Recently, researchers have tried to predict patient prognosis using biomarker expression in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram predicting the 5-year recurrence-free ...probability (RFP) of gastric cancer patients using prognostic biomarker gene expression.
We enrolled 360 patients in the training data set to develop the predictive model and nomogram. We analyzed the patients’ general variables and the gene expression levels of 10 prognostic biomarker candidates between the nonrecurrence and recurrence groups. We also performed external validation using 420 patients from the validation data set.
The final nomogram was composed of age, sex, and the expression levels of CAPZA, PPase, OCT-1, PRDX4, gamma-enolase, and c-Myc. The five-year RFPs were 89%, 75%, 54% and 32% for the patients in the low-risk, intermediate-risk, high-risk and very-high-risk groups in the development cohort, respectively. In the external validation cohort, the 5-year RFPs were 89%, 75%, 63% and 60%, respectively. The areas under the curve were 0.718 (95% CI, 0.65–0.78) and 0.640 (95% CI, 0.57–0.70) for the training and validation data sets, respectively. The RFP Kaplan-Meier curves were significantly different among the 4 groups in the training and validation data sets (p < 0.0001).
This newly developed nomogram using gene expression can predict the 5-year RFP for gastric cancer patients after surgical treatment. We hope that this nomogram will help in the therapeutic decision between endoscopic treatment and gastrectomy.
Lipotoxic hepatocyte injury is a primary event in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the mechanisms of lipotoxicity are not fully defined. Sphingolipids and free cholesterol (FC) mediate ...hepatocyte injury, but their link in NASH has not been explored. We examined the role of free cholesterol and sphingomyelin synthases (SMSs) that generate sphingomyelin (SM) and diacylglycerol (DAG) in hepatocyte pyroptosis, a specific form of programmed cell death associated with inflammasome activation, and NASH.
Wild-type C57BL/6J mice were fed a high fat and high cholesterol diet (HFHCD) to induce NASH. Hepatic SMS1 and SMS2 expressions were examined in various mouse models including HFHCD-fed mice and patients with NASH. Pyroptosis was estimated by the generation of the gasdermin-D N-terminal fragment. NASH susceptibility and pyroptosis were examined following knockdown of SMS1, protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), or the NLR family CARD domain-containing protein 4 (NLRC4).
HFHCD increased the hepatic levels of SM and DAG while decreasing the level of phosphatidylcholine. Hepatic expression of
but not
was higher in mouse models and patients with NASH. FC in hepatocytes induced
expression, and
knockdown prevented HFHCD-induced NASH. DAG produced by SMS1 activated PKCδ and NLRC4 inflammasome to induce hepatocyte pyroptosis. Depletion of
prevented hepatocyte pyroptosis and the development of NASH. Conditioned media from pyroptotic hepatocytes activated the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 inflammasome (NLRP3) in Kupffer cells, but
knockout mice were not protected against HFHCD-induced hepatocyte pyroptosis.
SMS1 mediates hepatocyte pyroptosis through a novel DAG-PKCδ-NLRC4 axis and holds promise as a therapeutic target for NASH.
The Committee of Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Korean Diabetes Association revised and updated the 6th Clinical Practice Guidelines in 2019. Targets of glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid ...control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were updated. The obese and overweight population is increasing steadily in Korea, and half of the Koreans with diabetes are obese. Evidence-based recommendations for weight-loss therapy for obesity management as treatment for hyperglycemia in T2DM were provided. In addition, evidence from large clinical studies assessing cardiovascular outcomes following the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in patients with T2DM were incorporated into the recommendations.
Purpose
This meta-analysis investigated the association between the risk of breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Various stratified analyses were performed according to race ...(Asian/Westerner), HRT type all hormone therapies, estrogen-only therapy (ET), or combined estrogen–progestin therapy (EPT), histological breast cancer type (ductal/lobular/mixed ductal–lobular), and estrogen receptor status (ER-positive/ER-negative).
Methods
A literature search was performed using Pubmed, Embase, and KoreaMed. Twenty-five epidemiological studies including 23 cohort studies and two randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis.
