• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.227-234
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• 2019

Lateral epicondylitis, also known as 'tennis elbow', is a degenerative rather than inflammatory tendinopathy, causing chronic recalcitrant pain in elbow joints. Although most patients with lateral epicondylitis resolve spontaneously or with standard conservative management, few refractory lateral epicondylitis are candidates for alternative non-operative and operative modalities. Other than standard conservative treatments including rest, analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, orthosis and physical therapies, nonoperative treatments encompass interventional therapies include different types of injections, such as corticosteroid, lidocaine, autologous blood, platelet-rich plasma, and botulinum toxin, which are available for both short-term and long-term outcomes in pain resolution and functional improvement. In addition, newly emerging biologic enhancement products such as bone marrow aspirate concentrate and autologous tenocyte injectates are also under clinical use and investigations. Despite all non-operative therapeutic trials, persistent debilitating pain in patients with lateral epicondylitis for more than 6 months are candidates for surgical treatment, which include open, percutaneous, and arthroscopic approaches. This review addresses the current updates on emerging non-operative injection therapies as well as arthroscopic intervention in lateral epicondylitis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.808-817
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• 2021

Objective : Cervical surgery in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and cerebral palsy (CP) is challenging owing to the complexities of the deformity. We assessed factors affecting postoperative complications and outcomes after CSM surgery in patients with CP. Methods : Thirty-five consecutive patients with CP and CSM who underwent cervical operations between January 2006 and January 2014 were matched to 35 non-cerebral palsy (NCP) control patients. Postoperative complications and radiologic outcomes were compared between the groups. In the CP group, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score; Oswestry neck disability index; modified Barthel index; and values for the grip and pinch, Box and Block, and Jebsen-Taylor hand function tests were obtained pre- and postoperatively and compared between those with and without postoperative complications. Results : Sixteen patients (16/35%) in the CP group and seven (7/35%) in the NCP group (p=0.021) had postoperative complications. Adjacent segment degeneration (p=0.021), postoperative motor weakness (p=0.037), and revisions (p=0.003) were significantly more frequent in the CP group than in the NCP group; however, instrument-related complications were not significantly higher in the CP group (7/35 vs. 5/35, p=0.280). The number of preoperative fixed cervical deformities were significantly higher in CP with postoperative complications (5/16 vs. 1/19, p=0.037). In the CP group, clinical outcomes were almost similar between those with and without postoperative complications. Conclusion : The occurrence of complications during the follow-up period was high in patients with CP. However, postoperative complications did not significantly affect clinical outcomes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1545-1549
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• 2014

Background: Published studies on clinical outcome of helical tomotherapy for lung cancer are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes and treatment-related toxicity in inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with helical tomotherapy in Korea. Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven patients with NSCLC were included in this retrospective study. Radiotherapy was performed using helical tomotherapy with a daily dose of 2.1-3 Gy delivered at 5 fractions per week resulting in a total dose of 62.5-69.3 Gy. We assessed radiation-related lung and esophageal toxicity, and analyzed overall survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and prognostic factors for overall survival. Results: The median follow-up period was 28.9 months (range, 10.1-69.4). The median overall survival time was 28.9 months, and 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were 96.2%, 92.0%, and 60.0%. The median locoregional recurrence-free survival time was 24.3 months, and 1-, 2-, and 3-year locoregional recurrence-free survival rates were 85.2%, 64.5%, and 50.3%. The median distant metastasis-free survival time was 26.7 months, and 1-, 2-, and 3-year distant metastasis-free survival rates were 92.3%, 83.9%, and 65.3%, respectively. Gross tumor volume was the most significant prognostic factor for overall survival. No grade 4 or more toxicity was observed. Conclusions: Helical tomotherapy in patients with inoperable NSCLC resulted in high survival rates with an acceptable level of toxicity, suggesting it is an effective treatment option in patients with medically inoperable NSCLC.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.248-253
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• 2009

Purpose: Hemodynamically unstable pelvic fractures represent therapeutic challenges for the trauma team. The authors of this article have studied the clinical profiles of the angiographic intervention population at the emergency department during four years (2005~2009) to develop clinical guidelines for preventing deaths due to multiple trauma and for predicting the prognosis during initial evaluation. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 34 patients who had undergone angiographic interventions at the emergency department and compared the differences in clinical variables between survivors and non-survivors. Results: Representative values were compared between survivors and non-survivors : RTS (revised trauma score) 7.006 (6.376~7.841) vs. 6.128 (4.298~6.494), PRC (packed red cell) units 5.5 (2.0~11.0) vs. 15 (8.0~18.5), and lactate (mmol/L) 3.0 (1.0~7.0) vs. 8.5 (3.5~10.5). RTS (p<0.01) and PRC units before angiographic interventions (p=0.01) and lactate (p=0.02) had correlations to the final outcomes. Conclusion: The availability of an angiographic suite and persistent hypotension after adequate fluid resuscitation for pelvic trauma are good indications of angiographic intervention for pelvic hemorrhage.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2014

