Objective: Neuroinflammation’s role is increasingly emphasized in the pathology of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its close association with the risk of suicide is being reported. The Forkhead Box O1 (FoxO1) gene is known to play a role in regulating mood and emotion and is associated with susceptibility to suicidality in relation to environmental stress. This research aims to explore the relationship between FoxO1 and the risk of suicide in individuals with MDD. Methods: We enrolled 127 healthy controls (HC) and 231 patients diagnosed with MDD, including 119 individuals with high suicide risk (HSR). All participants underwent the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Assessment and magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and white matter integrity were evaluated. Results: In the HSR group, cortical thinning was observed in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and right transverse frontopolar gyrus compared to HC. Additionally, fractional anisotropy (FA) values were decreased in the left posterior thalamic radiation, sagittal stratum, and uncinate fasciculus. Although no differences were observed based on allele variations for the two FoxO1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), those with the minor allele of FoxO1 rs34733279, especially in the HSR group, displayed increased cortical thinning and reduced FA values in the left cingulum. Conclusion Our study reveals close association between the minor allele of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 and suicide risk in the left cingulum highlights the potential key role of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 in the context of suicidal vulnerability. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Objective: Neuroinflammation’s role is increasingly emphasized in the pathology of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its close association with the risk of suicide is being reported. The Forkhead Box O1 (FoxO1) gene is known to play a role in regulating mood and emotion and is associated with susceptibility to suicidality in relation to environmental stress. This research aims to explore the relationship between FoxO1 and the risk of suicide in individuals with MDD. Methods: We enrolled 127 healthy controls (HC) and 231 patients diagnosed with MDD, including 119 individuals with high suicide risk (HSR). All participants underwent the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Assessment and magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and white matter integrity were evaluated. Results: In the HSR group, cortical thinning was observed in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and right transverse frontopolar gyrus compared to HC. Additionally, fractional anisotropy (FA) values were decreased in the left posterior thalamic radiation, sagittal stratum, and uncinate fasciculus. Although no differences were observed based on allele variations for the two FoxO1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), those with the minor allele of FoxO1 rs34733279, especially in the HSR group, displayed increased cortical thinning and reduced FA values in the left cingulum. Conclusion Our study reveals close association between the minor allele of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 and suicide risk in the left cingulum highlights the potential key role of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 in the context of suicidal vulnerability. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Objective: Neuroinflammation’s role is increasingly emphasized in the pathology of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its close association with the risk of suicide is being reported. The Forkhead Box O1 (FoxO1) gene is known to play a role in regulating mood and emotion and is associated with susceptibility to suicidality in relation to environmental stress. This research aims to explore the relationship between FoxO1 and the risk of suicide in individuals with MDD. Methods: We enrolled 127 healthy controls (HC) and 231 patients diagnosed with MDD, including 119 individuals with high suicide risk (HSR). All participants underwent the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Assessment and magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and white matter integrity were evaluated. Results: In the HSR group, cortical thinning was observed in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and right transverse frontopolar gyrus compared to HC. Additionally, fractional anisotropy (FA) values were decreased in the left posterior thalamic radiation, sagittal stratum, and uncinate fasciculus. Although no differences were observed based on allele variations for the two FoxO1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), those with the minor allele of FoxO1 rs34733279, especially in the HSR group, displayed increased cortical thinning and reduced FA values in the left cingulum. Conclusion Our study reveals close association between the minor allele of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 and suicide risk in the left cingulum highlights the potential key role of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 in the context of suicidal vulnerability. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Objective: Neuroinflammation’s role is increasingly emphasized in the pathology of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its close association with the risk of suicide is being reported. The Forkhead Box O1 (FoxO1) gene is known to play a role in regulating mood and emotion and is associated with susceptibility to suicidality in relation to environmental stress. This research aims to explore the relationship between FoxO1 and the risk of suicide in individuals with MDD. Methods: We enrolled 127 healthy controls (HC) and 231 patients diagnosed with MDD, including 119 individuals with high suicide risk (HSR). All participants underwent the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Assessment and magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and white matter integrity were evaluated. Results: In the HSR group, cortical thinning was observed in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and right transverse frontopolar gyrus compared to HC. Additionally, fractional anisotropy (FA) values were decreased in the left posterior thalamic radiation, sagittal stratum, and uncinate fasciculus. Although no differences were observed based on allele variations for the two FoxO1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), those with the minor allele of FoxO1 rs34733279, especially in the HSR group, displayed increased cortical thinning and reduced FA values in the left cingulum. Conclusion Our study reveals close association between the minor allele of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 and suicide risk in the left cingulum highlights the potential key role of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 in the context of suicidal vulnerability. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Objective: Neuroinflammation’s role is increasingly emphasized in the pathology of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its close association with the risk of suicide is being reported. The Forkhead Box O1 (FoxO1) gene is known to play a role in regulating mood and emotion and is associated with susceptibility to suicidality in relation to environmental stress. This research aims to explore the relationship between FoxO1 and the risk of suicide in individuals with MDD. Methods: We enrolled 127 healthy controls (HC) and 231 patients diagnosed with MDD, including 119 individuals with high suicide risk (HSR). All participants underwent the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Assessment and magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and white matter integrity were evaluated. Results: In the HSR group, cortical thinning was observed in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and right transverse frontopolar gyrus compared to HC. Additionally, fractional anisotropy (FA) values were decreased in the left posterior thalamic radiation, sagittal stratum, and uncinate fasciculus. Although no differences were observed based on allele variations for the two FoxO1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), those with the minor allele of FoxO1 rs34733279, especially in the HSR group, displayed increased cortical thinning and reduced FA values in the left cingulum. Conclusion Our study reveals close association between the minor allele of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 and suicide risk in the left cingulum highlights the potential key role of the FoxO1 gene rs34733279 in the context of suicidal vulnerability. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Purpose: CEA is a useful tumor marker for colon cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of changes in CEA levels before and after surgery in colon cancer patients who underwent radical surgery. Methods: A total of 601 colon cancer patients who underwent radical surgery from January 2007 to December 2017 at a single institution were evaluated. Patients were categorized according to preoperative and postoperative CEA levels.We adjusted patient characteristics using propensity score matched analysis between groups and compared survival outcomes according to changes in CEA levels before and after surgery. Results: According to the preoperative and postoperative CEA levels, patients were classified into 3 groups: group 1, ≤5 and ≤5 ng/mL, respectively (n = 407); group 2, >5 and ≤5 ng/mL, respectively (n = 127); and group 3 (>5 and >5 ng/mL, respectively (n = 67). Postoperative CEA elevation was associated with adverse clinical features. Before and after matching, the patients in group 3 showed significantly lower disease-free survival and overall survival rates compared to the patients in group 1 and group 2. In multivariate analysis, changes in CEA levels were an independent prognostic factor of overall survival (P = 0.041). Conclusion The changes in CEA levels before and after surgery can be a useful prognostic factor for disease-free survival and overall survival in colon cancer patients.

Legionella species are abundant in the built environment and are increasingly recognized as a cause of Legionnaires' disease (LD). As the number of cases of Legionnaires' disease acquired by local communities in the Seoul metropolitan area in Korea has been increased, there was concern that changes in environmental factors could affect disease outbreaks. We described the association between climatic variables and occurrence of legionellosis in Korea and Legionella detection rate in Seoul area. A total of 418 cases of legionellosis were reported between 2014 and 2017. There was a seasonal peak in summer. LD continuously occurred from early spring to winter every year and rapidly increased in summer. In the regression analysis, the primary variables of interest- PM2.5 (µg/m³), NO₂ (ppb), and a number of the date of issue O₃ warning were not significant except for average temperature (R²=0.8075). The Legionella detection rate in Seoul, Korea showed a trend similar to precipitation (P=0.708, ANOVA). A relatively high proportion of Legionella detection rate was shown, especially cooling tower (17.7%) and public bath (19.3%). This finding is in line with current understanding of the ecological profile of this pathogen and supports the assertion that legionellosis occurs through contamination of water sources.
