• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.184-190
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• 2020

Radiation therapy (RT) has improved patient outcomes, but treatment-related complication rates remain high. In the conventional 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional conformal RT (3D-CRT) era, there was little room for toxicity reduction because of the need to balance the estimated toxicity to organs at risk (OARs), derived from dose-volume histogram data for organs including the lung, heart, spinal cord, and liver, with the planning target volume (PTV) dose. Intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) is an advanced form of conformal RT that utilizes computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to the PTV. The dosimetric advantages of IMRT enable better sparing of normal tissues and OARs than is possible with 3D-CRT. A major breakthrough in the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC), whether early or locally advanced, is the use of proton beam therapy (PBT). Protons deposit their highest dose of radiation at the tumor, while leaving none behind; the resulting effective dose reduction to healthy tissues and OARs considerably reduces acute and delayed RT-related toxicity. In recent studies, PBT has been found to alleviate severe lymphopenia resulting from combined chemo-radiation, opening up the possibility of reducing immune suppression, which might be associated with a poor prognosis in cases of locally advanced EC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.4567-4570
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• 2014

Background: This systemic analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed based chemotherapy in treating patients with metastatic breast cancer as first or second line chemotherapy. Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed based regimens on response and safety for patients with breast cancer were identified using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rate (RR) of treatment were calculated. Results: In first line pemetrexed based regimens, 10 clinical studies which including 513 patients with advanced breast cancer were considered eligible for inclusion. For second line pemetrexed based chemotherapy, 5 clinical studies which including 281 patients with advanced breast cancer were considered eligible. Systemic analysis suggested that, in all patients, pooled RR was 32.6% (167/513) in pemetrexed based first line regimens, and 13.9 % (39/281) in pemetrexed based second line regimens. Major adverse effects were neutropenia, leukopenia, fatigue, and anemia in pemetrexed based first line treatment; and lymphopenia, neutropenia, leukopenia, as well as anemia in second line chemotherapy. One treatment related death occurred with pemetrexed based second line treatment. Conclusion: This systemic analysis suggests that pemetrexed based first line regimens are associated with a reasonable response rate and acceptable toxicity, however with low response rate for treating patients with metastatic breast cancer when is used in the second line.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.445-448
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• 2015

A 5 month old Korean domestic short haired male kitten (weighing 1.7 kg) was presented with primary complaints of upper respiratory disease (URD) signs and skin ulceration and edema on face, feet and footpad with lameness. Diagnostic test revealed leukopenia, lymphopenia, pancreatitis and feline calicivirus (FCV) infection. Diagnosis of virulent systemic FCV (VS-FCV) was made on clinical signs, isolation of calicivirus via PCR and exclusion of other causes of acute upper respiratory disease. Therapeutic strategies were directed to lessen URD signs and to treat secondary bacterial infection and antiviral infection. One month after this therapy, skin lesions on face and feet and URD signs were much improved, although the lameness persisted mildly. To author's best knowledge, this is the first case reporting VS-FCV infection in a kitten in Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.7
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• pp.239-250
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• 2020

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading globally. Although its etiologic agent is discovered as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), there are many unsolved issues in COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. The causes of different clinical phenotypes and incubation periods among individuals, species specificity, and cytokine storm with lymphopenia as well as the mechanism of damage to organ cells are unknown. It has been suggested that in viral pneumonia, virus itself is not a direct cause of acute lung injury; rather, aberrant immune reactions of the host to the insults from viral infection are responsible. According to its epidemiological and clinical characteristics, SARS-CoV-2 may be a virus with low virulence in nature that has adapted to the human species. Current immunological concepts have limited ability to explain such unsolved issues, and a presumed immunopathogenesis of COVID-19 is presented under the protein-homeostasis-system hypothesis. Every disease, including COVID-19, has etiological substances controlled by the host immune system according to size and biochemical properties. Patients with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 show more severe hypercytokinemia with corresponding lymphocytopenia than patients with mild pneumonia; thus, early immunomodulator treatment, including corticosteroids, has been considered. However, current guidelines recommend their use only for patients with advanced pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Since the immunopathogenesis of pneumonia may be the same for all patients regardless of age or severity and the critical immune-mediated lung injury may begin in the early stage of the disease, early immunomodulator treatment, including corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, can help reduce morbidity and possibly mortality rates of older patients with underlying conditions.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.113-121
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• 2011

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a severe vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals including domesticated ruminants and pigs. Acute clinical signs may be mild in sheep and goats but are associated with lameness in pigs and mouth lesions with vesicles in cattle. The required condition for a successful pathogen appears to be the ability to counteract both the host innate and adaptive immune response. FMD virus (FMDV) inhibits the induction of antiviral molecules and interferes with the secretory pathway in the infected cell. The surface expression of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I molecules is reduced in infected cells. Thus, the ability of the host to recognize and eliminate virus infected cells is decreased. Furthermore, FMDV infection results in a rapid, but transient lymphopenia, reducing the number of T and B cells, and affecting T cell function. The virus appears to premature apoptosis-mediated cell death because it has a very short replication cycle and is able to rapidly produce large amounts of virus. FMDV engages the host protective response at multiple steps to ensure its effective replication and pathogenesis. This review describes the recent pathological and immunological studies to overcome the powerful abilities of FMDV to counteract defense mechanism of host.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 2002

