• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.497-503
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• 2003

Pulmonary aspergillosis usually results from the colonization of the existing lung lesions by chronic pulmonary diseases, such as tuberculosis. Most cases of pulmonary aspergilloma have been treated surgically for many years because it is a potentially life-threatening disease causing massive hemoptysis. Here we reviewed our results from the last 10 years. Material and Method: We reviewed 31 cases surgically treated from Aug. 1992 to Jul. 2002. retrospectively. This investigation is designed to illustrate the peak age incidence, sex ratio, chief complaints, preoperative study, anatomic location of operative site, postoperative pathologic finding and postoperative complications. Result: The peak age Incidence laid in the 3rd and 4th decade of 20 cases (64.5%). The most common complaint was hemoptysis in 27 cases (87.1%). The 31 cases had a history of treatment with anti-tuberculous drugs under impression of pulmonary tuberculosis. The 19 cases (61.3%) showed the so-called “Air-meniscus sign” on the preoperative chest X-ray. In the 31 cases (100%) on the chest computed tomography. as a preoperative diagnostic modality, positivity was shown in 37.9%, 83.3% was shown on the fungus culture of sputum for Aspergillus, serum immunodiffusion test for A. fumigatus, respectively. The anatomical location of aspergilloma was mainly in the upper lobe in 19 cases (61.3%) and the majority of cases were managed by lobectomy. The postoperative pathologic findings showed that 31 cases (100%) were combined with tuberculosis. The postoperative complications include empyema, prolonged air leakage, remained dead space, postoperative bleeding and these numbers of cases is 3 cases (9.7%), 2 cases (6.45%), 2 cases (6.45%), 1 case (3.23%), respectively. one case was died postoperatively due to massive beeding, and asphyxia. Conclusion: Compared with the previous study, there is no significant difference in results. Preoperative chest computed tomography and immunodiffusion test were more commonly available and showed high positivity. Operations often became technically difficult because of pleural space obliteration, indurated hilar structures, and poor expansion of the remaining lung, which were more prominent in the patients with complex aspergillosis. In such cases, medical treatments and interventional procedures like bronchial artery embolization are preferred. However, cavernostomy is also recommanded with few additional morbidity because of its relatively less invassiveness. Early surgical intervention is the recommended management for patients with simple aspergilloma considering the Row surgical mortality and morbidity in recent days.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2005

Background : Continuous growth stimulation by various factors, as well as chronic oxidative stress, may co-exist in many solid tumors, such as lung cancer. A new family of antioxidant proteins, the peroxiredoxins (Prxs), have been implicated in the regulation of many cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. However, a real pathophysiological significance of Prx proteins, especially in lung disease, has not been sufficiently defined. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the distribution and expression of various Prx isoforms in lung cancer and other pulmonary conditions. Method : Patients diagnosed with lung cancer, and who underwent surgery at the Ajou Medical Center, were enrolled. The expressions of Prxs, Thioredoxin (Trx) and Thioredoxin reductase (TR) were analyzed using proteomic techniques and the subcellular localization of Prx proteins was studied using immunohistochemistry on normal mouse lung tissue. Result : Immunohistochemical staining has shown the isoforms of Prx I, II, III and V are predominantly expressed in bronchial and alveolar lining epithelia, as well as in the alveolar macrophages of the normal mouse lung. The isoforms of Prx I and III, and thioredoxin were also found to be over-expressed in the lung cancer tissues compared to their paired normal lung controls. There was also an increased amount of the oxidized form of Prx I, as well as a putative truncated form of Prx III, in the lung cancer samples when analyzed using 2-dimensional electrophoresis. In addition, a 43 kDa intermediate molecular weight protein band, and other high molecular weight bands of over 20 kDa, recognized by the anti-Prx I antibody, were present in the tissue extracts of lung cancer patients on 1-Dimensional electrophoresis, which require further investigation. Conclusion : The over-expressions of Prx I and III, and Trx in human lung cancer tissue, as well as their possible chaperoning function, may represent an attempt by tumor cells to adjust to their microenvironment in a manner advantageous to their survival and proliferation, while maintaining their malignant potential.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1047-1059
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• 1998

