• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2000

Purpose : Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) can deliver highly focused radiation to a small and spherical target lesion with very high degree of mechanical accuracy. For non-spherical and large lesions, however, inclusion of the neighboring normal structures within the high dose radiation volume is inevitable in SRT This is to report the beam shaping using the partial closure of the independent jaw in SRT and the verification of dose calculation and the dose display using a home-made soft ware. Materials and Methods : Authors adopted the idea to partially close one or more independent collimator jaw(5) in addition to the circular collimator cones to shield the neighboring normal structures while keeping the target lesion within the radiation beam field at all angles along the arc trajectory. The output factors (OF's) and the tissue-maximum ratios (TMR's) were measured using the micro ion chamber in the water phantom dosimetry system, and were compared with the theoretical calculations. A film dosimetry procedure was peformed to obtain the depth dose profiles at 5 cm, and they were also compared with the theoretical calculations, where the radiation dose would depend on the actual area of irradiation. Authors incorporated this algorithm into the home-made SRT software for the isodose calculation and display, and was tried on an example case with single brain metastasis. The dose-volume histograms (DVH's) of the planning target volume (PTV) and the normal brain derived by the control plan were reciprocally compared with those derived by the plan using the same arc arrangement plus the independent collimator jaw closure. Results : When using 5.0 cm diameter collimator, the measurements of the OF's and the TMR's with one independent jaw set at 30 mm (unblocked), 15.5 mm, 8.6 mm, and 0 mm from th central beam axis showed good correlation to the theoretical calculation within 0.5% and 0.3% error range. The dose profiles at 5 cm depth obtained by the film dosimetry also showed very good correlation to the theoretical calculations. The isodose profiles obtained on the home-made software demonstrated a slightly more conformal dose distribution around the target lesion by using the independent jaw closure, where the DVH's of the PTV were almost equivalent on the two plans, while the DVH's for the normal brain showed that less volume of the normal brain receiving high radiation dose by using this modification than the control plan employing the circular collimator cone only. Conclusions : With the beam shaping modification using the independent jaw closure, authors have realized wider clinical application of SRT with more conformal dose planning. Authors believe that SRT, with beam shaping ideas and efforts, should no longer be limited to the small spherical lesions, but be more widely applied to rather irregularly shaped tumors in the intracranial and the head and neck regions.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 2009

Purpose: To report on the changes in the patterns of care and survival over time for esthesioneuroblastoma. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 42 previously untreated and histologically confirmed esthesioneuroblastoma patients seen between March 1989 and June 2007. According to Kadish's classification, 3 patients (7%) were stage A, 6 (14%) at stage B, and 33 (79%) at stage C. Of the 33 Kadish C patients, 19 and 14 patients were treated from 1989 through 2000 and from 2001 through 2007, respectively. Treatment included surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these methods. Chemotherapy was administered to 8 of 19 patients (42%) seen from 1989 through 2000, whereas all of the 14 patients seen from 2001 through 2007 received chemotherapy (p<0.001). No patient was treated by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) from 1989 through 2000, however 8 of 14 patients (67%) seen from 2001 through 2007 underwent 3D-CRT (p<0.001). The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 6.5 years (range, 2.2~15.8 years). Results: The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates for the entire cohort were 53% and 39%, respectively. The 5-year OS was 100% for Kadish stages A or B and 39% for stage C (p=0.007). For patients with stage C disease who were treated from 1989 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2007, the 5-year OS rate was 26% and 59% (p=0.029), respectively and the corresponding 5-year PFS rate was 16% and 46% (p=0.001), respectively. Intraorbital extension and treatment era (1989~2000 vs. 2001~2007) were found as independent factors for OS and PFS in a multivariate analyses. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that treatment era, which features a distinction in treatment modality and technique with the introduction of 3D-CRT, may be the cause of improved OS and PFS in Kadish stage C patients. To achieve better outcomes for patients with Kadish stage C, combined chemoradiotherapy, especially 3D-CRT, is recommended in addition to surgery.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.526-534
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• 2009

