Suture Granuloma Mimicking Recurrent Thyroid Carcinoma on Ultrasonography

Although high resolution ultrasonography (US) is helpful in the differentiation of suture granulomas from recurrent thyroid cancer in most cases, a definite diagnosis cannot always be made. We report a case that mimicked recurrent thyroid cancer on US and 2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), but diagnosis of a suture granuloma was confirmed by a US-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). In order to avoid unnecessary operations, the differential diagnosis between postoperative suture granulomas and recurrent cancer is important

Comparison of pharmacogenomic information for drug approvals provided by the national regulatory agencies in Korea, Europe, Japan, and the United States

Pharmacogenomics, which is defined as the study of changes in the properties of DNA and RNA associated with drug response, enables the prediction of the efficacy and adverse effects of drugs based on patients’ specific genetic mutations. For the safe and effective use of drugs, it is important that pharmacogenomic information is easily accessible to clinical experts and patients. Therefore, we examined the pharmacogenomic information provided on drug labels in Korea, Europe, Japan, and the United States (US). The selection of drugs that include pharmacogenomic information was based on the drug list that includes genetic information from the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites. Drug labels were retrieved from the sites of MFDS, FDA, European Medicines Agency, and Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency. Drugs were classified as per the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical code, and the biomarkers, labeling sections, and necessity of genetic tests were determined. In total, 348 drugs were selected from 380 drugs with available pharmacogenomic information in Korea and the US after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these drugs, 137, 324, 169, and 126 were with pharmacogenomics information in Korea, the US, Europe, and Japan, respectively. The most commonly represented drug class was antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents. Regarding the classification as per the mentioned biomarkers, the cytochrome P450 enzyme was the most frequently mentioned information, and the targeted anticancer drugs most commonly required genetic biomarker testing. The reasons for differences in drug labeling information based on country include differences in mutant alleles according to ethnicity, frequencies at which drug lists are updated, and pharmacogenomics-related guidelines. Clinical experts must continuously strive to identify and report mutations that can explain drug efficacy or side effects for safe drug use

Imaging of Viral Thymidine Kinase Gene Expression by Replicating Oncolytic Adenovirus and Prediction of Therapeutic Efficacy

PURPOSE: We have used a genetically attenuated adenoviral vector which expresses HSVtk to assess the possible additive role of suicidal gene therapy for enhanced oncolytic effect of the virus. Expression of TK was measured using a radiotracer-based molecular counting and imaging system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Replication-competent recombinant adenoviral vector (Ad-DeltaE1B19/55) was used in this study, whereas replication-incompetent adenovirus (Ad-DeltaE1A) was generated as a control. Both Ad-DeltaE1B19/55-TK and Ad-DeltaE1A-TK comprise the HSVtk gene inserted into the E3 region of the viruses. YCC-2 cells were infected with the viruses and incubated with 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-5-iodouracil (I-131 FIAU) to measure amount of radioactivity. The cytotoxicity of the viruses was determined, and gamma ray imaging of HSVtk gene was performed. MTT assay was also performed after GCV treatment. RESULTS: On gamma counter-analyses, counts/ minute (cpm)/microg of protein showed MOIs dependency with DeltaE1B19/55-TK infection. On MTT assay, Ad-DeltaE1B19/55-TK led to more efficient cell killing than Ad-DeltaE1A-TK. On plate imaging by gamma camera, both Ad-DeltaE1B19/55-TK and Ad-DeltaE1A-TK infected cells showed increased I-131 FIAU uptake in a MOI dependent pattern, and with GCV treatment, cell viability of DeltaE1B19/55-TK infection was remarkably reduced compared to that of Ad-DeltaE1A-TK infection. CONCLUSION: Replicating Ad-DeltaE1B19/55-TK showed more efficient TK expression even in the presence of higher-cancer cell killing effects compared to non-replicating Ad-DeltaE1A-TK. Therefore, GCV treatment still possessed an additive role to oncolytic effect of Ad-DeltaE1B19/55-TK. The expression of TK by oncolytic viruses could rapidly be screened using a radiotracer-based counting and imaging technique.ope

