• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.6
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• pp.723-726
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• 2019

We report two rare cases of spontaneously regressed Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC). A 52-year-old woman presented with headache. A pituitary hormone study was normal. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a $0.45-cm^3$ cystic sellar lesion. The cyst was hyperintense on T1-weighed imaging and hypointense on T2-weighted imaging without rim enhancement, comparable to a RCC. Six months later, brain MRI showed no change in the cyst size. Without any medical treatments, brain MRI 1 year later revealed a spontaneous decrease in cyst volume to $0.05cm^3$. A 34-year-old woman presented with headache and galactorrhea lasting 1 week. At the time of the visit, the patient's headache had disappeared. Her initial serum prolactin level was 81.1 ng/mL, and after 1 week without the cold medicine, the serum prolactin level normalized to 11.28 ng/mL. Brain MRI showed a RCC measuring $0.71cm^3$. Without further treatments, brain computed tomography 6 months later showed a spontaneous decrease in cyst volume to $0.07cm^3$. Another 6 months later, brain MRI revealed that the cyst had remained the same size. Neither patient experienced neurological symptoms, such as headache or visual disturbance, during the period of cyst reduction. The RCCs in both patients underwent spontaneous regression without any medical treatment during a period of 6 months to 1 year. Although spontaneous regression of a RCC is rare, it is still possible and a sufficient follow-up period should be considered.

• Brain Tumor Research and Treatment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.82-85
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• 2018

Extremely massive sellar xanthogranuloma (XG) are rare, and the surgical outcome and prognosis are not well known. XG remain unknown whether they are derived from Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) or craniopharyngiomas (CPs) following extensive inflammation and metaplasia, to the point that no epithelium is readily identifiable. These lesions usually tend to occur in younger patients (mean 28.3 years), have a smaller diameter, and remain primarily intrasellar region with infrequent calcification. This 36-year-old man presented our hospital with visual deterioration. At the time of visit, there were no neurological problems other than visual field defect and hormonal disorder. He visited our hospital in 2007 due to headache and decreased vision, and underwent transphenoid surgery for pituitary RCC. Since then, he has received treatment at our hospital for postoperative hormonal disorders. Through preoperative imaging study, the author suspected CP and underwent surgery. During the operation, the adhesion of the tumor to the surrounding major neurovascular structures was severe in the naked eyes, but the tumor could be removed more easily than expected. The postoperative histological findings were confirmed as XG. The postoperative course was uneventful. Compared to the previous literature, this case is a case where the size of XG is very large in a sellar region and it can be proved that it originated from the RCC. And regular follow-up is necessary to confirm the prognosis after surgery.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2020.06a
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• pp.195-195
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• 2020

이 연구는 기후변화 위험에 노출되어 있는 북한에 대한 잠재증발산량의 미래 변화를 전망하였다. 이를 위해 IPCC AR5의 RCP 기후변화 시나리오로부터 모의된 미래 기온자료를 APCC (APEC Climate Center) Integrated Modeling (AIMS)를 사용하여 25개 관측 지점에 대해서 상세화하여, McGuinness-Borne 방법으로 잠재증발산량을 추정하였다. 6개의 성능 지표와 TOPSIS(Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution)로 27개 GCMs 간의 과거 기후 재현성을 비교하여, 관측 지점 규모에서 적정 GCM을 선정하였다. 마지막으로 각 지점에서 선정된 대표 시나리오(representative climate change scenarios, RCCS)로 북한 지역의 잠재증발산량의 미래 변화를 3개의 구간(F1: 2011-2040; F2: 2041-2070; F3: 2071-2100)에서 all CCS(climate change scenario)와 비교하고, 미래 변화를 정량적으로 제시하였다. 그 결과 공간 해상도가 더 높은 GCM이 RCCS로 선정되었으며, 미래로 갈수록 잠재증발산량이 증가하리라 전망되었다. 또한, 여름철 잠재증발산량의 모델 간 변동성은 미래 구간에 따라 점진적으로 증가되었고, 연 평균 증발산량은 과거 기후대비 1.4배(F1), 2.0배(F2) 및 2.6배(F3) 증가하였다.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2005

