PURPOSE: Data are lacking on the association between the allergic rhinitis (AR) phenotype and sensitization to specific allergens or bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in children. We here investigated risk factors and comorbidities, including sensitization to specific allergens and BHR, for the AR phenotype by AR and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) classification in a general population-based birth cohort study. METHODS: We enrolled 606 children aged 7 years from the Panel Study of Korean Children. The AR phenotype was assigned in accordance with the ARIA classification in children. Skin prick tests and Provocholine provocation test were performed. Risk factors and comorbidities for AR phenotypes were then analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of mild and moderate to severe AR in our study cohort was 37.2% and 8.8%, respectively. Recent use of analgesics or antipyretics and current cat ownership were associated with the risk of mild persistent AR. Sensitizations to Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus (Der p), Japanese hop and cat were associated with moderate to severe persistent AR. Children with moderate to severe AR had a higher risk of current asthma and BHR compared to mild AR cases (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77–15.62). Moderate to severe AR with allergic sensitization was associated with the highest risk of BHR (aOR, 11.77; 95% CI, 3.40–40.74). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to severe-persistent AR is more closely related to respiratory comorbidities and sensitizations than mild AR. Stratifying the AR phenotype by ARIA classification may assist in disease management.
Allergens ; Analgesics ; Animals ; Antipyretics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Cats ; Child ; Classification ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Disease Management ; Humans ; Methacholine Chloride ; Odds Ratio ; Ownership ; Parturition ; Phenotype ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Risk Factors ; Skin

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Health Planning ; Health Policy ; HIV ; Korea ; Methods ; Mortality ; Nervous System Diseases ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea ; Tuberculosis ; Violence

Bone diseases such as osteoporosis and periodontitis are induced by excessive osteoclastic activity, which is closely associated with inflammation. Benzydamine (BA) has been used as a cytokine-suppressive or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines or prostaglandins. However, its role in osteoclast differentiation and function remains unknown. Here, we explored the role of BA in regulating osteoclast differentiation and elucidated the underlying mechanism. BA inhibited osteoclast differentiation and strongly suppressed interleukin-1 (IL-1) production. BA inhibited osteoclast formation and bone resorption when added to bone marrow-derived macrophages and differentiated osteoclasts, and the inhibitory effect was reversed by IL-1 treatment. The reporter assay and the inhibitor study of IL-1 transcription suggested that BA inhibited nuclear factor-B and activator protein-1 by regulating IB kinase, extracellular signal regulated kinase and P38, resulting in the down-regulation of IL-1 expression. BA also promoted osteoblast differentiation. Furthermore, BA protected lipopolysaccharide- and ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice, suggesting therapeutic potential against inflammation-induced bone diseases and postmenopausal osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Colorectal cancer is associated with different anatomical, biological, and clinical characteristics. We determined the impact of the primary tumor location in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). METHODS: Demographic data and clinical information were collected from 1,115 patients from the Republic of Korea, who presented with mCRC between January 2009 and December 2011, using web-based electronic case report forms. Associations between the primary tumor location and the patient's clinical characteristics were assessed, and factors inf luencing overall survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: Of the 1,115 patients recruited to the study, 244 (21.9%) had right colon cancer, 483 (43.3%) had left colon cancer, and 388 (34.8%) had rectal cancer. Liver and lung metastases occurred more frequently in patients with left colon and rectal cancer (p = 0.005 and p = 0.006, respectively), while peritoneal and ovarian metastases occurred more frequently in patients with right and left colon cancer (p < 0.001 and p = 0.031, respectively). The median overall survival of patients with tumors originating in the right colon was significantly shorter than that of patients whose tumors had originated in the left colon or rectum (13.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 12.0 to 15.5] vs. 18.0 months [95% CI, 16.3 to 19.7] or 19.9 months [95% CI, 18.5 to 21.3], respectively; p = 0.003). Tumor resection, the number of metastatic sites, and primary tumor location correlated with overall survival in the univariate and multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Primary tumor location influences the metastatic sites and prognosis of patients with mCRC.
Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Rectum ; Republic of Korea

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a protocol-based cohort study to evaluate the outcomes of interval debulking surgery (IDS) followed by paclitaxel-based hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for the treatment of advanced-stage ovarian cancer. METHODS: From October 2015 to May 2018, 65 patients with stages IIIC–IV ovarian cancer were treated according to the study protocol. HIPEC was performed with paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) for 90 minutes, only in cases of optimal cytoreduction. RESULTS: Of 65 patients, 40 (61.5%) patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), 34 (52.3%) patients had a high tumor burden with a Fagotti score ≥8 at diagnostic laparoscopy, and 6 (9.2%) had definite stage IV metastasis and/or poor performance status before NAC. Twenty-seven (41.5%) patients underwent IDS followed by HIPEC. The mean duration of IDS with HIPEC was 543.8 (range, 277.0–915.0) minutes. Grade III/IV perioperative complications occurred in 7.4% (n=2)/3.7% (n=1) of patients and no cases of mortality were reported within 30 days postoperatively. The median progression-free survival was 21.3 months, and the median overall survival was not reached for those who received HIPEC. CONCLUSIONS: According to our study protocol, IDS followed by paclitaxel-based HIPEC as a first-line treatment appears to be feasible and safe for the treatment of advanced-stage ovarian cancer. Further evaluations of this procedure are required to assess its survival benefits.
Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Paclitaxel ; Pilot Projects* ; Tumor Burden