Current Trends in the Epidemiological and Pathological Characteristics of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in Korea, 2003-2004

Despite remarkable progress in understanding and treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) during the past two decades, the pathological characteristics of GISTs have not been made clear yet. Furthermore, concrete diagnostic criteria of malignant GISTs are still uncertain. We collected pathology reports of 1,227 GISTs from 38 hospitals in Korea between 2003 and 2004 and evaluated the efficacy of the NIH and AFIP classification schemes as well as the prognostic factors among pathologic findings. The incidence of GISTs in Korea is about 1.6 to 2.2 patients per 100,000. Extra-gastrointestinal GISTs (10.1%) are more common in Korea than in Western countries. In univariate analysis, gender, age, tumor location, size, mitosis, tumor necrosis, vascular and mucosal invasions, histologic type, CD34 and s-100 protein expression, and classifications by the NIH and AFIP criteria were found to be significantly correlated with patient's survival. However, the primary tumor location, stage and classification of the AFIP criteria were prognostically significant in predicting patient's survival in multivariate analysis. The GIST classification based on original tumor location, size, and mitosis is more efficient than the NIH criteria in predicting patient's survival, but the mechanism still needs to be clarified through future studies

New Era of Air Quality Monitoring from Space: Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS)

GEMS will monitor air quality over Asia at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution from GEO for the first time, providing column measurements of aerosol, ozone and their precursors (nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde). Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) is scheduled for launch in late 2019 - early 2020 to monitor Air Quality (AQ) at an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution from a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) for the first time. With the development of UV-visible spectrometers at sub-nm spectral resolution and sophisticated retrieval algorithms, estimates of the column amounts of atmospheric pollutants (O3, NO2, SO2, HCHO, CHOCHO and aerosols) can be obtained. To date, all the UV-visible satellite missions monitoring air quality have been in Low Earth orbit (LEO), allowing one to two observations per day. With UV-visible instruments on GEO platforms, the diurnal variations of these pollutants can now be determined. Details of the GEMS mission are presented, including instrumentation, scientific algorithms, predicted performance, and applications for air quality forecasts through data assimilation. GEMS will be onboard the GEO-KOMPSAT-2 satellite series, which also hosts the Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) and Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI)-2. These three instruments will provide synergistic science products to better understand air quality, meteorology, the long-range transport of air pollutants, emission source distributions, and chemical processes. Faster sampling rates at higher spatial resolution will increase the probability of finding cloud-free pixels, leading to more observations of aerosols and trace gases than is possible from LEO. GEMS will be joined by NASA's TEMPO and ESA's Sentinel-4 to form a GEO AQ satellite constellation in early 2020s, coordinated by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

The water extract of Korean Filipendula glaberrima Nakai attenuates acute colitis by suppressing inflammation via the MAPK and NF-κB pathways

Colitis means inflammation of colon. For the safe treatment of colitis, drugs derived from natural products are attracting attention as a new alternative therapy. Filipendula glaberrima Nakai (FG) is a perennial plant in Korea. It is known to contain a variety of flavonoids with anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of the water extract of FG (FGW) were measured in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, FGW decreased the production of inflammatory mediators and its genes in LPS-stimulated macrophages. In addition, FGW downregulated the phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway-related proteins. In vivo, administration of FGW improved the clinical symptoms of inflammation and repaired the damaged epithelium in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. In conclusion, FGW has anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo and this activity was mediated through reducing the phosphorylation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways

Development of a Numerical Model for an Expanding Tube with Linear Explosive Using AUTODYN

Pyrotechnic devices have been employed in satellite launch vehicle missions, generally for the separation of structural subsystems such as stage and satellite separation. Expanding tubes are linear explosives enclosed by an oval steel tube and have been widely used for pyrotechnic joint separation systems. A numerical model is proposed for the prediction of the proper load of an expanding tube using a nonlinear dynamic analysis code, AUTODYN 2D and 3D. To compute a proper core load, numerical models of the open-ended steel tube and mild detonating tube encasing a high explosive were developed and compared with experimental results. 2D and 3D computational results showed good correlation with ballistic test results. The model will provide more flexibility in expanding tube design, leading to economic benefits in the overall expanding tube development procedure