This study compares biomarker levels among environmentally vulnerable residents in Korea, the general Korean population, and Asians in the United States. We selected 953 exposed residents and 204 controls from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers in Environmental Health Vulnerable Areas (FROM) study (2021-2023), 4,239 participants from the fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020), and 996 Asians from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-March 2020). The analyzed biomarkers included blood and urinary metals, urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, volatile organic compounds, and serum perfluorocarbon metabolites. The highest median biomarker levels varied by pollution source among older adults. In refineries, blood lead and cadmium (Cd), as well as urinary Cd and 2-hydroxyfluorene, were highest. Abandoned metal mines exhibited the highest blood and urinary mercury, urinary Cd, total arsenic (As), 2-naphthol, and cotinine levels. Coal-fired power plants showed the highest urinary 1- hydroxyphenanthrene levels, while cement factories had the highest urinary As3+ levels. Sprawls demonstrated the highest urinary monomethylarsonic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene, and phenylglyoxylic acid levels, and industrial areas recorded the highest levels of trans, trans-muconic acid, benzylmercapturic acid, and 2-methylhippuric acid. In general, biomarker levels were higher among exposed residents in the FROM study than in the general population; however, urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene and As5+ levels did not differ significantly. Exposure to pollution sources in environmentally vulnerable areas may elevate biomarker levels in residents.

This study compares biomarker levels among environmentally vulnerable residents in Korea, the general Korean population, and Asians in the United States. We selected 953 exposed residents and 204 controls from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers in Environmental Health Vulnerable Areas (FROM) study (2021-2023), 4,239 participants from the fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020), and 996 Asians from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-March 2020). The analyzed biomarkers included blood and urinary metals, urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, volatile organic compounds, and serum perfluorocarbon metabolites. The highest median biomarker levels varied by pollution source among older adults. In refineries, blood lead and cadmium (Cd), as well as urinary Cd and 2-hydroxyfluorene, were highest. Abandoned metal mines exhibited the highest blood and urinary mercury, urinary Cd, total arsenic (As), 2-naphthol, and cotinine levels. Coal-fired power plants showed the highest urinary 1- hydroxyphenanthrene levels, while cement factories had the highest urinary As3+ levels. Sprawls demonstrated the highest urinary monomethylarsonic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene, and phenylglyoxylic acid levels, and industrial areas recorded the highest levels of trans, trans-muconic acid, benzylmercapturic acid, and 2-methylhippuric acid. In general, biomarker levels were higher among exposed residents in the FROM study than in the general population; however, urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene and As5+ levels did not differ significantly. Exposure to pollution sources in environmentally vulnerable areas may elevate biomarker levels in residents.

This study compares biomarker levels among environmentally vulnerable residents in Korea, the general Korean population, and Asians in the United States. We selected 953 exposed residents and 204 controls from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers in Environmental Health Vulnerable Areas (FROM) study (2021-2023), 4,239 participants from the fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020), and 996 Asians from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-March 2020). The analyzed biomarkers included blood and urinary metals, urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, volatile organic compounds, and serum perfluorocarbon metabolites. The highest median biomarker levels varied by pollution source among older adults. In refineries, blood lead and cadmium (Cd), as well as urinary Cd and 2-hydroxyfluorene, were highest. Abandoned metal mines exhibited the highest blood and urinary mercury, urinary Cd, total arsenic (As), 2-naphthol, and cotinine levels. Coal-fired power plants showed the highest urinary 1- hydroxyphenanthrene levels, while cement factories had the highest urinary As3+ levels. Sprawls demonstrated the highest urinary monomethylarsonic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene, and phenylglyoxylic acid levels, and industrial areas recorded the highest levels of trans, trans-muconic acid, benzylmercapturic acid, and 2-methylhippuric acid. In general, biomarker levels were higher among exposed residents in the FROM study than in the general population; however, urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene and As5+ levels did not differ significantly. Exposure to pollution sources in environmentally vulnerable areas may elevate biomarker levels in residents.

