Publications by authors named "Hong Sa"

Patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer undergoing continuous adjuvant hormone therapy often experience delayed recurrence with tamoxifen use, potentially causing adverse effects. However, the lack of biomarkers hampers patient selection for extended endocrine therapy. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying delayed recurrence and identify biomarkers.

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  • Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons, with lifestyle factors like smoking and coffee consumption potentially lowering its risk.
  • Studies suggest that certain components in tobacco and coffee may help protect against PD by inhibiting specific biological processes, reducing neuroinflammation, and activating protective pathways.
  • The review aims to enhance our understanding of how these substances may contribute to a reduced incidence of Parkinson's disease and highlights the therapeutic potential of their compounds, although multifunctionality is not necessarily required for these effects.
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Background: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune-mediated adverse response to heparin therapy, characterized by decreased platelet count and increased risk of thrombosis. HIT, without the tell-tale sign of thrombocytopenia, has rarely been described.

Key Clinical Question: Can HIT be diagnosed in the presence of thrombocytosis? What clinical clues and diagnostic tools facilitate accurate diagnosis in such cases?

Clinical Approach: We report a case of HIT with thrombocytosis in a young male who initially presented after traumatic knee dislocation.

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  • Keratin 17 (K17) overexpression is linked to worse prognosis in colorectal cancer, with high levels associated with aggressive tumor characteristics and lower patient survival rates.
  • Low levels of p27 also correlate with larger tumors and poorer overall survival outcomes.
  • The combined expression of K17 and p27 serves as a strong independent indicator of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer, highlighting their potential as clinical markers.
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Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer. Although human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpression, a poor prognostic molecular marker in ovarian cancer, is found in almost 30% of ovarian cancer cases, there are no established therapies for HER2-overexpressing ovarian cancer. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of combined samfenet, a biosimilar compound of trastuzumab, and natural killer (NK) cells in preclinical model of HER2-overexpressing ovarian cancer.

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: Distal bile duct cancer is an aggressive malignancy. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in the tumor microenvironment are crucial for predicting prognosis in various cancers. In this study, we analyzed TIICs based on CD11b, CD163, and CD8 expression, and evaluated their association with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis in distal bile duct cancer.

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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive subtype, presents a critical challenge due to the absence of approved targeted therapies. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify effective therapeutic targets for this condition. While epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is prominently expressed in TNBC and recognized as a therapeutic target, anti-EGFR therapies have yet to gain approval for breast cancer treatment due to their associated side effects and limited efficacy.

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Background: Gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are rare cancers with highly aggressive behavior. Although tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are well-known prognostic factors in various cancers, their role in gastric NECs remain unexplored. Unique immunohistochemical subtypes of pulmonary NECs have been discovered, however, their feasibility in gastric NECs is unknown.

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Background: MicroRNAs act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in various cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in tumor cell progression and survival.

Methods: MicroRNA expressions were evaluated by using NanoString nCounter assay, qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization.

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Thrombosis rates among young adults receiving asparaginase (ASP) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can reach 34%, with highest risk during induction. Our institution implemented a standard practice of 1 mg/kg/day enoxaparin administered to young adults with ALL who are treated with ASP during induction. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who received thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin 1 mg/kg/day during ASP-containing induction for ALL at Oregon Health & Science University from 2012 to 2023.

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Background: The profound impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to an increased demand for sustainable pandemic governance practices. This study explored emerging hybrid governance practices that provide robust evidence on how to address the complex challenges of pandemics effectively. South Korea, which was severely affected by COVID-19, has implemented a novel governance approach using a whole-of-nation (WoN) model.

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  • The study aimed to examine how untreated subscapularis muscles change in patients after undergoing supraspinatus repair surgery.
  • A review of 528 patients revealed that 17% experienced changes, such as new or aggravated lesions, which were linked to pre-existing subscapularis issues and other shoulder problems.
  • Despite these changes, clinical scores showed no significant differences between patients with subscapularis changes and those without after surgery.*
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Intraneural hematoma is a rare disease that results in an impaired nerve function because of bleeding around the peripheral nerve, with only 20 cases reported. Trauma, neoplasm, and bleeding disorders are known factors for intraneural hematoma. However, here we report atypical features of asymptomatic and spontaneous intraneural hematoma which are difficult to diagnose.

