No abstract available.
Ear* ; Humans ; Tissue Donors* ; Transplants*

Cancer is considered to occur through abnormal growth and differentiation processes, in which oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes are deeply related. Cellular responses to DNA-damaging agents are believed to be critical determinants of human tumorigenesis. Cell cycle arrests and DNA repair following DNA damage require the coordination of multiple gene products that, as a whole, serve to maintain the integrity of the genome. Within the cell cycle, both G1-S and G2-M phase transitions are under constant surveillance by checkpoint genes for the protection of cells from either exogenous or endogenous DNA-damaging agents. p53 tumor suppressor gene mediates cell cycle perturbations in response to DNA damage, and play a role in cell death, genetic stability, and cancer susceptibility. Recently, gene therapy with p53 tumor suppressor gene is expected as a new effective therapeutic strategy in many kinds of cancer. By using retroviral vector system, we transduced p53 tumor suppressor gene into human osteosarcoma cells, and analysed its growth suppression and apoptosis inducing effects. Combined effects of p53 gene therapy with chemotherapeutic agent or radiation were also analysed. Titer of ecotrophic p53 retrovirus was 5.0x10/ml, and that of amphotrophic p53 retrovirus was 2.0x10/ml when NIH3T3 cells were used as target cells. Human osteosarcoma cells infected with amphotrophic p53 retroviruses showed increased p21waf1 gene expression, which acts as a major cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor in DNA damage responses. In normal DMEM media, human skin fibroblasts infected with amphotrophic p53wt retroviruses showed very slow growing (1.7 fold increase in doubling time) and very low saturation density (50% decrease in cell density). In media containing chemotherapeutic agent, human osteosarcoma cells infected with p53wt retroviruses died rapidly; 75% of them died within 4 days and all of them died within 10 days of incubation with chemotherapeutic agent. Their DNAs were extracted and electrophoresed in agarose gel, and we identified DNA ladders characteristic of apoptotic cell death. When human osteosarcoma cells infected with p53 retroviruses were irradiated with ultraviolet light, more than 95% of cancer cells died within 1 day; whereas mock infected cells showed only less than 5% of cell death. These findings suggest that retroviral vector mediated p53 tumor suppressor gene transfer into cancer cells can suppress tumor cell growth and decrease tumor cell density effectively. These findings also suggest that effective induction of tumor cell apoptosis can be obtained when p53 gene therapy is used in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Apoptosis ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Count ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Death ; DNA ; DNA Damage ; DNA Repair ; Drug Therapy ; Fibroblasts ; Gene Expression ; Genes, p53 ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor* ; Genetic Therapy* ; Genome ; Humans ; Oncogenes ; Osteosarcoma ; Phase Transition ; Phosphotransferases ; Radiotherapy ; Retroviridae* ; Sepharose ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Zidovudine

No abstract available.
Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis*

No abstract available.
Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis*

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The purpose of this study was to investigate the HAV vaccination status and related factors among college students. METHODS: The study subjects were 503 students conveniently sampled from C university located in one district of Jeollanamdo. General characteristics and HAV vaccination related factors were collected by a self-reported questionnaire in October 2013. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate related factors with HAV vaccination. RESULTS: Of the 503 subjects without a history of HAV infection, 65 subjects (12.9%) reported that they were vaccinated. In multiple analyses, subjects who have had health screening (adjusted odds ratio, aOR=2.44 and 95% confidence interval, 95% CI=1.26-4.73) and those who were aware of HAV infection (aOR=6.00, 95% CI=1.81-19.91) or who perceived the benefits of HAV vaccine (aOR=2.05, 95% CI=1.07-3.93) were more likely to be vaccinated than those not involved in these factors. With regard to intention for HAV vaccine, 314 subjects (71.9%) reported that they have the intention to be vaccinated against HAV. In multiple analyses, higher grade level, high monthly allowance, awareness of HAV vaccine, perceived susceptibility of HAV, perceived seriousness of HAV and perceived benefits of HAV vaccine were significantly associated with the intention for HAV vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccination rate for HAV was found to be low in our sample of college students. To reduce health risks related with HAV, prevention efforts should consider these results.
Communicable Diseases ; Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A virus* ; Humans ; Intention ; Jeollanam-do ; Liver ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors ; Vaccination* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the treatment effectiveness and proper radiation dose of helical tomotherapy (HT) in spine oligometastases from gastrointestinal cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2006 to 2010, 20 gastrointestinal cancer patients were treated with HT for spine oligometastases (31 spine lesions). The gross tumor volume (GTV) was the tumor evident from magnetic resonance imaging images fused with simulation computed tomography images. Clinical target volume (CTV) encompassed involved vertebral bodies or dorsal elements. We assumed that the planning target volume was equal to the CTV. We assessed local control rate after HT for 31 spine metastases. Pain response was scored by using a numeric pain intensity scale (NPIS, from 0 to 10). RESULTS: Spine metastatic lesions were treated with median dose of 40 Gy (range, 24 to 51 Gy) and median 5 Gy per fraction (range, 2.5 to 8 Gy) to GTV with median 8 fractions (range, 3 to 20 fraction). Median biologically equivalent dose (BED, alpha/beta = 10 Gy) was 52 Gy10 (range, 37.5 to 76.8 Gy10) to GTV. Six month local control rate for spine metastasis was 90.3%. Overall infield failure rate was 15% and outfield failure rate was 75%. Most patients showed pain relief after HT (93.8%). Median local recurrence free survival was 3 months. BED over 57 Gy10 and oligometastases were identified as prognostic factors associated with improved local progression free survival (p = 0.012, p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: HT was capable of delivering higher BED to metastatic lesions in close proximity of the spinal cord. Spine metastases from gastrointestinal tumors were sensitive to high dose radiation, and BED (alpha/beta = 10 Gy) higher than 57 Gy10 could improve local control.
Disease-Free Survival ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Recurrence ; Spinal Cord ; Spine ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Burden

BACKGROUND: Advanced age alone should not be a serious deterrent to surgery. Preoperative evaluation of concomitant illness, operation time, accurate and minimal, but adequate surgery will serve to minimize morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. METHODS: The total number of surgical patients admitted to Kwang Hye Hospital, Pusan, from March 1994 to August 1996 was 3211, and the number of surgical geriatric patients admitted during the same period was 214. Operations were performed on 139 patients. We recorded information about age, sex, anesthesia type, operation time, non malignancy vs malignancy, emergency vs elective "Surgery", coexisting disease, and APACHE II score, and we examined the patients for results affecting postoperative morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Postoperative complications occured in 55 cases (39.6%), and the operative mortality was 2.2%. The significant factors affecting postoperative morbidity were emergency operation, malignancy and APACHE II score. The operation time and coexisting diseases were not significant. Age had little effect on the postoperative prognosis CONCLUSIONS: Performance of elective surgery and preoperative evaluation of the APACHE II score are important factors.
Aged ; Anesthesia ; APACHE ; Busan ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a transitional state between the cognitive changes of normal aging and very early dementia. Recently, the published MCI classification in `The Current Concepts in MCI Conference' suggested subtypes of MCI (amnestic, single nonmemory domain, multiple domains slightly impared) based on recognized heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the existence of subtypes of MCI and investigate their relative prevalence and clinical characteristics. METHODS: We recruited the MCI patients according to the consensus criteria of MCI. We classified them into 3 subtypes of MCI by our working criteria based on the definitions of MCI subtypes and then calculated their respective prevalence. We described their various clinical variables including demographic features, symptoms on the first visit, neuroimaging findings, and the genotype of apolipoprotein E. RESULTS: Sixty patients (36 females and 24 males) were enrolled as MCI and analyzed. The prevalence of each subtype (amnestic, single nonmemory domain, multiple domains slightly impared) were 13 (21.67%), 24 (40.0%), and 23 (38.33%) respectively, suggesting the most prevalent type was the single nonmemory domain type. MCI cases with subcortical vascular features were 18 (11 single nonmemory domain and 7 multiple domains slightly impaired). The ApoE epsilon4 carriers were about 50% of tested patients. CONCLUSIONS: We ascertained the existence of MCI subtypes and investigated their prevalence and various clinical features. In evaluation of MCI patients, we should keep the notion of heterogeneity and subclassification in mind.
Aging ; Apolipoproteins ; Apolipoproteins E ; Classification ; Consensus ; Dementia ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment* ; Neuroimaging ; Population Characteristics ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study aimed to compare clinical outcomes in terms of pain relief and recurrence rate between fragmentectomies and conventional microdiscectomies in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). METHODS: Between January 2008 and May 2011, a total of 175 patients met the inclusion criteria of this study. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of back and radicular pains were recorded before surgery, 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. Recurrence was defined when a patient had the same pattern of preoperative symptoms and was confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients (42.3%) were suitable for fragmentectomy, and 101 patients underwent conventional microdiscectomy. There were no significant differences in VAS scores between the fragmentectomy and conventional microdiscectomy groups 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. During the follow-up period, 3 patients (4.05%) in the fragmentectomy group and 7 patients (6.93%) in the conventional microdiscectomy group relapsed. CONCLUSION: If patients are selected according to well-defined criteria, fragmentectomy can be a good surgical option for LDH, in the physiological aspect of preserving healthy intervertebral disc materials.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Bronchoscopy has been widely used for a histologic diagnosis through a transbronchial lung biopsy or for staging of patients with peripheral lung cancer. However a transthoracic needle aspiration (TTNA) has been used more widely for a histologic diagnosis in patient with a small size nodule or a nodule located in the outer portion of the lung because of the low diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy in these cases. The role of bronchoscopy for staging is not well established in patients with peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by a TTNA or patients who are undergoing surgery without a histologic diagnosis. METHOD: To evaluate the role of bronchoscopy for the staging in patients with peripheral lung cancer, who were diagnosed by TTNA, the medical records of 86 patients with peripheral lung cancer who underwent bronchoscopy at Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 1995 and May 1997 were reviewed. RESULTS: While 53 cases had normal bronchoscopic findings, 33 cases had abnormal bronchoscopic findings comprising 9 cases of tumor, 10 cases of infiltration and 14 cases of compression of which there were 25 cases of T1 and 8 T2 endoscopically. The bronchoscopic staging did not influence the changes of the clinical stage of lung cancer. The frequencies of bronchial involvement tended to increase as the sizes of the nodule increased. Among the 42 patients who underwent surgery, 9 patient staged higher after operation because of lymph node involvement in 8 patients and the involvement of the pulmonary artery in 1 patient. No case staged above after operation due to a bronchial invasion. CONCLUSION: These findings suggests that bronchoscopy is not useful for staging in patients with peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by a TTNA.
Biopsy ; Bronchoscopy* ; Diagnosis ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Needles ; Pulmonary Artery