• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.759-765
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer of women in Pakistan with the majority presenting with stage III or IV lesionsat initial diagnosis. Patient and health system related factors are well known determinants of delay in presentation and diagnosis. Additionally, breast cancer being a heterogeneous disease, the various molecular subtypes featuring different aggressiveness also need to be considered. The present study evaluated the association of stage at initial diagnosis of breast cancer with these two factors in local women at a tertiary level health care facility in Lahore, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Patient and tumor features were recorded separately during diagnostic workup in Breast Clinics at INMOL and at Services Hospital, Lahore. Data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test. Results: Among the 261 patients, 64% were staged as late breast cancer (LBC), the mean age was 46.8 with standard deviation of 13 years. Some 92% had invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), 61% had luminal types (LT) of non-aggressive tumor while 39% had the non-luminal types (NLT) of of HER2-enriched or basal aggressive tumors. While 70% of patients presented within one year of symptomatic disease (early report group "ERG"), 30% reported after a mean delay of 4 years with a standard deviation of 3.75 years. The stage distribution among ERG patients was not statistically different from those reporting late (P=0.123). Statistically larger proportion of patients with NLT presented as LBC as compared to the LT (P =0.034). Among the ERG, statistically different stage distribution of disease was observed for the NLT versus LT (P=0.047). Among those presenting late, this difference was insignificant (P=0.416). Conclusions: Breast cancer is a distinct disease in Pakistan with a high frequency of aggressive molecular types affecting younger women, with the majority presenting as LBC. Association of NLT with higher stage at diagnosis is statistically significant whereas time delay in diagnosis is not. Further research is required to define the risk profile and features in local patients. The burden of LBC can be reduced by promoting breast health awareness and by establishing easily accessible dedicated breast care set ups in the hospitals.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.553-558
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• 2004

Avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CAB G) has been known to reduce early mortality and morbidity. Diabetes Mellitus is a significant risk factor for adverse early and late outcomes after CABG. We compared the clinical results of off-pump CABG versus on-pump CABG in diabetes patients. Material and Method: 682 patients (424 off-pump CABG and 258 on-pump CABG) underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting between January 2001 and June 2003. Data were collected 242 patient who had diabetes. Among them, 154 patients underwent off-pump CABG and 90 patients underwent on-pump CABG. We analyzed the preoperative risk factors and postoperative results between 2 groups. Result: Two groups did not show statistical differences in age, sex, coronary and operative risk factors. Operative time was significantly shorter in off-pump CABG, however, number of grafts was fewer in off-pump CABG. Postoperative inotropic usage was lower in off-pump CABG. Postoperative CK-MB level was lower in off-pump CABG, and ICU stay and ventilation time was significantly shorter in off-pump CABG. However, there was no statistical difference between 2 groups in operative mortality, reoperation rate, perioperative myocardial infarction, wound infection, renal failure, neurological complications and hospital stay. Conclusion: Off-pump CABG group showed less myocardial damage and early recovery. We concluded that off-pump CABG is the more reasonable technique in diabetes patients although two techniques showed good results. The long-term follow up and prospective study may be warranted.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.156-163
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• 2011

Purpose: To evaluate long-term local control rate and toxicity in patients treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for pituitary adenomas. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 60 patients treated with EBRT for pituitary adenoma at Korea University Medical Center from 1996 and 2006. Thirty-five patients had hormone secreting tumors, 25 patients had non-secreting tumors. Fifty-seven patients had received postoperative radiotherapy (RT), and 3 had received RT alone. Median total dose was 54 Gy (range, 36 to 61.2 Gy). The definition of tumor progression were as follows: evidence of tumor progression on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, worsening of clinical sign requiring additional operation or others, rising serum hormone level against a previously stable or falling value, and failure of controlling serum hormone level so that the hormone level had been far from optimal range until last follow-up. Age, sex, hormone secretion, tumor extension, tumor size, and radiation dose were analyzed for prognostic significance in tumor control. Results: Median follow-up was 5.7 years (range, 2 to 14.4 years). The 10-year actuarial local control rates for non-secreting and secreting adenomas were 96% and 66%, respectively. In univariate analysis, hormone secretion was significant prognostic factor (p = 0.042) and cavernous sinus extension was marginally significant factor (p = 0.054) for adverse local control. All other factors were not significant. In multivariate analysis, hormone secretion and gender were significant. Fifty-three patients had mass-effect symptoms (headache, dizziness, visual disturbance, hypopituitarism, loss of consciousness, and cranial nerve palsy). A total of 17 of 23 patients with headache and 27 of 34 patients with visual impairment were improved. Twenty-seven patients experienced symptoms of endocrine hypersecretion (galactorrhea, amenorrhea, irregular menstruation, decreased libido, gynecomastia, acromegaly, and Cushing's disease). Amenorrhea was abated in 7 of 10 patients, galactorrhea in 8 of 8 patients, acromegaly in 7 of 11 patients, Cushing's disease in 4 of 4 patients. Long-term complication was observed in 4 patients; 3 patients with cerebrovascular accident, 1 patient developed dementia. Of these patients, 3 of 4 received more than 60 Gy of irradiation. Conclusion: EBRT is highly effective in preventing recurrence and reducing mass effect of non-secreting adenoma. Effort to improve tumor control of secreting adenoma is required. Careful long-term follow-up is required when relatively high dose is applied. Modern radiosurgery or proton RT may be options to decrease late complications.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2020

