• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.4909-4913
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• 2014

Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCT) are rare neoplasms that most frequently occur in women at a young reproductive age. There have been limited data regarding this disease from Southeast Asian countries. We therefore conducted a retrospective study to analyze the clinical characteristics and the treatment outcomes of MOGCT treated at our institute between January, 2003 and December, 2012. Seventy-six patients were recruited from this period with the mean age of 21.6 years and 11.8% were pre-puberty. The two most common symptoms were pelvic mass and pelvic pain. Two-thirds of the studied patients presented at an early stage. The most common histology was immature teratoma (34.2%) followed by endodermal sinus tumor (28.9%), dysgerminoma (25%), mixed type (10.5%) and choriocarcinoma (1.3%). Over 80% of these patients received fertility sparing surgery and about 70% received adjuvant chemotherapy with the complete response rate at 73.3% and partial response at 11.1%. The most frequent chemotherapy was BEP regimen (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin). With the mean follow up time at 56.0 months, 12 patients (15.8%) developed recurrence and only an advanced stage was the independent prognostic factor. The ten year progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival rate of our study were 81.9% and 86.2%, respectively. In conclusion, MOGCT often occurs at a young age. Treatment with fertility sparing operations and adjuvant chemotherapy with a BEP regimen showed a good outcome. An advanced stage is a significant prognostic factor for recurrence.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7381-7383
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• 2013

Background: Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer in men and only around 1% of all diagnosed breast cancer. Despite a significant raise in the last 25 years, it still remains a rare disease. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study from 2004-2011 with 21 male breast cancer patients. We aimed to analyze the epidemiologic data (age, personal and family history), tumor characteristics (size, histological type, location, TNM stage, receptors), surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and survival (relapse, follow up, death) who reffered to our center with breast cancer. Results: The median age was $49.2{\pm}14.2$ years (range 30-83 years). A family history of breast cancer was noted in four cases. The main clinical complaint was a retroareolar mass in 85.7%of patients (n=18). Histologically, 85.7% (n=18)were invasive ductal carcinoma and 4.7% (n=1) had ductal carcinoma in situ and 9.4% (n=2) had mixed histology including invasive medullary and ductal carcinoma. Hormonal therapy was delivered to 16 cases (76.1%) due to ER or PR positivity. During median follow up of 30 months (3-84 month), distant metastases were evident in 4 cases (19%). During the follow-up period, only one patient died due to metastatic disease. The mean time to recurrence detection was 30 months. Conclusions: The percentage of cases of male breast cancer is very low compared to breast cancer in females, explaining why very few investigations have been conducted in Iran. Limited coverage in the literature make gender-specific findings difficult so future research of this entity involving multi-institutional cooperation and longer follow up is essential to provide new insights about the biological and clinical factors of this rare cancer.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.678-684
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• 2018

In order to broaden the indication of middle ear implant, research has been actively conducted on the reverse output method that stimulates the round window. However, it is very difficult to transmit the vibration output effectively because the indivisual anatomical difference of the round window niche is very large and also the visual field is not secured even by a skilled otolaryngologic surgeon. In this paper, we propose a new reverse stimulation method of middle ear implants that transmits energy to the inner ear by using air as a medium. This can compensate for the disadvantages of the conventional method of transmitting vibration energy and minimizes the energy transfer efficiency interference due to the combination of the excitation point and the output device. It was shown that forward and backward transfer characteristics were obtained by cadaveric experiments, and it was shown that it can overcome the acoustical impedance of high round window and transmit energy to inner ear. The receiver, which is the output device of the conventional hearing aids, can generate a constant volume velocity, so it can have a high output at a limited volume, such as a round window niche. So, suggested method can overcome the high acoustical impedance of the round window and deliver acoustic energy to the inner ear.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.410-415
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• 2005

