OBJECTIVES: According to current knowledge, apolipoprotein B/A1 (apoB/A1) ratio is like to be risk factor in coronary artery disease. There is evidence form case-control studies that apoB/A1 ratio may be a superior to LDL and HDL cholesterol in discriminating coronary artery disease case subject from control subject. However, relationship between apoB/A1 ratio and cerebral ischemic stroke is undefined. The main object of this study is to determine whether the risk of cerebral ischemic stroke is related to levels of apoB/A1. METHODS: The study group included 643 patients (Men, 372; Women, 271) who diagnosed cerebral ischemic stroke between January 2008 to December 2010. The control groups were composed of 378 patients (Men, 139; Women, 239) who diagnosed other neurological disease. The correlation between lipid profiles and odds ratio of 10 preliminary risk factors (total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, HDL, apoA1, apoB, apoB/A1 ratio, non HDL, total cholesterol/HDL ratio, LDL/HDL ratio) for stroke were analyzed. RESULTS: ApoB/A1 ratio was significantly increased in case patients compared with control subjects. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified decrease of apoB/A1 ratio (odds ratio [OR], 1.583; 95% confidence intercal [CI], 1.105~2.269) as significantly associated with stroke. Individual apoA1 (OR, 1.303; 95% CI, 0.967~1.755) and apoB (OR, 1.397; 95% CI, 0.773~2.523) were also not significantly associated with cerebral ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: Increase of apoB/A1 ratio is associated with an increase risk of cerebral ischemic stroke. Use of apoB/A1 ratio is efficient as conventional lipids, for the identification of subjects at increased risk of stroke. So apoB/A1 ratio to standard lipid profile testing could improve the evaluation of risk factors of cerebral ischemic stroke.
Apolipoproteins ; Apolipoproteins B ; Case-Control Studies ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors ; Stroke

Background: The AdvanSure TB/NTM plus real-time PCR (AdvanSure plus PCR; LG Chem., Korea) assay has been developed to increase the diagnostic sensitivity of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) compared with the currently used the AdvanSure TB/NTM real-time PCR (AdvanSure PCR;LG Chem., Korea) assay. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the performance of the AdvanSure plus PCR comparing the results with mycobacterial culture and the AdvanSure PCR. Methods: Patients (n=199) with suspected NTM or Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) were tested using AdvanSure plus PCR, AdvanSure PCR, acid-fast bacilli staining, and mycobacteria culture. Additionally, 200 DNA samples (n=100, MTC and n=100, NTM) were obtained from positive MTC or NTM cultures for evaluation using the AdvanSure plus PCR assay. Results: The two real-time PCR systems showed a 94.0% (n=187/199) concordance rate (Kappa=0.94). Based on culture results, the sensitivity and specificity for the detection of MTC were 100% (45/45) and 83.8% (129/154) using AdvanSure plus PCR, and 100.0% (45/45) and 99.3% (153/154) using AdvanSure PCR, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for NTM detection were 68.0% (n=17/25) and 90.2% (n=157/174), respectively, with AdvanSure plus PCR, and 64.0% (n=16/25) and 95.4% (n=166/174), respectively, using AdvanSure PCR. With culturepositive samples, AdvanSure plus PCR tested positive for 100% of both the MTC and NTM specimens. Seven (out of 200) culture-positive samples tested positive for both MTC and NTM using the AdvanSure plus PCR. Conclusion AdvanSure plus PCR had increased sensitivity but decreased specificity compared with AdvanSure PCR for the detection of NTM. The AdvanSure plus PCR assay can be used for the simultaneous detection of MTC and NTM in direct specimen and culture.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important cause of healthcare-associated infections and is resistant to almost all antimicrobial agents, with strains recently reported to be resistant to colsitin. In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors associated with colistin-resistant A. baumanniiinfections by comparing colistin-resistant and -susceptible A. baumannii isolates. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 51 and 100 cases in which colistinresistant and -susceptible A. baumannii were isolated, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that compared with patients with colistin-sensitive infections, patients with colistinresistant A. baumanni infections had a combined pulmonary disease (P = 0.017), were admitted to intensive care unit (P = 0.020), and had prior mechanical ventilation (P = 0.003), tracheostomy (P = 0.043), percutaneous drainage (P= 0.070), hemodialysis (P = 0.002); use of colistin (P = 0.000), carbapenem (P = 0.000), and teicoplanin (P = 0.004); and co-infection (P = 0.035). Multivariate analysis indicated that eight variables were related to the likelihood of colistin-resistant A. baumanni infections: use of teicoplanin (Odds ratio [OR]: 3.140, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.529–18.650), prior hemodialysis (OR: 2.722, 95% CI: 0.851–8.709), combined pulmonary disease (OR: 2.286, 95% CI: 0.998–5.283), prior use of carbapenem (OR: 0.199, 95% CI: 0.863–5.603), co-infection (OR: 1.706, 95% CI: 0.746–3.898), prior mechanical ventilation (OR: 1.614, 95% CI, 0.684–3.809), intensive care unit admission (OR: 1.387, 95% CI: 0.560–3.435), and prior tracheostomy (OR: 1.102, 95% CI: 0.344–3.527); however, no statistical differences were observed. Although colistin use could not be proven in multivariate analysis, the possibility of being a risk factor cannot be ruled out.