Background: Reducing the total anticholinergic burden (AB) in older adults is recommended owing to the several peripheral and central adverse effects. This study aimed to identify the AB status of patients admitted to geriatric centers for assessing the influence of the pharmacist-involved multidisciplinary geriatric team care on reducing the AB. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 328 older patients hospitalized in geriatric centers from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, who received comprehensive geriatric assessment and pharmaceutical interventions from a multidisciplinary geriatric team. We measured the total AB scores for the medications at the time of admission and upon hospital discharge using the Korean Anticholinergic Burden Scale (KABS). The pre-admission factors associated with high AB (KABS score ≥3) at the time of admission were identified. Results: The proportion of patients with high AB significantly decreased from 41.8% (136/328) at the time of admission to 25.0% (82/328) on discharge (p<0.001). The pre-admission AB of patients transferred from skilled nursing facilities (odds ratio[OR]: 2.85, 95% CI: 1.26-3.75), taking more than 10 medications (OR: 3.70, 95% CI: 1.55-8.82), suffering from delirium (OR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.04-7.50), or depression (OR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.04-7.41) were significantly high. Antipsychotics were the most frequent classes of drugs that contributed to the total KABS score at the time of admission, followed by antihistamines. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the multidisciplinary teams for geriatric care are effective at reducing AB in older adults. The factors associated with high AB should be considered when targeting pharmaceutical care in geriatric individuals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.570-579
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• 2020

Pre-mRNA splicing is a crucial step for the expression of information encoded in eukaryotic genomes. Alternative splicing occurs when splice sites are differentially recognized and more than one transcript and potentially multiple proteins are generated from the same pre-mRNA. The decision on which splice sites are selected under particular cellular conditions is determined by the interaction of proteins, globally designated as splicing factors, that guide spliceosomal components, and thereby the spliceosome, to their respective splice sites. Abiotic stresses such as heat, cold, salt, drought, and hypoxia markedly alter alternative splicing patterns in plants, and these splicing events implement changes in gene expression for adaptive responses to adverse environments. Alteration of the expression or activity of splicing factors results in alternative splicing under cold, heat, salt, or drought conditions, and alternatively spliced isoforms respond distinctly in several aspects such as expression in different tissues or degradation via nonsense-mediated decay. Spliced isoforms may vary in their subcellular localization or have different biological functions under stress conditions. Despite numerous studies, functional analyses of alternative splicing have been limited to particular abiotic stresses; the molecular mechanism of alternative splicing in abiotic stress response remains uncovered which suggests that further studies are needed in this area.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.295-299
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• 2011

