• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.90-101
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• 2020

Purpose: The multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test developed recently can help detect enteric pathogens of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of pathogens in children with AGE using the multiplex RT-PCR. Methods: From May 2015 to June 2018, multiplex RT-PCR tests were performed to identify pathogens in the feces of pediatric patients diagnosed with AGE at a secondary hospital in Seoul, Korea. Results: Of the 1,366 stool samples examined for viral pathogens, 483 (35.3%) tested positive for ≥1 pathogen. Group A rotavirus (RV) was detected in 106 cases (7.8%). The positivity rate increased annually from 3.0% (8/263) to 16.7% (48/288) and surged in 2018 (P<0.001). Norovirus (NoV) GII was the most common viral pathogen (263/1,366, 19.3%), and the positivity rate did not increase during the 3 years. Of the 304 stool samples tested for bacterial pathogens, Campylobacter spp. was the most common bacterial pathogen (32/304, 10.5%), followed by Clostridium difficile (22/304, 7.2%) and Salmonella spp. (17/304, 5.6%). The positivity rate of these bacterial pathogens did not change significantly during the study period. Conclusions: NoV GII is the main pathogen in childhood AGE since the introduction of RV vaccine, yet the number of rotavirus-infected patients increased during our study, especially in 2018. Therefore, further research is needed including the possibility of emergence of novel RV strains. Campylobacter spp. is the predominant cause of bacterial AGE in children. For proper treatment, the clinical characteristics of the bacteria should be taken into consideration, and continuous monitoring is necessary.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권5호
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• pp.1935-1941
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• 2012

Introduction: Uterine sarcomas are a group of heterogenous and rare malignancies of the female genital tract and there is a lack of consensus on prognostic factors and optimal treatment. Objective and Methodology: To perform a retrospective evaluation of clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of 93 patients with uterine sarcomas who were diagnosed and treated at 4 different centers from November 2000 to October 2010. Results: Of the 93 patients, 58.0% had leiomyosarcomas, 26.9% malignant mixed Mullerian tumors, 9.7% endometrial stromal sarcomas, and 5.4% other histological types. According to the last International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging, 43.0% were stage I, 20.4% were stage II, 22.6% were stage III and 14.0 % were stage IV. Median relapse free survival (RFS) was 20 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 12.4-27.6 months), RFS after 1, 2, 5 years were 66.6%, 44.1%, 16.5% respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 56 months (95% CI, 22.5-89.5 months), and OS after 1, 2, 5 years was 84.7%, 78%, 49.4% respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that age ${\geq}60$ years and high grade tumor were significantly associated with poor OS and RFS; patients administered adjuvant treatment with sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy had longer RFS time. Among patients with leiomyosarcoma, in addition to age and grade, adjuvant treatment with sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy after surgery had significant effects on OS. Conclusion: Uterine sarcomas have poor progrosis even at early stages. Prognostic factors affecting OS were found to be age and grade.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.129-139
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• 2003

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of glycogen storage disease (GSD) type 1 with particular reference to hepatic adenoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and to analyze risk factors affecting the development of hepatic adenoma in GSD type 1. Methods: Forty-three GSD type 1 patients (31 males and 12 females, mean age $13.9{\pm}6.4$ years) were analyzed retrospectively. Hepatic adenoma was detected on abdominal USG and diagnosed on histologic examination. Clinical profiles were compared between patients with hepatic adenoma (n=16) and age-matched controls without hepatic adenoma (n=16). Results: 1) Of 43 GSD type 1 patients, 16 (37.2%) had hepatic adeoma. Hepatic adenoma was detected at the age of mean $14.2{\pm}4.1$ years (range: 7.9~25.7 years). Fourteen (87.5%) adenomas were multiple at detection. 2) Comparison of the clinical profiles between adenoma group and non-adenoma group revealed that age at first introduction of uncooked cornstarch treatment was significantly late in adenoma group compared with non-adenoma group ($9.1{\pm}5.2$ years vs. $3.0{\pm}1.8$ years, p=0.003). Portocaval shunt surgery was performed in 11 (68.8%) patients in adenoma group and 3 (18.8%) in non-adenoma group (p=0.004). Hepatic adenoma developed mean $5.8{\pm}4.2$ years after shunt operation. 3) One patient was diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma at the age of 25.7 years. Conclusion: Hepatic adenoma is an important late complication of GSD type 1 with the risk of malignant transformation. Early introduction of cornstarch therapy with strict metabolic control is needed to prevent the development of hepatic adenoma in GSD type 1.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.178-185
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of children with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia(JMML) treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT). Methods : Eleven JMML patients aged 8-39 months underwent allo-HSCT. The sources of grafts were unrelated donors(n=7), HLA-matched siblings(n=3) and an HLA 1-antigen mismatched familial donor. All patients had received chemotherapy ${\pm}13$-cis-retinoic acid(CRA) before transplant, and CRA was used, posttransplant, in six patients. Results : Only three patients were in complete remission(CR) at the time of transplantation. Initial chimeric status revealed complete donor chimerism(CC) in five patients, mixed chimerism(MC) in five and autologous recovery(AR) in one. One patient with MC having persistent splenomegaly eventually turned to CC and CR after rapid tapering of cyclosporine, combined with daily use of CRA. An AR case relapsed shortly after transplant but was rescued with second, unrelated cord blood transplantation. Ultimately, six patients are alive, event-free, with a median follow-up of 15.5 months posttransplant. All three deaths occurred in patients who failed to achieve CC, leading to disease progression. Conclusion : We suggest that graft-versus-leukemia effect play an important role and CRA a possible role in posttransplant leukemic involution in JMML. In patients whose leukemic burden is still high with MC after transplant, early tapering of immunosuppressants and introduction of CRA might provide a chance of a cure for some patients.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.177-183
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• 2010