Objective: The aim of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of unilateral hemilaminectomy for bilateral decompression in elderly patients with degenerative spinal stenosis. For this purpose, we studied the co-morbid condition and clinical outcome of patients who underwent decompressive surgery using the unilateral approach technique. Methods: Thirty-four patients over 65years of age who underwent unilateral partial laminectomy for bilateral decompression from January 2000 to October 2003 were analyzed. These patients were studied for preoperative co-morbid condition and physical status according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA) classification, postoperative morphometrical change, and clinical outcomes, including visual analogue scale(VAS) score. The mean follow-up was 23months (range 6 - 48months). Results: A patient's physical status was recorded as class I, II, or III by ASA classification, which correlated to 41.2%, 44.1%, and 14.7% of patients, respectively. The cross-sectional area of the pre- and postoperative dural sac at the level of the stenosis was $52.5{\pm}19.9mm^2$ and $110.6{\pm}18.2mm^2$, respectively. The outcome was excellent in 8.8%, good in 58.8%, fair in 23.6%, and poor in 8.8% of the patients. The VAS was changed postoperatively to $3.1{\pm}1.2$. There was no operation-related transfusion yet there was no evidence of postoperative instability at the follow-up examination. Conclusion: Unilateral laminectomy for bilateral decompression, in spite of the limited exposure, can result in satisfactory decompression of the lumbar spinal stenosis and tolerable clinical outcome. This approach is thought to be appropriate for elderly patients who have a greater surgical burden.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4589-4592
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• 2015

Background: Missense and frame-shift mutations within the dimer forming domain of the caspase 8 gene have been identified in several cancers. However, the genetic status of this region in precancerous lesions, like oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), and well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) in patients from southern region of India is not known, and hence the present study was designed to address this issue. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA isolated from biopsy tissues of thirty one oral submucous fibrosis and twenty five OSCC samples were subjected to PCR amplification with intronic primers flanking exon 7 of the caspase 8 gene. The PCR amplicons were subsequently subjected to direct sequencing to elucidate the status of mutation. Results: Sequence analysis identified a frame-shift and a novel missense mutation in two out of twenty five OSCC samples. The frame-shift mutation was due to a two base pair deletion (c.1225_1226delTG), while the missense mutation was due to substitution of wild type cysteine residue with phenylalanine at codon 426 (C426F). The missense mutation, however, was found to be heterozygous as the wild type C426C codon was also present. None of the OSMF samples carried mutations. Conclusions: The identification of mutations in OSCC lesions but not OSMF suggests that dimer forming domain mutations in caspase 8 may be limited to malignant lesions. The absence of mutations in OSMF also suggests that the samples analyzed in the present study may not have acquired transforming potential. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to have explored and identified frame-shift and novel missense mutations in OSCC tissue samples.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1593-1596
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• 2013

Background: To evaluate outcomes using a Thai herbal medicine, Vilac Plus (G716/45) with standard radiotherapy in comparison with historic controls from literature reports of the results of treatment in stage IIIB cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Between March 2003 and June 2005, thirty patients with advanced cervical cancer stage IIIB-IV who had a poor performance status were treated by palliative radiotherapy along with an adjuvant daily dose of 15-30 ml of Thai herbal tonic solution (Vilac Plus G716/45) administered orally three times after meals as an additional supportive therapy. The results were analyzed from the aspect of the overall survival rates with curves estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results:.The median follow -up time for stage IIIB was 4.2 years with a range of 7.9 months - 6.1 years. The overall 1, 3, and 5 year survival rates for stage IIIB were 88%, 60% and 52%. Conclusions: The overall 5 year survival rate for stage IIIB with a poor performance status was 52% when compared with 34-54.8% for historic controls. The combined complementary palliative radiotherapy (CCPR) had low rates of radiation morbidity. It was a simple technique and feasible for developing countries. The pilot study was limited by the small number of patients and further research will be necessary to assess interrelated and confounding factors in treatment of cervical cancer patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.374-379
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• 2009

