BACKGROUND: Recent reports have indicated that overexpression of mucin (MUC) 1 and/or MUC4 correlates with the occurrence and progression of extra-hepatobiliary malignancy. In this study, we investigated the expression of MUC1 and MUC4 and their prognostic significance in gallbladder adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We examined 54 surgical gallbladder adenocarcinoma samples by immunohistochemistry for MUC1 and MUC4 expression. Staining was evaluated as a sum score of extent and intensity, dividing the samples into low and high expression groups. RESULTS: The low expression group for both MUC1 and MUC4 was 10 samples (18.5%), and the high expression group was 44 samples (81.5%). High MUC1 expression was significantly correlated with more differentiated tumors (p=0.033), whereas high expression of MUC4 correlated with negative nodal status (p=0.012). Other pathological features were not correlated with MUC expression. Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that neither MUC1 nor MUC4 expression correlated with survival. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were some correlations found, a prognostic role for either MUC1 or MUC4 expression in gallbladder carcinoma was not identified in this study. Further investigation is required.
Adenocarcinoma ; Gallbladder ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mucins

Cudraxanthone D (CD) is a natural xanthone compound derived from the root barks of Cudrania tricuspidata . However, the biological functions of CD in human metabolism have been rarely reported until now. Autophagy is the self-degradation process related to cancer cell metastasis. Here, we elucidated the effects of CD on human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells’ metastatic ability. We confirmed that CD effectively decreased the proliferation and viability of SCC25 human OSCC cells in time- and dose-dependent manners. Also, the metastasis phenotype of the SCC25 cell (migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition [EMT]) was inhibited by CD. To further investigate the mechanism by which CD inhibited the metastatic capacity, we detected the relationship between EMT and autophagy in the SCC25 cells. The results revealed that CD inhibited the metastasis of the SCC25 cells by attenuating autophagy. Thus, our findings produced a potential novel agent for the treatment of human OSCC metastasis.

Cudraxanthone D (CD) is a natural xanthone compound derived from the root barks of Cudrania tricuspidata . However, the biological functions of CD in human metabolism have been rarely reported until now. Autophagy is the self-degradation process related to cancer cell metastasis. Here, we elucidated the effects of CD on human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells’ metastatic ability. We confirmed that CD effectively decreased the proliferation and viability of SCC25 human OSCC cells in time- and dose-dependent manners. Also, the metastasis phenotype of the SCC25 cell (migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition [EMT]) was inhibited by CD. To further investigate the mechanism by which CD inhibited the metastatic capacity, we detected the relationship between EMT and autophagy in the SCC25 cells. The results revealed that CD inhibited the metastasis of the SCC25 cells by attenuating autophagy. Thus, our findings produced a potential novel agent for the treatment of human OSCC metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: Considerable research has been conducted on the relationship between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome. Although various standards for the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption have been suggested, a tool to measure individual alcohol use behavior against a consistent standard is required. Moreover, the association of alcohol use behavior with health should be examined on the basis of such a standard. In this study, we examined the relationships between alcohol use behavior according to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and metabolic syndrome and its components in Korean women. METHODS: This study utilized data from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was administered from 2010 through 2012. We investigated the relationships between alcohol use behavior and metabolic syndrome and its components in a sample of 2,906 women by using analysis of covariance and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding variables, alcohol use behavior was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome [odds ratio (OR) 2.877; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.523–5.435 in the problem use group]. AUDIT score also was significantly related to abdominal obesity (OR 2.263; 95% CI 1.704–4.459 in the problem use group), hypertension (OR 3.377; 95% CI 1.871–6.095 in the problem use group), hypertriglyceridemia (OR 3.204; 95% CI 1.800–5.702 in the problem use group), and impaired fasting glucose (OR 3.034; 95% CI 1.721–5.348 in the problem use group). CONCLUSION: In this study, positive associations were observed between AUDIT score and risk of metabolic syndrome and its components.
Alcohol Drinking ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: The aim of this research was to explore nurses' knowledge of and attitudes toward pediatric palliative care (PPC) in Korea. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A total of 196 participants were recruited from the ELNEC-PPC course held in Seoul, Korea. All participants completed a 20-item survey questionnaire which assessed knowledge of and attitudes toward PPC using a 7-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Nurses' knowledge of PPC correlated with their educational level and work experience in the pediatric unit and hospice care unit. The work experience in the pediatric unit, career length in PPC and completion of palliative education course made differences in the attitudes toward PPC. Married nurses scored significantly higher on the parental rights in determining palliative care service for their child, and nurses with master's degree or higher showed a higher level of understanding of and attitudes toward the differences between PPC and adult palliative care. CONCLUSION: The factors influencing nurses' knowledge of and attitudes toward PPC need be considered to develop a pediatric palliative training program.
Adult ; Child ; Education ; Hospice Care ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Korea ; Palliative Care* ; Parents ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common fatal malignancies worldwide, especially in Korea. The recent advances in diagnostic techniques, such as serum tumor marker assay, ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and angiography, allow us to detect HCC at early stage. Even though, it remains difficult to distinguish malignant nodules from benign space-ccupying lesions of liver. Distinction of HCC from benign entities such as liver abscess is important because failure of prompt diagnosis could result in a missed opportunity for curative treatment. The differential diagnosis of HCC and liver abscess, especially HCC presenting as abscess, is sometimes very difficult. We report a case of HCC with liver abscess caused by secondary infection of CBD stone and cholangitis, that mimicked the dynamic CT findings of liver abscess, in an elderly patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
Abscess ; Aged ; Angiography ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cholangitis* ; Coinfection ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Abscess* ; Liver* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ultrasonography

Gastrointestinal metastasis of a renal cell carcinoma is very rare, and the clinical course of the disease ranges from months to several decades. We experienced a case of solitary duodenal metastasis about 22 years after a right nephrectomy for clear-cell type renal cell carcinoma in a 77-year-old man who complained of melena. This case is the longest reported time interval between surgical nephrectomy to presentation with a duodenal metastasis. Patients usually present with recurrence within a year after radical nephrectomy but can present after many years, warranting lifelong surveillance.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Duodenum ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Melena ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nephrectomy ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Blood culture is a critical test for diagnosing bloodstream infections. Frequent microbial contamination during sampling and testing leads to abuse of antimicrobial agents. We evaluated methods for reducing contamination and obtaining more reliable results. METHODS: We analyzed blood cultures obtained between 2009 and 2015. We established 6 quality indicators: true positive rate, contamination rate, blood sampling volume, number of sets of blood cultures, delayed transportation rate, and percentage of samples collected from the femoral region, with reference to the CLSI guideline M47-A, 2007. Education was provided for interns and nurses responsible for blood sampling and transportation of specimens, and data were analyzed monthly. RESULTS: At baseline, the true positive rate was 12.8%, and the contamination rate was 4.0%. During the intervention period, these were decreased to 10.9% and 1.9%, respectively. The percentage of samples smaller than 5 mL decreased from 29.7% to 2.7-11.3%. The rate of one set of blood cultures being ordered was always <5%. The delayed transportation rate decreased from 35.6% to 5.5-7.7%. Finally, the percentage of samples collected from the femoral region decreased from 41.5% to 22.0-31.0%, because of which we did not attain our goal, 20.8%. CONCLUSION: The results showed improvements in contamination rate, specimen volume, specimen transportation time, and the percentage of samples collected from the femoral region. The quality management of blood cultures in 2011 was comparatively poor, which led to increased contamination rate, large number of samples containing <5 mL of blood, and increased percentage of samples collected from the femoral region. Thus, quality improvement methods can produce more reliable results of blood cultures.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Education ; Femoral Artery ; Femoral Vein ; Quality Improvement* ; Quality Indicators, Health Care ; Transportation

Phytochemical analysis of Boehmeria nivea (Bn) leaves by medium pressure liquid chromatography led to the isolation of a flavonoid glycoside identified by spectroscopic analysis as rutin. The amount of rutin in the leaves of Bn harvested from nine regions in South Korea (Bn 1–9) which were collected on the months of June, July, August, and September was determined by HPLC-UV analysis. A gradient elution program that utilizes a Discovery® C18 (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) column and mobile phase composed of 1% acetic acid-water: acetonitrile (90:10 to 60:40 for min) was followed. The injection volume and flow rate were 10 µl and 1 mL/ min, respectively. UV detection was set at 350 nm. Results show that Bn-8 harvested in September reported the highest content of rutin among the samples analyzed. This study provides a basis for the optimal harvest time of Bn which maximizes the yield of rutin.
Boehmeria ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Korea ; Rutin

OBJECTIVE: Alteration in glutamatergic neurotransmission and dopaminergic dysfunction has been implicated in both the initiation and expression of addiction related behaviors. This pilot study was aimed to investigate the serum levels of glutamate and dopamine in adults with internet gaming disorder (IGD). METHODS: We measured serum levels of glutamate and dopamine in male participants with IGD (n=26) and age-matched healthy controls (n=25). Clinical interviews were performed to identify IGD and to rule out psychiatric comorbidities. Serum levels of glutamate and dopamine were examined by enzyme immunoassays using ELISA Kits. RESULTS: Serum levels of glutamate were lower among IGD than control (IGD: 24.184±12.303 μg/ml; control: 33.676±12.413μg/ml; t=2.742, p=0.008), while levels of dopamine did not differ between. Serum glutamate and dopamine levels did not correlate with gaming hours and exposure to game in the IGD group. But serum glutamate levels were positively correlated with the dopamine levels (r=0.360, p=0.013). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that altered glutamatergic neurotransmission may contribute to the pathophysiology of IGD.
Adult* ; Comorbidity ; Dopamine ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Glutamates ; Glutamic Acid* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Immunoglobulin D ; Internet* ; Male* ; Pilot Projects* ; Synaptic Transmission