• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.127-130
• /
• 2002

The present study was aimed to investigate whether the adriamycin-induced nephrosis is associated with an altered regulation of local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the kidney. Rats were subjected to a single injection of adriamycin (2 mg/kg body weight, IV) and kept for 6 weeks to allow the development of nephrosis. They were then divided into two groups, and supplied with and without cilazapril, an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, in drinking water (100 mg/l) for additional 6 weeks. Another group without adriamycin-treatment served as control. The mRNA expression of renin, ACE, type 1 and type 2 angiotensin II receptors (AT1R, AT2R), and transforming growth factor $(TGF)-{\beta}1$ was determined in the cortex of the kidney by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Adriamycin treatment resulted in heavy proteinuria. Accordingly, the mRNA expression of renin, ACE, and AT1R was increased in the renal cortex, while that of AT2R was decreased. Co-treatment with cilazapril attenuated the degree of proteinuria. While not affecting the altered expression of renin, cilazapril decreased the expression of ACE to the control level. Cilazapril further increased the expression of AT1R, while it restored the decreased expression of AT2R. The expression of $(TGF)-{\beta}1$ was increased by the treatment with adriamycin, which was abolished by cilazapril. An altered expression of local RAS components may be causally related with the development of adriamycin-induced nephrosis, in which AT1R is for and AT2R is against the development of nephrosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.10
• /
• pp.5949-5952
• /
• 2013

Objectives: To compare the clinicalpathological features and prognosis between premenopausal breast cancer patients aged of <35 and ${\geq}35$ years old. Methods: The clinical data and survival status of 1498 cases premenopausal operable breast cancer treated in our hospital from 2002.1 to 2004. 12 were collected, 118 cases were aged <35. They were divided into 4 groups: Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-positive, Triple-negative. The disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified. Results: The 5-year DFS and OS rates were significantly lower in age<35 than in $age{\geq}35$ patients. In the Luminal B, HER2-positive, Triple-negative group, the 5-year recurrence risk was higher in age<35 than in $age{\geq}35$ patients, and age<35 patients' 5-year death risk was higher only in Luminal B, Triple-negative group. Regardless of whether lymph node involved, age<35 patients had a bad prognosis in both DFS and OS. Conclusions: Compared with premenopausal age ${\geq}35$ breast cancer, age<35 patients had a worse outcome.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.73-85
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of Korean medicine treatment, and to analyze problems and demands to provide basic data on Korean medicine in military medical services. Methods: This survey was completed by 30 volunteer Korean medicine military doctors on service via a web-based questionnaire system. The questionnaire was developed through in-depth interviews with Korean medicine military doctors and consisted of general information on the subject, overall characteristics of the medical environment, current status of Korean medicine care in each workplace, problems and needs, and related clinical evidence and education. Results: Korean medicine military doctors administered acupuncture treatment most frequently in clinical practice. The most common complaints were related to musculoskeletal diseases, which accounted for 86.5% of all diseases, including those of the respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems. Most of the problems in Korean medicine care were pointed out as being due to a lack of awareness of Korean medicine in the military. Many doctors were aware that it is necessary to establish clinical evidence for Korean medicine in the military, and were also positive about the possibility of performing clinical research in the military, but the experience of actual participation in clinical research or related education was uncommon. Conclusions: Korean medicine military treatment differs from private medical care due to the specificity of each workplace and the military medical system. In the future, it will be necessary to establish an appropriate Korean medicine treatment model in the military suitable for these characteristics and strategic plans for clinical evidence.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2020

Radiotherapy (RT) has been used for decades as one of the main treatment modalities for cancer patients. The therapeutic effect of RT has been primarily ascribed to DNA damage leading to tumor cell death. Besides direct tumoricidal effect, RT affects antitumor responses through immune-mediated mechanism, which provides a rationale for combining RT and immunotherapy for cancer treatment. Thus far, for the combined treatment with RT, numerous studies have focused on the immune checkpoint inhibitors and have shown promising results. However, treatment resistance is still common, and one of the main resistance mechanisms is thought to be due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment where myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play a crucial role. MDSCs are immature myeloid cells with a strong immunosuppressive activity. MDSC frequency is correlated with tumor progression, recurrence, negative clinical outcome, and reduced efficacy of immunotherapy. Therefore, increasing efforts to target MDSCs have been made to overcome the resistance in cancer treatments. In this review, we focus on the role of MDSCs in RT and highlight growing evidence for targeting MDSCs in combination with RT to improve cancer treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.368-373
• /
• 2013

