As a part of estimating quantitative radiation treatment doses, we produced a mathematical phantom based on the standard Korean male. Then, with the prostate as the source organ, we calculated the absorbed dose in the prostate and surrounding organs forecasted to occur during brachytherapy for prostate cancer. To simulate the procedure, we selected (25)I and (103)Pd useful in brachytherapy of the prostate as the radionucleids and made an assumption that 1 Ci of initial radioactivity is administered. As a result, we found that the prostate, as the source organ, indicated 101 Gy/Ci and 7.24 Gy/Ci, respectively, in case of (125)I and (103)Pd. With the exception of the prostate, organs with high absorbed doses were found to be in the order of the penis and scrotum, sigmoid colon, testicles and the urinary bladder, which are relatively close to the prostate.
Brachytherapy ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Humans ; Male ; Penis ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Radioactivity ; Scrotum ; Testis ; Urinary Bladder

In an effort to assess the internal absorbed dose of radionuclides that is suitable to Koreans' physiological characteristics, we asked 28 male Koreans to take 131I orally, determined the thyroidal uptake and daily urination ratio, and assessed the absorbed dose by organ. As a result, first, 24 hours after administering, the average thyroidal uptake and the daily urination ratio registered 19.70% and 71.12%, respectively. Second, the whole body effective dose according to the thyroidal uptake calculated herein and the existing ICRP-suggested thyroidal uptake of 30% offered 1.464E-08 Sv and 2.189E-08 Sv, respectively, showing a 1.5 times difference. To evaluate the quantity of the absorbed dose of radioactive iodine, we can better reduce the error in assessing the body exposure dose by conducting measurement according to human races rather than depending on the existing ICRP data.
Adult* ; Continental Population Groups ; Humans ; Iodine* ; Male* ; Radioisotopes ; Thyroid Gland* ; Urination

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder that predominantly affects women of reproductive age. Risk of SLE flare during pregnancy is dependent on disease activity of SLE and proteinuria at the time of conception, which affect pregnancy outcome. We report on three patients who developed renal flares during pregnancy after remission of lupus nephritis before pregnancy. Two patients were treated successfully, with pregnancy outcomes of live births however, another patient's pregnancy was terminated with induced abortion. For SLE patients, family planningis needed until disease activity of SLE has been stable for at least six months prior to the pregnancy. Nevertheless, flares of lupus could develop and influence maternal and fetal outcome. Therefore, renal flares during pregnancy should be recognized and treated immediately.
Abortion, Induced ; Female ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Live Birth ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis* ; Nephritis ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnant Women* ; Proteinuria

We investigated the effect of alpha-subunit of the stimulatory GTP-binding protein (Galphas) gene mutation on the expression of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) receptor (TRH-R) gene in GH3 cells and in growth hormone (GH)-secreting adenomas of acromegalic patients. In the presence of cycloheximide, forskolin and isobutylmethylxanthine, cholera toxin, and GH-releasing hormone (GBRH) decreased rat TRH-R (rTRH-R) gene expression by about 39%, 43.7%, and 46.7%, respectively. Transient expression of a vector expressing mutant-type Galphas decreased the rTRH-R gene expression by about 50% at 24 h of transfection, whereas a wild-type Galphas expression vector did not. The transcript of human TRH-R (hTRH-R) gene was detected in 6 of 8 (75%) tumors. Three of them (50%) showed the paradoxical GH response to TRH and the other three patients did not show the response. The relative expression of hTRH-R mRNA in the tumors from patients with the paradoxical response of GH to TRH did not differ from that in the tumors from patients without the paradoxical response. Direct PCR sequencing of GALPHAs gene disclosed a mutant allele and a normal allele only at codon 201 in 4 of 8 tumors. The paradoxical response to TRH was observed in 2 of 4 patients without the mutation, and 2 of 4 patients with the mutation. The hTRH-R gene expression of pituitary adenomas did not differ between the tumors without the mutation and those with mutation. The present study suggests that the expression of TRH-R gene is not likely to be a main determinant for the paradoxical response of GH to TRH, and that Galphas mutation may suppress the gene expression of TRH-R in GH-secreting adenoma. However, a certain predisposing factor(s) may play an important role in determining the expression of TRH-R.
Acromegaly ; Adenoma ; Alleles ; Animals ; Cholera Toxin ; Codon ; Colforsin ; Cycloheximide ; Gene Expression ; Growth Hormone ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Humans ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rats ; Receptors, Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; RNA, Messenger* ; Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Transfection

Despite the increasing use of the rectal balloon in prostate cancer radiotherapy, many issues still remain to be verified objectively including its positional reproducibility and relevance to treatment morbidity. We have developed a custom rectal balloon that has a scale indicating the depth of insertion and dilates symmetrically ensuring positional reproducibility. Fifty patients with prostate cancer treated by definitive 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with rectal balloon were analyzed. Each of first five patients undergone computed tomography (CT) three times with a rectal balloon. The positional reproducibility was tested by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) from the CT-to-CT fusion images. Planning variables and clinical acute toxicities were compared between when or not applying balloon. An ICC of greater than 0.9 in all directions revealed an excellent reproducibility of the balloon. Rectal balloon improved considerably the mean dose and V(45Gy)-V(65Gy) in plan comparison, and especially in 3D-CRT the rectal volume exposed to more than 60 Gy dropped from 41.3% to 19.5%. Clinically, the balloon lowered acute toxicity, which was lowest when both the balloon and IMRT were applied simultaneously. The rectal balloon carries excellent reproducibility and reduces acute toxicity in 3D-CRT and IMRT for prostate cancer.
Balloon Dilatation/*methods ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prostatic Neoplasms/*radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; *Rectum ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome