Analysis of Women's Health Online News Articles Using Topic Modeling.

Objectives: This research aimed to understand the popularity of topics in the field of women's health through analysis of online news articles which were chronologically classified and examined to determine how women's health and diseases had changed over time.

Methods: Women's health and disease news articles were collated from a popular news website between 1993 to 2015 and preprocessed using gynecological medical terminology, Korean words and nouns (excluding general nouns not related to women's healthcare topics). The resultant articles (N = 7,710) were analyzed using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm and major topics were extracted.

Instability of Plasma and Serum Progastrin-Releasing Peptide During Repeated Freezing and Thawing.

Objectives: Progastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP) is a promising biomarker for small cell lung cancer. However, not much is known about how sample processing and storage conditions affect the stability of proGRP. Here, we examined the effects of repeated freeze-thaw cycles on the stability of proGRP in plasma and serum.

Effect of Repeated Freezing and Thawing on Biomarker Stability in Plasma and Serum Samples.

Objectives: The stability of circulating proteins can be affected by repeated freezing and thawing. The aim of our study was to identify the effect of repeated freezing and thawing on the plasma and serum concentrations of eight proteins [interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-8, IL-15, IL-17A, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7, tumor necrosis factor-α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGF-R2)].

Methods: We assessed the concentration changes of these proteins in 30 plasma and serum samples subjected to three, four, or five freeze-thaw cycles, and compared these with the concentration changes in the samples that were subjected to two freeze-thaw cycles before analysis.

Incidence, clinical features, and prognostic impact of CALR exon 9 mutations in essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis: an experience of a single tertiary hospital in Korea.

We evaluated the incidence, clinical characteristics, and prognostic impact of calreticulin (CALR) mutations in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients. In all, 48 ET and 14 PMF patients were enrolled, and the presence of CALR mutations was analyzed by direct sequencing. Patients were classified into three subgroups according to Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) V617F and CALR mutation status, and their clinical features and prognosis were compared.

Antifungal susceptibilities of bloodstream isolates of Candida species from nine hospitals in Korea: application of new antifungal breakpoints and relationship to antifungal usage.

We applied the new clinical breakpoints (CBPs) of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) to a multicenter study to determine the antifungal susceptibility of bloodstream infection (BSI) isolates of Candida species in Korea, and determined the relationship between the frequency of antifungal-resistant Candida BSI isolates and antifungal use at hospitals. Four hundred and fifty BSI isolates of Candida species were collected over a 1-year period in 2011 from nine hospitals. The susceptibilities of the isolates to four antifungal agents were determined using the CLSI M27 broth microdilution method.

Incidence and prognostic impact of DNMT3A mutations in Korean normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia patients.

Background: DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) mutation was recently introduced as a prognostic indicator in normal karyotype (NK) AML and we evaluated the incidence and prognostic impact of DNMT3A mutations in Korean NK AML patients.

Methods: Total 67 NK AML patients diagnosed during the recent 10 years were enrolled. DNMT3A mutations were analyzed by direct sequencing and categorized into nonsynonymous variations (NSV), deleterious mutations (DM), and R882 mutation based on in silico analysis results.

Clinical relevance of high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism array in patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia with normal karyotype: a report of three cases.

We report three patients with normal karyotype (NK) ALL, who showed genetic aberrations as determined by high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-A) analysis at both diagnosis and relapse. We evaluated the clinical relevance of the SNP-A assay for the detection of subtle changes in the size of affected genetic lesions at relapse as well as the prognostic value of the assay. In our patients, application of the SNP-A assay enabled sensitive detection of cryptic changes affecting clinically important genes in NK ALL.

Differential expression levels of plasma-derived miR-146b and miR-155 in papillary thyroid cancer.

Background: Specific circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in each organ may contribute to the diagnosis and prognosis in some cancers. miRNA from papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) may be released into the bloodstream. This study was performed to detect miRNAs in the plasma and estimate their diagnostic usefulness for discriminating between benign and malignant lesions.

All-in-one centrifugal microfluidic device for size-selective circulating tumor cell isolation with high purity.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have gained increasing attention owing to their roles in cancer recurrence and progression. Due to the rarity of CTCs in the bloodstream, an enrichment process is essential for effective target cell characterization. However, in a typical pressure-driven microfluidic system, the enrichment process generally requires complicated equipment and long processing times.

Customer satisfaction survey with clinical laboratory and phlebotomy services at a tertiary care unit level.

We performed customer satisfaction surveys for physicians and nurses regarding clinical laboratory services, and for outpatients who used phlebotomy services at a tertiary care unit level to evaluate our clinical laboratory and phlebotomy services. Thus, we wish to share our experiences with the customer satisfaction survey for clinical laboratory and phlebotomy services. Board members of our laboratory designed a study procedure and study population, and developed two types of questionnaire.

Misidentification of Candida guilliermondii as C. famata among strains isolated from blood cultures by the VITEK 2 system.

Introduction. The aim of this study was to differentiate between Candida famata and Candida guilliermondii correctly by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and gene sequencing. Methods.

Early detection of mycobacteria using a novel hydrogel culture method.

