Osteoclasts (OCs) are clinically important cells that resorb bone matrix. Accelerated bone destruction by OCs is closely linked to the development of metabolic bone diseases. In this study, we screened novel chemical inhibitors targeting OC differentiation to identify drug candidates for metabolic bone diseases. We identified that 1,3-dibenzyl-5-fluorouracil, also named OCI-101, is a novel inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis. The formation of multinucleated OCs is reduced by treatment with OCI-101 in a dose-dependent manner. OCI-101 inhibited the expression of OC markers via downregulation of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand and M-CSF signaling pathways. Finally, we showed that OCI-101 prevents ovariectomy-induced bone loss by suppressing OC differentiation in mice. Hence, these results demonstrated that OCI-101 is a good drug candidate for treating metabolic bone diseases.

Purpose: To assess patient radiation doses during diagnostic and therapeutic neurointerventional procedures from multiple centers and propose dose reference level (RL). Materials and Methods: Consecutive neurointerventional procedures, performed in 22 hospitals from December 2020 to June 2021, were retrospectively studied. We collected data from a sample of 429 diagnostic and 731 therapeutic procedures. Parameters including dose-area product (DAP), cumulative air kerma (CAK), fluoroscopic time (FT), and total number of image frames (NI) were obtained. RL were calculated as the 3rd quartiles of the distribution. Results: Analysis of 1160 procedures from 22 hospitals confirmed the large variability in patient dose for similar procedures. RLs in terms of DAP, CAK, FT, and NI were 101.6 Gy·cm2, 711.3 mGy, 13.3 minutes, and 637 frames for cerebral angiography, 199.9 Gy·cm2, 3,458.7 mGy, 57.3 minutes, and 1,000 frames for aneurysm coiling, 225.1 Gy·cm2, 1,590 mGy, 44.7 minutes, and 800 frames for stroke thrombolysis, 412.3 Gy·cm2, 4,447.8 mGy, 99.3 minutes, and 1,621.3 frames for arteriovenous malformation (AVM) embolization, respectively. For all procedures, the results were comparable to most of those already published. Statistical analysis showed male and presence of procedural complications were significant factors in aneurysmal coiling. Male, number of passages, and procedural combined technique were significant factors in stroke thrombolysis. In AVM embolization, a significantly higher radiation dose was found in the definitive endovascular cure group. Conclusion Various RLs introduced in this study promote the optimization of patient doses in diagnostic and therapeutic interventional neuroradiology procedures. Proposed 3rd quartile DAP (Gy·cm2) values were 101.6 for diagnostic cerebral angiography, 199.9 for aneurysm coiling, 225.1 for stroke thrombolysis, and 412.3 for AVM embolization. Continual evolution of practices and technologies requires regular updates of RLs.

OBJECTIVE: Endometriosis is a common and recurring gynecologic disease which have afflicting females of reproductive age. We investigated the efficacy of long-term, post-operative use of dienogest for ovarian endometrioma. METHODS: We studied 203 patients who had undergone laparoscopic or robotic surgery for ovarian endometrioma, and were administrated dienogest 2 mg/day beginning in July of 2013, and continuing. We evaluated side effects of dienogest and ultrasonography was performed every 6 months to detect potential recurrence of endometrioma (2 cm) in these post-surgical patients. RESULTS: The follow-up observation periods were 30.2±20.9 months from surgery. The mean age was 34.1±7.2 years old. The mean diameter of pre-operative endometrioma was 5.6±3.0 cm2. One hundred eighty-two (89.7%) women received dienogest continuously for 12.0±7.1 months. Of the subjects, 21 (10.3%) patients discontinued dienogest at 2.4±1.0 months. The most common side effect when dienogest was discontinued was abnormal uterine bleeding. The occurrence rate of vaginal bleeding was 15.8%, a number which did not differ significantly in patients with/without post-operative gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist administration. The other side effects were gastrointestinal trouble including constipation, acne, headache, depression, hot flush, weight gain, and edema. However, no serious adverse events or side effects were documented and recurrent endometriomas were diagnosed in 3 patients (1.5%). CONCLUSION: The data indicates that dienogest was both tolerable and safe for long-term use as prophylaxis in an effort to obviate the recurrence of ovarian endometrioma post-operatively, as well as potential need for surgical re-intervention.
Acne Vulgaris ; Constipation ; Depression ; Edema ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Headache ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Ultrasonography ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Weight Gain

