• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2002

After the introduction of cyclosporin, the graft survival rate of renal transplant and patients' life expectancy have been greatly improved. However, cyclosporin is known to cause several undesirable side effects, one of which is hyperuricemia, which may subsequently cause gouty nephropathy and graft dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency and predisposing factors of hyperuricemia in cyclosporin-treated patients within one year of kidney transplantation and uricosuric efficacy of benzbromarone. The patients who were treated with cyclosporin after kidney transplantation in 1998 and the patients who were treated with benzbromarone for the control of cyclosporin-induced hyperuricemia in 1999 were investigated retrospectively. Among the 76 patients in cyclosporin-treated patients in 1998, hyperuricemia occurred in 55 patients $(72.4\%)$ and the mean time from kidney transplantation to occurrence of hyperuicemia was $5.0\pm8.0$ months. In 1999, 22 patients were treated with benzbromarone for hyperuricemia and their mean time from kidney transplantation to occurrence of hyperuricemia was $4.5\pm10.4$ months. Acute rejection developed in one patient $(4.8\%)$ out of 21 normo-uricemic patients and 11 patients $(20.0\%)$ out of 55 hyperuricemic patients in 1998. The difference of rejection rate in these two groups was significant (p<0.001). There was no difference of rejection rate between before and after treatment of benzbromarone. Cyclosporin trough levels did not show a significant correlation with the serum uric acid levels among the three groups. However, hyperuricemic patients showed significantly higher serum creatinine levels than patients with normal uric acid levels (p<0.001). Benzbromarone decreased serum uric acid levels from $8.3\pm2.3\;mg/dl\;to\;5.1\pm2.0\;mg/dl$ (p<0.0001) and normalizing serum uric acid in all of 22 patients. Except for one patient $(4.5\%)$ who experienced diarrhea, no significant side effect was noted.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.5-23
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combination treatment of herbal medicine for external use and western medicine for atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: We searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which assess the effect of combination treatment of herbal and western medicine for AD through 8 electronic databases from the start to December 2022. The data synthesis was conducted by using Review Manager (RevMan, ver.5.4.1) and Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. Results: 13 RCTs were included. The combination treatment group had significantly higher total efficacy rate(p<0.0001) and lower SCORAD score (p<0.00001) than the western medicine treatment group. The adverse event rate was also significantly lower in the combination treatment than the western medicine treatment group (p<0.0001). But there was no significant difference in recurrence rate (p=0.09). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the combination treatment of herbal and western medicine could be safe and effective for AD. However, due to limits of included studies such as high heterogeneity between the literature and unclear risk of bias, further studies are warranted.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.387-393
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• 2023

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a modified surgical procedure for the treatment of varicose veins. Methods: This retrospective analysis was conducted on lower extremities with symptomatic great saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence that underwent stripping from the groin to the knee, with preservation of the superficial epigastric vein (SEV), between January 2015 and April 2022. Follow-up assessments were performed using Doppler ultrasound, Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS), and the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ) at 6 and 12 months after surgery. Results: The study included 179 limbs from 120 patients (47 men and 73 women). The mean patient age was 56.5 years (range, 20-78 years), and the distribution of preoperative Clinical-Etiology-Anatomy-Pathophysiology clinical classes was 8% C0-C1, 88% C2, and 4% C3-C6. The preoperative diameter of the saphenofemoral confluence averaged 6.9 mm (range, 2.7-15.8 mm). After a mean postoperative follow-up period of 24 months, evidence of neovascularization around the stump of the saphenofemoral junction (SFJ) was observed in 2 limbs (1.1%). Additionally, varicose vein recurrence was found in 1 limb (0.6%) and was associated with an incompetent thigh perforator. At postoperative follow-up, both VCSS and AVVQ scores were significantly lower than the preoperative scores. Conclusion: Modified surgical treatment of GSV incompetence, involving preservation of the SEV and stripping of a short segment up to the knee, demonstrated favorable clinical results in terms of postoperative complication rate, neovascularization rate around the SFJ stump, varicose vein recurrence rate, and improvement in lower extremity symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.479-487
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• 2022

