• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.133-137
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• 2000

Purpose :To investigate whether combined beta-carotene with X-Irradiation has more enhanced radition response than X-irradiation or not, we peformed a experiment about in vitro cytotoxlcity of beta-carotene and/or X-irradiation in the fibrosarcoma cells, tumor growth delay of combined beta-caroten with/or X-irradiation in the mouse fibrosarcoma. Materials and Methods : 2$\%$ emulsion of beta-carotene was serially diluted and used. X-Irradiation was given by 6 MeV linear accelerator. The cytotoxicity of beta-carotene in vitro was evaluated from clonogenic assay. To compare the cytotoxiclty between combined beta-carotene with X-irradiation and X-irradiation group, 2 mg/ml of beta-carotene was contacted to fibrosarcoma (FSall) cells for 1 hour before X-irradiation. For the tumor growth delay, single 20 Gy was given to FSall tumor hearing C3H/N mice whic was classified as beta-crotene with X-irradiation group (n=5) and X-irradiation alone group (n=5). 0.2 ml of 20 mg/kg of beta-carotene were i.p. injected to mice 30 minute before X-irradiation in the beta-crotene with X-irradiation group. The tumor growth delay defined as the time which reach to 1,000 mm$^{3}$ of tumor volume. Results : (1) Cytotoxicity in vitro: 1) survival fraction at beta-carotene concentration of 0.002,0.02,0.2 and 2 mg/ml were 0.69$\pm$0.07, 0.59$\pm$0.08, 0.08$\pm$0.008 and 0.02$\pm$0.006, respectively. 2) each survival fraction at 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy in the 2 mg/ml of beta-carotene + X-irradiation group were 0.13$\pm$0.05, 0.03$\pm$0.005, 0.01 $\pm$0.002 and 0.009$\pm$0.0008, respectively. But each survival fraction at same irradiation dose in the X-irradiation group were 0.66$\pm$0.05, 0.40$\pm$0.04, 0.11$\pm$0.01 and 0.03$\pm$0.006, respectively(p<0.05). (2) The time which reach to 1,000 mm$^{3}$ of tumor volume of beta-carotene + X-irradiation group and X-irradiation alone group were 18, 19 days, respectively(p>0.05) Conclusion : The contact of beta-caroten to Fsall cells showed mild cytotoxicity which 띤as increased according to concentration. The cytotoxicity of combined beta-carotene with X-irradiation more increased than that of X-irradiation, additionally, And there was significant difference of cytotoxicity between two groups. But there were no significant difference of the growth delay of fibrosarcoma between two groups.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.126-132
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• 2009

Purpose: We wanted to evaluate the prognostic factors for the pathologic N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who were treated by postoperative radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 112 pN2 NSCLC patients who underwent surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) From January 1999 to February 2008. Seventy-five (67%) patients received segmentectomy or lobectomy and 37 (33%) patients received pneumonectomy. The resection margin was negative in 94 patients, and it was positive or close in 18 patients. Chemotherapy was administered to 103 (92%) patients. Nine (8%) patients received PORT alone. The median radiation dose was 54 Gy (range, 45 to 66), and the fraction size was 1.8~2 Gy. Results: The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate was 60.2% and the disease free survival (DFS) rate was 44.7% for all the patients. Univariate analysis showed that the patients with multiple-station N2 disease had significantly reduced OS and DFS (p=0.047, p=0.007) and the patients with an advanced T stage ($\geq$T3) had significantly reduced OS and DFS (p<0.001, p=0.025). A large tumor size ($\geq$5 cm) and positive lymphovascular invasion reduced the OS (p=0.035, 0.034). Using multivariate analysis, we found that multiple-station N2 disease and an advanced T stage ($\geq$T3) significantly reduced the OS and DFS. Seventy one patients (63.4%) had recurrence of disease. The patterns of failure were loco-regional in 23 (20.5%) patients, distant failure in 62 (55.4%) and combined loco-regional and distant failure in 14 (12.5%) patients. Conclusion: Multiple involvement of mediastinal nodal stations for the pN2 NSCLC patients with PORT was a poor prognostic factor in this study. A prospective study is necessary to evaluate the N2 subclassification and to optimize the adjuvant treatment.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2008