Purpose: It is generally believed that alopecia is caused by various factors such as scars, stress, genetical factors, androgens, etc. Androgenic alopecia is one of the most common cause of alopecia and found mainly in males. Propecia (Merck & Co., USA) and Minoxidil (McNEIL-PPC, Inc, USA) were the drugs approved from FDA for treatment of androgenic alopecia. Surgical treatments such as flap, tissue expansion, scalp reduction and hair transplantation can be considered if necessary. Hair micrograft techniques were developed for natural hair shapes and minimal adverse effect. There were attempts to measure the length of the forehead of the Korean young adults. However attempts to classify the shape and location of forehead hairline were rare. This study attempted to find out standard hairlines of young adults in their 20s & 30s and the result would be the guideline of the hairline in hair replacement surgery of male patients in their 40s & 50s. Methods: 200 male adults in 20s and 30s were photographed and measured the length of 11 vertical index lines to determine hairline. The indexes are the distances from hairline to intercanthal midpoint (A), to medial canthus (B), to upper eyelid fissure (C), to lower eyelid fissure (D), to lateral canthus (E) and distance from lateral highest point to medial lowest point, if the hairline is M-shape (F). Additionally, we classified the hairlines into 4 groups, M, horizontal, inverted U and irregular shapes. Results: The most common hairline of male adults in their 20s is inverted U-shape (53.3%), followed by horizontal-shape, M-shape, irregular-shape. In their 30s, inverted U-shape (59%) is followed by irregular-shape, M-shape, horizontal-shape. The M-shape is more frequently found in males in 30s than those in 20s. The mean values of the indexes in their 20s are as follows: A (76.14 mm), B (Rt: 75.78 mm, Lt:76.41 mm), C (Rt: 69.43 mm, Lt: 69.92 mm), D (Rt: 76.92 mm, Lt:77.46 mm), E (Rt: 64.16 mm, Lt: 64.73 mm), F (4.09 mm). Those in their 30s are as follows: A (76.13 mm), B (Rt: 76.114 mm, Lt: 76.02 mm), C (Rt: 69.87 mm, Lt: 70.37 mm), D (Rt: 77.37 mm, Lt: 77.58 mm), E (Rt: 69.63 mm, Lt: 69.85 mm), F (6.14 mm). Conclusion: The knowledge about human body measurement is indispensable to plastic surgeons. In this study, inverted U shape is the most common type of hairline in 30s, and similar distribution is found in 20s. The percentage of M shape in their 30s is elevated more than 10% compared to that in their 20s. The study of hairline shapes and 11 indexes of hairlines can be useful for planning of the hair transplantation and postoperative evaluation. This study being based on photogrammetry, there may be differences between actual distance of curved face and projected distance on flat photographs.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2017

Background: The influence of lifestyle diseases on postoperative complications and long-term survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether lifestyle diseases were significant risk factors of perioperative and long-term surgical outcomes in elderly patients with stage I NSCLC. Methods: Between December 1995 and November 2013, 110 patients aged 65 years or older who underwent surgical resection of stage I NSCLC at Dong-A University Hospital were retrospectively studied. We assessed the presence of the following lifestyle diseases as risk factors for postoperative complications and long-term mortality: diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, and ischemic heart disease. Results: The mean age of the patients was 71 years (range, 65 to 82 years). Forty-six patients (41.8%) had hypertension, making it the most common lifestyle disease, followed by diabetes (n=23, 20.9%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 0.9% (n=1). The 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 78% and 64%, respectively. Postoperative complications developed in 32 patients (29.1%), including 7 (6.4%) with prolonged air leakage, 6 (5.5%) with atrial fibrillation, 5 (4.5%) with delirium and atelectasis, and 3 (2.7%) with acute kidney injury and pneumonia. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the presence of a lifestyle disease was the only independent risk factor for postoperative complications. In survival analysis, univariate analysis showed that age, smoking, body mass index, extent of resection, and pathologic stage were associated with impaired survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that resection type (hazard ratio [HR], 2.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 4.49; p=0.030) and pathologic stage (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.02 to 3.49; p=0.043) had independent adverse impacts on survival. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the presence of a lifestyle disease was a significant prognostic factor for postoperative complications, but not of survival, in elderly patients with stage I NSCLC. Therefore, postoperative complications may be influenced by the presence of a lifestyle disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3151-3156
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• 2014

