PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of visual acuity and foveal thickness after vitrectomy for an idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 62 patients (62 eyes) with ERM who had been treated with vitrectomy between 2004 and 2009. Visual acuity and central macular thickness from optical coherence tomography imaging were obtained preoperatively and at every postoperative follow-up visit. RESULTS: Mean preoperative visual acuity and central macular thickness were 0.495 +/- 0.292 log MAR and 414.645 +/- 95.528 microm, respectively. Mean visual acuity and central macular thickness 1 month after surgery were 0.389 +/- 0.373 log MAR and 341.484 +/- 73.676 microm, respectively. Visual acuity improved within 9 months and central macular thickness significantly decreased 12 months after surgery. Most of the changes in visual acuity and central macular thickness took place during the first 3 months. The only parameter which was significantly correlated with final visual acuity was preoperative visual acuity (0.635) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Visual acuity and central macular thickness improved 12 months months after vitrectomy in patients with idiopathic ERM. Preoperative visual acuity had a significant correlation with final visual acuity.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

Hemangiopericytoma is an uncommon mesenchymal tumor that may be benign or malignant. This tumor is composed of proliferating capillaries and spindle-shaped cells known as the pericytes of Zimmermann. Since all capillaries have pericytes, hemangiopericytoma can be found anywhere In the body. We report a case of malignant hemangiopericytoma in the pelvic cavity which was treated by radical excision and adjutant radiotherapy and discuss the clinicopathological feature, prognosis, and therapy of this lesson.
Capillaries ; Hemangiopericytoma* ; Pericytes ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy

Sarcoidosis is multi-systemic disorder of an unknown etiology, and this is histologically characterized by noncaseating granulomatous inflammation. Sarcoidosis may affect the lung, skin, lymph nodes and eyes, but it rarely affects the subcutaneous tissue. There has been no report of diffuse subcutaneous sarcoidosis in Korea. We experienced a 57-year-old female with diffuse subcutaneous sarcoidosis that presented as thickened extremities. The patient complained of edema and skin thickening on both upper extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the reticular form of sarcoidosis on the forearm and the biopsy showed noncaseating granuloma. She was finally diagnosed as diffuse subcutaneous sarcoidosis and she improved after treatment with corticosteroid. We report here on this unusual case along with a review of the relevant literature.
Biopsy ; Edema ; Extremities ; Eye ; Female ; Forearm ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Sarcoidosis ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The p53 protein is a 53 kD phosphoprotein. It is also one of the early recognition markers of malignancy and can be used to predict the aggressive behaviors of tumor. The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a species-specific, epitheliotrophic, double-stranded DNA virus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression rate of p53, and to investigate whether a correlation exists between the rate of recurrence and the severity of lesion. We also investigated whether p53 expression rate and HPV affect recurrence and carcinogenesis of inverted papilloma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two cases of the inverted papilloma and 6 cases of squamous cell carcinoma arising in the inverted papilloma were used for the study. We used immunohistochemical staining for p53 and performed the molecular study of HPV DNA with in situ hybridization (ISH) on the paraffin embedded materials. RESULTS: 1) The overall expression rate of p53 was 39% (11/28). A significant correlation was observed between p53 protein accumulation and the severity of the lesion (p=0.0015). 2) Seven of 11 patients who tested positive for p53 showed recurrence, whereas two of the 12 patients who tested negative for p53 showed recurrence. There was a correlation between the rates of p53 expression and recurrence (p=0.029). 3) The HPV was detected in four cases (13%) of inverted papilloma. There was no statistical significance between HPV and the rate of recurrence(p=0.147). CONCLUSION: The results demonstate that p53 mutations and HPV may play a role in the oncogenesis of inverted papilloma.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; DNA ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Papilloma ; Papilloma, Inverted* ; Paraffin ; Recurrence

