1.Plasma metabolite based clustering of breast cancer survivors and identification of dietary and health related characteristics: an application of unsupervised machine learning
Ga-Eun YIE ; Woojin KYEONG ; Sihan SONG ; Zisun KIM ; Hyun Jo YOUN ; Jihyoung CHO ; Jun Won MIN ; Yoo Seok KIM ; Jung Eun LEE
Nutrition Research and Practice 2025;19(2):273-291
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to use plasma metabolites to identify clusters of breast cancer survivors and to compare their dietary characteristics and health-related factors across the clusters using unsupervised machine learning.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
A total of 419 breast cancer survivors were included in this crosssectional study. We considered 30 plasma metabolites, quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics. Clusters were obtained based on metabolites using 4 different unsupervised clustering methods: k-means (KM), partitioning around medoids (PAM), self-organizing maps (SOM), and hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC). The t-test, χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and dietary characteristics across the clusters. P-values were adjusted through a false discovery rate (FDR).
RESULTS:
Two clusters were identified using the 4 methods. Participants in cluster 2 had lower concentrations of apolipoprotein A1 and large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and smaller HDL particle sizes, but higher concentrations of chylomicrons and extremely large very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) particles and glycoprotein acetyls, a higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids, and larger VLDL particle sizes compared with cluster 1. Body mass index was significantly higher in cluster 2 compared with cluster 1 (FDR adjusted-PKM < 0.001; PPAM = 0.001; PSOM < 0.001; and PHAC = 0.043).
CONCLUSION
The breast cancer survivors clustered on the basis of plasma metabolites had distinct characteristics. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the associations between metabolites, obesity, dietary factors, and breast cancer prognosis.
2.Plasma metabolite based clustering of breast cancer survivors and identification of dietary and health related characteristics: an application of unsupervised machine learning
Ga-Eun YIE ; Woojin KYEONG ; Sihan SONG ; Zisun KIM ; Hyun Jo YOUN ; Jihyoung CHO ; Jun Won MIN ; Yoo Seok KIM ; Jung Eun LEE
Nutrition Research and Practice 2025;19(2):273-291
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to use plasma metabolites to identify clusters of breast cancer survivors and to compare their dietary characteristics and health-related factors across the clusters using unsupervised machine learning.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
A total of 419 breast cancer survivors were included in this crosssectional study. We considered 30 plasma metabolites, quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics. Clusters were obtained based on metabolites using 4 different unsupervised clustering methods: k-means (KM), partitioning around medoids (PAM), self-organizing maps (SOM), and hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC). The t-test, χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and dietary characteristics across the clusters. P-values were adjusted through a false discovery rate (FDR).
RESULTS:
Two clusters were identified using the 4 methods. Participants in cluster 2 had lower concentrations of apolipoprotein A1 and large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and smaller HDL particle sizes, but higher concentrations of chylomicrons and extremely large very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) particles and glycoprotein acetyls, a higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids, and larger VLDL particle sizes compared with cluster 1. Body mass index was significantly higher in cluster 2 compared with cluster 1 (FDR adjusted-PKM < 0.001; PPAM = 0.001; PSOM < 0.001; and PHAC = 0.043).
CONCLUSION
The breast cancer survivors clustered on the basis of plasma metabolites had distinct characteristics. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the associations between metabolites, obesity, dietary factors, and breast cancer prognosis.
3.Plasma metabolite based clustering of breast cancer survivors and identification of dietary and health related characteristics: an application of unsupervised machine learning
Ga-Eun YIE ; Woojin KYEONG ; Sihan SONG ; Zisun KIM ; Hyun Jo YOUN ; Jihyoung CHO ; Jun Won MIN ; Yoo Seok KIM ; Jung Eun LEE
Nutrition Research and Practice 2025;19(2):273-291
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to use plasma metabolites to identify clusters of breast cancer survivors and to compare their dietary characteristics and health-related factors across the clusters using unsupervised machine learning.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
A total of 419 breast cancer survivors were included in this crosssectional study. We considered 30 plasma metabolites, quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics. Clusters were obtained based on metabolites using 4 different unsupervised clustering methods: k-means (KM), partitioning around medoids (PAM), self-organizing maps (SOM), and hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC). The t-test, χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and dietary characteristics across the clusters. P-values were adjusted through a false discovery rate (FDR).
