• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2017

Background: To assess the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following shoulder surgery and to evaluate the role of postoperative duplex ultrasonography. Methods: The study comprised a total of 224 patients who underwent shoulder surgery, including 180 shoulder arthroscopic surgeries, 28 shoulder arthroplasties, and 16 plate fixations for proximal humerus fracture between January 2014 and December 2014. The mean age of patients was 59.0 years, and there were 81 men and 143 women. Clinical data, including body mass index, blood tests, metabolic work-up for liver and renal function, previous, and present medical history, were evaluated. Duplex ultrasonography in the operative arm was performed on 2 to 4 days after surgery. Results: The overall incidence of VTE following shoulder surgery was 0.45% (1/224). One patient with open reduction and plate fixation for proximal humerus fracture had asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis that showed complete remission after anticoagulant medication during a 2-month period. Four patients had asymptomatic superficial cephalic vein thrombosis and complete remission without any treatment. There was no case of pulmonary embolism. Conclusions: The incidence of VTE following shoulder surgery was extremely low in Asians. Duplex ultrasonography may be not considered a routine follow-up of shoulder surgery and can be selectively performed in high-risk or symptomatic patients for VTE.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.48-62
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• 2021

Objectives The purpose of this study is to obtain knowledge from clinical studies conducted in China to examine the effectiveness of herb medicine in childhood acute leukemia. Methods We searched the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with herbal medicine treatment on childhood acute leukemia from the 'CAJ', Chinese Academic Journal from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). And then, demographic data, duration of illness, intervention, treatment period, outcome, adverse events, and composition of herbal medicine were analyzed for this study. Result 10 RCT studies were selected and analyzed. The control group were given western medicine therapy, the treatment group was given herbal medicine on the basis of the control group. The most commonly used herbal medicine were 淸熱解毒藥, 補氣藥, 補陰藥, 活血祛瘀藥 in 'boosting vital force and driving out evil spirit (扶正祛邪)' way to 'relieve heat (熱毒)' and 'assist the vital force (正氣)'. In the treatment group, complete remission was significantly higher than control group and the decrease in TCM syndrome scores also showed significant effects. Adverse events were significantly lower in the treatment group. Conclusions Herbal medicine treatment on childhood acute leukemia can be suggested as a new treatment for children who have less response to the conventional therapy, and can supplement the limitations of the western medicine by increasing complete remission and reducing adverse events.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.108-112
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• 2015

A 54-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer underwent a distal gastrectomy, D2 lymph node dissection, and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. After a year, in a follow-up PET-CT, lymph node metastases were observed in the neck and abdomen, and therefore, the patient underwent chemotherapy. After treatment, the follow-up PET-CT revealed a growth of the posterior neck lymph node. Thus, an excisional biopsy was performed, and the growth was diagnosed as metastatic adenocarcinoma. Therefore, the patient received chemotherapy with FOLFIRI. Another follow-up PET-CT after chemotherapy revealed a growth in the right inguinal lymph node, and the patient underwent salvage radiotherapy for this lesion. The PET-CT taken for the response evaluation showed no evidence of further metastasis of the lymph node. We hereby report a case of advanced gastric cancer with neck and inguinal lymph node recurrence showing complete remission after palliative chemotherapy and salvage radiotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.10.1-10.9
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• 2024