Purpose: We retrospectively investigated the diagnostic performance of $^{18}F$-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/CT for cancer detection in asymptomatic health-check examinees. Materials and Methods: This study consisted of 5091 PET or PET/CT conducted as part of annual health examination at one hospital from March 1998 to February 2008. To find the incidence of cancers, medical records of the subjects were thoroughly reviewed for a follow-up period of one year. The patterns of formal readings of PET and PET/CT were analyzed to assess the sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection. The histopathology and stage of the cancers were evaluated in relation to the results of PET. Results: Eighty-six cancers (1.7%) were diagnosed within one year after PET or PET/CT. When PET and PET/CT results were combined, the sensitivity was 48.8% and specificity was 81.1% for cancer detection. PET only had a sensitivity of 46.2% and a specificity of 81.4%, and PET/CT only had a sensitivity of 75.0% and a specificity of 78.5% respectively. There were no significant differences in cancer site, stage and histopathology between PET positive and PET negative cancers. In 19.3% of formal readings of PET and PET/CT, further evaluation to exclude malignancy or significant disease was recommended. Head and neck area and upper gastrointestinal tract were commonly recommended sites for further evaluation. Conclusions: PET and PET/CT showed moderate performance for detecting cancers in asymptomatic adults in this study. More experience and further investigation are needed to overcome limitations of PET and PET/CT for cancer screening.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.770-780
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• 2009

A new photosensitizer, 9-Hydroxypheophorbide-a (9-HpbD-a), was derived from Spirulina platensis. We conducted a series of experiments, in vitro and in vivo, to evaluate the anticancer effect and mechanism of photodynamic therapy using 9-HpbD-a and 660 nm diode lasers on a squamous carcinoma cell line. We studied the cytotoxic effects of pheophytin-a, 9-HpbD-a, 9-HpbD-a red and 660 nm diode lasers in a human head and neck cancer cell line (SNU-1041). Cell growth inhibition was determined by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay. The effects of 9-HpbD was higher than those of 9-HpbD-a red or pheophytin-a in PDT. We then tested the cytotoxic effects of 9-hydroxypheophorbide-a (9-HpbD-a) in vitro. The cultured SNU-I041 cells were treated with serial concentrations of 9-HpbD-a followed by various energy doses (0, 0.1, 0.5, 3.2 J/$cm^{2}$) and by various interval times (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 hr) until laser irradiation, then MTT assay was applied to measure the relative inhibitory effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Optimal laser irradiation time was 30 minutes and the cytotoxic effects according to incubation time after 9-HpbD-a treatment increased until 6 hours, after which it then showed no increase. To observe the cell death mechanism after PDT, SUN-I041 cells were stained by Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide after PDT, and observed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The principal mechanism of PDT at a low dose of 9-HpbD-a was apoptosis, and at a high dose of 9-HpbD-a it was necrosis. PDT effects were also observed in a xenografted nude mouse model. Group I (no 9-HpbD-a, no laser irradiation) and Group II (9-HpbD-a injection only) showed no response (4/4, 100%), and Group III (laser irradiation only) showed recurrence (1/4,25%) or no response (3/4, 75 %). Group IV (9-HpbD-a + laser irradiation) showed complete response (10/16, 62.5%), recurrence (4/16, 25%) or no response (2/16, 12.5%). Group IV showed a significant remission rate compared to other groups (p<0.05). These results suggest that 9-HpbD-a is a promising photosensitizer for the future and that further studies on biodistribution, toxicity and mechanism of action would be needed to use 9-HpbD-a as a photosensitizer in the clinical setting.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.230-237
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• 1999

Purpose : To elucidate the effects of pentoxifylline and diltiazem on the late response of the salivary glands of the rat after irradiation. Materials and Methods : Sixteen Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups : (a) irradiation alone (b) irradiation with pentixifylline (PTX) (c) irradiation with diltiazem (DTZ) (d) irradiation with both PTX and DTZ. Irradiation was given in a single fraction of 16 Gy using 4 MV photon energy through an anterior port encompassing the left side of the salivary gland leaving the right side of salivary gland as a control. PTX, 20 mg/kg and/or DTZ, 50 mg/kg were infused intraperitoneally before irradiation, Two rats from each group were sacrificed on the 10th week and the rest was sacrificed on the 16th week after irradiation. Histopathologic examinations were undertaken for each section and the proportion of vacuolated cells out of the total number of cells under light microscopic fields was calculated. The statistical significance in the difference of the proportion of the vacuolated cells among the experimental groups was evaluated by a $x^2$-test. Results : Irradiated salivary glands of the 10th week group revealed markedly increased number of vacuolated cells compared to those of unirradiated control. The proportion of vacuolated cells was significantly reduced in both the PTX group (p value=0.001) and the combined PTX and DTX group compared to those of irradiation alone group. The DTZ alone group did not reveal the significant reduction of vacuolated cells compared to those of irradiation alone group (p value, >0.05). The 16th week groups revealed similar findings to those of the 10th week group, but the degree of chronic inflammatory cell infiltrates and interstitial fibrosis was increased and the number of acinar cells was reduced compared to those of the 10th week group. Conclusions : PTX significantly reduced the late radiation response of salivary glands, but DTZ did not reduce the same degree as PTX did. Taking the positive results of this study into consideration, it seems reasonable to apply PTX into the clinical trial for the head and neck irradiation to reduce the late radiation sequelae of salivary glands in the near future. At the same time the further experiment to clarify the subcellar mechni는 involved in PTX should be preceded.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.511-517
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• 1995

