Clinical Significance of Sphingosine 1-phosphate Receptor 2 and Takeda G Protein-coupled Receptor 5 in Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patients.

Background And Aims: In biliary epithelial cells, two bile acid receptors, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2) and Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) have been reported to trigger cell proliferation, as well as neoplastic cell invasiveness. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of S1PR2/ TGR5 expression in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) patients.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection of extrahepatic CCA at Korea University Guro Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were included.

Significance of dysplasia in bile duct resection margin in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A retrospective analysis.

Background: Radical resection is the only indicator associated with survival in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC). However, limited data are available regarding the implications of dysplasia at the resection margin following surgery.

Aim: To evaluate the prognostic significance of dysplasia-positive margins in patients diagnosed with EHCC.

Clinical outcomes of endoscopic papillectomy of ampullary adenoma: A multi-center study.

Background: Ampullary adenoma is a rare premalignant lesion, but its incidence is increasing. Endoscopic papillectomy has become the first treatment of choice for ampullary adenomas due to its safety and effectiveness, thereby replacing surgical resection. However, recurrence rates and adverse events after endoscopic papillectomy were reported in up to 30% of cases.

Development of a naftopidil-chitosan-based fumaric acid solid dispersion to improve the dissolution rate and stability of naftopidil.

Naftopidil (NAF), an α-adrenoceptor antagonist, is administered as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia; however, according to the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS IV), it is a poorly-soluble drug that exhibits poor permeability. We aimed to increase the dissolution (%) of NAF by adding chitosan to a polymer-free formulation. Compared to the formulation prepared using Flivas®, at 60 min, the solid dispersion (SD) formulation containing NAF, fumaric acid, chitosan, and US2® in a 1:1:2:1 weight ratio improved the dissolution (%) of NAF in distilled water, pH 1.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of bile in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients.

: Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) without liver-fluke is increasing. Multifactorial carcinogenesis makes it hard to find biomarkers related to CCA. Although there are a few studies of bile proteomics, these showed different protein profiles because of having heterogeneous groups of patients and different sampling methods.

Survival improvement and prognostic factors in recent management of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A single-center study.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma was considered as a dismal disease with very poor prognosis until recently. Cholangiocarcinoma is increasingly found due to increased life expectancy. Although surgical and medical management were advanced recently, data on the prognosis, especially extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), were limited.

Intestinal Epithelial Deletion of Sphk1 Prevents Colitis-Associated Cancer Development by Inhibition of Epithelial STAT3 Activation.

Background And Aims: Colitis-associated cancer (CAC) is one of the most serious complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Sphingosine kinase 1 (Sphk1) is a key enzyme in the sphingolipid pathway and has oncogene potential for inducing both initiation and progression of tumors. The aim of this work is to characterize the role of epithelial Sphk1 in mouse colitis and CAC models.

Textile Display with AMOLED Using a Stacked-Pixel Structure on a Polyethylene Terephthalate Fabric Substrate.

An active-mode organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display on a fabric substrate is expected to be a prominent textile display for e-textile applications. However, the large surface roughness of the fabric substrate limits the aperture ratio-the area ratio of the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) to the total pixel area. In this study, the aperture ratio of the AMOLED panel fabricated on the polyethylene terephthalate fabric substrate was enhanced by applying a stacked-pixel structure, in which the OLED was deposited above the organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) pixel circuit layer.

Usefulness of CA 19-9 for pancreatic cancer screening in patients with new-onset diabetes.

Background: Generally, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is not useful for screening pancreatic cancer in the asymptomatic general population. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of CA 19-9 level as a screening indicator of pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic patients with new-onset diabetes.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who visited our health promotion center for health check-ups without cancer related symptoms from January 2005 to January 2014, and were newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) within 2 years before their visit.

Can More Aggressive Treatment Improve Prognosis in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma? A Direct Comparison of the Hong Kong Liver Cancer and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Algorithms.

Background/aims: In addition to the globally endorsed Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, other algorithms or staging systems have been developed, including the Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC) staging system. This study aimed to validate the HKLC staging system relative to the BCLC staging system for predicting survival for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in Korea.

Methods: From 2004 to 2013, 2,571 patients newly diagnosed with HCC were consecutively enrolled at three Korea University medical centers.

Clinicopathologic Study of Biliary Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Backgrounds And Aims: Biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN) is a precursor of cholangiocarcinoma (CC) and it has been associated with several chronic inflammatory conditions. This study aimed to elucidate the prevalence of BilIN in CC and its clinicopathological significance.

Methods: Medical records of 193 patients with histologically confirmed CC were analyzed.

Inhibition of Ceramide Decreased the Expression of ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter G5/8 mRNA in an Animal Model of Cholesterol Gallstone.

Background: The increased risk of gallstone has been reported in patients with ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter polymorphism. The half-transporters ABCG5 and ABCG8 mediate the efflux of cholesterol in hepatocytes and the intestine. We investigated whether ceramide plays a role in cholesterol efflux through the ABC transporters.

