• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.625-630
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• 2005

Background : Determining the cause of an exudative pleural effusion is sometimes quite difficult, especially between malignant and tuberculous effusions. Twenty percent of effusions remain undiagnosed even after a complete diagnostic evaluation, including pleural biopsy. The activity of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$), which is the one of proinflammatory cytokines, is increased in both infectious and malignant effusions. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic efficiency of TNF-${\alpha}$ activity in distinguishing tuberculous from malignant effusions. Methods : 46 patients (13 with malignant pleural effusion, 33 with tuberculous pleural effusion) with exudative pleurisy were included. TNF-${\alpha}$ concentrations were measured in the pleural fluid and serum samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, TNF-${\alpha}$ ratio (pleural fluid TNF-${\alpha}$ : serum TNF-${\alpha}$) was calculated. Results : TNF-${\alpha}$ concentration and TNF-${\alpha}$ ratio in the pleural fluid were significantly higher in the tuberculous effusions than in the malignant effusions (p<0.05). However, the serum levels of TNF-${\alpha}$ in the malignant and tuberculous pleural effusions were similar (p>0.05). The cut off points for the pleural fluid TNF-${\alpha}$ level and TNF-${\alpha}$ ratio were found to be 136.4 pg/mL and 6.4, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve were 81%, 80% and 0.82 for the pleural fluid TNF-${\alpha}$ level (p<0.005) and 76%, 70% and 0.72 for the TNF-${\alpha}$ ratio (p<0.05). Conclusion : We conclude that pleural fluid TNF-${\alpha}$ level and TNF-${\alpha}$ ratio can distinguish a malignant pleural effusion from a tuberculous effusion, and can be additional markers in a differential diagnosis of tuberculous and malignant pleural effusion. The level of TNF-${\alpha}$ in the pleural fluid could be a more efficient marker than the TNF-${\alpha}$ ratio.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.262-268
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• 2009

Purpose: We wanted to analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with gastric carcinoid tumor, which is a rare gastric tumor (less than 2% of all gastric tumors). Materials and Methods: We reviewed all the carcinoid patients who were treated from 1996 to 2006. The clinicopathologic characteristics, the treatment modalities and the survival rates were retrospectively analysed. Results: There were 8 type I patients and 10 type III patients, but there were no type II patients. The mean age of onset for type I was 47.75 years and that for type III was 57.90 years. More type III patients were female, but the gender ratio of type I patients was equal at a ratio of 1：1. There were 4 cases of solitary tumor, which were all T1 except for one case, and there was neither distant metastasis nor lymph node involvement for the type T1 cases. In the 13 patients who had no metastasis, 5 underwent endoscopic mucosal resection and 8 underwent surgery, and their combined 5 year survival rate was 92.3%. For the 5 cases who had metastastses, their mean survival was 22 months and especially, 3 of them underwent palliative surgery and their median survival were 24 months (95%, ${\pm}6.52$). Conclusion: Higher incidence of type III gastric carcinoid tumor and less multiplicity in type I gastric tumor were identified in our study compared with previous reports. For the type III cases, there were some noteable differences compared with the Western country's survival rate for the patients who underwent palliative surgery, so physicians must pay close attention to the definite clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric carcinoid patients.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2010

Purpose: Gastric epithelial dysplasia (GED) was defined as "unequivocally neoplastic epithelium that may be associated with or give rise to invasive adenocarcinoma" and GED also represents a direct precursor of intestinal type adenocarcinoma of the stomach. The recommended treatment guidelines for GED in the medical literature are endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or surgery for high grade dysplasia (HGD) and annual endoscopic surveillance with biopsy for low grade dysplasia (LGD) The aim of this study was to determine the treatment plan for GED that is diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 148 patients who were treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopiccsubmucosal dissection (ESD) for GED: there were 63 patients with HGD and 85 patients with LGD and all of them were diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy from January 2006 to December 2008. The results of the final histopathologic reports after EMR or ESD were compared with the results of the endoscopic biopsies. Results: The final histopathologic results of the 148 patients with GED showed 49 (33.1%) patients with adenocarcinoma, 40 (27.0%) patients with HGD and 59 (39.9%) patients with LGD. Among the 63 patients with HGD, 34 (54.0%) patients had adenocarcinoma, 20 (31.7%) patients had HGD and 9 (14.3%) patients had LGD. For the 85 patients with LGD, 15 (17.6%) patients had adenocarcinoma, 20 (23.5%) patients had HGD and 50 (58.8%) patients had LGD Conclusion: Complete resection, including EMR or ESD, is needed for patients with GED diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy and they have HGD. For patients with LGD, EMR or ESD may be needed in addition to endoscopic surveillance with biopsy for making the correct diagnosis and proper treatment because of the possibility of adenocarcinoma.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.478-486
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• 2000

