BACKGROUND: Direct wet mount examination of vaginal secretion, widely applied for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in woman patients, is rapid and economical. However, the sensitivity of this technique is not so high. In this study enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed for the detection of serum anti-T. vaginalis IgG antibodies from vaginal trichomoniasis patients. METHODS: Eighty sera from trichomonoasis patients who visited a Dr. Yoon Kyong's Obstetric & Gynecologic Clinic in Songnam and 30 non-infected healthy men were tested for detection of anti-T. vaginalis IgG antibody. Soluble lysate and excretory-secretory antigen prepared by mixing of six isolates of T. vaginalis, and lysate from one isolate(KT4) were used as antigen for ELISA. RESULTS: The sensitivity of ELISA using lysate of six isolates was 95.0%, and the sensitivity of the lysate from KT4 and mixed excretory-secretory antigen from 6 isolates were 86.4% and 76.3%, respectively. Specificities of ELISA by three 93.3%, 96.3% and 92.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that ELISA using mixed lysate of T. vaginalis six isolates could be useful tools for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis.
Antibodies ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Male ; Trichomonas vaginalis ; Trichomonas*

There has been a considerable controversy on the prognosis of the mucinous gastric adenocarcinoma(MGC). In this study we analyzed the clinicopathologic differences between MGC and non-mucinous gastric carcinoma(NMGC). In addition, the relationship between mucin content and other clinicopathologic variables, including prognosis in MGC was examined. We reviewed 2118 patients with pathologically confirmed gastric cancer who had underwent gastrectomy at the department of surgery of Yonsei University College of Medicine, during the period between Jan. 1987 and Dec. 1993. Among them, 130 patients had gastric cancer with extracellular mucin(MGC) and 1988 patients had gastric carcinoma without extracellular mucin(NMGC). We studied the MGC patients into two groups according to mucin content: mucin content involving over 50% of the tumor(dominant type, n=94) and mucin content involving less than 50% of the tumor area(partial type, n=36). The results are as follows: The MGC was more common in male then NMGC. The size of tumor in MGC was larger than that of NMGC. The patients with MGC had higher incidence of Borrmann type IV, more frequent serosal invasion, lymph nodes metastasis and peritoneal metastasis than the patients with NMGC. The patients with MGC had more advanced stage at the time of diagnosis and worse overall 5-year survival rate than the patients with NMGC. But the 5-year survival rate according to the stage of MGC was similar to that of NMGC. There were no significant differences between the mucin content and other pathologic variables including prognosis. So we suggested that MGC has worse prognosis than NMGC and it is reasonable to consider the carcinoma with mucin content involving less than 50% of the tumor area as MGC.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Diagnosis ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mucins* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Survival Rate

The prognoses for the gastric cancer patients treated with total gastrectomies are known to be unsatisfactory due to the low survival rates, the high frequency of postoperative mortality or morbidity, and long-term complications such as nutritional deficiency. The authors evaluated the 5-year survival rates and analyzed the prognostic factors in 557 patients with gastric cancer who underwent total gastrectomies during the period between Jan. 1987 and Dec. 1993. The overall 5-year survival rate was 49.7%, and the survival rates according to the stage were stage Ia, 92.0%; Ib, 85.5%; II 64.1%; IIIa 55.0%; IIIb 26.5%; and stage IV, 6.3%. Postoperative mortality rate was 1.1%. By using univariate analysis to evaluate the prognostic factors, factors such as age, depth of invasion, extent of lymph node metastasis (according to the Japanese rule), number of involved nodes, lymph node ratio, distant metastasis (peritoneal and/or hepatic), size of the tumor, gross type, histological type, the surgical curability and the TNM stage were found to be related with the survival of the patients. In a multivariate analysis using 11 variables, the TNM stage was the single most significant prognostic factor. Besides the TNM, depth of invasion (ratio of risk (R.R)=1.50), extent of lymph node metastasis (R.R=1.83), number of involved nodes (R.R=1.64), lymph node ratio (R.R=1.91), and peritoneal metastasis (R.R=3.11) were found to be independent prognostic factors influencing survival. It was thought that the radicality of surgery could be reflected in the number of removed nodes per specimen. In this study, the average number of removed nodes was 42.3 per case. Hence, it may be said that adequate lymphadenectomy was performed for almost all the grossly curable cancers. The 5-year survival rate in stage IV patients with tertiary node (N3) metastasis and no peritoneal or hepatic metastasis was 16.8%; in patients with peritoneal or hepatic metastasis, the survival rate was 0%. There was a significant survival difference between these two groups (p<0.05). This result suggests that the tertiary node metastasis is a potentially curable factor, and that it should be classified differently in the current TNM system. In conclusion, the overall survival rates in the patients treated with total gastrectomies were favorable compared with the results in other reports. Depth of invasion, extent of lymph node metastasis, number of involved nodes, lymph node ratio were important prognostic factors for survival after a total gastrectomy. The current TNM staging system appears to be a reasonable one, except that the probable curability of tertiary node metastasis may need to be taken into consideration.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Malnutrition ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is known to be useful in the detection of lung cancer. However, the degree of FDG uptake was variable. To correlate FDG activity on PET with various histopathologic factors,we assessed the relationships between 18F-FDG uptake and glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) expression, histologic subtypesand Ki-67 labelling indices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred two patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had surgery and preoperative 18F-FDG PET scan as a part of the staging work-up were enrolled in this study. The amount of FDG uptake in the primary lesion was measured by a standardized uptake values (SUVs) and correlated with tumor size, histologic subtypes, and immunohistochemical results of Glut1 and Ki-67 labelling indices. RESULTS: Cell type of NSCLC were 52 adenocarcinomas, 36 squamous cell carcinomas, 14 other NSCLC. All tumors could be detected by FDG PET. Uptake was correlated with tumor size (p<0.01). The FDG uptake was significantly lower in adenocarcinomas than in squamous cell carcinomas or other NSCLC (p<0.001). The percentages of Glut1- positive area and staining intensity of the tumor were also significantly lower in adenocarcinomas than in squamous cell carcinomas or other NSCLC (p<0.001). Ki-67 labelling indices of the tumor correlated with the percentage of Glut1 intensity and SUVs in NSCLC (p7lt;0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that overexpression of Glut1 and proliferating activity is related to 18F-FDG uptake in NSCLC. Glut1 expression appear to be different among histologic subtypes. Glut1 expression, as well as FDG uptake, is lower in adenocarcinomas than squamous cell carcinomas or other NSCLC.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Positron-Emission Tomography

Benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) is a rare entity, characterized by the occurrence of multiple smooth muscle nodules in the lung with histologically benign leiomyoma. Both the uterine and pulmonary tumors have been found to express estrogen and progesterone receptors, which suggest that the pulmonary lesions represented metastases from leiomyoma. We experienced a 41-year-old female patient with BML and report here with the literature review.
Adult ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Leiomyoma* ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Metastasectomy ; Muscle, Smooth ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Receptors, Progesterone

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors are associated with cutaneous adverse events, including papulopustular eruption, xerosis, paronychia, hair abnormality and mucositis. In particular, acneiform eruptions might serve as the visible markers of anti-tumor activity and the therapeutic efficacy of EGFR inhibitors. OBJECTIVE: Our aims are to investigate the common cutaneous adverse events induced by cetuximab, which is one of the EGFR inhibitors approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and to analyze whether the presence and severity of papulopustular eruptions have a correlation with the tumor response. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and clinical photographs of 114 Korean patients who had been treated with cetuximab at Asan Medical Center from September 2004 to March 2007. Results: Papulopustular eruptions occurred in 100 patients (87.7%) and this usually happened 10 days after starting chemotherapy. There was a tendency that the better the tumor responded to the chemotherapeutic agents including cetuximab, the more severe were the papulopustular eruptions. The papulopustular eruptions prominently improved after the treatment with topical agents such as benzoyl peroxide, metronidazole, clindamycin and retinoid, and with systemic agents such as minocycline and tetracycline, and there was no adverse event induced by this treatment for papulopustular eruptions. Xerosis appeared in 67 patients (58.8%), and there was a tendency that the more severe papulopustular eruptions were, the more frequently xerosis occurred. Paronychia occurred in 8 patients (7.0%). CONCLUSION: Although the cutaneous adverse events are burdensome to the patients, they might serve as visible markers of the anti-tumor activity and therapeutic efficacy of cetuximab and they can be easily and safely controlled with many topical and systemic agents. Therefore, it is important for dermatologists to properly treat these cutaneous adverse events and to reassure the patient to continue with the cetuximab treatment.
Acneiform Eruptions ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Benzoyl Peroxide ; Clindamycin ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Hair ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Metronidazole ; Minocycline ; Mucositis ; Paronychia ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Retrospective Studies ; Tetracycline ; United States Food and Drug Administration ; Cetuximab

The operation for esophageal cancer is both complex and challenging, and may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality compared to other oncologic surgeries. Minimally invasive surgeries have been applied on various kinds of surgery to enhance better recovery with minimal surgical complications. But for the esophageal cancer, it has not been actively applied yet. With improvement in instrumentations and increasing experience with endoscopic surgical techniques, minimally invasive surgical approaches to esophageal cancer are being explored to determine feasibility, results and potential advantages. We experienced eight cases of minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer and report here focusing on surgical techniques and tips.
Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Laparoscopy ; Mortality ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive* ; Thoracoscopy

Hyperuricemia is associated with metabolic syndrome as well as gout, and the prevalence of hyperuricemia is increasing in Korea. This study aimed to compare the nutrient intake and diet quality between hyperuricemia subjects and controls. Of the 28,589 people who participated in a health examination between 2008 and 2011, 9,010 subjects were selected whose 3-day food records were available. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from electronic medical records. Diet quality was evaluated using the food habit score (FHS), nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), and mean adequacy ratio (MAR). The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 13.8% (27.1%, men; 5.2%, women). Body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly higher (p < 0.0001), while high-density cholesterol (p < 0.001) was significantly lower in the hyperuricemia subjects than in the controls. The hyperuricemia subjects had a lower intake of vitamin A (p < 0.004), vitamin C, folate, fiber, and calcium than the controls (p < 0.0001). Intake of vegetables and dairy products was significantly lower, whereas alcohol intake was significantly higher in the hyperuricemia subjects than in the controls ( p < 0.0001). The FHS (p < 0.0001), MAR (p < 0.0001), and NARs for vitamin A (p = 0.01), vitamin B2, vitamin C, folate, and calcium (p < 0.0001) were significantly lower in the hyperuricemia subjects than in the controls. In conclusion, the hyperuricemia subjects reported poorer diet quality than the controls, including higher alcohol intake and lower vegetable and dairy product intake.
Ascorbic Acid ; Body Mass Index ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Dairy Products ; Diet Records ; Diet* ; Electronic Health Records ; Folic Acid ; Food Habits ; Gout ; Humans ; Hyperuricemia* ; Korea* ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Nutritive Value ; Prevalence ; Riboflavin ; Triglycerides ; Uric Acid ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A ; Waist Circumference

Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations for healthcare workers (HCWs) have begun in South Korea. To investigate adverse events (AEs) of the first dose of each vaccine, any symptom was collected daily for seven days after vaccination in a tertiary hospital. We found that 1,301 of 1,403 ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 recipients and 38 of 80 BNT162b2 recipients reported AEs respectively (90.9% vs. 52.5%): injection-site pain (77.7% vs. 51.2%), myalgia (60.5% vs.11.2%), fatigue (50.7% vs. 7.5%), headache (47.4% vs. 7.5%), and fever (36.1% vs. 5%; P < 0.001 for all). Young HCWs reported more AEs with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 than with BNT162b2.No incidences of anaphylaxis were observed. Only one serious AE required hospitalization for serious vomiting, and completely recovered. In conclusion, reported AEs were more common in recipients with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 than in those with BNT162b2. However, most of the reported AEs were mild to moderate in severity. Sufficient explanation and preparation for expected AEs required to promote widespread vaccination.

Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations for healthcare workers (HCWs) have begun in South Korea. To investigate adverse events (AEs) of the first dose of each vaccine, any symptom was collected daily for seven days after vaccination in a tertiary hospital. We found that 1,301 of 1,403 ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 recipients and 38 of 80 BNT162b2 recipients reported AEs respectively (90.9% vs. 52.5%): injection-site pain (77.7% vs. 51.2%), myalgia (60.5% vs.11.2%), fatigue (50.7% vs. 7.5%), headache (47.4% vs. 7.5%), and fever (36.1% vs. 5%; P < 0.001 for all). Young HCWs reported more AEs with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 than with BNT162b2.No incidences of anaphylaxis were observed. Only one serious AE required hospitalization for serious vomiting, and completely recovered. In conclusion, reported AEs were more common in recipients with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 than in those with BNT162b2. However, most of the reported AEs were mild to moderate in severity. Sufficient explanation and preparation for expected AEs required to promote widespread vaccination.