Impact of Micrometastatic Axillary Nodes on Survival of Breast Cancer Patients with Tumors ≤2 cm.

Background: This study investigated the impact of pN1mi disease on the survival of T1 breast cancer patients and examined the clinical usefulness of the online PREDICT tool and updated staging system.

Methods: The node stages of 2344 patients were divided into pN0, pN1mi, and pN1a. Clinicopathological parameters and survival outcomes were retrospectively analyzed.

Correction: Trans crystallization behavior and strong reinforcement effect of cellulose nanocrystals on reinforced poly(butylene succinate) nanocomposites.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C8RA01868E.].

A Prediction Model of Tumor Progression and Survival in HER2-Positive Metastatic Gastric Cancer Patients Treated with Trastuzumab and Chemotherapy.

The effects of different patient factors and dose levels of chemotherapeutic agents on clinical outcomes in advanced gastric cancer are not as yet fully characterized. We aimed at developing an integrative model that incorporates dose and covariate information to predict tumor growth and patient survival in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with trastuzumab (T), 5-FU(F)/capecitabine (X) (F or X), and cisplatin (P). Sixty-nine patients (training dataset) were used for model building and a separate 86 patients (test dataset) for model validation.

Long-term follow-up of Starion™ versus Harmonic Scalpel™ hemorrhoidectomy for grade III and IV hemorrhoids.

Background: This study represented an effort to design an alternative to Harmonic Scalpel™ with the same effectiveness but at a lower cost. The concomitant use of Starion™ and Harmonic Scalpel™ had been evaluated to determine the differences in terms of the effectiveness immediately after the operation and 3 years post-operatively.

Methods: 114 patients in the SH group (Starion™ hemorrhoidectomy) and 107 patients in the HSH group (Harmonic Scalpel™) were contacted for cumulative inspection 1 week, 4 weeks, and 3 years post-operatively to check for the recurrence rate.

Apparent diffusion coefficient of hepatocellular carcinoma on diffusion-weighted imaging: Histopathologic tumor grade versus arterial vascularity during dynamic magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) has been suggested to reflect the tumor grades of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs); i.e., it can be used as a biomarker to predict the patients' prognosis.

Human macrophage responses to metal-oxide nanoparticles: a review.

Nanomaterials have been widely used in our daily lives in medicine, cosmetics, paints, textiles and food products. Many studies aim to determine their biological effects in different types of cells. The interaction of these materials with the immune system leads to reactions by modifying the susceptibility or resistance of the host body which could induce adverse health effects.

Dibenzoylmethane Suppresses Lipid Accumulation and Reactive Oxygen Species Production through Regulation of Nuclear Factor (Erythroid-Derived 2)-Like 2 and Insulin Signaling in Adipocytes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dibenzoylmethane (1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedione, DBM) from licorice roots on lipid accumulation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in 3T3-L1 cells. DBM effectively inhibited lipid accumulation during adipogenesis, and its inhibitory effect was shown to be due to the down-regulation of adipogenic factors such as CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4). DBM was observed to exert its inhibitory effect on lipid accumulation in the early adipogenic stage (days 0-2) by regulating early adipogenic factors including CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein-β (C/EBPβ) and Krueppel-like factor (KLF) 2.

Trans crystallization behavior and strong reinforcement effect of cellulose nanocrystals on reinforced poly(butylene succinate) nanocomposites.

Biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) nanocomposites are polymerized polymerization of succinic acid (SA) with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-loaded 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) mixtures. As reinforcement fillers, whisker-like CNCs are first dispersed in alcohol and sequentially spray-dried, before adding them to 1,4-BD. During the polymerization, the remains of sodium sulfonate in the CNC surfaces retard the polycondensation reaction, which is carefully controlled for the CNC-loaded systems.

Perceptions of Severe Asthma and Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome Among Specialists: A Questionnaire Survey.

Purpose: Severe asthma and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) are difficult to control and are often associated with poor clinical outcomes. However, much is not understood regarding the diagnosis and treatment of severe asthma and ACOS. To evaluate the current perceptions of severe asthma and COPD among asthma and COPD specialists, we designed an e-mail and internet-based questionnaire survey.

Smartphone addiction risk and daytime sleepiness in Korean adolescents.

Aim: Smartphone overuse can cause not only mobility problems in the wrists, fingers and neck but also interference with sleep habits. However, research on smartphone addiction and sleep disturbances is scarce. Therefore, we aimed to investigate daytime sleepiness in association with smartphone addiction risk in Korean adolescents.

Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) is Expressed Predominantly in Medium Spiny Neurons of tgHD Rat Striatum.

Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a multi-ligand receptor involved in the pathology of several progressive neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington's disease (HD). We previously showed that the expression of RAGE and its colocalization with ligands were increased in the striatum of HD patients, increasing with grade severity, and that the pattern of RAGE expression coincided with the medio-lateral pattern of neurodegeneration. However, the exact role of RAGE in HD remains elusive.

