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The ambiguity performance related to the image quality of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system can be categorized into range ambiguity, azimuth ambiguity, and cross ambiguity depending on the cause of the ambiguity signals. The ambiguity performance is affected by the operational method and antenna radiation patterns of an SAR system. In this paper, the effect of the antenna cross-polarization (cross-pol) pattern on the ambiguity performance of a spaceborne quadrature polarimetric (quad-pol) SAR system using an X-band reflector antenna was analyzed. Two methods, conventional quad-pol SAR and hybrid quad-pol SAR systems, have been proposed as quad-pol SAR operational concepts for system performance analysis. We proposed a process to effectively analyze the effect of the antenna cross-pol pattern and showed this through a comparison of several analysis methods. In addition, the difference in antenna radiation patterns according to the size and structure of reflector antennas was compared, and the effects were described in detail. In conclusion, the larger the antenna and the more complex the structure, the greater the effect of the antenna cross-pol pattern, leading to a similar phenomenon as the two quad-pol SAR systems.

Purpose The aim of this study was to conduct epidemiologic investigations on the pattern of the lesion and differences between treatment modalities in terms of recurrence by reviewing follow-up records to form a basis for planning patient follow-up visits. Materials and methods In this retrospective, single-center cohort study, 266 patients diagnosed with odontogenic keratocyst between 1993 and 2013 were included. Medical records and radiographic images were analyzed for age distribution, occurrence site and size, treatment modalities, and recurrence. Results The average age at first diagnosis was 33.1 years, and the male to female ratio was 1.33:1.00. The highest rate of incidence was in the third decade followed by the fourth, second, and fifth decades. The incidence in the maxilla was 34%, and 66% in the mandible. Mandibular ramus was most commonly involved. Lesions between 3 and 6 crowns were the most common, and the rate of recurrence increased with size. Enucleation after decompression had higher rate of recurrence (35.8%) than enucleation (27.1%), but there was no statistical significance. Conclusion The recurrence of odontogenic kerotocyst (OKC) was significantly associated with large size, multilocular form, and surgical procedure. A 10-year follow-up period is recommended to determine any recurrence of OKC.

The performance of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) antenna determines the quality of images obtained from the spaceborne SAR system, and thus, SAR antenna should be designed to satisfy the target performance of SAR system. The performance indicators of a SAR system, such as ambiguity-to-signal ratio and resolution, also depend on the SAR operation mode. Therefore, it is important to consider the operation mode when designing an SAR antenna. In this paper, we analyzed the SAR antenna’s effect on ScanSAR (scanning synthetic aperture radar) which is a representative wide-swath mode and its quadrature-polarimetric (quad-pol) mode. In addition, we confirmed that the optimal reflector antenna for the C-band quad-pol ScanSAR system can be designed by analyzing the relation between the antenna size and the system performance.

BACKGROUND In cases of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) failure, re-biopsy may be useful to understand resistance mechanisms and guide further treatment decisions. However, performing re-biopsy is challenging because of several hurdles. We assessed the feasibility of re-biopsy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in real-world clinical practice. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and pathologic data of advanced NSCLC patients who experienced disease progression after previous treatment with EGFR-TKIs at a single tertiary hospital in Korea between January 2014 and December 2016. Re-biopsy specimens included small biopsy, surgical tissue, or liquid-based cytology. EGFR mutation was tested using peptide nucleic acid-mediated clamping PCR. RESULTS Of the 230 NSCLC patients that experienced progression after EGFR-TKI therapy, 105 (45.7%) underwent re-biopsy. Re-biopsy was successfully performed in 94 (89.5%) patients, and 11 patients were diagnosed with no malignancy. The complication rate was 8.6%, including seven cases of pneumothorax. EGFR mutation testing was performed on 75 patients using re-biopsy specimens. Of the 57 patients who had sensitizing mutations at diagnosis, T790M mutations were found in 19 (33.3%), while 38 (66.7%) had no T790M mutation. Multivariate analysis showed that the re-biopsy group was younger (P = 0.002) and exhibited a previous response to EGFR-TKIs (P

