PURPOSE: We studied the effectiveness and toxicities of 5-fluorouracil+leucovorin, combination chemotherapy in advanced or recurred colo-rectal cancer patients, who didn't have previous chemotherapy and enrolled from August 1993 to July 1998. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients were treated with leucovorin followed by 5-fluorouracil for 5 consecutive days every 4 weeks. Among 43 patients who were enrolled, 40 patients received treatment at least 2 courses, and they were evaluable. Male to female ratio was 21 to 19. In serum CEA level, 27 patients were greater than 5 ng/ml and 13 were less than 5 ng/ml. And primary site was colon in 21 patients and rectum in 19 patients. RESULTS: The complete response rate was 7,5% and the partial response rate was 25%. The median survival duration was 14.7 months, the median response duration was 16.0 months, and median time to progression was 7.3 months. In the analysis of response, survival duration, time to progression according to various characteristics of patients, serum CEA level and liver involvement were revealed significant difference in survival duration, time to progression (p=0.0122, 00350 & 0.0202, 0.0123) on univariate analysis, but no significant difference on multivariates. Hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities were mild and tolerable. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the combination of 5-fluorouracil (370 mg/m) and leucovorin (20 mg/m) is effective and tolerable regimen in advanced or recurred colo-rectal cancer patients without previous chemotherapy.
Colon ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Female ; Fluorouracil* ; Humans ; Leucovorin* ; Liver ; Male ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Rectum

No abstract available.
Humans ; Inpatients*

A total of 73 enucleated eyeballs is reviewed and analyzed clinicopthologically. These eyeballs were selected among the enucleated spceimens that had been removed at the Yeungnam University Hospital during a period of 10 years beginning from 1983 to 1992. Following results were obtained. 1) When the eyeballs were classified according to me direct cause of removal, the neoplasm was the most common single cause accounting for 26 cases(35.6%) out of 73 cases, followed by phthisis bulbi l6 cases(21.9%), trauma 10 cases(13.7%), glaucoma 8 cases(10.9%), inflammation 5 cases(6.8%), staphyloma 4 cases(5.5%), retinal detachment 1 cases(1.4%), Coat's disease 1 cases(1.4%), corneal disease 1 cases(1.4%) and choroidal hemorrhage 1 cases(1.4%). 2) 39 cases(53.4%) were male and 34(46.6%) were female. 23 cases(31.5%) were below 10 years of age, which was the highest rate. 3) The neoplastic lesion included retinoblastoma 20 cases(76.9%) in 26 neoplasms, malignant melanoma 4 cases(15.3%), hemagioblastoma of optic disc 1 cases(3.9%), adenocarcinoma of Meibomian gland 1 cases(3.9%). 4) Retinoblastoma was the commonest intraocular tumor accounting for 20 out of 26 cases, In growth pattern, 80.0% of the tumor grew endophtytically. True rosette were seen 60% of the retinoblastoma.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP) is a destructive periodontal disease that can develop in young age. Only a few cases of full mouth rehabilitation, using dental implants, have been reported in a patient with aggressive periodontitis. CASE DESCRIPTION: This clinical report describes the treatment procedures and results of full mouth rehabilitation in a patient with aggressive periodontitis. After all teeth were extracted, 6 implants were placed in the maxilla and mandible, respectively. Fixed detachable implant prostheses were made. The patient was satisfied with the final results. She was followed for 10 months postloading. CLINICAL IMPLICATION: For a long-term success, continuous maintenance care is critical, as the contributing factors of the disease (such as immune factors or periodontal pathogens) may not be controlled adequately.
Aggressive Periodontitis ; Dental Implants ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Mouth ; Mouth Rehabilitation ; Periodontal Diseases ; Prostheses and Implants ; Tooth

No abstract available.
Primary Myelofibrosis* ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile*

