Summary
Background
Little is known about factors affecting the quality of life (QoL) of patients with vitiligo, and previous studies have shown conflicting results.
Objectives
To explore the QoL of ...patients with vitiligo and to identify factors affecting QoL.
Methods
A nationwide questionnaire‐based study was conducted with 1123 patients with vitiligo recruited from 21 hospitals in Korea from July 2015 to June 2016. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire for demographic information and the Skindex‐29 instrument. Mild or severely impaired QoL in patients with vitiligo was assessed according to each domain (symptoms, functioning and emotions) of Skindex‐29. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with QoL.
Results
Of the enrolled participants, 609 were male and 514 female, with a mean age of 49·8 years (range 20–84). The median duration of disease was 3·0 years (range 0–60). Using multivariate logistic regression modelling, the involvement of visible body parts and a larger affected body surface area were consistently associated with QoL impairment in all three domains of Skindex‐29. Additionally, the QoL of patients aged 20–59 years, who potentially had a more active social life than older patients, was associated with functional impairment. Furthermore, a higher educational background was associated with emotional impairment.
Conclusions
A multitude of factors significantly influence the QoL of patients with vitiligo. A better appreciation of these factors would help the management of these patients.
What's already known about this topic?
Quality of life is highly impaired in patients with vitiligo.
What does this study add?
The involvement of visible body parts and a larger affected body surface area were consistently associated with impaired symptoms, functioning and emotions.
Vitiligo with nonvisible lesions also considerably compromises quality of life; vitiligo should not be regarded as a cosmetic problem.
Patients aged 20–59 years experienced significant functional impairment, and those with a higher educational background had more impairment in their emotions.
Linked Comment: Ezzedine and Eleftheriadou. Br J Dermatol 2018; 178:28–29.
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Metastasis is the predominant cause of death in breast cancer patients. Several lines of evidence have shown that microRNAs (miRs) can have an important role in cancer metastasis. Using isogenic ...pairs of low and high metastatic lines derived from a human breast cancer line, we have identified miR-149 to be a suppressor of breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis. We also identified GIT1 (G-protein-coupled receptor kinase-interacting protein 1) as a direct target of miR-149. Knockdown of GIT1 reduced migration/invasion and metastasis of highly invasive cells. Re-expression of GIT1 significantly rescued miR-149-mediated inhibition of cell migration/invasion and metastasis. Expression of miR-149 impaired fibronectin-induced focal adhesion formation and reduced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and paxillin, which could be restored by re-expression of GIT1. Inhibition of GIT1 led to enhanced protein degradation of paxillin and α5β1 integrin via proteasome and lysosome pathways, respectively. Moreover, we found that GIT1 depletion in metastatic breast cancer cells greatly reduced α5β1-integrin-mediated cell adhesion to fibronectin and collagen. Low level of miR-149 and high level of GIT1 was significantly associated with advanced stages of breast cancer, as well as with lymph node metastasis. We conclude that miR-149 suppresses breast cancer cell migration/invasion and metastasis by targeting GIT1, suggesting potential applications of the miR-149-GIT1 pathway in clinical diagnosis and therapeutics.
Summary
A better understanding of the features of subsequent fractures after distal radius fracture (DRF) is important for the prevention of further osteoporotic fractures. This study found that the ...cumulative incidence of subsequent osteoporotic fractures in South Korea increased over time and that the mortality rates of subsequent DRFs were lower than those of first-time DRFs.
Introduction
We examined the incidence of osteoporotic fractures following distal radius fractures (DRFs) and the mortality rate after subsequent DRFs using claims data from the Korea National Health Insurance (KNHI) Service.
Methods
We identified records for 41,417 patients with first-time DRFs in 2012. The occurrence of osteoporotic fractures of the spine, hip, wrist, and humerus at least 6 months after the index DRF was tracked through 2016. All fractures were identified by specific diagnosis and procedure codes. One-year mortality rates and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for initial and subsequent DRFs were calculated for all patients.
Results
The 4-year cumulative incidence of all subsequent osteoporotic fractures was 14.74% (6105/41,417; 9.47% in men, 15.9% in women). The number of associated subsequent fractures was 2850 for the spine (46.68%), 2271 for the wrist (37.2%), 708 for the hip (11.6%), and 276 for the humerus (4.52%). The cumulative mortality rate 1 year after the first-time and subsequent DRF was 1.47% and 0.71%, respectively, and the overall SMR was 1.48 (95% CI: 1.37–1.61) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.42−1.21), respectively.
