as unidentified non-specific antibody in 66.7% and anti-E antibodies in 33.3%. The incidence of alloantibody was proportional to the frequency and amount of platelet transfusion. CONCLUSION: This paper reported the incidence of red blood cell alloantibody after platelet transfusion for the first time in Korea. Although matched platelet concentrates supply may be not practical in terms of cost-effectiveness, it may be useful to recognize the possibility of red blood cell alloimmunization and expand the understanding of extended matching transfusion.
Adult ; Antibodies ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Incidence ; Isoantibodies ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Platelet Transfusion ; Retrospective Studies ; Tissue Donors

No abstract available.
Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune

Background: Transfusions in pediatrics need to be performed carefully because of various variables, such as the blood volume and immature immune system. As a result, adverse transfusion reactions may appear differently from adults. This study examined the frequency and types of adverse transfusion reactions in pediatric patients. Methods: From January 2018 to December 2021, this study was conducted on 58 children who requested red blood cells, platelets, and plasma blood components from Chungbuk National University Hospital. The frequency and types of adverse transfusion reactions were analyzed retrospectively by reviewing blood transfusion-related medical records and compared with previous studies. Results: Approximately 0.9% of total blood components were transfused into pediatric patients; 1,179 units of blood components were transfused. The number of transfusions for red blood cells, platelets, and plasma was 383, 712, and 84 units, respectively. Among 58 patients, 23 adverse transfusion reactions were observed in 15 (25.9%) patients. Of these, 18 were febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions, and five were allergic transfusion reactions. Febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions occurred in 66.7% of cases with red blood cells, and allergic transfusion reactions occurred with platelets in 60% of cases. Conclusion This paper reported the incidence and types of adverse transfusion reactions in pediatric patients. This is expected to be more frequent in pediatric patients than adults, but most of them were relieved by supportive treatment because the symptoms were mild. As the awareness of hemovigilance is still low, it is essential to recognize and deal with adverse transfusion reactions through continuous education.

Background: Blood transfusion is frequently performed as a supportive therapy during the diagnosis and chemotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study examined the frequency of blood transfusion and analyzed the correlation with the treatment response during induction therapy in patients with AML. Methods: From January 2018 to December 2020, blood transfusion information was collected from 23 patients diagnosed with AML during induction therapy. The frequency and volumes of blood transfusions according to the treatment response were collected and analyzed with the overall survival retrospectively. Results: The blood transfusion was performed in all patients with AML during induction therapy. The transfusion frequency and volumes were a median of five (1∼13) times and nine (2∼27) units for red blood cells, respectively.In the platelets, the median frequency was seven (2∼21) times, and the transfusion volumes were 42 (12∼128) units. At the time of the treatment response evaluation, the transfusion dependence was 0% in morphological complete remission and 20% in the morphological leukemic-free state for both RBC and platelets, and 78% for RBC and 67% for platelets in treatment failure. Although not statistically significant, transfusion independence for more than eight weeks after induction therapy showed a better overall survival (P=0.312). Conclusion When the treatment response was good, the dependence on blood transfusion decreased. The transfusion frequency is expected to help predict the patient's treatment response and prognosis along with the peripheral blood counts.