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the efficacy of lauromacrogol injection for ablation (LIA) of benign predominantly cystic thyroid nodules and its related factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 142 benign predominantly cystic thyroid nodules (median volume, 12.5 mL; range, 0.4-156 mL) in 137 patients (male:female sex ratio, 36:101; mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 49 ± 13 years) were treated with LIA after being confirmed as benign via cytology. The volume reduction rate (VRR) of the nodules and cosmetic score were evaluated during follow-up at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment and every 6 months thereafter. A VRR of ≥ 50% at the 12-month follow-up was considered to indicate effective treatment. The associations between the clinical factors and nodular ultrasound features, including the initial nodule volume, proportion of solid components, vascularity grade and ineffective treatment (VRR of < 50% at the 12-month follow-up), and regrowth were analyzed. Results: All patients completed follow-up for at least 12 months. The average ± SD follow-up period was 32 ± 11 months (range, 12-54 months). The effective treatment rate was 73.2% (104/142), while the regrowth rate was 12.0% (17/142) at the last follow-up. Grade 2-3 intranodular vascularity in the solid components of the nodules was the only independent factor associated with ineffective treatment, with an odds ratio (reference category, grade 0-1) of 3.054 (95% confidence interval, 1.148-8.127) (p = 0.025). Conclusion: LIA is an effective treatment for predominantly cystic thyroid nodules. Grade 2-3 intranodular vascularity in the solid components of nodules is the only independent risk factor for ineffective LIA.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1730-1741
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• 2021

Objective: Although thermal ablation is effective in treating low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs), comparison of treatment outcomes between thermal ablation and surgery has not yet been systematically evaluated. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of thermal ablation and surgery for the treatment of low-risk PTMCs. Materials and Methods: Ovid-MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for studies reporting comparisons of treatment results between thermal ablation and surgery for patients with low-risk PTMC published up to April 6, 2020. The analysis evaluated the efficacy (local tumor recurrence, occurrence of new tumor, metastasis, and rescue surgery) and safety (complication rate) of thermal ablation and surgery. Results: This systematic review included four studies with a total of 339 PTMCs in 339 patients who underwent thermal ablation and 320 PTMCs in 314 patients who underwent surgery. There was no local tumor recurrence or distant metastasis in either group. There was no significant difference in the pooled proportion of lymph node metastasis (2.6% with thermal ablation vs. 3.3% with surgery, p = 0.65), occurrence of new tumors (1.4% with thermal ablation vs. 1.3% with surgery, p = 0.85), or rescue surgery (2.6% with thermal ablation vs. 1.6% with surgery, p = 0.62). However, the pooled complication rate was significantly higher in the surgery group than in the ablation group (3.3% with thermal ablation vs. 7.8% with surgery, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Both thermal ablation and surgery are effective and safe options for the management of low-risk PTMCs, with thermal ablation achieving a lower complication rate. Therefore, thermal ablation may be considered as an alternative treatment option for low-risk PTMC in patients who refuse surgery and active surveillance or are ineligible for surgery.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.572-581
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• 2020

Objective: To evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 67 PHPT patients (22 men, 45 women; mean age, 56.0 ± 16.3 years; range, 18-83 years) from January 2015 to December 2018. The laboratory data, including the serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, were evaluated before MWA and again 2 hours, 1 day, 7 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months after. Results: Complete ablation was achieved with all 72 hyperplastic parathyroid glands found on the 67 patients enrolled, 64 of whom were treated in one session and 3 were treated over two sessions. The technical success rate was 100%. The median follow-up time was 13.6 months (range, 10.0-31.1 months). The clinical success rate was 89.4%. The volume reduction rate was 79.4% at 6 months. Compared to pre-MWA, the serum iPTH, calcium, phosphorus, and ALP levels had significantly improved 6 months post-MWA (iPTH, 157.3 pg/mL vs. 39.2 pg/mL; calcium, 2.75 ± 0.25 mmol/L vs. 2.34 ± 0.15 mmol/L; phosphorus, 0.86 ± 0.20 mmol/L vs. 1.12 ± 0.22 mmol/L; ALP, 79 U/L vs. 54 U/L, respectively; all, p < 0.01). Hoarseness was a major complication in 4 patients (6.0%), but it improved spontaneously within 2-3 months. Conclusion: MWA is safe, feasible, and effective for the treatment of PHPT.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.890-894
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• 1991

