• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2022

Background: According to the eighth TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) staging system, the presence of separate tumor nodules in the same lobe is designated as a T3 descriptor. However, it remains unclear whether adjuvant chemotherapy confers survival advantages in this setting. Methods: We retrospectively identified 142 pathologic T3N0M0 patients with additional pulmonary nodules in the same lobe from a single-institutional database from 2004 to 2019. The main outcomes were overall survival and recurrence-free survival. Multivariable Cox regression was used to identify the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy while adjusting for other variables. Results: Sixty-one patients received adjuvant chemotherapy (adjuvant group) and 81 patients did not receive adjuvant therapy after surgery (surgery-only group). There were no demonstrable differences between the 2 groups regarding hospital mortality and postoperative complications, indicating that treatment selection had not significantly occurred. However, the use of adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved 5-year overall survival (70% vs. 59%, p=0.006) and disease-free survival (60% vs. 46%, p=0.040). A multivariable Cox model demonstrated that adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a survival advantage (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.54; p<0.001). In exploratory analyses of subgroups, the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy seemed to be insufficient in those with small main tumors (<4 cm). Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with better survival in T3 cancers with an additional tumor nodule in the same lobe. However, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in patient subgroups with small tumors or those without risk factors should be determined via large studies.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2023

With the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in clinical practice, the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria has become a global problem. The MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is especially difficult to treat and increases mortality in critically ill patients. Ceftolozane-tazobactam (Zerbaxa^TM) is a fifth-generation cephalosporin and beta-lactamase inhibitor that has proved to be effective for treating complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections caused by MDR P. aeruginosa. Herein, we report the first case of pediatric hematologic cancer in Korea that was successfully treated for MDR P. aeruginosa bacteremia with Ceftolozane-tazobactam.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.146-160
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• 2014

Objective: This study was performed to explore the effectiveness of community organization as a strategy for health promotion. Methods: We used data from community health interviews from 6 administrative sections (eup, myeon, or dong) with high mortality from August to October, conducted once in both 2010 and 2013 as part of the Health Plus Happiness Plus Projects based on the concept of community empowerment in Gyeongsangnam-do Province. For 2010, the study subjects comprised a systematic sampling of 220 adults from each of the six sections for a total of 1320 subjects, and for 2013, 200 from each section for a total of 1200 subjects. We compared main health behavior indicators and empowerment score between these two years. Results: Smoking prevalence in men was 47.4% in 2013, and 47.7% in 2010, respectively. Prevalence of walking 5 days or more per week was 35.6% in 2013, significantly lower than 46.2% in 2010. Also, during that period, both biennial health examination rate and biennial gastric cancer screening rate among those 40 years of age and over significantly increased from 57.7% to 63.6% and from 49.3% to 55.0%, respectively. Mean empowerment score at the community level significantly increased from 12.6 to 14.0. Conclusions: This study suggests that the three-year implementation of community organization might have helped to increase the participation rate of biennial health examinations including cancer screenings in the community. However, this was not the case for smoking cessation and walking. Further studies are needed for evidence-based health promotion.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.79-92
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• 2008

Purpose: Recommendation for regular Pap test in the past 3 years as a cue to action affects on an increased likelihood of receiving a cervical cancer screening in that period. This study performed to estimate the association with healthcare access, healthcare provider status, and physician recommendation for Pap test in the past 3 years among Korean American women. Method: Korean Health survey was carried out in 2002. These population-based telephone surveys were conducted with Korean American women who resided in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, California (n=865). We preformed multiple logistic regression analyses to estimate predictors of physician recommendation for Pap test by SAS 8.2. Results: Korean women in two California Counties were 37.9% who received physician recommendation for Pap test in the past 3 years. The predictors on physician recommendation for Pap test in the past 3 years were health insurance coverage, visiting number to doctor in the past year, and healthcare provider status. For healthcare access, no matter who had enrolled in public or private health insurances, the women were more likely to get the recommendation for Pap test from their regular healthcare provider. Particularly, for ethnicity of healthcare provider, the women were more likely to get the recommendation for Pap test from non-Korean female doctors (OR=6.21, 95% CI=2.63, 14.66), Korean male doctors (OR=2.19, 95% CI=1.30, 3.68), and non-Korean male doctors (OR=2.07, 95% CI=1.15, 3.71). Conclusion: (삭제) Effect of healthcare access and healthcare provider status on recommendation for Pap test among Korean American women in two California Counties would contribute to our understanding of developing strategies to promote adherence of Pap test and reduce morbidity and mortality far cervical cancer among Korean American women in the U.S.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.110-119
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• 2003

Purpose: Radioiodine (I-131) therapy is an effective modality to reduce both recurrence and mortality rates in differentiated thyroid cancer. Whether higher doses shows higher therapeutic responses was still debatable. The purpose of this study was to validate curve-fitting (CF) method measuring maximum permissible dose (MPD) by a biological dosimetry using metaphase analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Materials and Methods: Therapeutic effects of MPD was evaluated in 58 patients (49 females and 9 males, mean age $50{\pm}11$ years) of papillary thyroid cancer. Among them 43 patients were treated with ${\Leq}7.4GBq$, while 15 patients with ${\geq}9.25GBq$. The former was defined as low-dose group, and the latter high-dose group. Therapeutic response was defined as complete response when complete disappearance of lesions on follow-up I-131 scan and undetectable serum thyroglobulin levels were found. Statistical comparison between groups were done using chi-square test. P value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: MPD measured by CF method using tracer and therapeutic doses were $13.3{\pm}1.9\;and\;13.8{\pm}2.1GBq$, respectively (p=0.20). They showed a significant correlation (r=0.8, p<0.0001). Exposed doses to blood measured by CF and biological methods were $1.54{\pm}0.03\;and\;1.78{\pm}0.03Gy$ (p=0.01). They also showed a significant correlation (r=0.86, p=0.01). High-dose group showed a significantly higher rate of complete response (12/15, 80%) as compared to the low-dose group (22/43, 51.2%) (p=0.05). While occurrence of side effects was not different between two groups (40% vs. 30.2%, p=0.46). Conclusion: Measurement of MPD using CF method is reliable, and the high-dose I-131 therapy using MPD gains significantly higher therapeutic effects as compared with low-dose therapy.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 1999

Purpose : To evaluate possible acute toxicity and early response of concurrent radiation therapy and low dose daily cisplatin as a radiosensitizer in patients with locally advanced uterine cervical carcinomas. Materials and Method : From December 1996 to January 1999, 38 previously untreated Patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (from stage IIB to stage IIIB) were treated at Inha University Hospital. All patients underwent standard pretreatment staging Procedures after the initial evaluation by gynecologists and radiation oncologists. Sixteen Patients with huge cervical mass (>4 cm) were submitted to the group treated with concurrent radiation therapy and low dose daily cisplatin while the remainder was treated with radiation therapy alone. Radiation therapy consisted of 4500 cGy external beam irradiation to whole pelvis (midline block after 3000 cGy), 900$\~$1000 cGy boost to involved parametrium, and high dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (a total dose of 3000$\~$3500 cGy/500 cGy per fraction to point A, twice per week). In the group treated with low dose cisplatin concurrently, 10 mg of daily intravenous cisplatin was given from the 1st day of radiation therapy to the 20th day of radiation therapy. Acute toxicity was measured according to expanded common toxicity criteria of the NCI (C) Clinical Trials. Early response data were analyzed at minimum 4 weeks' follow-up after completion of the treatment protocol. Results: Hematolgic toxici쇼 was more prominent in patients treated with radiation therapy and cisplatin. Six of 16 patients (37.5$\~$) treated with radiation therapy and cisplatin and one of 22 patients (4.5$\~$) treated with radiation therapy alone experienced grade 3 leukopenia. In Fisher's exact test, there was statistically significant difference between two groups regarding leukopenia (P=0.030). There was no apparent difference in the frequency of gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity between two groups (P=0.066). Three of 16 patients (18.7$\~$) treated with radiation therapy and cisplatin and two of 22 patients (9.1$\~$) treated with radiation therapy alone experienced more than 5 kg weight loss during the treatment. There was no statistically significant difference on weight loss between two groups (P=0.63). Two patients on each group were not evaluable for the early response because of incomplete treatment. The complete response rate at four weeks' follow-up was 80$\~$(16/20) for the radiation therapy alone group and 78$\~$ (11/14) for the radiation therapy and cisplatin group. There was no statistically significant difference in early response between two treatment groups (P=0.126). Conclusion : This study led to the conclusion that the hematologic toxicity from the treatment with concurrent radiation therapy and low dose daily cisplatin seems to be more prominent than that from the treatment of radiation therapy alone. There was no grade 4 hematologic toxicity or mortality in both groups. The hematologic toxicity in both treatment groups seems to be well managable modically. Since the risk factors were not balanced between two treatment groups, the direct comparison of early response of both groups was not possible. However, preliminary results regarding early response for patients with bulky cervical tumor mass treated with radiation therapy and low dose daily cisplatin was encouraging. Longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate the survival data. A phase III study is needed to evaluate the efficacy of concurrent daily low dose cisplatin with radiation therapy in bulky cervical cancer.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.140-148
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• 2005

