• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.111-125
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• 2018

Solvents can be used in the manufacture of medicinal products provided their residual levels in the final product comply with the acceptable limits based on safety data. At worldwide level, these limits are set by the "Guideline Q3C (R6) on impurities: guideline for residual solvents" issued by the ICH. Diisopropyl ether (DIPE) is a widely used solvent but the possibility of using it in the pharmaceutical manufacture is uncertain because the ICH Q3C guideline includes it in the group of solvents for which "no adequate toxicological data on which to base a Permitted Daily Exposure (PDE) was found". We performed a risk assessment of DIPE based on available toxicological data, after carefully assessing their reliability using the Klimisch score approach. We found sufficiently reliable studies investigating subchronic, developmental, neurological toxicity and carcinogenicity in rats and genotoxicity in vitro. Recent studies also investigated a wide array of toxic effects of gasoline/DIPE mixtures as compared to gasoline alone, thus allowing identifying the effects of DIPE itself. These data allowed a comprehensive toxicological evaluation of DIPE. The main target organs of DIPE toxicity were liver and kidney. DIPE was not teratogen and had no genotoxic effects, either in vitro or in vivo. However, it appeared to increase the number of malignant tumors in rats. Therefore, DIPE could be considered as a non-genotoxic animal carcinogen and a PDE of 0.98 mg/day was calculated based on the lowest No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) value of $356mg/m^3$ (corresponding to 49 mg/kg/day) for maternal toxicity in developmental rat toxicity study. In a worst-case scenario, using an exceedingly high daily dose of 10 g/day, allowed DIPE concentration in pharmaceutical substances would be 98 ppm, which is in the range of concentration limits for ICH Q3C guideline class 2 solvents. This result might be considered for regulatory decisions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.275-278
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• 2009

Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare malignant tumor. Yet tumors of a smooth muscle origin are the most common primary neoplasms of the major veins, and the inferior vena cava is the most common site of origin. We report here on a 65-year-old female patient who had been suffering from dyspnea and abdominal discomfort for 3 weeks before admission. The abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan and IVC cavogram showed an IVC mass extending from the right atrium to above the level of the right renal vein, obstructing the IVC, and the radiological findings were suggestive of an IVC leiomyosarcoma. We resected the tumor and reconstructed the IVC with a patch PTFE graft. The follow-up abdominal CT revealed no recurrence and obstruction of the IVC for 6 months after the operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.451-455
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• 2016

Background: This study assessed the efficacy of pulmonary metastasectomy for synovial sarcoma in adult patients. Methods: Fifty patients, diagnosed with pulmonary metastasis from June 1990 to August 2010, were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-eight patients underwent complete pulmonary metastasectomy, and their survival was evaluated. Age, sex, time to metastatic progression, laterality, number of tumors, size of largest nodule, and number of metastasectomies were analyzed as potential prognostic factors. Results: In all, 29 patients underwent at least one pulmonary metastasectomy, and 51 resections were performed. One intraoperative mortality occurred, and the 5-year survival rate was 58.4%. Bilateral metastases and early metastatic progression were associated with poor survival in multivariate analyses. Conclusion: Surgical resection can be a good option for treating pulmonary metastasis in patients with synovial sarcoma. Repeated resection was feasible with low mortality and morbidity.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 1996

Fine needle aspiration cytology of a pulmonary mass was performed on a 51-year-old man who had a left testicular mass. Cytologic features were composed of a homogeneous population of malignant cells associated with a background of foamy and lacelike material. The cellular features were characterized by monomorphous cell proliferation of relatively regular large cells, generally isolated or grouped. Occasionally, fine blanching stroma with large tumor cells and scanty lymphocytes were noted. The tumor cells had a round, regular nucleus, prominent round nucleoli, and a thin rim of cytoplasm containing large vacuoles or lacunae filled with glycogen. The fine needle aspiration cytologic diagnosis was highly consistent with metastatic seminoma from testis and less likely primary or other metastatic carcinoma. The diagnosis of resected testicular mass was classic seminoma. Despite the fact that cytopathologists were not familial with diagnosis of seminoma due to clinician's lack of interest in fine needle aspiration cytology of germ cell tumors including seminoma, it appears that a diagnosis of this tumor should not be problematic in cytologic material if specific histologic criteria are applied.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.205-211
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• 1988

Insulinoma is a rare tumor, occurring more often in women and in the older age range. Eighty percent of patients have a single benign tumor, usually 2cm in diameter, located with about equal frequency in body, head or tail of pancreas and amenable to surgical cure. About 10% have multiple tumors. The remaining 10% of patients have metastatic malignant insulinoma. The symptom of insulinoma is characterized by the periodic attack of hypoglycemia of blood sugar level below 50mg%, by fasting or exertion, and rapid relief of symptom by oral or intravenous administration of glucose. Symptom often lead to misdiagnosis as a neurologic or psychiatric disorder. A case described by authors was 44-year old female with the chief complaints of the loss of consciousness, epileptic seizure although she has been treated by anticonvulsants. Serum blood sugar and insulin level during fasting sugested insulinoma but abdominal computed tomography shows no definitive mass in pancreas. Celiac angiography revealed insulinoma. She transfered to the defartment of General Surgery and was performed enucleation. Microscopic findings shows the islet cell tumor of pancreas. A brief review of the literature was made.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1447-1451
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• 2014

