• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.925-928
• /
• 2014

Background: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a spectrum of disease with abnormal trophoblastic proliferation. Treatment is based on FIGO stage and WHO risk factor scores. Patients whose score is 12 or more are considered as at extremely high risk with a high likelihood of resistance to first line treatment. Optimal therapy is therefore controversial. Objective: This study was conducted in order to summarize the regimen used for extremely high risk or resistant GTN patients in our institution the in past 10 years. Materials and Methods: All the charts of GTN patients classified as extremely high risk, recurrent or resistant during 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2011 were reviewed. Criteria for diagnosis of GTN were also assessed to confirm the diagnosis. FIGO stage and WHO risk prognostic score were also re-calculated to ensure the accuracy of the information. Patient characteristics were reviewed in the aspects of age, weight, height, BMI, presenting symptoms, metastatic area, lesions, FIGO stage, WHO risk factor score, serum hCG level, treatment regimen, adjuvant treatments, side effects and response to treatment, including disease free survival. Results: Eight patients meeting the criteria of extremely high risk or resistant GTN were included in this review. Mean age was 33.6 years (SD=13.5, range 17-53). Of the total, 3 were stage III (37.5%) and 5 were stage IV (62.5%). Mean duration from previous pregnancies to GTN was 17.6 months (SD 9.9). Mean serum hCG level was 864,589 mIU/ml (SD 98,151). Presenting symptoms of the patients were various such as hemoptysis, abdominal pain, headache, heavy vaginal bleeding and stroke. The most commonly used first line chemotherapeutic regimen in our institution was the VAC regimen which was given to 4 of 8 patients in this study. The most common second line chemotherapy was EMACO. Adjuvant radiation was given to most of the patients who had brain metastasis. Most of the patients have to delay chemotherapy for 1-2 weeks due to grade 2-3 leukopenia and require G-CSF to rescue from neutropenia. Five form 8 patients were still survived. Mean of disease free survival was 20.4 months. Two patients died of the disease, while another one patient died from sepsis of pressure sore wound. None of surviving patients developed recurrence of disease after complete treatment. Conclusions: In extremely high risk GTN patients, main treatment is multi-agent chemotherapy. In our institution, we usually use VAC as a first line treatment of high risk GTN, but since resistance is quite common, this may not suitable for extremely high risk GTN patients. The most commonly used second line multi-agent chemotherapy in our institution is EMA-CO. Adjuvant brain radiation was administered to most of the patients with brain metastasis in our institution. The survival rate is comparable to previous reviews. Our treatment demonstrated differences from other institutions but the survival is comparable. The limitation of this review is the number of cases is small due to rarity of the disease. Further trials or multicenter analyses may be considered.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.146-150
• /
• 1999

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is relatively rare ouuring as one of important autoimmune disease to affect neuromuscular junction. This study was clinically to evaluate total body irradiation (TBI) against two patients including 33-year and 39-year females for chronic MG with thymoma who hospitalized in the St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University since 1994 as well as who showed no response by thymectomy, immunotherapy and hormonal therapy. TBI designed by the dose of 150$\~$180 cGy consisting of 10 cGy per fraction, three times a week, for 5~e weeks using linear accelerator of 6 MV. During the treatment of TBI, they did complain acute side effect such as vomiting and also appear improved physical condition from 4$\~$6 weeks after TBI. Through the follow-up period of 18 or 42 months after TBI, they did not have any symptomatic recurrence. Consequently, the results suggest that TBI can be used as an alternative tool for the patients concurrently for MG with thymoma who had been refractory to various conventional therapies like thymectomy, immunotherapy and hormonal therapy.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.156-162
• /
• 1995

