• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.218-229
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• 2018

Purpose: This study investigated whether the metabolic avidity of primary tumors and/or metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) measured by $^{18}F$-fluorodeoxyglucose ($^{18}F-FDG$) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was related to survival after surgery in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Materials and Methods: One hundred sixty-eight patients with AGC who underwent preoperative $^{18}F-FDG$ PET/CT and curative resection were included. The $^{18}F-FDG$ avidity of the primary gastric tumor and LNs was determined quantitatively and qualitatively. The diagnostic performance of $^{18}F-FDG$ PET/CT was calculated, and the prognostic significance of $^{18}F-FDG$ avidity for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) was assessed. Results: In all, 51 (30.4%) patients experienced recurrence, and 32 (19.0%) died during follow-up (median follow-up duration, 35 months; range, 3-81 months); 119 (70.8%) and 33 (19.6%) patients showed $^{18}F-FDG$-avid primary tumors and LNs, respectively. $^{18}F-FDG$ PET/CT showed high sensitivity (73.8%) for the detection of advanced pathologic T ($pT{\geq}3$) stage and high specificity (92.2%) for the detection of advanced pN (${\geq}2$) stage. $^{18}F-FDG$ avidity of LNs was significantly associated with RFS (P=0.012), whereas that of primary tumors did not show significance (P=0.532). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that $^{18}F-FDG$ avidity of LNs was an independent prognostic factor for RFS (hazard ratio=2.068; P=0.029). Conclusions: $^{18}F-FDG$ avidity of LNs is an independent prognostic factor for predicting RFS. Preoperative $^{18}F-FDG$ PET/CT can be used to determine the risk and prognosis of patients with AGC after curative resection.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.205-211
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• 2019

In this study, we investigated the possibility of using mouse embryonic stem cell conditioned medium (ESCM) and embryonic stem cell medium (ESM) for in vitro maturation in the efficient in vitro production of blastocysts from porcine follicular oocyte. Depending on the concentration of supplement of ESCM added to the NCSU-23 solution did not affect 2-cell development rates and blastocysts development. However, in particular, the survival rate (10 days of culture) of blastocyst was significantly higher than that of the control group as the additive concentration (30%) increased (p < 0.05). The survival rate of blastocysts showed a similar tendency even with addition of ESM (30%) alone. On the other hand, the duration of the addition of these additives during IVM (0-44 h) was that the IVM I period (0-22 h) were more effective than the IVM II period (22-44 h). Thus, the effect of these additives is probably due to the combination of the various physiologically active substances of ESCM or the appropriate amino acids and vitamins of ESM. In particular, these additives were more effective during the first half (IVM I) of in vitro maturation. In summary, optimization of ESCM or ESM supplementation may improve in vitro maturation of porcine oocyte and affect developmental competency. Therefore, if more efficient methods of adding ESCM or ESM to basal culture medium can be developed during in vitro maturation of porcine follicle oocytes, high quality blastocysts will be developed from low porcine follicular oocyte compared to other domestic animals.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.322-327
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• 2018

Background: This study evaluated the early and long-term outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in elderly patients in the era of transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Methods: Between 2001 and 2018, 94 patients aged ${\geq}75years$ underwent isolated AVR with stented bioprosthetic valves for aortic valve stenosis (AS). The main etiologies of AS were degenerative (n=63) and bicuspid (n=21). The median follow-up duration was 40.7 months (range, 0.6-174 months). Results: Operative mortality occurred in 2 patients (2.1%) and paravalvular leak occurred in 1 patient. No patients required permanent pacemaker insertion after surgery. Late death occurred in 11 patients. The overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 87.2% and 65.1%, respectively. The rates of freedom from valve-related events at 5 and 10 years were 94.5% and 88.6%, respectively. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score (p=0.013) and chronic kidney disease (p=0.030) were significant factors affecting long-term survival. The minimal p-value approach demonstrated that an STS score of 3.5% was the most suitable cut-off value for predicting long-term survival. Conclusion: Surgical AVR for elderly AS patients may be feasible in terms of early mortality and postoperative complications, particularly paravalvular leak and permanent pacemaker insertion. The STS score and chronic kidney disease were associated with long-term outcomes after AVR in the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.396-403
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• 2012