Purpose: Women with breast cancer diagnosed at an age of 40 years or younger have a greater prevalence of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations than the prevalence of women with breast cancer diagnosed at older ages. Several immunohistochemical characteristics have been identified in breast cancers from studies of Caucasian women with BRCA1/2 mutations having familial or early-onset breast cancers. The aim of this study is to determine whether early-onset breast cancer in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers, who were not selected from a family history, could be distinguished by the use of immunohistochemical methods and could be distinguished from breast cancer in women of a similar age without a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. We also analyzed the prognostic difference between BRCA1/2 related and BRCA1/2 non-related patients by the use of univariate and multivariate analysis. Materials and Methods: Breast cancer tissue specimens from Korean women with early-onset breast cancers were studied using a tumor tissue microarray. Immunohistochemical staining of estrogen receptor(ER), progesterone receptor(PR) and HER-2, as well as the histology and grade of these specimens, were compared. The prognostic impact of immunohistochemical and histological factors as well as the BRCA1/2 mutation status was investigated separately. Results: There were 14 cases and 16 deleterious BRCA1/2 mutations among 101 patients tested. A family history(4/14) and bilateral breast cancers(3/9) were high risk factors for BRCA1/2 mutations. BRCA1/2-associated cancers demonstrated more expression of ER-negative(19.4% versus 5.1%, p=0.038) and HER-2 negative than BRCA1/2 negative tumors, especially for tumors with BRCA1 tumors The BRCA1/2 mutation rate for patients with triple negative tumors(negative expression of ER, PR and HER-2) was 24.2%. Tumor size, nodal status, and HER-2 expression status were significantly associated with disease free survival, as determined by univariate and multivariate analysis, but the BRCA1/2 status was not a prognostic factor. Conclusion: Breast cancer that occurs in women with a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations have recognizable immunohistochemical features, which may be useful in identifying individuals that are more likely to carry germline mutations. Although the BRCA1/2 mutation status was not a prognostic factor in Korean women with early-onset breast cancer, more cases with a longer follow-up period are needed for further study.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.156-162
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy in children with Henoch-Sch$\"{o}$nlein purpura (HSP). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, endoscopic, and histopathologic records of children with HSP who had been admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of Gil Hospital and underwent upper GI endoscopy between January 2002 and June 2009. Patients were classified into the following two groups for statistical analysis: duodenal involvement (+) and duodenal involvement (-). Results: Fifty-one children with HSP underwent upper GI endoscopy; the mean age was 7.2${\pm}$2.9 years. The upper GI endoscopy showed abnormalities of the duodenum in 38 cases (74.5%), 22 of which had duodenal ulcers. Among the biopsy specimens obtained from the duodenum of 37 cases, 13 cases (35.1%) had leukocytoclastic vasculitis, neutrophil debri, and/or extravasation of RBCs. Steroid use was more frequent in the duodenal involvement (+) group (86.8%) than the duodenal involvement (-) group (53.8%; p=0.02). The mean length of hospitalization was 13.9${\pm}$8.43 days in the duodenal involvement (+) group and 8.1${\pm}$4.62 days in the duodenal involvement (-) group (p=0.003). The recurrence rate was significantly higher in the duodenal involvement (-) group than the duodenal involvement (+) group (p=0.027), whereas none of the other study parameters, such as the age of onset, renal involvement, and steroid use, led to significantly higher or lower recurrence rates. Conclusion: These results suggest that duodenal involvement can influence the clinical course and prognosis of HSP in children.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2004