Activation of the complement system in an osteosarcoma cell line promotes angiogenesis through enhanced production of growth factors.

There is increasing evidence that the complement system is activated in various cancer tissues. Besides being involved in innate immunity against pathogens, the complement system also participates in inflammation and the modulation of tumor microenvironment. Recent studies suggest that complement activation promotes tumor progression in various ways.

Force Spectroscopy on a Cell Drum: AFM Measurements on the Basolateral Side of Cells via Inverted Cell Cultures.

The elasticity of a cell is one of the most critical measures of the difference between cancerous cells and healthy cells: cancer cells tend to be softer than healthy cells, and highly invasive cells tend to be more elastic than less aggressive cells. In this work, we present the novel "bottom-up" cell force spectroscopy method for the biophysical characterization of cancer cells, in which an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip approach from the backside of a net-shaped culture substrate exposing the basolateral cell membrane drum, and compare it with the conventional "top-down" AFM measurements. We used two different human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, PaTu8988S and PaTu8988T.

Serous Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas: Endoscopic Ultrasonographic Versus Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features of Surgically Removed Masses.

Our purpose was to assess the endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) features of serous cystic neoplasms (SCNs) of the pancreas in determining the surgical removal compared with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. For 33 consecutive patients with 34 surgically confirmed SCNs over the past 11 years, preoperative EUS features were compared with those of CT and MRI (CT&MRI). Besides the lesion size and location, a retrospective analysis of the various imaging features was performed by 2 observers to understand the characteristics that determine the need for surgical intervention in terms of multiplicity of locules, calcification, mural thickening, mural nodules, ductal communication, and main pancreatic duct dilatation in addition to the gross morphologic type: microcystic, macrocystic (>1 cm), mixed, or solid.

Light Chain Deposition Disease Associated With Multiple Myeloma Developing in Late Pregnancy.

Preeclampsia is the most common cause of proteinuria with hypertension during pregnancy. Primary kidney disease and kidney disease secondary to systemic disorders may rarely occur during pregnancy, resulting in proteinuria. A 34-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with abdominal distention and lower extremity edema.

Phototherapy suppresses inflammation in human nucleus pulposus cells for intervertebral disc degeneration.

The etiology of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration accompanied by low back pain (LBP) is largely unknown, and there are no curative therapies. Painful IVD degeneration is associated with infiltrated macrophage-mediated inflammatory response of human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. The present study aimed to address the hypothesis that pro-inflammatory cytokines derived from macrophages lead to the altered molecular phenotype of human NP cells and to investigate the effects of phototherapy (630, 525, 465 nm with 16, 32, 64 J/cm) on pain-related cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and chemokine IL-8 under inflammatory conditions in human NP cells.

Clinical, prognostic, and therapeutic significance of heat shock protein 27 in bladder cancer.

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is highly expressed in many cancers, and its prognostic and predictive value has been reported. HSP27 knockdown using siRNA or OGX-427 (an anti-sense oligonucleotide sequence targeting HSP27) is reported to have anti-cancer effects and to enhance chemosensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. However, conflicting results have been reported regarding the clinical significance of HSP27 in bladder cancer (BC).

Ezrin as a complementary marker in ocular toxicity assessment using a three-dimensional reconstructed human corneal-like epithelium model, EpiOcular™.

Introduction: A variety of in vitro tests to replace the Draize test have been developed; however, there is no available method for assessing the full spectrum of Globally Harmonized System (GHS) categories. Human cornea-like three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed tissue models are the most promising in vitro systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ocular toxicity of 11 test substances using the EpiOcular™ model after performing proficiency tests.

PTEN loss and level of HER2 amplification is associated with trastuzumab resistance and prognosis in HER2-positive gastric cancer.

Background: Trastuzumab is an active agent against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to characterize resistance to trastuzumab-based front-line chemotherapy in HER2+ GC patients and to establish factors predictive of this resistance.

Results: Among 129 HER2+ GC patients, 25% displayed rapid disease progression within 4 months from initiation of therapy.

Incidence and Seasonal Variation of Distal Radius Fractures in Korea: a Population-based Study.

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the incidence and seasonal variation of distal radius fractures (DRFs) in Korea.

Methods: We analyzed a nationwide database acquired from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from 2011 to 2015. We used International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes and procedure codes to identify patients of all ages with newly diagnosed DRFs.

Hepatic cavernous hemangiomas: long-term (> 5 years) follow-up changes on contrast-enhanced dynamic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and determinant factors of the size change.

Purpose: To investigate the very long-term (> 5 years) follow-up changes of hepatic cavernous hemangiomas and to evaluate possible determinant factors for the changes.

Materials And Methods: Among 1115 consecutive patients suspected of having hepatic hemangiomas based on imaging features, 101 patients with comparable computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data during a 5-year follow-up interval in the Picture Archiving and Communication System were analyzed. Two radiologists independently determined the largest dimension of each lesion on axial images.