No abstract available.
Emergencies ; Humans

PURPOSE: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a new method of accessing intracavitary organs in order to minimize pain by avoiding incisions in the body wall. The aim of this study is to determine patients' acceptance of NOTES in Korea and to compare their views about laparoscopic surgery and NOTES for benign and malignant diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The target number of total subjects was calculated to be 540. The subjects were classified into 18 sub-groups based on age groups, gender, and history of prior surgery. The questionnaire elicited information about demographic characteristics, medical check-ups, diseases, endoscopic and surgical histories, marital status and childbirth, the acceptance of NOTES, and the preferred routes for NOTES. In addition, the subjects chose laparoscopic surgery or NOTES for a hypothetical cholecystectomy and rectal cancer surgery, and responded to questions regarding the acceptable complication rate of NOTES, the appropriate cost of NOTES, and the reason(s) why they did not select NOTES. RESULTS: 486 of 540 patients (90.0%) who agreed to participate in this study completed the questionnaire. NOTES was preferred by the following patients: elderly; a history of treatment due to a disease; having regular check-ups; and a history of an endoscopic procedure (p<0.05). The most preferred route for NOTES was the stomach (67.1%). Eighty-four percent of the patients choosing NOTES responded that the complication rate of the new surgical method should be the same or lower than laparoscopic surgery. Vague anxiety over a new surgical method was the most common reason why NOTES was not selected in benign and malignant diseases (64% and 73%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients appear to be interested in the potential benefits of NOTES and would embrace it if their concerns about safety are met. We believe that qualified surgical endoscopists can meet these safety concerns, and that NOTES development has the potential to flourish.
Aged ; Anxiety ; Cholecystectomy ; Endoscopy* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Laparoscopy ; Marital Status ; Mass Screening* ; Methods ; Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery* ; Parturition ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Stomach

Purpose: We compared the changes in the perioperative peripheral lymphocyte subsets and the acute inflammatory reactants (CRP and SAA) to compare the immune responses between a Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) and a conventional open distal gastrectomy (CODG). METHODS: 23 patients, who underwent an operation for early gastric cancer, between Nov. 2003 and Feb. 2004, were enrolled in this study. The total WBC, lymphocytes, peripheral lymphocyte subsets and acute inflammatory reactants (CRP and SAA) were evaluated on the preoperative day, and 2, and 24 hrs and on the 4th postoperative day in 20 of the 23 cases. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the preoperative total WBC, lymphocyte, peripheral lymphocyte subsets, CRP and SAA between the two groups (P <0.05). The WBC levels were highest 2 hours after surgery, but had decreased at 24 hrs and on the 4th postoperative day in both groups. The numbers of lymphocyte subsets in both groups dropped at 2 hours, but increased gradually during the postoperative days (P >0.05). The postoperative CRP and SAA levels; however, gradually increased compared to the preoperative levels, and were significantly lower in the LADG than the CODG group (CRP: P=0.03 and SAA: P=0.01). Conclusion: No difference was detected in the immune-cell numbers in the gastric cancers between the LADG and CODG groups. The LADG was found to influence the acute inflammatory reaction less than the CODG.
Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Lymphocytes ; Stomach Neoplasms*

Depression is heterogeneous in terms of its clinical aspect, diagnosis, cause, neurobiology, drug response and course. Because of the heterogeneity of major depressive disorder (MDD), DSM-IV classified MDD into various subtypes, such as melancholic, atypical, severe with psychotic feature, severe without psychotic feature, with postpartum onset, with catatonic feature, early-onset, late-onset, chronic, single or recurrent. In spite of the efforts of many clinicians trying to classify and explain the nature of MDD, depression is still qualified as a syndrome rather than a disease. When we see patients with MDD in clinical setting, we still use several subtypes of classical classification in order to comprehend the patient better. Psychiatrist should treat the patients with MDD according to their specific features and integrate the various information from them. For these reasons, depression is regarded as a complicated disease to identify and treat. Therefore, mental health professionals, especially psychiatrists should be trained on these diverse characteristics of MDD and it is recommended that the treatment of depression should be referred to a psychiatrist.
Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Neurobiology ; Population Characteristics ; Postpartum Period ; Psychiatry

PURPOSE: To develop the dose volume histogram (DVH) management software which guides the evaluation of radiotherapy (RT) plan of a new case according to the biological consequences of the DVHs from the previously treated patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determined the radiation pneumonitis (RP) as an biological response parameter in order to develop DVH management software. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of lung cancer patients treated with curative 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). The biological event was defined as RP of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grade III or more. RESULTS: The DVH management software consisted of three parts (pre-existing DVH database, graphical tool, and Pinnacle3 script). The pre-existing DVH data were retrieved from 128 patients. RP events were tagged to the specific DVH data through retrospective review of patients' medical records. The graphical tool was developed to present the complication histogram derived from the pre-existing database (DVH and RP) and was implemented into the radiation treatment planning (RTP) system, Pinnacle3 v8.0 (Phillips Healthcare). The software was designed for the pre-existing database to be updated easily by tagging the specific DVH data with the new incidence of RP events at the time of patients' follow-up. CONCLUSION: We developed the DVH management software as an effective tool to incorporate the phenomenological consequences derived from the pre-existing database in the evaluation of a new RT plan. It can be used not only for lung cancer patients but also for the other disease site with different toxicity parameters.
Humans ; Incidence ; Lung Neoplasms ; Medical Records ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Retrospective Studies