Optical Coherence Tomography Parameters and Optimal Cut-off Values for Predicting Visual Prognosis in Ethambutol-Induced Optic Neuropathy.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in patients with ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy (EON) and establish their optimal cut-off values for predicting visual acuity outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 64 eyes of 32 patients with EON who underwent OCT. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness were measured using Cirrus high-definition OCT (HD-OCT) within 3 months after EON diagnosis.

Stem cells for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants: A randomized controlled phase II trial.

We previously demonstrated the safety and feasibility of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants in a phase I clinical trial. We thus investigated the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs for BPD in premature infants. A phase II double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on preterm infants at 23 to 28 gestational weeks (GW) receiving mechanical ventilator support with respiratory deterioration between postnatal days 5 and 14.

Association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and risk of hematologic malignancy.

This study investigated the relationships between HDL-C and major types of blood cancers. Competing risks regression was used to examine the hazard ratios of hematologic malignancies in 9,596,145 individuals (≥20 years) using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (2009-2017). The incidence of the following hematologic cancers was determined based on the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision: Multiple Myeloma (MM), Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL), Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), Lymphoid Leukemia (LL), and Myeloid Leukemia (ML).

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy in patients with hypertension, cardiovascular, renal or gastrointestinal comorbidities: joint APAGE/APLAR/APSDE/APSH/APSN/PoA recommendations.

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most commonly prescribed medications, but they are associated with a number of serious adverse effects, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney injury and GI complications.

Objective: To develop a set of multidisciplinary recommendations for the safe prescription of NSAIDs.

Methods: Randomised control trials and observational studies published before January 2018 were reviewed, with 329 papers included for the synthesis of evidence-based recommendations.

Long-Term Particulate Matter Exposure and Onset of Depression in Middle-Aged Men and Women.

Background: Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with all-cause mortality and adverse cognitive outcomes, but the association with developing depression remains inconsistent.

Objective: Our goal was to evaluate the prospective association between PM air pollution and developing depression assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale.

Methods: Subjects were drawn from a prospective cohort study of 123,045 men and women free of depressive symptoms at baseline who attended regular screening exams in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea, from 2011 to 2015.

Efficacy and Safety of Transvenous Embolization of Type II Renal Arteriovenous Malformations with Coils.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transvenous coil embolization of the venous sac for type II renal arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 8 patients (5 women and 3 men; mean age, 57 years; age range, 41-69 years) who underwent transvenous coil embolization for type II congenital renal AVM at 5 different hospitals between 2012 and 2018. Additional intra-arterial ethanol injection was performed if shunt flow persisted after venous sac coiling.

Hepatitis B virus infection and development of chronic kidney disease: a cohort study.

Background: The effect of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is controversial. We examined the prospective association between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) serology status and incident CKD in a large cohort of men and women.

Methods: Cohort study of 299,913 adults free of CKD at baseline who underwent health screening exams between January 2002 and December 2016 in South Korea.

Discovery of Natural Compounds Promoting Cardiomyocyte Differentiation.

The commitment of pluripotent stem cells to the cardiac lineage has enormous potential in regenerative medicine interventions for several cardiac diseases. Thus, it is necessary to understand and regulate this differentiation process for potential clinical application. In this study, we developed defined conditions with chemical inducers for effective cardiac lineage commitment and elucidated the mechanism for high-efficiency differentiation.

Hepatitis B and C virus infection and diabetes mellitus: A cohort study.

The role of hepatitis virus infection in glucose homeostasis is uncertain. We examined the associations between hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the development of diabetes in a cohort (N = 439,708) of asymptomatic participants in health screening examinations. In cross-sectional analyses, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for prevalent diabetes comparing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (+) to HBsAg (-) participants was 1.

Sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption and coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic men and women.

Background: Sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption has been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and clinically manifest coronary heart disease, but its association with subclinical coronary heart disease remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption and coronary artery calcium (CAC) in a large study of asymptomatic men and women.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 22,210 adult men and women who underwent a comprehensive health screening examination between 2011 and 2013 (median age 40 years).

A Longitudinal Study of Association between Adiposity Markers and Intraocular Pressure: The Kangbuk Samsung Health Study.

Importance: Intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction or stabilization is the only proven method for glaucoma management. Identifying risk factors for IOP is crucial to understand the pathophysiology of glaucoma.

Objective: To examine the associations of change in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and percent fat mass with change in intraocular pressure (IOP) in a large sample of Korean adults.

Effects of lymphocyte profile on development of EBV-induced lymphoma subtypes in humanized mice.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection causes both Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The present study reveals that EBV-induced HL and NHL are intriguingly associated with a repopulated immune cell profile in humanized mice. Newborn immunodeficient NSG mice were engrafted with human cord blood CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for a 8- or 15-wk reconstitution period (denoted (8w)hN and (15w)hN, respectively), resulting in human B-cell and T-cell predominance in peripheral blood cells, respectively.

