GENT: Gene Expression Database of Normal and Tumor Tissues

Background Some oncogenes such as ERBB2 and EGFR are over-expressed in only a subset of patients. Cancer outlier profile analysis is one of computational approaches to identify outliers in gene expression data. A database with a large sample size would be a great advantage when searching for genes over-expressed in only a subset of patients. Description GENT (Gene Expression database of Normal and Tumor tissues) is a web-accessible database that provides gene expression patterns across diverse human cancer and normal tissues. More than 40000 samples, profiled by Affymetrix U133A or U133plus2 platforms in many different laboratories across the world, were collected from public resources and combined into two large data sets, helping the identification of cancer outliers that are over-expressed in only a subset of patients. Gene expression patterns in nearly 1000 human cancer cell lines are also provided. In each tissue, users can retrieve gene expression patterns classified by more detailed clinical information. Conclusions The large samples size (&gt;24300 for U133plus2 and &gt;16400 for U133A) of GENT provides an advantage in identifying cancer outliers. A cancer cell line gene expression database is useful for target validation by in vitro experiment. We hope GENT will be a useful resource for cancer researchers in many stages from target discovery to target validation. GENT is available at http://medicalgenome.kribb.re.kr/GENT/ or http://genome.kobic.re.kr/GENT/ . </jats:sec

Comparison of Conventional Excision via a Sublabial Approach and Transnasal Marsupialization for the Treatment of Nasolabial Cysts: A Prospective Randomized Study

ObjectivesSurgical excision via a sublabial approach is considered the standard treatment for nasolabial cysts. Although transnasal marsupialization has been proposed as an alternative method, no prospective study has compared the effectiveness of these techniques. We thus compared the surgical procedure, operating time, postoperative pain, complications, and recurrence rate between the two surgical methods.MethodsTwenty patients diagnosed with nasolabial cysts were allocated randomly into two groups according to the surgical technique. In the sublabial approach group, the cysts were excised completely using a sublabial approach, while in the transnasal marsupialization group, the cysts were marsupialized transnasally under the guidance of nasal endoscopes. The pure operating time was measured and postoperative pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale. Complications after the procedure were assessed and recurrence was determined according to the clinical symptoms and postoperative radiologic findings.ResultsThe transnasal marsupialization group had significantly shorter operating times, less postoperative pain, lower complication rates, and shorter duration of side effects than the sublabial approach group. No recurrence occurred in either group after a 1-yr follow-up period.ConclusionAlthough both methods are effective for treating nasolabial cysts, the transnasal marsupialization of nasolabial cysts has many benefits over the conventional sublabial approach. Therefore, we propose that transnasal marsupialization be the treatment of choice for nasolabial cysts

Emergent photons and fractionalized excitations in a quantum spin liquid

A quantum spin liquid (QSL) arises from a highly entangled superposition of many degenerate classical ground states in a frustrated magnet, and is characterized by emergent gauge fields and deconfined fractionalized excitations (spinons). Because such a novel phase of matter is relevant to high-transition-temperature superconductivity and quantum computation, the microscopic understanding of QSL states is a long-sought goal in condensed matter physics. The 3D pyrochlore lattice of corner-sharing tetrahedra can host a QSL with U(1) gauge fields called quantum spin ice (QSI), which is a quantum (with effective $S=1/2$) analog of the classical (with large effective moment) spin ice. A key difference between QSI and classical spin ice is the predicted presence of the linearly dispersing collective excitations near zero energy, dubbed the "photons", arising from emergent quantum electrodynamics, in addition to the spinons at higher energies. Recently, 3D pyrochlore systems Ce2M2O7 (M = Sn, Zr, Hf) have been suggested as effective $S=1/2$ QSI candidates, but there has been no evidence of quasielastic magnetic scattering signals from photons, a key signature for a QSI. Here, we use polarized neutron scattering experiments on single crystals of Ce2Zr2O7 to conclusively demonstrate the presence of magnetic excitations near zero energy at 50 mK in addition to signatures of spinons at higher energies. By comparing the energy (E), wave vector (Q), and polarization dependence of the magnetic excitations with theoretical calculations, we conclude that Ce2Zr2O7 is the first example of a dipolar-octupolar $\pi$ flux QSI with dominant dipolar Ising interactions, therefore identifying a microscopic Hamiltonian responsible for a QSL