The genus Populus (poplar) belonging to the Salicaceae family has been used in traditional medicine, and its several species show various pharmacological properties including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. No study regarding protective effects of Populus species against cerebral ischemia has been reported. Therefore, in the present study, we examined neuroprotective effects of ethanol extract from Populus tomentiglandulosa (Korea poplar) in the hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA1) area of gerbils subjected to 5 minutes of transient global cerebral ischemia. Pretreatment with 200 mg/kg of P. tomentiglandulosa extract effectively protected CA1 pyramidal neurons from transient global cerebral ischemia. In addition, glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactive astrocytes and ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 immunoreactive microglia were significantly diminished in the ischemic CA1 area by pretreatment with 200 mg/kg of P. tomentiglandulosa extract. Briefly, our results indicate that pretreatment with P. tomentiglandulosa extract protects neurons from transient cerebral ischemic injury and diminish cerebral ischemia-induced reactive gliosis in ischemic CA1 area. Based on these results, we suggest that P. tomentiglandulosa can be used as a potential candidate for prevention of ischemic injury.
Astrocytes ; Brain Ischemia* ; Calcium ; Ethanol ; Gerbillinae* ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; Gliosis* ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Medicine, Traditional ; Microglia ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Populus* ; Pyramidal Cells ; Salicaceae

PURPOSE: Platinum-based chemotherapy has conferred a modest but significant survival benefit and the introduction of newer drugs has led to achieve higher response rate in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We performed a phase II trial in order to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of combination chemotherapy with vinorelbine (Navelbine) and cisplatin in advanced NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with previously untreated, unresectable stage IIIB or IV NSCLC with measurable lesion (s) were eligible for entry into the study. NP chemotherapy consisted of intravenous vinorelbine 25 mg/m2, on day 1 and 8, and intravenous cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1; this cycle was repeated every three weeks. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients were enrolled in the study between July 1999 and Feb 2000. Of the 30 patients deemed eligible for analysis, thirteen patients achieved a partial response and thirteen showed a stable disease. The overall response rate was 43.3%. The median duration of response was 5.7 months (95% CI: 2.8~8.5 months). The median time to progression was 7.6 months (95% CI: 5.5~9.7 months) and the overall median survival time was 15.1 months (95% CI: 9.8~20.4 months) in the intent-to-treat analysis. Chemotherapy-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities were anemia in 1.5%, leukopenia in 4.5%, nausea/vomiting in 2.3%, alopecia in 13.3%, and neurotoxicity in 3.3%. CONCLUSION: The combination of vinorelbine and cisplatin chemotherapy seems to be active and fairly tolerable in patients with advanced NSCLC.
Alopecia ; Anemia ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Humans ; Leukopenia

