• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.683-686
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate clinical value of dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT with serum procalcitonin (PCT) in identifying cancers in patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). Methods: PCT test and dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT were sequentially performed on 50 consecutive patients with FUO. Two radiologists evaluated all $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT data independently. A consensus was reached if any difference of opinions existed. Final diagnosis was based on a comprehensive analysis of results for the PCT test, dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT and bacterial cultivation, regarded as a gold standard. Results: Among 50 patients, 34 demonstrated PCT ${\geq}0.5{\mu}g/L$. Coincidence imaging showed in 37 patients with inflammatory lesions, and 13 with malignancy. Finally, 36 bacterial, 1 fungal and 1 viral infections, as well as 12 cancerous fevers were confirmed by dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT with PCT, combined with bacterial cultivation and clinical follow-up. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT in association with PCT could be a valuable tool for diagnosis in tumor patients with FUO.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2024

This study aimed to analyze whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the characteristics of first-visit patients with peripheral facial palsy (PFP) and observe changes in their characteristics. This study analyzed the electronic medical records of 2,310 first-visit patients with PFP who visited the Facial Palsy Center, Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021, in terms of demographic characteristics, disease phase, residence locations, hospital visit route, and patient care. During COVID-19, the proportion of acute patients increased by 5.3%, the proportion of visits by residents in Seoul increased by 3.8%, and the proportion of patients receiving only outpatient treatments increased by 12.8%. Significant relationships were present between the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of patients by disease phase (p = 0.043), residence locations (p = 0.003), and patient care (p = 0.003). Thus, several differences in the characteristics of first-visit patients with PFP visiting a Korean medicine hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of demographic characteristics, disease phase, residence locations, and patient care.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.286.2-286.2
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• 2001

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2009

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is still difficult to diagnose in the field of chronic pain management. CRPS is diagnosed by purely clinical criteria based on the characteristic signs and symptoms, which have to be differentiated from similar pain conditions like posttraumatic neuropathic pain. Until now, there has been a lack of objective diagnostic tools to confirm the diagnosis of CRPS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a three phase bone scan (TBS) for making the diagnosis of CRPS. Methods: A total of 121 patients who had been diagnosed with CRPS were evaluated. All the patients were examined by performing a TBS as a part of the diagnostic work-up. A diffuse increased tracer uptake on the delayed image (phase III) was defined as a positive finding for CRPS. Results: Forty-one patients (33.9%) out of 121 showed the positive results on the TBS. The patients with a duration of pain of less than 24 months had a significantly higher positive result (43.4%) on the TBS than did the patients with duration of pain longer than 24 months (12.1%). Conclusions: A TBS could give a better objective result for diagnosing CRPS for patients with a shorter duration of pain and a TBS gives little information for the diagnosis of CRPS in patients with a duration of pain longer than 24 months.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.262-267
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• 2021

Objective: Progesterone application for luteal phase support is a well-established concept in in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Water-soluble subcutaneous progesterone injections have shown pregnancy rates equivalent to those observed in patients receiving vaginal administration in randomized controlled trials. Our study aimed to investigate whether the results from those pivotal trials could be reproduced in daily clinical practice in an unselected patient population. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study in non-standardized daily clinical practice, we compared 273 IVF cycles from 195 women undergoing IVF at our center for luteal phase support with vaginal administration of 200 mg of micronized progesterone three times daily or subcutaneous injection of 25 mg of progesterone per day. Results: Various patient characteristics including age, weight, height, number of oocytes, and body mass index were similar between both groups. We observed no significant differences in the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) per treatment cycle between the subcutaneous (39.9%) and vaginal group (36.5%) (p=0.630). Covariate analysis showed significant correlations of the number of transferred embryos and the total dosage of stimulation medication with the CPR. However, after adjustment of the CPR for these covariates using a regression model, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (odds ratio, 0.956; 95% confidence interval, 0.512-1.786; p=0.888). Conclusion: In agreement with randomized controlled trials in study populations with strict selection criteria, our study determined that subcutaneous progesterone was equally effective as vaginally applied progesterone in daily clinical practice in an unselected patient population.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.395-407
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• 2020