RESULTS:
Two clusters were identified using the 4 methods. Participants in cluster 2 had lower concentrations of apolipoprotein A1 and large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and smaller HDL particle sizes, but higher concentrations of chylomicrons and extremely large very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) particles and glycoprotein acetyls, a higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids, and larger VLDL particle sizes compared with cluster 1. Body mass index was significantly higher in cluster 2 compared with cluster 1 (FDR adjusted-PKM < 0.001; PPAM = 0.001; PSOM < 0.001; and PHAC = 0.043).
CONCLUSION
The breast cancer survivors clustered on the basis of plasma metabolites had distinct characteristics. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the associations between metabolites, obesity, dietary factors, and breast cancer prognosis.
4.A Case of Optic Pit Maculopathy Treated with Fovea-sparing and an Inverted Flap Technique
Su Min LEE ; Woojin KIM ; Seungwoo LEE
Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2025;66(3):164-168
Purpose:
To report a case of macular serous retinal detachment and macular thinning associated with optic disc pit maculopathy successfully treated with vitrectomy, fovea-sparing internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling, and inverted ILM flap technique.Case summary: A 27-year-old male patient presented with a 1-month history of decreased right eye vision. Corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 0.025 at initial visit. Fundus examination revealed an oval, deep-seated defect in the inferotemporal portion of the optic nerve and a chorioretinal coloboma located inferior to the optic nerve with a one-third disc diameter. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed severe macular serous detachment and central foveal thinning. Surgical treatment comprised vitrectomy, ILM peeling preserving an amount of ILM equivalent to the diameter of one disc in the central fovea and covering the optic disc pit with an inverted ILM flap from its nasal portion. The flap was fixed with a dispersible viscoelastic material and intravitreal 20% sulfur hexafluoride gas injection. The patient was maintained in a facedown position for 3 days postoperatively. After 15 months, the best-corrected visual acuity of the right eye improved to 0.63. Repeat OCT revealed resolution of retinoschisis and serous retinal detachment, with the ILM flap effectively covering the optic disc pit.
Conclusions
Fovea-sparing ILM peeling with an inverted ILM flap on the nasal side over the optic disc pit in patients with thin inner retinal layers and excessive serous retinal detachment effectively prevent the occurrence of macular holes and treat optic disc pit maculopathy.
5.A Case of Optic Pit Maculopathy Treated with Fovea-sparing and an Inverted Flap Technique
Su Min LEE ; Woojin KIM ; Seungwoo LEE
Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2025;66(3):164-168
Purpose:
To report a case of macular serous retinal detachment and macular thinning associated with optic disc pit maculopathy successfully treated with vitrectomy, fovea-sparing internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling, and inverted ILM flap technique.Case summary: A 27-year-old male patient presented with a 1-month history of decreased right eye vision. Corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 0.025 at initial visit. Fundus examination revealed an oval, deep-seated defect in the inferotemporal portion of the optic nerve and a chorioretinal coloboma located inferior to the optic nerve with a one-third disc diameter. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed severe macular serous detachment and central foveal thinning. Surgical treatment comprised vitrectomy, ILM peeling preserving an amount of ILM equivalent to the diameter of one disc in the central fovea and covering the optic disc pit with an inverted ILM flap from its nasal portion. The flap was fixed with a dispersible viscoelastic material and intravitreal 20% sulfur hexafluoride gas injection. The patient was maintained in a facedown position for 3 days postoperatively. After 15 months, the best-corrected visual acuity of the right eye improved to 0.63. Repeat OCT revealed resolution of retinoschisis and serous retinal detachment, with the ILM flap effectively covering the optic disc pit.
Conclusions
Fovea-sparing ILM peeling with an inverted ILM flap on the nasal side over the optic disc pit in patients with thin inner retinal layers and excessive serous retinal detachment effectively prevent the occurrence of macular holes and treat optic disc pit maculopathy.
6.Plasma metabolite based clustering of breast cancer survivors and identification of dietary and health related characteristics: an application of unsupervised machine learning
Ga-Eun YIE ; Woojin KYEONG ; Sihan SONG ; Zisun KIM ; Hyun Jo YOUN ; Jihyoung CHO ; Jun Won MIN ; Yoo Seok KIM ; Jung Eun LEE
Nutrition Research and Practice 2025;19(2):273-291
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to use plasma metabolites to identify clusters of breast cancer survivors and to compare their dietary characteristics and health-related factors across the clusters using unsupervised machine learning.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
A total of 419 breast cancer survivors were included in this crosssectional study. We considered 30 plasma metabolites, quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics. Clusters were obtained based on metabolites using 4 different unsupervised clustering methods: k-means (KM), partitioning around medoids (PAM), self-organizing maps (SOM), and hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC). The t-test, χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and dietary characteristics across the clusters. P-values were adjusted through a false discovery rate (FDR).
RESULTS:
Two clusters were identified using the 4 methods. Participants in cluster 2 had lower concentrations of apolipoprotein A1 and large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and smaller HDL particle sizes, but higher concentrations of chylomicrons and extremely large very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) particles and glycoprotein acetyls, a higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids, and larger VLDL particle sizes compared with cluster 1. Body mass index was significantly higher in cluster 2 compared with cluster 1 (FDR adjusted-PKM < 0.001; PPAM = 0.001; PSOM < 0.001; and PHAC = 0.043).
CONCLUSION
The breast cancer survivors clustered on the basis of plasma metabolites had distinct characteristics. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the associations between metabolites, obesity, dietary factors, and breast cancer prognosis.
7.A Case of Optic Pit Maculopathy Treated with Fovea-sparing and an Inverted Flap Technique
Su Min LEE ; Woojin KIM ; Seungwoo LEE
Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2025;66(3):164-168
Purpose:
To report a case of macular serous retinal detachment and macular thinning associated with optic disc pit maculopathy successfully treated with vitrectomy, fovea-sparing internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling, and inverted ILM flap technique.Case summary: A 27-year-old male patient presented with a 1-month history of decreased right eye vision. Corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 0.025 at initial visit. Fundus examination revealed an oval, deep-seated defect in the inferotemporal portion of the optic nerve and a chorioretinal coloboma located inferior to the optic nerve with a one-third disc diameter. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed severe macular serous detachment and central foveal thinning. Surgical treatment comprised vitrectomy, ILM peeling preserving an amount of ILM equivalent to the diameter of one disc in the central fovea and covering the optic disc pit with an inverted ILM flap from its nasal portion. The flap was fixed with a dispersible viscoelastic material and intravitreal 20% sulfur hexafluoride gas injection. The patient was maintained in a facedown position for 3 days postoperatively. After 15 months, the best-corrected visual acuity of the right eye improved to 0.63. Repeat OCT revealed resolution of retinoschisis and serous retinal detachment, with the ILM flap effectively covering the optic disc pit.
Conclusions
Fovea-sparing ILM peeling with an inverted ILM flap on the nasal side over the optic disc pit in patients with thin inner retinal layers and excessive serous retinal detachment effectively prevent the occurrence of macular holes and treat optic disc pit maculopathy.
8.Plasma metabolite based clustering of breast cancer survivors and identification of dietary and health related characteristics: an application of unsupervised machine learning
Ga-Eun YIE ; Woojin KYEONG ; Sihan SONG ; Zisun KIM ; Hyun Jo YOUN ; Jihyoung CHO ; Jun Won MIN ; Yoo Seok KIM ; Jung Eun LEE
Nutrition Research and Practice 2025;19(2):273-291
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to use plasma metabolites to identify clusters of breast cancer survivors and to compare their dietary characteristics and health-related factors across the clusters using unsupervised machine learning.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
A total of 419 breast cancer survivors were included in this crosssectional study. We considered 30 plasma metabolites, quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics. Clusters were obtained based on metabolites using 4 different unsupervised clustering methods: k-means (KM), partitioning around medoids (PAM), self-organizing maps (SOM), and hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC). The t-test, χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and dietary characteristics across the clusters. P-values were adjusted through a false discovery rate (FDR).
RESULTS:
Two clusters were identified using the 4 methods. Participants in cluster 2 had lower concentrations of apolipoprotein A1 and large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and smaller HDL particle sizes, but higher concentrations of chylomicrons and extremely large very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) particles and glycoprotein acetyls, a higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids, and larger VLDL particle sizes compared with cluster 1. Body mass index was significantly higher in cluster 2 compared with cluster 1 (FDR adjusted-PKM < 0.001; PPAM = 0.001; PSOM < 0.001; and PHAC = 0.043).