Results
Using a random-effects model, HRT use was found to be positively associated with the risk of breast cancer with a pooled hazard ratio (HR) of 1.33 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24, 1.44. Compared with ET, EPT was more strongly associated with breast cancer risk. EPT was associated with both ductal and lobular breast cancer risks for ductal breast cancer, HR = 1.51 (95% CI 1.28, 1.78); for lobular breast cancer, HR = 1.38 (95% CI 1.20, 1.60). According to ER status, all HRTs were associated with the risk of ER-positive breast cancer, but not with that of ER-negative breast cancer.
Conclusions
Asian HRT users had a higher risk of breast cancer than western HRT users. Both ET and EPT were significantly associated with the risk of all breast cancer histological types and ER-positive breast cancer.
Aims/Introduction
The present study aimed to analyze the temporal changes in the prevalence, screening rate, visual impairments and treatment patterns of diabetic retinopathy in the Korean population ...over 8 years.
Materials and Methods
This was a retrospective population‐based study of Korean national health insurance beneficiaries aged 30 years or older with type 2 diabetes, obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Claims database from 2006 to 2013 (n = 1,655,495 in 2006 and 2,720,777 in 2013). The annual prevalence rates of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, dilated fundus examinations, visual impairment, laser treatment and vitrectomy, as determined based on diagnostic and treatment codes, were analyzed.
Results
There was a steady increase in the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, from 14.3% in 2006 to 15.9% in 2013. However, the incidence of new diabetic retinopathy cases decreased from 6.7/100 person‐years in 2006 to 5.6 in 2013. Approximately 98% of patients underwent at least one dilated fundus examination during the follow‐up period. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy peaked in the 60–69 years age group. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was higher in female than in male diabetes patients. The proportion of patients who underwent an annual dilated fundus examination improved from 24.3% in 2006 to 30.0% in 2013. Among patients with diabetic retinopathy, constant decreases in the proportions of those who received laser treatment (11.4% in 2006 to 6.9% in 2013) and who underwent vitrectomy (2.4% in 2006 to 1.7% in 2013) were noted. Additionally, a decreasing trend in the prevalence of visual impairment was noted among the patients with diabetic retinopathy, from 2% (4,820/237,267) in 2006 to 0.08% (3,572/431,964) in 2013.
Conclusions
Although there was a rapid increase in the prevalence of diabetes in the Korean population in the past decade, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy remained stable during the study period. However, just three out of 10 patients with diabetes underwent regular annual dilated fundus examinations. Thus, an improvement in the continuity of diabetic retinopathy screening among patients with diabetes is necessary to reduce the risk of visual impairment as a result of diabetic retinopathy.
Although the number of Korean patients with DR has increased, the incidence for new DR cases decreased from 2006 to 2013. However, the screening rate has not improved sufficiently. A decreasing trend in the number of patients requiring laser treatment or vitrectomy was documented.
In South Korea, a November 2021 outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant originated from 1 person with an imported case and spread to households, ...kindergartens, workplaces, restaurants, and hospitals, resulting in 11 clusters within 3 weeks. An epidemiologic curve indicated rapid community transmission of the Omicron variant.
Muscle development and lipid accumulation in muscle critically affect meat quality of livestock. However, the genetic factors underlying myofiber-type specification and intramuscular fat (IMF) ...accumulation remain to be elucidated. Using two independent intercrosses between Western commercial breeds and Korean native pigs (KNPs) and a joint linkage-linkage disequilibrium analysis, we identified a 488.1-kb region on porcine chromosome 12 that affects both reddish meat color (a*) and IMF. In this critical region, only the MYH3 gene, encoding myosin heavy chain 3, was found to be preferentially overexpressed in the skeletal muscle of KNPs. Subsequently, MYH3-transgenic mice demonstrated that this gene controls both myofiber-type specification and adipogenesis in skeletal muscle. We discovered a structural variant in the promotor/regulatory region of MYH3 for which Q allele carriers exhibited significantly higher values of a* and IMF than q allele carriers. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation and cotransfection assays showed that the structural variant in the 5'-flanking region of MYH3 abrogated the binding of the myogenic regulatory factors (MYF5, MYOD, MYOG, and MRF4). The allele distribution of MYH3 among pig populations worldwide indicated that the MYH3 Q allele is of Asian origin and likely predates domestication. In conclusion, we identified a functional regulatory sequence variant in porcine MYH3 that provides novel insights into the genetic basis of the regulation of myofiber type ratios and associated changes in IMF in pigs. The MYH3 variant can play an important role in improving pork quality in current breeding programs.
