• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.458-464
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• 2011

Background : Advanced thymic cancer still remains as an intractable disease. The survival rate of advanced thymic cancer could be increased through chemotherapy and radiation, but the results have not been satisfactory. Objectives : To see whether wheel balanced therapy (WBT) has the therapeutic effects or not on advanced thymic cancer patient. Methods : A patient diagnosed with progression of thymic carcinoma with pleura metastasis visited the East-West Cancer Center (EWCC) on Feb 9th, 2011. The patient was treated with WBT for a period of 9 weeks from Feb 9th to Apr 16th. She stayed 6 weeks in hospital and took oriental medicine prescribed by EWCC. Computed tomography (CT) and blood test were used to evaluate the disease progression of the patient. Results : Mass of chest CT was stable for 2 months. The patient's quality of life improved during her hospital stay. Conclusions : This case study supports WBT may have efficacy in treating advanced thymic cancer patients.

• 대한상한금궤의학회지
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.37-47
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• 2012

Objective : This study is intended to demonstrate the effect of FulingXingrenGancao-Tang on worsened dyspnea after medical treatment for thymic cancer. Method : We diagnosed this case as XiongbiXintongDuanqi(胸痺心痛短氣病) in Jinguiyaolue and treated this patient with FulingXingrenGancao-Tang. Results : By using ZhishiXiebaiGuizhi-Tang, LingGuiWeiGan-Tang, Fuling XingrenGancao-Tang, the patient's symptoms were significantly decreased. Conclusion : This study shows that FulingXingrenGancao-Tang is effective on dyspnea after medical treatment of thymic cancer. However further clinical studies are needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권11호
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• pp.5581-5585
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• 2012

Objective: To explore the relationship between computed tomography (CT) manifestations of thymoma and its WHO pathological classification. Methods: One hundred and five histopathologically confirmed cases were collected for their pathological and CT characteristics and results were statistically compared between different pathological types of thymoma. Results: Tumor size, shape, necrosis or cystic change, capsule integrity, invasion to the adjacent tissue, lymphadenopathy, and the presence of pleural effusion were significantly different between different pathological types of thymomas (P<0.05). Type B2, B3 tumors and thymic carcinomas were greater in size than other types. More than 50% of type B3 tumors and thymic carcinomas had a tumor size greater than 10 cm. The shape of types A, AB, and B1 tumors were mostly round or oval, whereas 75% of type B3 tumors and 85% of thymic carcinomas were irregular in shape. Necrosis or cystic change occurred in 67% of type B3 thymomas and 57% of thymic carcinomas, respectively. The respective figures for capsule destruction were 83% and 100%. Increases in the degree of malignancy were associated with increases in the incidence of surrounding tissue invasion: 33%, 75%, and 81% in type B2, type B3, and thymic carcinomas, respectively. Pleural effusion occurred in 48% of thymic carcinomas, while calcification was observed mostly in type B thymomas. Conclusions: Different pathological types of thymic epithelial tumors have different CT manifestations. Distinctive CT features of thymomas may reflect their pathological types.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.2745-2748
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• 2012

Aims: To study KIT (CD117) expression in thymic epithelial tumors in China, and investigate diagnostic and clinical significance. Material and Methods: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) from 102 patients (3 type A, 29 type AB, 5 type B1, 22 type B2, 29 typeB3 and 16 thymic carcinomas) were examined. Immunohistochemical staining with an antic-kit monoclonal antibody was performed on a tissue microarray. Relationships between KIT positive expression and the TET clinical characteristics (WHO histologic classification and Masaoka stage system) were analysed. Results: The KIT positive expression rate was significantly higher in thymic carcinoma (60%, 9/16) than in thymoma (8%, 7/86), a strong correlation being found with the WHO classification, but not the Masaoka tumor stage. The overall survival for patients with KIT positive lesions was significantly worse. Conclusions: KIT is a good molecule marker to differentially diagnose thymic carcinoma from thymoma, while also serving as a predictor of prognosis for TETs. Further research into KIT mutations in Chinese TETs should be conducted to assess the efficacy of targeted therapy.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.266-273
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• 2002

The dose dependence of the severity of radiation-induced thymic lymphoma in C57BL/6J mice was studied. Mice were exposed to fractionated irradiation at the total doses of 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 Gy (four irradiations at 8-day intervals) starting from 33 days after birth. Pathological and histological changes of each mouse were observed after periodical sacrifice at day 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300 after the first irradiation. The severity of cancers were classified into 4 stages by clinical signs with respect to the enlargement of the thymus, spleen, liver, the progression of the cancer in the thymus, and the metastasis to the spleen, liver, lung and the lymphatic nodes. Among the 490 mice observed, 146 mice had thymic lymphoma. A clear dose-effect relationship was observed as well as the dose-response relationship. Also, periodical observation showed that thymic lymphoma was first induced in mice sacrificed at day 100 (130days old), and metastasize in the order of spleen, lung, liver and then the lymphatic nodes. The results suggest that radiation may be involved not only as a tumor initiator but also as a tumor promoter, and a tumor progression-enhancing agent.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권8호
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• pp.3457-3460
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• 2014

Background: Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are rare malignancies and devising clinically effective molecular targeted therapies is a major clinical challenge. The aim of the study was to analyze BLC2 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) expression and KRAS and EGFR mutational status and to correlate them with the clinical characteristics of patients with thymomas and thymic carcinomas. Materials and Methods: A total of 62 patients (mean age: $50.4{\pm}13.2$ years) with thymomas and thymic carcinomas were enrolled. The expression of BLC2 and VEGFR in tumor cells and normal tissues was evaluated by RT-PCR. The mutational status of the KRAS and EGFR genes was investigated by PCR with sequence specific primers. Results: The BLC2 and VEGFR expression levels did not differ significantly between tumor and normal tissues. Moreover, there were no clearly pathogenic mutations in KRAS or EGFR genes in any tumor. None of the molecular markers were significantly related to clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Changes in levels of expression of BLC2 and VEGFR do not appear to be involved in thymic tumorigenesis. Moreover, our data suggest that KRAS and EGFR mutations do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of thymomas and thymic carcinomas.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.11-22
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• 1992

Thymic extract showed antitumor effect to sarcoma mice with higher dose$(200{\mu}g/mouse/day$ i.p., 4weeks) but not with low dose$(5{\mu}g/mouse/day$ i.p., 6 weeks). Direct cytotoxicities were exhibited against sarcoma 180, L1210 and MOLT-4 by MTT assay. The spleen weight of mice were increased but the number of circulating lymphocytes were not increased after long-term(2 weeks) administration of thymic extract. Evaluating the mitogenesis by MTT assay. $\%$ absorbance of human lymphocytes was not increased by thymic extract. Cell cycle statistics of S phase and $G_2/M$ phase was not increased in the presence of that by PI staining. The formation of rosette was induced, irrespectively of exposure time short-term(l hour) and long-term(2 weeks). The population of mouse blood T-cell to bind Lyt2-antimonoclonal antibody and to $L_2T_4$ were increased after administration of thymic extract$(2-200{\mu}g/mouse/day)$. From the above results, it is suggested that thymic extract exerts antitumor activity by stimulating T cells to differeniate in vivo but not in vitro.

• 셀메드
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.16.1-16.5
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• 2016

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a novel interleukin (IL)-7-like cytokine and was originally discovered in the supernatant of a murine thymic stromal cell line. TSLP signal initiates via complex of the TSLP receptor and the IL-7 receptor α chain. TSLP expression is closely connected with many diseases such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, inflammatory arthritis, eosinophilic esophagitis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and cancer. In this review, I discussed biological roles of TSLP on mast cell-mediated allergic responses. In addition, this review summarizes the effective drugs in allergic-inflammatory reactions induced by TSLP on mast cells.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.269-275
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• 1987

Radiation-induced life shortening, carcinogenesis and other pathological changes were investigated in NIH(GP) mice after $^{60}Co-{\gamma}$ ray irradiation(100~700rads). The results were summarized as follows: 1. There were little difference in body weights, hematological examination and other clinical findings between normal and irradiated groups. 2. Mean survival time of the mice after irradiation were decreased dose-dependently. 3. Main gross findings of the mice irradiated were appeared as enlargement of spleen, thymus and lymph nodes, tumorous nodules of lung and cyst of ovary. Especially, enlargement of thymus was promineort in high dose group. 4. Microscopically, there were various findings including myeloid leukemia, thymic lymphoma, lung adenoma, adenosquamous cell carcinoma of pancreas, pneumonia and other pathological changes. Especially thymic lymphoma was highly frequent in the 700 rads group.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.81-87
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• 2004

Background: In the thymus, developing thymocytes continually interact with thymic epithelial cell components. Self MHC restriction of mature T cells are imposed in the thymus through interaction of immature double positive thymocytes and thymic cortical epithelial cells. The site of negative selection, however, is a matter of debate. Through systemic injection of anti-TCR antibody or antigenic peptides, investigators suggested that most of the negative selection occurs in the thymic cortex. But the requirements for negative selection, i.e cellular counterparts and costimulatory molecules are more available in the medulla or cortico-medullary junction rather than in the thymic cortex. Methods: The direct and indirect pathways of thymocyte death after systemic anti-TCR antibody injection were separated through several experimental systems. B6 mice were either adrenalectomized or sham-adrenalectomized to evaluate the role of endogenous glucocorticoids from adrenal gland. Role of TNF were evaluated through using TNF receptor double knockout mice. Results: We found that without indirectly acting mediators such as $TNF-\alpha$ or corticosteroid, double positive thymocyte death were minimal by systemic injection of anti-TCR antibody in TNF receptor double knockout neonatal mice. Also by analyzing neonatal wild-type mice with adoptively transferred mature T cells, only peripheral activation of mature T cells could induce extensive double positive thymocyte death. Conclusion: Thus, systemically injected anti-TCR antibody mediated thymocyte death are mostly induced through indirect pathway.