A focused ion beam (FIB) system produces a beam of positive ions (usually gallium) which are heavier than electrons and can be focused by electrostatic lenses into a spot on the specimen. With its ability milling of the specimen material by 10 to 100 nm with each pass of the beam, FIB is widely adopted in materials science, semiconductor industry, and ceramics research. Recently, FIB has been increasingly employed in the field of biomedical sciences. Here we provide a brief introduction to FIB and its applications for a wide variety of biomedical research. The surface of specimen can be in situ processed and quasi-real time visualized by two beam combination of FIB and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). Due to its milling process, internal structures can be exposed and analyzed: yeast cells, fungus-inoculated wheat leaf, mannitol particles in inhalation aerosols, and oyster shell. Serial blockface tomography with the system kindles 3-dimensional reconstruction researches in the realm of nervous system and life sciences. Two-beam system of FIB/FESEM is a versatile tool to be utilized in the biomedical sciences, especially in 3-dimensional reconstruction studies.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.528-534
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• 2005

Angiogenesis is important for the growth and metastasis of solid tumors. Some growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, and angiogenin are known to promote tumor angiogenesis. Among them, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most intriguing factor in regard to tumor angiogenesis. Inhibition of VEGF activity by neutralizing antibodies or by the introduction of dominant negative VEGF receptors into endothelial cells of tumor-associated blood vessels resulted in the inhibition of tumor growth and in tumor regression, indicating that VEGF is a major initiator of tumor angiogenesis. VEGF promotes angiogenesis through their receptors, Flt-1 and Flk-1/KDR. on vascular endothelial cells. These two receptors were usually believed to be expressed specifically on vascular endothelial cell. Several reports have now shown that VEGF is not only significantly associated with microvessel density but also has prognostic value in both node-negative and node-positive oral squamous cell carcinoma. For many years several histologic features of the neoplasms are being considered when assessing the influence of malignancy grading on recurrence and prognosis. Among the characteristics investigated, degree of keratinization, nuclear pleomorphism, mode of invasion, microscopic depth of invasion, intravascular invasion, lymphocyte infiltration, and number of mitoses have been considered as important prognostic factors. So, this study was conducted to evaluate the correlation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression with malignancy in paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens from 11 patients with tongue cancers. Our results showed that high immunoreactivity specimens of VEGF expression were significantly lower keratinization degree and more pronounced nuclear pleomorphism than in low immunoreactivity specimens. Thus, VEGF expression could be used as a prognostic marker in tongue cancer.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.62-66
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• 2006

Introduction: Unexpected serious and lethal drug interactions can be occurred by polypharmacy for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. We report a case who has suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding after the combination of clozapine and buspirone. Case : A 69-year-old woman with DSM-IV schizophrenia who was admitted to our hospital had no previous medical problems. Findings on physical exam, laboratory values, EEG, and a magnetic reso-nance imaging scans were no abnormality, except for slightly low level of hemoglobin at admission. Because of aggravating anxiety symptom, a trial of buspirone was begun from 15mg, in addition to olanzapine 30mg. And then olanzapine was switched to clozapine due to her treatment-refractory his-tory and poor response on this admission. Moreover, At the admission 11 weeks later, after 4 weeks of starting buspirone and clozapine, she was placed on a regimen of clozapine 300mg and buspirone 60mg. At this point, she started to complaint nonspecific abdominal pain for 4 days and then hematemesis, melena and hypotension were developed suddenly with negative findings in gastroduodenoscopy. After stopping all medication, the suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding was subsided. After the regimen was switched back to clozapine only, psychotic symptoms were improved without the recurrence of the adverse events. Conclusion : We concluded that the upper gastrointestinal bleeding in this case was attributed to the drug interaction with clozapine and buspirone, although the definite mechanism is not clear. The clini-cians should be very cautious to prescribe the combination of clozapine and buspirone due to a possible lethal adverse effect.

