• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.717-722
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• 2013

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tumor size and axillary lymph node involvement (ALNI) in patients with invasive lesions, to find the best candidates for a full axillary dissection. Additionally, we evaluated the association between tumor size and invasive behavior. The study was based on data from 789 patients with histopathologically proven invasive breast cancer diagnosed in Shohada University hospital in Tehran, Iran (1993-2009). Cinical and histopathological characteristics of tumors were collected. Patients were divided into 6 groups according to primary tumor size: group I ($0.1-{\leq}1cm$), II ($1.1-{\leq}2cm$), III ($2.1-{\leq}3cm$), IV ($3.1-{\leq}4cm$), V ($4.1-{\leq}5cm$) and VI (>5cm). The mean(${\pm}SD$) size of primary tumor at the time of diagnosis was $3.59{\pm}2.69$ cm that gradually declined during the course of study. There was a significant correlation between tumor size and ALNI (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation between primary tumor size and involvement of surrounding tissue was also found (p<0.001). The mean number of LNI in group VI was significantly higher than other groups (p<0.05). We observed more involvement of lymph nodes, blood vessels, skin and areola-nipple tissue with increase in tumor size. We found 15.3% overall incidence of ALNI in tumors ${\leq}2cm$, indicating the need for more investigation to omit full axillary lymph node dissection with an acceptable risk for tumors below this diameter. While in patients with tumors ${\geq}2cm$, 84.3% of them had nodal metastases, so the best management for this group would be a full ALND. Tumor size is a significant predictor of ALNM and involvement of surrounding tissue, so that an exact estimation of the size of primary tumor is necessary prior to surgery to make the best decision for management of patients with invasive breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권9호
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• pp.5441-5447
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• 2013

Purpose: To demonstrate the value of sequential determinations of pelvic drainage in the identification of increased risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) after anterior resection for rectal cancer with a double stapling technique. Patients and Methods: Between January 2004 and December 2011, data for the daily postoperative pH of pelvic drainage fluid in 753 consecutive patients with rectal cancer who initially underwent anterior resection with a double stapling technique were reviewed. All patients experienced a total mesorectal excision. Patients with anastomotic leakage (Group AL, n=57) were compared to patients without leakage (Group nAL, n=696). Patients with perioperatively abdominopelvic implants that were likely to affect pH value (determined at $25^{\circ}C$) other than leakage were excluded. Mean postoperative values were compared. Results: Anastomotic leakage was noted in 57 (7.6%) of 753 patients with rectal cancer. The diagnosis of AL was made between the $6^{th}$ and $12^{th}$ postoperative day (POD; mean $8^{th}$ POD). There was no significance of the daily average values of pH on POD1 & 2 in group AL while a significantly sharp declining mean pH value reached its diagnostic point of AL (p<0.001) on POD3. A cut-off value of 6.978 on the $3^{rd}$ POD maximized the sensitivity (98.7.0%) and specificity (94.7%) in assessing the risk of leakage. Conclusion: According to these results, an early and persistent declining of pH value of pelvic drainage fluid after rectal surgery with anastomosis, is a marker of AL. A cut-off value of 6.798 determined at $25^{\circ}C$ on POD3 maximizes sensitivity and specificity.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.101-107
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• 2003

Objectives : Dementia has emerged as a leading public health problem in elderly persons, and its early detection is important for the treatment of curable cases, and in the educational support for other family members. Although dementia screening tests are available, they have not gained widespread use in community or primary care settings. Our goal was to validate the Tine and Change (T&C) Test, -including its validity and reliability in patients, and to assess it as a simple, standardized method for the screening of dementia in the rural elderly. Methods : The participants in this study comprised of 59 patients from an urban hospital and 405 persons from a rural community aged 65 years or older. The time test evaluated the understanding of clock hands indicating 11:10, and the change test the ability to make 1,000 Won from a group of coins, consisting of one 500, seven 100, and seven 50 Won coins. The T&C ratings were validated against a reference standard based on the physician's diagnosis of the patients. The convergent validity in relation to other cognitive measure, test-retest agreement, and inter-observer reliability were assessed. To assess the relationship between the Korean Mini-Mental State Exam (K-MMSE) and the T&C Test, the mean K-MMSE scores were compared with the results of the T&C Test in the elderly from a rural community. Results The T&C Test had a sensitivity and specificity of 73.0, and 90.9%, and positive and negative predictive values of 93.1, and 66.7%, respectively. The test-retest and inter-observer agreement rates were both 95%. The K-MMSE scores and T&C Test were significantly related in the elderly from a rural community (p<0.01), The T&C Test was not influenced by the educational status. The Time and Change Tests took a mean of 6.3 and 12.7 seconds, respectively, to complete Conclusion : The T&C Test is a simple, accurate and reliable, performance-based tool in the screening for dementia. Because it is quick, and easy-to-use, it is hoped the T&C Test will be used for the widespread cognitive screening of aging populations.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제59권4호
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• pp.356-360
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• 2005

