• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 1999

Background: Fibromyalgia is a common syndrome of musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. Lacking distinctive histological or laboratory abnormality in diagnosis, it has often been considered a form of "psychogenic rheumatism". Fibromyalgia causes much distress to the affected patients and often frustrates physicians, who are unable to start rational therapy on any logical disease pathology. Methods: Growth hormone is essential for muscular homeostasis. In the present study, the notion that the stage-4 sleep anomaly typically seen in the fibromyalgia syndrome may disrupt growth hormone secretion was tested. Because growth hormone has a very short half-life, serum levels of somatomedin C were measured; somatomedin C is the major mediator of growth hormone's anabolic actions and is a prerequisite for normal muscle homeostasis. Serum levels of somatomedin C using acid-extraction procedure and two-site immunoradiome-tric assay (IRMA) and number of tender points were measured in 27 female patients with fibromyalgia from 40 to 60 years old and 27 healthy controls. Results: There were no differences in the concentration of somatomedin C between fibromyalgia patients and controls ($mean{\pm}SD$: $178.3{\pm}75.5$ ng/ml versus $166.3{\pm}76.6$ ng/ml; p=0.55). And there were no correlations between number of tender point and serum somatomedin C level by linear regression analysis. Conclusions: These findings did not support that there is a distinctive disruption of the growth hormone-somatomedin C neuroendocrine axis in a fibromyalgia syndrome. But we can not discard the hypothesis that disturbed sleep predispose to muscle pain.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.62-68
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• 2010

Purpose: We analyzed disease free survival and the prognostic factors of liposarcoma in the extremity. Materials and Methods: Between 1994 and 2005, of 44 patients who were diagnosed and treated for liposarcoma of the extremity, 40 patients were restrospectively analysed. 13 out of 40 patients got postoperative radiotherapy. We examined local recurrence, distant metastasis and disease free 5-year survival rate. We also analyzed clinical prognostic factors, such as age, gender, size of tumor, prior unplanned excision, histologic type, surgical excision margin and postoperative radiotherapy respectively. Results: There were 3 cases of local recurrence and 4 cases of distant metastasis. The disease free 5-year survival rate was 85.0%. 26 patients presented with myxoid, 8 well differentiated, 4 round cell, 1 pleomorphic and 1 dedifferentiated histology. The disease free 5-year survival rate of mixoid, well differentiated and round cell liposarcoma were 100.0%, 84.6% and 75.0% (p=0.419). The 5-year disease free survival rate was 90.6% in negative surgical margin (n=25) and 62.5% in positive surgical margin (n=15) (p=0.003). Conclusion: Our study suggests that surgical excision margin is significant prognostic factor for 5-year disease free survival rate.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2010

Purpose: To investigate prognostic factors influencing on local recurrence, distant metastasis and event-free survival of liposarcomas. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two patients managed for liposarcomas since 1993 were analyzed respectively in the view of prognostic influence of patient age, tumor size, location, histologic type, histologic grade, resection type, surgical margin, chemotherapy and radiation therapy on local recurrence, distant metastasis and event-free survival. The mean follow up period was 39 months. The univariate and multivariate regression analysis were performed for statistical evaluation. Results: The local recurrences occurred in 11 patients (21.2%) and distant metastasis in 4 patients (8%), Event-free survival rate at 4 year follow up was 67%. In univariate analysis, histologic grade, surgical margin, chemotherapy and radiation therapy were significant prognostic factors on local recurrence (p<0.05). However, histologic grade lost its significance in muitivariate analysis. Trunk location revealed higher rate of distant metastasis than extremity location. In univariate analysis on event-free survival. histologic grade and chemotherapy were significant factors (p<0.05). No factor remained significant in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Considering selection bias, positive surgical margin was negative prognostic factor on local recurrence. Liposarcomas arisen in trunk revealed higher rate of distant metastasis. There was no independent prognostic factor on event-free survival of patients with liposarcomas.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2005