BACKGROUND Progastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP) is a recently identified biomarker of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We evaluated the usefulness of plasma proGRP level as a tumor marker for diagnosis and treatment monitoring in patients with SCLC. METHODS Plasma samples were collected prospectively from 452 [212 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 105 SCLC, and 135 other diseases] patients who visited the hospital for tissue diagnosis. Plasma proGRP levels were measured using a two-step automated immunoassay. RESULTS The median proGRP level was significantly higher in patients with SCLC (892.7 pg/mL) than those with NSCLC (32.6 pg/mL, P

A financial institution operated by cooperatives, abiding by the principle set by the cooperative federation, is comprised of a numerous financial institutions. Most of these small institutions are operated within local areas, providing financial services for coop members. The Financial Supervisory Regulations that supervises security professionals, organizations, and budgets are established entirely based on commercial banks in which the application of these regulations on coop financial institutions may not be proper. This paper aims to provide an efficient IT security policy for nation-wide financial institutions operated by the Cooperative Federation by analyzing its security personnel managements and adequacy.

Among two tracheobronchial forms (local and diffuse) and two parenchymal forms (nodular and alveolar septal) that were reported in previous literature, localized endobronchial amyloidosis is an uncommon disease of unknown cause. Bronchial amyloid deposits can occur as focal nodules or multifocal infiltration of the submucosa. We report the case of a 47-year-old man who had complained of dyspnea and wheezing for 1 month and who had been treated for severe asthma at another hospital. Endobronchial amyloidosis was confirmed by histological examination of the bronchial biopsies.

Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) is a rare benign neoplasm that predominantly affects middle‐aged Asian women. PSP is often asymptomatic and demonstrates a solitary pulmonary nodule on radiologic examination. We report a case of PSP initially misdiagnosed as lung cancer because of strong 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake revealed by 18F‐FDG positron emission tomography‐computed tomography scan. After surgery, pathology revealed that the tumor cells were immunopositive for epithelial membrane antigen and thyroid transcription factor‐1. The patient has been followed up without complication or recurrence.

We validated the diagnostic performance of a previously developed blood-based 7-protein biomarker panel, AptoDetect™-Lung (Aptamer Sciences Inc., Pohang, Korea) using modified aptamer-based proteomic technology for lung cancer detection. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 200 patients and benign nodule controls, 200 participants were enrolled. In a high-risk population corresponding to ≥ 55 years of age and ≥ 30 pack-years, the diagnostic performance was improved, showing 73.3% sensitivity and 90.5% specificity with an area under the curve of 0.88. AptoDetect™-Lung (Aptamer Sciences Inc.) offers the best validated performance to discriminate NSCLC from benign nodule controls in a high-risk population and could play a complementary role in lung cancer screening., Graphical Abstract

Malignant melanoma is a neoplasm that arises from melanocytes or melanocytic lesion. It occurs on oral mucosa as a primary lesion or as a metastatic lesion from other organs. It usually metastasizes to the lymph node, lung, and brain. Metastatic melanoma primarily arising from other organs and spreading to the mandible is very rare so its treatment modality is not established yet. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy are applied in various ways but survival rate is still low. General condition of the patient, age, site and number of metastasis, and patient's will to treat must be considered when treating complicated patients. We report a case of metastatic malignant melanoma which primarily arose from the left great toe and metastasized to mandible and a review of previous reports and recent treatment modalities of metastatic melanoma.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) mutation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an oncogenic driver that possibly becomes a druggable target to HER2-targeted therapy. The benefit of HER2-targeted therapy is much less defined especially in eastern populations. We provide evidence of clinical benefit of afatinib in a 50-year-old Asian woman with HER2-mutant NSCLC who previously failed cytotoxic chemotherapy and gefitinib treatment. Next-generation sequencing of the tumor tissue revealed a HER2 exon 20 mutation (c.2437A>G), which has never been reported. The patient was treated with afatinib for more than four months. She showed rapid radiologic response within a month, and maintained stable state until the last dose of afatinib., Graphical Abstract