PURPOSE: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a deadly disease in which precision medicine needs to be incorporated. We aimed to implement next-generation sequencing (NGS) in determining actionable targets to guide appropriate molecular targeted therapy in HNSCC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-three tumors and matched blood samples underwent targeted sequencing of 244 genes using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform with an average depth of coverage of greater than 1,000×. Clinicopathological data from patients were obtained from 17 centers in Korea, and were analyzed in correlation with NGS data. RESULTS: Ninety-two of the 93 tumors were amenable to data analysis. TP53 was the most common mutation, occurring in 47 (51%) patients, followed by CDKN2A (n=23, 25%), CCND1 (n=22, 24%), and PIK3CA (n=19, 21%). The total mutational burden was similar between human papillomavirus (HPV)–negative vs. positive tumors, although TP53, CDKN2A and CCND1 gene alterations occurred more frequently in HPV-negative tumors. HPV-positive tumors were significantly associated with immune signature-related genes compared to HPV-negative tumors. Mutations of NOTCH1 (p=0.027), CDKN2A (p < 0.001), and TP53 (p=0.038) were significantly associated with poorer overall survival. FAT1 mutations were highly enriched in cisplatin responders, and potentially targetable alterations such as PIK3CA E545K and CDKN2A R58X were noted in 14 patients (15%). CONCLUSION: We found several targetable genetic alterations, and our findings suggest that implementation of precision medicine in HNSCC is feasible. The predictive value of each targetable alteration should be assessed in a future umbrella trial using matched molecular targeted agents.
Biomarkers ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cisplatin ; Epithelial Cells* ; Head* ; Humans ; Korea ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Neck* ; Precision Medicine ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the swallowing problems after a primary resection in patients with tongue cancer. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with primary tongue cancer, who underwent a glossectomy and had undergone a Video Fluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) prior to surgery in a university hospital between January 2010 and May 2015, were included retrospectively. The clinical and swallowing features, including the VFSS parameters before and after surgery, were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 38 patients, 33 patients were T1 and T2 stage. Thirty-one, six and one patient underwent a partial glossectomy, hemiglossectomy, and total glossectomy, respectively. More than ninety percent of the patients had a selective neck dissection. All the patients were on a regular diet before surgery and showed no penetration or aspiration on the VFSS. Immediately after surgery, 33 patients (87%) had to change to non-oral feeding. At discharge, 8 patients (21%) maintained non-oral feeding, and 30 patients ate a limited diet. In a telephone survey (mean 19 months after surgery), among the 25 survey participants, 24 patients (96%) reported no problems with their regular diet. CONCLUSION: In tongue cancer patients with low Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM), American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages, a primary resection of tongue cancer did not cause statistically significant dysphagia after surgery. Although many patients had to change their diet to limited or non-oral feeding immediately after surgery, almost all patients improved and could eat a regular diet after the long term follow up.
Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Diet ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glossectomy ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Joints ; Neck Dissection ; Retrospective Studies ; Telephone ; Tongue Neoplasms* ; Tongue*

The approval number of Institutional Review Board (IRB) was wrong in the article.

Cell therapeutic agents for treating degenerative brain diseases using neural stem cells are actively being developed. However, few systems have been developed to monitor in real time whether the transplanted neural stem cells are actually differentiated into neurons. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a technology capable of specifically monitoring neuronal differentiation in vivo. In this study, we established a system that expresses cell membrane-targeting red fluorescent protein under control of the Synapsin promoter in order to specifically monitor differentiation from neural stem cells into neurons. In order to overcome the weak expression level of the tissue-specific promoter system, the partial 5′ UTR sequence of Creb was added for efficient expression of the cell surface-specific antigen. This system was able to track functional neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells transplanted in vivo, which will help improve stem cell therapies.
Antigens, Surface* ; Brain Diseases ; Neural Stem Cells ; Neurons* ; Stem Cells

PURPOSE: To report a case of macular edema and retinal vasculitis treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implantation in a Behcet's disease patient after cataract surgery. CASE SUMMARY: A 26-year-old male with Behcet's disease, without recurrence of uveitis for 3 months, underwent phacoemulsification and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation for a cataract in the left eye. The preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the left eye was 0.15. At day 1 after surgery, his BCVA was 0.4, and slit lamp examination of his left eye revealed a mild anterior chamber reaction. At 1 week after surgery, he presented with left vision impairment, his BCVA was 0.04, and mild inflammation was observed in both the anterior chamber and the vitreous in his left eye. Unilateral macular edema was confirmed with optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography revealed retinal vasculitis on the fovea and peripheral retina. Intravitreal dexamethasone implantation was performed in his left eye, 1 month after treatment, the macular edema and retinal vasculitis had improved, and the BCVA of his left eye was 0.8. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with Behcet's disease, intravitreal dexamethasone implantation can be an effective treatment option for macular edema and retinal vasculitis after cataract surgery.
Adult ; Anterior Chamber ; Behcet Syndrome ; Cataract ; Dexamethasone ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular ; Macular Edema ; Male ; Phacoemulsification ; Recurrence ; Retina ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Slit Lamp ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Uveitis ; Vasculitis ; Visual Acuity