Hyperthyroidism, characterized by elevated thyroid hormone levels and thyroid gland hyperplasia or adenoma, is a prevalent endocrinopathy in older cats. Treatment options include antithyroid drugs, surgical thyroidectomy, and radioiodine therapy (RAIT), which is non-invasive treatment option that can achieve complete remission. However, efficacy and safety of RAIT in hyperthyroid cats have not been investigated in South Korea. This study includes 10 hyperthyroid cats with RAIT. Initial assessments comprised history, physical examination, blood analysis, and serum total T4 (tT4) concentration. Thyroid scintigraphy revealed hyperactivity and enlargement of thyroid gland at 24 hours before the RAIT. Radioiodine (RAI) was injected subcutaneously with 2 to 6 mCi, determined by the fixed dose or the scoring system based on severity of clinical signs, tT4 concentration, and thyroid size individually. After RAIT, the concentration of serum tT4 and liver enzymes were significantly decreased at discharge. However, no significant differences were noted in blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, symmetric dimethylarginine, hematocrits, and white blood cell counts pre- and post-treatment. Although 4 cats received RAI twice, clinical signs disappeared and tT4 levels decreased following the RAIT. All 10 cats achieved complete remission after 6 months without critical adverse effect. The safety and the effectiveness of RAIT was confirmed based on protocols reported other countries. Therefore, RAIT could be considered the treatment option and prevent adverse effects from medication or surgery. This preliminary study presents the first evaluation of RAIT for hyperthyroid cats using locally produced RAI in South Korea and provide valuable insight for clinicians and further studies.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.384-394
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• 2014

Purpose: To improve professional intensive care by analyzing admission causes, causes of death, disease conditions, and treatment processes in patients with hematological malignancies admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in South Korea. Methods: This was a retrospective study approved by IRB, and conducted on admission with 559 adults, in the hematology ICU of a hospital located in Seoul. The study was carried out from April 2009 to March 2012. Data were analyzed using SAS. Results: Pneumonia was the most frequent cause of ICU admission and death, followed by sepsis. The condition at discharge was death (53.6%), recovery (39.9%), or hopeless (5.1%). Mortality of patients in states of incomplete remission was higher than that of patients with complete remission and of patients with multiple myeloma, severe aplastic anemia, and lymphoma. Conclusion: Results show that pneumonia and sepsis are the most frequent causes of ICU admission and for the death of patients with hematological malignancies. The most frequent status at discharge of patients with hematological malignancies was death (53.6%), with mortality of patients at Incomplete Remission status, of mechanically ventilated patients, and of patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) being higher than others.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2014

Purpose: Infliximab (IFX) is considered safe and effective for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) in both adults and children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term clinical course of IFX in Korean children with UC. Methods: Pediatric patients with UC who had received IFX infusions between November 2007 and May 2013 at Samsung Medical Center were retrospectively investigated. The clinical efficacy of IFX treatment was evaluated at 8 weeks (short term) and 54 weeks (long term) after the initiation of IFX treatment using the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI). The degree of response to IFX treatment was defined as complete response (PUCAI score=0), partial response (decrement of PUCAI score${\geq}20$ points), and non-response (decrement of PUCAI score <20 points). Adverse events associated with IFX treatment were also investigated. Results: Eleven pediatric patients with moderate to severe UC had received IFX. The remission rate after IFX treatment was 46% (5/11) and 82% (9/11) at 8 weeks and 54 weeks after IFX treatment, respectively. All patients who were steroid-dependent before treatment with IFX achieved remission at 54 weeks and were able to stop treatment with corticosteroids, while all steroid-refractory patients failed to achieve remission at 54 weeks after treatment with IFX. Conclusion: Response to IFX treatment after 8 weeks may predict a favorable long-term response to IFX treatment in Korean pediatric UC patients.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.132-141
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• 2006