Telecommuting-related health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a national population-based cross-sectional study

Background Telecommuting has expanded greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the advent of remote working from home, there has been an ongoing controversy about the positive or negative health-related impact of telecommuting. This study aimed to investigate change in the occupational health risk in South Korean workers involved in telecommuting during the pandemic period compared to daily commuters. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study of South Korean workers using the secondary data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020–2021) was designed. A total of 12,354 white-collar wage employees were selected as the study sample. Telecommuting, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, headache-eye strain, absenteeism, and presenteeism were measured by self-reported data. Multiple logistic regression models, including gender stratification analysis, were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the health outcomes of telecommuters. Results Among the study population, 338 males and 318 females were reported to be telecommuters. The entirely adjusted regression model showed a positive association between telecommuting and anxiety (AOR = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.93–4.10), insomnia (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27–2.92), fatigue (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.30–2.37), musculoskeletal pain (AOR = 1,76; 95% CI, 1.33–2.32), headache-eye strain (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI, 1.48–2.54), presenteeism (AOR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.20–2.28) respectively. Gender difference was identified in that only female telecommuters had a higher risk of depression (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.04–2.53) and insomnia (AOR = 2.07; 95% CI, 1.26–3.41) than daily commuters in the adjusted model. Conclusion Telecommuting was significantly associated with an increased risk of various health problems among South Korean workers and females were identified as a more vulnerable group. Although further research is required to ascertain the causal relationship, public health intervention should be considered to prevent the negative effects of telecommuting.This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (grant number, 2022R1A2C2010463, 2017R1E1A1A01078235). This research was supported by the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and Korea Dementia Research Center (KDRC), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare and Ministry of Science and ICT, Republic of Korea (grant number: HU20C0487). This work was supported by the Education and Research Encouragement Fund of Seoul National University Hospital

Pattern classification using principal components of cortical thickness and its discriminative pattern in schizophrenia

We proposed pattern classification based on principal components of cortical thickness between schizophrenic patients and healthy controls, which was trained using a leave-one-out cross-validation. The cortical thickness was measured by calculating the Euclidean distance between linked vertices on the inner and outer cortical surfaces. Principal component analysis was applied to each lobe for practical computational issues and stability of principal components. And, discriminative patterns derived at every vertex in the original feature space with respect to support vector machine were analyzed with definitive findings of brain abnormalities in schizophrenia for establishing practical confidence. It was simulated with 50 randomly selected validation set for the generalization and the average accuracy of classification was reported. This study showed that some principal components might be more useful than others for classification, but not necessarily matching the ordering of the variance amounts they explained. In particular, 40-70 principal components rearranged by a simple two-sample t-test which ranked the effectiveness of features were used for the best mean accuracy of simulated classification (frontal: (left(%)|right(%))=91.07|88.80, parietal: 91.40|91.53, temporal: 93.60|91.47, occipital: 88.80|91.60). And, discriminative power appeared more spatially diffused bilaterally in the several regions, especially precentral, postcentral, superior frontal and temporal, cingulate and parahippocampal gyri. Since our results of discriminative patterns derived from classifier were consistent with a previous morphological analysis of schizophrenia, it can be said that the cortical thickness is a reliable feature for pattern classification and the potential benefits of such diagnostic tools are enhanced by our finding

The effectiveness of fermented turmeric powder in subjects with elevated alanine transaminase levels: a randomised controlled study