Background: For patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV), weaning is difficult and mortality is very high. PMV has been defined recently, by consensus, as constituting ≥21 consecutive days of mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥6 hours per day. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical factors predicting weaning failure in patients undergoing PMV in medical intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and laboratory characteristics of 127 patients who received MV for more than 21 days in the medical ICU at Chonnam National University Hospital in South Korea between January 2005 and December 2014. Patients who underwent surgery or experienced trauma were excluded from this study. Results: Among the 127 patients requiring PMV, 41 (32.3%) were successfully weaned from MV. The median age of the weaning failure group was higher than that of the weaning success group (74.0 vs . 70.0 years; P=0.003). The proportion of male patients was 58.5% in the weaning success group and 72.1% in the weaning failure group, respectively. The most common reasons for ICU admission were respiratory causes (66.1%) followed by cardiovascular causes (16.5%) in both groups. ICU mortality and in-hospital mortality rates were 55.1% and 55.9%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, respiratory causes of ICU admission [odds ratio (OR), 3.98; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29–12.30; P=0.016] and a high sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score on day 21 of MV (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.17–1.85; P=0.001) were significantly associated with weaning failure in patients requiring PMV. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the SOFA score on day 21 of MV for predicting weaning failure was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.67–0.87; P=0.000). Conclusions: Respiratory causes of ICU admission and a high SOFA score on day 21 of MV could be predictive of weaning failure in patients requiring PMV.

Chlorine-containing bleach can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and chemical burns. However, simultaneous occurrence of the two conditions caused by this agent is very rare. We describe the case of a 74-year-old female who presented with shortness of breath and hemoptysis following accidental exposure to chlorine-containing bleach. She had second- to third-degree chemical burns on both buttocks and thighs, and received mechanical ventilation because of the development of ARDS. Mechanical ventilation was discontinued on day 6 of hospitalization because of the rapid improvement of hypoxemia, and the patient was transferred to another hospital for further management of the chemical burns on day 18.

The aim of this report is to evaluate accuracy using3D surgical simulationand digitally printedwafer in orthognathic surgery. 22-year-old female was diagnosed with mandibular prognathism and apertognathia based on 3D diagnosis using CT. Digital dentition images were taken by laser scanning from dental cast, and each STL images were integrated into one virtual skull using simulation software. Digitalized intermediate wafer was manufactured using CAD/CAM software and 3D printer, and used to move maxillary segment in real patient. Constructed virtual skull from 1 month postoperative CT scan was superimposedinto simulated virtual model to reveal accuracy. Almost maxillo-mandibular landmarks were placed in simulated position within 1 mm differences except right coronoid process. Thus 3D diagnosis, surgical simulation, and digitalized wafer could be useful method to orthognathic surgery in terms of accuracy.

Background Identification and understanding of the pathogens responsible for pleural infection is critical for appropriate antibiotic treatment. This study sought to determine the microbiological characteristics of pleural infection and to identify potential predictive factors associated with mortality. Methods In this retrospective study, we analyzed patient data from 421 cases of parapneumonic effusion. A total of 184 microorganisms were isolated from 164 patients, using two culture systems: a standard method and a method using pairs of aerobic and anaerobic blood culture bottles. Results The most frequently isolated microorganisms were streptococci (31.5%), followed by staphylococci (23.4%), gram-negative bacteria (18.5%) and anaerobes (10.3%). Streptococci were the main microorganisms found in standard culture (41.9%) and community-acquired infections (52.2%), and were susceptible to all antimicrobial agents in drug sensitivity testing. Staphylococci were the most frequently isolated pathogens in blood cultures (30.8%) and hospital-acquired infections (38.3%), and were primarily multidrug-resistant (61.8%). In multivariate analysis, the following were significant predictive factors for 30-day mortality among the total population: CURB-65 ≥ 2 (aOR 5.549, 95% CI 2.296–13.407, p

