Thoracic Duct Embolization with Lipiodol for Chylothorax due to Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair with Debranching Procedure.

Chylothorax is a rare postoperative complication of a thoracic surgical procedure. Here, we report a case of chylothorax after thoracic endovascular aortic repair with debranching for the distal arch aneurysm of the aorta. First, the patient was treated by a medical method (nil per os, fat-free diet, and octreotide), but this method failed.

Proteasome inhibitors with pyrazole scaffolds from structure-based virtual screening.

We performed a virtual screen of ∼340 000 small molecules against the active site of proteasomes followed by in vitro assays and subsequent optimization, yielding a proteasome inhibitor with pyrazole scaffold. The pyrazole-scaffold compound displayed excellent metabolic stability and was highly effective in suppressing solid tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this compound was not negatively impacted by resistance to bortezomib or carfilzomib.

Diffusion-weighted imaging for evaluating lymph node eradication after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background: As lymph node (LN) eradication is the prerequisite for clinical surveillance or local excision for patients who have achieved a complete response after preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT), the radiological evaluation of LN eradication is important.

Purpose: To evaluate the added value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the evaluation of LN eradication after CRT in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Material And Methods: Ninety-five consecutive patients (64 men, 31 women; mean age, 59 years; range, 32-82 years) who underwent pre- and post-CRT 1.

Positive reactions to nickel on a patch test do not predict clinical outcome of nickel alloy-based atrial septal defect occluder implantation.

Background: Patch testing is thought to be necessary prior to metal device implantation to rule out metal allergy-related complications; however, there are controversies over the effects of nickel allergy on the outcome of nickel alloy-based device implantation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the adverse events in a Korean population of nickel allergy patients who underwent atrial septal defect (ASD) closure with a nickel-titanium alloy-based device.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent ASD closure with a nitinol device.

KML001 enhances anticancer activity of gemcitabine against pancreatic cancer cells.

Background/aim: Gemcitabine is a drug commonly used to treat pancreatic cancer but chemoresistance to it is a common clinical issue. KML001 (sodium meta-arsenite) has demonstrated certain antitumor activity. The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of KML001 on the anticancer activity of gemcitabine against pancreatic cancer cells.

Presence of anti-Ro/SSA antibody may be associated with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody positivity in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is often associated with systemic autoimmune diseases or serological markers of non-organ-specific autoimmunity, and has been most frequently associated with Sjögren's syndrome and anti-Ro/SSA antibody (SSA-Ab) positivity in Asian populations.

Objective: We evaluated the clinical significance of anti-Ro/SSA antibody positivity in patients with NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 106 consecutive patients with NMOSD and reviewed clinical features and laboratory findings.

Improving lignocellulose degradation using xylanase-cellulase fusion protein with a glycine-serine linker.

The fungal hydrolytic system efficiently degrades lignocellulosics efficiently. We previously characterized two hydrolytic enzymes from Gloeophyllum trabeum, namely, endoglucanase (Cel5B) and xylanase (Xyl10g). To enhance lignocellulosic degradation, we designed a fusion protein (Xyl10g GS Cel5B) using a glycine-serine (GS) linker and expressed it in Pichia pastoris GS115, which produced a hydrolytic fusion enzyme for the degradation of lignocellulosics.

RNA aptamer-conjugated liposome as an efficient anticancer drug delivery vehicle targeting cancer cells in vivo.

To minimize the systemic toxicity prevalent to chemotherapeutics, we designed a novel anticancer drug-encapsulating liposome conjugated with an RNA aptamer specific to the prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is expressed on the surface of prostate cancer cells. The RNA aptamer-conjugated liposome, termed an aptamosome, was prepared by the post-insertion method, in which RNA aptamer-conjugated micelles were inserted into a liposome. These nanosized (90-100 nm) aptamer-conjugated liposomes specifically bind to LNCaP prostate epithelial cells that express PSMA and thus cause the nanoparticles to have significantly enhanced in vitro cellular binding and uptake as compared with nontargeted nanoparticles that lack the PSMA aptamer.

Apparent diffusion coefficient for lymph node characterization after chemoradiation therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background: Because further treatment plans depends on lymph node (LN) status after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT), the accurate characterization of LN is important.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for LN characterization after CRT and to compare the performance with that of LN size.

Material And Methods: Fifty-three patients (36 men, 17 women; mean age, 58 years; age range, 34-79 years) who underwent CRT and subsequent surgery were included.

Real-time elastography of cervical lymph nodes in Kikuchi disease.

We report, to our knowledge, the first cases of sonographic and real-time elastographic findings of cervical lymph nodes in patients with Kikuchi disease. Cervical lymph nodes had probably benign findings on grayscale sonography and real-time elastography.

Sonographic appearances of juvenile fibroadenoma of the breast.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate characteristic features of juvenile fibroadenoma of the breast on sonography.

Methods: Our study included 34 juvenile fibroadenomas confirmed by surgical biopsy or sonographically guided 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy in 23 patients (age range, 15-47 years; mean age, 25 years). Sonographic findings of the lesions were analyzed retrospectively by 2 radiologists in consensus according to the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon.

Dual matrilineal geographic distribution of Korean type 2 diabetes mellitus-associated -11,377 G adiponectin allele.

The present study was performed to identify the susceptible single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the prediction of Korean type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to clarify the matrilineal origin of Korean T2DM‑specific SNPs. Fourteen SNPs from the adiponectin (ADIPOQ), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 and glucokinase genes in the Korean population were analyzed. Only one SNP, ‑11,377 C/G on the ADIPOQ gene, was finally determined to be responsible for the incidence of Korean T2DM (P=0.

Downregulation of spleen tyrosine kinase in hepatocellular carcinoma by promoter CpG island hypermethylation and its potential role in carcinogenesis.

Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) has predominantly been studied in hematopoietic cells, where it is involved in immunoreceptor-mediated signaling. However, SYK expression has been shown in numerous non-hematopoietic cells, and its downregulation has been shown to be involved in tumor formation and progression. SYK methylation has been demonstrated to identify a subset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases with poor prognosis, but little is known regarding the biological role of SYK in HCC.

DAMP molecules S100A9 and S100A8 activated by IL-17A and house-dust mites are increased in atopic dermatitis.

S100A9 and S100A8 are called damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules because of their pro-inflammatory properties. Few studies have evaluated S100A9 and S100A8 function as DAMP molecules in atopic dermatitis (AD). We investigated how house-dust mites affect S100A9 and S100A8 expression in Th2 cytokine- and Th17 cytokine-treated keratinocytes, and how secretion of these molecules affects keratinocyte-derived cytokines.

Low levels of vitamin D in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: association with disease disability.

Patients with autoimmune disorders often have low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D3], which correlates with disability or disease activity. Vitamin D may play a role in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD), as an important factor involved in immunological pathways. We investigated the relationship between vitamin D levels and disease related disability and clinical activity in patients with NMOSD.

Eligibility and preference of new oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation: comparison between patients with versus without stroke.

Background And Purpose: Recent randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have evaluated the benefit of new oral anticoagulants in reducing the risk of vascular events and bleeding complications in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, abundant and strict enrollment criteria may limit the validity and applicability of results of RCTs to clinical practice. We estimated the eligibility for participation in RCTs of an unselected group of patients with AF.

Self-adhesive epidermal carbon nanotube electronics for tether-free long-term continuous recording of biosignals.

The long-term, continuous, inconspicuous, and noiseless monitoring of bioelectrical signals is critical to the early diagnosis of disease and monitoring health and wellbeing. However, it is a major challenge to record the bioelectrical signals of patients going about their daily lives because of the difficulties of integrating skin-like conducting materials, the measuring system, and medical technologies in a single platform. In this study, we developed a thin epidermis-like electronics that is capable of repeated self-adhesion onto skin, integration with commercial electronic components through soldering, and conformal contact without serious motion artifacts.

A chloroplast-localized DEAD-box RNA helicaseAtRH3 is essential for intron splicing and plays an important role in the growth and stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Although many DEAD-box RNA helicases (RHs) are targeted to chloroplasts, the functional roles of the majority of RHs are still unknown. Recently, the chloroplast-localized Arabidopsis thaliana AtRH3 has been demonstrated to play important roles in intron splicing, ribosome biogenesis, and seedling growth. To further understand the functional role of AtRH3 in intron splicing and growth and the stress response in Arabidopsis, the newly-generated artificial microRNA-mediated knockdown plants as well as the previously characterized T-DNA tagged rh3-4 mutant were analyzed under normal and stress conditions.

Prediction of malignancy with endoscopic ultrasonography in patients with branch duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.

Objective: We evaluated the accuracy of a new endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) scoring system to predict malignancy in branch duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study of patients who underwent EUS within 3 months before surgery and were diagnosed as having BD-IPMNs by postoperative pathologies at 8 hospitals in Korea from August 2002 to December 2011. To predict the malignancy, we applied the EUS scoring system consisting of pancreatic cyst size, height of mural nodules, main duct dilatation, septal thickening, and patulous orifice.

A novel magnetic resonance imaging approach to collateral flow imaging in ischemic stroke.

Objective: Dedicated magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) sequences for evaluation of collaterals can be generated using MR perfusion (MRP) source data. We compared a novel collateral flow imaging technique with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for determining collateral circulation in acute stroke and evaluated the ability of MR-based collateral flow maps to predict outcomes after recanalization therapy.

Methods: Consecutive patients who were candidates for endovascular treatment were enrolled.

KML001 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion in pancreatic cancer cells through suppression of NF-κB and VEGF-C.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and the efficacy of chemotherapy is limited. KML001 (sodium meta-arsenite) has been demonstrated to have anticancer activity against some solid cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of KML001 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells.

Prognostic and predictive value of metabolic tumor volume on (18)F-FDG PET/CT in advanced biliary tract cancer treated with gemcitabine/oxaliplatin with or without erlotinib.

This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance and predictive performance of volume-based parameter of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in biliary tract cancer (BTC). Of the 268 patients who were enrolled onto phase III gemcitabine/oxaliplatin (GEMOX) versus GEMOX/erlotinib trial, a total of 48 patients had pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT available for analysis. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis for the primary tumor were measured.

An RNA aptamer that specifically binds to the glycosylated hemagglutinin of avian influenza virus and suppresses viral infection in cells.

The influenza virus surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) is responsible for viral attachment to sialic acid-containing host cell receptors and it facilitates the initial stage of viral infection. In the present study, we isolated an RNA aptamer specific to the glycosylated receptor-binding domain of the HA protein (gHA1) after 12 cycles of the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment procedure (SELEX), and we then investigated if the selected aptamer suppresses viral infection in host cells. Nitrocellulose filter binding and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) experiments revealed that 1 RNA aptamer, HA12-16, bound specifically to the gHA1 protein.

Prophylactic pancreatic stent placement for endoscopic duodenal ampullectomy: a single-center retrospective study.

Background/aims: We investigated the efficacy of prophylactic pancreatic stent placement for preventing postprocedure pancreatitis in patients undergoing endoscopic papillectomy.

Methods: This retrospective study included 82 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic papillectomy for benign ampullary neoplasm at Samsung Medical Center between August 2002 and June 2011. The patients were subdivided into two groups, namely, those who received prophylactic pancreatic stent placement and those who did not.