No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Risk Factors*

PURPOSE: In this retrospective study, we attempted to evaluate the treatment outcome and the prognostic factors of thymoma treated with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1979 and 1998, 55 patients with thymoma were treated at the Seoul National University Hospital. Of these, 11 patients underwent surgery only, 33 patients received postoperative radiotherapy and 11 patients received radiotherapy only. Twenty-three patients had gross total resection and 21 patients subtotal resection. For postoperative radiotherapy, the radiation dose consisted of 41.4-55.8 Gy. The average follow-up was 64 months, and ranged from 2 to 160 months. The sex ratio was 1:1 and the median age was 48 years (15-74 years). Overall survival and disease-free survival were determined via the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank was employed to evaluate for differences in prognostic factor. RESULTS: The five- and 10-year survival rates were 87% and 65% respectively, and the median survival was 103 months. By univariate analysis, only stage ( p=0.0017) turned out to be significant prognostic factors of overall survival. Also, stage ( p=0.0007) was significantly predictive for overall survival in mutivariated analysis. CONCLUSION: This study showed the stage was found to be important prognostic factors, which influenced survival. Especially, as incomplete resection is related with poor results, complete resection is important to cure the invasive thymoma.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Survival Rate ; Thymoma* ; Treatment Outcome*

The lack of sufficient oral mucosa available for intra-oral reconstruction has been dealt with by the use of skin or oral mucosa grafts harvested from donor sites but grafts requires more than one surgical procedures and could cause donor site morbidity. Many investigators have attempted to increase available soft tissue by tissue engineered skin or oral mucosa replacements for clinical applications. But, reconstructed mucosa by several methods have low physical properties such as rolling and contraction. The aims of this study were to develope an in vitro experimental model that maintains an epithelial-mesenchymal interaction by organotypic raft culture, and to characterize biologic properties of three-dimensionally cultured oral mucosa embedded with Polydioxanone mesh by histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The results were as follows; 1. Oral mucosa reconstructed by three-dimensional organotypic culture revealed similar morphologic characteristics to equvalent normal oral mucosa in the point that they show stratification and differentiation. 2. The expression of cytokeratin 10/13 and involucrin in the cultured tissue showed the same pattern with normal oral mucosa suggesting that organotypic co-culture condition is able to induce cellular differentiation. 3. After insertion of polydioxanone mesh, increased tensile strength were observed. These results suggest that three-dimensional organotypic co-culture of the oral mucosa cell lines with the dermal equvalent consisting type I collagen and fibroblasts reproduce the morphologic and immunohistochemical characteristics similar to those in vivo condition. And increased physical properties by use of polydioxanone mesh will helpful for clinical applications.
Cell Line ; Coculture Techniques ; Collagen Type I ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Keratins ; Models, Theoretical ; Mouth Mucosa* ; Mucous Membrane ; Polydioxanone* ; Research Personnel ; Skin ; Tensile Strength ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

The purpose of this research was to investigate how university students' nutrition beliefs influence their health behavioral intention. This study used an online survey engine (Qulatrics.com) to collect data from college students. Out of 253 questionnaires collected, 251 questionnaires (99.2%) were used for the statistical analysis. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) revealed that six dimensions, "Nutrition Confidence," "Susceptibility," "Severity," "Barrier," "Benefit," "Behavioral Intention to Eat Healthy Food," and "Behavioral Intention to do Physical Activity," had construct validity; Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliabilities were tested for item reliability. The results validate that objective nutrition knowledge was a good predictor of college students' nutrition confidence. The results also clearly showed that two direct measures were significant predictors of behavioral intentions as hypothesized. Perceived benefit of eating healthy food and perceived barrier for eat healthy food to had significant effects on Behavioral Intentions and was a valid measurement to use to determine Behavioral Intentions. These findings can enhance the extant literature on the universal applicability of the model and serve as useful references for further investigations of the validity of the model within other health care or foodservice settings and for other health behavioral categories.
Collodion ; Delivery of Health Care ; Eating ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Intention ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The new trial to apply the closed I-M nailing for 23 cases of long bone fracture has been used our department, loss of hematoma, further damage to periosteum and soft tissue were prevented; the risk of infection was reduced; and the early functional use of extremities without additional superflous external fixation could be made. The results obtained were as follows; 1. There was no case of non-union or other complication. 2. The average bone union rate was 26.1 weeks in femur, 22 weeks in tibia, or 11.5 weeks in forearm. 3. The advantages is simple method and be able to do early ambulation without following muscular atrophy or ankylosis. 4. The patients were satisfactory about cosmetic problem after operation. 5. The merits of this operation were the short hospitalization and early adaptation of social activity. 6. In conclusion, closed I-M nailing is method of choice for long bone shaft fracture when internal fixation is indicated and our operative is useful and simple.
Ankylosis ; Early Ambulation ; Extremities ; Femur ; Forearm ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fractures, Bone ; Hematoma ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Methods ; Muscular Atrophy ; Periosteum ; Tibia