Objective: The aims of this study are to investigate the total volume of prescribed medicines against Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the trends of usage by analyzing the claims-data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service. Method: The demographic and claims-data were included the major AD treating medicines such as donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine, and analyzed during the period of 2010~2012. The assessing criteria were gender, age, habitation, types of medical institution, code of ingredients, outcomes of treatment, volume and amount of claims, and the numbers of patients with dementias. After trimming the data, it were analyzed by the market size, demographic traits, characteristics of medical service, characteristics of each anti-AD medicine, etc. Results: Among the chosen 4 medicines, donepezil had the top prescription volumes. Most prevalent prescribing preparations of donepezil were conventional types. However, among the non-conventional types, oro-dispersible formulation is the fast increasing one in both volume and growth rate. This specialized preparations to improve both toleration and adherence, tend to being prescribed generally at the tertiary medical institutions. While the younger patients with mild-to-moderate AD mostly treated by expensive medicines in resident at the tertiary hospitals, the rest older patients with severe AD have been treated non-expensive one at long-term care facilities. Conclusion: AD is a chronic illness therefore, long-term use of therapeutic medications are highly important. If an anti-AD treatment was applied steadily in the earlier stages, it would be achieved not only improving the quality of life of patient but also reducing the expenses in the medical and nursing cares. As the socioeconomical impacts of AD is expanding, healthcare professionals need to aware the importance of pharmacotherapy and to improve sociopolitical fundamentals.

• Korean journal of dermatology
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• v.56 no.10
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• pp.594-602
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• 2018

Background: Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is typically a medication-induced acute febrile eruption. Few large-scale studies have reported clinical data regarding AGEP in Korea. Objective: This study analyzed the clinical and histopathological features of AGEP in Koreans to identify recent trends in this context. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed 31 patients with AGEP. Age, sex, clinical features, etiologies, laboratory findings, histopathological features, and treatment outcomes were obtained from patients' medical records and photographs. Results: The mean age of onset was 43.6 years, and the male : female ratio was 2.1 : 1. All patients showed non-follicular tiny pustules and erythema. Fever was reported in 13 patients and neutrophilia in 17 patients. Medications were considered the most common etiological contributors. Twenty patients showed drug-induced AGEP, and 11 of 20 patients showed antibiotic-induced AGEP. Serum C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase levels increased in 93.8% and 77.8% of the patients, respectively. Histopathologically, all patients showed subcorneal or intraepidermal pustules, followed by exocytosis and neutrophilic dermal infiltrate. Twenty-five patients improved within a mean period of 7.5 days after the onset of the skin rash. The percentage of women in the drug-induced AGEP group was significantly higher than that in the non-drug-induced AGEP group. Conclusion: This report describes a large-scale study that analyzed the clinical and histopathological features of AGEP in Koreans and seems to accurately reflect the recent trends in this context. Clinically, it is important to note that the percentage of women in the drug-induced AGEP group was higher than that in groups showing other etiologies of AGEP.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.298-311
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• 2022

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of periodontal granulation tissue preservation (PGTP) in access flap periodontal surgery. Methods: Twenty patients (stage III-IV periodontitis) with 42 deep periodontal pockets that did not resolve after non-surgical treatment were consecutively recruited. Access flap periodontal surgery was modified using PGTP. The clinical periodontal parameters were evaluated at 9 months. The differences in the amount of granulation tissue width (GTw) preserved were evaluated and the influence of smoking was analyzed. Results: GTw >1 mm was observed in 97.6% of interproximal defects, and the granulation tissue extended above the bone peak in 71.4% of defects. At 9 months, probing pocket depth reduction (4.33±1.43 mm) and clinical attachment gain (CAG; 4.10±1.75 mm) were statistically significant (P<0.001). The residual probing depth was 3.2±0.89 mm. When GTw extended above the interproximal bone peak (i.e., the interproximal supra-alveolar granulation tissue thickness [iSUPRA-GT] was greater than 0 mm), a significant CAG was recorded in the supra-alveolar component (1.67±1.32 mm, P<0.001). Interproximal gingival recession (iGR) was significant (P<0.05) only in smokers, with a reduction in the interdental papillary tissue height of 0.93±0.76 mm. In non-smokers, there was no increase in the iGR when the iSUPRA-GT was >0 mm. The clinical results in smokers were significantly worse. Conclusions: PGTP was used to modify access flap periodontal surgery by preserving affected tissues with the potential for recovery. The results show that preserving periodontal granulation tissue is an effective and conservative procedure in the surgical treatment of periodontal disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2467-2471
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• 2012