For toxicity model in the kidney, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most important model to assess the structural and functional alterations. Most RCCs are sporadic, and environmental agents are suspected to play a role in the etiology of the disease. In this study, we discovered novel evidence for previously unknown gene expression patterns related to progression according to cancer stage in RCC. Four clear cell RCC tissue samples along with five corresponding patient-matched normal kidney tissue samples were obtained from patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy. To examine the difference of gene expression profile in clear cell RCC, radioactive cDNA microarrays were used to evaluate changes in the expression of 1,152 genes in a total. Using $^{33}P-labeled$ probes, this method provided highly sensitive gene expression profiles including drug metabolism, and cellular signaling. 29 genes were identified with expression levels that differed by more than 2.0 value of z-ratio, compared with that in control. Whereas expression of 38 genes were decreased by less than-2.0 value of z-ratio. In conclusion, this study has identified 67 gene expression alterations in clear-cell type of RCC. Most notably, genes involved in cell growth were up-regulated in stage I more than stage III whereas genes involved in signal transduction were down-regulated in which both stage I and stage III. The identified alteraions of gene expression will likely give in sight in to clear cell RCC and tumor progression.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.274-282
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• 1992

Annual forage crops have been increasingly important for conpensating insufficient forage production of perennial pastures took place for short interval. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of sward composition and NㆍP fertilization on forage production and intercompetition of subterranean clover-Italian ryegrass and berseem clover-Italian ryegrass. The two clovers were grown in the field at the clover/ryegrass ratios of 0/100, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 and 100/0 where no, N (200 kg /ha), P (50 kg /ha) or NㆍP fertilization was done. Each crop was separated after harvest and drying. Relative Crowding Coefficient (RCC), aggressivity and Relative Yield Total (RYT) were analyzed on the basis of the harvested dry matter of each crop. Berseem clover-ryegrass mixtures produced greater yield than subclover-ryegrass mixtures as a result of higher yields of the two component species. In the former forage yield was increased with increased rate of clover up to 75%, while in the latter the highest yields were obtained at more than 50% of the clover. In the mixtures N stimulated the growth of ryegrass, whereas P did only that of subclover. The two clovers produced more forage than the companion grass under no and only P fertilization although the reverse result was true under N or NㆍP fertilization, but the annual forage yield was decreased in the order of N and P, N, P, and no fertilization. The mixture yields were overyielded compared to the Expected Yield. Although generally RCCs and RYTs of subclover were higher than those of berseem clover in the mixtures differing the composition rate or under no and only P fertilization, those of the former clover were lower under N or NㆍP fertilization. In the clover-ryegrass mixtures, ryegrass acted as an aggressor and became more aggressive under P fertilization.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2303-2307
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• 2014

Background: Renal cancer is a serious public health problem which may be under reported and registered in our setup, since the Karachi cancer registry documented only 43 cases out of 4,268 incident cancer cases over 3 year duration. Therefore we aimed to determine the clinicopathologic characteristics of adult renal tumors in our setup. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in histopathology department, Liaquat National Hospital and included total of 68 cases of adult renal tumors over 4 years. Detailed histopathologic characteristics of tumors were analyzed. Results: Mean age of patients was 56.4 (18-84) years. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was the most common cell type (78%) cases; followed by transitional/urothelial carcinoma (12.5%), leiomyosarcoma (4.7%), oncocytoma (1.6%), squamous cell carcinoma (1.6%) and high grade pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma (1.6%). Among 50 RCC cases; 62% were conventional/clear cell RCC (CCRCC) type followed by papillary RCC(PRCC), 24%; chromophobe RCC(CRCC), 6% and sarcomatoid RCC(SRCC), 8%. Mean tumor size for RCC was 7.2 cm. Most RCCs were intermediate to high grade (60% and 40% respectively). Capsular invasion, renal sinus invasion, adrenal gland involvement and renal vein invasion was seen in 40%, 18%, 2% and 10% of cases respectively. Conclusions: We found that RCC presents at an earlier age in our setup compared to Western populations. Tumor size was significantly larger and most of the tumors were of intermediate to high grade. This reflects late presentation of patients after disease progression which necessitates effective measures to be taken in primary care setup to diagnose this disease at an early stage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5651-5655
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• 2013

Objective: Major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related A (MICA) is a stress-inducible glycoprotein that can be shed as a soluble protein. This study was conducted to determine the expression of MICA in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and examine the clinical relevance of soluble MICA (sMICA) in this disease. Methods: Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR analyses were performed to assess the expression of MICA in 48 pairs of RCC and adjacent normal renal tissues. Serum levels of sMICA were measured in 48 RCC patients, 12 patients with benign renal tumors, and 20 healthy individuals. The correlations between sMICA levels and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed and the diagnostic performance of sMICA in RCC was evaluated. Results: RCCs exhibited elevated expression of MICA compared to adjacent normal tissues. Serum concentrations of sMICA were significantly greater in RCC patients ($348.5{\pm}32.5pg/ml$) than those with benign disease ($289.3{\pm}30.4pg/ml$) and healthy controls ($168.4{\pm}43.2pg/ml$) and significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, vascular invasion, and higher histological grade. Using a cut-off point of 250 pg/ml, sMICA demonstrated a specificity and sensitivity of 63.2% and 75.6%, respectively, in distinguishing between RCC and benign renal tumors. Conclusion: MICA expression is upregulated in RCC and increased serum sMICA levels predict aggressive tumor behavior. However, the applicability of sMICA alone is limited in distinguishing RCC from benign renal tumors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.867-872
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• 2012