A numerical method for a 2-D oil boom model considering the flexibility of skirt has been developed The neater is assumed rigid and the skirt is tensioned membrane having a point mass at its end The fluid motion is potential. The kinematic condition which demands the continuity of the displacement is imposed at the joint between the floater and the skirt. The dynamic condition for the point mass is imposed at the bottom end of the skirt. The numerical method is based on the Green's function method in the frame of linear potential theory. It finds it's solution simultaneously from the total system of three equations, integral equation, the equation of motion of the floater and the equilibrium equation of the deformation of the skirt. Integral equation is derived by applying the Green's theorem to radiation potential and Green's function. Proper descretization of those three equations leads to the system of a linear algebraic equation. Due to the flexibility of skirt the motion of floater can be diminished in some range of wave frequency and furthermore the mechanism of resonance of the oil boom can be changed. The motion responses of various oil booms have been compared varying the length of the skirt and the point mass. The numerical method has been validated indirectly from the good correspondence between the motion responses of the flexible skirt model and the rigid skirt model in low frequency limit.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.59-62
• /
• 2001

Objectives: We report an interim result of conformal radiotherapy in a patient with early stage cancer at the base of the tongue, which developed in a previously irradiated area. Materials and Methods: A 64-year-old male patient was diagnosed with T4N0M0 supraglottic cancer. He received 72Gy of radiation therapy from 21 November 1988 to 24 February 1989. He had local failure and underwent a salvage total laryngectomy on 28 August 1989. Subsequently, he did well. In early 1999, he suffered from throat pain. He had a 2.5cm ulcerative mass at the base of his tongue, in the area that had been irradiated previously. Biopsy showed squamous cell carcinoma. After workup, he was diagnosed with base of tongue cancer with T2N0M0. Surgery was not feasible because the morbidity was not acceptable. Since it was difficult to re-irradiate the area with a curable dose using conventional 2D radiation therapy with an acceptable morbidity, we decided to try conformal radiotherapy. We used 7 static beam ports with field sizes from $7x6.4\;to\;8x8cm^2$, using 6 and 10MV photons. The fractionation regimen was 1.8Gy, 5 times per week. He received 64.8Gy in 36 fractions from 9 April 1999 to 1 June 1999. Results: In the 21 months since radiotherapy, the patient has not experienced any acute or chronic complications, such as xerostomia. He experienced relief of pain shortly after the start of radiotherapy, showed a complete response, and is still doing well. Conclusion: Conformal radiotherapy can be used to treat cancer that develops within a previously irradiated field, with curative intent.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.115-120
• /
• 2009

Since 1990s, some events - detection of a dirty bomb in a Russian nation park in 1995, 9/11 terrorist attack to WTC in 2001, discovery of Al-Qaeda's experimentation to build a dirty bomb in 2003 etc - have showed that nuclear or radiological terrorism relating to radioactive materials (hereinafter "radioactive materials" is referred to as "nuclear material, nuclear spent fuel and radioactive source") is not incredible but serious and credible threat. Thus, to respond to the new threat, the international community has not only strengthened security and physical protection of radioactive materials but also established prevention of and response to illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. In this regard, our government has enacted or revised the national regulatory framework with a view to improving security of radioactive materials and joined the international convention or agreement to meet this international trend. For the purpose of prevention of nuclear/radiological terrorism, this paper reviews physical characteristics of nuclear material and existing detection instruments used for prevention of illicit trafficking. Finally, national detection regime against nuclear/radiological terrorism based on paths of the smuggled radioactive materials to terrorist's target building/area, national topography and road networks, and defence-in-depth concept is suggested in this paper. This study should contribute to protect people's health, safety and environment from nuclear/radiological terrorism.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.37-43
• /
• 2013