Senile Dementia is one of the dispositional mental disorder which has been known to the world since Hippocratic age. It has become a wide-spread social problem all over the world because of chronic disease processes and the demands of dependent care for several years as well as improbability of treatment of it at the causal level. Essentially, life styles of the older generation differ from those of the younger generation. While the fomer is used to the patriarchal system and the spirit of filial piet and respect, the latter is pragmatized and individualized under the effects of the Western material civilization. These differences between the two generations cause conflict between family members. In particular, the pain and conflict of care-givers who take care of a totally dependent dementia patient not only is inciting to the collapse of the family union, but is expanding into a serious social problem. According to this practical difficulty, this study has tried to compare dementia care-givers' experiences inter-culturally and to help set up more proper nursing interventions, describing and explaining them through ethnographies by participant observation and in-depth interviews that enable seeing them in a more close, honest and certain way. It also tries to provide a theoetical model of nusing care for dementia patients which is proper to Korean culture. This study is composed of 12 participants (4 males, 8 females) whose ages range from 37-71 years. The relations of patients are 5 spouses(3 husbands, 2 wives), 4 daughters-in-law, 2 daughters, and 1 son-in-law. The following are the care-givers' meaning of experiences that results of the study shows. The first is "psychological conflict". It contains the minds of getting angry, reproaching, being driven to dispair, blaming oneself, giving up lives, and being afraid, hopeless, and resigned. The second is "physical, social and psychological pressure" . At this stage, care-givers are shown to be under stress of both body and soul for the lack of freedom and tiredness. They also feel constraint because they hardly cope with the care and live through others' eyes. The third is "isolation". It makes the relationship of patient care-giver to be estranged, without understanding each other. They, also, experience indifference such as being upset and left alone. The forth is "acceptance" They gradually have compassion, bear up and then adapt themselves to the circumstances they are in. The fifth is "love". Now they learn to reward the other with love. It is also shown that this stage contains the process of winning others' recognition. The final is "hope". In this stage they really want situations to go smoothly and hope everything will be O.K. These consequences enable us to summarize the principles of cue experience such as, in the early stage, negative response such as physical·psychological confusion, pain and conflict are primary. Then the stage of acceptance emerges. It is an initial positive response phase when care-givers may admit their situations. As time passes by a positive response stage emerges. At last they have love and hope. Three stages we noted above : however, there are never consistent situations. Rather it gradually comes into the stage of acceptance, repeating continuous conflict, pressure and isolation. If any interest and understanding of families or the support of surrounding society lack, it will again be converted to negative responses sooner or later. Otherwise, positive responses like hope and love can be encouraged if the family and the surroundings give active aids and understanding. After all, the principles of dementia care experiences neither stay at any stage, nor develop from negative stages to positive stages steadily. They are cycling systems in which negative responses and positive responses are constantly being converted. I would like to suggest the following based on the above conclusions : First, the systematic and planned education of dementia should be performed in order to enhance public relations. Second, a special medical treatment center which deals with dementia, under government's charge, should be managed. Third, the various studies approaching dementia care experiences result in the development of more reasonable and useful nursing guidelines.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.487-491
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• 2008

Purpose : Although Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection can cause wheezing in non-asthmatic children, the mechanisms of this symptom remain unclear. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major mediator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability, and is also known to be elevated in cases of chronic pulmonary disease such as asthma. We hypothesized that VEGF may increase in children with acute M. pneumoniae pneumonia and wheezing. Methods : Nine patients with clinical and laboratory evidence of acute M. pneumoniae pneumonia were enlisted from children admitted to Korea University Hospital. They had had more than one episode of wheezing during the illness, which was confirmed by a physician; they comprised the wheezer group. The individuals with M. pneumoniae pneumonia without wheezing were 63 in number, and they comprised the non-wheezer group. Patients with a history of asthma or who had received asthma medications were excluded. Serum concentrations of VEGF, total IgE, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and peripheral blood eosinophil counts were measured. Results : The serum VEGF concentrations were higher in the wheezer group ($mean{\pm}SD$; $650.2{\pm}417.9pg/mL$) than in the non-wheezer group ($376.5{\pm}356.2pg/mL$, P=0.049). M. pneumoniae antibody (1:1,380 vs. 1:596, P=0.048) and serum total IgE (591.8 IU/mL vs. 162.2 IU/mL, P=0.032) were higher in the wheezer group than in the non-wheezer group. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of serum ECP concentration or blood eosinophil count. Conclusion : In the presence of wheezing, serum VEGF concentrations were higher in the children with M. pneumoniae pneumonia. This finding suggests that VEGF may associate with wheeze-related symptoms in children with acute M. pneumoniae pneumonia.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.505-512
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of life according to the level of subjective perception as well as to analyze the influencing factors and improve the subjective perception to improve the quality of life. The results of the survey for adult patients in hospitals and neighborhood clinics in the region of Busan for nine months from December 2015 were as follows. Regarding the total symptoms, the women had a score of 1.41, and the younger respondents felt they suffered from no symptoms. An analysis of the quality of life by the general characteristics showed that the respondents who were better educated and had no systemic diseases had a higher score of 54.71 on the OHIP-14. The respondents who were better educated and had no systemic diseases had a higher score of 6.48 when a single item was used to determine their happiness index, and the respondents who were better educated and had no systemic diseases had a higher score of 3.82 when five items were used to rate their happiness index. The factor with the greatest influence on their scores on the OHIP-14 was the total symptoms, followed in order by the happiness index and self-rated oral health status. The variable that exerted the largest influence on the happiness index was the OHIP-14, followed by the self-rated health status, high-school or lower education, and the presence or absence of one or more chronic disease. Therefore, an improvement in the subjective awareness level is required to boost the quality of life, and a variety of health education programs should be prepared to raise the awareness level. In addition, there should be a chance to convey accurate information.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.746-753
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• 1998