Background: Early laboratory detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is crucial for controlling tuberculosis. We developed a hydrogel mycobacterial culture method that retains the advantages of both solid and liquid methods in terms of speed, cost, and efficiency.

Methods: Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) suspensions and 200 acid-fast bacilli (AFB)-positive clinical specimens were inoculated in Middlebrook 7H9 liquid media (Becton-Dickinson and Company, USA) and mixed with 75 µL of 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-Phe-Phe-OH hydrogel stock solution in an Eppendorf tube just before culture incubation.

The first Korean case of Sphingobacterium spiritivorum bacteremia in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

Sphingobacterium spiritivorum has been rarely isolated from clinical specimens of immunocompromised patients, and there have been no case reports of S. spiritivorum infection in Korea to our knowledge. We report a case of S.

Validation of circulating miRNA biomarkers for predicting lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

We validated candidate biomarkers using circulating miRNAs by analyzing serum miRNA concentrations from patients with gastric cancer (GC) to predict lymph node (LN) metastasis. In a pilot study, serum levels of miR-21, miR-27a, miR-106b, miR-146a, miR-148a, miR-223, and miR-433 were compared in 10 healthy donors, 16 LN-positive patients with GC, and 15 LN-negative patients with GC. Then, we compared the level of three miRNAs (miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-148a) with the total of 79 GC patients with or without LN metastasis.

Bacteroides fragilis vertebral osteomyelitis complicated by percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis.

Study Design: A case report of anaerobic vertebral osteomyelitis after percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis.

Objective: To present a case of Bacteroides fragilis spondylodiscitis (BFS) secondary to percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis in a 38-year-old woman without predisposing factors.

Summary Of Background Data: Most cases of BFS result from hematogenous spread from a perianal abscess or sigmoidoscopy or local spread from an adjacent infection.

Elecsys hepatitis B surface antigen quantitative assay: performance evaluation and correlation with hepatitis B virus DNA during 96 weeks of follow-up in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background: Treatment for chronic hepatitis B aims to suppress virus replication and virus sequestration in hepatocytes. Covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA is the template for transcription of viral genes and is responsible for viral persistence. However, limited data are available for quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Korea.

Comparison of Knowledge Levels Required for SNOMED CT Coding of Diagnosis and Operation Names in Clinical Records.

Objectives: Coding Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine, Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) with complex and polysemy clinical terms may ask coder to have a high level of knowledge of clinical domains, but with simpler clinical terms, coding may require only simpler knowledge. However, there are few studies quantitatively showing the relation between domain knowledge and coding ability. So, we tried to show the relationship between those two areas.

Progastrin-releasing peptide is a candidate marker for quality control in clinical sample processing and storage.

For clinical epidemiologic and proteomic studies, the control of preanalytic variation, including sample processing and storage, is important. We evaluated the stability of progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) as a marker for the quality control of stored serum and plasma samples. The ProGRP from 23 healthy volunteers was measured serially for 8 hours at room temperature, and the results were validated with clinical samples from the biobank.

Proposed Algorithm with Standard Terminologies (SNOMED and CPT) for Automated Generation of Medical Bills for Laboratory Tests.

Objectives: In this study, we proposed an algorithm for mapping standard terminologies for the automated generation of medical bills. As the Korean and American structures of health insurance claim codes for laboratory tests are similar, we used Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) instead of the Korean health insurance code set due to the advantages of mapping in the English language.

Methods: 1,149 CPT codes for laboratory tests were chosen for study.

[Evaluation of ARCHITECT HCV core antigen assay].

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (Ag) levels are known to be well correlating with HCV RNA levels, and may be used as an alternative marker of HCV replication for monitoring the response to HCV treatment. However, the low sensitivity of HCV core Ag assay has been an obstacle for clinical use. In this study, recently developed ARCHITECT HCV Ag assay (Abbott Laboratories, USA) was evaluated for analytical performance and clinical usefulness.

[Performance evaluation of Real-Q Enterovirus Quantification kit for enterovirus by real-time PCR].

Background: Molecular methods have enabled rapid diagnosis of aseptic meningitis and have reduced both unnecessary therapeutic interventions and medical costs. In this study, we evaluated the analytical performance of the recently developed Real-Q Enterovirus Quantification kit (BioSewoom Inc., Korea).

Clinical relevance of elevated levels of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha (sIL-2Rα) in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha (sIL-2Rα) are known to increase in the sera of patients with certain malignancies, including malignant lymphoma. This study aimed to assess the clinical significance of the sIL-2Rα level in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We used ELISA to measure the sIL-2Rα levels in 48 newly diagnosed and untreated patients with NHL and evaluated the correlation between the sIL-2Rα levels and clinical characteristics and the International Prognostic Index (IPI).

Level of HOXA5 hypermethylation in acute myeloid leukemia is associated with short-term outcome.

Hypermethylation of the homeobox (HOX) gene promoter leads to decreased expression of the gene during tumor development and is thought to be correlated with the clinical outcome in leukemia. In this study, we performed pyrosequencing to quantify the methylation level of HOXA5 genes in the bone marrow samples obtained from 50 patients with AML and 19 normal controls. The methylation percentage of HOXA5 in AML patients (median=65.