• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제62권1호
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• pp.114-122
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• 2019

Objective : Silent corticotroph adenomas (SCA) are endocrine-inactive pituitary adenomas with positive immunohistochemistry staining for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). We investigated whether SCA-associated clinical profiles were more aggressive than hormonally negative adenomas (HNA). Methods : Among 627 patients with pathologically proven endocrine-inactive pituitary adenomas between 2004 and 2013, positive immunohistochemistry revealed 55 SCAs and 411 HNAs. Surgical outcomes and radiological and endocrinological characteristics were compared. Results : Strong female predominance was observed in the SCA group (p<0.001). Cavernous sinus invasion was identified in 22 (40%) SCA patients and 72 (17.6%) HNA patients (p<0.001). There were no differences in ACTH or cortisol levels between the two groups. The incidence of preoperative hypopituitarism and postoperative hormonal outcome did not differ between two groups. Total resection was achieved in 35 patients (63.7%) with SCA and 332 patients (80.8%) with HNA (p=0.007). When tumors were completely removed, recurrence rates were not statistically different between two groups (p=0.60). When complete resection was not achieved, tumors regrew from these remnants in seven patients (35.0%) with SCA and 12 patients (15.2%) with HNA (p=0.05). Conclusion : Total surgical resection for SCA is often challenging as these tumors frequently invade a cavernous sinus. Early remnant tumor intervention is justified, because untreated residual pituitary tumors regrow when patients were followed up for a long time. Prophylactic radiotherapy is not warranted for completely resected SCAs as tumor recurrence is uncommon.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.144-148
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• 2022

A one-year-old spayed female Korean Shorthair cat presented to Kangwon National University Veterinary Hospital with vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, loss of appetite, and polyuria that lasted for more than two weeks. The body condition score, blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature were abnormally low, and the physical examination findings were consistent with moderate dehydration. Hematological and biochemical tests demonstrated mild azotemia and a low Na:K ratio. Additional abdominal ultrasound imaging revealed reduced size of both adrenal glands. The adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test showed decreased post-ACTH cortisol and aldosterone levels and increased endogenous ACTH levels, confirming a diagnosis of primary hypoadrenocorticism. The cat was treated with subcutaneous injections of desoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) and oral prednisolone supplementation, and subsequent electrolyte analysis showed a normal Na:K ratio. Clinical symptoms were also improved in response to treatment. Hypoadrenocorticism in cats is a very rare disease, but it should not be excluded as a potential diagnosis in favor of kidney diseases or other conditions, especially when the Na:K ratio is low. In addition, the prognosis for the disease and the response to DOCP treatment should be further evaluated in cats.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.116-124
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• 2017

Purpose: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a disabling pain that mostly occurs in elderly women, but rarely in men. It is characterized by an unremitting oral burning sensation and pain without detectable oral mucosal changes. We investigated the clinical and hematologic features of middle-aged men with BMS, and compared the results to those of men with oral mucositis. Methods: Five men with BMS ($48.60{\pm}6.19years$) and five age-matched controls with oral mucositis ($49.80{\pm}15.26years$) underwent clinical and psychological evaluations and blood tests. Psychological status was evaluated using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Cortisol, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined from the blood samples. Results: ADH level was significantly lower in men with BMS than in the controls. ADH levels correlated with testosterone (p<0.01), and ACTH levels strongly correlated with ESR (p<0.05). Progesterone level positively correlated with FSH and LH levels. Pain intensity on a visual analogue scale correlated with estradiol level only in men with BMS. Among psychological factors, the obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal-sensitivity, and anxiety scores were higher in men with BMS than in the controls (p<0.05). However, no correlations were observed between the psychological and hematologic factors in both groups. The BMS symptoms presented only on the tongue, with the lateral border being the most prevalent area. Conclusions: Men with BMS may experience dysregulated endocrinologic or psychoneuroendocrinologic interactions, which might affect oral BMS symptoms, aggravating the severity of the burning sensation.

• 성인간호학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.11-18
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify levels of anxiety, stress hormone, lymphocytes, and neutrophils of the nursing students before an examination and to examine effects of social support on those variables related to taking examinations. Methods: Thirty eight healthy nursing students participated. They completed the questionnaire including state anxiety, test anxiety (VAS scale) and social support two weeks before the exam and again just before the exam. Simultaneously, a venous sample for ACTH, cortisol, lymphocytes & neutrophils count was drawn by a trained nurse. Descriptive statistics, paired t-test, student t-test, and Pearson's correlation with SPSS/WIN 14.0 were used to analyze the data. Results: Test anxiety scores and cortisol level on the exam day showed a significant increment compared with those on the non-exam day. The participants with higher levels of total social support scores showed significantly lower state anxiety on the exam day than those with lower levels of total social support scores. Conclusion: These data indicate a possible alteration in cortisol responsiveness to academic stress in nursing students. Social support would play an important role in modulation of academic stress.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.86-93
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• 2010

Objectives : The aim of this research is to determine the effects of depression and anxiety symptoms of schizophrenic psychopathology on the HPA axis. Methods : Twenty patients with schizophrenia were included and divided into the medication non-exposed group(n = 10) and the medication exposed group(n = 10). Evaluated scales were the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms(SANS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms(SAPS), Hamilton Depression Inventory(HAM-D) and Hamilton Anxiety Inventory (HAM-A), and then the combined Dexamethasone/Corticotropin Releasing Hormone(DEX/CRH) test was conducted to determine the basal level, the peak level and the area under the curve(AUC) of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH). Results : When the correlations between each psychopathology and cortisol level or ACTH AUC value were analyzed, HAM-D showed a negative correlation, whereas HAM-A showed a positive correlation. Also, the non-depression group(HAM-D ${\leq}$ 18) showed higher cortisol and ACTH concentrations than the depression group(HAM-D > 18), and the anxiety group(HAM-A ${\geq}$ 14) showed significantly higher concentrations than the non-anxiety group(HAM-D < 14)(p < 0.05). Also, as for the comparison between the medication non-exposed group and the medication exposed group, the non-exposed group showed significantly higher cortisol and ACTH concentration than exposed group(p < 0.05). Conclusion : This study suggest that anxiety symptoms rather than depression symptoms are related to the increased activity of the HPA axis of schizophrenics.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.201-204
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• 2002