Background: $FOXP3^+$ regulatory T cells (Tregs) inhibit effector T cell functions and are implicated in tumour progression. However, together with microvessel density (MVD) they remain controversial prognostic predictors for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and potential associations have yet to be determined. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of Tregs and MVD and their potential relationship in RCCs. Design: Paraffin-embedded tissues from 62 RCC patients were analysed using immunohistochemistry to detect $FOXP3^+$ lymphocytes, and double immunohistochemistry to detect different microvessel types in the tumour interior, rim and normal kidney tissue, and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics. Survival analysis was also performed. Results: The presence of $FOXP3^+$ cells in the tumour interior or the rim showed no correlation with death from RCC and other pathological characteristics. Negative correlations were noted between the immature MVD in the tumour interior or the rim and tumour size, tumour stage and overall survival; however, there was no correlation with the nuclear grade or pathological type. A positive correlation between $FOXP3^+$ Tregs and immature MVD (r=0.363, P=0.014) and mature MVD (r=0.383, P=0.009) was confirmed in the tumour interior. However, there was no correlation between $FOXP3^+$ Tregs and mature MVD (r=0.281, P=0.076) or immature MVD (r=0.064, P=0.692) in the tumour rim. Conclusions: In this study, a positive correlation between the presence of $FOXP3^+$ Tregs and immature and mature MVD in RCC was confirmed, which suggests a link between suppression of immunity, tumour angiogenesis and poor prognosis.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.417-432
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• 2019

This paper presents the results of axial compression testing and numerical modeling on reinforced concrete columns (RCC) with normal concrete (NC) and high-strength concrete (HSC), RCC confined by glass-fiber reinforced plastic pipes (GRP) casing as well as carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), The major parameters evaluated in the experiments were the effects of concrete type, GRP casing and CFRP wrapping, as well as the number of CFRP layers. 12 cylindrical RCC ($150{\times}600mm$) were prepared and divided into two groups, NC and HSC. Each group was divided into two parts; with and without GRP casing. In each part, one column was without CFRP strengthening layer, a column was wrapped with one CFRP layer and another column with two CFRP layers. All columns were tested under concentrated compression load. Numerical modeling was performed using ABAQUS software and the results of which were compared with experimental findings. A good agreement was found between the results. Results indicated that the utilization of CFRP wrapping and GRP casing improved compression capacity and ductility of RCC. The addition of one and two layer-FRP wrapping increased capacity in the NC group to an average of 18.5% and 26.5% and in the HSC group to an average of 10.2% and 24.8%. Meanwhile, the utilization of GRP casing increased the capacity of the columns by 3 times in the NC group and 2.38 times in the HSC group. The results indicated that although both CFRP wrapping and GRP casing increased confinement, the GRP casing gave more increase capacity and ductility of the RCC due to higher confinement. Furthermore, the confinement effect was higher on NC group.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3403-3408
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• 2012

The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between expression of RALYL and clinical characteristics. In 41 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues, we used real-time qPCR to evaluate the expression of RALYL mRNA. RALYL protein levels were determined in 146 samples of ccRCC and 37 adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships between expression of RALYL and the clinical characteristics (gender, age, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, survival times and survival outcome) in ccRCC. In addition, these patients were follow-up period 64 months (range: 4~116months) to investigate the influence on prognosis. We found significantly differences between ccRCC tissues and normal tissues (p<0.001, paired-sample t test) in mRNA levels of RALYL. Immunohistochemistry analyses in 146 ccRCC samples and 37 adjacent normal tissues showed significantly lower RALYL protein levels in ccRCC samples (${\chi}^2$-test, p<0.001), inversely correlating with tumour size (p=0.024), T stage (0.005), N stage (p<0.001) as well as M stage (p=0.019), but not age (p=0.357) and gender (p=0.348). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that people with lower level of RALYL expression had a poorer survival rate than those with a higher level of RALYL expression, significantly different by the log-rank test (p=0.011). Cox regression analysis indicated that RALYL expression (p=0.039), N stage (p=0.008) and distant metastasis (p<0.001) were independent prognosis factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. We demonstrated that the expression of RALYL was significantly low in ccRCC and correlated with a poor prognosis in a large number of clinical samples. Our findings showed that RALYL may be a potential therapeutic target as well as a poor prognostic factor.