In case of neutron dose measurement using TLDs (thermo-luminescence dosimeters), because the neutron energy dependence of the TLD is very high, the calibration of the energy response according to the characteristics of the neutron spectrum of workplace is required. In the present study, the ambient dose equivalent rates inside and around the Long-Counter (neutron detector) with narrow and complex inside in the neutron field of $^{252}Cf$ were evaluated. The calibration factors to account for the neutron energy dependence of TLDs were established for both the bare and $D_2O$ modulated $^{252}Cf$ neutron beams, respectively. The values of the TLD's measurement were compared with the computational results of the MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particles transport code). When using the two calibration factors of the TLD than a single calibration factor, the measured and the calculated values at the point of verification outside and inside the Long-Counter were in more good agreement. This results show that TLD should be calibrated in the reference neutron field similar to workplace situation.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.306-312
• /
• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate cucumber plants response to greenhouse environments by solar shading in greenhouse in the summer. In order to estimate heat stress reduction of cucumber plants by solar shading in greenhouse, we measured and analyzed physiological conditions of cucumber plants, such as leaf temperature, leaf-air temperature, rubisco maximum carboxylation rate, maximum electron transport rate, thermal breakdown, light leaf respiration, etc. Shading levels were 90% mobile shading of full sunlight, 40% mobile shading of full sunlight and no shading(full sunlight). The 90% shading screen was operated when the external solar radiation is greater than 650 W·m^-2. Air temperature, solar radiation, leaf temperature, leaf-air temperature and light leaf respiration in the 90% shading of full sunlight was lower than those of 40% shading and no shading. Rubisco maximum carboxylation rate, arrhenius function value and light leaf respiration of the 90% shading were significantly lower than those of 40% shading and no shading. The thermal breakdown, high temperature inhibition, of 90% shading was significantly higher than that of 40% shading and no shading. Therefore, these results suggest that 90% mobile shading made a less stressful growth environment for cucumber crops.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.271-280
• /
• 2010

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a major cause of photodamages to human skin and the immediate responses of the skin to UV include the erythema and edema. In an attempt to find effective UV-protecting agents to be used in cosmetics, a number of plant extracts were screened in the cell-based assays. Among the total of 38 plant extracts tested, 3 plant extracts derived from Sasa quelpaertensis, Althaea rosea, and Dryopteris crassirhizoma attenuated the UVB-induced cytotoxicity as well as melanin synthesis in cultured human epidermal melanocytes. The anti-inflammatory effects of these plant extracts were further examined in animal models. A control or test cream containing 1% of a plant extract was topically applied to ears of a C57BL/6 mouse or the dorsal skin of a SKH-1 hafirless mouse before and after the exposure to UVB. The change in ear thickness or dorsal skin redness due to UVB exposure was determined to monitor edema and erythema, respectively. All three test creams exhibited anti-inflammatory effects in both experiments. The creams containing Sasa quelpaertensis, Althaea rosea or Dryopteris crassirhizoma extract alleviated the UVB-induced edema response on day 4 by 53.8 %, 56.4 % and 31.1 %, respectively. They also inhibited the erythema formation on day 2 by 45.7 %, 34.1 % and 20.5 %, respectively. This study suggests that the selected plant extracts formulated in cosmetics may attenuate skin inflammation caused by overexposure to UV.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.109-117
• /
• 2014

Nuclear emergency planning is to plan sheltering, evacuation and iodine prophylaxis for the residents living in the area where the emergency plan is needed, the area is confirmed based on the dose assessment using the source-term through an accident analysis and the data measured from meteorological tower. In this study, the does change before and after protective measures was assessed stochastically based on the one year meteorological data in the condition of the maximum hypothetical accident which can be considered at the research reactor 'HANARO', and the optimized protective measures were derived based on the reference levels defined as a residual dose by ICRP 2007 recommendation which can be applied in a emergency exposure situation. The optimized protective measures for the HANARO in the maximum hypothetical accident were the evacuation to radius 300 m, the sheltering from 300 m to 800 m, the iodine prophylaxis only for the emergency workers under the protective measures for non emergency workers.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.499-512
• /
• 2016

The boundary reaction method(BRM) is a substructure time domain method, it removes global iterations between frequency and time domain analyses commonly required in the hybrid approaches, so that it operates as a two-step uncoupled method. The BRM offers a two-step method as follows: (1) the calculation of boundary reaction forces in the frequency domain on an interface of linear and nonlinear regions, (2) solving the wave radiation problem subjected to the boundary reaction forces in the time domain. In the time domain analysis, the near-field soil is modeled to simulate the wave radiation problem. This paper evaluates the performance of the BRM according to modeling extent of near-field soil for the nonlinear SSI analysis of base-isolated NPP structure. For this purpose, parametric studies are performed using equivalent linear SSI problems. The accuracy of the BRM solution is evaluated by comparing the BRM solution with that of conventional SSI seismic technique. The numerical results show that the soil condition affects the modeling range of near-field soil for the BRM analysis as well as the size of the basemat. Finally, the BRM is applied for the nonlinear SSI analysis of a base-isolated NPP structure to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the method.