Biliary tract cancer (BTC) are highly aggressive and fatal malignancies. As one of the leading cause of death in Republic of Korea, BTC amoung various malignancies has been one of major public health concerns in the country. Although BTCs, including intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal cholangiocarcinoma, are relatively low-incidence malignancies compared to other cancer, but they represent a major health problem in endemic areas like Korea and Asia contries; moreover, the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is rising globally. Surgery is the only curative treatment. The optimal surgical approach depends on the anatomical site of the primary tumour, and the best outcomes are achieved through management by specialist multidisciplinary team. Unfortunately, most patients present with locally advanced or metastatic disease. Only up to 20% of patients are diagnosed in early-stage, suitable for the curative surgery. Despite the surgery performed with potentially-curative intent, recurrence rates are high, around 60-70% of patients expected to have disease recurrence. In this review, we present an update of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment with a focus on chemotherapy of BTC.

Cell death is an integral part of life of an organism that is necessary to maintain organs and tissues. Apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis were noted as three morphologically distinct types of cell death. Apoptosis is a well identified process that is driven by programmed molecular mechanism. Until now, the investigators believed that necrosis was not a programmed molecular event. However, recently, an alternative death pathway called 'necroptosis' was delineated and proposed as a form of 'programmed necrosis'. According to the recent recommendations by the Nomenclature Committee of Cell Death, this term denotes necrotic cell death dependent on receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK3). Its role in a variety of diseases, such as ischemia-perfusion injury, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, steatohepatitis etc., is being elucidated. Necroptosis is currently attracting the attention of the scientific community. Herein we discuss the clinical implications and the role of necroptosis in gastrointestinal tract focusing on liver and pancreatic diseases.
Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Fatty Liver ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Liver* ; Necrosis ; Pancreatic Diseases* ; Pancreatitis ; Protein Kinases ; Research Personnel ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.
Pre-Eclampsia*

Obesity and metabolic syndrome affect ~40% of individuals in the United States alone. They are significant conditions that can cause severe economic problems. Obesity is also a global issue, with ~400 million obese adults worldwide. Moreover, the number of overweight children is increasing. Bariatric surgery is the gold standard treatment for obesity; however, endoscopic approaches may have a significant role in improving metabolic syndrome and achieving weight loss. Many endoscopic methods have been introduced, some of which are currently available and some that are undergoing experimentation. Endoscopists have a role in the treatment of obesity because endoscopic therapies are expected to become safer and more efficacious in the coming years. Endoscopic bariatric therapies can be categorized as space occupying, malabsorption, and gastric volume reduction. In this review, we summarize the currently available endoscopic procedures.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome affect ~40% of individuals in the United States alone. They are significant conditions that can cause severe economic problems. Obesity is also a global issue, with ~400 million obese adults worldwide. Moreover, the number of overweight children is increasing. Bariatric surgery is the gold standard treatment for obesity; however, endoscopic approaches may have a significant role in improving metabolic syndrome and achieving weight loss. Many endoscopic methods have been introduced, some of which are currently available and some that are undergoing experimentation. Endoscopists have a role in the treatment of obesity because endoscopic therapies are expected to become safer and more efficacious in the coming years. Endoscopic bariatric therapies can be categorized as space occupying, malabsorption, and gastric volume reduction. In this review, we summarize the currently available endoscopic procedures.
Adult ; Bariatric Surgery ; Child ; Endoscopy ; Gastroplasty ; Humans ; Obesity ; Overweight ; United States ; Weight Loss

Common bile duct stones (CBDS) are estimated to be present in 10–20% of individuals with symptomatic gallstones. Most patients with gallstones remain asymptomatic throughout their lifetime, but 10–25% of them may develop biliary pain or complications including pain, jaundice, infection and acute pancreatitis, with an annual risk of about 2–3% for symptomatic disease and 1–2% for major complications. The primary treatment, endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pacreatography (ERCP), is minimally invasive but associated with adverse events in 6% to 15% of patients. Therefore, exact evaluation of CBDS is important in patients with gallstones. Clinicians are therefore confronted with a number of potentially valid options such as endoscopic ultrasonography versus magnetic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in order to diagnose suspected CBDS. The aim of this review for evaluation of patients suspected of common bile duct stone is to provide practical advice on how to manage patients with CBDS. It considers diagnostic strategies in patients with suspected CBDS, as well as the different therapeutic options available for CBDS.
Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct ; Endosonography ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Pancreatitis

