• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5681-5686
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• 2015

Background: Pancreatic cancer ranks fourth in deaths caused by cancers throughout the world. Gemcitabine chemotherapy is the primary method of treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer, and in asco2014, it is still firstline chemotherapy. Howeve,r gemcitabine+fluorouracil regimens are also licensed and widely used worldwide. Clinical trials are the best way to evaluate drug efficacy. In this study, we performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess whether gemcitabine+fluoropyrimidine combination therapy improves the prognosis of unresectable pancreatic cancer compared with gemcitabine treatment alone. Materials and Methods: A quantitative up-to-date meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of gemcitabine-based combination treatment compared with gemcitabine monotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Inclusion was limited to high-quality randomized clinical trials. Results: A total of 12 studies were included in the present analysis, with a total of 3,038 patients recruited. The studies were divided into three subgroups including 5-FU / CAP / S-1 combined with gemcitabine. For the primary endpoint of overall survival (OS), gemcitabine-based combination therapy demonstrated significantly better outcome (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.95) than gemcitabine monotherapy. The analysis of progression free survival (PFS) also provided a significant result for the combined therapy in a total of 8 trials (2,130 patients) (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86). With subgroup analysis according to the method of dosing delivery, we found that in the injection group with 3 trials (889 patients), a negative result was found (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.77-1.12); while a positive result was observed in the oral group with 9 trials (2,149 patients) (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80-0.95). Conclusions: Gemcitabine combination therapy provides a modest improvement of survival, but is associated with more toxicity compared with gemcitabine monotherapy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.224-227
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• 1993

We experienced one case of orthotopic cardiac transplantation in a patient with end stage dilated cardiomyopathy. This 50 year-old female recipient was suffered from NYHA functional class IV cardiac failure and dependent upon intravenous inotropic support for 2 months [recipient category 1]. Her preoperative condition was grave with left ventricular ejection fraction of 20% and estimated systolic pulmonary arterial pressure [from Doppler study] was 50mmHg. The brain-dead donor was 31 year-old male with head trauma. The body sizes [weight, height] of the donor/recipient were 70 Kg, 165 cm / 43 Kg, 160 cm and appropriately overmatched. Preoperatively, identical ABO/Rh blood group [A+] and nonreacting HLA crossmatching were confirmed. On November 11 1992 cardiac transplantation was performed without complication. Multiple organ procurement team and heart transplantation team were organized the operation schedule appropriately to minimize the ischemic time. The pump time was 126 minutes and aortic crossclamping time of recipient heart was 73 minutes and, as a result, total ischemic time of the transplanted heart was 75 minutes. Postoperatively, the vital signs were stable with minimal inotropic support. The immunosuppressive therapy was commenced from preoperatively and cyclosporine, azathioprine, and corticosteroid were used as a combination therapy as scheduled and monitored with blood drug concentration, WBC count, renal function and most importantly regular endomyocardial biopsy.Now, 5 months after transplantation, the patient is in NYHA functional class II with minimal cardiac drug support.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2018

Background: In Korea, stomach cancer is the second most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. the time of diagnosis is very important for treatment so early detection and surgery are currently considered the mainstay of treatment, when diagnosed advanced with tumor extension through the gastric wall and direct extension into other organs, with metastatic involvement. Recently, new drugs, drug combinations, and multimodal approaches have been used to treat this disease and In cancers over expressing or amplifying HER2, the combination of cisplatin-fluoropyrimidine-trastuzumab is considered to be the treatment of reference. but At present, the choice of treatment schedule for HER2-negative tumors is based on the medical institution's preferences and adverse effects profile. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using FOLFOX regimen as a first-line therapy or a salvage therapy in the patients with HER2-negative advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. Methods: We retrospective reviewed the patient medical record from March 2012 to July 2017. This study evaluated 113 patients. Sixty-eight patients were treated with the FOLFOX regimen for the first time (first-line group) and 45 patients were treated with the FOLFOX regimen as a second (35 patients) or third (10 patients) chemotherapy (salvage group). Results: In the first-line group, the response rate was 54.9%. In the salvage therapy group, the response rate was 24.4% and The difference was statistically significant (p=0.205). The median TTP of the first-line group was 10.7 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 7.8-13.7 months) and that of salvage line group was 6.1 months (95% CI, 3.8-8.4 months). The median OS of the first-line group was 15.8 months (95% CI, 12.7-18.9 months) and that of the salvage therapy group was 10.2 months (95% CI, 8.2-11.9 months). drug toxicity was similar andtolerable between two groups. Conclusion: In patients with unresctable metastatic gastric cancer, after failing to respond to first-line therapy, most patients have no alternative other than second-line therapy because the disease is highly progressive. if the performance status of the patient is good enough to be eligible to treatments beyond best supportive care. FOLFOX regimen can be a considerable therapeutic option for salvage treatment.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.220-229
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• 2016

Background: The treatment goal for patients with chronic hepatitis B infection is to prevent progression of the disease to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current therapies include standard and pegylated interferon-alfa and nucleoside/nucleotide analogues: lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir, telbivudine, clevudine, and tenofovir. This study aims to analyze changes in the prescribing patterns of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) medications in South Korea between 2013 and 2014. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using National Patients Sample data compiled by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from 2013 and 2014. Patients with CHB were identified with Korean Standard Classification of Diseases code-6 (B18.0 and B18.1) and those who were maintaining active prescriptions with CHB medications covering the index date (December $1^{st}$, each year) were included. The utilization of antiviral therapy was investigated during 2013 and 2014. Results: A total of 4,204 and 4,552 patients in 2013 and 2014 respectively, were included in the analysis. The proportion of male patients was two of third and the patients 41-60 years old accounted for 60% of all analyzed patients. The most utilized drug was entecavir (55.1% in 2013 and 44.8% in 2014) and the second most utilized drug was tenofovir in both years (18.8% in 2013 and 29.0% in 2014). The percentage of combination therapy was 13.6% and 13.1% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The proportion of tenofovir prescriptions was increased in 2014 compared with 2013. Conclusion: With the development of new drugs and the changes in clinical practice guidelines, the prescription pattern of the antiviral agents for patients with CHB has changed. The rate of utilization of tenofovir has increased.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

