Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals transcriptional changes in circulating immune cells from patients with severe asthma induced by biologics.

Patients with severe eosinophilic asthma often require systemic medication, including corticosteroids and anti-type 2 (T2) cytokine biologics, to control the disease. While anti-IL5 and anti-IL4Rα antibodies suppress the effects of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, the molecular pathways modified by these biologics that are associated with clinical improvement remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to describe the effects of T2-targeting biologics on the gene expression of blood immune cells.

Effects of short-term dietary restriction on plasma metabolites and the subcutaneous fat area according to metabolic status in obese individuals: a case-control study.

Background: Research elucidating the metabolic mechanisms that differentiate subtypes of obesity has been increasing. We aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week dietary intervention on the metabolomic profiles of obese subjects.

Methods: Subjects followed a 12-week dietary restriction protocol consisting of a 300 kcal/day reduction in their usual caloric intake.

PDX models of human lung squamous cell carcinoma: consideration of factors in preclinical and co-clinical applications.

Background: Treatment of human lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) using current targeted therapies is limited because of their diverse somatic mutations without any specific dominant driver mutations. These mutational diversities preventing the use of common targeted therapies or the combination of available therapeutic modalities would require a preclinical animal model of this tumor to acquire improved clinical responses. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models have been recognized as a potentially useful preclinical model for personalized precision medicine.

[Distal Ileal Lymphoma Presenting Ileocecal Intussusception with Spontaneous Reduction].

Intussusception is a rare disease in adults. A demonstrable etiology is found in approximately 85% of all cases, and approximately 40% of them are caused by malignant tumors. A 65-year-old patient visited the outpatient department with mild abdominal pain without other symptoms.

Outcomes of Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients Implanted With Biodegradable Polymer Biolimus-Eluting Stents Versus New-Generation Durable Polymer Drug-Eluting Stents: A Retrospective Analysis.

We compared outcomes between biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stent (BP-BES) and new-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stent (DP-DES) implantations in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Among 13472 patients with acute MI in a nationwide registry, 557 (64.8%) were in the BP-BES and 303 (35.

Frequent CTLA4-CD28 gene fusion in diverse types of T-cell lymphoma.

CTLA4 and CD28 are co-regulatory receptors with opposite roles in T-cell signaling. By RNA sequencing, we identified a fusion between the two genes from partial gene duplication in a case of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. The fusion gene, which codes for the extracellular domain of CTLA4 and the cytoplasmic region of CD28, is likely capable of transforming inhibitory signals into stimulatory signals for T-cell activation.

Comparison of transradial and transfemoral coronary intervention in octogenarians with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The transradial (TR) approach for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is challenging and associated with failure in elderly patients. We compared the TR and transfemoral (TF) approaches in patients>80 years with acute myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing PCI.

Methods: A total of 1945 (7.

Genomic Alterations in the RB Pathway Indicate Prognostic Outcomes of Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To better understand the complete genomic architecture of lung adenocarcinoma.

Experimental Design: We used array experiments to determine copy number variations and sequenced the complete exomes of the 247 lung adenocarcinoma tumor samples along with matched normal cells obtained from the same patients. Fully annotated clinical data were also available, providing an unprecedented opportunity to assess the impact of genomic alterations on clinical outcomes.

Genomic portrait of resectable hepatocellular carcinomas: implications of RB1 and FGF19 aberrations for patient stratification.

Unlabelled: Hepatic resection is the most curative treatment option for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, but is associated with a high recurrence rate, which exceeds 50% at 5 years after surgery. Understanding the genetic basis of hepatocellular carcinoma at surgically curable stages may enable the identification of new molecular biomarkers that accurately identify patients in need of additional early therapeutic interventions. Whole exome sequencing and copy number analysis was performed on 231 hepatocellular carcinomas (72% with hepatitis B viral infection) that were classified as early-stage hepatocellular carcinomas, candidates for surgical resection.

False-positive radioiodine uptake in a functional ovarian cyst in a patient treated with total thyroidectomy for papillary cancer.

False positive radioiodine uptake following thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer has been reported in some cases. A 42-year-old woman was referred for ablative radioiodine treatment six weeks after undergoing total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Posttherapeutic I-131 scintigraphy showed an intense hot spot in the left pelvis.

A case of squamous metaplasia of the stomach.

Intestinal metaplasia of the stomach is a common metaplastic lesion associated with chronic gastritis and mucosal atrophy. However, squamous metaplasia is a comparatively rare condition. On endoscopy, squamous metaplasia is usually observed as a whitish mucosal lesion in the lesser curvature of the cardiac region of the stomach.

Association of polymorphisms in genes encoding IL-4, IL-13 and their receptors with atopic dermatitis in a Korean population.

Th2-dominated immune responses are believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). IL-4 and IL-13 are typical pleiotropic Th2 cytokines that play a central role in IgE-dependent inflammatory reactions. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-4 and IL-13 have been reported in patients with allergic disease from numerous countries.

Carriage of the V279F null allele within the gene encoding Lp-PLA₂ is protective from coronary artery disease in South Korean males.

Background: The Asia-specific PLA2G7 994G-T transversion leads to V279F substitution within the lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A2 (Lp-PLA₂) and to absence of enzyme activity in plasma. This variant offers a unique natural experiment to assess the role of Lp-PLA₂ in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in humans. Given conflicting results from mostly small studies, a large two-stage case-control study was warranted.

An association between IL-9 and IL-9 receptor gene polymorphisms and atopic dermatitis in a Korean population.

Background: The genes encoding IL-9 and IL-9R have recently been implicated in the genetic basis of asthma and allergy. Although studies performed on transgenic and knockout mice have shown conflicting results, no evidence of skin changes has ever been reported in these animals.

Objective: To find association of the SNPs in IL-9 and IL-9R genes and interaction of these genes in atopic dermatitis.

Genome-wide association analysis and replication of coronary artery disease in South Korea suggests a causal variant common to diverse populations.

Background: Recent genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified and replicated several genetic loci associated with the risk of development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in samples from populations of Caucasian and Asian descent. However, only chromosome 9p21 has been confirmed as a major susceptibility locus conferring risk for development of CAD across multiple ethnic groups. The authors aimed to find evidence of further similarities and differences in genetic risk of CAD between Korean and other populations.

A large-scale genome-wide association study of Asian populations uncovers genetic factors influencing eight quantitative traits.

To identify genetic factors influencing quantitative traits of biomedical importance, we conducted a genome-wide association study in 8,842 samples from population-based cohorts recruited in Korea. For height and body mass index, most variants detected overlapped those reported in European samples. For the other traits examined, replication of promising GWAS signals in 7,861 independent Korean samples identified six previously unknown loci.

Fine-scale map of encyclopedia of DNA elements regions in the Korean population.

The International HapMap Project aims to generate detailed human genome variation maps by densely genotyping single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CEPH, Chinese, Japanese, and Yoruba samples. This will undoubtedly become an important facility for genetic studies of diseases and complex traits in the four populations. To address how the genetic information contained in such variation maps is transferable to other populations, the Korean government, industries, and academics have launched the Korean HapMap project to genotype high-density Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) regions in 90 Korean individuals.