Background: Blood transfusion is frequently performed as a supportive therapy during the diagnosis and chemotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study examined the frequency of blood transfusion and analyzed the correlation with the treatment response during induction therapy in patients with AML. Methods: From January 2018 to December 2020, blood transfusion information was collected from 23 patients diagnosed with AML during induction therapy. The frequency and volumes of blood transfusions according to the treatment response were collected and analyzed with the overall survival retrospectively. Results: The blood transfusion was performed in all patients with AML during induction therapy. The transfusion frequency and volumes were a median of five (1∼13) times and nine (2∼27) units for red blood cells, respectively.In the platelets, the median frequency was seven (2∼21) times, and the transfusion volumes were 42 (12∼128) units. At the time of the treatment response evaluation, the transfusion dependence was 0% in morphological complete remission and 20% in the morphological leukemic-free state for both RBC and platelets, and 78% for RBC and 67% for platelets in treatment failure. Although not statistically significant, transfusion independence for more than eight weeks after induction therapy showed a better overall survival (P=0.312). Conclusion When the treatment response was good, the dependence on blood transfusion decreased. The transfusion frequency is expected to help predict the patient's treatment response and prognosis along with the peripheral blood counts.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic, clinical, behavioral and metabolic-endocrine factors related to weight gain in patients with schizophrenia treated with serotonin-dopamine antagonists(SDA). METHODS: Forty-two in-patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia were recruited from Samsung Seoul Hospital and St. Andrew Neuropsychiatric Hospital. The subjects were first-episode patients or patients who did not take any antipsychotics for the previous two months. All the patients were administered with one of the SDAs for 8 weeks. Body weights and body mass index (BMI) were measured weekly during the treatment period. The mean levels of daytime activities were evaluated at baseline and 4 weeks and 8 weeks after the treatment. To assess the clinical response to the medication, the Krawiecka Rating Scale (KRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) were applied before and after the treatment. Fasting blood levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL), and serum level of prolactin were measured before and after the treatment. RESULTS: The body weight and BMI were significantly increased through the treatment periods. There were significant increases in the blood levels of cholesterol, TG and prolactin after 8 weeks. KRS total score showed significant decrease and the mean level of daytime activities showed significant increase by the treatment. Significant negative correlations were observed between the weight gain indices and the baseline BMI. The level of clinical improvement was significantly correlated with the degree of weight gain. Gender, age, smoking, daily dosages of antipsychotics, level of daytime activity and changes in appetite did not show any association with the weight gain indices. Neither the baseline biochemical variables nor their changes after the treatment were significantly correlated with the indices of weight gain. CONCLUSION: This result implies that low baseline BMI could be a risk factor of weight gain in short-term treatment of schizophrenia with SDAs. And it is also suggested that the effects of SDAs on weight gain and the clinical improvement might be developed through the same pharmacodynamic pathway.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Appetite ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Prolactin ; Risk Factors ; Schizophrenia* ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides ; Weight Gain*

OBJECTIVES: Primary, enduring negative symptoms have been used to define the deficit syndrome of schizophrenia, and the diagnostic validity of the deficit syndrome has been demonstrated by clinical, biological and neuropsychological studies. This study aims at evaluating the long-term stability of the diagnostic category of deficit syndrome using direct patient assessments. METHODS: The subjects were thirty-two patients with schizophrenia who were categorized into deficit or non-deficit subgroup using the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS) in their remission or partial remission state maintained by long-term treatments with antipsychotics (mostly atypical drugs). These patients were re-assessed based on the same deficit syndrome criteria an average of 5.6 years after having been initially categorized. Lifetime presence of clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Krawiecka Scale. RESULTS: The majority (87.5%) of the patients who were classified as non-deficit at the initial assessment continued to remain non-deficit during the follow-through period. However, only 37.5% of the patients classified as deficit at the initial assessment remain classified as showing deficit syndrome. Compared to the non-deficit group, patients of the deficit group at the final assessment showed significantly higher scores of positive symptoms at their previous psychotic states. Among the individual items of SDS, 'poverty of speech' was the most predictable of the long-lasting deficit syndrome. CONCLUSION: This study showed insufficient long-term stability of the deficit syndrome categorized by SDS criteria. This could be explained by low validity of SDS criteria for the identification of the trait-dependent deficit syndrome. It might also suggest that deficit symptoms could be improved by optimal long-term treatment with atypical antipsychotics.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Appointments and Schedules ; Diagnosis* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Schizophrenia*

We describe a cutaneous abscess caused by Nocardia abscessus in a previously healthy woman. A 74-year-old woman presented with recurrent bullae on her left forearm that developed 1 week prior and was initially suspected to be a cutaneous infection with Mycobacteria or Tinea corporis. Histopathologically, the skin lesion formed an abscess. A smear revealed a few branched Gram-positive filamentous microorganisms that formed a creamy white colony on a blood agar plate after incubation for 3 days. The colony tested negative on acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining, but was positive on modified AFB staining. The isolate was confirmed to be N. abscessus by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis. The isolate was susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, amikacin, cefotaxime and erythromycin but resistant to penicillin. The patient was treated with clarithromycin but subsequently lost to follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a human cutaneous infection with N. abscessus in Korea.
Abscess* ; Agar ; Aged ; Amikacin ; Cefotaxime ; Clarithromycin ; Erythromycin ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Korea ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Nocardia* ; Penicillins ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination