Endoscopic closure techniques have been introduced for the repair of duodenal wall perforations that occur during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). We report a case of successful repair of a large duodenal wall perforation by using double endoscopic band ligation (EBL) and an endoclip. Lateral duodenal wall perforation occurred during ERCP in a 93-year-old woman with acute calculous cholangitis. We switched to a forward endoscope that had a transparent band apparatus. A 2.0-cm oval-shaped perforation was found at the lateral duodenal wall. We repaired the perforation by sequentially performing double EBL and endoclipping. The first EBL was performed at the proximal edge of the perforation orifice, and two-thirds of the perforation were repaired. The second EBL, which also included the contents covered under the first EBL, repaired the defect almost completely. Finally, to account for the possible presence of a residual perforation, an endoclip was applied at the distal end of the perforation. The detection and closure of the perforation were completed within 10 minutes. We suggest that double EBL is an effective method for closure.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis ; Endoscopes ; Female ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Methods

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors that affect in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). METHODS: We reviewed 99 IVF cycles in 52 women with DOR between September 2010 and January 2015. DOR was defined as serum anti-Müllerian hormone level of <1.1 ng/dL or serum follicle-stimulating hormone level of ≥20 mIU/mL. Total 96 cycles in 50 patients were evaluated after excluding fertility preservation cases. RESULTS: The clinical pregnancy rate was 11.5% per cycle, and the total cancellation rate was 34.4%. Clinical pregnancy rate was significantly associated with the antral follicle count and the cause of the DOR. Age, serum anti-Müllerian hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, antral follicle count, peak estradiol level, and the cause of DOR were significantly associated with cycle cancellation. However, history of previous ovarian surgery remained as a significant factor of clinical pregnancy (model 1: odds ratio [OR] 10.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.46 to 70.84, P=0.019; model 2: OR 10.85, 95% CI 1.05 to 111.71, P=0.045). In cancellation models, idiopathic or previous chemotherapy group showed borderline significance (model 1: OR 3.76, 95% CI 0.83 to 17.04, P=0.086; model 2: OR 3.15, 95% CI 0.84 to 11.84, P=0.09). CONCLUSION: DOR caused by previous ovarian surgery may show better pregnancy outcome, whereas that caused by chemotherapy could significantly increase the cycle cancellation rate. Furthermore, patients with DOR who previously received gonadotoxic agents may show reduced efficacy and increased risk of IVF cycle cancellation.
Drug Therapy ; Estradiol ; Female ; Fertility Preservation ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Odds Ratio ; Ovarian Reserve* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Rate

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and coronary atherosclerosis in healthy postmenopausal women. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 252 postmenopausal women who had visited a health promotion center for a routine checkup. BMD of the lumbar spine (L1-L4) and femoral neck was evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and coronary atherosclerosis was assessed using 64-row multidetector computed tomography. Participants were divided into normal BMD and osteopenia-osteoporosis groups, according to the T-scores of their lumbar spine or femoral neck. RESULTS: Participants with osteopenia-osteoporosis had a significantly higher proportion of coronary atherosclerosis than did those with normal BMD at the lumbar spine (P=0.003) and femoral neck (P=0.004). Osteopenia-osteoporosis at the lumbar spine (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 7.27) or femoral neck (OR, 3.35; 95% CI, 1.07 to 10.57) was associated with coronary atherosclerosis, after controlling for age and cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSION: Decreased BMD is associated with coronary atherosclerosis in healthy postmenopausal women, independent of age and cardiovascular risk factors. Postmenopausal women with decreased BMD may have a higher risk of developing coronary atherosclerosis.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Bone Density* ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Menopause ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Spine

Peptic ulcer bleeding is treated using endoscopic hemostasis using clips or bands. Pancreas divisum (PD), a congenital anomaly of the pancreas, usually has no clinical symptoms; however, pancreatitis may occur if there are disturbances in the drainage of pancreatic secretions. We report an unusual case of PD accompanied by acute pancreatitis, following endoscopic band ligation for duodenal ulcer bleeding. A 48-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to melena. An upper endoscopy revealed a small ulcer with oozing adjacent minor papilla. An endoscopic band ligation was performed on this lesion. Acute pancreatitis developed suddenly 6 hours after the band ligation and improved dramatically after removal of the band. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was performed, revealing complete PD. Endoscopic band ligation is known as the effective method for peptic ulcer bleeding; however, it should be used carefully in duodenal ulcer bleeding near the minor duodenal papilla due to the possibility of PD.
Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance ; Drainage ; Duodenal Ulcer* ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic* ; Humans ; Ligation ; Melena ; Methods ; Middle Aged ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatitis* ; Peptic Ulcer ; Ulcer

This study elucidates the anti-cancer potential of gallic acid (GA) as a promising therapeutic agent that exerts its effect by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway. To prove our research rationale, we used diverse experimental methods such as cell viability assay, colony formation assay, tumor spheroid formation assay, cell cycle analysis, TUNEL assay, Western blot analysis, xenograft mouse model and histological analysis. Treatment with GA inhibited cell proliferation in dose-dependent manner as measured by cell viability assay at 48 h. GA and cisplatin (CDDP) also inhibited colony formation and tumor spheroid formation. In addition, GA and CDDP induced apoptosis, as determined by the distribution of early and late apoptotic cells and DNA fragmentation. Western blot analysis revealed that inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway induced upregulation of p53 (tumor suppressor protein), which in turn regulated cell cycle related proteins such as p21, p27, Cyclin D1 and E1, and intrinsic apoptotic proteins such as Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3. The anti-cancer effect of GA was further confirmed in an in vivo mouse model. Intraperitoneal injection with GA for 4 weeks in an A549-derived tumor xenograft model reduced the size of tumor mass. Injection of them downregulated the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and p-Akt, but upregulated the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in tumor tissues. Taken together, these results indicated that GA hindered lung cancer progression by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, suggesting that GA would be a potential therapeutic agent against non-small cell lung cancer.

Obesity causes inflammation and impairs thermogenic functions in brown adipose tissue (BAT). The adipokine lipocalin 2 (LCN2) has been implicated in inflammation and obesity. Herein, we investigated the protective effects of caloric restriction (CR) on LCN2-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress in the BAT of high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Mice were fed a HFD for 20 weeks and then either continued on the HFD or subjected to CR for the next 12 weeks. CR led to the browning of the white fat-like phenotype in HFD-fed mice. Increased expressions of LCN2 and its receptor in the BAT of HFD-fed mice were significantly attenuated by CR. Additionally, HFD+CR-fed mice had fewer neutrophils and macrophages expressing LCN2 and iron-positive cells than HFD-fed mice. Further, oxidative stress and mitochondrial fission induced by a HFD were also significantly attenuated by CR. Our findings indicate that the protective effects of CR on inflammation and oxidative stress in the BAT of obese mice may be associated with regulation of LCN2.
Adipokines ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; Animals ; Caloric Restriction ; Diet, High-Fat ; Inflammation ; Lipocalins ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Mice, Obese ; Mitochondrial Dynamics ; Neutrophils ; Obesity ; Oxidative Stress ; Phenotype

Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been acknowledged as an effective mean of preventing infection and hospitalization.However, the emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has led to substantial increase in infections among children and adolescents. Vaccineinduced immunity and longevity have not been well defined in this population. Therefore, we aimed to analyze humoral and cellular immune responses against ancestral and SARSCoV-2 variants after two shots of the BNT162b2 vaccine in healthy adolescents. Although vaccination induced a robust increase of spike-specific binding Abs and neutralizing Abs against the ancestral and SARS-CoV-2 variants, the neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant was significantly low. On the contrary, vaccine-induced memory CD4+ T cells exhibited substantial responses against both ancestral and Omicron spike proteins.Notably, CD4+ T cell responses against both ancestral and Omicron strains were preserved at 3 months after two shots of the BNT162b2 vaccine without waning. Polyfunctionality of vaccine-induced memory T cells was also preserved in response to Omicron spike protein.The present findings characterize the protective immunity of vaccination for adolescents in the era of continuous emergence of variants/subvariants.