Purpose : Retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses are often distinguishable from other head and neck abscesses on clinical grounds, but these infections can combine and the presentations are similar to one another. Because of the advances of antibiotic therapy, the frequency of the diseases decreased considerably, but recently the incidence of neck abscesses has increased. We sought to describe the clinical presentation of patients with deep neck abscess, and implications on management. Methods : For 10 year periods, 94 cases of charts were reviewed retrospectively, who were diagnosed as neck abscesses aged below 16 years old(between January 1993 to August 2003) in 4 hospitals. Deep neck abscesses were diagnosed by surgical pus drainage, neck CT (homogenous, hypodense area with ring enhancement) and neck sono findings. Results : The annual incidence of deep neck abscess has been increased since 2000. The median age of the patients was 4 years(range, 26 days~15 years); 63% of the patients were younger than 5 years. Abscesses in the submandibular space(34%) were most common, followed by peritonsillar space(29.7%), retropharyngeal space(11.7%), combined(10.8%), parotid space(7.4%) and parapharyngeal space(6.4%). Fever(73.4%), sore throat(37.2%), decreased oral intake(34%) and neck pain(27.7%) were the most common symptoms. In 6 children(6.4%), there was refusal to move neck, in 6(6.4%) headache, and in 4(4.3%) torticollis. Respiratory distress was observed in only 1 patient(2.1%) and stridor in 1 other(2.1%). The most common physical examinations were neck swelling/mass(67%), pharyngitis(46.8%), tonsillitis(36.2 %), and cervical lymphadenopathy(28.7%). Neck stiffness was observed in 4 patients(4.3%). Total 35 organisms were isolated in 33 patients. The most common organisms cultured by patients' blood or pus were S. aureus(34%) and S. pyogenes(28.6%). Most organisms were gram positive, and had sensitivities in vancomycin(96.4%), cefotaxime(88.9%), cephalothin (86.4%), trimethoprime-sulfamethoxazole(83.3%), and clindamycin(77.8%). 77 patients(81.9%) underwent surgery plus antibiotics; 17 patients(18.1%) were treated with antibiotics only. There is no significant differences between two groups. In duration of admission, fever after admission, and antibiotic treatment. Conclusion : The incidence of deep neck abscess has increased recently and the major symptoms have been changed. The incidence of respiratory distress or stridor is decreasing, while the incidence of abnormal head and neck symptoms and signs like headache, neck stiffness, refusal to move neck, or torticollis are increasing. Gram positive organisms are predominant, S. aureus is the most common followed by S. pyogenes. 1st generation cephalosporin has high sensitivity on gram positive organisms. Treatment with surgery plus antibiotics dose not significantly decrease total duration of antibiotic treatment or admission compared to treatment with antibiotics alone.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.4 s.59
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• pp.669-685
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• 1997

Previous studies, reporting the inverse relationship between osteoarthritis and osteoporosis suggest the existence of possible pathophysiologic mechanisms between them. To examinine the hypothesis that 'bone mineral densities of women with osteoarthritis are significantly higher than that of women without osteoarthritis in Korea', subjects from the health and nutritional examination survey in Kuri city were sampled. Samples were selected through multi-stage sampling frame using established clusters in Kuri city. From August 18 to September 10,1997, the survey was conducted. Among the. total number of selected sample population (1,656 people), response .ate was 52.4 percent (348 men and 519 women). 420 women who took BMD measurement, radiologic exam, and anthropometric exam were selected for the analysis. The analytic results are as follows. 1. General characteristics: Mean BMD was $0.493g/cm^2$, mean age was 43.0, mean BMI was $23.9kg/m^2$. The number of women who experienced menopause was 106, hysterectomy was 19. There were 0 case of osteoarthritis of hip, 64 cases of osteoarthritis of knee, and 2 cases of osteoarthritis of hand. 2. Univariate analysis results: Mean BMD of women with the osteoarthritis of knee was significantly lower than that of women without the osteoarthritis of knee(0.4269 vs. $0.5057g/cm^2$). But, there were too few cases of osteoarthritis of hip and hand, so comparative studies of BMD in osteoarthritis of hip and hand could not be conducted. There were significant differences of BMD among pre-menopause group(0.5204), post-menopause group(0.4206), and hysterectomy group(0.4881). Additionally, there were significant differences of BMD among diabetes group(0.4297), impaired glucose tolerance group(0.4874), and normal group(0.5057). Furthermore, age, parity, BMI, bioimpedance were significantly related with BMD. 3. Multivariate analysis results: To examinine the relationship between osteoarthritis and BMD while controlling the other variables' effects which were significant in the univariate analyses, multiple linear regression analysis was done. But, it was found that osteoarthritis of knee was not a significant variable to BMD anymore. While age and menopause had significant negative relationship with BMD. Diabetes, parity, BMI, and bioimpedance did not have significant relationships with BMD. After stratification of subjects according to menopause, multiple linear regression analyses were done to each strata. Consequently, age in post-menopause group, age and osteoarthritis of knee in hysterectomy group showed significant negative relationship with BMD. The results did not support the many results of other previous studies done with white men and women. further studies of biological plausibility to Korean women are recommended. Also it is suggested that longitudinal study to verify the relationship between osteoarthritis and BMD will be valuable.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-52
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• 2012

Consumers differ in the way they make a purchase. An audio mania would willingly make a bold, yet serious, decision to buy a top-of-the-line home theater system, while he is not interested in replacing his two-decade-old shabby car. On the contrary, an automobile enthusiast wouldn't mind spending forty thousand dollars to buy a new Jaguar convertible, yet cares little about his junky component system. It is product involvement that helps us explain such differences among individuals in the purchase style. Product involvement refers to the extent to which a product is perceived to be important to a consumer (Zaichkowsky, 2001). Product involvement is an important factor that strongly influences consumer's purchase decision-making process, and thus has been of prime interest to consumer behavior researchers. Furthermore, researchers found that involvement is closely related to perceived risk (Dholakia, 2001). While abundant research exists addressing how product involvement relates to overall perceived risk, little attention has been paid to the relationship between involvement and different types of perceived risk in an electronic commerce setting. Given that perceived risk can be a substantial barrier to the online purchase (Jarvenpaa, 2000), research addressing such an issue will offer useful implications on what specific types of perceived risk an online firm should focus on mitigating if it is to increase sales to a fullest potential. Meanwhile, past research has focused on such consumer responses as information search and dissemination as a consequence of involvement, neglecting other behavioral responses like online merchant selection. For one example, will a consumer seriously considering the purchase of a pricey Guzzi bag perceive a great degree of risk associated with online buying and therefore choose to buy it from a digital storefront rather than from an online marketplace to mitigate risk? Will a consumer require greater trust on the part of the online merchant when the perceived risk of online buying is rather high? We intend to find answers to these research questions through an empirical study. This paper explores the impact of enduring product involvement and perceived risks on required trust level, and further on online merchant choice. For the purpose of the research, five types or components of perceived risk are taken into consideration, including financial, performance, delivery, psychological, and social risks. A research model has been built around the constructs under consideration, and 12 hypotheses have been developed based on the research model to examine the relationships between enduring involvement and five components of perceived risk, between five components of perceived risk and required trust level, between enduring involvement and required trust level, and finally between required trust level and preference toward an e-tailer. To attain our research objectives, we conducted an empirical analysis consisting of two phases of data collection: a pilot test and main survey. The pilot test was conducted using 25 college students to ensure that the questionnaire items are clear and straightforward. Then the main survey was conducted using 295 college students at a major university for nine days between December 13, 2010 and December 21, 2010. The measures employed to test the model included eight constructs: (1) enduring involvement, (2) financial risk, (3) performance risk, (4) delivery risk, (5) psychological risk, (6) social risk, (7) required trust level, (8) preference toward an e-tailer. The statistical package, SPSS 17.0, was used to test the internal consistency among the items within the individual measures. Based on the Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficients of the individual measure, the reliability of all the variables is supported. Meanwhile, the Amos 18.0 package was employed to perform a confirmatory factor analysis designed to assess the unidimensionality of the measures. The goodness of fit for the measurement model was satisfied. Unidimensionality was tested using convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. The statistical evidences proved that the three types of validity were all satisfied. Now the structured equation modeling technique was used to analyze the individual paths along the relationships among the research constructs. The results indicated that enduring involvement has significant positive relationships with all the five components of perceived risk, while only performance risk is significantly related to trust level required by consumers for purchase. It can be inferred from the findings that product performance problems are mostly likely to occur when a merchant behaves in an opportunistic manner. Positive relationships were also found between involvement and required trust level and between required trust level and online merchant choice. Enduring involvement is concerned with the pleasure a consumer derives from a product class and/or with the desire for knowledge for the product class, and thus is likely to motivate the consumer to look for ways of mitigating perceived risk by requiring a higher level of trust on the part of the online merchant. Likewise, a consumer requiring a high level of trust on the merchant will choose a digital storefront rather than an e-marketplace, since a digital storefront is believed to be trustworthier than an e-marketplace, as it fulfills orders by itself rather than acting as an intermediary. The findings of the present research provide both academic and practical implications. The first academic implication is that enduring product involvement is a strong motivator of consumer responses, especially the selection of a merchant, in the context of electronic shopping. Secondly, academicians are advised to pay attention to the finding that an individual component or type of perceived risk can be used as an important research construct, since it would allow one to pinpoint the specific types of risk that are influenced by antecedents or that influence consequents. Meanwhile, our research provides implications useful for online merchants (both online storefronts and e-marketplaces). Merchants may develop strategies to attract consumers by managing perceived performance risk involved in purchase decisions, since it was found to have significant positive relationship with the level of trust required by a consumer on the part of the merchant. One way to manage performance risk would be to thoroughly examine the product before shipping to ensure that it has no deficiencies or flaws. Secondly, digital storefronts are advised to focus on symbolic goods (e.g., cars, cell phones, fashion outfits, and handbags) in which consumers are relatively more involved than others, whereas e- marketplaces should put their emphasis on non-symbolic goods (e.g., drinks, books, MP3 players, and bike accessories).