The Korean Society of Nephrology participated in the task force team consisting of government authorities and civilian experts to prevent and control the spread of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2015. The Korean Society of Nephrology MERS Task Force Team took an immediate action and drafted ‘the clinical recommendation for hemodialysis facilities’ to follow when the first and the only confirmed case was reported in the hemodialysis unit. Owing to the dedicated support from medical doctors, dialysis nurses, and related medical companies, we could prevent further transmission of MERS infection successfully in hemodialysis units. This special report describes the experience of infection control during MERS outbreak in 2015 and summarizes the contents of ‘the clinical practice guideline for hemodialysis facilities dealing with MERS patients’ built upon our previous experience.
Advisory Committees ; Coronavirus Infections* ; Dialysis ; Infection Control ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; Middle East* ; Nephrology ; Quarantine ; Renal Dialysis*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate efficacy and toxicity of irinotecan, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFIRI) as second-line treatment after failure of oxaliplatin, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFOX) for advanced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who received modified FOLFOX-4 as first-line treatment and then received sequential modified FOLFIRI for disease progression were included in this study. The modified FOLFIRI regimen consisted of irinotecan 150 mg/m2 in a 90-minute intravenous infusion on day 1, leucovorin (LV) 20 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 400 mg/m2 as a bolus followed by 600 mg/m2 as a 22-hour infusion on days 1 and 2 with the same dose of 5-FU/LV of modified FOLFOX-4 every 2 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients received 126 courses of FOLFIRI chemotherapy. No complete response was achieved. Three patients (9.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0 to 20.1%) achieved partial response, whereas 11 (34.4%; 95% CI, 17.0 to 51.8%) patients showed stable disease. Disease control rate (complete response, partial responses and stable diseases) was 43.8% (95% CI, 25.6 to 61.9%) and median follow up duration was 11.3 months (range, 2.23 to 37.9 months). Median time to progression was 2 months (95% CI, 1.49 to 2.51 months), and median overall survival from the start of FOLFIRI was 5.84 months (95% CI, 4.34 to 7.34 months). Toxicities were tolerable. CONCLUSION: Modified FOLFIRI as second-line chemotherapy after failure of the modified FOLFOX-4 in advanced gastric cancer was tolerable but showed a lower response rate. Further study about retrying 5-FU/LV with irinotecan after failure of the 5-FU/LV combined regimen is necessary in advanced gastric cancer.
Camptothecin ; Disease Progression ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Leucovorin ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate efficacy and toxicity of irinotecan, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFIRI) as second-line treatment after failure of oxaliplatin, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFOX) for advanced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who received modified FOLFOX-4 as first-line treatment and then received sequential modified FOLFIRI for disease progression were included in this study. The modified FOLFIRI regimen consisted of irinotecan 150 mg/m2 in a 90-minute intravenous infusion on day 1, leucovorin (LV) 20 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 400 mg/m2 as a bolus followed by 600 mg/m2 as a 22-hour infusion on days 1 and 2 with the same dose of 5-FU/LV of modified FOLFOX-4 every 2 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients received 126 courses of FOLFIRI chemotherapy. No complete response was achieved. Three patients (9.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0 to 20.1%) achieved partial response, whereas 11 (34.4%; 95% CI, 17.0 to 51.8%) patients showed stable disease. Disease control rate (complete response, partial responses and stable diseases) was 43.8% (95% CI, 25.6 to 61.9%) and median follow up duration was 11.3 months (range, 2.23 to 37.9 months). Median time to progression was 2 months (95% CI, 1.49 to 2.51 months), and median overall survival from the start of FOLFIRI was 5.84 months (95% CI, 4.34 to 7.34 months). Toxicities were tolerable. CONCLUSION: Modified FOLFIRI as second-line chemotherapy after failure of the modified FOLFOX-4 in advanced gastric cancer was tolerable but showed a lower response rate. Further study about retrying 5-FU/LV with irinotecan after failure of the 5-FU/LV combined regimen is necessary in advanced gastric cancer.
Camptothecin ; Disease Progression ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Leucovorin ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The treadmill exercise test (TMT) is used as a first-line test for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the findings of a TMT can be inconclusive, such as incomplete or equivocal results. Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) is known to be a good predictor of CAD. We determined the usefulness of assessing AVS on 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiography for making the diagnosis of CAD in patients with inconclusive results on a TMT. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective study involved 165 consecutive patients who underwent a TMT that resulted in inconclusive findings, 2D echocardiography to detect AVS, and coronary angiography to detect CAD. Following echocardiography, AVS was classified as none, mild, or severe. CAD was defined as > or =70% narrowing of the luminal diameter on coronary angiography. RESULTS: CAD was more common in patients with AVS than in patients without AVS (75% vs. 47%, respectively, p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that AVS was the only independent predictor of CAD {odds ratio=8.576; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.739-19.672}. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the presence of AVS for predicting CAD in a patient with an inconclusive TMT were 62%, 67%, 64%, 75%, and 53%, respectively. During a 1-year clinical follow-up, patients with and without AVS were similar in terms of event-free survival rates. CONCLUSION: If the results of TMT for patients with chest pain on exertion are inconclusive, the presence of AVS on echocardiography is a good predictor of CAD.
Aortic Valve ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Disease-Free Survival ; Echocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Phenobarbital ; Prospective Studies ; Sclerosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) has recently become one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in Korea. However, not much epidemiologic and demographic data has yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features as well as the prognostic factors of patients with CAD. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 1,665 consecutive patients with CAD who had been admitted to the Catholic University Hospitals from December 1999 to April 2003. RESULTS: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was the most common cause of admission (n=715, 42.9%). Dyslipidemia, hypertension and smoking were the most common risk factors. More than 70% of the patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) received stent implantation. A total of 965 (612 males) patients were followed at least for 6 months (the mean follow-up duration was 23.8+/-12.2 months). The incidence rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE: cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization) and cardiac death were 15.1% (n=146) and 2.2% (n=21), respectively. There was no difference in overall survival between the patients treated with medical therapy and those treated with PCI. By Cox regression analysis, the independent prognostic factors for MACE were PCI (95% CI: 1.75-4.85; p<0.01) and multivessel disease (95% CI: 1.03-2.04; p<0.05), and the independent prognostic factors for cardiac death were medical therapy (95% CI: 1.08-14.41; p<0.05) and old age (95% CI: 1.13-16.13; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in overall survival between the patients treated with medical therapy and those treated with PCI. However, PCI was superior to medical therapy for preventing death of the patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Death ; Dyslipidemias ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stents