Foods Inducing Typical Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms in Korea.

Background/aims: Several specific foods are known to precipitate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and GERD patients are usually advised to avoid such foods. However, foods consumed daily are quite variable according to regions, cultures, etc. This study was done to elucidate the food items which induce typical GERD symptoms in Korean patients.

Treatment of Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis With Corticosteroid, Pentoxifylline, or Dual Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: Although both corticosteroids and pentoxifylline are currently recommended drugs for the treatment of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, their effectiveness in reducing mortality remains unclear. In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic and adverse effects of corticosteroids, pentoxifylline, and combination by using Cochrane methodology and therefore determine optimal treatment for severe alcoholic hepatitis.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from their inauguration until October 2015.

Radiation recall gastritis secondary to combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib in pancreatic cancer and response to PPI - a case report.

Background: Radiation recall gastritis is rare but can be induced after concurrent chemoradiation for pancreatic cancer. We report a patient with pancreatic cancer who developed radiation-recall gastritis related to a combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib.

Case Presentation: A 54-year-old female with unresectable pancreatic cancer received gemcitabine in combination with radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy with gemcitabine and erlotinib.

Application of the Prague C and M criteria for endoscopic description of columnar-lined esophagus in South Korea.

Aim: To ascertain whether the Prague circumferential (C) length and maximal (M) length criteria for grading the extent of Barrett's esophagus can be applied prior to its widespread application in South Korea.

Methods: Two hundred and thirteen consecutive cases with endoscopic columnar-lined esophagus (CLE) were included and classified according to the Prague C and M criteria.

Results: Of 213 cases with CLE, the distribution of maximum CLE lengths was: 0.

What is the reasonable option for elderly patients with incidental pancreatic cystic neoplasms? Follow-up observation versus surgical resection.

Aims: Pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCN) with malignant potential are thought to be less aggressive than ordinary ductal adenocarcinoma, even in the setting of malignant transformation. Therefore, deciding whether or not to carry out surgery is very difficult, especially in elderly and asymptomatic patients, because of the high risk of perioperative morbidities. The aim of the present study was to examine clinical outcomes of PCN patients aged 65 years or older.

Value of Early Check-Up of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 Levels for Pancreatic Cancer Screening in Asymptomatic New-Onset Diabetic Patients.

Objectives: We evaluated the value of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) as a pancreatic cancer (PC) screening tool in an asymptomatic new-onset diabetic patients.

Methods: Medical records of asymptomatic patients newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) were reviewed retrospectively at our hospital from January 2004 to January 2013.

Results: In total, 2363 asymptomatic diabetic patients with CA 19-9 measurements were enrolled.

Small Bowel Metastatic Cancer Observed With Double Balloon Enteroscopy in a Patient With a Past History of Multiple Cancers.

Small bowel tumors are very rare and generally malignant. As a result of the anatomical location and nonspecific manifestations of small bowel tumors, they are very difficult to diagnose. Balloon-assisted enteroscopy is a relatively noninvasive method compared to surgical resection, and allows for real-time observation, tissue confirmation with biopsy, and interventional procedures.

Digital design of a surgical guide for placement of definitive implants before orthodontic treatment.

Interdisciplinary treatment planning is an essential part of orthodontic therapy for patients with partial edentulism, especially when dental implants are to serve initially as anchorage and ultimately as prosthetic abutments for the definitive fixed restoration. A technique is presented for designing and fabricating a computed tomography-based surgical guide to place definitive implants before orthodontic therapy. First, the diagnostic cast and the orthodontic tooth arrangement and diagnostic waxing cast are scanned with a 3-dimensional optical scanner.

Disease recurrence patterns and analysis of clinicopathological prognostic factors for recurrence after resection for distal bile duct cancer.

Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for bile duct cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate disease recurrence patterns and prognostic factors for recurrence of distal bile duct cancers after surgical resection. A retrospective study was performed on 122 patients with distal bile duct cancers who underwent R0 or R1 surgical resection at Korea University Guro Hospital from 1991 to 2010.

Cholangiocarcinoma Risk as Long-term Outcome After Hepatic Resection in the Hepatolithiasis Patients.

Background: Hepatolithiasis is a well-known risk factor of cholangiocarcinoma. Despite advances in diagnostic modalities, diagnosing cholangiocarcinoma in patients with hepatolithiasis still challenging and there are not enough reports on the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in patient with hepatolithiasis after treatment. We aimed to evaluate the incidence and clinical characteristics of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with hepatolithiasis who underwent liver resection or non-resection.

Butein effects in colitis and interleukin-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 expression.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of butein on inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and colitis in interleukin (IL)-10(-/-) mice.

Methods: To synchronize colitis, 8- to 10-wk-old IL-10(-/-) mice were fed pellet-chow containing piroxicam for 2 wk. Subsequently, phosphate-buffered saline or butein (1 mg/kg per day, ip) was injected for 4 wk.