Epidermal cells produce a panel of antioxidants as well as cytokines after UVB irradiation, which counteract reactive oxygen species, however, how these antioxidants might regulate melanogenesis is unclear. An important constituent of the cellular antioxidant buffering system which controls the redox state of proteins is thioredoxin (TRX), a 13-kD protein that catalyzes thiol-disulfide exchange reactions, regulates activation of transcription factors, and possesses several other biological functions similar to cytokines. TRX suppressed the UVB-induced production and secretion of $\alpha$-melanocyte stimulating hormone ($\alpha$-MSH) and of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and also suppressed proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA expression by normal human keratinocyte (KC)s. Further, L-cysteine, N-acetyl-cysteine, $\alpha$-tocopheryl ferulate showed suppressive effect on UVB-induced POMC mRNA expression. However, TRX released from UVB-irradiated KCs stimulated melanogenesis by up-regulating MSH receptor expression and its binding activity in melanocyte (MC)s. UVB-induced KC derived cytokines such as IL1, IL6, and ET1 upregulated MSH-receptor binding ability as well as MCl-R mRNA expression in cultured normal human MCs. MCl-R has a tendency to be upregulated by UVB-induced KC-derived cytokines as well as by direct UVB irradiation. These results suggest that antioxidants such as TRX suppresses UVB induction of POMC, but in the case of MCl-R, this gene can be mainly in the trend of upregulation by UVB-induced KC-derived factors including TRX.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.16-19
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• 2021

Cushing's disease (CD) is a rare illness characterized by chronic hypercortisolism secondary to the overproduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone by a pituitary adenoma, which is associated with a high risk of developing serious complications, such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and emotional disorders. Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery is performed for the treatment of CD, and was initially preferred over other types of treatments. However, the recurrence after pituitary surgery for CD is a common problem after an initial successful surgery. In microadenomas, the remission rates were higher than those of macroadenoma. This patient had a giant tumor that was greater than 4 cm in length on sella magnetic resonance imaging, and panhypopituitarism was detected using a combined pituitary stimulation test. After transsphenoidal surgery, the patient required temporary hormone replacement for a short period of time. After 1 year, he showed a normal cortisol response on the overnight dexamethasone suppression test and low morning cortisol levels. Therefore, we indicated that the patient was cured of giant macroadenoma with panhypopituitarism before surgery, and thus, reported this case.

• 대한수의사회지
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.549-558
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• 2002

3.5살짜리 래브라도 리트리버(Labrador Retriever)는 매일 처방되는 피질스테로이드제에 무반응으로 비계절적, 심한 소양증을 2년간 앓고 있는 병력을 갖고 있었다. 공기유래 알레르겐(알러젠; Allergens)들에 대한 시험관내 RAST1(Radioallergosorbent testing; 방사선 알레르기 흡착 시험법)에 양성으로 나타난 것을 기초로 한 면역요법(Immunotherapy)을 18개월 동안 시행했으나 성공적이지 않았다. 부신피질호르몬(Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, ACTH)자극 시험법은 이것이 본래 임상수의사에 의해 발생(Iatrogenic)된 것임을 예시하여준다. 피부 찰과물(Skin scrapings)을 검사한 결과 개 천공개선충(Sarcoptic mange)이라는 진단이 내려졌다. 이버맥틴(Ivermectin)치료효과와 피질스테로이드(Corticosteroid)의 투약중지에 대한 반응이 극적으로 나타났다. 10개월 추적기간(10-month follow-up period)동안에 이 질병은 재발되지 않았다. 이것은 비록 계절적인 알레르겐을 배제하기 위해 긴 기간동안 추적이 필요하였으나 개 천공개선충이 오히려 피질스테로이드요법에 대한 2차적인 것보다는 1차적인 질병이라는 것을 말해준다. 아토피의 진단을 위해 혈청학적 시험법의 이용이 논의되었다.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.278-281
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• 2019

A 12-year-old castrated male Maltese dog was presented with a small-sized mass at the left fifth mammary gland. The dog had concurrent poorly responsive pruritus affecting the feet, pinnae, and trunk, a cystolith, and biliary sludge. Serum chemistry revealed elevated liver enzymes. The mammary gland mass was cytologically diagnosed as an early-stage mammary simple carcinoma and was surgically excised. Nine months after the diagnosis of the mammary carcinoma, hyperadrenocorticism was confirmed by adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. This report describes the clinical signs, diagnostic imaging findings, and prognosis in a castrated male Maltese dog with mammary carcinoma.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.41-44
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• 2021

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), often referred to as equine Cushing's disease, is a common endocrine disorder often diagnosed in older horses. A 13-year-old 460 kg Warmblood gelding showed clinical signs suggestive of PPID, including hypertrichosis, fat redistribution, polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD), and weight loss. Physical examination, complete blood cell count, and serum chemistry results were normal. However, dexamethasone suppression and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level tests confirmed PPID. Three months after the confirmed diagnosis, the horse was referred again with symptoms of laminitis. Radiography and venography were performed to evaluate the laminitis severity level. However, the foot condition continued to worsen, and the horse was eventually euthanized. The purpose of this case report is to describe clinical signs and diagnosis of PPID with laminitis.