Purpose : To characterize the epidemiology and clinical features of invasive pneumococcal infections in Korean children. Methods : One hundred ninety four cases of invasive pneumococcal infections diagnosed at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from October 1985 to December 2003 were analysed retrospectively. All isolates were screened for resistance to penicillin by oxacillin disc diffusion test. Serotypes were determined for 125 isolates. Results : The types of infection were bacteremia without focus 84/194(43%), meningitis 36/194(19%), pneumonia with bacteremia 36/194(19%), peritonitis 24/194(12%), other focal infections 3/194(2%). Fifty seven percent(110/194) of the episodes developed in the immunocompromised and 20%(37/194) were nosocomially acquired. The patients younger than 2 years of age was 60% in the immunocompetent patients and 25% in the immunocompromised patients. The overall case fatality rate was 7%. All the isolates by 1988 were susceptible to penicillin screened by oxacillin disk. Penicillin resistance was first detected in 1989(20%), and then increased rapidly; 89% in 1995, 69% in 1996, and 80~100% thereafter. The seven most frequently isolated serotypes were 23F, 19F, 14, 6B, 6A, 9V and 19A, which accounted for 70% of total isolates. Conclusion : S. pneumoniaeis an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Invasive infections caused by S. pneumoniae most often occurred in infants and young children, while they are frequent in older immunocompromised children as well. This is the largest case series on invasive pneumococcal infections in Korean children.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.1 s.56
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• pp.77-101
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• 1997

In September 1994, residents of Gozan-dong, Incheon City, made a petition to the government about their health problems which might be caused by previous glass fibre landfill nearby 'H' company. In february 1995, at regular academic meeting of occupational and environmental medicine, a research team of 'D' University presented that they had found glass fibres in groundwater of the area through their survey. They were suspicious of probable association between ingestion of groundwater contaminated with glass fibres and skin tumors among residents. A joint research team was formed and carried out the survey of environment concerning groundwater and its glass fibre existence, and health assessment of residents in the area and industrial workers of 'H' company during May to November, 1995. Analysis of groundwater flow system indicates that the flow lines from the glass fibre landfill pass through or terminate at the 6 houses around the landfill. This means that the groundwater of the 6 houses around the glass fibre landfill could be affected by some possible contaminants from the landfill, but the groundwater quality of the other houses was irrelevant to the landfill. The qualitative and qualitative analyses for glass fibres in 54 groundwater samples including those from the nearby 6 houses, were carried out using SEM equipped with EDS, resulting in no evidence for the presence of glass fibres in the waters. Major precipitates, formed in waters while boiling, were identified as calcium carbonates, in particulary, aragonites in needle form. The results of health assessments of 889 residents in Gozan-dong, participated in this study, showed statistically significant differences in past medical histories of skin tumor and respiratory disease between the exposed group (31 persons who inhabited in 6 houses around the landfill) and the control group, but no significant differences in past medical histories of other diseases, such as cancer mortality, current gastroscopic findings, current skin diseases and respiratory diseases, etc. Also, we could not prove any glass fibres in excised specimens of 9 skin tumors in both groups and there were no health problems possibly associated with glass fibres in employees of the 'H' company. After all, we could not authenticate the association, raised by prior investigators, between groundwater streams, assumedly contaminated with glass fibres or not, and specific disease morbidities or common disease/symptom prevalences. That is, we could not find any glass fibres in groundwater as the only exposure factor of this study hypothesis, and there were not enough certain evidences such as increasing disease prevalences, for examples, skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases etc, possibly related to glass fibre exposure, in exposed group. As a matter of course, the conditions for confirming causal association, for example, strength of the association, consistency of the association, specificity of the association, temporality of the association and dose-response relationship etc, have not been satisfied. In conclusion, we were not able to certify the hypothesis that contamination of groundwater with glass fibres might cause any hazardous health effects in residents who used it for drinking.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.1193-1200
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• 2005

