• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 1984

The death of cattle from acute bracken poisoning has been recognized for many years. Acute bracken poisoning is characterized by mucoidal nasal and anal hemorrhage, severe anorexia. pyrexia, gastric ulcer and myocardial damage. In 1958 Evans first suggested that clinical picture of bracken poisoning was very much similar to that of radiation injuries such as aplastic anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and increased capillary fragility. Bracken has been clearly demonstrated to contain a carcinogen as well as thiaminase. However, the nature of carcinogen in bracken has not definetely elucidated. Also it was warned by several workers that bracken could be a causative factor for stomach cancer in Korean and Japanese. It appears that little is known on the e(feet of bracken on the function of cardiovascular system. Therefore the present study was designed to explore effects of ethanol extract of raw and toiled bracken (RBEE:BBEE) on blood pressure in cats. Also studied was the mechanism underlying changed in blood pressure of cats by bracken. The result obtained were as follows; 1) Mean arterial blood pressure was invariably decreased following administration of either RBEE or BBEE. Tn general depressor responses to RBEE persisted longer than that to BBEE. Generally, depressor responses were proportional to debases of RBEE and BBEE administered. 2) After administration of 60 mg/kg RBEB and BBEE, blood Pressure decreased by $62.1{\pm}1.7mmHg$ and $68.0{\pm}3.0mmHg$, respectively. No change was observed between depressor responses to RBEE and that to BBEE. 3) Depressor responses to BBEE and RBEE were not affected by vagotomy, propranolol and regitine. 4) In atropinized animal depressor responses to BBEE and RBEE were reduced by 30-40% showing part of depressor response was resulted from cholinergic effect of bracken.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in not only cancer development and metastasis but also non-cancerous conditions. Hypoxia is one of the proposed critical factors contributing to formation of chronic rhinosinusitis or nasal polyposis. Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) has antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we analyzed whether wheatgrass has an inhibitory effect on the EMT process in airway epithelial cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells were incubated in hypoxic conditions ($CO_2$ 5%/$O_2$ 1%) for 24 h in the presence of different concentrations of wheatgrass extract (50, 75, 100, and $150{\mu}g/mL$) and changes in expression of epithelial or mesenchymal markers were evaluated by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Accordingly, associated EMT-related transcriptional factors, Snail and Smad, were also evaluated. RESULTS: Hypoxia increased expression of N-cadherin and reduced expression of E-cadherin. Mechanistically, E-cadherin levels were recovered during hypoxia by silencing hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-$1{\alpha}$ or administering wheatgrass extract. Wheatgrass inhibited the hypoxia-mediated EMT by reducing the expression of phosphorylated Smad3 (pSmad3) and Snail. It suppressed the hypoxia-mediated EMT processes of airway epithelial cells via HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and the pSmad3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that wheatgrass has potential as a therapeutic or supplementary agent for HIF-1-related diseases.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.88-93
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• 2007

Wegener's granulomatosis is a disease with an unknown etiology that is characterized by necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis involving the upper and lower respiratory tract and the kidneys. The typical pulmonary findings are bilaterally involved multiple variable sized nodules. We report a case of Wegener's granulomatosis that presented as a single lung mass. A male patient presented with a nasal obstruction, arthralgia, cough, and intermittent dyspnea. The chest radiograph showed a mass, approximately 4.5 cm in diameter, in the right lower lobe. Lung cancer or tuberculosis was initially considered. However, the clinical, laboratory and pathological findings of the mass indicated Wegener's granulomatosis. The patient was administered prednisolone and cyclophosphamide, and improved temporarily. Unfortunately, the immunocompromised patient expired as a result of respiratory failure with pneumonia.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.5.1-5.11
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• 2021

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the most frequent type of head and neck cancer that usually arises from the mucosal surfaces of several organs including nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, oral cavity, tongue, pharynx, and larynx. The Wnt signaling pathway is a crucial mechanism for cellular maintenance and development. It regulates cell cycle progression, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Dysregulation of this pathway correlates with oncogenesis in various tissues including breast, colon, pancreatic as well as head and neck cancers. The present study aims to assess the gene alterations in the Wnt family of genes so as to derive an association with HNSCC. Computational approaches have been utilized for the identification of gene alterations in the Wnt family of genes. Several databases such as cBioportal, STRING, and UALCAN were used for the purpose. The frequency of alteration was high in case of Wnt family member 11 (5%). Gene amplification, deep deletions, missense and truncating mutations were observed in HNSCC patients. There was a marked difference in the gene expression profile of WNT11 between grades as well as normal samples. The survival probability measured using the Kaplan-Meier curve also presented with a significant difference among male and female subjects experiencing a low/medium level expression. The female patients showed less survival probability when compared to the male subjects. This provides the prognostic significance of the WNT11 gene in HNSCC. Taken together, the present study provides clues on the possible association of WNT11 gene alterations with HNSCC, which has to be further validated using experimental approaches.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2024