Purpose: to know the treatment result of squamous cell carcinoma in extremity had poor prognosis with risk factor including burn scar and chronic osteomyelitis. Material and Methods: Between Octorber 1993 and September 2002, 20 patients with squamous cell carcinoma in extremity had no distant metastasis was got operation and followed over 36 months. Amputation was done when it was hard to get enough wide margin or neurovascular structure was involved instead of wide excision. Mean age of patients was 57.2 years old and male to female was 16 to 4. TMN staging and histologic grading were performed. Results: There were 6 metastasis (30%) in 20 cases for mean 48.3 months (36-84 months). 3 metastasis to local lymph node and 3 distant metastasis were happened at lung (in 3 cases) and thorasic vertebra (in 1 case). Survival was 18 cases at last look. 5-year survival rate was 50%. 3 local recurrence was developed at average 11 months (4-18 months). Complication was focal skin defect after wide excision and skin graft in 2 cases. The patients by wide excision got average 1.9 time operation and by amputation got average 1.3 time. Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinoma at extremity in Korea had high metastasis rate due to burn scar and chronic osteomyelitis, and it showed equal treatment result which treated by wide excision compared with amputation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.4 s.44
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• pp.574-586
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• 1993

This study was to examine the actual conditions and contributing factors of absenteeism in manufacturing workers. Subjects were 1,184 workers employed in Taejon city and the observation period for absenteeism was 3 months (June to August), 1992. We obtained the following results. 1. Percentage of the absentees among the studied subjects were 21.1% in gross absence and 6.9% in sickness absence. Gross absence rate of subjects was 1.2% and sickness absence rate was 0.5%. 2. In the group of absentees, mean days of absence was 2.8 days and those of sickness was 4.4 days. Mean days of sickness absence due to injury was higher than that of illness, but the total days of sickness absence was high in extremity injuries, trunk injury, general fatigue, head injury, musculoskeletal problem in that order. 3. Variables contributing to the absence were job classification, education level, working hours per day, exposure of noxious factor, worker classification. 4. In the group of absentees, variables influencing the gross absence rate were working atmosphere, body mass infer, working environment, working hours per day but those of the sickness absence were working hours per day, education level and working atomosphere.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the treatment results of malignant melanoma and to analyze the factors influencing prognosis. Materials and Methods: Thirty one cases of malignant melanoma were included in this study. They were treated in our hospital surgically, medically and immunologically from January 1996 to December 2005, and were followed more than 5 years. We compared 5 year survival rate (5YSR) according to the age, gender, anatomical site, depth of tumor, TNM stage, involvement of lymph node and immuno-chemotherapy. Results: Overall 5YSR was 80.6%. 5YSR of the age group below 65 years was 89.7% and 66.7% for the age group over 65 (p=0.033). 5YSR for men was 75% and 90.9% for women. 5YSR according to the site of occurrence showed 66.7% in upper extremities, 89.5% in lower extremities, and 66.7% in other site. 5YSR was 100% for the Clark level below III and 62.5% for the level above IV (p=0.032). 5YSR was 53.8% for lymph node metastasis group and 100% for non-lymph node metastasis group (p=0.021). Conclusion: We concluded that early diagnosis and wide excision was the most important in treatment of malignant melanoma. The prognostic fractors of malignant melanoma were age, depth of tumor (Clark's stage) and metastasis of lymph node.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2002