연구배경 : 징병검사에서 집단 흉부 간접 방사선 촬영의 폐결핵에 관련한 임상적 유용성을 평가하고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2003년 4월부터 11월까지 서울 지방병무청 제 2 징병검사장에서 징병검사를 시행한 25386명을 대상으로 하였다. 모두 흉부 간접 방사선 촬영을 시행하였고 이상소견자는 직접 방사선 촬영으로 확인하였다. 흉부 간접 방사선 촬영과 직접 방사선 촬영과의 양성 예측율을 알아보았다. 폐결핵을 중심으로 추적검사를 통해 활동성 폐결핵 유병율, 침윤정도와 임상경과를 알아보았다. 결 과 : 총 25386명중 328명에서 흉부 간접 방사선 촬영상 이상소견이 발견되어 직접 방사선 촬영으로 재검사하였다. 재검사 중 302명(1.19%)에서 이상소견이 확인되었다. 폐결핵을 포함한 폐실질병변이 109예였고, 종격동 병변이 6예, 심혈관계 이상이 45예, 흉막병변이 49예, 측만증을 포함한 골격계 이상이 90예 그리고 기타 7예였다. 흉부 간접 방사선 촬영상 폐결핵은 99예 였으며, 이중 활동성 폐결핵이 67예로 활동성 폐결핵의 유병율은 0.26%였다. 활동성 폐결핵 환자의 42예, 폐렴 1예, 종격동 종양 1예, 늑골골절 2예 그리고 기흉 4예가 최초 진단되었다. 활동성 폐결핵 환자의 폐침윤 정도는 경증이 52예 였으며, 60예에서 추적검사상 호전되었다. 결 론 : 징병검사에서 집단검사로서 흉부 간접 방사선 촬영은 한계와 문제점이 있으나, 특히 활동성 폐결핵을 포함한 병의 최초 조기발견에 있어 유용한 검사로 의미가 있을 것으로 사료된다.

• 디지털융복합연구
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.267-275
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• 2017

본 연구는 심혈관 질환자의 발목-상완 지수(ankle-brachial index, ABI)에 따른 심혈관 질환 중증도를 분석하여 ABI의 임상적 유용성을 확인하기 위함이다. 연구 대상자는 일개 종합병원의 ABI를 측정한 심장내과 환자 441명 이었으며, 전자 의무 기록을 통해 ABI와 심혈관 질환 중증도를 나타내는 vessel disease 및 Gensini score를 조사하였다. 수집된 자료는 SPSS 21.0을 이용하여 분석하였다. ABI 0.90 이하인 비정상군과 0.90 초과인 정상군으로 나누어 비교하였을 때, vessel disease 분포 비율의 차이가 있었다($x^2=4.731$, p=.030). ABI 두 군과 Gensini score에 대한 비교분석에서 비정상군 $39.1{\pm}32.7$점, 정상군 $27.4{\pm}27.4$점으로 유의한 차이가 있었다(t=2.351, p=.019). 본 연구의 결과에서 ABI 비정상군이 중증도 높은 심혈관 질환자들의 분포가 많았으며, 평균 Gensini score도 높은 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 따라서 ABI를 시행하는 것은 비침습적인 방법으로 중증도 높은 심혈관 질환자를 예측하는데 도움이 되어 허혈성 심장 질환의 조기 발견에 유용하게 활용 가능할 것으로 기대된다.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.61-67
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of snoring frequency in the diagnosis and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Methods: Patients who underwent polysomnography with one or more of the following characteristics were included: 1) sleepiness, non-restorative sleep, fatigue, or insomnia symptoms; 2) arousal due to cessation of breathing or the occurrence of gasping or choking when waking up; and 3) habitual snoring, breathing interruptions, or both, noted by a bed partner or other observer. We analyzed the differences in clinical and polysomnographic variables between patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea and investigated the associations of those variables with obstructive sleep apnea severity. Results: One hundred ninety-three patients met the inclusion criteria, and 145 of the 193 patients were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that large neck circumference (p = 0.0054) and high snoring index (p = 0.0119) were independent predictors for obstructive sleep apnea. Moreover, between the obstructive sleep apnea severity groups, there was a strong tendency of difference in body mass index (p = 0.0441) and neck circumference (p = 0.0846). However, there was no significant difference in snoring frequency according to obstructive sleep apnea severity (p = 0.4914). Conclusions: We confirmed that snoring frequency is a predictor of obstructive sleep apnea. In addition, we showed for the first time that snoring frequency is not associated with obstructive sleep apnea severity, thus it is not a valuable marker for predicting obstructive sleep apnea severity.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.306-316
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• 2017

