Association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein with arterial stiffness in healthy Korean adults.

Background: The detection of preclinical arterial dysfunction may improve the ability to predict the subsequent risk of its outcomes and lead to optimal strategies to prevent overt vascular damage. The aim of this study was to investigate whether high high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is associated with increased arterial stiffness in Korean adults.

Methods: The association between the hsCRP and cardiac-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was evaluated in 1347 healthy adults.

Epidermal growth factor receptor as a predictor of tumor downstaging in locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy.

Purpose: To examine retrospectively whether levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression can predict tumor downstaging after preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods And Materials: A total of 183 patients with rectal cancer (cT3-T4 or N+) were enrolled in this study. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy consisted of 50.