Bone scan is a very sensitive diagnostic imaging test for detecting bone and joint disorders. So it might be useful in the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders of the joint origin. Thus, the effectiveness of bone scan for detecting temporomandibular joint(TMJ) diseases and differentiating the TMJ disc displacement from the TMJ arthritis was evaluated. Bone scan was done in 21 patients with TMJ disc displacement(13 unilaterally affected, 8 bilaterally affected), 25 patients with TMJ arthritis(23 unilateral, 3 bilateral), and 39 volunteers with no signs, symtoms, or history of TMJ disease. TMJ simple uptake rate(SUR) and difference of both TMJ SUR were calculated from the 100,000 count lateral image of head and neck region in 99mTc MDP bone scan. Transcranial and panorama X-ray examination was also done in all patients. TMJ SUR(%) were $1.673{\pm}0.606$ in TMJs affected with arthritis, $1350{\pm}0.351$ in TMJs affected with disc displacement, and $1.084{\pm}0.172$ in TMJs of controls. Significant differences were demonstrated among them(p<0.01) Difference of bith TMJ SUR was highest in patients with unilateral TMJ arthritis($0.608{\pm}$0.533, p<001), and there is no significant difference between that of controls and that of unilateral TMJ dist displacement patients($0.062{\pm}0.063$ vs $0.122{\pm}0.100$). TMJ SUR of Joint with bone change on X-ray finding was not significantly different from that of joint with normal X-ray finding. Those in patients with unilateral TMJ disc displacement(696% and 87% vs 23.1% and 23%). The proportions of patients with increased TMJ SUR and difference of both TMJ SUR(>mean+2SD of controls) in unilateral TMJ arthritis patients were significantly higher than those in patients with unilateral TMJ disc displacement(69.6% and 87% vs 23.1% and 23%). Conclusively, bone scan nay help to detect TMJ disease and differentiate TMJ disc displacement from TMJ arthritis.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.372-380
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of whole body F-18 FDG PET scan for detecting postoperative recurrence of cancer. One hundred four cancer patients after operation were enrolled(14 brain tumor, 15 head and neck cancer, 23 gynecologic cancer, 16 gastrointestinal cancer, 16 thyroid cancer, and 20 other cancers). Besides conventional images(CI) including CT and MRI, F-18 FDG PET scan was obtained on ECAT EXACT 47 scanner(Siemens-CTI), beginning 60 minutes after injection of 370MBq(10mCi) of F-18 FDG. Regional scan was also obtained with emission image. Transmission images using Ge-68 were carried out for attenuation correction in both whole body and regional images. Findings of PET, and CI were confirmed by pathology or clinical follow up. The sensitivity and specificity of PET for detecting recurrence were 94% and 92%, respectively. Contrarily, the sensitivity and specificity of CI were 78% and 68%. CI results were negative and PET results were positive in 11 cases. The biopsy or clinical follow-up of those cases confirmed recurrence of tumor. False negative cases of CI were frequent in patients with gynecologic cancers. Also we measured the serum concentration of tumor markers in patients with gynecologic cancer(CA125), thyroid cancer(thyroglobulin), and colorectal cancer(CEA). The sensitivity and specificity of tumor markers were 71% and 84%, respectively, We conclude that F-18 FDG PET can be used valuably in detecting recurrent foci of a wide variety of malignancy compared to conventional diagnostic methods.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2011