Purpose: To investigate the predictive role of maximum standardized uptake value ($SUV_{max}$) of 2-[$^{18}F$]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose($^{18}F-FDG$) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in nasopharyngeal cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Materials and Methods: Between October 2006 and April 2016, 53 patients were treated with IMRT in two institutions and their PET/CT at the time of diagnosis was reviewed. The $SUV_{max}$ of their nasopharyngeal lesions and metastatic lymph nodes (LN) was recorded. IMRT was delivered using helical tomotherapy. All patients except for one were treated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). Correlations between $SUV_{max}$ and patients' survival and recurrence were analyzed. Results: At a median follow-up time of 31.5 months (range, 3.4 to 98.7 months), the 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 83.2% and 77.5%, respectively. In univariate analysis, patients with a higher nodal pre-treatment $SUV_{max}$ (${\geq}13.4$) demonstrated significantly lower 3-year OS (93.1% vs. 55.5%; p = 0.003), DFS (92.7% vs. 38.5%; p < 0.001), locoregional recurrence-free survival (100% vs. 50.5%; p < 0.001), and distant metastasis-free survival (100% vs. 69.2%; p = 0.004), respectively. In multivariate analysis, high pre-treatment nodal $SUV_{max}$ (${\geq}13.4$) was a negative prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR], 7.799; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.506-40.397; p = 0.014) and DFS (HR, 9.392; 95% CI, 1.989-44.339; p = 0.005). Conclusions: High pre-treatment nodal $SUV_{max}$ was an independent prognosticator of survival and disease progression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with IMRT in our cohort. Therefore, nodal $SUV_{max}$ may provide important information for identifying patients who require more aggressive treatment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.427-436
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• 2001

Objective : To estimate the prevalence of congenital heart disease from the 1990 student heart disease screening program. Methods : The heart disease screening program for elementary students was conducted in Kyonggi-do, in 1998. The subjects of the present study comprised the 40,402 students who attended the schools in the catchment area of a collaborative university hospital and who participated in the primary examination. The congenital heart disease (CHD) patients were initially identified through a questionnaire about prior medical history, and further through diagnostic tests & medical examinations in the secondary & the tertiary examinations. Certain assumptions were used in the estimation of the number of CHD cases among non-participants of the secondary & tertiary examinations. The overall prevalence of CHD was estimated by adding the CHD detection rates of the participants and the estimated prevalence of the non-participants. Results : Among the 40,402 primary participants, 1,655 were referred further, of whom 79.1% (1,309) participated in the secondary examination. Of these, 121 were referred to the tertiary examination, with a participation rate at this last stage of 80.2%. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the screening tools was the highest when the results of both EKG and the questionnaire were positive. Because 85.9% of the detected cases had a past history of CHD, PPV was higher when the selection criteria in the questionnaire included past CHD history than when it didnt. The CHD defection rate among the participants was 1.76 cases/1,000 and the presumed number of cases among the non-participants was 31; giving an estimated final CHD prevalence of 2.52 cases/1,000 (95% CI : 2.06-3.06). Among the identified cases of CHD, VSD (52.8%) was the most common, followed by PDA (9.7%), TOF (9.7%) & PS (9.7%). Conclusion : Because the characteristics of the non-participants differed from those of the participants, the estimation of prevalence was influenced by the participation rate. Of the detected cases, 85.9% had a past history of diagnosis or operation for CMD. These findings suggested that the prevalence estimated in this study may be an underestimation of the actual condition. Therefore, a birth cohort study is required in order to more accurately estimate the prevalence and the effects of the program.

