ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor cells is associated with a poor biliary tract cancer (BTC) prognosis; tumor-infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment are associated with a better prognosis. The effect of PD-L1 expression on immune cells on survival is unclear. We investigated the relationship between PD-L1 expression in immune cells and BTC prognosis. @*Methods@#PD-L1 expression was evaluated using an anti-PD-L1 22C3 mouse monoclonal primary antibody, and its relationships with clinical characteristics and prognosis were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model to investigate the prognostic performance of PD-L1 in BTC. @*Results@#Among 144 analyzed cases, patients with positive PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and negative PD-L1 expression in immune cells showed poorer overall survival rates than those exhibiting other expressions (tumor cells: hazard ratio [HR]=1.023, p<0.001; immune cells: HR=0.983, p=0.021). PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was an independent predictor of poor overall survival (HR=1.024, p<0.001). In contrast, PD-L1 expression in immune cells was a predictive marker of good prognosis (HR=0.983, p=0.018). @*Conclusions@#PD-L1 expression in immune cells may be used as an independent factor to evaluate the prognosis of patients with BTC.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#We evaluated the characteristics of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (CEBPA) mutations and the significance of a basic leucine zipper in-frame mutation (bZIPin-f) of CEBPA in patients with acute myeloid leukemia with a normal karyotype. @*Materials and Methods@#Based on updated knowledge of CEBPA mutations, we conducted next-generation sequencing analyses in a previously established real-world cohort. @*Results@#Among 78 of a total of 395 patients (19.7%), 50 had bZIPin-f CEBPA, and 28 had non-bZIPin-f CEBPA. In the multivariate analysis, patients with NPM1mut, those with bZIPin-f CEBPA, and those who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) had favorable overall survival (OS), but FLT3-ITDmut was a poor prognostic indicator. For relapse-free survival (RFS) and cumulative incidence of relapse, bZIPin-f CEBPA, and allo-HCT were associated with favorable outcomes; FLT3-ITDpos was associated with worse outcomes. In the CEBPA double-mutated group (CEBPAdm), bZIPin-f CEBPA was associated with superior outcomes in terms of OS (p=0.007) and RFS (p=0.007) compared with non-bZIPin-f CEBPA. Of 50 patients with bZIPin-f CEBPA, 36 patients had at least one mutation. When grouped by the presence of mutations in chromatic/DNA modifiers (C), cohesion complex (C), and splicing genes (S) (CCS mutations), CCS-mutated bZIPin-f CEBPA was associated with poor OS (p=0.044; hazard ratio [HR], 2.419) and a trend in inferior RFS (p=0.186; HR, 1.838). @*Conclusion@#Only bZIPin-f CEBPA was associated with favorable outcomes in patients with CEBPAdm. However, some mutations accompanying bZIPin-f CEBPA showed inferior OS; thus, further studies with larger numbers of patients are required for clear conclusions of the significance of bZIPin-f CEBPA.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#This study aimed to compare the clinical performance of Medisonic (Daiwha Corp.) to that of Harmonic HD 1000i (Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc.) and Sonicision (Medtronic) in patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer. @*Methods@#A total of 30 patients were enrolled in this prospective randomized study. The patients were randomly assigned to a Medisonic (M group, n = 10), Harmonic HD 1000i (H group, n = 10), or Sonicision (S group, n = 10) groups. Primary outcome was cutting speed and activation times during omentectomy. Other variables were visibility of surgical field, blade stickiness, and clinical outcomes, including operation-related complications. @*Results@#Clinicopathologic characteristics, including age, sex, body mass index, or stage were not different between the 3 groups. Operative outcomes, including operation time, estimated blood loss, and postoperative hospital stay were not different between the 3 groups. There was no significant difference in 30-day postoperative complications. The running time of omentectomy was 7.3, 9.2, and 8.7 minutes in the H, S, and M groups, respectively, with no statistical difference (P = 0.589). We also looked at the activation times during the omentectomy, and there was no statistical difference between the groups (52.6 times vs. 58.9 times vs. 56.2 times in the H, S, and M groups, respectively; P = 0.860). @*Conclusion@#Medisonic is safe and efficient to perform laparoscopic radical gastrectomy and is not inferior to Harmonic HD 1000i or Sonicision in terms of clinical outcomes and cutting/sealing function.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Hypoxaemia is a significant adverse event during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) under monitored anaesthesia care (MAC); however, no model has been developed to predict hypoxaemia. We aimed to develop and compare logistic regression (LR) and machine learning (ML) models to predict hypoxaemia during ERCP under MAC. @*Materials and Methods@#We collected patient data from our institutional ERCP database. The study population was randomly divided into training and test sets (7:3). Models were fit to training data and evaluated on unseen test data. The training set was further split into k-fold (k=5) for tuning hyperparameters, such as feature selection and early stopping. Models were trained over k loops; the i-th fold was set aside as a validation set in the i-th loop. Model performance was measured using area under the curve (AUC). @*Results@#We identified 6114 cases of ERCP under MAC, with a total hypoxaemia rate of 5.9%. The LR model was established by combining eight variables and had a test AUC of 0.693. The ML and LR models were evaluated on 30 independent data splits. The average test AUC for LR was 0.7230, which improved to 0.7336 by adding eight more variables with an l 1 regularisation-based selection technique and ensembling the LRs and gradient boosting algorithm (GBM). The high-risk group was discriminated using the GBM ensemble model, with a sensitivity and specificity of 63.6% and 72.2%, respectively. @*Conclusion@#We established GBM ensemble model and LR model for risk prediction, which demonstrated good potential for preventing hypoxaemia during ERCP under MAC.
ABSTRACT
The Korean Neonatal Network (KNN), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, currently has more than 100 staff and researchers from >70 neonatal intensive care units nationwide in Korea. More than 85% to 90% of the population of very low birth weight infants in Korea are registered yearly, and more than half are followed up for up to 3 years at the KNN. A total of >19,000 cases have been accumulated through a strict data quality management process of the KNN. Based on this, >100 research projects have been proposed, >70 peer-reviewed papers have been published in leading international journals, and the cornerstone of the quality improvement project has been launched. In addition, we recently expanded the number of subjects for registration to very premature infants <32 weeks of age and continue to provide essential evidence data for establishing national health policies, such as linking with government policy projects of the Ministry of Health and Welfare for preterm infants. In such manner, the KNN is confident to be successfully and actively moving toward reaching the ultimate goal of standardizing neonatal intensive care and management of preterm infants in Korea by providing essential data for national health policy establishment along with quality improvement through evidence-based interactive data.
ABSTRACT
Background@#There are inconsistent reports regarding the association between general anesthesia and adverse neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders in children. @*Methods@#This nationwide administrative cohort study included children born in Korea between 2008 and 2009, and followed until December 31, 2017. The cohort included 93,717 participants who received general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation (ETI) who were matched to unexposed subjects in a 1:1 ratio. General anesthesia was defined by National Health Insurance Service treatment codes with intratracheal anesthesia, and the index date was the first event of general anesthesia. The primary outcome was attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), which was defined as at least a principal diagnosis of 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases code F90.X after the age of 72 months.Neurodevelopment, which was assessed using a developmental screening test (Korean-Ages and Stages Questionnaire [K-ASQ]), was a secondary outcome. The K-ASQ is performed annually from 1 to 6 years of age and consists of 5 domains. The association between general anesthesia and ADHD was estimated using a Cox hazard model, and its association with neurodevelopment was estimated using a generalized estimation equation, with control for multiple risk factors beyond 1 year after the index date. @*Results@#The median age at the index date was 3.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7–5.8) years, and there were 57,625 (61.5%) men. During a mean follow-up period of 5 years, the incidence rate of ADHD was 42.6 and 27.7 per 10,000 person-years (PY) in the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively (absolute rate difference 14.9 [95% CI, 12.5–17.3] per 10,000 PY). Compared to the unexposed group, the exposed group had an increased risk of ADHD (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.30–1.52]). In addition, a longer duration of anesthesia with ETI and more general anesthesia procedures with ETI were associated with greater risk of ADHD. General anesthesia with ETI was also associated with poorer results in the K-ASQ. @*Conclusion@#Administration of general anesthesia with ETI to children is associated with an increased risk of ADHD and poor results in a neurodevelopmental screening test.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the concordance rate of PIK3CA mutations between primary and matched distant metastatic sites in patients with breast cancer and to verify whether there are differences in the frequency of PIK3CA hotspot mutations depending on the metastatic sites involved. @*Materials and Methods@#Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens of primary breast and matched distant metastatic tumors were retrospectively obtained for 49 patients. Additionally, 40 archived FFPE specimens were independently collected from different breast cancer metastatic sites, which were limited to three common sites: the liver, brain, and lung. PIK3CA mutations were analyzed using droplet digital PCR, including hotspots involving exons 9 and 20. @*Results@#After analysis of 49 breast tumors with matched metastasis sites, 87.8% showed concordance in PIK3CA mutation status. According to PIK3CA hotspot mutation testing in 89 cases of breast cancer metastatic sites, the proportion of PIK3CA mutations at sites of metastasis involving the liver, brain, and lung was 37.5%, 28.6%, and 42.9%, respectively, which did not result in statistical significance. @*Conclusion@#The high concordance of PIK3CA mutation status between primary and matched metastasis sites suggests that metastatic sites, regardless of the metastatic organ, could be considered sample sources for PIK3CA mutation testing for improved therapeutic strategies in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
ABSTRACT
Furanocoumarin 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) is the parent compound that naturally occurs in traditional medicinal plants used historically. 8-MOP has been employed as a photochemotherapeutic component of Psoralen + Ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy for the treatment of vitiligo and psoriasis. Although the role of 8-MOP in PUVA therapy has been studied, little is known about the effects of 8-MOP alone on human gastric cancer cells. In this study, we observed anti-proliferative effect of 8-MOP in several human cancer cell lines. Among these, the human gastric cancer cell line SNU1 is the most sensitive to 8-MOP. 8-MOP treated SNU1 cells showed G1-arrest by upregulating p53 and apoptosis by activating caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner, which was confirmed by loss-of-function analysis through the knockdown of p53-siRNA and inhibition of apoptosis by Z-VAD-FMK. Moreover, 8-MOPinduced apoptosis is not associated with autophagy or necrosis. The signaling pathway responsible for the effect of 8-MOP on SNU1 cells was confirmed to be related to phosphorylated PI3K, ERK2, and STAT3. In contrast, 8-MOP treatment decreased the expression of the typical metastasis-related proteins MMP-2, MMP-9, and Snail in a p53-independent manner. In accordance with the serendipitous findings, treatment with 8-MOP decreased the wound healing, migration, and invasion ability of cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, combination treatment with 8-MOP and gemcitabine was effective at the lowest concentrations. Overall, our findings indicate that oral 8-MOP has the potential to treat early human gastric cancer, with fewer side effects.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#We evaluated the role of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based disease monitoring for elderly patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who received decitabine therapy. @*Methods@#A total of 123 patients aged > 65 years with AML who received decitabine were eligible. We analyzed the dynamics of variant allele frequency (VAF) in 49 available follow-up samples after the fourth cycle of decitabine. The 58.6% VAF clearance (Δ, [VAF at diagnosis − VAF at follow-up] × 100 / VAF at diagnosis) was the optimal cut-off for predicting overall survival (OS). @*Results@#The overall response rate was 34.1% (eight patients with complete remission [CR], six of CR with incomplete hematologic recovery, 22 with partial responses, and six with morphologic leukemia-free status). Responders (n = 42) had significantly better OS compared with non-responders (n = 42) (median, 15.3 months vs. 6.5 months; p < 0.001). Of the 49 patients available for follow-up targeted NGS analysis, 44 had trackable gene mutations. The median OS of patients with ΔVAF ≥ 58.6% (n=24) was significantly better than that of patients with ΔVAF < 58.6% (n = 19) (20.5 months vs. 9.8 months, p = 0.010). Moreover, responders with ΔVAF ≥ 58.6% (n = 20) had a significantly longer median OS compared with responders with VAF < 58.6% (n = 11) (22.5 months vs. 9.8 months, p = 0.004). @*Conclusions@#This study suggested that combining ΔVAF ≥ 58.6%, a molecular response, with morphologic and hematologic responses can more accurately predict OS in elderly AML patients after decitabine therapy.
