PurposeWe aimed to assess prognostic value of metastatic pelvic lymph node (mPLN) in early-stage cervical cancer treated with radical surgery followed by postoperative chemoradiotherapy. Also, we sought to define a high-risk group using prognosticators for recurrence.Materials and MethodsA multicenter retrospective study was conducted using the data from 13 Korean institutions from 2000 to 2010. A total of 249 IB-IIA patients with high-risk factors were included. We evaluated distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in relation to clinicopathologic factors including pNstage, number of mPLN, lymph node (LN)ratio (number of positive LN/number of harvested LN), and log odds of mPLNs (log(number of positive LN+0.5/number of negative LN+0.5)).ResultsIn univariate analysis, histology (squamous cell carcinoma [SqCC] vs. others), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), number of mPLNs (≤ 3 vs. > 3), LN ratio (≤ 17% vs. > 17%), and log odds of mPLNs (≤ ‒0.58 vs. > ‒0.58) were significant prognosticators for DMFS and DFS. Resection margin involvement only affected DFS. No significant survival difference was observed between pN0 patients and patients with 1-3 mPLNs. Multivariate analysis revealed that mPLN > 3, LVI, and non-SqCC were unfavorable index for both DMFS (p < 0.001, p=0.020, and p=0.031, respectively) and DFS (p < 0.001, p=0.017, and p=0.001, respectively). A scoring system using these three factors predicts risk of recurrence with relatively high concordance index (DMFS, 0.69; DFS, 0.71).ConclusionmPLN > 3 in early-stage cervical cancer affects DMFS and DFS. A scoring system using mPLNs > 3, LVI, and non-SqCC could stratify risk groups of recurrence in surgically resected early-stage cervix cancer with high-risk factors.

PurposeTo quantify the cardiac dose reduction during breathing adapted radiotherapy using Real-time Position Management (RPM) system in the treatment of left-sided breast cancer.Materials and MethodsTwenty-two patients with left-sided breast cancer underwent CT scans during breathing maneuvers including free breathing (FB), deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH), and end inspiration breath-hold (EIBH). The RPM system was used to monitor respiratory motion, and the in-house self respiration monitoring (SRM) system was used for visual feedback. For each scan, treatment plans were generated and dosimetric parameters from DIBH and EIBH plans were compared to those of FB plans.ResultsAll patients completed CT scans with different breathing maneuvers. When compared with FB plans, DIBH plans demonstrated significant reductions in irradiated heart volume and the heart V25, with the relative reduction of 71% and 70%, respectively (p < 0.001). EIBH plans also resulted in significantly smaller irradiated heart volume and lower heart V25 than FB plans, with the relative reduction of 39% and 37%, respectively (p = 0.002). Despite of significant expansion of lung volume using inspiration breath-hold, there were no significant differences in left lung V25 among the three plans.ConclusionIn comparison with FB, both DIBH and EIBH plans demonstrated a significant reduction of radiation dose to the heart. In the training course, SRM system was useful and effective in terms of positional reproducibility and patient compliance.

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In order to study the simultaneous determination of (+)- and (-)-cetirizine in human urine we have developed a chiral separation method by HPLC. A chiral stationary phase of alpha1-acidglycoprotein, the AGP-CSP, was used to separate the enantiomers. The pH of the phosphate buffer, as well as the content of the organic modifier in the mobile phase, markedly affected the chromatographic separation of (+)- and (-)-cetirizine. A mobile phase of 10 mmol/l phosphate buffer (pH 7.0)-acetonitrile (95: 5, v/v) was used for the urine assays. Ultraviolet absorption was monitored at 230 nm and roxatidine was employed as the internal standard for quantification. (+)-Cetirizine, (-)-cetirizine and the internal standard were eluted at retention times of 12, 16, and 32 mins, respectively. The detection limit for cetirizine enantiomers was 400 ng/ml of urine. A pharmacokinetic study was conducted with the help of 5 healthy female volunteers who were administered with a single oral dose of racemic cetirizine (20 mg). The peak area ratios provided by the cetirizine enantiomers were linear (r>0.997) over a concentration range of 2.5-200 microg/ml. The peak of the excreted cetirizine enantiomers appeared in the urine sample during the period of 1-2 hrs following the administration of the oral dose. The excreted level of (+)-cetirizine was slightly higher than (-)-cetirizine but the difference was not statistically significant. However, this method appears to have applications for enantioselective pharmacokinetic studies of racemic drugs.

