• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.479-485
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• 2007

A retrospective study of 94 hypercalcemic dogs was performed to find out most common causes that lead to hypercalcemia through investigating dogs referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Konkuk University from 2002 to 2004. During the study period, hypercalcemia was found in 94 dogs of 19 breeds, and they were evaluated as case group. Control group was made up of 94 dogs of 18 breeds without hypercalcemia admitted for the same study period. For general signalments, there were no significant differences between case and control group with the exception of age distribution. Shih-tzu(17.02%) and Yorkshire terrier(26.60%) was the most common breed in case and control group, respectively. The most common diseases associated with hypercalcemia were chronic renal failure (18.09%), acute renal failure(14.89%), and renal calculi(6.38%). Malignant neoplasia(lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mammary gland tumor, and multiple myeloma) and endocrinopathies(hyperadrenocorticism, hyperthyroidism, hypoadrenocorticism, and hypothyroidism) occupied 8.5% and 6.4%, respectively. This report is a first retrospective study of hypercalcemic dogs in South Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2005

Background : Continuous growth stimulation by various factors, as well as chronic oxidative stress, may co-exist in many solid tumors, such as lung cancer. A new family of antioxidant proteins, the peroxiredoxins (Prxs), have been implicated in the regulation of many cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. However, a real pathophysiological significance of Prx proteins, especially in lung disease, has not been sufficiently defined. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the distribution and expression of various Prx isoforms in lung cancer and other pulmonary conditions. Method : Patients diagnosed with lung cancer, and who underwent surgery at the Ajou Medical Center, were enrolled. The expressions of Prxs, Thioredoxin (Trx) and Thioredoxin reductase (TR) were analyzed using proteomic techniques and the subcellular localization of Prx proteins was studied using immunohistochemistry on normal mouse lung tissue. Result : Immunohistochemical staining has shown the isoforms of Prx I, II, III and V are predominantly expressed in bronchial and alveolar lining epithelia, as well as in the alveolar macrophages of the normal mouse lung. The isoforms of Prx I and III, and thioredoxin were also found to be over-expressed in the lung cancer tissues compared to their paired normal lung controls. There was also an increased amount of the oxidized form of Prx I, as well as a putative truncated form of Prx III, in the lung cancer samples when analyzed using 2-dimensional electrophoresis. In addition, a 43 kDa intermediate molecular weight protein band, and other high molecular weight bands of over 20 kDa, recognized by the anti-Prx I antibody, were present in the tissue extracts of lung cancer patients on 1-Dimensional electrophoresis, which require further investigation. Conclusion : The over-expressions of Prx I and III, and Trx in human lung cancer tissue, as well as their possible chaperoning function, may represent an attempt by tumor cells to adjust to their microenvironment in a manner advantageous to their survival and proliferation, while maintaining their malignant potential.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2001