ABSTRACT
There are many reports of subacute thyroiditis (SAT) that occurred after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but no such case has been reported in Korea. Moreover, the simultaneous occurrence of SAT and Graves’ disease (GD) is rare. Here, we describe a patient who developed SAT and GD after the second episode of COVID-19. A 27-year-old woman with no known history of thyroid disease presented with fever, upper respiratory tract symptoms, and painful neck swelling. Thyroid function tests revealed thyrotoxicosis, and thyroid ultrasound showed heterogeneous echogenicity of enlarged thyroid glands. Her initial clinical presentation was consistent with SAT after viral infection, with typical neck tenderness and spontaneous improvement of thyrotoxicosis without antithyroid drug use. However, this case had some atypical features, such as an elevated thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin level, relapse of thyrotoxicosis in short-term follow-up, and increased Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake, suggesting the coexistence of GD. About two months after methimazole (15 mg/day) was prescribed, she was lost to follow up again. We report the first case of unusual co-occurrence of SAT and GD following COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#NUT carcinoma (NC) is a solid tumor caused by the rearrangement of NUTM1 that usually develops in midline structures, such as the thorax. No standard treatment has been established despite high lethality. Thus, we investigated whether targeting the junction region of NUTM1 fusion breakpoints could serve as a potential treatment option for NC. @*Materials and Methods@#We designed and evaluated a series of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the junction region of BRD4-NUTM1 fusion (B4N), the most common form of NUTM1 fusion. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction using the blood of patients was also tested to evaluate the treatment responses by the junction sequence of the B4N fusion transcripts. @*Results@#As expected, the majority of NC fusion types were B4N (12 of 18, 67%). B4N fusion-specific siRNA treatment on NC cells showed specific inhibitory effects on the B4N fusion transcript and fusion protein without affecting the endogenous expression of the parent genes, resulting in decreased relative cell growth and attenuation of tumor size. In addition, the fusion transcript levels in platelet-rich-plasma samples of the NC patients with systemic metastasis showed a negative correlation with therapeutic effect, suggesting its potential as a measure of treatment responsiveness. @*Conclusion@#This study suggests that tumor-specific sequences could be used to treat patients with fusion genes as part of precision medicine for a rare but deadly disease.
ABSTRACT
Background@#Targeted risk population has been highly vaccinated against pneumococcal diseases in South Korea. Despite this, the pneumococcal serotype distribution is evolving, which impedes efficient roll-out of vaccines. @*Methods@#This prospective cohort study included patients aged ≥ 19 years with communityacquired pneumonia (CAP) from five university hospitals in South Korea between September 2018 and July 2021. The outcomes of interest were the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with CAP, pneumococcal serotype distribution, and risk factors of 30-day mortality in patients with pneumococcal CAP (pCAP). Considering the high seroprevalence, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of serotype 3 pCAP. @*Results@#A total of 5,009 patients hospitalized with CAP was included (mean age ± standard deviation, 70.3 ± 16.0 years; 3,159 [63.1%] men). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the leading causative agent of CAP (11.8% overall, 17.7% in individuals aged < 65 years with chronic medical conditions). Among the 280 serotyped Streptococcus pneumococcus, serotype 3 was the most common (10.0%), followed by serotypes 19A (8.9%), 34 (8.9%), and 35B (8.9%).Non-vaccine serotypes (serotype 35B [13.9%] and 34 [12.0%]) were the most prevalent in 108 individuals vaccinated with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23).Serotype 3 was prevalent, irrespective of PPSV23 vaccination status, and more common in individuals with chronic lung disease (P = 0.008). Advanced age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.040; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.011–1.071), long-term care facility residence (aOR, 2.161; 95% CI, 1.071–4.357), and bacteremia (aOR, 4.193; 95% CI, 1.604–10.962) were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in patients with pCAP. PPSV23 vaccination reduced the risk of mortality (aOR, 0.507; 95% CI, 0.267–0.961). @*Conclusion@#Serotype 3 and 19A were still the most common serotypes of pCAP in South Korea despite the national immunization program of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine in children and PPSV23 in old adults. PPSV23 vaccination might reduce the risk of mortality in patients with pCAP.