Background Since the introduction of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) of mediastinal lymph nodes, the incidence of histopathologically-confirmed sarcoidosis has increased. Methods The electronic medical records of Chonnam National University (CNU) Hospital and CNU Hwasun Hospital (CNUHH) were searched for confirmed cases of sarcoidosis diagnosed between 1996 and 2014. Cases were selected using a combination of clinical, radiological, and pathological evidence. Of 115 cases with the relevant disease codes, 16 cases were excluded, as they had not been confirmed pathologically or had no definitive clinical features of sarcoidosis. Results Among 99 cases of confirmed sarcoidosis, only nine patients were diagnosed with sarcoidosis before 2008; the rest were diagnosed from 2008 onward, after the introduction of EBUS-TBNA. EBUS-TBNA was used in 75.8% of patients, open surgical biopsy in 13.2%, and mediastinoscopic biopsy in 5.1%. At the time of diagnosis, 42.4% of sarcoidosis cases were at stage I, 55.6% at stage II, and 2% at stage III. Spontaneous remission of sarcoidosis was observed in 33.3% of cases, and stable disease in 37.4%; systemic steroid treatment was initiated in 23.2% of cases. Of the patients treated with systemic steroids, 69.6% showed improvement. The median duration of steroid treatment was 5 months. Conclusion Following the introduction of EBUS-TBNA, the number of newly diagnosed sarcoidosis patients has increased. Clinical features of sarcoidosis were similar to those previously reported. Spontaneous remission occurred in about one-third of patients, while one-fourth of patients required systemic steroid treatment.

Background Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation is a reliable predictive factor for response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The quantified EGFR value may also predict response and survival within an EGFR mutated group. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 836 lung cancer patients. The patient sample was divided into two groups based on the mean delta cycle threshold (∆Ct) value. EGFR mutation tests using peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-mediated clamping polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. The efficiency of PCR clamping was determined by measuring the Ct value and EGFR quantification was determined by the corrected ∆Ct value. Results EGFR mutation positivity was 30.1% and there were 235 single activating mutations. In this mutation group, the higher corrected ∆Ct value (≥ mean value) group showed better objective response (70.9% vs. 54.9%, P = 0.022) and clinical benefit rates (86.4% vs. 68.3%, P = 0.003) than the lower group. In addition, corrected ∆Ct values were significantly and inversely correlated with disease response (r = −0.184, P = 0.017). In multivariate analysis, both female gender (P = 0.014) and higher corrected ΔCt value (P = 0.012) were independent predictive factors for better clinical benefit rate. The higher corrected ΔCt value group had a tendency for longer progression-free survival than the lower group (P = 0.050). Conclusion The corrected ∆Ct value, which refers to EGFR quantification by PNA-mediated PCR clamping, can predict better clinical response to EGFR-TKI therapy. However, further study is warranted to determine its value as a biomarker to reflect survival.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are well known predictive marker of targeted therapy. We compared the sensitivity of EGFR mutation detection techniques between matched achival lung cancer tissue and peripheral blood sample. Methods: We collected the paired samples from plasma and paraffin-embedded tumor tissue obtained before EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). DNA extraction was performed using the QIAamp MinElute virus spin kit and EGFR mutation analysis was done by two detection methods. The current standard test is the PNAClampTM (Clamp) which is the PNA-based PCR clamping that selectively amplifies only the mutated target DNA sequence. The new technique is the PANAMutyperTM EGFR test (Mutyper), which use PNA clamping-assisted fluorescence melting curve analysis. Results: A total of 295 (188 male and 107 female) patients were analyzed in this study. The histologic types were composed of 258 adenocarcinoma, 22 squamous cell carcinoma and 15 others. Most were clinical stage IV (137, 46.4%) and the EGFR mutation rate of tissue sample by standard Clamp test was 25.7%. Plasma sensitivity was significantly higher in Mutyper than Clamp (71.2% vs. 30.0%, p Conclusions: Mutyper was useful liquid biopsy technique with better sensitivity than standard Clamp test. Citation Format: In-Jae Oh, Hyeong-Won Seo, Hyun-Ju Cho, Ha-Young Park, Bo-Gun Kho, Jin-Sun Chang, Tae-Ok Kim, Hong-Jun Shin, Cheol Kyu Park, Jung-Hwan Lim, Yong-Soo Kwon, Yu-Il Kim, Sung-Chul Lim, Young-Chul Kim, Yoo-Duk Choi. Detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations from circulating tumor DNA versus archival tissue of lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5589.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of shear-wave elastography using breast ultrasonography in identifying metastasis of removed sentinel lymph nodes during the operation for treatment of breast cancer. Background: Conventional method for identification of sentinel nodal metastasis is time and cost consuming. The optimal method for identification of nodal status is important. Methods: Excised sentinel lymph nodes during the operation were prospectively examined with the elastography. Metastatic status of lymph nodes was confirmed with permanent histology. Only macrometastasis was regarded as positive. Elastic values measured by the ex vivo elastography and nodal characteristics were analyzed to correlate with nodal metastasis. Results: A total of 274 lymph nodes harvested from 68 breast cancer patients at Gangnam Severance Hospital from May 2014 to April 2015 were included this study. There was the difference of elastic values between nodes with and without metastasis (mean stiffness, 41.6 kPa and 17.4 kPa, P < 0.001). Mean sizes of metastatic nodes (range 0.36-2.59 cm) were significantly larger than that of non-metastatic nodes (1.0 cm versus 0.75 cm, P < 0.001). Moreover, there was a correlation between the size of metastatic nodes which ranged from 0.7 to 21.5 mm with a median of 7 mm and nodal stiffness (correlation coefficient of mean stiffness, r = 0.431). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) by the mean stiffness was 0.794. The combination of size of nodes, mean stiffness and ratio made AUC of 0.856. Conclusions: In our study, ex vivo shear-wave elastography of sentinel lymph nodes was a feasible method to predict metastasis. Through the validation study, ex vivo elastography could be helpful to determine metastasis of sentinel lymph nodes during the operation. Keywords Breast cancer; Elastography; Lymph node metastasis. Citation Format: Lim JW, Lee HW, Park JT, Ahn SG, Jung J. Ex vivo shear-wave elastography of axillary lymph nodes predicting nodal metastasis in patients with primary breast cancer: A pilot study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-01-36.