BACKGROUND: Previous animal studies have shown that Curcuma longa (turmeric) improves liver function. Turmeric may thus be a promising ingredient in functional foods aimed at improving liver function. The purpose of the study is to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of fermented turmeric powder (FTP) on liver function in subjects with elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) levels. METHODS: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted between November 2010 and April 2012 at the clinical trial center for functional foods of the Chonbuk National University Hospital. The trial included 60 subjects, 20 years old and above, who were diagnosed mild to moderate elevated ALT levels between 40 IU/L and 200 IU/L. Sixty subjects were randomised to receive FTP 3.0 g per day or placebo 3.0 g per day for 12 weeks. The treatment group received two capsules of FTP three times a day after meals, for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was change in the ALT levels in the two groups. The secondary efficacy endpoints included its effect on aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TB), and lipid profiles. Safety was assessed throughout the study using ongoing laboratory tests. Adverse events (AEs) were also recorded. RESULTS: Sixty subjects were randomised in the study (30 into the FTP group, 30 into the placebo group), and among them, twelve subjects were excluded from the analysis for protocol violation, adverse events or consent withdrawal. The two groups did not differ in baseline characteristics. After 12 weeks of treatment, 48 subjects were evaluated. Of the 48 subjects, 26 randomly received FTP capsules and 22 received placebo. The FTP group showed a significant reduction in ALT levels after 12 weeks of treatment compared with the placebo group (p = 0.019). There was also observed that the serum AST levels were significantly reduce in the FTP group than placebo group (p = 0.02). The GGT levels showed a tendency to decrease, while the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), TB, and lipids levels were not modified. There were no reported severe AEs during this study, or abnormalities observed on blood glucose, total protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine levels. CONCLUSION: The data of this trial indicate that FTP is effective and safe, generally well-tolerated without severe AEs, in the treatment of subjects with elevated ALT levels over a 12 weeks period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: http://NCT0163425

Radiofrequency Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules and Recurrent Thyroid Cancers: Consensus Statement and Recommendations

Thermal ablation using radiofrequency is a new, minimally invasive modality employed as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. The Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology has developed recommendations for the optimal use of radiofrequency ablation for thyroid nodules. These recommendations are based on a comprehensive analysis of the current literature, the results of multicenter studies, and expert consensus

Positive Result in the Early Passive Phase of the Tilt-table Test: A Predictor of Neurocardiogenic Syncope in Young Men

Background/Aims: This study elucidated the prognostic factors for neurocardiogenic syncope in males in their late teens and early twenties. Methods: Tilt-table testing (TTT) was performed on 665 males (age range, 17 to 27 years) following the Italian protocol. The subjects were tilted head-up at a 70 ° angle on a table for 30 minutes during the passive phase. If the passive phase was negative, the subjects were given sublingual nitroglycerin and tilted to the same angle for 20 minutes during the drugprovocation phase. The subjects with positive results were followed without medication. We analyzed factors related to the recurrence rate of syncope. Results: Of 305 subjects (45.8%) with positive results, 223 (age range, 18 to 26 years) were followed for 12 months. The frequency of previous syncopal episodes ≥ 4 (p = 0.001) and a positive result during the passive phase (p = 0.022) were significantly related to a high recurrence rate. A positive result during the early passive phase ( ≤ 12 minutes) was significantly related to a higher recurrence rate than was that during the late passive phase (&gt; 12 minutes; p = 0.011). Conclusions: A positive result during the early passive phase of TTT and frequent previous syncopal episodes were prognostic factors for neurocardiogenic syncope in men in their late teens and early twenties. Keywords: Syncope, vasovagal; Prognosis; Tilt-table tes

Incident dementia in kidney transplantation recipients: a matched comparative nationwide cohort study in South Korea

Background Recent studies have shown that patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at elevated risk of dementia. However, whether kidney transplantation (KT) lowers the risk for incident dementia remains unclear. Methods From the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified incident KT recipients aged ≥40 years without any history of dementia between 2007 and 2015. We also established a pair of age-, sex-, and inclusion year-matched control cohorts of patients with incident dialysis-dependent ESRD and members of the general population (GP) without a history of dementia, respectively. Cases of incident all-cause dementia, including Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD), and other kinds of dementia, were obtained from baseline until December 31, 2017. Results We followed 8,841 KT recipients, dialysis-dependent ESRD patients, and GP individuals for 48,371, 28,649, and 49,149 patient-years, respectively. Their mean age was 52.5 years, and 60.6% were male. Over the observation period, 55/43/19 KT recipients, 230/188/75 dialysis-dependent ESRD patients, and 38/32/14 GP individuals developed all-cause dementia/AD/VD. The risks of incident all-cause dementia, AD, and VD in KT recipients were similar to those in GP (hazard ratio: 0.74 [p = 0.20], 0.74 [p = 0.24], and 0.59 [p = 0.18], respectively) and significantly lower than those in dialysis-dependent ESRD patients (hazard ratio: 0.17 [p < 0.001], 0.16 [p < 0.001], and 0.16 [p < 0.001], respectively). Older age and diabetes mellitus at the time of KT were risk factors for incident all-cause dementia and AD in KT recipients. Conclusion This is the first study to show a beneficial impact of KT on incident dementia compared to dialysis dependency