• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4421-4427
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• 2015

Objectives: To investigate the prognosis significance of preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and the correlation with clinicopathological factors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent hepatectomy. Materials and Methods: Clinicopathological data of retrospective analysis were collected for 251 HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy in this study. According to preoperative AFP level, patients were categorized into AFP-negative (0-20ng/mL) and AFP-positive (>20 ng/mL) groups for Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression modeling. Results: The results demonstrated that increased AFP was associated with longer prothrombin time (PTs), liver capsule invasion, low grade differentiation, and late Barcelona Clinic Liver Center (BCLC) stage. Moreover, the female patients had a greater prevalence of increased preoperative AFP than male patients [284.8 (3.975-3167.5) vs (3.653-140.65); Z-2.895, p=0.004]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 78.1, 57.5, and 40.6 % in the AFP-negative group and 61.8, 37.7, and 31.4 %, respectively, in the AFP-positive group (log-rank test 8.312, p=0.004). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 94.4, 83.8, and 62.3% in the AFP-negative group and 87.2, 60.0, and 36.7%, respectively, in the AFP-positive group. The difference was statistically significant (log-rank test, 16.884, p=0.000). Cox proportional-hazards model identified preoperative AFP to be an independent prognostic predictor of overall survival. Conclusions: Preoperative serum AFP is an independent predictor of prognosis among HCC patients following surgical resection. Female patients have a higher preoperative AFP than their male counterparts.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.223-231
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• 2011

Purpose: Pathogenesis of intraneural ganglion is controversial, however, the synovial theory that the intraarticular region is the origination of disease has come into the spotlight nowadays. But there are a few researches about intraneural ganglion in foot and ankle. We studied 7cases of intraneural ganglion. We are going to prove the synovial theory by indentifying articular branch of intraneural ganglion. Materials and Methods: From August 2003 to May 2011, we evaluated 7 ouf of 8 patients diagnosed as a intraneural ganglion in foot and ankle. The gender ratio were 4 male and 3 female, and the mean age at the time of surgery was 52.9 years. Clinically, we checked pre and post operative symptom, muscle tone and whether loss of muscle tone and sensation exists. We analyzed surgical records and preoperative MRI and compared those with intra-operative finding. Results: In MRI analysis of 7cases, the connection around the joints were confirmed, and 1 case was confirmed in the retrospective analysis of MRI. Intraneural ganglions occurred in medial plantar nerve 3 cases, lateral plantar nerve 1 case, superficial peroneal nerve 1 case and sural nerve 1 case. We could not found recurrence during the follow up periods. Most patients relieved pain after operation, but recovery of sensation was unsatisfactory. We could find some cases pathological finding of the nerve intraoperatively, and clinical result of that cases was poor. Conclusion: Intraneural ganglion can occur in various parts in foot and ankle. We concluded that the intranneural ganglion originated from joint by identifying the artichlar branch of ganglion. Due to its small size, it is difficult to find articular branch in operation field. But we do our best to find and remove articular branch. Currently, considering the small amount of research in foot and ankle, more research about articular brach is needed.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.146-150
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• 2005

Background and Objectives: When the pleomorphic adenoma(PA) recures, the tumor tends to become a multinodular mass that infiltrates into the normal tissue which is not a common condition for a benign tumor. This manifestation is probably due to the difference in cell biology of the recurrent tumor compared to that of the primary PA. The aim of this study is to assay the immunhistochemical characteristics of the recurrent PA compared to the primary PA and to evaluate whether this property can be used for developing a method that can select the patients who have higher risk to recur. Materials and Methods: Thirteen patients were enrolled in the primary PA group and 15 patients who had a recurrent PA were enrolled in the recurrent PA group. To evaluate the cell biology of the tumor, immunohistochemical stainings of Ki-67, bcl-2 and p53 were performed. Results: There was no difference in the expression of Ki-67 (p=0.117, p=.208) and p53 (p=.430, p=.328). The extent stained by bcl-2 was significantly larger in the recurrent PA group (p=.033, p=.014). The expression of bcl-2 did not increase while time passed. Conclusion: The high expression of bcl-2 seems to be a property of the recurrent PA group which can be found even during first operation before recurrence. By this immunhistochemical characteristic, we would be able to sort out the patients who have higher risk to recur.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 2002