Background : Cigarette smoking is closely related to both lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The incidence of lung cancer is higher in patients with obstructive ventilatory impairment than in patients without obstructive ventilatory impairment regardless of smoking. So, obstructive ventilatory impairment is suspected as an independent risk factor of lung cancer. Methods: For the evaluation of the role of obstructive ventilatory impairment as a risk factor of lung cancer, a total of 73 cases comprising 47 cases of malignant and 26 benign solitary pulmonary nodule were analyzed retrospectively. A comparative study of analysis of forced expiratory volume curves and frequencies of obstructive ventilatory impairment were made between cases with malignant and benign nodules. Results: In comparison of vital capacity and parameters derived from forced expiratory volume curve between two groups. VC, FVC and $FEV_1$ were not significantly different. whereas $FEV_1/FVC%$ and FEF 25-75% showed a significant decrease in the cases with malignant nodule. The frequency of obstructive ventilatory impairment determined by pulmonary function test was significantly higher in the cases with malignant nodule(23.4%) than in benign nodule(3.8%). When the risk for lung cancer was examined by the presence or absence of obstructive ventilatory impairment using the logistic regression analysis, the unadjusted relative risk for the lung cancer of obstructive ventilatory impairment was 17.17. When the effect of smoking and age were considered, the relative risk was to 8.13. Conclusion: These findings suggest that an obstructive ventilatory impairment is a risk factor of lung cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.697-704
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• 1998

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by a marked infiltration of eosinophils in the bronchial mucosa. Asthmatic bronchial mucosa produces many factors described as being chemotactic for inflammatory cells. IL-5, RANTES, and MCP-1 alpha are the chemotactic factors for eosinophils, but their roles are controversial. Recently eotaxin that is a potent eosinophil chemoattractant cytokine was detected in a guinea-pig model of allergic airway inflammation, and human eotaxin was cloned. Eotaxin is a specific chemoattractant for eosinophils, but its role in asthma is not confirmed. We examined the in vivo expression of eotaxin in bronchi of asthmatic patients. Methods : 11 asthmatics and 2 normal controls were enrolled. All subjects were underwent bronchoscopy with bronchial biopsies in 2nd or 3rd carina. RNA extraction from biopsy samples was done by acid-guanidium method. Semi-quantitaive RT-PCR was done for evaluation of eotaxin mRNA expression The extent of eosinophil infiltration was evaluated by counting the eosinophils in submucosa in HPF of microscope. Results : Eotaxin mRNA expressed in symptomatic, uncontrolled asthma. Steroid inhibited expression of eotaxin mRNA in asthma. Expression of eotaxin mRNA correlated with eosinophil infiltration in bronchial tissues. Conclusion: Expression of eotaxin mRNA increases in uncontrolled asthma and eotaxin is involved in the recruitment of eosinophils.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.638-645
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• 1993

Objectives: The functional effects of pulmonary resection are dependent on the preexisting function of resected and remaining tissue as well as on the compensatory potential of the remaining tissue. Nowadays, large pulmonary resections are usually applied to lung cancer patients often already compromised by chronic lung disease. It is important to evaluate the pulmonary reserve after lung resection preoperatively in the decision of operability and extent of resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of pulmonary function after pulmonary resection. Methods: 8 lobectomized and 8 pneumonectomized patients were evaluated. The pulmonary function test was performed preoperatively and in immediate postoperative period and thereafter to 5 years at 3 months interval. Results: 1) The pulmonary function 1 week after operation was significantly low compared with predicted values in, lobectomy and pneumonectomy groups(p<0.05), and improved closely to their predicted values 3 months after operation. 2) The FVC was maintained above predicted value at 6-24 months and similar to predicted value thereafter in lobectomy group. In pneumonectomy group, the FVC maintained similar to predicted value at 6-36 months and improved above its predicted value thereafter. 3) The FEV1 was maintained similar to their predicted values from 6 months to 5 years after operation in both groups. 4) The FEV1/FVC did not change in the course of time in both groups. 5) The FEF25-75% was maintained similar to predicted value at 6-60 months after operation in lobectomy group, but it decreased under predicted value after 1 year in pneumonectomy group. 6) The MVV was maintained similar to predicted value at 6-24 months and decrease thereafter in lobectomy group. In pneumonectomy group, the MVV was maintained at 6-60 months after operation. 7) The differeces in the pulmonary function(FVC, FEV1, FEF25-75%, MVV) between two groups were seen only at 6 months after operation(p<0.05). Conclusion: The pulmonary function was markedly decreased immediately after operation, improved similar to predicted value at 1-3 months, highest at 6 months, and maintained similar to the predicted value to 5 years after pulmonary resection. The difference in the pulmonary function between two groups was the most at 6 months after operation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.365-378
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• 2020

