• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.132-140
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• 2006

Well-differentiated thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy with an increasing incidence. Most patients with well-differentiated thyroid caner have a favorable prognosis with high survival rate. While surgery and radioiodine therapy is sufficient treatment for the majority of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, a minority of these patients experiences progressive, life-threatening growth and metastatic spread of the disease. Because there is no prospective controlled study to evaluate the differences of management of thyroid cancer, it is hard to choose the best treatment option. And there are still lots of controversies about the management of this disease, such as surgical extent, proper use of radioiodine for remnant ablation and therapy, use of rhTSH instead of withdrawal of thyroid hormone, long-term follow-up strategy, thyroglobulin as a tumor marker, etc. In this review, recent data related to these conflicting issues and recent advances in diagnosis, radioiodine therapy and long-term monitoring of well-differentiated thyroid cancer are summarized.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권8호
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• pp.3247-3251
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• 2015

Background: The attendance rates for cancer screening are low in Japan. Little is actually known about how the Japanese perceive cancer. Since beliefs about illness affect individuals' health care practice, the aim of this study was to explore beliefs about cancer and factors associated with those beliefs, focusing on representative cancer sites. Materials and Methods: Japanese adults (${\geq}20$ years old) who had not been diagnosed with any cancers and were not health care professionals were recruited, using a convenience sampling approach. A total of 91 participants completed questionnaires including open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the responses. Results: Five themes were suggested: (i) a threatening illness that might greatly change one's future life; (ii) basic cancer knowledge; (iii) a curable illness with early detection and adequate treatment; (iv) causes of cancer; and (v) anyone can develop cancer. Families or friends' negative consequences of cancer were associated with negative beliefs about the disease. Gestational cancer was the most representative site of most themes. Conclusions: A threatening illness (e.g., death or incurable illness) was the most common belief among the Japanese laypeople. Importance of early detection and treatments should be more emphasized, and future screening programs should include strategies modifying negative cancer beliefs among Japanese laypeople.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제75권3호
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• pp.111-115
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• 2013

Although the relationship between malignancy risk with systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been inconclusive, there are some previous studies for a positive correlation. Most patients with SSc have some degree of lung parenchymal involvement in the form of interstitial thickening and fibrosis. Interstitial lung disease is the most common pulmonary manifestation of SSc. Interstitial lung disease following chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin [FOLFOX]) is an uncommon life-threatening complication and it is induced by oxaliplatin. We report a case of multiple cancers in a patient with SSc and aggravated interstitial lung disease by chemotherapy.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.89-110
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• 2012

Meningococcal Disease, manifesting as meningitis and septicemia, is a life-threatening bacterial infection that results in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in childhood. Its epidemic potential and limited opportunities for clinical intervention due to its rapid course present unique public health and clinical challenges. Incidence is highest in infants and young children, with a secondary peak of risk in adolescents. Approximately 10% of cases are fatal and survivors can be left with serious and permanent sequelae including amputations, hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Transmission is only from human-to-human, by infected respiratory tract secretions or saliva and therefore crowding poses a tremendously elevated risk for disease development. Military recruits and university students are at high risk due to the high carriage rate in adolescents, their behavior patterns and close contact. Menveo$^{(R)}$ (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics), a novel quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine directed against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y, has been shown to be immunogenic and well tolerated in all age groups and was recently licensed for use in Korea. Recent cases and deaths among military recruits drew public attention to their elevated risk and the Korean government has recommended vaccination of all new military recruits. Many Korean students seek to attend school, university, or language institutes in countries where routine meningococcal vaccination is required - clinicians should be aware of such requirements to ensure that students are vaccinated prior to arrival in the destination country.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제53권3호
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• pp.201-207
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• 2021

The 2019 coronavirus outbreak poses a threat to scientific, societal, financial, and health resources. The complex pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus centers on the unpredictable clinical progression of the disease, which may evolve abruptly and result in critical and life-threatening clinical complications. Effective clinical laboratory biomarkers that can classify patients according to risk are essential for ensuring timely treatment, and an analysis of recently published studies found cytokine storm and coagulation disorders were leading factors of severe COVID-19 complications. The following inflammatory, biochemical, and hematology biomarkers markers have been identified in COVID-19 patients; neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, c-reactive protein, procalcitonin, urea, liver enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, serum amyloid A, cytokines, d-dimer, fibrinogen, ferritin, troponin, creatinine kinase, and lymphocyte, leukocyte, and platelet counts. These factors are predictors of disease severity and some are involved in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. CRP is an acute-phase, non-specific serological biomarker of inflammation and infection and is related to disease severities and outcomes. In the present study, CRP levels were found to rise dramatically among COVID-19 patients, and our findings suggest CRP could be utilized clinically to predict COVID-19 prognosis and severity even before disease progression and the manifestation of clinical symptoms.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.123-130
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• 2005