The effects of ionizing radiation on the peripheral blood elements of ICR mouse were examined after varying doses of whole-body gamma-irradiation. ICR mice (n=50) were exposed to 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy gamma-ray ($^{60}Co$) at 10 Gy/min. The animals were studied for their hematological response on days, 3, 7, 14, 21, 42 and 56 post irradiation. No significant change was noted in erythrocyte, hemoglobin and hematocrit values after irradiation with dose of 2 Gy. Decreasing erythrocyte, hemglobin and hematocrit values occured after irradiation with doses of more than 4 Gy on day 7 after irradiation followed by a sharp fall on day 14. A recovery in these values was noted after 3 weeks of irradiation. Thrombocyte counts decreased on day 3, reaching minimal values on day 7. The total number of leukocytes was reduced on day 3, mainly because of a decrease in the lymphocyte population. An evident lymphopenia and neutropenia occur almost on the day 3 and last up to the day 28 after irradiation. All of the hematological values decreased in the blood in a dose-dependent manner at the same time.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.407-415
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• 1994

Present experiments were undertaken in order to find out the most available diagnostic method for acute pancreatitis. Experimental dogs were divided into experimental group and control group. The experimental dogs were laparotomized and their pancreatic ducts were ligated for the induction of pancreatitis. The control dogs were laparotomized only for comparison. In addition to the complete blood count, serum amylase and lipase activities, serum glucose, total protein and albumin contents were measured daily for 11 days after the operation. Fecal fat droplet count by Sudan III staining and fecal trypsin activity examination by x-ray film digetion test were also undertaken daily. The results obtained were summarized as follows; 1. Serum amylase activities of the experimental group increased to peak on the third day and returned to the preoperative values on the eighth day. 2. Serum lipase activities of the experimental group increased to peak on the first day and returned to the preopertive values within six to eight days. 3. Serum glucose contents of the experimental group showed significant increse only on the first day. 4. Serum albumin contents of the experimental group decreased significantly during the experimental period. Whereas those of the control group significantly decreased only on the first day. 5. The experimental group showed marked leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and lymphopenia for the first 5 or 8 days. Whereas the control group showed only neutrophilia for the first 3 days. 6. The results of fecal fat droplet count showed some diagnostic value on the third and fourth day in only one experimental dog(No 1). No significant changes in the fecal trypsin activity were noticed in all dogs. 7. Histopathologically. all dogs of experimental group showed changes of pancreatitis. However the degree of the pancreatic lesion was not pararell to the degree of the serum amylase or lipase activity changes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.67-70
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• 2007

A thymic carcinoma is a rare malignant neoplasm of the thymus epithelium, which can be distinguished from a benign or invasive thymoma. Contrary to a thymoma, the association of a thymic carcinoma and autoimmune disease is rare, with only a few cases having been reported. Herein, a case of thymic carcinoma diagnosed concurrently with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is reported. A 49 year-old man presented at our clinic with myalgia. He was diagnosed with SLE, based on an oral ulcer, lymphopenia, and positive ANA and anti-Sm antibodies. Incidentally, a routine chest X-ray showed a large mediastinal mass. Pathological examination of the mediastinal mass revealed an undifferentiated thymic carcinoma, of WHO classification type C. Further work-up for staging showed multiple bone and lung metastases. With a palliative aim, he received systemic chemotherapy, but refused further chemotherapy after the $2^{nd}$ course. Currently, the patient has not been followed up since the chemotherapy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.7
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• pp.364-369
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• 2021

Background: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continues to evolve, it is crucially important for pediatricians to be aware of the differences in demographic and clinical features between COVID-19 and influenza A and B infections. Purpose: This study analyzed and compared the clinical features and laboratory findings of COVID-19 and influenza A and B infections in children. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the medical data of 206 pediatric COVID-19 and 411 pediatric seasonal influenza A or B patients. Results: COVID-19 patients were older than seasonal influenza patients (median [interquartile range], 7.75 [2-14] years vs. 4 [2-6] years). The frequency of fever and cough in COVID-19 patients was lower than that of seasonal influenza patients (80.6% vs. 94.4%, P<0.001 and 22.8 % vs. 71.5%, P<0.001, respectively). Ageusia (4.9%) and anosmia (3.4%) were present in only COVID-19 patients. Leukopenia, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia were encountered more frequently in influenza patients than in COVID-19 patients (22.1% vs. 8.5%, P=0.029; 17.6% vs. 5.6%, P=0.013; and 13.2% vs. 5.6%, P=0.048, respectively). Both groups showed significantly elevated monocyte levels in the complete blood count (70.4% vs. 69.9%, P=0.511). Major chest x-ray findings in COVID-19 patients included mild diffuse ground-glass opacity and right lower lobe infiltrates. There were no statistically significant intergroup differences in hospitalization or mortality rates; however, the intensive care unit admission rate was higher among COVID-19 patients (2.4% vs. 0.5%, P=0.045). Conclusion: In this study, pediatric COVID-19 patients showed a wide range of clinical presentations ranging from asymptomatic/mild to severe illness. We found no intergroup differences in hospitalization rates, oxygen requirements, or hospital length of stay; however, the intensive care unit admission rate was higher among COVID-19 patients.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.48.1-48.13
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• 2022

With the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, which are randomly mutated, the dominant strains in regions are changing globally. The development of preclinical animal models is imperative to validate vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 variants. The objective of this study was to develop a non-human primate (NHP) model for SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection. Cynomolgus macaques infected with Delta variants showed infectious viruses and viral RNA in the upper (nasal and throat) and lower respiratory (lung) tracts during the acute phase of infection. After 3 days of infection, lesions consistent with diffuse alveolar damage were observed in the lungs. For cellular immune responses, all macaques displayed transient lymphopenia and neutrophilia in the early stages of infection. SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant spike protein-specific IgM, IgG, and IgA levels were significantly increased in the plasma of these animals 14 days after infection. This new NHP Delta variant infection model can be used for comparative analysis of the difference in severity between SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and may be useful in the efficacy evaluation of vaccines and universal therapeutic drugs for mutations.