A 3-year-old spayed female Russian blue cat was presented for dyspnea, nasal discharge, and stertorous breathing. Plain thoracic radiography revealed no specific findings. Computed tomography (CT) was performed to differentiate upper airway tract disorders. It revealed the presence of an iso-attenuating mass measuring 10.0 × 7.9 × 15.6 mm, with mild homogeneous contrast enhancement occupying the rostral nasopharynx. The mass was surgically debulked via a longitudinal incision in the soft palate. Histopathological and immunohistochemistry analysis of the surgically excised mass revealed CD3-/CD79a+ B cell lymphoma with an incomplete margin. The patient underwent hypofractionated radiation therapy, receiving a total of 36 Gray (Gy) in 6 Gy fractions over a six-week period. A follow-up CT examination was performed after 27 months of irradiation and the patient was confirmed to have achieved a complete response. There were no complications related to irradiation. The patient was alive for 40 months without recurrence. This study suggests that hypofractionated radiation therapy combined with surgical debulking could be considered as a treatment option for feline nasopharyngeal lymphoma.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.23-28
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• 2018

Background/Objectives: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the second most common salivary carcinoma. It occurs commonly in the submandibular gland, sublingual gland and minor salivary gland. Local recurrence and distant metastasis are the leading cause of death. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term oncologic outcomes of patients with head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma focusing on distant metastasis. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively studied 39 patients who were diagnosed with and treated for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck from December 1996 to May 2018. The clinicopathologic characteristics of patients such as age, sex, primary site and TNM stage, and treatment methods, recurrence and distant metastasis after treatment, survival rate, and treatment method for recurrence were analyzed. Results: Of 39 patients, 18 were males and 21 were females, and the mean age was $5.9{\pm}14.4$ (28-89) years. The most common primary site was oral cavity (12 cases), and followed by sino-nasal cavity (11 cases), parotid gland (5 cases), and etc. For treatment, 17 patients underwent surgery alone, 16 received surgery with postoperative radiation therapy, and 3 patients received radiation therapy only. Three patients refused any further treatments. Recurrence occurred in 15 patients. The most common site of recurrence was the lung. The mean time to recurrence was 31.7 months. The 5 and 10 years' overall survival rate was 79.3% and 74%, respectively. The 2 and 5 years' overall survival rate was 69.6% and 62.6% in patients with distant metastasis. Conclusion: Distant metastasis is an important prognostic factor in adenoid cystic carcinoma, and eventually one third of patients have distant metastasis, especially in the lung. An appropriate treatment for lung metastasis is necessary because some patients with pulmonary metastasis survive for a quite long time.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.118-123
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• 2015

The frequency of diagnostic radiation examinations in medical institutions has recently increased to 220 million cases in 2011, and the annual exposure dose per capita was 1.4 mSv, 51% and 35% respectively, compared to those in 2007. The number of chest radiography was found to be 27.59% of them, the highest frequency of normal radiography. In this study, we developed a shielding device to minimize radiation exposure by shielding areas of the body which are unnecessary for image interpretation, during the chest radiography. And in order to verify its usefulness, we also measured the difference in entrance surface dose (ESD) and the absorbed dose, before and after using the device, by using an international standard pediatric (10 years) phantom and a glass dosimeter. In addition, we calculated the effective dose by using a Monte Carlo simulation-based program (PCXMC 2.0.1) and evaluated the reduction ratio indirectly by comparing lifetime attributable risk of cancer incidence (LAR). When using the protective device, the ESD decreased by 86.36% on average, nasal cavity $0.55{\mu}Sv$ (74.06%), thyroid $1.43{\mu}Sv$ (95.15%), oesophagus $6.35{\mu}Sv$ (78.42%) respectively, and the depth dose decreased by 72.30% on average, the cervical spine(upper spine) $1.23{\mu}Sv$ (89.73%), salivary gland $0.5{\mu}Sv$ (92.31%), oesophagus $3.85{\mu}Sv$ (59.39%), thyroid $2.02{\mu}Sv$ (73.53%), thoracic vertebrae(middle spine) $5.68{\mu}Sv$ (54.01%) respectively, so that we could verify the usefulness of the shielding mechanism. In addition, the effective dose decreased by 11.76% from $8.33{\mu}Sv$ to $7.35{\mu}Sv$ before and after wearing the device, and in LAR assessment, we found that thyroid cancer decreased to male 0.14 people (95.12%) and female 0.77 people (95.16%) per one million 10-year old children, and general cancers decreased to male 0.14 people (11.70%) and female 0.25 people (11.70%). Although diagnostic radiation examinations are necessary for healthcare such as the treatment of diseases, based on the ALARA concept, we should strive to optimize medical radiation by using this shielding device actively in the areas of the body unnecessary for the diagnosis.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.171-179
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• 1999