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.371-380
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• 2009

This study was conducted to assess effects of supplying different types of nitrogen sources as fertilizers on productivity and feed values of barley and rye as winter forage crops, and ultimately done to get good quality of organic forages with higher fertilization of soil. For barley, N+P+K plots were significantly (P<0.05) higher in annual dry matter (DM) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) yields than other plots. However, cattle manure plots had significantly (P<0.05) higher annual DM and TDN than P+K and non-fertilizer plots. Plots of 50%-cattle manure and mixed sowing with hairy vetch or forage pea were higher than only 50%-cattle manure plot, particularly, these were significantly higher than non-fertilizer, and their crude protein (CP) yields were much higher than other plots. Crude protein contents were significantly higher in N+P+K and 50%-cattle manure slurry plots than non-fertilizer and P+K plots, and plots of mixed sowing with hairy vetch or forage pea in application of 50%-cattle manure had higher CP content than other plots. ADF content was lowest in 50%-cattle manure+forage pea plots, but highest in 100%-cattle manure plots. NDF content was lowest in legumes-mixed sowing, but highest in 100%-cattle manure plots. TDN content was the highest in forage pea plots, and plots of 50%-cattle manure and legumes-mixed sowing had high RFV, but cattle manure plots rich in ADF and NDF content had the lowest TDN and RFV. For rye, plots of 50%-cattle manure+hairy vetch mixed sowing, and N+P+K application had significantly higher annual DM, CP and TDN than other plots except for cattle manure. DM productive efficiency to nitrogen fertilization was markedly higher for cattle manure plots than for chemical fertilizer. This tendency was more conspicuous in plots of 50% cattle manure+legumes-mixed sowing. CP content was higher for N+P+K plot than for all plots, and plots of 50%-cattle manure + legumes-mixed sowing were significantly higher than other plots. On the contrary, forage pea-mixed sowing plot had the lowest ADF and NDF, but TDN and RFV were significantly (P<0.05) higher than other plots. Grass crop cultivation together with legumes by applying livestock manure to soil may lead to higher palatability of livestock, and better quality of forage. Furthermore, cattle manure application increased production yield per ha and CP contents. Thus, when applying forage crops produced by cattle manure application and mixed sowing to organic livestock production, it was conceived that forages produced might become a substitute for foreign organic grain as protein sources.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.613-626
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• 2010

Coming with the well-being era, consumer's demand for safe agricultural products is increasing. It is urgent to develop an environment-friendly pear production system. Accordingly, this study was conducted to develop an environment-friendly pear production system by using several environment-friendly agricultural materials which is known to be effective in agricultural production. In the effects of environment-friendly agricultural materials on the soil chemical characteristics in pear orchard, the content of total carbon, organic matter, Ca and Mg increased a little respectively compared with those of 2008, and 2nd treatment showed the highest EC and Mg content in the soil among treatments. The content of leaf N, P and Ca in 2009 decreased compared with those of 2008, while Mg content showed no difference between 2008 and 2009 years. Average pear weight in 2009 was 31g higher than that of 2008 (682g) and 2nd treatment showed the highest pear weight (738g) among treatments. The average sugar content was higher in 2009 (12.6$^{\circ}Bx$) compared with that of 2008 (12.2$^{\circ}Bx$) and the plot of 2nd treatment highest sugar content (12.6$^{\circ}Bx$) among treatments. There were no difference in hunter value of L among treatments, but hunter value of a showed higher 1.62 in 2009 than that of 2008 (3.73). The highest of gumminess and cohesiveness of fruits were obtained from 1st treatment and adhesiveness and chewiness of fruits were obtained from 3rd and 1st treatment respectively. Firmness of fruit increased a little in 2009 compared with that of 2008, while the highest firmness was obtained from 3rd treatment with 1.63kg/5mm$\oint$ among treatments. Phosphate content in the peel of 'Niitaka' pear of fruit skin in 2009 (0.97g/kg) showed 0.06g/kg more content than that of 2008 (0.91g/kg), while the highest content was obtained from 3rd treatment (1.15g/kg). Potassium content in the peel of 'Niitaka' pear in 2009 was 8.20g/kg, which is 0.06g/kg more content than that of 2008 (7.82g/kg) and the highest content was obtained from 1st treatment (8.34g/kg) among treatments. The highest nitrogen content in the flesh of 'Niitaka' pear was obtained from 3rd treatment (4.32mg/g), while it was the lowest in control plot (3.10mg/g). Phosphate content in the flesh of 'Niitaka' pear in 2009 (8.20g/kg) showed 0.06g/kg more content than that of 2008 (7.82g/kg), while the highest content was obtained from 1st treatment (8.34g/kg). There were no difference of the potassium content in the fruit peel of 'Niitaka' pear between years, but 1st treatment showed the highest content (11.81g/kg) among treatments, while the lowest was obtained from the control plot (10.83g/kg).