Gastric perforation of the newborn is a rare and life threatening problem. The pathogenesis of gastric perforation is not clear. Since ischemia is responsible for intestinal perforation, a similar mechanism may result in gastric perforation. Twelve patients with neonatal gastric perforation who were treated at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hanyang University Hospital from 1987 to 2002 were reviewed. Eight patients were male and four female. The age of perforation was 1 day to 8 days of life. Ten patients were operated upon and 2 patients were treated nonoperatively. The perforation site was located on the anterior wall along the greater curvature of the stomach in 8 patients and along the lessor curvature of the stomach in 2. The precipitating factors were prematurity, gastroschisis, mechanical ventilation, intestinal obstruction, cyanotic heart disease and indomethacine medication. In 5 cases the cause of perforation was not identified. The mortality rate was 25 % (3 of 12). Earlier recognition and treatment were thought to be crucial prognostic factors.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.16-20
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• 2020

Spontaneous hemopneumothorax is a rare disease, and it can cause life threatening condition. It is characterized by the accumulation of more than 400 mL of blood and air in the pleural cavity without any other apparent causes. A previously healthy 22-year-old female patient presented with acute chest pain and dyspnea. Chest X-ray and computed tomography revealed a massive hemopneumothorax in the left hemithorax. The images showed a completely collapsed left lung with right-sided tracheal deviation, several pleural adhesion bands, and fluid collection with air-fluid level. We emergently performed a closed thoracostomy, and then 560 mL of fresh bloods were initially drained. We considered an emergent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary wedge resection and bleeding control because of the massive hemothorax. However, the patient's vital signs were stabilized after blood transfusion and supportive cares for re-expansion pulmonary edema. The patient discharged from the hospital on 11^th in-hospital day after removal of the chest tube, and there had not been any recurrence of the pneumothorax for 10 months. We suggest that treatment strategy should be decided upon individually based on the patient's condition and clinical course of the disease.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.589-596
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• 2018

Ticks are the vectors of various pathogens, threatening human health and animal production across the globe. Here, for the first time we detected Ricketssia spp., Borrelia spp. and protozoan in ticks from Poyang Lake region in Jiangxi Province of eastern China. In 3 habitat categories and on 12 host species, 311 ticks from 11 species were collected. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the predominant species, accounting for 55.63%, followed by Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis flava and Ixodes granulatus. Of the collected ticks, 7.07% were positive for tick-borne pathogens, and H. longicornis and H. flava were found to be co-infected with Ricketssia spp. and protozoan. H. flava was the most detected positive for tick-borne pathogens, whereas H. longicornis had the lowest infection rate, and the difference in infection rates between tick species was significant (${\chi}^2=61.24$, P<0.001). Furthermore, adult ticks demonstrated remarkably greater infection rate than immature ticks (${\chi}^2=10.12$, P=0.018), meanwhile ticks on Erinaceidae showed significantly higher positivity than ticks collected on other host species (${\chi}^2=108.44$, P<0.001). Genetic fragment sequencing and analyses showed at least 4 pathogen species presence in ticks, namely Borrelia yangtzensis, Rickettsia slovaca or Rickettsia raoultii related genospecies, Babesia vogeli and Hepatozoon canis or Hepatozoon felis related genospecies. The finding indicates that the abundant ticks can carry diverse pathogens in Poyang Lake region, and pathogen infection is highly related to species, vertebrate hosts and life stages of ticks.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.246-250
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• 2013

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis (RCM) is an opportunistic, potentially life-threatening fungal disease. This infective disease invades not only the facial sinuses, but also the maxilla, zygoma, and rhino-cerebral structures with a massive destruction of the facial skeletons and soft tissue. This disease progresses within various underlying diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, hematologic malignancy, renal failure, and systemic immunodepression. The relationship between mucormycosis and these underlying conditions have been discussed extensively in the literature. The authors studied 6 cases of RCM diagnosed by a tissue biopsy and treated at the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, from 1997 to 2012. Patients were treated with several kinds of surgical interventions and antifungal agents, and their clinical & radiological signs, underlying conditions, surgical methods, and outcomes were analyzed.

• 대한유전성대사질환학회지
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.1-19
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• 2013

Inherited metabolic disorders are individually rare but as a whole, they are nor rare. Since Archibald Garrod introduced a concept of "inborn error of metabolism" or "chemical individuality", more than 600 diseases are currently known, affecting approximately one in 500 newborns cumulatively. They frequently manifest with acute, life-threatening crisis that requires immediate specific intervention or they present with insidious diverse symptoms and signs involving multiple visceral organs or tissues as well as central nervous system, hampering a correct diagnosis. In addition, many pediatricians are not familiar with all diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for diverse inherited metabolic disorders. However, the prognosis of affected children are heavily dependent on rapid and effective treatment. In this lecture, practical guidelines for the specific diagnosis based on diverse clinical features of inherited metabolic disorders will be described. Many sophisticated laboratory tests are available for the confirmatory diagnosis of each disease, which is challenging to general pediatricians with respect to knowledge about biochemical metabolite assay test, enzymatic test and DNA diagnostic tests. Sample collections, indications, methods and interpretation of results in varying laboratory tests will be listed as well.