• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.176-181
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The adipocyte-derived cytokine leptin plays a major role in the control of stable body weight by suppressing food intake and increasing energy metabolism. Leptin regulates the cell proliferation of various epithelial cells and it may be involved in the promotion of cancer. Leptin and its receptor are highly expressed in gastric adenocarcinoma, but the association between the serum leptin level and the tissue expression of leptin is uncertain. We evaluated the serum leptin level and the expressions of leptin and leptin receptor in gastric cancer, and we explore the possible mechanism and role of leptin in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: 72 carcinomas that were curatively resected at our hospital from October 2005 to March 2007 were included in this study. By immunoassay and immunohistochemical staining, we evaluated the serum leptin level and the expressions of leptin and its receptor, and we analyzed their relationship together with the clinicopathological variables. Results: The serum leptin level was increased as the patient's BMI increased and it was decreased in H. pylori infected patients. The expression of leptin was increased as the TNM stage increased (P=0.014), and the expression of leptin receptor in the intestinal type gastric adenocarcinoma was higher than that in the diffuse type gastric adenocarcinoma (71.4% vs 28.6%, respectively, P=0.033). Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between the serum leptin level and expression of leptin in gastric cancer patients. The expression of leptin was associated with the TNM stage, but its role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer has to be elucidated.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.119-124
• /
• 2011

Purpose: Supernumerary marker chromosome (SMC) could be associated with various phenotypic abnormalities based on the chromosomal origin of SMCs. The present study aimed to determine the genomic contents of SMCs using chromosomal microarray and to analyze molecular cytogenetic characterizations and clinical phenotypes in patients with SMCs. Materials and Methods: Among patients with SMCs detected in routine chromosomal analysis, SMCs originating from chromosome 15 were excluded from the present study. CGH-based oligonucleotide chromosomal microarray was performed in 4 patients. Results: The chromosomal origins of SMCs were identified in 3 patients. Case 1 had a SMC of 16.1 Mb in 1q21.1-q23.3. Case 2 showed 21 Mb gain in 19p13.11-q13.12. Case 3 had a 4.5 Mb-sized SMC rearranged from 2 regions of 2.5 Mb in 22q11.1-q11.21 and 2.0 Mb in 22q11.22-q11.23. Conclusion: Case 1 presented a wide range of phenotypic abnormalities including the phenotype of 1q21.1 duplication syndrome. In case 2, Asperger-like symptoms are apparently related to 19p12-q13.11, hearing problems and strabismus to 19p13.11 and other features to 19q13.12. Compared with cat-eye syndrome type I and 22q11.2 microduplication syndrome, anal atresia in case 3 is likely related to 22q11.1-q11.21 while other features are related to 22q11.22-q11.23. Analyzing SMCs using high-resolution chromosomal microarray can help identify specific gene contents and to offer proper genetic counseling by determining genotype-phenotype correlations.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.393-401
• /
• 1998

Based on clinical observations, it is suspected that the bone-tendon origin is the site where piratical failure, leading to pathophysiological changes in the humeral epicondyle after repetitive loading, is initiated Mechanical properties and failure patterns of the common extensor and flexor tendons of the humeral epicondyle under static and repetitive loading have not been well documented. Our goal was to determine mechanical properties of failure strength and strain changes, to correlate strain changes and the number of cyclic repetitions, and to identify the failure pattern of bone-tendon specimens of common extensor and flexor tendons of the humeral epicondyle. Mechnaical properties of human cadaver bone-tendon specimens of the common extensor and flexor tendons of the humeral epicondyle were tested under two different loading rates. No statistically significant difference in ultimate tensile strength was found between male and female specimens or between slow (10 mm/sec) and fast elongation (100 mm/sec) rates. However, a statistically significant difference in ultimate tensile strength between the common extensor (1190.0 N/$cm^2{\pm}$388.8) and flexor 1922.0 N/$cm^2{\pm}$764.4)tendons was found (p<0.05). When loads of 25%, 33%, and 41% of the ultimate tensile strength of their contralateral sides were applied, the number of cycles required to reach 24% strain change for the common extersor and flexor tendons were approximately 8,893, 1,907, and 410, respectively. The relationship between cycles and loads was correlated ($R^2$=0.46) Histological observation showed that complete or partial failure after tensile or cyclic loadings occurred at the transitional zone, which is the uncalcified fibrocartilage zone between tendon and bone of the humeral epicondyle. Sequential histological sections revealed that failure initiated at the upper, medial aspect of the extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon origin. Biomechanical and hstological data obtained in this study indicated that the uncalcified fibrocartilage zone at the bone-tendon origin of the common extensor and flexor tendons is the weak anatomical structure of the humeral epicondyle.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.532-539
• /
• 2004