Background: Bertolotti's syndrome (BS), a form of lumbago in lumbosacral transitional vertebrae, is an important cause of low back pain in young patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the etiology of low back pain and the efficacy of treatment offered to patients with BS. Methods: All patients of BS Castellvi type1a during a period of 6 months were enrolled in the study. The patients underwent interventional pain procedures for diagnosis and pain relief. Response to the therapy was assessed based on VAS and ODI scores. A 50% decrease in VAS score or a VAS score less than 3 would be considered adequate pain relief. Results: All 20 patients diagnosed with BS during the 6-month observation period had scoliosis. Common causes of back pain were the ipsilateral L5-S1 facet joint, neoarticulation, the SI joint, and disc degeneration. Responses to various interventions for pain relief were different and inconsistent from patient to patient. In particular, responses to interventions for neoarticular pain were generally poor. Conclusions: Pain in patients with BS does not usually respond to interventional pain treatment. A very dynamic treatment approach must be pursued while managing BS patients, and the treatment plan must be individualized at various stages in order to obtain satisfactory pain relief.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.408-414
• /
• 2018

PURPOSE. This study aimed to assess the effect of non-thermal plasma on the shear bond strength of resin cements to polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) in comparison to other surface treatment methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Eighty PEKK discs were subjected to different surface treatments: (1) Untreated (UT); (2) Non-thermal plasma (NTP); (3) Sandblasting with $50{\mu}m$ $Al_2O_3$ particles (SB); and (4) Sandblasting + Non-thermal plasma (SB+NTP). After each surface treatment, the contact angle was measured. Surface conditioning with Visio.Link was applied in all groups after pre-treatment. RelyX Unicem resin cement was bonded onto the PEKK specimens. After fabrication of the specimens, half of each group (n=10) was initially tested, while the other half was subjected to thermocycling ($5^{\circ}C$ to $55^{\circ}C$ at 10,000 cycles). Shear bond strength (SBS) testing was performed using a universal testing machine, and failure modes were assessed using stereomicroscopy. The SBS results were analyzed statistically using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Independent t-test was used to examine the effect of thermocycling (P<.05). RESULTS. The highest SBS values with or without thermocycling were observed with PEKK specimens that were treated with SB+NTP followed by the SB group. The lowest SBS results were observed in the UT groups. CONCLUSION. The shear bond strength between PEKK and resin cements was improved using non-thermal plasma treatment in combination with sandblasting.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medical Informatics
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.82-129
• /
• 2011

"Beijijiufa" is a medical book republished by Sun Ju Qing in 1245. He compiled this book having added "Qizhumajiufa" and "Zhugejingyanbeijiyaofang" to the contents of "Beijijiufa" authored by Wen Ren Qi Nian. In "Beijijiufa" the author described treatment methods making use of moxibustion methods in connection with 22 cases of acute diseases. The author had collected the moxibustion methods used to treat acute diseases, which had been practiced by the medical practitioners of many generations, and quoted total 13 medical men's practices. In the book, the greatest parts of details were quoted especially from the writings of Sun Si Miao and Ge Hong, and this shows that the medical philosophies of both Sun Si Miao and Ge Hong were reflected onto "Beijijiufa". He had differed on his moxibustion practice: the size of moxa wool, the number of moxibustion treatment, and method of moxibustion for male and female were differed from one another according to the disease. As to the area of moxibustion, he chose the body parts around under four limbs and joints, and mostly used extraordinary acupoints rather than twelve main meridians. In his descriptions of finding meridian points, he did not describe it by its specific name of the reaction point, but explained the location of moxibustion points in detail through pictures. "Qizhumajiufa" is related to moxibustion method and prescriptions to treat surgical diseases, like skin boils or furuncle on the back, etc. He easily explained the method to find the meridian points for moxibustion treatment by using particular way through diagrams and pictures. Eight prescriptions he used were the collections among the historical practices of medical practitioners of many generations for skin boils which showed excellent therapeutic actions. In "Zhugejingyanbeijiyaofang", there are prescribed for 36 disease, also is the records of treatment methods for medical emergency which would be encountered easily in everyday life. As to therapeutic remedies, varied treatment methods, including the treatment by means of pasting and attaching medicinal substance to the spot, the treatment by means of mixing medicinal substance with alcoholic beverage, cleansing method, smoke inhalation remedy etc. were introduced. In "Beijijiufa" moxibustion was regarded as a top priority for treatment of acute disease, and the author strived to present remedies to the readers as easily as possible through 19 pictures. Regarding prescriptions, the author introduced diverse treatment methods with respect to various disease symptoms, and described the method to treat disease symptoms making use of medicinal ingredients which can easily be found in daily life. Likewise, "Beijijiufa" compiled by Sun Ju Qing was intended for clinical practice, and was indeed a medical book having been utilized for treatment of acute diseases in those days.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.367-373
• /
• 2004