CONCLUSION
The breast cancer survivors clustered on the basis of plasma metabolites had distinct characteristics. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the associations between metabolites, obesity, dietary factors, and breast cancer prognosis.
9.Comparison of Population Attributable Fractions of Cancer Incidence and Mortality Linked to Excess Body Weight in Korea from 2015 to 2030
Youjin HONG ; Jihye AN ; Jeehi JUNG ; Hyeon Sook LEE ; Soseul SUNG ; Sungji MOON ; Inah KIM ; Jung Eun LEE ; Aesun SHIN ; Sun Ha JEE ; Sun-Seog KWEON ; Min-Ho SHIN ; Sangmin PARK ; Seung-Ho RYU ; Sun Young YANG ; Seung Ho CHOI ; Jeongseon KIM ; Sang-Wook YI ; Yoon-Jung CHOI ; Sangjun LEE ; Woojin LIM ; Kyungsik KIM ; Sohee PARK ; Jeong-Soo IM ; Hong Gwan SEO ; Kwang-Pil KO ; Sue K. PARK
Endocrinology and Metabolism 2024;39(6):921-931
Background:
The increasing rate of excess body weight (EBW) in the global population has led to growing health concerns, including cancer-related EBW. We aimed to estimate the population attributable fraction (PAF) of cancer incidence and deaths linked to EBW in Korean individuals from 2015 to 2030 and to compare its value with various body mass index cutoffs.
Methods:
Levin’s formula was used to calculate the PAF; the prevalence rates were computed using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, while the relative risks of specific cancers related to EBW were estimated based on the results of Korean cohort studies. To account for the 15-year latency period when estimating the PAF in 2020, the prevalence rates from 2015 and attributable cases or deaths from 2020 were used.
Results:
The PAF attributed to EBW was similar for both cancer incidence and deaths using either the World Health Organization (WHO) Asian-Pacific region standard or a modified Asian standard, with the WHO standard yielding the lowest values. In the Korean population, the PAFs of EBW for cancer incidence were 2.96% in men and 3.61% in women, while those for cancer deaths were 0.67% in men and 3.06% in women in 2020. Additionally, PAFs showed a gradual increase in both sexes until 2030.
Conclusion
The EBW continues to have a significant impact on cancer incidence and deaths in Korea. Effective prevention strategies targeting the reduction of this modifiable risk factor can substantially decrease the cancer burden.
10.Cooking oil fume exposure and Lung-RADS distribution among school cafeteria workers of South Korea
Minjun KIM ; Yangho KIM ; A Ram KIM ; Woon Jung KWON ; Soyeoun LIM ; Woojin KIM ; Cheolin YOO
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2024;36(1):e2-
Cooking oil fumes (COFs) from cooking with hot oil may contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Since 2021, occupational lung cancer for individual cafeteria workers has been recognized in South Korea. In this study, we aimed to identify the distribution of lung-imaging reporting and data system (Lung-RADS) among cafeteria workers and to determine factors related to Lung-RADS distribution. We included 203 female participants who underwent low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening at a university hospital and examined the following variables: age, smoking status, second-hand smoke, height, weight, and years of service, mask use, cooking time, heat source, and ventilation. We divided all participants into culinary and non-culinary workers. Binomial logistic regression was conducted to determine the risk factors on LDCT of Category ≥ 3, separately for the overall group and the culinary group. In this study, Lung-RADS-positive occurred in 17 (8.4%) individuals, all of whom were culinary workers. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed and no variables were found to have a significant impact on Lung-RADS results. In the subgroup analysis, the Lung-RADS-positive, and -negative groups differed only in ventilation. Binary logistic regression showed that the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of the Lung-RADS-positive group for inappropriate ventilation at the workplace was 14.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.296–67.231) compared to appropriate ventilation as the reference, and the aOR for electric appliances at home was 4.59 (95% CI: 1.061–19.890) using liquid fuel as the reference. The rate of Lung-RADS-positive was significantly higher among culinary workers who performed actual cooking tasks than among nonculinary workers. In addition, appropriate ventilation at the workplace made the LDCT results differ. More research is needed to identify factors that might influence LDCT findings among culinary workers, including those in other occupations.

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