OBJECTIVE: We report a retrospective investigation of the prognostic value of bcl-2 and bax expression, and Ki-67 proliferative index in 42 astrocytic tumors. METHODS: We classified the astrocytic tumors and reviewed the clinical information and survival time. The sections were taken from surgically resected paraffin-embedded tissue and performed immunohistochemical stains for bcl-2, bax and Ki-67. RESULTS: The immunohistochemical stain for bcl-2 revealed a positivity in only two(4.76%) among forty-two cases. The immunostain for bax was positive in 35 cases(83.3%). However, the correlation between bcl-2 & bax expression and age, sex, tumor location, size, and histologic grade was not found. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, bcl-2 & bax expression and survival time in astrocytic tumors was no significance in log rank test(p>0.05). There were prognostic values between Ki-67 LI and histologic grade and between Ki-67 LI and survival time, respectively(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Bcl-2 and bax are not significant, whereas Ki-67 LI is suggested as a significant prognostic factor, associated with histologic grade and survival time of astrocytic tumors.
Coloring Agents ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and gene function of methyltransferase-like protein 27 (METTL27) in colon cancer, its association with immune infiltration and its prognostic significance. METHODS: We analyzed the expression levels of METTL27 in 33 cancers using R language and identified METTL27 as a differential gene in colon cancer. The related signaling pathways of METTL27 were analyzed by gene functional annotation and enrichment. SsGSEA algorithm was used to analyze immune infiltration, and logistic analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between METTL27 expression and clinicopathological features of the patients. Kaplan-meier analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to construct a nomogram for evaluating the correlation between METTL27 expression and clinical prognosis. The expression level of METTL27 was further verified in colorectal cancer cell lines and 16 clinical specimens of colorectal cancer tissues using qPCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: METTL27 was highly expressed in 21 cancers, and its expression was significantly higher in colon cancer than in adjacent tissues (P < 0.001). METTL27-related genes were identified by differential analysis, and functional annotation revealed that METTL27 was significantly enriched in transmembrane transport and lipid metabolism, and 5 related signaling pathways were identified by GSEA. METTL27 expression was negatively correlated with different T helper cells and central memory T cells (P < 0.001). The patients with a high METTL27 mRNA expression had a poor survival outcome. Cox regression analysis showed that METTL27 expression was an independent prognostic factor of the overall survival. The expression level of METTL27 was significantly higher in the colorectal cancer cell line than in normal cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION METTL27 is overexpressed in colon cancer and is associated with a poor prognosis of the patients. A high expression of METTL27 showed is associated less T cell immune infiltration, suggesting the potential of METTL27 as a prognostic marker of colon cancer.
Colonic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although circadian variation in the onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been reported in a number of studies, not much is known about the impact of circadian variation on 12-month mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of circadian variation on 12-month mortality in patients with AMI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eight hundred ninety two patients (mean age 67+/-12; 66.1% men) with AMI who visited Kyungpook National University Hospital from November 2005 to December 2007 were included in this study. Patients were divided into groups based on four 6-hours intervals: overnight (00:00-05:59); morning (06:00-11:59); afternoon (12:00-17:59) and evening (18:00-23:59). RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed 12-month mortality rates of 9.6%, 9.1%, 12.1%, and 16.7% in the overnight, morning, afternoon, evening-onset groups, respectively (p=0.012). Compared with the morning-onset AMI group, the serum creatinine levels (p=0.002), frequency of Killip class > or =3 (p=0.004), and prescription rate of diuretics (p=0.011) were significantly higher in the evening-onset AMI group, while the left ventricular ejection fraction (p=0.012) was significantly lower. The proportion of patients who arrived in the emergency room during routine duty hours was significantly lower in evening-onset groups irrespective of the presence or absence of ST-segment elevation (p<0.001). According to univariate analysis, the 12-month mortality rate in the evening group was significantly higher compared to the morning group (hazard ratio 1.998, 95% confidence interval 1.196 to 3.338, p=0.008). CONCLUSION: Patients with evening-onset AMI had poorer baseline clinical characteristics, and this might affect the circadian impact on 12-month mortality. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of circadian variation on the long-term outcome of AMI.
