Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.

The impact of Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prognosis remains uncertain. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who underwent a pneumococcal urinary antigen (PUA) test to assess its clinical utility. Results showed that PUA-positive patients required more oxygen support, high-flow nasal cannula, and dexamethasone compared to PUA-negative patients.Furthermore, the significantly higher incidence of a National Early Warning Score ≥5 in the PUA-positive group (P<0.001) suggests that a positive PUA test is associated with a severe disease course. However, no significant difference in mortality was observed between the two groups, and antibiotics were used in almost all patients (96.2%). While the PUA test may help guide antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients, its interpretation should be approached with caution.

Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Rosa hybrida has been demonstrated to exert biological effects on several cell types. This study investigated the efficacy of the edible ethanol extract of R.hybrida (EERH) against human colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT116) cells.MATERIALS/METHODS: HCT116 cells were cultured with different concentrations of EERH (0, 400, 600, 800, and 1,000 µg/mL) in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium. Cell viability was measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and viable cell counting assays. Cell cycle pattern was observed by flow cytometry analysis. The wound-healing migration assay, invasion assay, and zymography were used to determine the migratory and invasive level of HCT116 cells treated with EERH. The protein expression and binding ability level of HCT116 cells following EERH treatment were analyzed via immunoblotting and the electrophoretic mobility shift assay. RESULTS: EERH suppressed HCT116 cell proliferation, thus arresting the G1-phase cell cycle.It also reduced cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclins, which are associated with p27KIP1 expression. Additionally, EERH differentially regulated the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, p38, and protein kinase B. Moreover, EERH treatment inhibited the enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and MMP-2, resulting in HCT116 cell migration and invasion. The EERH-induced inhibition of MMP-9 and MMP-2 was attributed to the reduced transcriptional binding of activator protein-1, specificity protein-1, and nuclear factor-κB motifs in HCT116 cells. Kaempferol was identified as the main compound contributing to EERH's antitumor activity. CONCLUSION EERH inhibits HCT116 cell proliferation and metastatic potential. Therefore, it is potentially useful as a preventive and curative nutraceutical agent against colorectal cancer.

Background/Aims: Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disorder following non-specific triggers. Involvement of immune system is widely accepted for pathogenesis studies have demonstrated importance of gut microbiota in pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) are acid-suppressive drugs widely used for acid related gastrointestinal diseases, and prolonged use has been associated with altered gut microbiota. This study aimed to investigate association between psoriasis and acid suppressing drugs in Korean population. Methods: This study was conducted with 3,662 patients diagnosed with psoriasis between 2002 and 2013 in NHIS-NSC. A total of 14,648 controls were matched at 1:4 based on sex, age, and gastrointestinal disease. ORs were estimated to determine the association between acid suppressing drug use and psoriasis. Results: Our study found a statistically significant association between the prolonged use of acid-suppressive drugs and the development of psoriasis in the Korean population. Specifically, patients with gastrointestinal diseases who used histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RA) or proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for extended periods exhibited a higher risk of developing psoriasis. The adjusted odds ratio for psoriasis was 1.89 (95% CI, 1.66–2.17) with long-term use, indicating a clear dose-response relationship. Conclusions Results from our study indicate that prolonged use of H2RA or PPI is associated with the risk of psoriasis among patients with gastrointestinal diseases in Korean population. The risk was increased in dose-response trend after adjusting for confounding variables. Clinicians should be aware of risks associated with prolonged use of acid suppressing drugs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block with periarticular multimodal drug injection (PMDI) on postoperative pain management and surgical outcomes in patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA). We hypothesized that PENG block with PMDI would exhibit superior effects on postoperative pain control after THA compared to PMDI alone. Materials and Methods: From April 2022 to February 2023, 58 patients who underwent THA were randomly assigned into two groups: PENG block with PMDI group (n=29) and PMDI-only group (n=29). Primary outcomes were postoperative numeric rating scale (NRS) at rest and during activity at 6, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were postoperative complications (nausea and vomiting), Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) score, length of hospital stay, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index, Harris Hip Score (HHS), and total morphine usage after surgery. Results: There was no significant difference in postoperative pain for either resting NRS or active NRS. Postoperative nausea and vomiting, RCSQ score, length of hospital stay, WOMAC index, HHS, and total morphine usage exhibited no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion Both groups showed no significant differences in postoperative pain and clinical outcomes, indicating that the addition of PENG block to PMDI does not improve pain management after applying the posterolateral approach of THA. PMDI alone during THA would be an efficient, fast, and safe method for managing postoperative pain. This article was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Gov ID: NCT05320913).

Background/Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) 3.0 for predicting mortality and liver-related complications compared with the Child-Pugh classification, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, the MELD, and the MELD sodium (MELDNa) score. Methods: We evaluated a multicenter retrospective cohort of incorporated patients with cirrhosis between 2013 and 2019. We conducted comparisons of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the MELD3.0 and other models for predicting 3-month mortality. Additionally, we assessed the risk of cirrhosis-related complications according to the MELD3.0 score. Results: A total of 3,314 patients were included. The mean age was 55.9±11.3 years, and 70.2% of the patients were male. Within the initial 3 months, 220 patients (6.6%) died, and the MELD3.0had the best predictive performance among the tested models, with an AUROC of 0.851, outperforming the Child-Pugh classification, ALBI grade, MELD, and MELDNa. A high MELD3.0score was associated with an increased risk of mortality. Compared with that of the group with a MELD3.0 score <10 points, the adjusted hazard ratio of the group with a score of 10–20 pointswas 2.176, and that for the group with a score of ≥20 points was 4.892. Each 1-point increase inthe MELD3.0 score increased the risk of cirrhosis-related complications by 1.033-fold. The risk of hepatorenal syndrome showed the highest increase, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.149, followed by hepatic encephalopathy and ascites. Conclusions The MELD3.0 demonstrated robust prognostic performance in predicting mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Moreover, the MELD3.0 score was linked to cirrhosis-related complications, particularly those involving kidney function, such as hepatorenal syndrome and ascites.