• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.47-54
• /
• 2010

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy caused by compression of the median nerve beneath the transverse carpal ligament. CTS can be correctly diagnosed by the patients' description of symptoms and electrophysiological tests that measure nerve conduction through the wrist. Many previous studies reported various risk factors of CTS, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease and trauma. Obesity is associated with both hyperlipidemia and CTS. This study focused on the relationship between severity of CTS and serum lipid level. Methods: One hundred fourteen patients with CTS and 74 controls were divided into four groups according to the severity; normal, mild, moderate and severe. And then serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) were measured in each group. Results: There was a positive correlation between TG and CTS severity (p<0.001). But TC, LDL-C and HDL-C were not correlated with CTS severity. Conclusions: These results suggest that high serum TG may act as an aggravating factor of CTS.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.16
• /
• pp.7123-7127
• /
• 2015

Purpose: To determine the utility of secondary circulating prostate cells for predicting early biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer and compare the results with the Walz nomagram. Materials and Methods: A single centre, prospective study of men with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy between 2004 and 2014 was conducted, with registration of clinical-pathological details, total serum PSA pre-surgery, Gleason score, extracapsular extension, positive surgical margins, infiltration of lymph nodes, seminal vesicles and pathological stage. Secondary circulating prostate cells were obtained using differential gel centrifugation and assessed using standard immunocytochemistry with anti-PSA. Biochemical failure was defined as a PSA >0.2ng/ml, predictive values werecalculated using the Walz nomagram and CPC detection. Results: A total of 326 men participated, with a median follow up of 5 years; 64 had biochemical failure within two years. Extracapsular extension, positive surgical margins, pathological stage, Gleason score ${\geq}8$, infiltration of seminal vesicles and lymph nodes were all associated with higher risk of biochemical failure. The discriminative value for the nomogram and circulating prostate cells was high (AUC >0.80), predictive values were higher for circulating prostate cell detection, with a negative predictive value of 99%, sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 75%. Conclusions: The nomagram had good predictive power to identify men with a high risk of biochemical failure within two years. The presence of circulating prostate cells had the same predictive power, with a higher sensitivity and negative predictive value. The presence of secondary circulating prostate cells identifies a group of men with a high risk of early biochemical failure. Those negative for secondary CPCs have a very low risk of early biochemical failure.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.199-203
• /
• 2012

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of serum CYFRA21-1, CEA and hemoglobin levels regarding long-term survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Methods: Age, gender, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), tumor location, tumor length, T stage, N stage and serum hemoglobin, and CYFRA21-1 and CEA levels before concurrent CRT were retrospectively investigated and related to outcome in 113 patients receiving 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin combined with radiotherapy for ESCC. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze prognosis, the log-rank to compare groups, the Cox proportional hazards model for multivariate analysis, and ROC curve analysis for assessment of predictive performance of biologic markers. Results: The median survival time was 20.1 months and the 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- year overall survival rates were 66.4%, 43.4%, 31.9% and 15.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that factors associated with prognosis were KPS, tumor length, T-stage, N-stage, hemoglobin, CYFRA21-1 and CEA level. Multivariate analysis showed T-stage, N-stage, hemoglobin, CYFRA21-1 and CEA level were independent predictors of prognosis. By ROC curve, CYFRA21-1 and hemoglobin showed better predictive performance for OS than CEA (AUC= 0.791, 0.704, 0.545; P=0.000, 0.000, 0.409). Conclusions: Of all clinicopathological and molecular factors, T stage, N stage, hemoglobin, CYFRA21-1 and CEA level were independent predictors of prognosis for patients with ESCC treated with concurrent CRT. Among biomarkers, CYFRA21-1 and hemoglobin may have a better predictive potential than CEA for long-term outcomes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.19
• /
• pp.8401-8404
• /
• 2014