Conclusion
The cumulative incidence of osteoporotic fractures following DRFs increased over the study period and was higher among women. The cumulative mortality rates and SMRs of subsequent DRFs were lower than those of first-time DRFs at the 1-year follow-up. Given the increasing incidence rate of DRFs, the incidence of subsequent osteoporotic fractures may also increase.
We present microlensing events in the 2015 Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) data and our procedure for identifying these events. In particular, candidates were detected with a novel ..."completed-event" microlensing event-finder algorithm. The algorithm works by making linear fits to a grid of point-lens microlensing models. This approach is rendered computationally efficient by restricting u0 to just two values (0 and 1), which we show is quite adequate. The implementation presented here is specifically tailored to the commission-year character of the 2015 data, but the algorithm is quite general and has already been applied to a completely different (non-KMTNet) data set. We outline expected improvements for 2016 and future KMTNet data. The light curves of the 660 "clear microlensing" and 182 "possible microlensing" events that were found in 2015 are presented along with our policy for their public release.
The search continues for nickel oxide-based materials with electronic properties similar to cuprate high-temperature superconductors
. The recent discovery of superconductivity in the doped ...infinite-layer nickelate NdNiO
(refs.
) has strengthened these efforts. Here, we use X-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory to show that the electronic structure of LaNiO
and NdNiO
, while similar to the cuprates, includes significant distinctions. Unlike cuprates, the rare-earth spacer layer in the infinite-layer nickelate supports a weakly interacting three-dimensional 5d metallic state, which hybridizes with a quasi-two-dimensional, strongly correlated state with Formula: see text symmetry in the NiO
layers. Thus, the infinite-layer nickelate can be regarded as a sibling of the rare-earth intermetallics
, which are well known for heavy fermion behaviour, where the NiO
correlated layers play an analogous role to the 4f states in rare-earth heavy fermion compounds. This Kondo- or Anderson-lattice-like 'oxide-intermetallic' replaces the Mott insulator as the reference state from which superconductivity emerges upon doping.
SETTING: Multicentre study.OBJECTIVE: To define the clinical characteristics of patients with tuberculosis (TB) destroyed lung due to past TB.DESIGN: We reviewed patients with TB-destroyed lung ...between May 2005 and June 2011.RESULTS: A total of 595 patients from 21 hospitals
were enrolled. The mean age was 65.63 ± 0.47 (mean ± standard error); 60.5% were male. The mean number of lobes involved was 2.59 ± 0.05. Pleural thickening was observed in 54.1% of the patients. Mean forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1),
FEV1/FVC, bronchodilator response and number of exacerbations per year were respectively 2.06 ± 0.03 l (61.26% ± 0.79), 1.16 ± 0.02 l (49.05% ± 0.84), 58.03% ± 0.70, 5.70% ± 0.34, and 0.40 ± 0.04. The number of lobes involved was
significantly correlated with FVC and FEV1, and with the number of exacerbations per year. Use of long-acting muscarinic antagonists or long-acting beta-2 agonists plus inhaled corticosteroids resulted in bronchodilatory effects. Multivariable regression analysis showed that age,
initial FEV1 (%) and number of exacerbations during follow-up were independent factors affecting change in FEV1.CONCLUSION: Decreased lung function with exacerbation, and progressive decline of FEV1 were observed in patients with TB-destroyed lung.
Summary
Incidence of hip fracture increased in Korean populations over age 50 between 2008 and 2012, and the number of fractures was predicted to increase by 1.4 times by 2025. This is important ...information for public health planning.
Introduction
The purposes of this study were to evaluate the trends in the incidence and mortality of hip fracture between 2008 and 2012 and predict the number of hip fractures in Korea through 2025 using nationwide claims data.
Methods
The data managed by the National Health Insurance Service were used to identify the hip fractures in patients aged >50 years between 2008 and 2012. Projections of hip fractures were conducted using the Poisson distribution from 2016 to 2025 in Korea.
Results
The incidence of hip fractures (per 100,000) increased by 14.1 % over the 5 years of the study, by 15.8 % in women and 10.9 % in men; the older age group showed a steep rise and shift in the incidence from 2008 to 2012. The cumulative mortality rates at 1 year after hip fractures were 17.2 % (3575/20,849) in 2008 and 16.0 % (4547/28,426) in 2012. Overall standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for hip fracture were higher in men (11.93) than in women (11.22) and were higher than those in the general population in all age groups. In 2016, the total number of hip fractures was estimated to increase an overall of 1.4 times by 2025.