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Lymph node (LN) metastasis is a crucial factor in the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer (GC) and is known to occur more frequently in cases with an advanced T stage.This study aimed to analyze the survival data of patients with advanced LN metastasis in T1 GC. @*Materials and Methods@#From January 2008 to June 2018, 677 patients with pathological stage II GC who underwent radical gastrectomy were divided into an early GC group (EG: T1N2 and T1N3a, n=103) and an advanced GC (AGC) group (AG: T2N1, T2N2, T3N0, T3N1, and T4aN0, n=574). Short- and long-term survival rates were compared between the 2 groups. @*Results@#A total of 80.6% (n=83) of the patients in the EG group and 52.8% (n=303) in the AG group had stage IIA AGC. The extent of LN dissection, number of retrieved LNs, and shortterm morbidity and mortality rates did not differ between the 2 groups. The 5-year relapsefree survival (RFS) of all patients was 87.8% and the overall survival was 84.0%. RFS was lower in the EG group than in the AG group (82.2% vs. 88.7%, P=0.047). This difference was more pronounced among patients with stage IIA (82.4% vs. 92.9%, P=0.003). @*Conclusions@#T1 GC with multiple LN metastases seems to have a worse prognosis compared to tumors with higher T-stages at the same level. Adjuvant chemotherapy is highly recommended for these patients, and future staging systems may require upstaging T1N2-stage tumors.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Reduced port surgery (RPS) for gastric cancer has been frequently reported in distal gastrectomies but rarely in total gastrectomies. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of 3-port totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG) with overlapping esophagojejunal (EJ) anastomosis. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 81 patients who underwent curative TLTG for gastric cancer (36 and 45 patients with 3-port and 5-port TLTG, respectively) were evaluated. All 3-port TLTG procedures were performed with the same method as 5-port TLTG, including EJ anastomosis with the intracorporeal overlap method using a linear stapler, except for the number of ports and assistants. Short-term outcomes, including the number of lymph nodes (LNs) harvested by station and postoperative complications, were analyzed retrospectively. @*Results@#Clinical characteristics were not significantly different among the groups, except that the 3-port TLTG group was younger and had a lower rate of pulmonary comorbidity.There were no cases of open conversion or additional port placement. All operative details and the number of harvested LNs did not differ between the groups, but the rate of suprapancreatic LN harvest was higher in the 3-port TLTG group. No significant differences were observed in the overall complication rates between the 2 groups. @*Conclusions@#Three-port TLTG with overlapping EJ anastomoses using a linear stapler is a feasible RPS procedure for total gastrectomy to treat gastric cancer.
ABSTRACT
Background@#There are no clear guidelines to determine whether to perform D1 or D1+ lymph node dissection in early gastric cancer (EGC). This study aimed to develop a nomogram for estimating the risk of extraperigastric lymph node metastasis (LNM). @*Materials and Methods@#Between 2009 and 2019, a total of 4,482 patients with pathologically confirmed T1 disease at 6 affiliated hospitals were included in this study. The basic clinicopathological characteristics of the positive and negative extraperigastric LNM groups were compared. The possible risk factors were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Based on these results, a risk prediction model was developed. A nomogram predicting extraperigastric LNM was used for internal validation. @*Results@#Multivariate analyses showed that tumor size (cut-off value 3.0 cm, odds ratio [OR]=1.886, P=0.030), tumor depth (OR=1.853 for tumors with sm2 and sm3 invasion, P=0.010), cross-sectional location (OR=0.490 for tumors located on the greater curvature, P=0.0303), differentiation (OR=0.584 for differentiated tumors, P=0.0070), and lymphovascular invasion (OR=11.125, P<0.001) are possible risk factors for extraperigastric LNM. An equation for estimating the risk of extraperigastric LNM was derived from these risk factors. The equation was internally validated by comparing the actual metastatic rate with the predicted rate, which showed good agreement. @*Conclusions@#A nomogram for estimating the risk of extraperigastric LNM in EGC was successfully developed. Although there are some limitations to applying this model because it was developed based on pathological data, it can be optimally adapted for patients who require curative gastrectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection.
ABSTRACT
Background@#Although survival outcomes of multiple myeloma (MM) have improved with the development of new and effective agents, infection remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of levofloxacin prophylaxis (in a real-world setting) during bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (VMP) therapy in elderly patients with newly diagnosed MM. @*Methods@#This study retrospectively analyzed the records of patients with newly diagnosed MM treated with the VMP regimen between February 2011 and September 2020 at three institutes of the Republic of Korea. @*Results@#Of a total of 258 patients, 204 (79.1%) received levofloxacin prophylaxis during VMP therapy. The median number of levofloxacin prophylaxis cycles was 4 (range, 1‒9), but 10 patients did not complete the planned prophylaxis because of side effects. Sixty-six patients (25.5%) experienced severe infections during VMP therapy, most of which (74.7%) occurred within the first four cycles of VMP therapy regardless of levofloxacin prophylaxis status. Early severe infection was significantly associated with poor survival.In multivariate analysis, levofloxacin prophylaxis was significantly associated with a lower risk in early severe infection. @*Conclusion@#Our findings suggest that levofloxacin prophylaxis should be considered at least during the first four cycles of VMP therapy in elderly patients with newly diagnosed MM.
ABSTRACT
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is mostly diagnosed at an advanced stage, with local and/or distal metastasis. Thus, locoregional and/or local control of the primary tumor is crucial for a better prognosis in patients with OSCC. Platelets have long been considered major players in cancer metastasis. Traditional antiplatelet agents, such as aspirin, are thought to be potential chemotherapeutics, but they need to be used with caution because of the increased bleeding risk. Podoplanin (PDPN)-expressing cancer cells can activate platelets and promote OSCC metastasis. However, the reciprocal effect of platelets on PDPN expression in OSCC has not been investigated. In this study, we found that direct contact with platelets upregulated PDPN and integrin β1 at the protein level and promoted invasiveness of human OSCC Ca9.22 cells that express low levels of PDPN. In another human OSCC HSC3 cell line that express PDPN at an abundant level, silencing of the PDPN gene reduced cell invasiveness. Analysis of the public database further supported the co-expression of PDPN and integrin β1 and their increased expression in metastatic tissues compared to normal and tumor tissues of the oral cavity. Taken together, these data suggest that PDPN is a potential target to regulate platelet-tumor interaction and metastasis for OSCC treatment, which can overcome the limitations of traditional antiplatelet drugs.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#We investigated the clinicopathological features and management for superficial nonampullary duodenal tumors (SNADTs). The safety and feasibility of laparoscopic management, especially laparoscopic endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS), were evaluated. @*Methods@#A total of 59 patients with SNADTs who underwent operations from January 2009 to December 2018 at all 8 institutions of the Catholic Medical Center were identified in our comprehensive multi-institutional database. Clinicopathological and surgical data on the 4 anatomical regions of the duodenum were collected and compared.Characteristics of laparoscopic procedure (laparoscopy-only) and LECS procedures were also compared. @*Results@#There were significantly more asymptomatic patients with tumors in the first and second vs. third and fourth duodenal regions. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), carcinoids, and ectopic pancreatic tumors were identified in 32, 12, and 5 cases, respectively. Forty-two patients (71.2%) underwent laparoscopy. Of patients undergoing laparoscopy, the LECS group exhibited significantly more endophytic features and smaller tumor sizes (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Although no significant difference in the wedge resection or postoperative complication rate was seen between the 2 groups (P = 0.096 and P = 0.227, respectively), the wedge resection rate was higher, and the complication rate lower, in the LECS group than the conventional laparoscopic surgery group. @*Conclusion@#Most of the SNADTs located in proximal duodenum were detected incidentally. GISTs were the most common diagnoses of SNADTs in all locations. In treating these tumors, laparoscopic resection is safe and feasible. Especially, LECS may be ideal for treating small endophytic tumors, minimizing over-resection and postoperative complications.
ABSTRACT
Renal insufficiency is one of the common issues in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV). We studied the incidence and risk factors for renal insufficiency in male PLHIV using the Korea HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) Cohort Study. Among the 830 enrolled patients, 32 (3.9%) cases of renal insufficiency occurred over 9576 patient-years of follow-up. The incidence of renal insufficiency in HIVinfected men in this study was 3.3 per 1000 patient-years. Diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, tenofovir or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor exposure for >1 year, and AIDSdefining illness were risk factors for renal insufficiency.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#In women, menopause manifests with a variety of symptoms related to sex-hormone deficiency. Supplementing steroid hormones with pharmacological drugs has been widely practiced. However, considering the possible complications associated with artificial hormone therapy, studies have been conducted to find an alternative to pharmacological hormone replacement therapy. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tissue-based hormone replacement therapy (tHRT) for treating post-menopausal signs and symptoms. @*Materials and Methods@#CD-1 mice were ovariectomized, and the ovaries were cryopreserved. Following artificial induction of post-menopausal osteoporosis, cryopreserved ovaries were subcutaneously autografted, and indexes related to bone health were monitored for 12 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral contents (BMC), total bone volume (BV), and body fat mass were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Uterine atrophy was assessed histologically, and bone microstructures were imaged by micro-computed tomography analysis. @*Results@#Regardless of the number of grafted ovaries, the BMC, BMD, and BV values of mice that underwent ovary transplantation were better than those that did not undergo transplantation. The uteruses in these mice were thicker and heavier after auto-transplantation. Furthermore, the bone microstructure recovered after tHRT. @*Conclusion@#Recovery of menopause-related bone loss and uterine atrophy was achieved through tHRT. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation may be applicable not only in patients wanting to preserve fertility but also in sex hormone-deficient post-menopausal women.