• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2011

Purpose : Norovirus infection, a common cause of community-acquired gastroenteritis, can also lead to severe illness in immunocompromised patients. We investigated clinical manifestations of norovirus infection in pediatric cancer patients. Methods : Stool specimens were collected from pediatric patients with gastrointestinal symptoms between November 2008 and September 2009 at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Norovirus infection was identified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A retrospective chart review was performed in pediatric cancer patients who were diagnosed with norovirus infection. Results : Ten patients were diagnosed with norovirus infection by RT-PCR in stool samples. The median age was 0.83 years (range 0.25-5.5 years) and the male to female ratio was 1.5:1 (6 males and 4 females). Underlying diseases were hematologic malignancies (4/10, 40%), neuroblastoma (4/10, 40%), and brain tumors (2/10, 20%). Three patients were infected before hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and four patients after HCT. All patients had diarrhea (10/10, 100%), with a median frequency of diarrhea of 8.5 times/day (range 4-22 times/day). Median virus shedding duration was 72.5 days (range 19-299 days). Four patients with pneumatosis intestinalis were conservatively treated with bowel rest and total parenteral nutrition. One patient with severe diarrhea and bloody stool had concomitant chronic gut graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Norovirus infection-related mortality was not observed. Conclusion : Norovirus infection can cause significant clinical manifestations with prolonged viral shedding in immunocompromised patients. Norovirus should be considered in pediatric cancer patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1291-1299
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• 2001

Objectives : The authors present a retrospective analysis of 14 patients treated for spinal cord hemangioblastoma (SCH) between Dec. 1986 and Mar. 2000. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the difference of the functional outcomes associated with the extent of surgical removal of SCH. Methods : Eleven patients were male and three patients were female. Their mean age was 37.2 years that ranged from 19 to 62 years. Preoperative magnetic resonance(MR) imaging of the spine was performed in all cases, and preoperative angiography in eleven cases. They were followed from 15 months to 161 months(median follow-up period, 47 months), and we investigated the change of neurological symptoms and functional outcomes with radiological features, especially on MR imaging. Results : Six patients were accompanied by von Hippel-Lindau disease, and three of them had multiple CNS tumors. Thirteen patients had intramedullary tumor, and the remaining one had extradural. Syringomyelia around the tumor was observed in ten cases. All patients underwent surgical removal, and gross total removal(GTR) was achieved in ten cases. Preoperative embolization was performed in four cases. In four patients who were treated with preoperative embolization, intraoperative loss of blood was minimal and GTR was possible. One patient developed a transient swallowing difficulty postoperatively without permanent postoperative neurological deficits. In three of four patients in whom GTR was not possible, their functional outcomes were worsened postoperatively. The functional status at discharge was improved in seven patients, stationary in four patients, and worse in three. At the last follow-up(15-161 months), one of four patients who had been stationary at discharge showed improvement but, the rest did not show any change. All patients who showed neurological improvement were patients with GTR, and the patients with GTR had significant better outcome than those without GTR(p=0.015). Conclusion : Surgical treatment, and especially, GTR is considered as treatment of choice for spinal cord hemangioblastoma. Preoperative embolization may prevent intraoperative bleeding and improve surgical outcome.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.228-234
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• 2000

Objectives: Esthesioneuroblastoma is a rare malignant neoplasm that originates from the olfactory sensory cells. This tumor grows from the upper nasal cavity and ethmoid sinus and invades surrounding structures through the cribriform plate into intracranium or orbit in advanced stage. Even though there has been some controversies in determining standard treatment due to rarity of this tumor, the combination treatment of surgery and adjuvant radiation has been recommended for the locally advanced esthesioneuroblastomas. However, the recent clinical experiences of advanced cases showed that combination chemotherapy is highly effective to reduce tumor mass and improve clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 6 esthesioneuroblastoma patients who were treated in our hospital from 1986. Results: The age of these patients was between 19 and 86 year-old. Among the 6 cases, 2 were diagnosed at stage B and 4 at stage C, according to Kadish classification. Anti-tumor treatments were performed in 5 patients. One patient refused active treatment and was lost to follow-up. Better survival outcome were observed in 3 patients who were treated with combination chemotherapy alone or combined modality treatment including chemotherapy. Conclusion: Based on our retrospective study, the combined treatment consisting of surgery, radiotherapy, and combination chemotherapy should be used to improve treatment results. And furthermore, innovative clinical approaches such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation, which have been reported to have good therapeutic results, should be considered and applied actively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.10
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• pp.1458-1469
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• 2015

