Correlation between Interocular Asymmetry of Corneal Hysteresis and Visual Field Defect in Glaucoma

Purpose@#To evaluate the relationship between interocular asymmetries of corneal hysteresis (CH) and visual field defects in Korean patients with glaucoma. @*Methods@#A total of 444 eyes from 222 participants with glaucoma in at least one eye were enrolled. CH was measured using an ocular response analyzer (Reichert Technologies Inc). Eyes of each participant were classified into “better eye” and “worse eye” based on the mean deviation (MD) value of visual field test. The correlation between interocular differences in intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, CH, and MD values was evaluated using Spearman correlation analysis. To exclude the possible effect of antiglaucoma medication on corneal properties, additional analyses were performed on eyes without any glaucoma treatment at the time of CH measurement (treatment-naive group). @*Results@#Median (interquartile range) MD value was –3.71 dB (–6.87 to –1.30 dB) in the better eye and –10.20 dB (–16.32 to –5.62 dB) in the worse eye. When the correlation between the asymmetry of the MD value and asymmetry of intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, and CH were evaluated, only interocular differences in CH were significantly associated with interocular differences in MD values (rho = 0.214, p = 0.001). Among the 222 participants, 60 (27.0%) were treatment-naive group. In these eyes, interocular differences in CH were also significantly associated with interocular differences in the MD values (rho = 0.285, p = 0.029). @*Conclusions@#The interocular asymmetry of CH was significantly correlated with the interocular asymmetry of visual field defects in glaucoma.

Risk of Developing Congenital Glaucoma in Premature Infants with Large Cup/Disc Ratio

Purpose@#To investigate the risk of congenital glaucoma development in premature infants with large cup/disc ratios: a long-term follow-up study. @*Methods@#The medical records of premature infants with cup/disc ratios of at least 0.3 were retrospectively reviewed. Ophthalmic examinations, including measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP) corneal diameter, and dilated fundoscopy, were periodically performed. Changes in the cup/disc ratio from the first examination to the last follow-up were sought, and clinical factors associated with such changes were analyzed. In addition, glaucoma development was investigated. @*Results@#Seventy-four patients were included; they were monitored for up to 33.96 ± 19.86 months (based on corrected age). At first examination, the mean IOP was 17.12 ± 4.01 mmHg and the horizontal corneal diameter 10.34 ± 0.83 mm. The mean cup/disc ratio was 0.54 ± 0.14 at the first visit and increased significantly to 0.57 ± 0.14 at the last follow-up (p < 0.001). A small baseline cup/disc ratio was associated with a greater change in the cup/disc ratio (regression coefficient β = -0.111, p = 0.028). We found no significant association of such change with gestational age, birth weight, IOP, or corneal diameter. We encountered no case of congenital glaucoma. @*Conclusions@#Even if the cup/disc ratio is at least 0.3 in premature infants, the risk of glaucoma does not seem to be high if the IOP is not high. Prospective studies on more patients are needed.

Radiological and Histological Clues in the Diagnosis of Solitary and Synchronous Breast Metastasis From Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / 한국유방암학회지

Breast metastases from small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) are extremely rare. Although reports of breast metastases from SCLC exist, only three studies have reported solitary and synchronous breast metastases. Herein, we present a case of SCLC with solitary and synchronous breast metastases. This unusual case highlights the importance of the combined use of radiological and immunohistochemical features to accurately distinguish solitary metastatic SCLC from primary breast carcinoma or metastatic carcinoma of other types of lung cancer. It also emphasizes the importance of the differences between solitary metastatic SCLC and primary breast carcinoma or metastatic carcinoma of other types of lung cancer for the respective prognoses and development of appropriate therapeutic plans.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features and Tumor-to-Nipple Distance for the Nipple-Areolar Complex Involvement of Breast Cancer:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective@#This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the accuracy of preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and tumor-to-nipple distance (TND) for diagnosing occult nipple-areolar complex (NAC) involvement in breast cancer. @*Materials and Methods@#The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles published until March 20, 2022, excluding studies of patients with clinically evident NAC involvement or those treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool. Two reviewers independently evaluated studies that reported the diagnostic performance of MRI imaging features such as continuity to the NAC, unilateral NAC enhancement, non-mass enhancement (NME) type, mass size (> 20 mm), and TND. Summary estimates of the sensitivity and specificity curves and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve of the MRI features for NAC involvement were calculated using random-effects models. We also calculated the TND cutoffs required to achieve predetermined specificity values. @*Results@#Fifteen studies (n = 4002 breast lesions) were analyzed. The pooled sensitivity and specificity (with 95% confidence intervals) for NAC involvement diagnosis were 71% (58–81) and 94% (91–96), respectively, for continuity to the NAC; 58% (45–70) and 97% (95–99), respectively, for unilateral NAC enhancement; 55% (46–64) and 83% (75–88), respectively, for NME type; and 88% (68–96) and 58% (40–75), respectively, for mass size (> 20 mm). TND had an area under the SROC curve of 0.799 for NAC involvement. A TND of 11.5 mm achieved a predetermined specificity of 85% with a sensitivity of 64%, and a TND of 12.3 mm yielded a predetermined specificity of 83% with a sensitivity of 65%. @*Conclusion@#Continuity to the NAC and unilateral NAC enhancement may help predict occult NAC involvement in breast cancer. To achieve the desired diagnostic performance with TND, a suitable cutoff value should be considered.

A randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-way crossover study to assess the pharmacokinetics between two tablets of fixed-dose combination formulation with raloxifene and cholecalciferol and concomitant administration of each agents in healthy male volunteers

A new fixed-dose combination (FDC) formulation of raloxifene 60 mg and cholecalciferol 800 IU was developed to improve the medication compliance and overall efficacy of raloxifene treatment in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients. The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics between two tablets of FDC formulation of raloxifene/cholecalciferol and the two products administered concomitantly at respective doses. This randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-treatment, two-way crossover study included 46 volunteers. During each treatment period, subjects received the test formulation (FDC formulation containing raloxifene and cholecalciferol) or the reference formulation (co-administration of raloxifene and cholecalciferol), with a 14-d washout period. Serial blood samples were collected periodically over 96 hours after drug intake. In total, 46 subjects completed the study. The geometric mean ratios and its 90% confidence intervals of the FDC to the single agents for the area under the concentration-time curve from zero to the last quantifiable time point and the maximum plasma concentration met the regulatory criteria for bioequivalence: 1.1364 (1.0584–1.2201) and 1.1010 (0.9945–1.2188) for raloxifene and 1.0266 (0.9591–1.0989) and 1.0354 (0.9816–1.0921) for baseline-corrected cholecalciferol, respectively. Both formulations were well tolerated. No significant differences was observed in the incidence of adverse events between the two treatments. It was concluded that two tablets of the newly developed FDC formulation of raloxifene and cholecalciferol and the corresponding two agents administered concomitantly at respective doses were bioequivalent.

Therapeutic efficacy of low-dose steroid combined with hyaluronidase in ultrasonography-guided intra-articular injections into the shoulder for adhesive capsulitis

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of low-dose steroid, highdose steroid, and low-dose steroid combined with hyaluronidase with respect to intra-articular injection therapy for adhesive capsulitis (AC) of the shoulder. @*Methods@#Thirty patients with primary AC in the initial stage were randomly assigned into three groups to receive ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections with 20 mg of triamcinolone acetonide (group A, n=10), 40 mg of triamcinolone acetonide (group B, n=10) and 20 mg of triamcinolone acetonide combined with hyaluronidase (group C, n=10). The outcome measures included a visual analogue scale (VAS), the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire (SDQ), abduction and external rotation range of motion, and intra-sheath fluid (ISF) before treatment and at 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks after treatment. @*Results@#Among the 30 patients, one participant in group B dropped out; therefore, a total of 29 patients completed this study and were successfully injected. After the injection, the VAS, SDQ, range of flexion and external rotation, and ISF improved in all groups compared with the preinjection status, regardless of treatment or time point. In the comparison between groups, the SDQ and ISF showed significantly greater improvements in groups B and C than in group A. @*Conclusion@#The therapeutic efficacy of combined low-dose corticosteroid and hyaluronidase is superior to that of low-dose corticosteroid and equivalent to that of high-dose corticosteroid in early AC.

Ectopic Male Breast Cancer in Suprapubic Area That Relapsed with Hematogenous Metastasis / 한국유방암학회지

Tough ectopic male breast cancer is extremely rare, non-axillary ectopic male breast cancer is even rare. To date, the natural course and prognosis of this disease are not fully understood.Consequently, the appropriate treatment for this disease has not been established. We report on a patient with ectopic male breast cancer in the suprapubic area that relapsed with hematogenous metastasis 3 years after complete surgical resection and adjuvant treatment despite an early diagnosis. This unusual case highlights the need for new prognostic factors such as genomic profiling to predict whether ectopic male breast cancer is aggressive and to guide on the duration between follow-ups and the appropriate method for conducting them.