Purpose: There has been a renewal of interest in Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), especially correlation in pathogenesis of sepsis by many infectious diseases and in regulation of host inflammatory and immune response. We developed immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) to determine serum human MIF concentration. Materials and Methods: The IRMA system utilizes solid phase bound monoclonal anti-recombinant human MIF (rhMIF) antibody as a capture antibody, biotinylated polyclonal anti-rhMIF antibody as a detector antibody. We applied with rhMIF that concentration of standard solutions increased from 0 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml. We used $^{125}I$-streptavidin (SA) as radiotracer to determination of rhMIF concentration. Streptavidin was labeled with $^{125}I$ by Chloramine-T method and $^{125}I$-SA was purified by ultracentrifugation. $^{125}I$-SA stability was evaluated by ITLC analysis at $4^{\circ}C$ and room temperatures until 60days. To validate IRMA system for MIF, we experimented intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation, recovery test and dilution test. Results: Radiolabeling yield of $^{125}I$-SA was 87% and purified $^{125}I$-SA retained above 99% radiochemical purity. $^{125}I$-SA showed above 93% stability in $4^{\circ}C$ until 60days that it is good for immunoradiometric assay as radiotracer. Plotted standard dose response curve showed that increased concentration of rhMIF linearly correlated (R2=0.99) with bound radioactivity of $^{125}I$-SA. The highest intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 5.5% and 7.6%, respectively. The average of recovery of MIF in samples was 102%. In dilution test, linear response curves were obtained (R2=0.97). Conclusion: Radioimmunoassay using $^{125}I$-SA as radiotracer thought to be useful for the determination of serum MIF concentration, and further, its data will be used to evaluate the correlation between clinical significance and serum MIF concentration in patients with various inflammatory diseases.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.172-180
• /
• 2007

Among the nuclear medicine imaging methods available today, $H_2^{15}O-PET$ is most widely used by cognitive neuroscientists to examine regional brain function via the measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The short half-life of the radioactively labeled probe, $^{15}O$, often allows repeated measures from the same subjects in many different task conditions. $H_2^{15}O-$ PET, however, has technical limitations relative to other methods of functional neuroimaging, e.g., fMRI, including relatively poor time and spatial resolutions, and, frequently, insufficient statistical power for analysis of individual subjects. However, recent technical developments, such as the 3-D acquisition method provide relatively good image quality with a smaller radioactive dosage, which in turn results in more PET scans from each individual, thus providing sufficient statistical power for the analysis of individual subject's data. Furthermore, the noise free scanner environment $H_2^{15}O$ PET, along with discrete acquisition of data for each task condition, are important advantages of PET over other functional imaging methods regarding studying state-dependent changes in brain activity. This review presents both the limitations and advantages of $^{15}O-PET$, and outlines the design of efficient PET protocols, using examples of recent PET studies both in the normal healthy population, and in the clinical population.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.546-552
• /
• 2007

Purpose: In the breast cancer patient, lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy are the most important procedure for axillary lymph node staging. We aimed to compare the three radiocolloids [$^{99m}Tc$-antimony trisulfide colloid (ASC), $^{99m}Tc$-tin colloid (TC), and $^{99m}Tc$-human serum albumin (HSA)] for sentinel lymph node mapping. Subjects and Methods: Totally, 397 patients with clinically N0 stage were enrolled. $^{99m}Tc$-ASC was injected in 202 out of 397 patients, $^{99m}Tc$-TC was injected in 120 patients, and $^{99m}Tc$-HSA was injected in the remaining 75 patients. The sentinel lymph nodes were localized by lymphoscintigraphy and selected using intraoperative gamma probe. All sentinel lymph nodes were investigated by intraoperative pathologic consultation. The axillary lymph nodes which were harvested by the lymph node dissection were also investigated. Results: The patients of each group showed similar clinical characteristics. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the identification rate of sentinel lymph nodes (IR), false negative rate (FNR), and negative predictive value (NPV). The axillary lymphadenectomy revealed axillary lymph node metastases in those three groups (ASC-33.2%, TC-31.7%, HSA-22.7%). The IR, FNR, and NPV were not significantly different among those groups. Conclusion: Those three $^{99m}Tc$-labeled radiocolloids showed equivalent results in sentinel lymph node mapping of breast cancer.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.530-537
• /
• 2007

Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the specific patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT, and to compare the differences between the two conditions. Materials and Methods: Sixteen SVaD, 46 AD and 12 control subjects participated in this study. We included the patients with SVaD and AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA and NINDS-AIREN criteria. They were all matched for age, education and clinical dementia rating scores. Three groups were evaluated by Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for measuring rCBF. The SPECT data of patients with SVaD and AD were compared with those of normal control subjects and then compared with each other. Results: SPM analysis of the SPECT image showed significant perfusion deficits on the right temporal region and thalamus, left insula and superior temporal gyrus, both cingulate gyri and frontal subgyri in patients with SVaD and on the left supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, right fugiform gyrus and both cingulate gyri in AD compared with control subjects (uncorrected p<0.01). SVaD patients revealed significant hypoperfusion in the right parahippocampal gyrus with cingulated gyrus, left insula and both frontal subgyral regions compared with AD (uncorrected p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study shows characteristic and different pattern of perfusion deficits in patients with SVaD and AD, and these results may be helpful to discriminate the two conditions in the early stage of illness.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.183-195
• /
• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the flexural strength of CAD/CAM denture base resins with conventional denture base resins based on their thicknesses. Materials and Methods: For the conventional denture base resins, Lucitone 199^® (C-LC) was used. DIOnavi - Denture (P-DO) and DENTCA Denture Base II (P-DC) were taken for the 3D printing denture base resins. For the prepolymerized PMMA resins, Vipi Block Gum (M-VP) and M-IVoBase^® CAD (M-IV) were used. The final dimensions of the specimens were 65.0 mm x 12.7 mm x 1.6 mm / 2.0 mm / 2.5 mm. The 3-point bend test was implemented to measure the flexural strength and flexural modulus. Microscopic evaluation of surface of fractured specimen was conducted by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). After testing the normality of the data, one-way ANOVA was adopted to evaluate the differences among sample groups with a significance level of P = 0.05. The Tukey HSD test was performed for post hoc analysis. Results: Under the same thicknesses, there are significant differences in flexural strength between CAD/CAM denture base resins and conventional denture base resins except for P-DO and C-LC. M-VP showed higher flexural strength than conventional denture base resins, P-DC and M-IV displayed lower flexural strength than conventional denture base resins. Flexural modulus was highest in M-VP, followed by C-LC, P-DO, P-DC, M-IV, significant differences were found between all materials. In the comparison of flexural strength according to thickness, flexural strength of 2.5 mm was significantly higher than that of 1.6 mm in C-LC. Flexural strength of 2.5 mm and 2.0 mm was significantly higher than that of 1.6 mm in P-DC and M-VP. In M-IV, as the thickness increases, significant increase in flexural strength appeared. SEM analysis illustrates different fracture surfaces of the specimens. Conclusion: The flexural strength of different CAD/CAM denture base resins used in this study varied according to the composition and properties of each material. The flexural strength of CAD/CAM denture base resins was higher than the standard suggested by ISO 20795-1:2013 at a thickness of 1.6 mm or more though the thickness decreased. However, for clinical use of dentures with lower thickness, further researches should be done regarding other properties at lower thickness of denture base resins.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.26-45
• /
• 2019

Objective : The purpose of this study is to develop educational goals, training content, and training methods for the intervention course of the Korean Academy of Sensory Integration (KASI) and to conduct competency-based intervention courses based on the competency model for sensory integration intervention. Methods : This study was conducted on work therapists who participated in the 2019 intervention course of KASI. In the first phase, educational needs were analyzed to set goals for the interventional course. In the second phase, a meeting of researchers drafted the intervention course education program and the methods of education, and the intervention course was conducted. In the third phase, the changes in educational satisfaction and performance level pre- and post-intervention course for each competency index were investigated. Results : The educational goals of "learning and applying the clinical reasoning process of sensory integration intervention" and "intervention by applying the principle of sensory integration intervention" were set after reflecting on the results of the analysis of the educational requirements. The length of the competency-based intervention course was 42 hours. The average education satisfaction level of participants in the arbitration process was 4.48±0.73, and the average education satisfaction level of the supervisor was 3.92±0.71. In both groups, the most satisfying curriculums were the data-driven decision-making process and the intervention goal-setting lecture. But the satisfaction level of was the lowest. Before and after the intervention course, there were significant changes in the performance of the two behavioral indicators of the analytic skills in the expertise competency cluster of the competency model. Conclusion : This study is meaningful in that it conducted a survey of educational needs, the development and implementation of an educational curriculum, and an education satisfaction survey through systematic courses necessary for education development.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.61 no.5
• /
• pp.433-439
• /
• 2006

Background: Although airway hyper-responsiveness is one of the characteristics of asthma. bronchial hyper-responsiveness has also been observed to some degree in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Moreover, several reports have demonstrated that a number of patients have both COPD and asthma. The methacholine bronchial challenge test (MCT) is a widely used method for the detecting and quantifying the airway hyper- responsiveness, and is one of the diagnostic tools in asthma. However, the significance of MCT in differentiating asthma or COPD combined with asthma from pure COPD has not been defined. The aim of this study was to determine the role of MCT in differentiating asthma from pure COPD. Method: This study was performed prospectively and was composed of one hundred eleven patients who had undergone MCT at Chonbuk National University Hospital. Sixty-five asthma patients and 23 COPD patients were enrolled and their MCT data were analyzed and compared with the results of a control group. Result: The positive rates of MCT were 65%, 30%, and 9% in the asthma, COPD, and control groups, respectively. The mean $PC_{20}$ values of the asthma, COPD, and control groups were $8.1{\pm}1.16mg/mL$, $16.9{\pm}2.21mg/mL$, and $22.0{\pm}1.47mg/mL$, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of MCT for diagnosing asthma were 65%, 84%, 81%, and 69%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of MCT (ed note: please check this as I believe that these values correspond to the one $PC_{20}$ value. Please check my changes.) at the new cut-off points of$PC_{20}{\leq}16mg/ml$, were 80%, 75%, 78%, and 78%, respectively. Conclusion: MCT using the new cut-off point can be used as a more precise and useful diagnostic tool for distinguishing asthma from pure COPD.