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Objectives: Madecassoside (MA) is a triterpene derived from Centella asiatica that has been recognized for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in various disease models. However, its direct impact on cultured white adipocytes and the underlying mechanisms, mainly through gene knockdown, have not been thoroughly explored.

Methods: Western blot analysis was utilized to assess the expression levels of various proteins, while oil red O staining was used to measure lipid deposition.

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  • The study investigates the relationship between postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and overall survival (OS) in patients with early-stage HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) that has positive lymphovascular invasion (LVI).
  • Researchers analyzed data from 2,768 patients treated surgically between 2010 and 2019, focusing on those with LVI and PORT to determine its impact on 5-year OS.
  • Findings suggest that PORT does not significantly improve 5-year OS for patients with early-stage HPV+ OPSCC who only exhibit LVI as an adverse feature, implying that they might not need PORT after surgery.
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Introduction: The success of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is measured by cure from the underlying malignancy, immune reconstitution (IR), and freedom from graft-versus-host disease, without the continued need for immunosuppressive therapy.

Areas Covered: Effective IR is critical to the success of alloHCT wherein poor IR can potentially increase the risk of infection and disease relapse. Different stem cell sources give rise to varying patterns of IR.

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: The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes and polyethylene (PE) insert thickness between total knee arthroplasty (TKA) systems providing 1 mm and 2 mm increments. : In this randomized controlled trial, 50 patients (100 knees) undergoing same-day or staggered bilateral TKA were randomized to receive a TKA system providing 1 mm increments in one knee (1 mm group) and a TKA system providing 2 mm increments in the other knee (2 mm group). At 2 years postoperatively, Knee Society Score (KSS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), range of motion (ROM), and insert thicknesses were compared between the groups.

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The role of the serine/glycine metabolic pathway (SGP) has recently been demonstrated in tumors; however, the pathological relevance of the SGP in thyroid cancer remains unexplored. Here, we perform metabolomic profiling of 17 tumor-normal pairs; bulk transcriptomics of 263 normal thyroid, 348 papillary, and 21 undifferentiated thyroid cancer samples; and single-cell transcriptomes from 15 cases, showing the impact of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism in thyroid tumors. High expression of serine hydroxymethyltransferase-2 (SHMT2) and methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) is associated with low thyroid differentiation scores and poor clinical features.

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Interleukin-38 (IL-38), recently recognized as a cytokine with anti-inflammatory properties that mitigate type 2 diabetes, has been associated with indicators of insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study investigated the impact of IL-38 on hepatic lipid metabolism and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We assessed protein expression levels using Western blot analysis, while monodansylcadaverine staining was employed to detect autophagosomes in hepatocytes.

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  • Whipple's disease, caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei, is challenging to diagnose due to its varied symptoms and vague clinical signs.
  • A study in Korea aimed to determine the prevalence of T. whipplei in duodenal biopsy samples using real-time PCR techniques, analyzing 252 biopsy tissues.
  • The results showed no detection of T. whipplei in the samples, suggesting a prevalence of less than 0.4%, indicating that duodenal infections related to this bacterium are very rare in the Korean population.
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Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a higher risk of cardiovascular events. We examined the histology of atheromatous plaques in the femoral artery and investigated their association with subsequent cardiovascular events in patients with PAD. Patients who underwent femoral artery endarterectomy between March 2010 and January 2021 were included.

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Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are effective against -mutated cancers through synthetic lethality. Unfortunately, most cases ultimately develop acquired resistance. Therefore, enhancing PARP inhibitor sensitivity and preventing resistance in those cells are an unmet clinical need.

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Purpose Of Review: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a widely heterogeneous disease in terms of genomic alterations, treatment options, and prognosis. While ALL is considered largely curable in children, adults tend to have higher risk disease subtypes and do not respond as favorably to conventional chemotherapy. Identifying genomic drivers of leukemogenesis and applying targeted therapies in an effort to improve disease outcomes is an exciting focus of current ALL research.

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Background: Breast cancer is the global leading cancer burden in women and the hormone receptor-positive (HR+) subtype is a major part of breast cancer. Though cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors are highly effective therapy for HR+ subtype, acquired resistance is inevitable in most cases. Herein, we investigated the paternally expressed gene 10 (PEG10)-associated mechanism of acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors.

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