Introduction: Although bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatinum (BEP) chemotherapy is established as the standard treatment for germ cell tumours, it requires significant experience in administration and toxicity management to maintain optimal dose intensity. A retrospective review of 30 patients was conducted at UKMMC to study treatment outcomes. Methods & Materials: Patients with GCTs and treated with at least two cycles of BEP chemotherapy between January 2003 and Oct 2009 were eligible for this study. Patients received 4-6 cycles of bleomycin 30,000IU IV D1, D8 & D15 and either etoposide $100mg/m^2$ IV D1-D5 and cisplatin $20mg/m^2$ IV D1-D5 (5 day BEP regimen) or etoposide $165mg/m^2$ D1-D3 and cisplatin $50mg/m^2$ D1-3 (3 day BEP regimen) every three weeks per cycle. All patients received prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) from days 6 to 10 of each cycle. The overall response rates, 2 year progression-free survival and overall survival of the whole cohort were assessed. Results: Thirty patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Non-seminomatous GCTs comprised 93.3% of cases and gonadal and mediastinal primary sites were the most common. Sixty percent were classified as IGCCCG poor risk disease. Median follow-up was 26.6 months. The overall response rate (CR+PR) was 70%. The two year PFS and OS were 70% and 66%. There was a significant difference in terms of the overall response rate (85% vs 40%, p = 0.03) and in PFS (94.7% vs 50%, p = 0.003) between gonadal and extragonadal primary sites. Conclusion: It is possible to achieve outcomes similar to those in international clinical trials with close monitoring and good supportive care of patients undergoing BEP chemotherapy. There is a strong argument for patients with IGCCCG poor prognosis disease to be treated in specialist tertiary centres to optimize treatment outcomes.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.4-8
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• 2021

Background: As nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids have similar effects, steroids can be avoided to reduce adverse effects. This study aimed to compare the differences in symptom improvement after subacromial injection of steroids or NSAIDs. Methods: Sixty patients with rotator cuff syndrome for at least 3 months were enrolled and divided into steroid and NSAID groups. The steroid group received a mixture of 1 mL of triamcinolone acetonide (40 mg/mL) and 1 mL of lidocaine hydrochloride 2%, while the NSAID group received a mixture of 1 mL of Ketorolac Tromethamine (30 mg/mL) and 1 mL of lidocaine hydrochloride 2%. The patients were assessed before and at 3, 6, and 12 weeks after the procedure. Shoulder scores from visual analog scale (VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) were used for evaluation. Results: Both groups showed improvements in the clinical outcomes. Overall VAS, ASES, and UCLA scores improved from 6.9, 32.7, and 16.0 before the procedure to 2.0, 1.2, and 1.1; 81.5, 87.6, and 88.5; and 29.7, 31.8, and 32.0 at weeks 3, 6, and 12 weeks after the procedure, respectively. Twenty-six patients (86.7%) in the steroid group and 28 (93.3%) in the NSAID group reported satisfactory treatment outcomes. There were no significant differences in the outcomes between the two groups (p=0.671). Conclusions: Subacromial injection of NSAIDs for rotator cuff tendinitis with shoulder pain had equivalent outcomes with those of steroid injection at the 12-week follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2022

Background: The integrated design of the HeartMate 3 (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL, USA) affords flexibility to place the pump within the pericardium or thoracic cavity. We sought to determine whether the presence of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in either location has a meaningful impact on overall patient outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all 165 patients who received a HeartMate 3 LVAD via a median sternotomy from November 2014 to August 2019 at our center. Based on operative reports and imaging, patients were divided into intrapleural (n=81) and intrapericardial (n=84) cohorts. The primary outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality, while secondary outcomes included postoperative complications, cumulative readmission incidence, and 3-year survival. Results: There were no significant between-group differences in baseline demographics, risk factors, or preoperative hemodynamics. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 6%, with no significant difference between the cohorts (9% vs. 4%, p=0.20). There were no significant differences in the postoperative rates of right ventricular failure, kidney failure requiring hemodialysis, stroke, tracheostomy, or arrhythmias. Over 3 years, despite similar mortality rates, intrapleural patients had significantly more readmissions (n=180 vs. n=117, p<0.01) with the most common reason being infection (n=68/165), predominantly unrelated to the device. Intrapleural patients had significantly more infection-related readmissions, predominantly driven by non-ventricular assist device-related infections (p=0.02), with 41% of these due to respiratory infections compared with 28% of intrapericardial patients. Conclusion: Compared with intrapericardial placement, insertion of an intrapleural HM3 may be associated with a higher incidence of readmission, especially due to respiratory infection.