Purpose: A phase II study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of preoperative, intra-arterial perfusion of epirubicin, etoposide, and oxaliplatin combined with oral chemotherapy S-1 (SEEOX) for the treatment of type 4 gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: A single-center, single-arm phase II trial was conducted on 36 patients with histologically proven type 4 gastric cancer without distant peritoneal or organ metastasis. Patients received 3, 21-day courses of SEEOX preoperative chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and the secondary outcomes assessed were chemotherapeutic response, radical resection rate, pathological regression, toxicities, postoperative morbidity, and mortality. Results: All patients were at an advanced stage of cancer (stage III or IV) and completed the entire course of treatment. Based on changes in tumor volume and peritoneal metastasis, the objective response rate was 55.6% (20/36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 38.5%-72.6%) and the disease control rate was 69.4% (25/36; 95% CI, 53.6%-85.3%). The radical resection rate was 75% (27/36; 95% CI, 60.1%-89.9%) and the proportion of R0 resections was 66.7% (21/36; 95% CI, 50.5%-82.8%). The pathological response rate was 33.3%, of which 13.9% showed complete pathological regression. The median survival was 27.1 months (95% CI, 22.24-31.97 months), and the 2-year OS was 48.5% (95% CI, 30.86%-66.1%). Conclusions: Preoperative SEEOX is a safe and effective treatment for type 4 gastric cancer. Based on these preliminary data, a phase III study will be conducted to confirm the superiority of this regimen over standard treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 1994

It is known that the normal His-Purkinje system provides for nearly synchronous activation of right (RV) and left (LV) ventricles. When His-Purkinje conduction is abnormal, the resulting sequence of ventricular contraction must be correspondingly abnormal. These abnormal mechanical consequences were difficult to demonstrate because of the complexity and the rapidity of it's events. To determine the relationship of the phase changes and the abnormalities of ventricular conduction, we performed phase image analysis of $^{99m}Tc$-RBC gated blood pool scintigrams in patients with intraventricular conduction disturbances (24 complete left bundle branch block (C-LBBB), 15 complete right bundle branch block (C-RBBB), 13 Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW), 10 controls). The results were as follows; 1) The ejection fraction (EF), peak ejection rate (PER), and peak filling rate (PFR) of LV in gated blood pool scintigraphy (GBPS) were significantly lower in patients with C-LBBB than in controls ($44.4{\pm}13.9%$ vs $69.9{\pm}4.2%,\;2.48{\pm}0.98$ vs $3.51{\pm}0.62,\;1.76{\pm}0.71$ vs $3.38{\pm}0.92$, respectively, p<0.05). 2) In the phase angle analysis of LV, Standard deviation (SD), width of half maximum of phase angle (FWHM), and range of phase angle were significantly increased in patients with C-LBBB than in controls ($20.6{\pm}18.1$ vs $8.6{\pm}1.8,\;22.5{\pm}9.2$ vs $16.0{\pm}3.9,\;95.7{\pm}31.7$ vs $51.3{\pm}5.4$, respectively, p<0.05). 3) There was no significant difference in EF, PER, PFR between patients with the Wolff-parkinson-White syndrome and controls. 4) Standard deviation and range of phase angle were significantly higher in patients with WPW syndrome than in controls ($10.6{\pm}2.6$ vs $8.6{\pm}1.8$, p<0.05, $69.8{\pm}11.7$ vs $51.3{\pm}5.4$, p<0.001, respectively), however, there was no difference between the two groups in full width of half maximum. 5) Phase image analysis revealed relatively uniform phase across the both ventricles in patients with normal conduction, but markedly delayed phase in the left ventricle of patients with LBBB. 6) In 13 cases of WPW syndrome, the site of preexcitation could be localized in 10 cases (77%) by phase image analysis. Therefore, it can be concluded that phase image analysis can provide an accurate noninvasive method to detect the mechanical consequences of a wide variety of abnormal electrical activation in ventricles.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.316-323
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• 2023