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow* ; Fibrosis* ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive* ; Mesylates* ; Imatinib Mesylate

PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiographic and CT findings of pulmonary complications other than pulmonary edema arising from renal transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 393 patients who had undergone renal transplantation at our hospital during a previous ten-year period, 23 with pulmonary complications other than pulmonary edema were included in this study. The complications involved were infection caused by CMV (n=6), bacteria (n=4), fungus (n=4), tuberculosis (n=2), varicella (n=1) or chlamydia (n=1), and malignancy involving lung cancer (n=4) or Kaposi's sarcoma (n=1). Two chest radiologists reviewed all images. RESULTS: The complications manifesting mainly as pulmonary nodules were lung cancer(4/4), tuberculosis (1/2), and Kaposi's sarcoma(1/1). Pulmonary consolidation was a main feature in bacterial infection(4/4), fungal infection(3/4), tuberculosis(1/2), chlamydial infection(1/1), and varicellar pneumonia(1/1). Ground-glass attenuation was a main CT feature in CMV pneumonia(4/6), and increased interstitial marking was a predominant radiographic feature in CMV pneumonia(2/6). CONCLUSION: The main radiologic features described above can be helpful for differential diagnosis of the pulmonary complications of renal transplantation.
Bacteria ; Chickenpox ; Chlamydia ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fungi ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Pulmonary Edema ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis