Loss of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 (TSC2) as a Predictive Biomarker of Response to mTOR Inhibitor Treatment in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is frequently up-regulated in HCC and plays an important role in HCC tumorigenesis. Tumors with loss of tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), a negative regulator of mTOR signaling, tend to respond well to mTOR inhibitors.

Breast Cancer Heterogeneity: MR Imaging Texture Analysis and Survival Outcomes.

Purpose To determine the relationship between tumor heterogeneity assessed by means of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging texture analysis and survival outcomes in patients with primary breast cancer. Materials and Methods Between January and August 2010, texture analysis of the entire primary breast tumor in 203 patients was performed with T2-weighted and contrast material-enhanced T1-weighted subtraction MR imaging for preoperative staging. Histogram-based uniformity and entropy were calculated.

Neural correlates of text-based emoticons: a preliminary fMRI study.

Introduction: Like nonverbal cues in oral interactions, text-based emoticons, which are textual portrayals of a writer's facial expressions, are commonly used in electronic device-mediated communication. Little is known, however, about how text-based emoticons are processed in the human brain. With this study, we investigated whether the text-based emoticons are processed as face expressions using fMRI.

Characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival among ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with crizotinib: A chart review study.

Objectives: Second-generation ALK inhibitors are recently available for ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients previously treated with crizotinib. This study described characteristics, treatment sequencing, and outcomes among locally advanced/metastatic crizotinib-experienced ALK+ NSCLC patients.

Materials And Methods: From July 2014 to June 2015, a retrospective patient chart review was conducted among physicians from the US, EU, Korea, and Latin America.

Predictors of survival in patients who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion.

Background: Patients with malignant pleural effusion have a limited life expectancy. An increase in pleural and oncological treatment options and more accurate prognostic evaluation may help individualize treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic indicators of overall survival (OS) after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion.

Intestinal removal of free fatty acids from hosts by Lactobacilli for the treatment of obesity.

Recent findings on the association of gut microbiota with various diseases, including obesity, prompted us to investigate the possibility of using a certain type of gut bacteria as a safe therapeutic for obesity. Lactobacillus mutants with enhanced capacity in absorption of free fatty acids (FFAs) were isolated to show reduced absorption of FFAs by the administered host, attributing to inhibition of body weight gain and body fat accumulation as well as amelioration of blood profiles. Consequently, high throughput screening of natural FFAs-absorbing intestinal microbes led to the isolation of Lactobacillus reuteri JBD30 l.

EEG response varies with lesion location in patients with chronic stroke.

Background: Brain activation differs according to lesion location in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, but lesion location-dependent electroencephalographic (EEG) alterations are unclear. Because of the increasing use of EEG-based brain-computer-interface rehabilitation, we examined lesion location-dependent EEG patterns in patients with stroke while they performed motor tasks.

Methods: Twelve patients with chronic stroke were divided into three subgroups according to their lesion locations: supratentorial lesions that included M1 (SM1+), supratentorial lesions that excluded M1 (SM1-), and infratentorial (INF) lesions.

Prevalence and Features of a Probable Diagnosis in First-Visit Headache Patients Based on the Criteria of the Third Beta Edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders: A Prospective, Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the characteristics and significance of a probable diagnostic entity for primary headache disorder (PHD).

Background: A diagnosis of probable primary headache disorder (PPHD) is given when a patient's headache fulfills all but one criteria of the third beta edition of the international classification of headache disorder (ICHD-3β). Despite the uncertainty regarding this diagnosis, the inclusion of a probable diagnosis entity in this manual may aid in the accurate classification of headache disorders and allow effective treatment strategies to be started at the patient's initial visit.

Management of post-pneumonectomy syndrome using tissue expanders.

Background: Post-pneumonectomy syndrome (PPS) is a rare syndrome characterized by trachea-bronchial stenosis and severe dyspnea. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcomes in patients who underwent placement of tissue expanders for PPS.

Methods: Data from patients who underwent placement of tissue expanders for PPS were analyzed for preoperative characteristics, surgical techniques, and postoperative outcomes.

Assessment of EGFR Mutation Status in Matched Plasma and Tumor Tissue of NSCLC Patients from a Phase I Study of Rociletinib (CO-1686).

Purpose: The evaluation of plasma testing for the EGFR resistance mutation T790M in NSCLC patients has not been broadly explored. We investigated the detection of EGFR activating and T790M mutations in matched tumor tissue and plasma, mostly from patients with acquired resistance to first-generation EGFR inhibitors.

Experimental Design: Samples were obtained from two studies, an observational study and a phase I trial of rociletinib, a mutant-selective inhibitor of EGFR that targets both activating mutations and T790M.

A diagnostic approach and natural course of a patient with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome.

The diagnostic criteria of asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) advocated by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)/Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) are somewhat complicated, and limited data are available regarding how ACOS patients respond to current medications. We present a case of a 64-year-old man with ACOS. With features favoring asthma including childhood asthma history with intermittent episodes of dyspnea at night, elevated blood eosinophil count and total IgE, increased forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1) after bronchodilator (>200 mL and >12% from baseline), and positive skin prick tests, he also had features favoring COPD such as heavy smoker, persistent exertional dyspnea, and airflow limitation after inhaled therapy.

Population attributable risks of modifiable reproductive factors for breast and ovarian cancers in Korea.

Background: Breast and ovarian cancers are predominant female cancers with increasing prevalence. The purpose of this study was to estimate the population attributable risks (PARs) of breast and ovarian cancer occurrence based on the relative risks (RRs) of modifiable reproductive factors and population-specific exposure prevalence.

Methods: The PAR was calculated by using the 1990 standardized prevalence rates, the 2010 national cancer incidence with a 20 year lag period, the meta-analyzed RRs from studies conducted in the Korean population for breast cancer, and the meta-analyzed RRs from a Korean epithelial ovarian cancer study and a prior meta-analysis, and ovarian cancer cohort results up to 2012.

Pembrolizumab versus docetaxel for previously treated, PD-L1-positive, advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (KEYNOTE-010): a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Despite recent advances in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, there remains a need for effective treatments for progressive disease. We assessed the efficacy of pembrolizumab for patients with previously treated, PD-L1-positive, advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods: We did this randomised, open-label, phase 2/3 study at 202 academic medical centres in 24 countries.

Microarray Gene-expression Profiling Analysis Comparing PCNSL and Non-CNS Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to compare microarray gene-expression profiling data between primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma and non-CNS lymphomas.

Materials And Methods: We performed whole-genomic cDNA-mediated annealing, selection and ligation assay with 177 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples.

Results: We identified 20 differentially expressed genes out of which 5 were predominantly expressed in CNS DLBCL compared to non-CNS DLBCL (C16orf59, SLC16A9, HPDL, SPP1, and MAG).

Reproducibility of automated volumetric breast density assessment in short-term digital mammography reimaging.

Two automated volumetric breast density analyses of 44 patients who underwent image-guided needle localization in one breast were compared to calculate the agreement of assessment parameters in short-term digital mammography reimaging. The outputs of the automated volumetric breast density method included four parameters [fibroglandular tissue volume (Vfg), total breast volume (Vb), volumetric breast density (Vbd), and area breast density (Abd)]. The variability and agreement of each parameter were calculated in serial mammograms.

Diabetes mellitus, but not small dense low-density lipoprotein, is predictive of cardiovascular disease: A Korean community-based prospective cohort study.

Aims/introduction: Small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) has been suggested to be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Materials And Methods: We carried out a prospective nested case-control study in the Korean Health and Genome Study. Participants were men and women aged 40-69 years who developed CVD (n = 313), and were matched by age and sex to controls who remained free of CVD (n = 313) during the 8-years follow-up period (from 2001 to 2009).

Association between markers of glucose metabolism and risk of colorectal adenoma.

Background & Aims: Diabetes is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. We studied the association between markers of glucose metabolism and metabolic syndrome and the presence of colorectal adenomas in a large number of asymptomatic men and women attending a health screening program in South Korea. We also investigated whether these associations depend on adenoma location.

Nanostring-based multigene assay to predict recurrence for gastric cancer patients after surgery.

Despite the benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, approximately one-third of stage II gastric cancer (GC) patients developed recurrences. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a prognostic algorithm for gastric cancer (GCPS) that can robustly identify high-risk group for recurrence among stage II patients. A multi-step gene expression profiling study was conducted.

Gene expression profiles for the prediction of progression-free survival in diffuse large B cell lymphoma: results of a DASL assay.

We performed the whole genome cDNA-mediated annealing, selection and ligation assay with 164 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples to develop robust prognostic gene expression profiles in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. The prognostic gene expression profiles were developed and validated by a gradient lasso and leave-one-out cross-validation process. We identified a set of genes whose expression provided prognostic indicators from whole data set (PRKCDBP, CASP10, FAM3C, KCNK12, MAN1A2, PRND, RAB1A, TMEM39B, SLC6A6, MMP12, FEM1B, C3orh37, RBP1, HK1, LOC400464, KIAA0746, and SLC25A23).