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) or allergic granulomatous angiitis is a rare syndrome that is characterized by hypereosinophilic systemic necrotizing vasculitis affecting small- to medium-sized arteries and veins. In general, it occurs in individuals with pre-existing allergic asthma. When CSS appears in patients, it has the following characteristics: eosinophilia of more than 10% in peripheral blood, paranasal sinusitis, pulmonary infiltrates, histological proof of vasculitis with extravascular eosinophils, and mononeuritis multiplex or polyneuropathy. Therapeutic trials dedicated to Churg-Strauss syndrome have been limited due to the rarity of this disorder and the difficulty in making a histological diagnosis. Proper treatment of patients with CSS is not widely known. In this case study, we report on our experience with an unusual patient case, characterized by purpura and a perforation of the small intestine after inadequate steroid therapy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.148-153
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• 2020

Erythropoietin and iron have individually shown beneficial effects on early-phase liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy (PHx); however, there are limited data on the combined effect on late-phase liver regeneration after PHx. Here we examined combined effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO, 3,000 IU/kg) and iron isomaltoside (IIM, 40 mg/kg) on late-phase liver regeneration following PHx and investigated the possible underlying mechanism. Rats administrated with rhEPO showed significantly higher liver mass restoration, interleukin-6 (IL-6, a hepatocyte mitogen) levels, and Ki-67-positive hepatocytes on day 7 after PHx than saline-treated controls. These beneficial effects were further enhanced on days 7 and 14 by co-treatment with IIM. This combination also significantly improved liver function indices, such as increased albumin production and decreased bilirubin levels, but did not alter serum levels of toxic parameters, such as aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. This study demonstrates that the combination of rhEPO and IIM synergistically improves late-phase liver regeneration and function after PHx, probably by promoting IL-6-mediated hepatocyte proliferation without adverse effects. Thus, this combination treatment can be a potential therapeutic strategy for patients undergoing resection for hepatic malignancies.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.78-82
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• 2004

Henoch-$Sch{\ddot{o}}nlein$ purpura (HSP) is a vasculitis of the small vessels in skin, joints, gastrointestinal (GI) tract and kidney. GI symptoms occur in up to 85% of patients and may lead to severe problems such as intussusception, obstruction, and perforation. GI symptoms may not be easily controlled, showing refractoriness to the conventional corticosteroid therapy. Although GI involvements of HSP are acute, and self-limited in most instances, they may cause fatal results in some unusual cases. In such conditions all the possible therapeutic modalities should be considered. We report two cases of severe small bowel involvement of HSP. One case presented with severe abdominal pain showing refractoriness to corticosteroid, but improved with IV immunoglobulin therapy. In the second case, HSP with transmural infarction in the small bowel could be cured with surgical intervention.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.sup1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2008

PET or PET/CT detects only less than 50% of early gastric cancer and 62-98% of advanced gastric cancer. Therefore, mass screening programs are recommended for all adults over the age of 40 for early detection and early treatment of gastric cancer through endoscopy or various radiological tests. The most important step after diagnosis of gastric cancer is accurate staging, which mainly evaluates tumor resectability to avoid unnecessary surgery. Important factors that affect tumor resectability are whether the tumor can be separated from adjacent organs or important blood vessels, the extent of lymph node metastasis, presence of peritoneal metastasis, or distant organ metastasis. To evaluate the extent of local tumor invasion, anatomical imaging that has superior spatial resolution is essential. There are a few studies on prognostic significance of FDG uptake with inconsistent results between them. In spite of lower sensitivity for lymph node staging, the specificity of CT and PET are very high, and the specificity for PET tends to be higher than that for CT. Limited data published so far show that PET seems less useful in the detection of lung and bone metastasis. In the evaluation of pleural or peritoneal metastasis, PET seems very specific but insensitive as well. When FOG uptake of primary tumor is low, distant metastasis also tends to show low FDG uptake reducing its detection on PET. There are only a few data available in the evaluation of recurrence detection and treatment response using FDG PET or PET/CT.