Prevalence of dilated mid-ascending aorta in individuals 15 years and older: In search of optimal diagnostic criteria and their effect on the burden of disease.

Background: Controversy regarding the definition of the upper limit of normal (ULN) for dilated mid-ascending aorta (mAA) stems from variation in criteria, based on several small-sized studies with small datasets of normal subjects (DONS). The present study was carried out to demonstrate this variation in the prevalence of mAA dilation and to identify the optimal definition by creating the largest DONS.

Methods: Echocardiographic studies of patients ≥ 15 years of age performed at a large tertiary care center over 4 years ( = 49,330) were retrospectively evaluated.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is associated with dilated sinus of Valsalva: A case-control study.

Background: We aimed to test the hypothesis that there is an association between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated aorta in a case-control, matched-design fashion.

Methods: Of 65,843 studies done from November 2011 to December 2015, we found, after detailed evaluation by a single author, 153 cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 3,213 controls who were classified as normal clinically and echocardiographically. Controls were defined as normal patients referred to the echocardiography laboratory with no diagnoses and no known risk factors for dilated aorta (e.

Perspective of Emergency Pediatric Nurses Triaging Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department: A Phenomenographic Study.

Introduction: Triage, a process to determine illness severity, is implemented by emergency nurses to prioritize treatment and provide care for a maximum number of patients using limited resources. The competency of emergency nurses and a highly reliable triage are crucial for the provision of emergency care. Pediatric patients are different from adult patients in certain aspects, such as growth-phase characteristics, communication ability, and the onset of disease; these aspects often pose challenges during their primary triage.

Refining the upper limit of normal for the ascending aorta: In search of optimal criteria -- a large database study of normal individuals.

Objectives: The cutoff for dilated mid-ascending aorta (mAA) is controversial and has several definitions. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of mAA dilation based on published definitions and to identify the optimal cutoff.

Methods: Echocardiographic studies of patients >15 years of age performed at a large tertiary care center over 4 years, = 49,330, were retrospectively evaluated.

Safety and effectiveness of aflibercept in combination with FOLFIRI in Korean patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received oxaliplatin-containing regimen.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of aflibercept in combination with fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) in Korean patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who progressed with oxaliplatin-containing regimen.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted at 22 sites across Korea between February 2018 and September 2019. Patients aged > 19 years with a diagnosis of mCRC who were prescribed aflibercept plus FOLFIRI, after progression with an oxaliplatin-containing regimen were included.

Higher Levels of Fibrosis in a Cohort of Veterans with Chronic Viral Hepatitis are Associated with Extrahepatic Cancers.

Background And Aims: An estimated 2.4 million Americans, including more than 150,000 veterans, are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is estimated to cause roughly 25% of all hepatocellular carcinoma.

Integrative and comparative genomic analysis of lung squamous cell carcinomas in East Asian patients.

Purpose: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most prevalent type of lung cancer. Currently, no targeted therapeutics are approved for treatment of this cancer, largely because of a lack of systematic understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of the disease. To identify therapeutic targets and perform comparative analyses of lung SCC, we probed somatic genome alterations of lung SCC by using samples from Korean patients.

Meal time shift disturbs circadian rhythmicity along with metabolic and behavioral alterations in mice.

In modern society, growing numbers of people are engaged in various forms of shift works or trans-meridian travels. Such circadian misalignment is known to disturb endogenous diurnal rhythms, which may lead to harmful physiological consequences including metabolic syndrome, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and gastric disorders as well as other physical and mental disorders. However, the precise mechanism(s) underlying these changes are yet unclear.

Circadian rhythms in urinary functions: possible roles of circadian clocks?

Circadian clocks are the endogenous oscillators that harmonize a variety of physiological processes within the body. Although many urinary functions exhibit clear daily or circadian variation in diurnal humans and nocturnal rodents, the precise mechanisms of these variations are as yet unclear. In this review, we briefly introduce circadian clocks and their organization in mammals.