• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3657-3661
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• 2012

HBV infection is contagious and may be transmitted vertically or horizontally by blood products and body secretions. Over 50% of Iranian carriers have contracted the infection prenatally, making this the most likely route of transmission of HBV in Iran. This study assesses the resistance to Lamivudine in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection using a new ZNA probe Real Time PCR method. To evaluate the effectiveness of Lamivudine therapy for chronic hepatitis B infection, a study was conducted on 70 patients (63 men and 7women), who had received the drug first line. All patients were tested for the presence of HBsAg and HBeAg, the serum ALT level and the HBV DNA load before and after treatment. In all samples resistance to Lamivudine was tested with the ZNA Probe. Our results showed that ZNA Probe Real Time PCR method could detect wild type,YMDD, and its mutants, tyrosine-isoleucine-aspartate-aspartate and tyrosine-valine-aspartate-Aspartate. Among an estimated seventy patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, 18 (25.7%) were resistant to lamivudine. Only one patient was negative for presence of HBS-Ag (5.6%) and two patients were negative for HBe-Ag (11.1%). Real-time PCR with Zip nucleic acid probes is a sensitive, specific and rapid detection method for mutations in the YMDD motif, which will be essential for monitoring patients undergoing Lamivudine antiviral therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7159-7162
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• 2014

Background: Patients with recurrent or refractory osteosarcoma are considered to have a very poor prognosis, and new regimens are needed to improve the prognosis in this setting. Gemcitabine, a nucleoside antimetabolite, is an analog of deoxycytidine which mainly inhibits DNA synthesis through interfering with DNA chain elongation and depleting deoxynucleotide stores, resulting in gemcitabine-induced cell death. Here we performed a systemic analysis to evaluate gemcitabine based chemotherapy as salvage treatment for patients with recurrent or refractory osteosarcoma. Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the impact of gemcitabine based regimens on response and safety for patients with osteosarcoma were identified by using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rates (RRs) of treatment were calculated. Results: In gemcitabine based regimens, 4 clinical studies which included 66 patients with recurrent or refractory osteosarcoma were considered eligible for inclusion. Systemic analysis suggested that, in all patients, pooled RR was 12.1% (8/66) in gemcitabine based regimens. Major adverse effects were hematologic toxicity, including grade 3 or 4 anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia in gemcitabine based treatment. No treatment related death occurred in gemcitabine based treatment. Conclusion: This systemic analysis suggests that gemcitabine based regimens are associated with mild activity with good tolerability in treating patients with recurrent or refractory osteosarcoma.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.131-141
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• 2001

Objectives : Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which the airway smooth muscle undergoes exaggerated constriction and is abnormally responsive to external stimuli and clinically manifests dyspnea, cough, and wheezing. Recently in Korea, the number of asthma patients has tended to increase as air pollution increases and new allergens appear. This study aimed to identify the therapeutic effects of Sochongryong-tang, which has been used on asthmatic patients in Oriental Medicine for a long time. Methods : We studied 10 asthmatic patients who had visited the Division of Respiratory System, Department of Internal Medicine of Kyunghee Oriental Medical Center from February 1, 2001 to June 30, 2001, which examined the patients by the pulmonary function test (PFT) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA) before and after taking Sochongryong-tang for two weeks. The data was analyzed using paired t-test. Results : After treatment with Sochongryong-tang for two weeks, FEV 1.0 showed a significant increase of 14.2%, FVC a significant increase of 9.3% and PEFR a significant increase of 16.2% in results of patients examined asthmatic by PFT. In the results of QLQAKA, the mean of scores increased significantly over 0.5 points in total score, symptom domain, emotion domain, and environmental domain. Conclusions : This study shows that Sochongryong-tang has the effect of improvements of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2014

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLO) is a rare, autosomal recessive disease caused by an inborn error in cholesterol synthesis. Patients with this disease suffer from multiple malformations due to reduced activity of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7), which increases 7-dehydrocholesterol (7DHC) and 8-dehydrocholesterol (8DHC) concentrations and decreases cholesterol concentration in body fluids and tissue. Here, we describe Korean siblings with SLO who were diagnosed recently, and performed a review of literature about Korean cases with SLO to date. Microcephaly and syndactyly of the second and third toes are the most common physical finding in SLOS patients. Other malformations including growth failure, cleft palate or bifid uvula, various heart malformation, genital ambiguity in males are also accompanied. Not all patients showed low levels of serum cholesterol, so DHCR7 mutation analysis can be helpful to confirmative diagnosis. Two mutations on p.R352 locus (p.R352W and p.R352Q) are commonly identified in Korean SLO patients. Although rare in Korea, SLO should be considered in the differential diagnosis of growth failure with intellectual disability, especially in patients with multiple congenital anomalies.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.221-230
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• 2013

Objectives : This study is to confirm the influencing factors on patients satisfaction and intention to revisit the implant service clinic by structural equation model. Methods : We surveyed 250 implant patients visiting 6 dental clnics(hospitals) in Busan, Changwon, Gimhae city and questionnaire was for four weeks in July 2012, a total 209 patients filled out the questionnaires within July and the complete data were analyzed. we were used structural equation model for analysis to confirm influencing factors on implant patients' satisfaction and intention to revisits. Results : This study finds that factors influencing on implant patients' satisfaction and intention to revisit are reasonable medical fee, medical skill treatment of dentist, dental hygienist and other support staff, administrative procedure, and there existed between influencing factors and the patient's treatment satisfaction as well as intention to revisit. In order to satisfy the implant patients, dentist and hygienists should try to provide high quality of treatment and dental services. Conclusions : The results of this study provide managerially important messages to the managers of dental clinics in order to develope management strategies for new customers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.42-59
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• 2000