Circadian Rhythm ; Creatinine ; Diuretics ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prescriptions ; Stroke Volume

Antimetabolites that inhibit postoperative fibroblast proliferation increases the success of glaucoma filtration surgery. However, the use of mitomycin C in young patients has not been extensively studied. The effectiveness of initialtrabeculectomy with mitomycin C or uncomplicated glaucoma in patients age 40 years or younger was evaluated in a consecutive series of 15 eyes of 10 patients. Thirteen eyes had juvenile primary open-angle glaucoma and 2 eyes had steroid induced glaucoma. Mitomycin C (0.002%) was applied for 2 to 4 minutes during the surgery. The success rate was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis, and it was 78% at postoperative 9 months. Complications included postoperative hyphema(7 eyes), hypotony (2 eyes), and bleb-related endophthalmitis.
Antimetabolites ; Endophthalmitis ; Fibroblasts ; Filtering Surgery ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Mitomycin* ; Trabeculectomy*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the oncological outcome of histologic variants in bladder cancer patients who underwent radical cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 393 bladder cancer patients who underwent radical cystectomy at single center between January 2007 and August 2014. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to histologic types: pure urothelial cell carcinoma (UC) and squamous, micropapillary, and other variants. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survivals (OS). The patients were divided into those with pathologic stage and nodal status. RESULTS: Among 393 bladder cancer patients, squamous, micropapillary histologic variants were observed in 38 (9.7%), 26 (6.6%), respectively, whereas 39 had other variant types. Stage T3 cancer occurred in more patients with histologic variant compared with those with pure UC. Pathologic positive nodal status was also frequently found in the histologic variant groups. Subgroup analysis according to T stage and nodal status showed no significant difference in RFS and OS. On multivariate analysis, pathologic T stage (stage T2: hazard ratio [HR], 2.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34–5.63; p=0.005; stage ≥T3: HR, 3.20; 95% CI, 1.62–6.30; p=0.001) and nodal status (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.05–2.56; p=0.028) were prognostic factors for RFS. CONCLUSIONS: In patients who underwent radical cystectomy, histologic variants were detected more often at advanced pathologic stage. Although histologic variants have been identified in the radical cystectomy specimen, treatment should be performed according to the pathologic stage.
Cystectomy* ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Multivariate Analysis ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

OBJECTIVE: Several scales are currently used to assess occlusion rates of coiled cerebral aneurysms. This study compared these scales as predictors of recanalization. METHODS: Clinical data of 827 patients harboring 901 aneurysms treated by coiling were retrospectively reviewed. Occlusion rates were assessed using angiographic grading scale (AGS), two-dimensional percent occlusion (2DPO), and volumetric packing density (vPD). Every scale had 3 categories. Followed patients were dichotomized into either presence or absence of recanalization. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted, and Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to identify surviving probabilities of recanalization. Lastly, the predictive accuracies of three different scales were measured via Harrell's C index. RESULTS: The cumulative risk of recanalization was 7% at 12-month, 10% at 24-month, and 13% at 36-month of postembolization, and significantly higher for the second and third categories of every scale (p<0.001). Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of the second and third categories as compared with the first category of AGS (HR : 3.95 and 4.15, p=0.004 and 0.001) and 2DPO (HR : 4.87 and 3.12, p<0.001 and 0.01) were similar. For vPD, there was no association between occlusion rates and recanalization. The validated and optimism-adjusted C-indices were 0.50 [confidence (CI) : -1.09-2.09], 0.47 (CI : -1.10-2.09) and 0.44 (CI : -1.10-2.08) for AGS, 2DPO, and vPD, respectively. CONCLUSION: Total occlusion should be reasonably tried in coiling to maximize the benefit of the treatment. AGS may be the best to predict recanalization, whereas vPD should not be used alone.