Purpose: The sentinel lymph node is defined as the first draining node from a primary tumor and reflects the histologic feature of the remainder of the lymphatic basin status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative radioguided gamma probe for identification and removal of sentinel lymph node in breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Lymphoscintigraphy was performed preoperatively in 15 patients with biopsy proven primary breast cancer. Tc-99m antimony sulfide colloid was injected intradermally at four points around the tumor. Imaging acquisition included dynamic imaging, followed by early and late static images at 2 hours. The sentinel lymph node criteria on lymphoscintigraphy is the first node of the highest uptake in early and late static images. We tagged the node emitting the highest activity both in vivo and ex vivo. Histologic study for sentinel and axillary lymph node investigation was done by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining. Results: On lymphoscintigraphy, three of 15 patients had clear lymphatic vessels in dynamic images, and 11 of 15 patients showed sentinel lymph node in early static image and three in late static 2 hours image. Mean detection time of sentinel lymph node on lymphoscintigraphy was $33.5{\pm}48.4$ minutes. The sentinel lymph node localization and removal by lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma probe were successful in 14 of 15 patients (detection rate: 93.3%). On lymphoscintigraphy, 14 of 15 patients showed $2.47{\pm}2.00$ sentinel lymph nodes. On intraoperative gamma probe, $2.36{\pm}1.96$ sentinel lymph nodes were detected. In 7 patients with positive results of sentinel lymph node metastasis, 5 patients showed positive results of axillary lymph node (sensitivity: 72%) but two did not. In 7 patients with negative results of sentinel lymph node metastasis, all axillary nodes were free of disease (specificity: 100%). Conclusion: Sentinel lymph node biopsy with lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma probe is a reliable method to predict axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer, and unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection can be avoided.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2007

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of ultrasound examination of children performed by a pediatrician. Methods: One thousand children who presented with symptoms of a gastrointestinal disorder and underwent abdominal ultrasound evaluation in the Department of Pediatrics, between January 2003 and June 2006, were included in this study. We analyzed the patient's medical records and ultrasound results retrospectively. Results: Among the 1,000 patients, 58.4% were male and 41.6% were female. The mean age of the patients was $4.7{\pm}4.0$ years. The main reasons for ultrasound were abdominal pain (43.9%), vomiting (17.3%), elevated liver enzymes (11.8%), and jaundice (9.8%). Abnormal ultrasound findings were present in 57.9% of cases. The major abnormal findings were mesenteric lymphadenitis (29.2%), fatty liver (12.1%), hepatitis (6.4%), hepatosplenomegaly (6.2%), and acute appendicitis (4.8%). The time interval between the initial medical evaluation and the ultrasound evaluation was within 24 hours in most cases (78.5%). The main findings in children with abdominal pain were mesenteric lymphadenitis (32.6%), fatty liver (5.9%), intussusception (2.7%), and acute appendicitis (2.7%). The main findings in children with vomiting were mesenteric lymphadenitis (12.7%), hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (10.4%), and acute appendicitis (3.5%). The major ultrasound findings in children with urinary tract diseases were hydronephrosis (45.4%), urolithiasis (21.5%) and cystic renal disease (18.1%). Conclusion: Ultrasound examination played an important role as a non-invasive and prompt screening examination for detection of abdominal diseases. Ultrasound was an important tool for pediatricians to determine timely information for patient management.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.509-516
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• 2017

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. sprouts (PFS) is a plant of the labiatae family. The purpose of this work was to assess the preventive effects of PFS ethanolic extracts (PFSEs) on cytokine-induced ${\beta}$-cell damage. Cytokines, which are released by the infiltration of inflammatory cells around the pancreatic islets, are involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The combination of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-1), interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$), and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) induced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Accumulation of intracellular ROS led to ${\beta}$-cell dysfunction and apoptosis. PFSEs possess antioxidant activity and thus lead to downregulation of ROS generation. Cytokines decrease cell viability, stimulate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and induce the production of nitric oxide (NO). PFSEs prevented cytokine-induced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Incubation with PFSE resulted in significant reduction in cytokine-induced NO production that correlated with reduced levels of the iNOS and COX-2 protein expression. Furthermore, PFSE significantly decreased the activation of nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) by inhibition of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation in RINm5F cells. In summary, our results suggest that the protective effects of PFSE might serve to counteract cytokine-induced ${\beta}$-cell destruction. Findings indicate that consumption of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. sprouts alleviates hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced ${\beta}$-cell damage and thus has beneficial anti-diabetic effects.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.132-138
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• 2007