Purpose : Changes in the balance between MMP and TIMP can have a profound effect on the composition in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and affect various cellular functions including adhesion, migration, differentiation of cells, and fibrosis and invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. Radiation therapy is a popular treatment modality for benign and malignant tumor, but the study for radiation effect on MMP and TIMP is scarce. In the current study, we have examined the expression of TIMP in fibrosis-prone (C57BL/6) mice after radiation. Methods and Materials : Adult female mice of $10\~12$ weeks were used. The whole body were irradiated using a Varian CL-4/100 with 2 and 10 Gy. Immunohistochemical staining was peformed according to Avidin Biotin complex method and evaluated by observing high power field. For TIMP-1, TIMP-2 antibodies, reactivity was assessed in the parenchymal cell and in the stromal cell. The scale of staining was assessed by combining the quantitative and qualiative intensity of staining. Results : TIMP-1 immunoreactivity did not change in lung. But, in liver, TIMP-1 immunoreactivity was localized in cytoplasm of hepatocyte and Kupffer cell. in kidney, TIMP-1 immunoreactivity was localized in cytoplasm of some tubular cell. Temporal variations were not seen. Dose-response relationship was not seen except kidney. TIMP-2 immunoreactivity in lung was a score (++) at 0 Gy and elevated to a score (+++) at 2 Gy. TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was a score (++) in liver at 0 Gy. TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was localized in cytoplasm of hepatocyte and Kupffer cell as same as patterns of TIMP-1 immunoreactivity. The TIMP-2 immunoreactivity in liver was elevated to (+++) at 2 Gy. Immunoreactivity to TIMP-2 in kidney was a score (+++) at 0 Gy and was not changed at 10 Gy. The score of TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was reduced to (++) at 2 Gy. TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was confined to tubules in kidney. Temporal variation of TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was irregular. Dose-response relationship of TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was not seen. Conclusions : Differences between intensity of expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in each organ was present. Expression of TIMP was localized to specific cell in each organ. Irradiation increased TIMP-1 immunoreactivity in the liver and the kidney. Irradiation increased TIMP-2 immunoreactivity in the lung. But, in the liver and the kidney, TIMP-2 expression to radiation was irregular. Temporal variation of TIMP-2 immunoreactivity was irregular. Dose-response relationship of TIHP-2 immunoreactivity was not seen. In the future, we expect that the study of immunohistochemical staining of longer period of postirradiation and quantitative analysis using western blotting and northern blotting could define the role of TIMP in the radiation induced tissue fibrosis.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 1995

Seventy four patients with soft tissue sarcomas treated by postoperative radiotherapy in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital between August 1979 and September 1990 were analyzed. The follow-up Period ranged from 3 to 145 months with a median of 51 months. Liposarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma(MFH) constituted $54\%$ of the cases and the histologic grades of tumors are as follows: grade I, 23 cases; grade II, 17 cases; grade III, 24 cases: unknown grade, 10 cases. The patients were treated by marginal(17 cases), wide(55 cases) or compartmental(2 cases) excision followed by Postoperative radiotherapy. The total radiation doses were 4200-8820 cGy (median 6000 cGy), 180-200 cGy daily. 5 times per week. Of 74 Patients, 35 ultimately failed. The local control was $62.2\%$ at 5 years and cumulative risk of distant metastasis was $22,3\%$ at 5 years. The overall survival and disease free survival were $72.3\%$, and $53.3\%$ at 5 years, respectively. Survival after appearance of metastasis was $15.1\%$ at 3 years. Patients with liposarcoma experienced better local control than those with other histologic type and tumor grade and surgical resection margin significantly correlated with local recurrence, distant metastasis and overall survival on univariate analysis. In conclusion, re-excision is needed for patients with positive surgical resection margin to improve local control and further therapeutic measures using effective chemotherapy should be explored in the hope of improving overall survival.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2018

Purpose Standardized uptake value(SUV) has been widely used as a quantitative metric of uptake in PET/CT for diagnosis of malignant tumors and evaluation of tumor therapy response. However, the SUV depends on various factor including PET/CT scanner specifications and reconstruction parameter. The purpose of this study is to validate a EQ PET to evaluate SUV across different PET/CT systems. Materials and Methods First, NEMA IEC body phantom data were used to calculate the EQ filter for OSEM3D with PSF and TOF reconstruction from three different PET/CT systems in order to obtain EARL compliant recovery coefficients of each spheres. The Biograph true point 40 PET/CT images were reconstructed with a OSEM3D+PSF reconstruction, images of the Biograph mCT 40 and Biograph mCT 64 PET/CT scanners were reconstructed with a OSEM3D+PSF, OSEM3D+TOF, OSEM3D+PSF+TOF. Post reconstructions, the proprietary EQ filter was applied to the reconstruction data. Recovery coefficient can be estimated by ratio of measured to true activity concentration for spheres of different volume and coefficient variability(CV) value of RC for each sphere was compared. For clinical study, we compared SUVmax applying different reconstruction algorithms in FDG PET images of 61 patients with lung cancer using Biograph mCT 40 PET/CT scanner. Results For the phantom studied, the mean values of CV for OSEM3D, OSEM3D+PSF, OSEM3D+TOF and OSEM3D+PSF+TOF reconstructions were 0.05, 0.04, 0.04 and 0.03 respectively for RC. Application of the proprietary EQ filter, the mean values of CV for OSEM3D, OSEM3D+PSF, OSEM3D+TOF and OSEM3D+PSF+TOF reconstructions were 0.04, 0.03, 0.03 and 0.02 respectively for RC. Clinical study, there were no statistical significance of the difference applying EQ PET on SUVmax of 61 patients FDG PET image. (p=1.000) Conclusion This study indicates that CV values of RC in phantom were decreased after applying EQ PET for different PET/CT system and The EQ PET reduced reconstruction dependent variation in SUVs for 61 lung cancer patients, Therefore, EQ PET will be expected to provide accurate quantification when the patient is scanned on different PET/CT system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.9 s.89
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• pp.1191-1196
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• 2007

Eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) is a main component of essential oils obtained from various spices. Recent reports have shown that eugenol induces growth inhibition and apoptosis of malignant tumor cells. In this study, the stimulatory effect of eugenol on cell differentiation was investigated in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells. When HL-60 cells were treated in combination with 150 ${\mu}M$ of eugenol and 3 nM of $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$, cell growth was slower than that of cells treated with eugenol or $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$ alone. Eugenol enhanced low dose of $1{\alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin }$ $D_{3}-induced$ a $G_{0}/G_{1}$ phase arrest in cell cycle. Consistent with this, combined treatment of eugenol and $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$ cooperatively increased p27 level and decreased cyclin A, cdk 2 and cdk 4 levels, which are cell cycle regulators related to $G_{0}/G_{1}$ arrest. According to flow cytometric analysis, the expression of CD14 (monocytic differentiation marker) was more increased in the cells co-treated with eugenol and $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$. These results indicate that eugenol potentiates cell differentiation mediated by $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$ of suboptimal concentration. The differentiation-inducing property of eugenol maybe contributes to chemopreventive activity of cancer.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.176-189
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• 2003

Background : Gastric cancer is the most common malignant tumor in Korea. Surgical operation is one of the major treatment modalities for gastric cancer patients. Therefore, gastrectomy is one of the most common procedures in General Surgery. There were variation in length of hospital stay and medical treatment for gastrectomy between three surgeons at Asan Medical Center. Clinical pathways have received considerable attention as a tool for reducing the medical practice variation, increasing the efficiency of care process, and improving the quality of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a clinical pathway for gastrectomy in gastric cancer patients. Methods : The clinical pathway for gastrectomy was developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary group in Asan Medical Center. A computerized clinical pathway program was developed and revised after a pilot test. A total of 145 patients underwent gastrectomy by three surgeons at Asan Medical Center. We compared the length of hospital stay, patient satisfaction, and the unplanned readmission rate between the pre-pathway group (n=67) and the post-pathway group (n=78). We also investigated the degree of satisfaction among the physicians and nurses who were main end-users of the clinical pathway. Results : The clinical pathway was applied to all target patients. The average length of hospital stay was shortened from 12.7days to 10.6days (p<0.01). The degree of patient satisfaction with the care process changed from 90.3% to 89.2% after the implementation of the clinical pathway, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.761). Unplanned readmission rate was 2.9% in the pre-pathway group and 0% in the post-pathway group. More than 90% of physicians and nurses answered that the clinical pathway had been a useful tool in their medical practice. Conclusions : The findings of the study demonstrated that implementation of the clinical pathway for gastrectomy produced substantial reduction in the length of hospital stay while improving the quality of patient outcomes. The computerized clinical pathway program can be used as one of the powerful patient management tools for reducing the practice variations and increasing the efficiency of care process in Korean hospital settings.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.160-168
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• 2004