Environmental, social, and corporate governance are keywords in measuring the speed of investment in businesses and their impact on society. In the past, the international community only considered ...financial factors, but now companies are evaluated with consideration of nonfinancial factors. This study examined the relationship between women’s labor based on “E” and “G” in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) environment. Among the ESG issues that are becoming global issues, social and corporate governance are closely related to women’s employment, welfare, the elimination of gender discrimination, vulnerability protection, and women’s labor rate. Over the past three years since the outbreak of COVID-19, employment of vulnerable women, including women, people with disabilities, foreigners, and the elderly, has decreased, and the rate of layoffs has risen, indicating the vulnerability of women’s labor in Korean society. Measures to address this should start by improving social awareness, spreading awareness of equality and human rights, considering the socially disadvantaged, developing women’s competency, reorganizing legal and institutional structures, and developing corporate governance. In addition, the problem of increasing the women’s labor participation rate in Korean society is intractable unless the system of women’s welfare and care and the distribution of women in the workforce are strengthened. Through an analysis of K-ESG guidelines and based on an understanding of the interrelationship between the Equality Assessment Index and the Board of Directors Gender Diversity Indicator, the study would like to point out the problem of the vulnerability of women’s labor in Korea. In addition, to solve the problems of the current situation, this study analyzes the relevant laws in Korea and the vulnerability of female workers in Korean society. Ultimately, it is shown that companies are moving in the direction of a linkage of ESG and development, and directions for development are suggested. KCI Citation Count: 0
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) nanocomposite fibers are prepared by dry-jet wet spinning at the CNC concentrations of 0, 1, and 3 wt%, followed by mechanical stretching up ...to the draw ratio (DR) of 8. The structure analysis results show that the strong interaction between PVDF and CNC leads to good mechanical properties and high β phase fraction (Fβ) that is beneficial for its application as a smart textile. The chain conformational variation of PVDF is analyzed as a function of processing condition, exhibiting that the tensile properties and Fβ of all the fibers are enhanced as the polymeric chains are extended with increasing DR. Among various fibers, the nanocomposite fiber containing 1 wt% CNC possesses the highest tensile strength of 298 MPa, tensile modulus of 3.3 GPa, and Fβ of 69.1% at a DR of 8. However, at a high CNC loading of 3 wt%, the tensile properties are decreased, which may be due to the defect structure evolution by CNC aggregation. In order to demonstrate the feasibility as a smart textile, triboelectric textile sensors are fabricated via cross-stitching and conventional weaving, resulting in a good pressure sensing capability over a broad range of 0.98–98 kPa.
Previous studies suggested that chronic periodontitis may be a risk factor for psoriasis. However, no study has confirmed this relationship for all stages of periodontal disease (gingivitis and ...periodontitis). This nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate whether periodontal disease is an independent risk factor for the development of subsequent psoriasis. Patients aged ≥ 20 years who underwent both medical and oral checkups from the National Health Screening Program between 2002 and 2007 were selected from a customized database provided by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). Then, patients with periodontal disease (n = 3,682,468) and without periodontal disease (control, n = 3,637,128) according to oral examination results were identified. We tracked each patient for subsequent psoriasis diagnosis until the end of 2018 using NHIS database. The incidence rates of psoriasis per 1000 person-years were 0.36 and 0.34 in the periodontal disease group and control groups, respectively. After adjusting for potential cofactors, no significant increase in risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.994; 95% confidence interval, 0.974-1.015) was observed. Similar results were observed when analyzing the risk of psoriasis in patients who required scaling or periodontal surgery. In conclusion, periodontal disease is not an independent risk factor of psoriasis.
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