Purpose : Giant cell tumors(GCT) sometimes undergo malignant transformation after the radiotherapy, but very rarely do without radiotherapy. We reviewed the clinical experiences of the malignant transformation of GCT to suggest the guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of them. Materials and Methods : We examined four patients of pathologically proven malignant transformation of GCT, which occurred after the operative treatment alone without radiation, from September 1985 to January 2001. The mean follow-up period after the malignant transformation was 2.4 years(range, 1.3~4 years). Results : The mean time-interval from the initial diagnosis to the malignant transformation was 6.9 years(range, 2.2~13.5 years). The locations of tumors were soft tissues of proximal upper arm, proximal femur, distal femur and proximal tibia. The histology of malignant GCT was osteosarcoma in 3 cases and malignant fibrous histiocytoma in 1 case. Local recurrence developed in 1 patient and the pulmonary metastasis developed in 3 patients which transformed to osteosarcoma. Conclusion : Thorough sampling of the surgical specimen appears to be a very important factor for diagnosing the malignant transformation of GCT. In case of suspicion of malignancy in radiographs, the incisional biopsy should be followed by definite treatment rather than the improper resection.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.74-79
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• 2010

Purpose: To analyse the risk factors for recurrence of hemangiomas in extremities after surgical treatment and to compare with those of trunk. Materials and Methods: 120 cases of hemangioma with surgical treatments from June 1998 to September 2009 were analysed. 53 cases with surgical treatment on trunk in the same period were set to be the control group. We analyze several factors: age, location, site, size, histologic types and correlation between recurrence and each risk factor using logistic regression analysis. Results: Recurrence rate was 11.7% in extremities and 9.4% in trunk. There were no correlation between recurrence and age, site, size, histologic type. But, there was stastically significant correlation between recurrence rate and location, especially hand, forearm, feet in extremities and head and neck in trunk. Conclusion: Recurrence after surgical treatment of hemangioma is highly prevalent in anatomical location such as, hand, foot and forearm those are difficult to achieve complete resection because of close to neurovascular structures. Careful observation should be needed owing to incomplete resection can occurs recurrence.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 2007

Purpose: To evaluate association of giant cell tumors recurrence between markers of proliferation cells (MCM3, Ki-67 and HH3) Materials and Methods: Ten case of giant cell tumor of bone were reviewed. The patients were six males and four females (mean age: 33 yrs). All patients were done operation after biopsy. The radiologic grading was determined according to Enneking grading system. The immunohistochemical stains of MCM3, HH3, and Ki-67 were done with Microarray block. Results: The three cases of 10 cases (30%) were recurred at same sites. Two case of recurrence was grade II according to radiologic features. The remaining case was grade I. The expression rate of immunohistochemical markers in radiologic grade 2 and 3 were more increased than grade 1. But there was not association between radiologic grading and proliferation of tumor cells because result data was not coherence. Mean MCM3 labeling index of non-recurred case was 11.2%, recurred case was 7.2%. Ki-67 was 12% vs. 8.9%, respectively and HH3 was 66.9 % vs. 75.4%, respectively. Thus there was no association between local recurrence and immunohistochemical Ki-67, MCM3 expression rate. But HH3 marker expression rate was increased in recurred cases compared to non-recurred cases. Conclusion: Our study suggests that HH3 immunohistochemical marker can be a useful prognostic factor.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2007

Purpose: Recent studies have shown increased levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in various human malignancies to include various bone and soft tissue tumors. However, little is known with regard to COX-2 expression patterns in chondroid tumors. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry assays were performed for COX-2 in enchondromas (n=10), chondroblastomas (n=11), chondromyxoid fibromas (n=5), conventional chondrosarcomas (n=17), clear cell chondrosarcomas (n=7), and mesenchymal chondrosarcomas (n=6). Results: Among the benign chondroid tumors, chondroblastomas revealed characteristic strong positivity in 6 of 11 cases(54.5%). All enchondromas and chondromyxoid fibromas were negative except in one case. In conventional chondrosarcomas, three cases(17.6%) were strongly reactive with COX-2 and all positive cases represented grade III chondrosarcomas. Clear cell chondrosarcomas were found to be focally positive in two cases(28.5%), while all mesenchymal chondrosarcomas were negative. Conclusions: These findings suggest that COX-2 overexpression in conventional chondrosarcoma may represent an advanced histologic grade. Interestingly, expression of COX-2 in chondroblastomas could be an important factor for inducing peritumoral inflammatory changes in these specific tumors.