PURPOSE: We evaluated brain perfusion SPECT findings of MELAS syndrome and mitochondrial myopathy in correlation with MR imaging in search of specific imaging features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects were five patients (four females and one male; age range, 1 to 25 year) who presented with repeated stroke-like episodes, seizures or developmental delay or asymptomatic but had elevated lactic acid in CSF and serum. Conventional non-contrast MR imaging and Tc-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) brain perfusion SPECT were performed and imaging features were analyzed. RESULTS: MRI demonstrated increased T2 signal intensities in the affected areas of gray and white matters mainly in the parietal (4/5) and occipital lobes (4/5) and in the basal ganglia (1/5), which were not restricted to a specific vascular territory. SPECT demonstrated decreased perfusion in the corresponding regions of MRI lesions. In addition, there were perfusion defects in parietal (1 patient), temporal (2), and frontal (1) lobes and basal ganglia (1) and thalami (2). In a patient with mitochondrial myopathy who had normal MRI, decreased perfusion was noted in left parietal area and bilateral thalami. CONCLUSION: Tc-99m ECD SPECT imaging in patients with MELAS syndrome and mitochondrial myopathy showed hypoperfusion of parieto-occipital cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus and temporal cortex, which were not restricted to a specific vascular territory. There were no specific imaging features on SPECT. The significance of abnormal perfusion on SPECT without corresponding MR abnormalities needs to be evaluated further in larger number of patients.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain* ; Female ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; MELAS Syndrome* ; Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies ; Mitochondrial Myopathies* ; Occipital Lobe ; Perfusion ; Rabeprazole ; Seizures ; Thalamus ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

Undifferentiated sarcoma is one of the rare primary malignant tumor of the liver typically occur ring in later childhood. It has also been referred to embryonal sarcoma or malignant mesenchymoma. In Korea, three child and two adult cases have been reported to date in liter ature. We experienced a case of undifferentiated sarcoma in a 65- year- old female who presented with abdominal pain and right upper quadrant mass . Contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scan revealed a well demarcated mass with low at tenuation and sept ation at left lobe of the liver and the mass showed hypovas cular pattern on hepatic angiography. On cross section, the tumor was well demarcated from the adjacent liver by afibr ouspseudocapsule and showed cystic degener ation. Pathologically, the tumor was consistent with an undifferentiated sarcoma of the liver.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult* ; Angiography ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver* ; Mesenchymoma ; Sarcoma* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) technique for the treatment of gastric subepithelial tumors (SETs). METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted using the core databases. Data on the complete resection rates and the procedure-related perforation rates were extracted and analyzed. A random effects model was then applied for this meta-analysis. RESULTS: In all, 288 patients with 290 SETs were enrolled from nine studies (44 SETs originated from the submucosal layer; 246 SETs originated from the muscularis propria layer). The mean diameter of the lesions ranged from 17.99 to 38 mm. Overall, the pooled complete resection rate was estimated to be 86.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 78.9 to 91.3). If the analysis was limited to the lesions that originated from the submucosal layer, the pooled complete resection rate was 91.4% (95% CI, 77.9 to 97). If the analysis was limited to the lesions that originated from the muscularis propria, the pooled complete resection rate was 84.4% (95% CI, 78.7 to 88.8). The pooled procedure-related gastric perforation rate was 13% (95% CI, 9.4 to 17.6). Sensitivity analyses showed consistent results. Finally, publication bias was not detected. CONCLUSIONS: ESD, including endoscopic muscularis dissection, is a technically feasible procedure for the treatment of SETs. However, selection bias is suspected from the enrolled studies. For the development of a proper indication of ESD for SETs, further studies are needed.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; Humans ; Publication Bias ; Selection Bias

Megameatus intact prepuce (MIP) is an unusual variant of hypospadias and comprised 3 percent of all hypospadias. Embryologically, maldevelopment of glandular epithelial infolding would appear to be the abnormal process responsible for MIP formation. We have performed the pyramid procedures in 3 patients seen with the MIP variant during 14 months and achieved good results. The pyramid procedure optimizes a safe and simple dissection of the megameatus-urethra, and allows for subsequent reduction and caliber of both with excellent functional and cosmetic results.
Female ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; Male