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Yun J, Lee J, Jang J, Lee EJ, Jang KT, Kim JH, Kim K-M. KIT amplification and gene mutations in acral/mucosal melanoma in Korea. APMIS 2011; 119: 330-5. Mucosal and acral melanomas have demonstrated different genetic alterations and biological behavior compared with more common cutaneous melanomas. It was recently reported that gain-of-function KIT mutations and/or copy number increases are more common in mucosal and acral melanomas. Thus, we studied the frequency and pattern of KIT aberrations in mucosal and acral melanomas in Korea. We analyzed 97 patients who were pathologically confirmed with mucosal or acral melanoma between 1997 and 2010 at Samsung Medical Center. Of the 97 melanoma patients, 92 were screened for mutations in KIT exons 11, 13, 17, and 18, BRAF and NRAS genes. KIT copy number was assessed by quantitative, real-time PCR. Of the 97 patients, 55 (56.7%) were mucosal, 40 (41.2%) were acral melanoma, and two were of unknown primary origin. Among seven cases with KIT mutation, five (60.0%) occurred in exon 11, one (20.0%) in exon 17, and one (20.0%) in exon 13. Point mutations were the most common, resulting in substitutions in exon 11 (K558R, T574A, L576P, and V559A), exon 13 (N655K), and exon 17 (N822K). A novel Thr574Ala (c.1720A>G) KIT mutation, which has not been reported in melanoma or other tumor types, was identified in one genital melanoma case. Of the 97 mucosal or acral melanoma specimens, 49 were tested for KIT gene copy number changes using quantitative PCR. Increased KIT copy number was identified in 15 patients: seven (40%) of 20 acral melanomas and eight (31%) of 26 mucosal melanomas. Our study implicates that a significant proportion of acral and mucosal melanomas have KIT mutations in Asian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sparganosis is a seldom encountered disease of the breast. Based on the results of previous studies and our own experience, we investigated the clinical characteristics of breast sparganosis. Method: Four patients who were treated for breast sparganosis at Samsung Medical Center were included in the study, and additional data were retrieved from the Index Medicus and the Science Citation Index (SCI). The Korean Medical (KM) database and the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors (KAMJE) database were searched to include information from Korean journals that is not included in international citation indexes. Results: Among 35 patients, 8 (32%) had a record of oral ingestion of an intermediary host. All patients presented with a breast mass, with migration in 6 cases (25%) and pain or an itching sensation in 6 cases (25%). Elongated tubular structures were found in the subcutaneous layer in 22 cases (88%) during radiologic exam. All patients underwent complete surgical excision. Twenty-seven of 29 (93.1%) patients' spargana was separated and confirmed grossly. Histologically, granulomatous inflammation was the most common feature. A single worm was extracted in 16 cases (76.2%) and 5 cases (23.8%) had multiple worms. Conclusion: Sparganosis tends to present as a suspicious mass in the subcutaneous layer of the breast. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice, with careful postoperative surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the migration to full-PACS of medical image data archived using mini-PACS at two hospitals of the Yonsei University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. A major concern in the migration of medical data is to match the image data from the mini-PACS with the hospital OCS (Ordered Communication System). Prior to carrying out the actual migration process, the principles, methods, and anticipated results for the migration with respect to both cost and effectiveness were evaluated. Migration gateway workstations were established and a migration software tool was developed. The actual migration process was performed based on the results of several migration simulations. Our conclusions were that a migration plan should be carefully prepared and tailored to the individual hospital environment because the server system, archive media, network, OCS, and policy for data management may be unique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author presents a short survey of the development of Protestantism in Korea. Meanwhile he shows the importance of the religious background of the Koreans for their acceptance of Protestantism. Especially the Shamanistic beliefs and Confucianism had ripened the minds of the Korean people in a certain sense. But the political attitude of the Protestants in the resistance against the Japanese colonizers played also a prominent role. The author offers also an evaluation of the use of Korean terms in the vocabulary of the church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]