Purpose: In Korea, the number of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomies for early gastric cancer patients has been on the increase. Although minimally invasive surgery is more beneficial, no reported case of a total laparoscopic gastrectomy has been reported because of difficulty with intracorporeal anastomosis. This study attempts, through our experience, to determine the safety and feasibility of a total laparoscopic gastrectomy with various types of intracorporeal anastomosis using laparoscopic linears stapler in treating early gastric carcinomas. Materials and Methods: We investigated the surgical results and clinicopatholgical characteristics of 81 patients that underwent a totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy at our department between June 2004 and May 2007. The intracorporeal anastomoses were performed by using laparoscopic linear staplers. Results: The mean operative time was 287 minutes, the mean anastomotic time was 40 minutes, and the mean number of laparoscopic linear staplers used for an operation was 7.5. The mean time to the first flatus, the first food intake, and discharge from hospital was 2.9, 3.6, and 10.3 days respectively. There were 11 cases of postoperative complications, but no case of postoperative mortality or conversion to an open procedure. In 75 patients with an adenocarcinoma, the mean number of lymph nodes harvested was 38.1 and the stage distribution was as follows: stage I, 72 patients; stage II, 2 patients; stage IV, 1 patient. During the mean follow-up period of 14 months, 5 patients died of other causes and there were no cases of cancer recurrence. Conclusion: A total laparoscopic gastrectomy with intracorporeal anastomosis by using a laparoscopic linear stapler was found to be safe and feasible. We were able to obtain acceptable surgical outcomes in terms of minimal invasiveness.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 2000

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic role of $^{99m}Tc$-Tetrofosmin in detection of breast cancer and compared with that of $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI. Material and Methods: Forty-eight patients with a clinically palpable mass or abnormal mammographic or ultrasonographic findings had $^{99m}Tc-MIBI\;and\;^{99m}Tc$-Tetrofosmin scintimammographies after intravenous injection of 925 MBq of radiopharmaceuticals. The scintimammographs were correlated with histopathologic findings. Results: Thirty-three patients were diagnosed with breast cancer and 15 patients with benign breast diseases. The numbers of true positive, true negative, false positive, and false negative cases of $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI scintimammography were 29, 10, 5, and 4 respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI scintimammographies were 87.8%, 66.7%, 85.3%, and 71.4% respectively. The numbers of true positive, true negative, false positive, and false negative cases of $^{99m}Tc$-Tetrofosmin were 31,10, 5, and 2 respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of $^{99m}Tc$-Tetrofosmin were 93.9%, 66.7%, 86.1%, and 73.3% respectively. One patient was false negative in both $^{99m}Tc-MIBI\;and\;^{99m}Tc$-Tetrofosmin acintimammographies and its size was 0.5 cm. Conclusion: $^{99m}Tc-Tetrofosmin\;and\;^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ were non-invasive and useful in detection of breast cancer and $^{99m}Tc$-Tetrofosmin was comparable to the $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI in detection of primary breast cancer.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2007

Purpose: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has recently been clinically applied in the treatment of drug resistant depressed patients. There are mixed findings about the efficacy of rTMS on depression. Furthermore, the influence of rTMS on the physiology of the brain is not clear. We prospectively evaluated changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) between pre- and post-rTMS treatment in patients with drug resistant depression. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with drug-resistant depression (7 male, 5 female; age range: $19{\sim}52$ years; mean age: $29.3{\pm}9.3$ years) were given rTMS on right prefrontal lobe with low frequency (1 Hz) and on left prefrontal lobe with high frequency (20 Hz), with 20-minute-duration each day for 3 weeks. Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT was obtained before and after rTMS treatment. The changes of cerebral perfusion were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM; t=3.14, uncorrected p<0.01, voxel=100). Results: Following areas showed significant increase in rCBF after 3 weeks rTMS treatment: the cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus of right temporal lobe, precuneus, and left lateral globus pallidus. Significant decrement was noted in: the precental and middle frontal gyrus of right frontal lobe, and fusiform gyrus of left occipital lobe. Conclusion: Low-frequency rTMS on the right prefrontal cortex and high-frequency rTMS on the left prefrontal cortex for 3 weeks as an add-on regimen have increased and decreased rCBF in the specific brain regions in drug-resistant depressed patients. Further analyses correlating clinical characteristics and treatment paradigm with functional imaging data may be helpful in clarifying the pathophysiology of drug-resistant depressed patients.