Adaptive Accumulation of Plantar Pressure for Ambulatory Activity Recognition and Pedestrian Identification.

In this paper, we propose a novel method for ambulatory activity recognition and pedestrian identification based on temporally adaptive weighting accumulation-based features extracted from categorical plantar pressure. The method relies on three pressure-related features, which are calculated by accumulating the pressure of the standing foot in each step over three different temporal weighting forms. In addition, we consider a feature reflecting the pressure variation.

Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression in advanced urothelial carcinoma patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Cisplatin has been the cornerstone of the chemotherapy regimen for urothelial carcinoma. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a key component of the platinum-DNA repair machinery responsible for nucleotide excision repair. Recent reports have suggested that ERCC1 is a predictive and prognostic marker in solid cancers treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Favorable response to doxorubicin combination chemotherapy does not yield good clinical outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer with triple-negative phenotype.

Background: We analyzed the responses to first line treatment and clinical outcomes of metastatic breast cancer patients treated with palliative doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) according to molecular cancer subtype.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for 110 metastatic breast cancer patients selected on the basis of palliative AC treatment and the availability of immunohistochemical data for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2/neu) status.

Results: Of the 110 patients analyzed, 71 (64.

Metastatic lymph node in gastric cancer; is it a real distant metastasis?

Background: Currently, the TNM staging system is a widely accepted method for assessing the prognosis of the disease and planning therapeutic strategies for cancer. Of the TNM system, the extent of lymph node involvement is the most important independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer. The aim of our study is to evaluate the survival and prognosis of gastric cancer patients with LN#12 or #13 involvement only and to assess the impact of anatomic regions of primary gastric tumor on survival in this particular subset of patients.

Can upfront systemic chemotherapy replace stereotactic radiosurgery or whole brain radiotherapy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients with asymptomatic brain metastases?

Background: The optimal treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with asymptomatic brain metastasis is still controversial. This study aimed to analyze the outcome for various treatment modalities including chemotherapy only, upfront whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in NSCLC patients with asymptomatic brain metastases.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with histopathologically proven NSCLC and synchronous asymptomatic brain metastasis between January 2003 and December 2007.

A retrospective analysis of second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Background: Because treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients after failure with first-line chemotherapy remains controversial, we performed this retrospective analysis based on the data obtained from 1455 patients registered in a first-line treatment cohort with respect to receiving or not receiving subsequent chemotherapy.

Methods: The decision for administering second-line chemotherapy was, in most cases, at the discretion of the physician. Seven-hundred twenty-five (50%) received second-line chemotherapy after first-line failure.

Whole blood Epstein-Barr virus DNA load as a diagnostic and prognostic surrogate: extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.

We investigated the value of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA load in unfractionated whole blood for the diagnosis and prognosis of EBV-associated lymphoma. From July 2004 to July 2007, we compared EBV DNA loads in 101 patients with lymphoma and 105 control individuals. The median copy number of EBV was higher in patients with EBV-positive lymphoma (p<0.

Irinotecan and oxaliplatin combination as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: We conducted a prospective phase II trial of IrOx in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity.

Patients And Methods: Patients with histologically or cytologically proven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), aged > or =18 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1, at stage IIIB (pleural effusion)/IV or with recurrent disease not suitable for primary surgical treatment, with no palliative chemotherapy or radiotherapy to the chest or immunotherapy or biologic therapy, the presence of measurable disease by RECIST, and who had given signed written informed consent, were eligible. Treatment consisted of irinotecan 65 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1, repeated every 3 weeks.

A phase I/II trial of docetaxel and oxaliplatin in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Purpose: We designed this phase I/II study of docetaxel-oxaliplatin combination chemotherapy to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), maximum tolerated dose and efficacy as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Methods: Patients with histologically proven, chemo-naive gastric adenocarcinoma were eligible. For the phase I part, three dose levels of oxaliplatin and docetaxel every 3 weeks were tested in a cohort of three patients for each level (respectively, 100 and 60 mg/m(2), 100 and 75 mg/m(2), 130 and 75 mg/m(2)).

Boosted reaction on two-step tuberculin skin test among military personnel in South Korea, a setting with an intermediate burden of tuberculosis and routine bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination.

This study was performed to estimate the rate of boosted reaction in the two-step tuberculin skin test (TST) and to evaluate the associated factors among military personnel of South Korea, which has an intermediate burden of tuberculosis (TB) and a routine bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination policy. Two-step TST was performed on 264 military personnel who did not have a history of close contact to TB. Subjects with a negative reaction to the first test of <10 mm had a second TST applied 1 week later on the other forearm.

Prognostic factor analysis in patients with brain metastases from breast cancer: how can we improve the treatment outcomes?

Purpose: We conducted this study to analyze clinicopathologic features and treatment outcomes for various treatment modalities in breast cancer patients with brain metastases.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed using medical records of patients who were diagnosed with metastatic brain tumors from breast cancer. The treatment modalities applied included whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), surgical resection, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.

Pulmonary complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Despite advanced effective prophylaxes, pulmonary complications still occur in a high proportion of all hematopoietic stem cell recipients, accounting for considerable morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to describe the causes, incidences and mortality rates secondary to pulmonary complications and risk factors of such complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We reviewed the medical records of 287 patients who underwent either autologous or allogeneic HSCT for hematologic disorders from February 1996 to October 2003 at Samsung Medical Center (134 autografts, 153 allografts).

Phase II study of irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin as first-line therapy for advanced colorectal cancer.

Background: We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a modified biweekly irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin regimen (modified Douillard regimen) as the first-line therapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Methods: A total of 80 patients (41 male, 39 female) with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled between April 2001 and December 2003. The treatment cycle consisted of irinotecan 150 mg/m(2) as a 90 min infusion on day 1, leucovorin 20 mg/m(2) intravenous bolus, immediately followed by a 48 h continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil 3000 mg/m(2) on day 1.

Mitomycin-C and capecitabine as third-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a phase II study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic value and safety of third-line treatment with mitomycin-C (MMC) and capecitabine (Xeloda) in patients with advanced colorectal cancer pretreated with combination regimens including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), folinic acid (FA) and irinotecan (CPT-11) or 5-FU, FA and oxaliplatin (L-OHP).

Patients And Methods: A total of 21 patients (M/F 16/5, median age 60.0 years) with advanced colorectal cancer, all of whom had developed progressive disease while receiving or within 6 months of discontinuing two sequential chemotherapy lines with 5-FU, FA and CPT-11 or 5-FU, FA and L-OHP, were accrued to this study.

Three cases of synchronous solid tumor and multiple myeloma.

The association between a multiple myeloma and a secondary solid tumor is not well established. Some reports showed an increased risk of secondary solid neoplasms in multiple myeloma patients, but others have not. Three cases of the synchronous occurrence of multiple myelomas and solid tumors, namely, a small cell carcinoma of the lung, an adenocarcinoma of the colon and a squamous carcinoma of the pyriform sinus were experienced at our hospital.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma recurring as a solitary renal mass.

Herein, a case of solitary, unilateral renal metastasis in a patient with curatively resected thoracic esophageal carcinoma, who achieved a pathological complete remission after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy, is reported. The kidney is the 4(th) or 5(th) most common visceral metastasis site of a primary esophageal carcinoma. More than 50% of renal metastases typically show bilateral involvement.