This study compares biomarker levels among environmentally vulnerable residents in Korea, the general Korean population, and Asians in the United States. We selected 953 exposed residents and 204 controls from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers in Environmental Health Vulnerable Areas (FROM) study (2021-2023), 4,239 participants from the fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020), and 996 Asians from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-March 2020). The analyzed biomarkers included blood and urinary metals, urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, volatile organic compounds, and serum perfluorocarbon metabolites. The highest median biomarker levels varied by pollution source among older adults. In refineries, blood lead and cadmium (Cd), as well as urinary Cd and 2-hydroxyfluorene, were highest. Abandoned metal mines exhibited the highest blood and urinary mercury, urinary Cd, total arsenic (As), 2-naphthol, and cotinine levels. Coal-fired power plants showed the highest urinary 1- hydroxyphenanthrene levels, while cement factories had the highest urinary As3+ levels. Sprawls demonstrated the highest urinary monomethylarsonic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene, and phenylglyoxylic acid levels, and industrial areas recorded the highest levels of trans, trans-muconic acid, benzylmercapturic acid, and 2-methylhippuric acid. In general, biomarker levels were higher among exposed residents in the FROM study than in the general population; however, urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene and As5+ levels did not differ significantly. Exposure to pollution sources in environmentally vulnerable areas may elevate biomarker levels in residents.

INTRODUCTION: Hydroxyapatite(HA) coating implant can accelerate osseointegration, however, there are many controversies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined the early osseointegration of two types of hydroxyapatite coated implants. Twelve adult male miniature pigs (Medi Kinetics Micropigs, Medi Kinetics Co., Ltd., Busan, Korea) were used in this study. In the implants placed in the mandible, a histomorphometric evaluation was performed to evaluate the bone-implant contact (BIC) ratio. RESULTS: The BIC ratio increased with time. TS III HA and Zimmer HA were not significantly different (P>0.05). At 8 weeks, the BIC of Zimmer HA was higher than TS III HA, but there was no significant difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: HA coated implants will accelerate early osseointegration.
Adult ; Durapatite ; Humans ; Kinetics ; Male ; Mandible ; Nitrogen Mustard Compounds ; Osseointegration ; Swine

Purpose: Young age at diagnosis has been considered a poor prognostic factor. However, considering young age itself as an independent poor prognostic factor for all breast cancers is unwarranted. We analyzed the different prognostic effects of age as a prognostic factor according to molecular subtype. Methods: We retrieved data from 1,819 patients with primary breast cancer at the breast cancer center between 2007 and 2012. We classified each molecular subtype in 3 age cohorts (<40, 40–50, and >50 years). The associations of age and molecular subtypes with relapse-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were assessed. Results: Patients aged <40 years showed a poor histologic grade, hormone receptor negative expression than older patients, and had a higher proportion of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (P < 0.001). This was thought to have led to a significantly shorter RFS than that of older patients (P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis according to molecular subtypes, the poorer RFS was observed only in patients aged <40 years with luminal type breast cancer (P < 0.001). Age was an independent prognostic factor of RFS in luminal-type breast cancer (P = 0.001). However, no difference in RFS between age groups was found for patients with other subtypes (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpression, TNBC). No significant effect between age groups was found in DSS for patients with all molecular subtypes. Conclusion Age at diagnosis of breast cancer affected prognosis differently according to molecular subtype. Age itself is not an independent prognostic factor. Age of <40 years showed a limited worse prognostic impact of recurrence in luminal type breast cancer only.

Purpose: B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) has an antiapoptotic role, however, has resulted in it being a powerful favorable prognostic factor in breast cancer. Several studies revealed BCL2 is strongly associated with a lower rate of early recurrence after initial treatment in breast cancer patients, but study of a prolonged effect after 5 years is lacking. We investigated BCL2 as a prognostic factor in breast cancer in comparison to early and late recurrence. Methods: We retrieved data from 2,198 patients with primary breast cancer who underwent surgical treatment and adjuvant treatment at the breast cancer center between 2005 and 2015. Each molecular subtype was classified, and Ki-67 and BCL2 were also assessed by immunohistochemistry. BCL2 and the association between molecular subtypes were assessed in early and late recurrences, respectively. Five-year postrecurrence survival and BCL2 were also assessed. Results: The BCL2-positive group was associated with favorable clinicopathologic characteristics. The time to recurrence was significantly longer in the BCL2-positive group (P = 0.035). Late recurrence after 5 years was higher in the BCL2-positive group (P = 0.029). In multivariate survival analysis, tumor size and BCL2-positive expression were the only independent prognostic factors for late recurrence (P = 0.004). In the patients with recurrence, 5-year postrecurrence survival was significantly higher in the BCL2-positive group (P < 0.001). Conclusion Our result showed that prognosis was better in BCL2-positive patients compared to BCL2-negative patients at late recurrence. We suggested that BCL2 expression could be used as a marker to help determine additional adjuvant therapy or extended hormone therapy in hormone-dependent breast cancer.

Intramammary Paget’s disease is an uncommon disease in which 90% of the cases are accompanied by invasive or noninvasive ductal carcinoma. It comprises approximately 0.7%-4.3% of all breast cancers. Typically, extramammary Paget’s disease is accompanied by dermal invasion; however, in intramammary Paget’s disease, dermal invasion through the basement membrane of the skin is very rare. Intramammary Paget’s disease with dermal invasion has been reported infrequently worldwide, and its management and prognosis remain unknown. We report a case of intramammary Paget’s disease with dermal invasion in a 64-year-old woman, accompanied by review of the literature.

PURPOSE: Triple-positive breast cancer is defined by estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity. Several systemic breast cancer therapies target hormonal and HER2 responsiveness. We compared clinical outcomes of triple-positive disease with those of HER2-enriched and luminal HER2-negative disease and investigated the clinical efficacy of anti-HER2 therapy for triple-positive disease. METHODS: We retrospectively compared overall and recurrence-free survival among cases included in the Korean Breast Cancer Society (KBCS) and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital breast cancer registries and the therapeutic efficacy of trastuzumab for triple-positive and HER2-enriched cases. RESULTS: KBCS registry data (2006–2010; median follow-up, 76 months) indicated that patients with triple-positive breast cancer had intermediate survival between those with luminal A and HER2-enriched subtypes (p < 0.001). Trastuzumab did not improve overall survival among patients with triple-positive breast cancer (p=0.899) in contrast to the HER2-enriched subtype (p=0.018). Seoul St. Mary's Hospital registry data indicated similar recurrence-free survival outcomes (p < 0.001) and a lack of improvement with trastuzumab among patients with triple-positive breast cancer (median follow-up, 33 months; p=0.800). Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with triple-positive breast cancer had better overall survival than those with HER2-enriched disease and similar survival as those with the luminal A subtype (triple-positive: hazard ratio, 1.258, p=0.118; HER2-enriched: hazard ratio, 2.377, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that anti-HER2 therapy was less beneficial for treatment of triple-positive breast cancer than for HER2-enriched subtypes of breast cancer, and the triple-positive subtype had a distinct prognosis.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Estrogens ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Phenobarbital ; Prognosis ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; Receptors, Estrogen ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Registries ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Trastuzumab ; Treatment Outcome

Background: This study aimed to evaluate exposure to various hazardous substances emitted by incineration facilities and their likely effect on the health for residents of Bugi-myeon, Cheongju, Korea, which has three incineration facilities. Methods: Heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxin concentrations in the air and soil of exposed and control areas were measured. Moreover, the exposure levels to harmful substances and its effects on health were investigated in 1,124 exposed and 232 control adults. Results: PAHs and dioxin concentrations in the air in the exposed area were significantly higher than in the control area. Urinary cadmium and PAHs metabolite concentrations were significantly higher in the exposed group than in the control group. The exposure group also had a higher prevalence of depression and self-reported allergic symptoms than the control group. Conclusion The possibility of residents in Bugi-myeon being exposed to hazardous substances at incineration facilities cannot be ruled out. To prevent them from further exposure to hazardous substances, it is necessary to prohibit the expansion of additional incineration facilities in this area and to implement continuous monitoring projects for residents