We have performed a prospective study to assess the efficacy of suction drainage in 45 patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax and 15 patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax, treated by closed chest tube drainage with underwater seal during the period Jan. 1990 to Dec. 1990 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Yeungnam University Hospital. The patients were divided randomly into two groups, 28 cases receiving suction and the other 32 cases no suction. The success rate was 82.1% for the former and 87.5% for the latter with the overall success rate of 85.0% and there was no significant difference in success rate between the two groups According to the causes and the extent of pneumothorax, the difference between the success rates of the two groups was also not significant statistically. But according to the duration of air leakage, suction group under 2 days showed a high success rate[46.4%] and the same group with 3-4 days, a relatively low success rate[21.4%] compared with that of the former. We conclude that the suction treatment is somewhat valuable in shortening the tubing time in patients with small amounts of air leakage, but it doesn`t seem to increase the success rate in all patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6619-6623
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• 2013

Background:The aim of the research was to explore a cost effective, fast, easy to perform, and sensitive method for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation testing. Methods: High resolution melting analysis (HRM) was introduced to evaluate the efficacy of the analysis for dectecting EGFR mutations in exons 18 to 21 using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and plasma free DNA from 120 patients. Results: The total EGFR mutation rate was 37.5% (45/120) detected by direct sequencing. There were 48 mutations in 120 FFPE tissues assessed by HRM. For plasma free DNA, the EGFR mutation rate was 25.8% (31/120). The sensitivity of HRM assays in FFPE samples was 100% by HRM. There was a low false-positive mutation rate but a high false-negative rate in plasma free DNA detected by HRM. Conclusions: Our results show that HRM analysis has the advantage of small tumor sample need. HRM applied with plasma free DNA showed a high false-negative rate but a low false-positive rate. Further research into appropriate methods and analysis needs to be performed before HRM for plasma free DNA could be accepted as an option in diagnostic or screening settings.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.169-184
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of Korean medicine treatment on overactive bladder. Methods: 64 patients of overactive bladder received Korean medicine treatment for at least 30days. We studied retrospectively symptom disappearance rate, the relationship between the improvement rate and age, scale of symptoms, BMI(Body Mass Index), WHR(Waist Hip Ratio). Results: Symptoms of 27 patients were disappeared, and those of 28 patients were improved. But 9 patients didn't show the improvement of their urination problems. The symptom disappearance rate was 43.08%. The improvement rate was 85.15%. The mean${\pm}$standard deviation of daily frequency was reduced from 10.05128 to 7.44872 after treatment(p<0.0001) The symptom disappearance rate was reverse-related with the OABSS score, KHQ and WHR. The improvement rate of married patients was higher than unmarried patients. And especially that was co-related with the frequency of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that Korean medicine treatments, such as acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal prescriptions have positive efficacy on overactive bladder patients in ordinary clinical practice.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.739-744
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to elucidate protective effect of Fructus Schsandrae(FS) water extract against xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine(XO/HX)-induced cardiotoxicity in myocardial cells this experiment was performed. Cardiotoxicity of XO/HX was examined by MTT(MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5,-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. XO/HX induced the decrease of cell viability. Also XO/HX induced the increase of LDH activity and the decrease of beating rate on cultured myocardial cells in a dose-dependent manner. To investigate cardioprotective effect of FS water extract cultures were preincubated with FS water extract for 3 hours. Cultures were then exposed to XO/HX for 72 hours. FS water extract have an efficacy in decreaasing LDH activity and increasing heart beating rate on cultured myocardial cells damaged by XO/HX. From the results it is suggested that XO/HX may show toxic effect in cultured myocardial cells derived from neonatal mouse and FS water extract is effective in the prevention of XO/HX-induced cardiotoxicity.