PURPOSE: International Prognostic Index Model (IPIM) in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was published and accepted generally as a better predictive model for prognosis. This study was undertaken to identify prognostic factors of aggressive non- Hodgkin's lymphoma and usefulness of IPIM in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Previously untreated, pathologically proven 226 aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients who were treated with CHOP or COP-BLAM V between 1986 and 1995 in Seoul National University Hospital were evaluated for clinical features predictive of overall survival. RESULTS: Complete response (CR) was reached in 76% of all patients. With a median follow-up of 62 months, 5-year disease free survival of complete reponders was 67% and 5-year overall survival of all patients was 54%. In a univriate analysis, age, ECOG performance status, Ann Arbor stage, histologic subtype, bone marrow involvement, bulkiness, serum LDH level and number of extranodal involvement were significant prognostic factors for CR and survival (p<0.05). Of these, by multivariate analysis, age(RR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2~0.9) alone was a independent prognostic factor for CR. For disease free survival, no independent prognostic factor was found. For overall survival, Ann Arbor stage (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1~2.8), age (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1~2.6), Histologic subtype (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1~2.8), serum LDH level (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1~2.6) and bone marrow involvement (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0~3.1) were independent prognostic factors. According to risk group of IPIM, 5-year overall survival rate was 72% in low risk group, 46% in low intermediate risk group, 32% in high intermediate risk group, respectively, and median survival of high risk group was 12 months (RR 1, 2.3, 4.3, 6.4 respectively). CONCLUSION: IPIM is a useful model for identifying poor prognostic groups in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Bone Marrow ; Disease-Free Survival ; Factor Analysis, Statistical* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hodgkin Disease* ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Seoul ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to determine prognostic factors of breast cancer in Korean patients who underwent curative mastectomy. METHODS: Medical records of 181 patients who underwent curative mastectomy were reviewed. Relapse-free survival and overall survival were documented for each patient. Factors influencing survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Overall 5-year survival rate was 82.0%, and 8-year survival rate was 74.7%. Multivariate analysis indicated that multiple axillary lymph node involvement (> or =4), postmenopausal status, and negative estrogen receptor were independent adverse prognostic factors. The adjusted relative risks of multiple axillary lymph node involvement (> or =4), postmenopausal status, and negative estrogen receptor were estimated 2.60 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.28-5.30), 2.64 (95% CI: 1.46-4.79), and 2.27 (95% CI: 1.19-4.35), respectively. CONCLUSION: Multiple axillary lymph node involvement (> or =4), postmenopausal status, and negative estrogen receptor were independent adverse prognostic factors in Korean breast cancer patients after curative mastectomy.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mastectomy ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is frequently encountered in elderly patients whereas intensive chemotherapy yield lower rate of complete remission (CR) and survival than young patients. This study was aimed to review the clinical features and treatment outcomes of elderly patients (>or=60) with AML. METHODS: We respectively reviewed the clinical features, laboratory findings and outcomes of treatment from the medical records of 115 patients with the elderly AML (>or=60), admitted in Seoul National University Hospital, between Jan.1995 and Dec.2004. RESULTS: Their median age was 66 (60~86) years with male predominance (M:F=68:47). Complete response rate in patients with conventional chemotherapy was 66.7% (42 of 63 patients; 95% CI 50.2~78.4). Median overall survival (OS) was 5.2 months with clinical benefit in the conventional chemotherapy group, compared to supportive or palliative group (11.5 vs 0.9months; p<0.0001). In between two age groups, the sixties (n=69) showed higher CR rate (69.0 vs 61.9%; p=0.9) and longer median overall survival (7.0 vs 4.4months; p=0.8) than patients group of the seventies (n=38) but without statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional induction chemotherapy improved survival rate than palliative or supportive treatment.
Aged* ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Male ; Medical Records ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies* ; Seoul ; Survival Rate

This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of low-dose paclitaxel/cisplatin chemotherapy in patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer that had failed 5-fluorouracil/platinum-based chemotherapy. Thirty-two patients with documented progression on or within 6 months after discontinuing 5-fluorouracil/platinum-based chemotherapy were enrolled. As a second-line treatment, paclitaxel (145 mg/m2) and cisplatin (60 mg/m2) was administered on day 1 every 3 weeks. Among 32 patients enrolled, 8 (25%) responded partially to paclitaxel/cisplatin, 8 (25%) had stable disease, and 14 (44%) had progressive disease. Two patients (6%) were not evaluable. The median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival for all patients were 2.9 months and 9.1 months, respectively. The most common hematologic toxicity was anemia (47%). Grade 3 neutropenia developed in three patients (9%), but no other grade 3/4 hematologic toxicity occurred. The most common non-hematologic toxicities were emesis (31%) and peripheral neuropathy (38%). Three cases (9%) of grade 3/4 emesis and 2 cases (6%) of grade 3 peripheral neuropathy developed. In conclusion, low-dose paclitaxel and cisplatin chemotherapy showed moderate activity with favorable toxicity profiles. However, relatively short TTP of this regimen warrants the development of more effective paclitaxel-based regimens other than combination with cisplatin in these patients as second-line therapies.
Adenocarcinoma/*drug therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/*administration & dosage/adverse ; Cisplatin/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; Fluorouracil/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Humans ; Leucovorin/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organoplatinum Compounds/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Paclitaxel/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Stomach Neoplasms/*drug therapy/mortality ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Failure