Background: To determine survival times of cervical cancer patients with bone metastasis related to the effect of age at the time of cervical cancer diagnosis, we performed the retrospectively analytical study. Methods: A total of 68 cervical cancer patients with bone metastasis were treated at a single hospital, during January 1998 to December 2010. Fifty-two medical records were identified and collected, the remaining sixteen medical records were not found. Main outcome measures were patient characteristics, clinical information, duration from cervical cancer diagnosis to bone metastasis diagnosis, survival time after bone metastasis and overall survival time. Results: Among fifty-two cervical cancer patients with bone metastasis, there were 13 patients who were less than 45 years old, and 39 patients were 45 years old or more at the time of cervical cancer diagnosis. The younger group had less median overall survival than the older group, with a statistically significant difference (21 months, 95% CI 19.93-22.06; 34 months, 95% CI 23.27-44.72, p = 0.021). However, they were comparable in the duration from cervical cancer diagnosis to bone metastasis diagnosis and the survival time after bone metastasis. Conclusion: Young patients with bone metastasis aged less than 45 years old at the time of cervical cancer diagnosis have a poorer prognosis than the elderly patients. Impact: To improve survival and quality of life, more intensive and novel multimodal treatments at the time of cervical cancer diagnosis should be considered in patients less than forty-five years, who can tolerate the side effects better.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.11
• /
• pp.4549-4553
• /
• 2014

Background: Infection is a serious cause of mortality in febrile neutropenia of pediatric cancer patients. Recently, monotherapy has replaced the combination therapy in empirical treatment of febrile neutropenia. Since there has been no reported trial comparing the efficacy of meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactam (PIP/TAZ) monotherapies, the present retrospective study was conducted to compare safety and efficacy in febrile neutropenic children with cancer. Materials and Methods: Charts of febrile, neutropenic children hospitalized at our center between March 2008 and April 2011 for hemato-oncological malignancies were reviewed. Patients received PIP/TAZ 360 mg/kg/day or meropenem 60 mg/kg/day intravenously in three divided doses. Duration of fever and neutropenia, absolute neutrophil count, modification, and success rate were compared between the two groups. Resolution of fever without antibiotic change was defined as success and resolution of fever with antibiotic change or death of a patient was defined as failure. Modification was defined as changing the empirical antimicrobial agent during a febrile episode. Results: Two hundred eighty four febrile neutropenic episodes were documented in 136 patients with a median age of 5 years. In 198 episodes meropenem and in 86 episodes PIP/TAZ were used. Duration of fever and neutropenia, neutrophil count, sex, and primary disease were not different between two groups. Success rates and modification rate between two groups showed no significant differences (p>0.05). Overall success rate in the meropenem and PIP/TAZ groups were 92.4% and 91.9% respectively. No serious adverse effects occurred in either of the groups. Conclusions: Meropenem and PIP/TAZ monotherapy are equally safe and effective in the initial treatment of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.371-377
• /
• 2017

Background: Lesions in distal target arteries hinder surgical bypass procedures in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Methods: Between April 2012 and October 2015, 16 patients (18 limbs) with lifestyle-limiting claudication (n=12) or chronic critical limb ischemia (n=6) underwent femoral-above-knee (AK) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bypass grafts with a bridging stent graft placement between the distal target popliteal artery and the PTFE graft. Ring-supported PTFE grafts were used in all patients with no available vein for graft material. Follow-up evaluations assessed clinical symptoms, the ankle-brachial index, ultrasonographic imaging and/or computed tomography angiography, the primary patency rate, and complications. Results: All procedures were successful. The mean follow-up was 12.6 months (range, 11 to 14 months), and there were no major complications. The median baseline ankle-brachial index of 0.4 (range, 0.2 to 0.55) significantly increased to 0.8 (range, 0.5 to 1.0) at 12 months (p<0.01). The primary patency rate at 12 months was 83.3%. The presenting symptoms resolved within 2 weeks. Conclusion: In AK bypasses with a diffusely diseased distal target popliteal artery or when below-knee (BK) bypass surgery is impossible, this procedure could be clinically effective and safe when used as an alternative to femoral-BK bypass surgery.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.100-106
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Beta blocker (BB) has been prescribed for anxiety and panic disorder. Patients intoxicated by psychiatric drugs have often been exposed to BB. Moreover, BB overdose has adverse effects including cardiovascular effects, which can be life-threatening. This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of BB intoxication with psychiatric drugs and the adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. Methods: A single center, retrospective study was performed from January 2010 to December 2015. A total of 4,192 patients visited the emergency department (ED) with intoxication, and 69 with BB intoxication were enrolled. Results: Overall, 64 patients (92.8%) of enrolled patients were intoxicated with drugs prescribed for the purpose of psychiatric disorders. Propranolol was the most common BB (62 cases, 96.2%), and the median dose was 140.0 mg (25%-75% 80.0-260.0). Twenty-four patients (37.5%) had experienced cardiovascular events, and these patients tended to have decreased mentality, hypotension and coingestion with quetiapine. An initial mean arterial pressure (MAP) below 65 mmHg (odds ratio 10.069, 95% confidence interval 1.572-64.481, p=0.015) was identified as a factor of cardiovascular event upon multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Initial MAP below 65 mmHg was a factor of cardiovascular adverse effect in patients of BB intoxication with psychiatric drugs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.2643-2648
• /
• 2016

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels are lower in Japanese compared with Western subjects. Since it is uncertain whether hsCRP is a potent predictor of mortality at low CRP concentrations, the present study examined associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a large population of Japanese. Materials and Methods: Subjects were 4,737 men and 6,343 women aged 49-76 years participating in the baseline survey of an ongoing cohort study of lifestyle-related diseases between February 2004 and July 2006. Hazard ratios for all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with hsCRP levels were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 436 all-cause deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 8 years. The main cause of death was cancer. In men, hsCRP levels were positively associated with the risk of all-cause mortality as well as deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). All-cause mortality hazards for the 2nd (0.34-0.84 mg/L) and the 3rd (${\geq}0.85mg/L$) tertiles of hsCRP were 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.73) and 1.75 (1.30-2.37), respectively (p for trend=0.001). In women, increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with elevated hsCRP levels was observed, but the associations were not statistically significant. Conclusions: HsCRP may be an independent predictor of all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality in apparently healthy Japanese men, but not women. The differential effect of hsCRP in predicting mortality risk by sex warrants further investigation.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.236-250
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Resorption of the alveolar bone is an unavoidable consequence of tooth extraction when appropriate alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) measures are not taken. The objective of this trial was to test the hypothesis that dimensional changes in the alveolar bone after tooth extraction would be reduced by inserting an equine collagen membrane and a collagen cone to fill and seal the alveolus (as ARP), in comparison to extraction with untreated alveoli. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 31 patients were directly treated with the collagen material after extraction of a tooth from the maxilla (the ARP group). Twenty-nine patients served as the control group. After extraction, no further treatment (i.e., no socket preservation measures) was performed in the control group. Changes in the alveolar process immediately after extraction and after an 8 (${\pm}1$)-week healing period were evaluated 3-dimensionally. Blinded analyses were performed after superimposing the data from the digitalized impressions and surfaces generated by cone-beam computed tomography. Results: Both the ARP and control groups showed a reduction of bone in the alveolar area after tooth extraction. However, significantly less bone resorption was detected in the clinically relevant buccal region in the ARP group. The median bone reduction was 1.18 mm in the ARP group and 5.06 mm in the control group (P=0.03). Conclusions: The proposed hypothesis that inserting a combination material comprising a collagen cone and membrane would lead to a difference in alveolar bone preservation can be accepted for the clinically relevant buccal distance. In this area, implantation of the collagen material led to significantly less alveolar bone resorption. German Clinical Trials Register at www.drks.de, DRKS00004769.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.389-393
• /
• 2002

The marginal integrity of the crown can be broken during endodontic access cavity preparation due to the vibration of burs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of endodontic access cavity preparation on the marginal leakage of full veneer gold crowns. 24 intact molars were mounted in acrylic resin blocks and prepared for crowns by a restorative dentist and crowns were cast with gold alloy. 20 Crowns were cemented with glass ionomer cement and 2 crowns were not cemented for positive control. 200 thermo-cycles from 5$^{\circ}C$ to 5$0^{\circ}C$ with a travel time of 20s were completed. Then samples were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups of 9 each. Endodontic access preparation and zinc-oxide eugenol temporary fillings were done in Group 1. Teeth in Group 2 were not treated. Samples were coated with 2 layers of nail varnish and were immersed in 1% methylene blue dye for 20 hrs. Endodontic access was prepared in 2 samples, which were coated with nail varnish on all surfaces for negative control. After washing in running water gold crowns were cut with a #330 bur. Four buccolingual sections, 2 mm apart, were cut from the central section of each tooth and were examined and scored under the microscope for dye leakage. Score 1: leakage to the cervical 1/3 of the axial wall, Score 2: leakage to the middle 1/3 of the axial wall, Score 3: leakage to the coronal 1/3 of the axial wall, Score 4: leakage to the occlusal surface. The median value for Group 1 is 4 and for Group 2 is 2. The result of this study showed that samples in Group 1 leaked more than those in Group 2. This finding was significant(P<0.001).