m u r t ( s a s D b m w ibrous dysplasia of the jaw causes painless swelling and isplacement of teeth, which results in facial asymmetry that auses distress to some patients. This can usually be remedied y resection. However, in some cases total resection of an xtensive lesion is not possible, and partial resection is the nly reasonable way to restore a symmetrical appearance.1 In unilateral fibrous dysplasia it is difficult to obtain an aeshetically pleasing result because the margin is unspecified, o navigation devices and software programs for simulation ave been used.2,3 Unfortunately, simulation is not real, and avigation devices are expensive, so we used stereolithoraphy to create a surgical guide. This has already been ntroduced for complete resections, and can provide tactile ense to surgeons.4 We then used the surgical guide on a atient with unilateral fibrous dysplasia to make the appearnce symmetrical after a partial resection. The patient presented in June 2013 with facial asymmetry, hich was obvious on the preoperative 3-dimensisonal view

Objectives To evaluate the results of elective neck dissection versus those of observation in the treatment of early stage oral squamous cell carcinoma and to identify factors related to recurrence and survival. Materials and methods This was a retrospective study of 52 patients who underwent elective neck dissection and 27 who did not receive neck dissection. Results In survival analyses, elective neck dissection showed a benefit in overall recurrence (P=0.027), especially in stage I patients (P=0.024). With regard to survival, the benefit was statistically insignificant (P=0.990). In multivariable analysis, overall recurrence was independently related to poor histologic grade (odds ratio [OR]=9.65, P=0.006), and cancer-specific death was independently related to advanced age (OR=6.3, P=0.022), higher clinical T stage (OR=15.2, P=0.01), and poorly differentiated histologic grade (OR=6.6, P=0.025). Conclusion Though there was lower recurrence in the elective neck dissection group, there were no statistically significant results on survival. The characteristics of the tumor itself, such as clinical T stage and poor histologic grade, may be more important in cancer-specific survival.

