Objective An organic layer prepared from the cortex of Morus alba (Moraceae) was studied in order to identify the active compounds for heparinase. Methods Bioassay-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of sanggenon G Results The compound showed inhibitory activity with IC50 of 3.7 μmol/L on heparinase in vitro as well as 24 μmol/L in invasion assay using MDA-MB231 cells. Sanggenon G also had the moderate cytotoxicity at SW 620 (colon) and ACHN (kidney) cancer cell lines with IC50 of 10.96 and 13.44 μmol/L, respectively. Conclusion This is the first time that prenylated flavonoid sanggenon G is described as heparinase inhibitor. Besides, this flavonoid would be expected to be a metastasis inhibitor of cancer cells and also a valuable reagent to explore the mechanism of heparinase/heparanase-mediated metastasis.

Objective To identify the active compounds for protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) from the seeds of Plantago asiatica. Methods Bioassay-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of iridoid glucosides (1-5) with PTP1B inhibitory activity. Results Five compounds were identified as desacetylhookerioside (1), melittoside (2), geniposidic acid (3), 10-O-acetyl-geniposidic acid (4), and alpinoside (5). Conclusion Isolated compounds 3-5 inhibit PTP1B with IC50 values ranged from (16.3 ± 1.1) to (19.8 ± 1.2) μmol/L.

PURPOSE: The objective of the current study was to compare surgical outcomes and prognosis based on the longitudinal location of stomach tumors in patients undergoing curative treatment. The specific focus was on the prognosis for adenocarcinomas in the proximal upper-third of the stomach, excluding tumors in the esophagogastric junction (EGJ).METHODS: Data from patients who underwent curative treatment for gastric adenocarcinoma between 2000 and 2010 at a single institution were analyzed retrospectively. Excluding tumors of EGJ origin, data from 797 patients were reviewed—686 with distal gastric cancer and 111 with proximal gastric cancer. Clinicopathology features, tumor stage, surgical outcomes, recurrence, and survival were compared between the groups.RESULTS: Gastric cancer recurred in 136 of the patients (17.1%). Although differences were detected between proximal and distal cancer patients in the prevalence in males versus females (74.8% vs. 63.4%, P=0.020) and in undifferentiated histology (60.4% vs. 47.7%, P=0.013), the prognosis for proximal gastric cancer did not differ from distal gastric cancer. The overall 5-year disease-free survival rate was 84.9% and 81.4% in proximal and distal cancer patients, respectively (P=0.389).CONCLUSION: The prognosis of proximal cancer, excluding tumors of EGJ origin, did not differ from the prognosis of more distal gastric cancer. Clarifying the prognosis of proximal gastric cancer will require the large-scale comparison of an organized, multi-institution database.
Adenocarcinoma ; Disease-Free Survival ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

Background: To determine the risk of pregnancy complications and adverse offspring outcomes in Korean women with rheumatic diseases (RDs). Methods: Women aged 20–44 years with pregnancies ending in delivery were identified from the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database (2009–2016).Women with RD including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (SPRA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (n = 4,284) were age-matched with controls (n = 26,023). Outcome variables included threatened abortion (TA), preterm birth (PB), preeclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E), intrauterine growth retardation (IGR), urinary tract infection, low birth weight (LBW) offsprings, and offspring death within 1 year of birth. Results: Women with RDs had increased risks for cesarean section delivery (odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–1.6), TA (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2–1.5), PB (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.9–3.2), PE/E (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 3.3–5.9), and IGR (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 2.0–3.1) than the controls. The risk of pregnancy complications was increased in SLE and SPRA pregnancies but not in AS pregnancies. Offsprings of women with RDs had an increased risk of LBW (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 3.2–4.9). The offspring mortality rate within 1 year of birth was higher in women with RDs (6.2/10,000 persons) than in the controls (4.9/10,000 persons). Conclusion Women with RDs are at a risk of developing pregnancy complications, and the risk of LBW offsprings and offspring death within 1 year of birth is increased in these women.Therefore, this population requires special attention during their childbearing years.

Background/Aims: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of comorbidities and medication use in Korean women with rheumatic diseases (RDs) during their childbearing years. Methods: We included women aged 20 to 44 years with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (n = 41,547) and age-matched women without seropositive RA, SLE, and AS (n = 208,941) from the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database (2009 to 2016). The prevalence of hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia (HLD), diabetes mellitus (DM), and cancer and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids (CSs), and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were estimated. Results: Women of childbearing age with RDs were more likely to have at least one of the measured comorbidities than the controls (odds ratio [OR], 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.9 to 3.1). The OR (95% CI) was 2.9 (2.8 to 3.0) for HTN, 2.8 (2.7 to 2.9) for HLD, 1.4 (1.4 to 1.5) for DM, and 1.3 (1.3 to 1.4) for cancer. The SLE group had the highest prevalence and odds of all four measured comorbidities. Almost all (97.9%) women of childbearing age with RDs were taking RD-related medications (NSAIDs, 81.6%; CSs, 77.8%; DMARDs, 87.3%). The RD group was 13.8 times more likely to take NSAIDs and 68.2 times more likely to take CSs than the controls. Use of NSAIDs was more prevalent in RA and AS than SLE, whereas use of CSs and DMARDs was more prevalent in RA and SLE than AS. Conclusions Korean women with RDs have a greater burden of comorbidities and medication use during their childbearing years than women without RDs of the same age.

