Efficient management of human tissue samples is a critical issue; the supply of samples is unable to satisfy the current demands for research. Lack of informed consent is also an ethical problem. One of the goals of the 2012 revision of Korea's Bioethics and Safety Act was to implement regulations that govern the management of human tissue samples. To remain competitive, medical institutions must prepare for these future changes. In this report, we review two tissue management models that are currently in use; model 1 is the most common system utilized by hospitals in Korea and model 2 is implemented by some of the larger institutions. We also propose three alternative models that offer advantages over the systems currently in use. Model 3 is a multi-bank model that protects the independence of physicians and pathologists. Model 4 utilizes a comprehensive single bioresource bank; although in this case, the pathologists gain control of the samples, which may make it difficult to implement. Model 5, which employs a bioresource utilization steering committee (BUSC), is viable to implement and still maintains the advantages of Model 4. To comply with the upcoming law, we suggest that physicians and pathologists in an institution should collaborate to choose one of the improved models of tissue management system that best fits for their situation.
*Bioethics ; Biomedical Research/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Republic of Korea

In this paper, the authors suggest more effective conditions for human tissue preparation in research hospitals. Because recent genetic and molecular studies have contributed to the rapid development of molecular and genetic medicine, human tissue is now again being considered as a valuable research resource. Basically, high-quality research-oriented tissue bank organizations are a very important part of a research hospital. The current management system for human tissue, however, is not very effective from either legal or practical perspectives. In this article, the authors propose some improvements on the human tissue management system. The laws on human tissue such as the Bioethics and Safety Act should be changed to contain suitable language applying on-site and efficient multi-dimensional information. Informed consent should be an essential requirement before surgery. Pathologists should be supported as the essential manpower of human tissue banks by law. A committee composed of a clinician, researcher, pathologist, information manager, and coordinator should be established to manage human tissue banks in hospitals. The Institutional Review Board should pay more attention to preventing the leakage of the private information of donors, and researchers should know about the review process and guidelines. This suggestion will create a more stable and effective system for the management of human tissue banks, and it will also create a complete and integrated system for research institutions. Therefore, human tissue banks can play an important role in improving research hospitals' competitiveness by providing a valuable collection of material for research.
Bioethics ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Jurisprudence ; Tissue Banks ; Tissue Donors

We report an unusual case of 9.5-cm-sized embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma arose from a mediastinal mature teratoma in a 46-yr-old man. A man presented with chest trauma as a result of an accident at 10 September 2011. On chest X-ray, an anterior mediastinal mass was detected. To obtain further information, chest computed tomography (CT) with contrast enhancement was performed, revealing an anterior mediastinal mass. Complete surgical excision was performed and entire specimen was evaluated. Pathologic diagnosis was embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma arising in mature cystic teratoma. After surgical excision, two cycles of dactinomycin-based chemotherapy were performed. Lung metastasis was detected on follow up CT in September 2012, and wedge resection was performed. Pathological finding of the lung lesion showed same feature with that of primary rhabdomyosarcoma.
Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use ; Dactinomycin/therapeutic use ; Desmin/metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung Neoplasms/radiography/secondary/surgery ; Male ; Mediastinal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal/drug therapy/*radiography/surgery ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal/drug therapy/*radiography/surgery ; Teratoma/*diagnosis/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at a high frequency using a miniaturized device compared to standard rTMS and sham rTMS for the treatment of depression. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with depression were randomly assigned to either 15 days of miniaturized, standard, or sham rTMS. The stimulation consisted of 60 trains of 5 seconds at 10 Hz for 30 minutes. Clinical measures were assessed at baseline and on the final day of the stimulation. RESULTS: A repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of time and a time by group interaction on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores. There were no significant correlations between individual motor thresholds and changes of clinical outcomes. Our results revealed a significant reduction in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression in the miniaturized and standard groups compared to the sham group. CONCLUSION: The antidepressant utility of miniaturized rTMS using subthreshold stimulation was comparable to that of standard stimulation.
Antidepressive Agents ; Depression ; Humans ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate CT and 18F-flurodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography/CT findings of primary endobronchial marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2006 through April 2012, seven patients (six female, one male; age range, 21-61 years; mean age, 49 years) were examined who were pathologically diagnosed with the primary endobronchial marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of BALT. We evaluated the locations and characteristics of the lesions on CT and 18F-FDG-PET/CT scans. The lesions were classified into the following three patterns: 1) solitary intraluminal nodule; 2) several tiny nodular protrusions; and 3) diffuse wall thickening. RESULTS: A solitary intraluminal nodule was observed in four patients (57.1%), several tiny nodular protrusion in two patients (28.6%), and diffuse wall thickening in one patient (14.3%). The lesions were categorized into 3 major locations: confined to the trachea (n = 3), confined to the lobar bronchus (n = 2), and diffuse involvement of the trachea and both main bronchi (n = 2). All lesions demonstrated homogeneous iso-attenuation as compared with muscle on pre- and post-enhancement scans. Secondary findings in the lungs (n = 3; 42.9%) included postobstructive lobar atelectasis (n = 1), air trapping (n = 1), and pneumonia (n = 1). On 18F-FDG-PET/CT (n = 5), 4 lesions showed homogeneous uptake with maximum standardized uptake values (mSUV), ranging 2.3-5.7 (mean mSUV: 3.3). One lesion showed little FDG uptake. CONCLUSION: Primary endobronchial marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the BALT manifests as three distinct patterns on CT, with the solitary intraluminal nodule presenting as the main pattern. Most lesions demonstrate homogeneous but weak FDG uptake on 18F-FDG-PET/CT.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bronchi/pathology ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/diagnostic use ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphoid Tissue/pathology ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/pathology/*radiography/radionuclide imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiopharmaceuticals/diagnostic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/*methods