We have developed a rigorous heat treatment method to improve the biocompatibility of chitosan as a tissue-engineered scaffold. The chitosan scaffold was prepared by the controlled freezing and lyophilizing method using dilute acetic acid and then it was heat-treated at 110$^{\circ}C$ in vacuo for 1-3 days. To explore changes in the physicochemical properties of the heat-treated scaffold, we analyzed the degree of deacetylation by colloid titration with poly(vinyl potassium sulfate) and the structural changes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffractometry (WAXD), and lysozyme susceptibility. The degree of deacetylation of chitosan scaffolds decreased significantly from 85 to 30% as the heat treatment time increased. FT-IR spectroscopic and WAXD data indicated the formation of amide bonds between the amino groups of chitosan and acetic acids carbonyl group, and of interchain hydrogen bonding between the carbonyl groups in the C-6 residues of chitosan and the N-acetyl groups. Our rigorous heat treatment method causes the scaffold to become more susceptible to lysozyme treatment. We performed further examinations of the changes in the biocompatibility of the chitosan scaffold after rigorous heat treatment by measuring the initial cell binding capacity and cell growth rate. Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) adhere and spread more effectively to the heat-treated chitosan than to the untreated sample. When the cell growth of the HDFs on the film or the scaffold was analyzed by an MTT assay, we found that rigorous heat treatment stimulated cell growth by 1.5∼1.95-fold relative to that of the untreated chitosan. We conclude that the rigorous dry heat treatment process increases the biocompatibility of the chitosan scaffold by decreasing the degree of deacetylation and by increasing cell attachment and growth.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.120-126
• /
• 2006

Radionuclide therapy has been continued for treatment of incurable diseases for past decades. Relevant evaluation of absorbed dose in radionuclide therapy is important to predict treatment output and essential for making treatment planning to prevent unexpected radiation toxicity. Many scientists in the field related with nuclear medicine have made effort to evolve concept and technique for internal radiation dosimetry in this review, basic concept of internal radiation dosimetry is described and recent progress in method for dosimetry is introduced.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.25-33
• /
• 1992

Most of oriental medical care resources such as doctors and facilities are distributed in urban areas and approximately ten percent of them is in rural areas. However the aged population of over 60 years old in rural areas is higher than that in urban and these aged population prefer more oriental medical care than the other age group. Therefore, the government planned to carry out the oriental medical care demonstration project in a designated rural areas in 1990. The study was carried out to find out the utilization pattern of medical care and consumers attitude toward oriental medical care treatment provided by health centers. The interview survey was applied to collect the data and 187 patients, who visited to health centers to receive care in 1991, were selected by random sampling. The study results obtained were as follows : 1) Among the 187 respondents, male was 31.6% and female, 68.4%. 2) 73.8% of the respondents were the age of over 45 years old. 3) For the motivation of visiting the health center to receive oriental medical care, 37.4% of the respondents visited purposely according to announcement of oriental medical care and 26.2% of them made a decision by themself 20.3% of them was recommended by the neighbors. 4) The most frequent symptoms surveyed were the disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. 5) By the subjective judgement of the respondents from the result of the oriental medical treatment, recovered or improved cases represent 69.5%. It is considered that the oriental medical care was acceptable, and also the respondents were satisfied with the oriental medical care in terms of kindness of oriental medical doctors, treatment time and expenses of care.