Lower abdominal approach in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A propensity score-matching analysis and prospective cohort study.

Background: Classic laparoscopic cholecystectomy) using multiple ports is a widely used method with excellent surgical outcomes. However, the resulting wounds do not meet the cosmetic needs of patients. Therefore, this study aimed to find a new minimally invasive surgical method for invisible wounds while maintaining surgical safety through a new port site.

Feasibility of using the homologous parietal peritoneum as a vascular substitute for venous reconstruction during abdominal surgery: An animal model.

Background: The interest in vascular substitutes has recently increased. We evaluated the feasibility of using a homologous parietal peritoneum as a vascular substitute for venous reconstruction during abdominal surgery.

Methods: The inferior vena cava was replaced with a homologous parietal peritoneum after cross-linking with glutaraldehyde in 36 rabbits.

Long-term outcome of intraoperative radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma and its efficacy as a primary treatment.

Backgrounds/aims: We conducted this study to identify long-term outcomes following intraoperative radiofrequency ablation (IO-RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to reveal independent prognostic factors for survival.

Methods: From December 1998 to February 2019, 183 patients underwent IO-RFA for HCC. These patients were divided into two groups according to whether RFA was done as a first-line (1-RFA group, n=106) or secondary-line (2-RFA group, n=77) treatment.

Clinicopathologic analysis of intraductal papillary neoplasm of bile duct: Korean multicenter cohort study.

Background: IPNB is very rare disease and most previous studies on IPNB were case series with a small number due to low incidence. The aim of this study is to validate previously known clinicopathologic features of intraductal papillary neoplasm of bile duct (IPNB) based on the first largest multicenter cohort.

Methods: Among 587 patients previously diagnosed with IPNB and similar diseases from each center in Korea, 387 were included in this study after central pathologic review.

The appropriate surgical strategy for T1b gallbladder cancer incidentally diagnosed after a simple cholecystectomy.

Backgrounds/aims: The appropriate surgical treatment was investigated for T1b gallbladder (GB) cancer through a retrospective analysis of the clinical outcomes of patients with incidental T1 GB cancer.

Methods: Patients with T1 GB cancer who were incidentally diagnosed while undergoing a simple cholecystectomy at Chungnam University Hospital from January 2004 to December 2017 were enrolled. Overall, 39 patients with T1 GB cancer, 17 patients with T1a, and 22 patients with T1b were included.

High nuclear NADPH oxidase 4 expression levels are correlated with cancer development and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

NADPH oxidase (NOX) is a key source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study aimed to verify NOX2 and NOX4 expression levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 134 matched pairs of HCC cells and non-tumour hepatocytes from 134 patients were examined by immunohistochemical staining, and the association of NOX2 and NOX4 expression with clinicopathological parameters was analysed.

APEX1 Expression as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and Hepatobiliary Carcinomas.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox effector factor 1 (APEX1) has been known to play key roles in DNA repair, the regulation of diverse transcriptional activity, and cellular responses to redox activity. This study aimed to examine serum APEX1 (s-APEX1) expression as a possible screening biomarker for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and proximal and distal cholangiocarcinoma (CC). A total of 216 frozen serum samples were collected from 39 healthy control cases, 32 patients with ≥58 copies/mL of hepatitis B viral DNA (HBV DNA (+)), 40 ccRCC cases, 59 HCC cases, and 46 CC cases.

Cytochrome P450 4A11 expression in tumor cells: A favorable prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background And Aim: Elevated cytochrome p450 (CYP) 4A gene expression has been linked to the aggravation of various cancers and affects various regulated metabolites. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the clinicopathological value of CYP4A has not yet been explored, although CYP4A is expressed at high levels in the liver. The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological value of CYP4A11 expression in HCC.

Non-invasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis with ElastPQ: Comparison with Transient Elastography and Serologic Fibrosis Marker Tests, and Correlation with Liver Pathology Results.

We investigated the feasibility of using ultrasound shear wave elastography point quantification (ElastPQ) for liver fibrosis staging and compared it with other non-invasive tools with respect to efficacy in liver stiffness measurement. A total of 106 patients who underwent liver stiffness measurements, using ElastPQ and biochemical investigations, before parenchymal liver biopsy or surgery were included. Among these, 51 also underwent transient elastography (TE).

The "right" way is not always popular: comparison of surgeons' perceptions during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis among experts from Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Background: Generally, surgeons' perceptions of surgical safety are based on experience and institutional policy. Our recent pilot survey demonstrated that the acceptable duration of surgery and criteria for open conversion during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) vary among workplaces.

Methods: A web-based survey was distributed to 554 expert LC surgeons in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Potentiation of the anticancer effects of everolimus using a dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

There is lots of evidence to support the critical involvement of mTOR signaling in the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it has not been determined how the roles of individual mTORC1 and mTORC2 inhibitors played in the HCC therapeutics. We thus compared the effects of everolimus, Ku0063794, and a combination of the two therapies on HCC cells, using various in vitro studies (HepG2, Hep3B, and Huh7 cells), ex vivo culturing of HCC tissues obtained from patients, and the in vivo mouse xenograft model of HCC cells.

What are the appropriate indicators of surgical difficulty during laparoscopic cholecystectomy? Results from a Japan-Korea-Taiwan multinational survey.