• 정보처리학회논문지:소프트웨어 및 데이터공학
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.109-114
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• 2012

봉와양폐(Honeycomb)는 직경 2~10mm 정도의 크기가 같지 않은 낭포(Cyst)가 경계가 명확한 섬유질(Fibrosis)로 이루어진 벽에 둘러싸여 밀집된 형태로 이루어져 있다. 봉와양폐가 발견될 경우 급성악화의 발생 빈도가 높으며 따라서 봉와양폐의 관찰 여부와 측정은 임상에서 중요한 지표가 된다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 봉와양폐 영역의 정량적 측정을 위하여 봉와양폐의 특징을 이용한 형태학적 기법과 군집성 평가 기법을 통해 자동 구획 방법을 제안하였다. 첫 번째로 영상의 잡음을 제거하기 위하여 가우시안 필터링을 적용하고, 모폴로지 기법 중 팽창 기법을 이용하여 폐 영역을 구획하였다. 두번째로, 주변 8방향 검사를 통해 봉와양폐를 구성하는 낭포의 후보군을 찾고, 영역 확장과 외곽선 검사를 통해 비 낭포들을 제거하였다. 마지막으로 군집화 검사를 통해 최종적으로 봉와양폐를 구획하였다. 제안한 방법은 80장의 고해상도 컴퓨터 단층촬영 영상에서 실험한 결과, 89.4%의 민감도와, 72.2%의 양성 예측도를 보였다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.2857-2860
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• 2016

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is one of the important causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Thailand, involved in the pathogenesis and leading to a development of HCC with or without cirrhotic changes of the liver. This study was aimed to investigate the predictive factors for HCC among CHB patients in a tertiary care center in Thailand. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of CHB patients with or without HCC during the period of January 2009 and December 2014 at Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand. Data on clinical characteristics, biochemical tests and radiologic findings were collected from review of medical records. Results: A total of 266 patients were diagnosed with CHB in Thammasat university hospital during the study period. However, clinical information of only 164/266 CHB patients (98 males, 66 females with mean age of 49.4 years) could be completely retrieved in this study. The prevalence of HCC in CHB infection in this study was 38/164 (23.2%). CHB patients with HCC had a mean age older than those without HCC (59.5 vs 47 years, P-value = 0.01). Furthermore, history of upper GI bleeding, tattooing, blood transfusion, and chronic alcoholism were significantly more common in CHB patients with HCC than patients without HCC (13.2% vs 3.2% P-value 0.03, OR = 4.6, 95%CI = 1.2-18.1, 20% vs 3.9%, P-value = 0.01, OR= 6.1, 95% CI= 1.6-23.6, 20% vs 6.3%, P-value = 0.03, OR = 3.8, 95%CI =1.1-12.7, 62.2% vs 30.3%, P-value <0.0001, OR = 3.7, 95%CI= 1.7-8.1 respectively). Interestingly, more CHB patients with HCC had evidence of cirrhosis than those without HCC (78.9% vs 20.4%, P-value <0.0001, OR = 14.6, 95%CI = 5.8-36.7). In CHB patients with HCC, surgical therapy provided longer survival than radiofrequency ablation (RFA) (72 vs 46.5 months, P-value= 0.04). The mean survival time after HCC diagnosis was 17.2 months. Conclusions: HCC remains a major problem among patients with CHB infection in Thailand. Possible risk factors are male gender, history of upper GI bleeding, chronic alcoholism, tattooing, blood transfusion and evidence of cirrhosis. For early stage HCC patients, surgical treatment provided longer survival time than RFA. Most HCC patients presented with advanced disease and had a grave prognosis. Appropriate screening of CHB patients at risk for HCC might be an appropriate approach for early detection and improvement of long-term outcomes.