Objectives: The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of Jaeumkanghwatang (JEKHT) on the plasma concentration and pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen in combination therapy as a process of the comprehensive and integrative medicine against breast cancer. Methods: After 50 mg/kg of tamoxifen treatment, JEKHT 100 mg/kg was orally administered within 5 min. The plasma were collected at 30 min before administration, 30min, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hrs after end of JEKHT treatment, and plasma concentrations of tamoxifen were analyzed using LC-MS/MS methods. PK parameters of tamoxifen ($T_{max}$, $C_{max}$, AUC, $t_{1/2}$ and $MRT_{inf}$) were analysis as compared with tamoxifen single administered rats. Results: JEKHT did not influenced on the plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen after single oral co-administration, within 5min except for some negligible effects on plasma concentration. The $T_{max}$, $C_{max}$, AUC, $t_{1/2}$ and $MRT_{inf}$ of tamoxifen in co-administered rats were quite similar to those of tamoxifen single treated rats. Conclusions: Based on the results of the present study, JEKHT did not influenced on the oral bioavailability of tamoxifen, when they were single co-administered within 5min. However, more detail pharmacokinetic studies should be tested to conclude the possibilities that can be used as comprehensive and integrative therapy with JEKHT and tamoxifen for breast cancers, when they were co-administered, like the effects on the pretreatment of JEKHT and after repeat co-administrations.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.298-305
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• 2023

Burkitt's lymphoma is a distinct subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma originating from B-cells that is notorious for its aggressive growth and association with immune system impairments, potentially resulting in rapid and fatal outcomes if not addressed promptly. Optimizing the use of Food and Drug Administration-approved medications, such as combining known safe drugs, can lead to time and cost savings. This method holds promise in accelerating the progress of novel treatments, ultimately facilitating swifter access for patients. This study explores the potential of a dual-targeted therapeutic strategy, combining the bruton tyrosine kinase-targeting drug Ibrutinib and the epidermal growth factor receptor/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-targeting drug Lapatinib. Ramos and Daudi cell lines, well-established models of Burkitt's lymphoma, were used to examine the impact of this combination therapy. The combination of Ibrutinib and Lapatinib inhibited cell proliferation more than using each drug individually. A combination treatment induced apoptosis and caused cell cycle arrest at the S and G2/M phases. This approach is multifaceted in its benefits. It enhances the efficiency of the drug development timeline and maximizes the utility of currently available resources, ensuring a more streamlined and resource-effective research process.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.225-232
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• 2004

The purpose of this article is to describe the overview of current medical treatments of childhood epilepsy in Korea and to review several recent nursing researches related to quality of life problems, especially psychological functioning in children with epilepsy and the stress of the family. The prognosis of childhood epilepsy has been improved considerably and about 80％ of patients can now be expected to achieve complete seizure control by the antiepileptic drug treatment. Even for the intractable epilepsy, with the combination of ketogenic diet program and antiepileptic drug therapy or surgical treatment, the prognosis became very much better than before. The majority of research has reported that children with epilepsy were experiencing quality of life problems. They are at risk for impaired functioning, compared to either general population controls or to other chronic illness groups such as asthma and diabetes. The ultimate goal of providing care to children with epilepsy is to control seizures while facilitating an optimal quality of life for the child as well as the family. Recommendations are included for future research and intervention programs for children, parents and our society.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Reports
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2020

Although being one of the major causes of malignancy related death globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not received much attention in respect of novel drug development. Fortunately, several new drugs were found to be effective and tolerable in patients with advanced HCC from a number of phase 3 studies during the recent several years. Novel multi-targeted kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors were approved for clinical use, and combination strategies to maximize the potent of drugs demonstrated promising antitumor activity and safety with high response rate and improved safety profile. The increased number of available agents for HCC will contribute to change of treatment strategies and prognosis of patients with advanced HCC. Still, there is a many critical questions remain unanswered. Currently ongoing trials and future studies will provide better understanding of tumor biology and optimized criteria for patient selection and combination therapies.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.26-29
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• 2022

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as one of the most promising therapeutic options for advanced cancers. While ICIs have improved survival in multiple cancers, their increased use is restricted by various immune-related adverse events. In this report we describe a patient with renal cell carcinoma who received a combination of ICIs, nivolumab plus ipilimumab, and who developed lumbosacral polyradiculoneuropathy. Corticosteroid use was an effective treatment for this patient.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.849-856
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• 2023

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate, propionate, and acetate produced by the gut microbiota have been implicated in physiological responses (defense mechanisms, immune responses, and cell metabolism) in the human body. In several types of cancers, SCFAs, especially butyrate, suppress tumor growth and cancer cell metastasis via the regulation of the cell cycle, autophagy, cancer-related signaling pathways, and cancer cell metabolism. In addition, combination treatment with SCFAs and anticancer drugs exhibits synergistic effects, increasing anticancer treatment efficiency and attenuating anticancer drug resistance. Therefore, in this review, we point out the importance of SCFAs and the mechanisms underlying their effects in cancer treatment and suggest using SCFA-producing microbes and SCFAs to increase therapeutic efficacy in several types of cancers.