This study was done to analyze and develop the concept of coping in patients receiving hemodialysis. The Hybrid Model of concept development was applied to develop a conceptual structure of coping in patients receiving hemodialysis, which included a field study carried out using an in-dept interview with 18 patients in the hemodialysis room of one general hospital in Seoul. Data-analysis was done in three phases as suggested by the Hybrid Model. Finally, by summarizing the results from each case, the attributes of coping, its dimensions, definition and structure were outlined. According to the results of the study, a conceptual structure of coping which centers around stressors, stress-appraisal, strategy of coping and new definitions of coping in patients receiving hemodialysis was suggested : The coping of patients receiving hemodialysis is a process that deals with physical, emotional, inter-personal, and role stress caused by hemodialysis due to renal failure. It has a series of phases which include a phase that appraises the stressful situation based on past experience of chronic disease management, one's remaining rears, the extent of family support, the extent of economic dependency, inter-personal support. education and uncertainty, and a phase of developing coping strategies that con be affected by social support and self esteem. As a result of coping, patients adapt or not to the life situation of receiving hemodialysis.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.43-54
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• 2008

Upon reviewing the tendency of the large-scale hospital buildings constructed so far, we may well know that the architectural space of the hospital buildings has been designed for users' conveniences in terms of functional elements fulfilled, efficiency, uniform colors and lighting, which means that patients may well feel difficult to find their ways in the hospital. The result may be that the patients who are weak mentally and physically feel uneasy or tensed when they wander in the hospital, which may lead to their increased physical fatigue, higher blood pressure or other harmful effects. Thus, patients' way-finding emerges as a new design challenge for the hospital building. The purpose of this study was to define the environmental variables and factors affecting patients' way-finding in the hospital and thereby, determine the correlations between the variables/factors and way-finding to provide for some framework of analysis useful to solutions of patients' way-finding problems, while identifying the causes for difficulty of their way-finding due to differences of perception between hospital building designer and user groups.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.342.3-343
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• 2002

Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is characterized by hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia. and impaired insulin action. Insulin resistance is considered to be the underlying mechanism in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. which also leads to dyslipidemia, hypertension. and obesity. Thazolidinediones are a class of oral insulin-sensitizing agents that improve glucose utilization without increasing insulin release. They significantly reduce glucose, lipid and insulin levels in rodent models of NIDDM and obesity, and recent clinical data support theri efficacy in obese diabetic patients. (omitted)

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.403-407
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• 2002

The objective of this study is to establish the new evaluating method of tinnitus and to evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy. Fourteen patients with tinnitus were studied. The patients answered the questionnaire designed to identify and describe the subjective symptoms of tinnitus and discomfort in daily life due to tinnitus. After acupuncture therapy, the survey was conducted again among the patients and we evaluated the difference between pre-acupuncture therapy and post-acupuncture therapy. 1. Precipitating factors of tinnitus among the patients group consisted of 14 members were stress, noise, drug, overwork, URI, and otitis media in order. 2. Significant improvements in subjective symptoms of tinnitus and discomfort in daily life after acupuncture therapy were identified among the patient group of 14 members 3. Patient group of 14 members were divided into 2 groups by digestion status: patients who have poor digestion and patients who have good digestion. The patients who have good digestion showed significant improvement both in subjective symptoms of tinnitus and in discomfort in daily life after acupuncture therapy. 4. Patient group of 14 members were divided Into 2 groups by urination and defecation status: patients who have poor urination and defecation and patients who have good urination and defecation. The patients who have good urination and defecation showed significant improvement both in subjective symptoms of tinnitus and in discomfort in daily life after acupuncture therapy. 5. Patient group of 14 members were divided into 2 groups by sleeping status: patients who sleep well and patients who don't sleep well. The patients who sleep well showed significant improvement both in subjective symptoms of tinnitus and in discomfort in daily life after acupuncture therapy. This study shows that the subjective symptoms of tinnitus and discomfort in daily life due to tinnitus are involved in urination and defecation factor, sleep factor, and digestion factor. This study also shows that acupuncture therapy is effective in improving the subjective symptoms of tinnitus and discomfort in daily life due to tinnitus.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2005

Objective: The goal of this study is to provide the clinical data of patients with brainstem cavernous hemangiomas after treatment with microsurgery or radiosurgery after conducting a retrospective analysis of 21 patients at one institution. Methods: Twenty one patients with brainstem cavernous hemangiomas were treated at the authors' institution between 1995 and 2004 and clinical analysis was performed by retrospective review of medical records and neuroimaging examinations. Thirteen patients underwent microsurgical resection and radiosurgery was performed as an initial treatment in 9 patients. Results: Radical excision was achieved in 12 among 13 patients and transitory neurological deterioration or new neurological deficit developed during the immediate postoperative period in 7 (54%). The final outcomes at 5 - 70 months after surgery were improved in 11 patients (85%) and worsened in 2 patients (15%) compared with the preoperative state. Radiosurgery was performed in 9 patients. During the follow up period from 5 to 70 months there was neurological improvement in 3 patients, no significant change in 3 and deterioration in 3 patients. Two patients developed rebleeding at 5 months, 60 months respectively after radiosurgery. Conclusion: Microsurgery for symptomatic cavernous hemangioma of brainstem can be performed with acceptable morbidity. Fatal complication is rare with careful selection of the optimal operative approach in well selected patients. Radiosurgery is an effective alternative for the lesions which are not accessible by surgical approach, however, there is still a possibility of rebleeding over a long period after radiosurgical treatment and microsurgery should be considered as a treatment with priority for the majority of cases.