Purpose : This study was aimed to determine the predictive risk factors for the treatment response and relapse rate in children diagnosed with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Methods : We analyzed the medical records of children who were diagnosed and treated for childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome from November 1991 to May 2005. Variables selected in this study were age at onset, sex, laboratory data, concomitant bacterial infections, days to remission, and interval to first relapse. Results : There were 46 males and 11 females, giving a male:female ratio of 4.2:1. The age($mean{\pm}SD$) of patients was $5.8{\pm}4.1$ years old. Of all patients who were initially given corticosteroids, complete remission(CR) was observed in 54(94.7%). Of the 54 patients who showed CR with initial treatment, 40(70.2%) showed CR within 2 weeks and 14(24.6%) showed CR after 2 weeks. The levels of serum IgG were lower in the latter group who showed CR after 2 weeks(P=0.036). Of the 54 patients who showed CR with initial treatment, 47(82.5%) relapsed. Of these patients, 35.1% were frequent relapsers and 43.9% were infrequent relapsers. There was no significant correlation between the frequency of relapse and the following variables : sex, days to remission, and laboratory data. However, age at onset and interval to first relapse had a negative correlation with the frequency of relapse(Pearson's coefficient=-0.337, -0.433, P<0.012, P<0.01). Conclusion : The age at onset and the interval to first relapse were found to be predictive clinical parameters for the relapse rate, while the levels of serum IgG at initial presentation were a predictive laboratory factor for treatment response in childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8793-8796
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• 2014

Objective: To explore the influence of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level on therapeutic outcome and diagnosis/prognostic value in patients with cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer by biopsy were selected and treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted before treatment to assess VEGF levels, and its relationships with clinicopathological features and short-term therapeutic effects were analyzed. Results: The median VEGF level in 37 patients before treatment was 647.15 (393.35~1125.16) pg/mL. Serum VEGF levels in patients aged <50 years, in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIa~IVa, with lymph node metastasis and tumor size >4 cm were significantly increased (P<0.05). The complete remission (CR) rate was 48.7% (18/37), partial remission (PR) rate was 35.1% (13/37), stable disease (SD) rate was 13.5% (5/37) and progressive disease (PD) rate was 2.70% (1/37), so the objective remission rate (ORR) after treatment was 83.8% (31/37). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor size and serum VEGF level before treatment were independent risk factors affecting the therapeutic outcome, and the higher the level of serum VEGF, the worse the prognosis when tumor size>4 cm. Some 56.8% of patients manifested with myelosuppression, 37.8% with leucopenia, 24.3% with thrombocytopenia, 5.41% with diarrhea, 46.0% with nausea and vomiting, 21.6% with hair loss and 8.11% with hepatic and renal injury during the treatment. Conclusions: Serum VEGF level may reflect the degree of malignancy of cervical cancer and predict therapeutic effect, which is of great importance to cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10871-10874
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• 2015

Background: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a malignant disease which occurs in women of reproductive age. Treatment of GTN has an excellent outcome and further pregnancies can be expected. However, data concerning quality of life in these cancer survivor patients are limited. This study aimed to assess quality of life in women who were diagnosed with GTN and remission after treatment, and to determine factors that may affect quality of life status. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted from July 2013 to May 2014 in the Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Clinic, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Patients who were diagnosed GTN and complete remission were recruited. Data collection was accomplished by interview with two sets of questionnaires, one general covering demographic data and the other focusing on quality of life, the fourth version of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G). Descriptive statistics were used to determine general data and quality of life scores. Students t-test and one way ANOVA were used to compare between categorical and continuous data. Results: Forty four patients were enrolled in this study. The overall mean quality of life score (FACT-G) was 98.2. The overall FACT-G score was not significantly correlated with age, education level, stage of disease, treatment modalities, and time interval from remission to enrollment. However, patients who needed further fertility showed significant lower FACT-G scores in the emotional well-being domain (p=0.02). Conclusions: Overall quality of life scores in post-treatment gestational trophoblastic neoplasia patients are in the mild impairment range. Patients who desire fertility suffer lower quality of life in the emotional well-being domain.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.454-457
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• 2007

Thymomas are associated with different paraneoplastic syndromes, with the most clinically important association being with myasthenia gravis, hypogammaglobulinemia, and pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). The optimal therapy for PRCA that complicates a thymoma is unknown, given the rarity of the clinical situation. It has been suggested that remission following surgery alone is uncommon and most patients will require some other form of therapy. We report a case of PRCA with a thymoma in a 59-year-old man who remained in complete remission of the PRCA after surgical resection of the thymoma.