Sleep Duration, Sleep Quality, and Markers of Subclinical Arterial Disease in Healthy Men and Women.

Objective: Short and long sleep duration are associated with increased risk of clinical cardiovascular events, but the association between sleep duration and subclinical cardiovascular disease is not well established. We examined the association between sleep duration and sleep quality with coronary artery calcification (CAC) and with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a large sample of young and middle-aged asymptomatic adults.

Approach And Results: We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult men and women who underwent a health checkup examination, including assessment of sleep duration and quality and coupled with either CAC (n=29 203) or brachial-ankle PWV (n=18 106).

Glioblastoma specific antigens, GD2 and CD90, are not involved in cancer stemness.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant World Health Organization grade IV brain tumor. GBM patients have a poor prognosis because of its resistance to standard therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Since stem-like cells have been associated with the treatment resistance of GBM, novel therapies targeting the cancer stem cell (CSC) population is critically required.

Oncologist Perspectives on Rare Cancer Care: A Nationwide Survey.

Purpose: In response to the challenges and difficulties imposed by rare cancers, multi-stakeholder initiatives dedicated to improving rare cancer care was launched, and several recommendations were made by professional societies. However, these primarily reflect the view of the advocates and supporters, and may not represent the views of the "average" clinician or researcher. In this study, we sought to investigate perceived difficulties with regard to rare cancer care and potential solutions endorsed by oncologists.

KML001, a telomere-targeting drug, sensitizes glioblastoma cells to temozolomide chemotherapy and radiotherapy through DNA damage and apoptosis.

Standard treatment for glioblastoma comprises surgical resection, chemotherapy with temozolomide, and radiotherapy. Nevertheless, majority of glioblastoma patients have recurrence from resistance to the cytotoxic conventional therapies. We examined combinational effects of KML001, an arsenic compound targeting telomeres of chromosomes with temozolomide or irradiation, in glioblastoma cell lines and xenograft models, to overcome the therapeutic limitation of chemoradiation therapy for glioblastoma.

Metabolically-healthy obesity and coronary artery calcification.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores of metabolically-healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals in a large sample of apparently healthy men and women.

Background: The risk of cardiovascular disease among obese individuals without obesity-related metabolic abnormalities, referred to as MHO, is controversial.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 14,828 metabolically-healthy adults with no known cardiovascular disease who underwent a health checkup examination that included estimation of CAC scores by cardiac tomography.

Thyroid hormones and mortality risk in euthyroid individuals: the Kangbuk Samsung health study.

Context: Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, both overt and subclinical, are associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The association between thyroid hormones and mortality in euthyroid individuals, however, is unclear.

Objective: To examine the prospective association between thyroid hormones levels within normal ranges and mortality endpoints.

Association of coronary artery calcification and serum gamma-glutamyl transferase in Korean.

Background And Objective: Elevated serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) has been known to be associated with the cardiovascular disease. However, there is a lack of researches on direct examination of relevance between serum GGT and coronary artery calcification (CAC). Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum GGT levels and the prevalence of CAC in Korean.

The clinical features and emotional stressors in korean patients with tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.

Background. Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is typically triggered by an acute emotional or physical stress events. Aim of this study was to investigate the impact of emotional stressors on clinical features, laboratory parameters, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings in patients with TTC.

A cohort study of serum bilirubin levels and incident non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in middle aged Korean workers.

Background: Serum bilirubin may have potent antioxidant and cytoprotective effects. Serum bilirubin levels are inversely associated with several cardiovascular and metabolic endpoints, but their association with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been investigated except for a single cross-sectional study in a pediatric population. We assessed the prospective association between serum bilirubin concentrations (total, direct, and indirect) and the risk for NAFLD.

Combined therapy of temozolomide and ZD6474 (vandetanib) effectively reduces glioblastoma tumor volume through anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative mechanisms.

Currently, clinically available options for treating glioblastoma (GBM) are quite limited, and there is a clear need to develop novel treatment strategies that can more effectively manage tumors. Here, we present a combination treatment of temozolomide (TMZ), a blood-brain barrier penetrating DNA alkylating agent, and ZD6474 (vandetanib), a VEGFR2 and EGFR dual-targeting anti-angiogenic agent, as a novel treatment strategy for GBM. In a U-87MG orthotopic xenograft model, the combination treatment provided a marked 94% tumor volume reduction.

Wnt activation is implicated in glioblastoma radioresistance.

Glioblastoma (GBM) patients have dismal median survival even with the most rigorous treatments currently available. Radiotherapy is the most effective non-surgical therapy for GBM patients; however, patients succumb due to tumor recurrence within a year. To develop a curative therapeutic approach, we need to better understand the underlying molecular mechanism of radiation resistance in GBM.