The authors experienced a oral carcinoma involving the medial cortex of the right ramus of mandible and the left side of the maxilla which was metastasized from primary rectal adenocarcinoma based on the comprehensive evaluation of data obtained from (1) the past medical history of primary rectal adenocarcinoma, (2) the computerized tomographic views of the homogeneous mass on the anteromedial region of the right ramus of mandible destructing the medial cortex of the right ramus of mandible, and the irregular mass around the clivus spreading into the sphenoid sinus and destructing the left side of the maxilla ; the bone scanning of hot spots on the nasal region and the left side of maxilla ; the posteroanterior chest radiographic view of multiple nodular radiopacities on the lung, (3) the retrospective review of the sonographic view of a hypoechoic, well-demarcated, target-like mass with central hyperechoic focus on right lobe of liver in a Korean female of 49-year-old who complained the ptosis of left eyelid, the swelling on left zygomatic area, the left facial paralysis, the facial asymmetry and a round-shaped, elevated lesion with a hematoma on the mucosa covering the right ramus of mandible.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.56-62
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• 2016

Background: The two most common skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The purpose of this study was to describe the detailed clinical behavior of BCC and SCC in the head and neck region over 19 years at a single institution. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for all patients with non-melanoma skin cancer who had undergone surgical resection over an 18-year period. Patient charts were reviewed for demographic information, tumor size, onset-to-diagnosis, anatomic location, clinical subtype, histologic differentiation, method of surgical treatment, and recurrence. Results: The review identified 265 cases of either BCC or SCC in 226 patients. Of the 226 patients, 80 (35.4%) were men and 146 (64.6%) were women. BCC (n=138, 55.9%) was more frequent than SCC (109, 44.1%). The most frequent age group was 70-to-79 year olds (45 patients, 35.2%) for BCC and 80-to-89 year olds (41 patients, 41.8%) for SCC. By aesthetic units of the face, the most common location was the nasal unit (44 cases, 31.9%) for BCC and the buccal unit (23 cases, 21.1%) for SCC. The most common clinical subtype of BCC was the nodular type (80 cases, 58.0%). Local flaps were most commonly used to cover surgical defects (136 cases, 55.1%). Recurrent rates were 2.2% for BCC and 5.5% for SCC. Conclusion: In our study, many characteristics of BCC and SCC were compared to previously published reports were generally similar, except the ratio of BCC to SCC. Further study can help to establish the characteristics of BCC and SCC.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.386-394
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• 2009

Formaldehyde is used in lether manufacture, a dry plate and an explosive. It is by-product of ozonizing process in filtration plant. The effects of exposure are eye pruritus, tickle, runing nose, blocking nasal passages and headache. It also makes a dried throat and causes inflammation. It is classified as B1 group for inhalation by US. EPA, which can cause cancer in human. For analysis of formaldehyde, formaldehydes-DNPH derivative was extracted with solid cartridge and was analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Diode Array Detector (HPLC/DAD). The detection limit was $3{\mu}g/L$ and the recoveries were 72.3~109.1% (RSD 2.9~11.5%). Water samples were collected in four Korean rivers, four times per year seasonally for 10 years from 1998 to 2007. The monitoring results were 48.8% (630/1291), $5.15{\sim}101.9{\mu}g/L$ in purified water. Because of non-carcinogen in drinking water, hazard index is calculated with RfD. Results of excess cnacer risk was below 1 and was considered as safe value.