This paper proposes a modeling technique which is able to not only reliably and easily represent the hysteretic characteristics but also analyze the dynamic stress of a taper leaf spring. The flexible multi-body dynamic model of the taper leaf spring is developed by interfacing the finite element model and computation model of the taper leaf spring. Rigid dummy parts are attached at the places where a finite element leaf model is in contact with an adjacent one in order to apply contact model. Friction is defined in the contact model to represent the hysteretic phenomenon of the taper leaf spring. The test of the taper leaf spring is conducted for the validation of the reliability of the flexible multi-body dynamic model of the taper leaf spring developed in this paper. The test is started at an unloaded state with the excitation amplitude of 1–2 mm/sec and frequency of 132 mm. First, the simulation is conducted with the same condition as the test. Then, the simulations are conducted with various amplitudes in a loaded state. The hysteretic diagram from the test is compared with the ones from the simulation for the validation of the reliability of the model. The dynamic stress analysis of the taper leaf spring is also conducted with the developed flexible multi-body dynamic model under a dynamic loading condition.

We have transmitted 4/spl times/10 Gb/s channels over 1.2 km free space with the 1OO GHz channel spacing. Focusing the transmitted beam into the single-mode fiber, we could use conventional devices including an EDFA at the receiver.

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML) is a rare disorder characterized by a nonneoplastic proliferation of distinctive histiocyte cells within lymph node sinuses and lymphatics in extranodal sites. SHML occurs worldwide and is primarily a disease of childhood and early adulthood. A 26-yr-old man presented with painless palpable lymph node in cervical area. Radiographic studies revealed pleural effusion with lymphadenopathy and calcification in mediastinum. The cervical lymph node biopsy showed dilated sinuses filled with histiocytes with clear cytoplasm. The cells stained positive with CD68 and S-100. These cytologic and immunohistochemical findings were considered consistent with the diagnosis of SHML.

폐흡충증은 예전에 비해서 발생 빈도가 감소 하였으나, 현재도 산발적으로 발생하고 있다. 폐흡충증은 민물 게나 민물 가재 등의 섭취력이 있고, 혈액검사상 호산구 증가증이 있는 경우 의심을 해보아야 한다. 객담이나 대변 검사상 충란을 발견할 경우 폐흡충증을 진단할 수 있으나 실제로 발견되는 경우는 40% 미만이므로 폐흡충증이 의심된다면 방사선학적 및 혈청학적 방법에 의해 폐흡충증을 확인하는 것이 필요하다. 치료로는 praziquantel 25 mg/kg씩 1일 3회, 이틀간 투여하는 1회 치료 과정으로 비교적 좋은 예후를 보인다. 그러나 본 증례처럼 1회 치료로 불충분하여 재발하는 경우가 있으므로 치료 후에도 정기적인 추적 관찰이 필요하겠다. 또한 재발 및 재치료율을 낮추기 위한 연구와 재발 환자의 치료 기간 정립이 필요할 것으로 생각된다. 저자들은 좌측 흉수를 주소로 내원하여 폐흡충에 의한 흉수로 진단 받은 35세 환자에서 praziquantel25 mg/kg씩 1일 3회, 2일간 투여하여 호전 보였으나, 이후에 3차례나 재발하여 총 4차례 치료 과정을 반복하여 호전된 증례를 경험하였기에 문헌과 함께 보고하는 바이다.

A sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disorder that has a predilection for pulmonary involvement, and the common radiological findings for the disease are bilateral nodular or reticulonodular patterns. Pseudoalveolar sarcoidosis is a rare presentation of sarcoidosis. The radiological finding is an alveolar pattern that involves or compresses the alveoli by clustered interstitial granuloma. A 58-year-old man was admitted due to incidental findings of a unilateral consolidative lesion as seen on chest radiography. A chest computed tomography (CT) examination showed multiple bronchoalveolar consolidations that were suspicious of a malignancy. However, a percutaneous needle biopsy revealed non-caseating granuloma with an asteroid body that was compatible with sarcoidosis. After one month, the consolidative lesions improved without any treatment. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2008;64:149-152)

유육종증의 비강 침범은 드물게 발견되며 폐 침범 없이 비강만 단독으로 침범하는 경우는 더욱 드물게 보고되고 있다. 37세의 여자 환자가 콧물과 비강 폐색을 주소로 내원하였다. 비강 종괴의 조직 검사상 일부분에서 괴사를 동반한 비건락성 육아종으로 나와 폐외 결핵으로 생각하고 9개월간 항결핵제의 투약을 하였다. 그러나 항결핵제 투약 완료 후에 결막 종괴 및 많은 수의 흉곽 내 림프절 비대가 새로이 발견되었고, 결막 종괴에서 시행한 조직 검사상 비강 종괴와 동일한 양상의 비건락성 육아종이 발견되었다. 항결핵제 투약에도 불구하고 임상 증상의 호전이 없었고 비강과 결막 조직 검사에서 비건락성 육아종 소견이 동일하게 보여 최종적으로 유육종증으로 진단 할 수 있었다. 혈청 안지오텐신 전환효소 수치는 상승되어 있었다. 부신피질 호르몬 투여 이후 환자의 증상은 점차 개선되었다. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2008;65:121-124)

Wegener’s granulomatosis is a disease with an unknown etiology that is characterized by necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis involving the upper and lower respiratory tract and the kidneys. The typical pulmonary findings are bilaterally involved multiple variable sized nodules. We report a case of Wegener’s granulomatosis that presented as a single lung mass. A male patient presented with a nasal obstruction, arthralgia, cough, and intermittent dyspne a. The chest radiograph showed a mass, approximately 4.5 cm in diameter, in the right lower lobe. Lung cancer or tuberculosis was initially considered. However, the clinical, laboratory and pathological findings of the mass indicated Wegener’s granulomatosis. The patient was administered prednisolone and cyclophosphamide, and improved temporarily. Unfortunately, the immunocompromised patient expired as a result of respiratory failure with pneumonia. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2007; 63: 88-93)

Recently, intra-Muscular Stimulation (IMS) therapy is being increasingly used for musculoskeletal pain. This procedure is generally regarded as a safe procedure for the general public. Some cases of iatrogenic pneumothorax caused by acupuncture have been reported in the medical literature. However, a case of an IMS therapy associated pneumothorax has not reported. We experienced two cases of iatrogenic pneumothorax after IMS therapy. A 62 year-old man received IMS therapy on the right shoulder due to posterior neck pain. After IMS therapy, acute dyspnea and chest discomfort developed. The other patient was a 74 year-old woman who also received IMS therapy. This patient experienced a nonproductive cough and acute dyspnea after the treatment. As the popularity of this form of alternative medicine increases, we might expect to see more cases of iatrogenic pneumothorax. Physicians should be aware of the adverse events associated with IMS therapy.

Totally implanted central venous access devices for chemotherapy (chemoport) are being used increasingly in lung cancer patients. Vascular catheters are associated with various complications including infection, thrombosis as well as spontaneous fractures and embolization of the catheter, which is known as 'pinch-off syndrome'. 'Pinch-off syndrome' refers to the compression of a subclavian central venous catheter between the clavicle and first rib resulting in an intermittent or permanent obstruction, which can lead to tears, transection, or embolization. We report two cases of fractured and embolized implanted subclavian venous catheters in which the fragments were removed percutaneously. A 62-year-old man presented with back pain with a duration of a few weeks. The chest radiograph revealed complete transsection and embolization of the catheter into the right atrium. In addition, a 47-year-old woman with a chemoport had a grade 3 pinch-off sign in a chest radiograph demonstrating complete transsection and embolization of the catheter into the pulmonary artery. Both cases were managed by retrieving the embolized distal fragment percutaneously and removing the proximal section of the catheter.