Purpose : Plantar surfaces, calcaneal area, and region of Achilles insertion, which are extremely related with weight-bearing area and shoes application, must be reconstructed with glabrous and strong fibrous skin. Numerous methods of reconstructing defects of these regions have been advocated, but the transfer of similar local tissue as a cutaneous flap with preservation of sensory potential would best serve the functional needs of the weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing surfaces of this region. Therefore it is recommended to use the limited skin of medial surface of foot that is similar to plantar region and non-weight-bearing area. In this paper we performed the medial plantar flap transfered as a fasciocutaneous island as one alterative for moderate-sized defects of the plantar forefoot, plantar heel, and area around the ankle in 25 cases and report the result, availability and problem of medial plantar flap. Materials and methods : We performed proximally based medial plantar flap in 22 cases and reverse flow island flap in 3 cases. Average age was $36.5(4{\sim}70)$ years and female was 3 cases. The causes of soft tissue defect were crushing injury on foot 4 cases, small bony exposure at lower leg 1 case, posterior heel defect with exposure of calcaneus 8 cases, severe sore at heel 2 cases, skin necrosis after trauma on posterior foot 4 cases, and defect on insertion area of Achilles tendon 6cases. Average follow up duration was 1.8(7 months-9.5 years) years. Results: Medial plantar flaps was successful in 22 patients. 18 patients preserved cutaneous branches of medial plantar nerve had sensation on transfered flap but diminished sensation or dysesthesia. At the follow up, we found there were no skin ulceration, recurrence of defect or skin breakdown in all 18 patients. But there was one case which occurred skin ulceration postoperatively among another 4 cases not contained medial plantar nerve. At the last follow up, all patients complained diminished sensation and paresthesia at medial plantar area distally to donor site, expecially with 4 patients having severe pain and discomfort during long-time walking. Conclusion : Medial plantar island flap based on medial plantar neurovascualr pedicle have low failure rate with strong fibrous skin and preserve sensibility of flap, so that it is useful method to reconstruct the skin and soft tissue defect of foot. But it should be emphasized that there are some complications such like pain and paresthesia by neuropraxia or injury of medial plantar nerve at more distal area than donor site. We may consider that medial plantar flap have limited flap size and small arc of rotation, and require skin graft closure of the donor defect and must chose this flap deliberately.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.59-75
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• 2011

Objectives : The Aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of male and female patients who have been suffered from headaches. The investigation was undertaken based on Qi-section(Methods of prescribing oriental herbal medicine) from DongEuiBoGam(東醫寶鑑). Methods: A statistical survey was conducted to compare the difference in clinical characteristics between male and female patients experiencing headaches. Oriental medical Diagnosis was used to classify all parients under the following categories Qi-deficiency (氣虛), Jing-dificiency (精虛), Food-stagnation (食積), Damp-accumulation (痰飮), Qi-stagnation (氣滯). Patients were treated using acupuncture therapy and herbal medicines. Results : 1. The ratio between male and female patients was about 1:3. 2. It showed that periods of illness were longer in female patients than in male patients. 3. The total number of treatments received was higher in female patients than in male patients. 4. Statistically, most female patients had Metopodynia and Migraines(Rt.), while male patients suffered mostly from Laryngalgia. 5. Male patients had feelings of strain in the head and female patients had splitting headaches. 6. Musculo-skeletal System and General Symptoms were frequently observed in male patients. Digestive System and Nervous System were frequently observed in female patients. 7. Results from oriental medical Diagnosis showed that male patients mostly had Qi-deficiency, ling-deficiency while the majority of female patients had Food-stagnation, Damp-accumulation, Qi-stagnation. 8. The recovery time for male patients was shorter than it was for female patients. The recurrence rate of the headaches were higher for female patients. Prognosis was better than in female patients in comparison to male patients. Conclusions : The statistical survey conducted was based on Qi-section of DongEuiBoGam. It had significant differences in clinical characteristics between male & femal patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2003

Objective : Stroke is the second major cause of death in Korea. It is known that the survival and ultimate outcome in stroke depend on various factors, so it is not easy to predict unexpected death in stroke. This study was performed in order to find predicting factors of unexpected death in stroke. Methods : A retrospective study was accomplished by reviewing 21 medical records of stroke patients who expired in the ward of Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center from January 1998 to December 2001. Data analyzed Were physical examination, laboratory findings, clinical charts and APACH III scoring system. Results : I. The number of unexpected deaths at the ward of Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center from January in 1998 to December in 2001 were 21 patients (0.1%). 2. Major risk factors of unexpected death were age (${\geq}60$), high blood pressure on 1st admission day and acute stage (${\leq}30{\;}days$). 3. The most frequent time of unexpected death was from 6 a.m. to noon. 4. Major cause of unexpected death was recurrence of stroke (40%). 5. APACH III scores of 75% of unexpected death patients were over 30 points. 6. Clinical change of symptoms 3 or 4 days before the unexpected death were dyspnea, change of urination and defecation. Conclusion; This mortality study suggests that old age, high blood pressure on 1st admission day, acute stage, and high APACH III score are the major predictors of unexpected death in stroke patients and that intensive medical attention is necessary to reach a better outcome.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.285-293
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• 2002

Background : The lung is the most common site for a metastasis of extrapulmonary malignant tumors. however, reports on an endobronchial metastasis are rare. An endobronchial metastasis is defined as a documented extrapulmonary neoplasms metastatic to the segmental or more proximal central bronchus within a bronchoscopically visible range. The purpose of this study was to define the clinical characteristics of an endobronchial metastasis of extrapulmonary malignancies. Materials and Methods : The clinical features and treatment outcomes of 27 endobronchial metastatic cancer cases were reviewed from June, 1991 to May, 2001 in the Severance Hospital. Results : The patients' age ranged from 18 to 75. There were 17 men and 10 women. The primary tumors included the colorectum in 7, the uterine cervix in 4, the stomach and the breast in 3 patients each, and an osteosarcoma in 2 patients. The main complaint of most patients was coughing and a chest X-ray revealed a hilar mass, a parenchymal, and an atelectasis. The mean recurrence interval time was 45.5 months. The median and mean survival times were 10 and 12.3 months, respectively. Conclusion : An endobronchial metastasis is an ominous finding, and is associated with advanced-stage diseases. It requires differential diagnosis with a primary bronchogenic carcinoma. If atypical clinical features are present or an atypical cell type is discovered by a biopsy of the lesion in the lung mass, the appropriate diagnostic studies should be undertaken.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2002

Purpose : Giant cell tumors(GCT) sometimes undergo malignant transformation after the radiotherapy, but very rarely do without radiotherapy. We reviewed the clinical experiences of the malignant transformation of GCT to suggest the guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of them. Materials and Methods : We examined four patients of pathologically proven malignant transformation of GCT, which occurred after the operative treatment alone without radiation, from September 1985 to January 2001. The mean follow-up period after the malignant transformation was 2.4 years(range, 1.3~4 years). Results : The mean time-interval from the initial diagnosis to the malignant transformation was 6.9 years(range, 2.2~13.5 years). The locations of tumors were soft tissues of proximal upper arm, proximal femur, distal femur and proximal tibia. The histology of malignant GCT was osteosarcoma in 3 cases and malignant fibrous histiocytoma in 1 case. Local recurrence developed in 1 patient and the pulmonary metastasis developed in 3 patients which transformed to osteosarcoma. Conclusion : Thorough sampling of the surgical specimen appears to be a very important factor for diagnosing the malignant transformation of GCT. In case of suspicion of malignancy in radiographs, the incisional biopsy should be followed by definite treatment rather than the improper resection.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1317-1325
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• 2015

There are two types of clinical research to figure out risk factor for disease using collected data. One is prospective study to approach the subjects from the present time and the other is retrospective study to find the risk factor using the subject's information in the past. Both approached and study design are different but the purpose of the two studies is to identify a significant difference between two groups and to find out what the variables to influence groups. Especially when comparing the two groups in clinical research, we have to look at the difference between the impact clinical variables by group while controlling the influence of the baseline characteristics variables such as age and sex. However, in the retrospective study, the difference of baseline characteristic variables can occur more frequently because the past records did not randomly assign subjects into two groups. In clinical data analysis use covariates to solve this problem. Typically, the analysis method using the analysis of covariance of variance, adjusted model, and propensity score matching method. This study is introduce the way of equality adjustment between groups data analysis using covariates in retrospective clinical studies and apply it to the recurrence of gastric cancer data.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2010

Air reduction is a safe, effective, and fast initial treatment for pediatric intussusception. There is low dose radiation exposure. Factors affecting outcomes of air reduction were analyzed by reviewing the clinical features and results of treatment. A total of 399 out of 485 patients with pediatric intussusceptions were treated at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from 1996 to 2009. All of the patients received air reduction as the first line of treatment. Clinical features such as gender, age, seasonal variation, symptoms, signs, types, pathologic leading point, and treatment results including success rate, complication, recurrence, NPO time, and duration of hospitalization were reviewed. The Pearson chi-square, student T-, and logistic regression tests were used for statistical analysis. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The prevalent clinical features were: male (65.4 %), under one-year of age (40.3 %), ileocolic type (71.9 %), abdominal pain (85.4 %), and accompanying mesentery lymph node enlargement (2.2 %). The overall success rate for air reduction was 78.4 % (313 of 399 patients), and the perforation rate during reduction was 1.5 %. There were 23 recurrent cases over 21.6 months. All were successfully treated with re-do air reduction. Reduction failures had longer overall NPO times (27.067hrs vs. 43.0588hrs; p=0.000) and hospitalization durations (1.738d vs. 6.975d; p=0.000) compared to the successful cases. The factors affecting success rates were fever (p=0.002), abdominal distension (p=0.000), lethargy (p=0.000) and symptom duration (p=0.000) on univariate analysis. Failure rates were higher in patients with symptom durations greater than 24 hours (p=0.023), and lethargy (p=0.003) on multivariate analysis. Air reduction showed high success rates and excellent treatment outcomes as the initial treatment for pediatric intussusception in this study. Symptom duration and lethargy were significantly associated with reduced success rates.