Objective : The predictors of cranioplasty infection after decompressive craniectomy have not yet been fully characterized. The objective of the current study was to compare the long-term incidences of surgical site infection according to the graft material and cranioplasty timing after craniectomy, and to determine the associated factors of cranioplasty infection. Methods : A retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess graft infection in patients who underwent cranioplasty after decompressive craniectomy between 2001 and 2011 at a single-center. From a total of 197 eligible patients, 131 patients undergoing 134 cranioplasties were assessed for event-free survival according to graft material and cranioplasty timing after craniectomy. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression methods were employed, with cranioplasty infection identified as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were also evaluated, including autogenous bone resorption, epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma and brain contusion. Results : The median follow-up duration was 454 days (range 10 to 3900 days), during which 14 (10.7%) patients suffered cranioplasty infection. There was no significant difference between the two groups for event-free survival rate for cranioplasty infection with either a cryopreserved or artificial bone graft (p=0.074). Intergroup differences according to cranioplasty time after craniectomy were also not observed (p=0.083). Poor neurologic outcome at cranioplasty significantly affected the development of cranioplasty infection (hazard ratio 5.203, 95% CI 1.075 to 25.193, p=0.04). Conclusion : Neurologic status may influence cranioplasty infection after decompressive craniectomy. A further prospective study about predictors of cranioplasty infection including graft material and cranioplasty timing is necessary.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2013

Background: Heart transplantation in elderly patients has raised concerns because of co-morbidities and limited life expectancy in the era of donor shortage. We examined the outcomes after heart transplantation in elderly patients. Materials and Methods: From March 1994 to December 2011, 81 patients (male:female=64:17, $49.1{\pm}14.0$ years) underwent heart transplantation. The outcomes after heart transplantation in the younger patients (<60 years; group Y, n=60) were compared with those in the elderly patients (${\geq}60$ years; group O, n=21). The follow-up duration was $51.8{\pm}62.7$ months. Results: Early mortality (${\leq}30$ days) occurred in 5.0% (3/60) and 4.8% (1/21) of groups Y and O, respectively (p>0.999). There were no differences in overall survival between the two groups (p=0.201). Freedom from rejection was higher in group O than in group Y (p=0.026). Multivariable analysis revealed that age ${\geq}60$ years was not a significant risk factor for long-term survival; postoperative renal failure was the only significant risk factor for long-term survival (p=0.011). Conclusion: Early and mid-term results of heart transplantation in elderly patients were similar to those in younger patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.151-156
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• 2016

Background: Survival of children experiencing cardiac arrest refractory to conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is very poor. We sought to examine current era outcomes of extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) support for refractory arrest. Methods: Patients who were <18 years and underwent ECPR between November 2013 and January 2016 were including in this study. We retrospectively investigated patient medical records. Results: Twelve children, median age 6.6 months (range, 1 day to 11.7 years), required ECPR. patients' diseases spanned several categories: congenital heart disease (n=5), myocarditis (n=2), respiratory failure (n=2), septic shock (n=1), trauma (n=1), and post-cardiotomy arrest (n=1). Cannulation sites included the neck (n=8), chest (n=3), and neck to chest conversion (n=1). Median duration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was five days (range, 0 to 14 days). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was successfully discontinued in 10 (83.3%) patients. Nine patients (75%) survived more than seven days after support discontinuation and four patients (33.3%) survived and were discharged. Causes of death included ischemic brain injury (n=4), sepsis (n=3), and gastrointestinal bleeding (n=1). Conclusion: ECPR plays a valuable role in children experiencing refractory cardiac arrest. The weaning rate is acceptable; however, survival is related to other organ dysfunction and the severity of ischemic brain injury. ECPR prior to the emergence of end-organ injury and prevention of neurologic injury might enhance survival.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.3
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• pp.162-168
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• 2012

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease. Effective treatment is not currently available and the prognosis is poor. The aim of our study was to identify clinical predictors of survival in patients with IPF. Methods: By using medical record database of a university hospital, we reviewed the records of patients who had been diagnosed as having IPF from January 1996 through December 2007. Results: Among 89 patients considered as having interstitial lung disease (ILD) on computed tomography (CT) of the chest, 22 were excluded because of the diagnosis of other ILDs or connective tissue disease, and finally, 67 met the criteria of IPF. The mean age at the diagnosis of IPF was 70 years (range, 41~87 years) and 43 (64%) were male. The mean survival time following the diagnosis of IPF was 40 months (range, 0~179 months). Among them, 28 cases were diagnosed as the progressive state of IPF on the follow-up CT examination, and the mean duration between diagnosis of IPF and progression was 31 months. Multivariate analysis using Cox regression model revealed that body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 $kg/m^2$ (p=0.030; hazard ratio [HR], 12.085; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.277~114.331) and CT progression before 36 months from the diagnosis of IPF (p=0.042; HR, 13.564; 95% CI, 1.101~167.166) were independently associated with mortality. Conclusion: Since low BMI at the diagnosis of IPF and progression on follow-up CT were associated with poor prognosis, IPF patients with low BMI and/or progression before 36 months following the diagnosis should be closely monitored.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2006