We fabricated hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) of p-type poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and n-type fullerene derivative {[6,6]-phenyl C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)} materials through a miniemulsion method. The nanoscale photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of the non-annealed and annealed hybrid single NPs with different concentrations of P3HT and PCBM were investigated using a laser confocal microscope (LCM) with high spatial resolution. The luminescence characteristics corresponding to the P3HT and PCBM materials were observed simultaneously in the LCM PL spectra for P3HT/PCBM hybrid NP after the annealing process. We propose that the annealing process for the hybrid NPs assisted the ordering of P3HT main chains and the formation of PCBM domains through the gathering of the molecules, indicating nanoscale phase separation. This was supported by UV-Vis absorption and Raman spectroscopy results. Conducting atomic force microscope experiments on an annealed hybrid single NP allowed for the measurement of the characteristic photoresponsive currentvoltage curves, and monochromatic photovoltaic characteristics and the avalanche photodiode effect were observed in the low-and high-bias regions, respectively.

Human rotavirus VP4 and VP7 gene sequences were amplified by reverse transcription-PCR from 53% (322 of 607) of fecal specimens collected from children with severe diarrhea who visited hospitals in six urban areas of South Korea in 2000 and 2001. G2 was the most frequently found G type (constituted 50.6%), followed by G1 (30.1%) and G4 (13.0%). Although the P types of high incidence were P[4] (53.1%) and P[8] (21.4%), a significant incidence of P[6] (20.2%) was also noticeable. The commonest G-and P-type combination found in this study was G2P[4], rather than G1P[8], the most prevalent type known worldwide.Rotaviruses are the major etiological agent of gastroenteritis and cause vomiting, diarrhea, and fever in infants and young children worldwide (8). Rotaviruses are divided into seven groups (groups A to G) on the basis of their antigenic properties. Group A rotaviruses are further divided into the G and the P subtypes according to the antigenic property of the VP7 protein (glycoprotein) and the VP4 protein (protease-susceptible protein), respectively. To date, 10 G types have been identified in humans, but most cases of human infection are associated with four G types (types G1 to G4), of which G1 is the most prevalent worldwide (5, 10). It is well established that the G serotypes coincide with the G genotypes, while P serotypes are classified by a system different from that used to classify P genotypes. Types P[4] and P[8] are most frequently found in humans (according to convention, P genotypes are indicated with brackets). Recent studies, however, indicated the emergence of novel P types in different parts of world (3,11) Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of acute diarrhea in infants and young children in South Korea (14). To monitor the diversity of rotavirus strains circulating in the country, we carried out an analysis of 607 fecal specimens collected from infants and young children with acute diarrhea who visited 18 urban hospitals and four clinical laboratories scattered around the six provinces of the country from January 2000 to April 2001. The fecal suspension (10% in phosphatebuffered saline) was centrifuged at 10,000 ϫ g for 10 min, and the double-stranded viral RNA was extracted by treatment of the supernatant with phenol-chloroform-1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, as described previously (6). Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed with the consensus primers Beg9 and End9 to amplify the VP7 gene sequence in full (1,062 bp) and primers Con2 and Con3 to amplify the VP4 gene sequence (877 bp). A second-round, multiplex PCR was performed with primers specific for G types (G1, G2, G3, G4, G8, and G9) and P types (P[4], P[6], P[8], P[9], and P[10]), as described previously (4, 6). The G and P types were determined from the migration rates of the amplicons in a 1.2% agarose gel. Among the 607 stool samples 322 (53.0%) were positive for rotavirus RNA by RT-PCR. The presence of rotaviral antigens was determined by a latex agglutination assay (Biomerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) and an enzyme-li...

The photoluminescence ͑PL͒ spectra and images of a single strand of poly͑3-hexylthiophene͒ ͑P3HT͒ nanowires with different doping states were compared by means of a laser confocal microscope with a high spatial resolution. The P3HT nanowires were electrochemically synthesized by using an ionic liquid as a dopant. From the ultraviolet and visible absorption spectra, the doping and dedoping effects of the P3HT nanowires through the treatment of organic solvent were investigated. The electrical conductivity of the single strand of the lightly doped P3HT nanowires was estimated to be ϳ3.5ϫ 10 −3 S / cm, which was higher than that ͑ϳ5.4ϫ 10 −5 S / cm͒ of the dedoped one. From the laser confocal microscope PL experiments, we quantitatively observed more homogeneous and three to eight times brighter light emission from the single strand of the dedoped P3HT nanowires.