Background: Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer death in South Korea since 2000. This study examined the clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients diagnosed in a community hospital from the year 2000 to 2005, and compared these results with previously reported statistical data. Method: The lung cancer data in a form of an electronic medical record was downloaded from the hospital medical information system. The clinical characteristics of the 1,509 patients with lung cancer were analyzed retrospectively. Result: The mean age of the patients was 63.7 years. 82.5% and 74.5% of the patients were men and smokers, respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma (41.6%) was the most common pathology type followed by adenocarcinoma(32.3%) and small cell carcinoma(13.9%). When 604 patients who were diagnosed from 2000 to 2003 were compared with 905 patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2005, the age of patients increased significantly (61.5 years vs. 65.1 years; p

Leiomyoma of the bronchus is a very rare benign tumor of the lung. Most endobronchial leiomyomas occur as secondary foci of primary uterine leiomyoma. We herein report a case with endobronchial tumor that had a different pathology from a primary resected uterine leiomyoma and was therefor considered a primary endobronchial leiomyoma. A 51-year-old woman with a history of uterine myoma presented with productive cough and fever. Bronchoscopy revealed a lightly yellow colored mass lesion that totally obstructed the orifice of the left lower lobe of the lung. The diagnosis of leiomyoma was made by histological examination of the obtained specimen. We considered the possibility of a benign metastasizing pulmonary leiomyoma. For treatment and differential diagnosis, a left lower lobe lobectomy of the lung and total hysterectomy with bilateral salphingooopherectomy were performed. The differences between lung and uterine lesions were confirmed by morphologic finding and immunohistochemical staining. The pathological diagnosis was primary endobronchial leiomyoma combined with uterine myoma. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 490-495)

We demonstrate a transmission of 4 x 10 Gb/s WDM channels over 1.2 km of free space in 1.55-microm band. The transmitted beam is coupled into a single-mode fiber through a fiber-pigtailed collimator, which enables the use of standard 100-GHz channel spacing and an optical preamplifier at the receiver. All the received channels have Q values higher than 6.

Background: Glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) which is an extracellular secretory protein is down regulated in patients with early stage lung cancer. We examined the usefulness of serum GPx3 as a biomarker for monitoring of relapse after surgery. Methods: We prospectively collected serial serum samples at baseline, 3 months (3m), 6 months (6m), and 12 months (12m) after operation from the patients who underwent surgery during the year 2013. GPx3 levels were measured three times per sample using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the mean values were analyzed by t-test and paired t-test. Results: A total of 170 (100 adenocarcinoma, 41 squamous cell carcinoma, 29 others) patients were analyzed in this study. Mean age was 64.1 years old (range, 39-80) and 27 (15.9%) out of 165 lung cancer patients were confirmed relapse during the median follow-up period of 597.5 days (range, 5-938). The mean GPx3 value at postoperative 6m was significantly elevated in relapsed group than control group (7.90 ± 2.44 mg/mL vs. 6.99 ± 1.79 mg/mL, p1⁄40.047). The mean GPx3 differences were significantly higher in relapsed group than control group at 3m (-0.38 ± 0.39 mg/mL vs. -0.21 ± 0.36 mg/mL, p1⁄40.044), 6m (-0.37 ± 0.42 mg/mL vs. -0.19 ± 0.30 mg/mL, p1⁄40.024), and 12m (-0.38 ± 0.42 mg/mL vs. -0.19 ± 0.28 mg/mL, p1⁄40.012). The mean time to relapse was significantly shorter in high level of GPx3 group at postoperative 3m (694.83 ± 31.86 days vs. 839.05 ± 24.31 days, p1⁄40.007). The mean time to relapse was significantly shorter in high GPx3 difference group between baseline and postoperative 3m (729.76 ± 34.89 days vs. 838.18 ± 24.03 days, p1⁄40.002). Conclusion: Serum mean GPx3 value at postoperative 6m and the mean GPx3 difference were significantly elevated in relapsed lung cancer. The mean time to relapse was significantly shorter in high level of GPx3 group at postoperative 3m. More large scaled validation studies are warranted.