BACKGROUND: Traditional visual reading of patch-test reactions is a rather subjective method, lacking the sensitivity and reproducibility needed in experimental studies. Recently the laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) has been used to measure objectively the increase in superficial blood flow which results in the appearance of erythema. OBJECTIVE: We designed this study to examine the relationship between the LDPI measurement and visual reading after patch test to several different irritants. METHODS: In this study, reading of erythema in experimentally-induced irritant contact dermatitis was performed visually and by laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI). In addition, we investigated whether the LDPI measurement was appropriate in the routine patch test clinic. RESULTS: A close correlation was shown between the 2 methods (r=0.9046, p<0.001) and the LDPI producing mean adjusted perfusion values (APVs) was able to discriminate between the different visual grades. CONCLUSION: LDPI is a valuable instrument to objectively assess intensity of irritant patch-test reaction, and is indeed one of the few methods which overcomes the inter-individual variations in visual reading, but this instrument is not appropriate to use routinely in patch test clinic because of unacceptably long measurement time.
Dermatitis, Contact ; Erythema ; Irritants ; Methods ; Patch Tests ; Perfusion Imaging* ; Perfusion*

Regardless of an appropriate radiation therapy administered to a patient with a brain tumor, clinical and radiological evidence of progression may still develop because of a recurrence of the tumor and/or radiation necrosis, or even rarely, a radiation induced neoplasm. The evaluation of tumor recurrence and radiation-induced necrosis presents a diagnostic challenge. A thirty eight year old woman was treated for a focal motor seizure on the right side of her face.with a fractionated external beam radiotherapy under the impression of cystic astrocytoma in the left frontoparietal region. After 6 months, she developed a headache, nausea and vomiting, dysphagia, and secondary generalized seizure. A follow-up brain MRI showed a high signal mass lesion in a T2 weighted image and a fluorodeoxyglucose PET revealed hypometabolism in the left frontoparietal lobe, suggesting radionecrosis. It was confirmed as radionecrosis with an expanding edema by open biopsy. We report a cerebral radiation necrosis mimicking recurrent brain tumor.
Astrocytoma ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Deglutition Disorders ; Edema ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nausea ; Necrosis* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Seizures ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Humans ; Prevalence*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes of hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) with three-dimensional conformal technique for medically inoperable patients with early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to evaluate prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 26 patients who underwent HFRT for early stage NSCLC between September 2005 and August 2011. Only clinical stage T1-3N0 was included. The median RT dose was 70 Gy (range, 60 to 72 Gy) and the median biologically equivalent dose (BED) was 94.5 Gy (range, 78.0 to 100.8 Gy). In 84.6% of patients, 4 Gy per fraction was used. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and cisplatin was given to 2 of 26 patients. RESULTS: The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 21 months (range, 13 to 49 months). The overall response rate was 53.9%, and the initial local control rate was 100%. The median survival duration was 27.8 months. Rates of 2-year overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), local control (LC), and locoregional-free survival (LRFS) were 54.3%, 61.1%, 74.6%, and 61.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that BED (>90 vs. < or =90 Gy) was an independent prognostic factor influencing PFS, LC, and LRFS. Severe toxicities over grade 3 were not observed. CONCLUSION: Radical HFRT can yield satisfactory disease control with acceptable rates of toxicities in medically inoperable patients with early stage NSCLC. HFRT is a viable alternative for clinics and patients ineligible for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy. BED over 90 Gy and 4 Gy per fraction might be appropriate for HFRT.
Cisplatin ; Disease-Free Survival ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Multivariate Analysis ; Paclitaxel ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Retrospective Studies

Renin-Angiotensin system (RAS) has been suggested as one of important factors in stress-related responses, and also suggested to be a pro-oxidant in mammals. Studies about antioxidant activity changes in brain by systemic administration of angiotensin II (Ang II) may be valuable data in the clarification of pathogenesis and development of treatment modalities for the psychologic stress-induced somatic disease, such as stress-induced hypertension. We examined, therefore, antioxidant defense changes in the brain induced by Ang II. Antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD), contents of glutathione (GSH), and lipoperoxidation (LPO) were measured in the dissected specimens of the brain regions after subcutaneous injection of human Ang II. In this study, peripheral administration of Ang II decreased LPO in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus of Sprague-Dawley rats. Ang II increased activities of SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the hippocampus and striatum. Borderline-hypertensive rats (BHR), a well-known animal model for stress-induced hypertension, showed some differences in the Ang II-induced antioxidant activity changes, comparing with SD rats. In the BHR, peripheral administration of Ang II significantly decreased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and contents of GSH, increased LPO contents in the various regions of brain. These results suggested that oxidative stress on the brain due to Ang II may be greater in the BHR than SDs, and RAS may be one of important pathophysiologic factors for stress-induced hypertension in BHR.
Angiotensin II ; Animals ; Brain* ; Cerebral Cortex ; Glutathione ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Reductase ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypothalamus ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Mammals ; Models, Animal ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; Superoxide Dismutase