Objective : Owing to advances in critical care treatment, the overall survival rate of preterm infants born at a gestational age (GA) <32 weeks has consistently improved. However, the incidence of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) has persisted, and there are few reports on in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate trends surrounding in-hospital morbidity and mortality of preterm infants with severe IVH over a 14-year period. Methods : This single-center retrospective study included 620 infants born at a GA <32 weeks, admitted between January 2007 and December 2020. After applying exclusion criteria, 596 patients were included in this study. Infants were grouped based on the most severe IVH grade documented on brain ultrasonography during their admission, with grades 3 and 4 defined as severe. We compared in-hospital mortality and clinical outcomes of preterm infants with severe IVH for two time periods : 2007-2013 (phase I) and 2014-2020 (phase II). Baseline characteristics of infants who died and survived during hospitalization were analyzed. Results : A total of 54 infants (9.0%) were diagnosed with severe IVH over a 14-year period; overall in-hospital mortality rate was 29.6%. Late in-hospital mortality rate (>7 days after birth) for infants with severe IVH significantly improved over time, decreasing from 39.1% in phase I to 14.3% in phase II (p=0.043). A history of hypotension treated with vasoactive medication within 1 week after birth (adjusted odds ratio, 7.39; p=0.025) was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality. When comparing major morbidities of surviving infants, those in phase II were significantly more likely to have undergone surgery for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (29.2% vs. 0.0%; p=0.027). Additionally, rates of late-onset sepsis (45.8% vs. 14.3%; p=0.049) and central nervous system infection (25.0% vs. 0.0%; p=0.049) were significantly higher in phase II survivors than in phase I survivors. Conclusion : In-hospital mortality in preterm infants with severe IVH decreased over the last decade, whereas major neonatal morbidities increased, particularly surgical NEC and sepsis. This study suggests the importance of multidisciplinary specialized medical and surgical neonatal intensive care in preterm infants with severe IVH.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.733-738
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• 2008

Although previous studies have implicated a role for TC1 (C8orf4) in cancer cell proliferation, the molecular mechanism of its action is still largely unclear. In this study, we showed, for the first time, that the mRNA levels of TC1 were upregulated by mitogens (FBS/thrombin) and at least partially, through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Interestingly, the over-expression of TC1 promoted the $G_1$- to S-phase transition of the cell cycle, which was delayed by the deficiency of ERK1/2 signaling in fibroblast cells. Furthermore, the luciferase reporter assay indicated that the over-expression of TC1 significantly increased Cyclin D1 promoter-driven luciferase activity. Taken together, our findings revealed that TC1 was involved in the mitogen-activated ERK1/2 signaling pathway and positively regulated $G_1$- to S-phase transition of the cell cycle. Our results may provide a novel mechanism of the role of TC1 in the regulation of cell proliferation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4571-4576
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• 2015

Background: To investigate the inhibitory effect and the underlying mechanism of triptolide on cultured human endometrial carcinoma HEC-1B cells and corresponding xenograft. Materials and Methods: For in vitro studies, the inhibition effect of proliferation on HEC-1B cell by triptolide was determined by MTT assay; cell cycle and apoptosis of the triptolide-treated and untreated cells were detected by flow cytometry. For in vivo studies, a xenograft tumor model of human endometrial carcinoma was established using HEC-1B cells, then the tumor-bearing mice were treated with high, medium, and low-dose ($8{\mu}g$, $4{\mu}g$ and $2{\mu}g/day$) triptolide or cisplatin at $40{\mu}g/day$ or normal saline as control. The mice were treated for 10-15 days, during which body weight of the mice and volume of the xenograft were weighted. Then expression of Bcl-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was analyzed by SABC immunohistochemistry. Results: Cell growth was significantly inhibited by triptolide as observed by an inverted phase contrast microscope; the results of MTT assay indicated that triptolide inhibits HEC-1B cell proliferation in a dose and time-dependent manner; flow cytometry showed that low concentration (5 ng/ml) of triptolide induces cell cycle arrest of HEC-1B cells mainly at S phase, while higher concentration (40 or 80 ng/ml) induced cell cycle arrest of HEC-1B cells mainly at G2/M phase, and apoptosis of the cells was also induced. High-dose triptolide showed a similar tumor-inhibitory effect as cisplatin (-50%); high-dose triptolide significantly inhibited Bcl-2 and VEGF expression in the xenograft model compared to normal saline control (P<0.05). Conclusions: triptolide inhibits HEC-1B cell growth both in vitro and in mouse xenograft model. Cell cycle of the tumor cells was arrested at S and G2/M phase, and the mechanism may involve induction of tumor cell apoptosis and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.