Background : The role of second-line chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is known to be limited. Recently, ZD1839, the small molecule epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been developed and has shown anti-tumor activity in patients with solid malignant tumors including lung cancer. We evaluated the response rate and toxicities of ZD1839 in patients with advanced NSCLC which has progressed after previous chemotherapy. Patients and Methods : We examined 83 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ZD1839 for more than 1 month in Korea Cancer Center Hospital during the period from January 2002 to September 2003. All the patients were enrolled in the international expanded access program (EAP) with ZD1839 by AstraZeneca. The administered dose of ZD1839 was 250 mg once daily. Chest radiography and laboratory tests were followed-up. We evaluated the response rate, median survival, and toxicity after treatment. Results : Median age of the patients was 59 years (range 33-76). The most predominant cell type was adenocarcinoma and the most stage of the patients was IV. ECOG performance status was as follows; grade 0-1 in 10, grade 2 in 42, and grade 3 in 31 patients. Partial response was achieved in 12 patients (14.5%). Median overall survival was 9.2 (range 1.3-21.6+) months and median time to progression was 3.1 (range 1-21.2+) months. The most common adverse effect of ZD1839 was skin eruption which developed in 25 patients (25.8%). Significantly higher response rate and survival was found in patients with adenocarcinoma or good performance status. Conclusion : ZD1839 showed modest activity and tolerable toxicity in the treatment for patients with NSCLC which has progressed after previous chemotherapy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.8
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• pp.1000-1006
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• 2002

Purpose : In the course of treatment, patients with hematological or oncological disorders often develop pulmonary complication. The patients who develop a severe pulmonary complication have a poor outlook. The causes of pulmonary complication are either infectious or non-infectious in origin. We have analyzed the etiology and outcome of these patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of Asan Medical Center. Methods : Medical records of 95 patients on Pediatric oncology service who were admitted to pediatric intensive care unit(PICU) of Asan Medical Center from Jan 1997 to May 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. Results : The mean age of the patients was 8.5 years(2 months-18 years). The underlying malignancies of these 95 patients were as following; acute lymphoblastic leukemia(31 cases), lymphoma (11 cases), acute myeloid leukemia(nine cases), brain tumor(eight cases) and other solid tumors(25 cases). Pulmonary complications included pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, pneumothorax and pleural effusion. The most common cause of pulmonary complication was infection(88%) in etiology. The overall mortality rate was 56.8%. Pulmonary complications in these patients carried high rates of mortality regardless of whether they were immune compromised(76%) or not(69%). Even without pulmonary complications, the hematological or oncological patients admitted to PICU had high mortality rates of 43%. Conclusion : Pulmonary complications are frequent finding in the hematological or oncological patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit. The main etiology of these pulmonary complications was infection, which carried a high mortality rate regardless of their immune status at the time when they were admitted to PICU.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.169-180
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• 1999

Background: Uterine cervical cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the women in Korea. This study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of the cervicography as a screening test of cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Cervicography was taken from 482 women at department of obstetrics and gynecology, at Yeungnam University Hospital from March 1, 1998 to October 31, 1999. Of the 482 women, 172 women were exc1uded from the study for various reasons, and 310 women completed the study. Three-hundred and ten women had cervical cytology (Papanicolaou smear), cervicography and colposcopy, and punch biopsy was undertaken if any of the test result was abnormal. Results: The most common age group was 35-39, and 40-44, 45-49 in order and most common reason for having a screening test was regular check for cervical cancer. The mean duration from the last Pap smear was 17.1 months, and 64 women(20.4%) never had any prior screening tests. Of the 310 women, 254 women were categorized as normal or having benign disease such as cervicitis, erosion or metaplasia. Biopsy was taken from 56 patients and the results were 26 chronic cervicitis, 4 mild dysplasia, 6 moderate dysplasia, 2 severe dysplasia, 14 carcinoma in situ and 4 invasive carcinoma. The results of cytology and cervicography were well correlated(p<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of cytology were 86.7% and 76.9%, respectively and the sensitivity and specificity of cervicography were 56.7% and 96.2%, respectively. False negative rate of cervicography(43.3%) was much higher than those of cytology(13. 3%) (p<0.05), but false positive rate of cervicography(3.8%) was much lower than that of cytology(23.1%) (p<0.05). Conclusion: It seems inappropriate to use cervicography as a single screening test for cervival cancer, but it may be an effective complementary test for cytology to lower the false negative rate of cytology.