To investigate a comparison of rice yield and quality by a utilization of green crops using barley and hairyvetch, this study was carried out in rice (Oryza sativa L.) organic cultivation field. Convention barley harvest (CBH), Green barley crop (GBC), Green barley+Green Hairyvetch crop (GB+HVC), and Non-Green crop (NGC) were treated in rice cultivation field. The results obtained as following: 1) Culm length and pancile length in Convention barley harvest (CBH) cultivation were longer than organic cultivation but were not significant difference in all treatments. Yields of milled rice in Green barley crop (GBC) and Green barley+Green Hairyvetch crop (GB+HVC) were by 90.3% and 95.9%, respectively. 2) Protein contents in Green barley crop (GBC) and Green barley+Green Hairyvetch crop (GB+HVC) were by 5.7% lower than 6.6% in Convention barley harvest (CBH) cultivation. Amylose contents in all treatment were similar as range 18.8% to 19.1%. Whiteness contents in Green barley crop (GBC) and Green barley+Green Hairyvetch crop (GB+HVC) were slightly higher by 38.9% and 39.1%, respectively, than 37.7% in Convention barley harvest (CBH) cultivation. 3) Palatability values in Barley harvest (BH) and Non-Green crop (NGC) were slightly higher by 82.0 and 83.8, respectively, than 77.6 in Convention barley harvest (CBH) cultivation. 4) Head rice in Non-Green crop (NGC) was 95.5%, while that of Convention barley harvest (CBH), Green barley crop (GBC), and Green barley+Green Hairy-vetch crop (GB+HVC) were slightly low as range 93.8% to 94.2%. White core and belly rice in Convention barley harvest (CBH) cultivation was the highest level by 1.7%. 5) Leaf blast, neck blast, sheath blight, rice stem maggot, rice leaf roller, rice leaf-tier, and green rice leafhopper were occurred lightly in rice field.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.228-233
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively examine the factors and characteristics of cancer patients who visited the emergency room, as well as to offer some educational materials for to manage acute symptoms. Methods: Data for this study were selected from the period of January to December, 2006. A total of 564 patients were examined using the tool which we developed by ourselves for the study. The collected data were analyzed using the SAS program for frequencies and percentage. Results: As for disease-related characteristics of the subjects, 28.9% of them had gastric and colorectal cancer; 66.9% were in stage 4; 51.6% had been in chemotherapy prior to visiting the emergency room; and 82.5% had their anticancer drug administrated average 1~5 times. As for the characteristics in regard to visit the emergency room, 62.9% were admitted to hospital within 2 weeks of being treated. As for chief complaints for visiting the emergency room, the worst symptom was pain, followed by symptoms such as gastro-intestinal symptoms, respiratory symptoms, high fever, and weakness. As for the disease-related symptoms, the worst symptom that gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, liver and gallbladder cancer patients complained of was pain, high fever for lymphoma patients was respiratory symptoms for lung cancer patients, and gastrointestinal symptoms for head and neck cancer and other patients. Conclusion: Therefore, according to their need and background, an individualized consultation and teaching program should be provided to cancer patients.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.412-416
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• 2011

Taste sensation plays a crucial role in selecting and ingesting foods with different qualities which convey information about their nutrient content and/or safety. Sweetness is one of the five modalities in humans and serves as an energy resource for metabolism. There are reports on allelic polymorphisms which influence perception of sweetness in mice and humans. Since the influence of genetic factors on taste disorder has not been studied, we investigated the association of genetic polymorphisms in TAS1R3 and guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha transducing 3 (GNAT3) genes and taste disorder. A total of 150 individuals composed of 50 patients with taste disorder and 100 healthy controls were recruited for the study and PCR-mediated directing sequencing method was used to genotype for two different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - rs307355 (T>C) and rs35744813 (T>C) in the TAS1R3 gene, and rs7792845 (T>C) and rs1524600 (C>T) in the the GNAT3 gene. The allele and genotype frequencies of rs307355 and rs35744813 in the TAS1R3 gene showed a significant association between patients with taste disorder (p=0.022 and p=0.013 in both of SNPs, respectively). In addition, the frequency of T-T haplotype in the TAS1R3 gene was higher in taste disorder cases than in the controls (OR, 1.93: 95%. CI, 1.09-3.39, p=0.022). In the GNAT3, the genotype frequency of rs7792845 in the patients was also different from the controls (p=0.048), but allele frequency was not significantly associated in either group. Our result provides the frequencies of SNPs and haplotypes of the TAS1R3 and GNAT3 genes for the fundamental information of nutrigenetics in perception of the taste of sweetness in the Korean population. Also, the study suggests that the allelic polymorphisms of TAS1R3 and GNAT3 genes may be useful as a molecular marker for evaluating patients with taste disorder. Further studies with large samples are required to clarify our observation.