Kiwon Seong

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are of particular interest for the treatment of immune-related diseases owing to their immunosuppressive properties. In this study, we aimed to identify the effect of interferon (IFN)-γ priming on immunomodulation by MSCs and elucidate the possible mechanism underlying their properties for the clinical treatment of allogeneic conflicts. Infusion of MSCs primed with IFN-γ significantly reduced the symptoms of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in NOD-SCID mice, thereby

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the clinical significance of MYCN amplification within high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). METHODS: Medical records of 135 patients who were diagnosed with high-risk NB from 2004 to 2016 were reviewed. RESULTS: Fifty-one (38%) patients had MYCN amplified tumors, and the remaining 84 (62%) had nonamplified tumors. MYCN amplification was associated with abdominal primary site, less differentiated pathology, higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase and neuron-specific en

Livin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, has been considered to be a poor prognostic marker in malignancies. However, little is known about the clinical relevance of Livin expression in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this study, the expression of Livin was analyzed in 222 patients with childhood ALL using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to investigate a possible association with the clinical features at diagnosis and treatmen

BACKGROUND: Single or tandem double high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) was used to treat children with newly diagnosed high-risk or relapsed medulloblastoma and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (MB/sPNET) in order to defer or avoid radiotherapy in young children. PROCEDURE: Thirty-seven HDCTs were given to 25 children with newly diagnosed high-risk or relapsed MB/sPNET. Tandem double HDCT was used for 12 of 15 patients initially intended to receive double HDCT. RESULTS: Three-year EFS (

PURPOSE: The genes that encode inhibitor of apoptosis proteins are frequently overexpressed in human cancers and can be associated with resistance to therapy. The overexpression of Apollon, a member of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, is intuitively expected to be associated with unfavorable clinical features in malignant diseases; however, there have been no clinical studies reporting the prognostic relevance of Apollon expression in human malignancies. This study was done to investigate the cl

In our previous SMC NB-2004 study of patients with high-risk neuroblastomas, which incorporated total-body irradiation (TBI) with second high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDCT/auto-SCT), the survival rate was encouraging; however, short- and long-term toxicities were significant. In the present SMC NB-2009 study, only TBI was replaced with 131 I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) treatment in order to reduce toxicities. From January 2009 to December 2013, 54 consecuti

To evaluate the optimal timing of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation following stroke, rats were transplanted with MSCs at 1 (D1), 4 (D4), and 7 days (D7) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). Rats in the D1 group showed a better functional recovery than those in the D4 or D7 groups after MCAo. MSCs preferentially migrated to the cortex in the D1 group, while the MSCs in the D4 or D7 groups preferentially migrated to the striatum. Interestingly, the level of monocyte chemotacti

BACKGROUND: We assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of reduced-dose craniospinal (CS) radiotherapy (RT) followed by tandem high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDCT/autoSCT) in reducing late adverse effects without jeopardizing survival among children with high-risk medulloblastoma (MB). METHODS: From October 2005 through September 2010, twenty consecutive children aged >3 years with high-risk MB (presence of metastasis and/or postoperative residual tumor >1.5 c

The overexpression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), a member of IAP family protein, is intuitively expected to be associated with unfavorable clinical features in malignancies; however, there have been only a very limited number of studies reporting the clinical relevance of XIAP expression. This study was performed to investigate the prognostic relevance of XIAP expression in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In 53 children with de novo AML, the level of XIAP expression

BACKGROUND: In patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, the reduction in primary tumor volume was measured during the early phase of induction chemotherapy as an indicator of early tumor response, and the authors investigated whether the degree of tumor volume reduction could predict outcome in these patients. METHODS: Primary tumor volumes were measured both at diagnosis and at the first tumor response evaluation (after 2 or 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy) in 90 patients with high-risk neurob

Neuroblastomas originating from different sites might have different clinical and biological characteristics. In the present study, the clinical (age, sex and stage) and biological (N-myc amplification, Shimada pathology and levels of lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin and neuron-specific enolase) characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma were compared according to the site of tumor origin (extra-abdominal versus abdominal). The event-free survival rate (EFS) was also compared