Purpose : Invasive bacterial infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Previously, we reported etiology of invasive infections in healthy children in 1985-1995. This study was performed to update etiology of invasive bacterial infections in the previously healthy children. Methods : We reviewed medical records of 98 episodes of invasive bacterial infections in immunocompetent children at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital in 1996-2004. Results : The frequent pathogens identified over all age groups were Streptococcus pneumoniae (33%) and Staphylococcus aureus(33%). The proportion of Salmonella species and Haemophilus influenzae has been declined to 4% each from 23% and 14%, respectively, compared to previous study. S. agalactiae was the most common isolate in the infants ${\leq}3$ months. Among the infants and children aged 3 months to 2 years and children of 2-5 years, S. pneumoniae(57%, 52%, respectively, in each group) was the most common isolates followed by S. aureus(17% and 24%, respectively). S. aureus was the most common isolates(73%) in children >5 years. Primary bacteremia was the most common clinical diagnosis(27%). S. pneumoniae was responsible for 42% of primary bacteremia, 50% of meningitis, and 69% of bacteremic pneumonia and empyema. S. aureus accounted for 80% of bone and joint infections. The case fatality rate was 8.1% for all invasive infections. Conclusion : We reviewed frequency of bacterial agents of invasive infections in children. The data may be useful for pediatricians to select adequate empirical antibiotics in the management of invasive bacterial infections.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.12 s.269
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• pp.920-926
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• 2006

Background: Mortality and morbidity of anastomotic complications after esophagectomy have gradually decreased in recent years. However, swallowing difficulties and reflux symptoms after esophagogastrostomy continue to be a burden jeopardizing the quality of life. In the present study, we evaluated the quality of esophagogastrostomy by analyzing anastomotic stenosis and reflux esophagitis. Material and Method: A retrospective analysis was made in 74 patients who underwent esophagogastrostomy after esophagectomy by one surgeon between January 1995 and December 2004. 53 patients of them received endoscopic examination during follow-up($29{\pm}23.6$ months, range $5{\sim}111$ months). Reflux esophagitis and stenosis at anastomostic site were analyzed according to the techniques and locations of esophagogastrostomy. Result: The median age at the time of repair was $60.3{\pm}8.87$ years(range $39{\sim}81$ years). 23 patients received a hand-sewn esophagogastric anastomosis and 30 patients a circular stapled one. There was no significant statistical difference in terms of anastomotic stenosis(p=0.64) and reflux esophagitis(p=0.41) between the two groups. Cervical anastomosis was peformed in 26 patients and intrathoracic anastomosis in 27 patients. No significant statistical difference in anastomotic stenosis between the two groups was found(p=0.44), but reflux esophagitis was noted in 3 patients in the cervical anastomosis group and 14 patients in the intrathoracic anastomosis group(p=0.003). Conclusion: Cervical anastomosis was supposed to have a better quality of esophagogastrostomy by lowering the risk of reflux esophagitis. In the future, the comprehensive study including a patient's subjective symptom and Barrett's metaplasia should be performed in larger cases.