Ectopic Male Breast Cancer in Suprapubic Area That Relapsed with Hematogenous Metastasis / 한국유방암학회지

Tough ectopic male breast cancer is extremely rare, non-axillary ectopic male breast cancer is even rare. To date, the natural course and prognosis of this disease are not fully understood.Consequently, the appropriate treatment for this disease has not been established. We report on a patient with ectopic male breast cancer in the suprapubic area that relapsed with hematogenous metastasis 3 years after complete surgical resection and adjuvant treatment despite an early diagnosis. This unusual case highlights the need for new prognostic factors such as genomic profiling to predict whether ectopic male breast cancer is aggressive and to guide on the duration between follow-ups and the appropriate method for conducting them.

Characteristics and Significance of Korean Medical Workers in Communication Skills Evaluation

Background@#The Korean version of the Rhetorical Sensitivity Scale (RHETSEN-K) is a tool for measuring communication skills under development. This study focused on determining whether the results of the RHETSEN-K questionnaire on health-care workers are similar to those of medical students. @*Methods@#We applied RHETSEN-K to health-care workers. Exploratory factor analysis and deterministic factor analysis were conducted. Participants were classified according to the type of RHETSEN-K, and results were compared with those of previous studies. @*Results@#Results of the factor analysis were similar to those of previous studies. The internal consistency of the three factors were all above 0.7. The rhetorical reflector type was the most frequent, and the rhetorical sensitivity and noble self types were similar. The distribution of the type according to sex and occupation were statistically insignificant. Of the total respondents, 22.7% were not classified as any type, which is similar to the results of the non-classification of previous research. @*Conclusion@#These results imply that the concept of three rhetorical factors in Korean culture is different from those used in RHETSEN2, suggesting that it is necessary to develop an evaluation tool that reflects these results.

The Influence of Family Mealtime on Early Adolescents’ Assessment of Their Depression and Family Function

Background@#The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of family mealtime and family structure on family functioning and early adolescents’ depression. @*Methods@#A survey was conducted with a sample of 275 middle school students in the Gangdong-gu district, Seoul. APGAR scores and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) scale were used to measure family functioning and depression level, respectively, along with six more questions to collect data on family structure, family mealtimes, and adolescents’ reasons for avoiding family meals. Statistical analyses including t-test, one-way ANOVA and twoway ANOVA were employed to examine the influence of family mealtime, family structure and sex on family functioning and depression levels. @*Results@#The analyses revealed that family structure and environmental factors, such as parental presence and educational attainment did not influence family functioning or adolescent depression, while variables related to family mealtime influenced both depression level and family functioning. Results also showed that females were more vulnerable to depression. @*Conclusion@#It was concluded that having family time during meals improves family functioning and helps decrease depression levels of adolescent family members. Therefore, parents should take care that they have regular family mealtimes with children, especially female children, during their adolescence.

Prediction of Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Breast Cancer Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate dynamic contrast-enhanced breast magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) variables, for axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis in the early stage of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: January 2011–April 2015, 787 patients with early stage of breast cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Only cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, were included in the patient population. Among them, 240 patients who underwent 3.0-T DCE-MRI, including DWI with b value 0 and 800 s/mm² were enrolled. MRI variables (adjacent vessel sign, whole-breast vascularity, initial enhancement pattern, quantitative kinetic parameters, signal enhancement ratio (SER), tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), peritumoral ADC, and peritumor-tumor ADC ratio) clinico-pathologic variables (age, T stage, multifocality, extensive intraductal carcinoma component (EIC), estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER-2 status, Ki-67, molecular subtype, histologic grade, and nuclear grade) were compared between patients with axillary lymph node metastasis and those with no lymph node metastasis. Multivariate regression analysis was performed, to determine independent variables associated with ALN metastasis, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), for predicting ALN metastasis was analyzed, for those variables. RESULTS: On breast MRI, moderate or prominent ipsilateral whole-breast vascularity (moderate, odds ratio [OR] 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–9.51 vs. prominent, OR = 15.59, 95% CI 2.52–96.46), SER (OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.09–2.59), and peritumor-tumor ADC ratio (OR = 6.77, 95% CI 2.41–18.99), were independently associated with ALN metastasis. Among clinico-pathologic variables, HER-2 positivity was independently associated, with ALN metastasis (OR = 23.71, 95% CI 10.50–53.54). The AUC for combining selected MRI variables and clinico-pathologic variables, was higher than that of clinico-pathologic variables (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SER, moderate or prominent increased whole breast vascularity, and peritumor-tumor ADC ratio on breast MRI, are valuable in predicting ALN metastasis, in patients with early stage of breast cancer.