Background: Serious complications continue to occur in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The commonly used indicators of surgical difficulty such as the duration of surgery are insufficient because they are surgeon and institution dependent. We aimed to identify appropriate indicators of surgical difficulty during LC.

TisN0M1 Sigmoid Colon Cancer: A Case Report.

Distant metastasis of a colon carcinoma in situ has not yet been reported. We experienced a case of a sigmoid colon carcinoma in situ with common hepatic lymph node metastasis. After the first operation, we diagnosed dual intramucosal adenocarcinomas of the sigmoid colon without any regional lymph node metastasis.

Surgical strategy for T1 gallbladder cancer: a nationwide multicenter survey in South Korea.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features and clinical outcomes of T1 gallbladder (GB) cancer and to determine an appropriate surgical strategy for T1 GB cancer.

Methods: A nationwide multicenter study, in which 16 University Hospitals in Korea participated, was performed from 1995 to 2004. A total of 258 patients, 117 patients with T1a and 141 patients with T1b disease were enrolled.

An ent-kaurane diterpenoid from Croton tonkinensis induces apoptosis by regulating AMP-activated protein kinase in SK-HEP1 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer with high mortality worldwide. Traditional chemotherapy for HCC is not widely accepted by clinical practitioners because of its toxic side effects. Thus, there is a need to identify chemotherapeutic drugs against HCC.

Microwave transmission in graphene oxide.

We investigated the radio-frequency transmission properties of reduced graphene oxide (GO) sheets including contact effects with the metal electrodes. GO sheets were prepared by dielectrophoresis and their structural characteristics were analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The contact resistance was much higher than the intrinsic resistance over the entire frequency range, thus the contact resistance was considered as a dominant component of impedance in the radio-frequency regime.

Laparoscopic major liver resection in Korea: a multicenter study.

Introduction: We report our experience with laparoscopic major liver resection in Korea based on a multicenter retrospective study.

Materials And Methods: Data from 1,009 laparoscopic liver resections conducted from 2001 to 2011 were retrospectively collected. Twelve tertiary medical centers with specialized hepatic surgeons participated in this study.

Magnolol-induced apoptosis in HCT-116 colon cancer cells is associated with the AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.

Colon cancer is the third most common malignancy around the world. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are generally used to treat colon cancer, but no effective therapy for advanced colon carcinoma is available. Therefore, there is a need to identify other therapeutic agents against this disease.

Fatty acid synthase inhibition by amentoflavone suppresses HER2/neu (erbB2) oncogene in SKBR3 human breast cancer cells.

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a potential therapeutic target for treatment of cancer and obesity, and is highly elevated in 30% of HER2-overexpressing breast cancers. Considerable interest has developed in searching for novel FASN inhibitors as therapeutic agents in treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancers. Amentoflavone was found to be effective in suppressing FASN expression in HER2-positive SKBR3 cells.

Determination of malignant and invasive predictors in branch duct type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: a suggested scoring formula.

Prediction of malignancy or invasiveness of branch duct type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (Br-IPMN) is difficult, and proper treatment strategy has not been well established. The authors investigated the characteristics of Br-IPMN and explored its malignancy or invasiveness predicting factors to suggest a scoring formula for predicting pathologic results. From 1994 to 2008, 237 patients who were diagnosed as Br-IPMN at 11 tertiary referral centers in Korea were retrospectively reviewed.

Investigation on fabrication of nanoscale patterns using laser interference lithography.

Nanoscale patterns are fabricated by laser interference lithography (LIL) using Lloyd's mirror interferometer. LIL provides a patterning technology with simple, quick process over a large area without the usage of a mask. Effects of various key parameters for LIL, with 257 nm wavelength laser, are investigated, such as the exposure dosage, the half angle of two incident beams at the intersection, and the power of the light source for generating one or two dimensional (line and dot) nanoscale structures.

Chrysophanic acid blocks proliferation of colon cancer cells by inhibiting EGFR/mTOR pathway.

Inactivation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a prime method used in colon cancer therapy. Here it is shown that chrysophanic acid, a natural anthraquinone, has anticancer activity in EGFR-overexpressing SNU-C5 human colon cancer cells. Chrysophanic acid preferentially blocked proliferation in SNU-C5 cells but not in other cell lines (HT7, HT29, KM12C, SW480, HCT116 and SNU-C4) with low levels of EGFR expression.

Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase on human gastric cancer cells by apoptosis induced by corosolic acid isolated from Weigela subsessilis.

Corosolic acid is one of the triterpenoids present in the leaves of Weigela subsessilis. The antidiabetic activity of corosolic acid has been reported previously, but to date, the anticancer effects on gastric cancer have been poorly studied. In this study, corosolic acid showed growth inhibition on SNU-601 human gastric cancer cells, with an IC₅₀ value of 16.

The expression of VEGF receptor genes is concurrently influenced by epigenetic gene silencing of the genes and VEGF activation.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) activates the VEGF-VEGF receptor (VEGFR) signaling pathway in angiogenesis. Some cancer cell lines show decreased expression of the two VEGFRs, Flt-1 and KDR, even though VEGF is uniformly expressed in cancer cell lines. Promoter methylation is a well-known cause of epigenetic gene silencing in cancer cells.