This study was carried out to investigate the nitrite scavenging activities (NSA) of nine kinds of wild vegetables in a $NaNO_2$ model system and nitrite of Chinese cabbage as well as the inhibitory effect of kimchi containing a mixture of wild vegetables (MWV) with nitrite scavenging activity on brain neuronal cell death. NSA was higher at pH 1.2 than pH 4.2 in all samples. NSA of extracts from sprouts of Oenothera laciniata and Aster scaber (AS) was above 90% at pH 1.2. AS, Codonopsis lanceolate (CL), Adenophora triphylla (AT), Platycodon grandiflorum (PG), and Taraxacum officinale (TO) extracts showed significantly higher levels of NSA than those from other extracts at pH 4.2. CL, AT, PG, and TO extracts showed high NSA on nitrite of Chinese cabbage. In addition, the effects of MWV on antioxidant and brain neuronal cell death induced by oxidative stress were investigated in human brain neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells. MWV extract attenuated $H_2O_2$-induced cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in SK-N-SH cells. MWV extract showed significantly higher DPPH radical scavenger activity when compared to normal kimchi extract. MWV extract showed an inhibitory effect on brain neuronal cell death against oxidative stress by antioxidant activities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.517-523
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• 2018

Elevated levels of cortisol caused by chronic stress may lead to neuron damage in the hippocampus by activating the glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). In cortisol-deficient animals, corticosterone is known to function as a stress hormone. In humans however, corticosterone is considered a precursor of aldosterone and a glucocorticoid with similar properties to cortisol. Recently, many studies have been conducted on the role of cortisol and other synthetic glucocorticoids like dexamethasone in humans, but the exact function of corticosterone is unknown. This study examined the viability of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells treated with various concentrations of corticosterone for 24 and 48 hr via MTT assay. The MTT-assay results showed that corticosterone had an antiproliferation effect on SH-SY5Y cells at higher concentrations (500 and $1,000{\mu}M$), while in lower concentrations ($100{\mu}M$), it showed no antiproliferation effect. Cytotoxicity analysis of extracts from three medicinal crops (Liriope muscari, Schisandra chinensis, and Wolfiporia extensa) revealed that they all possessed deleterious effects on SH-SY5Y cells depending on dosage. However, it was observed that, at a concentration of $500{\mu}g/ml$, Liriope muscari attenuated the corticosterone-induced antiproliferation on SY-SH5Y cells and restored cell growth after 48 hours of treatment. The study examined the synergistic effect of six mixtures each containing $500{\mu}g/ml$ of Liriope and various concentrations of Schisandra (50 or $100{\mu}g/ml$) and Wolfiporia (10, 30, and $50{\mu}g/ml$). The results showed minor growth-restoration activity but less than that of Liriope muscari only, suggesting that Schisandra and Wolfiporia had no additive or synergistic effects.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.1186-1193
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• 2003

Purpose : Fragile sites are points on chromosomes which tend to break non-randomly when exposed to specific chemical agents or conditions of tissue culture. The chromosomal break induced by the antineoplastic drug, 1-${\beta}$-D-arabinofuranosyl-cytosine(Ara-c), was investigated to study the laboratory conditions in which the incidence of chromosomal break could be enhanced. Besides, the fragile sites induced by Ara-C were investigated and compared to the already known locations of the specific chromosomal alterations observed in specific neoplasms. Methods : T-lymphocytes from theree normal males and three females were cultured for 48 hours. Cells from each individual were exposed to the Ara-C for an additional 24 hours. After the caffeine was added during the last six hours culture, the metaphase chromosomes were prepared following the conventional method. A site was considered fragile if it was found to break two or more per 100 chromosomal breaks in more than four of six individuals tested. Results : Ara-C induced 252.1 chromosomal breaks per 100 mitotic cells and this result was significantly higher than that of the control, which induced 25.2 breaks(P<0.05). The incidence of the chromosomal break by Ara-C was higher, if cultured in the MEM-FA, which has no folic acid, than in the RPMI 1640 which contains enough folic acid(P<0.05). The most common break site by Ara-C was 3p14.2(FRA3B). There were 20 fragile sites induced by Ara-C. Among these 20 fragile sites, seven coincided with the locations of the mapped oncogenes, JUN, SKI, REL, N-MYC, FHIT, MET, ETS-1, and FOS. Conclusion : S phase specific chemotherapeutic agent, Ara-C, induced the expression of the chromosomal fragile sites effectively using the T-lymphocyte in vitro. Some of the fragile sites by Ara-C highly coincided with the oncogenes and neoplasm specific chromosome breakpoints. In this regard, the fragile sites reported here could provide the unknown neoplasm related chromosomal alternation points.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.8
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• pp.1016-1023
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• 2002