Interpretive Performance and Inter-Observer Agreement on Digital Mammography Test Sets

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the interpretive performance and inter-observer agreement on digital mammographs among radiologists and to investigate whether radiologist characteristics affect performance and agreement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The test sets consisted of full-field digital mammograms and contained 12 cancer cases among 1000 total cases. Twelve radiologists independently interpreted all mammograms. Performance indicators included the recall rate, cancer detection rate (CDR), positive predictive value (PPV), sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate (FPR), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Inter-radiologist agreement was measured. The reporting radiologist characteristics included number of years of experience interpreting mammography, fellowship training in breast imaging, and annual volume of mammography interpretation. RESULTS: The mean and range of interpretive performance were as follows: recall rate, 7.5% (3.3–10.2%); CDR, 10.6 (8.0–12.0 per 1000 examinations); PPV, 15.9% (8.8–33.3%); sensitivity, 88.2% (66.7–100%); specificity, 93.5% (90.6–97.8%); FPR, 6.5% (2.2–9.4%); and AUC, 0.93 (0.82–0.99). Radiologists who annually interpreted more than 3000 screening mammograms tended to exhibit higher CDRs and sensitivities than those who interpreted fewer than 3000 mammograms (p = 0.064). The inter-radiologist agreement showed a percent agreement of 77.2–88.8% and a kappa value of 0.27–0.34. Radiologist characteristics did not affect agreement. CONCLUSION: The interpretative performance of the radiologists fulfilled the mammography screening goal of the American College of Radiology, although there was inter-observer variability. Radiologists who interpreted more than 3000 screening mammograms annually tended to perform better than radiologists who did not.

Correlation of the Korean Version of Falls Efficacy Scale-International With Quantitative Balance and Gait Parameters Through Exercise Program in Elderly Men

OBJECTIVE: To determine correlation of the Korean version of Falls Efficacy Scale-International (KFES-I) with other gait and balance parameters through exercise program in older men. METHODS: Between July 2015 and April 2018, 50 men of 103 participants in an exercise program for preventing falls who aged over 60 years, completed the evaluation before and after the program, had fear of falling (FOF), and could walk independently as an outpatient were enrolled retrospectively. The program comprised lower extremities and core muscle strengthening exercises following stretching exercises twice a week for 8 weeks. FOF using the KFES-I, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), stair up and gait categories in MBI (MBI-gait), and Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were evaluated. Quantitative gait and balance parameters were measured by gait analysis, posturography, and isokinetic dynamometer. They were compared before and after the program. Moreover, correlations of KFES-I with other parameters were examined. RESULTS: Fifty participants were enrolled. After the program, significant improvements were noted in right stride length (p=0.013) in gait analysis, MBI (p=0.012), BBS (p<0.000), TUG test (p<0.000), and KFES-I (p<0.000) scores. KFES-I was significantly correlated with MBI (r=-0.35, p=0.013), and MBI-gait (r=-0.341, p=0.015). CONCLUSION: Risk of falls could be significantly improved through exercise. KFES-I had significant correlations with MBI-gait parameters. Participants showed increases in gait and balancing ability on quantitative measurements through exercises. Therefore, regular stretching, strengthening, and balancing exercises may help prevent falls in older people.

Interobserver agreement in breast ultrasound categorization in the Mammography and Ultrasonography Study for Breast Cancer Screening Effectiveness (MUST-BE) trial: results of a preliminary study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to record and evaluate interobserver agreement as quality control for the modified categorization of screening breast ultrasound developed by the Alliance for Breast Cancer Screening in Korea (ABCS-K) for the Mammography and Ultrasonography Study for Breast Cancer Screening Effectiveness (MUST-BE) trial. METHODS: Eight breast radiologists with 4-16 years of experience participated in 2 rounds of quality control testing for the MUST-BE trial. Two investigators randomly selected 125 and 100 cases of breast lesions with different ratios of malignant and benign lesions. Two versions of the modified categorization were tested. The initially modified classification was developed after the first quality control workshop, and the re-modified classification was developed after the second workshop. The re-modified categorization established by ABCS-K added size criteria and the anterior-posterior ratio compared with the initially modified classification. After a brief lecture on the modified categorization system prior to each quality control test, the eight radiologists independently categorized the lesions using the modified categorization. Interobserver agreement was measured using kappa statistics. RESULTS: The overall kappa values for the modified categorizations indicated moderate to substantial degrees of agreement (initially modified categorization and re-modified categorization: κ=0.52 and κ=0.63, respectively). The kappa values for the subcategories of category 4 were 0.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24 to 0.52) and 0.39 (95% CI, 0.31 to 0.49), respectively. The overall kappa values for both the initially modified categorization and the re-modified categorization indicated a substantial degree of agreement when dichotomizing the interpretation as benign or suspicious. CONCLUSION: The preliminary results demonstrated acceptable interobserver agreement for the modified categorization.

Scoring System to Stratify Malignancy Risks for Mammographic Microcalcifications Based on Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System 5th Edition Descriptors

OBJECTIVE: To develop a scoring system stratifying the malignancy risk of mammographic microcalcifications using the 5th edition of the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS).MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred ninety-four lesions with microcalcifications for which surgical excision was performed were independently reviewed by two radiologists according to the 5th edition of BI-RADS. Each category's positive predictive value (PPV) was calculated and a scoring system was developed using multivariate logistic regression. The scores for benign and malignant lesions or BI-RADS categories were compared using an independent t test or by ANOVA. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was assessed to determine the discriminatory ability of the scoring system. Our scoring system was validated using an external dataset.RESULTS: After excision, 69 lesions were malignant (36%). The PPV of BI-RADS descriptors and categories for calcification showed significant differences. Using the developed scoring system, mean scores for benign and malignant lesions or BI-RADS categories were significantly different (p < 0.001). The AUROC of our scoring system was 0.874 (95% confidence interval, 0.840–0.909) and the PPV of each BI-RADS category determined by the scoring system was as follows: category 3 (0%), 4A (6.8%), 4B (19.0%), 4C (68.2%), and 5 (100%). The validation set showed an AUROC of 0.905 and PPVs of 0%, 8.3%, 11.9%, 68.3%, and 94.7% for categories 3, 4A, 4B, 4C, and 5, respectively.CONCLUSION: A scoring system based on BI-RADS morphology and distribution descriptors could be used to stratify the malignancy risk of mammographic microcalcifications.

Projection of the Years of Life Lost, Years Lived with Disability, and ​Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Korea for 2030

BACKGROUND@#Projection of future trends in disease burden can facilitate setting of priorities for health policies and resource allocation. We report here projections of disease-specific mortality and the burdens of various diseases in Korea from 2016 to 2030.@*METHODS@#Separate age- and sex-specific projection models for 21 major cause clusters from 2016 to 2030 were developed by applying coherent functional data models based on historical trends from 2002 to 2015. The age- and sex-specific years of life lost (YLL) for each cause cluster were projected based on the projected number of deaths. Years lived with disability (YLD) projections were derived using the 2015 age- and sex-specific YLD to YLL ratio. The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was the sum of YLL and YLD.@*RESULTS@#The total number of deaths is projected to increase from 275,777 in 2015 to 421,700 in 2030, while the age-standardized death rate is projected to decrease from 586.9 in 2015 to 447.3 in 2030. The largest number of deaths is projected to be a result of neoplasms (75,758 deaths for males; 44,660 deaths for females), followed by cardiovascular and circulatory diseases (34,795 deaths for males; 48,553 deaths for females). The three leading causes of DALYs for both sexes are projected to be chronic respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).@*CONCLUSION@#We demonstrate that NCDs will continue to account for the majority of the disease burden in Korea in the future.

Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of Upper Abdominal Organs Acquired with Multiple B-Value Combinations: Value of Normalization Using Spleen as the Reference Organ

OBJECTIVE: To compare apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the upper abdominal organs acquired with multiple b-value combinations and to investigate usefulness of normalization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data, including 3T diffusion-weighted images, of 100 patients (56 men, 44 women; mean age, 63.9) that underwent liver magnetic resonance imaging. An ADC map was derived with the following six b-value combinations: b1 = 0, 50, 400, 800; b2 = 0, 800; b3 = 0, 50, 800; b4 = 0, 400, 800; b5 = 50, 800; and b6 = 50, 400, 800 s/mm2. ADC values of the right liver lobe, left liver lobe, spleen, pancreas, right kidney, and left kidney were measured. ADC values of the spleen were used for normalization. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), comparison of dependent ICCs, and repeated-measures analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients of the original ADC revealed moderate to substantial agreement (0.5145–0.6509), while normalized ADCs revealed almost perfect agreement (0.8014–0.8569). ICC of normalized ADC for all anatomical regions revealed significantly less variability than that of the original ADC (p < 0.05). Coefficient of variance for normalized ADC was significantly lower than that for the original ADC (3.0.3.8% vs. 4.8.8.8%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Normalization of the ADC values of the upper abdominal organs using the spleen as the reference organ significantly decreased variability in ADC measurement acquired with multiple b-value combinations.

Glucose Hypometabolism in Hippocampal Subdivisions in Alzheimer's Disease: A Pilot Study Using High-Resolution ¹⁸F-FDG PET and 7.0-T MRI

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Atrophy of the hippocampus is an important clinical diagnostic marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and so assessments of hippocampal activity and its subdivisions might provide invaluable information. This study compared the glucose metabolism of hippocampal subdivisions in mild-AD patients and healthy controls. METHODS: High-resolution T2*-weighted gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) images were acquired using 7.0-T MRI and high-resolution research tomograph FDG-PET, respectively, in 9 early-stage AD patients and 10 healthy subjects. The hippocampal body was divided into three equal parts (anterior, middle, and posterior), and in each part a region of interest (ROI) was drawn over the cornus ammonis (CA)1, CA2/3, CA4/dentate gyrus (DG), and subiculum. The standardized uptake values of the hippocampal subdivisions were calculated for each ROI as ratios relative to the pons standardized uptake value. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Patients with early-stage AD patients showed significantly less metabolic activity than healthy controls focally in the middle (p=0.050) and posterior (p=0.034) CA2/3 regions of the right hippocampus, and significantly less activity throughout the left hippocampal body in the anterior CA2/3 (p=0.027) and CA4/DG (p=0.027) regions, the middle CA1 region (p=0.011), and the posterior CA1 (p=0.034), CA2/3 (p=0.007), and CA4/DG (p=0.014) regions. CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to use high-resolution PET-MRI fusion images to identify hippocampus subdivisions and assess glucose metabolism in the subfields. Reductions in metabolic activity were found to vary along the hippocampal axis in early-stage AD patients.

Role of TAZ in Lysophosphatidic Acid-Induced Migration and Proliferation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Transcriptional co-activator with a PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) is an important factor in lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced promotion of migration and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The expression of TAZ significantly increased at 6 h after LPA treatment, and TAZ knockdown inhibited the LPA-induced migration and proliferation of MSCs. In addition, embryonic fibroblasts from TAZ knockout mice exhibited the reduction in LPA-induced migration and proliferation. The LPA1 receptor inhibitor Ki16425 blocked LPA responses in MSCs. Although TAZ knockdown or knockout did not reduce LPA-induced phosphorylation of ERK and AKT, the MEK inhibitor U0126 or the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 blocked LPA-induced TAZ expression along with the reduction in the proliferation and migration of MSCs. Our data suggest that TAZ is an important mediator of LPA signaling in MSCs in the downstream of MEK and ROCK signaling.

Role of TAZ in Lysophosphatidic Acid-Induced Migration and Proliferation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Transcriptional co-activator with a PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) is an important factor in lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced promotion of migration and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The expression of TAZ significantly increased at 6 h after LPA treatment, and TAZ knockdown inhibited the LPA-induced migration and proliferation of MSCs. In addition, embryonic fibroblasts from TAZ knockout mice exhibited the reduction in LPA-induced migration and proliferation. The LPA1 receptor inhibitor Ki16425 blocked LPA responses in MSCs. Although TAZ knockdown or knockout did not reduce LPA-induced phosphorylation of ERK and AKT, the MEK inhibitor U0126 or the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 blocked LPA-induced TAZ expression along with the reduction in the proliferation and migration of MSCs. Our data suggest that TAZ is an important mediator of LPA signaling in MSCs in the downstream of MEK and ROCK signaling.