PURPOSE: To establish and validate a formula to predict spectral domain (SD)-optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness from time domain (TD)-OCT RNFL measurements and other factors. METHODS: SD-OCT and TD-OCT scans were obtained on the same day from healthy participants and patients with glaucoma. Univariate and multivariate linear regression relationships were analyzed to convert average Stratus TD-OCT measurements to average Cirrus SD-OCT measurements. Additional baseline characteristics included age, sex, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, spherical equivalent, anterior chamber depth, optic disc area, visual field (VF) mean deviation, and pattern standard deviation. The formula was generated using a training set of 220 patients and then evaluated on a validation dataset of 105 patients. RESULTS: The training set included 71 healthy participants and 149 patients with glaucoma. The validation set included 27 healthy participants and 78 patients with glaucoma. Univariate analysis determined that TD-OCT RNFL thickness, age, optic disc area, VF mean deviation, and pattern standard deviation were significantly associated with SD-OCT RNFL thickness. Multivariate regression analysis using available variables yielded the following equation: SD-OCT RNFL = 0.746 x TD-OCT RNFL + 17.104 (determination coefficient [R2] = 0.879). In the validation sample, the multiple regression model explained 85.6% of the variance in the SD-OCT RNFL thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed formula based on TD-OCT RNFL thickness may be useful in predicting SD-OCT RNFL thickness. Other factors associated with SD-OCT RNFL thickness, such as age, disc area, and mean deviation, did not contribute to the accuracy of the final equation.
*Algorithms ; Female ; Glaucoma/*pathology ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retinal Ganglion Cells/*pathology ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods

The aim of this study was to review the literature of latent papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) discovered at autopsy and describe the available pathologic and demographic differences from a group of papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs) the reported in a previous publication. We searched the PubMed for published articles describing latent thyroid carcinomas detected at autopsy. Meta-analysis was performed to identify differences between the clinicopathologic features of PTMCs analyzed previously in our institution (Group I) and those of latent PTCs described in autopsy studies (Group II). We identified 1,355 patients with PTMC (Group I) and 989 with latent PTCs (Group II). Mean patient age was 47.3 yr in Group I and 64.5 yr in Group II. The male:female ratio was 1:10.9 in Group I and 1:1 in Group II. Most PTMCs (67.6%) were larger than 0.5 cm in size, whereas most latent PTCs were <1-3 mm in diameter. The rates of multifocality were 24.7% in Group I and 30.5% in Group II, and the rates of cervical lymph node metastasis were 33.4% in Group I and 10.0% in Group II. Currently available data indicated that clinically evident PTMCs differ from latent PTCs detected at autopsy. Therefore, these two entities should be regarded as different.
Autopsy ; Carcinoma/*pathology ; Carcinoma, Papillary/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*pathology

Hair follicle nevus (HFN) is a rare, benign, follicular hamartoma that most frequently presents as a congenital nodule on the face. We experienced a rare case of HFN on the neck of a 14-year-old boy and performed a pilot immunohistochemical study with cytokeratin 19 (CK19) to compare the staining pattern of hair follicles in HFN and its differential diagnoses, accessory tragus, cervical chondrocutaneous branchial remnants (CCBR) and trichofolliculoma. With hematoxylin and eosin stain, HFN showed numerous tiny hair follicles in the dermis with several sebaceous and eccrine glands, and perifollicular fibrous thickening. With CK19 stain, some hair follicles in HFN and CCBR showed positive expression, a few hair follicles in accessory tragus showed weak expression, and no hair follicles in trichofolliculoma showed expression. The present report supports the view that HFN, accessory tragus and CCBR are within the same spectrum of hamartomas.
Adolescent ; Dermis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eccrine Glands ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hair Follicle ; Hair ; Hamartoma ; Hematoxylin ; Humans ; Keratin-19 ; Male ; Neck ; Nevus

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationships of types of dental insurance coverage in Korea with sociodemographic characteristics and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases, as well as to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of Korean dental insurance policies. METHODS: Sample cohort data from 2006 to 2015 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The exposed group comprised patients who received insurance benefits for complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implant care, while the control group comprised patients who did not receive these benefits. The type of insurance coverage and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Patients who received benefits in the form of complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implants had similar sociodemographic characteristics in terms of sex, age, income quintile, and type of insurance coverage to the control group. The prevalence of hypertension, anemia, renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, and cerebral infarction was higher in the exposed group than in the control group (P<0.05). The prevalence of periodontal diseases and dental caries was also higher in the exposed group. CONCLUSIONS: Korean dental health insurance policy has been beneficial for the medical expenses of low-income and elderly people suffering from a cost burden due to systemic diseases. However, since there is a tendency to avoid invasive interventions in older patients due to the high risk of systemic diseases, insurance coverage of dentures may be more helpful from a socioeconomic perspective than coverage of dental implant treatments.
Aged ; Anemia ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Asthma ; Cerebral Infarction ; Cohort Studies ; Dental Caries ; Dental Implants ; Denture, Complete ; Denture, Partial, Removable ; Dentures ; Health Services for the Aged ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insurance Benefits ; Insurance Coverage ; Insurance, Dental ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; National Health Programs ; Osteoporosis ; Periodontal Diseases ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies