• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.76 no.6
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• pp.292-294
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• 2014

Primary tracheal amyloidosis (PTA) can lead to airway obstructions, and patients with severe PTA should undergo bronchoscopic interventions in order to maintain airway patency. Focal airway involvements with amyloidosis can only be treated with mechanical dilatation. However, the PTA with diffused airway involvements and concomitant cartilage destructions requires stent placement. Limited information regarding the usefulness of silicone stents in patients with PTA has been released. Therefore, we report a case of diffused PTA with tracheomalacia causing severe cartilage destruction, which is being successfully managed with bronchoscopic interventions and silicone stent placements.

• Psychiatry investigation
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1094-1097
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• 2018

Objective Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are at an increased risk of suicide. It is well known that epigenetic mechanisms may explain the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior including suicidal ideation (SI), but no study has explored these mechanisms in ACS populations. Methods In total, 969 patients were initially recruited within 2 weeks of the acute coronary event and, 711 patients were successfully followed up 1 year after ACS. SI was evaluated using the relevant items on the Montgomery-${\AA}sberg$ Depression Rating Scale and covariates potentially affecting SI were estimated. Results Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) hypermethylation was associated with SI in both the acute and chronic phases of ACS, although the association was not statistically significant in the acute phase after applying Bonferroni's correction. Conclusion These results suggested that BDNF hypermethylation may have played a role in an epigenetic predisposition for SI in ACS patients, particularly during the chronic phase.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.80-86
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• 2006

Cleidocranial dysplasia is rare inherited skeletal dysplasia. It was first reported by Martin in 1765. Subsequently, Marie and Sainton independently documented the criteria of the disease. Cleidocranial dysplasia is a bone disorder caused by a defect in the CBFA1 gene of chromosome 6p21. This gene guides osteoblastic differentiation and appropriate bone formation. Patient with cleidocranial dysplasia has maxillary deficiency, high and narrow palate, prolonged retention of primary teeth, unerupted permanent teeth and supernumerary teeth. Therapeutic options in these patients include of autotransplantation of selected impacted teeth, forced eruption of permanent teeth, full denture, overdenture and implant-supported prosthesis. We report a patient with cleidocranial dysplasia. This patient was treated with implant supported bar overdenture. Despite of gene defect that affects osteoblastic activity, bone remodeling and osseointegration occurred in our patient. So, we report this case with review of literature.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.177-180
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• 2003

Background and Objectives: A nerve conduction study (NCS) has been known as a useful method to evaluate the therapeutic effect of operation in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). To evaluate the temporal relationship between symptomatic and electrophysiological improvement, we compared the preoperative symptoms and electrophysiological results with postoperative those. Methods: We analyzed the NCS changes before and after minimal release of carpal tunnel in 26 patients (34 hands) with CTS. The time of postoperative symptomatic changes, postoperative electrophysiological changes and temporal relationship between symptomatic and electrophysiological changes were evaluated. Results: The mean age was $49{\pm}13$ years. The proportion of males to female was 8 and 92 percent. The median interval days between date of operation and those of postoperative NCS was 28.5 days. Postoperative symptoms improved in 17 hands, slightly improved in 13 hands, and have not changed in 4 hands. Electrophysiological improvements after operation were observed in 26 hands, and mostly appeared within 2 months. Symptomatic relief accompanied with electrophysiological improvement reported in 13 hands (50%). Moreover, the four hands with symptom, not relieved by decompression, showed electrophysiological improvement. Conclusions: In this study, electrophysiological improvement was in consistency with symptomatic relief to some extent, but we got the result of disagreement between electrophysiological and symptomatic improvement.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.183-193
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• 2023

Balamuthia mandrillaris amebic encephalitis (BAE) can cause a fatal condition if diagnosis is delayed or effective treatment is lacking. Patients with BAE have been previously reported in 12 provinces of China, with skin lesions being the primary symptom and encephalitis developing after several years. However, a significantly lower number of cases has been reported in Southwest China. Here we report an aggressive BAE case of a 64-year-old woman farmer with a history of skin lesions on her left hand. She was admitted to our hospital due to symptoms of dizziness, headache, cough, vomiting, and gait instability. She was initially diagnosed with syphilitic meningoencephalitis and received a variety of empirical treatment that failed to improve her symptoms. Finally, she was diagnosed with BAE combined with amebic pneumonia using next-generation sequencing (NGS), qRT-PCR, sequence analysis, and imaging studies. She died approximately 3 weeks after the onset. This case highlights that the rapid development of encephalitis can be a prominent clinical manifestation of Balamuthia mandrillaris infection.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.426-431
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• 2007