• Journal of the Korean Society of International Agriculture
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.257-268
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• 2018

Recently, the international standardization of ISO in the field of Oriental Herbal Medicine has been progressing rapidly under the direction of China's promotion. China's intention to promote international standardization is to extend its influence to the world and beyond the domestic market. The Oriental medicine system in East Asia has similar roots in academic terms, but the medicines that can be supplied and received in each country are different and have developed independently. The international standardization of medicinal herbs is expected to function in a direction that weakens such differentiation and independence. From a commercial point of view, international standardization is no different from creating evaluation criteria for oriental medicinal products, and it is expected that its potential impact on domestic and overseas markets and producers will be large. In particular, the international standardization centered on China can lead to favorable evaluation criteria for China, which may further negatively affect the market competitiveness of domestic raw materials, which have been pushed back by Chinese manufacturers. If the domestic production base is weakened, not only will the farmers suffer but the supply and demand of raw materials will also be manipulated, safety management control will be reduced, and the development of oriental herbal products using domestic raw materials will be hurt. Therefore, in the promotion of international standardization, it is necessary not only to reflect the value of Korean herbal medicine but also to provide strategic responses to protect the domestic production base. However, in the case of recent initiatives, there is no precedent in analyzing influence on the production partners and the related industries. In addition, there are few related papers and reports on the subject, so the publicity process has not been done sufficiently. In response to this, this study will examine the countermeasures against the international standardization of herbal medicines through reviewing its present status and evaluating the agenda of the Korean initiative.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.92-98
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• 2007

Introduction: The treatment of proximal humeral fracture is traditionally determined by Neer's classification system. The severely displaced three-part or four-part fracture is an indication for primary hemiarthroplasty. The current authors report the clinical results of 10 patients who received hemiarthroplasty for proximal comminuted fractures. The minimum follow-up period was 12 months. Materials and Methods: The current authors studied 10 patients who, between July 1999 and March 2005, each received hemiarthroplasty for a proximal humeral fracture of one shoulder. According to Neer's classification system, 5 of the patients had three-part fractures, and 5 of the patients had 4-part fractures. The mean interval between trauma and hemiarthroplasty was 6.1 days. The mean age of the 6 female and 4 male patients was 67.4 years(range: 56 to 76). Shoulder function was evaluated using the Constant score, the Simple Shoulder Test, and the modified UCLA score. Results: The mean Constant score was 51.4(range: 34 to 60). The mean modified SST score was 7.8 out of 12 tasks. Excluding the one patient who had also sustained an axillary artery rupture and a brachial plexus injury after the initial trauma, the mean Constant score for the remaining 9 patients was 53.5(range: 44 to 60), and the mean SST score was 7.2 tasks. The modified UCLA score averages for pain, function, and active forward flexion and strength were, respectively, 8.2($6{\sim}10$), 6.6($2{\sim}8$), and 6.9($4{\sim}8$). The total UCLA score was an average of 21.7($12{\sim}26$). Patients' the modified UCLA ratings were as follows: Excellent: 3, Good: 6, and Poor: 1. The patient with the poor outcome was the one who had also sustained the neurovascular injury. Patient's subjective satisfaction rating were as follows: Excellent: 2, Good: 7, and Poor: 1. Conclusion: Based on short term follow-up results, this study indicates that hemiarthroplasty is the treatment of choice for proximal humeral fractures on which it would be difficult to perform open reduction and internal fixation. Hemiarthroplasty is a useful treatment modality to prevent shoulder stiffness and to allow daily living tasks in elderly patients. However, restoration of muscle power and range of joint motion were not recovered satisfactorily.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.167-176
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• 2000

The objective of recent radiation therapy is to improve the quality of treatment and the after treatment quality of life. In Korea, sharing the same objective, significant advancement was made due to the gradual increase of patient number and rapid increase of treatment facilities. The advancement includes generalization of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), application of linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and furthermore, the introduction of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Authors in this paper prospectively review the followings: the advancement of radiation oncology in Korea, the recent status of four-dimensional radiation therapy, IMRT, the concept of the treatment with biological conformity, the trend of combined chemoradiotherapy, the importance of internet and radiation oncology information management system as influenced by the revolution of information technology, and finally the global trend of telemedicine in radiation oncology. Additionally, we suggest the methods to improve radiotherapy treatment, which include improvement of quality assurance (QA) measures by developing Koreanized QA protocol and system, regional study about clinical protocol development for phase three clinical trial, suggestion of unified treatment protocol and guideline by academic or research societies, domestic generation of treatment equipment's or system, establishment of nationwide data base of radiation-oncology-related information, and finally patterns-of-care study about major cancers.