Baths ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemiology ; Korea ; Legionella ; Legionellosis ; Legionnaires' Disease ; Regression Analysis ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Water

PURPOSE: ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is the standard imaging modality for response evaluation in FDG-avid lymphoma, but the prognostic value is not established in follicular lymphoma (FL). This study investigated the prognostic value of Deauville 5-point scale (D5PS) from paired interim PET/CT (PET(Interim)) and end-of-induction therapy PET/CT (PET(EOI)) in patients with FL.METHODS: FL staging and response assessment PET/CT images from 2013 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. PET(Interim) was performed 3 or 4 cycles after chemotherapy and PET(EOI) after 6 or 8 cycles. D5PS scores of 1, 2, and 3 were considered as negative (−), and scores 4 and 5 were considered as positive (+). Statistical analysis was done using Cox regression analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and the log-rank test.RESULTS: Thirty-three patients with set of baseline, interim, and end-of-induction therapy PET/CTstudies were included. Ten patients (30.3%) had progression. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 38.8 months (range 3.5–72.7 months). On PET(Interim), 23 patients were negative and 10 were positive. On PET(EOI) scans, 29 patients were negative, and 4 were positive. On multivariate analysis, PET(EOI)(−) was associated with longer PFS. PET(Interim)(+) and PET(EOI)(+) patients had a significantly shorter PFS than PET(Interim)(−) patients (39.9 months, 95%confidence interval [CI] 23.0–56.9, versus 55.5months, 95%CI 49.7–61.2, p=0.005) and PET(EOI)(−) patients (14.2 months, 95% CI 8.5–19.8, versus 60.5 months, 95% CI 52.1–69.0, p<0.001).CONCLUSION: For patients with FL, PET(Interim) and PET(EOI) response is predictive of PFS, and PET(EOI)(+) is an independent prognostic factor for progression of FL.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Electrons ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Follicular ; Multivariate Analysis ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is the standard imaging modality for response evaluation in FDG-avid lymphoma, but the prognostic value is not established in follicular lymphoma (FL). This study investigated the prognostic value of Deauville 5-point scale (D5PS) from paired interim PET/CT (PET(Interim)) and end-of-induction therapy PET/CT (PET(EOI)) in patients with FL. METHODS: FL staging and response assessment PET/CT images from 2013 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. PET(Interim) was performed 3 or 4 cycles after chemotherapy and PET(EOI) after 6 or 8 cycles. D5PS scores of 1, 2, and 3 were considered as negative (−), and scores 4 and 5 were considered as positive (+). Statistical analysis was done using Cox regression analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and the log-rank test. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients with set of baseline, interim, and end-of-induction therapy PET/CTstudies were included. Ten patients (30.3%) had progression. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 38.8 months (range 3.5–72.7 months). On PET(Interim), 23 patients were negative and 10 were positive. On PET(EOI) scans, 29 patients were negative, and 4 were positive. On multivariate analysis, PET(EOI)(−) was associated with longer PFS. PET(Interim)(+) and PET(EOI)(+) patients had a significantly shorter PFS than PET(Interim)(−) patients (39.9 months, 95%confidence interval [CI] 23.0–56.9, versus 55.5months, 95%CI 49.7–61.2, p=0.005) and PET(EOI)(−) patients (14.2 months, 95% CI 8.5–19.8, versus 60.5 months, 95% CI 52.1–69.0, p<0.001). CONCLUSION For patients with FL, PET(Interim) and PET(EOI) response is predictive of PFS, and PET(EOI)(+) is an independent prognostic factor for progression of FL.