To investigate the possible mechanisms of high-altitude native animals in adapting to high altitude, we cloned hemoglobin alpha-chain (alpha-chain Hb) gene from Pantholops hodgsonii, an animal species that indigenously lives at elevations of 3700-5500 m on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique, the alpha-chain Hb gene was amplified from total RNA in the liver of the Pantholops hodgsonii. TA cloning technique was used and the PCR product was cloned into pGEM-T vector. The DNA sequence of the gene was highly homologous with sheep (99.1%), goat (98.6%), cattle (95.6%) and human (86.5%). The alpha-chain Hb gene encoded a 142-amino acid protein that could be identified with the homology of alpha-chain Hb protein in sheep (98%), goat (96%), cattle (91%) and human (87%). However, 18 alternations were detected when compared with the alpha-chain Hb gene in human, and 2 in sheep. Moreover, the alterations of a117 GluAsp and $\alpha$132 AsnSer in important regions were noted in human and sheep, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the structure of alpha-chain Hb was highly similar to that in sheep. This study provided essential information for elucidating the possible roles of hemoglobin in adapting to extremely high altitude in Pantholops hodgsonii.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.65-82
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• 2016

This study aimed to identify curriculum gaps and a pilot study to provide the programs for selection during clerkship. Over the course of a clerkship, students analyze the current level and the needs level of TLO (terminal learning objectives) based on the book "Learning outcome of basic medical education: Scientific concept and principle-centered." We conducted a needs assessment utilizing a t-test, Borich Needs Assessment, and the Locus for Focus model. In the investigation of the needs level, the levels of the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems were relatively high and in the investigation of the current level, the levels of the digestive and musculoskeletal systems were relatively high. This study is expected to contribute to reasonable decision-making by utilizing various methods of analysis and providing in-depth results of needs analysis in designing clerkship curriculum.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.62 no.6
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• pp.224-234
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• 2019

Purpose: Pompe disease (PD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase resulting from pathogenic GAA variants. This study describes the clinical features, genotypes, changes before and after enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), and long-term outcomes in patients with infantile-onset PD (IOPD) and late-onset PD (LOPD) at a tertiary medical center. Methods: The medical records of 5 Korean patients (2 male, 3 female patients) diagnosed with PD between 2002 and 2013 at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Republic of Korea were retrospectively reviewed for data, including clinical and genetic characteristics at diagnosis and clinical course after ERT. Results: Common initial symptoms included hypotonia, cyanosis, and tachycardia in patients with IOPD and limb girdle weakness in patients with LOPD. Electrocardiography at diagnosis revealed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in all patients with IOPD who showed a stable disease course during a median follow-up period of 10 years. Patients with LOPD showed improved hepatomegaly and liver transaminase level after ERT. Conclusion: As ERT is effective for treatment of PD, early identification of this disease is very important. Thus, patients with IOPD should be considered candidates for clinical trials of new drugs in the future.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.3-16
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• 2023

Unlike in the past, standards for the quantity and quality of work expected from medical school faculty are continuously rising, causing changes and stress in various areas. This highlights the need for career development among medical school faculty for professional, personal, organizational, and societal reasons. The role of medical school faculty has become more diverse, leading to an increase in the types and levels of competencies required. Medical schools must support their faculty members with diverse identities in fully utilizing their capabilities to achieve the institution's mission. Furthermore, societal changes suggest that career development for medical school faculty will become even more crucial in the future. To achieve this, both individuals and organizations must make efforts and play appropriate roles. For this purpose, medical schools use a combination of promotion and tenure evaluations and faculty development programs, while individual faculty members follow a career path within the medical school environment. Medical school faculty must be able to meet the evolving demands at each stage of their careers. It is important for professors, who engage in career development, to have a clear sense of their identity and values, and to prioritize their career goals. Medical schools should also ensure that the implicit messages they convey align with the organization's explicit values. Finally, proactively preparing for future changes in society and generations is essential from a long-term perspective.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6799-6804
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• 2014

Background: Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for the majority of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver mutations and many receive therapies beyond first-line. Second-line chemotherapy has been disappointing both in terms of response rate and survival and we know relatively little about the prognostic factors. Materials and Methods: One thousand and eight patients with advanced NSCLC who received second-line chemotherapy after progression were reviewed in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, China, from September 2005 to July 2010. We analyzed the effects of potential prognostic factors on the outcomes of second-line chemotherapy (overall response rate, ORR; progression free survival, PFS; overall survival, OS). Results: The response and progression free survival of first-line chemotherapy affects the ORR, PFS and OS of second-line chemotherapy (ORR: CR/PR 15.4%, SD 10.1%, PD2.3%, p<0.001; PFS: CR/PR 3.80 months, SD 2.77 months, PD 2.03 months, p<0.001; OS: CR/PR 11.60 months, SD 10.33 months, PD 6.57 months, p=0.578, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). On multivariate analysis, better response to first-line therapy (CR/PR: HR=0.751, p=0.002; SD: HR=0.781, p=0.021) and progression within 3-6 months (HR=0.626, p<0.001), together with adenocarcinoma (HR=0.815, p=0.017), without liver metastasis (HR=0.541, p=0.001), never-smoker (HR=0.772, p=0.001), and ECOG PS 0-1 (HR=0.745, p=0.021) were predictors for good OS following second-line chemotherapy. Conclusions: Patients who responded to first-line chemotherapy had a better outcome after second-line therapy for advanced NSCLC, and the efficacy of first-line chemotherapy, period of progression, histology, liver metastasis, smoking status and ECOG PS were independent prognostic factors for OS.