Purpose : Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor in children. We retrospectively investigated the clinical characteristics of pediatric brain tumors, such as age, sex, tumor site and survival, as seen in a single institution over the last 15 years. We tried to evaluate the role of chemotherapy on the survival of some brain tumors. Methods : Three hundred fifty four children with primary brain tumor who were treated at Severance Hospital from Jan. 1985 to Sep. 2001 were enrolled. Results : Pediatric brain tumors were found most frequently in 10-15 years of age group(35.3%) and the ratio of male to female was 1.3 : 1. Supratentorial tumors(52%) were more frequent than infratentorial tumors(48%). Medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor(PNET) was the most common type(24.6%), followed by cerebellar astrocytoma(14.1%). Ten year survival rate of medulloblastoma, cerebellar astrocytoma and cerebral astrocytoma were 59.4%, 79.3% and 71%, respectively. The prognosis for brain stem glioma and glioblastoma multiforme were still grim with a 10 year survival rate of 12.7% and 13.3%, respectively. The addition of chemotherapy for high grade medulloblastoma led to an improved 10 year survival rate of 54.5%, compared with 40% without chemotherapy. Conclusion : The combined use of chemotherapy and radiation and surgery improved survival rate of pediatric brain tumors in our study. Chemotherapy for high grade medulloblastoma improved the 10 year survival rate. Further data analysis of the treatment modalities will lead to better comparisons.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.371-380
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• 2000

Purpose: Thallim-201 ($^{201}Tl$) brain SPECT, which can represent cellular activity of brain lesions, may provide more useful information in differentiating between benign and malignant brain lesions more so than CT of MRI, that merely represents anatomic changes or breakdown of blood brain barrier. We used $^{201}Tl$ brain SPECT prospectively to evaluate the utility of $^{201}Tl$-indices as an indicator of benign or malig nant lesions. Materials and Methods: We studied 28 patients. There were 13 cases of benign lesions (3: nonspecific benign lesion, 3: meningioma, 2: low grade glioma, 1: tuberculoma, central neurocytoma, hemangioblastoma, radiation necrosis, and choroid plexus papilloma) and 15 cases of malignant lesions (6: glioblastoma multiforme, 5: anaplastic glioma, 2: medulloblastoma, 1: metastasis and lymphoma). In all patients, CT and/or MRI were obtained and then $^{201}Tl$ brain SPECT was obtained with measuring mean $^{201}Tl$ index and peak $^{201}Tl$ index. An unpaired t-test was performed to compare the $^{201}Tl$-indices and pathologic diagnoses to evaluate the utility of $^{201}Tl$-indices as all indicator of benign or malignant lesions. Results: There were no statistically significant difference in $^{201}Tl$-indices between benign and malignant brain lesion (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results demonstrated that we could not use $^{201}Tl$ indices on brain SPECT alone as an indicator of benign or malignant brain lesions.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2024

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) including Saxitoxin (STX) is caused by harmful algae, and poisoning occurs when the contaminated seafood is consumed. The mouse bioassay (MBA), a standard test method for detecting PSP, is being sanctioned in many countries due to its low detection limit and the animal concerns. An alternative to the MBA is the Neuro-2a cell-based assay. This study aimed to establish various test conditions for Neuro-2a assay, including cell density, culture conditions, and STX treatment conditions, to suit the domestic laboratory environment. As a result, the initial cell density was set to 40,000 cells/well and the incubation time to 24 hours. Additionally, the concentration of Ouabain and Veratridine (O/V) was set to 500/50 μM, at which most cells died. In this study, we identified eight concentrations of STX, ranging from 368 to 47,056 fg/μl, which produced an S-shaped dose-response curve when treated with O/V. Through inter-laboratory variability comparison of the Neuro-2a assay, we established five Quality Control Criteria to verify the appropriateness of the experiments and six Data Criteria (Top and Bottom OD, EC₅₀, EC₂₀, Hill slop, and R² of graph) to determine the reliability of the experimental data. The Neuro-2a assay conducted under the established conditions showed an EC₅₀ value of approximately 1,800~3,500 fg/μl. The intra- & inter-lab variability comparison results showed that the coefficients of variation (CVs) for the Quality Control and Data values ranged from 1.98% to 29.15%, confirming the reproducibility of the experiments. This study presented Quality Control Criteria and Data Criteria to assess the appropriateness of the experiments and confirmed the excellent repeatability and reproducibility of the Neuro-2a assay. To apply the Neuro-2a assay as an alternative method for detecting PSP in domestic seafood, it is essential to establish a toxin extraction method from seafood and toxin quantification methods, and perform correlation analysis with MBA and instrumental analysis methods.