Purpose This study was performed to determine whether the T1 relaxation time of gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MR imaging is useful for detecting and staging liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Materials and Methods One hundred and three patients with suspected focal liver lesion underwent MR imaging and Fibroscan. Fibroscan was chosen as the reference standard for classifying liver fibrosis. T1 relaxation times were acquired before (preT1), 20 minutes after (postT1) contrast administration, and reduction rate of T1 relaxation time (rrT1) on transverse 3D VIBE (volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination) sequence using 3T MR imaging. The optimal cut-off values for the fibrosis staging were determined with ROC analysis. Results PreT1 and postT1 increased and rrT1 decreased constantly with increasing severity of liver fibrosis according to the METAVIR score (F0-F4). There were statistically significant differences between F2 and F3 in preT1 (F2, 836.0 ± 74.7 ms; F3, 888.6 ± 77.5 ms, p < 0.05) and between F3 and F4 in postT1 (F3, 309.0 ± 80.2 ms; F4, 406.6 ± 147.7 ms, p < 0.05) and rrT1 (F3, 65.4 ± 7.7%; F4, 57.3 ± 11.4%, p < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed that combination test (preT1 + postT1) was the best test for predicting liver fibrosis. Conclusion PreT1 and postT1 increased constantly with increasing severity of liver fibrosis. T1 mapping in gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MR imaging could be a helpful complementary sequence to determine the liver fibrosis stage.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.161-169
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• 1999

Purpose : The urinary mass screening program for the detection of proteinuria in school aged population has been performed in Seoul since 1981. Systematic evaluation in corporation with the Seoul School Health Center for students with proteinuria identified in the mass screening has been performed from 1987. The results of urinary mass screening up to 1994 was reported. I report here the results of urinary mass screening from 1995 to 1997 and compare them with previous results and attempt to reveal the significance of urinary mass screening. Objects and Methods : In the 3-year period between 1995 and 1997, annually about 460,000 students comprising 3 different age groups; 5th grade of elementary school, 2nd grade of middle school and 2nd grade of high school were chosen, corresponding to the approximate ages of 11, 14, and 17 years, respectively. These subjects accounted for 26% of total school aged children in Seoul. The screening program was carried out in 3 steps. The 1st test was performed with dipstick at school and the 2nd at the Seoul School Health Center. Those students who showed proteinuria in the 1st and 2nd tests were referred to the hospital. Laboratory examinations including renal biopsies were performed to those students with pathologic proteinuria to clarify the incipient renal diseases. Results : 1) The prevalence of asymptomatic proteinuria was 0.28% in the 1st test. It peaked at the group of 14 years old as 0.34%, compared with 0.26% at the group of 11 years old and 0.24% at the group of 17 years old. It reached to 0.26% in male and 0.30% in female. 2) 25 percent of those having proteinuria at the first test were positive at the second test. 3) The proportion of patients with proteinuria by 3rd test were as follows; 25% of transient proteinuria, 55% of orthostatic proteinuria, 6% of constant proteinuria, 12% of proteinuria with hematuria, and 2% of transient proteinuria with isolated hematuria. Pathologic proteinuria were totaled as 20%. The prevalence of renal diseases among the age group of 7-18 years old was estimated to be 1.4 per 10,000. 4) Renal biopsy performed on 38 children with proteinuria at the third test revealed IgA nephropathy in 17(44%), focal segmental glomerusclerosis in 5(13%), minimal change disease in 4(11%), membranoproliferative glomeronephritis in 3(8%), $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura nephritis in 3(8%), and others in 6(16%). Therefore, the prevalence of IgA nephropathy among the age group of 7-18 years old was estimated to be 0.64 per 10,000. 5) The prevalence of chronic renal failure was estimated to be 5.7 per 1 million of 7 to 18 years age group. Conclusions : 1) The prevalence of proteinuria in the first screening test was 0.28% and finally only 5% of them showed the pathologic proteinuria at the third test. 2) The prevalence of IgA nephropathy and chronic renal failure were 0.63 per 10,000 and 5.7 per 1 million, respectively among school-aged children in Seoul.