Purpose: To compare the anatomical and clinical outcomes based on the distance from the corneal limbus to the scleral tunnel in flanged intrascleral intraocular lens (IOL) fixation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients who underwent scleral fixation of flanged IOLs. Group 1 (54 eyes) had a distance of 2.1 mm from the corneal limbus to the scleral tunnel, and Group 2 (48 eyes) had a distance of 2.8 mm. We evaluated the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), postoperative complications, IOL tilt and decentration, refractive prediction error (RPE), effective lens position, and iris-IOL distance. Results: The BCVA, postoperative complications, IOL tilt, and IOL decentration did not differ between the two groups (p > 0.05). The RPE showed a hyperopic shift in Group 1 and a myopic shift in Group 2 (Group 1: +0.24 ± 0.68 D, Group 2: -0.03 ± 0.43 D, p = 0.03). The iris-IOL distance was statistically longer in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (Group 1: 1.02 ± 0.40 mm, Group 2: 0.57 ± 0.32 mm, p = 0.02). The incidence of pupillary optic capture was significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (Group 1; 0%, Group 2; 8.3%, p = 0.03). Conclusions It should be considered that a shorter distance from the corneal limbus to the scleral tunnel results in a postoperative hyperopic shift and reduces the incidence of pupillary optic capture when performing flanged intrascleral IOLs fixation.

Postmortem inspection is a specialized medical practice that determines the cause and manner of death via external examination of a corpse. It is performed as part of the medico-legal death investigation and a crucial step in determining whether an autopsy is necessary. In South Korea, training for doctors performing postmortem inspection and quality control for postmortem inspection results remain lacking. Therefore, the Korean Society for Legal Medicine established a task force and proposed a standard operating procedure (SOP) of postmortem inspection. This article includes the background for proposing this SOP, an introduction to the postmortem inspection process, and the principles for performing the procedure and writing the report. This SOP may serve as a basic guideline for postmortem inspection.

Purpose: While MRI-based tumor regression grade (mrTRG) has shown promise in evaluating pathologic response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in rectal cancer, its ability to predict pathologic complete response remains limited.This study aimed to enhance mrTRG’s diagnostic performance in predicting ypT0–1N0 status, a key factor in considering non-radical management after CCRT for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: This retrospective study included 430 patients with LARC who underwent radical resection following CCRT at a single referral hospital between April 2018 and September 2024. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictive factors associated with achieving ypT0–1N0 status. The diagnostic performances of mrTRG1–2 alone and in combination with other factors were assessed by comparing sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive value (PPV), negative-predictive value, and area under the curve (AUC). Results: Ninety-three patients (21.6%) achieved ypT0–1N0. In the multivariable analysis, fungating type, cT1–2, and mrTRG1–2 were independent predictors for ypT0–1N0. Integrating mrTRG with gross tumor type yielded the highest AUC of 0.689 among the combined models. For predicting ypT0–1N0, the combination of mrTRG and gross tumor type improved PPV (79.2% vs. 41.5% for mrTRG alone) while also demonstrating enhanced sensitivity compared with ycT0–1N0, the conventional MRI-based predictor (40.9% vs. 22.6%). Conclusion This study demonstrated that combining mrTRG and gross tumor type improved the PPV of mrTRG in predicting ypT0–1N0 after CCRT in LARC. Further studies are warranted to validate the role of gross tumor type in refining predictive systems for selecting candidates for non-radical treatment.

Purpose: The male predominance in the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is established; however, sex differences in the prognosis of GC remain controversial. As such, this study analyzed the prognosis of patients with GC based on age and sex. Materials and Methods: Data from 14,739 patients diagnosed with GC at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between 2003 and 2023 were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, histological types of GC, overall and GC-specific survival rates (age and stage stratification), and associated risk factors were analyzed. Results: Females were significantly younger (p < 0.001) and exhibited more gastric body cancers (p < 0.001) and tumors with diffuse-type or poorly differentiated histology (p < 0.001) than males. Females exhibited an advantage over males in terms of overall survival (p=0.004), but not in GC-specific survival. However, age stratification revealed significant sex differences, that females < 50 years of age exhibited survival disadvantages (p < 0.001); however, this trend was reversed with age, and females > 60 years exhibited survival advantages (p < 0.001) for both overall and GC-specific survival. This may be explained by the lower ratio of diffuse-type GC as females age. Furthermore, in the analysis according to stage, females with stage IV disease exhibited significant survival disadvantages, with significantly younger age and a higher proportion of diffuse-type GC which exhibits aggressive features, resulting in poorer survival than in males. Conclusion Age and stage stratification revealed significant differences in survival between the sexes, which can be helpful for public health strategies.