We retrospectively evaluated our results of replantations of distal digital amputations and analyzed the factors deterrent to the survival of replanted digits. From January 2004 to 2005 June, we performed 101 cases of replantations following complete amputations at or distal to interphalangeal joint level. The study included 98 patients with a mean age of 35.6 years (range 1 to 63 years). Amputation level correlated to zone I (distal to the lunula)in 47 cases and zone II (lunula to distal interphalangeal joint) in 54 cases according to Yamano's classification. According to the mechanism of amputation, 24 cases (22.9%) suffered from guillotine type injury, 27 cases (27.1 %) from avulsion type injury and 50 cases (50%) from crush type injury. In all cases, a single arterial anastomosis was performed. Venous anastomosis on either volar or dorsal side was performed in 12 cases of amputation in zone II. Salvage procedure for venous drainage was performed in 98 cases. The mean duration of salvage procedures was 5.9 days (ranging from 4 to 14 days). Successful replantation was achieved in 96 cases (95.1%), which included 93.7% cases in zone I amputations and 96.3% cases in zone II amputations. A single venous anastomosis was performed in 12 cases of amputation in zone II. All of them survived completely. Among the 5 cases that failed to survive, 3 cases were related with avulsion injury in zone I. Initial mechanism of injury determines the survival rate of amputated parts as it is directly related with the status of vessels and soft tissues. Meticulous precaution during the salvage procedure may affect the overall survival rate of distal digital replantations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3187-3190
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• 2012

This study evaluated the relationship between pretreatment hemoglobin (Hb) and prognostic factors in Thai patients with endometrial cancer. Medical records of 228 patients who had undergone surgery between January 2005 and December 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Associations between clinicopathological variables and pretreatment Hb levels were described using Pearson's chi square test or two-tailed Fisher's exact test. Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier estimates. Univariate and Cox-regression models were used to evaluate the prognostic impact of various factors, including Hb levels, in term of disease-free survival. The median duration of follow-up was 38.2 months. Eighty-nine patients (39%) had a preoperative Hb level of <12 g/dL, these having significantly higher rates of non-endometrioid histology, advanced FIGO stage, lymphovascular space invasion, cervical involvement, adnexal involvement, positive peritoneal cytology, and lymph node involvement than patients with Hb ${\geq}12$ g/dL. The 5-year disease-free and overall survival were significantly lower in patients with pretreatment Hb levels <12 g/dL compared with those with Hb ${\geq}12$ g/dL (79.3% vs. 89.2%, p=0.044 and 87.6% vs. 99.3%, p<0.001, respectively). In the multivariate analysis only histology, myometrial invasion, and lymphovascular invasion proved to be independent prognostic factors, whereas tumor grading, stage, cervical involvement, adnexal involvement, positive peritoneal cytology, lymph node involvement, and low Hb were not. In conclusion, presence of anemia before treatment may reflect poor prognostic factors in patients with endometrial cancer and low pretreatment hemoglobin level may have a prognostic impact on clinical outcome.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6165-6169
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• 2014

Background: The advantage of intra-peritoneal (IP) chemotherapy (CT) in the initial management of ovarian cancer after cytoreductive surgery is well known. The feasibility and toxicity of a treatment regimen with an IP + intravenous CT (IPIVCT) for optimally debulked stage III ovarian cancer were here evaluated retrospectively. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 patients were treated in our institution between October 2006 and February 2011. Patients received IV paclitaxel $175mg/m^2$ over 3 hours followed by IP cisplatin $75mg/m^2$ on day 1; they also received IP paclitaxel $60mg/m^2$ on day 8. They were also scheduled to receive 6 courses of CT every 21 days. Results: The median age of the patients was 55 years (35-77), and the majority had papillary serous ovarian cancer (63.3%). The patients completed a total of 146 cycles of IPIVCT. Twenty-eight were able to receive at least three cycles of IPIVCT and 18 (60%) completed the scheduled 6 cycles. Two patients discontinued the IPIVCT because of toxicity of chemotherapy agents and 6 had to stop treatment due to intolerable abdominal pain during IP drug administration, obstruction and impaired access. Grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (6 patients; 20%), anemia (2 patients; 6.7%) and nausea-vomiting (2 patients; 6.7%). Doses were delayed in 12 cycles (8%) for neutropenia (n=6), thrombocytopenia (n=3) and elevated creatinine (n=3). Drug doses were not reduced. The median duration of progression-free survival (PFS) was 47.7 months (95%CI, 38.98-56.44) and overall survival (OS) was 51.7 months (95%CI, 44.13-59.29). Two and five-year overall survival rates were 75.6 % and 64.8%, respectively. Conclusions: IPIVCT is feasible and well-tolerated in this setting. Its clinically proven advantages should be taken into consideration and more efforts should be made to administer IPIVCT to suitable patients.