Background: Sorafenib is a promising drug for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, treatment may be discontinued for multiple reasons, such as progressive disease, adverse events, or the cost of treatment. The consequences of sorafenib discontinuation and continuation are uncertain. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 88 HCC patients treated with sorafenib from July 2007 to January 2013. Overall survival (OS), post-disease progression overall survival (pOS), and time to disease progression (TTP) were compared for survival analysis. Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to assess the effect of important factors on OS in the overall patient population and on pOS in patients who continued sorafenib treatment. Results: Sorafenib was discontinued and continued in 24 and 64 patients, respectively. The median OS (355 vs 517 days respectively; p=0.015) and median post-PD OS (260 vs 317 days, respectively; p=0.020) were statistically different between the discontinuation and continuation groups. Neither the median time to first PD nor the time to second PD were significantly different between the 2 groups. In the discontinuation group, 3 of the 24 patients (12.5%) suffered disease outbreaks. In Cox proportional hazard regression analysis after correction for confounding factors, BCLC stage (p=0.002) and PD site (p=0.024) were significantly correlated with pOS in patients who continued sorafenib treatment. Conclusions: Sorafenib discontinuation may cause HCC flares or outbreaks. It is advisable to continue sorafenib treatment after first PD, particularly in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B disease or only intrahepatic PD.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.412-418
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• 2010

Objective : To evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of lumbar interbody fusion and its correlation with various factors (e.g., age, comorbidities, fusion level, bone quality) in patients over and under 65 years of age who underwent lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative lumbar disease. Methods : One-hundred-thirty-three patients with lumbar degenerative disease underwent lumbar fusion surgery between June 2006 and June 2007 and were followed for more than one year. Forty-eight (361%) were older than 65 years of age (group A) and 85 (63.9%) were under 65 years of age (group B). Diagnosis, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, and perioperative complications were recorded. The analysis of clinical outcomes was based on the visual analogue scale (VAS). Radiological results were evaluated using plain radiographs. Clinical outcomes, radiological outcomes, length of hospital stay, and complication rates were analyzed in relation to lumbar fusion level, the number of comorbidities, bone mineral density (BMD), and age. Results : The mean age of the patients was 61.2 years (range, 33-86 years) and the mean BMD was -2.2 (range, -4.8 to -2.8). The mean length of hospital stay was 15.0 days (range, 5-60 days) and the mean follow-up was 23.0 months (range, 18-30 months). Eighty-five (64.0%) patients had more than one preoperative comorbidities. Perioperative complications occurred in 27 of 133 patients (20.3%). The incidence of overall complication was 22.9% in group A, and 18.8% in group B but there was no statistical difference between the two groups. The mean VAS scores for the back and leg were significantly decreased in both groups (p < 0.05), and bony fusion was achieved in 125 of 133 patients (94.0%). There was no significant difference in bony union rates between groups A and B (91.7% in group A vs. 95.3% in group B, p = 0.398). In group A. perioperative complications were more common with the increase in fusion level (p = 0.027). Perioperative complications in both groups A (p = 0.035) and B (p = 0.044) increased with an increasing number of comorbidities. Conclusion : Elderly patients with comorbidities are at a high risk for complications and adverse outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. In our study, clinical outcomes, fusion rates, and perioperative complication rates in older patients were comparable with those in younger populations. The number of comorbidities and the extent of fusion level were significant factors in predicting the occurrence of postoperative complications. However, proper perioperative general supportive care with a thorough fusion strategy during the operation could improve the overall postoperative outcomes in lumbar fusion surgery for elderly patients.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.60-72
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the awareness of energy drinks, energy drink consumption behaviors, and associated factors among college students. Methods: A total of 536 students from three universities in Cheongju completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding awareness and consumption of energy drinks as well as general characteristics, health-related characteristics, and eating habits. Results: Approximately half of the respondents reported they knew what energy drinks were, while 45.7% had heard of energy drinks but did not know what they were. However, 76.9% had experience in using energy drinks. The main reason for using energy drinks was to stay awake, and the main place that they were used was on campus or at the library. More than 70% of energy drink users did not read the caffeine contents of energy drinks. After consuming energy drinks, 31.3% experienced adverse effects, the most serious being sleep disturbance. Approximately 33% of students consumed energy drinks once a month or more frequently, and men consumed energy drinks more frequently than females. Energy drink users who consumed at least one drink each month were more likely to be natural science major or drink more milk for male students, and to have more allowances or consume less meat for female students, compared with non-users. Conclusions: Our study showed that 33% of students consumed at least one energy drink each month, and there were a small number of students consumed energy drinks almost every day or energy drinks mixed with alcohol. Accordingly, college students should be taught potential health hazards of energy drinks mixed with alcohol as well as energy drinks alone. In addition, reading labels about caffeine and sugar contents in energy drinks is encouraged.