Purpose: The female sex is reported to have a higher risk of adverse events (AEs) from cytotoxic chemotherapy. Few studies examined the sex differences in AEs and their impact on the use of medical services during adjuvant chemotherapy. This sub-study aimed to compare the incidence of any grade and grade ≥ 3 AEs, healthcare utilization, chemotherapy completion rate, and dose intensity according to sex. Materials and Methods: This is a sub-study of a multicenter cohort conducted in Korea that evaluated the impact of healthcare reimbursement on AE evaluation in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy between September 2013 and December 2016 at four hospitals in Korea. Results: A total of 1,170 patients with colorectal, gastric, or non–small cell lung cancer were included in the study. Female patients were younger, had fewer comorbidities, and experienced less postoperative weight loss of > 10%. Females had significantly higher rates of any grade AEs including nausea, abdominal pain, stomatitis, vomiting, and neutropenia, and experienced more grade ≥ 3 neutropenia, nausea, and vomiting. The dose intensity of chemotherapy was significantly lower in females, and they also experienced more frequent dose reduction after the first cycle. Moreover, female patients receiving platinum-containing regimens had significantly higher rates of unscheduled outpatient visits. Conclusion Our study found that females experienced a higher incidence of multiple any-grade AEs and severe neutropenia, nausea, and vomiting, across various cancer types, leading to more frequent dose reductions. Physicians should be aware of sex differences in AEs for chemotherapy decisions.

BACKGROUND: In postmenopausal women, there is rapid bone loss due to estrogen depletion. In women, reproductive factors such as age at menarche, breastfeeding, and parity are considered risk factors of osteoporosis. Many reports suggest that obesity is associated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis. This nationwide, population-based study aims to identify the association between maternal age and osteoporosis risk in postmenopausal women of different obesity classifications. METHODS: We assessed data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2012. The study included 1,328 postmenopausal women, after excluding women with missing data for reproductive history among 4,546 postmenopausal women in the survey. Multivariate regression was used to identify the association between childbirth age and postmenopausal bone mineral density after adjustments for confounding factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of postmenopausal osteoporosis was 35.24% (n = 468). After dividing the subjects into obese and non-obese groups based on body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, there were significant differences between non-osteoporosis and osteoporosis groups with regard to age at first childbirth, age at last childbirth, and parity in the BMI-based general obesity group. The prevalence of osteoporosis was highest in women older than 35 years old at last childbirth. The prevalence of osteoporosis was also greater in women with parity ≥ 4 compared to those with lower parity levels. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women of older age at last childbirth and higher parity were at increased risk of osteoporosis in the BMI-based non-general obesity group.
Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Breast Feeding ; Classification ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal Age ; Menarche ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Osteoporosis ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; Parity ; Parturition* ; Prevalence ; Reproductive History ; Risk Factors ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND: Anti-inflammation, anti-bactericidal, and collagen synthesis are important for health skin conditions. However, the effect of horse oil on anti-inflammation, anti-bactericidal, and collagen synthesis is largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, and synthesis of type I collagen of horse oil. METHODS: Anti-bacterial effect was evaluated by disc diffusion test. Expressions of inflammatory cytokines were studied by RT-PCR analysis, real time PCR. Type I collagen expression was evaluated by Western blot in human HaCaT kertinocytes and fibroblasts. RESULTS: Our data showed that horse oil exerted anti-bacterial effect on P.acnes and S.aureus. Expression of IL-10 was increased by horse oil-treated HaCaT cells. In addition, increased expression of type I collagen was observed in horse oil-treated human skin fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: Horse oil exerts an anti-bactericidal effect against P.acnes and S.aureus. In addition, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects of horse oil will be mediated by up-regulation of IL-10 and type I collagen, respectively.
Blotting, Western ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I* ; Cytokines* ; Diffusion ; Fibroblasts* ; Horses* ; Humans* ; Interleukin-10 ; Keratinocytes* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin ; Up-Regulation

Malakoplakia is a chronic inflammatory disorder that usually affects the urinary tract in immunocompromised patients and rarely extends to adjacent organs. Due to its mass-like presentation, malakoplakia is often clinically misdiagnosed as a neoplastic lesion. We describe the case of a 51-year-old female with renal malakoplakia and hepatic extension and large intraperitoneal abscesses that had been misdiagnosed as malignancy. She was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis 12 years prior and had been treated with oral corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Radical nephrectomy concomitant with abscess drainage was performed. The final pathology was compatible with malakoplakia, and the patient was successfully treated with antibiotics. Although renal malakoplakia is a rare disease, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with a renal mass who have a history of recurrent urinary tract infections or evidence of immunosuppression.
Abscess ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drainage ; Female ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Kidney ; Liver ; Malacoplakia ; Middle Aged ; Myasthenia Gravis ; Nephrectomy ; Rare Diseases ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections

Malakoplakia is a chronic inflammatory disorder that usually affects the urinary tract in immunocompromised patients and rarely extends to adjacent organs. Due to its mass-like presentation, malakoplakia is often clinically misdiagnosed as a neoplastic lesion. We describe the case of a 51-year-old female with renal malakoplakia and hepatic extension and large intraperitoneal abscesses that had been misdiagnosed as malignancy. She was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis 12 years prior and had been treated with oral corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Radical nephrectomy concomitant with abscess drainage was performed. The final pathology was compatible with malakoplakia, and the patient was successfully treated with antibiotics. Although renal malakoplakia is a rare disease, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with a renal mass who have a history of recurrent urinary tract infections or evidence of immunosuppression.
Abscess ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drainage ; Female ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Kidney ; Liver ; Malacoplakia ; Middle Aged ; Myasthenia Gravis ; Nephrectomy ; Rare Diseases ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections

Lymphangiomatosis is a condition of lymphatic tissue malformation with multiple or diffuse involvement of soft tissues, visceral organs. Congenital abnormalities of the lymphatic system are very rare, and reports of congenital lymphangiomatosis are even fewer. We experienced a case of congenital lymphangiomatosis detected as edema of the right limb by prenatal ultrasonography and then diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. We describe this case with a brief review of the literature.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Edema ; Extremities ; Lower Extremity ; Lymphatic System ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study was undertaken to analyze the anxiety of parents of prenatally diagnosed fetal congenital disease and satisfaction after the multidisciplinary counseling. METHODS: The study included 32 prospective parents of antenatally diagnosed congenital disease fetus who received multidisciplinary counseling at The Catholic Congenital Disease Center (CCDC) for the period from May, 2009 through March, 2010. The Korean version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was utilized to assess parental anxiety. Categories of satisfaction survey were classified into accessibility, professionalism, empathy, recoverability, satisfaction, and expectation after counseling. RESULTS: The mean time and number of medical professionals for each counseling were 58.0+/-36.9 min and 3.5+/-1.1 persons. Most common congenital diseases were cardiovascular (36.1%) and urogenital diseases (25.0%). STAI scores were significantly decreased after than before counseling (43.5+/-5.9 vs 36.9+/-6.0, P=0.0007). STAI scores after counseling showed significant decrease in prospective mothers who were nulliparous (P=0.0005), less than 35 years old (P=0.0014), had religion (P=0.0014) and counseled more than 40 minutes (P=0.0027). The mean rate of positive satisfactory response about multidisciplinary counseling was 85.6% in satisfaction survey. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of the positive impact on the prospective parental anxiety of a multidisciplinary counseling in prenatal management of fetal congenital diseases.
Anxiety ; Counseling ; Empathy ; Fetus ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parents ; Prospective Studies

Background and purpose: Osteopontin (OPN) is a glycophosphoprotein that is expressed by numerous human cancer cells. The function of OPN in skeletal modeling and remodeling, bone resorption, angiogenesis and tumor cell metastasis and progression through binding with integrin and CD44 receptors were studied. Our purpose of the study was to detect the level of osteopontin(OPN) and CD44 variant isoforms(CD44v6) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, and to explore the relationship between OPN and CD44v6 with the progress of MM. Methods: 32 MM patients were admitted to our hospital from Sep. 2007 to Dec. 2008. The patients were divided into two groups, group A (untreated and relapsed MM patients) and B (stable MM patients), and the control group including 15 subjects were the benign anemia patients or healthy people who suffered bone fracture. Bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from MM patients and subjects were investigated as potential OPN and CD44v6 producers. The level of OPN and CD44v6 of the conditioned media from MM patients and subjects were analyzed by ELISA. Results: The OPN level in group A (19 cases) was significantly higher than group B (13 cases) and control group (P<0.05). The CD44v6 level of 14 patients in group A was significantly higher than that of 10 cases in group B and control group (P<0.05); The OPN level of MM patients was correlated with the level of CD44v6 (r=0.52, P=0.000), the percentage of plasma cells in the bone marrow (r=0.74, P=0.000), M protein (r=0.53, P=0.014), and β2-microglubin (r=0.62, P=0.002). Conclusion: The increase of OPN and CD44v6 is associated with progress and pathogenesis of MM,and may be involved with tumor burden, stage and tumor invasion.

PURPOSE:To investigate the significance of umbilical artery acidosis and compare perinatal outcomes according to the types of acidosis for a tertiary hospital population delivered at term. METHODS:We reviewed maternal and neonatal medical records of all term liveborn infants with an umbilical artery pH<7.25 who were delivered at our university-based center for three years. Two hundred seventy two study population were grouped into respiratory (N=137), metabolic (N=103), and mixed (N=32) acidosis. Pregnancy complications and perinatal outcomes were analyzed using student T test and chi square test. RESULTS:The mean umbilical artery pH values of respiratory, metabolic, and mixed acidosis were 7.20+/-.05, 7.16+/-.90, and 7.07+/-.10, respectively. Neonates with pathologic fetal acidemia were more frequent in mixed acidosis and less frequent in respiratory acidosis (P<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in 1min and 5min Apgar scores. The cases with multiple nuchal cords were significantly common in mixed acidosis (P=0.021) and oligohydroamnios was higher in the metabolic acidosis (P=0.037). While the high base deficit (> or =20 mEq/L) and high pCO2 (> or =20 mmHg) were significantly associated with low pH value, the perinatal outcomes were not significantly different according to the level of base deficit or pCO2. CONCLUSION:The mixed acidemia was more associated with pathologic fetal acidemia than pure respiratory or metabolic acidosis. The ability to predict not only metabolic but also respiratory component of fetal acidemia may help in safe management of delivery leading to reduce the fetal acidemia.
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Respiratory ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Medical Records ; Nuchal Cord ; Pregnancy Complications ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Umbilical Arteries

In spite of the fact that there is general consensus that neonatal depressed skull fractures are caused largely by instrumental extraction, there are a few reports regarding congenital depression of the skull unrelated to external trauma. In the case herein, the mother did not have any history of abdominal trauma during pregnancy and the neonate was delivered vaginally without the use of instruments, yet a round depression was noted in the left parietal bone of the neonate at the time of delivery. Computed tomography with three dimensional reconstruction images was performed and a congenital depression of the neonatal skull without fracture was diagnosed. We describe this case with a brief review of the literature.
Consensus ; Depression ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mothers ; Parietal Bone ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Skull ; Skull Fracture, Depressed