OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether polymorphism of Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is associated with the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Korean women. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-six PCOS patients and eighty four controls were enrolled. Blood samples were collected from the patients diagnosed according to the 2003 revised criteria of the Rotterdam ESHRE/ASRM-sponsored PCOS consensus workshop group. Age matched women with regular menstruation from same geographic region were recruited as control subject. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of PCR products were done to determine all individuals' genotype. RESULTS: In women with COMT(LL) genotype, there was decreased PCOS risk and this difference was statistically significant (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.11~0.51). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the COMT(LL) genetic polymorphism might be associated with PCOS risk in Korean women.
Catechol O-Methyltransferase ; Consensus Development Conferences as Topic ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

PURPOSE: For the purpose of quality assurance of self-developed stereotactic radiosurgery system, a multi-purpose phantom was fabricated, and accuracy of radiation dose distribution during radiosurgery was measured using this phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A farmer chamber, a 0.125 cc ion chamber and a diode detector were used for the dosimetry. Six MV x-ray from a linear accelerator (CL2100C, Varian) with stereotactic radiosurgery technique (Green Knife) was used, and multi-purpose phantom was attached to a stereotactic frame (Fisher type). Dosimetry was done by combinations of locations of the detectors in the phantom, fixed or arc beams, gantry angles (20 ~100 ), and size of the circular tertiary collimators (inner diameters of 10 degrees~40 degrees mm). RESULTS: The measurement error was less than 0.5% by Farmer chamber, 0.5% for 0.125 cc ion chamber, and less than 2% for diode detector for the fixed beam, single arc beam, and 5-arc beam setup. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the accuracy of dose distribution with the radiosurgery system developed in our institute and the data from this study would be able to be effectively used for the improvement of quality assurance of stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy system.
Particle Accelerators ; Radiosurgery* ; Radiotherapy

PURPOSE: To confirm the accuracy of the radiation dose at the isocenter by the standard linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery technique which was developed at Seoul National University Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiation dosimetry was undertaken during standard 5-arc radiosurgery using 6 MV X-ray beam from CL2100C linac. The treatment head was attached with circular tertiary collimators of 10 and 20 mm diameter. We measured the absorbed dose at the isocenter of a multi-purpose phantom using two kinds of detector : a 0.125 cc ionization chamber and a silicon diode detector. RESULTS: The dose differences at each arc plane between the planned dose and the measured dose at the isocenter raged from -0.73% to -2.69% with the 0.125 cc ion chamber, and from -1.29% to -2.91% with the diode detector during radiosurgery with the tertiary collimator of 20 mm diameter. Those with the 10-mm tertiary collimator ranged from -2.39% to -4.25% with the diode. CONCLUSION: The dose accuracy at the isocenter was +/-3%. Therefore, further efforts such as modification in processing of the archived image through DICOM3.0 format are required to lessen the dose difference.
Head ; Radiometry ; Radiosurgery* ; Rage ; Seoul* ; Silicon