Conclusions
The incidence of hip fracture continues to increase, and the related mortality is still high, although it has decreased over time. The socioeconomic burden of hip fracture is expected to increase in Korea along with the increased estimated number of fractures. Nationwide strategies should include attempts to reduce the future socioeconomic burdens of hip fractures.
Aims
This study aimed synergistic effects of three herbs in Salmonella via increased membrane permeability and apoptosis.
Methods and Results
Using high‐performance liquid chromatography, four types ...of phenylethyl glycosides and a lignan were detected in the herb mixture (Brassica juncea, Forsythia suspensa, and Inula britannica). During treatment with the herb mixture (1×, 2×, or 4× the MIC), viable cells decreased to 1·87 log CFU per ml (Salmonella Gallinarum) and 2·33 log CFU per ml (Salmonella Enteritidis) after 12 h of incubation according to inhibition of tricarboxylic acid cycle (P < 0·01). In addition, N‐phenyl‐1‐naphthylamine uptake increased from 229·00 to 249·67 AU in S. Gallinarum and from 232·00 to 250·67 AU in S. Enteritidis (P < 0·05), whereas membrane potential decreased from 8855·00 to 3763·25 AU and from 8703·67 to 4300·38 AU, respectively. Apoptotic Salmonella cells were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry. Transmission electron microscopy observations with negative staining showed protein leakage from damaged Salmonella.
Conclusions
These results showed the synergistic effect of the three herbs against avian pathogenic Salmonella induced by membrane damage and apoptosis.
Significance and Impact of the Study
Salmonella causes enormous economic losses in the poultry industry. These results indicated that potency of natural antimicrobial agents due to apoptosis in Salmonella.
ABSTRACT
Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella serotypes isolated from 7 chicken meat brands produced by different integrated broiler operations in Korea were determined. In ...total, 210 samples were collected from retail supermarkets in Seoul, South Korea, and analyzed for the presence of Salmonella. Of 210 chicken meat samples, overall Salmonella prevalence was 22.4%. Salmonella Enteritidis was the dominant serovar, with an isolation rate of 57.4% from the Salmonella-positive chickens, followed by Salmonella Montevideo. Salmonella isolates frequently were resistant to various antibiotics, including 100% to erythromycin, 87% to cephalothin, 85% to nalidixic acid, and 70% to streptomycin. Of the 47 isolates, 41 (87.2%) isolates were resistant to 3 or more antibiotics. Moreover, the Salmonella profiles of each chicken meat brand were different by broiler operation. Brand A showed the highest prevalence of Salmonella (18 isolates, 60%), whereas brand G showed the lowest prevalence (one isolate, 3.3%). Eight among the 18 isolates of brand A were resistant to 11 antibiotics, whereas 5 of the 6 brand C isolates were resistant to only 2 antibiotics. This study demonstrates that a high proportion of chicken meat in Korea is contaminated with Salmonella and the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella of chicken meat differ significantly according to the integrated broiler operation.
Thioamides antithyroid‐drugs (ATDs) are important in hyperthyroid disease management. Identification of the susceptibility locus of ATD‐induced agranulocytosis is important for clinical management. ...We performed a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) involving 20 patients with ATD‐induced agranulocytosis and 775 healthy controls. The top finding was further replicated. A single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs185386680, showed the strongest association with ATD‐induced agranulocytosis in GWAS (odds ratio (OR) = 36.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 12.8–103.7; P = 1.3 × 10‐24) and replication (OR = 37; 95% CI = 3.7–367.4; P = 9.6 × 10‐7). HLA‐B*38:02:01 was in complete linkage disequilibrium with rs185386680. High‐resolution HLA typing confirmed that HLA‐B*38:02:01 was associated with carbimazole (CMZ)/methimazole (MMI)‐induced agranulocytosis (OR = 265.5; 95% CI = 27.9–2528.0; P = 2.5 × 10‐14), but not associated with propylthiouracil (PTU). The positive and negative predictive values of HLA‐B*38:02:01 in predicting CMZ/MMI‐induced agranulocytosis were 0.07 and 0.999. Approximately 211 cases need to be screened to prevent one case. Screening for the risk allele will be useful in preventing agranulocytosis in populations in which the frequency of the risk allele is high.
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