Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of natural killer/T-cell lymphoma involving the ocular adnexa.

AIMS: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) involving the ocular adnexa. METHODS: Retrospective, comparative, observational case series. A total of 350 patients with NKTL, including 27 patients with NKTL involving the ocular adnexa from 1999 to 2016. The patients were grouped into two groups: group 1 comprised patients presenting with ophthalmic symptoms, and group 2 comprised patients presenting with symptoms from other organs but subsequently developed ophthalmic involvement. RESULTS: Group 1 comprised 12 patients (44.4%) and group 2 comprised 15 (55.6%). Mean duration of symptoms in group 1 was 1.8±1.2 months, while the time from diagnosis of NKTL to development of ophthalmic symptoms in group 2 was 45.3±65.6 months. Periorbital swelling was the most common presenting symptom in both groups (83.3% in group 1 and 73.3% in group 2). Symptoms mimicking cellulitis and pseudotumor were present in 50.0% and 16.7% of cases, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rate was 18.5% in group 1 and 26.4% in group 2, while the 5-year progression-free survival rate was 0% and 13.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our series is to our knowledge the largest cohort study on NKTL reported to date and demonstrates that ocular adnexal NKTL is a rare but seriously fatal disease. It is characterised by acute inflammatory signs as present in as many as two-thirds of our patients in this series. It should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with rapidly progressing proptosis and diagnosed promptly for optimal management.

Visceral adiposity and apolipoprotein C-III in apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins are independent predictors in determining atherogenic lipid profiles.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Little is known about how visceral adiposity and apolipoprotein CIII in apoB-containing lipoproteins influence atherogenic lipids profiles. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships of visceral adiposity and apoC-III in apoB-containing lipoproteins (LpB:C-III) with lipoprotein lipids in circulating plasma. METHODS: A subgroup of 46 men (n = 20, aged 29.1-33.4 years) and women (n = 26, aged 29.1-33.8 years) were recruited from an ongoing population study at our institution. Anthropometric variables including weight, height, and waist circumference were measured using standard procedures, and body mass index was calculated (kg/m(2)). Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was measured with magnetic resonance imaging. Plasma apolipoproteins, lipids, glucose, and insulin were measured after an overnight fasting. RESULTS: The men had a significantly higher waist circumference, glucose, and TC/HDL-C ratio, while the women had a significantly higher HDL-C and apoA-I. In particular, this is the first study to report that VAT and LpB:C-III were independent predictors in determining plasma triglyceride concentrations. CONCLUSION: The relations of plasma triglyceride concentration with VAT and LpB:C-III suggest that information on VAT and apoC-III in apoB-containing lipoproteins may provide additional information on the atherogenic lipid profiles.

Association between the GNB3 polymorphism and blood pressure in young Korean men.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the associations between the GNB3 C825T polymorphism, body fatness and fitness, and blood pressure in a sample of young Korean men. METHODS: A total of 282 apparently healthy Korean men (nonobese N = 152, obese N = 130) aged 19-33 yr participated in the study. Body fatness and blood pressure were measured by using standardized protocols. The GNB3 C825T was genotyped by using polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: Univariate analyses of variance and Bonferroni post hoc tests showed that in the obese group only, TT homozygotes had a lower VO2max (P = 0.015 and 0.043, respectively) but higher resting systolic (P = 0.025 and < 0.001, respectively) and mean arterial blood pressures (P = 0.049 and 0.002, respectively) than CC homozygotes or CT heterozygotes. We further investigated possible interactions between group and genotype and found a significant interaction in SBP only (P = 0.037) between the group and genotype, even when controlling for age, BMI, and VO2max as potential confounding factors. Stepwise regression analyses showed that body mass index and GNB3 genotype were two independent predictors for the variations in systolic blood pressure and heart rate up to by 14.3 and 14.5%, respectively. In addition, waist-to-hip ratio explained an individual variation in mean arterial pressure (MAP) up to by 11.2%. CONCLUSION: The current findings of the study suggest that increased body fatness along with low cardiorespiratory fitness may magnify the genetic susceptibility of the GNB3 825T allele to elevated blood pressure in this study population.