Aneurysm ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Retrospective Studies ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: We analyzed outcomes of patients with prostate cancer undergoing either radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) +/- salvage radiation or definitive radiation therapy (RT) +/- androgen deprivation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2003-2010 there were 251 patients who underwent RRP and 469 patients who received RT (> or =7,560 cGy) for prostate cancer. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed with the log-rank test to compare biochemical control (bCR), distant metastatic-free survival (DMPFS), and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) between the two groups. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 70 months and 61.3% of the men were African American. For low risk disease the 6-year bCR were 90.3% for RT and 85.6% for RRP (p = 0.23) and the 6-year post-salvage bCR were 90.3% vs. 90.9%, respectively (p = 0.84). For intermediate risk disease the 6-year bCR were 82.6% for RT and 59.7% for RRP (p < 0.001) and 82.6% vs. 74.0%, respectively, after including those salvaged with RT (p = 0.06). For high risk disease, the 6-year bCR were 67.4% for RT and 41.3% for RRP (p < 0.001) and after including those salvaged with RT was 67.4% vs. 43.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in regards to DMPFS or PCSS. CONCLUSION: Treatment approaches utilizing RRP +/- salvage radiation or RT +/- androgen deprivation yielded equivalent DMPFS and PCSS outcomes. Biochemical control rates, using their respective definitions, appeared equivalent or better in those who received treatment with RT.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy* ; Prostatic Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mucosal healing (MH) is a proposed therapeutic goal for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Whether MH is the final goal for UC, however, remains under debate. Therefore, to elucidate clinical variables predicting relapse after MH in UC could be useful for establishing further therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the predictive variables for relapse in UC-patients after achieving MH. METHODS: From April 2010 to February 2015, 298 UC-patients treated at Kitano Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. MH was defined as Mayo endoscopic subscore of 0 or 1. The cumulative relapse free rate after achieving MH was evaluated. Predictive variables for relapse in UC-patients were assessed by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 298 UC-patients, 88 (29.5%) achieved MH. Of the 88 UC patients who achieved MH, 21 (23.9%) experienced UC-relapse. Based on Kaplan-Meier analysis, the cumulative relapse free rate at 1, 3, and 5 years after achieving MH was 87.9%, 70.2%, and 63.8%, respectively. The cumulative relapse free rate tended to be higher in the Mayo-0 group (76.9%) than in the Mayo-1 group (54.1%) at 5 years, although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.313). Cox regression analysis indicated that the use of an immunomodulator was a predictive variable for relapse in UC-patients after achieving MH (P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that the prognosis of UC patients after achieving endoscopic MH could be based on UC refractoriness requiring an immunomodulator.
Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Prognosis ; Recurrence* ; Retrospective Studies ; Ulcer*

BACKGROUND: CD9, a member of the tetraspanin superfamily, is a tumor suppressor in many malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of CD9 in colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) and determine clinicopathological and prognostic significance of its expression. METHODS: The CD9 expression status of 305 CRCs was evaluated using a semi-quantitative scoring system in tumor cells (T-CD9) and immune cells (I-CD9) by classifying the results as high and low expression. RESULTS: High T-CD9 (T-CD9 [+]) expression was detected in 175 samples (57.6%) and high I-CD9 (I-CD9 [+]) expression was detected in 265 samples (86.9%). Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, the T-CD9 (+) group showed a tendency for better disease-free survival (DFS) (p = .057). In left-sided tumors, DFS was significantly longer in the T-CD9 (+) group (p = .021) but no statistical significance was observed with right-sided tumors (p = .453). I-CD9 (+) CRCs significantly correlated with well/moderately differentiation (p = .014). In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the I-CD9 (+) group had a tendency towards worse DFS compared to the I-CD9 (–) group (p = .156). In combined survival analysis of T-CD9 and I-CD9, we found that the longest DFS was among patients in the T-CD9 (+)/I-CD9 (–) group, whereas the T-CD9 (–)/I-CD9 (+) group showed the shortest DFS (p = .054). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of T-CD9 was associated with a favorable DFS, especially in left-sided CRCs. Combined evaluation of T-CD9 and I-CD9 is required to determine the comprehensive prognostic effect of CD9 in CRCs.
Antigens, CD9 ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to assess the association between the pre-operative plasma fibrinogen level and the adjacent organ involvement in advanced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 923 pre-operative plasma samples were obtained from 923 patients diagnosed clinically as having advanced gastric cancer, and fibrinogen levels were measured by immunoassay. Associations between fibrinogen levels and clinicopathologic findings (depth of tumor, adjacent organ involvement, and lymph node metastasis), along with survival were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Tumor size, tumor depth, and the presence of lymph node metastasis were found to be positively correlated with the preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels (P<0.001). Fifty (5.4%) patients had adjacent organ involvement. Lymphatic invasion (P<0.001), tumor size (P<0.001), clinical T (depth of invasion) stage (P<0.001), and clinical nodal stage (P=0.018) were found to be associated with adjacent organ involvement. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that a preoperatively elevated plasma fibrinogen level was associated with adjacent organ involvement (P<0.001, 0.028), and Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that it was associated with poorer survival (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma fibrinogen was found to be a clinically useful marker of adjacent organ involvement and overall survival. When a high fibrinogen level is encountered, preoperatively, adjacent organ involvement should be suspected in clinically advanced gastric cancer.
Fibrinogen ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Plasma ; Stomach Neoplasms