Background: With the aging population and advancements in medical care worldwide, the number of older patients with end-stage kidney disease continues to rise. This study aimed to identify factors associated with osteoporosis and osteopenia in older patients undergoing incident hemodialysis and assess their impact on mortality. Methods: We analyzed a large multicenter retrospective cohort of patients aged ≥70 years undergoing incident hemodialysis to identify factors associated with osteoporosis using logistic regression analysis and to assess the association of death with osteoporosis and osteopenia using Cox multivariable analysis. Results: Among 710 patients, 39.0% and 19.6% had osteoporosis and osteopenia, respectively. Osteoporosis was significantly associated with female sex, a history of fractures, and the absence of phosphate binder use. During a median follow-up of 36.8 months, 348 participants (58.8%) died. Mortality rates were the highest in the osteoporosis group (79.8%), followed by the osteopenia (77.2%) and normal bone mineral density (BMD) groups (35.2%). Cox regression analysis revealed that even after adjusting for covariates, the osteoporosis group was significantly associated with a higher mortality risk than the normal BMD group. Osteoporosis at the start of hemodialysis was significantly associated with higher mortality. Conclusion We should consider the importance of bone health in patients undergoing incident hemodialysis and pay attention to the use of phosphate binders and fracture prevention.

Background: Despite diabetes mellitus (DM) and pancreatitis being known risk factors for pancreatic cancer, patients with these conditions are not included in pancreatic cancer screening due to the low incidence of pancreatic cancer in these populations. This study aimed to determine the high-risk subgroup of patients with diabetes and pancreatitis that would benefit from pancreatic cancer screening. Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted using data from the National Health Information Database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Patients were categorized into the following groups: type 2 diabetes mellitus only (T2DM-only), pancreatitis-only (PAN-only), T2DM followed by pancreatitis (T2DM-PAN), post-pancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM), and no diabetes and no pancreatitis (NDNP). Conditional logistic regression was used to determine significant associations of each group with pancreatic cancer development risk. Results: The risk of pancreatic cancer was significantly higher in the T2DM-PAN (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.48 to 5.49) and PPDM (AOR, 4.71; 95% CI, 4.12 to 5.37) groups than in the NDNP group. Compared to patients in the NDNP group, those with PPDM using insulin had a 17-fold increased risk (AOR, 16.72; 95% CI, 9.50 to 29.43), and individuals with PPDM who had diabetes for less than 3 years had a more than 8-fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer (AOR, 8.83; 95% CI, 5.99 to 13.01). Conclusion In patients with post-pancreatitis diabetes, insulin use or shorter duration of diabetes was associated with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, suggesting that patients in these subgroups may require close monitoring for pancreatic cancer development.

Panax ginseng as a perennial herb of Araliaceae, exhibits pharmacological effects such as central nervous system stimulation, anti-tumor properties, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection. The B3 gene family plays a crucial role in growth and development, antioxidant activity, stress resistance, and secondary metabolism regulation of plants and has been extensively studied in various plants. However, the identification and analysis of the B3 gene family in P. ginseng have not been reported. In this study, a total of 145 B3 genes(PgB3s) with complete open reading frames(ORF) were identified from P. ginseng and classified into five subfamilies based on domain types. Through correlation analysis with ginsenoside content, SNP/InDels analysis, and interaction analysis with key enzyme genes, 15 PgB3 transcripts were found to be significantly correlated with ginsenoside content and exhibited a close interaction network with key enzyme genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis, which indicated that these genes may participate in the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthesis. Additionally, this study found that PgB3 genes exhibited induced expression in response to methyl jasmonate(MeJA) stress, which aligned with the presence of abundant stress response elements in their promoters, confirming the important role of the B3 gene family in P. ginseng in stress resistance. The results of this study revealed the potential functions of PgB3 genes in ginsenoside biosynthesis and stress response, providing a significant theoretical basis for further research on the functions of PgB3 genes and their regulatory mechanisms.
Panax/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Ginsenosides/biosynthesis* ; Multigene Family ; Phylogeny

OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical characteristics, lesion sites and correlation differences of different types of diabetic foot gangrene, and to provide evidence-based basis for clinical classification of diabetic foot gangrene. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 266 patients with newly diagnosed diabetic foot gangrene who were admitted from January 2018 to December 2018, including 183 males and 83 females, aged from 35 to 92 years old with an average of (69.55±10.84) years old, and they were divided into wet gangrene group and dry gangrene group according to the different natures of gangrene. There were 139 patients in wet gangrene group, including 98 males and 41 females, aged from 35 to 90 years old with an average of (68.95±10.93) years old. There were 127 patients in dry gangrene group, including 85 males and 42 females, aged from 38 to 92 years old with an average of (70.21±10.75) years old. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body temperature, skin temperature difference between the affected and healthy sides of the lower extremities, and Wagner grade between two groups were recorded to evaluate symptoms and signs. The white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage (NEUT%), and C-reactive protein (C-reactive protein), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in peripheral blood between two groups were detected and compared to evaluate the infection status;the severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) was evaluated by using Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS);the degree of pain in patients with diabetic foot gangrene was evaluated by numerical rating scale (NRS); ankle-brachial index (ABI) and popliteal artery blood flow velocity were used to evaluate the degree of arterial lesions. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations between gangrene TCSS, ABI and age, BMI, WHR, body temperature, calf skin temperature difference, WBC, NEUT%, CRP, ESR, PCT, IL-6, NRS, and Wagner classification indicators. RESULTS: The body temperature, skin temperature difference between the affected and healthy sides of the lower extremities, Wagner grade, WBC, NEUT%, CRP, ESR, PCT, IL-6, TCSS score, ABI, and popliteal artery blood flow velocity in wet gangrene group were higher than those in dry gangrene group (P<0.01), and BMI, WHR, and NRS score in dry gangrene group were higher than those in wet gangrene group;the differences were all statistically significant (P<0.01). The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed TCSS score of gangrene patients was correlated with body temperature (r=0.214), calf skin temperature difference (r=0.364), WBC (r=0.240), NEUT% (r=0.291), CRP (r=0.347), ESR (r=0.167), PCT (r=0.241), IL-6 (r=0.316), and popliteal fossa arterial blood flow velocity (r=0.261) and Wagner grade (r=0.273) were positively correlated, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). ABI was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.183), BMI (r=-0.252), WHR (r=-0.288), and NRS score (r=-0.354), and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Diabetic foot gangrene is an extremely difficult and critical disease. Wet gangrene has a significant synergic effect with infection and neuropathy, while dry gangrene is closely related to vascular occlusion. The main contradiction of gangrene could be revealed through blood vessels, nerves and infection, providing evidence-based basis for the selection of debridement timing, anti-infection strategies and revascularization, with the aim of reducing the risk of amputation.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Diabetic Foot/diagnosis* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Gangrene/physiopathology* ; C-Reactive Protein

Gene regulation relies on the precise binding of transcription factors (TFs) at regulatory elements, but simultaneously detecting hundreds of TFs on chromatin is challenging. We developed cFOOT-seq, a cytosine deaminase-based TF footprinting assay, for high-resolution, quantitative genome-wide assessment of TF binding in both open and closed chromatin regions, even with small cell numbers. By utilizing the dsDNA deaminase SsdAtox, cFOOT-seq converts accessible cytosines to uracil while preserving genomic integrity, making it compatible with techniques like ATAC-seq for sensitive and cost-effective detection of TF occupancy at the single-molecule and single-cell level. Our approach enables the delineation of TF footprints, quantification of occupancy, and examination of chromatin influences on TF binding. Notably, cFOOT-seq, combined with FootTrack analysis, enables de novo prediction of TF binding sites and tracking of TF occupancy dynamics. We demonstrate its application in capturing cell type-specific TFs, analyzing TF dynamics during reprogramming, and revealing TF dependencies on chromatin remodelers. Overall, cFOOT-seq represents a robust approach for investigating the genome-wide dynamics of TF occupancy and elucidating the cis-regulatory architecture underlying gene regulation.
Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Humans ; Chromatin/genetics* ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Mice ; DNA Footprinting/methods*