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2004

Background: Infective endocarditis shows higher operative morbidity and mortality rates than other cardiac diseases. The vast majority of studies on infective endocarditis have been made on aortic endocarditis, with little attention having been paid to infective endocarditis on the mitral valve. This study attempts to investigate the clinical aspects and operative results of infective endocarditis on the mitral valve. Meterial and Method: The subjects of this study consist of 23 patients who underwent operations for infective endocariditis on the mitral valve from June 1995 to May 2003. Among them, 2 patients suffered from prosthetic valvular endocarditis and the other 21 from native valvular endocarditis. The subjects were evenly distributed age-wise with an average age of 44.8$\pm$15.7 (11∼66) years. Emergency operations were performed on seventeen patients (73.9%) due to large vegetation or instable hemodynamic status. In preoperative examinations, twelve patients exhibited congestive heart failure, four patients renal failure, two patients spleen and renal infarction, and two patients temporary neurological defects, while one patient had a brain abscess. Based on the NYHA functional classification, seven patients were determined to be at Grade II, 9 patients at Grade III, and 6 patients at Grade IV. Vegetations were detected in 20 patients while mitral regurgitation was dominant in 19 patients with 4 patients showing up as mitral stenosis dominant on the preoperative echocardiogram. Blood cultures for causative organisms were performed on all patients, and positive results were obtained from ten patients, with five cases of Streptococcus viridance, two cases of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and one case each of Corynebacteriurn, Haemophillis, and Gernella. Operations were decided according to the AA/AHA guidelines (1988). The mean follow-up period was 27.6 $\pm$23.3 (1 ∼ 97) months. Result: Mitral valve replacements were performed on 43 patients, with mechanical valves being used on 9 patients and tissue valves on the other 4. Several kinds of mitral valve repair or mitral valvuloplasty were carried out on the remaining 10 patients. Associated procedures included six aortic valve replacements, two tricuspid annuloplasty, one modified Maze operation, and one direct closure of a ventricular septal defect. Postoperative complications included two cases of bleeding and one case each of mediastinitis, low cardiac output syndrome, and pneumonia. There were no cases of early deaths, or death within 30 days following the operation. No patient died in the hospital or experienced valve related complications. One patient, however, underwent mitral valvuloplasty 3 months after the operation. Another patient died from intra-cranial hemorrhage in the 31st month after the operation. Therefore, the valve-related death rate was 4.3%, and the valve-related complication rate 8.6% on mid-term follow-up. 1, 3-, and 5-year valve- related event free rates were 90.8%, 79.5%, and 79.5%, respectively, while 1, follow-up. 1, 3-, and 5-year valve- related event free rates were 90.8%, 79.5%, and 79.5%, respectively, while 1, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 100%, 88.8%, and 88.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a complete removal of infected tissues is essential in the operative treatment of infectious endocarditis of the mitral valve. It is also suggested that when infected tissues are completely removed, neither type of material nor method of operation has a significant effect on the operation result. The postoperative results also suggest the need for a close follow-up observation of the patients suspected of having brain damage, which is caused by preoperative blood contamination or emboli from vegetation, for a possible cerebral vascular injury such as mycotic aneurysm.