Purpose: To compare histopathologic findings of patients who underwent transurethral resection of a bladder tumor (TUR-B) between groups with and without the metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 535 patients who underwent TUR-B in our department between October 2005 and March 2011. All patients had primary urethelial cell carcinoma (UCB). Histologic stage, grade, the presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, HDL and trigliseride levels were evaluated. The TNM classification was used, with Ta tumor accepted as lower stage and T1 and T2 tumors as higher stage bladder cancers. Also, the pathological grading adopted by the 2004 World Health Organization grading system were applied. Non-invasive papillary urothelial neoplasms of low malignant potential were regarded as low grade. Results: Among the total of 509 patients analyzed in our study, there were 439 males (86.2%) and 70 females (13.8%). Metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with high histologic grade, and high pathologic stage (p<0.001). Conclusions: The patients with metabolic syndrome were found to have statistically significant higher T stage and grade of bladder cancer. Further studies with more patients are needed to confirm our study.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2511-2515
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• 2014

Objective: Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with greatest morbidity and mortality around the world. The keys to targeted therapy are discovery of lung cancer biomarkers to facilitate improvement of survival and quality of life for the patients with lung cancer. Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is one of the most overexpressed proteins in human lung cancer cells by comparison to the normal cells, suggesting that it might be a good biomarker for lung cancer. Materials and Methods: In the present study, the targeted efficacy of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on TCTP expression in the A549 lung cancer cell model was explored. Results and Conclusions: DHA could inhibit A549 lung cancer cell proliferation, and simultaneously up-regulate the expression of TCTP mRNA, but down-regulate its protein expression in A549 cells. In addition, it promoted TCTP protein secretion. Therefore, TCTP might be used as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9667-9672
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• 2014

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a malignant gastrointestinal cancer with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite severe side effects of chemotherapy, the use of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has emerged as a common clinical treatment. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of the combined doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) therapy on murine pancreatic cancer Panc02 cells in vitro and in vivo and underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: A Panc02-bearing mouse model was established to determine whether doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) could effectively inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) was evaluated using a standard LDH release assay. To evaluate the relevance of NK cells and CD8 T cells to the combination therapy-mediated anti-tumor effects, they were depleted in tumor-bearing mice by injecting anti-asialo-GM-1 antibodies or anti-CD8 antibodies, respectively. Finally, the influence of doxorubicin+interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) on the ligands of NK and T cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Results: The combination therapy group demonstrated a significant inhibition of growth of Panc02 in vivo, resulting from activated cytotoxicity of NK cells and CTLs. Depleting CD8 T cells or NK cells reduced the anticancer effects mediated by immunochemotherapy. Furthermore, the doxorubicin+IFN-a treatment increased the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and NKG2D ligands on Panc02 cells, suggesting that the combined therapy may be a potential strategy for enhancing immunogenicity of tumors. All these data indicate that the combination therapy using doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) may be a potential strategy for treating pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2014

Patients with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) are predisposed to develop central nervous system tumors, due to the loss of neurofibromin, an inactivator of proto-oncogene Ras. However, to our knowledge, only three cases of ependymomas with NF1 have been reported in the literature. The authors present a case of NF1 patient with a spinal cord ependymoma. She was referred for about half a year history of increasing numbness that progressed from her fingers to her entire body above the bellybutton. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a relative-demarcated, heterogeneously enhanced mass lesion accompanied by perifocal edema in C5-7 level, a left-sided T11 spinous process heterogeneously enhanced mass in soft tissue, intervertebral disk hernia in L2-5 level, and widespread punctum enhancing lesion in her scalp and in T11-L5 level. The patient underwent C5-7 laminectomies and total excision of the tumor under operative microscope, and intraoperative ultrasonography and physiological monitoring were used during the surgery. Histopathologically, her tumor was found to be a ependymoma without malignant features (grade II in the World Health Organization classification). Therefore, no adjuvant therapy was applied. Following the operation, the patient showed an uneventful clinical recovery with no evidence of tumor recurrence after one year of follow-up.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.05
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• pp.216-219
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• 1997

We are developing a portable multipurpose gamma counting and imaging probe that will be useful for many applications in nuclear medicine including radioimmunoguided surgery in the detection and treatment of malignant tumors. Any diagnostic information provided by CT, MRI, PET, SPECT or gamma camera imaging prior to surgery obviously is very important, but current techniques are limited in many instances. To overcome some of these limitations, the portable multipurpose gamma probe is being developed. The gamma probe consists of NaI(Tl) crystal with 1" dia $\times$ 0.5" thick and singlechannel photomultiplier tube (SC-PMT) for counting, and 3" dia $\times$ 0.375" and multichannel photomultiplier tube (MC-PMT) for imaging, nuclear instrument module (NIM), position circuits, interface, and PC. The energy resolution using Tc-99m was measured as 14% and the spatial resolution using 3mm dia green LED was measured as 2.9mm. These priliminary results indicate that the currently developing probe is very promising and could be very useful for many applications in nuclear medicine.