Trisomy 22 is closely associated with inv(16) or t(16;16) and could be a marker of cryptic rearrangement of CBFB/MYH11 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Trisomy 22 not associated with CBFB/MYH11 rearrangement is a rare event. Here, we report a case diagnosed as refractory anemia with excess blasts-2 (RAEB-2) with sole trisomy 22 in the absence of CBFB/MYH11 rearrangement. The cytogenetic study of bone marrow cells disclosed trisomy 22 in 10% of metaphase cells analyzed. The other chromosomal abnormalities were not found. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using CBFB/MYH11 probe to detect cryptic inv(16)(p13q22) showed negative result. We also excluded rearrangements of chromosome 5, 7, 8, 20, and ETV6 by FISH. Sole trisomy 22 not associated with inv(16) is a true entity.
Anemia, Refractory ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5 ; Cytogenetics ; Fluorescence ; In Situ Hybridization ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Metaphase ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; Trisomy

Prognosis is known to be better in cases with isolated chromosomal abnormalities than in those with complex karyotypes. Accordingly, del(20q) as an isolated abnormality must be distinguished from cases in which it is associated with other chromosomal rearrangements for a better stratification of prognosis. We report a case of an isolated del(20q) abnormality with additional genomic aberrations identified using whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-A)-based karyotyping. A 39-yr-old man was diagnosed with AML without maturation. Metaphase cytogenetic analysis (MC) revealed del(20)(q11.2) as the isolated abnormality in 100% of metaphase cells analyzed, and FISH analysis using D20S108 confirmed the 20q deletion in 99% of interphase cells. Using FISH, other rearrangements such as BCR/ABL1, RUNX1/RUNX1T1, PML/RARA, CBFB/MYH11, and MLL were found to be negative. SNP-A identified an additional copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH) in the 11q13.1-q25 region. Furthermore, SNP-A allowed for a more precise definition of the breakpoints of the 20q deletion (20q11.22-q13.31). Unexpectedly, the terminal regions showed gain on chromosome 20q. The patient did not achieve complete remission; 8 months later, he died from complications of leukemic cell infiltrations into the central nervous system. This study suggests that a presumably isolated chromosomal abnormality by MC may have additional genomic aberrations, including CN-LOH, which could be associated with a poor prognosis. SNP-A-based karyotyping may be helpful for distinguishing true isolated cases from cases in combination with additional genomic aberrations not detected by MC.

Cases of clonal cytogenetic abnormalities in Philadelphia-negative cells during the treatment of Philadelphia-positive CML have been previously reported. However, clonal abnormalities unrelated to the original t(8;21) or t(15;17) karyotype are not common. Deletion of 20q (del(20q)) is one of the most common recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities in myeloid neoplasms. Here we describe 3 patients with t(8;21), t(15;17), or t(9;22) who developed unrelated del(20q) after successful treatment of leukemia. We retrospectively reviewed the cytogenetic results of 23 AML patients with t(8;21)(q22;q22), 28 AML patients with t(15;17)(q22;q12), and 47 CML patients with t(9;22)(q34;q11.2). We identified 3 patients with del(20q) as the only clonal aberration unrelated to the primary karyotype when they achieved complete morphologic and cytogenetic remission. The latency period between diagnosis and emergence of del(20q) was 1, 114, and 35 months for the 3 patients, respectively. There was no evidence of therapy-related MDS/AML during the follow-up period. In 1 AML patient with t(8;21), relapse occurred in a t(8;21)(q22;q22) clone and the del(20q) clones were lost. The clinical significance of del(20q) as an unrelated clonal aberration is unknown, but our study suggests that del(20q) does not cause therapy-related MDS/AML or indicate disease progression.
Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 20 ; Clone Cells ; Cytogenetics ; Disease Progression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Latency Period (Psychology) ; Leukemia ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies